Human Body and Health EVS Questions for CTET PAPER I

Major Organ Systems and Their Functions

The human body has several organ systems that work together. CTET Paper I focuses on systems relevant to Class 3-5 EVS content: digestive, respiratory, circulatory, skeletal, muscular, excretory, nervous, and sensory systems. Children at this level are introduced to basic functions of each system and the key organs involved. Questions often ask you to match an organ to its function or identify which system an organ belongs to.

• Digestive system: mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine — breaks food into nutrients. Liver and pancreas are accessory organs.
• Respiratory system: nose, trachea, lungs — takes in oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. Diaphragm helps breathing.
• Circulatory system: heart pumps blood; arteries carry blood away from heart, veins carry blood back. RBCs carry oxygen.
• Excretory system: kidneys filter blood and make urine; skin excretes sweat; lungs excrete CO2.
• Nervous system: brain is the control centre; spinal cord connects brain to body; nerves carry signals.
• Sense organs: eyes (sight), ears (hearing and balance), nose (smell), tongue (taste), skin (touch and temperature).

Bones, Teeth and Muscles

The skeletal system gives the body its shape and protects organs. Adults have 206 bones; babies are born with about 300 (many fuse over time). This fact is a favourite PYQ trap. Teeth are not bones — they are made of dentine and enamel. Children have 20 milk teeth (deciduous teeth) that are replaced by 32 permanent teeth. Muscles are attached to bones by tendons and enable movement.

• Adult human body has 206 bones; newborn has approximately 300.
• Hardest substance in the human body is tooth enamel — not bone.
• Children have 20 milk teeth; adults have 32 permanent teeth.
• The femur (thigh bone) is the longest bone; stapes in the ear is the smallest bone.
• Tendons connect muscle to bone; ligaments connect bone to bone.
• Joints: ball-and-socket (shoulder, hip), hinge (elbow, knee), pivot (neck), gliding (wrist).

Common Diseases — Causes, Prevention and Transmission

CTET regularly asks about communicable vs non-communicable diseases, their causes, and prevention methods. Communicable diseases spread from person to person via bacteria, viruses, or vectors. Non-communicable diseases like diabetes or asthma are lifestyle or genetic. Understanding the mode of transmission helps frame preventive habits for children.

• Communicable diseases: cholera and typhoid (contaminated water), tuberculosis and common cold (air droplets), malaria (Anopheles mosquito), dengue (Aedes mosquito), rabies (animal bite).
• Non-communicable diseases: diabetes, hypertension, asthma, cancer — not spread by contact.
• Deficiency diseases: anaemia (iron), scurvy (vitamin C), rickets (vitamin D), night blindness (vitamin A), goitre (iodine).
• ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) is given for dehydration caused by diarrhoea.
• Vaccines prevent diseases — polio, measles, BCG (TB), DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus).
• Personal hygiene habits — handwashing, safe drinking water, clean food — are the first line of prevention.

Food, Nutrition and Health

Balanced diet concepts are central to Class 4-5 EVS. Macronutrients give energy and build the body; micronutrients regulate body processes. CTET questions ask which nutrient performs which function, or which food is a source of a specific nutrient. This also connects to deficiency diseases above.

• Carbohydrates: energy-giving foods — rice, wheat, potato, sugar.
• Proteins: body-building foods — dal, eggs, meat, milk, soybean.
• Fats: energy and insulation — ghee, butter, nuts, oil.
• Vitamins and minerals: protective foods — fruits, vegetables, milk.
• Roughage (dietary fibre) aids digestion and prevents constipation — found in whole grains and vegetables.
• Water is not a nutrient but is essential — about 60 percent of the human body is water.

Pedagogical Approach to Teaching Body and Health

CTET Paper I has a dedicated pedagogy section within EVS. Questions ask how a Class 1-5 teacher should introduce body and health topics. The NCF 2005 and NCERT EVS textbooks (Looking Around Class 3-5) guide the approach: child-centred, activity-based, connected to daily life. Teachers should avoid rote naming of organs and instead use observations, models, role play, and stories.

• Use body mapping activity — children draw or trace their own body outline and label parts they know.
• Ask open-ended questions: What happens in your body when you run? Why do we feel hungry?
• Connect health habits to children's lived experiences — their food, games, illnesses they have had.
• Avoid fear-based teaching about diseases; focus on positive hygiene habits.
• Use picture charts, simple models, and local examples to explain organ functions.
• Assessment should be through observation, portfolios and group activities — not just written tests.

• Confusing 206 bones in adults with 300 in newborns — many candidates flip these numbers in MCQs.
• Stating that tooth enamel is a bone — enamel is the hardest substance in the body but it is NOT bone tissue.
• Mixing up vectors: malaria spreads via female Anopheles mosquito but dengue spreads via Aedes mosquito — these are frequently swapped.
• Confusing tendons and ligaments — remember TML: Tendons to Muscles-to-bone Link, Ligaments Link bone-to-bone.
• Ignoring the pedagogy angle — candidates focus only on content facts and miss scenario-based questions about how to teach body and health to young children.

• DEFS for deficiency diseases: D for vitamin D gives rickets, E is for eyes (vitamin A — night blindness), F for Ferrous iron (anaemia), S for Scurvy (vitamin C). Goitre stands alone — iodine.
• TML rule: Tendons connect Muscle to bone (T-M link); Ligaments link bone to bone (L-L link).
• MAD mosquitoes: Malaria — Anopheles, Dengue — Aedes. Both are mosquito-borne but different species. MAD = Malaria-Anopheles, Dengue-Aedes.
• CPFVM for nutrients and their food type: Carbs-Power, Proteins-Build (think Protein-Builder), Fats-Fuel, Vitamins-Protect, Minerals-Regulate. Story: A Car needs Fuel to Build roads while Vitamins and Minerals Protect the engine.

• CTET Paper I typically places 2-3 direct content questions on organs and diseases and 1-2 pedagogy questions on how to teach health topics to primary classes — always read the question stem to identify which type it is.
• Deficiency diseases and their vitamins or minerals are very high frequency — expect at least one question per paper. Prepare a quick mental table linking disease to nutrient to symptom.
• Scenario questions often describe a classroom activity (like body mapping or role play) and ask whether it is appropriate and why — answer using NCF 2005 principles: child-centred, experiential, connected to real life.
• Questions about communicable vs non-communicable diseases have appeared in nearly every CTET cycle from 2015 onwards. Know the mode of transmission, not just the disease name.
• Do not overlook sense organs — the smallest bone (stapes in ear), the number of taste buds functions, and the role of the nose in filtering air are frequently tested as single-line factual MCQs worth easy marks.