Unit notes and practice questions
Everything here is for unit 2 of the Grade 9 Biology textbook: what the chapter covers, the short notes, practice questions with their answers, and the lesson video where one exists.
The cards filed under this chapter on the Grade 9 Biology page. Open one at a time.
When you use it
Use when writing or evaluating scientific names of organisms created under the Linnaean system.
Watch out
The genus name must always start with a capital letter while the specific epithet starts with a small letter. When handwritten they must be underlined, and when printed they must be italicized.
Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 19-43, then checked twice before it went up
| Kingdom | Cell Type | Body Organization | Nutrition | Cell Wall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monera | Prokaryotic | Unicellular | Autotrophic or Heterotrophic | Present (non-cellulose) |
| Protista | Eukaryotic | Unicellular or Multicellular | Autotrophic or Heterotrophic | Present in some, absent in others |
| Fungi | Eukaryotic | Mostly multicellular | Heterotrophic (absorptive) | Present (chitin) |
| Plantae | Eukaryotic | Multicellular | Autotrophic (photosynthetic) | Present (cellulose) |
| Animalia | Eukaryotic | Multicellular | Heterotrophic (ingestive) | Absent |
When you use it
Use to compare the five kingdoms of life based on cell structure, body organization, nutrition, and cell wall composition.
Watch out
Fungi do not ingest food like animals. They secrete enzymes and absorb nutrients externally, and their cell walls contain chitin, not cellulose.
Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 19-43, then checked twice before it went up
| Group | Vascular Tissue | Seeds | Flowers and Fruits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryophytes | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Gymnosperms | Present | Present (naked seeds) | Absent |
| Angiosperms | Present | Present (enclosed in fruit) | Present |
When you use it
Use to distinguish the main groups of the plant kingdom based on vascular tissue, seed formation, and flowers.
Watch out
Gymnosperms possess seeds but do not form flowers or fruits. Angiosperms are the only group that forms flowers and fruits.
Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 19-43, then checked twice before it went up
| Rank | Definition | Gelada Example |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Broadest category above kingdom | Eukarya |
| Kingdom | Taxon of similar phyla | Animalia |
| Phylum / Division | Taxon of similar classes | Chordata |
| Class | Taxon of similar orders | Mammalia |
| Order | Taxon of similar families | Primate |
| Family | Taxon of similar genera | Cercopithecidae |
| Genus | Taxon of similar species | Theropithecus |
| Species | Organisms that interbreed to produce fertile offspring | Theropithecus gelada |
When you use it
Use when arranging taxonomic ranks from domain down to species or classifying Ethiopian organisms.
Watch out
Plant taxonomists use the term Division instead of Phylum. For species, members must be capable of producing fertile offspring.
Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 19-43, then checked twice before it went up
When you use it
Use when identifying why viruses are excluded from the five-kingdom classification system.
Watch out
Do not classify viruses into any of the five kingdoms. Viruses lack cellular structure, cannot grow, respire, or replicate on their own, and require a living host cell.
Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 19-43, then checked twice before it went up
10 multiple-choice questions written against this chapter, each with its answer and the reason. Try one before you open the answer.
Question 1
What term describes the process by which an organism regulates its internal conditions to maintain a stable state despite changes in the outside environment?
Answer: B Homeostasis
Why
Homeostasis is the regulation of an organism's internal conditions to maintain stability, such as keeping body temperature constant.
Question 2
Who is known as the father of taxonomy for introducing a taxonomic hierarchy and popularizing the binomial naming system?
Answer: C Carolus Linnaeus
Why
Carolus Linnaeus is called the father of taxonomy because he introduced an orderly taxonomic hierarchy and refined the binomial system of naming.
Question 3
Which feature is shared by all organisms belonging to the kingdom Monera?
Answer: B They lack a true nucleus
Why
Kingdom Monera consists of prokaryotes (bacteria and archaebacteria), which are simple single-celled organisms that lack a membrane-enclosed nucleus.
Question 4
Which of the following shows the correct order of the Linnaean taxonomic hierarchy from the highest rank to the lowest rank?
Answer: A Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
Why
The standard ranked hierarchy from broadest to most specific is: Kingdom > Phylum (or Division) > Class > Order > Family > Genus > Species.
Question 5
How do members of the kingdom Fungi obtain their nutrition?
Answer: C They secrete digestive enzymes outside their bodies and absorb the nutrients.
Why
Fungi are heterotrophs that carry out extracellular digestion. They release enzymes into their surroundings to break down complex organic matter and then absorb the small molecules through their hyphae.
Question 6
A student in Gojjam observes field crops like teff and maize. Both plants produce flowers and have seeds enclosed in fruits. To which group of plants do they belong?
Answer: C Angiosperms
Why
Angiosperms are flowering vascular seed plants whose seeds develop inside an ovary that becomes a fruit.
Question 7
Why are viruses not placed into any of the five kingdoms of living organisms?
Answer: A They lack key life characteristics and cannot replicate without a living host cell.
Why
Viruses are non-living particles made of nucleic acid surrounded by a protein coat. They do not grow, carry out respiration, or replicate without invading a host cell.
Question 8
Which distinguished Ethiopian taxonomist served as the director of the Flora of Ethiopia and the Gulelle Botanical Garden?
Answer: B Professor Sebsebe Demissew
Why
Professor Sebsebe Demissew is a renowned Ethiopian plant taxonomist who served as director of both the Flora of Ethiopia project and the Gulelle Botanical Garden.
Question 9
What is the primary function of a dichotomous key in biology?
Answer: A To classify organisms based on pairs of contrasting choices at each step
Why
A dichotomous key (meaning two branches) is used to identify unfamiliar organisms by giving the user a choice between pairs of contrasting characteristics at each step.
Question 10
What main criteria did Robert Whittaker use in 1969 to establish the five-kingdom system of classification?
Answer: B Cell structure, body organization, mode of nutrition, reproduction, and phylogenetic relationships
Why
Whittaker proposed the five-kingdom scheme (Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia) based on cell structure, body organization, mode of nutrition, reproduction methods, and evolutionary relationships.
The app holds 11 questions on this unit, marked as you go. These are the first 10.
Unit 2 runs from page 19 to page 43 of the Ministry of Education edition.
Ministry of Education edition, English, 165 pages
Temari turns this chapter into timed practice and marks it as you go, with an AI tutor to explain anything that did not land.
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