NCERT Solutions Curiosity Chapter 9 .2.1 Respiration in humans — Activity 9.3: Let us explore

Book page 1319 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Do you observe any changes in the colour of the lime water?
Answer

Yes — but only in one of the two test tubes.

Test tubeAir passed into the lime waterChange observed
ASurrounding air, pushed in with a syringe or pichkari — the same air we inhaleLime water stays clear — no change
BAir blown out from the mouth through a straw — exhaled airLime water turns milky (cloudy)
Tip: take an equal amount of freshly prepared lime water in both tubes. Old lime water has already reacted with the carbon dioxide of the air and may be cloudy before the activity even begins.
Q2.
The lime water in test tube B turns milky (or cloudy), but the lime water in test tube A does not. What does this indicate?
Answer

It indicates that the air we breathe out contains more carbon dioxide than the air we breathe in.

Lime water turns milky only when it reacts with carbon dioxide
Tube B (exhaled air) → milky → a lot of carbon dioxide
Tube A (inhaled air) → clear → very little carbon dioxide
exhaled air is richer in carbon dioxide than inhaled air
Why it happens: carbon dioxide is a waste product of respiration. It is produced all over the body when glucose is broken down, is carried by the blood to the alveoli, and is released into the air we exhale. So the returning air must carry more of it than the air that went in.
Check it yourself: tube A is the control. Without it, someone could argue that lime water turns milky on its own. Because A stays clear under exactly the same treatment, the milkiness of B can only be due to the exhaled air.
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