Class X
Worksheet 2
Biology
1. Name two waste products excreted by the skin?
Skin: Expels sweat that contains water, urea, and salts through the sweat glands.
2. How does the cell membrane perform excretion in amoeba?
Amoeba is a unicellular organism whose waste products Carbon dioxide and ammonia
are the main waste products of amoeba and they are excreted out through the body by
the process called diffusion through the cell membrane with the help of contractile
vacuole.
3. Name the organelle in amoeba that performs excretion and osmoregulation.
The contractile vacuole is the amoeba's excretory organ. The contractile vacuole is an
osmoregulatory organelle found amongst the Amoeba. Contractile vacuole helps in the
process of excretion and osmoregulation in Amoeba.
4. Name the organ that converts ammonia into urea in higher animals?
Liver converts the ammonia to a non-toxic compound, urea, which is then safely
transported by the blood to the kidneys.
5. Name two groups of animals which excrete uric acid in the form of a white
paste or pellet?
Reptiles (e.g., lizards), birds, land snails and insects excrete nitrogenous wastes, as
uric acid in the form of pellet or paste with a minimum loss of water and are called
as uricotelic animals.
6. Mention four nitrogenous waste produced by animals?
The process of removal of waste products (mainly nitrogenous) from the body is
known as excretion. In animals, the main excretory products are carbon dioxide, urea,
ammonia, uric acid, guanine, creatine, creatinine and water.
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7. What are the three main groups of excretory wastes found in animals?
The excretory wastes produced by animals are mainly the nitrogenous wastes and
carbondioxide.
1. Ammonotelic: Those animals who have ammonia as the major component in their
excretory waste are called ammonotelic animals. Most of the aquatic animals,
especially fishes, are ammonotelic. The phenomenon of having ammonia as the
major excretory product is called ammonotelism.
2. Ureotelic: Those animals with urea as the major component in their excretory waste
are called ureotelic animals. Humans represent a good example of ureotelic
organisms. Our body requires 50 ml of water to eliminate 1 gram of urea.
3. Uricotelic: Those animals who have uric acid as the major component in their
excretory waste are called uricotelic animals. Birds and lizards are mostly uricotelic
animals. Our body requires 10 ml of water to eliminate 1 gram of uric acid.
8. Define excretion?
Excretion is the process of the removal of waste products from the body. Kidney is the
chief excretory organ of the body. The skin and lungs are other important excretory
organs of the body which excrete urine, sweat and carbon dioxide respectively as
excretory products.
9. Name the principal excretory organ in man. What does it excrete?
The main excretory organ of the human body is the kidneys. The primary function of
the kidneys is the elimination of excess water and wastes from the bloodstream by the
production of the liquid waste known as urine. There are one pair of kidneys which
filter blood and remove waste products in the form of urine.
10. Name three beverages that are diuretics?
There are three main types of diuretic: loop diuretics, thiazide diuretics and potassium-
sparing diuretics. Diuretics can help flush your body of excess water. Foods such
as coffee, green and black tea, and parsley are natural diuretics
11. Give 2 functions of the human kidney?
Two vital functions of the kidneys are;
1. Maintain the fluid and electrolyte balance in our body.
2. Maintain the osmotic pressure in blood and tissues.
3. remove waste products from the body.
12. Why will a person die without excretion?
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The excretory system helps us to eliminate the extra metabolic waste generated by our
bodies in the form of urine. It helps in maintaining chemical homeostasis of the body and
prevents organ damages. Organs that involve in the excretory system are the kidneys,
ureters, urinary bladder and urethra. Without the excretion; our body does not eliminate
the extra waste created by metabolism. This extra waste leads to toxicity in the body and
organ damage. Thus, we cannot live without excretion.
13. Where is urine produced?
Urine is produced in the kidneys through a process called nephron filtration. The nephrons
are tiny functional units in the kidneys that filter blood and remove waste products
14. Name the organ which stores urine.
The urinary bladder is an organ that collects and stores urine formed in the kidneys.
Ureter is the duct through which urine passes from the kidney to the bladder.
15. Name the excretory unit of the following: Amoeba ,Earthworm
Excretory organs in amoeba:
The amoeba is a eukaryotic organism containing a single cell that digests the food after
ingesting it.
The waste products are accumulated by the contractile vacuoles that will be released from
the surface of the amoeba through dispersion.
Therefore, the excretory organs in the amoeba are contractile vacuoles.
Excretory organs in Earthworms:
The earthworm is a segmented organism that contains tubular-shaped organs called
nephridia.
The nephridia are responsible for removing the waste products released during metabolic
processes from the body.
Therefore, the excretory organs in earthworms are nephridia.
16. Write any two causes that may damage the kidney of a person.
(i) Kidney infection or injury to kidneys. (ii) Restricted blood flow to kidneys. (iii)
Diabetes and high blood pressure are the most common causes of chronic kidney
disease
17. What is meant by osmoregulation?
Osmoregulationis a homeostatic mechanism that regulates the optimum temperature
ofwater and salts in the tissues and body fluids. It maintains theinternal environment of the
body by water and ionic concentration.
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18. Describe the structure and functioning of nephrons.
A nephron is the basic filtration unit of the kidney. Each kidney possesses a large number
of nephrons (approx. 1-1.5 million). It consists of a tubule which is connected with
collecting duct at one end and a cup-shaped structure at the other end.
The components of the nephron:
Glomerulus,
Bowman's capsule
Long renal tubule
Functions of nephron:
1. The blood enters the kidney through the renal artery (which branches into
capillaries associated with the glomerulus).
2. Water and solute are transferred to Bowman's capsule.
3. In the proximal convoluted tubule, glucose and salts are selectively reabsorbed.
4. Now filtrate moves down into the loop of Henle.
5. And then move upward to the distal convoluted tubule and finally into the
collecting duct.
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19. When do we need artificial kidneys?
Several factors like infections, injury or restricted blood flow to kidneys reduce the
activity of kidneys. This leads to accumulation of poisonous wastes in the body,
which can even lead to death. If our kidneys no longer remove enough wastes and
fluid from our blood or In case of kidney failure, an artificial kidney can be used.
20. State one difference between artificial kidney and natural kidney.
Reabsorption cannot take place in an artificial kidney so an artificial kidney is not
better than a natural kidney.
