The NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science book for Chapter 8, Heredity, gives higher-order questions beyond the main textbook. This page hosts the free NCERT Exemplar PDF, plus a quick guide on using it for your CBSE board exam 2026-27.
- What you get: the full official Chapter 8 Exemplar PDF, free to read or download here.
- Question types: MCQs, short answer, and long answer questions on Mendel's laws, monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, and sex determination.
- Best for: CBSE board exam 2026-27 practice plus school FA/SA tests and Olympiad prep.
Read or download the complete Chapter 8 Heredity PDF from the card above. It is published by NCERT and mapped to the 2026-27 syllabus.
An official NCERT Exemplar PDF plus a study guide by Collegedunia Science experts.
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What is the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Book?
The NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science is an extra problem book by NCERT, separate from your textbook. It carries tougher, thought-based questions. For Chapter 8, it tests how well you understand heredity through Mendel's experiments, dominant and recessive traits, monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, and sex determination, not just definitions.
- Made by NCERT: the same body that writes your textbook, so the level matches the CBSE Class 10 syllabus 2026-27.
- Higher-order thinking: questions give a cross, a ratio, or a situation and ask you to reason, not just recall.
- Board and beyond: many CBSE board and school questions follow this style, so teachers ask you to solve it.
- Free and official: the PDF here is the real NCERT book, nothing added or removed.
Heredity Class 10 Science Full Chapter Video
Source: Magnet Brains on YouTube
What is Inside Chapter 8 of the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science
Chapter 8 opens with a long set of MCQs, then short and long answer questions. Many are built around a cross and its expected ratio, so you practise working out the F1 and F2 progeny of a monohybrid or dihybrid cross such as RrYy crossed with RrYy.
| Section | What it tests | Sample idea from Chapter 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice Questions | Quick concept checks with one or more correct options | Finding why a cross between TT and tt pea plants gives all tall offspring |
| Short Answer Questions | Two to three line answers with a reason | Explaining how the sex of a newborn baby is determined in humans |
| Long Answer Questions | Full answers with crosses and explanation | Writing the progeny of a dihybrid cross and giving the F2 ratio |
Across these sections you meet the big ideas: inherited traits, dominant and recessive characters, genotype and phenotype, Mendel's monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, the 3:1 and 9:3:3:1 ratios, genes and chromosomes, and sex determination by X and Y chromosomes. Many questions also bring in gametes, the F1 and F2 generations, DNA and proteins, acquired versus inherited characters, and the father's role in deciding a child's sex, all CBSE favourites.

Question Types in the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 8
Each question format trains a different skill for the CBSE board exam 2026-27.
- Single-correct MCQs: one option is right. They test a single idea, such as why tallness is dominant when a TT plant is crossed with a tt plant.
- Multiple-correct MCQs: two or more statements are correct, and you pick the right combination. They check deeper understanding of the characteristics of genes.
- Cross-based MCQs: you read a cross such as RRyy with rrYY and work out the F1 seeds, training Punnett-square thinking.
- Ratio MCQs: you find the ratio of pure tall to short plants in the F2 of a TT and tt cross, a common board pattern.
- Short answer (SA): you write two to three lines with a reason, such as how the sex of a newborn is determined.
- Long answer (LA): you write a full cross and explain each step, such as the progeny of a dihybrid cross.
Why Solve the NCERT Exemplar for Chapter 8 Heredity
The textbook teaches the chapter; the Exemplar tests whether you can use it. Solving it for Heredity is one of the surest ways to lift your Science score, as the questions match the toughest board questions.
- You separate genotype from phenotype cleanly. The Exemplar keeps testing this link. Knowing why two pink flowers can give red, pink, and white progeny in a 1:2:1 ratio is the most-tested idea here.
- You master Mendel's ratios. The 3:1 monohybrid ratio and the 9:3:3:1 dihybrid ratio appear again and again, so cross practice pays off.
- You handle sex-determination questions with confidence. Many questions ask how a newborn's sex is decided, why the father determines it, and why all human eggs carry an X chromosome, all CBSE favourites.
- You meet real-life examples. Tall and short pea plants, round and wrinkled seeds, yellow and green seeds, and human traits all appear.
For full worked answers, use the linked NCERT Exemplar Solutions page.

How to Use the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 8 PDF
Treat the Exemplar as a practice book. This three-step routine keeps your study focused before the 2026-27 board exam.
- Step 1, learn first. Finish the chapter in your textbook and Notes page so you know Mendel's laws, monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, and sex determination.
- Step 2, attempt on your own. Open this PDF and try MCQs first, then short, then long answers. Write out every cross by hand.
- Step 3, check and fix. Open the Exemplar Solutions page and compare. Mark every wrong question and redo it next day.
Topics Covered in NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 8
Every question sits on a small set of core ideas. Master the points below to attempt the whole chapter and revise fast.
| Topic | What you must know |
|---|---|
| Heredity and variation | How traits pass from parents to offspring, and why offspring still show small differences |
| Inherited and acquired traits | Which characters are passed on through germ cells and which, like body weight from starvation, are not |
| Mendel's experiments | Why Mendel chose the pea plant, and the pairs of contrasting traits he studied |
| Dominant and recessive traits | Why a TT and tt cross gives all tall plants, and how a hidden trait reappears in the F2 |
| Monohybrid cross | The 3:1 phenotype ratio and the 1:2:1 genotype ratio in the F2 generation |
| Dihybrid cross | The 9:3:3:1 ratio and how new combinations of characters appear in the F2 |
| Genes and chromosomes | That a gene is a specific sequence of DNA on a particular chromosome and codes for a protein |
| Sex determination | How the X and Y chromosomes decide the sex of a child, and why the father determines it |
| DNA, proteins, and traits | How genes control traits through proteins such as hormones and enzymes |
Master these nine ideas and you can answer almost every Chapter 8 Exemplar question.
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 Heredity to be the chapter where the Exemplar cleared up the most confusion between genotype and phenotype.
Source: Collegedunia Class 10 Science student poll, 2026-27 session.
Other Resources for Class 10 Science Chapter 8
Use the table below for the other free Collegedunia resources for this chapter.
| Resource | Open |
|---|---|
| NCERT Solutions | Chapter 8 NCERT Solutions |
| Revision Notes | Chapter 8 Notes |
| Formula Sheet | Chapter 8 Formula Sheet |
| Handwritten Notes | Chapter 8 Handwritten Notes |
| Exemplar Solutions | Chapter 8 Exemplar Solutions |
| NCERT Book PDF | Chapter 8 NCERT Book PDF |
| Exemplar Book PDF | Chapter 8 Exemplar Book PDF (this page) |
NCERT Exemplar Book Class 10 Science: All Chapters
Use the table below to download the Exemplar PDF for any other Class 10 Science chapter (2026-27).
| Chapter | Exemplar Book PDF |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | Chemical Reactions and Equations Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 2 | Acids, Bases and Salts Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 3 | Metals and Non-metals Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 4 | Carbon and its Compounds Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 5 | Life Processes Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 6 | Control and Coordination Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 7 | How do Organisms Reproduce Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 9 | Light Reflection and Refraction Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 10 | The Human Eye and the Colourful World Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 11 | Electricity Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 12 | Magnetic Effects of Electric Current Exemplar PDF |
| Chapter 13 | Our Environment Exemplar PDF |
NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 8 FAQs
Ques. Where can I download the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 8 PDF?
Ans. You can download the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 8 Heredity 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 8 of the NCERT Exemplar?
Ans. Chapter 8 of the Exemplar has multiple choice questions (single and multiple correct), short answer questions, and long answer questions. They cover Mendel's experiments, dominant and recessive traits, monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, genes and chromosomes, and sex determination.
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 8 Exemplar questions?
Ans. Full step-by-step answers to every question are on the NCERT Exemplar Solutions page for Class 10 Science Chapter 8. Try the questions on your own first, then check your answers there.
Ques. Which topics from Chapter 8 are most important for the Exemplar?
Ans. The most tested topics are dominant and recessive traits, the 3:1 monohybrid ratio, the 9:3:3:1 dihybrid ratio, how the sex of a newborn is determined, and the difference between inherited and acquired characters. Mendel's choice of the pea plant and the characteristics of genes also appear often.
Ques. Is the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 8 PDF free?
Ans. Yes. The full NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 8 PDF on this page is free to read and download. No sign-up is needed.







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