Here's a really quick way of testing if you've learned the meanings of the key words in this section.
Look at the key word on the left and see if you can remember its definition.
If you get stuck, you can be shown a hint on the right to reveal an image that should help you remember.
To check if you're right, or remind you if you've forgotten, press "Reveal".
Go through the whole list to see how many definitions you can recall.
Revisit any that you had difficulty remembering until you're confident you can
recall all of them.
What is taxonomyAnswer: The classification of living things
You can remember this if you think of a class of car (classification) called “taxi†(taxonomy).
The easiest way to remember the order of taxonomic ranks is to picture our mnemonic story. Using this story, what is the order of the seven ranks?
1.Answer: Kingdom
A king decided to visit every school in his kingdom to find out how clever the children were. He jumped into the first taxi to take him on his mission.
One child, a boy, continued to misbehave, so the king decreed that the child’s family be brought to school to discuss how the boy’s behaviour could be improved.
Testing the child on a variety of topics, the king and his helpers realised that this was true – he was indeed brilliant, particularly at writing. The king resolved that when the boy was older, he would be employed to write all his speeches (species).
The scientific name combining the last two ranks is known as?Answer: The Binomial system
The genius (genus) who wrote the king’s speeches (species) became very fat due to his habit of eating several times a day at the best restaurants. The king came up with a special diet for him – the Buy No Meal system (binomial) that allowed only two named dishes a day made by the king’s own cook.
What's the scientific name for rubber plants?Answer: Ficus elastica
Imagine a group of fighters with elastic bands (ficus elastica) on their faces, inviting people to “come and fight us†at the rubber plant where they work.