NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Science Chapter 6 Adolescence a Stage of Growth and Change (PDF) – 2027

Most common changes seen on the slips: increase in height; gain in weight and strength; changes in appearance (hair in the armpits and pubic region, facial hair in boys, pimples, development of breasts in girls); change in voice; and stronger emotions with mood swings. Table 6.1 filled in:

Yes. In the last year I have grown taller quickly, and I have noticed other changes too, such as pimples on my face. These changes mean that I am gradually reaching adolescence — the stage between childhood and adulthood, from about 10 to 19 years of age.

Table 6.2 completed. The first two rows are printed in the book; the rows marked ‘Any other’ are sample entries — add the changes you and your friends have noticed.

Table 6.3 filled with locally available foods:

Anaemia. A shortage of iron or vitamin B12 means the body cannot make enough healthy red blood cells, so the blood carries less oxygen to the body. The person feels tired and weak, looks pale, gets breathless after a little exercise, feels giddy and cannot concentrate well.

We can manage iron deficiency by:

1. eating iron-rich foods every day — spinach and other green leafy vegetables, kidney beans (rajma), chana and other pulses, bajra, jaggery, and dried fruits like raisins and figs;
2. having foods with vitamin C (amla, lemon, guava, orange) in the same meal, as it helps the body absorb iron;
3. not drinking tea or coffee just after meals;
4. taking iron and folic acid tablets and deworming tablets as advised by a doctor or the school health programme.

Government schemes that prevent iron and other deficiencies:

• Anaemia Mukt Bharat — weekly iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets for school children and adolescents, deworming twice a year.
• Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) — improves adolescents’ health, including nutrition and anaemia.
• PM POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal) — a cooked, nutritious meal every school day.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan and Anganwadi services — extra nutrition for young children and adolescent girls.
• Food fortification — fortified rice in government schemes and double-fortified salt (iodine + iron).

Yes. Vitamin B12 is needed to form healthy red blood cells and for the proper working of the nerves and brain. Like most vitamins, it cannot be made in the human body and has to be obtained from the food we eat. A long shortage of it can cause anaemia.

Sources of vitamin B12: milk, curd, paneer and cheese; eggs; fish, chicken, meat and liver; and fortified foods such as fortified milk and some breakfast cereals. Plant foods are generally not a reliable source.

Yes. I play kho-kho and football in the school games period four days a week, and I cycle to school and back every day — about 20 minutes each way. On Sundays I play cricket in the park with my friends for about an hour.

I play football and kho-kho in the games period, skip rope and cycle every day, and do yoga asanas such as Surya Namaskar and Tadasana in the morning.

Posters: each group makes one poster on one theme — think before you post, protect your privacy, stop cyberbullying, check before you believe, and screen time and sleep — with one big message, a picture, and whom to ask for help. Table 6.4 filled in:

Because of hormones — certain chemicals produced in our bodies.

Hormones are released at the right time in response to signals from the brain. They cause many changes of adolescence, including menstruation, and some hormones also influence mood and behaviour.

(i) Ramesh has entered adolescence. At this stage the skin produces more oily secretions, which clog the skin pores and lead to infection, so small reddish pimples appear. This skin condition is called acne.

(ii) To get relief, Ramesh can:

• wash his face gently with clean water and a mild soap twice a day;
• not squeeze or burst the pimples;
• keep dirty hands and oily hair away from his face;
• eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of water;
• see a doctor if the pimples are many or painful.

Food group (ii) — the balanced thali — is the better option.

Why: adolescence is a period of rapid growth. The thali gives carbohydrates for energy, proteins for growth and strength, calcium for bones, iron for blood, and vitamins, minerals and fibre — it is a balanced diet. Group (i) is junk food: mostly fat, refined flour, salt and sugar, with very little protein, vitamins or minerals.

The completed sentences read:

1. The discharge of blood in adolescent girls which generally occurs every 28–30 days is menstruation.
2. The hoarseness in the voice of adolescent boys is due to enlarged voice box.
3. Secondary sexual characteristics are natural signs that the body is preparing for adulthood and mark the onset of puberty.
4. We should say NO to alcohol and drugs as they are addictive.

No, Shalu is not correct. The word ‘only’ makes her statement wrong: physical changes are just one part of adolescence.

Corrected description: “Adolescence brings physical changes, like growing taller or developing body hair, and also internal changes, such as the maturation of the parts involved in reproduction and the start of the menstrual cycle in girls. It also brings emotional and behavioural changes, such as stronger emotions, mood swings and increased sensitivity.”

(i) Questions to ask: Are emotions in adolescence stronger than in childhood? Do our emotions affect our behaviour and choices?
Conclusion: these changes are normal and need not be feared, but they must be understood and managed. So the point is only partly correct.

(ii) Questions to ask: What does ‘addictive’ mean? If stopping is so easy, why do people need counselling and medical help to quit?
Conclusion: the point is wrong. These substances are addictive, and most addictions start with ‘just one time’.

Besides mood swings, other behavioural changes of this age are:

• stronger emotions and increased sensitivity;
• self-consciousness about appearance;
• attraction towards peers and mimicking their behaviour;
• a wish for independence and privacy;
• heightened curiosity and excitement, and a wish to try new things;
• deeper interest in new areas like music, sports or art;
• taking up or joining social initiatives to support the needy.

Menstrual hygiene:

• Use a clean sanitary pad or a reusable cloth pad, and change it every four to six hours.
• Wash hands with soap before and after changing a pad, and bathe daily.
• Wash reusable cloth pads well and dry them fully in sunlight.

Sanitary habits:

• Wrap the used pad in newspaper and put it inside a covered dustbin — never near the bin or in the open.
• Never flush a pad down the toilet; leave the toilet clean.
• Menstruation is a natural process — do not follow myths or tease anyone about it.

The two bulges had different causes. Mary’s bulge was goitre, a swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck caused by a lack of iodine in the diet. It is a disorder, so she needed medicine and an iodine-rich diet. Manoj’s bump was the Adam’s apple, the growing voice box of an adolescent boy. It is a normal part of growing up, so he needed no treatment.

Reason: the moustache, facial hair and the clear change in voice appear in boys, and breasts develop in girls; pimples and hair in the armpits and pubic region appear in both.

Sample poster:

Sample answer — five questions:

1. What mental health problems do you see most often among adolescents in our area?
2. What early signs show that a student is under stress?
3. What help do you give, and how can students or parents reach you?
4. What can our school do to support students’ mental health?
5. What would you advise an adolescent who feels low or alone but is afraid to talk?

Sample plan: four short scenes about Sunita, a 13-year-old whose marriage is being fixed.

1. The decision — relatives persuade her parents; Sunita wants to keep studying.
2. What she loses — school, friends, play and childhood.
3. Health facts — an ASHA worker explains that early marriage often means early pregnancy while the girl’s body is still growing, risking anaemia and a weak baby.
4. The law — an officer explains that child marriage is a punishable offence (legal age 18 for girls, 21 for boys). The parents change their decision.

Sample plan: hold the camp on 21 June (or the nearest school day), early in the morning on an empty stomach, in a clean open place, led by a yoga teacher or PT teacher. A 45-minute programme: