Read the following statements regarding taxonomic categories and the hierarchy of classification: (I) As we go higher from species to kingdom, the number of common characteristics goes on decreasing. (II) Lower the taxa, more are the characteristics that the members within the taxon share. (III) Higher the category, greater is the difficulty of determining the relationship to other taxa at the same level. (IV) Order

Step-by-step solution

Let us evaluate each statement based on the principles of taxonomic hierarchy: Statement (I) is correct: As we move from lower categories (like species) to higher categories (like kingdom), the organisms become less similar, so the number of common characteristics goes on decreasing. Statement (II) is correct: Lower taxa consist of closely related organisms, meaning the members within the taxon share a maximum number of characteristics. Statement (III) is correct: At higher categories, organisms share fewer common