The NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 1 provide students with clear, step-by-step answers to all textbook exercises, making them an essential resource for exam preparation. Designed in accordance with the latest CBSE Syllabus 2025-26, these solutions simplify complex concepts using easy-to-understand language to help students understand concepts and remember them for a longer time.
Whether preparing for school examinations or competitive tests like NEET, students can depend on these expertly crafted answers to strengthen their understanding and boost confidence. By offering accurate explanations and well-structured content in a free downloadable PDF format, this resource ensures that learners can study anytime, anywhere without the hassle of searching for reliable materials.
NCERT Class 11 Biology Chapter 1 – The Living World - All Solutions
Q.
Why are living organisms classified?
Q.
Why are the classification systems changing every now and then?
Q.
What different criteria would you choose to classify people that you meet often?
Q.
What do we learn from the identification of individuals and populations?
Q.
Given below is the scientific name of Mango. Identify the correct written name.
Magnifera Indica
Magnifera indica
Q.
Define a taxon. Give some examples of taxa at different hierarchical levels.
Q.
Can you identify the correct sequence of taxonomical categories?
(a) Species → Order → Phylum → Kingdom
(b) Genus → Species → Order → Kingdom
(c) Species → Genus → Order → Phylum
Q.
Try to collect all the currently accepted meanings for the word ‘species’. Discuss with your teacher the meaning of species in case of higher plants and animals on one hand, and bacteria on the other hand.
Q.
Define and understand the following terms:
(i) Phylum
(ii) Class
(iii) Family
(iv) Order
(v) Genus
Q.
Illustrate the taxonomical hierarchy with suitable examples of a plant and an animal.
Chapter 11 Biology Questions & Answers – The Living World
Here are the NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 1 The Living World.
Q.1 Why are living organisms classified?
Solution: Classification is a process of grouping things based on easily observable characters. Classification of organisms is done for various scientific reasons. Some of the main reasons are listed below.
- Classification helps in the identification of specific organisms from the groups of organisms.
- It makes the study of organisms convenient.
- It helps in spotting the similarities and differences among the different groups of organisms.
- It helps in the study of fossils and evolutionary relationships of organisms.
Q.2. Why are classification systems changing?
Solution: Millions of living forms exist on the earth that include plants, animals and microorganisms. Out of them, many are known and have been classified by the scientists under suitable groups, but on the other side, many new species are continuously being discovered. Many of these newly discovered species have a new set of characters and to classify them, either a new system of classification should be developed or an older one should be revised. This brings changes in the existing system of classification every now and then.
Q.3. What different criteria would you choose to classify people you meet often?
Solution: We can classify the people we meet often on a various basis such as gender, age range, profession, education, hobbies and common interests.
Q.4. What do we learn from identifying individuals and populations?
Solution: In a diverse country like India, we can learn from the identification of individuals and populations about their native places, tribes, food habits, languages and dialects, clothing, religions, castes, customs, etc.
Q.5. Given below is the scientific name of Mango. Identify the correctly written name. Mangifera Indica or Mangifera indica?
Solution: Mangifera indica is the correct scientific name of Mango. It is because in the binomial system of nomenclature, the generic name of the species starts with the capital letter and the specific name starts with a small letter.
Q.6. Define a taxon. Give some examples of taxa at different hierarchical levels.
Solution: A taxon is a level in the hierarchical classification system. Examples of taxa at different levels include: (i) Kingdom (ii) Phylum (iii) Class (iv) Order (v) Family (vi) Genus (vii) Species
Q.7. Can you identify the correct sequence of taxonomical categories?
- (a) Species → Order → Phylum → Kingdom
- (b) Genus → Species → Order → Kingdom
- (c) Species → Genus → Order → Phylum
Solution: Both (a) and (c) are the correct sequence of taxonomical categories. The correct sequence of taxonomical categories is Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum/Division, and Kingdom.
Q.8. What do you understand by the term ‘species’? Discuss its meaning in higher plants, animals, and bacteria.
Solution: Species refers to a group of organisms with similar characteristics. In higher plants and animals, reproductive isolation helps define species, while in bacteria, genetic information is used to classify species due to the inability to use reproduction as a criterion.
Q.9. Define and understand the following terms.
(i) Phylum (ii) Class (iii) Family (iv) Order (v) Genus
Solution:
(i) Phylum: Phylum is a taxon consisting of one or more classes that possess correlated characters. It comes just below the kingdom. In plants, classes with similar characters are assigned under a division rather than a phylum.
(ii) Class: Class is a group of closely related orders. It lies above order and below phylum.
Example: All members of class Mammalia have mammary glands to feed their offspring and have hair on their bodies.
(iii) Family: Family is composed of different genera with fewer similarities as compared to the genus and species level. It lies above genus and below order.
Example: Tiger, lion, and leopard belong to the cat family (Felidae).
(iv) Order: An order is a taxon containing one or more families of organisms that possess some specifically correlated characters that are different from those of other orders. It lies above family and below class. The similar characters in an order are fewer in number compared to those among different genera within a family.
(v) Genus: Genus is a group of related species that have more common characters in comparison to species of other genera. It lies above species and below family.
Example: Lion, leopard, and tiger belong to the same genus Panthera.
Q.10. How is a key helpful in the identification and classification of an organism?
Solution: A key helps to classify organisms by comparing two opposite features at each step. This process helps to narrow down the options and makes it easier to identify the correct species, genus, or family of an organism.
Q.11. Illustrate the taxonomical hierarchy with suitable examples of a plant and an animal.
Solution: Here is an example of the taxonomical hierarchy for wheat (a plant) and humans (an animal):
| Taxonomic Category |
Wheat |
Human |
| Kingdom |
Plantae |
Animalia |
| Phylum/Division |
Angiospermae |
Chordata |
| Class |
Monocotylydonae |
Mammalia |
| Order |
Poales |
Primata |
| Family |
Poaceae |
Homonidae |
| Genus |
Triticum |
Homo |
| Species |
aestivum |
sapiens |
NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 1 – FAQs
1. What are the important concepts covered in Chapter 1 of NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology?
Chapter 1 covers foundational concepts such as characteristics of living organisms, biodiversity, need and principles of classification, taxonomic categories, binomial nomenclature, and taxonomic aids. It introduces the importance of understanding the diversity of life and the systematic approach to naming and classifying organisms.
2. Where can I download the NCERT Solutions PDF for offline use?
You can directly download the questions and answers PDF for Chapter 1 from above. Additionally, you can access the official NCERT website to get the PDF for offline use, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive study resource.
3. What is the importance of studying “Class 11 Biology Chapter 1 The Living World”?
Studying this chapter is important as it lays the groundwork for understanding biological diversity and the basis of classification systems. It helps students appreciate the variety of life forms, the scientific methods used to categorize them, and builds a foundation for deeper biological concepts in later chapters