Animal Phyla & Their Distinctive Structures — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2026Select the set of fishes which belong to the class Osteichthyes:
Select the set of fishes which belong to the class Osteichthyes:
Answer & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: D — Flying fish, Angel fish and Fighting fish
Flying fish (Exocoetus), angel fish (Pterophyllum) and fighting fish (Betta) are bony fishes (Osteichthyes). Devil fish/cuttlefish are molluscs, hagfish is a cyclostome, sawfish/dogfish are cartilaginous, and starfish is an echinoderm.
Read more NCERT concept on the PYQ
Match the following: (a) Operculum (i) Ctenophora (b) Parapodia (ii) Mollusca (c) Scales (iii) Porifera (d) Comb plates (iv) Reptilia (e) Radula (v) Annelida (f) Hairs (vi) Cyclostomata and Chondrichthyes (g) Choanocytes (vii) Mammalia (h) Gill slits (viii) Osteichthyes
NTA tests whether students can identify characteristic anatomical features unique to different animal phyla. The core concept is knowing which structural adaptation belongs to which phylum—for example, parapodia are locomotory organs in Annelida, radula is a feeding structure in Mollusca, and comb plates are in Ctenophora. Students commonly confuse these features across phyla or forget which organism possesses which adaptation. To answer correctly, memorize each structure's function and phylum association: operculum (fish gill cover), scales (reptiles/fish), choanocytes (sponge filter cells), gill slits (cyclostomes/cartilaginous fish), and hairs (mammals). Quick visual associations and practice matching questions help retention for exam success.
What does NCERT say about Match following Operculum i?
Has this concept appeared in NEET?
Which chapter is this from?
Through deep analysis of NEET and NTA, 88 of 90 questions from the NEET 2026 paper were matched straight from the MedicNEET Biology question bank.
88/90MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.