NCERT
Biology Grade 11 Chapter 4 Animal kingdom
CBSE NCERT Solutions for Class 11 biology Chapter 4
Exercises
Q.1. What are the difficulties that you would face in classification of animals, if common fundamental features are not taken
into account?
Solution: The purpose of the classification of animals is to trace the common features among different species and group
them on the basis of common fundamental features rather than considering every feature of an organism.
If every individual will have to be studied independently, the correlation among species cannot be
identified and hence, evolutionary significance at an individual level cannot be traced. The interrelationship
among different animals will not be traceable.
If only common features of organisms are taken into account it will lead to a grouping of unrelated organisms.
For example the birds, bats and butterflies all have wings but basically have different origin and
characteristics. Similarly, the whale seems to belong to class Pisces but is actually a mammal and bats look like
birds but are mammals. Thus, for grouping the organisms their evolutionary characters must be taken into
consideration.
Q.2. How important is the presence of an air bladder in Pisces?
Solution: Air bladder in bony fishes (Class– Osteichthyes), allows them to balance themselves in water without sinking,
hence, maintaining the buoyancy. It also allows the fish to move upwards, downwards or stay still in the water
current enabling them to survive in an aquatic medium without wasting extra energy.
Q.3. What are the modifications that are observed in birds that help them fly?
Solution: The birds have the following features which allow them to fly:
The forelimbs are modified into wings that enable the birds to fly and the hindlimbs are modified to
swim, walk or perch on branches.
They have bony endoskeleton and long hollow bones with air cavities (pneumatic bones), thus, reducing
the bodyweight of birds.
They have streamlined shaped body, which allows smooth and rapid movement in the air.
Their body is covered with feathers, hence, provide insulation to the body.
Air sacs present along with lungs aid in respiration.
Q.4. Could the number of eggs or young ones produced by an oviparous and viviparous mother be equal? Why?
Solution: Oviparous animals are those animals that lay eggs and young ones hatch from them. The eggs develop
outside the parent and are susceptible to predators attack. Hence, the chances of survival of all the
embryos are not possible. So the oviparous mother lays many eggs in order to compensate for any
loss and there is less burden for the mother to carry the progeny.
Viviparous animals are those animals that give birth to the young ones and the mother produces less
young ones. The embryo develops within the body of the viviparous mother in the safe conditions and
environment with the least exposure to external conditions and predators until birth. Only a few young
ones can be properly incubated due to viviparity. Hence, the number of young ones produced by an
oviparous and viviparous mother are not equal.
Q.5. Segmentation in the body is first observed in which of the following.
PlatyhelminthesAschelminthesAnnelida
Solution: The body of Annelids organisms is marked by the presence of true body segments or metameres, hence the
name Annelida. These are the first organisms in which true metamerism is found.
Arthropoda
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NCERT Biology Grade 11 Chapter 4 Animal kingdom
Q.6. Match the following:
(a) Operculum (i) Ctenophora
(b) Parapodia (ii) Mollusca
(c)Scales (iii) Porifera
(d) Comb Plates (iv) Reptilia
(e) Radula (v) Annelida
(f) Hair (vi) Cyclostomata and chondrictyes.
(g) Choanocytes (vii) Mammalia
(h) Gill slits (viii) Osteichthyes
Solution: (a)-(viii),
Operculum covers the gill slits in Osteichthyes.
(b)-(v),
Parapodia is the locomotory organelles in the polypoda group of phylum Annelida.
(c)-(iv),
Reptiles are mostly terrestrial animals and their body is covered by dry and cornified skin, epidermal scales, or
scutes.
(d)-(i),
The presence of comb plates is a characteristic feature of the phylum Ctenophora.
(e)-(ii),
The radula is a teeth-like structure used to crush the food material, present in the organisms of phylum
Mollusca.
(f)-(vii),
The presence of hair in the body is an identifying feature of mammals.
(g)-(iii),
Choanocytes, also called the collar cells are present in Poriferans and act as a defense system.
(h)-(vi),
Uncovered gill slits are present in the Cyclostomata and Chondrichthyes, while they are covered by operculum
in the Osteichthyes.
(a) Operculum (viii) Osteichthyes
(b) Parapodia (v) Annelida
(c) Scales (iv) Reptiles
(d) Comb Plates (i) Ctenophora
(e) Radula (ii) Mollusca
(f) Hair (vii) Mammalia
(g) Choanocytes (iii) Porifera
(h) Gill slits (vi) Cyclostomata and Chondrichthyes.
Q.7. List out the names of some animals that are found parasitic on human beings.
Solution: The animals of phylum Platyhelminths and Aschelminthes that includes the flatworms and roundworms,
respectively are found mostly inhabiting the digestive tract but can be present in other body parts.
Some animals that are found parasitic on human beings are:
1. Fasciola hepatica (Liver Fluke)
2. Taenia solium (Flatworm) 3. Ascaris lumbricoides (Roundworm) 4. Wuchereria duodenale (Filarial worm)
5. Echinococcus granulosus (Hydatid Worm) 6. Ancylostoma duedonale (Hook Worm)
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NCERT Biology Grade 11 Chapter 4 Animal kingdom
Q.8. If you are given a specimen, what are the steps that you would follow to classify it?
Solution: A specimen can be classified based on the following characteristics:
The level of organisation– We can check which one of the following level of organisation the specimen
exhibits.
The cellular level of organisation
Tissue level of organisation
Organ level of organisation.
Structural symmetry of the animal body.
Symmetric
Asymmetric
Number of embryonic layers– The animal can have two or three germ layers on the basis of which it can be
classified into-
Diploblastic
Triploblastic
On the basis of presence or absence of coelom they can be classified under the following categories:
Acoelomates in which the coelom is absent.
Coelomates in which a true coelom lined by mesoderm is present.
Pseudocoelomates in which the coelom is not lined by mesoderm layer.
On the basis of presence or absence of notochord animals can be grouped into:
Non-chordates, these organisms do not have notochord.
Chordates, these organisms posses notochord at any stage of their life.
Q.9. How useful is the study of the nature of body cavity and coelom in the classification of animals?
Solution: The presence or absence of the body cavity is important in the classification of animals as it indicates the level
of organization in an evolutionary basis.
The body cavity lined with mesoderm is called coelom. The organisms possessing coelom are arthropods,
molluscs, annelids, echinoderms, hemichordates, chordates and therefore, they are known as coelomates. They
have a complex structure and an efficient organ system to carry out various processes.
The body cavity without a lining of mesoderm is known as acoelom and these include lower animals like
platyhelminthes. Therefore, they are known as acoelomates and have simple body organization.
If the mesoderm is found as scattered pouches between endoderm and ectoderm such organisms are known as
pseudocoelomates. Example: aschelminthes.
Hence, in the animal classification, platyhelminthes are less organized, followed by aschelminthes, whereas,
annelids, arthropods, molluscs, echinoderms, hemichordates, and chordates are well -organized to carry out
different activities.
Q.10. Distinguish between intracellular and extracellular digestion?
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NCERT Biology Grade 11 Chapter 4 Animal kingdom
Solution: Intracellular
Feature Extracellular digestion
Digestion
It takes place inside It takes place outside the cell in the
Site
the cell. alimentary canal.
Feature Intracellular Digestion Extracellular digestion
Only a few enzymes from Well-defined cells secrete
cytoplasm are released into the enzymes and release them into
Enzymes
food vacuole, where food is the cavity of the alimentary
digested. canal.
Feature Intracellular Digestion Extracellular digestion
This is a less-efficient method of This digestion is more
Efficiency
digestion of food. efficient.
Feature Intracellular Digestion Extracellular digestion
Level of It occurs in unicellular It occurs in multicellular highly
organisation organisms. evolved organisms.
Intracellular
Feature Extracellular digestion
Digestion
The digested food The digested food is absorbed by the
Distribution is released into the alimentary canal and then distributed in
cytoplasm. different parts of the body.
Q.11. What is the difference between direct and indirect development?
Solution: Feature Direct Development Indirect development
There is no larval stage and the embryo In this type of development, the embryo hatches from the
Presence
develops into a mature organism that egg in a larval form before it develops into a mature
of larva
resembles the parent organism. organism that resembles the parent organism.
Feature Direct Development Indirect development
Metamorphosis is
Metamorphosis absent. Metamorphosis is present.
Feature Direct Development Indirect development
Observed in fishes, reptiles, Observed in most of the
Example
birds and mammals. invertebrates and amphibians.
Q.12. What are the peculiar features that you find in parasitic platyhelminthes?
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NCERT Biology Grade 11 Chapter 4 Animal kingdom
Solution: Platyhelminthes are the worms with a dorso-ventrally flattened body, also called as flatworms. They are found
as parasites in animals, including human beings. e.g.Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke) and Taenia solium
(Tapeworm).
They have the following characteristic features:
They are mostly parasitic forms except for Planarians and have hooks and suckers, which help them to
attach to the host body. They are totally dependent on the host for their nutrition.
They are bilaterally symmetrical, triploblastic and acoelomates with organ levels of cellular organization.
They have an incomplete digestive system. i.e they possess a single opening in their alimentary canal
that lies at the anterior end and acts as both mouth and anus.
They have specialized cells that help in excretion and osmoregulation called flame cells.
They are hermaphrodite i.e sexes are not separate and the fertilization is internal although many larval
stages are present.
They lack locomotory organs due to their parasitic lifestyle.
Q.13. What are the reasons that you can think of for the arthropods to constitute the largest group of the animal kingdom?
Solution: Arthropoda is the largest phylum in the kingdom Animalia and include almost two-third of the named species
on earth.
They are known for their jointed appendages, that help them in the mobility on land and enable them to
escape from the enemy.
Their body comprises the head, thorax, and abdomen that is covered by an exoskeleton made of chitin,
heteropolysaccharides made of N-acetyl glucosamine units. It protects the body from diverse
atmospheric conditions and also prevents the loss of water, hence making them adapt to terrestrial
conditions.
They are the first organisms that have a well-defined respiratory, circulatory, and digestive system that
help them in survival in diverse conditions.
The largest number of species in the animal kingdom are found in the class Insecta of phylum
Arthropoda. They are adaptable to land, water and air as they have wings. All these factors contribute to
the arthropoda to constitute the largest group of the kingdom Animalia.
Q.14. Water vascular system is the characteristic of which group of the following?
PoriferaCtenophoraEchinodermata
Solution: The water vascular system is a unique feature of Echinoderms, which helps these organisms in locomotion,
respiration, capturing and transportation of food. e.g. Starfish (Asterias), Sea cucumber (Cucumaria).
Chordata
Q.15. “All vertebrates are chordates but all chordates are not vertebrates”. Justify the statement.
Solution: Chordata is the most developed among all the phylums in the animal kingdom. The characteristic features of
chordata is the presence of the notochord, paired pharyngeal gill slits and dorsal hollow nerve cord, tail and a
ventral heart.
The occurrence of the notochord in subphyla of Chordata-
Urochordata (tunicate)- It is present only in the larval tail.
Cephalochordata- It is present from head to the tail region and stays throughout its life.
Vertebrata- It is present only during the embryonic period, which gets replaced with the cartilaginous or
bony vertebral column in the adults.
Thus, it concludes that “All vertebrates are chordates, but all chordates are not vertebrates”.
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NCERT Biology Grade 11 Chapter 4 Animal kingdom
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