Binomial nomenclature and its rules — practice questions

Question 1 · difficulty L1 · recall

Which printed form follows the standard convention for writing a binomial scientific name?

• A. mangifera Indica
• B. Mangifera Indica
• C. Mangifera indica in italics
• D. MANGIFERA INDICA in capitals

Question 2 · difficulty L1 · recall

How many words are used in a binomial scientific name?

• A. Three
• B. Two
• C. Four
• D. One

Question 3 · difficulty L1 · recall

Which part of a scientific name is written first?

• A. Family name
• B. Order name
• C. Generic name
• D. Specific epithet

Question 4 · difficulty L1 · recall

Which part of a binomial name begins with a capital letter?

• A. Neither word
• B. Specific epithet
• C. Generic name
• D. Both words

Question 5 · difficulty L1 · recall

When printed, how are the two words of a scientific name normally written?

• A. In bold capitals
• B. In quotation marks
• C. With a hyphen between them
• D. In italics

Question 6 · difficulty L1 · recall

When handwritten, how should the two words of a binomial name be shown?

• A. Neither word marked
• B. Each word underlined separately
• C. Only the genus underlined
• D. Both words enclosed in one circle

Question 7 · difficulty L2 · recall

In the name Mangifera indica, which part is the generic name, and how should it be written by hand? (set mt9s9khf)

• A. indica; underlined separately
• B. Mangifera; underlined separately
• C. Mangifera indica; underlined as one
• D. indica; not underlined at all

Question 8 · difficulty L2 · recall

In the name Mangifera indica, which part is the generic name, and how should it be written by hand? (set mt9sit8r)

• A. indica; underlined separately
• B. Mangifera; underlined separately
• C. Mangifera indica; underlined as one
• D. indica; not underlined at all

Question 9 · difficulty L2 · understanding

How should a binomial scientific name normally be written when it is handwritten rather than printed?

• A. Both words should be underlined separately
• B. Only the generic name should be underlined
• C. Both words should be written in capitals
• D. The two words should be joined with a hyphen

Question 10 · difficulty L2 · understanding

In the name Mangifera indica Linn., what does 'Linn.' indicate?

• A. The family of the plant
• B. The locality where it was collected
• C. The author associated with describing the species
• D. The specific epithet