VERTEBRATES AND INVERTEBRATES (Part-I)

1. Vertebrates belong to the phylum— [S.S.C. Online CHSL (T-I) 3.02.2017 (Shift-II)]

(a) Arthropoda
(b) Annelida
(c) Cnidaria
(d) Chordata

Correct Answer: (d) Chordata

Solution:The animal kingdom is divided into various phyla based on fundamental body plans and characteristics. Vertebrates (animals with a backbone) are a subphylum (Vertebrata) within the larger phylum Chordata. All chordates possess, at some stage of their development, a notochord (a flexible rod that supports the body), a dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail. Arthropoda includes insects, spiders, and crustaceans (jointed legs). Annelida includes segmented worms like earthworms. Cnidaria includes jellyfish and corals.

2. Which of the following is NOT a vertebrate? [S.S.C. Online Graduate Level (T-I) 3.03.2020 (Shift-II)]

(a) Bird
(b) Mammal
(c) Fish
(d) Snail

Correct Answer: (d) Snail

Solution:The spinal cord is found in vertebrates. Birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, etc., are vertebrate animals. The snail is an invertebrate animal that does not have a spinal column.

3. Which of the following is not a characteristic of Chordates? [S.S.C. Online MTS (T-I) 21.08.2019 (Shift-I)]

(a) The central nervous system is dorsal, hollow, and single
(b) A posterior-anal part (tail) is present
(c) Notochord is absent
(d) Heart is abdominal

Correct Answer: (c) Notochord is absent

Solution:Chordates are characterized by the presence of a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, and paired pharyngeal slits. They are triploblastic and possess ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm.

4. What is the distinctive characteristic of marsupials? [S.S.C. Online Graduate Level (T-I) 12.06.2019 (Shift-I)]

(a) They carry young ones in pouches
(b) They hibernate in winter
(c) They lay eggs
(d) They migrate from one place to another

Correct Answer: (a) They carry young ones in pouches

Solution:Marsupials are a class of mammals that carry their young ones for some time in a natural pouch made in the body. They do this because their babies are not as fully developed in pregnancy as in normal mammals but develop the rest after birth.

5. Which of the following creatures is oviparous? [S.S.C. Online Graduate Level (T-I) 11.06.2019 (Shift-I)]

(a) Mouse
(b) Squirrel
(c) Rabbit
(d) Frog

Correct Answer: (d) Frog

Solution:Rat, squirrel and rabbit are animals of the Mammalia group, which give birth to young, whereas the first eggs are laid by frogs, from which the tadpoles (undeveloped frogs) are first born. After tadpole metamorphosis, it takes the form of a full-fledged frog.

6. Dugong is the key animal of which biosphere conservation area? [S.S.C. Online MTS (T-1) 2.08.2019 (Shift-II)]

(a) Simlipal
(b) Gulf of Mannar
(c) Manas
(d) Great Rann of Kutch

Correct Answer: (b) Gulf of Mannar

Solution:The Dugong is a species of sea cow found throughout the warm latitudes of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 1,050,000 hectares on the south-east coast of India across from Sri Lanka. It is one of the world’s richest regions from a marine biodiversity perspective and comprises 21 islands with estuaries, beaches, forests of the nearshore environment, including a marine component with algal communities, sea grasses, coral reefs, salt marshes and mangroves.

7. Which of the following is an example of a marsupial? [S.S.C. Online Constable GD 2.03.2019 (Shift-II)]

(a) Zebra
(b) Turtle
(c) Kangaroo
(d) Jackal

Correct Answer: (c) Kangaroo

Solution:Kangaroos are iconic examples of marsupials, native to Australia. They are well-known for their pouch where their young develop.

8. Which of these animals does not have jaws? [C.P.O. S.I. 5.06.2016 (Shift-II)]

(a) Trigon
(b) Shark
(c) Myxine
(d) Sphyrna

Correct Answer: (c) Myxine

Solution:Myxine (Hagfish): These are primitive fish belonging to the class Myxini, which are jawless. They have a round, sucker-like mouth.

9. Animals of which phylum have jointed legs? [S.S.C. Online CHSL (T-1) 19.03.2020 (Shift-I)]

(a) Arthropoda
(b) Echinodermata
(c) Mollusca
(d) Nematoda

Correct Answer: (a) Arthropoda

Solution:The phylum Arthropoda contains a wide diversity of animals with hard exoskeletons and jointed appendages or legs. Many familiar species belong to the phylum Arthropoda—insects, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, and millipedes on land; crabs, crayfish, shrimp, lobsters, and barnacles in water.

10. Which one of the following is a ruminant animal? [S.S.C. Online M.T.S. (T-1) 26.10.2021 (Shift-I)]

(a) Hen
(b) Cow
(c) Donkey
(d) Horse

Correct Answer: (b) Cow

Solution:Ruminants are herbivorous mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions. This process occurs in a four-chambered stomach (rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum).