OUR ENVIRONMENT Class 10
OUR ENVIRONMENT
VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS [1 Mark]
1. What will happen if we kill all the organisms in one trophic level?
Answer. If we kill all the organisms in one trophic level, the following effects will take place:
- The population of organisms in previous trophic level will increase.
- The organisms in next trophic level will not be able to get the food, so they will migrate to
some other ecosystem or die.
- It will cause an ecological imbalance in the food chain.
2. Why did United Nations act to control the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used
in refrigerators?
Answer. CFCs deplete the ozone layer around the earth, hence their production is controlled by
United Nations.
3. Which compounds are responsible for the depletion of ozone layer?
Answer. The compounds responsible for the depletion of ozone layer are chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs).
4. Define ‘trophic level’.
Answer. Trophic level is the position that an organism occupies in a food chain, where transfer of
food or energy takes place.
5. What are the various steps in a food chain called?
Answer. The various steps in a food chain are called trophic levels.
6. What is the important function of presence of ozone in earth’s atmosphere?
Answer. The important function of presence of ozone in earth’s atmosphere is that it shields the
surface of the earth from ultraviolet (UV) radiations of the sun.
7. Give an example to illustrate that indiscriminate use of pesticides may result-in the
degradation of the environment.
Answer. The pesticides used in crop field are washed down into the water bodies. From water
bodies, these are absorbed by aquatic plants and animals of a food chain and thereby degrades the
environment.
8. Why is it necessary to conserve our environment?
Answer. It is necessary to conserve our environment to prevent depletion of natural resources and
environmental damage, thereby sustaining life.
9. What is meant by a biodegradable waste?
Answer. Biodegradable wastes are those substances which are broken down into simpler,
harmless substances in nature in due course of time by the biological processes such as action of
micro organisms like certain bacteria.
Examples: Urine and faecal matter, sewage, agricultural residue, paper, wood, cloth and cattle
dung.
10. What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem?
Answer. Role of decomposers in the environment:
- They return the nutrients to the nutrient pool.
- They help in completing the different bio-geochemical cycles, thus they maintain the
balance in the ecosystem.
11. What step is being taken to limit the damage to the ozone layer?
Answer.
Judicious use of aerosol spray propellants such as fluorocarbon and chlorofluorocarbons
which cause depletion or hole in ozone layer.
Control over large scale nuclear explosions and limited use of supersonic planes.
12. Why are some substances non- biodegradable?
Answer. Some substances are non-biodegradable because they cannot be broken down into
simpler harmless substances in nature.
13. Which class of chemicals is linked to the decrease in the amount of ozone in the upper
atmosphere of the earth?
Answer. The chemical compound Chlorofluorocarbon is responsible for decrease of ozone in the
upper atmosphere of the earth.
14. Name two decomposers operating in our ecosystem.
Answer. Bacteria and fungi.
15. Select two non-biodegradable substances from the following waste generated in a kitchen:
spoilt food, paper bags, milk bags, vegetable peels, tin cans, used tea leaves.
Answer. Milk bags and tin cans.
16. What happens when higher energy ultraviolet radiations act on the oxygen at the higher
level of the atmosphere?
Answer. When high energy ultraviolet radiations act on oxygen, ozone is produced.
17. In a food chain, 10,000 joules of energy is available to the producer. How much energy will
be available to the secondary consumer to transfer it to the tertiary consumer?
Answer. 100 J will be available to the secondary consumer to transfer to the tertiary consumer.
18. Write the name and formula of a molecule made up of three atoms of oxygen.
Answer. Ozone and its chemical formula is O3.
19. List two man-made ecosystems.
Answer. Garden and Pond are man-made ecosystems.
20. Consider the following food chain which occurs in a forest: Grass -> Deer -> Lion
If 10000 J of solar energy is available to the grass, how much energy would be available to
the deer to transfer it to the lion?
Answer. 10 J energy would be available to deer to transfer to lion.
21. Which of the following belong to the first trophic level of a food chain? Grass, Grasshopper,
Plants, Rat, Tiger
Answer. Grass and plants belong to the 1st trophic level of a food chain.
22. Name the phenomenon in which non-biodegradable chemicals get accumulated
progressively at each trophic level of a food chain.
Answer. Biological magnification.
23. How is the increase in demand for energy affecting our environment adversely?
Answer. The increase in demand for energy affects our environment adversely. Due to this
increase, pollutants like CO,C02 , S02, etc., are released in to the atmosphere which leads to
greenhouse effect.
24. Why is ozone layer getting depleted at the higher levels of the atmosphere?
Answer. Ozone layer is getting depleted at the higher levels of the atmosphere due to effect of
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which are used as refrigerants and in fire extinguishers.
25. Name any two abiotic components of an environment.
Answer. Two abiotic components of an environment are temperature and rainfall.
26. What are the two main components of our environment?
Answer. The two main components of our environment are the biotic or living components and
abiotic or non-living components.
27. Why are green plants called ‘producers’?
Answer. Green plants are called ‘producers’ because they can produce food by photosynthesis in the presence of sunlight
28. Which disease is caused in human beings due to depletion of ozone layer in the atmosphere?
Answer. Skin cancer is caused in human beings due to the depletion of ozone layer in the
atmosphere.
29. Why should biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes be discarded in two separate
dustbins?
Answer. Biodegradable materials are brokendown by microorganisms in nature into simple
harmless substances. Non-biodegradable materials need a different treatment like heat and
temperature and hence these should be discarded in separate bins.
30. List two natural ecosystems.
Answer. Two natural ecosystems are forest and river.
31. List two biotic components of a biosphere.
Answer. Two biotic components of a biosphere are plants and animals.
32. What will be the amount of energy available to the organism of the 2nd trophic level of a
food chain, if the energy available at the first trophic level is 10,000 joules?
Answer. 100 Joules of energy will be available to the organism of the 2nd trophic level.
33. The following organisms form a food chain. Which of these will have the highest
concentration of non-biodegradable chemicals? Name the phenomenon associated with it.
Insects, Hawk, Grass, Snake, Frog.
Answer. Hawk will have highest concentration of non-biodegradable chemicals. The
phenomenon is called biomagnification.
34. List two criteria of measuring the biodiversity of an area.
Answer. One measure of the biodiversity of an area is the number of species found there.
Secondly, the range of different life forms is also important.
35. The first trophic level in a food chain is always a green plant. Why?
Answer. Only green plants can make their own food from sunlight. Green plants therefore,
always occupy the 1st trophic level in a food chain.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS [I] [2,3 Marks]
- It clogs drains.
- It causes water and soil pollution.
39. Construct an aquatic food chain showing four trophic levels.
Answer. Food chain in aquatic ecosystem:
40. Explain ‘biological magnification’ with the help of an example.
Answer. Pesticides used in crops are washed down .into the soil. From soil these are absorbed by
plants along with water and minerals and thus, they enter the food chain. While consuming the
crops, human beings also consume these pesticides which get accumulated in our bodies. This
phenomenon is known as biological magnification.
41. Describe how decomposers facilitate recycling of matter in order to maintain balance in the
ecosystem.
Answer. Decomposers are micro organisms that obtain energy from the chemical breakdown of
dead organisms of animals or plants. These micro organisms breakdown the complex organic
substances of dead organisms into simple inorganic substances that go into the soil and are used
up once more by the plants. Decomposers thus, help in recycling of matter.
42. What is biodiversity? What will happen if biodiversity of an area is not preserved? Mention
one effect of it.
Answer. Biodiversity is the existence of a wide variety of species of plants, animals and
microorganisms in a natural habitat within a particular environment or existence of genetic
variation within a species. Biodiversity of an area is the number of species or range of different
life forms found there. Forests are ‘biodiversity hotspots’.
Every living being is dependent on another living being. It is a chain. If biodiversity is not
maintained, the links of the chain go missing. If one organism goes missing, this will affect all the
living beings who are dependent on it.
43. What is meant by biodiversity? List two advantages of conserving forests and wildlife.
Answer. Biodiversity is the existence of a wide variety of species of plants, animals and
microorganisms in a natural habitat within a particular environment.
Two reasons each of conserving:
(a) Forest
(i) It helps in retaining the sub-soil water.
(ii) It checks flood.
(b) Wildlife
(i) To maintain ecological equilibrium.
(ii) To protect the nature.
44. Why we say energy flow in the biosphere is unidirectional?
Answer. The energy flow through different steps in the food chain is unidirectional. This means
that energy captured by autotrophs does not revert back to the solar input and it passes to the
herbivores, i.e. it moves progressively through various trophic levels. Thus, energy flow from the
sun through producers to consumers is in single direction only.
45. How can we help in reducing the problem of waste disposal? Give any two methods.
Answer. Problem of waste disposal can be solved by following methods:
(i) by disposing biodegradable and non-biodegradable waster separately.
(ii) by reusing materials as much as possible.
46. “Damage to the ozone layer is a cause for concern.” Justify this statement. Suggest any two
steps to limit this damage.
Answer. Ozone layer prevents the harmful ultraviolet radiation to enter the atmosphere and reach
the earth’s surface. Depletion of ozone layer has become a cause for concern because it can cause
serious effects on human body and other organisms of the environment like fatal diseases such as
skin cancer, changes in genetic material DNA, eye damage, etc.
Two steps to limit this damage are as follows:
- Judicious use of aerosol spray propellants such as fluorocarbon and chlorofluorocarbons which cause depletion or hole in ozone layer.
- Control over large scale nuclear explosions and limited use of supersonic planes.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS [5 MARKS]
- Decomposers feed, on the dead bodies of plants and animals. They return the simple components to soil and help in making the steady state of ecosystem by recycling of nutrients. They, therefore, create a balance in the environment.
- They also act as scavengers or cleansing agents of the atmosphere.
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