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"Transpiration in plants is a… (Class 10 Science 2026, Q10)

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ScienceCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2026, set 31/4/1 · 2 marks · Very short answer

CBSE Class 10 Science 2026: question 10

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2026, paper 31/4/1, section A, question 10, for 2 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q10 · 2 marks · Very short answerLife Processes

"Transpiration in plants is a necessary evil." Comment on the statement giving two reasons.

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 31/4/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Think about what transpiration does for the movement of water inside the plant.

Hint 2

Now think about what the plant loses through its stomata during transpiration.

Hint 3

One point should be a benefit (transport or cooling) and one a disadvantage (water loss).

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. Why transpiration is necessary: Evaporation of water from the leaves creates a suction pull (transpiration pull). This pull helps move water and dissolved minerals up through the xylem from the roots to the leaves. It also cools the leaf surface and so regulates the plant's temperature.

    1 mark

  2. Why it is an evil: Most of the water absorbed by the roots is lost to the air as vapour through the stomata. In hot or dry conditions this loss can cause wilting and water stress. Transpiration is therefore useful but wasteful, a 'necessary evil'.

    1 mark

Answer: Necessary: it creates the pull that carries water and minerals from roots to leaves and cools the plant. Evil: it causes a large loss of water from the plant.

Where the marks are

  • Gives a benefit: upward transport of water and minerals, or temperature regulation (1 mark)
  • Gives the harm: loss of water from the plant (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: Life Processes (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Life Processes, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2026 board paper, set 31/4/1: 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.