By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

  • 1Classify plants by their daily uses
  • 2Identify edible roots, stems and seeds
  • 3Name medicinal plants and their uses
  • 4Recall pollinators
  • 5State the national and state trees
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Why this chapter matters
Plants in Daily Life shows how plants give us food, fibre, medicine and beauty. Edible parts, medicinal plants and famous trees are directly tested book-back content in the TN Class 6 Term 3 exam.

Before you start — revise these

A 5-minute refresher here will save you 30 minutes of confusion below.

Plants in Daily Life — Class 6 Science (Samacheer Kalvi)

TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 6 Science, Term 3 — Chapter 5. How plants serve us every day.


1. About this chapter

This chapter covers food plants, fibre plants, medicinal plants and ornamental plants, pollinators, edible parts (roots and seeds), and famous trees.

2. Plants for food and fibre

  • We eat many plant parts. Pulses are edible legume seeds; the potato is a stem (not a root). Cotton gives a textile fibre and cotton cloth is suitable for summer.
  • The silkworm eats mulberry leaves to make silk. Sugarcane can be used as a biofuel.

3. Medicinal and ornamental plants

  • Medicinal plants: Amla has anticancer properties; Tulasi relieves cough and bronchitis; Neem is a natural mosquito repellent.
  • Ornamental plants are grown for decoration (like jasmine).

4. Pollinators and famous trees

  • Pollinators carry pollen — the humming bird is a bird pollinator (along with bees and butterflies).
  • The banyan tree is the national tree of India; the palm tree is the state tree of Tamil Nadu. World Food Day is on October 16.

5. Worked examples

Example 1. Which is NOT a root — potato or carrot? Potato (it is a stem).

Example 2. Which plant is a natural mosquito repellent? Neem.

Example 3. What is the national tree of India? The banyan tree.

6. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)

I. Choose the correct answer

  1. An example of a bird pollinator is the — (a) crow / (b) humming bird. Ans: (b) humming bird.
  2. A natural mosquito repellent is — (a) rose / (b) neem. Ans: (b) neem.
  3. Which of these is NOT a root? — (a) potato / (b) carrot. Ans: (a) potato.
  4. A medicinal plant with anticancer properties is — (a) amla / (b) cotton. Ans: (a) amla.
  5. The national tree of India is the — (a) neem / (b) banyan tree. Ans: (b) banyan tree.

II. Fill in the blanks 6. World Food Day is observed on October 16. 7. Cotton is an example of a textile fibre. 8. The state tree of Tamil Nadu is the palm tree. 9. Tulasi relieves cough and bronchitis.

III. True or False 10. The silkworm eats mulberry leaves. — True. 11. Cotton is unsuitable for summer. — False (it is suitable for summer). 12. Sugarcane can be used as a biofuel. — True.

7. Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Calling the potato a root. Fix: The potato is a stem (a tuber); the carrot is a root.
  • Mistake: Thinking cotton is unsuitable for summer. Fix: Cotton is light and suitable for summer.
  • Mistake: Naming the wrong national tree. Fix: The banyan is the national tree of India; the palm is Tamil Nadu's state tree.

8. Quick revision

  • Term 3 · Ch 5 · plants in daily life.
  • Food/fibre: pulses = legume seeds, potato = stem, cotton = fibre (summer), silkworm eats mulberry, sugarcane = biofuel.
  • Medicinal: amla (anticancer), tulasi (cough), neem (mosquito repellent); ornamental = jasmine.
  • Pollinators include the humming bird; banyan = national tree, palm = TN state tree; World Food Day = Oct 16.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Food and fibre
pulses = seeds, potato = stem, cotton = fibre
Silkworm eats mulberry.
Medicinal plants
amla (anticancer), tulasi (cough), neem (mosquito repellent)
Plants as medicine.
Pollinators
bees, butterflies, humming bird
Carry pollen.
Famous trees
banyan = national tree; palm = TN state tree
World Food Day Oct 16.
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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT
Calling the potato a root
The potato is a stem (a tuber); the carrot is a root.
WATCH OUT
Thinking cotton is unsuitable for summer
Cotton is light and suitable for summer.
WATCH OUT
Naming the wrong national tree
The banyan is the national tree of India; the palm is Tamil Nadu's state tree.

Practice problems

Try each one yourself before tapping "Show solution". Active recall > rereading.

Q1EASY· MCQ
Which of these is NOT a root (potato / carrot)?
Show solution
potato (it is a stem).
Q2EASY· MCQ
A natural mosquito repellent is ____.
Show solution
neem.
Q3EASY· MCQ
The national tree of India is the ____.
Show solution
banyan tree.
Q4EASY· Fill in the blanks
World Food Day is observed on October ____.
Show solution
16.
Q5EASY· Fill in the blanks
The state tree of Tamil Nadu is the ____.
Show solution
palm tree.
Q6EASY· True or False
Sugarcane can be used as a biofuel. (True/False)
Show solution
True.

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

  • Term 3 Chapter 5 of Samacheer Kalvi Class 6 Science.
  • Plants give food (pulses are legume seeds, potato is a stem), fibre (cotton, suitable for summer) and silk (silkworm eats mulberry).
  • Medicinal plants: amla has anticancer properties, tulasi relieves cough and bronchitis, neem is a mosquito repellent.
  • Ornamental plants such as jasmine are grown for decoration.
  • Pollinators include the humming bird, bees and butterflies; sugarcane can be a biofuel.
  • The banyan is the national tree of India; the palm is the state tree of Tamil Nadu; World Food Day is on October 16.

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 6-10 marks across book-back MCQ, fill-ups, true/false and short answers

Question typeMarks eachTypical countWhat it tests
MCQ / Fill / T-F15-7Uses, edible parts, trees
Short Answer21-2Medicinal plants, pollinators
Prep strategy
  • Sort plants by use
  • Learn which edible parts are roots vs stems
  • Match each medicinal plant to its use
  • Remember the national and state trees

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

Food

Plants supply grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables.

Medicine

Many medicines come from plants.

Clothing

Cotton and other fibres make our clothes.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

  1. Sort plants by their daily use
  2. Separate edible roots from stems
  3. Match medicinal plants to uses
  4. Quote the national and state trees

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

  • List five plant products in your home and the plant part each comes from.
  • Explain how pollinators help plants reproduce.

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

TN Class 6 Term 3 ExamHigh
NMMS / Foundation ScienceMedium
School unit testsHigh

Questions students ask

The real ones — pulled from the Q&A community and tutor sessions.

The potato is an underground stem called a tuber — it has buds (eyes) that can grow into new plants, which is a feature of stems, not roots.

Medicinal plants like tulasi, neem and amla contain natural compounds that help treat ailments — tulasi eases coughs, neem repels mosquitoes, and amla is rich in vitamin C with anticancer properties.
Verified by the tuition.in editorial team
Last reviewed on 4 June 2026. Written and reviewed by subject-matter experts — read about our process.
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