The scientific name for a house cat is Felis catus. This indicates the house cat’s ___________ and ___________.

Question

The scientific name for a house cat is Felis catus. This indicates the house cat’s ___________ and ___________.?  
A. kingdom; family  
B. order; subspecies  
C. phylum; class  
D. genus; species

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: (D)genus; species. 
Rationale: The scientific name for a house cat indicates its genus and species.Every organism is given a two-part scientific name using a system called binomial nomenclature, developed by Carl Linnaeus. The first word identifies the genus, which is a group of closely related organisms, and the second word identifies the species, which refers to one specific type within that genus. In the name Felis catus, “Felis” tells us the cat belongs to the cat genus, and “catus” identifies the domestic cat as a distinct species within that group.A) Kingdom; familyKingdom is one of the highest and broadest taxonomic ranks, and for cats it is Animalia. Family is a lower rank than order but higher than genus, and for cats it is Felidae. Neither “Animalia” nor “Felidae” appears in the scientific name Felis catus. Since scientific names do not include kingdom or family, this option is incorrect.B) Order; subspeciesThe order of the house cat is Carnivora. Subspecies would only be indicated if a third name were added, forming a trinomial name such as Genus species subspecies. Because Felis catus has only two words, it does not represent order or subspecies. This option is incorrect.C) Phylum; classThe phylum of cats is Chordata and the class is Mammalia. These are higher classification levels used for broad biological grouping, not for scientific naming. Binomial nomenclature never uses phylum or class as the two name components. This option is incorrect.D) Genus; speciesIn Felis catus, “Felis” is the genus name and “catus” is the species name. Together, they form the full scientific name of the domestic cat. This follows the standard rules of binomial nomenclature and correctly identifies the two taxonomic levels shown by the name.ConclusionScientific names always follow the format Genus species. Since Felis is the genus and catus is the species, the correct answer is D) Genus; species.

The scientific name for a house cat is Felis catus. This indicates the house cat’s _ and _.

A
kingdom; family

B
order; subspecies

C
phylum; class

D
genus; species

The scientific name for a house cat indicates its genus and species.

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