12 SETS

15 Chapter 01
Matrices

Our Environment
OUR ENVIRONMENT

Previous Year Questions

1. (a) What is ozone ? How is it formed in the upper layers [CBSE 31-1-1 (2023)]
of the Earth's atmosphere ? How does ozone affect our 9. (a) (i) Why does a kitchen garden called an artificial
ecosystem ? ecosystem while a forest is considered to be a natural
OR ecosystem ?
(b) (i) List two human-made ecosystems. (ii) While designing an artificial ecosystem at home,
(ii) “We do not clean a pond in the same manner as we write any two things to be kept in mind to convert it into
do in an aquarium.” Give reason to justify this a self-sustaining system. Give reason to justify your
statement. answer.
[CBSE 31-1-1 (2022)] OR
2. (a) Name the group of organisms which form in the first (a) (i) Construct a food chain of four trophic levels
trophic level of all food chains. Why are they called so comprising the following: Hawk, snake, plants, rat.
? (ii) 20,000 J of energy was transferred by the producers
(b) Why are the human beings most adversely affected to the organism of second trophic level. Calculate the
by bio-magnification ? amount of energy that will be transferred by organisms
(c) State one ill-effect of the absence of decomposers of the third trophic level to the organisms of the fourth
from a natural ecosystem. trophic level.
[CBSE 31-1-1 (2022)] [CBSE 31-1-1 (2023)]
3. (a) We do not clean ponds or lakes, but an aquarium 10. We do not clean ponds or lakes but an aquarium needs
needs to be cleaned regularly. Why ? to be cleaned regularly. Why ?
(b) Why is ozone layer getting depleted at the higher [CBSE 31-2-1 (2023)]
levels of the atmosphere? Mention one harmful effect 11. Explain how some harmful chemicals enter our bodies
caused by its depletion. through the food chain. Why is the concentration of
[CBSE 31-2-1 (2022)] these harmful chemicals found to be maximum in
4. In the following food chain, only 2J of energy was human beings ?
available to the peacocks. How much energy would [CBSE 31-2-1 (2023)]
have been present in Grass ? Justify your answer. 12. Use of several pesticides which results in excessive
GRASS → GRASS HOPPER → FROG → SNAKE accumulation of pesticides in rivers or ponds, is a matter
→ PEACOCK of deep concern. Justify this statement.
OR [CBSE 31-4-1 (2023)]
(a) What is meant by garbage ? List two classes into 13. In the following food chain, if 50 J of energy was
which garbage is classified. available to the hawk, how much energy would have
(b) What do we actually mean when we say that the been present at the first and third tropic levels ? Justify
“enzymes are specific in their action” ? your answer.
[CBSE 31-2-1 (2022)] Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Hawk
5. (a) Kulhads (disposable cups made of clay) and [CBSE 31-5-1 (2023)]
disposable paper cups both are used as an alternative for 14. How is ozone formed in the higher levels of the
disposable plastic cups. Which one of these two can be atmosphere ? “Damage to the ozone layer is a cause of
considered as a better alternative to plastic cups and why concern.” Justify this statement.
? [CBSE 31-5-1 (2023)]
OR 15. Study the given figure of a Food web and identify the
(b) Human beings are most adversely affected by the primary consumer in the food web :
Biological Magnification. State the reason. Why can
ordinary washing of the edibles (fruits and vegetables)
not reduce the effect of biological magnification ?
[CBSE 31-3-1 (2022)]
6. What are human-made ecosystems ? Give an example.
(a) Mice and Bear (b) Rabbit and Cat
Can a human-made ecosystem become a self-sustaining
(c) Rabbit and Fox (d) Mice and Rabbit
ecosystem ? Give reason to justify your answer.
[CBSE 31-6-1 (2023)]
[CBSE 31-3-1 (2022)]
16. These consists of two statements - Assertion (A) and
7. What are trophic levels ? Why are autotrophs considered
Reason (R). Answer these questions selecting the
to be at the first trophic level of all food chains ? State
appropriate option given below :
the reason for limited number of trophic levels in nature.
Assertion (A) : The energy which passes to the
[CBSE 31-4-1 (2022)]
herbivores does not come back to autotrophs.
8. How do harmful chemicals get accumulated
Reason (R) : The flow of energy in a food chain is
progressively at each trophic level in a food chain ?
unidirectional.
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(a) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and 17. (a) Write the percentage of (i) solar energy captured by
Reason (R) is the correct explanation of (A). the autotrophs and (ii) energy transferred from
(b) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but autotrophs to the next level in a food chain.
Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of (A). (b) What are trophic levels ? Why do different food
(c) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false. chains in an ecosystem not have more than four to five
(d) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true. trophic levels ? Give reason.
[CBSE 31-6-1 (2023)] [CBSE 31-6-1 (2023)]
OUR ENVIRONMENT

Solutions
1. a) (b) • Human beings occupy the top level in any food
• Ozone is a molecule formed by three atoms of oxygen. chain therefore maximum concentration of these
• UV radiations split sense molecular oxygen (Or) into chemicals get accumulated in our bodies.
free oxygen atoms (0 0- 0). These atoms then combine • Harmful chemicals or pesticides get absorbed from the
with molecular oxygen to form ozone. / soil by the plants along with water and minerals
UV
O2 → O + O therefore ordinary washing cannot remove these
harmful chemicals.
O + O2 → O3 (Ozone)
6. • Human made ecosystems are artificial ecosystems that
Ozone layer shields the surface of the earth from
are developed by human beings. Example: an aquarium,
damaging UV radiation of the sun. / Depletion of ozone
crop fields, parks (or any other) (any one)
layer causes harmful effects on the organism.
• No, they cannot become self-sustaining ecosystem.
OR
b) i) Aquarium, crop field, gardens, etc. (any two) • It needs to be cleaned regularly as natural
replenishment by decomposers /bacteria (cleansing
ii) A pond is a natural ecosystem. It has decomposers
agents) is not possible.
whereas an aquarium is an artificial ecosystem and does
7. • Every step or level of the food chain forms a trophic
not contain decomposers. Therefore, it needs regular
level.
cleaning for proper functioning.
2. (a) Producers, as they can manufacture food by the • Autotrophs are the green plants, which are the only
process of photosynthesis. organisms which can fix up the solar energy and make
it available for heterotrophs or the consumers.
(b) When non-degradable harmful chemicals (pesticides
• Very little amount of energy is available to the last
/ DDT, etc.) enter a food chain, they get progressively
trophic level as energy is lost at every level to the
accumulated at each trophic level. Human beings
environment.
occupy the top level in any food chain, therefore the
maximum concentration of these chemicals get 8. The chemicals sprayed on crops are washed down into
the soil. From the soil these are absorbed by plants along
accumulated in their bodies. (c) Ill effects of absence of
with water and minerals, plants are eaten by animals.
decomposers from natural ecosystem
This way they enter in a food chain. As these chemicals
(i) Earth would be covered with dead bodies & foul
are not degradable, these get accumulated progressively
smell
at each successive trophic level. This phenomena is
(ii) Recycling of minerals will not take place.
(iii) Soil will not get replenished called bio magnification.
9. (a) (i) Kitchen Garden A man made ecosystem / non-
(iv) Ecosystem will get disrupted
sustainable Forest Ecosystem maintained by nature /
3. (a) • A pond is a natural ecosystem having its own
self-sustainable
cleaning system in the form of decomposers whereas an
(ii) In a jar containing water we can provide oxygen
aquarium is a man-made or artificial ecosystem having
through a pump and add a few aquatic plants and
no decomposers.
(b) • It is due to release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) animals to make it a self-sustaining system.
Justification • Oxygen is replenished continuously.
in the atmosphere.
• Aquatic plants serve as food.
• The harmful UV radiations would reach earth and
OR
cause damage to different life forms on the earth / cause
skin cancer in human beings. (b) (i) Plants → Rats → Snakes → Hawks
4. Only 10% usable energy / amount of organic matter is (ii) Energy available at second trophic level = 20,000 J
transferred from one trophic level to the next higher Energy transferred from second to third trophic level =
trophic level in a food chain and rest 90% is lost to the 2000 J
environment as heat. Energy transferred from third to fourth trophic level =
OR 200 J
(a) Waste material generated in day-to-day lives. 10. • An aquarium is a man-made ecosystem in which
Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable substances. natural cleansing agents like decomposers are not
(b) Specific enzymes are needed for the breakdown of present, so needs periodic cleaning.
a particular /specific substance. • ponds and lakes are natural ecosystems which have
5. (a) • Disposable paper cups natural cleansing agents. (Decomposers)
• Making of Kulhads on a large scale would result in the 11. • Some harmful substances like pesticides are used to
loss of fertile top soil. Disposable paper cups can easily protect crops. When these chemicals are washed down
decompose and do not pollute the environment. in the soil or water bodies, they are absorbed by plants
(or any other suitable answer) along with water and minerals and by animals from
OR water. When we consume these food items, the
pesticides enter our body.
 OUR ENVIRONMENT

(Alternate answer : If the child explains the question O + O2 → O3

through food chain, credit marks.) Damage to ozone layer: UV radiations reach the Earth
• As human beings occupy the top level in any food and cause harmful effects like skin cancer in human
chain, maximum concentration of these chemicals get beings.
accumulated in them. 15. (d) Mice and Rabbit
12. As these pesticides are non biodegradable so they get 16. (a)
concentrated at each subsequent trophic level 17. (a) (i) 1%
progressively & ultimately result in Biomagnification. (ii) 10% energy
13. The energy at first trophic level will be 5,00,000 J. The (b) Every step of a food chain where transfer of energy
energy at third trophic level will 5000 J. 10% can be occurs.
taken as the average value for the amount of organic Since the amount and available energy keeps on
matter/energy that is present at each step and reaches the becoming less as we move to higher trophic level, very
next level of consumers. little usable energy remains after four trophic levels.
14. • UV radiations act on the oxygen molecule (O2) and
then split oxygen molecule into free (nascent) oxygen.
• These free oxygen atoms combine with oxygen
molecule (O2) to form ozone (O3).
Alternate Answer:
UV
O 2 → O+O