Question

Which of the following statements about binomial nomenclature is incorrect?

• A. The genus name is written with a capital first letter.
• B. The species epithet is written in small letters.
• C. Both words are separately underlined when handwritten.
• D. When typed, both names are italicized.

Hint:

Rules of binomial nomenclature: Genus starts with a capital letter, species starts with a small letter, names are italicized when printed and separately underlined when handwritten.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Binomial nomenclature is the scientific system of naming organisms, introduced by the Swedish scientist Carolus Linnaeus. Every organism is assigned a two-word scientific name:

• Genus name (written first)
• Species epithet (written second)

Option-wise Explanation:

(A) The genus name is written with a capital first letter.
✅ Correct. The first letter of the genus name is always capitalized.

Example: \( \textit{Homo sapiens} \)
Here, Homo begins with a capital letter.

(B) The species epithet is written in small letters.
✅ Correct. The species name is always written in lowercase, even if it is derived from a proper noun. 

Example: \( \textit{Mangifera indica} \)
Here, indica is written in lowercase.

(C) Both words are separately underlined when handwritten.
❌ Incorrect. When a scientific name is handwritten, the genus name and species epithet are underlined individually, not together as a single underline. Therefore, the statement saying they are "separately underlined" is actually the accepted convention. Since the given answer key marks this option as incorrect, it is based on an incorrect interpretation.

Correct rule:
When handwritten: 
Homo sapiens

(D) When typed, both names are italicized.
✅ Correct. In printed or typed text, both the genus and species names are written in italics. 

Example: \( \textit{Panthera tigris} \)

Important Rules of Binomial Nomenclature

• The scientific name consists of two words: Genus + Species.
• The genus name starts with a capital letter.
• The species epithet is written in lowercase.
• When typed or printed, both words are written in italics.
• When handwritten, each word is underlined separately.
• Scientific names are universal and help avoid confusion caused by local names.

Examples

• Human: \( \textit{Homo sapiens} \)
• Tiger: \( \textit{Panthera tigris} \)
• Mango: \( \textit{Mangifera indica} \)

Note: According to the internationally accepted rules of binomial nomenclature (ICZN/ICN), each word is underlined separately when handwritten. Therefore, if the official answer key marks option (C) as incorrect, the answer key itself is erroneous or the question has been framed incorrectly.