Tag: attributes of living organisms

The most important characteristic defining an organism as living is the presence of protoplasm in it's cells. While the other three options which are multiplication, movement and growth can not define living to the full extent. As plants are immobile yet they are living. The external growth of mountains, boulders, and sand is observed. Mules, sterile worker bees and sterile couples can not multiply but they are living organisms.

1. Metabolism occurs 'unexceptionally in all living organisms' and this is a defining feature of living beings. 
   
2. Reproduction is absent in sterile or infertile living beings.
3. Organisms like the majority of sponges and plants do not move, but they're still living.
4. Patients in a coma do not interact with the environment, yet all the metabolic processes occur thus they are living.
   

Life span : The period from birth to the natural death of an organism. Life span can never be correlate with the size of animals. Life span of some animals are given below ;

Living things are lively and active and exhibit characteristics of life, like growth, movement, reproduction, response to stimuli (like touch, smell, light) . These activities are done by the cells of which the living things are made up of. Some examples of living things around us are human beings, animals, plants and microorganisms.

Consciousness refers to individual awareness of thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, surrounding and environment and responding to external and internal stimuli

• Non-living things increase in size due to the addition of similar materials to their outer surface, they include crystals, glaciers, stones and mountains

Living organisms must maintain a constant internal environment while living in a constantly changing external environment. Maintaining the internal environment is important because the processes that keep the cell alive can only take place under certain conditions. There are different processes that occur in the body to maintain the constant internal environment such as diffusion, osmosis, homeostasis, active transport, passive transport, endocytosis, exocytosis, etc. Homeostasis helps to maintain an equilibrium of an internal environment. 

All living things and dead are made up of the cells which perform life processes for maintaining life. They give the response to the stimulus or environmental factors. But growth is the characteristic of both living and dead as dead like wood shows growth by the absorption of water. Thus, the growth is the characteristics of living things but not the defining or fundamental properties of living things. Hence, the correct answer is option D.

The guillotine is a device designed for carrying out executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame in which a weighted and angled blade is raised to the top and suspended. The condemned person is secured at the bottom of the frame, with his or her neck held directly below the blade. The blade is then released, to fall swiftly and sever the head from the body.