Among the seven obligate categories of taxonomic hierarchy, which rank comes immediately below Order?

Correct answer: Family

Correct answer: B, Family. The seven commonly taught obligate categories, from higher to lower, are Kingdom, Phylum or Division, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. When moving downward from Order, the next rank is Family. A class is above order, so option A is not immediately below it. Genus and species are lower ranks, but Family comes before both, so options C and D are not the direct next category. A family contains related genera, a genus contains related species, and a species is the basic unit at the lower end of this sequence. Memory cue: remember the middle sequence as “Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species,” or COFGS. The word “below” means the next lower rank, not any rank somewhere lower in the hierarchy.