You Must Know
1. Environment consists of living and non-living things.
2. All living things are made up of cells.
3. A cell is the basic unit of life. An organism can be unicellular or multicellular in nature.
4. Living things are characterised by their ability to grow, respire, respond to stimuli, move, reproduce and excrete.
5. All living organisms are grouped into plants and animals on the basis of their common characteristics.
6. Plants are classified into-
(i) herbs, shrubs and trees, on the basis of their height, size and shape.
(ii) annuals, biennials and perennials, on the basis of their life span.
(iii) flowering and non-flowering plants, on the basis of their bearing/not bearing of flowers.
(iv) mesophytes, xerophytes and hydrophytes, on the basis of their habitat.
(v) autotrophs and hetrotrophs, on the basis of their mode of nutrition.
7. Animals differ in their structure and mode of living.
8. Animals are classified on the basis of-
(i) presence (verteberates) or absence (inverteberates) of a backbone in them.
(ii) their food habits as herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, frugivores, insectivores, saprophytes and parasites.
(iii) their mode of reproduction, as some lay eggs, some reproduce by body division and some give birth to their young ones.
(iv) the type of their body covering like scales, slimy skin, feathers or hair.
9. Plants and animals provide a number of useful materials. They are of great importance to our ecosystem.
Something To Know
A. Fill in the blanks.
1. Plants, animals and human beings are collectively known as living beings.
2. Amoeba is a unicellular organism.
3. The process, used by plants to synthesise their own food, is known as photosynthesis.
4. All living organisms respond to various kinds of stimuli.
5. Herbs are very small plants.
B. Write True or False for the following statements.
1. Amoeba is a plant. False
2. Living organisms exhibit many variations due to their habitats and habits. True
3. Many non-living things can be moulded in different forms or shapes. False
4. All living things die. True
5. Lotus is an example of a hydrophyte. True
6. Invertebrates do not possess a backbone. True
C. Tick (✔) the correct option.
1. Which of these statements is true for plants?
non-green plants are autotrophic.
green plants are autotrophic.
all plants are heterotrophic.
all non-green plants are saprophytes.
Answer – green plants are autotrophic.
2. Which of the following plants belongs to the category of shrubs?
rose
mango
tulsi
neem
Answer – tulsi
3. Which one among these is not a flowering plant?
grasses
rose
algae
mango
Answer – algae
4. Biennial plants are those plants which live for-
many years
one year
two years
three years three
Answer – two years
5. All living organisms have-
bones
cells
feathers
stems
Answer – cells
6. Which of these is an invertebrate?
snail
cobra
sparrow
frog
Answer – frog
D. Answer the following questions in brief.
1. Name any three important characteristics of living beings.
Answer – Characteristics of living beings-
Living beings are made up of cells.
Living things grow.
Living things need food.
2. State the difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs.
Answer – Autotrophs make their own food, while heterotrophs do not make their own food.
3. Give two examples each of annual, biennial and perennial plants.
Answer – Annual – Vegetables, rice
Biennial – Carrot, radish
Perennial – Mango, guava
4. Give two examples each of animals which reproduce (i) by laying eggs and (ii) by giving birth to young ones.
Answer – Animals which reproduce by laying eggs: hen, lizard
Animals which reproduce by giving birth to young ones: cat, dog
5. Give two examples each of vertebrates and invertebrates.
Answer – Vertebrates: Man, pigeon
Invertebrates: Cockroach, earthworm
6. Write the names of any four useful products obtained from plants.
Answer – Food, Resin, Rubber, Wood
E. Answer the following questions.
1. All living things respond to external stimuli. Justify this statement with examples.
Answer – All living things respond to external stimuli. “This can be observed by the following examples. When your hand accidentally touches a hot iron, you quickly remove your hand away. Here, hot iron is a stimulus and you are responding to that stimulus. When leaves of mimosa are touched, the leaves droop in response to the touch.
2. A cloud is considered as non-living even though it can move and can grow bigger. Explain why?
Answer – A cloud cannot move on its own. It needs some external force to move. Similarly, the growth in a cloud does not come from inside Hence, a cloud is considered as non-living.
3. Write two points of differences between
(i) herbs and shrubs and
Answer – Herbs – Very small in size; up to one foot. Stem is absent.
Shrubs – Medium size, up to 4 to 7 feet. Greenish or brown but soft stem.
(ii) shrubs and trees.
Answer – Shrubs – Medium size, up to 4 to 7 feet. Greenish or brown but soft stem.
Tree – Big in size and can be even 100 feet. Very hard and thick stem.
4. State the differences between biennial and perennial plants.
Answer – A biennial plant lives up to two years, while a perennial plant lives for many years Most of the big trees are perennial plants. Biennial plants bear flowers and fruits in the second year. Perennial plants bear flowers arid fruits many times in their lifetime.
5. Name two types of terrestrial plants. How do they differ on the basis of their habitat and water requirements?
Answer – Two types of terrestrial plants are mesophytes and xerophytes. Mesophytes can survive in moderate temperature and moderate amount of water. Xerophytes can survive in very high temperature and in presence of negligible water.
6. How are vertebrates different from invertebrates?
Answer – Vertebrates have backbone in their body, while invertebrates do not have backbone. Vertebrates have skeleton made of bones. Invertebrates lack such skeleton.
7. Write any four uses of animals in our daily life.
Answer – Four uses of animals in our daily life:
Some animals are used for transportation and for farm-related work.
Animal excreta is used as manure.
Silk is obtained from silk moth and wool is obtained from sheep.
Milk, honey, egg and meat are important foods which are obtained from animals.
Value Based Question
Sanchi noticed a collection of leaves, grass and some tiny twigs in one corner of her school building. She was about to remove them when her teacher, who was passing nearby, stopped her from doing so. The teacher told her that it was a nest being made by a bird, to lay its eggs. She advised Sanchi to be kind and considerate towards all living beings.
1. List the values displayed by Sanchi’s teacher.
Answer – Care for animals, empathy, care for environment.
2. Give one example each of (i) a vertebrate (ii) an invertebrate animal that ‘reproduce through eggs’.
Answer – Snake is a vertebrate which lays eggs, while cockroach is an invertebrate which reproduce through eggs.
3. State the reason that might have made Sanchi think of removing the collection of leaves, twigs etc., from the corner of the school building.
Answer – Sanchi may have mistaken the collection for garbage. She must have wanted to clean the surroundings. Hence, she thought of removing the collection of leaves, twigs, etc. from the corner of her school building.
4. Have a group discussion in which some students speak in favour of Sanchi’s reason for removing the nest, while others speak in favour of the advice given by the teacher.
Answer – Do it yourself.
Something To Do
1. Write down the uses of plants in the given spaces.
Answer – 1. Fruit
2. Vegetable
3. Medicinal Herb
4. Rubber
5. Resin
6. Wood for paper
7. Timber for furniture
8. Roots as food
9. Lac
10. Oxygen
2. Search, Think and Act.
(a) Collect information from different newspapers, magazines, journals and the internet, about different animals, their habitat and their features of adaptation. Make a scrap file.
Answer – Students, do it yourself.
(b) Visit a tourist spot/sanctuary/national park and try to get information about the commonly found plants and animals at that place. Discuss with your teacher how they adapt themselves to their habitat.
Answer – Students, do it yourself.
3. Try to solve me.
(a) I am a mesophyte. My fruit is liked by you all. It is often known as the king of fruits. Who am I?
Answer – Mango
(b) We have a strong bony skeleton and well-developed bodies. Who are we?
Answer – Vertebrates
(c) I am the structural and functional unit of life. All animals and plants have me as their basic unit. Who am I?
Answer – Cell
4. Write a letter, a prayer, or a poem, to God, expressing your thanks about the bounties which nature has bestowed upon all of us.
Answer – Students, do it yourself.