This MCQ module is based on: Natural Resources — Air and Water
TOPIC 39 OF 46
Natural Resources — Air and Water
🎓 Class 6
Science
CBSE
Theory
Ch 11 — Nature’s Treasures
⏱ ~14 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]
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[myaischool_lt_science_assessment grade_level="class_6" science_domain="earth_science" difficulty="basic"]
A Village Morning — Meera Opens Her Eyes
On a bright morning in the village of Chandanpur, Meera woke up to the sound of sparrows. She took a deep breath of the cool air, went to the well to fetch a pot of water, and noticed her grandfather tending the tulsi plant in rich brown soil.
"Dadaji," Meera said, "the air, the water, the soil, even the sunlight — we use all of them every single day. But who gave them to us? And will they always be here?"
Her grandfather smiled. "Beta, these are nature's gifts — her treasures. Some can be refilled, some cannot. Today we shall learn to respect each one of them."
"Jal, vayu, dharti — ye teeno hamare jeevan ka aadhaar hain."
(Water, air and earth — these three are the foundation of our life.) — An old Indian saying.
(Water, air and earth — these three are the foundation of our life.) — An old Indian saying.
11.1 What are Natural Resources?
Everything we use in our daily life comes from nature — the natural resources of our planet Earth. The roti on your plate came from wheat grown in soil, the water in your bottle came from a river or a well, the electricity in your fan came from coal or sunlight.
Without these treasures, no living thing could survive. That is why we must learn what they are, how they form, and most importantly — how to protect them for the future.
Definition: A natural resource is anything from nature that people and other living beings find useful — for food, shelter, clothing, fuel, medicines, or making things.
Renewable vs Non-Renewable Resources
Imagine two piggy banks. One magically refills itself every month. The other has a fixed amount — once spent, it is gone forever. Natural resources work the same way.
Renewable
Refill themselves quickly: sunlight, wind, water, forests, soil (if cared for).
Non-Renewable
Took millions of years to form: coal, petroleum, natural gas, most minerals.
| Resource | Type | Time to Replace |
|---|---|---|
| Sunlight | Renewable | Every day — unlimited |
| Wind | Renewable | Always blowing somewhere |
| Forests | Renewable* | 30–100 years if replanted |
| Coal | Non-renewable | About 300 million years |
| Petroleum | Non-renewable | Hundreds of millions of years |
| Iron ore | Non-renewable | Formed with the Earth itself |
Note: Even renewable resources can run out if we use them faster than nature can refill them. A pond can dry up if we pump out more water than the rain brings in.
11.2 Air — The Invisible Treasure
You cannot see it, you cannot smell it (usually), and yet without it you would not last even five minutes. Air is the mixture of gases that wraps our Earth like a huge invisible blanket. This blanket is called the atmosphere.
What is Air Made Of?
Air is not one single gas but a mixture. If you could squeeze 100 balloons of clean air, here is roughly what you would find:
- Nitrogen (~78%): Largest part. Helps plants make protein through soil bacteria.
- Oxygen (~21%): The gas we need for breathing and for fire to burn.
- Carbon Dioxide (~0.04%): Plants use it to cook their food.
- Others (~0.96%): Water vapour, argon, neon, dust, pollen grains.
Why Air is Precious
Breathing
All animals, humans and even fish (from dissolved air) need oxygen.
Plant Food
Plants take in carbon dioxide to make food through photosynthesis.
Burning
Stoves, vehicles and factories need oxygen to burn fuels.
Wind Energy
Moving air turns windmills to make clean electricity.
Shield
The atmosphere protects us from harmful sun rays and meteors.
Sound
Sound travels through air — without it, the world would be silent!
Activity 11.1 — Catch the Invisible Air L3 Apply
You need: An empty glass, a tub of water, a small paper ball.
- Press the paper ball at the very bottom of the glass (inside).
- Turn the glass upside down and push it straight down into the tub of water.
- Keep it pressed for 10 seconds, then lift it out.
Predict: Will the paper ball get wet, or stay dry?
The paper stays dry! The glass was not empty — it was full of air. Air takes up space and does not let water rush in. This proves air is real matter even though we cannot see it.
11.3 Water — The Life-Giver
Every living cell in your body is mostly water. A juicy mango, a tall coconut tree, a tiny ant — all are made of water. Without it, life on Earth simply could not exist.
Did you know? About 71% of Earth's surface is covered by water. Yet only about 2.5% is freshwater, and less than 1% is easy to reach for drinking. That is why every drop matters!
Sources of Water
Rainwater
The cleanest natural source; fills every other source below.
Rivers & Lakes
Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari — our rivers are lifelines of India.
Wells & Tubewells
Ground water stored deep under the soil.
Oceans & Seas
Biggest store, but salty — cannot be drunk directly.
Glaciers
Himalayan snow melts to feed many Indian rivers.
Springs
Ground water that rises up on its own in hilly areas.
Why We Need Water
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Drinking | Our body needs 2–3 litres of water a day |
| Cooking & washing | Rice, dal, cleaning utensils, bathing |
| Farming | Paddy fields, wheat fields need plenty of water |
| Industry | Factories making cloth, paper, sugar use water |
| Transport | Big ships carry goods across oceans |
| Electricity | Hydro-power plants use flowing water to spin turbines |
| Habitat | Fish, dolphins, frogs, lotus all live in water |
Water Availability — A Worry
India has about 17% of the world's people but only about 4% of the world's freshwater. Many cities like Chennai and Bengaluru have faced sharp water shortages. Villages in Rajasthan walk for hours to fetch a pot of water. This makes water a treasure we must never waste.
Competency-Based Questions — Air & Water
Rohit's school is doing a "Respect Resources" week. On Day 1, students measured that a leaking tap at school loses about 1 drop per second. Over one whole day (24 hours), the class collected the dripping water in a bucket and found it had filled 4.5 litres. Rohit also noticed windmills spinning near his village and solar panels on the school roof.
Q1. Which of these is a non-renewable resource? L1 Remember
(c) Petroleum — it took millions of years to form and cannot be made again quickly.
Q2. If the leaking tap drips for 30 days, how many litres of water will be wasted? L3 Apply
4.5 L per day × 30 days = 135 litres wasted — enough drinking water for one family for over 2 weeks!
Q3. The gas in air that helps plants make their food is ______. L1 Remember
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) — plants absorb it from air during photosynthesis.
Q4. True or False: Only 1% of Earth's water is easy to use for drinking. L2 Understand
True. Most water is salty or trapped in glaciers, so usable freshwater is very little.
Q5. Rohit wants his school to become "resource-smart". Suggest any three actions the students can take. L5 Evaluate
(i) Fix all leaking taps at once. (ii) Harvest rainwater from the school roof. (iii) Plant more trees to keep air clean. (iv) Switch off fans and lights when leaving a room. (v) Carry water in reusable bottles instead of buying plastic.
Assertion–Reason Questions
Options: (A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A. (B) Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A. (C) A is true, R is false. (D) A is false, R is true.
Assertion (A): Air is considered a natural resource.
Reason (R): Air is a mixture of gases that is useful for breathing and for burning fuels.
Answer: (A) — Both are true, and R gives the reason why air counts as a natural resource.
Assertion (A): Petroleum is a renewable resource.
Reason (R): Petroleum was formed from dead sea plants and animals over millions of years.
Answer: (D) — A is false (petroleum is non-renewable). R is true — the very reason it is non-renewable is that its formation takes millions of years.
Assertion (A): We should not waste water even though 71% of Earth is covered by it.
Reason (R): Most of Earth's water is salty ocean water; only a small part is usable freshwater.
Answer: (A) — Both are true and R correctly explains why we must save water.
Coming up in Part 2: We will dig into the ground — to meet soil, rocks, minerals, and the wonderful story of how mountains become sand!
Frequently Asked Questions — Natural Resources — Air and Water
What does the topic 'Natural Resources — Air and Water' cover in Class 6 Science?
The topic 'Natural Resources — Air and Water' is part of NCERT Class 6 Science Chapter 11 — Nature's Treasures. It covers the key ideas of natural resources, air, water, uses, conservation, pollution, importance, explained through everyday examples, labelled diagrams and hands-on activities from the NCERT Curiosity textbook. Class 6 students learn simple definitions, see why each idea matters in daily life, and try short experiments and observations. The lesson uses easy language, colourful pictures and small questions so that young learners build a strong base for higher classes and for competency-based questions in CBSE school tests.
Why is 'Natural Resources — Air and Water' important for Class 6 NCERT Science?
'Natural Resources — Air and Water' is important because it builds the first ideas of science that Class 6 students will use again in Class 7, 8 and beyond. NCERT Chapter 11 — Nature's Treasures — introduces natural resources and connects it to things children already see at home, at school and in nature. Learning this topic helps students ask better questions, understand simple news about science, and score well in CBSE tests that use competency-based questions. The chapter also supports NEP 2020 by encouraging curiosity, observation and learning by doing rather than only reading and memorising.
What are the key ideas students should remember from Natural Resources — Air and Water?
The key ideas in 'Natural Resources — Air and Water' for Class 6 Science are: natural resources, air, water, uses, conservation, pollution, importance. Students should be able to say each term in their own words, give one or two easy examples from daily life, and draw a small labelled diagram where needed. A good way to revise is to make flashcards, write a short note in the science notebook, and solve the NCERT in-text and exercise questions of Chapter 11. Linking every idea to something seen at home or school — in the kitchen, garden, playground or sky — makes these ideas easy to remember for unit tests and the annual CBSE examination.
How is Natural Resources — Air and Water taught using activities in NCERT Curiosity Class 6?
NCERT Curiosity Class 6 Science teaches 'Natural Resources — Air and Water' through an inquiry-based approach using Predict–Observe–Explain activities. Students first make a guess, then try a small experiment with safe, easily available materials, and finally explain what happened and why. This matches the NEP 2020 focus on learning by doing. For Chapter 11 — Nature's Treasures — the textbook has hands-on tasks, labelled pictures and thinking questions built for Bloom's Taxonomy Levels 1 to 6. Teachers use these activities, along with competency-based questions (CBQs) and assertion–reason items, to check real understanding instead of only rote learning.
What real-life examples of natural resources can Class 6 students see at home?
Class 6 students can see natural resources at home in many simple ways linked to 'Natural Resources — Air and Water'. Kitchens, school bags, playgrounds, the garden and the night sky are full of examples that match NCERT Chapter 11 — Nature's Treasures. For example, students can look at food labels, watch changes while cooking, try safe activities with water, magnets or shadows, and observe the Sun, Moon and weather each day. Keeping a small science diary — with the date, what was observed and a quick drawing — turns daily life into a mini science lab. These real-life links make concepts easy to remember and help in answering competency-based questions in CBSE Class 6 Science.
How does 'Natural Resources — Air and Water' connect to other chapters of Class 6 Science?
'Natural Resources — Air and Water' connects to many other chapters in NCERT Class 6 Science Curiosity. The ideas of natural resources come back when students study related topics like diversity in the living world, food, magnets, measurement, materials, temperature, water, separation, habitats, natural resources and the solar system. For example, what students learn here helps them build mental pictures for later chapters and for Class 7 and Class 8 Science. Teachers often ask cross-chapter questions in CBSE exams to check if students can use what they learned in Chapter 11 — Nature's Treasures — in new situations. This linked approach matches the NEP 2020 and NCF 2023 focus on holistic, competency-based learning.
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