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Tamil Nadu (TNBSE)Class 1 EVS★ 3-4 marks in TN Class 1 Term exams through oral questions, picture identification, and short written answers

Living and Non-Living Things

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 1 Environmental Science — Chapter 1, Living and Non-Living Things. Characteristics and examples. Study notes, key concepts, worked examples, practice questions and quick revision for exam preparation.

⏱ 10 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Tell the difference between living and non-living things
2List at least three features of living things (grow, move, breathe)
3Give two examples each of living and non-living things from home and school
4Sort pictures into 'living' and 'non-living' groups

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Why this chapter matters

This is the very first science concept a child learns. Knowing what makes something 'alive' versus 'not alive' builds observation skills and curiosity about the world. Children learn to identify living things by whether they grow, move, breathe, eat, and have young ones.

Living and Non-Living Things — Class 1 Environmental Science (Samacheer Kalvi)

TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 1 Environmental Science, Chapter 1. Characteristics and examples.

1. About this chapter

This chapter covers Living and Non-Living Things as part of the Class 1 Samacheer Kalvi Environmental Science curriculum. It deals with characteristics and examples and builds conceptual understanding essential for the TN School Term Exam.

By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:

Distinguish living from non-living things
List characteristics of living things

2. Key concepts

Concept 1: Distinguish living from non-living things.
Concept 2: List characteristics of living things.

3. Important terms and formulas

Term / Formula	Description
Distinguish living from non-living…	Distinguish living from non-living things
List characteristics of living…	List characteristics of living things

4. Worked examples

Example 1. Applying a key concept from this chapter.

Solution: Identify the relevant principle → apply the formula or rule → state the answer with correct units.

Example 2. A typical exam-style question on living and non-living things.

Solution: Break the problem into steps, use the appropriate formula and verify the answer.

5. Common mistakes

Mistake: Skipping units or forgetting to state them. Fix: Always write units alongside every quantity and answer.
Mistake: Confusing similar terms or concepts in this chapter. Fix: Make a comparison table of the terms during revision.

6. Practice (exam-style)

Define the main term or principle covered in Chapter 1.
Give two real-life examples related to living and non-living things.
Solve a short numerical or descriptive question from this chapter.
State one important formula and explain each symbol.

7. Answer key (hints)

Refer to section 2 (Key concepts) above for the definition.
Examples should be drawn from daily experience and local context.
Apply the formula from section 3, show all steps clearly.
Formula with units — refer to the textbook glossary for symbol meanings.

8. Quick revision

Class 1 Environmental Science — Chapter 1: Living and Non-Living Things.
Core idea: Characteristics and examples.
Key outcomes: Distinguish living from non-living things; List characteristics of living things.
Always revise diagrams / tables from the Samacheer Kalvi textbook before the exam.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Living things

They grow, move by themselves, breathe, need food, feel, and have babies.

Examples: dog, fish, mango tree, butterfly, human being.

Non-living things

They do not grow, do not move on their own, do not breathe, and do not need food.

Examples: stone, chair, pencil, water bottle, book.

Quick check question

Does it eat? Does it grow? Does it breathe?

If yes to all, it is living. If no, it is non-living.

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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Saying a car is living because it moves

✓ A car moves only when a person drives it. Living things move by themselves.

WATCH OUT

✗ Thinking a plant is non-living because it does not walk

✓ Plants grow towards sunlight, make their own food, and produce seeds — so they are living.

WATCH OUT

✗ Saying clouds are living because they move and grow

✓ Clouds do not eat, breathe, or have babies. Their shape changes because of wind, not because they grow.

Practice problems

Work through this chapter's problems as a readiness check — reveal each solution, mark yourself honestly, and get your gap report at the end.

Readiness check

Are you exam-ready for Living and Non-Living Things?

6 problems from this chapter. Try each one, reveal the worked solution, mark yourself honestly — get your gap report at the end.

6 questions~4 min worth ~4 marks in Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) exams

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•Living things: grow, move by themselves, breathe, need food, feel changes, and have young ones.
•Non-living things: do none of the above.
•Plants are living things — they grow, make food, breathe, and produce seeds.
•Tricky examples: clouds (non-living), car (non-living), seed (living — it grows into a plant).

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 3-4 marks in Term 1 exam through oral, picture-based, and short written questions

Question type	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
Oral / Picture MCQ	1	2	Identifying living and non-living from pictures
Short Answer	2	1	Listing features of living things with examples
Activity	1	1	Sorting or drawing living and non-living things

Prep strategy

Go on a 'living/non-living' walk around home — point to things and ask your child to classify them
Use picture flash cards with living and non-living things for sorting practice
Ask the three check questions: Does it eat? Does it grow? Does it breathe?
Practice the plant question — it is the most common exam trick

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

Nature walk observation

During a walk, a child can point out birds, trees, insects (living) and stones, benches, water taps (non-living), turning observation into a game.

Sorting at home

Help sort toys, kitchen items, and garden objects into living and non-living groups — builds classification skills used in all sciences.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

First, look at the picture carefully — does it show something that can grow and move on its own?

If asked 'Is a plant living?', always answer YES and explain: it grows, breathes, and makes seeds.

Draw neatly with labels — teachers award extra marks for a labelled drawing of a living thing with its young one.

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

STRETCH

Look around your neighbourhood and make a list of 10 living and 10 non-living things. Try to find one thing that is tricky to classify.

STRETCH

Find out: Is a seed living or non-living? How do you know? Discuss with your teacher.

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

TN School Term 1 ExamHigh

School Unit TestsHigh

NSTSE / Olympiad (Class 1)Low

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Questions students ask

The real ones — pulled from the Q&A community and tutor sessions.

Chapter 1: Living and Non-Living Things. It teaches children to tell apart things that are alive from things that are not.

Use the rhyme: 'Grow and move, eat and breathe, feel the world and have young ones.' Practice with objects around the house.

Practice more, ask doubts, find a tutor

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