NCERT Solutions Curiosity Chapter 10 Chapter opener — In-text Questions

Book page 137 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Have you ever seen plants eating food like animals do?
Answer

No. Nobody has ever seen a plant eat. Animals take in ready-made food through a mouth; plants have no mouth and no digestive system, and they do not swallow anything.

Plants are green and stay in one place — and that is the clue. Instead of eating, they make their own food inside their leaves, using sunlight, water and a gas from the air. Only the raw materials enter the plant: water and minerals through the roots, and carbon dioxide through tiny pores in the leaves.

Why it matters: because plants make food and animals cannot, every animal — including us — depends on plants either directly (eating chapati, rice, vegetables) or indirectly (eating milk, eggs or meat from animals that ate plants).
Q2.
What changes do you notice in plants when they grow?
Answer

When a plant grows, you can see these changes:

  • New leaves and branches emerge from the buds.
  • The height increases — a sapling becomes a tall plant.
  • The stem thickens and becomes stronger, so the plant can hold itself up.
  • The root system spreads deeper and wider in the soil.
  • After some time flowers and then fruits and seeds appear.
  • The plant's weight increases, just as it does in a growing animal.
Check it yourself: tie a thread loosely around the stem of a young tomato or chilli plant and mark its height on a stick. Look again after two weeks — the thread will have become tight and the mark will be well below the top.
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