Biodiversity and Classification is one of 9 topics in the Grade 10 Life Sciences CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. Biodiversity refers to:
The variety of living organisms found within an area, ecosystem, or on Earth as a whole
The number of chemical elements found in living organisms
The total mass of all organisms in an ecosystem
The variety of rock types found in an ecosystem
Answer: The variety of living organisms found within an area, ecosystem, or on Earth as a whole — Biodiversity describes the variety of life, including genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity, within a given area or across the planet.
Easy
2. Classification (taxonomy) is best described as:
The scientific practice of grouping organisms into categories based on shared characteristics
The process of naming an organism using only its common name
A process used only to identify extinct species
A random assignment of organisms into categories
Answer: The scientific practice of grouping organisms into categories based on shared characteristics — Classification, or taxonomy, groups organisms systematically according to shared characteristics, making the diversity of life easier to study and communicate about.
Medium
3. Why does relying only on common names for organisms cause problems for scientific communication?
Common names vary between languages and regions, and the same organism may have several different common names, or different organisms may share the same common name
Common names are always identical in every language worldwide
Common names never vary within the same country
Scientific classification does not use names at all
Answer: Common names vary between languages and regions, and the same organism may have several different common names, or different organisms may share the same common name — Because common names differ across languages and regions, and can be ambiguous (multiple names for one organism, or one name for multiple organisms), a standardised scientific system is needed to avoid confusion.
