The chapter, Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics, opens with two students, Avadhi and Aayush, who are on a morning walk with their parents. Avadhi notices some shells on the ground and reaches down to pick one up, but her mother stops her and explains that the shell could be the home of a living snail. This small moment leads to an important question: how do we tell whether something is living or non-living? A shell looks still and lifeless, but it may house a living creature. A car moves and uses energy, but it is not alive. A candle flame flickers and seems to grow, but it is not a living thing. The chapter answers this question by explaining the defining characteristics of living beings.
The chapter discusses movement in plants and animals, the conditions needed for seed germination, the life cycle of a flowering plant and the life cycles of two animals: the mosquito and the frog. The chapter explains that being alive means showing a specific set of characteristics, not just one or two, but all of them together throughout a creature's lifetime. NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science for this chapter cover all in-text, activity-based and back exercise questions, helping CBSE Board Class 6 students write accurate and well-structured answers to every type of question asked in school exams.
Download NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 10 PDF
Download the NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 10 Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics PDF for free and study anytime, anywhere. These solutions provide accurate, step-by-step answers to all NCERT exercise questions in simple language. Use this PDF to revise important concepts such as the characteristics of living beings, seed germination, life cycles of plants and animals, and the conditions required for growth while preparing confidently for your school exams.
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NCERT Exercise Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 10 Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics
NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 10 given below cover all the questions in this chapter. These solutions are prepared according to the latest CBSE Board Class 6 syllabus and are designed to help students understand the concepts clearly and write accurate and well-structured answers. By practicing these solutions regularly, students can improve their understanding of the chapter and prepare confidently for school tests and exams.
Q1. List the similarities and differences in life cycles of plants and animals.
Answer:
Similarities
Both plants and animals begin their life from a young stage.
Both grow and develop into adults.
Both reproduce to produce the next generation.
Every living organism completes a life cycle and eventually dies.
Differences
Plants usually begin their life from seeds, while animals begin from eggs or are born as young ones.
Plants grow into seedlings and then mature plants, whereas animals pass through different stages such as larva, tadpole or young ones before becoming adults.
Plants remain fixed at one place, while most animals can move from one place to another.
Q2. The table on the next page shows some data. Study the data 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 | It is a non-living object. |
| 2 | No | Yes | Not possible | Respiration is a characteristic of living things, and all living things grow. |
| 3 | Yes | No | Not possible | Growth without respiration is not possible in living organisms. |
| 4 | Yes | Yes | Plant, Human, Dog | These are living organisms that grow and respire. |
Q3. You have learnt that different conditions are required for seed germination. How can we use this knowledge for proper storage of grains and pulses?
Answer: Seeds need water, air and a suitable temperature to germinate.
To store grains and pulses properly, we should:
- Keep them dry so they do not absorb moisture.
- Store them in clean and airtight containers.
- Keep them in a cool and dry place.
- Protect them from rain and humidity.
These precautions prevent germination and keep the grains safe for a longer time.
Q4. 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?
Answer: The tail helps the tadpole swim easily in water.
Since tadpoles live only in water, the tail helps them move, find food and escape from enemies. As the tadpole grows legs and becomes a frog, it no longer needs the tail, so it gradually disappears.
Q5. 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.
Answer: Charan is correct, while Charu is not correct.
A wooden log was once part of a living tree, but after being cut from the tree, it no longer shows the characteristics of living things.
A wooden log:
- Does not grow.
- Does not respire.
- Does not reproduce.
- Does not respond to stimuli.
Therefore, it is non-living, even though it was obtained from a living tree.
Q6. What are the similarities and distinguishing features in the life cycles of a mosquito and a frog?
Answer:
Similarities
- Both begin their life as eggs.
- Both have different stages of growth before becoming adults.
- Both reproduce to continue their life cycle.
- Both spend the early stages of their life in water.
Differences
| Mosquito | Frog |
|---|---|
| Life cycle: Egg → Larva → Pupa → Adult | Life cycle: Egg → Tadpole → Froglet → Adult |
| Has a pupa stage. | Does not have a pupa stage. |
| Adult mosquito can fly. | Adult frog can jump and swim. |
| Larva is called a wriggler. | Young stage is called a tadpole. |
Q7. A plant is provided with all the conditions suitable for its growth (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.
Answer: After one week:
The shoot will grow upwards towards the light.
The root will grow downwards into the soil.
Reason: Shoots grow upwards because they respond to light (phototropism). Roots grow downwards because they respond to gravity (geotropism) and absorb water and minerals from the soil.
(This is a diagram-based question. Students should draw the shoot growing upward and the root growing downward.)
Q8. Tara and Vijay set up the experiment shown in the picture (Fig. 10.10). What do you think they want to find out? How will they know if they are correct?
Answer: Tara and Vijay want to find out how the direction of a seed changes when its position is changed.
They will know they are correct if they observe that:
- The root always grows downward, regardless of the seed's position.
- The shoot always grows upward.
This experiment shows that roots respond to gravity (geotropism) and shoots grow towards light (phototropism).
Q9. Design an experiment to check if temperature has an effect on seed germination.
Answer:
Materials Required
- Two small bowls or containers
- Some healthy seeds (such as gram or bean seeds)
- Cotton
- Water
Procedure
- Place equal amounts of wet cotton in both containers.
- Put the same number of seeds in each container.
- Keep one container in a warm place.
- Keep the other container in a very cold place, such as a refrigerator.
- Water both containers equally and observe them for a few days.
Observation
- Seeds kept in the warm place will germinate.
- Seeds kept in the cold place will germinate slowly or may not germinate.
Conclusion
Temperature affects seed germination. Seeds need a suitable temperature for proper germination. Too much cold or too much heat slows down or prevents the process.
Class 6 Chapter 10 Overview
Living beings show a set of characteristics that separate them from non-living things. These are movement, growth, nutrition, respiration, excretion, response to stimuli and reproduction. Movement in animals is usually obvious, since most animals can move from one place to another in search of food, shelter,or safety. Plants cannot move from place to place, but they still show movement. The shoot of a plant grows toward light, a phenomenon called phototropism, while the roots grow downward into the soil in response to gravity, called geotropism. Some plants show faster, more visible movement, such as the touch me not plant folding its leaves when touched,or insectivorous plants like Drosera trapping insects.
Growth means an increase in size and complexity over time, and it depends on nutrition. All living beings, including plants, grow by using nutrients from their surroundings. Nutrition is the process by which living beings obtain and use food for energy, growth and repair. Respiration is the process by which living beings take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide to produce energy from food. This is different from breathing, which is simply the physical act of inhaling and exhaling air. All living things, including plants and microorganisms, respire continuously to stay alive.
Excretion is the removal of waste products from the body. Humans excrete sweat and urine, while plants excrete excess water and minerals, along with oxygen released during photosynthesis and carbon dioxide released during respiration. This process keeps the internal environment of the organism stable. Response to stimuli means reacting to a change in the surroundings. A stimulus is anything that triggers this reaction, such as touch, heat or light.
Pulling your hand away from a hot object, and a touch me not plant folding its leaves are both responses to stimuli. Reproduction is the process by which living beings produce offspring of their own kind, ensuring that life continues from one generation to the next. A living being is considered dead when it permanently stops showing the characteristics necessary for life, such as movement, growth and the need for food, even though resources like air, water and food may still be available to it.
This chapter also discusses the process of seed germination which requires three main conditions: water, air and suitable light or dark conditions depending on the type of seed. Water softens the seed coat and helps the embryo inside develop. Air, drawn from the spaces between soil particles, is needed for respiration as the seed grows. Light is generally not necessary for germination itself, though it becomes important once the seedling emerges and begins to grow. A bean seed demonstrates this process clearly: the seed swells, the seed coat breaks open and the radicle and plumule emerge and develop into a new plant.
The life cycle of a flowering plant begins with seed germination, continues through the growth of a seedling and eventually leads to the development of flowers. These flowers, after pollination, produce fruits containing seeds, which can then grow into the next generation of plants. Once a plant has completed this cycle and produced seeds, it eventually dies. The life cycle of a mosquito has four stages; egg, larva, pupa and adult. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnant water. The larva lives in water and comes to the surface to breathe air. The pupa stage also occurs in water, after which the adult mosquito emerges and flies away to repeat the cycle.
As mosquitoes depend on stagnant water at the larva and pupa stages, removing or treating standing water is an effective way to disrupt their life cycle and control their population. The life cycle of a frog includes the egg, tadpole, froglet and adult stages. Frog eggs are laid in water in a jelly-like cluster called spawn. The tadpole that hatches from the egg lives entirely in water and uses a tail to swim. As it develops into a froglet, it grows legs and begins to spend time on both land and water, gradually losing its tail. The adult frog can live both on land and in water and is able to reproduce.
Topics Covered in This Chapter
- How do we distinguish living things from non-living things?
- The seven characteristics of living beings.
- Why no single characteristic alone is sufficient to define life.
- Movement in animals and plants, including insectivorous plants and their movement to trap insects.
- Growth and Nutrition
- Respiration and the difference between breathing and respiration.
- Excretion.
- Response to stimuli.
- Reproduction.
- Death.
- Whether a seed is living or non-living.
- Conditions required for seed germination: water, air and suitable temperature.
- Why light is not necessary for germination but is essential for seedling growth.
- The life cycle of a flowering plant.
- The life cycle of a mosquito.
- The life cycle of a frog.
- How to store grains and pulses using knowledge of germination conditions.
How to Prepare for This Chapter Using NCERT Solutions?
For this chapter, start by reading the NCERT textbook thoroughly and focus on the 7 defining characteristics of living beings. Always note one example from an animal and one from a plant. This exercise helps you to think about each characteristic beyond just its definition and is the most efficient way to prepare for this section. If you are unsure about any concept or textbook question, refer to the NCERT Solutions after attempting it yourself.
Next, learn about movement in plants. Plants do move and the chapter gives specific examples of each type of plant movement: phototropism, geotropism, the touch me not plant and insectivorous plants. You must know the name of the phenomenon and at least one example for each. These appear as fill in the blank and short answer questions and are easy marks. For seed germination, you must remember the three conditions: water, air and suitable temperature.
To answer questions on grain storage, remember these points: store in dry conditions to prevent moisture, store in cool conditions to prevent suitable temperature and store in airtight containers to limit air. Each of these directly reverses one of the three germination conditions. For the life cycle, practice drawing and labelling the four stages of the mosquito life cycle and the four stages of the frog life cycle.
You should also identify the similarities and differences between plant and animal life cycles. Similarities include that both involve distinct stages of development and both begin and end with reproduction. Differences include that plant life cycles involve seed germination and the development of flowers while animal life cycles involve eggs or live birth and the development of larval or juvenile forms.
After completing the chapter, practice all textbook questions yourself before checking the solutions. For CBSE Board Class 6 Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics MCQs, the most frequently asked questions are the seven characteristics of living beings with examples, why a wooden log is non-living, why a seed is living, the three conditions for germination, the four stages of the mosquito life cycle, the four stages of the frog life cycle, the purpose of the tadpole's tail and how the mosquito life cycle can be disrupted.
