Animal Diversity — 2026-test Past Questions

University of Ilorin ZOO102: 78 questions.

Topics: General classification of the animal kingdom, Diversity of animal forms, structures, and functions, Animal systematics, History of animal diversity, Animal phylogenetics tree, New trends in systematics

  1. Who is regarded as the father of Zoology?
    1. Carl Linnaeus
    2. Aristotle
    3. Charles Darwin
    4. John Ray
  2. Who is regarded as the father of Taxonomy?
    1. Carl von Linné (Carolus Linnaeus)
    2. Charles Darwin
    3. Aristotle
    4. John Ray
  3. Who first used the term 'genus' in classification?
    1. Linnaeus
    2. Aristotle
    3. John Ray
    4. Charles Darwin
  4. Who introduced cladistics?
    1. Carl von Linné
    2. Charles Darwin
    3. John Ray
    4. Willi Hennig
  5. Who shifted the basis of classification from artificial to natural (phylogenetic)?
    1. Charles Darwin
    2. Linnaeus
    3. Aristotle
    4. John Ray
  6. Who introduced the concept of common ancestry?
    1. Aristotle
    2. John Ray
    3. Charles Darwin
    4. Linnaeus
  7. Who was regarded as the pioneer of zoological nomenclature?
    1. Carl Linnaeus
    2. Willi Hennig
    3. Charles Darwin
    4. Aristotle
  8. Aristotle first classified animals based on:
    1. Color and size similarities
    2. Habitat and structural similarities
    3. DNA analysis
    4. Evolutionary relationships
  9. Which of the following did Carl Linnaeus NOT introduce?
    1. Hierarchical classification
    2. Binomial nomenclature
    3. Cladistic classification
    4. Systema Naturae
  10. Which of the following was NOT a basis on which Carl Linnaeus made his taxonomy?
    1. Physical structure
    2. Evolution
    3. Morphology
    4. Anatomical features
  11. The science of classification based on evolutionary history and phylogeny is:
    1. Taxonomy
    2. Systematics
    3. Nomenclature
    4. Identification
  12. Taxonomic keys are used for:
    1. Nomenclature
    2. Identification
    3. Classification
    4. Phylogeny
  13. Molecular systematics deals with:
    1. Structural similarities
    2. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and other molecular data
    3. Physical characters
    4. Morphological features
  14. PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is used to:
    1. Amplify DNA
    2. Cut DNA
    3. Destroy DNA
    4. Remove DNA
  15. A character state shared by two or more taxa and inherited from their most recent common ancestor is called:
    1. Synapomorphy
    2. Apomorphy
    3. Plesiomorphy
    4. Homomorphy
  16. Cladistics is a method of classification based on:
    1. Symplesiomorphies
    2. Analogous characters
    3. Overall physical similarity
    4. Synapomorphies
  17. The correct order of the taxonomic hierarchy (from largest to smallest) begins as:
    1. Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order
    2. Order-Class-Phylum-Kingdom
    3. Phylum-Kingdom-Order-Class
    4. Order-Kingdom-Phylum-Class
  18. Which of the following is the largest (most inclusive) taxonomic group?
    1. Phylum
    2. Kingdom
    3. Family
    4. Genus
  19. Which is the most specific (basic) unit of classification?
    1. Species
    2. Genus
    3. Order
    4. Family
  20. A group of closely related species belongs to the same:
    1. Family
    2. Class
    3. Order
    4. Genus
  21. Species are organisms that:
    1. Live together
    2. Can interbreed freely
    3. Look alike
    4. Share the same habitat
  22. Who defined species as organisms that share a morphological relationship and can interbreed freely?
    1. Carl Linnaeus
    2. Charles Darwin
    3. Aristotle
    4. John Ray
  23. Homologous structures are those of:
    1. Same evolutionary origin
    2. Different evolutionary origin
    3. Same function only
    4. Different habitat only
  24. Approximately how many organisms were named by Carl Linnaeus?
    1. 12,000
    2. 8,000
    3. 15,000
    4. 5,000
  25. Approximately how many animal species have been named so far?
    1. 1.5 million
    2. 15 million
    3. 300 million
    4. 100 million
  26. Which body is responsible for the nomenclature of animals?
    1. UNESCO
    2. WHO
    3. ICZN
    4. UNO
  27. The principle that states no two animal genera can have the same name and no two species in the same genus can have the same specific epithet is:
    1. Homonymy
    2. Coordination
    3. Typification
    4. Priority
  28. The two acceptable languages of scientific nomenclature are:
    1. English and French
    2. French and German
    3. Greek and Latin
    4. Swedish and Latin
  29. Scientific names are written in:
    1. Latin
    2. Greek
    3. Swedish
    4. English
  30. Which of the following conforms with nomenclature standards when citing the author's name?
    1. Homo Sapiens L. 1758
    2. Homo sapiens Linnae 1758
    3. Homo sapiens L. 1758
    4. homo sapiens Linn 1758
  31. In the citation 'Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758', what does the year 1758 represent?
    1. The year the species was first validly described and named
    2. The year Linnaeus was born
    3. The year the ICZN was founded
    4. The year Darwin published his theory
  32. Binomial nomenclature combines which two names, in which order?
    1. Specific epithet followed by generic name
    2. Generic name followed by specific epithet
    3. Subspecies followed by species
    4. Family followed by genus
  33. The generic name (first name) in binomial nomenclature is written with:
    1. All letters in upper case
    2. All letters in lower case
    3. First letter in upper case and the rest in lower case
    4. Every word capitalised
  34. Which of the following is used to express more than one species under the same genus?
    1. sp.
    2. ssp.
    3. spp.
    4. SP.
  35. Which rule should be followed for common names of organisms?
    1. Written in italics
    2. Written in Latin
    3. Should not be in upper case letters
    4. Should be underlined
  36. Which of the following is NOT used to classify animals?
    1. Heterotrophic nutrition
    2. Ability to move around
    3. Storing carbohydrates as glycogen
    4. Presence of chloroplast
  37. Growth in animals is best described as:
    1. Unlimited and apical
    2. Limited and diffuse (occurring throughout the body)
    3. Unlimited and lateral
    4. Limited and apical
  38. The variety of genes occurring within the same species, which ensures adaptability, is called:
    1. Genetic diversity
    2. Animal diversity
    3. Ecological diversity
    4. Species diversity
  39. Animal diversity can appear confusing because animals vary:
    1. Only in colour
    2. Structurally, functionally and behaviourally
    3. Only in size
    4. Only in habitat
  40. Animal diversity is in the purview of a:
    1. Botanist
    2. Ecologist
    3. Zoologist
    4. Microbiologist
  41. Animal life is believed to have first appeared approximately:
    1. 100–200 million years ago
    2. 300–400 million years ago
    3. 900–1000 million years ago
    4. 600–700 million years ago
  42. Which era was characterized by soft-bodied animals and sponges?
    1. Silurian era
    2. Pre-Cambrian era
    3. Paleozoic era
    4. Modern era
  43. Which geological period witnessed the most dramatic and rapid increase in animal diversity?
    1. Mesozoic era
    2. Cambrian period
    3. Silurian period
    4. Cenozoic era
  44. Which era witnessed invertebrates and fish diversifying and animals colonizing land?
    1. Precambrian era
    2. Mesozoic era
    3. Paleozoic era
    4. Cenozoic era
  45. The gradual change in populations over generations that gives rise to new and better-adapted types of organisms is called:
    1. Evolution
    2. Survival of the fittest
    3. Organismal adaptation
    4. Natural selection
  46. Organismal adaptation refers to:
    1. Features that enable an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment
    2. Isolation of animals from one another
    3. Replacement of unfit animals by fit ones
    4. Sudden creation of new species
  47. Which of the following is NOT a protozoan?
    1. Amoeba
    2. Euglena
    3. Hydra
    4. Paramecium
  48. Paramecium moves by:
    1. Beating of flagella
    2. Beating of cilia
    3. Looping
    4. Swimming
  49. A unicellular microscopic aquatic organism that uses cilia for movement and feeding belongs to phylum:
    1. Rotifera
    2. Cnidaria
    3. Platyhelminthes
    4. Protozoa
  50. Which phylum is known as the pore-bearing animals?
    1. Cnidaria
    2. Mollusca
    3. Porifera
    4. Arthropoda
  51. Which cells line the internal chambers of sponges and create the water current used for filter feeding?
    1. Choanocytes
    2. Cnidocytes
    3. Pinacocytes
    4. Neurons
  52. Which of the following is NOT a class of Porifera?
    1. Calcarea
    2. Hexactinellida
    3. Demospongiae
    4. Hydrozoa
  53. The small pores found on the body wall of Porifera through which water enters are called:
    1. Ostia
    2. Mantle
    3. Spicules
    4. Osculum
  54. Sponges are characterized by:
    1. Filter feeding
    2. Autotrophic nutrition
    3. Parasitic feeding
    4. Saprophytic nutrition
  55. Which phylum has importance in human medicine and veterinary medicine?
    1. Porifera
    2. Platyhelminthes
    3. Rotifera
    4. Cnidaria
  56. Which of the following does NOT match?
    1. Porifera and tentacles
    2. Hydra and tentacles
    3. Paramecium and contractile vacuole
    4. Platyhelminthes and sucker
  57. The gastrovascular cavity in cnidarians is used primarily for:
    1. Digestion
    2. Respiration
    3. Reproduction
    4. Excretion
  58. Which of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
    1. Radiata — mesoglea
    2. Platyhelminthes — flame cells
    3. Mollusca — radula
    4. Protozoa — tentacles
  59. Which class of Platyhelminthes is free-living?
    1. Turbellaria
    2. Cestoda
    3. Trematoda
    4. Monogenea
  60. Taenia solium and Taenia saginata belong to which phylum?
    1. Porifera
    2. Echinodermata
    3. Platyhelminthes
    4. Mollusca
  61. The intermediate host of Taenia saginata is:
    1. Sheep
    2. Pig
    3. Man
    4. Cattle
  62. Nematodes are called roundworms because of their:
    1. Entirely round body form
    2. Cross-sectional round body
    3. Round posterior end
    4. Round anterior end
  63. Which phylum includes many microscopic species that are unsegmented and cylindrical, with a complete digestive tract having a mouth and anus?
    1. Porifera
    2. Platyhelminthes
    3. Nematoda
    4. Mollusca
  64. Arthropods are distinguished by:
    1. Jointed walking legs
    2. Exoskeleton made of calcium
    3. Segmented body only
    4. Presence of backbone
  65. The name 'Arthropoda' is derived from Greek words meaning:
    1. Jointed foot
    2. Segmented body
    3. Hard shell
    4. Many legs
  66. The body of a mosquito is divided into:
    1. Head and abdomen
    2. Head, thorax and abdomen
    3. Cephalothorax and abdomen
    4. Head and thorax
  67. Earthworms and leeches belong to which phylum?
    1. Echinodermata
    2. Nematoda
    3. Annelida
    4. Cnidaria
  68. Which of the following is correctly matched?
    1. Arthropods — chitin exoskeleton
    2. Vertebrates — no backbone
    3. Mollusca — jointed legs
    4. Annelida — water vascular system
  69. The skeleton of Echinodermata is made primarily of:
    1. Silicon
    2. Calcium carbonate
    3. Chitin
    4. Sulphur
  70. Which phylum uses a water vascular system?
    1. Arthropoda
    2. Echinodermata
    3. Protozoa
    4. Annelida
  71. Which invertebrate phylum is closest to Chordata?
    1. Platyhelminthes
    2. Annelida
    3. Echinodermata
    4. Arthropoda
  72. Which of the following is NOT a chordate?
    1. Starfish
    2. Kangaroo
    3. Frog
    4. Snake
  73. Which of the following has a tubular dorsal nerve cord?
    1. Chordates
    2. Arthropods
    3. Echinoderms
    4. Annelids
  74. Which of the following has a pinna?
    1. Mammals
    2. Arthropods
    3. Mollusca
    4. Echinodermata
  75. Mubarak sees a creature with heterodont dentition and hair on its body. Which feature distinguishes it from other vertebrates?
    1. Sweat glands
    2. Two pairs of limbs
    3. Possession of eyes
    4. Bilateral symmetry
  76. Which of the following is NOT a tetrapod?
    1. Lizard
    2. Snake
    3. Fish
    4. Frog
  77. Mammals belong to which phylum?
    1. Mollusca
    2. Echinodermata
    3. Annelida
    4. Chordata
  78. Which phylum is named for the crown of beating cilia (corona) on its head that appears to rotate?
    1. Rotifera
    2. Porifera
    3. Mollusca
    4. Echinodermata

Register free to unlock all 78 questions with answers and explanations

SmartDriller logo

SmartDriller

Loading your past questions, mock exams, notes, and video tutorials...

Starting up…