Question

Animal P always breathes through gills. Animal Q breathes both through moist skin and lungs. Animal R breathes only through its moist skin and animalS breathes through its cell membrane. Which of the animals could be an amoeba?
(a) P
(b) Q
(c) R
(d) S

Answer 1

All living organisms can majorly be divided into two important types i.e. unicellular and multicellular. Multicellular organisms have cell division of labor i.e. different cell groups are given different functions. Whereas, in unicellular organisms, one single cell performs all the various life processes.

Complete answer:
Amoeba is a unicellular organism and this single cell performs all of the life processes needed for survival. The cell has locomotory structures called pseudopodia which help in movement and cellular digestion. These pseudopodia surround the food particle and then engulf it by the process of endocytosis. It also helps in excretion, as waste material is thrown out of the cell by the process of exocytosis. This cell also breathes through its membrane.
Pseudopodia are basically extended bulges of cytoplasm and are formed by the coordinated action of actin microfilaments. Different species of amoeba can be distinguished from one another by the difference in the appearance of their pseudopodia. The particular movement shown by amoeba is called an amoeboid movement.

So, the correct answer is ‘(d) S’.

Note: In the given question, Animal P has to be from pieces of phylum as they mostly breathe through gills. Animal Q must be from amphibia as they show breathing through the skin as well as lungs.