Current Affairs 3rd Class

Knowing Birds   Birds are the wonderful animals. They are found in different colours, shapes and sizes. They make our world beautiful and colourful. We all love twittering and chattering of birds. The most important thing about the birds is that they can fly. Their ability of flying always fascinates us.   Characteristics of Birds The following are the characteristics of birds:   Birds have Wings and Feathers Almost all the birds have wings that help them to fly easily from one place to another. Their skin is covered with feathers. The feathers of birds also help them to fly. Flying is the unique feature of birds. Birds have Light Body and Hollow Bones Birds have very light body that helps them to fly with great ease. Their body is designed in such a way that they can fly comfortably. Moreover, the bones of birds are of lightweight and usually hollow that again help them to fly.   Birds have four Chambered Heart Birds have four chambered heart that helps them to cope up with the environment comfortably.   Birds' Forelimbs are Modified as Wings Forelimbs of birds are modified in such a way that they work as wings. These limbs help them not only during their movement on the earth but also during flying.   Birds Lay Eggs Birds reproduce by laying eggs to continue their existence. They lay their eggs at safe places by building nests.   Bird with eggs in nest   Birds Migrate from One Place to Another Birds migrate from one place to another in search of food and favourable climatic conditions. They are known as migratory birds.   How do Birds Fly The most fascinating fact about the birds is that they can fly. Now the question arises that how does a bird fly? Birds can fly because of their body designs, wings, tail feathers, lightweight, etc. Bird flaps its wings to push air downward. Pushing of air downward lifts the bird into the air.   Bird's Feathers Bird's body is covered with feathers. Feathers of different birds are of different colours and designs. Feathers keep them warm and help them to fly. Bird's feathers shed and grow time to time. Feathers of the birds are classified into three types:   (i) Down feathers: These are small, soft and fluffy. (ii) Tail feathers: These feathers help the bird to maintain balance and change the direction of flight. (iii) Flight feathers: These feathers are on wings. These feathers help in flying.   Birds build Nest Birds build nest to lay eggs. They always build nest at safer places more...

Plants: Our Friend   Plants are one of the most important living things that have made the life possible on this planet. They are the only source of life giving oxygen. Plants breathe in harmful carbon dioxide gas and breathe out oxygen. Thus, they not only give us oxygen but also absorb harmful carbon dioxide. They are very helpful to us.   Characteristics of Plants The plants have got some special characteristics which make them different from other living beings. The characteristics of plants are given below:   Plants Make their Own Food (Autotrophs) Green plants are autotrophs. They make their own food in the presence of carbon dioxide, water and sunlight. Green plants have a pigment called chlorophyll that helps diem to make food. Plant Making Food   Plants have Roots and Shoots A plant can be divided into two parts, that is, root and shoot. Root grows under the ground and shoot grows above the ground. It is the shoot that contains stem, branches, leaves, fruits, etc.   Many Plants bear Fruits Many plants bear fruits that are very nutritious and delicious. For example, mango tree, apple tree, etc. Mango tree   Plants Reproduce Plants reproduce to continue their existence. They reproduce with the help of seeds, stems and roots.                   Reproduction through seeds                            Reproduction through roots   Plants Grow throughout their Life Cycle Most of the plants grow throughout their life cycle. They attain maximum height.   Few Plants have Thorns Few plants bear thorns. For example, rose, cactus, etc. Cactus   Leaves of a Plant Leaves of plants are very important. Plants make food in the leaves. Therefore, leaf is called the kitchen of the plant. Plants get energy from this food. There is a small opening in the leaf. It is called stomata. Plants breathe through this opening.                                               Plant's leaves can be of different shapes. For example, leaves can be round, long or triangular.                                        more...

Human Body   Our Body     Human body consists of different parts. All of these parts have specific functions to perform. For example, we can see with the help of eyes and walk with the help of legs.   Five Sense Organs You know that we have five sense organs, which helps us to feel and know the world around us. Our sense organ and their functions are as follows:              Eyes We can see with the help of eyes. It is the organ of sight. Whenever we see an object, an image of the object is formed inside our eye. It is then passed on to the brain with the help of nerves, our brain tells us what the object is.   Tongue We can taste with the help of tongue. We can taste whether the food we eat is sweet, sour or salty with the help of taste buds located on the tongue.   Ear We can hear the sounds with the help of ear. We can hear different sounds.   Nose We can smell with the help of nose. We can distinguish between sweet and foul smell just because of our nose.   Skin We can feel with the help of skin. Skin gives sensation of touch, heat, cold, pain, etc.   Human Organ Systems Our body is made up of cells. Cells are the smallest unit of our body. Similar cells join to form a tissue. Different tissues together form an organ which performs specific function. A group of organs form an organ system. Following are the different organ systems.   Skeletal System The bones in our body make the skeletal system. The skeleton gives shape and form to our body. It also protects the inner body parts from getting injured. There are 206 bones in an adult human body. Skeleton of human body   Muscular System Muscles are attached to the bones in our body. Muscles help the different parts of our body to move. All muscles together form the muscular system.   Digestive System Digestive system performs the function of digesting the food that we eat. Organs involved in digestion are oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, mouth, etc. Digestive System Respiratory System We breathe in air to survive. We use our nose to breathe. Inside our body, lungs and wind pipe help in breathing. The air we breathe in is called inhaled air. The air we give out is called exhaled air.   Nervous System Our body is controlled by our brain. The brain has messengers called nerves to send the instructions to and from the sense organs. The brain and nerves make up our nervous system. more...

Matter   Matter Everyday we see various things around us. Some of them are heavy, for example, I computer. Some of them are light, for example, your pencil. This is because, different objects have different masses. The mass of an object tells us whether an object is heavy or light, or how much heavy or light. Every object also occupies space. For example, books in your school bag, pencils in your pencil box, water in your water bottle, all occupy space. Anything which has mass and occupies space is called matter. Matter exists in three different forms: (i) Solid                        (ii) Liquid (iii) Gas These three forms of matter are called the states of matter.   Solids Objects like books, pen, pencil, cricket bat, doll, tiffin box, school bag, etc have a fixed shape. They do not change their shape if we move them from one container to another. They are called solid objects.   Liquids Substances such as water, milk, oil, etc can flow easily and change their shape according to the shape of container they are kept in. Such materials are called liquid objects.   Gas       A gas is a state of matter that has no shape and size of its own. Observe when your mother boils water. You will see that some vapours are rising from the boiled water. Now, ask your mother to hold a plate on the rising vapours. You will find that little droplets of water have been formed on the surface of plate. It means that the vapours which were rising from the boiling water of the- container was actually water. Water vapour is the gaseous form of water. You know that we all inhale oxygen. Oxygen is a gas. Gases are all around us. We cannot see them. They are invisible.             Changing States of Matter The three states of matter are solid, liquid and gas which can change their form from one to another.  

• The process of changing solid into liquid is called melting.
• The process of changing liquid into gas is called evaporation.
• The process of changing a gas into liquid is called condensation.
• The process of changing a liquid into solid is called freezing

Ice is frozen water. Ice creams frozen milk.

Environment and Atmosphere   Environment Everything that surrounds us makes our environment. Our environment includes living things like plants and animals and non-living things like air, water, soil, sunlight, weather, seasons, etc. All these are the components of environment   Air Air is all around us. Moving air is called wind. Air contains water in the form of water vapour. It also contains dust particles, gases like oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, etc.     Water Water is very important for life on earth. Rivers, glaciers and lakes are sources of fresh water on earth. Seas and oceans contain salt water.   States of Water Water occurs in all the three states. Ice is the solid form of water. When ice melts, it changes into liquid form. When water is heated or boiled, it becomes steam. Steam is also called water vapour. Therefore, ice, water and water vapour are the three states of water.   Water Cycle Water from rivers and ponds goes up as water vapour in day time, when it reaches a great height it forms clouds in the sky. The clouds cannot hold the water inside them. This water falls back to earth as rain. The rain water runs back to fill the rivers and ponds. This is called water cycle.   Water cycle   Rocks Our earth is made up of rocks. Rocks are of many kinds and are very useful to us. For example, rocks like marble, granite, sandstone, etc are used to make buildings. Pebbles. which are the small pieces of rocks, are used in making roads, in railway tracks, etc. Some rocks, like diamond, ruby and emerald are used in jewellery.   Soil Rain, wind and the sunlight are continuously breaking the rocks of earth into smaller and smaller pieces, until they cannot break any further. These very tiny pieces of rocks form the soil on earth. Soils are of different types. You often visit different places. If you ever observe the soil of the places you visit, you will find that they are of different colours. This is because different types of soils contain different particles. These particles differ in colour and softness. That is why you find some soil hard on touching, some soft. Some may be smooth and some rough. Do you know that soil also contains air and water? Water trapped in the soil is called moisture. Soil is useful to us in many ways.   (i) Plants take water from the soil to grow. (ii) In soil, we grow vegetables and build our homes, roads, schools, etc. (iii) Soil is also home to many animals, such as more...

Motion and Transport   Motion Movement of an object from one place to another is called motion. We see many things around us are in motion. Motion takes place whenever force is applied. For example, when a boy throws a ball, movement of the ball takes place due to the force exerted by the boy.     Different Types of Motion There are three types of motion. They are uniform motion, non-uniform motion and circular motion.   Uniform Motion If a body travels equal distance in equal interval of time then it is called uniform motion. For example, a car travels first 30 kilometres in one hour and next 30 kilometres again in one hour and so on then we can say that car is in uniform motion.   Non Uniform Motion If a body travels unequal distance in equal interval of time then it is called non uniform motion. For example, a car travels first 30 kilometres in one hour and next 30 kilometres in half an hour then we can say that car is in non-uniform motion.     Circular Motion If a body travels on a circular path then it is called circular motion. For example, movements of a merry go round.     Merry go round moves in circular motion   Transport Transport is the movement of people and goods from one place to another. It is performed by various modes such as road, rail, air, water, etc.   Means of Transport Means of transport is divided into three categories: (i) Land transport (ii) Air transport (iii) Water transport.   Land Transport Land transport is the most common and one of the oldest means of transport. In this mode, transportation is done by road and rail. Thus, the two types of land transports are road transport and rail transport.   Road Transport Road transport is the transport on roads for passengers and goods. For example, cart, bicycle, rickshaw, car, scooter, bus, etc. Most of the countries of the world have a wide network of concrete roads. Vehicles move smoothly on these roads and carry goods and people from one place to another.                    Bus                                                      scooter                        more...

Natural Resources   Nature gives us many things: For example, forest, sun, wind, water, minerals, land, etc. The things that we get from nature are called natural resources. Natural resources are classified into: (i) Renewable resources (ii) Non renewable resources   Renewable Resources Renewable resources are those resources, which we can use repeatedly. For example, trees, soil, solar power, wind power, etc. On the basis of the origin of these resources, they can be classified into:   Biotic: The resources that we derive from living organisms. For example, tree. Abiotic: The resources that we derive from non-living things. For example, land, water, air, etc.   Non Renewable Resources Non-renewable resources cannot be regenerated. Oil, coal, natural gas, etc are some examples of non-renewable resources. Below given are some important natural resources:   Forests Forests are renewable natural resources. They attract rain and prevent floods. They conserve soil by replenishing the minerals and give oxygen to the atmosphere.   Forests   Sun The sun provides light and warmth to the earth. Plants make their own food only in the presence of sunlight. The solar energy from the sun can be used as renewable source of energy for lightening of streets, cooking food and for many other purposes.   Solar Energy   Wind Wind is an important natural resource. It is utilised as a renewable source of energy. Many wind mills have been set up all over the world to utilise wind energy.   Wind energy used in wide mill Water Water is essential for the existence of animals and plants. Energy of flowing water can be used for generating hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric water   Minerals Mineral is a natural resource that is hidden under the earth. Gold, silver, iron, copper, are few examples of minerals.                               Gold in mineral form                           Silver in mineral form   Land Land is the most important natural resource. All plants and vegetables grow on land.   Land

Our Universe   Our Universe Our universe is a large and unimaginable expanse of gases, dust, stars, planets, etc. In this chapter, we will learn about some members of our universe.   Stars Stars are the huge balls of fire that twinkle in the night. They are very far away from us. A telescope is used to see the stars, the moon and the planets clearly.   Sun Sun is a star. It is a huge ball of fire that gives us light and heat. Sun is also the head of a big family called solar system. Solar system consists of sun and eight planets along with their satellites.   Planets There are eight planets in the solar system. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. There is also a dwarf planet in the solar system known as Pluto. A planet revolves around the sun in a fixed path.   Moon Moon is the natural satellite of earth. It moves around the earth. It has mountains and sand. There are huge holes on the moon. These holes are called craters. Moon has no air. It does not have its own light also. Shapes of the moon are different on every night and these are called the phases of moon.                                 Our Earth Our earth is the only planet known to have life; that is plants and animals on it. It is the third planet in the solar system. It was formed many years ago. It is believed that the earth was very hot when it was newly formed. There were no plants or animals on it. Later, there were rains and thunderstorms. This cooled down the earth from outside. Slowly living forms started appearing on the earth.   Shape of the Earth Earlier, people used to think that our earth is a flat object. Later, scientists found out that our earth is actually spherical in shape. This means that the earth looks like a huge ball.     The earth appears flat to us because we see only a tiny part of it. But people who have travelled into space have seen the round earth from there. People who travel into space are called astronauts. Astronauts who went to the moon also confirmed that the earth looks round from there.   Movements of the Earth   The earth moves around the sun. We cannot feel the movement because the earth is moving very smoothly and slowly. Our earth shows two kinds of movements: (i) Rotation (ii) Revolution     Rotation Our earth spins about an imaginary line. The imaginary line passes through the centre of the earth. It is also called the axis of the earth. The spinning movement of more...

Our Safety and First Aid   Our Safety and First Aid Our body is like a machine performing different functions like walking, running and eating, etc. We should take care of ourselves by keeping safe from illness and injury. We should follow safety rules at home, school, on the road and in the playground.             Some Safety Rules to be Followed at Home  

• Do not leave your toys, bags and books lying on the floor. You might trip over them and injure yourself.
• Be careful while walking on wet bathroom floors. You might slip on the floor and get hurt.
• Don't use water near electrical appliances. Don't touch them with wet hands. You might get an electric shock.
• Don't jump on the stairs. You might fall down.
• Don't play with knives and scissors.

  Safety Rules at School  

• Do not board or get down from a moving bus. Stand in a queue and wait for your turn.
• Do not run around the benches in the classroom.
• Do not push your friends while playing.

      Safety on the Road  

• While crossing the road, first look towards your right, then left and then right again. Then cross the road.
• Do not lean your face or any body part out of the vehicle.
• Never play on the road.
• Use zebra crossing to cross the road.
• Whenever possible, use subways to cross busy roads.

  First Aid                                                               The immediate help given to an injured person is called first aid. If you get hurt, call for an adult immediately. If you see an injured person, do not crowd around him or her. Call a doctor or an adult to give first aid. In case of small cuts and wounds, wash the area with water and wipe it with an antiseptic lotion. Then put a bandage or tie a clean handkerchief and wait for the doctor to arrive. We should have a first-aid box in our house and in school. A first-aid box should contain an antiseptic lotion like Dettol, scissors, Band-Aid, gauze, crepe bandage, antiseptic cream, a bottle of methylated spirit, a tape, etc. If you see an accident, you must try to stay calm. It will help you to remember what you need to do at that time.     Fainting If a person has fainted, make him/her lie down for a while. Keep his/her head low to allow extra blood to reach the brain.   Insect Bite Insect bites or stings are painful. To give relief apply a paste of baking soda and cold cream on the affected part. A soft more...

Reasoning and Aptitude   Introduction Learning process is dependent on one's ability to think logically and reason quickly and effectively. So reasoning and logic skills are an important part in our progress as these skills are very useful in our day to day life. In this chapter, we will learn various problems related to reasoning and aptitude.   Problems Based on Alphabet Test and word Formation Following table represents each letter of the English alphabet by a number which corresponds to that letter's position in the alphabet.     There are 26 letters in English alphabet. The first letter is A and last letter is Z.   Some Important Tips  

Arrange the letters in different combinations given in options to find a meaningful word if the numbers are given to the corresponding letters.

To form a meaningful word and to find the category of word, arrange the given jumbled letters in meaningful word and identify the category in which formed word lies.

To identify the combination of letters that has same number of skipped letters between the adjacent letters, write the alphabetical series in order, then observe carefully all the options.

  Example: Form a meaningful word by arranging the given numbers corresponding to the letters given below:                  

A	L	Y	P
1	2	3	4

  (a) 2, 1, 4, 3                 (b) 4, 3, 2, 1     (c) 4, 2, 1, 3                 (d) 3, 2, 1, 4 (e) None of these                               Answer (c)   Explanation: Option (a): 2, 1, 4, 3 = LAPY    Option (b): 4, 3, 1, 2 = PYAL Option (c): 4, 2, 1, 3 = PLAY Option more...