Previous Year Question
Which one of the following aspects is an exclusive characteristic of living things?
A.
A. Isolated metabolic reactions occur in vitro.
B.
B. Increase in mass from inside only.
C.
C. Perception of events happening in the environment and their memory.
D.
D. Increase in mass by accumulation of material both on the surface as well as internally.
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
Living organisms possess consciousness: they can sense environmental changes, interpret them and respond appropriately. This awareness of the surroundings is an exclusive and defining property of living organisms.
Isolated metabolic reactions can also be performed outside the body in a laboratory, but such reactions themselves are not living. An increase in mass is also not exclusive because non-living objects may grow through the external accumulation of material.