Class 6 Science · Original EZT practice
Diversity in the Living World (Class 6 Science Chapter 2): so many living things, so many ways to sort them
A tiny ant and a huge banyan are both alive - yet could not be more different. This chapter shows the variety of living things around us and how grouping them by size, shape and habitat makes that variety easy to study. Below: the ideas in plain words, then original EZT practice with worked answers. (Note: this is original practice, not a textbook exercise key.)
10 original worked examples, 10 fresh self-check questions, with explained answers. These are not copied textbook exercises, an official chapter index or a full answer key. No affiliation with NCERT is claimed.
Official sources for topic and edition context, checked 17 October 2026:
1. Living things are wonderfully varied
Grasses, bushes, trees, insects, birds and dogs can all share one park. They differ in size, shape, colour, movement and where they live - that variety is called diversity.
2. Grouping plants by the stem
Herbs are small plants with soft green stems, shrubs are medium plants with many woody branches from near the base, and trees are tall plants with one thick woody trunk.
3. Habitats: where living things live
A habitat is the natural home of a plant or animal. Land homes such as gardens, deserts and mountains are terrestrial habitats; water homes such as ponds, rivers and seas are aquatic habitats.
4. Adaptation: fitted to the habitat
Features that help a living thing survive in its habitat are adaptations. Cactus stems store water, camel hooves suit sand, a fish body slips through water, and mountain trees can let snow slide from sloping branches.
5. Why grouping helps
There are too many kinds of living things to remember one by one. Grouping by shared features such as stem type, habitat, movement or body covering lets us study whole sets at once.
Choose, solve, check, then try a fresh question.
Before calculating, read the method prompt and name the condition that makes it useful. Write your own attempt. Open the steps only when you need them, and use the check to catch a wrong sign, unit or interpretation. Finish with the fresh question before reading its answer.
List observable plant differences
Choose the method: Compare features you can see before naming any group.
EZT practice question
List four ways any two plants near your home can differ.
Show the worked solution
- Look at the whole plant first.
- Then compare stem, leaf and growing place.
Answer: They can differ in height, stem type, leaf shape and where they grow - for example a coriander plant versus a mango tree.
Check: All four are observable features, not guesses about the plant.
Watch for this: Do not use only colour; structure and habitat often give stronger clues.
Now try it yourself
Name two differences between a grass plant and a neem tree.
Check your answer
Height and stem type; leaf shape can also differ.
Grass is small and soft-stemmed, while neem is tall with a woody trunk.
Classify herb, shrub and tree
Choose the method: Use height and where the woody branches begin.
EZT practice question
Classify: coriander, rose, mango.
Show the worked solution
- Coriander is small and soft-stemmed.
- Rose branches woody stems near the base; mango has one trunk.
Answer: Coriander - herb; rose - shrub; mango - tree.
Check: The three examples fit the three stem groups in the chapter.
Watch for this: A shrub is not just a small tree; its many branches start near the ground.
Now try it yourself
Classify wheat and hibiscus.
Check your answer
Wheat - herb; hibiscus - shrub.
Wheat has a soft stem, while hibiscus has several woody branches.
Identify a shrub from a description
Choose the method: Look for many hard branches starting close to the ground.
EZT practice question
A plant is about your height with several hard branches starting right at the ground. Which group?
Show the worked solution
- The plant is medium-sized.
- Its hard branches start near the base.
Answer: It is a shrub.
Check: Many woody branches from the base are the key shrub feature.
Watch for this: A tree usually has one clear trunk before the branches begin.
Now try it yourself
What would make a similar plant a tree instead?
Check your answer
One thick woody trunk.
A single trunk is the tree pattern.
Sort terrestrial and aquatic organisms
Choose the method: Decide whether the natural home is land or water.
EZT practice question
Sort into terrestrial and aquatic: lotus, camel, fish, neem.
Show the worked solution
- Lotus and fish live in water.
- Camel and neem live on land.
Answer: Terrestrial - camel and neem. Aquatic - lotus and fish.
Check: A habitat is the natural home, not a place where the organism is briefly seen.
Watch for this: Do not call a lotus terrestrial only because its roots touch soil under the pond.
Now try it yourself
Sort goat and whale by habitat.
Check your answer
Goat - terrestrial; whale - aquatic.
Goats live on land and whales live in water.
Describe a desert habitat
Choose the method: Name the habitat type, then state its harsh condition.
EZT practice question
A cactus lives in the desert. What kind of habitat is that, and what is special about it?
Show the worked solution
- A desert is on land.
- It has very little available water and large temperature swings.
Answer: It is a terrestrial desert habitat with very little water, hot days and often cold nights.
Check: Desert organisms need ways to survive dry conditions and temperature changes.
Watch for this: Desert does not mean only hot; many deserts turn very cold at night.
Now try it yourself
Give one need a desert plant must meet.
Check your answer
It must save or store water.
Water is scarce in a desert habitat.
Explain a water-saving plant feature
Choose the method: Connect broad leaves with water loss, then compare the cactus.
EZT practice question
Why does a cactus have spines instead of broad leaves?
Show the worked solution
- Broad leaves lose water to dry air.
- Spines present much less surface for water loss.
Answer: Broad leaves would lose too much water in the dry desert; spines lose very little, so they help the cactus save water.
Check: The feature fits the dry habitat, so it is an adaptation.
Watch for this: The spines do not make food the way broad leaves do; the green cactus stem handles that work.
Now try it yourself
What does a cactus use its thick, fleshy stem for?
Check your answer
Storing water.
Stored water helps it survive dry periods.
Explain how a fish suits water
Choose the method: Name the body shape and the body parts used to move.
EZT practice question
How is a fish built for water?
Show the worked solution
- Its body is smooth and streamlined.
- Its fins push and steer.
Answer: A fish has a smooth, streamlined body that slips through water, and fins that push and steer - both are aquatic adaptations.
Check: Shape and movement parts both match the water habitat.
Watch for this: Do not give only colour as an adaptation for swimming; body shape and fins are direct movement features.
Now try it yourself
Why is a streamlined shape useful in water?
Check your answer
It reduces resistance while moving.
Water flows more easily around the body.
Connect senses with escape
Choose the method: Think about where danger may approach and how early warning helps.
EZT practice question
Why do a deer's eyes sit on the sides of the head and its ears move in many directions?
Show the worked solution
- Side-placed eyes give a wide field of view.
- Movable ears catch sounds from different directions.
Answer: They help the deer spot and hear predators approaching from many directions, giving it a better chance to escape.
Check: Both features provide early warning in the deer's habitat.
Watch for this: These features are not mainly for finding food; they help detect danger.
Now try it yourself
Why is a wide field of view useful to a prey animal?
Check your answer
It can notice danger without turning its head far.
Early detection gives more time to run.
Name camouflage
Choose the method: Look for blending with the surroundings.
EZT practice question
A chameleon changes colour to match its surroundings. What is this adaptation called, and how does it help?
Show the worked solution
- Matching the background makes the animal harder to see.
- That can hide it from predators and prey.
Answer: It is camouflage; blending in hides the chameleon from predators and helps it approach insects without being noticed.
Check: Camouflage means blending into the surroundings.
Watch for this: Camouflage is not the same as mimicry; it is background matching.
Now try it yourself
Why is a green insect harder to spot on a leaf?
Check your answer
Its colour camouflages it against the leaf.
The insect blends into the background.
Use one feature to place a plant
Choose the method: Use the stem grouping before asking for flowers or fruit.
EZT practice question
A new plant is found: tall, single woody trunk. Without seeing its flowers or fruit, what can you already say about it?
Show the worked solution
- The plant is tall.
- It has one thick woody trunk.
Answer: It is a tree; the stem group already tells us its broad type and some of the care it would need.
Check: A single woody trunk is the tree pattern in this chapter.
Watch for this: Grouping does not identify the exact species, but it gives a useful broad group.
Now try it yourself
What can you say about a small soft-stemmed plant?
Check your answer
It is a herb.
Soft green stems place it in the herb group.
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- Give one example each of a herb, a shrub and a tree from your neighbourhood.
- Name two aquatic and two terrestrial animals.
- Write two adaptations of a camel.
- Why is grouping living things useful?
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Questions about this practice page
- What is diversity in the living world?
- The variety among living things - in size, shape, colour, habitat and movement - from tiny herbs to huge trees and ants to elephants.
- How are plants grouped by their stems?
- Herbs are small with soft stems, shrubs are medium with many woody branches from the base, and trees are tall with a single woody trunk.
- What is a habitat?
- The natural home of a plant or animal - terrestrial on land and aquatic in water.
- What is an adaptation?
- A feature that helps a living thing survive in its habitat, like a cactus stem storing water, a fish's fins or a camel's wide hooves.
- Are these the NCERT exercise questions for Diversity in the Living World?
- No. EZT pages are original practice on this chapter - use them to prepare for the textbook exercises, not as a substitute for your book.