Questions about Chordates (Invertebrates)
Multiple-Choice Questions on Invertebrate Chordates
1. Invertebrate chordates belong to which phylum?
A) Arthropoda
B) Mollusca
C) Chordata
D) Annelida
E) Echinodermata
2. Which of the following is a group of invertebrate chordates?
A) Cephalopods
B) Tunicates
C) Crustaceans
D) Arachnids
E) Nematodes
3. What structure is present in all chordates at some stage of development?
A) Antennae
B) Notochord
C) Shell
D) Carapace
E) Jointed appendages
4. Which of the following is not a characteristic of chordates?
A) Pharyngeal slits
B) Post-anal tail
C) Dorsal hollow nerve cord
D) Exoskeleton
E) Notochord
5. Which invertebrate chordate resembles a fish and retains all chordate features throughout life?
A) Tunicate
B) Starfish
C) Lancelet
D) Earthworm
E) Sea cucumber
6. In adult tunicates, which chordate feature remains?
A) Dorsal nerve cord
B) Notochord
C) Tail
D) Pharyngeal slits
E) Vertebral column
7. What is the function of the notochord in lancelets?
A) Digestion
B) Support and movement
C) Reproduction
D) Excretion
E) Photosynthesis
8. What habitat do most invertebrate chordates prefer?
A) Terrestrial
B) Freshwater
C) Marine
D) Desert
E) Underground
9. What is the feeding method of adult tunicates?
A) Predatory hunting
B) Filter feeding
C) Parasitism
D) Scavenging
E) Photosynthesis
10. Which of the following is true about lancelets?
A) They are vertebrates
B) They have a backbone
C) They burrow in sand
D) They live on land
E) They have jointed legs
11. The tunic in tunicates is made of:
A) Chitin
B) Collagen
C) Keratin
D) Cellulose-like material
E) Calcium carbonate
12. Which of these is the larval stage of tunicates most similar to?
A) Worm
B) Mollusk
C) Fish
D) Insect
E) Sponge
13. What is the scientific name for lancelets?
A) Urochordata
B) Vertebrata
C) Cephalochordata
D) Echinodermata
E) Nematoda
14. Invertebrate chordates reproduce primarily by:
A) Budding
B) Fragmentation
C) Binary fission
D) Sexual reproduction
E) Parthenogenesis
15. What is a key difference between tunicates and lancelets?
A) Only tunicates have a notochord
B) Only lancelets live in water
C) Tunicates lose most chordate features as adults
D) Lancelets are parasitic
E) Tunicates are bilateral
16. Which system is absent in tunicates?
A) Nervous system
B) Digestive system
C) Excretory system
D) Circulatory system
E) Complex brain and sensory organs
17. In lancelets, where is the notochord located?
A) Above the digestive tract
B) Inside the heart
C) Below the nerve cord
D) Surrounding the intestine
E) In the appendages
18. What type of circulatory system do lancelets have?
A) Open
B) Closed
C) None
D) Hydraulic
E) Double-loop
19. What feature allows tunicates to attach to surfaces?
A) Claws
B) Suckers
C) Muscular foot
D) Adhesive structures or tunic
E) Cilia
20. Why are invertebrate chordates important in evolution?
A) They evolved from fish
B) They show the transition from invertebrates to vertebrates
C) They are predators of vertebrates
D) They use lungs to breathe
E) They are the only animals with bilateral symmetry
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Answers with Explanations
1. C) Chordata
Invertebrate chordates belong to the phylum Chordata, despite lacking backbones.
2. B) Tunicates
Tunicates are marine invertebrate chordates. Lancelets are another example.
3. B) Notochord
All chordates possess a notochord at some point in their life cycle.
4. D) Exoskeleton
Chordates do not have exoskeletons; that feature is common in arthropods.
5. C) Lancelet
Lancelets retain the notochord, dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, and tail throughout life.
6. D) Pharyngeal slits
Adult tunicates lose most chordate traits but retain pharyngeal slits for filter feeding.
7. B) Support and movement
The notochord provides skeletal support and aids movement in lancelets.
8. C) Marine
Invertebrate chordates are exclusively marine organisms.
9. B) Filter feeding
Tunicates filter microscopic particles from the water using pharyngeal slits.
10. C) They burrow in sand
Lancelets live in shallow marine sand beds and filter feed.
11. D) Cellulose-like material
The tunic of tunicates contains a cellulose-like substance called tunicin.
12. C) Fish
Tunicate larvae resemble small free-swimming fish with chordate characteristics.
13. C) Cephalochordata
Lancelets belong to the subphylum Cephalochordata.
14. D) Sexual reproduction
Both tunicates and lancelets reproduce sexually, with external fertilization in many.
15. C) Tunicates lose most chordate features as adults
Tunicate larvae display all chordate traits, which are reduced in adulthood.
16. E) Complex brain and sensory organs
Tunicates lack a complex central brain and have simple nerve ganglia.
17. C) Below the nerve cord
The notochord lies just below the dorsal nerve cord in lancelets.
18. B) Closed
Lancelets have a simple closed circulatory system without a true heart.
19. D) Adhesive structures or tunic
Tunicates anchor themselves to substrates using parts of their tunic.
20. B) They show the transition from invertebrates to vertebrates
Invertebrate chordates are evolutionarily significant as intermediates in vertebrate evolution.
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