Revision Notes: Class 10 Science Chapter 6 Control and Coordination

A fast, one-glance recap of Class 10 Science Chapter 6 (Control and Coordination) — for full explanations, see the Solutions. These Class 10 Science Chapter 6 notes are ideal for quick revision just before exams.

Why This Chapter Matters

Control and Coordination is one of the standard chapters in the CBSE/NCERT Class 10 Science syllabus and questions from it appear regularly in board exams, in formats ranging from 1-mark objective questions to longer 3-5 mark descriptive or numerical questions. Because the concepts here often build on earlier chapters (and feed into later ones), a solid grip on this chapter also makes the rest of the Science syllabus easier to follow.

Revision Notes: Control and Coordination

• Control & coordination systems in animals: nervous system (fast, electrical) + endocrine/hormonal system (slower, chemical, via blood)
• Receptors: detect stimuli — eye (light), ear (sound), nose (smell), tongue (taste), skin (touch/heat/pain)
• Neuron structure: dendrite (receives) → cell body → axon (transmits) → synapse (chemical gap to next neuron/effector)
• Reflex arc: receptor → sensory neuron → relay neuron (spinal cord) → motor neuron → effector — bypasses the brain for speed
• Brain parts: cerebrum (forebrain — thinking, memory, voluntary actions), cerebellum (hindbrain — balance & precision), medulla (hindbrain — involuntary actions: heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure)
• CNS = brain + spinal cord; PNS = nerves connecting CNS to the rest of the body
• Voluntary vs involuntary vs reflex: voluntary = conscious control; involuntary = automatic/continuous (medulla); reflex = rapid, involuntary, one-off stimulus-response via spinal cord
• Plant movements — tropisms (directional, growth-based, hormone-driven): phototropism (light), geotropism (gravity), hydrotropism (water), chemotropism (chemicals)
• Plant movements — nastic movements (non-directional, not growth-based): e.g. touch-me-not leaf-folding, driven by rapid turgor-pressure change
• Plant hormones: auxin (growth/phototropism), gibberellin (stem growth), cytokinin (cell division), abscisic acid (growth inhibitor/stress), ethylene (fruit ripening)
• Key animal hormones: growth hormone (pituitary), thyroxin (thyroid, metabolism), insulin (pancreas, blood sugar), adrenaline (adrenal, fight-or-flight), testosterone/oestrogen (testis/ovary)
• Feedback mechanism: hormone levels are self-regulated by feedback (e.g. rising blood sugar triggers more insulin release)
• This chapter was Chapter 6 in the pre-rationalisation edition; it is Chapter 6 in the current 2026-27 NCERT textbook

See also: Extra Questions (HOTS) | Formulas Handbook

How to Use These Notes

These revision notes are meant for quick recall in the last few days before an exam or unit test — they are not a substitute for first reading the full chapter and working through examples in the NCERT textbook. A good routine is: read the chapter once, solve the in-text and end-of-chapter questions using the linked Solutions, then come back to this page a day or two before the exam to refresh the key definitions and formulas without re-reading the whole chapter.

Written by Satish

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