Question

A student proposed a model of the classification of living things where all of the organisms that contain a cell wall were placed into one group while those organisms that did not have the cell membrane surrounded by a cell wall were placed into a separate group. Which statement(s) correctly judges the proposed model by the student correctly? Select ALL that apply.

Responses
A Fungi and plants both share a cell wall, so they are less related to animals than they are to each other. This supports the student's placement.Fungi and plants both share a cell wall, so they are less related to animals than they are to each other. This supports the student's placement.
B Fungi and bacteria act as decomposers in the ecosystem, so their similar placement into groups by the student is supported by the data.Fungi and bacteria act as decomposers in the ecosystem, so their similar placement into groups by the student is supported by the data.
C Organisms with cell walls are more closely related, even if the cell walls differ in structure, so the student's placement is supported by the data.Organisms with cell walls are more closely related, even if the cell walls differ in structure, so the student's placement is supported by the data.
D Fungi are more closely related to animals than to bacteria, so the presence of a cell wall is not an indication of evolutionary history. Therefore the student's placement is not supported by the data.Fungi are more closely related to animals than to bacteria, so the presence of a cell wall is not an indication of evolutionary history. Therefore the student's placement is not supported by the data.
E The presence of a cell wall likely evolved three separate times, so the placement of these organisms together is unsupported by the data.

Answer 1

The correct statements are:

A. Fungi and plants both share a cell wall, so they are less related to animals than they are to each other. This supports the student's placement.

C. Organisms with cell walls are more closely related, even if the cell walls differ in structure, so the student's placement is supported by the data.

D. Fungi are more closely related to animals than to bacteria, so the presence of a cell wall is not an indication of evolutionary history. Therefore the student's placement is not supported by the data.

Step-by-step explanation:
Statement A is correct because fungi and plants both possess a cell wall, which indicates a shared characteristic not present in animals. This suggests a closer relationship between fungi and plants than between either of them and animals.

Statement C is correct because even though the cell walls may differ in structure, the presence of a cell wall indicates a similarity between organisms. This supports the student's placement of organisms with cell walls in one group.

Statement D is correct because fungi are more closely related to animals than to bacteria, even though both fungi and bacteria possess a cell wall. The presence of a cell wall alone is not sufficient to determine evolutionary relationships, and therefore the student's placement is not supported by the data.

Statement B is incorrect because it assumes that the placement of fungi and bacteria together as decomposers supports the student's model. However, the presence or absence of a cell wall is not the sole determinant of an organism's ecological role.

Statement E is incorrect because it introduces the concept of the evolution of a cell wall occurring three separate times, which is not mentioned in the given information.

Answer 2

The correct statement(s) that judge the proposed model by the student correctly are:

A. Fungi and plants both share a cell wall, so they are less related to animals than they are to each other. This supports the student's placement.

C. Organisms with cell walls are more closely related, even if the cell walls differ in structure, so the student's placement is supported by the data.

D. Fungi are more closely related to animals than to bacteria, so the presence of a cell wall is not an indication of evolutionary history. Therefore, the student's placement is not supported by the data.

Step-by-step explanation:

Statement A is correct because fungi and plants both have cell walls and share this characteristic, which suggests they are more closely related to each other than to animals. This supports the student's placement of organisms with a cell wall in one group.

Statement C is correct because although the cell walls may differ in structure, organisms with cell walls can still be more closely related. The presence of a cell wall indicates a common characteristic, even if the specific structures vary.

Statement D is correct because fungi are more closely related to animals than to bacteria. Therefore, the presence of a cell wall cannot be solely used as an indication of evolutionary history or relatedness. The student's placement of organisms based solely on the presence or absence of a cell wall is not supported by this fact.

Statement B and E are incorrect because they do not directly address the placement of organisms based on the presence or absence of a cell wall.