NCERT Solutions for Class 3 EVS Chapter 06 Living in Harmony

Question 1. Do any of these animals, birds, insects and plants live with you in your house? Do you and your family take care of them?
Answer:
* Yes, we have some plants and animals in our home. We keep a pet dog and grow small plants in pots. Sparrows also visit our balcony often.
* Yes, we look after them. We feed our dog daily, water the potted plants, and leave a bowl of fresh water outside for visiting birds.
In simple words: Many families live with pets and potted plants. We take care of them by giving them water, food, and love.

Exam Tip: State clearly which pets or plants you have at home and describe two simple ways your family cares for them.

Question 2. Are there any animals, birds and insects that you have spotted that are not in the picture given on page 72? Try to find out their names and write them in the table given below. One example has been done for you. Discuss with elders in your family which animals and plants they kept at home when they were young. Ask them to share any story about these animals and plants.
Answer:
Yes, I have spotted several animals and insects that were not in the picture. Here is the completed table:

Story shared by my grandparents:
My grandparents told me they had a gentle cow and a loyal dog when they were young. The cow gave fresh milk every day. The dog, named Ramu, guarded their home. One night, Ramu barked loudly and woke everyone up. Grandfather went outside and found a snake near the door. Ramu's warning kept the family safe, and they chased the snake away. My grandmother also shared memories of their small home garden. They grew spinach, tomatoes, and coriander. The kids watered these plants every day and loved picking fresh veggies for dinner.
In simple words: We can spot many animals near our homes that are not in textbooks. Long ago, our grandparents also kept pets and grew fresh gardens.

Exam Tip: When writing a story from elders, make sure to include the animal's name and a specific event that shows how helpful it was.

Question 3. Which are the uninvited animals, birds and insects that visit your home? Why do you think they come to your homes? How do you feel about their presence in your home? Which of them do you like? What do you do when you do not like them?
Answer:
* Some uninvited guests in our house are cats, pigeons, sparrows, ants, and mice.
* They come looking for food, water, or a warm place to rest. Birds come to drink water, while cats look for a quiet spot to sleep and hunt for mice.
* I love seeing sparrows and pigeons because their singing makes our home lively. But I dislike mice and ants because they spoil our food.
* I like birds best of all, especially when they drink from our water bowl.
* If we do not want ants or mice inside, we sweep them out gently without hurting them. We keep the kitchen very clean and cover all food so they do not come back.
In simple words: Some small animals visit our houses looking for crumbs. We should keep our homes clean and be gentle when we shoo them away.

Exam Tip: Mention both visitors you like (such as birds) and those you do not like (such as mice), and explain how you handle them kindly.

Question 4. How are we dependent on plants and animals? How do plants help animals? How do animals help plants? How do you look after plants and animals in your surroundings? How do animals and plants depend on us?
Answer:
* We need plants for clean air, healthy food, medicine, and wood for tables and chairs. We need animals for milk, eggs, meat, wool, and help with farm work.
* Plants give animals leaves, fruits, and seeds to eat. Trees also give birds a safe spot for their nests and shade to rest. Plants make oxygen for animals to breathe.
* Animals carry seeds to new places so new plants can grow. Bees and butterflies move pollen to help flowers make fruits. Animal dung also makes the soil fertile.
* We water plants daily, keep them in the sun, and stop bugs from eating them. We feed animals, give them clean water, and build safe shelters.
* Our pets rely on us for food and care. Garden plants need us to water them so they do not dry up. Taking care of them keeps nature happy and balanced.
In simple words: Humans, plants, and animals are all connected. We must take good care of nature because it takes care of us.

Exam Tip: Use simple bullet points to show how plants help animals and how animals help plants back.

Question 5. Observe the animals around you. Choose any animal that you see often, such as a goat, cow, dog, cat or bird like a crow, pigeon, sparrow, parrot or duck. Observe it closely whenever you get a chance. You can also keep a bowl of water and some grains for it.
Answer: I chose to watch a little sparrow that visits our home. It comes early every morning and sits on the windowsill, chirping happily. I observed that the sparrow hops quickly and pecks at the grains I put out. It drinks fresh water from our small bowl. Often, other sparrows join in, and they flutter their wings together. The sparrow has a tiny brown body, a light belly, and a short beak. Feeding them makes me happy, and it helps them stay healthy.
In simple words: Watching a local bird or animal helps us learn how they live. We can help them by leaving out water and grains.

Exam Tip: Mention the specific location where you saw the animal and how it behaved when it found food.

Question 6. Write a short description of the animal or bird - Name and describe the animal or bird that you have chosen. When and where did you first see it? Was it there alone or with its friends? Describe its movement. What sounds did it make? Did you see it eating, sleeping, talking to its friends or maybe fighting sometimes? Did it do anything that surprised you or made you laugh? Share your story with your classmates.
Answer:
* I chose a little sparrow. It is a tiny bird with a light brown belly, a dark brown back, and a short beak. It has small legs and bright eyes.
* I first saw it sitting on our living room windowsill early one morning, chirping loudly.
* At first, it was alone. Soon, other friendly sparrows joined it on the ledge.
* It hops very fast and never stays still. It flutters its wings quickly when flying.
* It makes a happy "chirp-chirp" sound that gets louder when its friends are nearby.
* I saw it peck at my grains and look around carefully. It also "talked" to other sparrows with soft chirps. Sometimes they played tag and chased each other.
* Once, the sparrow splashed around in my water bowl to take a bath. It made a funny, wet mess that made me laugh out loud.
* Feeding the sparrow makes me happy. It shows me how a small bird can bring big joy to our home.
In simple words: Sparrows are tiny, active birds that love to eat grains, chirp with friends, and take splashes in water bowls.

Exam Tip: Include details about the animal's color, sound, and a funny action (like taking a bath) to make your description interesting.

Question 7. You may do this activity near your plant friend, in your classroom or at home. Bring small amounts of three types of food from your kitchen: Sweet like sugar or jaggery; Fried like a papad or murukku; Boiled or cooked like bread, chapati, idli, rice or ragi. Keep these three types of food on the floor in a straight line with one foot distance between them.
Answer: I placed sugar (sweet), papad crumbs (fried), and cooked rice (boiled) in a straight line on the porch floor, leaving a gap of one foot between each food item. I sat quietly nearby to observe which insects would visit first.
In simple words: We can set up a safe food test to see what kinds of treats local insects like best.

Exam Tip: Be sure to keep the food items exactly one foot apart so you can clearly see which one the insects choose first.

Question 8. Make a Guess - Who will come for the food? Which will be their favourite food? Will any ants come to your food? Where would they come from? Will all the ants look the same? What food item will they go to first? How many ants will come to the food? What will they do with the food?
Answer:
* I guess ants and other tiny insects will crawl over to the food.
* I think they will love the sweet sugar or jaggery best.
* Yes, ants will definitely find the sweet treats.
* They will crawl out of tiny wall cracks or come from the garden outside.
* Most of them will look alike, but some might be larger. We might see red or black ants.
* They will run to the sweet sugar first because they love sugary foods.
* At first, only one or two ants will find it. Soon, a long line of ants will arrive.
* They will carry small crumbs back to their nests. For bigger pieces, they will work together as a team.
In simple words: Ants love sweet things. They work in teams to carry sugary crumbs back to their nests.

Exam Tip: Remember that ants are attracted to sugar first and are famous for working together to carry food.

Question 9. Sit in pairs. One of you will think of the name of an animal, bird, insect or tree and whisper it in the ear of your partner. Make sure you don't say it too loud! Your partner will have to act and move like the animal, bird or insect and the class will have to guess it! You can switch roles after this. For example: Gopa's friend Ali whispered 'Frog' into his ear. What do you think Gopa did? Sukhiya's friend Surya whispered 'peepal tree' into her ear. What do you think Sukhiya did?
Answer:
* Gopa likely sat low on his feet, hopped around the floor, and made a funny "ribbit" sound. He might have puffed his cheeks to look like a croaking frog.
* Sukhiya probably stood very straight and held her arms out wide like tree branches. She might have swayed slowly from side to side like a tree in the breeze.
In simple words: We can play charades by using our bodies and sounds to act like hopping frogs or swaying trees.

Exam Tip: Focus on the most famous action of the animal (like hopping for a frog) when describing how to act it out.

Question 10. How are we dependent on plants and animals?
Answer: We need plants for healthy food like fruits and vegetables, and oxygen to breathe. We need animals for milk, eggs, meat, and wool for warm clothes. They also help keep nature in balance.
In simple words: Humans depend on plants and animals for daily food, clean air, clothes, and help on farms.

Exam Tip: Mention at least two useful things we get from plants and two from animals in your answer.

Question 11. How should we care for plants and animals in our environment?
Answer: We should water plants every day, make sure they get sunlight, and keep bugs away. We must feed animals, give them clean water, treat them gently, and never hurt them.
In simple words: We can care for nature by watering plants daily and keeping water and food bowls outside for animals.

Exam Tip: Use action words like "watering," "feeding," and "protecting" to show how to care for living things.

Question 12. How do plants and animals depend on us?
Answer: They rely on us to keep them safe and healthy. Potted plants need us to water them. Pets and farm animals need us for food and clean homes. Caring for them keeps our whole world healthy.
In simple words: Plants and pets rely on humans to give them water, food, and protection so they can live safely.

Exam Tip: Explain that indoor plants and domestic pets depend on us entirely for water and food, unlike wild ones.

Question 13. Complete these sentences with the names of plants, birds, animals or insects:
a. I like looking at ________ because ____________________
b. ________ make me laugh because ____________________
c. My friend ________ likes ________ because ____________________
d. I would like to take care of ________ because ____________________
Answer:
a. I like looking at butterflies because their colorful wings are beautiful as they flutter from flower to flower.
b. Squirrels make me laugh because they scamper fast and chase each other up tall trees.
c. My friend Aditi likes roses because they have a lovely smell and come in many pretty shades.
d. I would like to take care of a dog because they are friendly, loyal, and fun to play with.
In simple words: We enjoy watching butterflies and squirrels, and many of us dream of caring for a playful dog.

Exam Tip: Fill in the blanks with your own experiences or observations to make the answers unique.

Question 14. Which is your favourite animal, bird, insect or plant among those you have named above? Why do you like it? Write down the names of all the animals, birds, insects that you have seen or learned about from the smallest to the largest.
Answer:
* My favorite is the butterfly.
* I like butterflies because they are bright, peaceful, and make our garden look beautiful when they fly.
* From smallest to largest: Ant, bee, butterfly, sparrow, pigeon, squirrel, cat, dog, cow, elephant.
In simple words: Butterflies are beautiful to watch. When listing animals by size, start with tiny ants and end with huge elephants.

Exam Tip: When listing animals from smallest to largest, always check that each animal is bigger than the one before it.

Question 15. Name and draw animals, birds and insects that have:
a. Two legs
b. Four legs
c. Six legs
d. Eight legs
Answer: Here are the examples of animals with different numbers of legs:
* Two legs: Sparrow
* Four legs: Dog
* Six legs: Ant
* Eight legs: Spider
In simple words: Birds have 2 legs, dogs have 4, ants and bees have 6, and spiders have 8 legs.

Exam Tip: Remember that all insects have six legs, and spiders are not insects because they have eight legs.