Class 10 - Life Processes Important Theory Questions with Answers
1. What are life processes?
Answer: The processes essential for maintaining life, like nutrition, respiration, transportation, and excretion,
are called life processes.
2. What criteria do we use to decide whether something is alive?
Answer: Movement, growth, respiration, reproduction, molecular activity, and metabolic processes are
indicators of life.
3. Why is diffusion insufficient to meet oxygen requirements in humans?
Answer: In multicellular organisms, not all cells contact the environment. Hence, diffusion alone is insufficient;
specialized systems are needed.
4. What are autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition?
Answer: Autotrophic - Organisms prepare their own food (e.g., plants). Heterotrophic - Organisms depend on
others for food (e.g., animals).
5. What is photosynthesis? Write the balanced equation.
Answer: Green plants make food using sunlight, CO2, and water.
Equation: 6CO2 + 6H2O -> C6H12O6 + 6O2
6. Necessary conditions for autotrophic nutrition and by-products?
Answer: Conditions - Sunlight, chlorophyll, CO2, water. By-product - Oxygen.
7. What is the role of stomata?
Answer: Gas exchange (CO2 in, O2 out) and transpiration.
8. How does Amoeba obtain nutrition?
Answer: Engulfs food via pseudopodia, digests inside food vacuole, absorbs nutrients.
9. Explain human digestive system.
Answer: Includes mouth, stomach, intestines; digestion and absorption of food, waste removal via anus.
10. Role of saliva?
Answer: Saliva contains amylase that breaks starch into sugar; moistens food.
11. How are fats digested?
Answer: Bile emulsifies fats, lipase breaks them into fatty acids and glycerol in small intestine.
12. Aerobic vs Anaerobic respiration?
Answer: Aerobic - Uses oxygen, more energy. Anaerobic - No oxygen, less energy, produces alcohol or lactic
acid.
13. What is ATP?
Answer: Energy currency of the cell; stores and provides energy for cellular activities.
14. How alveoli are designed for gas exchange?
Answer: Thin walls, large surface area, rich blood supply for efficient diffusion.
15. What is double circulation?
Answer: Blood passes twice through heart - pulmonary and systemic circuits - keeps oxygenated &
deoxygenated blood separate.
16. Human transport system components?
Answer: Heart (pumps blood), blood vessels, blood (transports substances), lymph (transports fats).
17. Transport in xylem vs phloem?
Answer: Xylem - Water/minerals, upward only. Phloem - Food, both directions.
18. Transport of water/minerals in plants?
Answer: Via xylem; root pressure and transpiration pull.
19. What is translocation?
Answer: Transport of food from leaves to other plant parts via phloem.
20. Excretion in humans?
Answer: Kidneys filter waste, urine passes through ureters, stored in bladder, excreted via urethra.
21. Structure & function of nephrons?
Answer: Glomerulus & tubules filter blood, reabsorb useful substances, excrete waste as urine.
22. Plant waste removal?
Answer: Oxygen via stomata, water via transpiration, wastes stored in vacuoles or leaves, some excreted into
soil.
23. Urine regulation?
Answer: Kidneys regulate water reabsorption based on body needs, controlled by hormones.
24. What are respiratory pigments?
Answer: Oxygen-transporting pigments, e.g., Haemoglobin in humans.
25. Why aquatic animals breathe faster?
Answer: Less dissolved oxygen in water, so faster breathing needed to meet oxygen needs.