Which scientist developed a hierarchical system for classifying living organisms?

Which scientist developed a hierarchical system for classifying living organisms?

• A. Linnaeus
• B. Darwin
• C. Mendel
• D. Pasteur

Answer: (A)

Classifying living things in a nested, hierarchical framework based on shared characteristics is what this item tests. Carl Linnaeus established this approach, organizing life into a series of ranks such as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. He also introduced binomial nomenclature, giving every species a two-part Latin name (for example, Homo sapiens). This combination of a standardized naming system and a layered classification makes it easier to identify relationships among organisms and communicate about them unambiguously. The other scientists contributed to different areas—Darwin explained natural selection and evolution, Mendel uncovered the basics of heredity, and Pasteur advanced germ theory and microbiology—but they did not develop the overarching hierarchical scheme Linnaeus did.

Classifying living things in a nested, hierarchical framework based on shared characteristics is what this item tests. Carl Linnaeus established this approach, organizing life into a series of ranks such as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. He also introduced binomial nomenclature, giving every species a two-part Latin name (for example, Homo sapiens). This combination of a standardized naming system and a layered classification makes it easier to identify relationships among organisms and communicate about them unambiguously. The other scientists contributed to different areas—Darwin explained natural selection and evolution, Mendel uncovered the basics of heredity, and Pasteur advanced germ theory and microbiology—but they did not develop the overarching hierarchical scheme Linnaeus did.