ANAND CLASSES Study Material and Notes to explore Nutrition in Animals for Class 10 Science with detailed Q&A, assertion-reason based MCQs, and explanations. Perfect for CBSE, NEET, and school exam preparation.
Definition of “Nutrition” in animals
✅ Nutrition is the process of:
- Obtaining food
- Breaking it down to get energy
- Using it for growth, repair, and maintaining life
In animals, this involves Ingestion, Digestion, Absorption, Assimilation and
Egestion.
Class 10 Science CBSE Exam Oriented Questions and Answers
❓Q1: What is the major difference between nutrition in plants and animals?
✅Answer:
Plants are autotrophic organisms, meaning they can synthesize their own food through a process called photosynthesis, using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.
Animals, on the other hand, are heterotrophic—they cannot make their own food and hence depend on other organisms (plants or animals) for their nutritional needs.
❓Q2: Why are animals considered heterotrophs?
✅Answer:
Animals cannot perform photosynthesis. They require ready-made food from external sources, such as:
- Plants – for fruits, grains, vegetables, etc.
- Animals – for meat, eggs, milk, etc.
Thus, they are called heterotrophs, which means “other-feeding.”
❓Q3: From where do animals obtain their food?
✅Answer:
Animals obtain food from two main sources:
- Plants – Foods like wheat, rice, pulses, vegetables, and fruits come from plants.
- Other Animals – Foods like milk, curd, eggs, meat, and fish come from animals.
👉 Even human beings are animals—we consume both plant-based and animal-based food.
❓Q4: Are there animals that eat other animals?
✅Answer:
Yes! Many animals get their food by eating other animals:
- Big fish eat small fish
- Birds eat worms and insects
- Snakes eat frogs
- Insects eat dead animals
Even some non-green plants like yeast and mushrooms get food from other organisms. Interestingly, some plants like Pitcher plant and Venus Fly-Trap eat insects!
❓Q5: How are animals classified based on their food habits?
✅Answer:
Animals are divided into three groups based on their eating habits:
- Herbivores – Eat only plants
- Carnivores – Eat only animals
- Omnivores – Eat both plants and animals
🌿 1. HERBIVORES
❓Q6: What are herbivores? Give examples.
✅Answer:
Herbivores are animals that eat only plants or plant products.
They may eat grass, leaves, fruits, bark, or grains.
📌 Examples:
- Goat, Cow, Sheep, Deer, Horse, Rabbit
- Elephant, Squirrel, Camel, Hippopotamus
👉 These animals do not eat meat. Hence, they are called herbivorous animals or plant-eaters. Thus, herbivores are plant eaters. Herbivores are also called herbivorous animals.
🍖 2. CARNIVORES
❓Q7: What are carnivores? Give examples.
✅Answer:
Carnivores are animals that eat only the flesh (meat) of other animals.
They do not eat plant food at all.
📌 Examples:
- Lion, Tiger, Snake, Lizard, Kingfisher, Vulture, Hawk
👉 For instance, a lion is a carnivore because it eats only the meat of animals like deer or goat. Thus, carnivores are meat eaters. Carnivores are also called carnivorous animals.
🍲 3. OMNIVORES
❓Q8: What are omnivores? Give examples.
✅Answer:
Omnivores are animals that eat both plants and animals.
They can consume grains, vegetables, as well as meat and fish.
📌 Examples:
- Humans, Dogs, Bears, Crows, Ants, Mynahs, Sparrows
👉 Humans are omnivores because they eat dal, rice, vegetables, fruits, as well as chicken, mutton, and fish. Thus, omnivores are plant eaters as well as meat eaters. Omnivores are also called omnivorous animals.
☀️ Sun: The Ultimate Source of Energy
❓Q9: How do all living beings ultimately depend on the Sun for food?
✅Answer:
- Green plants make their food using sunlight
- Herbivores eat plants
- Carnivores eat herbivores
- Omnivores eat both
So, even if an animal eats another animal, the original energy comes from the Sun via plants.
- Goat (Herbivore) → Eats plant
- Man (Omnivore) → Eats plant and goat
- Lion (Carnivore) → Eats goat
👉 Thus, Sun → Plant → Herbivore → Carnivore/Omnivore
📝 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) on Nutrition in Animals
🧠 MCQ 1:
Which of the following animals is an omnivore?
a) Cow
b) Tiger
c) Man
d) Deer
✅Correct Answer: c) Man
🧾Explanation:
- Man (human beings) eat both plant-based food (like grains, fruits, vegetables) and animal-based food (like eggs, meat, fish), so they are omnivores.
- Cow and Deer are herbivores, while Tiger is a carnivore.
🧠 MCQ 2:
Which of the following obtains food from dead and decaying organisms?
a) Goat
b) Mushroom
c) Lion
d) Elephant
✅Correct Answer: b) Mushroom
🧾Explanation:
- Mushrooms are saprotrophs (a type of heterotroph) which feed on dead and decaying organic matter.
- Goat and Elephant are herbivores, while Lion is a carnivore.
🧠 MCQ 3:
The Venus fly-trap is a plant that obtains nutrition by:
a) Photosynthesis only
b) Absorbing minerals from soil
c) Eating insects
d) Eating dead animals
✅Correct Answer: c) Eating insects
🧾Explanation:
- Venus fly-trap is an insectivorous plant. It traps and digests insects to get nitrogen and other nutrients that are lacking in the soil.
- It still performs photosynthesis, but supplements nutrition by insect digestion.
🧠 MCQ 4:
Which of the following is not a herbivore?
a) Cow
b) Rabbit
c) Snake
d) Deer
✅Correct Answer: c) Snake
🧾Explanation:
- A snake is a carnivore, as it eats animals like frogs, rodents, etc.
- Cow, Rabbit, and Deer eat only plant-based food and are herbivores.
🧠 MCQ 5:
Which of these is a correct food chain?
a) Lion → Grass → Deer
b) Grass → Deer → Lion
c) Deer → Lion → Grass
d) Lion → Deer → Grass
✅Correct Answer: b) Grass → Deer → Lion
🧾Explanation:
- In a food chain:
- Producers (plants/grass) come first
- Primary consumers (herbivores like deer) come second
- Secondary consumers (carnivores like lions) come last
🧠 MCQ 6:
Which one of the following is a carnivorous bird?
a) Crow
b) Pigeon
c) Sparrow
d) Vulture
✅Correct Answer: d) Vulture
🧾Explanation:
- Vulture is a scavenger and carnivore. It feeds on dead bodies of animals.
- Crow and Sparrow are omnivores; Pigeon is mainly herbivorous.
🧠 MCQ 7:
The process of obtaining food and using it for energy and growth is called:
a) Respiration
b) Nutrition
c) Digestion
d) Photosynthesis
✅Correct Answer: b) Nutrition
🧾Explanation:
- Nutrition includes the intake, digestion, absorption, and utilization of food for energy, growth, and repair.
- Respiration is breaking down food for energy; Digestion is just one part of nutrition; Photosynthesis is food-making by plants.
🧠 MCQ 8:
Which group of animals contains only herbivores?
a) Cow, Lion, Goat
b) Rabbit, Deer, Cow
c) Crow, Bear, Elephant
d) Dog, Cat, Snake
✅Correct Answer: b) Rabbit, Deer, Cow
🧾Explanation:
- All three – Rabbit, Deer, and Cow – are herbivores and feed on plants.
- The other groups contain either omnivores or carnivores.
🧠 MCQ 9:
Which of the following statements is true?
a) All animals are autotrophs
b) All plants are heterotrophs
c) Humans are omnivores
d) Lions are herbivores
✅Correct Answer: c) Humans are omnivores
🧾Explanation:
- Humans eat both plant and animal products—grains, vegetables, as well as meat and fish.
- Animals are heterotrophs. Plants are autotrophs (not heterotrophs). Lions are carnivores (not herbivores).
🧠 MCQ 10:
Which of the following animals feeds on both plants and animals?
a) Lion
b) Cow
c) Dog
d) Tiger
✅Correct Answer: c) Dog
🧾Explanation:
- Dogs eat plant-based foods (like rice, bread) and animal-based foods (like meat), making them omnivores.
- Lion and Tiger are strictly carnivores, Cow is herbivore.
Here are Assertion-Reason Type MCQs on the topic “Nutrition in Animals” for Class 10 Science (Life Processes), including detailed explanations and answer keys. These are perfect for concept checking, practice, or inclusion in worksheets and WordPress posts on educational sites like Anand Classes.
🧠 Assertion-Reason Based Questions on Nutrition in Animals
👉 Each question consists of two statements: an Assertion (A) and a Reason (R).
Choose the correct option:
a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
c) A is true, but R is false.
d) A is false, but R is true.
✅ Assertion-Reason Question 1:
Assertion (A): Humans are omnivores.
Reason (R): Humans can prepare their own food through photosynthesis.
Answer: c) A is true, but R is false.
🧾Explanation:
- Humans eat both plant and animal products, so the assertion is true.
- But humans cannot perform photosynthesis, as they lack chlorophyll—hence the reason is false.
✅ Assertion-Reason Question 2:
Assertion (A): Cow is called a herbivore.
Reason (R): Cow eats only plant-based food like grass and grains.
Answer: a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
🧾Explanation:
- Cow is a herbivore because it feeds only on plants.
- The reason perfectly explains the assertion.
✅ Assertion-Reason Question 3:
Assertion (A): Lion is a carnivorous animal.
Reason (R): Lion eats grass and plant products.
Answer: c) A is true, but R is false.
🧾Explanation:
- Lions eat only the flesh of other animals, so they are carnivores.
- The reason is incorrect because lions do not eat plants.
✅ Assertion-Reason Question 4:
Assertion (A): Venus fly-trap is an autotroph.
Reason (R): Venus fly-trap performs photosynthesis.
Answer: b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
🧾Explanation:
- Venus fly-trap is an autotroph because it can prepare its food via photosynthesis.
- However, it is also insectivorous and catches insects to meet its nitrogen requirement. So, while both statements are true, R is not the full explanation for A.
✅ Assertion-Reason Question 5:
Assertion (A): Nutrition is the process of taking in food and utilizing it for energy and growth.
Reason (R): Digestion is the only step involved in nutrition.
Answer: c) A is true, but R is false.
🧾Explanation:
- Nutrition includes multiple steps: ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation, and egestion.
- So the assertion is correct, but digestion is not the only step—making the reason false.
✅ Assertion-Reason Question 6:
Assertion (A): Carnivores depend directly on plants for food.
Reason (R): Carnivores eat only herbivores, which feed on plants.
Answer: b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
🧾Explanation:
- Carnivores indirectly depend on plants because they eat herbivores, and herbivores eat plants.
- So while R is true, the assertion is misleading. The carnivores don’t directly eat plants.
✅ Assertion-Reason Question 7:
Assertion (A): All animals are heterotrophs.
Reason (R): Animals depend on other organisms for their food.
Answer: a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
🧾Explanation:
- Animals cannot make their own food; they depend on plants or other animals.
- Hence, they are heterotrophs.
🌟 Do You Know?
- 🌱 Plants like Venus fly-trap eat insects!
- 🧫 Yeast is a fungus that feeds on sugary substances—it’s a heterotroph!
- 🐍 A snake is a carnivore that eats frogs and small mammals.
- 👧 Humans are clever omnivores—rarely do they get eaten by carnivores!
✍️ Worksheet Practice Questions:
Q1. Classify the following as herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore:
Cow, Bear, Vulture, Rabbit, Crow, Deer, Lion, Dog
Q2. Fill in the blanks:
a) ________ are animals that eat only plants.
b) ________ are animals that eat both plants and animals.
c) The ultimate source of energy is the ________.
🧪 Test Paper (10 Marks)
Section A: Very Short Answer (1 mark each)
- Define herbivore.
- Give one example of an omnivore.
- What do carnivores eat?
Section B: Short Answer (2 marks each)
4. Why can’t animals prepare their own food like plants?
5. How do insectivorous plants get their nutrition?
Section C: Long Answer (3 marks)
6. Explain with an example how energy from the sun reaches a lion.
📌 Quick Revision Points:
- ✅ Plants = Autotrophs
- ✅ Animals = Heterotrophs
- ✅ Herbivores = Eat only plants
- ✅ Carnivores = Eat only meat
- ✅ Omnivores = Eat both
- ✅ Nutrition = Intake & usage of food for energy and growth
- ✅ Sun = Ultimate source of all food chains
