Answer: They are extremely sensitive and do not grow in polluted areas.
- A They grow rapidly in industrial smoke
- B They are extremely sensitive and do not grow in polluted areas
- C They turn color only in clean air, never in polluted regions
- D They require high sulfur dioxide levels to survive
Correct answer: B. They are extremely sensitive and do not grow in polluted areas
Explanation: Lichens are highly sensitive to air pollution, particularly sulfur dioxide, and fail to grow in polluted areas. Their absence or decline in an area is used as an indicator of air pollution.
Whittaker's five-kingdom system (1969) groups all cellular life by cell structure and nutrition; viruses, viroids, and lichens fall outside this system entirely since they aren't independently classifiable as one of the five.
Concept context
Whittaker's five kingdom system covering Monera, Protista, Fungi, plus viruses, viroids, and lichens. A foundational NEET chapter on how living organisms are grouped.