Question

refer to this portion of a dichotomous key for fish identification to answer the question.

1. (a) has a single dorsal fin ® 5

(b) has a double dorsal fin ® 2

1. (a) has small fin on back near tail ® 6

(b) has no fin on back near tail ® 7

1. (a) has barbs near the mouth ® catfish

(b) does not have barbs near the mouth ® 10
what do the numbers after the arrows represent?
○ the number of the question that should be considered next
○ the number of steps remaining before the organism is identified
○ the number of questions that need to be answered
○ the number of species that have the described characteristic

Explanation:

In a dichotomous key, the numbers after the arrows direct the user to the next question (or step) to continue identifying the organism. For example, in step 1(a), the arrow points to 5, meaning after determining the fish has a single dorsal fin, you move to question 5. This matches the first option's description. The other options are incorrect: the numbers don't represent remaining steps, total questions to answer, or species count.

Answer:

A. the number of the question that should be considered next