Why We Sort Living Things: Homework

Know the sorting words, see why one old system broke down, and build and read two-part names.

Doing it on screen?Tap or click a box and type your answer. When you’re done, press Check My Answers at the bottom of the sheet.

Part A — Key Words / 4

Type the word that fits each clue.

1.
A store puts milk and cheese together because they are alike. What do we call grouping things this way?Answer
2.
What is the science of grouping and naming living things called?Answer
3.
What is the largest group in a classification system called?Answer
4.
What is a two-word naming system, genus first and species second, called?Answer

Short answers. Think about why.

1.
Aristotle split animals by where they live. Name one of his three places.Answer
2.
Why did the frog cause trouble for Aristotle's system?Answer
3.
Linnaeus grouped living things by their body structures instead of by what?Answer
4.
In a scientific name, which part is the smallest, most specific group?Answer
5.
Why did Linnaeus write the names in Latin?Answer

Read these scientific names, then answer.

1.
Felis catus is the house cat, Quercus alba is the white oak and Quercus rubra is the red oak.
a. Which genus do the two oaks share?Answer
b. What is the species word in the red oak's name?Answer
c. Pretend a scientist names a new tree Quercus nova. Is it closer kin to the white oak or to the cat?Answer
2.
When you build a name, which part do you pick first, the genus or the species?Answer
3.
A scientist in Texas and one in Japan both write Felis catus. Why can they be sure it's the same animal?Answer

Answer each one in one sentence. You mark these yourself against the key.

1.
Pick an animal or plant that doesn't fit one group in a sorting system based on where it lives. Say why.Answer
2.
Why do scientists use a two-word Latin name instead of everyday names?Answer

Done? Check your answers.

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Notes

Part A — the answers.

Part B — the answers.

Part C — the answers.

Part D — what a good answer includes.

Answers vary. A good answer names a living thing that fits two groups, such as a frog in water as a tadpole and on land as an adult, and says the grouping was too rough.
Answers vary. A good answer gives at least one reason from the lesson: the name means the same in every country, Latin words don't change, or no two organisms share a name.