If a hiker picked up a mollusk on a trail in a rain forest, what class would it belong to?

Question

A.  Gastropoda
B.  Polyplacophora
C.  Bivalvia
D.  Cephalopoda

Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
· What type of thinking is required?

Gather Content
· What do you already know about mollusks?

Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?

Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?

Answer 1

A.  Gastropoda

Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        o This question addresses mollusks.
· What type of thinking is required?
        o This question is asking you to take what you already know and apply it to this unfamiliar situation.

Gather Content
· What do you already know about mollusks?
        o Mollusks (phylum Mollusca) are morphologically diverse and live in different environments.
        o Mollusks include snails, slugs, clams, scallops, oysters, cuttlefish, octopuses, and others. The shells of many mollusks are beautiful and elegant; some mollusks lack a shell. Mollusks range in size from almost microscopic to huge.
        o Like all major animal groups, mollusks evolved in the oceans, and most groups have remained there. Marine mollusks are widespread and many are abundant. Snails and slugs have invaded freshwater and terrestrial habitats, and freshwater mussels live in lakes and streams. The flat foot of a snail or slug allows it to crawl on land.

Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        o A rain forest trail is not a typical habitat for a mollusk. Nearly all mollusks are aquatic, and most of them are marine aquatic species. Only one particular group of mollusks has successfully invaded terrestrial environments – the snails and slugs.
        o Therefore, it could only be a gastropod.

Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        o The question required you to take what you already know and apply it to this unfamiliar situation.
        o Did you recognize that of all the mollusks, only gastropods are terrestrial?