Class 6 Science Chapter 9 The Living Organisms Characteristics and Habitats Extra Questions
CBSE Class 6 Science Chapter 9 The Living Organisms Characteristics and Habitats Extra Questions and Answers is available here. Students can learn and download the PDF of these questions for free. These extra questions and answers are prepared by our expert teachers as per the latest NCERT textbook and guidelines. Learning these extra questions will help you to score excellent marks in the final exams.
The Living Organisms Characteristics and Habitats Class 6 Science Extra Questions and Answers
Very Short Answer Questions
1. Name some plants found on mountains.
Answer: Oaks, Pinus and Deodars.
2. What is habitat?
Answer: The place where organisms live and which provide food and safety for them is ‘called habitat.
3. Name a few habitats.
Answer: Forests, grassland, mountains, ponds and oceans etc.
4. Name two organisms that live in deserts.
Answer: Cactus, camel, desert rat.
5. Name a few plants that live in ponds.
Answer: Hydrilla, lotus, hyacinth etc.
6. Name the habitat where various types of fish live.
Answer: Pond, river, sea.
7. Name a common thing in all fishes.
Answer: Gills, streamlined body, fins, tail.
8. What is the function of gill?
Answer: Gills help the fish to absorb oxygen dissolved in water.
9. Name the animal which is called the ship of desert.
Answer: Camel
10. Name various types of habitat.
Answer:
(i) Terrestrial Habitats
(ii) Aquatic Habitats
(iii) Aerial Habitat
11. Name two aquatic animals.
Answer:
(i) Fish
(ii) Tortoise
12. Name two terrestrial organisms.
Answer:
(i) Cat
(ii) Dog
13. Name two examples of aerial habitat animals.
Answer:
(i) Birds
(ii) Mosquitoes
14. Name the types of components of habitat.
Answer: Components of habitat are:
(i) Biotic components
(ii) Abiotic components
15. Give two examples of each biotic and abiotic components.
Answer: Plants and animals are biotic components, air and water are abiotic components.
16. What do you mean by germination of seeds?
Answer: The beginning of a new plant from the seeds is called germination.
17. Does adaptation take place in a short time?
Answer: No, adaptation does not take place in a short time. It takes place in thousands of years.
18. Name few terrestrial habitats.
Answer: Deserts, mountains and grassland.
19. Name some aquatic habitats.
Answer: Oceans, ponds and lakes.
20. What are predators?
Answer: The animals which kill other animals for their food are called predators.
21. What is a prey?
Answer: The animals which are killed by predators for their food are called prey.
22. Name two aquatic animals which have no gills.
Answer: Dolphin and whales.
23. What are blowholes?
Answer: The organs by which dolphin or whales breathe are called blowholes or nostrills.
24. What is photosynthesis?
Answer: The process by which plants make their own food with the help of chlorophyll, sunlight, carbon dioxide and water is called photosynthesis.
25.What is the main Junction of food?
Answer: Food gives energy to the organism which helps them in growth and development.
26. What is breathing?
Answer: The process of taking in oxygen and giving out carbon-dioxide (inhalation and exhalation of air) is called breathing.
27. What is respiration?
Answer: The process in which oxygen is used by the living bodies to break down food to get energy, water and carbon dioxide is produced is called respiration.
28. What is stimuli?
Answer: The changes in our surroundings that makes us respond to them are called stimuli.
29. What is excretion?
Answer: The process of getting rid of the waste by the living organisms is known as excretion.
30. Do plants also excrete?
Answer: Yes, plants also excrete.
31. What is reproduction?
Answer: The process by which living organisms produce more of their own kind is called reproduction.
32. Do animals move?
Answer: Yes, animals move from one place to another.
33. Do plants also move?
Answer: Plants are generally fixed in the soil so they do not move from one place to another.
Short Questions and Answers
1: How body structure of camel helps it to survive in desert condition?
Answer: Camels have long legs which help to keep their body away from the heat of the sand. They secrete small amount of urine, their dung is dry and they do not sweat so they lose little water from their bodies.
2: What is function of slippery scales and gills on the body of fishes?
Answer: These scales protect fish and also help in easy movement through water. Gills help in using oxygen dissolved in water.
3: What is adaptation?
Answer: The presence of specific feature or habits, which enables a plant or animal to live in its surroundings, is called adaptation.
4: Which habitat is known as terrestrial habitat? Give example.
Answer: The plant and animals that live on land are said to live in terrestrial habitats.
Example-forests, deserts etc.
5: What is the difference between biotic and abiotic components of habitat?
Answer: The living things such as plants and animals in a habitat are called its biotic components. Non-living things such as soil, water, air are abiotic components of a habitat.
6: What is aquatic habitat? Give example.
Answer: Habitat of plant and animal that lives in water is called aquatic habitat. Example ponds, sea etc.
7: How are leaves of desert plants modified to reduce loss of water?
Answer: The leaves in desert plants are either absent, very small or they are present in the shape of spines. They help in reducing transpiration.
8: How are animals living in mountain regions adapted to the conditions there?
Answer: Animals living in the mountain regions have thick skin or fur to protect them from cold.
9: Features of lion help it to survive. How?
Answer: Light brown colour of lion helps it to hide in dry grasslands when it hunts; the eyes in the front of face allow it to have correct idea about location of its prey.
10: How animals like whale and dolphin which do not have gills breathe?
Answer: They breathe in air through nostrils or blowholes located on the upper part of their head.
11: What is the difference between roots of terrestrial plants and aquatic plants?
Answer: In terrestrial plants roots play role in absorption of water and minerals from the soil. Whereas in aquatic plants roots are reduced in size and their main function is to hold the plant in place.
12: What is acclimatisation?
Answer: Small changes that take place in the body of an organism over short periods, to overcome small problems due to changes in the surroundings are called acclimatisation.
13: What kinds of leaves are found in submerged plants?
Answer: In submerged plants leaves are often highly divided, through which the water can easily flow without damaging them.
14: What is breathing?
Answer: The process of inhaling the air and exhaling the air is known as breathing.
15: What is the importance of respiration?
Answer: It is through respiration that our body finally obtains energy from the food it takes.
16: How exchange of gases takes place in plants?
Answer: Exchange of gases mainly takes place in plants through leaves. The leaves take airs in, through tiny pores present on them and use the oxygen. They give carbon dioxide to air in respiration.
17: What are stimuli?
Answer: Changes in our surroundings that make us respond to them are called stimuli.
18: What do you mean by term excretion?
Answer: The process of getting rid of wastes by the living organisms is known as excretion.
19: How is reproduction in plants and animals different?
Answer: Some animals reproduce by laying eggs and some by giving birth to young ones. Whereas plants reproduce through seeds, or other plant parts such as bud, cutting stem.
20: What is reproduction?
Answer: Living things produce more of their own kind through reproduction.
21. What do you mean by term adaptation?
Answer: The presence of specific features or certain habits which enable a plant or an animal to live in its surroundings is called adaptation.
22. Classify the following habitats into terrestrial and aquatic types.
Grassland, Pond, Ocean, Rice field
Answer: Terrestrial habitats – grassland, rice field
Aquatic habitats – pond, ocean
23. Why is reproduction important for organisms?
Answer: Reproduction leads to the production of more individuals of an organism.
24. Explain the term ‘respiration’.
Answer: The process of breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide accompanied with oxidation of food and energy release is termed as respiration.
25. Name any two plants which can reproduce through cuttings.
Answer: Rose and cactus.
26. Define reproduction.
Answer: The process of production of new individuals of their own kind is termed as reproduction.
27. What do you mean by excretion?
Answer: The process of removal of unwanted substances from the body in called as excretion.
28. Paheli has a rose plant in her garden. How can she increase the number of rose plants in the garden?
Answer: She can increase the number of rose plants in the garden by planting stem-cutting of the rose plant which grows into a new rose plant.
29. Why do desert snakes burrow deep into the sand during the day?
Answer: As the deeper layers of sand are cooler, they burrow deep into the sand to stay away from heat of the desert during day time.
30. Write the adaptation in aquatic plants due to which.
(i) submerged leaves can bend in the flowing water
Answer: Leaves are narrow and ribbon-like.
(ii) leaves can float on the surface of water.
Answer: Stems/stalks of leaves are long, hollow and light.
31. Mention one adaptation present in the following animals:
(i) In camels to keep their bodies away from the heat of sand.
Ans. Long legs
(ii) In frogs to enable them to swim.
Ans. Webbed feet
(iii) In dolphins and whales to breathe in air when they swim near the surface of water.
Ans. Blowholes
32. Some desert plants have very small leaves whereas some others have only spines. How does this benefit the plants?
Answer: These are adaptations to dry conditions. As a result of these modifications the surface of lamina is reduced thereby reducing water loss by transpiration.
33. What are the specific features present in a deer that helps it to detect the presence of predators like lion?
Answer: (i) Long ears to hear movement of predators.
(ii) Eyes on the sides of its head which allow it to look in all directions.
34. Read the features of plants given below:
Choose the type of plant for every feature given in (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) from the list given below:
Aquatic plant, Desert plant, Mountainous plant
(i) Thick waxy stem
Answer: Desert plant
(ii) Short roots
Answer: Aquatic plant
(iii) Cone shaped plant
Answer: Mountainous plant
(iv) Sloping branches
Answer: Sloping branches
(v) Small or spine-like leaves
Answer: Desert plant
(vi) Hollow stem
Answer: Aquatic plant
35. How is a fish adapted to live in water?
Answer: They have streamlined body to move easily in water and have gills to breathe and fins to move.
36. Why do submerged aquatic plants have narrow, thin, ribbon-like leaves?
Answer: This adaptation is to provide less resistance to the flowing water.
37. How does a squid move in water?
Answer: Squids do not have streamlined body but when they move in water, they make their body streamlined.
38. How is a lion adapted to live in the grassland?
Answer: The light brown colour of the lion helps it to hide in dry grasslands.
39. How is the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen maintained in nature?
Answer: Animals respire by taking in oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide and the plants take in this carbon dioxide to give out oxygen. Thus, balance is maintained in nature.
40. Why does a fish die when kept outside of water?
Answer: Fishes breathe through gills which take up oxygen dissolved in water. When kept out of the water, they are not able to respire due to difference in pressure. Hence, they die.
41. Explain why many mountain trees are cone-shaped having sloping branches.
Answer: This is due to prevention of branches and leaves from damaging by rain water and snow. Due to sloping branches rain water and snow slides off easily.
42. Frogs can live both on land and in water, name the adaptations seen in these animals.
Answer: Frogs have strong back legs that help them in leaping and catching their prey. They have webbed feet which help them to swim in water.
Long Answer Type Questions
1. Like many animals although a car also moves but it is not considered as a living organism. Give 2 reasons.
Answer: (i) Living organisms move on their own while car moves by the burning of fuels like diesel and petrol.
(ii) Car does not show any other living characteristics like respiration,
digestion, reproduction, growth.
2. What are the adaptive features of a lion that help it in hunting?
Answer: (i)Brown body colour helps it to hide in dry land avoiding detection by its prey.
(ii) Eyes placed in front allow it to know the exact location and movements of its
prey.
(iii) Powerful paws and long claws help it to catch and kill the prey.
3. Distinguish between the following.
(i) Biotic components and Abiotic components
Answer:
| Biotic components | Abiotic components |
| These are the living organisms in an area. For example, animals and plants present in an area. | These are non-living things in an area. For example, rainfall and temperature in an area. |
(ii) Adaptation and Acclimatisation
Answer:
| Adaptation | Acclimatisation |
| The changes made by an individual by which it adjusts to varying conditions. | The small changes that take place in the body of an individual due to changes in the surrounding. |
(iv) Predator and Prey
Answer:
| Predator | Prey |
| They kill other animals for food. For example, lion. | They are killed by other animals for food. For example: Deer |
4: Explain different types of habitats with example.
Answer: Different types of habitat are:
a) The plant and animals that live on land are said to live in terrestrial habitats. Example forests, deserts etc.
b) Habitat of plant and animal that lives in water is called aquatic habitat. Example-ponds, sea etc.
5: How are trees adapted to the cold conditions in mountain regions?
Answer: Trees in the mountain region are usually cone shaped and have sloping branches. The leaves of some of these trees are needle like. This helps the rainwater and snow to slide off easily. They have many kinds of adaptations to survive on the mountains
6. What are the differences in the desert and sea regions?
Answer: In the sea, plants and animals are surrounded by salty water. Most of them use the air dissolved in water for breathing. In desert, a very little amount of water is available. It is very hot in the day time and very cold at night. The organisms breathe air from the surroundings.
7. Explain the features offish which help it to adapt to live in water.
Answer:
(i) The shape of the fish is streamlined which help in the movement.
(ii) The slippery scales/skin on their bodies to protect them.
(iii) They have flat fins and tails which help them to swim, change direction and to keep the body balanced.
(iv) They have gills which help in breathing in water.
8. How are camels adapted to live in desert?
Answer: (i) The feet of the camels have thick, flat large soles which help them in the movement on sand.
(ii) They can live without water for a long time. When water is available, it drinks large amount of water at a time.
(iii) They release very little urine to prevent loss of water.
(iv) Their dung is also dry which also helps to prevent loss of water.
(v) The long legs of camel helps to keep the body away from the heat of the sand.
9. What do you mean by acclimatisation?
Answer: The small changes which take place in the body of a single organism over short periods to overcome small problems due to changes in the surroundings are called acclimatisation.
10. Why do we need abiotic factors?
Answer: The abiotic factors like air, water, light and heat are very important for the growth of plants. These abiotic factors are also very important for the growth and the development of animals.
11. How are some animals adapted to live in desert?
Answer: Some animals like rats and snakes do not have the long legs like camels to stay away from the effect of heat during the day. They stay in burrows deep in the sand. They come out only during the night.
12. Write the features of desert plants.
Answer:
(i) The leaves in desert plants are either absent or very small.
(ii) Leaves are converted into spines which help to reduce loss of water.
(iii) The stems become thick, flat and green which help in photosynthesis.
(iv) The stem is covered with waxy layer which helps to retain water. In some plants stem is spongy and stores water.
(v) The roots go very deep in the soil to absorb water.
13. Explain the adaptation of trees to live in mountain regions.
Answer:
(i) The shape of the trees is of normally cone type.
(ii) Branches are sloping.
(iii) The leaves of these trees are needle like.
(iv) These structures prevent accumulation of rainwater and snow over them.
14. Explain the adaptation of animals to live in mountain region.
Answer:
(i) The animals have thick skin or fur to protect them from the cold.
(ii) Some animals have thick fur on their body, feet and toes which protect them from cold on walking in the snow.
(iii) The goats have strong hooves for running up on rocky slopes.
15. Explain the adaptation of plants to live in water.
Answer:
(i) Roots are reduced in size which hold the plant.
(ii) Stems are long, hollow and light.
(iii) Stems grow up to the surface of water.
(iv) Leaves and flowers float on the surface of water.
(v) The leaves are covered by the waxy layer which protects the leaves from excessive water.
16.What kind of movement do we see in plants?
Answer:
(i) Opening and closing of a flower.
(ii) Growth of a stem and leaves.
(iii) Movement of water, minerals and food from one part of the plant to other.
(iv) Movement of stem towards sunlight and root towards water in the soil.
17.Explain the characteristics of living organisms.
Answer: There are following characteristics of living organisms
(i) All living organisms require food. The food gives energy for growth and to maintain other life processes.
(ii) All living organisms show growth. Young ones of animals grow into adults. Plants also grow.
(iii) All living organisms respire. In respiration oxygen is used for the oxidation of food and carbon dioxide is produced.
(iv) All living organisms respond to stimuli. All plants and animal respond to light, heat and the changes around them.
(v) All living organisms show excretion. The process of getting rid of waste product by the living organisms is called excretion. Plants also remove their wastes.
(vi) All living organisms reproduce. The process by which plants and animals produce their own kind is called reproduction.
18. Write the difference between living and non-living things.
Answer:
| Living Things | Non-living things |
| Living organisms need food, air and water | Non-living Organisms do not need food, air and water |
| Living organisms grow. | Non-living organisms grow. |
| They can move on their own. | They cannot move on their own. |
| Living organisms are sensitive. They respond to changes around them. | Non-living organisms are not sensitive. They do not respond to changes around them. |
| Living organisms can reproduce. | Non-living organisms cannot reproduce. |
| Living organisms respire. | Non-living organisms do not respire. |
| Living organisms have a definite life span after which they die, i.e., they have a definite life cycle. | Non-living organisms do not have a definite life cycle. |