THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE

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P art

I Diversity of living and non-living things

Example 1
A group of students made the following statements about living and
non-living things:
Ali: Non-living things need oxygen to survive.
Jo: All Living things need water and food only to survive.
Beth: Living things do not need fertilizers to grow.
Susan: All animals reproduce but not plants.
Which student is making the correct statement?
Example 2
The bar chart below shows the weight of a beaver across 4 ages.
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1. What characteristics of living thing can be seen from the chart?

A Living things will eventually die.

B Living things require air, water and food to grow.
C Living things can reproduce.
D Living things can grow.
2. What is the relationship between the weight of the beaver and it’s age?

A The weight of the beaver decreases as age increases.

B The weight of the beaver increases as age decreases.
C The weight of the beaver increases as age increases.
D The weight of the beaver decreases as age decreases.
3. What will be the weight of the beaver when it is 6 years old?

A 5 kg C 15 kg
B 10 kg D 20 kg

Example 3

Which of the following action(s) demonstrate characteristics of living things?

1. THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE

1. A sunflower bending towards sunlight.

2. A germinating seed.

3. A stone falling into the river.

4. A dying cat.

A Options 1 and 3. C Options 2 and 4.

B Options 1 and 2. D Options 1, 2 and 4.

Example 4

Kermode bears, also known as spirit bears, are black bears with a recessive trait which
results in them having white or cream coloured fur. They live in the temperate rain-
forests of British Columbia. The local native people see this bear as ‘sacred’. How
does this white or cream coloured fur play a part in its hunt for its prey, salmon, a key
part of their diet?

A It harms the Kermode bear as it causes the bear to stand out to its prey.
B It harms the Kermode bear as it causes the bear to feel cold in its environment.
C It allows the Kermode bear to look scary and fierce such that it can capture prey.
Section I Diversity of living and non-living things 7

D It allows the Kermode bear to camouflage with the bright sky when hunting for
salmon in the rivers.

Example 5
Study the classification table below. Which of the following have
been classified wrongly?
Group M Group N
Moldy Bread Car
Yeast Cup
Mushrooms Carriage
Cheese Cap

A Moldy Bread C Yeast

B Cap D Cheese

Example 6

Which animal has been classified wrongly?

Invertebrates Vertebrates
A Prawn Dolphin
B Ant Monitor Lizard
C Earthworm Stonefish
D Snake Snail

1. THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE

Example 7
Kermode bears, also known as spirit bears, are black bears with a
recessive trait which results in them having white or cream coloured fur. They live in
the temperate rainforests of British Columbia. The local native people see this bear as
‘sacred’. How does this white or cream coloured fur play a part in its hunt for its prey,
salmon, a key part of their diet?
A It harms the Kermode bear as it causes the bear to stand out to its prey.
B It harms the Kermode bear as it causes the bear to feel cold in its environment.
C It allows the Kermode bear to look scary and fierce such that it can capture prey.
D It allows the Kermode bear to camouflage with the bright sky when hunting for
salmon in the rivers.

Example 8
Study the classification table below. Which of the following have
been classified wrongly?
Group M Group N
Moldy Bread Car
Yeast Cup
Mushrooms Carriage
Cheese Cap
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Example 9
Most flowering plants reproduce by seeds. In order for fruits and
seeds to develop, the plant’s flower has to be pollinated, where the male reproductive
cell, which is found in the pollen grain fuse with the egg cell. Male flowers release a
large number of pollen grains at once. Why is this essential for reproduction?

A This increases the chance of fertilisation.

B This makes the plant more attractive.
C All the pollen grains might not survive.
D Some pollen grains can directly grow into plants.

Example 10
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense is a fungus in the Fusarium
genus which is currently threatening the banana plantations in the Caribbean coastal
regions. It can cause these banana plants to ultimately be unable to bear fruit or
even survive. Most of the time, it is lethal to the plant, even though it is not unsafe
to humans. On a larger scale, this can affect bananas as a food source, as well as
an export commodity. This fungus is transmitted through infected farming material,
infested soil and water, and this problem is also known as the Fusarium wilt.
1. Which of the substances is/are not what the fungus is obtaining from the banana
plant?

(a) Sunlight (b) Oxygen (c) Water (d) Nutrients

1. THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE

A Options a and d C Options a and b

B Option b only D Options b, c and d

2. Joan observes that when the Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense fungus infects
the plant, the leaves turn yellow and wilt, eventually, the plant does not survive.
When she had cut the stem of the plant, she observed that there were black strips
in its stem. A simple diagram of what she saw under the microscope has been
provided below. She was told that the fungus enters through the plant’s roots
from the infected soil and spread upwards thereafter.
Section I Diversity of living and non-living things 9

Based on the information above, which of the statements is likely the key reason
for the death of the plant?

A The fungus directly infects the leaves of the plant causing them to wilt. As
they wilt, they are no longer able to make food and exchange gases.

B The roots produce black liquid and can no longer take in water and mineral
salts for the plant.

C The phloem tissues are damaged and the food made by the leaves cannot
be sent to all parts of the plant.

D The xylem vessels of the plant are damaged and obstructed, resulting in
restricted flow of water transported to the leaves.

Example 11
The table below shows the characteristic of 4 different animals.

Animal Fly Breathe underwater Classified as

Penguin No No Birds
Chicken Yes No Birds
Spider No No Insects
Fog Yes Yes Reptiles

1. THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE

Which animal have the correct characteristics?

A Penguin B Chicken C Spider D Frog

Exercises

I.1 Around 1 billion birds die by colliding with clear window glass in the United
States. On the other hand, humans do not collide with clear window glass as often
as birds. The human and bird’s eyes can see objects because light is reflected from
an object to the eye. Which of the statements below is true?

A Birds cannot see glass while Humans can.

B Birds have bad eyesight.
C Light pass through the clear glass which makes it hard for Humans and birds
to see.

D The light reflected on the glass affects the bird’s eyes.

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I.2 There are 100 different things in a room and they are classified according
to living things and non-living things. Why is it important to classify items into
different groups?

A It helps us look for things more easily.

B It helps us understand where the things come from.
C It tells us if the things are alive or not.
D It tells us which thing can be compared with another thing.
I.3 In the Antarctic, the leopard seal feeds on the Adélie penguins and the Adélie
penguins mostly feed on small krill. Small krill are also eaten by people. What
happens when the amount of small krill that we eat increases?

A The number of leopard seal living in the Antarctic decreases.

B The number of leopard seal living in the Antarctic increases.
C The number of krill living in the Antarctic increases.
D The number of penguins living in the Antarctic increases.
I.4 A student gathered a few non-living things: Wooden Chair, Leather Jacket,
Cardboard box and a stack of papers. The student made a few claims:
1. THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE

1. All non-living things were once made from living things.

2. All non-living things do not need sunlight and air to grow.

3. The items gathered can be classified under the category of flexibility.

4. The items gathered are non-edible by all living things.

Which claim above is true?

A Statement 3 C Statement 1, 2,3, and 4

B Statement 1,2 and 3 D None of the above.
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I.5 During winter, the American bison will travel great distances from the north
of Yellowstone to the south where it is much warmer to feed. Which characteristics
of living things does the American bison show when they travel long distances to
feed?

A Living things need food and water to stay alive.

B Living things always move around to find food they like to eat.
C Living things respond to changes.
D Living things reproduce.
I.6 The chicken’s egg shell is hard and protects the chick until it hatches from
the egg. It has very tiny holes that allow air to pass through. What can be said
about the chicken’s egg shell?

A The egg shell is a living thing as it needs air to survive.

B The egg shell can grow into different shapes and sizes.
C Without water and food, the egg shell will die.
D The egg shell is a non-living thing.
I.7 Study the classification table below. Which of the following have been clas-

1. THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE

sified wrongly?
Group M Group N
Prokaryotes Fan
Fungi Chair
Plantae Table
Animalia Protoctista

A Protoctista C Fungi
B Chair D Animalia
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I.8 Let’s do some sorting!

You have been appointed for a very special role in the Vanda Kingdom. You are
tasked by the King to sort different items into various groups. All the items are
not alive and placed in the storage room. You are given the list of items to sort.
Items:

1. Wooden Table 6. Books

2. Wooden Chair 7. Insects

3. Wooden Bookshelf 8. Animals

4. Flower 9. Mobile Phone

5. Jewelry 10. Candles

The King have requested that you should sort them into 2 different groups.
Group M Group N
Flower Wooden Table
Insects Wooden Chair
Animals Wooden Bookshelf
Mobile Phone Candles
Jewelry Books

Which categories can be used to represent Group M and N respectively?

1. THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE

A Living things, non-living things C Non-living things, once a living

thing

B Non-living things, living things D Living things, once a living thing.

I.9 Algae, amoeba, are both found in the Protista category. What can we infer
about them?

1. They are prokaryotes.

2. They are eukaryotes.

3. The entire organism is one cell.

4. They have cell walls.

A Option 2 only C Option 2 and 4

B Option 2 and 3 D Option 1,2, 3 and 4