CTET · Study & Practice

Family & Friends (Relationships, Work, Animals, Plants)

AreaEnvironmental Studies DifficultyEasy to Moderate CTET weightage8-12 questions in CTET Paper I (EVS is 30 marks; the Family & Friends theme is the single largest content block)

Family & Friends is the heart of CTET Paper I Environmental Studies, because the NCERT EVS syllabus for the primary stage is organised around six themes and this one alone covers relationships, work and play, animals, and plants. Roughly a third of the EVS content questions are pulled from here, and they are rarely dry definitions. CTET frames them as a child would meet them in the classroom: why a camel can survive in the desert, which part of the plant carries water, who in the family is your father's sister, or which animal is a herbivore. The content is pitched at the Class III to V level, but the exam expects an adult aspirant to know the standard NCERT facts cold and to spot the pedagogy angle too. This chapter walks through the four sub-themes the way the textbook does, with the exact facts CTET repeats year after year, plus the tricks, traps and previous-year patterns that decide marks.

Topics

1 Relationships & Community 4 worked · 5 practice · 8-Q MCQ test Start → 2 Work and Play 4 worked · 5 practice · 8-Q MCQ test Start → 3 Animals: Habitats & Care 4 worked · 5 practice · 8-Q MCQ test Start → 4 Plants: Parts, Uses & Growth 4 worked · 5 practice · 8-Q MCQ test Start →

⚡ Smart tips & memory hooks

Memory hooks and exam-smart tips to lock this chapter in and answer CTET MCQs quickly and accurately.

  • Food habits in three words: Herbivore = plants only, Carnivore = meat only, Omnivore = both. (Herbi-Herbs, Carni-Carcass, Omni-Omneverything.)
  • Animal homes quick map: lion-den, rabbit-burrow, bird-nest, horse-stable, dog-kennel, bee-hive, spider-web, cow-shed.
  • Plant types by stem: Herb (soft, short) < Shrub (bushy, woody) < Tree (tall trunk); Creeper crawls on ground, Climber climbs with support.
  • Plant part jobs: Root drinks (water), Stem transports, Leaf cooks (photosynthesis), Flower beautifies, Fruit protects seeds.
  • Family size cue: Nuclear = nucleus = small (parents + kids); Joint = joined together = big (grandparents, uncles, aunts too).
  • Migration trigger word: any animal making a seasonal long journey (Siberian crane to India in winter) = migration, not adaptation.

⚠️ Common mistakes & traps

CTET loves to test these exact confusions. Internalise each trap before exam day.

  • Calling a camel's desert survival "migration" instead of "adaptation" — the hump and broad feet are adaptations.
  • Mixing up creeper and climber — a creeper spreads ON the ground, a climber goes UP with support.
  • Saying the root makes food — the leaf makes food (photosynthesis); the root only absorbs water and minerals.
  • Confusing herbivore and omnivore — a crow and a bear eat both plants and animals, so they are omnivores, not herbivores.
  • Treating a shrub as a tree — a rose or hibiscus is a bushy shrub, not a tree, because it lacks a tall thick trunk.
  • Mislabelling kinship — the father's sister is the bua (paternal aunt), not the mausi (mother's sister).

📈 CTET exam insight & PYQ analysis

Family & Friends supplies a large share of CTET Paper I EVS questions, typically 8 to 12 across the four sub-themes. The most repeated patterns are: classifying an animal by food habit (herbivore/carnivore/omnivore), naming an animal home (den, burrow, hive, nest), and explaining an adaptation (camel in the desert, duck's webbed feet) — animals are the densest topic. Plants follow closely, with part-and-function questions (which part absorbs water, which makes food) and herb/shrub/tree/creeper/climber classification. Relationship questions test nuclear-versus-joint family and standard kinship terms; work questions test traditional crafts (potter, weaver, blacksmith) and indoor-versus-outdoor games. Many items are wrapped in a short classroom scenario, and a few add a pedagogy angle on observation-based, activity-led EVS teaching.

🎴 Flashcards — instant recall

Tap a card to reveal the answer. Drill these until they are automatic.

Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore — define each.Tap to reveal
Herbivore eats only plants; carnivore eats only animals; omnivore eats both
How is a camel adapted to the desert?Tap to reveal
Hump stores fat; broad padded feet stop sinking in sand; survives long without water
Which plant part makes food, and by what process?Tap to reveal
The leaf, by photosynthesis (using sunlight, water and air)
Which plant part absorbs water from the soil?Tap to reveal
The root (it also anchors the plant)
Creeper vs climber?Tap to reveal
Creeper spreads along the ground; climber climbs up with support
Nuclear family vs joint family?Tap to reveal
Nuclear = parents + children only; joint = grandparents, uncles, aunts also together
Home of a lion, a rabbit and a bird?Tap to reveal
Lion-den, rabbit-burrow, bird-nest
What is migration? Give the classic example.Tap to reveal
Seasonal long-distance journey of animals; Siberian crane comes to India in winter
Herb, shrub and tree — tell them apart.Tap to reveal
Herb = soft short stem; shrub = bushy woody; tree = tall thick woody trunk
Father's sister and mother's brother are called?Tap to reveal
Bua (paternal aunt) and mama (maternal uncle)
What is germination?Tap to reveal
Sprouting of a seed into a new plant; needs water, air and warmth
Name three community helpers.Tap to reveal
Doctor, teacher, postman (also farmer, policeman, cobbler, etc.)

📌 Quick revision

Family & Friends is the largest CTET Paper I EVS theme, covering four blocks. Relationships: nuclear versus joint families, kinship terms (bua, mama, mausi), neighbours and community helpers, with respect for all work. Work and Play: traditional crafts (potter, weaver, blacksmith) versus modern jobs, indoor versus outdoor games, and harvest and community festivals. Animals: food habits (herbivore/carnivore/omnivore), wild versus domestic, habitats and named homes (den, burrow, nest, hive), migration (Siberian crane), and adaptations (the camel's hump and broad feet, the duck's webbed feet), plus the value of caring for animals. Plants: parts and functions (root absorbs, stem transports, leaf makes food by photosynthesis), classification (herb, shrub, tree, creeper, climber), germination, uses and conservation. Master the standard NCERT facts and the classification traps, and watch for the scenario wrapper and the occasional pedagogy angle.

Chapter test

📝 Family & Friends (Relationships, Work, Animals, Plants) — Chapter Test
25 fresh questions · timed · full solutions
Start chapter test →
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🏆 Vidaara CTET success checklist

You have truly mastered Family & Friends (Relationships, Work, Animals, Plants) when you can tick every box below.

  • Recall every formula in this chapter without looking them up
  • Solve each topic’s practice set with at least 80% accuracy
  • Use the chapter shortcuts to cut your solving time in half
  • Spot and avoid every common trap listed above
  • Score 80%+ on the timed chapter test

📋 Chapter mastery scorecard

Track where you stand. Aim for the target before moving to the next chapter.

Skill checkpointTarget
Concept theory & formulas understood100%
Topic practice sets attempted (4 topics)4/4
Best topic-test score— → 80%+
Chapter test score— → 80%+
Flashcards drilled to instant recall12 cards