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Given below is a pyramid… (Class 10 Science 2026, Q13)

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ScienceCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2026, set 31/1/1 · 3 marks · Short answer

CBSE Class 10 Science 2026: question 13

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2026, paper 31/1/1, section A, question 13, for 3 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q13 · 3 marks · Short answerOur Environment

Given below is a pyramid showing various trophic levels in an ecosystem:

  1. (a)

    From the organisms listed below, identify which one is to be placed at which trophic level? Deer, Grass, Lion, Snake, Rabbit

    0 marks
  2. (b)

    Discuss the reason why primary consumers will have more energy as compared to secondary consumers?

    0 marks
  3. (c)

    Why is the base of the pyramid broad?

    0 marks

Figure in the paper: Four-level pyramid. Top to bottom: (iv) Tertiary consumers, (iii) Secondary consumers, (ii) Primary consumers, (i) Producers. See it in the official paper.

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 31/1/1.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Start with who makes their own food, then who eats plants.

Hint 2

Recall what percentage of energy passes from one trophic level to the next.

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

  1. (a) (i) Producers: Grass; (ii) Primary consumers: Deer, Rabbit; (iii) Secondary consumers: Snake, Lion; (iv) Tertiary consumer: Lion.

    1 mark

  2. (b) Primary consumers feed directly on green plants, which hold a large amount of energy. By the 10% law, only about 10% of the energy at one level passes to the next. The rest is used in life processes or lost as heat. So secondary consumers get much less energy than primary consumers.

    1 mark

  3. (c) The base is broad because producers are the most numerous and contain the maximum energy and biomass of all trophic levels. Energy, and usually number, decreases at each higher level.

    1 mark

Answer: (a) Grass – producers; Deer, Rabbit – primary; Snake, Lion – secondary; Lion – tertiary. (b) Only ~10% energy passes to the next level. (c) Producers have the highest number/energy/biomass.

Where the marks are

  • Correct placement of all organisms (1 mark)
  • 10% law explanation for less energy at the higher level (1 mark)
  • Producers have the maximum number/energy/mass, so the base is broad (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: Our Environment (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Our Environment, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2026 board paper, set 31/1/1: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error? Write tosupport@questionbuddy.in.