SCIENCE – Class X (Half-Yearly Examination 2025–26)
ANSWER KEY
Section – A (Biology)
1) Carbon dioxide.
2) Spinal cord.
3) A – Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
4) Carbon dioxide and water.
5) By (i) ultrafiltration in the glomerulus/Bowman’s capsule, (ii) selective reabsorption of
useful substances in the tubules, and (iii) tubular secretion of wastes; the filtrate finally
becomes urine and passes to the collecting duct.
6) Autotrophic: organisms make their own food from CO₂ and H₂O using sunlight (e.g.,
green plants). Heterotrophic: organisms obtain food from others (e.g., humans, fungi).
7) Diagram to be drawn with labels: dendrites, cell body, axon, axon terminals/synapse,
myelin (if shown). Nerve impulse travels dendrite → cell body → along axon; at synapse,
neurotransmitters carry the signal to the next neuron.
8) O₂: transported mainly as oxyhaemoglobin in RBCs; a little dissolved in plasma. CO₂:
mostly as bicarbonate ions (HCO₃⁻) in plasma, some as carbaminohaemoglobin, and a
little dissolved in plasma.
9) Reflex arc: receptor → sensory neuron → spinal cord (relay) → motor neuron →
effector (muscle/gland). Diagram showing pathway; action rapid and involuntary.
10) Trophic level = position in a food chain (producer, primary consumer, etc.). Example
food chain: Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Hawk (labels of TLs).
11) (a) Nephron: Bowman’s capsule + glomerulus (filtration); proximal/distal tubules and
loop of Henle (reabsorption/secretion); collecting duct (urine). OR (b) Plant coordination:
Auxin causes phototropism (shoot bends toward light); thigmotropism in tendrils via
differential growth; chemical regulators (auxin, gibberellin, etc.).
Section – B (Chemistry)
12) B. Fe + CuSO₄ → FeSO₄ + Cu (displacement).
13) B. NaHCO₃ (baking soda).
14) C. A is true but R is false (HCl is an acid, not a base).
15) Zn + H₂SO₄ (dil.) → ZnSO₄ + H₂ ↑ (balanced).
16) (a) Silver reacts with sulphur compounds in air forming black Ag₂S (tarnish). (b)
Magnesium ribbon has an oxide layer; cleaning exposes fresh Mg for proper burning.
17) Any two chemical differences: (i) Acids turn blue litmus red; bases turn red litmus
blue. (ii) Acids react with metals to give H₂; bases generally do not. (iii) Acids react with
bases to form salt + water; bases neutralise acids.
18) Combination reaction: two/more substances combine to form one product; e.g., CaO
+ H₂O → Ca(OH)₂.
19) (a) CO₂. (b) Pass through limewater; it turns milky due to CaCO₃ formation.
20) For sulphide ores (medium reactivity): concentration → roasting to oxide →
reduction (e.g., with carbon/CO) → refining (electrolytic). Example: ZnS → (roasting)
ZnO → (reduction) Zn.
21) Activity: Add HCl to water in a test tube; test with blue litmus/methyl orange—blue
litmus turns red; methyl orange turns red—showing acidity.
22) Zinc is above copper in the reactivity series; Zn displaces Cu from CuSO₄, but Cu
cannot displace Zn from ZnSO₄.
23) (a) Neutralisation: NaOH + HCl → NaCl + H₂O. OR (b) Rusting of iron requires
moisture and oxygen; electrochemical process forming hydrated iron(III) oxide; labelled
sketch of anodic/cathodic areas and rust layer.
Section – C (Physics)
24) B. Between focus and pole.
25) Atmospheric refraction (through turbulent layers of air).
26) C. A is true but R is false (convex mirror diverges rays).
27) (i) Incident ray, reflected ray, and the normal at the point of incidence lie in the same
plane. (ii) Angle of incidence = angle of reflection.
28) Refractive index n = c/v; ratio of speed of light in vacuum to that in the medium.
29) Ray diagram: object between F and O of convex lens gives a virtual, erect, magnified
image on the same side as the object.
30) Rayleigh scattering: shorter wavelengths (blue) scatter more → blue sky; at
sunrise/sunset, longer path removes blues so predominantly red/orange light reaches the
eye.
31) Place the object at C (2F) i.e., 40 cm from the mirror (f = 20 cm). Image at C, real,
inverted, same size. Include ray diagram.
32) Myopia (short-sightedness): image forms in front of retina due to long eyeball/too
much curvature; corrected by a concave (diverging) lens of suitable power.
33) Prism diagram showing refraction at both faces and angle of deviation (δ) marked.
34) u = −20 cm, f = +10 cm. 1/f = 1/v − 1/u ⇒ 1/10 = 1/v + 1/20 ⇒ 1/v = 1/20 ⇒ v = +20
cm. Magnification m = v/u = 20/(−20) = −1; image real, inverted, same size (5 cm).
35) Rainbow forms by dispersion, internal reflection and refraction of sunlight in
raindrops; VIBGYOR sequence; diagram.
36) (a) Dispersion: splitting of white light into constituent colours. (b) Example:
Rainbow.
37) (a) Red has longest wavelength → least scattered; visible from far. (b) Planets have
appreciable angular size (disks) so scintillations average out; stars are point sources so
twinkle.
38) It retraces its path along the same line (passes through the centre of curvature).
39) (a) Snell’s Law: n₁ sin i = n₂ sin r. OR (b) Human eye diagram with labels: cornea,
pupil, lens, retina, optic nerve.