KCET Biology - Zoology Syllabus

Biology - Zoology syllabus — full chapter and topic list

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

1. 1

   Animal Diversity and Organisation

   3 topics

   • Animal Kingdom
     • Basis of classification
     • Non-chordate phyla
     • Chordates and classes of vertebrates
   • Structural Organisation in Animals
     • Animal tissues: epithelial, connective, muscular and neural
     • Morphology and anatomy of earthworm, cockroach and frog
   • Cell as Basis of Animal Life
     • Animal cell structure
     • Cell division and chromosomes
2. 2

   Human Physiology - Nutrition and Exchange

   4 topics

   • Digestion and Absorption
     • Human digestive system
     • Digestion, absorption and disorders
   • Breathing and Exchange of Gases
     • Respiratory system and mechanism of breathing
     • Transport of gases
   • Body Fluids and Circulation
     • Blood and lymph
     • Human heart and cardiac cycle
     • ECG and circulatory disorders
   • Excretory Products and their Elimination
     • Human excretory system and nephron
     • Urine formation and regulation
3. 3

   Human Physiology - Control and Movement

   3 topics

   • Locomotion and Movement
     • Muscle structure and contraction
     • Skeletal system and joints
   • Neural Control and Coordination
     • Neuron and nerve impulse
     • Central and peripheral nervous system
     • Reflex action and sense organs
   • Chemical Coordination and Integration
     • Endocrine glands and hormones
     • Mechanism of hormone action
4. 4

   Human Reproduction and Health

   3 topics

   • Human Reproduction
     • Male and female reproductive systems
     • Gametogenesis and menstrual cycle
     • Fertilisation and embryonic development
   • Reproductive Health
     • Contraception and birth control
     • Infertility and assisted reproductive technologies
   • Human Genetics and Disorders
     • Sex determination in humans
     • Mendelian and chromosomal disorders
5. 5

   Evolution, Health and Human Welfare

   4 topics

   • Evolution
     • Origin of life and evidences of evolution
     • Theories of evolution
     • Hardy-Weinberg principle and speciation
   • Human Health and Disease
     • Immunity and immune system
     • Common diseases and pathogens
     • Drugs and alcohol abuse
   • Microbes in Human Welfare
     • Microbes in food and industrial products
     • Microbes in sewage treatment and biogas
   • Biotechnology - Principles and Processes
     • Tools of recombinant DNA technology
     • Processes of genetic engineering

Biology - Zoology flashcards for KCET

22 of 69 cards from the Biology - Zoology deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In the five-kingdom classification (Whittaker), what are the four main criteria used to classify organisms?

   Cell structure (prokaryotic/eukaryotic), body organisation (cellular/tissue-level etc.), mode of nutrition (autotrophic/heterotrophic), and phylogenetic relationships.

2. What is the level of body organisation in Phylum Porifera versus Phylum Cnidaria?

   Porifera show cellular level of organisation; Cnidaria (Coelenterata) show tissue level of organisation.

3. Which phylum is characterized by a water (canal) system, choanocytes, and spicules?

   Phylum Porifera (sponges).

4. What type of body symmetry and germ layers do members of Phylum Cnidaria possess?

   Radial symmetry and diploblastic (two germ layers: ectoderm and endoderm).

5. What distinguishing excretory and circulatory features define Phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms)?

   They are acoelomate, bilaterally symmetrical, dorsoventrally flattened, with flame cells (protonephridia) for excretion/osmoregulation and no circulatory system.

6. What are the key features distinguishing Phylum Arthropoda?

   Largest phylum; jointed appendages, chitinous exoskeleton, bilateral symmetry, true coelom, open circulatory system with haemocoel; respiration by gills, trachea or book lungs.

7. What is the unique water-vascular system and symmetry of Phylum Echinodermata?

   Adults show radial symmetry (larvae bilateral); they have a water-vascular system with tube feet used for locomotion, capture of food and respiration.

8. What four features are present in all chordates at some stage of life?

   Notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, paired pharyngeal gill slits, and a post-anal tail.

9. What distinguishes the four basic types of animal tissues?

   Epithelial (covering/lining, protection/secretion), connective (binding/support, e.g. blood, bone, cartilage), muscular (contraction/movement), and neural (impulse transmission).

10. Differentiate simple squamous, cuboidal, and columnar epithelium by function/location.

    Squamous: thin flat cells for diffusion (alveoli, blood vessels); cuboidal: secretion/absorption (kidney tubules, glands); columnar: secretion/absorption with tall cells (stomach, intestine lining).

11. What are the three types of muscle tissue and a key feature of each?

    Skeletal (striated, voluntary, multinucleate), smooth (non-striated, involuntary, spindle-shaped, uninucleate), and cardiac (striated, involuntary, branched with intercalated discs).

12. What is the function of intercalated discs in cardiac muscle?

    They are junctions between cardiac cells that allow rapid, coordinated transmission of contraction impulses across the heart muscle (functioning as a syncytium).

13. What is the fluid-mosaic model of the plasma membrane?

    A model (Singer and Nicolson, 1972) describing the membrane as a lipid bilayer in which proteins are embedded, with both lipids and proteins able to move laterally (quasi-fluid).

14. Differentiate passive and active transport across the cell membrane.

    Passive transport moves substances down a concentration gradient without ATP (diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion); active transport moves them against the gradient using ATP (e.g. Na+/K+ pump).

15. What is the role of mitochondria and why are they called the powerhouse of the cell?

    They carry out aerobic respiration (Krebs cycle in matrix, oxidative phosphorylation/ETC on the inner membrane/cristae) to produce ATP, the cell's energy currency.

16. What are the salient differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

    Prokaryotes lack a true membrane-bound nucleus and organelles, have 70S ribosomes and a single circular DNA; eukaryotes have a membrane-bound nucleus, organelles, and 80S ribosomes (70S in mitochondria/chloroplasts).

17. What enzyme and product are involved in carbohydrate digestion in the mouth?

    Salivary amylase (ptyalin) hydrolyses starch into maltose, isomaltose and limit dextrins.

18. Name the gastric enzymes and the role of HCl in the stomach.

    Pepsin (from pepsinogen) and rennin digest proteins; HCl provides the acidic pH for pepsin activity, kills microbes, and converts pepsinogen to pepsin.

19. What is the role of bile in digestion, and does it contain enzymes?

    Bile contains no digestive enzymes; bile salts emulsify fats into small droplets (increasing surface area for lipase) and activate lipases; it also helps absorb fats and excretes bilirubin.

20. Where and how are most digested nutrients absorbed in humans?

    Most absorption occurs in the small intestine (especially jejunum/ileum) through villi and microvilli; glucose and amino acids by active transport, fatty acids/glycerol as micelles forming chylomicrons absorbed by lacteals.

21. Define vital capacity of the lungs.

    The maximum volume of air a person can breathe out after a maximum inspiration; Vital Capacity = ERV + TV + IRV (Expiratory Reserve + Tidal + Inspiratory Reserve Volume).

22. Give the formula for Tidal Volume-based pulmonary ventilation and a typical TV value.

    Pulmonary ventilation = Tidal Volume x respiratory rate (breaths/min); typical TV is about 500 mL (about 6000-8000 mL/min total).

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