Samacheer Kalvi 10th Science Chapter 13 Short Answer Questions — Structural Organisation of Animals with Answers
Short answer questions from Samacheer Kalvi Class 10 Science Chapter 13 Structural Organisation of Animals with detailed answers for 2 and 3 mark questions.
Updated 24 May 20264 min read
Chapter 13 — Structural Organisation of Animals: Short Answer Questions
1. What is a tissue? Give the classification of animal tissues.
Answer
A tissue is a group of similar cells that are alike in structure and perform a common function.
Classification of animal tissues:
1. Epithelial tissue — Covers body surfaces and lines internal cavities and organs. Types: squamous, cuboidal, columnar, ciliated, glandular.
2. Distinguish between striated, non-striated, and cardiac muscle tissue.
Answer
Feature
Striated (Skeletal)
Non-Striated (Smooth)
Cardiac
Location
Attached to bones
Walls of hollow organs (gut, bladder)
Heart wall only
Control
Voluntary
Involuntary
Involuntary
Appearance
Alternating dark/light bands (striations)
No striations
Striated but branched
Nuclei
Many nuclei (multinucleate)
Single central nucleus
Single nucleus
Cell junctions
None
None
Intercalated discs
Fatigue
Fatigues quickly
Does not fatigue easily
Never fatigues
3. What is connective tissue? Mention its types and functions.
Answer
Connective tissue is tissue that connects, supports, and binds other tissues together. It has cells scattered in a non-living matrix (ground substance + fibres).
Types and functions:
Type
Function
Areolar (loose connective)
Fills spaces between organs; provides support
Adipose tissue
Stores fat; insulates body
Dense connective tissue
Forms tendons (muscle to bone) and ligaments (bone to bone)
Cartilage
Provides flexible support at joints, nose, ear
Bone
Provides rigid support and protection; houses marrow
Blood
Transports oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and waste
Lymph
Returns tissue fluid to blood; immune function
4. Describe the structure of a neuron with a labelled diagram description.
Answer
A neuron (nerve cell) is the structural and functional unit of the nervous system.
Parts of a neuron:
Cell body (soma/cyton): Contains the nucleus and cytoplasm with Nissl granules. This is the metabolic centre of the neuron.
Dendrites: Short, branched projections from the cell body. They receive nerve impulses from other neurons and carry them towards the cell body.
Axon: A single long projection from the cell body. Carries impulses away from the cell body to other neurons or effectors. The axon is covered by a myelin sheath (in myelinated neurons) which speeds up impulse conduction and acts as insulation. Nodes of Ranvier are gaps in the myelin sheath.
Axon terminals (synaptic knobs): Branched endings of the axon that release neurotransmitters at the synapse.
Types of neurons based on function:
Sensory (afferent) neurons — carry impulses from receptor to CNS
Motor (efferent) neurons — carry impulses from CNS to effector
Association (interneurons) — connect sensory and motor neurons within CNS
5. What are the levels of organisation in animals? Give examples.
Answer
Living organisms show increasing levels of complexity in their organisation:
Level
Description
Example
Cellular
Individual cells — basic unit of life
Amoeba (unicellular organism)
Tissue
Group of similar cells with common function
Muscle tissue, blood
Organ
Group of tissues working together
Heart, liver, kidney
Organ system
Group of organs performing a major function
Digestive system, circulatory system
Organism
Complete individual
Human being, frog
In complex animals like humans, all five levels are present. Simple animals like sponges have only the cellular level of organisation.
Holds bones together at joints; limits range of motion
Fibres
Mostly collagen fibres
Collagen + elastin fibres
Flexibility
Less flexible
Slightly more flexible than tendons
Example
Achilles tendon connects calf muscle to heel bone
Knee ligaments connect femur to tibia/fibula
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Frequently Asked Questions
The four types of animal tissues are: (1) Epithelial tissue — covers body surfaces and lines cavities; (2) Connective tissue — connects and supports other tissues (blood, bone, cartilage, adipose); (3) Muscular tissue — brings about movement (skeletal, smooth, cardiac); (4) Nervous tissue — conducts impulses (neurons and neuroglia).
