NCERT Solutions Class 6 Science Chapter 2: Diversity in the Living World

Answers to Activities 2.1 to 2.10, the in-text questions and all 10 questions of “Let us enhance our learning” in Chapter 2, Diversity in the Living World, of Curiosity (Reprint 2026-27). The page numbers match the book. Many tasks are observations you make yourself, so the answers show sample entries; your own lists will differ. Short notes: Chapter 2 notes.

Activity 2.1: plants and animals around us (pages 10–12)

Table 2.1, with sample entries (the first two rows and part of the others are given in the book):

Plant	Stem	Leaves	Flowers	Other features
Common grass	Soft and thin	A single leaf grows alternately from different points on the stem	Not easily seen	Green leaves
Tulsi	Hard and thin	A pair of leaves in opposite directions	Pinkish purple	Strong smell when crushed
Hibiscus	Hard	Broad leaves with jagged edges, one at each point on the stem	Large, often red, five petals	Has a taproot
Neem	Hard and thick	Leaves with smooth surfaces	Small and white	A tall tree giving shade

Similarities and differences among the plants: all have stems, leaves and roots, and most have flowers. They differ in height; in whether the stem is hard or soft, thick or thin; in the shape and arrangement of leaves; and in the colour, shape and scent of their flowers.

Table 2.2, with sample entries:

Animal	Where it lives	Food	How it moves	Other features
Crow	Tree	Insects	Flies and walks	Carries a twig in its beak
Ant	Nest in soil, burrow	Leaves, seeds, insects	Walks	Has six legs
Cow	Shed and fields	Grasses, leaves	Walks	Four legs and two horns
Frog	Pond and nearby land	Insects	Hops and swims	Moist skin, long back legs
Fish	Pond or river	Small water plants and animals	Swims	Fins and a tail

Similarities and differences among the animals: some live on land, some on trees, some in water, and some, like frogs, both on land and in water. They eat different foods and move in different ways: walking, flying, hopping or swimming.

Activity 2.2: let us appreciate (page 13)

Answers will vary. The class usually draws many different plants (mango, rose, tulsi, banyan) and animals (dog, cat, cow, peacock, butterfly). Even so, there are many more kinds of plants and animals than a whole class can draw: this variety in a region is its biodiversity.

More examples of living things depending on each other (page 14)

• Birds build nests in trees and eat insects that feed on the leaves.
• Bees and butterflies drink nectar from flowers and carry pollen from flower to flower, which helps plants make fruits and seeds.
• Cows and goats eat grass, and their dung enriches the soil in which plants grow.
• Earthworms loosen the soil, which helps roots grow and take in water and air.

Grouping and Activity 2.3 (pages 14–15)

How would you arrange your books and notebooks? By subject (all Science books together), by type (textbooks and notebooks apart) or by size. Yes, grouping helps: you find what you need quickly and the bag stays organised.

Why do different groups use different bases? Each group picks a different common feature. Some group plants by height, others by the presence or absence of flowers or by hard or soft stems; animals may be grouped by what they eat, where they live, their colour or how they move. Every basis is correct if it is applied consistently.

Activity 2.4: herbs, shrubs and trees (pages 15–17)

Table 2.3, with three more plants:

Plant	Height	Stem	Branches start	Group
Mango	Tall	Brown, hard, thick	Higher up on the stem	Tree
Rose	Medium	Brown, hard, thin	Close to the ground	Shrub
Tomato	Short	Green, tender, thin	Close to the ground	Herb
Neem	Tall	Brown, hard, thick	Higher up on the stem	Tree
Hibiscus	Medium	Brown, hard, thin	Close to the ground	Shrub
Mint	Short	Green, tender, thin	Close to the ground	Herb

Differences among herbs, shrubs and trees: trees are tall with hard, thick, brown, woody stems branching high up; shrubs are of medium height with many hard, woody stems branching close to the ground; herbs are short with soft, green stems. So the height, the nature of the stem and where the branches start decide the group.

Activity 2.5: venation (page 17)

Differences between the veins in Fig. 2.4a and Fig. 2.4b: the hibiscus leaf has a thick middle vein with a net of smaller veins on both sides (reticulate venation); in the banana leaf, the veins run parallel to each other (parallel venation).

Can plants be grouped by venation? Yes: into plants with reticulate venation and plants with parallel venation.

Activity 2.6: roots (page 18)

Similarities and differences in the roots: all the roots hold the plant in the soil, but some plants have one thick main root with thin side roots, while others have a bunch of thin roots of similar size.

Fig. 2.5a and Fig. 2.5b: the mustard plant has a taproot, one main root with side roots; the grass has fibrous roots, similar thin roots growing from the base of the stem.

Other grasses in your collection? Grasses such as doob grass have fibrous roots too.

Activity 2.7: venation and roots (page 19)

Table 2.4, with sample entries:

Plant	Leaf venation	Roots
Lemongrass	Parallel	Fibrous
Marigold	Reticulate	Taproot
Sadabahar	Reticulate	Taproot
Maize	Parallel	Fibrous
Tulsi	Reticulate	Taproot

Is there a relation? Yes. Plants with reticulate venation have taproots, and plants with parallel venation have fibrous roots, generally. Chickpea (reticulate, taproot) and wheat (parallel, fibrous) follow the same rule.

Activity 2.8: seeds (page 20)

Are the chickpea and maize seeds similar? No. The soaked chickpea splits into two parts, two cotyledons; maize has a single thin cotyledon.

Relation between venation, roots and cotyledons: dicots (two cotyledons, like chickpea) have reticulate venation and a taproot; monocots (one cotyledon, like maize) have parallel venation and fibrous roots.

Activity 2.9: movement in animals (pages 21–22)

Table 2.5, completed with a few more animals:

Animal	Type of movement	Body parts used
Ant	Walks	Legs
Goat	Walks and jumps	Legs
Pigeon	Walks and flies	Legs and wings
Housefly	Walks and flies	Legs and wings
Fish	Swims	Fins (and tail)
Frog	Hops and swims	Legs
Snake	Crawls (slithers)	Whole body
Duck	Walks, swims and flies	Legs, webbed feet and wings

Conclusions: different animals move in different ways (they fly, run, crawl, walk, hop or jump, and swim) and use different body parts: legs, wings, fins or the whole body. Animals can be grouped by movement, for example into those that fly, those that swim and those that walk or crawl.

Activity 2.10: living things in different surroundings (pages 23–24)

Does movement depend on the surroundings? Yes. Fish live in water and swim with fins and streamlined bodies; goats live in grassy areas and walk with legs.

Table 2.6, with sample entries:

In the desert	On the mountains	In the ocean	In the forest
Camel	Deodar tree	Fish	Lion
Cactus	Yak	Whale	Tiger
Khejri tree	Rhododendron	Octopus	Elephant

Observations: the plants and animals of one kind of region are different from those of another. Biodiversity varies from region to region because the conditions differ, and living things have features that suit their region.

Camels and other adaptations (pages 25–26)

Differences between the two camels, and their advantages: the hot-desert camel has long legs and wide hooves, which keep it from sinking into sand, and one hump to store food. The cold-desert camel is shorter, with short legs for walking in mountainous regions, two humps that store food for the late winter, and long hair from head to neck for warmth.

Other features that help camels survive in the desert: they pass small amounts of urine, their dung is dry and they do not sweat, so they lose little water and can go many days without drinking. (Extra: their long eyelashes help keep sand out of their eyes.)

Habitats (pages 27–29)

What would happen if a habitat is damaged? The plants and animals lose their homes, food and other resources; many die or move away, and biodiversity is lost. A goat without grass would go hungry, and a fish cannot survive without water.

Plants and animals your elders saw more often as children: answers will vary. Many families mention house sparrows, vultures, fireflies or certain trees and wild flowers that are less common now.

Sacred groves in your region: answers depend on where you live. (Extra: sacred groves have local names, such as devrai in Maharashtra, kavu in Kerala, orans in Rajasthan and sarna in Jharkhand.)

Let us enhance our learning (pages 31–33)

1. Wheat and kidney beans: differences in roots and leaf venation

Wheat is a monocot: its plants have fibrous roots and leaves with parallel venation. Kidney bean (rajma) is a dicot: its plants have a taproot and leaves with reticulate venation.

2. Group the animals by habitat

• A, aquatic: dolphin, whale.
• B, terrestrial: horse, sheep, squirrel, earthworm, pigeon, tortoise.
• C, both: frog, crocodile.

A tortoise lives on land; its relatives the turtles spend much of their lives in water.

3. Radish: type of root and venation

A radish is a taproot: one thick main root (which stores food) with thin side roots. So its leaves would show reticulate venation.

4. Mountain goat and goat of the plains

Similarities: both have four legs with hooves, horns, a body covered with hair, and both eat plants.

Differences: the mountain goat has a very thick, long, shaggy white coat and sturdy legs and hooves for rocky slopes; the goat of the plains has a short, thin coat.

Reason: each is adapted to its habitat. The thick coat keeps the mountain goat warm in the cold, snowy mountains, and its sturdy legs help it climb; the plains are warmer, so a thin coat is enough.

5. Group the animals by another feature

Using the backbone, a feature not discussed in the chapter:

• Animals with a backbone: cow, pigeon, bat, tortoise, whale, fish, lizard.
• Animals without a backbone: cockroach, grasshopper.

Another way is by how the young are born: animals that give birth to young ones (cow, bat, whale) and animals that lay eggs (cockroach, pigeon, tortoise, fish, grasshopper, lizard).

6. Forests being cut down

Effects: animals and plants lose their habitats, so biodiversity is lost; wild animals may wander into towns and farms; the soil is washed away more easily by rain, and floods can increase; places become hotter and the air dustier; and people who depend on forests lose food, fuel and medicines.

What we can do: plant and care for trees, protect forests through protected areas and community efforts such as sacred groves, use paper and wood carefully and recycle, choose places for roads and buildings that avoid cutting forests, and raise awareness, as the Save Silent Valley movement did.

7. The flowchart: examples of A and B

A (has leaves, with reticulate venation): hibiscus, mango, rose, mustard, chickpea or neem.

B (has leaves, without reticulate venation, so parallel venation): grass, wheat, maize, banana or lemongrass.

8. Is gudhal (hibiscus) a shrub? Sanjay’s questions

• How tall is the plant: shorter than you, as tall as you, or as tall as a tree?
• Is its stem green and soft, or brown, hard and woody?
• Is the stem thick like a tree trunk, or are there several thinner stems?
• Do the branches start close to the ground or high up on the stem?

If the plant is of medium height with several hard, brown, woody stems branching near the ground, Raj is right: it is a shrub.

9. Examples for groups A and B

Group	Seed	Root	Examples
A	Dicot	Taproot	chickpea, mustard, kidney bean, hibiscus, mango, sadabahar
B	Monocot	Fibrous roots	wheat, maize, rice, grass, lemongrass, banana

(a) Plants of group A also have leaves with reticulate venation.

(b) Plants of group B also have leaves with parallel venation.

10. The duck’s feet

The duck’s toes are joined by a thin skin: it has webbed feet. Other birds, like the pigeon, have separate toes with claws for walking and gripping branches. The webbed feet work like paddles, so the duck can swim in water.

Learning further (pages 33–34)

A brief report on a scientist or wildlife biologist: include who they are, where they work, which plants, animals or places they study or protect, what they found or achieved, and why it matters for India’s biodiversity.

Extra: starting points for the seven names in the book (check the details in books or reliable websites):

Name	Known for
Divya Mudappa	Restoring rainforests in the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats
Usha Lachungpa	Studying and protecting the wildlife of Sikkim
Ghazala Shahabuddin	Studying birds and forests, and how people and wildlife can share land
Nandini Velho	Studying wildlife and hunting in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh
Vidya Athreya	Research on leopards that live close to people
Uma Ramakrishnan	Studying the genes of tigers and other wild animals
Divya Karnad	Protecting marine life through sustainable fishing

The other tasks (labelling school plants, a class biodiversity register, a presentation on Project Tiger, a group report on protecting biodiversity, and a scrapbook from talks with elders) are projects for you and your class. For more practice, read herbs, shrubs and trees, leaf venation and roots, habitat and adaptation and what is biodiversity.