Which of the following characteristics is possessed by both living and non-living things?

1. Analyze the question The question asks for a property shared by living things (plants, animals) and non-living things (rocks, water, tables).

2. Explain the concept Living things show characteristics like nutrition, respiration, growth, reproduction, excretion, irritability (response to stimuli), movement and death. Non-living things lack these life processes. However, both kinds of things are made of matter, so they share physical properties such as mass (weight), occupying space and having shape.

3. Evaluate each option

• A. Both age and die: Only living things die. A stone does not "die". Wrong.
• B. Both have life: Non-living things, by definition, have no life. Wrong.
• C. Both have weight: A goat, a tree, a rock and a chair all have mass, and so weight under gravity. Correct.
• D. Both have no shape: Both living and non-living things generally have a definite shape (or take the shape of a container). It is also not true that living things have no shape. Wrong.

4. Answer Weight is a property of all matter, whether living or not. The answer is C.

5. Exam tip For "common to both living and non-living" questions, look for physical properties (mass, weight, volume, occupying space). Life processes such as growth, reproduction, respiration and death belong only to living things.