NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 9 Desert Animals

There’s a lot of information about desert animals that we do not know – the kinds of animals, what they eat, how they survive in the desert, how they kill, etc. Why do camels have humps? Does it store water, or does it have some other function?

Working with the text

A. 1. Talk to your partner and say whether the following statements

are true or false.

(i) No animal can survive without water.

(ii) Deserts are endless sand dunes.

(iii) Most snakes are harmless.

(iv) Snakes cannot hear, but they can feel vibrations through the ground.

(v) Camels store water in their humps.

Answer:

(i) True

(ii) False

(iii) True

(iv) True

(v) False

A. 2. Answer the following questions.

(i) How do desert animals survive without water? (1)

(ii) How do mongooses kill snakes? (6)

(iii) How does the hump of the camels help them to survive when there is no water?

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 8 A Game of Chance

Answer:

(i) Desert animals make it possible to survive without water for days. For instance, Gerbils stay under holes to keep themselves cool. Beetles keep drops of water/moisture on their legs and then lift those drops into the air till the drops trickle down into their mouths.

(ii) Mongooses kill snakes with their quick reactions through which they dodge the snake each time the snake strikes. They keep dodging the snake until it gets completely tired and then they dive in to kill the snake.

(iii) The humps of the camels are full of fat. This fat nourishes the camels when food is less.

B. Read the words/phrases in the box. With your partner find their meaning in the dictionary.

harsh conditions, harmless, survive, intruder, threatened, predators, prey, continually

Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the above words/ phrases.

All animals in forests and deserts struggle to ——————————— in ————————————————, Though most of the animals are ———————————, some are dangerous when ———————————. If an ———————————— is noticed, they attack or bite to save themselves. They struggle ——————————— for food and water. Some animals are called ————————————— because they —————————— on other animals.

Answer: All animals in forests and deserts struggle to survive in harsh conditions. Though most of the animals are harmless, some are dangerous when threatened. If an intruder is noticed, they attack or bite to save themselves. They struggle continually for food and water. Some animals are called predators because they prey on other animals.

Speaking

Look at these sentences.

• Deserts are the driest places on earth.
• Gerbils spend the hottest part of the day in cool underground burrows.

Now form pairs. Ask questions using a suitable form of the word in brackets. Try to answer the questions too.

Do you know

1. Which animal is the _______________________ (tall)?

2. Which animal runs the _______________________ (fast)?

3. Which place on earth is the _______________________ (hot) or the _______________________ (cold)?

4. Which animal is the _______________________ (large)?

5. Which is the ————————————— (tall) mountain in the world?

6. Which is the _______________________ (rainy) place on earth?

7. Which is the ________________________ (old) living animal?

Can you add some questions of your own?

Answer:

1. Which animal is the tallest (tall)?

Answer: The Giraffe is the tallest animal.

2. Which animal runs the fastest (fast)?

Answer: Leopard runs the fastest.

3. Which place on earth is the hottest (hot) or the coldest (cold)?

Answer: Aziza, Libya is the hottest and Verkhoyansk is the coldest place on Earth.

4. Which animal is the largest (large)?

Answer: Blue Whale is the largest animal.

5. Which is the tallest (tall) mountain in the world?

Answer: Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.

6. Which is the rainiest (rainy) place on earth?

Answer: Mawsynram in Meghalaya is the rainiest place on earth.

7. Which is the oldest (old) living animal?

Answer: The giant tortoise is the oldest living animal.

Thinking about the language

A. Look at these sentences.

• Most snakes are quite harmless, but a few are poisonous.
• Most snakes lay eggs, but the rattlesnake gives birth to its young.

Now write five sentences like these using ‘most’ and the clues below.

1. (90% of) people are honest (10%) are dishonest.

—————————————————————————————————————

2. (Lots of) fruit have plenty of sugar, (some) citrus fruit are low in sugar.

—————————————————————————————————————

3. (Every soft drink except this one) has lots of ‘empty calories’.

—————————————————————————————————————

4. (The majority of) films are romances, (a few) are on other topics.

—————————————————————————————————————

5. (A majority of) people agree that he is a good leader, (just a few) disagree.

—————————————————————————————————————

Answer:

1. Most people are honest, but a few are dishonest.

2. Most fruits have plenty of sugar, but a few citrus fruits are low in sugar.

3. Most soft drinks except this one have lots of empty calories.

4. Most films are romances, but a few are on other topics.

5. Most people agree that he is a good leader, but a few disagree.

B. Look at these sentences.

• Animals cannot survive for long without water.
• So desert animals have to find different ways of coping.

The first sentence says what cannot happen or be done; the second tells us what must, therefore, be done, and what is necessary to do.

Complete these sentences using cannot and have to/has to.

1. You —————————— reach the island by land or air; you —————————— go by boat.

2. We —————————— see bacteria with our eyes; we —————————— look at them through a microscope.

3. He—————————— have a new bicycle now; he ——————— wait till next year.

4. Old people often —————————— hear very well; they ——————————use a hearing aid.

5. Road users —————————— do what they wish; they —————follow the traffic rules.

6. She —————————— accept this decision; she ——————— question it.

7. You —————————— believe everything you hear; you —————————— use your own judgement.

“UNRAVELING THE FURY OF NATURE: UNDERSTANDING TORNADO”

Answer:

1. You cannot reach the island by land or air; you have to go by boat.

2. We cannot see bacteria with our eyes; we have to look at them through a microscope.

3. He cannot have a new bicycle now; he has to wait till next year.

4. Old people often cannot hear very well; they have to use a hearing aid.

5. Road users cannot do what they wish; they have to follow the traffic rules.

6. She cannot accept this decision; she has to question it.

7. You cannot believe everything you hear; you have to use your own judgment.

Writing

Imagine you are journeying through a desert. Write a couple of paragraphs describing what you see and hear.

Answer: Do it yourself.