Botany and Zoology (Plant and Animal Sciences)
Botany and Zoology tests plant and animal classification, morphology, physiology, genetics and Chhattisgarh's flora and fauna.
Core rules
- Taxonomy hierarchy: kingdom, phylum or division, class, order, family, genus and species; binomial nomenclature is italicised.
- Sal (Shorea robusta) belongs to Dipterocarpaceae; teak (Tectona grandis) to Lamiaceae; bamboo to Poaceae; mahua (Madhuca) to Sapotaceae.
- Plant physiology: photosynthesis (C3 and C4), transpiration, respiration and hormones such as auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, ABA and ethylene.
- Animal classification covers phyla and classes, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.
- Chhattisgarh fauna: wild buffalo, tiger, leopard, sloth bear, gaur, hill myna and python.
- Genetics: Mendel's laws; ecology: adaptations to habitat.
Worked example
Identify teak from characters: opposite leaves, panicled inflorescence, square hairy stem and woody fruit. Reasoning: opposite leaves plus bilabiate corolla and didynamous stamens point to Lamiaceae; teak was formerly placed in Verbenaceae. Answer: Tectona grandis, Lamiaceae.
Traps
- Using the old family Verbenaceae for teak without noting current placement.
- Mixing C3 and C4 examples.
- Confusing wild buffalo with domestic buffalo.
- Writing binomial names without italics or with a capital species epithet.