 Classification helps scientists understand biodiversity and evolution by

organising living things into groups based on their similarities. This makes it
easier to study how species are related and how they have changed over time. By
grouping organisms, scientists can trace evolutionary paths, identify common
ancestors, and see patterns in how life has adapted to different environments. It’s a
way to make sense of the variety of life and understand how it all connects.
 Living organisms share seven key characteristics that define life. They move, like
animals walking or plants reorienting toward sunlight. They respire, a process
involving the release of energy from food; in humans, they breathe in oxygen to do
this. They sense and respond to changes, such as a rabbit fleeing from danger. They
undergo growth, such as a seed developing into a tree. They reproduce, generating
offspring—for instance, cats give birth to kittens. They excrete, thereby removing
waste through processes like sweating or urination. Finally, they require nutrition;
plants produce their own food via photosynthesis, while animals consume other
organisms. These attributes enable scientists in to identify and study living entities.
 One key difference is that eukaryotic cells have a nucleus, while prokaryotic cells
do not. In prokaryotes, the genetic material floats freely in the cell, but in eukaryotes,
it's enclosed within a membrane-bound nucleus.
 Ribosomes are tiny structures found in all cells that make proteins. They read genetic
instructions from messenger RNA and link amino acids together to build proteins,
which are essential for cell function. Ribosomes can float freely in the cell or attach to
the endoplasmic reticulum.
 The largest and most inclusive group in classification is “Kingdom”.

--------------------------------------------------------

Grade 10 (IGCSE) Biology Questions & Answers (1st lesson.)

1. The characteristic of living things that involves getting rid of waste products.

Answer: Excretion - the process by which living organisms remove metabolic

wastes.
2. The ability of an organism to detect and respond to changes in its
environment.
Answer: Sensitivity - the ability of an organism to detect and respond to
stimuli.
3. The process by which organisms increase in size and complexity.

Answer: Growth - an increase in size and complexity of an organism.

4. The process of making new organisms.

Answer: Reproduction - the biological process of producing offspring.

5. The intake and use of food for energy and growth.

Answer: Nutrition - the process of taking in and using nutrients.

6. The chemical reactions that occur within a living organism.

Answer: Metabolism - the sum of all chemical reactions in an organism.

7. The release of energy from food, usually involving oxygen.

Answer: Respiration - the process of breaking down food to release energy.

8. The largest and most inclusive group in the classification system.

Answer: Kingdom - the highest taxonomic rank.

9. The smallest and most specific group, whose members can interbreed.

Answer: Species - a group of organisms capable of interbreeding.

10. The naming system using two Latin words for an organism.

Answer: Binomial nomenclature - a system of naming species with genus and

species names.
11. The kingdom that includes bacteria and cyanobacteria.

Answer: Kingdom Monera (or Bacteria) - unicellular prokaryotes.

12. The kingdom of organisms that are typically multicellular and non-motile,

performing photosynthesis.
Answer: Kingdom Plantae - multicellular photosynthetic organisms.
13. The kingdom of multicellular organisms that ingest their food.

Answer: Kingdom Animalia - multicellular heterotrophic organisms.

14. The kingdom of yeasts, molds, and mushrooms.

Answer: Kingdom Fungi - mostly multicellular decomposers.

15. The kingdom of mostly single-celled eukaryotes, like Amoeba and Chlorella.

Answer: Kingdom Protista - mostly unicellular eukaryotes.

16. The type of acid that makes up the genetic material inside a virus.

Answer: Nucleic acid - DNA or RNA.

17. The protein coat that encloses the genetic material of a virus.
 Answer: Capsid.
18. An organism that a virus must invade in order to reproduce.

Answer: Host.
19. Viruses are often described as being on the boundary of life because they

cannot carry out this process on their own.

Answer: Metabolism - viruses cannot metabolize on their own.
20. The animal group characterized by a backbone.

Answer: Vertebrates.
21. The group of flowering plants that produce seeds with two cotyledons.

Answer: Dicots.
22. The animal group with jointed legs and an exoskeleton.

Answer: Arthropods.
23. The largest class of arthropods, including bees and grasshoppers.

Answer: Insects.
24. The group of vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded and lay jelly-coated
eggs in water.
Answer: Amphibians.
25. The class of vertebrates characterized by having feathers.

Answer: Birds.
26. The group of plants that do not produce flowers or seeds, such as mosses and
ferns.
Answer: Non-flowering plants (e.g., Bryophytes and Pteridophytes).
27. The animal group with an internal skeleton and skin covered in scales.

Answer: Fish.
28. The group of flowering plants that produce seeds with a single cotyledon.

Answer: Monocots.
29. A method of classification that uses a sequence of paired opposing statements

to identify an organism.
Answer: Dichotomous key.
30. The structure that controls the cell's activities and contains genetic material.

Answer: Nucleus.
31. The jelly-like substance where most chemical reactions occur in the cell.

Answer: Cytoplasm.
32. The partially permeable barrier that controls what enters and leaves the cell.

Answer: Cell membrane.

33. The rigid outer layer of a plant cell that provides support and shape.

Answer: Cell wall.

34. The site of aerobic respiration and energy production in both animal and plant
cells.
Answer: Mitochondria.
35. The organelle in a plant cell that stores cell sap.

Answer: Vacuole.
36. The organelle that contains chlorophyll and is the site of photosynthesis.

Answer: Chloroplast.
37. The small structures that are the site of protein synthesis.

Answer: Ribosomes.
38. Cells that lack a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.

Answer: Prokaryotic cells.

39. The main chemical compound that makes up the plant cell wall.

Answer: Cellulose.
40. The term for cells that have a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

Answer: Eukaryotic cells.

41. A group of similar cells working together to perform a specific function.

Answer: Tissue.
42. A group of different tissues working together to perform a specific function.

Answer: Organ.
43. A group of organs working together to carry out a particular process.

Answer: Organ system.

44. The structural and functional unit of all living things.

Answer: Cell.
45. The term for an organism made up of only one cell.

Answer: Unicellular organism.

46. The specialized process by which cells become different to perform different
jobs.
Answer: Cell differentiation.
47. The name for a cell specialized to carry messages, found in the nervous system.

Answer: Neuron.
48. The cell found in the leaf specialized for photosynthesis.

Answer: Palisade mesophyll cell.

49. The red-pigmented cell component specialized for oxygen transport in
mammals.
Answer: Red blood cell (containing haemoglobin).
50. The movement of water across a partially permeable membrane.

Answer: Osmosis.

Characteristics of Living Things

 Excretion → Removal of metabolic wastes

 Sensitivity → Detecting and responding to stimuli
 Growth → Increase in size and complexity
 Reproduction → Producing offspring
 Nutrition → Intake and use of nutrients
  Metabolism → Sum of all chemical reactions in an organism
 Respiration → Breaking down food to release energy

Classification Basics

 Kingdom → Largest, most inclusive group

 Species → Smallest group; organisms can interbreed
 Binomial nomenclature → Naming system using genus + species
 Dichotomous key → Method using paired statements to identify organisms

Kingdoms

 Monera (Bacteria) → Unicellular prokaryotes

 Plantae → Multicellular, photosynthetic organisms
 Animalia → Multicellular, heterotrophic organisms
 Fungi → Yeasts, molds, mushrooms (decomposers)
 Protista → Mostly unicellular eukaryotes

Viruses

 Genetic material → DNA or RNA (nucleic acid)

 Capsid → Protein coat enclosing genetic material
 Host → Organism a virus invades to reproduce
 Metabolism → Cannot metabolize independently → “boundary of life”

Animal & Plant Groups

 Vertebrates → Animals with backbone

 Dicots → Flowering plants with two cotyledons
 Monocots → Flowering plants with one cotyledon
 Arthropods → Jointed legs, exoskeleton
 Insects → Largest class of arthropods
 Amphibians → Cold-blooded, jelly-coated eggs in water
 Birds → Feathers
 Fish → Internal skeleton, scales
 Non-flowering plants → Mosses, ferns

Cell Structures
  Nucleus → Controls activities, contains genetic material
 Cytoplasm → Site of chemical reactions
 Cell membrane → Controls entry/exit of substances
 Cell wall → Rigid support (plants)
 Mitochondria → Aerobic respiration, energy production
 Vacuole → Stores cell sap (plants)
 Chloroplast → Photosynthesis, contains chlorophyll
 Ribosomes → Protein synthesis
 Cellulose → Main component of plant cell wall

Cell Types & Organization

 Prokaryotic cells → No nucleus, no membrane-bound organelles

 Eukaryotic cells → Have nucleus + organelles
 Unicellular organism → Made of one cell
 Tissue → Group of similar cells
 Organ → Group of tissues
 Organ system → Group of organs
 Cell differentiation → Cells specialize for different jobs

Specialized Cells

 Neuron → Carries messages in nervous system

 Palisade mesophyll cell → Photosynthesis in leaves
 Red blood cell → Oxygen transport (haemoglobin)

Transport

 Osmosis → Movement of water across a partially permeable membrane

How Organisms are classified

 There are millions of species of organisms on Earth

 A species is defined as a group of organisms that

can reproduce to produce fertile offspring
  These species can be classified into groups by the features
that they share e.g. all mammals have bodies covered in
hair, feed young from mammary glands and have external
ears (pinnas)

The Binomial System

 Organisms were first classified by a Swedish naturalist
called Linnaeus in a way that allows the subdivision of living
organisms into smaller and more specialised groups

 The species in these groups have more and more features in

common the more subdivided they get

 He named organisms in Latin using the binomial

system where the scientific name of an organism is made up
of two parts starting with the genus (always given a capital
letter) and followed by the species (starting with a lower
case letter)

 When typed binomial names are always in italics (which

indicates they are Latin) e.g. Homo sapiens

 The sequence of classification

is: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Specie
s

Linnaeus’s system of classification

Examiner Tips and Tricks
The order of classification can be remembered by using a
mnemonic like:

KING PHILIP CAME OVER FOR GRAN’S SPAGHETTI

Dichotomous Keys
 Keys are used to identify organisms based on a series of
questions about their features

 Dichotomous means ‘branching into two’ and it leads the user

through to the name of the organism by giving two
descriptions at a time and asking them to choose

 Each choice leads the user onto another two descriptions

 In order to successfully navigate a key:

1. You need to pick a single organism to start with, or you

may be presented with an unfamiliar one as part of an
exam questions

2. Follow the statements from the beginning. Each

statement or question you should be able to answer
using the information provided in the question or an
image given as part of the question.

3. Eventually there will be no more statements or questions

left and you will have the name of the organism

4. You then pick another organism and start at the

beginning of the key again, repeating until all
organisms are named
Example of a dichotomous key #1
 Example of a dichotomous key #2
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Simple dichotomous keys almost always come up in the multiple
choice paper, so make sure you can use one. Very occasionally
they show up in the theory paper, and when they do you almost
always have to use one instead of constructing one, so focus on
this rather than spending hours learning to construct them yourself!

Characteristics of Living
Organisms
 Movement: an action by an organism or part of an organism
causing a change of position or place

 Respiration: the chemical reactions that break down nutrient

molecules in living cells to release energy for metabolism

 Sensitivity: the ability to detect or sense stimuli in the internal

or external environment and to make appropriate responses

 Growth: a permanent increase in size and dry mass by an

increase in cell number, or cell size, or both

 Reproduction: the processes that make more of the same

kind of organism

 Excretion: the removal from organisms of toxic materials, the

waste products of metabolism (chemical reactions in cells,
including respiration) and substances in excess of
requirements

 Nutrition: the taking in of materials for energy, growth and

development; plants require light, carbon dioxide, water and
ions; animals need organic compounds, ions and usually need
water
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Use this mnemonic to help you remember these processes:

MRS. GREN

 Movement

 Respiration

 Sensitivity

 Growth and development

 Reproduction

 Excretion

 Nutrition

The Five Kingdoms

 The first division of living things in the classification system is
to put them into one of five kingdoms. They are:

o Animals

o Plants

o Fungi

o Protoctists

o Prokaryotes

 Main features of all animals:

o they are multicellular

o their cells contain a nucleus but no cell walls or

chloroplasts
 o they feed on organic substances made by other living
things

A typical animal cell

 Main features of all plants:

o they are multicellular

o their cells contain a nucleus, chloroplasts and cellulose

cell walls

o they all feed by photosynthesis

 A typical plant cell

The Animal Kingdom

 Several main features are used to place organisms into
groups within the animal kingdom

Vertebrates
 All vertebrates have a backbone

o There are 5 classes of vertebrates

Vertebrate Table
 Vertebrate classification

Invertebrates
 Invertebrates do not possess a backbone

 One of the morphological characteristics used to classify

invertebrates is whether they have legs or not

 All invertebrates with jointed legs are part of

the arthropod phylum
 They are classified further into the following groups:

Arthropod groups table

Arthropod classification
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Make sure that you are aware of the distinction between the main
features of a group of organisms and the defining features of a
group:

 An exam question might ask you to state the main features of

a group of organisms; these are given above, and some of
these main features are shared between the groups, e.g. all
of the vertebrates have a backbone, and all of the arthropods
have segmented bodies

 It is also possible that an exam question might ask you to give

a defining feature of one of these groups, i.e. a feature
that sets a group apart from the other groups, e.g.
mammals have fur while the other vertebrates do not, and
crustaceans have 2 pairs of antennae while this is not the
case for the different groups of arthropods.

The Five Kingdoms:

Extended
Extended Tier Only
 The first division of living things in the classification system is
to put them into one of five kingdoms

 They are:

o Animals

o Plants

o Fungi

o Protoctists
 o Prokaryotes

 Main features of all fungi (e.g. moulds, mushrooms, yeast)

o usually multicellular

o cells have nuclei and cell walls not made from cellulose

o do not photosynthesize but feed by saprophytic (on

dead or decaying material) or parasitic (on live
material) nutrition
 A typical fungal cell

 Main features of all Protoctists (e.g. Amoeba,

Paramecium, Plasmodium)

o most are unicellular but some are multicellular

o all have a nucleus, some may have cell walls and

chloroplasts

o meaning some protoctists photosynthesise and some

feed on organic substances made by other living
things

Two examples of protoctist cells

 Main features of all Prokaryotes (bacteria, blue-green

algae)

o often unicellular

o cells have cell walls (not made of cellulose)

and cytoplasm but no nucleus or mitochondria
 A typical bacterial cell

The Plant Kingdom:

Extended
Extended Tier Only
 At least some parts of any plant are green, caused by the
presence of the pigment chlorophyll which absorbs energy
from sunlight for the process of photosynthesis
  The plant kingdom includes organisms such as ferns and
flowering plants

Ferns
 Have leaves called fronds

 Do not produce flowers but instead reproduce by

spores produced on the underside of fronds

Ferns

Ferns reproduce by spores found in the underside of their

fronds

Flowering plants
 Reproduce sexually by means of flowers and seeds

 Seeds are produced inside the ovary found at the base of the
flower
  Can be divided into two groups
– monocotyledons and dicotyledons

Wheat plants are monocotyledons

Sunflowers are dicotyledons

How do you distinguish between

monocotyledons and dicotyledons?
 Flowers

o Flowers from monocotyledons contain petals

in multiples of 3 while flowers from dicotyledons contain
petals in multiples of 4 or 5
 Leaves

o Leaves from monocotyledons have parallel leaf

veins while leaves from dicotyledons have reticulated
leaf veins

 Reticulated = form a web-like network throughout

the leaf

o Leaves from monocotyledons are narrow and grass-like

while leaves from dicotyledons tend to
have broader leaves that come in a wide range of
shapes

Comparing monocots and dicots

Examiner Tips and Tricks
Identification of monocotyledons and dicotyledons comes up fairly
frequently in the multiple choice paper and so it is worth learning
the two differences between their flowers and leaves.

Viruses: Extended
Extended Tier Only
 Viruses are not part of any classification system as they
are not considered living things

 They do not carry out the seven life processes for

themselves, instead they take over a host cell’s metabolic
pathways to make multiple copies of themselves

 Virus structure is genetic material (RNA or DNA) inside a

protein coat

Structure of a typical virus