NCERT Solutions Curiosity Chapter 2 Activity 2.6: Let us find out — — Types of roots

Book page 18 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.

What are the similarities and differences in the roots of the plants collected by you?

Answer

Similarities: every root you washed was underground, not green, was branched, held the plant firmly in the soil, and had fine root hairs near its tip that soak up water and minerals.

Differences: they fall into exactly two arrangements.

	Taproot system	Fibrous root system
Main root	One thick main root growing straight down	No main root at all
Other roots	Small side (lateral) roots arising from the main root	A bunch of thin roots of similar size from the base of the stem
Depth	Goes deep into the soil	Spreads out near the surface
Leaf venation of the same plant	Reticulate	Parallel
Examples	Mustard, hibiscus, radish, carrot, chana	Grass, wheat, maize, lemongrass, onion

Why the two shapes exist: a deep taproot can reach water far below the surface, which is why mustard and gram survive in dry fields. A wide, shallow bunch of fibrous roots grips the top layer of soil tightly, which is why grass holds the soil of a river bank or a playground together and prevents it from washing away.

Q2.

What differences do you see in the roots of plants shown in Fig. 2.5a and Fig. 2.5b?

Answer

Fig. 2.5a is a mustard plant and Fig. 2.5b is a common grass plant. This is what the two pictures show.

The dashed line is the soil surface. In the mustard plant one main root goes deep and bears side roots; in the grass plant a bunch of equally thin roots comes out from the base of the stem.

Fig. 2.5a (mustard): the roots consist of one main root with small side roots arising from it. The main root is called a taproot. Hibiscus, which you recorded in Activity 2.1, also has a taproot.
Fig. 2.5b (grass): the roots appear as a bunch of similar-sized thin roots arising from the base of the stem. Such roots are called fibrous roots.

Did you know? A radish, carrot or turnip on your plate is a taproot — it has swollen up because the plant stored food in it.

Q3.

Does your collection include any other grasses? What kind of roots do they have?

Answer

Yes — and every one of them has fibrous roots.

Grasses you are likely to have dug out include doob grass (durva), lemongrass, and the young shoots of wheat, maize or paddy, which are also grasses. Wash the soil off any of them and you will see the same picture: no single main root, only a thick bunch of thin roots of nearly the same size spreading out from the base of the stem.

Why every grass is the same in this respect: all grasses are monocots — their seed has a single cotyledon. Monocots always have parallel venation in their leaves and a fibrous root system. So the moment you recognise a plant as a grass, you can predict both facts without checking.

Check it yourself: pull out a small clump of doob grass from a playground edge and try to shake the soil off. It clings on — the mat of fibrous roots binds the soil. That is exactly why grass is planted on canal banks and playgrounds to stop soil from being washed away by rain.

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