NCERT Solutions for Class 3 EVS Chapter 05 Plants and Animals Live Together

Question 1. Which of the animals shown on page 63, have you seen before? Describe where and how you saw them. Use your fingers, hands and arms to show how small or big these animals are!
Answer:
* Elephants feeding on grass:
* Where seen: Spotted in a large forest park during a family safari.
* Size: They are extremely big. We must open our arms as wide as we can to show how wide they are.
* A moth resting on a leaf:
* Where seen: In our home garden, flying near the porch light at night.
* Size: Moths are very small. We can show their tiny size with our two fingers close together.
* A caterpillar chewing a leaf:
* Where seen: Crawling on plant leaves in my front yard.
* Size: They are short and tiny. We can show their size with our fingers.
* Earthworms on leaves and soil:
* Where seen: In the wet mud, usually after a heavy rain.
* Size: Earthworms are small and thin. We can use our fingers to show their length.
* A tailorbird singing:
* Where seen: Resting on thick bushes in our neighborhood.
* Size: These are very little birds. We can show their size using one hand.
* A woodpecker on a tree trunk:
* Where seen: Pecking at tree trunks in a nearby park.
* Size: They are medium-sized. We can use both hands to show how big they are.
* Ants building their nest using leaves:
* Where seen: Almost everywhere, especially near spilled sweet food.
* Size: Ants are tiny. We can show their size by pinching our fingertips together.
* A butterfly perched on a leaf:
* Where seen: Fluttering around bright flowers in a garden.
* Size: They are small. We can show their size by opening our hands slightly.
* Squirrels using tree hollows to hide and rest:
* Where seen: Running up and down trees in city parks.
* Size: Squirrels are small. We can hold our hands a few inches apart to show their size.
* A frog resting on a leaf:
* Where seen: Sitting near a wet pond or in damp grass.
* Size: Frogs are quite small. We can cup our hands to show their size.
* Animals living under the ground:
* Earthworms: They make tunnels in wet mud and hide under decaying leaves.
* Ants: They build deep nests in the soil and carry food inside.
In simple words: Different animals live in different places around us. We can show how big or small they are by using our hands and fingers.

Exam Tip: When describing animal sizes, always use everyday objects or hand gestures to help explain your answer clearly.

Question 2. Why do these animals choose to live near plants?
Answer:
* Shelter and Protection: Plants give animals a safe spot to hide from bad weather and from other animals that might hurt them. Many creatures, like squirrels and ants, build nests in trees.
* Food: Many animals eat green leaves, sweet fruits, and colorful flowers. Plants also attract small insects, which become food for larger animals.
* Making Homes and Having Babies: Birds and insects lay their eggs and build nests on plant branches. Some birds sit on branches to sing and find mates.
* Cooler Climate: Leaves block the hot sun and make a cool, shaded place for animals to rest.
In simple words: Animals live near plants because plants give them food, cool shade, and a safe home.

Exam Tip: Remember the four main reasons animals need plants: food, shelter, a place for babies, and cool shade.

Question 3. What colour is the soil under your feet?
Answer:
* Brown: This is the common soil found in my home garden.
* Black: I saw this dark soil in the wet rice fields.
* Red: This reddish soil is on our school playground.
* Yellow or Sandy: My uncle saw this light, dusty soil in Rajasthan.
In simple words: Soil can have different colors like brown, black, red, or yellow depending on where you find it.

Exam Tip: Mention at least two different colors of soil and where they can be found to show a complete understanding.

Question 4. Pick up a little soil near your plant friend with your hands. Observe and record its feel and what it contains.
Answer:

In simple words: When we touch soil, we can feel if it is rough or grainy, and we can find leaves, stones, and tiny bugs in it.

Exam Tip: When observing soil, use both your sight and touch to identify its texture and parts.

Question 5. Repeat the above activity a day after it rains. Remember to pick up the soil from the same place. Did you find any differences in the look, feel and smell of the soil? Pick up a little soil from another place, far away from any plants. Is it different from the soil that you collected earlier? In what ways? Examine the soil more carefully. What small things do you notice in it?
Answer:
* Before the Rain:
* Look and Feel: The soil is dry, light brown, and feels rough and sandy.
* What is inside: It has dry leaves and some small crawling bugs.
* Smell: It has a very light smell of dry earth.
* After the Rain:
* Look and Feel: The soil becomes wet, dark brown, and feels soft and smooth.
* What is inside: It has more active insects and fresh leaves.
* Smell: It has a strong, fresh smell of wet earth.
* Far Away From Plants:
* Look and Feel: This soil is much drier, harder, and feels very grainy.
* What is inside: It contains almost no leaves or insects.
* Smell: The earth smell is very weak and faint.
In simple words: Rain makes soil wet, dark, soft, and smelling strong. Soil far from plants is dry, hard, and has very few living things.

Exam Tip: Be sure to describe three things for each soil condition: how it looks, how it feels, and how it smells.

Question 6. In the monsoons, you may find many more plants and animals around. Where did these new plants and animals come from? Why could you not see them earlier?
Answer: During the rainy season, plants and animals get the water they need to grow. Seeds sleeping in the dry soil wake up and sprout into new plants. Small creatures like earthworms and millipedes come out because they love the wet ground. Before it rained, the soil was too dry and hot. These plants and animals were either resting as seeds or hiding deep underground. The rain makes the ground wet and cool, which brings them all out.
In simple words: The rain wakes up sleeping seeds in the dirt and brings out bugs that were hiding underground to stay cool.

Exam Tip: Use terms like "sleeping seeds" and "hiding underground" to explain why we do not see these creatures during the dry season.

Question 7. Stand near your plant friend and look around. How many different animals can you spot? Describe them in words and fill in the table. You may use the given pictures if needed.
Answer:

* A small hopping insect: This tiny bug was leaping across the grass from one leaf to another.
* A thin plant that curls: This vine-like plant was wrapped around a branch, completely still.
* A black bird: This dark bird sat high on a branch and sang a sweet song.
* A green caterpillar: It crawled slowly across a leaf while chewing on it.
* A brown squirrel: The little squirrel was digging in the dirt to find seeds.
* A red ladybug: This bright red beetle was walking slowly over a green leaf.
* A tiny ant: The little insect was carrying food across the soil to its nest.
* A butterfly: It sat quietly on a flower to drink sweet nectar.
* An earthworm: It was wiggling and digging deep into the wet soil.
* A spider: It sat very still on its web, waiting to catch a bug.
In simple words: When we look closely at plants, we can find many different insects and small animals eating, climbing, or resting on them.

Exam Tip: Be precise when describing what an animal is doing (like "drinking nectar" or "burrowing") to score high marks.

Question 8. How many of these animals have you seen? Watch out for them!
Answer:
* Camels: Seen in dry deserts or at the zoo, where they chew on green leaves.
* Owls: Spotted in a quiet forest reserve, resting inside tree holes during the day.
* Squirrels: Commonly seen in city parks, gathering small twigs for their nests.
* Crows: Seen in our neighborhood, carrying sticks to make nests on tall trees.
* Monkeys: Observed in animal parks, climbing branches and eating fruits.
* Sunbirds: Noticed in home gardens, drinking sweet juice from flowers.
* Butterflies: Frequently seen in flowering gardens, feeding on sweet nectar.
* Caterpillars: Found on garden plants, slowly munching on green leaves.
In simple words: We can spot many birds, insects, and animals around us using trees and plants for food and shelter.

Exam Tip: Practice identifying these animals and describing their natural behaviors in simple, direct sentences.

Question 9. Close your eyes and try to listen to the sounds of birds. Do you hear any bird sounds? Can you see which birds are making these sounds? Cup your ears with your hands as shown in the picture and point your face towards the direction of the bird sound. Can you hear the sound more clearly?
Answer:
* Listening to the Birds: When I close my eyes, I can hear different birds singing. I can look around to spot which birds are making those sweet sounds.
* Putting Hands Behind Ears: When I cup my hands around my ears, the sounds of the birds become much louder and clearer. Facing the direction of the sound helps me focus on exactly where the bird is.
In simple words: Cupping your ears with your hands helps gather sound waves so you can hear distant bird songs much better.

Exam Tip: Try this activity in a quiet garden to notice the difference in sound clarity when you cup your ears.

Question 10. Recall the bird sounds you have listened to. Try to produce the sounds that different birds make. Now try to write down in the following table the sound of any birds you have heard.
Answer:

In simple words: Every bird makes its own special sound, like a pigeon's coo or a sparrow's chirp, to talk to others.

Exam Tip: Learn the specific onomatopoeic words (like "hoot" or "caw") to write down bird sounds correctly in exams.

Question 11. If you do not hear any sounds of birds, what do you think is the reason? Do you hear more bird sounds - In the early morning? In the afternoon? In the evening?
Answer:
* Why we might not hear birds: It could be too noisy with heavy traffic, or the birds are resting, or there are no trees in the area for birds to live in.
* When we hear them most:
* Early Morning: Birds are very active now, singing loud songs to mark their home and attract mates.
* Afternoon: It is very quiet because birds rest in the cool shade during the hottest part of the day.
* Evening: Birds sing again as they head back to their nests to sleep for the night.
* My Observations:
* Morning: I heard many birds like sparrows, crows, and pigeons singing happily.
* Afternoon: The garden was quiet, with only a few crows cawing.
* Evening: I heard owls hooting and other birds settling down in their trees.
In simple words: Birds sing most in the cool morning and evening. They stay quiet in the shade when it is hot in the afternoon.

Exam Tip: Clearly explain why birds are active in the morning (for food and territory) and quiet in the afternoon (to stay cool).

Question 12. What was the colour and texture of the two soil specimens that you collected during the previous activity? In which month did you pick them up? Did they smell different and can you describe the smells?
Answer:
* Before the rain: The soil was light brown and felt dry and rough. It had a very light earthy smell.
* After the rain: The soil was dark brown, wet, and felt very soft. It had a strong, fresh earthy smell.
* Month of collection: I picked up these soil samples in July.
In simple words: Rain changes how soil looks and feels. Wet soil is darker, softer, and smells much stronger than dry soil.

Exam Tip: Mention the month of collection and clearly compare the look, feel, and smell of the soil before and after rain.

Question 13. During which month did fresh new leaves appear on the plant that you were observing?
Answer: Fresh new leaves started appearing on my plant in the spring months of March and April.
In simple words: New green leaves grow on plants in spring, which happens in March and April.

Exam Tip: Springtime is when plants grow new leaves, so naming March and April is key here.

Question 14. Which animals, birds and insects did you notice around plants?
Answer:
* Animals: Squirrels running up tree trunks.
* Birds: Pigeons, sparrows, crows, owls, and tiny sunbirds.
* Insects: Crawling ants, green caterpillars, colorful butterflies, and red ladybugs.
In simple words: Many small creatures like squirrels, sparrows, caterpillars, and ants live on or near plants.

Exam Tip: Group your answer into three clear headings: Animals, Birds, and Insects to keep it organized.

Question 15. Recall and write about how animals, birds and insects rely on plants. Which one was your favourite example?
Answer: Animals, birds, and insects depend on plants for many things:
* Camels: Eat plant leaves for their daily food.
* Owls: Build nests inside hollow tree trunks to stay safe.
* Squirrels: Use strong branches to make their warm homes.
* Caterpillars: Eat green leaves to grow big.
* My Favorite Example: Watching colorful butterflies drink sweet nectar from flowers. This is my favorite because they look beautiful and also help new flowers grow by moving pollen.
In simple words: Plants are crucial because they give food to caterpillars and camels, and safe homes to squirrels and owls.

Exam Tip: Always describe a specific example and explain why it is your favorite to write a complete answer.

Question 16. What is soil made up of?
Answer: Soil is made of very tiny pieces of broken rocks, old decayed leaves, roots, stems, and small living or dead insects.
In simple words: Soil is made from crushed rocks, old bits of plants, and tiny dead bugs mixed together.

Exam Tip: Mention both non-living things (like rocks) and organic things (like leaves and insects) when explaining what soil is made of.

Question 17. Compare two animals that you observed near or on plants by describing their physical traits and why they stay near plants.
Answer:

In simple words: Squirrels have fur and live in trees to find nuts, while butterflies have colorful wings and visit flowers to drink sweet nectar.

Exam Tip: When comparing two animals, use clear columns to highlight differences in their body shapes, sizes, colors, and behaviors.

Question 18. Remember you wrote about your plant friend. Now try and draw your plant friend. Use different coloured small dots in your drawing to show the places where you spotted animals, birds or insects.
Answer: Here is a drawing of my tree friend showing the places where different animals, birds, and insects were spotted: In simple words: This drawing shows a tree with a squirrel on the trunk, a bird on a branch, and insects crawling on the leaves.

Exam Tip: When drawing, use distinct colors for different animals and place them exactly where they would naturally live on the plant.

Question 19. One day Suma found a caterpillar on a tagar plant. She found it interesting. She observed it for about 10 minutes. It was eating tender leaves continuously. Her mother came close to her. She guided her to observe the caterpillar each day. Suma became more curious. Consult an elder person and organise the following changes in order.
[ ] Now it was a butterfly.
[ ] The caterpillar formed a cocoon.
[ ] It flew away gently.
[ ] One day it stopped eating.
[ ] It came out of the cocoon.
Answer: The correct ordered sequence is:
1. One day it stopped eating.
2. The caterpillar formed a cocoon.
3. It came out of the cocoon.
4. Now it was a butterfly.
5. It flew away gently.
In simple words: A caterpillar stops eating, builds a hard cocoon home, wakes up inside, comes out as a beautiful butterfly, and flies away.

Exam Tip: Remember that stopping to eat and forming a cocoon are always the first steps in a caterpillar's transformation.