Questions about Chordates (Vertebrates)
Multiple-Choice Questions on Chordates (Vertebrates)
1. Which of the following is a defining feature of vertebrates?
A) Exoskeleton
B) Open circulatory system
C) Vertebral column
D) Antennae
E) Jointed limbs
2. Vertebrates are classified within which subphylum of Chordata?
A) Cephalochordata
B) Urochordata
C) Hemichordata
D) Vertebrata
E) Echinodermata
3. Which of these classes of vertebrates includes animals that lay amniotic eggs and have scales?
A) Amphibia
B) Reptilia
C) Mammalia
D) Chondrichthyes
E) Agnatha
4. All vertebrates have:
A) Gills
B) A four-chambered heart
C) A vertebral column
D) Lungs
E) Feathers
5. Which group of vertebrates is characterized by feathers and hard-shelled eggs?
A) Amphibians
B) Fish
C) Birds
D) Mammals
E) Reptiles
6. Mammals are distinct from other vertebrates because they:
A) Breathe through gills
B) Have scaly skin
C) Produce milk for their young
D) Lay eggs underwater
E) Undergo metamorphosis
7. Which vertebrate class is ectothermic, lays eggs, and lives part of its life in water and part on land?
A) Reptilia
B) Aves
C) Amphibia
D) Mammalia
E) Agnatha
8. What distinguishes cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) from bony fish (Osteichthyes)?
A) Presence of lungs
B) Cartilage skeleton
C) Laying of eggs
D) Four limbs
E) Warm-bloodedness
9. Which of the following vertebrates lacks jaws?
A) Shark
B) Lamprey
C) Ray
D) Tuna
E) Snake
10. What kind of heart does a typical amphibian have?
A) Two chambers
B) Three chambers
C) Four chambers
D) Single-chambered
E) No heart
11. Which class of vertebrates includes animals with hair or fur and internal fertilization?
A) Reptilia
B) Amphibia
C) Mammalia
D) Aves
E) Osteichthyes
12. Birds are most closely related to:
A) Mammals
B) Amphibians
C) Reptiles
D) Bony fish
E) Jawless fish
13. Which of the following vertebrates is endothermic (warm-blooded)?
A) Frog
B) Turtle
C) Lizard
D) Penguin
E) Crocodile
14. Which organ system in vertebrates is responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients?
A) Nervous system
B) Excretory system
C) Digestive system
D) Circulatory system
E) Respiratory system
15. What reproductive strategy is common among most mammals?
A) External fertilization
B) Laying eggs
C) Viviparity (live birth)
D) Parthenogenesis
E) Budding
16. Which vertebrate class is completely aquatic throughout life and breathes through gills?
A) Amphibia
B) Mammalia
C) Aves
D) Reptilia
E) Osteichthyes
17. Which of these is not a characteristic of all vertebrates?
A) Backbone
B) Bilateral symmetry
C) Closed circulatory system
D) Exoskeleton
E) Endoskeleton
18. Reptiles differ from amphibians because they:
A) Have moist skin
B) Live only in water
C) Breathe through gills
D) Have amniotic eggs
E) Undergo metamorphosis
19. Which of these vertebrate classes includes both egg-laying and live-bearing species?
A) Amphibia
B) Reptilia
C) Mammalia
D) Aves
E) All of the above
20. Vertebrates are believed to have evolved from:
A) Arthropods
B) Mollusks
C) Lancelet-like ancestors
D) Sea stars
E) Insects
Answers with Explanations
1. C) Vertebral column
A backbone (vertebral column) is the defining feature of vertebrates.
2. D) Vertebrata
Vertebrates are in the subphylum Vertebrata of the phylum Chordata.
3. B) Reptilia
Reptiles lay amniotic eggs and have scaly skin.
4. C) A vertebral column
All vertebrates have a vertebral column replacing the notochord in adults.
5. C) Birds
Birds have feathers and lay hard-shelled, amniotic eggs.
6. C) Produce milk for their young
Mammals are unique in producing milk via mammary glands.
7. C) Amphibia
Amphibians are ectothermic and have a dual aquatic-terrestrial lifestyle.
8. B) Cartilage skeleton
Cartilaginous fish like sharks have skeletons made of cartilage, not bone.
9. B) Lamprey
Lampreys are jawless fish, unlike most other vertebrates.
10. B) Three chambers
Amphibians have a heart with two atria and one ventricle.
11. C) Mammalia
Mammals have fur or hair and reproduce via internal fertilization.
12. C) Reptiles
Birds evolved from reptilian ancestors, specifically theropod dinosaurs.
13. D) Penguin
Penguins are birds and are endothermic.
14. D) Circulatory system
The circulatory system transports oxygen, nutrients, and waste.
15. C) Viviparity (live birth)
Most mammals give birth to live young and nourish them with milk.
16. E) Osteichthyes
Bony fish are fully aquatic and use gills for breathing.
17. D) Exoskeleton
Vertebrates have internal skeletons (endoskeletons), not exoskeletons.
18. D) Have amniotic eggs
Reptiles lay amniotic eggs adapted to land, unlike amphibians.
19. C) Mammalia
Some mammals (like the platypus) lay eggs, others give live birth.
20. C) Lancelet-like ancestors
Vertebrates likely evolved from ancestral chordates similar to lancelets.
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