Answer: Mode of nutrition.
- A Mode of nutrition
- B Rate of respiration
- C Type of excretion
- D Speed of locomotion
Correct answer: A. Mode of nutrition
Explanation: Whittaker's main criteria were cell structure (pro/eukaryotic), body organisation, and mode of nutrition (autotrophic vs heterotrophic).
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.