HOTS Questions: Components of Food | Class 6: Additional Practice PDF Download

Q1: Why is it necessary to have fresh and un-cooked vegetables and fruits in our diets:
Ans: Fresh and uncooked vegetables and fruits are essential components of a balanced diet due to their rich nutritional content. They provide various vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and antioxidants that contribute to the overall health of an individual. When vegetables and fruits are consumed in their natural state, without cooking, their nutritional value is preserved. Cooking can sometimes lead to the loss of certain nutrients, especially when exposed to high temperatures or prolonged cooking times. Fresh vegetables and fruits offer nutrients such as vitamin C, which is sensitive to heat and can be destroyed during cooking. Additionally, dietary fiber found in these raw foods aids digestion and helps maintain a healthy gut. Antioxidants present in fresh produce contribute to a strong immune system and protection against chronic diseases. Therefore, including fresh and uncooked vegetables and fruits in our diet helps ensure a well-rounded intake of essential nutrients and promotes good health.

Q2: What happens when wheat flour is sieved before making dough?
Ans: Sieving wheat flour before making dough serves multiple purposes. It helps break up any lumps that might have formed in the flour, ensuring a smoother texture in the dough. Additionally, sieving introduces air into the flour, which can improve the overall lightness and fluffiness of the final product. This is particularly important in baking, where aeration contributes to the rise of baked goods. Sieving also helps in the even distribution of ingredients like leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda) and salt throughout the flour, ensuring consistent flavor and texture in the finished product. In summary, sieving wheat flour before making dough improves its texture, aeration, and uniformity, leading to better quality baked goods.

Q3: Rice and pulses must not be washed repeatedly, why?
Ans: Rice and pulses should not be washed excessively because it can lead to the loss of water-soluble nutrients and affect their texture and cooking properties. Washing rice and pulses once is generally sufficient to remove dirt and impurities. Repeated washing can cause nutrient loss, as some vitamins and minerals are water-soluble and can leach into the water. Additionally, excessive washing can lead to the loss of the starch coating on rice, which contributes to its fluffiness after cooking. For pulses, over-washing can lead to the loss of the natural coating that helps prevent them from becoming too mushy during cooking. Therefore, to preserve the nutritional content and cooking properties of rice and pulses, they should be washed gently and minimally.

Q4: How will you check whether rice contains starch.
Ans: You can perform an iodine test to check whether rice contains starch. Here's how you can do it:

• Crush a small amount of rice to create a fine powder.
• Place the rice powder in a clean, dry test tube or a white plate.
• Add a few drops of iodine solution (iodine dissolved in potassium iodide) to the rice powder.

If the rice contains starch, the iodine solution will turn blue-black in color. This color change occurs due to the formation of a starch-iodine complex. The test confirms the presence of starch in the rice.

Q5: Doctors advice us to drink at least two litres of water daily, why?
Ans: Water is essential for various bodily functions and maintaining overall health. Drinking at least two liters of water daily is recommended to ensure proper hydration. Water helps regulate body temperature, transport nutrients and oxygen to cells, remove waste products, and support various metabolic processes. It also plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of bodily fluids, electrolytes, and pH levels. Insufficient water intake can lead to dehydration, which can result in fatigue, impaired cognitive function, constipation, and even more severe health issues. Drinking an adequate amount of water daily helps prevent dehydration and supports the optimal functioning of bodily systems.

Q6: It is not good to wash vegetables and fruits after cutting, why?
Ans: Washing vegetables and fruits before cutting them is recommended to remove dirt, pesticides, and potential contaminants from the outer surface. However, washing them after cutting can lead to the loss of water-soluble vitamins and nutrients. When fruits and vegetables are cut, their inner tissues are exposed to air and water, which can cause the leaching of nutrients like vitamin C and certain B vitamins. Therefore, it's advisable to wash and clean vegetables and fruits before cutting them to maintain their nutritional value. If washing is necessary after cutting, it should be done gently and quickly to minimize nutrient loss.

Q7: Prove that milk you drink contains proteins.
Ans: To prove that milk contains proteins, you can perform a simple chemical test called the Biuret test. Here's how you can do it:

• Take a small amount of milk in a test tube.
• Add a few drops of dilute sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution to the milk. This alkaline solution helps denature the proteins in milk.
• Add a few drops of copper sulfate (CuSO4) solution to the mixture.
• Mix the contents of the test tube gently and observe any color change.

If the milk contains proteins, the Biuret test will result in a violet or purple color. The color change occurs due to the complex formation between copper ions from copper sulfate and peptide bonds in the proteins. This color change indicates the presence of proteins in the milk.

Q8: What will happen to a person who is not getting enough carbohydrates and proteins?
Ans: If a person doesn't eat enough carbohydrates and proteins, it can cause problems for their body. Carbohydrates give us energy, and without enough of them:

• We might feel tired and not have enough energy to do things.
• Our brain might not work well, and we might have trouble thinking and remembering things.

Proteins help us grow and keep our muscles healthy. When we don't get enough proteins:

• Our muscles can become weak, and we might feel tired.
• Children might not grow properly and stay smaller than they should be.
• Our body might not be able to fight off germs as well, so we could get sick more easily.

Q9: Make a diet chart of pregnant mother and of small baby.
Ans: Diet Chart for Pregnant Mother:

• Morning: A glass of milk and a piece of fruit
• Breakfast: Cereal with milk and some nuts or seeds
• Mid-Morning: A banana or a handful of grapes
• Lunch: Roti or rice with vegetables and a small portion of chicken or lentils
• Afternoon Snack: Yogurt or a small sandwich with whole wheat bread
• Evening: Some dry fruits like almonds and walnuts
• Dinner: Rice or roti with vegetables and a small amount of fish or cottage cheese
• Before Bed: A glass of milk

Diet Chart for Small Baby (6-12 months):

• Morning: Breast milk or formula
• Breakfast: Mashed banana or cooked oatmeal
• Mid-Morning: A little yogurt or a piece of soft fruit
• Lunch: Mashed vegetables like sweet potatoes or carrots
• Afternoon Snack: Small pieces of ripe fruit or soft cooked peas
• Evening: Small pieces of well-cooked pasta or rice
• Dinner: Mashed or pureed cooked chicken or lentils
• Before Bed: Breast milk or formula

Q10: What happens when we overeat always?

When we eat too much all the time, it can cause problems for our body:

• We might become overweight, and this can lead to health problems like diabetes and heart issues.
• Overeating can make us feel uncomfortable and have a stomachache.
• Our body might not work well because it has to work harder to digest all the extra food.
• Eating too much can make us feel tired and not have the energy to do things.
• Our body might store the extra food as fat, and this can lead to problems later on.
• It's important to eat the right amount of food to stay healthy and feel good.

Q11: You are advised not to drink coca-cola, pepsi etc, find the reason.
Ans: We are told not to drink drinks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi because they have some things that are not good for our health:

• These drinks have a lot of sugar, which can make us gain too much weight and get problems like diabetes.
• They have acids that can hurt our teeth and make them weaker.
• Some of these drinks have caffeine, which can make us feel funny and not sleep well.
• They don't give us good nutrients like fruits and milk do, so they are not good for our bodies.

Q12: Find out harmful effects of eating only Junk food like potato chips, pizzas, burgers, etc.
Ans: Eating only junk food like chips, pizzas, and burgers can be bad for our health:

• We might become overweight because junk food has a lot of calories, and this can lead to problems like diabetes.
• Junk food doesn't have the vitamins and minerals our body needs to stay healthy.
• The oil and fat in junk food can make our heart unhealthy and increase the chance of getting sick when we are older.
• Too much junk food can give us pimples and other skin problems.
• Our teeth might get hurt because of the sugar in junk food.
• Eating too much junk food can make our stomach and digestion feel bad.