Lesson 3.4.5.1

3.4.5.1 Species, binomial names and classification Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 4

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.4.5.1, Species, binomial names and classification: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Biology (7402), Unit 4: Genetic information, variation and relationships, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Two organisms belong to the same species if they are able to do what?

    • Share the same genus name only
    • Produce fertile offspring together
    • Have identical base sequences in all their DNA
    • Live in the same habitat and eat the same food

  2. In the binomial Homo sapiens, what does the first word identify?

    • The family
    • The kingdom
    • The genus
    • The species only

  3. Which list gives the taxa of the hierarchy in order from largest group to smallest group?

    • Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
    • Kingdom, domain, class, phylum, family, order, genus, species
    • Domain, phylum, kingdom, class, genus, order, family, species
    • Species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom, domain

  4. What is a taxon (plural taxa)?

    • A group of organisms at any level of a classification hierarchy
    • A measure of how many individuals live in a habitat
    • A single species that cannot interbreed with others
    • A type of base sequence used to measure variation

  5. Which statement describes how groups are arranged in a phylogenetic classification system?

    • Each kingdom contains every phylum of organisms
    • Species may belong to several genera at the same time
    • Smaller groups are placed within larger groups, with no overlap between them
    • Larger groups are always found inside smaller groups

  6. Which kind of evidence does the specification say helps clarify evolutionary relationships between organisms?

    • Counts of individuals inside quadrats
    • Measurements of body temperature in the field
    • Advances in immunology and genome sequencing
    • Records of courtship dances in a single species

  7. Two populations can interbreed but their offspring are infertile. What does this tell you about whether they are one species?

    • They are the same species because they share a genus
    • They are different species because they live in different habitats
    • They are not the same species because the offspring are not fertile
    • They are the same species because they can mate

  8. The lion is named Panthera leo. Which part of this binomial is the genus?

    • Panthera
    • Felidae
    • Panthera leo
    • leo

  9. Two species are placed in the same genus, Canis. What can you conclude about them?

    • They must be the same species
    • They have identical DNA base sequences
    • They are more closely related to each other than to species in a different genus
    • They cannot produce offspring together

  10. Courtship behaviour helps classify organisms. What is its main role in this context?

    • It identifies the genus of an organism
    • It decides which kingdom an organism belongs to
    • It supports species recognition, so that individuals mate with members of their own species
    • It reduces genetic variation within a species

  11. Which order is correct when writing a binomial name?

    • Species name first, then genus name
    • Genus name first, then species name
    • Kingdom name first, then species name
    • Family name first, then genus name

  12. A researcher groups organisms according to shared evolutionary origin. Which type of classification is this?

    • Grouping by habitat type
    • Classification by colour and size only
    • Random grouping for sampling
    • Phylogenetic classification

  13. Two organisms are in the same family but different genera. Which statement must be true?

    • They have identical base sequences
    • They are the same species
    • They are more distantly related than two species in the same genus
    • They have the same binomial

  14. Genome sequencing shows that two groups once placed in one genus are not closely related. What is the most likely consequence?

    • The groups are reclassified to reflect their evolutionary relationships
    • Both groups lose their binomial names
    • The two groups are merged into a single species
    • Their kingdoms are swapped at random

  15. Two bird populations look alike but differ in courtship display, which prevents them interbreeding. What does this suggest?

    • They are one species with two colour forms
    • They are different species, because courtship supports species recognition
    • They belong to the same genus only
    • They belong to different domains of life

  16. Which taxon in the hierarchy is the smallest?

    • Species
    • Genus
    • Kingdom
    • Family

  17. Which of the following does the specification say is NOT required to be recalled?

    • The order of the taxa in the hierarchy
    • The binomial format of species names
    • The three domain system of classification
    • The meaning of the term taxon

  18. Species A and B differ at 2% of their DNA bases. Species B and C differ at 10%. Which inference is most reasonable?

    • All three are the same species
    • C belongs to a different kingdom from A and B
    • B and C are more closely related than A and B
    • A and B are more closely related than B and C

  19. Why does biology use a binomial rather than a common name for each species?

    • Binomials show the size of the population
    • Common names are identical for all species
    • Binomials show the family of the organism
    • Each species has one universally recognised binomial, avoiding confusion between languages

  20. Which statement correctly places Homo relative to Homo sapiens in the hierarchy?

    • The genus and species are at the same level
    • The species Homo sapiens contains the genus Homo
    • The species is a higher taxon than the family
    • The genus Homo is a larger group that contains the species Homo sapiens

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