How Wonderful Is the Living World?
The opening lesson of The Living World begins not with definitions but with wonder. A galloping horse, migrating birds, a valley of flowers, an attacking shark — each scene is a doorway into biology. But wonder must eventually become a question.
This quiz tests your grasp of that lesson: the extraordinary habitats life occupies, the two questions hidden inside “what indeed is life?”, and why the chapter deliberately answers only one of them.
- Habitats and diversity — from cold mountains to hot springs
- The technical vs. philosophical question — and the scientist’s disciplined choice
- From awe to description — deification, anthropocentric limits, and the rise of identification, nomenclature and classification
- The conservation spin-off — shared similarity and the ethic of biodiversity
Read each question carefully. Some options are close cousins of the correct answer — precision matters.
Q1. According to the opening of the chapter, the wide range of living types is described as:
The chapter opens with the exclamation "How wonderful is the living world!" and states that "the wide range of living types is amazing."
Q2. Which of the following is NOT listed in the chapter among the extraordinary habitats where living organisms are found?
The habitats named are cold mountains, deciduous forests, oceans, fresh water lakes, deserts and hot springs. "Deep ocean trenches" is not among them.
Q3. The chapter says the extraordinary habitats of living organisms leave us:
The text states that these extraordinary habitats "leave us speechless."
Q4. Which of these is named in the chapter as evoking awe and a deep sense of wonder?
The chapter lists the beauty of a galloping horse, migrating birds, the valley of flowers and the attacking shark as evoking awe.
Q5. The phrase "the valley of flowers" in the chapter is used as an example of:
The valley of flowers is listed alongside the galloping horse, migrating birds and attacking shark as an example of beauty that evokes awe.
Q6. The chapter mentions "ecological conflict and cooperation" at which levels?
The text refers to ecological conflict and cooperation "among members of a population and among populations of a community."
Q7. Besides ecological conflict and cooperation, what else inside a cell makes us reflect on what life is?
The chapter mentions "the molecular traffic inside a cell" as one of the phenomena that make us reflect on what indeed is life.
Q8. The question "what indeed is life?" is said to contain how many implicit questions?
The chapter states: "This question has two implicit questions within it."
Q9. The technical question implicit in "what is life?" seeks an answer to:
The first, technical question "seeks answer to what living is as opposed to the non-living."
Q10. The philosophical question implicit in "what is life?" seeks an answer to:
The second, philosophical question "seeks answer to what the purpose of life is."
Q11. What position does the chapter take on the philosophical question of the purpose of life?
The chapter states plainly: "As scientists, we shall not attempt answering the second question. We will try to reflect on – what is living?"
Q12. Biology is defined in the chapter as the science of:
The source states: "Biology is the science of life forms and living processes."
Q13. Early man deified some inanimate matter. Which set is given as examples in the chapter?
The chapter names wind, sea and fire as examples of inanimate matter deified by early man.
Q14. What common feature did the deified inanimate and animate objects share, according to the chapter?
The text says a common feature of all such forms, inanimate and animate alike, was the sense of awe or fear that they evoked.
Q15. According to the chapter, the description of living organisms including human beings began:
The chapter states that the description of living organisms including human beings "began much later in human history."
Q16. Societies that indulged in an anthropocentric view of biology could register:
The chapter states that societies with an anthropocentric view "could register limited progress in biological knowledge."
Q17. Systematic and monumental description of life forms brought in, out of necessity, detailed systems of:
The text states that systematic description brought in, out of necessity, detailed systems of identification, nomenclature and classification.
Q18. The biggest spin-off of systematic description studies was the recognition of:
The chapter identifies "the recognition of the sharing of similarities among living organisms both horizontally and vertically" as the biggest spin-off.
Q19. The revelation that all present-day organisms are related to each other and to all organisms that ever lived led to:
The chapter says this revelation "humbled man and led to cultural movements for conservation of biodiversity."
Q20. According to the chapter, the number of species known and described ranges between:
The chapter records that "the number of species that are known and described range between 1.7-1.8 million."