Science Chapter 10: Characteristics of Living Creatures - Exercises

📘 Chapter 10: Characteristics of Living Creatures

📝 “Let us enhance our learning” (Exercises)

Question 1. List the similarities and differences in life cycles of plants and animals.

Similarities:

Both plants and animals begin their life cycles from a basic initial stage, such as a seed in plants or an egg/newborn in animals.
Both undergo various stages of growth and development over time to reach maturity.
Both undergo reproduction to produce new individuals of their own kind, maintaining the continuity of life.
Both eventually complete their lifespan and die.

Differences:

Starting Point: Plant life cycles typically start from seeds, which germinate into seedlings; animal life cycles start from eggs (e.g., spawn/mosquito eggs) or live births.
Developmental Stages: Plants develop roots, shoots, leaves, flowers, and fruit pods; many animals pass through distinct structural stages like larvae, pupae, or tadpoles that look completely different from adults.
Locomotion: Plants remain fixed in one place during their life cycle, whereas animals can move from place to place during various life stages.

Question 2. Study the data given in the table and try to find out examples appropriate for the conditions given in the second and third columns. If you think that an example for any of the conditions given below is not possible, explain why.

S. no.	Does it grow?	Does it respire?	Example	Remarks
1	No	No	Stone, Book, Pencil	These are non-living objects that do not show any characteristics of life.
2	No	Yes	Not possible for any living organism	Respiration is an essential life process. All living creatures that respire also undergo growth during their life cycle.
3	Yes	No	Non-living objects like a Cloud or Crystal	Certain non-living things increase in size/mass (growth) by external accumulation, but they do not respire. (Note: For living creatures, this combination is not possible because all living beings must respire).
4	Yes	Yes	Human, Bean plant, Frog, Mosquito	These are living creatures that exhibit all essential life processes including growth and respiration.

Question 3. You have learnt that different conditions are required for seed germination. How can we use this knowledge for proper storage of grains and pulses?

Knowledge applied: Seed germination requires moisture (water), air, and a suitable temperature.
Storage Application:
- Drying in Sunlight: Grains and pulses are thoroughly dried in the sun before storage to remove all internal moisture so that seeds do not sprout or catch fungal growth.
- Airtight and Dry Containers: They are stored in dry, moisture-free, airtight containers or metal bins to deprive them of water/moisture and excess air, keeping the seeds in an inactive/dormant state.

Question 4. 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?

Advantage: A tadpole is an exclusively aquatic stage that lives in water. The tail helps the tadpole swim smoothly through water, maintain balance, and move around to feed.
As it develops into a froglet and adult frog, it grows strong legs for jumping on land and swimming, causing the tail to disappear completely.

Question 5. 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.

Argument regarding Charu's statement: Charu is correct in stating that wood originally originates from a living tree that was capable of growth, respiration, and nutrition.
Argument regarding Charan's statement: Charan is correct in classifying the wooden log in its current state as non-living/dead. Once cut from the tree, the wooden log no longer respires, grows, excretes, responds to stimuli, or reproduces.
Conclusion: The wooden log was part of a living tree, but in its present state, it is dead / non-living.

Question 6. What are the similarities and distinguishing features in the life cycles of a mosquito and a frog?

Similarities:

Both pass through four distinct stages in their life cycles.
Both lay their eggs in or near stagnant water bodies.
Their early stages (larvae/pupae for mosquitoes; tadpoles for frogs) live in water and look completely different from the adult forms.

Distinguishing Features:

Taxonomic Group: Mosquito is an insect, whereas frog is an amphibian.
Stages: Mosquito stages are Egg ➔ Larva ➔ Pupa ➔ Adult Mosquito; Frog stages are Egg (Spawn) ➔ Tadpole ➔ Froglet ➔ Adult Frog.
Adult Form & Habitat: The pupa of a mosquito transforms into an adult flying insect with wings; the tadpole loses its tail, grows four legs, and becomes an adult frog capable of living both in water and on land.

Question 7. A plant is provided with all the conditions suitable for its growth and the pot is kept along the ground horizontally (Fig. 10.9). Draw what you expect to see in the shoot and the root of the plant after one week. Write down the reasons.

Expected Observation: The shoot of the plant will bend and grow upwards (towards sunlight/against gravity), while the root of the plant will bend and grow downwards (into the soil/towards gravity).
Reasons: Shoots of plants naturally exhibit movement and growth upwards towards sunlight, whereas roots naturally grow downwards into the soil.

Question 8. Tara and Vijay set up the experiment shown in the picture (Fig. 10.10: a plant inside a box with light coming from a single hole). What do you think they want to find out? How will they know if they are correct?

What they want to find out: They want to investigate whether a plant shoot responds to light by bending and growing in the direction of sunlight when light is provided from only one direction.
How they will know if they are correct: If after a few days, the shoot of the plant inside the box bends and grows towards the circular hole through which sunlight enters, it proves their hypothesis is correct.

Question 9. Design an experiment to check if temperature has an effect on seed germination.

Objective: To test the effect of different temperatures on bean seed germination.
Materials Needed: 15 soaked bean seeds, 3 identical dishes/pots, moist cotton/blotting paper, water.
Procedure:
- Place equal amounts of moist cotton in Dish A, Dish B, and Dish C, and place 5 soaked seeds in each dish.
- Dish A (Cold): Keep in a refrigerator (low temperature).
- Dish B (Normal): Keep at normal room temperature.
- Dish C (Warm): Keep in a warm, heated location.
- Maintain equal moisture in all three dishes for 7 days and observe daily.
Observation & Inference: Seeds in Dish B (normal temperature) germinate rapidly. Seeds in Dish A fail to germinate or grow very slowly due to extreme cold. This proves that seed germination requires a suitable temperature.

🔬 “Learning further” (Projects & Activities)

Growing Plants Without Seeds:

Yes, plants can grow vegetatively from plant parts like stems (Rose, Sugarcane cuttings), tubers (Potato eyes), or roots.

Factors Affecting Insect Life Cycles:

Environmental factors such as ambient temperature, humidity, stagnant water availability, and food supply directly influence the duration of larval and pupal stages of insects.

Poem Completion (“Let us create”):

In shaded and grassy bogs,
There lived a group of frogs.
They happily sang from dusk to dawn,
In double bass going on and on.
One day sitting beside a reed,
Female frogs think it's time to breed…

In shallow waters spawn was laid,
From tiny eggs small embryos made!
Tadpoles swam with tails so neat,
Growing legs and losing feet!
Froglets jumped up to the shore,
Adult frogs croaking more and more! 🐸

💡 Teacher's Tip: Note down all these answers cleanly in your Science notebook. Keep observing the wonderful life cycles and behaviors of living creatures around you! 🌿🌱

Note: If there are any errors in the provided answers or details, please contact us at trhelpmail@gmail.com.