Chapter 9 Desert Animals Important Questions Class 6 Honeysuckle English
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Where do we find the rattlesnakes in the world?
Answer
We find in the rattlesnakes, very dangerous snake, across the American continent from Canada in North America to Argentina in South America.
Question 2. Write about two different kinds of camels?
Answer
The two different kinds of camel are the Dromedary, which has a single hump and the Bactrian camel, which has two humps.
Question 3. What do you learn in the lesson about camels?
Answer
Camels live mainly in the desert. They can drink upto 30 gallons of water in just ten minutes. They get all the moisture they need from desert plants. Some camels have only one hump, others have two. Humps are full of fat which is used as food.
Question 4. What are some of the notable features told about snakes in the lesson?
Answer
There are more than 2300 different kinds of snakes in the world. Some are upto 11 metres long. Not all are poisonous. Most snakes lay eggs, but many of them give birth to their young.
Question 5. How do the camels use their hump?
Answer
Camels use their hump which is like a storage container to survive in the desert. They store fats and nourish them when there is scarcity of food.
Question 6. What is your opinion on whether the snakes hear or not? Support your answer with facts.
Answer
No, the shakes do not hear at all. They only feel vibrations in the ground. If a person walks near to the snakes, it can feel the movement of footsteps. But if the same person shouts, it does not hear.
Question 7. What is the information imparted about snakes in the lesson?
Answer
There are more than 2300 different kinds of snakes in the world. Some are upto 11 metres long. Not all are poisonous. Most snakes lay eggs, but many of them give birth to their young.
Question 8. What do you know about the hunting of the mongooses?
Answer
The mongooses always like to hunt together in group and keep looking continuously for dangerous predators near them. They move in groups and remain in touch with one another by calling and twittering.
Question 9. How and what do the snakes eat?
Answer
The snakes are unique creatures in eating. They swallow their prey as a whole. They feed on a variety of prey, including mice, voles, rats, chipmunks and other small animals. Some snakes eat more than once a week.
Question 10. How do camels manage to survive in desert?
Answer
Camels live mainly in desert. They can drink upto 30 gallons of water in just ten minutes. They get all the moisture they need from desert plants. Some camels have only one hump, other have two. Hump is full of fat which is used as food.
Question 12. What is the remarkable feature of a Camel’s mouth?
Answer
The most remarkable feature of a Camel’s mouth is its toughness. No thorn can pierce through its tongue and lips.
Question 13. What helps the mongoose in fighting the snakes?
Answer
The mongooses make swift movement to get out of the snake’s attack. So they remain unhurt.
Question 14. How do desert animals survive without water?
Answer
The desert animals find different ways to get and store water needed for their survival.
Question 15. What does the author tell about mongooses?
Answer
Mongooses are very amusing animals to watch. They are a common sight in Africa. They eat beetles and other small creatures. They themselves are eaten up by hawks, eagles and large snakes. They are famous for killing snakes.
Question 16. Deserts have very thin population. Why?
Answer
Deserts have very little water and vegetation. There is greenery only around the water springs or oases. So people don’t prefer to live there.
Question 17. Where are rattlesnakes found?
Answer
Rattlesnakes are very common in American continent. They feed on mice and rats etc.
Question 18. Why are deserts so thinly populated?
Answer
Life in desert areas is difficult. Deserts have very little water and vegetation. There is greenery only around the water springs or oasis. So people don’t prefer to live there.
Question 19. How do snakes hear?
Answer
Most snakes hear through vibrations in the ground. If a person walks nearby, the snake can feel the movement.
Question 20. What do rattle snakes eat?
Answer
Rattle snakes kill their prey with poison. They feed on a variety of prey like rats, mice, chipmunks and other small animals.
Question 21. How do mongooses warn one another of danger?
Answer
Mongooses warn each other of danger with a special alarm call if they see any predator.
Question 22. How does the coat of camels change with weather?
Answer
Camels have long shaggy winter coats to keep them warm and shorter, neater coats in summer to keep cool.
Question 23. What information did you get about Mongoose in the lesson?
Answer
Mongooses are very amusing animals to watch. They are a common sight in Africa. They eat beetles and other small creature. They themselves are eaten up by hawks, eagles and large snakes. They are famous for killing snakes.
Question 24. What do you know about rattlesnakes?
Answer
Rattlesnakes are very poisonous and dangerous snakes. Their frightening rattle can be heard as far as 30 m away and they have lightning speed to strike their enemies or prey. They hold their tails upright and rattle the end whenever it is disturbed by any one.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What are some of the particular habits of the mongoose and the camel?
Answer
Mongooses like to hunt together. But they are afraid of their enemies like hawks, eagles and snakes. They warn others of the danger by their peculiar calling. They are famous for killing snakes.
Camels were taken as pets long, long ago. They have long or short coats to keep them warm or cool. A camel can drink upto 30 gallons of water at a time. Its humps-single or double-store food that is used as food. They are adapted to desert life.
Question 2. What information do you gather about snakes?
Answer
There are more than 2300 different kinds of snakes around the world. Some are harmless, other are very poisonous. Some lay eggs, while others give birth to the young – one. The rattles lives in the dingy and rocky deserts of America. Large pythons can go without eating for a year or more. Mongooses are famous for their skill in killing snakes. A camel can drink upto 30 gallons of water in just ten minutes. It eats plants. Its humps store fat – food.
Question 3. What do you know about a desert? How do animals survive there?
Answer
It is very difficult to survive in deserts as they are the driest places on Earth and they remain without rain for months, sometimes even for years. The animals living in deserts adapt themselves to cope with the harsh conditions. Gerbils spend the hottest part of the day in cool underground burrows to maintain their body temperature. Beetles catch drops of moisture through their legs and consume them. Camels get moisture from desert plants and can survive for a long time without drinking water. Their humps help them to survive in deserts in which they store fat and consume it whenever required.
Question 4. How do you thin for child can be sensitive enough by reading about the desert animals?
Answer
A child is curious by nature. He wants to learn about everything that happens around him. He loves to explore nature. But by providing the details of various other living organism, they develop the mutual respect and understanding. They can became gentle in their behaviour. They won’t harm other organism. So by introducing the lesson on animals and their struggle of existence, one can become sensitive and behave in a proper way.
Question 5. How do you define or describe a desert? Name some common desert animals. How do they survive?
Answer
A desert is a very hot and dry place that goes without rain even for years. It is
sandy with hardly any vegetation or villages. There is neither water nor greenery. Still some animals are found there. For example, gerbils, beetles, snakes, mongooses and camels. These animals survive the harsh conditions in their own way. Some live in burrows (holes). Camels have winter coats to keep warm and shorter, tidier coats to keep cool in summer.
Question 6. How mongooses bring up their young ones?
Answer
All the female mongooses have their kittens nearly at the same time. They make their den inside an old termite mount or hollow log. The whole group helps to raise the kittens. One or two adults stay back to guard the den while most of them go out in search of food.
Question 7. The life of camels in the desert.
Answer
Camels are adapted to live in the desert. They have long feet. They live in groups. They have long shaggy coats for harsh winters and shorter coats for summer. They fill their stomach with water which they fill by drinking about thirty gallons in ten minutes. They can survive without drinking water for up to ten months. They store excess food as fat in their hump which they use when food is not easily available. Their mouths are so tough that they can easily eat thorny plants.
Question 8. What information about snakes do you get in the lesson Desert Animals?
Answer
There are more than 2300 different kinds of snakes around the world. Some are harmless, others very poisonous. Some lay eggs, while others give birth to the young-one. The rattler lives in the dry and rocky deserts of America. Large pythons can go without eating for a year or more. Mongooses are famous for their skill in killing snakes. A camel can drink upto 30 gallons of water in just ten minutes. It eats plants. Its humps store fat-food.
Question 9. What do you know about the habits of mongooses?
Answer
Mongooses are very unique creatures which are very amusing animals to watch. They hunt together, keeping in touch with one another by twittering and calling. They have a unique quality to warn one another with a special alarm call if they spot anything suspicious. The little ones of mongooses are brought up by the whole group, not by parents only. They are very active to kill snakes without getting hurt. Their movements are so fast that they can fight with snakes. They make continuous attempts to fight snakes and kill them when they get tried. They are small but very active creatures.
Extract Based Questions
Extract 1
But even the desert animals cannot survive without water, or for long periods in the scorching sun, so they have had to find different ways of coping with the harsh conditions. For example, gerbils spend the hottest part of the day in cool underground burrows. And strange insects called darkling beetles are experts at catching drops of moisture on their legs, then lifting them into the air until the drops trickle down into their mouths. Not all deserts are endless seas of rolling sand dimes. Some are rocky or pebbly and dotted with small bushes while others are sprinkled with colourful flowers during the spring.
Questions
(i) What do gerbils do to survive?
(ii) Do you think desert animals can survive without water?
(iii) Name the insect that is expert in catching drops of moisture on their legs?
(iv) What are various types of deserts?
(v) What are ‘sand dunes’?
Answer
(i) Gerbils spend the hottest part of the day in cool underground burrows.
(ii) No, rather they learnt to cope up with harsh conditions.
(iii) The insect that are expert in catching drops of moisture on their legs are ‘darkling beetles’.
(iv) The desert may be enormous sand dunes, rocky or pebbly surface.
(v) ‘Sand dimes’ are heaps of sand formed by the wind in the desert.
Extract 2
But the rattlesnake, or ‘rattler’ as it is sometimes called, prefers to avoid people if it possibly can. It holds its tail upright and rattles the end whenever it is disturbed, in the hope that the intruder will go away. However, if its warnings are ignored—and it feels threatened—it will coil ready to bite. But the rattler itself cannot hear the noise its own tail makes. Like most snakes, it “hears’ things through vibrations in the ground. If a person walks nearby the snake can feel the movement. But if the same person were to shout, it would not hear a thing. Rattlesnakes are very common and widespread animals, living right across the American continent from Canada to Argentina.
Questions
(i) Name the snake discussed in the above passage.
(ii) What does it do if its warnings are ignored?
(iii) In what respect does the rattle snake is similar to other snakes?
(iv) Where do rattlesnakes are commonly found?
(v) Find the suitable word for ‘universal’ from the passage.
Answer
(i) Rattlesnake or rattle is the name of the snake discussed in the above passage.
(ii) If its warnings are ignored it coils and get ready to bite.
(iii) Rattlesnakes can hear things through vibration only as other snakes do.
(iv) Rattlesnakes are commonly found from Canada to Argentina.
(v) Widespread.
Extract 3
They like to hunt together, keeping in touch whenever they go out of sight behind rocks or bushes by twittering and calling. Always on the lookout for danger — hawks, eagles and large snakes they warn one another with a special alarm call if they spot anything suspicious.
Questions
(i) Who are ‘They’ in the passage?
(ii) How do they hunt?
(iii) How do they ‘keep in touch’ whenever they go out of sight?
(iv) Which predators are dangerous to them?
(v) Give the meaning of ‘twitter’.
Answer
(i) ‘They’ are Mongooses in the passage.
(ii) They hunt together in groups.
(iii) They communicate with each other by twittering and calling.
(iv) Hawks, eagles and large snakes are dangerous to them.
(v) The meaning of twitter is giving a call in repeated sound.
Extract 4
There are two different kinds of camel. One, known as the Dromedary, has only a single hump; the other is called a Bactrian camel and has two humps. The humps help the animal to survive in the desert, by acting as storage containers. But they don’t store water as many people wrongly believe they are full of fat. This fat nourishes the camels when food is scarce. If they have nothing to eat for several days, their humps shrink as the fat is used up. There are many other ways in which camels are adapted to. desert life. Their mouths are so tough that even the sharp thorn cannot pierce through.
Questions
(i) What do you call a camel with single hump?
(ii) How do the humps help camel to survive in desert?
(iii) What is stored in humps?
(iv) Why do humps shrink?
(v) Change the verb ‘Adapt’ into a noun.
Answer
(i) A camel with a single hump is called dromedary.
(ii) The humps help camel to survive in the desert by acting as storage containers.
(iii) Fat is stored in humps.
(iv) If the camels do not have anything to eat for several days, their humps shrink as the fat is used up.
(v) Adaptation.