Life Processes: Transport MCQs Quiz | Class 10
This quiz for Class X, Subject Science (Code 086), Unit II: World of Living, focuses on Life Processes: Transport. It covers basic concepts of transport in plants and animals (overview). Test your understanding with 10 multiple-choice questions. Submit your answers and download a PDF of your results for review.
Life Processes: Transport – Understanding the Essentials
Transport is a vital life process in living organisms that involves the movement of substances from one part of the body to another. This ensures that essential nutrients, water, oxygen, and hormones reach all cells, and waste products are removed. In simple unicellular organisms, substances move by diffusion. However, in complex multicellular organisms, specialized transport systems are required due to larger body sizes and more complex needs.
Transport in Plants
Plants have specialized vascular tissues for transport:
- Xylem: Primarily transports water and dissolved minerals from the roots upwards to the leaves and other aerial parts. This movement is largely driven by transpiration pull (evaporation of water from leaves) and to a lesser extent, root pressure.
- Phloem: Transports prepared food (sugars like sucrose) from the leaves (where photosynthesis occurs) to other parts of the plant, including storage organs like roots and fruits, and growing regions. This process is called translocation and requires energy (ATP).
Transport in Animals (Human Circulatory System)
In humans and other complex animals, the circulatory system is responsible for transport. It typically consists of:
- Blood: The fluid medium composed of plasma (water, proteins, salts, hormones), red blood cells (oxygen transport), white blood cells (immune defense), and platelets (blood clotting).
- Blood Vessels:
- Arteries: Carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the body (except pulmonary artery).
- Veins: Carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart from the body (except pulmonary vein).
- Capillaries: Tiny, thin-walled vessels where exchange of gases, nutrients, and waste products occurs between blood and tissues.
- Heart: A muscular pumping organ that circulates blood throughout the body. It has four chambers: two atria (receive blood) and two ventricles (pump blood). The heart ensures a double circulation in mammals: pulmonary circulation (heart to lungs and back) and systemic circulation (heart to body and back).
- Lymphatic System: A secondary transport system that drains tissue fluid (lymph) back into the blood, and also plays a crucial role in immunity.
Quick Revision List
- Transport: Movement of substances in organisms.
- Plants: Xylem (water, minerals), Phloem (food/sugars).
- Animals: Circulatory system (blood, vessels, heart).
- Blood: Plasma, RBCs (O2), WBCs (immunity), Platelets (clotting).
- Heart: Four chambers, double circulation.
- Arteries: Away from heart (oxygenated).
- Veins: Towards heart (deoxygenated).
- Capillaries: Exchange sites.
- Transpiration pull: Major force for water ascent in plants.
- Translocation: Food transport in plants via phloem.
Comparative Table: Xylem vs. Phloem
| Feature | Xylem | Phloem |
|---|---|---|
| Substance | Water and minerals | Food (sugars, amino acids) |
| Direction | Unidirectional (roots to leaves) | Bidirectional (source to sink) |
| Energy | Mostly passive (transpiration pull) | Active (requires ATP for translocation) |
| Components | Tracheids, vessels, xylem parenchyma | Sieve tubes, companion cells, phloem parenchyma |
5 Extra Practice Questions
- What is the main driving force for the movement of water from roots to leaves in a tall tree?
- Name the two main components of the human circulatory system responsible for carrying blood away from and towards the heart, respectively.
- Which pigment in red blood cells is responsible for binding oxygen?
- If a plant’s phloem tissue is damaged, what immediate effect would it have on the plant’s growth and survival?
- Why is a double circulatory system considered more efficient than a single circulatory system in warm-blooded animals?
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