Which phylum is represented by the last word of the mnemonic phrase?

• A. Chordata
• B. Echinodermata
• C. Arthropoda
• D. Mollusca

Answer: (A)

Memorizing lists of animal phyla with a mnemonic often uses each word to cue a phylum, with the last word signaling the final phylum in the sequence. The last term in this mnemonic stands for Chordata, the group that includes vertebrates and their close relatives, characterized by features such as a notochord at some life stage, a dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail. The other phyla listed—Echinodermata, Arthropoda, and Mollusca—are real phyla as well, but they appear earlier in the mnemonic or in different groupings, not as the final term. So the last word—Chor

data—best corresponds to the phylum being asked about.