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Meena and Hari observed an animal in their garden. Hari called it an insect while Meena said it was an earthworm. Choose the correct option which confirms that it is an insect. (i) Bilateral symmetrical body (ii) Body with jointed legs (iii) Cylindrical body (iv) Body with little segmentation
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Answer: (ii) Body with jointed legs
- Insects are arthropods , whose defining feature is jointed legs (and a jointed body with an exoskeleton).
- An earthworm (annelid) has a soft, segmented, cylindrical body without jointed legs.
Option
Does it confirm an insect?
(i) Bilateral symmetrical body
✗ No — earthworms (Annelida) are bilaterally symmetrical too, so it cannot separate them.
(ii) Body with jointed legs
✓ Yes — jointed appendages are the defining feature of Arthropoda; an earthworm has none.
(iii) Cylindrical body
✗ No — an earthworm’s body is cylindrical, so this points away from an insect.
(iv) Body with little segmentation
✗ No — insects are clearly segmented and earthworms are highly segmented; neither fits.
