SSC CGL Biology · Free notes
Biodiversity and Classification: SSC CGL Biology
Biodiversity and Classification has 38 questions in the SSC CGL Tier I bank: 23 from the 2023 shifts and 15 from the 2024 shifts, and none from the 2025 shifts. Twenty-six are on animals and 12 on plants, and most give a genus name and ask its group. Each page sets out the groups with their marks and the examples SSC has used.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Plant Kingdom Classification
12 PYQsThe four plant groups from mosses to flowering plants with an example of each, the classes of algae by colour, and a few protists SSC names.
Animal Kingdom Classification
26 PYQsThe animal phyla from sponges to arthropods with their marks and examples, and the vertebrate classes: which are warm-blooded, which lay eggs, and the genus names SSC uses.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 5 reference tables · 5 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 5 reference tables · 5 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (2)
Watch out for (2)
- Cycas is not a fern→ The four plant groups
- A liverwort is not an alga→ Algae by colour, and some protists
Reference tables (3)
Watch out for (3)
- Euplectella is a sponge→ Sponges, cnidarians and worms
- Chitin, not lignin→ Annelids, arthropods, molluscs and echinoderms
- No bird gives birth to live young→ Reptiles, birds and mammals
PYQ weightage by concept
5 concepts · 38 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
5 concepts · 38 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The four plant groups | 7 | 18% |
| Algae by colour, and some protists | 5 | 13% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sponges, cnidarians and worms | 10 | 26% |
| Annelids, arthropods, molluscs and echinoderms | 8 | 21% |
| Reptiles, birds and mammals | 8 | 21% |
Test yourself on Biodiversity and Classification
15 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 9 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.