QUESTION 6
GS3
10 marks
Each year a large amount of plant material, cellulose, is deposited on the surface of Planet Earth. What are the natural processes this cellulose undergoes before yielding carbon dioxide, water and other end products?
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain the natural processes that break plant cellulose down to carbon dioxide, water and other products.
ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.
Demand-wise check
- 1Decomposers: bacteria and fungi produce cellulase enzymes≈35 words
- 2Aerobic decomposition: cellulose → glucose → CO2 + water≈35 words
- 3Anaerobic: in wetlands, rumen and termites → methane; humus formation; role in carbon cycle≈35 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Cellulose structureMicrobial enzymesAerobic pathAnaerobic pathCarbon cycleConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Not naming the enzyme cellulase
- Missing the anaerobic route and methane
Draw this
- Flow chart of cellulose degradation
Value addition
- FactCellulose is the most abundant organic polymer on Earth.Standard biochemistry
- FactRuminants rely on gut microbes to digest cellulose, releasing methane.ICAR / FAO
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 41 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 41 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 17 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.