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Question

How do we differentiate living things from non-living things? Explain [5 MARKS]

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Solution

Characteristic + explanation: 1 Mark each

All living things exhibit certain characteristics of life that non-living things don't. For example,
Any 5:
1. Living things require food
Living things require food to survive and grow. Food makes the body grow faster and gives energy to the body to help it perform the life activities.

2. Living things exhibit growth
All living things take in food to obtain energy. That energy is used for growth. Organisms increase in height, weight etc. to exhibit growth. Living organisms have different stages of growth in their life.

3. Living things perform respiration
Respiration is the process of breathing in oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide. Respiration takes place in every cell and is called as cellular respiration. Oxygen is necessary to break food and produce energy from it. Different animals possess different organs for respiration.

4. Living things excrete
The process of eliminating wastes from the body is called excretion. Plants eliminate harmful waste substances in the form of secretions such as resins and gums. Animals excrete their wastes in the form of ammonia or urea or uric acid, carbon dioxide and certain salts.

5. Living things move
All living organisms move at some point or another. Even plants, which are stationary, exhibit movement in the form of roots growing towards the earth or the stems bending towards sunlight.

6. Living things respond to stimuli
Stimulus is the change in the immediate environment of a living organism. Every living thing responds in some way or the other to stimuli. Plants respond to environmental stimuli like sunlight by growing their stems towards it.

7. Living things Reproduce
All living things reproduce. Some animals lay eggs, while others reproduce by giving birth to young ones.

8. Living things Die
All living things must die one day or the other. As an organism grows, it undergoes many changes during its lifetime. Finally, it dies after its lifetime is over.

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