NCERT Solutions Class 6 Science Chapter 9 The Living Organisms and Their Surroundings

Exercises

Question. What is a habitat?
Answer : Habitat is a place or environment where an organism lives. Habitat fulfills the requirement of food, shelter, air, water and other needs of an organism that are necessary for its survival.

Question.2 How are cactus adapted to survive in a desert?
Answer : Cactus is adapted to survive in the hot and dry conditions of a desert. Following are the adaptations that help a cactus to survive in desert:
1. Leaves of cactus are present in the form of spine to reduce water loss by transpiration
2. Roots of cactus are very long that go deep inside the soil to absorb water.
3. Stem of cactus have a thick waxy coating that helps in water retentio

Question.3 Fill in the blanks
a) The presence of specific features, which enable a plant or an animal to live in a particular habitat, is called _______.
b) The habitats of plants and animals that live on land are called ________ habitat.
c) The habitats of plants and animals that live in water are called _________ habitat.
d) Soil, water and air are the ______ of a habitat factors
e) Changes in our surroundings that make us respond to them are _________ called.
Answer :
a) The presence of specific features, which enable a plant or an animal to live in a particular habitat, is called adaptation.
b) The habitats of plants and animals that live on land are called terrestrial habitat.
c) The habitats of plants and animals that live in water are called aquatic habitat.
d) Soil, water and air are the abioticfactors of a habitat.
e) Changes in our surroundings that make us respond to them are called stimuli.
 

Question.4 Which of the things in the following list are non-living?
Plough, Mushroom, Sewing machine, Radio, Boat, Water hyacinth, Earthworm
Answer : In the above mentioned list plough, sewing machine, radio and boat are non-living.

Question.5 Give an example of a non-living thing, which shows any two characteristics of living things?
Answer : Vehicles such as cars, buses, etc show following two characteristics of living things:
1. Movement and
2. Energy requirement

Question.6 Which of the non-living things listed below, were once part of a living thing?
Butter, Leather, Soil, Wool, Electric bulb, Cooking oil, Salt, Apple, Rubber
Answer : The non-living things butter, leather, wool, cooking oil, apple and rubber were once part of a living thing.

Question.7 List the common characteristics of the living things.
Answer : Following are common characteristics of living things:
1. Growth
2. Feeding
3. Respiration
4. Excretion
5. Movement
6. Reproduction
7. Response to stimuli

Question.8 Explain why speed is important for survival in the grassland for animals that live there. (Hint: There are few trees or places for animals to hide in grasslands habitats.)
Answer : In grasslands, mainly grasses are found with a very few trees. Big carnivores such as lions, tigers etc feed upon their preys that are found in these grasslands. It is very easy to find their prey in these regions as there is hardly any space to hide. Preys are left with only one choice that is running out from their predators. Hence, to protect themselves from their predators, preys adapt themselves by increasing their speed and increase their chance of survival in these regions.

Question. Fish have fins in the same way, birds have _____
(a) beaks
(b) lungs
(c) feathers
(d) gills

Answer : C

Question. Here is the picture of a camel. Rashid studies it and writes these points in his notebook. Which of them is NOT an OBSERVATION?

(a) A camel has a short tail.
(b) A camel has long and well-padded legs.
(c) A camel eats leaves of the neem tree.
(d) A camel has a hump on its back.

Answer : C

Question. Adaptation means adjusting to the conditions in the surroundings. This leads to different habits, behaviour and body features in animals. Which of the following is an example of adaptation?
(a) lions eating deer
(b) human beings wearing spectacles
(c) squirrels being fond of nuts
(d) thick fur coats on the bodies of polar bears

Answer : D

Question. Based on the shape of it's beak, it is likely that this bird feeds on..

(a) small fish, small frogs and snails
(b) insects, ants and beetles
(c) fish, dead animals and reptiles
(d) small insects, nectar and spiders

Answer : C

Question. A crocodile is a vertebrate that can also be classified as a/an __________.
(a) amphibian
(b) reptile
(c) mammal
(d) arthropod

Answer : B

Question. The difference between an animal in box L  compared to another in box R is that______________.

(a) The animal in L has a shell
(b) the animal in L does not have a shell
(c) the animal in L has no legs
(d) the animal in L has more legs

Answer : C

Question. Which letter(s) correspond(s) to insects?

(a) ONLY R
(b) Only R and S
(c) Only N and P
(d) N, P, R, S, T and W 

Answer : C

Question. The graph below shows the numbers of a species of fish in a small pond. What kind of animal has been added at point      

(a) one that eats the fish
(b) one that eats what the fish eat
(c) one that the fishes eat
(d) the same species of fish

Answer : C

Question. Flies reproduce very rapidly. Some can lay hundreds of eggs. What keeps the world from being overpopulated with flies?
(a) They are too small.
(b) They are blown away in the air.
(c) Many are eaten or die.
(d) Many of them migrate.

Answer : C

Question. See this figure showing three different parts P, Q and R of the earth. Arrange the three regions in the order of HOTTEST to COLDEST

(a) P-Q-R
(b) R-Q-P
(c) P-R-Q
(d) Q-P-R

Answer : B

Question. The acacia tree has colonies of stinging ants occupying its hollowed-out thorns. Their presence protects the tree from vines that climb up the tree and ravaging animals. On the other hand, the ant gets its food from the tree. What relationship is demonstrated by the ants and acacia trees?
(a) The ants destroy the acacia tree by eating food from it.
(b) The acacia tree depends on the ants for its food.
(c) The acacia tree and the ants depend on each other.
(d) The ants get their food from the acacia plant but in turn give nothing.

Answer : C

Question. Some animals hibernate during winter in order to fight low temperatures and non-availability of food. Identify another climatic adaptation found among animals.
(a) migration (moving to other places)
(b) reproduction (giving birth to young ones)
(c) extinction (dying away)
(d) camouflaging (blending with the environment)

Answer : A

Question. Ram gives his dog a piece of bread to eat. The dog picks it up and starts eating. Which organ system of the dog is in action right now?
(a) digestive system
(b) respiratory system
(c) nervous system
(d) skeletal system

Answer : A

The average number of heart beats per minute of various animals is as shown. Choose the best conclusion you can draw from the above.

(a) Animals that live in water have a very high number of heart beats per minute.dissolved in water
(b) Animals that live in farms have more heart beats than all other animals.
(c) Number of heart beats per minute decreases with increase in size of the animals.
(d) Number of heart beats per minute decreases with decrease in size of the animals.

Answer : C

Question. Among the following which is NOT a method of preventing soil erosion?
(a) building terraces on hill sides
(b) planting trees around the farms
(c) constructing bunds around the farm
(d) grazing by cattle on the land

Answer : D

Question. Which of these trees can be found on the mountainside?

Answer : B

Question. As the environment changes, the kind of animals, birds and plants that are found also change. Which of these would be the best example?
(a) A sunflower plant moving along the direction of sunlight.
(b) Stages in the life cycle of a butterfly.
(c) Water birds disappearing from a locality where houses were built on a lake.
(d) Invertebrates not having a backbone.

Answer : C

Question. Why cannot animals live without plants?
(a) All animals eat plants for food.
(b) Some animals eat plants and are in turn eaten by other animals.
(c) Flesh eating animals need plants to hunt their prey.
(d) Except for the plant-eating animals, others could live even if plants were not there.

Answer : B

Question. In a forest, there is an animal P that eats another animal Q. Which of these actions is MOST LIKELY to cause P to attack domestic animals in a village next to the forest?
(a) Hunting of Q by the villagers
(b) Heavy rains in the region
(c) Building of a fence around the village
(d) Plans to build a factory near the village

Answer : A

Question. In water, where do fish get the oxygen they need to breathe?
(a) Fish do not need to breathe oxygen.
(b) Each water molecule (H2O) consists of an oxygen atom which fish breathe.
(c) Fish come up to the surface of the water from time to time to breathe.
(d) There is oxygen gas dissolved in the water which fish breathe.

Answer : D

Question. Cats, fish and dogs have some similarities. One similarity is ____________________
(a) they are all mammals
(b) they all live on land
(c) they all have backbones
(d) they are all herbivores

Answer : C

Question. A village has a lake which supplies water. Around the village there is a lot of wet or marsh land. Water birds are found in plenty in these places. Given below are the nesting habits of a few birds. The village had decided to construct buildings on the wet land around it. The numbers of which birds is likely to INCREASE as a result?
(a) Pigeons
(b) Common Terns
(c) Parrots
(d) Flamingos

Answer : A

Question. Which of these is a correct difference between HIBERNATION and MIGRATION?
(a) Hibernation occurs mostly in the winter, migration may occur in any season.
(b) Mostly cold-blooded animals hibernate, whereas mostly birds migrate.
(c) During migration food intake is nil, which is not so during hibernation.
(d) The animal's heart stops beating during hibernation, which is not so during migration.

Answer : A

Question. Against which of these diseases is the child probably being protected?

(a) Diarrhoea
(b) Malaria
(c) Polio
(d) Common cold

Answer : C

Question. An animal from which of these groups could be classified as Q?
Answer the question using the information given.<br><br>The table below gives some characteristics of vertebrates.  
The flowchart here uses the information in the table and classifies some animals as P, Q and R. 

(a) It has scales on its body.
(b) It can control its body temperature.
(c) It has hair on its body.
(d) It can breathe through its skin.

Answer : D

Question. About one-seventh of the earth's surface is desert. The term desert refers to an area which
(a) is very hot.
(b) is very dry.
(c) has no vegetation at all.
(d) has all the above features.

Answer : B

Question. Leafy Sea Dragon is a fish that eats other small fishes. But since it looks like a seaweed, it is called 'leafy sea dragon'. What could be the use of having such plant-like appearance in spite of being an animal? 

(a) So that it can prepare its own food by photosynthesis.
(b) So that it can catch fish without being noticed.
(c) So that it can be food for plant-eating animals.
(d) So that it can be spotted easily by other fish.

Answer : B

Question. Mohan went to a picnic spot. There was a small lake surrounded by trees. He saw many people boating   on the lake in diesel boats. After a joy ride, when he sat down to relax on the bank of the lake, he was shocked to see a lot of dead fish. The MOST LIKELY reason for the dead fish would be that
(a) the fish were old and therefore died.
(b) fish cannot live in places having too many visitors.
(c) fish cannot live in polluted waters.
(d) there was not enough water in the lake for the fish.

Answer : C

Question. RESPONSE is an action, which occurs as an answer to a cause, which is called the STIMULUS. In the table below, one option has the stimulus and response interchanged. Which one?

(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D

Answer : C

Question. I filter gaseous waste from the blood. Who am I?
(a) Heart
(b) Lungs
(c) Kidneys
(d) Large intestines

Answer : B

Question. Which of these are living things?

(a) All
(b) Mango seed, grass, ant and worm
(c) Mango seed, rice husk and grass
(d) Grass, ant and worm

Answer : B

Question. What happens to our body temperature on a cold winter day or a hot summer day?
(a) There is no difference. It remains approximately 37 degrees C.
(b) The temperature of the body is much lower in winter and higher in summer.
(c) The temperature of the body is much lower in summer and higher in winter.
(d) The temperature of the body changes with season, but depends on body weight.

Answer : A

Question. A plant folding its leaves with the slightest touch is similar to_____________.
(a) a cockroach moving away from light
(b) a lizard growing a new tail
(c) a water lily having a soft stem
(d) a fish breathing through its gills

Answer : A

Question. Where is this tree likely to be found?

(a) mountains
(b) deserts
(c) swamps
(d) polar regions

Answer : C