CBSE Class 6 English Honeysuckle Chapter 9: Desert Animals NCERT Solutions
This chapter, 'Desert Animals,' delves into the fascinating adaptations that allow creatures to thrive in arid environments. The NCERT Solutions provide detailed answers to questions about how desert animals survive without abundant water, their unique methods of finding moisture, and how they cope with extreme temperatures. It explores the specific adaptations of animals like gerbils, darkling beetles, mongooses, and camels, explaining how their physical characteristics and behaviors aid their survival. The solutions also clarify common misconceptions, such as camels storing water in their humps, and explain the predator-prey dynamics in desert ecosystems. These solutions are designed to help students understand the challenges of desert life and the remarkable ways animals have evolved to overcome them, making them an excellent resource for exam preparation and a deeper understanding of wildlife biology.
Quick info
| Board | CBSE |
|---|---|
| Class | Class 6 |
| Subject | Honeysuckle |
| Session | 2026 |
| Language | English |
| Type | NCERT Solutions |
| Chapter | 9. Desert Animals |
Chapter summary
Chapter 9, 'Desert Animals,' focuses on the survival strategies of animals living in harsh desert conditions. The NCERT Solutions cover how these animals find water, manage extreme temperatures, and protect themselves from predators. It explains the specific adaptations of various desert creatures, including their feeding habits and reproductive methods. The exercises also touch upon vocabulary related to survival and animal interactions, reinforcing the concepts discussed in the chapter.
Learning outcomes
- Understand the challenges faced by animals in desert environments.
- Identify adaptations that help desert animals survive without water.
- Explain how animals like gerbils, darkling beetles, and camels cope with heat and scarcity.
- Describe the hunting techniques of mongooses and their defense against snakes.
- Clarify misconceptions about camel humps and water storage.
- Define and use vocabulary related to survival, predators, and prey in the context of desert animals.
Topics covered
Paper topics
- Desert animal adaptations
- Survival strategies in arid environments
- Water conservation in animals
- Coping with extreme temperatures
- Behavior of gerbils
- Moisture collection by insects
- Mongoose vs. snake
- Camel adaptations
- Fat storage in humps
- Predator-prey relationships
- Vocabulary: survive, harsh conditions, harmless, intruder, predators, prey, continually
- True/False statements about desert life
Important topics
- Adaptations for water scarcity
- Camel's hump function
- Mongoose hunting technique
- Gerbil's burrowing behavior
- Darkling beetle's moisture collection
- Vocabulary related to survival
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Questions and Solutions
1. True or False Statements about Desert Animals
- No animal can survive without water.
- Deserts are endless sand dunes.
- Most snakes are harmless.
- Snakes cannot hear, but they can feel vibrations through the ground.
- Camels store water in their humps.
- True. While some animals can endure long periods without drinking, all living beings require water for essential bodily functions to survive.
- False. Deserts are characterized by extreme dryness and sparse vegetation, but they are not solely composed of endless sand dunes. They can include rocky plains, mountains, and dry riverbeds as well.
- False. While many snake species are not venomous or aggressive towards humans, a significant number are poisonous and can be dangerous.
- True. Snakes lack external ears and do not have the ability to hear airborne sounds. However, they are highly sensitive to ground vibrations, which they detect through their jawbones and bodies.
- False. This is a common misconception. Camels store fat in their humps, not water. This fat can be metabolized to provide energy and water when food and water are scarce.
2. Answering Questions about Desert Animals
- How do desert animals survive without water?
- How do mongooses kill snakes?
- How does the hump of the camels help them to survive when there is no water?
- How do desert animals survive without water? Desert animals have developed remarkable ways to cope with the scarcity of water. For instance, some animals, like gerbils, escape the extreme heat of the day by resting in cool, underground burrows. Others, such as darkling beetles, have a unique method of collecting moisture by positioning their bodies to catch water droplets on their legs, which then trickle down into their mouths. These adaptations help them manage without direct access to water for extended periods.
- How do mongooses kill snakes? Mongooses are known for their incredible speed and agility, which they use to their advantage when confronting snakes. They continuously dodge the snake's strikes, making it difficult for the snake to land a successful bite. After a prolonged period of evasion, the snake becomes tired. At this point, the mongoose quickly seizes the opportunity to attack and kill the snake.
- How does the hump of the camels help them to survive when there is no water? The hump of a camel plays a crucial role in its survival in the desert, primarily by storing fat. This stored fat serves as an energy reserve, providing nourishment to the camel when food is scarce. When the camel utilizes this fat for energy, it also produces metabolic water, which helps the animal stay hydrated. Over time, as the fat is consumed, the camel's hump will shrink.
3. Vocabulary and Passage Completion
Harsh conditions, harmless, survive, intruder, threatened, predators, prey, continually
Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the above words/phrases.All animals in forests and deserts struggle to _____ in _____. Though most of the animals are _____, some are dangerous when _____. If an _____ is noticed, they attack or bite to save themselves. They struggle _____ for food and water. Some animals are called _____ because they _____ on other animals.
All animals in forests and deserts struggle to survive in harsh conditions. Though most of the animals are harmless, some are dangerous when threatened. If an intruder is noticed, they attack or bite to save themselves. They struggle continually for food and water. Some animals are called predators because they prey on other animals.
Common mistakes
- Believing camels store water directly in their humps.
- Underestimating the ability of desert animals to find water sources.
- Assuming all snakes are dangerous.
- Confusing the roles of predators and prey.
Revision tips
- Focus on the specific survival strategies mentioned for each animal.
- Pay close attention to the explanation of why camels' humps are important.
- Review the vocabulary section to understand terms like 'survive,' 'predators,' and 'prey.'
- Practice explaining how different animals overcome the lack of water.
- Use the true/false questions to test your understanding of key facts.
Practice MCQs
Q1. How do darkling beetles collect water in the desert?
Explanation: Darkling beetles have a unique method of collecting water by catching moisture on their legs and then lifting them into the air so the drops trickle into their mouths.
Q2. What is the primary function of a camel's hump?
Explanation: A camel's hump is full of fat, which serves as a vital source of nourishment when food is scarce in the desert. This fat can be used up, causing the hump to shrink.
Q3. How do mongooses typically defeat snakes?
Explanation: Mongooses are known for their speed and agility. They dodge the snake's strikes repeatedly until the snake becomes tired, then they quickly attack to kill it.
Q4. Which of the following statements about desert animals is TRUE?
Explanation: Gerbils, like many desert animals, seek refuge from the extreme heat by spending the hottest parts of the day in cooler, underground burrows.
Q5. What does the word 'continually' mean in the context of animals struggling for food and water?
Explanation: When animals struggle 'continually' for food and water, it means they are doing so constantly and without stopping, highlighting the persistent challenge of survival.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main topic of CBSE Class 6 English Chapter 9?
Chapter 9, 'Desert Animals,' focuses on the unique adaptations and survival strategies of animals living in desert environments, explaining how they cope with extreme heat and lack of water.
How do desert animals survive without much water, according to the solutions?
Desert animals survive by finding water in various ways, such as catching moisture from the air (like darkling beetles), finding underground water sources, or spending hot days in cool burrows (like gerbils). They also have physiological adaptations to conserve water.
Do camels store water in their humps?
No, the NCERT Solutions clarify that camels do not store water in their humps. Instead, their humps are filled with fat, which provides nourishment when food is scarce. This fat can be metabolized for energy and water.
How do mongooses protect themselves while hunting snakes?
Mongooses are very fast and agile. They dodge the snake's strikes repeatedly, tiring the snake out before quickly attacking to kill it, thus avoiding injury themselves.
What kind of vocabulary is covered in these solutions?
The solutions cover vocabulary related to survival in difficult environments, such as 'harsh conditions,' 'survive,' 'harmless,' 'intruder,' 'predators,' 'prey,' and 'continually.'
How can these NCERT Solutions help students prepare for exams?
These solutions provide clear, rewritten answers to all questions, explain complex concepts in simple terms, and reinforce key vocabulary, helping students build a strong understanding of the chapter for effective exam revision.
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