P4 Science Classification Practice Questions

0 of 10 answered

Question 1 of 10Vertebrate groups

A whale lives in the sea, has no legs and swims. Which group does it belong to?

Question 2 of 10Characteristics of a group

Which two of these are true of all birds?

A: They have feathers.
B: They lay eggs.
C: They can all fly.
D: They have wet, slimy skin.

Question 3 of 10Reading a branching key

A key sorting four animals, J, K, L and M.

Based on the key above, which animal is an insect?

Question 4 of 10Reading a branching key

Same picture as the question above.

Using the same key, which animals share the answer 'yes' to the first question?

Question 5 of 10Flowering and non-flowering plants

Which of these plants does NOT reproduce by seeds?

Question 6 of 10Reading a tick table

Table of Backbone, Feathers, Lays eggs for W, X, Y, Z
Animal	Backbone	Feathers	Lays eggs
W	✓	✓	✓
X	✓	✗	✗
Y	✓	✗	✓
Z	✗	✗	✓

✓ means the characteristic is present.

Based on the table above, which animal is a mammal?

Question 7 of 10Invertebrates

Which two of these animals have no backbone?

A: a snail
B: a butterfly
C: a frog
D: a snake

Question 8 of 10Naming a group

This group of animals has a backbone, dry scaly skin, and lays eggs on land. Snakes, lizards and crocodiles all belong to it.What is the group called?

Question 9 of 10Naming a group

An animal with no backbone, six legs and a body in three parts belongs to which group?

Question 10 of 10Why grouping helps

Why do scientists group living things instead of studying each one separately?

Answers and explanations for all 10 questions

Every answer with the reasoning behind it. Worth reading after you have tried the set — or on its own, if you are a parent marking it.

A whale lives in the sea, has no legs and swims. Which group does it belong to?
Answer: mammals
Where an animal lives does not decide its group. A whale breathes air through lungs and feeds its young on milk, which makes it a mammal.
Which two of these are true of all birds?
Answer: A and B only
Feathers and laying eggs are true of every bird. Flying is not — penguins and ostriches are birds that never fly.
Based on the key above, which animal is an insect?
Answer: M
Insects have no backbone, and M is the only animal reached by answering 'no' to the backbone question.
Using the same key, which animals share the answer 'yes' to the first question?
Answer: J, K and L
Everything below the 'yes' branch of the first question has a backbone, and that is J, K and L. Only M is on the other side.
Which of these plants does NOT reproduce by seeds?
Answer: a fern
Ferns have no flowers and make no seeds. They reproduce by spores, which form on the underside of their leaves.
Based on the table above, which animal is a mammal?
Answer: X
Mammals have backbones, no feathers, and almost all give birth to live young rather than laying eggs. X is the only animal in the table that fits.
Which two of these animals have no backbone?
Answer: A and B only
Snails and butterflies are invertebrates: neither has a backbone. Frogs and snakes both do, even though a snake's body looks like nothing but a spine.
This group of animals has a backbone, dry scaly skin, and lays eggs on land. Snakes, lizards and crocodiles all belong to it. What is the group called?
Answer: reptiles
Animals with dry scaly skin that lay eggs on land are reptiles.
An animal with no backbone, six legs and a body in three parts belongs to which group?
Answer: insects
Animals with six legs and a three-part body are insects.
Why do scientists group living things instead of studying each one separately?
Answer: Knowing a thing's group tells you a great deal about it straight away.
Once you know an animal is a mammal, you already know it has a backbone, breathes air and feeds its young on milk — without having to study that animal from scratch.