NCERT Solutions for Class 4 EVS Chapter 03 Nature Trail

Question. Can you think of rules that should be followed while you are in a zoo or a forest? For example, (a) We should not feed birds. (b) ——————– (c) ——————– (d) ——————–
Answer: You should follow several important rules when visiting a zoo or forest. Do not feed any animals or birds. Never bother or tease the creatures. Avoid breaking branches or picking flowers. Do not damage any public property. Stay alert in unfamiliar settings. Leave your pets and weapons at home. Do not scatter rubbish around.
In simple words: Be kind to animals and nature. Keep the place clean. Protect plants and buildings.

Exam Tip: Remember at least 5-6 specific rules - feed, tease, damage, litter are key terms that often appear in test questions.

Question. Why are these rules important to be followed?
Answer: Following these rules keeps you safe when you visit forests and zoos. The rules also make sure animals, birds, and plants stay healthy and are not hurt. When we respect these rules, we take good care of nature and keep the forest and zoo clean, nice, and beautiful for everyone to enjoy.
In simple words: Rules keep you safe and protect animals and plants. They help keep nature beautiful.

Exam Tip: Link safety, protection of living things, and cleanliness - examiners look for answers that cover all three ideas.

Activity 1 (Page 39) - Animals in the Forest

Question. Look closely at the picture and identify the animals. You may take help from your teacher. Divide them into two categories: 1. Animals on land: ………………………………….. 2. Birds in the sky: ……………………………………
Answer:
1. Animals on land: Indian Bison, Spotted deer, Sambar deer, Monkeys, Bear
2. Birds in the sky: Indian roller, Parrots, Sparrows
In simple words: Land animals walk on the ground and have four legs. Flying birds move through the air with wings.

Exam Tip: List each animal name correctly and place it in the right group - land animals have legs, flying birds have wings.

Question. Name some animals including the birds that you have seen. Write any one feature of each of them.
Answer:

In simple words: Each animal has a special body part that helps it survive. The trunk helps the elephant grab food, and sharp claws help the cat hunt.

Exam Tip: Pair each animal with a unique feature that explains how that body part helps it - this shows you know how animals use their special features.

Question. Compare its features with the squirrels you see in your area. (About Indian Giant Squirrel)
Answer: The Indian Giant Squirrels are much bigger than the squirrels found in my neighbourhood. Their fur colour is reddish-brown, while the squirrels in my area have grey fur with white marks on their backs. Both kinds of squirrels have long tails, but the Indian Giant Squirrels have thicker and more fluffy tails. Indian Giant Squirrels can leap across large trees, whereas the squirrels around me run faster on the ground and enjoy eating nuts and fruits.
In simple words: Giant squirrels are much bigger and have bushier tails. Local squirrels are smaller but run faster.

Exam Tip: When comparing, mention size, colour, tail shape, and movement - covering 3-4 differences shows good observation skills.

Activity 2 (Page 43) - Question 1. Look at the footprints and guess the name of the animals that you think must have come to the pond to drink water.
Answer: Based on the footprints shown, the animals that came to the pond are: Cat, Duck, and Crow.
In simple words: You can tell which animal made a footprint by its shape and size. Cats have round paws, ducks have webbed feet, and crows have thin toes.

Exam Tip: Match the footprint shape to the animal - round paws belong to cats, webbed prints to water birds, and thin tracks to birds like crows.

Question 2. Observe and draw the footprint of any animal in the space given here.
Answer: Do it yourself.
In simple words: Draw any footprint you choose and make sure it matches the shape and size of that animal.

Exam Tip: Choose one animal and draw its footprint clearly with the correct number of toes or pads.

Question. Name the birds shown below.
Answer: Parrot, Sparrow, Duck, Eagle, and two others shown are Bulbul (or similar songbirds).
In simple words: Each bird has a different shape, colour, and beak. Parrots have curved beaks, sparrows are small and brown, and eagles are big with hooked beaks.

Exam Tip: Look at beak shape, size, and feather colour to identify birds correctly.

Activity 3 (Page 45) - Question. Take different food items like grains, berries, fruits, nuts, etc, in a plate. Try to pick these food items using a spoon, a toothpick or a pair of sticks. Fill the table below with appropriate tool(s) for picking each of these food items.
Answer:

In simple words: A spoon picks up small grains easily. A toothpick grabs tiny berries. Sticks can hold nuts firmly.

Exam Tip: Think about the size and shape of each food - small items need thin tools, large items need stronger grips.

Activity 4 (Page 47) - Question 1. Bird Diary. (a) Go near a tree. (b) Close your eyes and listen to the sounds of different birds. (c) Now open your eyes and focus on one bird at a time. (d) Observe how it moves, what it eats, and where it sits. (e) Write your observations in a Bird Diary! For each bird, note the following: Head colour, Back colour, Wing colours, Beak shape, Throat colour, Colour of legs, and Interesting Facts.
Answer: Do it yourself.
In simple words: Watch one bird carefully and write down what you see - its colours, shape, and what it does.

Exam Tip: Be very detailed - describe colours, shapes, and behaviour clearly so someone else could draw and recognize the bird from your notes.

Question 2. List the animals which live in and around water bodies. Fill in the table given below.
Answer:

In simple words: Water animals move in different ways. Fish and turtles swim. Frogs jump. Crabs walk sideways. Ducks can walk and swim.

Exam Tip: Know at least 5 water animals and their main movement - this helps identify animals by how they move.

Question 1. What are the insects that you find at your home and in your surroundings?
Answer: I find many different insects near my home and in nearby areas. These include ants, house flies, mosquitoes, bees, butterflies, cockroaches, and grasshoppers. Each one has its own home and food habits.
In simple words: Many small insects live around our homes. Ants are on the ground, flies buzz in the air, and butterflies land on flowers.

Exam Tip: List at least 5 common insects you see - mention where you find them (ground, air, on plants) for a complete answer.

Question 2. Name the insects shown below.
Answer: (a) Butterfly (b) Cockroach (c) Beetle (d) Dragonfly (e) Ant (f) Praying mantis (g) Grasshopper
In simple words: Each insect has a different body shape and colour. Butterflies have big colourful wings. Ants are small and black. Grasshoppers have long legs.

Exam Tip: Notice the number of legs (all insects have 6) and wing shapes to tell them apart.

Activity 5 (Pages 50-51) - Question 1. During the visit to the nature trail, students collected leaves from different plants. Help them identify the plants based on the pictures of the leaves given below.
Answer: (a) Peepal leaf (b) Bamboo leaf (c) Guava leaf (d) Banyan leaf (e) Eucalyptus leaf / gum leaf (f) Mango leaf (g) Neem leaf
In simple words: Each leaf has a different shape and size. The peepal leaf is heart-shaped. The mango leaf is long and narrow. The neem leaf has many small leaflets.

Exam Tip: Learn the leaf shape of 5-6 common plants - you can identify them even if you just see a single leaf.

Question 2. Observe the leaves of different plants in your neighbourhood and fill the table.
Answer: Do it yourself. Example: For Lemon leaf - Green colour, Oval shape, Smooth texture, Strong smell.
In simple words: Look at a leaf. Write what colour it is, what shape it has, and how it feels. Then smell it if it has a nice scent.

Exam Tip: Include at least 5 plants and describe 4 features of each - colour, shape, texture, and smell make a complete observation.

Activity 6 (Page 52) - Leaf Autograph

Question. Place a leaf on a notebook with the rough, vein-side facing up. Cover it with a plain sheet of paper. Rub a crayon over the paper, and watch the leaf's shape appear like magic! Try this with different leaves and see how each one has its own unique pattern. Name the plant or tree to which the leaf belongs.
Answer: Do it yourself. When you rub a crayon over a leaf covered with paper, the veins and outline of the leaf show up on the paper. This works best with leaves that have clear, raised veins. Different leaves create different patterns because each plant's leaf has its own vein arrangement.
In simple words: The crayon rubs over the bumpy parts of the leaf and makes a picture. Each leaf makes a different pattern because veins are arranged differently.

Exam Tip: Try leaves with thick veins (like neem or mango) - they make the clearest and most beautiful patterns.

Let Us Reflect (Pages 55-56) - Question 1. Which animal would you love to be? What special abilities would it give you?
Answer: I would love to be an eagle. Being an eagle would let me fly high up in the sky and see everything from far above using my strong eyes. From the sky, I could explore and travel over mountains, forests and rivers easily.
In simple words: Eagles can fly and see very far. They are fast and strong and can go anywhere.

Exam Tip: Pick one animal and name 2-3 special skills it has - this shows you understand animal abilities.

Question 2. How do you think different plants and animals are dependent on each other?
Answer: Plants and animals need each other to live. Animals eat plants for food and breathe oxygen that plants make. Plants need animals to give them carbon dioxide and to carry seeds to new places. Some animals eat plants only, while others eat other animals. For instance, deer eat grass but tigers eat deer. When one of these living things disappears, it changes everything for the others. This shows that every living thing is connected and relies on the others to survive and grow.
In simple words: Plants give food and air to animals. Animals help plants spread seeds. If one kind disappears, others suffer.

Exam Tip: Use the food chain example (grass - deer - tiger) and mention both food and oxygen to show you understand the link between plants and animals.

Question 3. What is the role of a nature scientist?
Answer: A nature scientist learns and studies different plants, animals and how the environment works. They help us know how living things live, grow and stay healthy. Nature scientists also teach people the best ways to care for forests, animals and plants so we don't cause them harm.
In simple words: A nature scientist watches and learns about plants and animals. They teach us how to protect nature.

Exam Tip: Mention three roles: study/observe, teach/share knowledge, and protect/conserve nature.

Question 4. Solve the puzzle. Find the treasures of the forest.
Answer: The treasures of the forest found in the word puzzle are: TIGER, PARROT, ELEPHANT, BANANA, DEER, BIRDS, PLANTS, SNAKE, SQUIRREL, and FISH. These living things are the real treasures of the forest because they make the forest rich, healthy, and beautiful.
In simple words: Forests contain many animals and plants. These are treasures because they are valuable and rare.

Exam Tip: Search the puzzle carefully in all directions - horizontal, vertical, and diagonal - to find all the hidden forest animals.

Question 5. Take on the challenge. Plan a nature walk with your family or friends in a nearby park. To prepare yourself as a guide, identify few plants and animals, and study their features and interesting facts which you can explain during the walk.
Answer: Do it yourself.
In simple words: Pick a park near you. Learn about 3-4 plants and 3-4 animals there. Then take your friends on a tour and tell them what you learned.

Exam Tip: Choose common plants and animals you can actually find in your area - this makes the tour real and interesting.

Question 6. Do an art activity. Role-play: Create a scene of a forest in your classroom where students can perform roles of plants and animals, and of visitors. While enacting the play, focus on our role to protect animals and plants.
Answer: Do it yourself.
In simple words: Act out a forest scene. Some students are plants and animals, others are visitors. Show how to treat nature with respect.

Exam Tip: Make the role-play show both wrong actions (hurting plants, catching animals) and right actions (protecting them) - this highlights the lesson.

Question 7. Let us make a paper turtle! Try using an old newspaper or used paper.
Answer: Do it yourself.
In simple words: Fold newspaper to make a turtle shape. Use the folding steps shown and make it colourful.

Exam Tip: Follow the folding steps in order - each fold builds on the last one to make the final turtle shape.

Question 8. Find out. Write the name of your state animal, bird, and plant.
Answer: Do it yourself. (Example: For most Indian states - animal: Lion/Tiger, bird: Peacock/Pigeon, plant: Lotus/Neem)
In simple words: Your state has official animals, birds, and plants. Find them by asking your teacher or looking in a book.

Exam Tip: Know your state symbols - they often appear in school tests and show you care about your own region.