Class -6, English ( Honeysuckle ), Chapter - 9 Desert Animals Summary, Word Meanings, NCERT Solutions & Frequently Asked Questions

 English

( Honeysuckle )

Class - 6, Chapter - 9

 Desert Animals 

Summary, Word Meanings, NCERT Solutions & Frequently Asked Questions  

-- Summary --

⭐Summary In English:-

Although deserts are the driest places on earth, there are certain animals that survive in the desert. They use different methods to cope with the harsh climate. Gebrils spend the hottest part of the day in cool underground burrows. Darkling beetles catch drops of moisture on their legs. Then they lift the legs in the air until the drops of water trickle down into their mouths. Camels get water from desert plants.

Some snakes also live in desert. In the rocky deserts of America is found the frightening rattler which can strike with a lightning speed. It avoids people if it possibly can but when threatened it coils ready to bite. Rattlers feed on a variety of prey including mice. Snakes do not eat more than once a week but some snakes such as pythons can survive for a year or more without eating.

The other animal found in deserts are mongooses that like to hunt together. They have to be careful of dangerous predators. Their food is beetles and other small creatures. They warn each other with a special alarm call of they see anything suspicious. All the female mongooses have their kittens at about the same time. They are raised by the whole group in a den. Mongooses are famous snake-killers. Their reactions are so fast that they can dodge each time the snake strikes. In the end the snake gets tired. Then, the mongoose quickly dives in for a kill.

Another animal that lives in the desert is the camel. They were tamed by man long long ago, Camels get the water they need from desert plants. They can survive without drinking water up to ten months. A thirsty camel can drink as much as thirty gallons of water in just ten minutes. Camels are of two kinds dromedary and bacteria. Dromedary camel has one hump while bacteria camel has two. These humps are full of fat which helps them to survive for many days without food and water.

⭐ Summary In Hindi:- 

यद्यपि रेगिस्तान संसार के सर्वाधिक सूखे भागों में आते हैं, फिर भी कुछ जानवर हैं जो रेगिस्तान में जीवित रहते हैं। इस कठोर जलवायु का मुकाबला करने के लिए उनके पास विभिन्न साधन हैं। गेब्रिल रेगिस्तानी चूहे दिन का सर्वाधिक गर्म भाग जमीन के अंदर बिल बनाकर बिताते हैं। काले बीटल अपनी टाँगों पर हवा की नमी सोख लेते हैं। फिर ये अपनी टाँगों को हवा में तब तक ऊपर उठाते हैं जब तक कि पानी की बूंदें उनके मुँह में न गिर जाएँ। ऊँट, मरुस्थल के पौधों से पानी प्राप्त करते हैं।

कुछ सांप भी रेगिस्तान में पाये जाते हैं। अमरीका के पथरीले रेगिस्तान में भयानक रैटलर नाम का सांप मिलता है जो बिजली की तेजी से आक्रमण कर सकता है। जहाँ तक संभव हो, यह मानव से बचता है पर खतरा होने पर यह कुंडली मारकर काटने के लिए तैयार हो जाता है। रैटलर चूहों सहित कई प्रकार का भोजन करते हैं। सांप एक सप्ताह में एक बार ही भोजन करते हैं पर अजगर जैसे कुछ सांप एक साल या उससे अधिक बिना भोजन के रह सकते हैं।

रेगिस्तान में पाये जाने वाला एक अन्य जीव मंगूज या नेवला होता है जो समूह बनाकर शिकार करते हैं। उन्हें खतरनाक शिकारी जानवरों से सावधान रहना पड़ता है। वे मूंग और अन्य छोटे प्राणियों का भोजन करते हैं। किसी संदेहात्मक वस्तु को देखने पर वे एक-दूसरे को विशेष प्रकार की चेतावनी वाली आवाज करके सावधान करते हैं। सभी मादा नेवला लगभग एक ही समय बच्चे देती हैं। उन्हें एक मांद में रखकर पूरा समूह उनका पालन करता है। नेवले सर्प संहारक के नाम से जाने जाते हैं। उनकी प्रतिक्रिया इतनी तेज होती है कि सांप के आक्रमण से वे हर वार से बच निकलते हैं। अंत में सांप थक जाता है। तब नेवला तेजी से घातक हमला बोल देता है।

ऊँट एक अन्य पशु है जो रेगिस्तान में रहता है। मनुष्य ने बहुत प्राचीन समय में ही उन्हें पालतू बना लिया था। ऊँटों को आवश्यक पानी की मात्रा रेगिस्तान की वनस्पतियों से प्राप्त हो जाती है। वे दस महीने तक पानी पीये बिना जीवित रह सकते हैं। एक प्यासा ऊँट दस मिनिट में तीस गैलन पानी पी जाता है। ऊँट दो प्रकार के होते हैं-ड्रोमडेरी और बैक्टीरिया। ड्रोमडेरी ऊँट के एक कूबड़ होता है और बैक्टीरिया के दो। इन कूबड़ों के अंदर चर्बी भरी होती है जो बिना किसी भोजन अथवा जल के बहुत समय तक जीवित रहने में उनकी सहायता करती है।

-- Word Meanings --

• Driest - सबसे अमिक सुखा 

• Survive - गुजारा करना 

• Scorching - झुलसाने वाली

• Cope with - सामना करना 

• Harsh - कठोर 

• Burrows – बिल  

• Moisture - गीलापन, नमी 

• Trickle - टपकना

• Endless - अनंत

• Dunes - बालू के टीले

• Pebbly - पत्थरों से भरा हुआ

• Sprinkle - फैलाना ,फैलना

• Poisonous - जहरीले

• Bite - काटना.

• Evil looking - बदशक्ल

• Widespread – दूर दूर तक फैले हुए

• Look out - तलाश

• Strike - चोट करना 

-- NCERT Solutions --

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? 

Answer:- 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) How do mongooses kill snakes?

Answer:- 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) How does the hump of the camels help them to survive when there is no water? 

Answer:- 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.

-- Frequently Asked Questions --

Question 1.- 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 2.- 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 3.- Describe the food and habitat of Rattlesnakes?

Answer:- Rattlesnakes are very common in American continent. They feed on mice and rats etc.

Question 4.- 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 5.- 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.

-- By Durgesh Pandey

(Eklavya Coaching centre)