D.A.V.

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, AHMEDABAD

CLASS : X (2020-21)
SUBJECT : SCIENCE
CHAPTER : 6 - LIFE PROCESSES

INTEXT QUESTIONS

PAGE-95 :

Q1) Why is diffusion insufficient to meet the oxygen requirements of multi-cellular organisms
like humans?
Ans) In large multicellular organisms like humans, the oxygen of air will have to travel large
distances inside the human body to reach each and every cell of the body. Now, since
diffusion is a very, very slow process, it will take a very long time to make oxygen available to
all the body cells. Thus, diffusion is insufficient to meet the oxygen requirements of
multicellular organisms like humans because the volume of human body is so big that oxygen
(of air) cannot diffuse into all the internal cells of the human body quickly. So, when the size
of the multicellular organism is large, then respiratory pigments (such as haemoglobin) present
in blood take up the oxygen from the air in the lungs and carry it quickly to all the body cells.

Q2) What criteria do we use to decide whether something is alive?

Ans) We can decide whether something is alive (or living) by using the following characteristics
of living things:
❖ Living things can move by themselves.
❖ Living things need food, air and water.
❖ Living things can grow.
❖ Living things can respond to changes around them. They are sensitive.
❖ Living things respire (release energy from food).
❖ Living things excrete (get rid of waste materials from their body).
❖ Living things can reproduce. They can have young ones.

Q3) What are outside raw materials used for by an organism?

Ans) (i) An autotrophic organism (like a green plant) uses outside raw materials such as carbon
dioxide, water and minerals along with sunlight to make its own food by the process of
photosynthesis.
(ii) A heterotrophic organism (like an animal) uses outside raw material such as readymade
organic food to grow, develop, synthesise proteins and other substances needed in the body.
(iii) Most of the organisms use oxygen (of air) as outside material for breaking down food and
releasing energy for themselves in a process called respiration.

Q4) What processes would you consider essential for maintaining life?
Ans) The various processes essential for maintaining life are: Nutrition, Respiration,
Transport, Excretion, Control and Coordination, Growth, Movement and Reproduction.
PAGE-101 :

Q1) What are the differences between autotrophic nutrition and heterotrophic nutrition?
Ans) (i) In autotrophic nutrition, an organism synthesises its own organic food from simple
inorganic materials like carbon dioxide, water and minerals present in the surroundings by
using sunlight energy. In heterotrophic nutrition, an organism cannot synthesise its own food,
it depends on other organisms for food.
(ii) Autotrophic nutrition takes place in green plants and certain bacteria which can carry
out photosynthesis. Heterotrophic nutrition occurs in all animals, and non-green plants
which cannot carry out photosynthesis.

Q2) Where do plants get each of the raw materials required for photosynthesis?
Ans)
Raw Material For Photosynthesis Source
Carbon dioxide Atmosphere
Water Ground water
Solar energy Sun

Q3) What is the role of the acid in our stomach?

Ans) The role of acid in the stomach is to make the medium of gastric juice acidic so that
the enzyme pepsin can break down proteins of the food effectively. This because the
enzyme pepsin can digest proteins effectively only in the acidic medium. Another role of acid
is that it kills any bacteria which may enter the stomach with our food.

Q4) What is the function of digestive enzymes?

Ans) Digestive enzymes are biological catalyst which break down the complex food molecules
(like carbohydrates, proteins and fats) into small particles which can be absorbed from the
alimentary canal into the blood stream.

Q5) How is the small intestine designed to absorb digested food?

Ans) The inner surface of small intestine has millions of tiny, finger-like projections called
villi. The presence of villi gives the inner walls of the small intestine a very large surface
area. And the large inner surface area of small intestine helps in the rapid absorption of the
digested food.

PAGE-105 :
Q1) What advantage over an aquatic organism does a terrestrial organism have with regard
to obtaining oxygen for respiration?
Ans) The aquatic organisms use the oxygen dissolved in water for carrying out respiration.
The amount of oxygen dissolved in water is, however, limited. The terrestrial organisms take
oxygen from air which contains much higher amount of oxygen. Thus, a terrestrial organism
has an advantage over an aquatic organism in regard to obtaining oxygen because it is
surrounded by an oxygen-rich air from which it can take any amount of oxygen.
Q2) What are the different ways in which glucose is oxidized to provide energy in various
organisms?
Ans) There are two different ways in which glucose is oxidised to provide energy in various
organisms : aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration. Aerobic respiration uses oxygen
(of air) whereas anaerobic respiration takes place without oxygen.
(i) In aerobic respiration, the glucose food is completely broken down by the oxygen (of air)
inhaled during breathing to form carbon dioxide and water, and a lot of energy is released.
(ii) In anaerobic respiration, the glucose food is incompletely broken down by micro-organisms
like yeast in the absence of oxygen (of air) to form ethanol and carbon dioxide, but much
less energy is released.

Q3) How are oxygen and carbon dioxide transported in human beings?
Ans) In human beings, oxygen is carried from the lungs by the respiratory pigment
haemoglobin which is present in red blood corpuscles. Haemoglobin has a very high affinity
for oxygen. Carbon dioxide is more soluble in water than oxygen. So, most of the carbon
dioxide produced during respiration in the human body is transported in the dissolved form in
our blood.

Q4) How are the lungs designed in human beings to maximize the area for exchange of
gases?
Ans) There are millions of alveoli in the lungs. The presence of millions of alveoli in the lungs
provides a very large area for the exchange of gases. And the availability of large surface
area maximises the exchange of gases. For example, if all alveoli from the two human lungs
are unfolded, they would give an area of about 80 square metres (which is nearly the size of
a tennis court).

PAGE-110:

Q1) What are the components of the transport system in human beings? What are the
functions of these components?
Ans) In human beings, for transport of various substances, a well-developed circulatory
system is present. Main components of circulatory system are blood, blood vessels and heart.
Blood : It acts as a medium to transport various substances.
Blood vessels : Blood vessels are of two types – arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood
from heart to all parts of the body while veins bring blood back to the heart.
Heart : It pumps blood to the arteries so that it can reach to all parts of the body.

Q2) Why is it necessary to separate oxygenated and deoxygenated blood in mammals and
birds?
Ans) The mammals and birds are warm-blooded animals which have high energy needs
because they constantly require energy to maintain their body temperature. It is
necessary to separate oxygenated blood and deoxygenated blood in mammals and birds
because such as separation allows a highly efficient supply of oxygen to the body cells
which is required for producing a lot of energy needed by them.
Q3) What are the components of the transport system in highly organised plants?
Ans) The two components of transport in highly organised plants are xylem and phloem.
(i) Xylem tissue is made of dead cells in the form of xylem vessels and tracheids. It
transports water and dissolved minerals from roots to all the parts of the plant.
(ii) Phloem tissue is made of living cells in the form of sieve tubes and companion cells. It
transports food made in leaves by photosynthesis to all the parts of a plant.

Q4) How are water and minerals transported in plants?

Ans) Water and the minerals dissolved in it are transported in plants by xylem tissue. In
xylem vessels and tracheids of the roots, stems and leaves are interconnected to form a
continuous water conducting channel which reaches all the parts of the plant. The
mechanism of transport of water in plants is as follows:
The leaves of plants have tiny pores called stomata. The water brought in by xylem to the
leaves is constantly being lost by evaporation through stomata. The loss of water in the form
of water vapour from the leaves of a plant is called transpiration. The continuous evaporation
of water (or transpiration) from the cells of leaves creates a kind of suction which pulls up
water from the roots through the xylem (just as a cold drink moves up the straw when we
suck at the upper end of the straw). Thus, transpiration helps in the upward movement of
water and dissolved minerals from the roots to the leaves.

Q5) How is food transported in plants?

Ans) The transport of food (made by photosynthesis) in the plant leaves takes place through
‘Phloem tissue’. The phloem tissue consists of sieve tubes along with their companion cells.
The mechanism of movement of food in phloem (or translocation) by utilising energy is
described below :
The sugar (food) made in leaves is loaded into the sieve tubes of phloem tissue by using
energy from ATP. Water now enters into sieve tubes containing sugar by the process of
osmosis due to which the pressure in the phloem tissue rises. This high pressure produced in
the phloem tissue moves the food to all the parts of the plant having less pressure in their
tissues. This allows the phloem to transport food according to the needs of the plant. The
movement of food in phloem can be upwards or downwards depending on the requirements of
the plant.

PAGE-112 :

Q1) Describe the structure and functioning of nephrons.

Ans) The nephron has a cup-shaped bag at its upper end which is called Bowman’s capsule.
The lower end of Bowman’s capsule is tube-shaped and it is called a tubule. The Bowman’s
capsule and the tubule taken together make a nephron (each kidney has about 1 million
nephrons). One end of the tubule is connected to Bowman’s capsule and its other end is
connected to a urine-collecting duct of the kidney. The Bowman’s capsule contains a bundle
of capillaries which is called glomerulus.
 DIAGRAM TO SHOW THE WORKING OF A NEPHRON

One end of glomerulus is attached to renal artery which brings dirty blood containing
the urea waste in it. The other end of glomerulus comes out of Bowman’s capsule as a
blood capillary, surrounds the tubule of nephron and finally joins a renal vein (putting
urea-free clean blood into it). The function of glomerulus is to filter the blood passing
through it.
The dirty blood containing waste like urea (brought by renal artery) enters the
glomerulus. The glomerulus filters this blood. During filtration, the substances like
glucose, amino acids, salts, water and urea, etc., present in the blood pass into Bowman’s
capsule and then enter the tubule of nephron. When the filtrate containing useful
substances as well as the waste substances passes through the tubule, then the useful
substances like glucose, all amino acids, most salts, and most water, etc., are
reabsorbed into the blood through blood capillaries surrounding the tubule. Only the
waste substances urea, some unwanted salts and excess water remain behind in the
tubule. The liquid left behind in the tubule of nephron is urine. The nephron carries this
urine into the collecting duct of the kidney from where it is carried to ureter. From the
ureter, urine passes into urinary bladder. Urine is stored in the bladder for some time
and ultimately passed out of the body through urethra.

Q2) What are the methods used by plants to get rid of excretory products?
Ans) The methods used by plants to get rid of excretory products are :
(i) The plants produce carbon dioxide as a waste product during respiration and oxygen as a
waste product during photosynthesis. The plants get rid of gaseous waste products through
stomata in their leaves and lenticels in stems.
(ii)The plants store some of the solid and liquid wastes in their body parts such as leaves,
bark and fruits. The plants get rid of stored solid and liquid wastes by the shedding of
leaves, peeling of bark and felling of fruits.
(iii) The plants get rid of their wastes by secreting them in the form of gums and resins. The
plants also secrete some waste substances into the soil around them.

Q3) How is the amount of urine produced regulated?

Ans) The amount of urine produced is regulated by reabsorption of water and some of the
dissolved substances into the blood capillaries surrounding the tubules of nephrons. The
amount of urine produced depends on how much excess water is present in the body and how
much of dissolved wastes are to be excreted.
 NCERT EXERCISES

Q1) The kidneys in human beings are a part of the system for
(a) nutrition.
(b) respiration.
(c) excretion.
(d) transportation.
Ans) (c) In human beings, the kidneys are a part of the system for excretion.

Q2) The xylem in plants are responsible for

(a) transport of water.
(b) transport of food.
(c) transport of amino acids.
(d) transport of oxygen.
Ans) (a) In a plant, the xylem is responsible for transport of water.

Q3) The autotrophic mode of nutrition requires

(a) carbon dioxide and water.
(b) chlorophyll.
(c) sunlight.
(d) all of the above.
Ans) (d) The autotrophic mode of nutrition requires carbon dioxide, water, chlorophyll and
sunlight.

Q4) The breakdown of pyruvate to give carbon dioxide, water and energy takes place in
(a) cytoplasm.
(b) mitochondria.
(c) chloroplast.
(d) nucleus.
Ans) (b) The breakdown of pyruvate to give carbon dioxide, water and energy takes place in
mitochondria.

Q5) How are fats digested in our bodies? Where does this process take place?
Ans) Fats are digested in our body in the small intestine.
Fats entering the small intestine are in the form of large globules. The digestion of fats
completes in the following steps.
(i) Bile salts break large globules into small globules
(ii) Pancreatic juice secreted by pancreas has enzyme lipase which breaks down emulsified
fats.
(ii) Enzymes secreted from the walls of small intestine finally converts fats into fatty
acids.
Q6) What is the role of saliva in the digestion of food?
Ans) Saliva is secreted by the salivary glands, located under the tongue. It moistens the
food for easy swallowing. It contains a digestive enzyme called salivary amylase, which
breaks down the complex ‘starch’ carbohydrate present in food into a simpler sugar.

Q7) What are the necessary conditions for autotrophic nutrition and what are its by-
products?
Ans) Autotrophic mode of nutrition involves the making of food by green plants by the
process of photosynthesis. The conditions necessary for autotrophic nutrition are the
presence of Carbon dioxide, Water, Chlorophyll and Sunlight. Carbon dioxide combines with
water in the presence of sunlight energy (absorbed by chlorophyll) to form food like glucose.
This glucose carbohydrate is used as a source of energy whenever the plant needs it.
6 CO2 + 6H2O Sunlight C6H12O6 + 6O2
Chlorophyll Glucose
The major by-product of autotrophic nutrition (or photosynthesis) is oxygen gas which goes
into the air.

Q8) What are the differences between aerobic and anaerobic respiration? Name some
organisms that use the anaerobic mode of respiration.
Ans)
AEROBIC RESPIRATION ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION
1) When oxidation of food nutrients 1) When oxidation of nutrients occurs
occurs in the presence of molecular without the utilisation of molecular
oxygen, it is called aerobic respiration. oxygen, it is called anaerobic respiration.
2) More energy is produced as 2) Less amount of energy is produced as
oxidation is complete. oxidation is not complete.
Anaerobic mode of respiration occurs in some organisms like yeast and some bacteria known
as anaerobic bacteria.

Q 9) How are the alveoli designed to maximise the exchange of gases?

Ans) There are millions of alveoli (thin-walled air-sacs) in the lungs. The presence of millions
of alveoli in the lungs provides a very large area for the exchange of gases. And the
availability of large surface area maximises the exchange of gases. For example, if all
alveoli from the two human lungs are unfolded, they would give an area of about 80 square
metres (which is nearly the size of a tennis court).

Q10) What would be the consequences of a deficiency of haemoglobin in our bodies?

Ans) Haemoglobin is the respiratory pigment that transports oxygen to the body cells for
cellular respiration. Deficiency of haemoglobin in our bodies will affect the supply of oxygen
to tissues and cells because haemoglobin is the carrier of oxygen. Thus, a person shows
symptoms of breathlessness, tiredness with indications of iron deficiency, i.e, anaemia.

Q11) Describe double circulation in human beings. Why is it necessary?

Ans) The circulatory system of man is called double circulation as the blood passes through
the heart twice in one complete cycle of the body. It involves two circulations:
(i) Pulmonary circulation: It begins from the right ventricle which expels the blood into the
pulmonary trunk. The blood flowing into the vascular system of the lungs, becomes
oxygenated and returns to the heart (left atrium) through pulmonary veins.
(ii) Systemic circulation: This circulation starts from the left ventricle which sends the blood
into the aorta. The aorta divides into arteries, arterioles and finally to capillaries and
thereby, supplies oxygenated blood to various parts of the body. From there deoxygenated
blood is collected by venules which join to form veins and finally vena cave and pour blood back
into the right auricle of heart.

Schematic Representation Of Transport And Exchange Of Oxygen And Carbon Dioxide

Necessity of double circulation: the right side and left side of the human heart are useful to
keep deoxygenated and oxygenated blood from mixing. This type of separation of
oxygenated and deoxygenated blood ensures a highly efficient supply of oxygen to the body.
This is useful in case of humans because it constantly gives energy to maintain their body
temperature

Q12) What are the differences between the transport of materials in Xylem and Phloem?
Ans) Differences between the transport of materials in Xylem and Phloem are as follows:
Xylem Phloem
1) Xylem tissue transports water and 1) Phloem tissue transports the food (made by
dissolved minerals in plants. photosynthesis) to all the parts of the plant.
2) Xylem tissue carries the water and 2)The movement of food from the leaves
dissolved minerals only upwards from the through phloem can be upwards as well as
roots of the plant. downwards depending on the requirements of
3)The upward movement of water and the plant
dissolved minerals in xylem tissue is caused 3) The food made in leaves is transported
by a suction force produced by the through phloem tissue by utilising energy
continuous evaporation of water (or from ATP.
transpiration) from the cells of leaves of the
plant which pulls up water from the roots.
Q13) Compare the functioning of alveoli in the lungs and nephrons in the kidneys with respect
to their structure and functioning.
Ans) The comparison between alveoli in the lungs and nephrons in the kidneys with respect to
their structure and functioning.

Alveoli in Lungs Nephron in Kidneys

1) Alveoli are balloon-like structures. 1) Nephrons are long tubular structures.
2) It is made of one-celled thick wall which 2) It is made up of glomerulus, Bowman’s
contain extensive network of blood capsule and a long renal tube.
capillaries. 3) Nephron are the basic filtration unit of
3) Alveoli are the site of gaseous exchange kidney. Each nephron filters the blood and
in lungs. Here exchange of oxygen and separates the nitrogenous waste in the form
carbon dioxide takes place between the blood of urine.
flowing in capillaries which surround the
alveoli and gases present in the alveoli.

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