Subject : Biology Class : XII

Value Based Questions

Chapter 1
1. You must have seen your mother adding 3-4 globules of yeast to the idli paste she has prepared. Similarly, brewing industry uses yeast in the manufacture of alcohol. (a) How does such a small amount of yeast added helps to produce thousands of litres of alcohol ? (b) Explain how yeast multiplies so fast, along with diagrams. (c) Name the process carried out by yeast in these cases. 2. A farmer cultivates sugarcane and rose by using stem cuttings. He found that some of the cuttings did not continue to grow into new plants. (a) Can you suggest a reason for this ? (b) Enlist the aspects that must be taken into consideration, while preparing stem cuttings for propagation. (c) Name two other plants which are also propagated by stem cuttings. 3. Jagan has two mango trees in the backyard of his house, which yielded fruits for the first

Reproduction in Organisms
time during this summer. The fruits were small, fibrous and not so sweet. In the next house, where his friend Ajay lives, there is a mango tree, which yields fruits that are fleshy/juicy, very sweet and bigger in size. (a) Can you suggest a method for getting good quality fruits, as yielded by the mango tree of Ajay's house, on the trees of Jagans house in a short period of time, i.e., before the next season ? (b) Describe how it is carried out to help Jagan. (c) What are its advantages over growing a mango tree with the seeds obtained from Ajay's garden ? 4. In nature, i.e., in the wild, birds lay eggs seasonally during a particular time of the year, but in a poultry farm, eggs are produced throughout the year. (a) Give reason for this observation. (b) Is it ethically/morally correct in your opinion ? Justify your argument.

Chapter 2

Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

(c) Do you think all the seeds produced will grow into plants with all the desirable qualities ? Why ? 2. A farmer keeps maize grains for raising the next crop. He calls them 'seeds', but your teacher says morphologically they should not be called 'seeds', but 'grains'. (a) Explain what the farmer means as 'seeds'. (b) Why does your teacher say they are not seeds, but grains ? Explain along with a labelled diagram of the vertical section of a maize grain.

1. You and your friend Gagan are walking in the orchard your father owns. You notice that some of the flowers and the developing fruits in a guava tree are covered with butter paper covers. Gagan is about to remove the bags around the flowers, saying that flowers will not be eaten by animals. You know the caretaker has done this to improve the quality of the yield. (a) What practice is the caretaker carrying out ? (b) How will you explain, to your friend, the need for covering the flowers ?

(1)

 3. When you visited a garden a month back, you saw a number of moths, butterflies, dragonflies, etc. hovering round the flowers/plants and many ants, other insects and some worms in the soil. Now, after a month or so, when you happen to visit the same garden, to your dismay, you don't see any butterflies or dragonflies or the ants in the soil. The gardener said he had used

some 'medicines' to avoid the insects causing damage to the plants. (a) How would the yield from the garden be affected ? Explain with reasons. (b) Will there be some plants, whose yield will not be affected ? Why ? Give reason. (c) Can this act of the gardener cause any health problems to the consumers ? Explain the value of organisms.

Chapter 4
1. The growth rate of human population in our country is alarmingly high and the government is forced to take up serious measures to check the population growth. (a) What are the problems expected by such population explosion ? (b) What are the possible options available to motivate people to have small families ? (c) How can the government make those ideas reach the common people, i.e., make a propaganda ? 2. We see advertisements like 'Nirodh' as a method of family planning. (a) What is 'Nirodh' ? (b) What is the principle behind using it as a method to control population growth ? (c) How will you convince people who say it is religiously wrong to use them to avoid pregnancy ? Mention its advantages. 3. We hear some people saying that they have undergone family planning operation. (a) What technical term is given to such operations in males and females, respectively ? (b) What is done in this operation and how does it prevent pregnancy ? (c) How will you convince the people of your village who have some wrong ideas about this, like they can't carry out the hard work, etc ? (d) Give any two methods of creating awareness among people about this.

Reproductive Health
4. A doctor advised Mrs. Seema to undergo MTP, as she diagnosed a certain problem in the foetus, which may affect the mother too. Another patient of the doctor, Mrs. Nita, wanted the doctor to confirm the sex of the foetus and remove the foetus, if it were a female. (a) Name the technique the doctor has used to detect problem in the foetus. (b) What is done in this technique ? (c) What should the doctor reply to the demand of Mrs. Nita and convince her on the value ? (d) What should the government do to avoid such problems ? (e) What will be the consequence of female foeticide/infanticide on a large scale ? Mention some methods to reach these aspects to the common people. 5. An infertile couple visits a doctor for a checkup. It was found that the man is having some problem, which is the reason for the couple not having a child. But he does not agree with the doctor and argues that he is healthy and only his wife is asthmatic and hence, she is not able to produce a child. (a) What are the possible causes of infertility in males ? (b) What are the possible methods available for this couple to have a child ? Explain in detail.

(2)

Chapter 5
1. A man has five daughters and he blames his wife for giving birth to daughters. His wife is pregnant for the sixth time, as they want at least one son. (a) What is the probability of this couple getting a son this time sure or again a chance only ? (b) Explain to the man that it is not his wife, but he is responsible for the birth of daughters to them. (c) What value is insisted by convincing him ? 2. You may have seen or heard of many children going for periodic transfusions, as they are the sufferers of thalassemia (also called Thalassemia major); but their parents are normal and do not show any symptom of the disease. (a) Explain the genetic basis of such diseases appearing among the siblings, but not

Heredity and Variation

found in any of their parents. (b) What are the two forms of thalassemia ? Differentiate between them. (c) Could they have avoided the birth of such children ? Explain. 3. In a court of law, two couples A and B, claim a child X of blood group O as theirs. Couple A has man with blood group O and woman with blood group AB. Couple B has man with blood group A and woman with blood group B. The geneticists have helped in solving the problem and the child was handed over to couple B. (a) Is it a correct judgement regarding the true/ biological parents of the child ? Justify with your knowledge of genetics. (b) Name another technique that is also used in solving problems of this kind.

Chapter

Health and Disease

2. Arun's father smokes cigarettes sitting in the main hall, while watching TV. But Arun insists that he smokes outside the house in the lawn and also slowly gives up smoking as it is harmful for health. (a) Do you agree with Arun that his father must smoke outside his house ? Give reason for your answer. (b) Why does Arun insist his father to give up smoking ? Give reasons. (c) How can we make a propaganda and create awareness among people that smoking is injurious to health ? 3. In many villages, people do not go for vaccination or immunisation; they feel they are healthy and they do not have the disease. (a) How can we explain to them that vaccination will help to prevent the disease ? (b) How can this idea be made to reach them ?

1. Your classmate Reema is the daughter of a HIV-positive mother and she is also HIVpositive. Most of your classmates do not mingle with her at all and their parents also want the school to send Reema out. But the principal, a former biology teacher tries and convinces the parents and Reema continues to study in your school. (a) Can you enumerate the points that your principal must have talked to the parents that their children will not get the infection ? (b) How can the general public be made aware of these facts and not to shun the HIV-positive children in schools and the adults in their workplace ? (c) Name the organism (in full) that causes AIDS.

(3)

 4. Ranjan has met with a roadside accident where he fell off his bicycle and developed bleeding injury in his right leg. His doctor advised to have a TT injection. (a) Expand TT. (b) Why is antitoxin injected in this case and not the antigen ? (c) What is this type of immunisation called? Mention one more condition when this type of immunisation is carried out. 5. Mohan is a second year student of engineering and Raghu is his best friend and classmate too.

But recent days, Mohan feels Raghu is not behaving the same way with him and has not done well in his assessment tests; he suspects Raghu to have taken to drugs. (a) Enumerate the symptoms which must have made Mohan think so. (b) Enumerate the possible reasons that must have made Raghu take to drugs. (c) How can Mohan help his friend to give up drugs and come back to normal drugs ? (d) Name any two classes of drugs and their source plants.

Chapter 9 Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production

1. In a field of sugarcane, all the plants have been damaged during an epidemic of a fungal disease, whereas in another field in the same area, there were many plants that were not affected by the disease. (a) Explain the reason for this observation. (b) How can the unaffected plants be used to increase their number ? (c) How can the desirable quality, i.e., disease resistance, be incorporated into future generations of the crop ? Give your ideas to the farmers. 2. The population explosion in India has led to a food crisis in recent times. It is felt that we need another green revolution. (a) What in your opinion, are the major limitations of the first green revolution of 1960s ? (b) Name the crop varieties introduced into India then. (c) What was the increase in the yield of crops like. (i) rice and (ii) wheat ? (d) Who is regarded as the Father of green revolution ? 3. It was reported from a farm that the yield has decreased considerably in recent times. The farmer was advised to keep a beehive in a corner of his farm. (a) What is the logic/reason behind this advice, as a method to increase the yield ? (b) Enumerate the important points to be followed for successful bee-keeping. (c) What is the technical term given for beekeeping ? 4. You must have read in newspapers recently about the death of Mr. Verghese Kurien, the father of White revolution in our country. (a) What is white revolution ? (b) A farmer who has been working in your farm, now gets some money and wants to set-up a dairy farm. As a student of biology, how will you help him to have a successful dairy farm management ? 5. After Green revolution, we now talk about Blue revolution, being implemented in the same lines of Green revolution. (a) What is Blue revolution ? (b) What is fishery ? What is its role in our economy ? (c) With increasing population and increasing demand on fisheries, we have implemented certain techniques. Name and explain the two major techniques.

(4)

Chapter 10
1. Rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, etc. are considered sacred rivers. Just because of this reason, the load of pollution in these rivers increases, as people throw many things in the name of puja. Many factories also let out the effluents into these rivers. (a) What has the government done to check pollution in these rivers ? (b) How can you make a propaganda regarding saving the river of your locality from pollution ? (c) Enumerate the points you will give, about the advantages of saving the river. 2. A farmer has been cultivating paddy, season after season, in a small piece of his land. Of late, the yield has been decreasing. He was advised by the agricultural department centre of your locality to use Nostoc and stop the use of chemical fertilisers. He shares with you all these and asks you for explanation of the reason behind.

Microbes in Human Welfare

(a) What is Nostoc ? (b) Explain to him how 'Nostoc' will help to increase the yield (c) What term is given to the practice of growing the same crop in a field season after season ? Explain to him how this practice can decrease the yield and mention the alternative for it. 3. In your recent visit to your village in a remote corner in Tamil Nadu, you happened to see people using cow dung cakes and firewood for cooking. You observed that cowdung is available in plenty. After coming back you have discussed it with your father about setting up a biogas plant there and help your villagers, to which your father agreed to do all the needful (a) Why is cowdung the best raw material for the production of biogas ? (b) What are the advantages of producing biogas instead of using cowdung cakes? (c) Explain to the villagers about the biogas plant, its working and supply of biogas.

Chapter 14
1. It is said that every big fish eats the smaller fishes. This proverb holds good from ecological point of view. The phytoplanktons harvest solar energy and they are consumed by zooplanktons, certain small animals or even very small fish. These small fishes are eaten by larger fishes; when they die, their bodies are decomposed by bacteria and fungi. (a) What does the above paragraph describe about ? (b) What general term is given to the levels occupied by these organisms ? (c) How is the fish that feeds on the phytoplankton, called ? What is the trophic level occupied by it ? (d) Which of the above mentioned organisms will be the maximum in number ? Does it represent the maximum biomass also ?

Ecosystem
2. Mr. Chang in China takes fruits, vegetables, bread, eggs and snake curry, in a day's menu. (a) How many trophic levels does he occupy in different food chains ? (b) Represent at least three food chains. (c) Which among them gives him the maximum amount of energy ? Give reason. 3. 'Be a vegetarian' is the slogan seen and heard in many advertisements. (a) Can you help the common people of your village to understand this with more biological reasons ? (b) Explain how that will save the environment also.

(5)

 4. Isha Upanishad states 'The whole Universe together with its creatures belongs to the Lord, Nature'. All organisms including man are the integral parts of nature, returning all the nourishment borrowed from Mother Earth. (a) Where or which part of the nature is the major source of nourishment to organisms ?

(b) How do the nutrients from there reach the various types of organisms ? What technical term is given to the above process ? (c) How do the living creatures return the nourishment taken from nature to the Mother earth ? Explain the process and the organisms involved in it.

Chapter 15

Biodiversity and its Conservation

(a) Who, between the two, people of developed countries or of developing countries, use more resources ? Justify your answer. (b) What is the consequence of consumption of more natural resources on the environment ? Explain. 3. Isha Upanishad says 'let no one species encroach over the rights and privileges of other species. One can enjoy nature by giving up greed'. But human activities have accelerated the rate of extinction of species in recent times. (a) Name any four such mass activities. (b) Describe how each of these activities leads to loss of biodiversity.

1. When we pass by a small pond/lake or even a canal, it is a sight of beautiful mauve coloured flowers of water hyacinth, the plant which completely covers the water surface. It is for these beautiful flowers that this plant was introduced into India. But now we talk about the harm it has caused to our ecosystems and waterways. (a) Write the scientific name of this plant. (b) How has it become a menace to be denoted as 'Terror of Bengal' ? 2. The resource consumption pattern of people in economically developed and the developing countries differs radically.

Chapter 16
1. Can you imagine the amount of water that can be saved, if water is not necessary to dispose off human excreta ? There are 'Ecosan' toilets functioning in many parts of Kerala and Sri Lanka. (a) What is meant by Ecological Sanitation ? (b) Mention any four advantages of this method of human waste disposal. (c) Mention the key point of this method. 2. Conserving natural resources is the need of the hour. Organic farming is one of the ways of conserving natural resources, as it allows maximum utilisation of the resources. A farmer, Ramesh Chandra Dagar, in Sonepat, Haryana is just doing this. (a) What is meant by integrated organic farming ?

Environmental Issues
(b) List the different activities that can possibly be included in organic farming. (c) Describe how these different activities can be integrated. 3. Kudangulam, a small coastal town in the South Tamil Nadu, has been in the news recently for sometime, as there have been protests against establishing a nuclear power plant. (a) What in your opinion can be the advantages of such power plants ? (b) Enlist the arguments (disadvantages) the native people have, against the power plant. (c) In case of an accidental leakage of radioactive substances, what will be the consequences faced by human beings and other life forms ?

(6)

 4. With the increasing population, it is natural that garbage generation has increased. But now the situation requires that garbage reduction must be our prime goal; instead we are increasing the use of non-biodegradable things in packing our daily food items and other things. (a) Mention how we add to the pollution of our environment. (b) How does this practice cause damage to our natural resources ? (c) How can the pollution and damage/loss of our natural resources due to these be minimised or stopped ?

(d) Mention two methods that can be used to create awareness among people. 5. Delhi Municipality has kept two dustbins of two different colours (green and blue) in many places, for waste disposal (a) What is the reason for such an arrangement ? If they are meant for separation of wastes of two types, name the two types of wastes, we generate. (b) Differentiate between the two types of wastes, mentioned above. Which of them is more harmful and must be reduced significantly ?

(7)