Living Creatures Exploring Their Characteristics — Class 6 Science NCERT Solutions (Free)
Free step-by-step NCERT solutions for Class 6 Science chapter "Living Creatures Exploring Their Characteristics" — 8 important questions with detailed answers for CBSE board exam preparation.
TL;DR: Free step-by-step NCERT solutions for Class 6 Science chapter "Living Creatures Exploring Their Characteristics" — 8 important questions with detailed…
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NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science — Living Creatures Exploring Their Characteristics. Step-by-step answers to all 8 textbook questions from this chapter, written for CBSE board preparation and free to use.
Living Creatures Exploring Their Characteristics — All 8 Questions Solved
Q1. What are the characteristics that distinguish living things from non-living things?
Living things have these characteristics:
- Growth: increase in size and complexity
- Reproduction: ability to produce offspring
- Movement: ability to move or change position
- Respiration: process of obtaining and using energy
- Sensitivity: respond to changes in surroundings
- Nutrition: obtain and use food for energy
- Excretion: eliminate waste products
Q2. What is the difference between growth in living and non-living things?
Growth in living things:
- Increase in size due to increase in the number of cells
- Growth is internal (from within)
- Growth continues until a certain age
Growth in non-living things:
- Increase in size by external addition of material
- Example: crystal growth, erosion
- No internal organization involved
Q3. How do plants and animals reproduce? Give examples.
Plants reproduce by:
- Sexual reproduction (seeds from flowers)
- Asexual reproduction (vegetative propagation, runners, fragmentation)
Examples: Seeds in mango, potatoes from eyes, new plants from mint runners
Animals reproduce by:
- Sexual reproduction (producing offspring from male and female)
- Examples: puppies from dogs, chicks from hens
Q4. What are the different types of nutrition in living organisms?
There are two main types of nutrition:
- Autotrophic nutrition: organisms make their own food using sunlight (plants, algae) through photosynthesis
- Heterotrophic nutrition: organisms obtain food from other sources (animals, fungi, bacteria). They can be herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, or decomposers
Q5. Explain the process of respiration in living organisms.
Respiration is the process of obtaining energy from food using oxygen. In aerobic respiration, organisms use oxygen to break down glucose, releasing energy needed for life processes. This occurs in mitochondria of cells. The byproducts are carbon dioxide and water, which are excreted. This energy is used for growth, movement, and other activities.
Q6. What is sensitivity in living organisms? Give examples.
Sensitivity is the ability to detect and respond to changes in the surroundings. Examples:
- Plants bend towards sunlight (phototropism)
- Animals move away from danger
- We see and hear through our senses
- Roots grow downward responding to gravity
- Pupil of eye contracts in bright light
These responses help organisms survive in their environment.
Q7. What is metabolism? Why is it important for living things?
Metabolism is the sum of all chemical reactions occurring in living organisms to maintain life. It includes:
- Anabolism: building up molecules (growth, repair)
- Catabolism: breaking down molecules (energy release)
It is important because it enables organisms to obtain energy, grow, reproduce, and respond to their environment. Without metabolism, life processes cannot occur.
Q8. What is the difference between adaptation and evolution?
Adaptation is a characteristic that helps an organism survive in its environment (example: thick fur in polar bears for cold). Evolution is the gradual change in a population of organisms over long periods of time, resulting in the development of new species. Adaptations are results of evolution. Evolution occurs over many generations, while adaptation is a specific trait.
How to Use These Solutions
Attempt each question yourself first and only then compare with the worked answer. Marks in the CBSE board exam are awarded for the METHOD as much as the final result, so reproduce the steps rather than memorising the last line. Where a solution states a law, a formula or a definition, learn that wording — examiners look for it.
Related practice for this chapter: chapter MCQs, previous-year questions, revision notes and sample papers.