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In the production of silk, silkworm cocoons are boiled to kill the silkworms. Why the silkworms are not allowed to survive?
  • a)
    If silkworms survive, no silk can be produced.
  • b)
    The enzymes secreted by animal reduce the length of silk fibres.
  • c)
    The natural colour of silk fibre cannot be retained if worms are allowed to survive.
  • d)
    They make the silk toxic in nature.
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
In the production of silk, silkworm cocoons are boiled to kill the sil...
Justification: the animal is allowed to survive after spinning its cocoon and through the pupal phase of its lifecycle, it releases proteolytic enzymes to make a hole in the cocoon so it can emerge as an adult moth.
■  These enzymes are destructive to the silk and can cause the silk fibers to break down from over a mile in length to segments of random length, which seriously reduces the value of the silk threads.
■  To prevent this, silkworm cocoons are boiled. The heat kills the silkworms and the water makes the cocoons easier to unravel. Often, the silkworm itself is eaten.
Learning: As the process of harvesting the silk from the cocoon kills the larvae, sericulture has been criticized by animal welfare and rights activists.
■  Mahatma Gandhi was critical of silk production based on the Ahimsa philosophy "not to hurt any living thing". This led to Gandhi's promotion of cotton spinning machines, an example of which can be seen at the Gandhi Institute.
■  He also promoted Ahimsa silk, wild silk made from the cocoons of wild and semiwild silk moths.
■  Ahimsa silk is promoted in parts of southern India for those who prefer not to wear silk produced by killing silkworms
Q Source: Improvisation (image):Page 17: Class 8th NCERT: Resource and Development
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In the production of silk, silkworm cocoons are boiled to kill the sil...
Reason for boiling silkworm cocoons
Silkworm cocoons are boiled in the production of silk mainly because of the enzymes secreted by the silkworms.

Enzymes reduce the length of silk fibers
The enzymes secreted by the silkworms during the pupation process are responsible for breaking down the protein fibers and softening the cocoon to facilitate the emergence of the moth. If the silkworms are allowed to survive and complete their life cycle, the enzymes would damage the silk fibers, reducing their length and quality, making them unsuitable for producing high-quality silk fabric.
By boiling the cocoons, the pupae inside are killed, preventing the secretion of enzymes that could affect the quality of the silk fibers. This process ensures that the silk fibers remain intact and can be harvested without any damage, resulting in long, continuous threads that are ideal for weaving into luxurious silk textiles.
In conclusion, the primary reason for not allowing silkworms to survive in the production of silk is to prevent the enzymes they secrete from reducing the length and quality of the silk fibers, ensuring the production of high-quality silk fabric.
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In the production of silk, silkworm cocoons are boiled to kill the silkworms. Why the silkworms are not allowed to survive?a)If silkworms survive, no silk can be produced.b)The enzymes secreted by animal reduce the length of silk fibres.c)The natural colour of silk fibre cannot be retained if worms are allowed to survive.d)They make the silk toxic in nature.Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
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In the production of silk, silkworm cocoons are boiled to kill the silkworms. Why the silkworms are not allowed to survive?a)If silkworms survive, no silk can be produced.b)The enzymes secreted by animal reduce the length of silk fibres.c)The natural colour of silk fibre cannot be retained if worms are allowed to survive.d)They make the silk toxic in nature.Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? for UPSC 2024 is part of UPSC preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the UPSC exam syllabus. Information about In the production of silk, silkworm cocoons are boiled to kill the silkworms. Why the silkworms are not allowed to survive?a)If silkworms survive, no silk can be produced.b)The enzymes secreted by animal reduce the length of silk fibres.c)The natural colour of silk fibre cannot be retained if worms are allowed to survive.d)They make the silk toxic in nature.Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for UPSC 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for In the production of silk, silkworm cocoons are boiled to kill the silkworms. Why the silkworms are not allowed to survive?a)If silkworms survive, no silk can be produced.b)The enzymes secreted by animal reduce the length of silk fibres.c)The natural colour of silk fibre cannot be retained if worms are allowed to survive.d)They make the silk toxic in nature.Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?.
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