What is a vertebrate?
An animal with a backbone.
Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Biology 0970 (Extended) (2026–2028) · 1.3
Revise Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Biology 0970 (Extended) (2026–2028) specification point 1.3, Features of organisms, with free active-recall flashcards. Flip through the set or review every question and answer below.
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What is a vertebrate?
An animal with a backbone.
What are the five main vertebrate groups?
On what basis are animals classified into vertebrate groups?
Their shared body features and reproduction.
What body covering characterises mammals?
Hair or fur.
How do most mammals produce their young?
They give birth to live young.
How do mammals feed their young?
With milk produced by mammary glands.
What three body features characterise birds?
Feathers, beaks, and wings.
What type of eggs do birds lay?
Hard-shelled eggs.
What type of skin do reptiles have?
Dry, scaly skin.
What is the usual egg-laying pattern of reptiles?
They usually lay soft-shelled eggs on land.
What type of skin do amphibians have?
Moist skin.
Where do amphibians lay their eggs?
In water.
What change in habitat often occurs during an amphibian's life cycle?
Aquatic larvae develop into terrestrial adults.
What three body features characterise fish?
Scales, fins, and gills.
Where do fish live?
In water.
What three structural features define arthropods?
A hard external skeleton, jointed limbs, and a segmented body.
Which structural features are used to classify arthropods into groups?
What are the four main groups of arthropods?
Myriapods, insects, arachnids, and crustaceans.
What is distinctive about the body segments of myriapods?
They have many similar body segments.
How many legs do myriapods have?
Many legs.
How many body sections do insects have?
Three body sections.
How many pairs of legs do insects have?
Three pairs.
How many pairs of antennae do insects usually have?
One pair.
How common are wings among insects?
Many insects have wings, but not all.
How many body sections do arachnids have?
Two body sections.
How many pairs of legs do arachnids have?
Four pairs.
Do arachnids have antennae?
No antennae.
How many pairs of legs do crustaceans usually have?
More than four pairs.
How many pairs of antennae do crustaceans have?
Two pairs.
In what type of habitat do crustaceans mainly live?
Aquatic habitats.
How is an organism classified using its observable characteristics?
Identify its relevant features and match them to group definitions to place it in the correct group.
An organism has chloroplasts and cell walls. Which group do these features indicate?
Plants.
An organism feeds on other organisms and lacks chloroplasts. Which group do these features indicate?
Animals.
Which feature identifies an animal as a vertebrate?
A backbone.
What are the five main vertebrate groups?
Which three types of features are used to classify animals into vertebrate groups?
What are the four main arthropod groups?
Which three types of features are used to classify arthropods into groups?
What structure surrounds fungal cells?
A cell wall.
Why do fungi not make food by photosynthesis?
Their cells lack chloroplasts.
How does nutrient acquisition differ between fungi and animals?
Fungi digest organic material outside their bodies and absorb the soluble products; animals ingest food.
What is a mycelium?
A network of thread-like hyphae that makes up the body of many fungi.
What are prokaryotes?
Single-celled organisms whose genetic material is not enclosed in a nucleus.
How is the cytoplasm enclosed in a prokaryotic cell?
By a cell membrane and usually a cell wall.
Which four groups of organisms have cells with nuclei, unlike prokaryotes?
Do protoctist cells contain nuclei?
Yes, protoctist cells have nuclei.
Are protoctists mostly single-celled or multicellular?
Mostly single-celled.
What two modes of nutrition occur among protoctists?
Why does photosynthesis alone not establish that an organism belongs to the plant kingdom?
A photosynthesising organism that is mostly single-celled and has a nucleus may instead be a protoctist.
How do the reproductive features of ferns and flowering plants differ?
What three general plant structures do ferns have?
Roots, stems, and leaves.
What chiefly determines whether a plant belongs to the fern or flowering-plant group?
Its reproductive features, rather than its general plant features alone.
What is a cotyledon?
A seed leaf.
How do monocotyledon and dicotyledon seeds differ in cotyledon number?
How do leaf vein patterns usually differ between monocotyledons and dicotyledons?
How do flower-part numbers commonly differ between monocotyledons and dicotyledons?
Why use several features together to identify a flowering plant as a monocotyledon or dicotyledon?
Several features support identification when a seed or flower cannot be observed.
What is the basic structure of a virus?
Genetic material enclosed by a protein coat.
What is the role of a virus’s genetic material?
It carries the virus’s information.
What is the role of a virus’s protein coat?
It protects the virus’s genetic material.
How are viruses classified in relation to the five organism kingdoms?
Viruses are not members of any of the five organism kingdoms.