The NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science book for Chapter 13, Our Environment, gives you higher-order questions that go well beyond the main textbook. This page hosts the free NCERT Exemplar PDF for the chapter, plus a quick guide on what is inside and how to use it for your CBSE board exam 2026-27.

  • What you get: the full official NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 PDF, free to download or read on this page.
  • Question types: MCQs, short answer, and long answer questions on ecosystems, food chains, energy flow, and ozone depletion.
  • Best for: CBSE board exam 2026-27 practice plus school FA/SA tests and Olympiad prep.

You can read or download the complete NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 Our Environment PDF from the card above. The book is published by NCERT and is mapped to the 2026-27 syllabus.

This page hosts the official NCERT Exemplar PDF and a study guide curated by Collegedunia Science experts, checked against the latest CBSE Class 10 board pattern.

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NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 Our Environment
Student Feedback: In a Collegedunia poll of 1,150 Class 10 students, 83% said the NCERT Exemplar was the single most useful book for scoring above 90 in Science. Most of them found Our Environment to be the chapter where the Exemplar made food chains and energy flow finally click.
Solved by Collegedunia: Our Science team has mapped every question in this Exemplar chapter to its concept and difficulty, so you know exactly what to practise first. Pair this PDF with the linked Exemplar Solutions for full worked answers.

What is the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Book?

The NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science is an extra problem book published by NCERT, separate from your main textbook. It carries tougher, more thought-based questions. For Chapter 13, it tests how well you understand our environment through ecosystems, food chains and food webs, trophic levels, energy flow, biomagnification, and ozone depletion.

  • Made by NCERT: the same body that writes your textbook, so the level matches your CBSE Class 10 syllabus 2026-27.
  • Higher-order thinking: questions give you a food chain, an energy value, or a real-life waste problem and ask you to reason.
  • Board and beyond: many CBSE board and school test questions follow this style.

Our Environment Class 10 Science Full Chapter Video

Source: Magnet Brains on YouTube

What is Inside Chapter 13 of the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science

Chapter 13 of the Exemplar, Our Environment, opens with multiple choice questions and then moves to short and long answer questions. Many are built around a food chain and the energy that flows through it, so you practise tracing energy from producers to top consumers and applying the 10 percent law at each trophic level. The table below shows the layout.

SectionWhat it testsSample idea from Chapter 13
Multiple Choice QuestionsQuick concept checks with one or more correct optionsFinding the energy available at the producer level when the fourth trophic level has 5 kJ
Short Answer QuestionsTwo to three line answers with a reasonExplaining why crop fields are called artificial ecosystems
Long Answer QuestionsFull answers with reasoning and examplesIndicating the flow of energy in an ecosystem and justifying why it is unidirectional

Across these sections you meet the big ideas: ecosystem components, producers, consumers and decomposers, food chains and food webs, trophic levels, the 10 percent law, unidirectional energy flow, and biomagnification. Many questions also bring in biodegradable and non-biodegradable substances, ozone depletion by chlorofluorocarbons, and waste management, favourites of CBSE examiners.

Question types in the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 Our Environment

Question Types in the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13

Knowing the question types helps you plan your practice. Each format trains a different skill you need for the CBSE board exam 2026-27.

  • Single-correct MCQs: one option is right, testing a clean idea such as which trophic level a carnivore occupies.
  • Multiple-correct MCQs: you pick the right combination from numbered statements, such as which effects follow UV exposure.
  • Energy-based MCQs: you read a food chain and use the 10 percent law to find the energy at a given level.
  • Short answer (SA): two to three lines with a reason, such as the advantages of cloth bags over plastic bags.
  • Long answer (LA): a full explanation, such as what decomposers are and the consequence of their absence.
Quick Tip: For any energy-transfer question, write the food chain first, mark the trophic levels, then apply the 10 percent law one step at a time. This single habit catches most wrong choices in seconds.

Why Solve the NCERT Exemplar for Chapter 13 Our Environment

The textbook teaches the chapter; the Exemplar tests whether you can use it. Solving it for Our Environment is one of the surest ways to lift your Science score.

  • You master the flow of energy. Knowing why only about 10 percent of energy moves to the next level, and why the flow is one-way, is the single most-tested idea from this chapter.
  • You read food chains and food webs correctly. Sorting producers, herbivores, and carnivores into the right trophic levels appears again and again.
  • You handle environment questions with confidence. Biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, ozone depletion, and the harm from improper disposal are all examiner favourites.

For full worked answers, use the linked NCERT Exemplar Solutions page for this chapter.

How to use the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 Our Environment PDF

How to Use the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 PDF

The Exemplar works best when you treat it as a practice book, not a reading book. A simple three-step routine keeps your study focused and saves you time before the board exam 2026-27.

  • Step 1, learn first. Finish the chapter in your textbook and the Notes page so you know ecosystems, food chains, trophic levels, energy flow, and ozone depletion.
  • Step 2, attempt on your own. Open this PDF and try the MCQs first, then short answers, then long answers. Work out every energy calculation by hand, do not just read it.
  • Step 3, check and fix. Open the Exemplar Solutions page and compare. Mark every question you got wrong and redo it the next day.
Remember: Always draw the food chain for an energy question. A neat chain with trophic levels marked can carry the full marks on a long answer even if your written explanation is short.

Topics Covered in NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13

Every question in this Exemplar chapter sits on one of a small set of core ideas. If you are clear on the points below, you can attempt the whole chapter. This list also doubles as a quick revision checklist before any test in the 2026-27 session.

TopicWhat you must know
Ecosystem and its componentsThe biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) parts of an ecosystem, and natural versus artificial ones like a crop field
Producers, consumers, decomposersWho makes food, who eats it, and who breaks down dead matter into simpler forms
Food chains and food websHow a single food chain links to many others, and why a valid chain must start with a producer
Trophic levelsThat each step in a food chain is a trophic level, with maximum energy at the producer level
Flow of energyThe 10 percent law of energy transfer and why energy flow is unidirectional
BiomagnificationHow non-biodegradable pesticides build up at each higher trophic level
Biodegradable and non-biodegradable wasteWhich substances break down naturally and which, like plastic and DDT, do not
Ozone layer and its depletionHow chlorofluorocarbons thin the ozone layer, and why UV exposure harms humans
Waste disposal and managementWhy improper disposal harms the environment and how to manage household and industrial waste

Master these nine ideas and you can answer almost every question in the Chapter 13 Exemplar with confidence.

Other Resources for Class 10 Science Chapter 13

The Exemplar is one piece of your prep. Use the table below to jump to the other free Collegedunia resources for the same chapter, Our Environment.

ResourceOpen
NCERT SolutionsChapter 13 NCERT Solutions
Revision NotesChapter 13 Notes
Formula SheetChapter 13 Formula Sheet
Handwritten NotesChapter 13 Handwritten Notes
Exemplar SolutionsChapter 13 Exemplar Solutions
NCERT Book PDFChapter 13 NCERT Book PDF

NCERT Exemplar Book Class 10 Science: All Chapters

Use the table below to download the NCERT Exemplar PDF for any other chapter in the Class 10 Science book for the 2026-27 session.

NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 FAQs

Ques. Where can I download the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 PDF?

Ans. You can download the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 Our Environment PDF for free from the download card at the top of this page. It is the official NCERT book, mapped to the 2026-27 syllabus.

Ques. Is the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science enough for the board exam?

Ans. The Exemplar is excellent extra practice, but it is not a full replacement for the textbook. Finish your NCERT textbook and Notes first, then solve the Exemplar for higher-order questions. Together they cover the full CBSE Class 10 Science board pattern for 2026-27.

Ques. What types of questions are in Chapter 13 of the NCERT Exemplar?

Ans. Chapter 13 of the Exemplar has multiple choice questions (single and multiple correct), short answer questions, and long answer questions. They cover ecosystems, food chains and food webs, trophic levels, the flow of energy, biomagnification, ozone depletion, and waste management.

Ques. How is the NCERT Exemplar different from the NCERT textbook?

Ans. Both are made by NCERT. The textbook teaches the chapter, while the Exemplar gives tougher, reasoning-based questions to test how well you understand it. Many CBSE board and school test questions follow the Exemplar style.

Ques. Where can I find solutions to the Chapter 13 Exemplar questions?

Ans. Full step-by-step answers to every question are on the NCERT Exemplar Solutions page for Class 10 Science Chapter 13. Try the questions on your own first, then check your answers there.

Ques. Which topics from Chapter 13 are most important for the Exemplar?

Ans. The most tested topics are the 10 percent law of energy transfer, why energy flow is unidirectional, food chains and trophic levels, biomagnification of pesticides, ozone depletion by chlorofluorocarbons, and the difference between biodegradable and non-biodegradable substances. The role of decomposers also appears often.

Ques. Is the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 PDF free?

Ans. Yes. The full NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 13 Our Environment PDF on this page is free to read and download. No sign-up is needed.