Chapter 1
Human Body
Compendium
A. Organization and structure of the body
(i) Locomotion
B. Body movement
C. The human skeleton system
D. Structure of the human skeleton
(i) Skull
(ii) Backbone
(iii) Ribcage
(iv) The shoulder bone
(v) The limbs
E. Human digestive system
• Mouth
• Food pipe
• Stomach
• Small intestine
• Large intestine
• Rectum
• Anus
F. Bird’s-eye view
G. Solved Examples
H. Practice yourself
I. Solutions
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Chapter 1
Human Body
A. Organization and structure of the body
The basic structure of all living organism is known as a
cell. Cells are known as the building blocks of life. If an
organism is made up of only one cell, it is called a
unicellular organism.
The single-cell performs all the activities necessary for
life. If an organism is made up of many cells, it is known
as a multicellular organism. Different groups of cells
perform various life activities. For example, the red
Fig 1: cell the basic unit
blood cells in our body carry oxygen to all the body of life
parts.
A group of cells that look similar and has a single function to perform are
known as tissues. Blood, bone, muscle and skin are some of the tissues in your
body. For example, muscle tissues are a group of cells specialized to contract
and expand for the movement of body parts.
Tissue combine to form an Organ. Each organ performs some important
function for the body. For example, the heart is an organ that pumps blood to
various parts of the body.
The eye is an organ that enables you to see. Lungs, kidneys and liver are some
of the other organs which perform important roles in our body.
Group of organs that work together to perform various life activities in our
body. For example, the food pipe, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and
some other organs help you digest the food you eat. Such a group of organs is
called an Organ system.
Some other systems in our body are Circulatory,
respiratory, nervous, urinary (or excretory), reproductive, muscular and skeletal.
All these systems together form our body. They all work to keep you alive. Thus,
the human body and the bodies of all multicellular living organisms are
organized as follows:
Cells → Tissue → organs → organ system→Human body
The main organ system in the human body
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Locomotion
All animals show movement. The ability to move has been used as a criterion to
distinguish plants and animals. Plants do not show movement in general, while
animals move more freely. Plants are mostly fixed to the ground. So, they do not
show locomotion. Animals move from one place to another.
Locomotion helps animals
To move from an unfavourable environment to a favourable environment.
To find their food and water.
To protect themselves from their enemies.
To find their partners for reproduction.
To find a suitable place for laying eggs or rearing their young ones.
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B. Body movement
The movement in our body is brought about by the contraction of the muscles
attached to the Skeleton. The muscle contraction moves our bones like levers,
and their coordinated movements move our various body parts.
Some very important movements in our body are:
Movement of teeth and jaw during eating.
Circulation of blood in the body.
Movement of the heart muscles.
Movement of eyelids.
For Movement and Locomotion Living Organisms need-
(a) Skeletal System (b)Muscular System
The human skeleton system
Babies have more bones than adults !!!
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Chapter 1
Human Body
The bones in our body make up a
framework called Skeleton. The Skeleton
Did you know?
of an adult human being is made up of
206 bones. A child has many more bones.
Babies have more bones than Adults
!!! But as he/she grows into an adult, many
of the bones fuse.
Functions of Skeleton
The Skeleton has four main functions.
Support - Your body has several soft
organs and muscles. Skeleton provides a
hard framework to support these parts.
Otherwise, the body will collapse. Your
Skeleton provides this framework and
holds you upright.
Protection - The bones protect the soft
organs of your body. The skull protects
our brain, the heart and lungs by the long
Fig 2: Human Skeleton thin bones in your chest called the ribs.
Movement - Through the individual bones are hard, several can move at places
where they are joined to other bones. Due to this, you can move your arms, legs,
fingers and many other parts of your body.
Making Blood cells - Bones are hard from the outside, but they are soft and
spongy inside. The inside of bones contains a soft substance called bone
marrow. All the blood cells are made in the bone marrow.
The skeletal system consists of bones and cartilages. While bones are hard to
structure, the cartilages are soft and elastic and can be easily bent. Cartilage is
located in the ear lobe and nose.
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Human Body
Try and learn
1. Is it possible for a single cell to perform all
the necessary activities for life? If yes, in
what kind of organisms?
2. The brain belongs to which organ system?
Ans-1: Yes, unicellular Ans-2: Nervous system
D. Structure of the Human Skeleton
The human Skeleton has four basic parts –
(a) The skull, (b) The backbone or spine Figure 3 skull
(c) The ribs and (d) The limbs.
(a) The skull
The skull is the bony structure that surrounds and protects your brain. It
contains holes for our ears, eyes, nose and mouth. The upper part is made up of
8 flat bones joined together. The face and jaw contain 14 bones. Your teeth are
fixed to the jawbones. The lower jaw bone is the only movable bone present in
our skull. It helps you to chew your food and talk.
Did you know?
The only bone in the human body not
connected to another is the hyoid, a V
shaped bone located at the base of the
tongue.
Did you know?
The skull is made up of 22 different bones which
grow together during childhood.
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(b) The backbone or spine
Press and move your fingers along the centre of the back of a friend. Can you feel
a long hard bony structure which is not very smooth? This is the backbone. It is
not at all smooth because it is made up of a number of small bones.
The backbone consists of 33 small bones called vertebrae. The vertebrae are
joined to each other.
The joints allow slight movement of the vertebrae. Due to this, you can bend and
twist your back. The backbone is attached to the base of the skull. It forms the
central supporting rod for the Skeleton. Each vertebra has a hole in it. The spinal
cord is very delicate, which passes through these holes. Thus, the backbone
protects the spinal cord.
Another name for the spinal cord is the spine or the vertebral column.
The first 24 vertebrae are joined serially by elastic-
like cartilages. The five vertebrae of the hip are
fused and inseparable. 4 vertebrae of the tail are
also fused.
The backbone has five regions. Starting from the
top, these regions are
• Neck
• Chest
• Belly
• Hip
• Tail
Did you know?
The Tail bone known as Coccyx gets its
name from resembling the beak of a
cuckoo bird
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Mental floss!
Bones can be photographed by X-rays,
because X-rays cannot pass through bones.
Doctors use such photographs to examine
fractures.
Fig 4: Fractured leg
(c)The Rib cage
The chest bone forms a cone-shaped bony cage. The elliptical bones of the cage
are called ribs. The ribs are thin, flat, curved bones that form a protected cage
around the organs in the upper part of the body. This is called the rib cage.
The rib cage consists of 24 bones arranged in 12 pairs. All of
them are joined to the breastbone in front. The last two pairs
that are not joined to the breastbone are called floating ribs.
A ribcage protects parts of the stomach and the kidneys,
heart and lungs.
Fig 5: The rib
cage (e)The Limbs(arms and legs)
Nearly half of your bones are in your hands, wrists,
feet and ankles. The leg bones include the thigh,
lower leg, ankle, foot and toes. Legs enable us to
stand, walk, run and play.
The longest bone of your body is the thigh bone
Fig 6: Collarbone & shoulder
blade or the femur. The lower half of the leg has a long
shinbone and calf bone. The ankles and the feet
have a number of small bones.
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For people with a flat foot, the bones are not arched. Some people with flat foot
feel pain.
The upper arm has one long bone called the humerus. The lower arm has two
long bones. The wrist and hands have several bones.
Fig 7: leg bones Fig 8: Bones present in arm
Formation of Skeleton
Our Skeleton starts forming as soft and plastic pieces of cartilage during the
development of a foetus. Some of this cartilage during the course of time change
to bones.
The deposition of calcium and phosphorous makes the bones hard and
strong. At the time of birth, the bones are soft, becomes harder as we grow and
become brittle in old age.
For healthy bones, we need phosphorous, proteins, and vitamins should be taken.
Our diet, therefore, must contain milk, milk products, meat, eggs, wholegrain,
beans, leafy vegetables, nuts, ragi, etc.
The long bones, such as thigh bones, upper arm bones, have bone marrow inside
them. The soft spongy material present inside the bone is called bone marrow.
Bone marrow produces red blood cells and some white blood cells.
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Chapter 1
Human Body
Did you know?
Did you know?
You get a new Skeletal system every 10
years . Bone Cells are constantly renewed Humans and Giraffe have same amount
and a new skeleton is ready every 10 years of bones in their necks.
1. Which joint allows a greater movement- a
hinge joint or ball and socket joint?
[Link] which part of the skeletal system are almost
all bones immovable?
Do all animals have bones?
Bones are present only in animals having a
backbone. All animals do not have bones in
their skeletal system.
For example,
The skeleton of a shark is made of only
Ans-1 Ball and Socket
Ans-2 Skull
Try and learn
1. Do all animals have bones? Give examples
2. Do the following have endoskeleton or exoskeleton?
Human, crab, cockroach
Ans-1 No, worms, insects
Ans-2 Human- Endoskeleton
Crab- Exoskeleton
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Chapter 1
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Cockroach- Exoskeleton
Human digestive system
Humans come under the category of omnivore animals. We have a digestive
system that is a combination of many other main and supporting organs. They
also help in the digestion of the ingested food on
different levels.
The food passes through a continuous canal that
begins at the mouth and ends at the anus. It is
divided into:
(1) The mouth(the opening leads to the buccal
cavity)
(2) Food-pipe or oesophagus
(3) Stomach
(4) Small intestine
(5) Large intestine ending in the rectum Fig. Human Digestive System
(6) Anus.
Our body performs nutrition steps inside a long tube, coiled in some places called
the gut or alimentary canal. Its main parts are the mouth, food pipe or
oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine ending in the rectum and
anus.
The salivary gland, liver, gall bladder and pancreas are
the organs that secrete digestive juices that help
convert complex substances in food to simpler
substances. Digestive juices are also secreted by the
inner walls of the stomach and the small intestine.
fig 6: Human digestive system
Digestion in mouth
Food is taken in through the mouth. Digestion begins inside your mouth when
you chew the food.
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Chapter 1
Human Body
Think about your favourite food. Does your mouth water?
The water in your mouth is a digestive juice called saliva. It is secreted by three
pairs of salivary glands in your mouth which opens into the buccal cavity.
Chewing breaks the food into small pieces and mixes it with saliva. This process
is called mastication.
Teeth – A child has only 20 teeth-10 in each jaw.
These are known as milk teeth. They fall off by
the age of ten and are replaced by
larger permanent teeth. This set contains 32
teeth, 16 in each jaw. There are 4 incisors, 2
canines, 4 premolars and 6 molars in each
fig 7: Types of teeth
jaw.
• Your front teeth are known as incisors. These are chisel-shaped and are used
for biting and cutting.
• Next to the incisors are the canines. Canines are pointed and are used for
piercing and tearing pieces of food such as meat.
• The teeth present at the back of your mouth are broad with an almost flat
surface. These crush and grind the food. These are called premolars and
molars. Molars are larger than premolars.
The white substance which covers our teeth is
called enamel. It is the hardest substance in the
body.
The saliva released by the salivary gland in our
mouth helps to break down starch into sugars
which is a simple form of carbohydrates and
easier to digest. It also makes food easier to
swallow by making it wet and slippery.
The tongue pushes food towards the teeth. It
also helps to mix the food with saliva and then
Fig 8: three pairs of salivary glands
enables you to swallow it.
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The tongue does another job too. Small
taste buds are spread across its surface.
Each taste bud can detect all tastes- sweet,
salty, sour and bitter. The tongue also helps
us to speak.
Digestion in stomach fig 9: Tongue
After the bolus is swallowed, it slides down the
pharynx into the oesophagus (food pipe).
The oesophagus leads from the mouth to
the stomach.
Oesophageal muscles gently push food
down to your stomach in a wave-like action
called peristalsis movement.
Peristalsis, movement takes place
throughout the food pipe to push the food
forward in the body. fig 10: Peristalsis movement
Stomach - is a J-shaped bag and lined by cells that secrete digestive juices and
muscles. It can hold up to two litres of food at a time.
Food stays in the stomach from a few minutes to a few
hours, depending on the type of food consumed
The stomach muscles squeeze and mix the food with
digestive juices. The digestive juices break down
proteins into simpler substances. Thus, food gets fig 11: Stomach
partly digested in the stomach. Then it enters into the small intestine, where
most of the digestion occurs.
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Mental floss!
The Story of the stomach with a hole
On 6th June 1822, a man called Alexis St Martin was accidentally shot in the stomach. He
was treated by an American doctor, William Beaumont. Martin survived but with a hole in
his stomach that never completely healed. Dr Beaumont recognized this as a unique
opportunity to observe digestive processes.
The experiment was mainly conducted by inserting a piece of food tied to a string through
the hole into Martin's stomach. Every few hours, Dr Beaumont would remove the food and
observe how well it had been digested. He observed that the food was being churned in the
stomach.
Digestion in the small intestine
As the food leaves the stomach, little by little, it enters a long winding tube
below it called the small intestine. The last step of digestion takes place here.
The muscle in the small intestine helps to mix the food with more digestive
juices. Some juices are also secreted by the cells of the small intestine itself.
Digestive juices are poured by the liver, which is the largest gland in the body
and the pancreas located just below the
stomach.
The liver secretes a juice called bile which is
stored in the gall bladder. The bile breaks
the fats into tiny droplets that can be
digested more easily by enzymes and
absorbed by the body.
The digestive juices act on the tiny droplets Fig 12: Liver- largest gland
to form simpler substances known as fatty
acids and glycerol. The pancreas secretes the pancreatic juice, which changes
starch into simple sugars and proteins into simpler compounds called amino
acids.
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Absorption in the small intestine
The digested food is absorbed by the
longest area of the body, called the small
intestine. The absorption of food occurs
through thousands of small fingers like
projections in the small intestine's inner
wall called villi. It increases the surface
area for the rapid absorption of food.
fig 13: Villi
Assimilation
The food which is absorbed into the blood is transported to different parts of the
human body. It is also used to provide energy and materials for the growth and
repair of body tissues.
This is the final stage in the process of nutrition and is known as assimilation.
Glucose (the simplest unit of carbohydrate)is broken down in the cells with
oxygen in carbon dioxide and water to provide energy.
Amino acids (the simplest unit of proteins) are used for building and repairing
body parts. Fatty acids and glycerol (simplest unit of fats) are stored under the
skin, and they act as an energy reserve.
Mental floss!
The small intestine(7ms long) is smaller in diameter but longer in length than the large
intestine, which is 1.5 meters long.
Egestion
Not all the food we eat is digested and absorbed. The food that cannot be
digested moves from the small intestine into the large intestine tube. Here the
water is absorbed from the food.
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The waste food is now almost solid and is stored in the last part of the large
intestine called the rectum. It is then passing out of the body through the anus.
Sometimes a food chunk may get into the trachea instead of food pipe leading to a bout of
coughing. This is the natural way of removing the food chunk from the trachea. If it does
not remove the food, the person can get choke. It occurs when a person speaks while
swallowing.
1. In which two organs do digestion of food in humans mainly occur?
2. In what way does the basic structure of a cow's stomach differ from the
stomach of a human?
Ans.1 Stomach and Small intestine
Ans.2 In cows, the stomach has four chambers, and in humans, it's a single
chamber. The digestion in cows takes place in two steps.
Bird’s-eye view
• All living organism on this earth planet is made up of cells.
• Cells make up tissues; tissues make up organs; organs make up organ
system; organ system makes up the human body.
• The human body's main organ systems are :
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• [Link]
• 2. muscular
• 3. circulatory
• 4. nervous
• 5. respiratory
• 6. digestive
• 7. excretory
• [Link].
• The Skeleton provides support and protection, helps in the movements and
makes blood cells.
• The human skeleton can be divided into four main parts- skull, backbone, ribs
and limbs.
• The main types of joints in the body that allow movement are hinge
joints(e.g. elbow), ball and socket joint (e.g. shoulder), pivot joint(e.g. neck)
and gliding joint (e.g. ankle)
• Muscles pull at bones to make them move at the joints.
• An earthworm moves by expanding and contracting its body muscles.
• A fish moves by moving its tail fin in a zig-zag pattern.
• A snake moves by curving its body into many loops, each loop pushing
against the ground.
Solved examples
1. The human skeleton consists of
(a)200 bones (b) 206 bones
(c) 300 bones (d) 306 bones
Ans- b
2. The rib cage protects the
(a)kidneys (b) stomach
(c) lungs (d) intestines
Ans-c
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3. Worms do not have bones. True/ false
Ans- T
4. The teeth are a part of _____ system
Ans- digestive
5. What are the functions of the spine?
Ans- It allows movement, due to which we can be bend easily.
6. Connecting bands by which muscles are joined to the bones
Ans- tendons
7. Following are the functions of the Human Skeleton.
• Support - Your body has a number of soft organs and muscles.
• Protection- The brain is protected by the skull, the heart and lungs by the
long thin bones in your chest called the ribs.
• Movement of several bones
• Making blood cells in the bone marrow.
Multiple Choice Type (Each carries one mark)
1. Which of the following organ system is different in males and females?
(a) Digestive system (b) Excretory system
(c) Muscular system (d) Reproductive System
2. Which of the following is not an organ system?
(a) Liver (b) Respiratory
(c) Digestive (d) Excretory
3. Which of the following has less number of movable joints?
(a) Legs and feet (b) Skull
(c) Arms and hands (d) Backbone
4. The two bones are joined by
(a) Ligament (b) Cartilage
(c) Tendons (d) Bone marrow
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5. The structure that protects the main nerve cord is
(a) Skull (b) Backbone
(c) Chest bone (d) Breastbone
6. The hinge joints allow movement of an elbow in
(a) Every direction
(b) One plane only
(c) Two planes only
(d) Depends on where the joint is located
7. The joint in the skull is a
(a) Gliding joint (b) Ball-socket joint
(c) Fixed joint (d) Hinge joint
Very Short Answer Type (Each carries one mark)
1. All living organisms present on this earth planet are made up of a number of
cells. True/ false
2. Part of the bony Skeleton is not as hard as bones and can be bent.
3. When an organism moves from one place to another.
4. A child has more bone in the body than an adult. True/ False
5. Name two organs protected by the ribcage.
6. The longest bone present in the human body.
7. Do animals have the backbone? What are they known as?
8. What is the shape that fish, birds, aeroplanes and ships have that reduces air/
water resistance?
9. What type of joint is between the shoulder and the upper arm.
10. Worms do not have bones. True/ False
Short Answer Type (Each carries two or three marks)
1. How does locomotion differ from movement?
2. What is a tissue?
3. What is bone marrow? Write its two functions.
4. Which fin present in the fish helps it to move?
5. List two adaptations in birds that help them to fly.
6. What is meant by joints in our body?
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7. What is the function of biceps and triceps?
Long Answer Type (Each carries four marks)
1. Mention the functions of the skeletal system.
2. How do birds fly?
3. Write the difference between a normal foot and a flat foot?
4. Describe the structure or the backbone of a human body with a labelled
diagram.
5. What is the difference between the endoskeleton and exoskeleton?
6. How can you classify joints based on the extent of movement they allow?
1. Match the following
a. Skull. 1 ball and socket joint
b. Ribs 2 Immovable joint
c. Shoulder 3 Gliding joint
d. Vertebrae 4 Protect heart
e. Ankle 5 Slightly movable joint
[Link] and false
a. The vertebral column of humans is made up of cartilage
b. The knee is protected by a knee cap
c. Earthworm moves with the help of its foot muscles.
d. Birds have bones with air cavities in them.
e. The cartilage is harder than bones.
f. Ten pair of ribs are attached to the breastbone
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3. Fill in the blanks
a. Birds have _____ muscles, and _____ help them to fly.
b. The earthworm has two sets of muscles _______ and _______, that help in its
movement.
c. The human backbone is made up of bones called ________.
d. In cockroach _______ help in walking and ______ muscles help the movement of
wings.
4. Give one word of the following
a. Tissues in which blood cells are formed
b. The longest bone in the body
c. Another name for backbone
d. Joints present in between the vertebrae
e. Flexible tissue present in the nose
f. Kind of joint between the upper leg and hip girdle.
1. Reema noticed that a child has 300 bones, whereas an adult growing up
bigger in size has only 206 bones?
2. Some people suffer from pain in the joints. Find out the reasons for the
painful joints. How can they be cured?
3. Fish move by using their side fins as oars. Do you agree?\
[Link] are X-rays used for examining any fracture/ dislocation in bones?
[Link] the bone in the human body, which is not connected to any other bone.
Where is this bone located in the body?
[Link] are artificial joints and limbs? Give suitable examples.
[Link] Puzzle
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6
J 7
M
1
L4 5
C M
8
P
2
T C
3
L
C
Across
1. Movement of an organism bodily from one place to another. (10)
2. The extensor muscle of the arm( 6)
3. A soft shock absorber that reduces friction between the bones (9)
Down
1. Strong, flexible bands of connective tissue holding the bones together. (9)
2. A zipper-like fixed joint. (7)
3. Location where two or more bones meet. (5)
4. Change in the position of any part of the body. (8)
5. The disk-like knee cap. (6)
Label the given skeletal system
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MCQ
1. D
2. A
3. B
4. A
5. B
6. B
7. C
VSA
1.F
2. Cartilage
[Link]
4.T
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5. Heart and Lungs
6. Femur
[Link]
8. Streamlined body
9. Ball and socket
10.T
Match the columns
a-2
b-4
c-1
d-5
e-3
True or false
a F, b T, c F, d T, e F, f T
Fill in the blanks
a- Strong, wings
b- Circular, longitudinal
c- Vertebrae
d- Leg muscle, breast
Give one word of the following
a. Bone marrow
b. Thighbone
c. Vertebral column
d. Slightly movable joints
e. Cartilage
f. Ball and socket joint
Crossword
Across
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Chapter 1
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1 Locomotion
2 Triceps
3 cartilage
Down
4 Ligaments
5 Cranium
6 Joints
7 Movement
8 Patella
Answer
THE END
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