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
- An example of a bird pollinator is the — (a) crow / (b) humming bird. Ans: (b) humming bird.
- A natural mosquito repellent is — (a) rose / (b) neem. Ans: (b) neem.
- Which of these is NOT a root? — (a) potato / (b) carrot. Ans: (a) potato.
- A medicinal plant with anticancer properties is — (a) amla / (b) cotton. Ans: (a) amla.
- 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.
