sin

uman Welfare
Chapter Analysis w.r,t. Lost 3 Ye
ars' Boord Exams
The analysis given here gives you an ana
lytical picture of this chapter and will help
concepts of the chapter that are to be focu you to identify the
ssed more from exam point of view.
Number of Questions asked in las
1 -- -- - - ------ t 3 years
2015
-- -
--
- --
De lhi All Ind ia De lhi
- ~--- ---- ---
2016
I
2017
-·-
All India De lhi All India
- - Very Sho rt An swe r ( l ma!_k)
~-

I
Sho rt An swe r Type I (2 ma rks
Sho rt An swe r Type II ( 3 ma rks
) I
I
) ' IQ
r

IQ IQ -- lQ IQ
--i-
IQ
-
IQ IQ IQ lQ lQ
~ - -Long- An -
swe r ( 5 ma rks )
-- -- -
---
l Q I IQ _,_ _ lQ lQ
Value Based Qu esti ons (4 ma - '-- -- - -- ·---- -·•-- ·-··-
rks ) I

\. In 2015, one question of2 marks bas I

ed on Sewage Treatment, one question of
Microorganisms and one question of5 ma 3 marks
rks based on BOD and Biocontrol Agents based on
• In 2016, same pattern as in 2015 obs were asked.
erved.
• In 2017, in Delhi set, one question of
2 marks
based on Application ofFungal Genus wer based on Sewage Treatment and one question of3 marks
e asked.
o,, the basis ofabove analysis, it can be said
that from exam point of view Sewage Tre
most important concepts ofthe chapter. atment and BOD are t}it
[TOPIC 11 Microbes in Household Product
Industrial Products and Sewage'
Treatment
Microbes are the major components of biological
systems on the earth. They are present
everywhere, i.e. in soil, water, air, inside our body
and those of other animals and plants. They can
also be found deep inside the geysers ( thermal
vents with temperature around 100° C), deep in
soil, under the layer of snow and in highly acidic
environments.
Microbes are so, minute that they cannot be seen
by naked eyes. Various types of microbes are
protozoan, bacteria, fungi, virus, viroids and
prions (proteinaceous infections agents), etc.
1.1 Microbes in Household
Products
The common products obtained by the use of
microbes are curd, dough, toddy, cheese, etc.
Curd
It is formed by adding bacteria such as
Lactobacillus and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)
in milk.
(i) A small amount of curd is added to the
fresh milk as starter, which contains
millions of LAB.
(ii) LAB at suitable temperature multiply and
convert milk into curd, which also improves
its nutritional quality by increasing the
content of vitamin-B12 .
(iii) During growth, LAB produce acids that
coagulate and partially digest the
milk proteins.
(iv) LAB also check disease causing microbes
in the stomach.
Dough
It is formed by the fermentation caused by
bacteria.
(i) Dough that is used to make bread, is
fermented using baker's yeast (Saccharomyces
cerevisiae).
(ii) Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) released during the
process of fermentation gives the fluffy
appearance to dough.
(iii) It is also used to make foods like idli, dosa,
in addition to different types of breads.
Toddy
It is .a traditional drink of Southern India. It is
made by the fermentation of sap from palm trees
by bacteria. It is a refreshing drink which can be
used for producing vinegar, jaggery or palm sugar.
Cheese
It is made by the partial degradation of milk using
different microbes.
(i) Swiss cheese is made by a bacterium
Propionibacterium shermanii. The large holes
in this cheese are due to the production of
large amount of CO2 by the bacterium.
(ii) Roquefort cheese is made by the ripening
with fungi, Penicillium roqueforti to obtain a
specific flavour. It is the best known cheese
made from sheep's milk.
Camembert cheese employs Penicillium
camemberti for ripening.
Other Products
Microbes are also used to ferment fish, soybean
and bamboo shoots to make food.
 y
roducts obtained
tcd beverages,
adds, alcohol, enzymes and
, etc. For the production of
on dustrial scale from raw
s are grown in very large vessels
entors.
nted Beverages
these are wine, beer, whisky, brandy and rum.
(i) These are obtained by fermenting malted
cereals and fruit juices with Saccharomyces
cerevisiae or brewer's yeast to produce
ethanol on commercial scale.
CJl 120 6 ~ 2 CJ{50H + 2 CO 2
(ii) Variety of alcoholic drink depends on the
type of raw material used for fermentation
and the type of processing (with or without
distillation).
(iii) Wine and beer are produced without
distillation.
(iv) Whisky, brandy and rum are produced by
the distillation of the fermented broth.
Antibiotics
(Anti-against and bios-life)
These are chemical substances, which are
produced by some microbes and can kill or retard
the growth of other (disease causing) microbes.
( i) Penicillin was the first antibiotic
discovered by Alexander Fleming.
( ii) Fleming discovered penicillin while
working on Staphylococcus bacteria.
He observed a mould growing in one of his
unwashed culture plates around which
Staphylococci could not grow.
He found that it was due to a chemical
produced by the mould. He named it
penicillin after the mould Penicillium
notatum.
Nobel ~ ~rl l i
(v) Antibiotics are also used to
diseases such as plague, whoo
diphtheria and leprosy.
Organic Acids
These are produced by the microbial metabolic
action. Important ones are
(i) Citric acid-Aspergillus niger (fungi)
(ii) Acetic acid -Acetobacter aceti (bacteria)
(iii) Butyric acid- Clostridium butyricum (bacteria)
(iv) Lactic acid - Lactobacillus (bacteria)
Enzymes
Enzymes used in various fields are also produced
by microbes as given below
(i) Lipase is used in detergent formulations
and helps in removing oily stains from the
laundry.
(ii) Pectinases and proteases are used for
clarifying bottled juices because these
enzymes digest the pectin fibres present in
the fruit wall and juices. The bottled fruit
juices bought from the market are clearer as
compared to those made at home.
(iii) Streptokinase is produced by the
bacterium Streptococcus. It is modified by
genetic engineering and is used as a 'Clot
buster' for removing clots from blood vessels
of patients, who have undergone myocardial
infarction leading to heart attack.
Bioactive Molecules
Bioactive molecules produced by microbes are
(i) Cyclosporin-A It is produced by the
fungus Trichoderma polysporum. It is us~d as
immuno- suppressive agent in
organ-transplant patients. It acts by
inhibiting the activation of T-cells.
 b estero
hy competitively
e responsible for the
cholrsterol, e.g. pravastatin,
etc.
crobes in Sewage
treatment
~ is the municipal waste water containing
ioainlY human excreta. It contains large quantity
of organic matter and pathogenic microbes.
11terefore, before discharging into natural bodies,
~e needs to be made less polluting and this
process employs the use of microbes. Sewage
treatment is carried out in Sewage Treatment
plants {STPs) using hetero trophic microbes,
naturally present in the sewage.
This treatment is carried out in following steps:
Primary Treatment of Sewage
(i) This step involves the physical removal of
large and small particles from sewage
through filtration and sedimentation.
(ii) Floating debris is removed by sequential
filtration by passing the sewage water
through wire mesh screens.
(iii) After this, the grit {soil and small pebbles)
is removed by sedimentation in settling
tanks. The sediment is called primary
sludge and the supernatant formed is
called primary effluent.
(iv) The primary effluent is then taken for
secondary treatment.
Secondary Treatment
(Biological Treatment)
(i) Primary effluent is passed into large
aeration tanks with constant mechanical
agitation and air supply.
(ti) This allows vigorous growth of useful
aerobic microbes into floes (masses of
acteria associated with fungal filaments to
mi mesh-like structures).
Bloch
the effluent.
(iv) When BOD of the ~as.tM'f
effluent is passed into s•J:_JM~•-,:.
(v) The bacterial floes are allowed to
the tank and the sedhn#J\~is ~
activated sludge.
(vi) A small amount of activated sludge ts
pumped back into the aeration tank tb serve'.
as the inoculum.
(vii) The remaining major part of the sludge is
pumped into large tanks called anaerobic
sludge digesters.
(viii) In anaerobic sludge digesters, other kinds of
bacteria, which grow anaerobically, digest
the bacteria and fungi in the sludge. During
this process, bacteria produce a mixture of
gases, such as methane, hydrogen sulphide
and the carbon dioxide, which form biogas.
{It can be used as source of energy as it is
inflammable.
(ix) The effluent from secondary treatment is
generally released into natural water bodies
like rivers and streams.
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
BOD refers to the amount of the oxygen that
would be consumed if all the organic matter in
one litre of water is oxidised by bacteria.
(i) BOD measures the rate of uptake of oxygen
by the microbes in a sample of water.
Indirectly, it measures the organic matter
present in the water.
(ii) More ~OD of water indicates more polluting
potential.
River Action Plans
(i) ~ue ~o the increasing urbanisation, sewage
is bemg produced in larger quantities.
S?, the ~ntreated sewage is often discharged
duectly mto the rivers leading to their
P?llution and increase in water bome
diseases.
 0 Chopterwise CBSE Solved P
(ii) The Ministry of Environment and Forests
has initiated Ganga Action Plan and
Yamuna Action Plan to save the major
rivers of our country from pollution.
Under these plans, building of a large
number of sewage treatment plants is
proposed, so that only treated sewage can
be discharged in the rivers.
PREVIOUS YEARS'
EXAMINATION QUESTIONS
TOPIC 1
0 1 Mark Questions
1. Why do we add an inoculum of curd to
milk for curdling it? Delhi 201sc
Or Why is 'starter' added to set the milk into
curd? Explain. All India 2014c
Or Name the nutrient that gets enhanced
while curdling of milk by Lactobacillus?
All India 2014C
2. How is lactic acid bacteria beneficial to us
other than helping in curdling the milk?
All India 2015C
Or Milk starts to coagulate when Lactic Acid
Bacteria (LAB) is added to warm milk as
a starter. Mention any other two benefits
LAB provide. All India 2009
3. Give the scientific name of the source
organisms from which the first antibiotic
was produced. Foreign 2014
4. Name the gas released and the process
responsible for puffing up of the bread
dough when Saccharomyces cerevisiae is
added to it. All India 2013C
5. Which of the following is the baker's yeast
. ?
used in fermentation.
6 Write the scientific name of the
• used for fermenting malted cere
fruit juices. Delhi 2011
7. Mention the information t~at the h
workers derive by measuring BOD 0
water body. All India 2010
a. Why is sewage water treated until t~e
BOD is reduced? Give a reason. ~
9. BOD of two samples of water A and B
were 120 mg/Land 400 mg/L,
respectively. Which sample is more
polluted? Fon!I n
0 2 Marks Questions
10. Distinguish between the roles of flocks
and anaerobic sludge digesters in sewage
treatments. Delhi 2016
11. List the events that reduce the Biological
Oxygen Demand (BOD) of a primary
effluent during sewage treatment. ~
Or During the secondary treatment of the
primary effluent, how does the significant
decrease in BOD occur? Delhi 2009
12. Explain the different steps involved
during primary treatment phase of
sewage. All India 2015
13. Mention a product of human welfare
obtained with the help of each one of the
following microbes.
(i) LAB
(ii) Saccharomyces cerevisiae
(iii) Propionibacterium shermanii
(iv) Aspergillus niger Delhi 201&
14. Bottled fruit juices are clearer as
compared to those made at h
15.
 ~
microbial activity
. . . . . . .el
~ Whkfl grow anaerobically
matftlal produce large amount
along with CO 2 and ff 2. These
~ called methanogens (one of
die <Dmmon bacterium is Methanobacten·wn).
) Metbanbaens are commonly found in the
anaerobic sludge during sewage treatment
and arc also present in the rumen (a part of
stomach) of cattle.
(rv) In rum~ methanogens help in the
breakdown of cellulose anaerobically
thereby releasing CO 2 and H 2 . This process
plays an important role in the nutrition of
cattle. The excreta of cattle called gobar, is
rich in these bacteria. Therefore, cow dung
can also be used to produce biogas,
commonly called gobar gas. 2.2 Microbes a~
Blogas Production Agents
(i) The biogas plant consists of a concrete tank ( i) Biocontrol refers
( 10-15 feet deep) in which bio-wastes are methods for contri
collected and a slurry of dung is fed. and pests.
(ii) A floating cover is placed over the slurry, (ii) The insecticides an
which keeps on rising as the gas is produced useful for field Q
in the tank due to microbial activity. and extremely
(iii) The plant has an outlet, which is animals becaus
connected to a pipe to supply biogas to environmen
nearby houses. (iii) Biocontrol a
(iv) 1be spent slurry is removed through control o
another outlet and may be used as fertiliser. than·
actio
(Y) In rural areas, cattle dung is availabl_e ~
~ So more biogas plants are built m
fa ·
dle,e areas to produce biogas for cooking
me
fo
Jisbtlng.
 __,,~ --•·tvelop tit
the webs of ln~a~
I'll
~ d of organisms that
c field fauna and flora.
the view that the eradication of
tutts ~hat arc often described as
is undesirable because without the
beneficial predatory and parasitic m,
s would not sun,ive.
e approaches for biological farming are
(a) Familiarity vvith various life forms
inhabiting the field.
(b) Understanding of their life cycles,
patterns of feeding and preferred
habitat of predators and pests.
(c) Greatly reduced dependency on toxic
chemicals and pesticides by the use of
biocontrol measures.
(d) Instead of eradicating the pests
completely, they are kept at manageable
levels by a complex system of checks
and balances within a living and vibrant
ecosystem.
(vi) Examples of biocontrol agents include
(a) The ladybird and dragonflies are useful
to get rid of aphids and mosquitoes,
respectively.
(b) The bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensi~ (Bt) is
used to control butterfly catterpillars as
follows
• Dried spores of Bt ( available in sachets)
are mixed with water and spra~ed onto
vulnerable plants such as brass1cas and
fruit trees, where they are eaten by the
insect larvae.
• In the gut of the larvae, the t_oxin is
released and the larvae get killed.
• The bacterial disease will kill_ the
catterpillars, but leave other msects
unharmed.
• B. thuringiensis toxin genes are .
introduced into plants by genetic_
engineering. Such, plants are resistant to
& attack by insect pests, e.g. Bt cotton.
(d)
insects••
• Majorltyofba
as biocon~agmU..,_,
genus- Nutltop0lyWrwlna
• These are spedes spedftc, namw,
spectrum insectiddes.
• They do not harm plants, mammals,
birds, fish and other non-target inJCdS
• Baculoviruses are beneficial in
Intergrated Pest Management (1PM)
programme, in which beneficial insects
are conserved.
2.3 Microbes as Biofertilisers
Microbes as biofertilisers enrich the nutrient
(nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.) quality of the soil.
The main sources of biofertilisers are bacteria,
fungi and cyanobacteria.
( i) Bacteria as biofertilisers
(a) The nodules on the roots of leguminous
plants are formed by the symbiotic
association of Rhizobium bacteria.
These bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen
into organic forms, which is used by the
plants as nutrient.
(b) Other bacteria, such as Azospirillum and
Azotobacter, fix atmospheric nitrogen
while free-living in the soil. They enrich
the nitrogen content of the soil.
(ii) Fungi as biofertilisers
(a) Fungi form symbiotic association with
plants (mycorrhiza).
(b) Many members of the fungus genus
Glomus form mycorrhiza.
( c) The fungal symbiont absorbs
phosphorus from the soil and passes %
to the plant.
(d) Mycorrhiza shows the following
benefits
• Resistance to root borne pa9'J~ ~
 0 Chaf)teFWl5e CBiE
• Tolerance to salinity and drought.
• Overall increase in plant growth and
development.
(iii) Cyanobacteria as biofertllisers
(a) Cyanobacteria are autotrophic microb_es
and many of them can fix atmospheric
nitrogen.
(b) Examples of cyanobacteria are Anabaena,
Nostoc, Oscillatoria, etc.
(c) Blue-green algae also add organic matter
to the soil and increase its fertility.
Uses of Biofertiliser
A number of biofertilisers are available
commercially in the market. Farmers use them in
fields to replenish soil nutrients and to reduce
dependence on the chemical fertilisers. These
biofertilisers do not allow the pathogens to
flourish and these are non-polluting.
PREVIOUS YEARS'
EXAMINATION QUESTIONS
TOPIC 2
0 1 Mark Questions
1. Name the type of association that the
genus Glomus exhibits with higher
plants. All India 2014
2. State one reason for adding blue-green
algae to the agricultural soil. Delhi 2D14C
3. What makes the Nucleopolyhedrovirus a
desirable biological control agent?
All India 2013C; 2012C
Or What is the significance of Nucleopoly-
hedrovirus in pest management?
4. Mention the role of cyanobacteria as
biofertilisers. All India 2012
5. Mention two advantages of adding
blue-green algae to paddy fields.
All India 2011c
. he presence of cyant)b
Or How isdtd fields beneficial to ricl
the pa Y
O ne symbiont, which se
6. Name '.'11:Y Mention it's specific role
biofert111ser. ~
. h 0 f the following is a free-living
7. Whic . that can fix nitrogen in the soil?
ba~terli_a Azospirillum and Sonalika ·
Spiru ina, ..,.
. ~ (21
. h of the following is a cyanobacteriu111
8. Wh IC •
. 't ? 20
that can fix atmospheric m rogen.
Azospirillum, Oscillatoria and Spirulina. _
All India~ 21
9 _ Name the group of organisms and_the
substrate that act on to produce b1ogas.
Delhi2~
22.
0 2 Marks Questions
10. How does the application of the fungal
genus, Glomus, to the agricultural farm 23
increase the farm output? Delhi 2017
11. How does the application of cyanobacteria
help to improve agricultural output?
Delhi 2017
12. Name a genus of baculovirus. Why are
they considered good biocontrol agents?
All India 2016
13. What are methanogens? Name the
animals in which methanogens occur and
the role they play there. Delhi 2014
14. Draw a labelled sketch of a typical biogas
plant. Delhi 2014C
15. Explain the significant role of the genus
Nucleopolyhedrovirus in an ecological
sensitive area. All India 2014
16. How do mycorrhizae act as biofertilisers?
Explain. Name a genus of fungi that
forms a mycorrhizal association with
plants.Delhi 2012
Or How do plants benefit from having
mycorrhizal symbiotic association?