VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Name one accessory pigment and one essential pigment in photosynthetic plants.

Ans. Accessory pigment – Carotene/Xanthophyll

Essential pigment – Chlorophyll

2. What advantage over an aquatic organism does a terrestrial organism have with regard to
obtaining oxygen for respiration?

Ans. Adaptation of terrestrial organism over aquatic organism for efficient uptake of oxygen from air –

(i) Increased respiratory surface area.

(ii) Very fine and delicate surface for easy exchange of oxygen and carbon – dioxide.

(iii) Placement of respiratory surface within the body for protection

(iv) Mechanism for moving the air in and out of respiratory surface where the oxygen is absorbed.

3. Name the intermediate and the end products of glucose breakdown in aerobic respiration.

Ans. Glucose —> Pyruvate — In presence of O2—> 6CO2 + 6H2O +38 ATP

4. What is villi? What are its functions?

Ans. Finger-like projections present in the inner lining of the small intestine are called villi. They increase
the surface area for the absorption of digested food in the small intestine.

5. (i) Write the balanced chemical equation for the process of photosynthesis,

(ii) When do the desert plants take up carbon dioxide and perform photosynthesis ?

Ans.(i) Photosynthesis can be represented using a chemical equation. The overall balanced equation is

6CO2 + 12H2O — Sunlight & Chlorophyll —> C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 6O2

(ii) Desert plants open up their stomata during night and take in CO2. Stomata remains close during the
day time to prevent the loss of water by i transpiration. They store the CO2 in their cells until the sun
comes out and they can carry on with photosynthesis during the day time.

6. Give one reason why multicellular organisms require special organs for exchange of gases
between their body and their environment.

Ans. In unicellular organisms the entire body of the organism is in contact with the environment\ hence
exchange of materials can take place but, in multicellular organisms the entire body of the organism is not
in contact with the environment and hence simple diffusion is not helpful.

7. State two differences between arteries and veins.

Ans. Arteries: Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart except pulmonary artery. These are
thick-walled, highly muscular except arteries of cranium and vertebral column. Valves are absent. Blood
in arteries moves with pressure.

Veins: Veins carry deoxygenated blood, towards the heart except pulmonary veins. These are thin-walled.
Valves are present which provide unidirectional flow of blood. Blood in veins moves under very low
pressure.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Draw a neat labelled diagram of the structure of a chloroplast.

2. Explain the process of nutrition in Amoeba.

Answer: Amoeba ingests food particles with the help of its pseudopodia. The ingested food particle or
phagosome fuses with lysosome to form food vacuole. The digested food passes out of the vacuole into
cytoplasm. The undigested matter is thrown out.

3. Draw a diagram of human urinary system

4. (a) “The breathing cycle is rhythmic whereas exchange of gases is a continuous process”. Justify
this statement.

(b) What happens if the conducting tubes of the circulatory system develop a leak? State in brief,
how could this be avoided?

c) How does the opening and closing of stomata take place?

Answer: (a) The breathing cycle involves inhalation and exhalation of air due to alternate expansion and
contraction of thoracic cavity. Thus it is a rhythmic process. But exchange of gases is a continuous
process as it takes place between the blood and each and every cell, by diffusion.

(b)The circulatory system will become inefficient if it develops a leak. This could be avoided by
maintaining a normal blood pressure.

(c) When water flows into the guard cells, the guard cells swell and the stomatal pore opens up. When
water moves out the guard cells shrinks and the stomatal pore closes.

5. Name the respiratory organs of (i) fish (ii) mosquito (iii) earthworm.

Answer: Fish – gills, Mosquito – Trachea (air tubes), Earthworm – moist skin

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. State the role of the following in human digestive system :

(I) Digestive enzymes (II) Hydrochloric acid (III) villi

Answer: Digestive enzymes – Foods need to be broken into their small or simpler molecules so that they
can be absorbed into the bloodstream. However, the physical breakdown of food is not enough. Enzymes
are hence needed for the chemical breakdown of food and speeding up the digestive process. The
products of digestion can hence be small enough to be absorbed.

Hydrochloric acid – Hydro chloric acid helps to kill the germs which might have entered in to the system
through food. It creates acidic medium for the pepsin to act on food to breakdown proteins.

Villi – Villi are finger like projections in the small intestine. They help to increase the surface area for
absorption of the digested food. Villi are richly supplied with blood vessel which help to absorb digested
food in to the blood stream.

2. List the three steps in photosynthesis.

Answer: (i) Absorption of sun’s energy by Chlorophyll

(ii)Conversion of light energy into chemical energy; and, splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen
using the light energy.

(iii) Reduction of carbon dioxide into carbohydrates like glucose using the chemical energy.

3. What is the significance of Small Intestine in our body? (Any 3 points)

Answer: Significance of SI:

(i) The secretions of liver and pancreas are brought to the duodenum of SI. The hepatic duct from liver
and the pancreatic duct from pancreas join forming hepato- pancreatic duct bring the secretions of both
glands to duodenum where these help in digestion of food.

(ii)There are some intestinal glands also in the first part of SI, which also secrete enzymes. The process of
digestion of food is completed here.

(iii) The fine finger-like structures called “Intestinal Villi” increase the surface area for absorption of
digestive end products.

(iv) The length of the SI ensures that food remains in it for a long time as it travels through SI, thereby
making it possible for maximum amount of nutrients to be absorbed.

4. (a) Explain how does the exchange of gases occur in plants across the surface of stems, roots and
leaves.

(b) How are water and minerals transported in plants?

Answer. (a) In plants, there are tiny pores called stomata on leaves and lenticels in stem which facilitate
the exchange of gases. CO2 is taken in and O2 given out (during photosynthesis) and vice- versa during
respiration.

(b) Mechanism of Transport of Water and Minerals in a Plant

The vessels and tracheids of roots, stems and leaves in xylem tissue are interconnected to form a
continuous system of water-conducting channels reaching all parts of theplant. The cells of the roots in
contact with the soil actively take up ions which creates a difference in the ion concentration between the
root and the soil.Thus, there is steady movement of water into root xylem from the soil, creating a column
of water that is pushed upwards. Plant uses another strategy to move water in the xylem upwards to the
highest points of the plant body. The water which is lost through the stomata is replaced by water from
the xylem vessels in the leaf. Evaporation of water molecules from the cells of a leaf creates a suction
which pulls water from the xylem cells of roots. This loss of water is transpiration which helps in the
absorption and upward movement of water and minerals dissolved in it from roots to the leaves.
Transpiration becomes the major driving force in movement of water in the xylem during the day when
the stomata are open. This mechanism is also known as cohesion of water theory or transpiration pull.

5. List any 3 functions of the major circulatory fluid of our body.

Answer: (i) Transport of O2 (from lungs to different parts of the body) and CO2 (from tissues/ organs,
back to lungs).

(ii)Transport of digested food (glucose, amino acids, etc.) from Small Intestine to various parts of the
body.

(iii) Transport hormones from their site of production (endocrine organs) to the site of action (target
organs or tissues in different parts of the body).

(iv) Carry nitrogenous wastes of metabolism from various tissues/ organs, to kidneys, to be removed as
urine.

(v)Harmful substances or toxins are transported to the liver for detoxification.

(vi) Antibodies produced by the leucocytes provide immunity to the body.

(vii)Help maintain body temperature (thermoregulation) by the process of sweating (perspiration)