Class 10 Science Chapter 6 (formerly Chapter 7), Control and Coordination, explains how animals and plants detect and respond to stimuli in their environment through nervous impulses and chemical messengers (hormones).
What Class 10 Science Chapter 6 Covers
6.1 Animals – Nervous System traces impulse transmission across a neuron (dendrite $\rightarrow$ cell body $\rightarrow$ axon $\rightarrow$ synapse via neurotransmitters), explains reflex action and the reflex arc mediated by the spinal cord, and maps the human brain into fore-brain (thinking, voluntary actions, hunger), mid-brain, and hind-brain (pons, medulla controlling involuntary actions like blood pressure/salivation/vomiting, and cerebellum controlling posture and balance).
6.2 Coordination in Plants distinguishes immediate nastic movement independent of growth (the folding of *Mimosa pudica* / touch-me-not leaves driven by changes in water content of plant cells) from directional tropic movements due to growth: phototropism, geotropism, hydrotropism and chemotropism (growth of pollen tubes towards ovules), along with plant hormones—auxin, gibberellins, cytokinins (promote growth) and abscisic acid (inhibits growth, causes wilting of leaves).
6.3 Hormones in Animals covers the endocrine glands and their feedback regulation: adrenaline from the adrenal glands (fight-or-flight response), thyroxin from the thyroid gland (requiring iodine; deficiency causes goitre), growth hormone from the pituitary gland, testosterone and oestrogen, and insulin from the pancreas regulating blood sugar levels.
Exercises in Chapter 6
- In-text Questions compare reflex action and walking, ask what happens at the synapse between two neurons, explain how auxins promote the growth of a tendril around a support, and ask why iodised salt is advised.
- Chapter Exercises (12 Questions) compare nervous and hormonal mechanisms for control and coordination, and contrast movement in a sensitive plant with movement in our legs.
Read Class 10 Science Chapter 6 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 5: Life Processes
- Next: Chapter 7: How do Organisms Reproduce?
- Hindi medium: Class 10 Science Chapter 6 PDF in Hindi (Vigyan)
- All Science chapters and the other Class 10 books: Class 10 NCERT books 2026-27
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
FAQ
How do auxins promote the bending of a plant shoot towards light?
When growing plants detect light, auxin is synthesised at the shoot tip and diffuses towards the shady side of the shoot. This higher concentration of auxin stimulates cells on the shady side to grow longer, causing the shoot to bend towards the light.
Why are some patients of diabetes treated by giving injections of insulin?
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels. If it is not secreted in proper amounts, blood glucose levels rise causing harmful effects, so diabetic patients take insulin injections to control blood sugar.