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Naming an organism by genus and species alone works because those two ranks are:
AThe two broadest ranks
BChosen at random
CIdentical for all life
DThe most specific pair
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. The most specific pair
1. The classification hierarchy runs from the broadest rank down to the narrowest.
2. Domain sits at the top, and within each domain is a second category called a kingdom.
3. Genus and species sit at the bottom of that nesting.
4. Scientists generally refer to an organism only by its genus and species, in what is called binomial nomenclature.
5. Naming by the broadest ranks would fail to identify the organism at all.
_Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 20 'Phylogenies and the History of Life', sections 20.1-20.3_
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