ISC Class 11 Biology Syllabus

Biology syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Biology in ISC Class 11, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Diversity in the Living World

   5 topics

   • What is Living?
   • Biodiversity
   • Classification of Living Organisms
   • Taxonomic Categories
   • Taxonomical Aids
2. 2

   Structural Organisation in Animals and Plants

   3 topics

   • Morphology and Modifications
   • Tissues
   • Anatomy and Functions
3. 3

   Cell Structure and Function

   4 topics

   • Cell Theory
   • Overview of Cell
   • Cell Organelles
   • Cell Division
4. 4

   Plant Physiology

   5 topics

   • Transport in Plants
   • Mineral Nutrition
   • Photosynthesis
   • Respiration in Plants
   • Plant Growth and Development
5. 5

   Human Physiology

   7 topics

   • Digestion and Absorption
   • Breathing and Exchange of Gases
   • Body Fluids and Circulation
   • Excretory Products and their Elimination
   • Locomotion and Movement
   • Neural Control and Coordination
   • Chemical Coordination and Integration

Biology flashcards for ISC Class 11

22 of 86 cards from the Biology deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the defining characteristics (defining properties) of living organisms?

   Metabolism, growth, reproduction, cellular organization, consciousness/responsiveness to stimuli, and self-replication. Among these, metabolism and self-consciousness/responsiveness are the most defining; reproduction is not essential for all (e.g., sterile worker bees, mules).

2. Why is growth not a defining property of living organisms?

   Because non-living things (like mountains, boulders, sand mounds, crystals) also grow by accumulation of material on the surface. In living organisms, growth is from inside by cell division. Growth and reproduction are mutually inclusive events in single-celled organisms.

3. What is metabolism and why is it considered the most defining feature of life?

   Metabolism is the sum total of all chemical reactions occurring in the body. It is a defining feature of life because no non-living object exhibits metabolism, and all living organisms (without exception) carry out metabolic reactions.

4. Define biodiversity. Who coined the term?

   Biodiversity is the variety and variability of living organisms (genetic, species and ecosystem diversity) in a given region. The term was coined by Walter G. Rosen (popularized by E.O. Wilson).

5. What are the three levels of biodiversity?

   Genetic diversity (variation in genes within a species), Species diversity (variety of species in a region) and Ecological/ecosystem diversity (variety of habitats, communities and ecological processes).

6. Approximately how many species have been described, and what is the estimated total number on Earth?

   About 1.7–1.8 million species have been described and named, while the estimated total ranges from about 7 to 50 million (commonly cited as around 20 million).

7. What is binomial nomenclature and who proposed it?

   Binomial nomenclature is the two-word naming system (genus + species) for organisms, proposed by Carolus Linnaeus. The first word is the genus (capitalized) and the second is the specific epithet (lowercase); the name is italicized or underlined, e.g., Mangifera indica.

8. What are the universal rules of biological nomenclature?

   Names are in Latin and italicized; genus starts with a capital letter, species with a small letter; when handwritten both words are separately underlined; the author's name (abbreviated) is written after the species name, e.g., Mangifera indica Linn.

9. List the taxonomic categories (taxa) in correct hierarchical order from largest to smallest.

   Kingdom > Phylum (Division in plants) > Class > Order > Family > Genus > Species.

10. What is a species in taxonomy?

    A species is the basic unit of classification — a group of individuals with fundamental similarities capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring. It is described using the specific epithet (e.g., 'sapiens' in Homo sapiens).

11. How do you remember the taxonomic hierarchy order using a mnemonic?

    'King Philip Came Over For Good Soup' = Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. As we go higher up the hierarchy, the number of common characteristics decreases.

12. What is a taxon? Give an example.

    A taxon is any unit or rank of classification representing a group of organisms. Examples: Mammalia (a class), Insecta (a class), Primates (an order) — each is a taxon at a particular level.

13. What are taxonomical aids? Name the major ones.

    Tools and resources used for the identification, naming and classification of organisms. They include herbaria, botanical gardens, museums, zoological parks (zoos), keys, flora, manuals, monographs and catalogues.

14. What is a herbarium?

    A herbarium is a store house of collected, dried, pressed and preserved plant specimens mounted on sheets, arranged according to a universally accepted classification system. Each sheet carries a label with collection data (date, place, collector's name).

15. What is a taxonomic key?

    A key is an analytical tool used for identifying plants and animals based on similarities and dissimilarities. It uses contrasting characters in pairs called couplets; each statement of a couplet is a lead.

16. Differentiate between flora, manual and monograph.

    Flora provides the index/actual account of habitat and distribution of plants of a given area; a Manual gives information for identification of names of species in an area; a Monograph contains complete information on any one taxon.

17. What is a botanical garden and name two famous examples.

    A botanical garden is a specialized garden having collections of living plants for reference, grown and labelled with botanical/scientific names. Examples: Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (England) and Indian Botanical Garden, Howrah (India).

18. What is the morphological function of a taproot vs a fibrous root system?

    A taproot system (dicots) has a primary root with lateral branches growing deep for anchorage and water absorption; a fibrous root system (monocots) has many thin roots arising from the stem base, providing surface anchorage.

19. Name three modifications of roots for storage and give an example of each.

    Storage roots: carrot/turnip (conical/napiform taproot for food storage), sweet potato (tuberous adventitious root). Other modifications: stilt roots (maize), prop roots (banyan), pneumatophores/breathing roots (Rhizophora).

20. Name modifications of the stem with one example each.

    Underground stems: potato (tuber), ginger (rhizome), onion (bulb). Aerial modifications: tendrils (grapevine), thorns (Citrus/Bougainvillea), phylloclade (Opuntia for photosynthesis), and runners/stolons for vegetative propagation.

21. What is venation? Differentiate reticulate and parallel venation.

    Venation is the arrangement of veins and veinlets in a leaf lamina. Reticulate venation (network-like) is typical of dicots; parallel venation (veins run parallel) is typical of monocots.

22. What are the four main types of animal tissues?

    Epithelial tissue (covering/lining), Connective tissue (binding/support, e.g., bone, blood, cartilage), Muscular tissue (contraction/movement) and Nervous tissue (impulse conduction).

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