Critical thinking questions

1. To prevent a disease caused by a certain microbe, doctors inject the same

microbes in a person's blood. How is it ensured that this prevents the disease
instead of causing it? What is this process of injecting microbes called?

The microbes ( antigens ) responsible for a particular disease, that are injected into
the blood stream are weakened or dead, which is just enough to trigger an immune
response. Specific antibodies are produced against that particular weakened or killed
microbe. These antibodies remain in the body and protect it from future infection by
that particular microbe. This process is called vaccination.

2. Microbes that live inside the bodies of animals normally cause diseases.
However some of them also help animals. Give an example to prove this point.
Cellulose can be digested by herbivores with the help of symbiotic bacteria that is present in
the rumen of their stomach.

3. Which of these are closer to plants−algae or protozoa? In what aspect?

Algae is closer to plants as algae has cell wall and contain chlorophyll and thus can
perform photosynthesis. Whereas protozoans have no cell wall. They are without
chlorophyll and has heterotrophic nutrition.

4. All microbes are harmful. Do you agree? Give reasons.

No, all microbes are not harmful. Many are useful to us. ( to justify your answer please
provide several examples of usefulness of microorganisms).

5. How does salt forces the microbes to lose water?

This process is called endosmosis. In endosmosis , the cell has a higher

concentration of water molecules than the surrounding environment and water
molecules move out of the cell. The salt solution has a lower concentration of water
molecules than the concentration of water molecules within the microbes body. As a
result the microbes lose water into the surrounding salt solution and gets dehydrated
and killed.

The sealed packets in which food items such as chips are sold are usually
filled with nitrogen. How does it help?
The nitrogen present in the seal packets of chips acts as an antioxidant and prevents
the growth of microorganism and acts as a food preservator.