Q.174 Zoology ⭐ 360° Option Elimination Active

NEET 2026 Zoology Question 174 Solution

Topic: Organisms and Populations · Official NTA Booklet Code 50

Question

Match List-I with List-II. List I: A. Both species are harmed; B. One species is harmed and the other is benefited; C. Both species are benefited; D. One is benefited while the other has no effect. List II: I. Predation; II. Mutualism; III. Competition; IV. Commensalism. Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

✓

Verified Against NTA Final Answer Key

Option (4) : A-III, B-I, C-II, D-IV

📚 Organisms and Populations Easy

📋 Given Parameters & Problem Setup

List I (Interactions) A. Competition, B. Predation, C. Mutualism, D. Commensalism

List II (Effects) I. (+, -), II. (+, +), III. (-, -), IV. (+, 0)

⚡

The 30-Second Exam Hall Shortcut: ⚡ Sign of Interaction Quad-Match

⏱️ Save ~45 seconds

Competition = (-/-), Predation = (+/-), Mutualism = (+/+), Commensalism = (+/0)!

1 Mutualism: Both species benefit -> (+, +) -> C matches II.

2 Competition: Both species suffer -> (-, -) -> A matches III.

3 Predation: One benefits, one is harmed -> (+, -) -> B matches I.

4 Commensalism: One benefits, other unaffected -> (+, 0) -> D matches IV.

5 Compiled match: A-III, B-I, C-II, D-IV.

6 Scan options: Matches Option (4) uniquely. Solved in 5 seconds!

🛡️

Why You Can 100% Trust This Shortcut: NCERT Biology · Organisms and Populations (Interspecific Interactions: Commensalism (+, 0), Amensalism (-, 0), Parasitism (+, -)).

📐

Step-by-Step Rigorous Workflow & Mathematical Proof

Step 1

NCERT Table 13.1 Population Interactions

Biological interactions between two species are formally designated using positive (+), negative (-), and neutral (0) signs based on fitness outcomes.

\begin{aligned} \text{A. Competition} &\implies (-,-) \quad (\text{List II - III}) \\ \text{B. Predation} &\implies (+,-) \quad (\text{List II - I}) \\ \text{C. Mutualism} &\implies (+,+) \quad (\text{List II - II}) \\ \text{D. Commensalism} &\implies (+,0) \quad (\text{List II - IV}) \end{aligned}

• Amensalism is (-, 0); Parasitism is (+, -).

Step 2

Combine Matches

A matches III, B matches I, C matches II, D matches IV. This corresponds uniquely to Option (4).

\text{A-III, B-I, C-II, D-IV} \implies \text{Option (4)}

• No other option correctly pairs all four interactions.

⭐

360° Option Elimination Engine Key Feature

Diagnose every choice: Know exactly why the right option works and why distractors fail.

4-Option Deep Scan

1 A

✗ Incorrect

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

Incorrect. Wrongly maps Competition to (+,-) and Mutualism to (-,-).

⚠️

Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Scrambling interaction signs.

2 B

✗ Incorrect

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

Incorrect. Wrongly maps Competition to (+,+).

⚠️

Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Assigning mutual benefit to competition.

3 C

✗ Incorrect

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

Incorrect. Swaps Predation (+,-) and Mutualism (+,+).

⚠️

Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Swapping B and C.

4 D

✓ 100% Correct

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

100% correct. Competition is (-,-) [III], Predation is (+,-) [I], Mutualism is (+,+) [II], and Commensalism is (+,0) [IV].

💡

Why this is airtight: None; perfect table mapping.

⚠️

NTA Trap Alert: Competition Sign Trap

Students sometimes think the "winner" of competition gets a (+) sign. Both species suffer from reduced growth, survival, or reproduction compared to living alone; thus competition is ALWAYS (-,-).

🛡️ How to avoid the -1 mark: Remember: In competition, both sides pay a cost -> (-,-).

📖

Core NEET Syllabus Standard

NEET Biology Core Syllabus · Organisms and Populations Standard Benchmark

Core Scientific Principle Tested:

"In mutualism both species benefit (+,+); in competition both lose (-,-); in predation one benefits and one is harmed (+,-); in commensalism one benefits and the other is unaffected (+,0)."

Syllabus Focus: Population Interactions

✓ Core NEET UG Syllabus Anchor Syllabus & Academic Standards ↗

Mutual = Win-Win (+,+); Compete = Lose-Lose (-,-); Predator = Win-Lose (+,-); Commensal = Win-Shrug (+,0)!

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NEET 2026 Zoology Question 174 Solution

Question

The 30-Second Exam Hall Shortcut: ⚡ Sign of Interaction Quad-Match

Step-by-Step Rigorous Workflow & Mathematical Proof

NCERT Table 13.1 Population Interactions

Combine Matches

360° Option Elimination Engine Key Feature

NTA Trap Alert: Competition Sign Trap

Core NEET Syllabus Standard

Ready to attempt under real exam pressure?

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