Question 16. Name a disease caused by food poisoning. Question 7. How are carriers harmful to us?

Answer: Botulism Answer: Carriers take with them many harmful microorganisms or pathogens. They
Question 17. What is the difference between refrigeration and freezing? play a great role in transferring these pathogens to a healthy person, by sitting on the
Answer: In refrigeration, the storing of the food is done at a temperature of 0°C to 5°C, food items, or directly transferring the pathogens inside the body of a person. Hence
whereas freezing is used to store food at -18°C of temperature. they are harmful to us.
Question 18. What is decomposition? Question 8. What is vaccination?
Answer: Decomposition is the process in which organic materials are broken down Answer: The process of putting a vaccine inside the body of a person in order to
into simple inorganic sub-stances by the microorganisms. produce immunity against some disease is called vaccination.
Question 19. Name the two microbes that are involved in the process of Question 9. What do you mean by immunity?
decomposition. Answer: Immunity is the ability of a body to develop resistance against diseases.
Answer: Bacteria and fungi Question 10. Give two examples of each of the following types of
Question 20. Name the first antibiotic discovered. microorganisms: (a) Algae (b) Fungi (c) Protozoa
Answer: Penicillin Answer: (a) Algae – Spirogyra, Chlamydomonas
Level – II (b) Fungi – Aspergillus, yeast
Question 1. What are microorganisms? Give four examples. (c) Protozoa – Paramecium, Amoeba
Answer: Small organisms that cannot be seen through the naked eyes and can only be Question 11. What are antibodies?
seen under a microscope are called microorganisms or microbes; e.g., Amoeba, Answer: Whenever any harmful disease-causing microorganism enters the human
Paramecium, Volvox, Spirogyra, etc. body, the body produces substances to fight with the entered microbe. These
Question 2. Classify bacteria on the basis of their shapes. substances are called antibodies.
Answer: On the basis of their shapes, bacteria are classified into four categories: Question 12. What is the role of bacteria in increasing the soil fertility?
 rod-shaped bacteria (bacilli) Answer: Some bacteria, which are present in the root nodules of leguminous plants or
 spherical-shaped bacteria (cocci) free-living fix the atmospheric nitrogen in the soil which is ultimately used up by the
 curved-shaped bacteria (vibrios) plants. Hence they increase the fertility of the soil. For example, Rhizobium,
 spiral-shaped bacteria (spirilla) Azotobacter, Azospirillum, etc.
Question 3. Define communicable diseases. Give some examples. Question 13. Define Ohmic heating.
Answer: Communicable diseases are microbial diseases that can spread from an Answer: Ohmic heating is the process in which electric current of high voltage is
infected person to a healthy person through air, water, or other physical contacts; e.g., passed through the food items to kill the microbes that cause the spoilage of food.
cholera, chicken pox, tuberculosis, common cold, etc. Question 14. What is sterilisation?
Question 4. Differentiate between viruses and other microorganisms. Answer: The process of killing all the microorganisms above the temperature of
Answer: 100°C is known as sterilisation. It is one of the widely used methods to preserve food,
Viruses Other microbes and is often used for various food items.
(i) They show the characteristics of living (i) They do not need to enter any host Question 15. What is pasteurisation?
organisms or reproduce only by entering organism to reproduce or show any Answer: Pasteurisation can be defined as the partial sterilisation of foods at a
the host organisms. characteristics of life. temperature that destroys harmful microorganisms without major changes in the
(ii) They are non-cellular microbes. (ii) They are cellular microbes. chemical property of the food.
Question 5. What do you mean by food spoilage? Level – III
Answer: The process in which food is deteriorated to such extent that it does not Question 1. Explain why antibiotics do not work against flu or any infection
remain fit for human consumption is known as food spoilage. caused by viruses.
Question 6. What role does sugar play in the preservation of food? Answer: Viruses cannot be killed by using antibiotics as their cell pathways are
Answer: The role of sugar in food preservation is significant. By adding sugar in the different from that of bacteria. It means taking antibiotics to get rid of flu or any other
food item, we reduce its moisture content and hence, it stops the growth of the viral infection is useless, because it does not reduce the strength of the virus, nor does
microorganisms. it reduce the duration of the infection. But, however, antibiotic will work if we get
Ministry of Maths | 7210252424 Ministry of Maths | 7210252424
attacks of viral infection and bacterial disease at the same time. Even then, it will cure Class 8 | Micro-Organisms : Friend or Foe
bacterial disease only but not the viral infection. Important Questions
Question 2. Mention any three ways through which pathogens are transmitted. Question 1. Name the groups in which microorganisms are broadly classified.
Answer: Three ways because of which pathogens are transmitted are as follows: Answer: Microorganisms are broadly classified in four groups:
(i) When a person sneezes or coughs, tiny droplets containing a number of disease-  bacteria
causing microorganisms come out of the mouth, and are released in the air. They are  fungi
transmitted to a healthy person while breathing.
 protozoa
(ii) By making direct contacts with an infected person, pathogens are transferred to a
 algae
healthy person.
Question 2. Name the type of microorganism that is smaller than bacteria.
(iii) Carriers of pathogens also help in their transmission. For instance, when a fly sits
Answer: Virus
on animal excreta or garbage, harmful disease-causing microbes stick to its legs. And
Question 3. Write the name of a bacterium that helps in the formation of curd.
when this fly sits on the food items, pathogens get transferred to them. This
Answer: Lactobacillus
contaminated food items cause serious diseases when it is eaten by a healthy person.
Question 4. Write a use of yeast.
Question 3. Explain canning.
Answer: Yeast is used in the production of alcohol, wine, beer and other beverages.
Answer: Canning is a process used for food preservation. Heat, at a certain
Question 5. What does yeast produce during respiration? ‘
temperature and for a limited period of time, is used to kill the harmful
Answer: Yeast produces carbon dioxide gas during respiration.
microorganisms as well as enzymes. This method also involves the removal of oxygen
Question 6. What are pathogens? Write another name of pathogens.
gas, and to avoid post-process contamination by airtight sealing of food items.
Answer: Disease-causing microorganisms are known as pathogens. They are also
Question 4. Explain how malaria is transmitted to humans.
called germs.
Answer: A protozoan called Plasmodium is responsible for malaria. It lives in the liver
Question 7. Define food preservation.
and blood of the person who has been infected by this disease. A female Anopheles
Answer: Food preservation is the method of preserving food from being spoiled by
mosquito when sucks blood from the infected person, Plasmodium along with blood,
the microbes.
is taken into its stomach. The Plasmodium, here, multiplies itself and reaches the
Question 8. Write the names of any two antibiotics.
salivary gland of the mosquito. Now, when this mosquito bites a healthy person, it
Answer: Streptomycin, Erythromycin
injects Plasmodium along with saliva to him. The healthy person then gets an attack of
Question 9. Who discovered the vaccine for small pox?
malaria. In this way, malaria is transmitted to humans.
Answer: Edward Jenner
Question 5. Explain various types of bacteria.
Question 10. What is fermentation?
Answer: Bacteria are classified on the basis of their shapes into the following
Answer: Fermentation is the process of conversion of food into alcohol.
categories:
Question 11. Define refrigeration.
Rod-shaped bacteria (bacilli): These are aerobic rod-shaped, spore-producing
Answer: The storing of food products at the temperature of 0°C to 5°C is known as
bacteria. They are often occurring in chain-like formations, and they are found
refrigeration.
primarily in soil; e.g., Lactobacillus.
Question 12. What is vaccine?
Spherical-shaped bacteria (cocci): They are spherical or nearly spherical bacteria; e.g.,
Answer: A substance which is used in the production of immunity against various
Streptococcus.
diseases in the living body is termed as vaccine.
Curved-shaped bacteria (vibrios): They are curved-shaped bacteria; e.g., Vibrio.
Question 13. Name any two human diseases caused by viruses.
Spiral-shaped bacteria (spirilla): They are flagellated, aerobic bacteria, having a
Answer: Measles, Polio
spirally twisted rod-like form; e.g., Treponema.
Question 14. Name any three common plant diseases.
Answer: Rust of wheat, citrus canker and wilt
Question 15. Name a microorganism which helps in nitrogen fixation.
Answer: Rhizobium

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