Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics MCQs for UPSC Prelims
105 practice questions covering Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics, organised into 1 topics.
105 questions include a written explanation.
Pick a topic below, or try the samples first.
How do the leaves of a plant take part in respiration?
ALeaves have small noses along their edges
BLeaves take in air only after they fall to the ground
CLeaves do not take part in respiration at all
DAir moves in and out through tiny pores on the leaf surface
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - Air moves in and out through tiny pores on the leaf surface
Leaves carry tiny pores through which air passes in and out, which is how a plant respires. Plants have no noses. A fallen leaf is no longer part of a living plant, and leaves are very much involved in respiration, so the last choice is wrong.
Q2
medium
A calf and an adult cow are seen in a field. Which statement about them is correct?
AThe calf has the same body shape as the cow and mainly needs to grow bigger
BThe calf is a different kind of animal from the cow
CThe calf will pass through a resting stage before becoming a cow
DThe calf has gills that will later be replaced by legs
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - The calf has the same body shape as the cow and mainly needs to grow bigger
A calf already has the body plan of a cow and simply grows in size over the years. Resting stages such as a pupa occur in insects, not in cattle. Calves have no gills, and a calf is a young cow rather than a different kind of animal.
Q3
medium
Which set of observations best shows that a small object in the garden is living?
AIt is green in colour and feels soft
BIt grows over the weeks, moves on its own and reacts when touched
CIt shines brightly in the sunlight
DIt is heavy and lies still in one place
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - It grows over the weeks, moves on its own and reacts when touched
Growth, movement of its own accord and a reaction to touch are three characteristics of living things appearing together, which makes a strong case. Colour, softness, weight and shine are properties that many non-living objects share, so none of them shows life.
Q4
easy
Read these two statements about a fair test to find out whether seeds need water to germinate. (i) Only one condition, the presence of water, should differ between the two sets. (ii) Everything else, such as the kind of seed and the warmth of the place, should be kept the same. Which is correct?
ANeither (i) nor (ii)
BOnly (i)
CBoth (i) and (ii)
DOnly (ii)
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - Both (i) and (ii)
Both statements describe a fair test. Water must be the only difference, and every other condition must be held the same, or a difference in sprouting could have been caused by something else. Since each statement is needed, the choices that keep only one of them or reject both are wrong.
Q5
hard
Assertion (A): The shoot of a plant kept in a box with a single small opening grows towards that opening. Reason (R): A plant takes in water and minerals through its roots.
ABoth A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
BBoth A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
CA is true, but R is false
DA is false, but R is true
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
The shoot really does grow towards the only opening, since light enters there, so A is true, and roots really do take in water and minerals, so R is true. But what the roots absorb has nothing to do with the direction the shoot bends, so R does not explain A. The last two choices wrongly call one statement false.
Q6
medium
Ria wants to test whether seeds need warmth to germinate. She keeps set A on wet cotton in a warm room and set B on dry cotton in a refrigerator. Why is her test unfair?
AShe should have kept both sets in the refrigerator
BShe should have used seeds of two different plants
CShe has used far too many seeds in each set
DThe two sets differ in water as well as temperature, so the cause cannot be identified
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - The two sets differ in water as well as temperature, so the cause cannot be identified
Set B lacks both warmth and water, so if it fails to sprout there is no way to tell which of the two was responsible. Using different plants would add yet another difference. Keeping both in the refrigerator would remove the very condition being tested, and the number of seeds is not the problem.
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