Questions on Fish Reproduction, Classification, and Evolution
Multiple-Choice Questions on Fish Reproduction, Classification, and Evolution
Classification of Fish
1. Fish belong to which phylum?
A) Mollusca
B) Chordata
C) Arthropoda
D) Echinodermata
E) Annelida
2. Which of the following is not a class of fish?
A) Osteichthyes
B) Chondrichthyes
C) Agnatha
D) Amphibia
E) All of the above are fish classes
3. Cartilaginous fish are classified under which group?
A) Osteichthyes
B) Agnatha
C) Chondrichthyes
D) Cephalochordata
E) Tetrapoda
4. Jawless fish belong to which class?
A) Osteichthyes
B) Agnatha
C) Chondrichthyes
D) Amphibia
E) Mammalia
5. What is a defining feature of Osteichthyes (bony fish)?
A) Lack of jaws
B) Cartilaginous skeleton
C) Operculum (gill cover)
D) Lack of paired fins
E) Absence of swim bladder
6. Which of the following fish is a member of the class Agnatha?
A) Tuna
B) Shark
C) Ray
D) Lamprey
E) Goldfish
7. The skeleton of a Chondrichthyes fish is made of:
A) Bone
B) Shell
C) Cartilage
D) Chitin
E) Keratin
8. Which of the following groups of fish is the most evolutionarily advanced?
A) Agnatha
B) Chondrichthyes
C) Osteichthyes
D) Cephalochordates
E) Urochordates
9. Which structure helps bony fish regulate buoyancy?
A) Lateral line
B) Gills
C) Swim bladder
D) Operculum
E) Scales
10. What structure do fish use primarily for respiration?
A) Lungs
B) Tracheae
C) Spiracles
D) Gills
E) Skin
Fish Reproduction
11. Most bony fish reproduce through:
A) Asexual budding
B) Internal fertilization
C) External fertilization
D) Parthenogenesis
E) Fragmentation
12. Which reproductive strategy is more common among cartilaginous fish (like sharks)?
A) External fertilization
B) Budding
C) Spawning
D) Internal fertilization
E) Asexual reproduction
13. What is oviparity?
A) Giving birth to live young
B) Laying eggs that develop and hatch outside the body
C) Reproduction by cloning
D) Reproduction without males
E) Embryo development inside the body without a placenta
14. What is the term for animals that retain eggs inside the body until they hatch?
A) Oviparous
B) Viviparous
C) Ovoviviparous
D) Asexual
E) Amphibious
15. In many fish species, fertilization takes place:
A) In the uterus
B) Inside the male
C) Externally, in the water
D) Inside the egg
E) On land
16. Which reproductive mode is considered the most advanced?
A) Oviparity
B) External fertilization
C) Ovoviviparity
D) Viviparity
E) Fission
17. In terms of parental care, most fish:
A) Take care of their offspring for months
B) Nurse their young
C) Show little to no parental care
D) Build nests and stay with young
E) Carry eggs in a pouch
18. In mouthbrooding, the parent:
A) Swallows the eggs
B) Stores and protects the eggs in its mouth
C) Lays eggs inside a shell
D) Attaches eggs to rocks
E) Keeps eggs inside the stomach
19. Which of the following is a benefit of internal fertilization?
A) Less energy required
B) Protection of gametes from environment
C) More offspring produced
D) Higher fertilization rate in open water
E) Lower parental investment
20. What is the term for the process of fish releasing eggs and sperm into the water?
A) Fission
B) Spawning
C) Budding
D) Implantation
E) Brooding
Evolution of Fish
21. The earliest vertebrates to evolve were:
A) Amphibians
B) Mammals
C) Cartilaginous fish
D) Jawless fish
E) Reptiles
22. Fish are believed to have evolved from:
A) Flatworms
B) Insects
C) Lancelet-like chordates
D) Echinoderms
E) Mollusks
23. The development of jaws allowed fish to:
A) Breathe more efficiently
B) Swim faster
C) Diversify feeding strategies
D) Lay eggs
E) Communicate
24. Which class of fish was the first to evolve jaws?
A) Agnatha
B) Osteichthyes
C) Amphibia
D) Chondrichthyes
E) Aves
25. Fish are believed to have first appeared in the:
A) Precambrian
B) Jurassic
C) Devonian
D) Cambrian
E) Triassic
26. Which of the following fish is considered a living fossil?
A) Salmon
B) Lungfish
C) Goldfish
D) Tilapia
E) Perch
27. Which structure in fish may have evolved into lungs in some species?
A) Lateral line
B) Swim bladder
C) Operculum
D) Gill rakers
E) Dorsal fin
28. What is one key evolutionary advancement of Osteichthyes over Chondrichthyes?
A) Ability to fly
B) Bony skeleton
C) Jawless mouth
D) Lack of vertebrae
E) Cartilaginous fins
29. What evolutionary trend is seen in lobe-finned fish?
A) Development of feathers
B) Reduction of gills
C) Evolution of limb-like fins
D) Loss of vertebrae
E) Loss of swim bladder
30. The transition from water to land in vertebrates likely began with:
A) Eels
B) Lobe-finned fish
C) Jawless fish
D) Cartilaginous fish
E) Ray-finned fish
- Questions About Chordates (Invertebrates)
- Questions about Chordates (Vertebrates)
- Questions on Vertebrate: Reproduction, Classification, and Evolution
Answers with Explanations
1. B) Chordata – Fish are chordates with a dorsal nerve cord and notochord.
2. D) Amphibia – Not a fish class; it includes frogs and salamanders.
3. C) Chondrichthyes – Sharks, rays, and skates.
4. B) Agnatha – Jawless fish like lampreys and hagfish.
5. C) Operculum – A bony cover over gills found in bony fish.
6. D) Lamprey – A jawless, eel-like fish.
7. C) Cartilage – Found in sharks and rays.
8. C) Osteichthyes – Most diverse and complex of the fish classes.
9. C) Swim bladder – Helps maintain buoyancy in water.
10. D) Gills – Primary organ for gas exchange.
11. C) External fertilization – Most bony fish release gametes into the water.
12. D) Internal fertilization – Common in sharks and rays.
13. B) Laying eggs that develop outside the body.
14. C) Ovoviviparous – Eggs develop inside but hatch internally.
15. C) Externally, in the water – Especially in bony fish.
16. D) Viviparity – Direct nourishment and protection of young inside the body.
17. C) Show little to no parental care – Eggs and larvae are often left unattended.
18. B) Stores and protects eggs in its mouth – A form of parental care.
19. B) Protection of gametes – Helps ensure fertilization success.
20. B) Spawning – Releasing gametes into water for fertilization.
21. D) Jawless fish – Earliest known vertebrates.
22. C) Lancelet-like chordates – Simple, fish-like ancestors.
23. C) Diversify feeding – Enabled predation and ecological diversity.
24. D) Chondrichthyes – The first group with true jaws.
25. D) Cambrian – Fish first appeared around 500 million years ago.
26. B) Lungfish – Ancient lineage with both gills and lungs.
27. B) Swim bladder – A gas-filled organ that in some fish evolved into lungs.
28. B) Bony skeleton – More rigid and protective than cartilage.
29. C) Limb-like fins – Precursors to tetrapod limbs.
30. B) Lobe-finned fish – Ancestors of the first land vertebrates.
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