GSEB Class 6 Science Solutions Chapter 9 The Living Organisms and their Surroundings

Question 1. What is a habitat?
Answer: The surroundings where creatures reside are called their home. These living things rely on their home for sustenance, liquid, oxygen, refuge, and other vital requirements. Habitat simply means a place to live.
In simple words: A habitat is the natural home or environment where an animal, plant, or other organism lives.

Exam Tip: For definitions, make sure to include both what it is and what its purpose or function is for the organisms.

Question 2. How are cactus adapted to survive in a desert?
Answer: Cactus plants are well-suited to live in dry deserts because they possess certain features:
• They have either no leaves or sharp, spiky leaves, which helps stop them from losing too much water into the air.
• Their main stem is also changed to conduct photosynthesis and hold water.
• Furthermore, their roots grow very deeply into the earth to take in available water.
In simple words: Cactus plants have special features like no leaves, thick stems, and deep roots that help them save water and live in dry deserts.

Exam Tip: When describing adaptations, list specific features and explain how each feature helps the organism survive in its environment.

Question 3. Fill up the blanks:
(a) The presence of specific features which enables a plant or an animal to live in a particular habitat is called ............
(b) The habitats of the plants and animals that live on land are called ......... habitats.
(c) The habitats of plants and animals that live in water are called ............ habitats.
(d) Soil, water, and air are the ............ factors of habitats.
(e) Changes in our surroundings that make us respond to them are called ............
Answer:
(a) adaptation
(b) terrestrial
(c) aquatic
(d) abiotic
(e) stimuli
In simple words: These words describe how living things fit into their environment, what kind of places they live in, the non-living parts of those places, and how they react to changes.

Exam Tip: For fill-in-the-blanks, understand the definition or concept behind each blank to choose the correct scientific term.

Question 4. Which of the things in the following list is non-living? Plough, Mushrooms, Sewing machine, Radio, Boat, Water hyacinth, Earthworm.
Answer: The objects from the given list that are not alive include a plough, a sewing device, a radio, and a boat. These items do not grow, move on their own, or reproduce, distinguishing them from living organisms.
In simple words: A plough, sewing machine, radio, and boat are not living things; they do not grow, breathe, or reproduce.

Exam Tip: Remember that non-living things do not exhibit any of the seven characteristics of life: growth, movement, reproduction, respiration, responsiveness, excretion, and nutrition.

Question 5. Give an example of a non-living thing that shows any two characteristics of a living thing.
Answer: An illustration of a non-living object that displays two traits of living organisms is a cloud. Clouds increase in dimension and also exhibit motion, much like living entities:
• It grows in size
• It shows movement.
In simple words: A cloud is a non-living thing that grows bigger and moves, just like living things do.

Exam Tip: When asked for examples, choose common objects and clearly state how they mimic specific characteristics of living things without actually being alive.

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: Butter, leather, wool, cooking oil, apples, and rubber are all non-living items that originated from living organisms. Butter comes from milk (animal), leather and wool from animals, cooking oil from plants, apples from trees, and rubber from rubber trees.
In simple words: Butter, leather, wool, cooking oil, apple, and rubber used to be parts of living things.

Exam Tip: Differentiate between non-living things that were never alive (like soil, salt, electric bulb) and those that were once part of living organisms.

Question 7. List the common characteristics of living things.
Answer: The shared features of living organisms include several key aspects:
• Growth
• Movement
• Reproduction
• Respiration
• Responsiveness
• Excretion
In simple words: Living things grow, move, reproduce, breathe, respond to things, and get rid of waste.

Exam Tip: Ensure you can list and briefly explain each of the essential characteristics that define life.

Question 8. Explain why speed is important for survival in the grasslands for animals that live there. (Hint: There are few trees or places for animals to hide in grasslands habitats).
Answer: In natural grassland environments, there are not many trees or sheltered spots for creatures to conceal themselves. When predators strike, these animals must move quickly to get to a secure location. If they cannot escape fast enough, they will perish. Therefore, quickness is extremely crucial for the continued existence of animals living in grasslands.
In simple words: Grasslands have few hiding spots, so animals need to be very fast to run away from danger and survive.

Exam Tip: Connect the environmental conditions (lack of hiding places) directly to the necessary adaptation (speed) and its consequence for survival.