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Chapter Analysis
Beginner23 pages • EnglishQuick Summary
The chapter 'Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics' discusses the essential features that differentiate living beings from non-living objects. It explains the life processes like movement, nutrition, growth, reproduction, respiration, excretion, and response to stimuli that characterize living beings. The chapter illustrates the life cycles of various organisms, with detailed descriptions of the transformations in organisms like frogs and mosquitoes. It emphasizes the significance of these life processes and stages for survival and continuity of life, highlighting the unique adaptations in various organisms.
Key Topics
- •Characteristics of living beings
- •Life cycles of frogs and mosquitoes
- •Seed germination
- •Essential conditions for plant growth
- •Respiration in living organisms
- •Adaptations in living beings
- •Differences between living and non-living
- •Response to stimuli
Learning Objectives
- ✓Identify the characteristic features of living beings
- ✓Understand the life cycle stages of frogs and mosquitoes
- ✓Explain the process and requirements for seed germination
- ✓Describe how plants respond to environmental stimuli
- ✓Recognize the adaptations necessary for survival in amphibians
- ✓Differentiate between living and non-living things
Questions in Chapter
List the similarities and differences in life cycles of plants and animals.
Page 203
You have learnt that different conditions are required for seed germination. How can we use this knowledge for proper storage of grains and pulses?
Page 204
You have learnt that a tail is present in a tadpole but it disappears as it grows into a frog. What is the advantage of having a tail in the tadpole stage?
Page 204
Charan says that a wooden log is non-living as it cannot move. Charu counters it by saying that it is living because it is made of wood obtained from trees. Give your arguments in favour or against the two statements given by Charan and Charu.
Page 204
What are the similarities and distinguishing features in the life cycles of a mosquito and a frog?
Page 204
A plant is provided with all the conditions suitable for its growth. Draw what you expect to see in the shoot and the root of the plant after one week. Write down the reasons.
Page 205
Tara and Vijay set up the experiment shown in the picture. What do you think they want to find out? How will they know if they are correct?
Page 205
Design an experiment to check if temperature has an effect on seed germination.
Page 205
Additional Practice Questions
Why is respiration essential for living beings?
easyAnswer: Respiration is essential because it provides energy required for various life processes. Living beings respire to release energy from food, which is crucial for activities such as growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli.
Explain the process of seed germination.
mediumAnswer: Seed germination involves a seed developing into a young plant. It requires water, oxygen, and optimal temperatures. Water softens the seed coat and activates the germ’s metabolic processes, oxygen aids in cellular respiration, and suitable temperature ensures enzymatic activities that support growth.
Describe the life cycle of a mosquito and its significance.
mediumAnswer: Mosquitoes go through egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. This life cycle is significant for understanding how mosquitoes reproduce and how to control their population to prevent diseases like malaria and dengue, which they spread.
How do plants respond to sunlight, and why is it important?
easyAnswer: Plants exhibit phototropism, where they bend towards light for optimal sunlight exposure, which is critical for photosynthesis. This directional growth ensures maximum photosynthetic activity, providing energy for the plant’s survival and growth.
What adaptations allow frogs to live both in water and on land?
hardAnswer: Frogs have adaptations like moist skin that aids in cutaneous respiration, webbed feet for swimming, and strong hind legs for jumping. These features, along with their versatile breathing methods, enable them to thrive in both aquatic and terrestrial environments.
Discuss how reproduction in living beings ensures continuity of species.
mediumAnswer: Reproduction allows living beings to produce offspring, ensuring the continued existence of their species. It can occur sexually, requiring genetic material from two parents, or asexually, from a single parent, allowing rapid colonization under favorable conditions.
How does excretion help in maintaining homeostasis in living organisms?
hardAnswer: Excretion removes metabolic wastes from the body, helps in regulating the composition of body fluids, and maintains chemical homeostasis. It prevents accumulation of harmful by-products, aiding in the overall health and functioning of organisms.
Differentiate between movement in animals and plants.
easyAnswer: Animals move freely using their whole bodies or certain parts to interact with their environment, find food, or escape predators. Plants exhibit movement through growth responses like bending towards light or opening and closing of flowers but are generally stationary.
Why is it incorrect to categorize movement as the only criterion for life?
mediumAnswer: Movement alone does not signify life. While many non-living things can move due to external forces, it is the presence of other life processes like growth, respiration, reproduction, and response to stimuli that truly define living organisms.
Explain how the germination experiment can help in understanding necessary conditions for plant growth.
mediumAnswer: The germination experiment demonstrates how factors like water, air, and temperature influence seed growth. By observing which seeds germinate under varying conditions, one can infer the optimal environments necessary for healthy plant development.