Question

Assertion: Scientific name Malus malus is illegitimate.
Reason: It is a tautonym.
A. Both Assertion and Reason are correct and the Reason is the correct explanation for Assertion.
B. Both Assertion and Reason are correct but the Reason is not the correct explanation for Assertion.
C. Assertion is correct but Reason is incorrect.
D. Both Assertion and Reason are incorrect.

Answer 1

Hint: Binomial nomenclature also called binary nomenclature is a formal system of naming the living organisms by giving a name which is composed of two parts, also called Latin name.

Complete Answer:
Binomial name is also the scientific name of the organisms. In this the first part of the name is the generic name which identifies the genus of the species while the second part is the specific name or specific epithet which identifies the species within the genus of the same organism.

Option A: Since according to binomial nomenclature each plant or animal has been given a scientific name which has two parts of which first is a generic part which starts with a capital letter and the second part (species) which is written in small letters. The scientific name Malus malus is considered illegitimate because the genus and species name both spell the same and are identical. Moreover, A tautonym is a scientific name of a species in which both parts of the name have the same spelling and are identical. Thus both assertion and reason are correct and reason is the correct explanation of the assertion. Therefore, this is the correct option.

Option B, C & D: According to binomial nomenclature each plant or animal has been given a scientific name which has two parts of which first is a generic part which starts with a capital letter and the second part (species) which is written in small letters. The scientific name Malus malus is considered illegitimate because the genus and species name both spell the same and are identical. Moreover, A tautonym is a scientific name of a species in which both parts of the name have the same spelling and are identical. Thus both assertion and reason are correct and reason is the correct explanation of the assertion. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.

Thus, the correct option is A) Both Assertion and Reason are correct and the Reason is the correct explanation for Assertion.

Additional information: The naming of an organism is done as per the rules under binomial nomenclature. The rules are,
- There are two names, the generic and specific epithet.
- The first letter of genus is always capital and the first letter of species is small.
- The genus and species are of latin origin and thus must be italicized when typed.
- When written using pen and paper, they must be written separately and underlined.

Note: This system of binomial nomenclature of living organisms was introduced by Carl Linnaeus. He effectively started with his work on Species Plantarum in 1753 after which the recognition of naming the organisms with a scientific name was accepted in the whole world.