Q1. Describe the importance of classification.
Ans. Classification is important because of the following reasons :–
1. By classification we recognises the basic taxonomic units or species.
2. It tells us about the resemblances and relationships between various organisms.
3. It helps in understanding the evolution of organisms, as it gives us most of the information permitting a reconstruction of phylogeny of life.
4. It has great role in many fields like agriculture, public health and environmental biology. Exact identification of harmful pests, disease vectors a made possible which makes the control of disease much easier.
5. Several ornamental plants have been introduced by horticulturists due to proper identification and nomenclature.
6. It also gives us a fair idea about the vast number of life forms and we are able to understand diversity among living organisms in a much better way.
Q2. Give a brief account of Whittaker’s five kingdoms of life.
Ans. Whittaker divided all the life forms into five kingdoms, which are Monera, Protista, Plantae, Fungi and Animalia.
1. Kingdom Monera—Prokaryotes Bacteria and Blue green algae.
2. Kingdom Protista—Unicellular eukaryotes having widely diverse life styles. Protists act as the precursors from which higher forms–Plantae, Fungi and Animalia–arose.
3. Kingdom Fungi—Eukaryotic, hetertophic organisms with assimilative nutrition, e.g. Rhizopus.
The Essay on The Metamorphosis Life As A Bugman
In Franz Kafkas fanciful novel The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to find that he as been transformed into a beetle. As the story progresses, we can see that Gregors life as a beetle is not all that different from Gregors life while in human form. Because of this we have to ask ourselves Does Gregor Samsa qualify as a human being? I believe that Gregor does not qualify as a human ...
4. Kingdom Plantae—Eukaryotic multicellular, photosynthetic organisms, Green multicellular plants which are autotrophic and support life on the earth.
5. Kingdom Animalia—Eukaryotic multicellular consumers characterised by ingestive nutrition.
Q3. What are fungi ? What do you know about Lichens ?
Ans. Fungi are heterotrophic eukaryotic organisms which get nutrition from dead and decaying organic material by the process of absorption.
Many of them have the capacity to become multicellular organisms at certain stages in their lives. Their cell-wall is made of a tough complex sugar called chitin. Reproduction by budding or production of spores by asexual or sexual methods.
Some Examples of fungi are : Aspergillus, yeast and Rhizopus Penicillium.
Some fungi live in permanent, mutually dependent relationships with blue-green algae. The process is called symbiosis and such relationships are called symbiotic. These symbiotic life forms are called Lichens. In lichens, the plant body is made up of two individuals, an alga and a fungus. The alga produces sugar or alcohols by photosynthesis. The fungus can use these as a food source. The fungus surrounds and protects the alga and thus both are benefited by this symbiotic association. Lichens are slow growing and highly resistant to drying out.
Q4. What are bryophytes ? What are their features ? Make outline sketches of any two bryophytes.
Ans. It includes higher cryptograms. They grow on damp walls and on
the bark of tree. The plant body may be thalloid or leafy. True roots are absent. Instead, rhizoids develop. It includes two groups.
(a) Liverworts (b) Mosses.
Examples. Funaria, Marchantia, Riccia, Sphagnum etc.
Q5. Giving the characteristic features of phylum arthropoda, make labelled diagrams of any two arthrapods.
Ans. Anthropods constitute the largest group of animals. They are the animals with jointed feet/appendages.
1. These animals are bilaterally symmetrical and segmented.
2. Body covered with chitinous exoskeleton.
3. One or two pairs of jointed antennae are present.
4. The coelomic cavity is cantennae are present blood-filled are called haemocoel.
5. Body bears jointed appendages, and is divided into head, thorax and abdomen.
The Essay on Red Blood Cells Cell Body
What is sickle cell anemia? Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease of red blood cells. Normally red blood cells contain a protein called hemoglobin A, which carries oxygen to all the organs in the body. With sickle cell anemia, however, the body makes a different kind of protein, called hemoglobin S. The problem is that when a red blood cell with hemoglobin S releases oxygen, the cell changes ...
6. Circulatory system is open, i.e. blood doesn’t flow in blood vessels.
Examples : Palaemon, cockroach and butterfly.
Q7. Give the salient features of pisces. Make labelled diagrams of three bony fish and three cartilagnous fish.
Ans. Pisces are fish. Their main features are :–
1. They are exclusively water living animals.
2. Their skin is covered with scales/plates.
3. They obtain oxygen dissolved in water by using gills.
4. The body is streamlined, and a muscular tail is used for movement.
5. They are cold-blooded and their hearts have only two chambers.
6. They lay eggs.
7. Some fish varieties have their skeletons made of both bone and cartilage, such as Anabas, Sea horse, Rohu, and some have their skeletons made entirely of bone, e.g., Torpedo fish and sting ray (Trygon).
Q8. Distinguish between the five classes of vertebrates on the basis of characters like habitat, kind of exoskeleton, respiratory organs and other distinct features.
Ans. Differences between Pisces, Amphibia, Ropplia ares and mammals.
Character | Pisces | Amphibia | Reptilia | Aves | Mammals |
1. Habitat2. Exosk-
eleton
3. Respir-
atory
organ
4. Body
temper-
ature
5. Heart6. Loco-
motary
organs
7. Others | AquaticSlimy scalesGillsCold-
blooded2 chamberedFinsBody is streamlined. They are oviporous.
Chondrichthyes
(Cartilaginous, fishes)
and
Osteichthyes
(Bony fishes) | Terrestrial and aquaticabsentGills, lungs and skincold-blooded3 chamberedLimbsThey have webbed feet.
teggs are laid in water and larvae are aquatic development. is external | TerrestrialDry and scaly
Lungscold-bloodedIncomple-tely 4 chambered
LimbsIn limbs are absent in snakes.
They are our parons and development is external | ArborealFeathers, claws
LungsWarm-blooded4 chamberedWings and LimbsBody is covered by feathers and forelimbs are modified into wings. Their bones are hollow. | Terrestrial, aquatic and arboreal
Hair, nails, etc.
LungsWarm-blooded4 chamberedLimbsPresence of mammary glands. There are hairs on the body and external pinna is also present.
The Essay on Sickle Cell Anemia Blood Cells People
Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary disorder that mostly affects people of African ancestry, but also occurs in other ethnic groups, including people who are of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent. More than 70, 000 Americans have sickle cell anemia. And about 2 million Americans - and one in 12 African Americans - have sickle cell trait (this means they carry one gene for the disease, but do ...
They are viviparons and development is intrauterine i.e., internal |
Q9. Describe the three main characteristics that are used for a hierarchical classification.
Ans. The three man characteristics used for a hierarchical classification are :
1. Type of cell-prokaryotic or eukaryotic. As a eukaryotic cell has membrane-bound organelles including a nucleus the cellular processes can be carried out efficiently in isolation from cells. On the other hand, the organisms without a clearly demarcated nucleus and other organelles need to have very different bic-chemical pathways. This would naturally have a great effect on every aspect of cell design. Moreover, the nucleated cells would have the capacity to participate in making a multicellular organism as they are capable of taking up specialised functions.
2. Whether the organism is unicellular or multicellular. In a eukaryotic multicellular organism, cells that group together to form a single organism use the principle of division of labour. In this type of body design, all cells would not be identical. Rather, groups of cells will carry out specialised functions. Thus, this makes a very basic distinction in the body designs of organisms. As a result, an amoeba will be very different in its body design from a fish.
3. Mode of nutrition autotrophic or heterotrophic. Plants make their own food while animals depend on plants or other animals for their food. For this they will definitely have different body design.
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It is a common notion that a horseless carriage would never reach anywhere. New ideas always undergo severe scrutiny, but sometimes they survive the cynical blows and begin a new road of innovations. People should weigh the value of technology because it is not always as advantageous as it seems. As the overuse of computers hampers proper development of child’s mind.
Great Depression Teachers School Education
During the Great Depression receiving an education was becoming more and more difficult for southerners. From not being able to afford the required supplies needed, to not being able to pay the tut ions, many people found it nearly impossible to attend school. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee shows how the lack of education in society during the Great Depression affected ...
Computers have already proved themselves as forward moving and beneficial, but their use in the classroom should be reconsidered. Rather than alternative of formal education, the computer should be used as an aid to strengthen the process of education. “We would not have an inferior education if it were the nineteenth century. Students, raised in an age of invention and innovation, surround themselves with technology and computers. The educational system evolved with society by adding computers to the classroom. The following questions have been raised: are computers misused; are teachers allowing computers to become surrogate teachers; and who is teaching students basic skills – the teacher or the computer? These questions are just a sample of the concern expressed by parents today. Elementary-aged students need to develop the ability to spell and do arithmetic without dependence on a spell-check or auto-calculation program. We need to carefully evaluate what programs children can access to prevent handicapping them later in life. For instance, some principals’ feel drilling addition and subtraction in an age of calculators is a waste of time. The people are encouraging children to become dependent on technology instead of using their intellect. Another concern is that computers are used as baby-sitters instead of as an aide to teaching. Children are taught to take as many short-cuts as possible and surround themselves with “passivity and consumption.”
Although abuses of computer technology in the classroom are prevalent, proper use can be extremely beneficial. The focus of the computer should be to maximize education through computer-aided programs that help students to learn without giving away all the answers. Before taking the help of computers students should focus on fundamentals. For example, after a student learns a concept, whether it be spelling or math, computers can assist in a tutorial or quizzing of what has already been learned. Entire class can also benefit from them when used to “help make science tangible or teach neglected topic like art and music”. In science, computers can show molecules joining others and splitting in the blink of an eye. On-screen questions about art and music can help the student think through the message that the artist is trying to convey.
The Homework on Primary School Capers
It seems so long ago now, since the mischievous days of mid-primary school. Since the days I never did homework, and was ever so surreptitious to avoid getting caught well trying to anyway. And the days when my little ploys of forgetting to have done homework, were discovered in the most humiliating of ways. There was on specific day this happened, I can vividly remember. It was grade 3, half way ...
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These computer programs do not take away from the skills that a student already knows but enables the student to practice them. In an age where information technology is the main driver of the economy, people are convinced that computers and the internet are the answers to all of our problems. Our school systems must continually review the basic and fundamentals of education. These basics include reading, writing, mathematics, and learning to think individually as well as socially. Computers must not take the place of any of these fundamentals, but rather aid students in learning these fundamentals.
Girls Education in India : Achievements since Independence – Press Release : Wednesday, January 23, 2008
by admin — last modified 2011-09-07 17:33
Shri Arun Kumar Rath, Secretary, School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development
The leaders of our freedom movement realized the importance of girls’ education and had put it as a prime agenda for national development. However, when India attained independence some 60 years ago, it was a formidable challenge that the new government had to face. The national female literacy rate was an alarmingly low 8.9 per cent, Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for girls was 24.8 per cent at primary level and 4.6 per cent at the upper primary level (in the 11 – 14 years age group). Social and cultural barriers to education of women and lack of access to organized schooling, had to be addressed immediately.
Access To Schooling Improved
Education administrators gave high priority on reducing the infrastructure/access deficiency. Focused attention on this need has resulted in establishing a network of 7,67,520 schools at the primary level and 2,74,731 schools at the upper primary level by 2004-05 from just 2,09,671 primary and 13,596 upper primary schools in 1950-51. A large majority (87%) of these are rural schools. Today 98 per cent of India’s rural population has access to primary schools within a kilometer of the habitation.
The Essay on Achieve Universal Primary Education 2
My Millennium Development Goal (MDG) is about achieving Primary education in less developed countries. The goal is to have all children, boys and girls, complete a full course of primary schooling by the year of 2015. This means that everyone can get into school and get a full education so they can read, write and learn. It will help them to be more independent and give them the opportunity to get ...
Greater access to schooling is, however, not enough. Special measures are called for to help girls join the schools. These include setting up of girls toilets and providing separate girls’ schools at upper primary level to counter community resistance to girls’ studying in co-educational schools. Some schools are residential ones – the recent addition to residential schools being the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas that target the most disadvantaged girls at the upper primary stage.
The Government continues to be the major provider of elementary education with 90.2 per cent primary and 72.2 per cent upper primary schools managed either by Government or by local bodies. Annual maintenance grants and school improvement grants are being provided to each school at the elementary level.
Upswing In Girls’ Enrolment
Growth in access to schooling has been matched by a steady increase in enrolment with the most dramatic upswing since 1990s in girls participation levels. From 13.8 million boys and 5.4 million girls enrolled at the primary level in 1950-51, the number rose to 69.7 million boys and 61.1 million girls in 2004-05. At the upper primary level, the enrolment increased from 2.6 million boys and 0.5 million girls to 28.5 million boys and 22.7 million girls.
The proportion of girls in the total enrolment has also been growing. Girls’ enrolment at the primary stage increased from 28.1% in 1950-51 to 46.7% in 2004-05. At the upper primary stage, girls’ enrolment rose from 16.1% in 1950-51 to 44.4% in 2004-05. The overall improvement in girls’ enrolment with respect to total population of girls clearly shows that there is a near universal enrolment at primary level. The gap and challenge exists now at upper primary stage, but there too the gap is narrowing steadily.
Enrolment of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe girls poses a greater challenge to India’s education administrators. Survey data, however, revealed that the participation of these disadvantaged girls in basic education, has grown steadily over the years. G.E.R. for SC girls at primary level have climbed up from 64.8% in 1986-87 to 106.6% in 2004-05 and at upper primary stage, from as low as 26.6% in 1986-87 to 61.5%in 2004-05. In the case of ST girls, the GER at primary level have gone up from 68% in 1986-87 to 115.5% by 2004-05 and from 21.9% in 1986-87 to 59.5% in 2004-05 for upper primary level.
The overall gender gap in enrolment at the primary stage has dropped to 4.6 percentage points and that at the upper primary level has reduced to 8.0 percentage points in 2005. There are only 48 districts out of a total of 600 districts in India, with a gender gap above 10 percentage points at the primary stage. Focused attention is being targeted to these districts by education policy planners, in order to address the barriers in specific terms.
Declining Drop Out Rates And Out Of School Girls
Providing access and enrolment to schooling facilities are only a part of the story. Our aim is also to help the students to continue their studies. Although the phenomenon of drop outs continue to be a serious problem in India’s education scenario, the drop out rates in elementary education have been on the decline, more sharply so for girls. Girls drop out rate in 2004-05 was lower than for boys, at primary level i.e 25.42% compared to 31.81% for boys. Since 2000, girls drop out rates have fallen by 16.5% points in just four years, compared to a reduction of only 4.1% points over the entire last decade (1990-2000).
With respect to the situation inside the school it is found that the repetition rates have been fast declining for girls. Two clear messages that underlie this trend are: one, that girls who enter the school system do not leave easily and two, school efficiency is gradually improving with girls completing the elementary cycle of education in lesser time.
The number of out of school children have also been declining rapidly, from 32 million in 2001-02 to 7.5 million in 2006-07. Of the total age cohort of girls in the 6-14 years age group, 3.9% are reportedly out of school. In the 6-11 years age group, out of school girls are 3.34 percent and in the 11-14 years age group they are 5.3 percent. The inclusion of these ‘hard to reach’ and older girls, who have remained excluded from the education net is being addressed through context specific strategies and interventions presently.
More Girls Move To Upper Primary
The trends in transition rates from Primary to Upper Primary are also positive. The transition rate has improved from 71.98 in 2003 to 80.64 in 2005. The gains in the transition rates of girls (8.6 percentage points) have been higher than that of boys (7.65 percentage points).
This has led to sharper decline in the gender gap in transition rates from 4.03 percentage points to 3.02 percentage points.
In the case of SC girls, the transition rate has increased from 80 percent in 2004-05 to 83 percent in 2005-06 leaving a gender gap of 3 percentage points. The picture is comparable in the case of ST girls for whom the transition rate has increased from 85 percent in 2004-05 to 88 percent in 2005-06 leaving a gender gap of 2 percentage points.
Constitutional And Policy Framework
The Constitution of India in Article 15(1) on right to equality, provides the basic policy framework that enshrines the vision of girls’ education and the spirit in which their education is to be provided.
Until 1976, education was a State subject. Since its transfer to the Concurrent List by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976, the Central Government has played a more proactive role in the sector through several centrally sponsored schemes that had a distinct bearing on promoting education for girls.
A new thrust was provided to girls’ education in the National Policy on Education 1986, (as modified in 1992) which provided a holistic vision for the education of women and girls and recognized the cross cutting issues that inhibited the realization of this goal. It aims at using Education as an agent of basic change in the status of women in society.
The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002 has made elementary education a Fundamental Right for children in the age group of 6-14 years by providing that “the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine”. This has been a path breaking legislation in India, where such a major commitment to the cause of elementary education has bound governments, community based organizations and civil society into a common resolve to achieve universal elementary education.
Drawing upon the Constitution and other policy statements articulated in the years that followed, the Government of India in partnership with State Governments has designed different strategies, interventions, schemes and programmes with specific objectives that impinge on girls’ education. In the second part of this essay we shall look at some of these programmes and interactions that have begun to change the face of India.
