NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 10: Living Creatures – Exploring their Characteristics – Free PDF Download

Chapter 10 of the Class 6 Science textbook Curiosity is Living Creatures – Exploring their Characteristics. It looks at the common features that define living things, and how plants and animals, despite looking very different, share these same basic characteristics.

Last Updated: September 23, 2026

Characteristics of Living Things

Q: State two common characteristics of living things.
A: (1) Living things respire — they break down food to release energy. (2) Living things grow, and reproduce to produce offspring similar to themselves.

Plants and Animals Are Both Living

Q: How are plants and animals both living, even though they look very different?
A: Even though plants and animals look very different, both show the basic characteristics of living things — such as respiration, growth, taking in nutrition, excretion, and reproduction — which is why both are classified as living things.

Growth in Living Things

Q: How does growth in a plant differ from growth in an animal?
A: Plants generally continue growing throughout their life from specific growing regions called meristems, mostly increasing in size; animals typically grow to a definite size and then stop, with growth involving both an increase in size and the development of body parts.

Response to Stimuli

Q: Give an example of how a plant responds to a stimulus.
A: A touch-me-not (Mimosa) plant folds its leaves when touched; many plants also bend towards sunlight, which is why a sunflower’s flower head appears to turn to face the sun through the day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a car considered living because it moves?
No. Movement alone doesn’t make something living — a car cannot grow, respire, excrete waste, respond to stimuli, or reproduce, so it is non-living.

What is the difference between breathing and respiration?
Breathing (inhaling and exhaling air) is part of the larger process called respiration.

Why is a dried wooden log non-living even though it came from a tree?
Because it no longer performs any life processes — it doesn’t grow, respond to stimuli, or reproduce, even though it originated from a living organism.

Written by Satish

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