(a) State two differences between the act of chewing food and salivation on sight of food. OR (b) State two differences between pollination and fertilization.
(a) State two differences between the act of chewing food and salivation on sight of food. OR (b) State two differences between pollination and fertilization.
(a) Chewing food is a voluntary, mechanically-driven muscular action, whereas salivation on sight of food is an involuntary secretory response; OR (b) Phototropism is the directional growth movement of a plant part in response to light, whereas geotropism is the directional growth movement of a plant part in response to gravity (the pull of the earth).
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for each correctly stated and explained point of difference (max 2 marks) for either option (a) or option (b) attempted.
Hint
For (a), think about which action needs a conscious decision and which happens automatically. For (b), think about which stimulus each tropism responds to, and how shoots and roots behave oppositely in each case.
Analysis & Explanation
This is an internal-choice VSA (2 marks) requiring two clearly stated differences for either part (a) or part (b).
For (a), the chapter explicitly distinguishes voluntary actions (e.g., 'Writing, talking, moving a chair... are examples of voluntary actions which are based on deciding what to do next') from involuntary responses ('Our mouth waters when we see food we like without our meaning to'). Chewing requires conscious decision and use of voluntary jaw muscles under fore-brain control, while salivation on sight of food is an automatic secretory response not under conscious control — analogous to the other involuntary actions (blood pressure, vomiting) the chapter attributes to non-thinking control.
For (b), the chapter directly contrasts these two tropic movements in section 6.2.2: 'in two different kinds of phototropic movement, shoots respond by bending towards light while roots respond by bending away from it,' and 'the roots of a plant always grow downwards while the shoots usually grow upwards and away from the earth... in response to the pull of earth or gravity, is, obviously, geotropism.' This gives a clean, chapter-grounded distinction between the two based on the stimulus (light vs gravity) and the opposite behaviour of shoots and roots in each case.
Marking scheme: award 1 mark for each correct, clearly stated point of difference (maximum 2 marks), for whichever option the student attempts.
Common Mistakes
- 1Treating salivation as a voluntary action rather than an automatic, involuntary secretion triggered merely by sight of food.
- 2Confusing which organ bends towards and which bends away from the stimulus in phototropism versus geotropism.
- 3Giving only one difference instead of the two required for full marks.
Interesting Facts
The sight or even the smell of food can trigger salivation through a conditioned nervous reflex, similar to Pavlov's famous experiments with dogs.
The opposite bending of shoots and roots in phototropism and geotropism happens because auxin redistributes unevenly within the plant part, making cells on one side grow faster than the other.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many marks does this question carry in CBSE Class 10 Science 2026?
This question carries 2 marks in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2026 examination.
Which chapter does this question come from in Science?
This question is from the chapter "Control and Coordination" in the CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus.
What topic does this question cover in Science?
This question covers the topic "Voluntary vs Involuntary Actions / Phototropism and Geotropism" from CBSE Class 10 Science.
What type of question is this in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2026 paper?
This is a Very Short Answer question from Section A in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2026 paper.