How many animal phyla are listed in the material?

• A. 10
• B. 9
• C. 11
• D. 12

Answer: (A)

Counting the number of distinct animal phyla listed is about recognizing major taxonomic groups and avoiding double‑counting. A phylum is a high-level category, so you should tally only explicit phylum names that appear in the material and count each one once. Do not treat subgroups within a phylum—like classes or orders—as separate phyla, and don’t double‑count a phylum if it’s mentioned more than once.

The material in question lists ten distinct animal phyla, so the total is ten. If someone arrived at a different number, it would usually be from inadvertently including a non‑animal grouping, counting subgroups as separate phyla, or missing a phylum that’s named.