Biological Classification – Kingdom-Protista: NEET MCQs with Answers

15 free questions on Biological Classification – Kingdom-Protista for NEET (UG), starting with previous-year NEET and AIPMT questions. Try each one, then tap Show answer for the answer and a short explanation.

Syllabus covered: Kingdom-Protista

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Question 1

Previous-year question
Which character is typical of the kingdom Protista? [NEET 2021 (Paper-2)]
  1. Prokaryotic
  2. Multicellular
  3. All members have cell wall
  4. Presence of nuclear membrane
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Answer: (D) Presence of nuclear membrane
Explanation: All protists are single-celled eukaryotes with a well-defined nucleus bounded by a nuclear membrane and other membrane-bound organelles. They are not prokaryotic or multicellular, and many (e.g. protozoans) lack a cell wall.

Question 2

Previous-year question
Ciliates differ from all other protozoans in [NEET 2018]
  1. using flagella for locomotion
  2. having a contractile vacuole for removing excess water
  3. having two types of nuclei
  4. using pseudopodia for capturing prey
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Answer: (C) having two types of nuclei
Explanation: Ciliated protozoans such as Paramecium show nuclear dimorphism — a large vegetative macronucleus and one or more small reproductive micronuclei. This feature is unique to ciliates among protozoans.

Question 3

Previous-year question
Which of the following organisms are known as the chief producers in the oceans? [NEET 2018]
  1. Dinoflagellates
  2. Diatoms
  3. Euglenoids
  4. Cyanobacteria
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Answer: (B) Diatoms
Explanation: Diatoms are the chief 'producers' of the oceans. Being photosynthetic planktonic chrysophytes present in enormous numbers, they contribute the bulk of the primary production of marine ecosystems.

Question 4

Previous-year question
Chrysophytes, Euglenoids, Dinoflagellates and Slime moulds are included in the kingdom [NEET 2016]
  1. Monera
  2. Protista
  3. Fungi
  4. Animalia
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Answer: (B) Protista
Explanation: All these groups are single-celled eukaryotes and are therefore placed in kingdom Protista along with the protozoans.

Question 5

Previous-year question
In which group of organisms do the cell walls form two thin overlapping shells which fit together? [AIPMT 2015]
  1. Euglenoids
  2. Dinoflagellates
  3. Slime moulds
  4. Chrysophytes
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Answer: (D) Chrysophytes
Explanation: Diatoms (chrysophytes) have indestructible silica-impregnated cell walls (frustules) formed of two thin overlapping shells that fit together like a soap box. Their accumulated remains form diatomaceous earth.

Question 6

Previous-year question
Plasmodium, the malarial parasite, belongs to the class [AIPMT 1990]
  1. Sarcodina
  2. Ciliata
  3. Sporozoa
  4. Dinophyceae
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Answer: (C) Sporozoa
Explanation: Plasmodium belongs to class Sporozoa. Sporozoans are intracellular parasites without locomotory organelles; they reproduce by multiple fission and their life cycle may involve two different hosts — in Plasmodium, the human and the female Anopheles mosquito.

Question 7

Previous-year question
Genetic information in Paramecium is contained in the [AIPMT 1990]
  1. micronucleus
  2. macronucleus
  3. both (1) and (2)
  4. mitochondria
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Answer: (A) micronucleus
Explanation: Ciliates such as Paramecium show nuclear dimorphism. The large macronucleus is the vegetative nucleus controlling metabolic activities and growth, while the micronucleus contains the genetic information (the master copy of the genome) and takes part in reproduction.
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Question 8

Previous-year question
African sleeping sickness is due to [AIPMT 1991]
  1. Plasmodium vivax transmitted by tse-tse fly
  2. Trypanosoma lewsii transmitted by bed bug
  3. Trypanosoma gambiense transmitted by Glossina palpalis
  4. Entamoeba gingivalis spread by housefly
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Answer: (C) Trypanosoma gambiense transmitted by Glossina palpalis
Explanation: African sleeping sickness is caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma gambiense, which is transmitted by the tse-tse fly Glossina palpalis. Plasmodium vivax causes malaria and is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito.

Question 9

Previous-year question
Protista includes [AIPMT 1994]
  1. heterotrophs
  2. chemoheterotrophs
  3. chemoautotrophs
  4. all of these
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Answer: (D) all of these
Explanation: Kingdom Protista includes flagellates (Euglenophyceae), diatoms, dinoflagellates, slime moulds, sarcodines, ciliates and sporozoans. Collectively they display photosynthetic, chemotrophic and heterotrophic modes of nutrition, so heterotrophs, chemoheterotrophs and chemoautotrophs are all represented.

Question 10

Previous-year question
Entamoeba coli causes [AIPMT 1994]
  1. pyorrhoea
  2. diarrhoea
  3. dysentery
  4. none of these
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Answer: (D) none of these
Explanation: Entamoeba coli is a commensal parasite of the large intestine (colon) and is generally non-pathogenic — at most it may cause constipation. Amoebic dysentery is caused by Entamoeba histolytica and pyorrhoea by Entamoeba gingivalis, so none of the listed diseases is attributable to E. coli.

Question 11

Previous-year question
The protistan genome has [AIPMT 1994]
  1. membrane-bound nucleoproteins embedded in the cytoplasm
  2. free nucleic acid aggregates
  3. gene-containing nucleoproteins condensed together in loose mass
  4. nucleoprotein in direct contact with the cell substance
Show answer
Answer: (A) membrane-bound nucleoproteins embedded in the cytoplasm
Explanation: Protists are eukaryotes, so their genome is organised into a true nucleus bounded by a nuclear envelope — that is, membrane-bound nucleoproteins within the cytoplasm. The nucleus is differentiated into nuclear envelope, chromatin, one or more nucleoli and nucleoplasm. Options describing naked or loosely condensed nucleic acid apply to prokaryotes.

Question 12

Previous-year question
Excretion in Amoeba occurs through the [AIPMT 1995]
  1. lobopodia
  2. uroid portion
  3. plasma membrane
  4. contractile vacuole
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Answer: (D) contractile vacuole
Explanation: The endoplasm in the posterior part of Amoeba contains a single clear, rounded, pulsating contractile vacuole. It is analogous to the uriniferous tubules of the frog and functions in both excretion and osmoregulation. (Simple diffusion of nitrogenous waste across the plasma membrane also contributes.)

Question 13

Previous-year question
Which of the following organisms possesses the characteristics of both a plant and an animal? [AIPMT 1995]
  1. Bacteria
  2. Mycoplasma
  3. Euglena
  4. Paramecium
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Answer: (C) Euglena
Explanation: Euglena is the connecting link between plants and animals. It contains chlorophyll and photosynthesises like a plant, yet it lacks a cell wall, has a flexible pellicle, is motile by a flagellum, and behaves as a heterotroph in the absence of sunlight — all animal-like features.

Question 14

Previous-year question
Extranuclear inheritance occurs in [AIPMT 2001]
  1. the killer strain of Paramecium
  2. colour blindness
  3. phenylketonuria
  4. Tay–Sachs disease
Show answer
Answer: (A) the killer strain of Paramecium
Explanation: The killer strain of Paramecium exhibits cytoplasmic (extranuclear) inheritance due to the presence of Kappa particles — self-replicating bodies that produce the toxin paramecin. Colour blindness, phenylketonuria and Tay–Sachs disease are all controlled by nuclear genes.

Question 15

Previous-year question
In protozoa such as Amoeba and Paramecium, the organelle concerned with osmoregulation is the [AIPMT 2002, 1995, 1991]
  1. contractile vacuole
  2. mitochondria
  3. nucleus
  4. food vacuole
Show answer
Answer: (A) contractile vacuole
Explanation: Unicellular organisms such as Amoeba and Paramecium possess a contractile vacuole for osmoregulation. It regulates the quantity of water inside the cell by collecting excess water and expelling it, acting as a protective mechanism that prevents the cell from absorbing too much water and bursting.

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