Question Bank
Fresh questions, deliberately different from the textbook's own exercises. Write your answers on paper first, then reveal each answer to check.
A · Fill in the blanks 10 marks
- Methods and traditions of cooking food are called ______________ practices.
- ______________ are the primary source of energy in our diet.
- Proteins are called ______________ foods.
- Vitamin ______________ is made by our body when skin is exposed to sunlight.
- Deficiency of Vitamin C causes ______________.
- Starch turns ______________ when iodine solution is added.
- In the protein test, the mixture turns ______________ if protein is present.
- Jowar, bajra, ragi and sanwa are called ______________.
- Adding nutrients to food during processing is called ______________.
- The distance food travels from farmer to consumer is called ______________.
B · True or false 10 marks
- Fats give less energy than carbohydrates.
- Roughage provides nutrients to the body.
- Mushrooms are a good source of protein.
- Lack of iodine causes goitre.
- Vegetables should be washed after cutting them.
- Peanuts contain both fat and protein.
- A balanced diet is the same for everyone.
- Junk food is high in proteins and fibre.
- Millets can be grown easily in different climatic conditions.
- Eating locally grown food increases food miles.
C · Match the following 6 marks
| # | Column A | Column B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitamin A | (a) | Anaemia |
| 2 | Vitamin D | (b) | Goitre |
| 3 | Iron | (c) | Beriberi |
| 4 | Iodine | (d) | Scurvy |
| 5 | Vitamin B₁ | (e) | Night blindness |
| 6 | Vitamin C | (f) | Rickets |
D · Short answers 5 × 2 = 10 marks
D1 Why are carbohydrates and fats called energy-giving foods? Give two sources of each.
Both provide the body with energy — carbohydrates are the primary source of energy and fats store energy, giving even more than carbohydrates. Carbohydrates: rice, wheat, potato, banana. Fats: groundnuts, coconut, ghee, butter.
D2 Describe the test for protein in a food item.
Make a paste of the food, put it in a test tube and add 2–3 teaspoons of water. Add 2 drops of copper sulphate solution and 10 drops of caustic soda solution, shake gently and leave it. A violet colour shows that protein is present.
D3 What is a balanced diet? Why do nutritional needs differ between people?
A balanced diet contains all the essential nutrients, roughage and water in the right amounts for proper growth and development. Needs differ because people differ in age, gender, physical activity, health status and lifestyle.
D4 How did iodised salt come into use in India?
In the 1960s, Indian scientists found goitre was common in the Himalayan region and northern plains because the soil, and so the crops, lacked iodine. The Government of India then added iodine to common salt to make iodised salt.
D5 Give three reasons to reduce food miles.
Reducing food miles cuts the cost and pollution of transport, supports local farmers and their livelihoods, and keeps food fresher and more nutritious.
E · Long answers 2 × 5 = 10 marks
E1 Explain the role of vitamins and minerals in our body. Name the deficiency disease, one symptom and one source for Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Iron.
Vitamins and minerals are protective nutrients. They are needed only in small amounts, but they keep the body healthy and protect it from diseases.
| Nutrient | Disease | Symptom | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | Night blindness | Poor vision in dim light | Carrot, papaya |
| Vitamin C | Scurvy | Bleeding gums | Amla, orange |
| Vitamin D | Rickets | Soft, bent bones | Sunlight, milk, fish |
| Iron | Anaemia | Weakness, breathlessness | Green leafy vegetables, beetroot |
E2 Compare potato wafers and roasted chana using the nutrition table. Why is junk food harmful, and what makes millets a healthier choice?
Per 100 g, potato wafers give 536 kcal with 35 g fat, only 7 g protein and 4.8 g fibre. Roasted chana gives 355 kcal with only 6.26 g fat, but 18.64 g protein and 16.8 g fibre — about 3.5 times the fibre.
Junk food such as wafers, candy bars and fizzy drinks is high in sugar and fat but low in protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Eating it often gives too many calories and too few nutrients, leading to obesity and other health problems.
Millets (jowar, bajra, ragi, sanwa) are rich in vitamins, minerals such as iron and calcium, and dietary fibre — that is why they are called nutri-cereals. They also grow easily in different climates. Choosing roasted chana or millet snacks over wafers gives more nutrients for fewer empty calories.
F · HOTS 2 × 3 = 6 marks
Higher-order thinking. Reason it out rather than recalling a fact.
F1 A packet says "fortified with iron". A child who rarely eats green vegetables eats this food every day. Can the fortified food replace a balanced diet? Explain.
No. Fortification adds a particular nutrient (here iron), which may help prevent anaemia. But a balanced diet needs all nutrients — carbohydrates, fats, proteins, many vitamins and minerals — plus roughage and water. Green vegetables also give other vitamins and fibre that the fortified food may not. So fortified food can support a diet, but it cannot replace a balanced variety of foods.
F2 Sailors on long voyages in the 1700s often got scurvy, but people on land usually did not. Using the chapter, explain why, and how James Lind showed the cause.
On long voyages sailors had no fresh fruits and vegetables, so they got no Vitamin C, which comes from foods like lemons, oranges and amla. People on land could eat fresh produce. In 1746 James Lind observed that sailors who ate lemons and oranges recovered while those who did not kept suffering — showing scurvy is caused by Vitamin C deficiency. This is the scientific method: observe, guess, test and analyse.
G · Textbook exercises — worked answers
The chapter's own "Let us enhance our learning" questions. Try each one first, then open it.
G1 Q1. Odd one out.
(i) Chana — it is a pulse (rich in protein); jowar, bajra and ragi are millets. (ii) Rice — it is a cereal (rich in carbohydrates); kidney beans, green gram and soya bean are pulses/beans rich in protein.
G2 Q2. Traditional vs modern culinary practices.
Traditionally food was cooked on a chulha and ground on a sil-batta; today we use gas or electric stoves and mixer-grinders. Modern methods save time and effort; traditional methods used local fuel and tools and many families still prefer their taste. The change came from technology, better transport and communication.
G3 Q3. Two questions Ravi can ask.
- How can food work like medicine — which foods prevent which diseases?
- Can eating amla or oranges prevent scurvy without medicine?
- If I eat a balanced diet, will I need fewer medicines?
G4 Q4. Delicious vs nutritious.
Chips, candy and fizzy drinks are tasty but high in sugar and fat and low in nutrients. Bitter gourd, green leafy vegetables or sprouts are very nutritious but some children don't enjoy them. We can make healthy food tasty (e.g. vegetable parathas, sprout chaat) and keep junk food occasional.
G5 Q5. Medu's diet.
Biscuits, noodles and white bread have very little roughage. He should eat vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains and pulses and drink enough water. Roughage helps remove undigested food and prevents constipation.
G6 Q6. Reshma — trouble seeing in dim light.
(i) Night blindness (loss of vision). (ii) Vitamin A. (iii) Carrot, papaya, mango, milk.
G7 Q7. Canned juice, fresh juice or fresh fruit?
Fresh fruit — it keeps all its roughage and vitamins. Fresh juice loses fibre; canned juice is processed, may have added sugar and preservatives, and has more food miles.
G8 Q8. Gourav's fracture.
(i) Calcium keeps bones healthy and helps the broken bone heal. (ii) Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, so the calcium can actually be used. (iii) e.g. "Why didn't the doctor give Vitamin D on the first visit?" or "Could sunlight replace the Vitamin D syrup?"
G9 Q9. Sugar and iodine.
The iodine test detects only starch. Sugar is a carbohydrate but not starch, so it does not turn blue-black.
G10 Q10. "All starches are carbohydrates, but not all carbohydrates are starches."
Raman is right. Activity: test a potato slice (starch) and a sugar solution (carbohydrate, not starch) with iodine. The potato turns blue-black; the sugar does not — both are carbohydrates, but only one is starch.
G11 Q11. Iodine on saree vs socks.
The saree was probably starched (cotton sarees are often stiffened with starch), so iodine turned blue-black. The socks had no starch, so the colour did not change.
G12 Q12. Are millets enough?
Millets are healthy — rich in vitamins, minerals (iron, calcium) and fibre, and they grow easily in different climates. But only millets is not enough: the body also needs proteins (dals, milk), fats, and vitamins from fruits and vegetables. A balanced diet with variety is needed.
G13 Q13. Checking for an iodine solution.
Put a few drops on a starchy food such as a potato slice or cooked rice. If it turns blue-black, the solution may be iodine.
Marks summary
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A · Fill in the blanks | 10 | 10 |
| B · True / False | 10 | 10 |
| C · Match the following | 6 | 6 |
| D · Short answer | 5 | 10 |
| E · Long answer | 2 | 10 |
| F · HOTS | 2 | 6 |
| Total | 35 | 52 |
Section G (textbook exercises) is for practice and is not counted in the marks.