What biology studies, how it is divided, and what makes something alive.
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Biology (bios = life, logos = study) is the study of living things. It has three main branches: botany (plants), zoology (animals) and microbiology (microscopic organisms such as bacteria). Other branches cut across all three.
Match each branch with what it studies: morphology, anatomy, physiology, genetics, ecology.
Morphology: outer form and structure. Anatomy: internal structure. Physiology: functions of body parts. Genetics: heredity and variation. Ecology: living things and their surroundings.
Name the branch of biology that studies (a) cells, (b) tissues, (c) classification.
(a) Cytology. (b) Histology. (c) Taxonomy.
Why is biology called a "natural science"?
It studies living organisms and natural processes using observation and experiment.
Living things share a set of characteristics: cellular organisation, metabolism, nutrition, respiration, excretion, growth, movement, response to stimuli, reproduction and a limited life span. Non-living things lack most of these.
A crystal grows bigger and a puppy grows bigger. Is crystal growth the same as growth in living things?
No. A crystal grows by adding material to its outside. A living thing grows from inside, by taking in food and making new cells.
Give two ways a car moves differently from a dog.
A car moves only when driven by an outside force and fuel. A dog moves by its own energy from food, and responds to its surroundings.
Name the process by which living things give out waste substances.
Excretion.
The body is built in levels: cell → tissue → organ → organ system → organism. Beyond one organism: population → community → ecosystem → biosphere. Some key people: Robert Hooke (named the cell), Leeuwenhoek (observed microbes), Mendel (laws of heredity), Darwin (natural selection), Pasteur (microbes and disease), Jenner (vaccination), Fleming (penicillin).
Arrange in order from smallest to largest: organ, cell, organism, tissue.
Cell → tissue → organ → organism.
A cell is 10 µm wide. How many such cells placed side by side make 1 mm? (1 mm = 1000 µm)
1000 ÷ 10 = 100 cells.
Who first showed that vaccination can protect against disease?
Edward Jenner (against smallpox).
1. Define biology. Name its three main branches.
2. What is the difference between morphology and anatomy?
3. Name the study of (a) fossils, (b) insects, (c) heredity.
4. List five characteristics of living things.
5. Is a moving cloud alive? Give a reason.
6. Arrange: tissue, organ system, cell, organism, organ.
7. Cells are 20 µm wide. How many fit across 2 mm?
8. Who is known for the laws of heredity?
9. Who discovered penicillin?
10. What is a population? What is an ecosystem?