Solutions-Class-6-General Science-Chapter-4-Diversity in Living Organisms-Maharashtra Board

Yes, plants like holy basil, mango, and sugarcane all bear flowers.

While their flowers differ in appearance and blooming patterns, each of these plants produces flowers:

• Mango: Mango trees produce seasonal flowers (blossoms), from which mango fruits containing seeds subsequently develop.
• Holy Basil (Tulsi): Holy basil is a flowering herb that produces small, delicate flowers arranged along spikes at the top of its stems.
• Sugarcane: Sugarcane is a monocotyledonous grass plant that produces a feather-like flowering stalk (inflorescence) during specific stages of its growth cycle, though it is commonly harvested before flowering.

Fruits that contain dozens or even hundreds of seeds include:

• Watermelon: A single watermelon can contain hundreds of seeds distributed throughout its pulp.
• Papaya: Contains a central cavity packed with numerous small black seeds.
• Pomegranate: Made up of hundreds of seed-containing arils.
• Guava: Contains many small, hard seeds embedded in its flesh.
• Custard Apple (Sitaphal): Has numerous fleshy segments, each containing a dark seed.
• Jackfruit: A large compound fruit containing many individual seeded pods^[1].
• Muskmelon: Contains a central cluster of many seeds.

Certain fruits either naturally do not produce functional seeds or have been cultivated specifically to be seedless:

• Banana: Commercial bananas are monocotyledonous fruits that produce only tiny, non-functional black specks instead of hard seeds.
• Pineapple: Naturally seedless when grown without cross-pollination.
• Seedless Grapes: Varieties (like Thompson Seedless) where seed development stops early.
• Seedless Watermelon: Specially bred hybrid varieties that do not produce mature hard seeds.

The reason buffaloes are kept in zoos and visited as paid attractions in certain countries comes down to geographical distribution and local habitats:

• Animals naturally live in specific regions where climate, temperature, and available food form a suitable habitat. While water buffaloes are common domestic animals seen daily across farms and wetlands in India, they do not naturally exist in many cold or temperate countries.
• Because residents in those countries do not see buffaloes in their day-to-day life, zoos provide them with a unique opportunity to view and learn about these animals

No, they are not the same; they show distinct physical differences and adaptations based on their specific regional habitats.

Indian Elephants vs. African Elephants :

While both are elephants, animals living in different regions adapt physically to their local surroundings and climate:

• African elephants live in hotter, open savannahs and tropical jungles, having evolved much larger ears to help radiate heat and cool their bodies.
• Indian elephants inhabit dense forests, having smaller ears, a more curved back, and a smaller overall body size suitable for moving through local woodland environments.

Bears in Snowy Regions vs. Other Bears

Bears living in snowy regions (like the Himalayas) are adapted to extreme cold, local weather conditions, and available food, which makes it difficult for them to survive in warmer local forests^[1]:

• Snowy region bears (such as polar bears or Himalayan brown bears) have thick fur coats and dense fat layers to trap body heat, along with broad, fur-covered paws to walk easily over snow without slipping.
• Bears in temperate or forest regions have thinner fur coats suited to milder temperatures and different food sources available in their local habitat.

• Odd One Out: Fish
• Reason: Cow, Horse, and Goat are terrestrial animals (Bhuchar) that live on land, whereas Fish is an aquatic animal (Varishaya) that lives in water.

Odd One Out: Coriander

Reason: Mango, Peepal, and Guava are large trees with hard woody trunks, whereas Coriander is a small herb with a soft, green stem.

Odd One Out: Cockroach

Reason: Kangaroo, Cheetah, and Deer are four-legged terrestrial mammals, whereas Cockroach is a six-legged insect.

Odd One Out: Moong

Reason: Jowar, Wheat, and Bajra are monocotyledonous cereal plants with parallel leaf venation and fibrous roots, whereas Moong is a dicotyledonous pulse plant with two cotyledons.

-> True (Heena is a medium-sized plant (5-6 ft) with branches growing close to the ground.)

-> False (Taproots grow deep into the soil with secondary branches, providing strong firm support that prevents trees like tamarind and mango from collapsing easily.)

-> False (Mango trees bear flowers during specific seasons, which subsequently form mango fruits containing seeds.)

-> False (Polar bears live in snowy/polar regions (like the Himalayas) by adapting to extreme cold; they cannot survive in deserts.)

-> False (Snakes are reptiles that live on land or in burrows (Bilashaya), not amphibians.)

Living on branches of trees : Monkey :: Living underground : Mouse / Rabbit / Shrew / Bandicoot (Bilashaya)

Living on dry lands : Horse :: Living in caves : Lion / Tiger / Bat (Guhashaya)

The pictures shows :

Left-(i) a tree-like plant with a thick woody trunk, branching crown, broad leaves and a deep tap root system.

Right-(ii) a grass-like plant with thin stems, narrow long leaves and a fibrous (thread-like) root system.

To determine the plant category of Holy Basil (Tulsi), we evaluate the following characteristics:
1. Plant Height: Tulsi grows to a medium height of about 3 to 5 feet, which fits the height range of shrubs (5-6 ft) rather than tall trees.

2. Nature and Origin of Stem: The branches originate close to the ground and are moderately woody, not forming a thick, massive trunk like a tree.
Conclusion: Based on these observations, Holy Basil (Tulsi) is classified as a Shrub (झुडूप).

The differences between Monocotyledonous and Dicotyledonous plants are summarized below across four core parameters:

Habitat: The habitat of a duck is aquatic / water surface (Varichara - वारीचर).
Reasons for Habitat Selection:
1. Ducks float comfortably on the surface of water bodies such as lakes, ponds, and rivers.
2. They possess anatomical features like webbed feet for swimming and waterproof feathers.
3. Water bodies provide abundant food sources including small aquatic insects, plants, and fish.