NCERT PAGE NUMBER 158
1. The stick which was stuck in the ground fell very easily. It was difficult to pull out a small grass. Why?
Ans. The roots of grass were firmly holding the grass with soil, while the stick has no roots. So, it is difficult to pull out small grass.

2. Do all plants have roots?
Ans. Yes, all plants have roots.

3. Look at some plants and trees around you. Imagine how deep and spread out the roots of these are?
Ans. Small plants have roots in the ground from two inches to 10 inches deep, while a tree has 5 to 10 feet deep roots in the ground. Roots of some plants go as deep as 60 feet into the ground.

4. After three days, Abdul saw that one broken part of the pea plant had dried. Guess which part would have dried up? Why?
Ans. The leaves of the broken part of the pea plant dried. Because broken part of the plant did not get water and mineral from the soil.

5. Why do you think the neem tree did not fall despite the strong wind?
Ans. Neem trees have big, strong and deep roots in the soil that anchor the tree strongly. That’s why neem tree did not fall in spite of the strong wind.

6. On putting water in the soil where the plants are growing, the drooping leaves become fresh again. How?
Ans. Leaves and other parts of a plant get water and other necessary items through water from the soil through it roots. Because of that leaves get energy after giving water near the root and dropping leaves get fresh.

7. What do you feel, do all plants need water?
Ans. Yes, all plants need water.

8. Which of the plants around you need regular watering?
Ans. Flowers need regular watering.

9. What will happen, if nobody gives water to these plants?
Ans. In the scarcity of water most of them would die.

10. Abdul realised that he never watered the huge neem tree. “Where did it get its water from?” he thought. Which of the plants around you do not need watering? Where do they get water from? Make two guesses.
Ans. The roots of big trees like neem go deep into soil. These deep roots suck water from the soil. Other such big trees like, mango, banyan, etc. do not require us to water them.

11. Abdul wondered whether radish was a root. Why did he think so?
Ans.Yes radish is a root. We eat the roots of many plants, radish is one of them. The fact that radish grows under the ground must have made Abdul think that it is a root.

12. Look at the pictures below and find out which of these vegetables are roots.

Ans.Following vegetables are roots.

NCERT PAGE NUMBER 160
Abdul has more questions
Abdul saw a plant growing out of a wall in school. He wondered-

1. How deep must the roots of this plant be going?
Ans.The roots of this plant would be going up to at least 10 inches to 20 inches deep.

2. How do the roots get water?
Ans. The roots get water from the moisture present in the wall.

3. How big will this plant grow?
Ans. This plant can grow big enough.

4. What will happen to the wall?
Ans. If this plant is not removed then it will cause cracks and finally break the wall.

5. Can you give the name of the plant in the picture?
Ans. This is a peepal plant.

6. Have you ever seen a plant growing from a crack in a wall? .
Ans. Yes I saw a plant that grew over the wall of my school.

7. Where was it?
Ans. That was at the back of the wall of my school.

8. Did you have any questions when you saw it?
Ans. Yes, I have one question in my mind.

9. What were some of your questions? Ask elders and find the answers.
Question in my mind—
(a) From where the seed of that plant come on the wall?
Ans. The seed of that very tree was carried by a bird to the wall.

10.Find out the name of the plant you saw.
Ans. That was banyan plant.

NCERT PAGE NUMBER 161
Abdul saw a huge tree that had fallen on the roadside. He remembered the neem tree in his courtyard. He could see some of its broken roots.

Abdul thought
1. Would someone have uprooted such a big tree or would it have fallen on its own?
Ans. Strong wind uprooted that tree.

2. How old would this tree be?
Ans. This tree would not be less than 50 years old.

3. Abdul on seeing a tree surrounded by cemented ground, thought that how will it get rain water? 
Ans. This tree gets water through its roots which go deep in the soil.

Let Us Talk
4. Which are the oldest trees in your area? Find out from your elders how old the trees are?
Ans. There is a huge Peepal tree at the bank of the pond in my village. People say that it is more than 150 years old.

5. Have you ever seen any big tree that had fallen down? What did you think when you saw it?
Ans. Yes, I have seen a big tree that had fallen down at the bank of the river because of flood. All in the village were amazed to see the huge thick and long roots of that very tree.

NCERT PAGE NUMBER 161
Unusual Roots
1. Have you swung from a banyan tree?
Ans. Yes whenever I go to my village, I swing from a big banyan tree along with my friends.

2. What did you hold to swing?
Ans. I held rope like thick structure which is hanging from the branches of the tree.

3. Have you seen any tree which has roots growing from its branches?
Ans. Yes the big banyan tree in my village and another one in the garden has several long roots like structure growing from its branches.

NCERT PAGE NUMBER 162
Let Us Do This
Get together with 3-4 of your friends-From the list of things given, decide who will bring which thing.
A transparent glass tumbler or bottle with a wide mouth, rubber band or thread, some seeds of moong, wheat, bajra, mustard, channa (chick peas) or rajma (red beans) and a wad of cotton wool.
Each group will work with only one kind of seed. Soak a few seeds (5-6) overnight in a bowl full of water. Take the wad of cotton wool and wet it. Put it on the mouth of the tumbler. Tie it tight to the mouth with rubber band or thread. Remove soaked seeds from water and place them on the cotton wool. You will have to take care that the cotton wool does not dry. Observe the changes that take place for the next 10 to 12 days.
1. Did you observe the seedlings come out of the seeds?
Ans. Yes, seedlings came out only after 3 days.

2. Draw the picture of the seedling as it looks on the fourth and the eighth day.
Ans.

NCERT PAGE NUMBER 163
Write in Your Notebook
1. What difference did you observe in the seeds after soaking? Compare with dry seeds and write.
Ans. Seeds get swollen after soaking water and sprouted after two days while dry seeds did not swollen and sprout.

2. What do you think would happen if the cotton wool had been left dry?
Ans. The seeds kept in the cotton wool do not sprout.

3. In which direction did the roots grow? And the stem?
Ans. The roots grew in downward and stem grows in upwards direction.

4. How big did the plant grow in the cotton wool?
Ans. Upto 4 cm.

5. Did small plants come out from all the seeds?
Ans. Yes.

6. What is the colour of the roots? 
Ans. It is off white.

7. Did you see any hair on the roots?
Ans. After 8 days small hairs grew on the roots.

8. Try and pull out one little plant from the cotton wool. Were you able to pull it out? Why?
Ans. Yes I was able to pull out but with difficulties, because roots made grip with the cotton.

9. Did you see how the roots grip the cotton wool?
Ans. Yes, roots grip the cotton wool.

10. Do you think that the roots hold the soil in the same way?
Ans. Yes, I think roots hold the soil in the same way.

11. Also look at the plants grown by your friends.
Ans. Roots of the plants grown by my friends also made grip with cotton wools.

NCERT PAGE NUMBER 165
What Grows?
Arif and Roopali did the above activity. They saw the seedlings grow. When asked-what are the things that grow? They had very different ideas about things that grow. Arif made a list of the following-Leaves, munna, bud, puppy, nails, fish.
Roopali’s list had-Moon, tree, I, hair, watermelon, mosquito, crow.
1. What do you think? Which of these things listed by Arif and Roopali grow?
Ans. All the things in the list of Arif and Rupali grow.

2. Why don’t you make your own list of things that grow? Your list can include the names of things that are in Arif’s and Roopali’s list.
Ans. Plants, dogs, cats, rats, moon, me and my friends, hair, nails, etc. grow.

3. Think about yourself—in what ways have you changed over a period of time? Have you grown in any way?
Ans. I am growing big.
For example—
4. Has your height increased? How much taller have you grown in the last one year?
Ans. I grew 2 inches taller in last one year.

5. Imagine that you had never cut your nails! Draw a picture of your fingers in the notebook to show how they would have looked
Ans.

6. What other part of your body keeps growing? Some people cut it regularly.
Ans. Hair keeps growing