Binomial Nomenclature Components — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptThe first word in a biological name represents the genus while the second component denotes the specific epithet.
Which of the above statements are NOT correct? S1: Biological names are generally written in italics to indicate their Latin origin, irrespective of their actual origin. S2: The first component of a biological name denotes the specific epithet, while the second component represents the genus. S3: The name of the author is always written in an abbreviated form after the specific epithet. S4: Both words in a biological name are separately underlined when handwritten, specifically to denote their Latin origin. S5: In binomial nomenclature, the specific epithet starts with a capital letter, whereas the generic name begins with a small letter.
View solution & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: B — S2 and S5
The question tests the rules of binomial nomenclature as outlined by Carolus Linnaeus. S1: Correct. According to NCERT Rule 1, 'Biological names are generally in Latin and written in italics. They are Latinised or derived from Latin irrespective of their origin.' S2: Incorrect. According to NCERT Rule 2, 'The first word in a biological name represents the genus while the second component denotes the specific epithet.' This statement reverses the roles. S3: Correct. The NCERT states, 'Name of the author appears after the specific epithet, i.e., at the end of the biological name and is written in an abbreviated form, e.g., Mangifera indica Linn.' S4: Correct. According to NCERT Rule 3, 'Both the words in a biological name, when handwritten, are separately underlined, or printed in italics to indicate their Latin origin.' S5: Incorrect. According to NCERT Rule 4, 'The first word denoting the genus starts with a capital letter while the specific epithet starts with a small letter.' This statement reverses the capitalization rule. Therefore, statements S2 and S5 are NOT correct. The final answer is B because it accurately identifies S2 and S5 as the incorrect statements regarding the rules of binomial nomenclature.
What does NCERT say about first word biological name?
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