Chapter 2 - The Living World
Chapter Test
1. Write the answers to the following questions in your own words.
(a) What are the differences between plants and animals?
Ans:
| Plants | Animals |
|---|---|
(i) Plants have chlorophyll. | (i) Animals do not have chlorophyll. |
(ii) Plants prepare their own food. | (ii) Animals do not prepare their own food. |
(iii) Plants are called autotrophs. | (iii) Animals are called heterotrophs. |
(iv) Plants cannot move from one place to another. | (iv) Animals can move from place to place. |
(v) Plants continue to grow throughout their lives. | (v) Animals stop growing after a particular period. |
(vi) Plants respire through tiny pores on their leaves and stems called stomata. | (vi) Animals respire through their lungs, gills, or skin. |
(vii) Plants perform excretion in the form of gum, sap resin, water vapour, etc. from barks, branches, or leaves. | (vii) Animals excrete through special organs. |
(viii) Plants take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen. | (viii) Animals take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide. |
(b) What are the similarities between plants and animals?
Ans: Plants and animals are both living things. Most of the characteristics of living things are seen in both of them. Growth, respiration, excretion, responsiveness to stimuli and reproduction are the common characteristics in both of them. Plant body is also made up of cells just like that of the animal body. Thus, both have cellular structure, Animals and plants both need water and nutrients for survival.
(c) How is the plant kingdom useful to us?
Ans: We use plant materials in most of our daily-routine, Plants provide us with food in the form of grains, fruits, vegetables, etc. Some plants like Vasaka. Hirda, Behada. Asparagus are of medicinal importance which we use as home remedies for minor illnesses. Some plants are used for Industrial purposes, Plants provide us with timber and wood which are used in making furniture and houses. Plants like cotton and jute provide us with fibres. In this way all the basic needs of man, i.e. food, shelter and clothing are fulfilled by plants,
(d) How is the animal kingdom useful to us?
Ans: Domesticated animals are useful to us in many ways. Animals provide us with food in the form of milk, meat, eggs, etc. The occupations like poultry, dairy, and fishery are dependent on animals. Animals like oxen, horses and camels are used for transportation. Earthworm helps in decomposition of wastes and makes the soil fertile. It is thus a friend of the farmers. Some insects like honey bees, lac, insects, silk moths are useful to mankind.
(e) What makes living things different from non-living things?
Ans: In living things we can see growth. feeding respiration, excretion, responsiveness to stimuli movement and reproduction. Living beings also show death. All such characteristics are not seen in non-living things. This marks the difference between living and non-living things.
2. What helps them to breathe?
(a) A fish
Ans: gills
(b) A snake
Ans: lungs
(c) A crane
Ans: lungs aided with air sacs
(d) An earthworm
Ans: skin (cuticle)
(e) Man
Ans: lungs, diaphragm helps in breathing
(f) A banyan tree
Ans: tiny pores on the leaves
(g) A caterpillar
Ans: spiracles
3. Fill in the blanks with the proper words from the brackets.
(a) The process by which plants make their own food is called ______ .
Ans: photosynthesis
(b) To inhale ______ and to exhale ______ is called respiration.
Ans: oxygen, carbon dioxide
(c) The elimination of waste substances from the body is called ______.
Ans: excretion
(d) The ability to respond to an event is called ______ to ______.
Ans: responsiveness, stimuli
(e) On completing their lifespan, every living thing ______.
Ans: dies
(oxygen, dies, excretion, carbon dioxide, responsiveness, photosynthesis, stimuli)
4. Write the uses of these animals and plants.
Animals : Honeybees, sharks, yaks, sheep, earthworms, dogs, bivalves, horses, mice.
Ans:
(i) Honey Bees:
Honey and wax prepared by them are used by us. Beeswax is used in cosmetics like lip balm, lip gloss, etc.
(ii) Sharks:
The ‘shark liver oil’ obtained from them is a rich source of vitamins.
(iii) Yaks:
Milk and meat obtained are used as food. Yaks are also used for carrying loads in mountainous regions.
(iv) Sheep:
Their fleece is used as a good source of wool. Their meat is used as food.
(v) Earthworms:
They convert biodegradable waste to good manure (vermicompost), which can be used in fields and gardens. They are called “friends of farmers” as they make the soil fertile.
(vi) Dogs:
They are used as pets to guard houses and farms.
(vii) Bivalves:
Bivalves, like oysters, are used to obtain pearls used in jewellery making. They are also used as food.
(viii) Horses:
They are used for pulling carriages and heavy loads, as well as as a means of transport in mountainous regions.
(ix) Mice:
They are used in research to test medicines, vaccines, etc.
(x) Rabbits:
They are used as pets and in research. Their meat is used as food.
Plants : Ginger, mango, eucalyptus, babul (acacia), teak, spinach, aloevera, turmeric, holy basil, karanja, moh, mulberry, grapevine.
Ans:
(i) Ginger:
Used as medicine to cure digestive problems of the stomach. It is also used as a spice in food.
(ii) Mango:
It is used to prepare pickles when raw and as a fruit when ripe. It is also used to prepare jam, jelly and in icecreams.
(iii) Eucalyptus:
Leaves and oil extracted from it is used as medicine to cure fever, cold and cough.
(iv) Babul (Acacia):
It is used as a medicine. Also used as cattle feed. It is used to clean teeth. It was also used to cure leprosy and heal wounds.
(v) Teak (Sag):
Its wood is used to make furniture.
(vi) Spinach (Palak):
It is used as a vegetable.
(vii) Aloe vera (Korphad):
It is used to treat various skin diseases. Its gel is used as a moisturizer for skin and for treating hair fall.
(viii) Turmeric:
It is used as a spice and has medicinal properties. It is used for healing wounds and cuts due to its antiseptic properties (i.e. helps to prevent growth of bacteria).
(ix) Holy basil (Tulsi):
It is used as medicine to cure cough and cold. It also reduces air pollution and drives away mosquitoes.
(x) Karanja (Jatropha):
It is used as a medicine and its seeds are used to prepare biodiesel.
(xi) Moh (Mahwa):
The fat extracted from its seeds is used in the manufacture of soaps and detergents. Its bark and flowers are used as medicine. Its leaves are used to feed silkworms which produce Tussar silk. Seeds and flowers are also used to make wine.
(xii) Mulberry:
The leaves of these trees are used for feeding silkworms which produce silk. The fruits are rich in vitamins. Jam and jelly are also made from these fruits.
(xiii) Grapevine:
Grapes are fruits of a grapevine. They are used for making jam, jelly, juice, wine and are also eaten as fruits. Raisins are prepared from these grapes.
5. What are the peculiarities of the movements of these living things ?
Living things : Snakes, tortoises, kangaroos, eagles, chameleons, frogs, gulmohur, sweet potato creeper, dolphins, ants, rattlesnakes, grasshoppers, earthworms.
Ans:
The peculiarities of the movements of these living things are as follows:
(i) Snakes: Snakes usually crawl.
(ii) Tortoises: They can swim as well as crawl.
(iii) Kangaroos: Kangaroos typically jump.
(iv) Eagles: Eagles usually fly at a much higher altitude.
(v) Chameleons: Chameleons mostly walk.
(vi) Frogs: Frogs can live both on land and in water. On land, they hop, and in water, they swim.
(vii) Gulmohur: Gulmohur mainly grows towards the path of light.
(viii) Sweet potato creepers: They are fastest growing creepers that cover the whole ground. If they find some support, they try to bend towards it.
(ix) Dolphins: They swim with the help of their fins.
(x) Ants: Ants mainly walk.
(xi) Rattlesnakes: Rattlesnakes crawl.
(xii) Grasshoppers: Grasshoppers jump.
(xiii) Earthworms: Earthworms move with the help of their muscles. They usually crawl.
6. Write in detail about how the plants and animals found in your surroundings prove useful or harmful.
Ans: There are many plants and animals in our surroundings. Some of them are useful to us; therefore, we domesticate and take care of such animals. Some of them are harmful, and we try to regulate their population by keeping control.
Similarly, useful plants are cultivated and taken care of, but harmful plants are eradicated from our vicinity. We remove the Parthenium and weeds from the garden.
Useful animals:
For farming and transport, we need oxen, horses, yaks, and camels; for milk, we keep cows and buffaloes; we obtain meat from fowl and goats; and pets such as dogs and cats are all useful animals.
Harmful animals:
Mosquitoes, flies, fleas, lice, and similar insects spread the diseases. Some insects spread skin infections. Rats and mice destroy our food. Poisonous animals like snakes and scorpions can kill a person. Wild animals like leopards can kill our pets, domestic animals, or even human beings if they enter human settlements. Elephants and monkeys from nearby forested areas can cause damage to crops and fruit trees.
Useful plants:
The food that we consume daily is obtained from plants. Rice, dal chapattis, bread, fruits, and vegetables are all obtained from plants. Agriculture and horticulture are entirely dependent on plants.
Harmful plants:
Pods of nettle and Colocassia leaves cause itching. Plants like oleander and lantana have very strong repellent odour. The Datura plant is poisonous. Some weeds destroy farmlands. Some algae show uncontrolled growth in the water bodies and may destroy them completely.