2003 General Studies, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2003 · General Studies

Question 91: Science and Technology

Octopus is

aan arthropod
ban echinoderm
ca hemichordate
da mollusc

AnswerThe answer is (d).

The octopus is a mollusc, a cephalopod with a soft unsegmented body, a reduced shell, eight arms and a well-developed brain and eyes. Arthropods have jointed legs and an exoskeleton (insects, crabs), echinoderms are spiny-skinned animals like starfish, and hemichordates are worm-like animals such as acorn worms. Remember the cephalopods: octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Arthropods have jointed legs and an exoskeleton, unlike the octopus.
  • (b) Echinoderms such as starfish are spiny-skinned; the octopus is not.
  • (c) Hemichordates are worm-like animals such as acorn worms.
  • (d) Correct: a mollusc.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2003, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.