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CHAPTER
Life Processes
 NCERT Corner
1. Why is diffusion insufficient to meet the oxygen Heterotrophic Autotrophic
requirements of multicellular organisms like nutrition nutrition
humans?
(i) Organisms cannot Organisms use
Ans. In multicellular organisms such as humans, all make their own simple inorganic
the body cells are not in direct contact with the food from simple materials like carbon
external environment. Therefore, every cell of the
inorganic matter dioxide and water
body will not get enough oxygen as per need by
the process of diffusion as it is a slow process. and depend on and synthesise their
other organisms for food in presence of
2. What criteria do we use to decide whether
their food. sunlight.
something is alive?
(ii) All the animals, All green plants
Ans. There are some features of living organisms which
most of the and some algae
are used to decide whether something is alive or
not. These are as follows: bacteria and fungi shows this mode of
shows this mode of nutrition.
1. Movement
nutrition.
2. Growth
3. Metabolism 6. Where do plants get raw materials required for
the process of photosynthesis ?  (CBSE 2020)
4. Nutrition
Ans. (i) Carbon dioxide: It is obtained from atmosphere.
5. Respiration
(ii) Water: Plants absorb water from the soil through
6. Transportation roots and transport to leaves.
7. Excretion (iii) Sunlight: Sunlight comes from the sun.
3. What are outside raw materials used by an (iv) Chlorophyll: It is present in chloroplast found in
organism? green plants.
Ans. Oxygen, water, and food are examples of external raw 7. What is the role of the acid in our stomach ?
materials used by organisms.
Ans. Role of acid in the stomach is :
Plants obtain their raw materials from the environment
(i) to kill harmful bacteria that enter with food in body.
in the form of carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight.
(ii) to make acidic medium which is required for the
These are used to synthesize their food in the presence
activation of the enzyme pepsin.
of chlorophyll, a green color pigment.
(iii) it also help in digestion of proteins.
Animals use basic materials in the form of food,
water, and oxygen from the environment. 8. What is the function of digestive enzymes ?
4. What processes would you consider essential Ans. The food we eat is very complex in nature, because
for maintaining life ? it comprises of complex molecules. Digestive
Ans. The maintenance function of living organisms enzymes break down these complex molecules
must go on even when they are not doing anything into smaller simpler molecules, so that they can
particular. The various processes essential be easily absorbed by the walls of the intestine.
for maintaining life are nutrition, respiration, 9. How is the small intestine designed to absorb
transportation, excetion, control and coordination. digested food ?
In absence of any one of these, the life would
Ans. The small intestine has folds which increase
become difficult.
surface area. These folds have finger-like
5. What are the differences between autotrophic projections known as villi which further increases
nutrition and heterotrophic nutrition? surface area. The villi consist of many blood
Ans. Differences between autotrophic and heterotrophic vessels which takes the absorbed food to each and
nutrition are as follows: every cell of the body.

2 Class-X BIOLOGY PW
 10. What advantage over an aquatic organism 13. How is food transported in plants?
does a terrestrial organism have with regard Ans. The movement of food in phloem (or translocation)
to obtaining oxygen for respiration?
occurs by using energy. Food (sugar) made in
Ans. Aquatic organisms use oxygen dissolved in leaves is loaded into the sieve tubes of phloem
surrounding water. Since, air dissolved in water tissue by utilizing energy from ATP. Now, water
has fairly low concentration of oxygen, the aquatic
enters the sieve tubes containing sugar by the
organisms need to have higher rate of breathing.
process of osmosis. Because of this, the pressure
Terrestrial organisms acquire oxygen from the
in the phloem tissue increases. This high pressure
oxygen rich atmosphere through respiratory
organs. Hence, can work less with breathing rate generated in the phloem tissue moves the food to
than aquatic organisms. all parts of the plant having less pressure in their
tissues. This help the phloem to transport food
11. What are the different ways in which glucose is
according to the requirement of the plant.
oxidised to provide energy in various organisms?
14. How is oxygen and carbon dioxide transported
Ans. The first step of breakdown of glucose (6 carbon
in human beings?
molecule) occurs in the cytoplasm of cells of all
the organisms. This process yields a three carbon Ans.
molecule compound known as pyruvate. (i) Transport of carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide
is more soluble in water as compared to oxygen.
Further, breakdown of pyruvate takes place in
Therefore, it is mostly transported from body
many distinct ways in different organisms.
Absence of oxygen
tissues in dissolved form in our blood plasma to
Ethanol + CO2 + Energy
(in yeast) (2-carbon the lungs.
Molecule)
Glucose
In cytoplasm
Pyruvate
Lack of oxygen
Lactic acid (ii) Transport of oxygen: Haemoglobin present in
(6-carbon (6-carbon (3-carbon + Energy
Molecule) Molecule)
(in muscle cells)
Molecule) the blood takes up the oxygen from the air in the
+ energy
In presence of oxygen
CO2 + Water + Energy
lungs. It transports the oxygen to tissues which
(in mitochondria)
are deficient in oxygen before releasing it.
12. How are water and minerals transported in
15. How are the lungs designed in human
plants?
beings to maximise the area for exchange of
Ans. The roots of a plant consists of unicellular projections gases?
called root hair.
Ans. Within the lungs, the air passage differentiates
In plants, water and minerals are transported through into smaller tubes, known as bronchi which in
xylem cells from soil to the leaves. The xylem cells turn form bronchioles. The bronchioles terminates
of roots, stems and leaves are interconnected to form in balloon-like structures, known as alveoli.
a conducting channel that reaches all parts of the The alveoli present in the lungs give maximum
plant body. The root cells take ions from the soil. surface area for exchange of gases. The alveoli
This creates a difference between the concentration are thin walled. They form an extensive network
of ions present in roots and soil. Therefore, there of blood vessels to allow exchange of gases.
is a steady movement of water into the xylem. An 16. What are the components of the transport
osmotic pressure builds up, there is a movement of system in human beings? What are the
water and minerals from one cell to the other cell due functions of these components ?
to osmosis. The continuous loss of water takes place Ans. The transport system (circulatory system) in
due to transpiration. Transpiration creates a suction human beings mainly comprises of heart, blood
pressure as a result of which water is forced into the and blood vessels.
xylem cells of roots. The effect of root pressure for (i) Function of blood vessels: The blood pumped
transportation in plants is more important at night by the heart flows through the blood vessels
while during daytime transpiration pull becomes the (arteries, veins and capillaries) and also comes
major driving force. back to the heart through them.

Life Processes 3
 (ii) Function of heart: The heart receives in animals that have high energy requirement.
deoxygenated blood from the various body parts Mammals and birds constantly require oxygen
and transport it to lungs to enrich it with oxygen. to obtain energy to maintain their constant body
It receives purified blood from lungs and pumps
it to all the body parts. temperature.
(iii) Function of blood: Blood transports oxygen, 18. What are the components of the transport
digested food, carbon dioxide, hormones and system in highly organised plants?
nitrogenous waste such as urea. It also protects Ans. In highly organised plants, there are two
the body from diseases and regulates the body
conducting tissues namely xylem and phloem.
temperature.
Xylem consists of vessels, tracheids and other
17. Why is it necessary to separate oxygenated xylem tissues. The interconnected vessels and
and deoxygenated blood in mammals and tracheids form a continuous system of water
birds? conducting channels reaching all region of the
Ans. Separation of oxygenated and deoxygenated plant. Xylem carries water and minerals.
blood allows enough supply of oxygen to the Phloem transport soluble products of
body as it avoids mixing of the oxygenated photosynthesis from leaves to different area of
and deoxygenated blood. This system is useful the plant body.

4 Class-X BIOLOGY PW
 NCERT Exercise
1. The kidneys in human beings are a part of the Saliva also moistens the food that help in chewing
system for: and breaking down the larger pieces of food into
(a) nutrition (b) respiration
smaller ones.
(c) excretion (d) transportation
7. What are the necessary conditions for autotrophic
Ans. (c)
nutrition and what are its by-products?
2. The xylem in plants are responsible for:
(a) transport of water Ans. The most essential conditions for autotrophic
(b) transport of food nutrition are:
(c) transport of amino acids (i) Sufficient sunlight.
(d) transport of oxygen
(ii) Sufficient supply of carbon dioxide.
Ans. (a)
(iii) Presence of chlorophyll.
3. The autotrophic mode of nutrition requires:
(iv) Sufficient transport of water to green plants or cells
(a) carbon dioxide and water
of the plant.
(b) chlorophyll
(c) sunlight Carbohydrates and oxygen are the by-products of
(d) All of the above autotrophic nutrition.
Ans. (d) 8. What are the differences between aerobic and
4. The breakdown of pyruvate to give carbon anaerobic respiration? Name some organisms
dioxide, water and energy occurs in ________.
that use the anaerobic mode of respiration.
(a) cytoplasm (b) mitochondria
(c) chloroplast (d) nucleus Ans. The differences between anaerobic and aerobic

Ans. (b) respiration are as follows:

5. How are fats digested in our bodies ? Where Anaerobic respiration Aerobic respiration
does this process take place ? It occurs in the absence It occurs in the presence
Ans. Digestion of fats occurs mainly in the small intestine. of oxygen. of oxygen.
Partial breakdown of Complete breakdown of
Bile juice produced by the liver enters in the small
food takes place. food take place.
intestine along with pancreatic juice. The bile salts
present in the bile juice emulsify the large globules Much less energy is
More energy is generated.
of fats into smaller globules to provide larger surface produced in anaerobic
(38 ATP)
area to act upon by the enzymes. respiration. (2 ATP)
The end products of The end products of
Pancreatic juice and intestinal juice has lipase
anaerobic respiration aerobic respiration are
enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of fats into
are carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide and
fatty acids and glycerol. ethanol (as in yeast) or water.
6. What is the role of saliva in the digestion of food? lactic acid (as in animal
Ans. Saliva has salivary amylase enzyme that converts muscles cells).
starch into sugars like maltose. Some organisms which use anaerobic mode of
Starch + Salivary amylase Maltose
(Complex Molecule) (Simpler Molecule) respiration are yeast, bacteria etc.

Life Processes 5
 9. How are the alveoli designed to maximise the Double circulation is very important in our body
exchange of gases ? as the right side and the left side of the human
Ans. heart are essential to separate deoxygenated and
oxygenated blood and prevents mixing. This type of
(i) Alveoli have balloon-like structure. Thus, provides
separation of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood
maximum surface area for exchange of gases.
ensures an efficient supply of oxygen to the body.
(ii) The alveoli are thin walled and have network of This is useful for humans as they constantly require
blood vessels to allow exchange of gases between energy to regulate their body temperature.
blood and the air filled in alveoli.
12. What are the differences between the transport
10. What would be the consequences of a deficiency of materials in xylem and phloem ?
of haemoglobin in our bodies?
Ans. The differences between the transport of materials
Ans. The oxygen carrying capacity of blood reduces due in xylem and phloem are given below:
to the deficiency of haemoglobin in blood. As a
result, the production of energy by oxidation will Phloem Xylem
become slower. Therefore, an individual can fall Phloem allow the transport Xylem transports water
sick and would feel fatigue and nausea. of prepared food material and dissolved minerals
11. Describe double circulation in human beings. from leaves to other regions from roots to leaves and
Why is it necessary? of plant in dissolved form other parts of the plants
Ans. In our heart, blood is circulated twice in a single bidirectionally. unidirectionally.
cycle. The deoxygenated blood from the body 13. Compare the functioning of alveoli in the lungs
is brought to the right atrium through vena cava and nephrons in the kidneys with respect to their
from where it is sent to right ventricle. From right structure and functioning.
ventricle, the blood is pumped to the lungs for
Ans.
oxygenation through pulmonary artery. Again, the
oxygenated blood from lungs enters the left atrium Nephron Alveoli
of the heart through pulmonary veins. From left A kidney has around 1 A mature lung has
atrium, it is carried to the left ventricle, from where million nephrons. around 300 million
this oxygenated blood is pumped to different parts alveoli.
of body through the aorta. Through this, the blood
Functional unit of Functional unit of
flows from the heart two times, and thus, it is called
kidney. lungs.
‘double circulation’.

6 Class-X BIOLOGY PW