Final answer:
In a taxonomic hierarchy, 'Animal' is the most general, and 'Python' is the most specific; the order from most general to most specific is: Animal, Reptile, Snake, Python.
Step-by-step explanation:
The categories in the taxonomic classification system are indeed organized from smaller, more specific categories to larger, more general categories. When placing items in order from most general to most specific, we use the taxonomic hierarchy. Here is the correct order for the items listed:
'Animal' is the most general term, as it refers to all animals. 'Reptile' is more specific, referring to a class of cold-blooded, usually egg-laying vertebrates with skin covered in scales or bony plates. 'Snake' is even more specific, about legless reptiles with elongated bodies, and 'Python' is the most specific, referring to a particular genus of snakes.