Class 6 Science · Original EZT practice
Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body (Class 6 Chapter 3): summary and practice
What is actually inside your lunch - and how would you prove it? Chapter 3 turns the thali into a lab: it sorts food into components (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibres and water), shows three simple tests that reveal starch, fat and protein, and ends with what a balanced diet really means and why millets are back on the plate. All questions are original EZT tutor practice following the chapter's own section order.
8 original worked examples, 8 fresh self-check questions and 4 mixed questions, with explained answers. These are not copied textbook exercises, an official chapter index or a full answer key. No affiliation with NCERT is claimed.
Official sources for topic and edition context, checked 18 October 2026:
1. Food varies, components do not
Different regions eat different staple foods, but every cuisine is built from the same components: carbohydrates and fats for energy, proteins for growth and body repair (sportspersons need them in larger quantities), vitamins and minerals for protection and body functions, plus dietary fibres (roughage) and water. Plant protein sources: pulses, beans, peas, nuts - and mushrooms, which grow in dark moist places. Animal sources: milk, paneer, egg, fish, meat.
2. Three tests that reveal what is inside
Starch test - put 2-3 drops of iodine solution on the food; a blue-black colour shows starch is present. Fat test - rub the food on paper; an oily patch that lets light through shows fat. Protein test (teacher demonstration) - make a paste of the food in water, add two drops of copper sulfate solution and ten drops of caustic soda solution; a violet colour shows protein.
3. Vitamins, minerals and the sailor's lesson
Long ago, sailors on long voyages suffered bleeding and swollen gums. In 1746, Scottish physician James Lind observed that sailors who ate lemons and oranges recovered. The missing component was a vitamin - protective foods matter, not just fillers. Minerals matter too: iodine keeps physical and mental activities normal (sources include seaweed; common salt is supplemented with iodine), and milk, curd, cheese and paneer supply what keeps bones and teeth healthy.
4. Balanced diet and millets
A balanced diet contains all nutrients and essential components in the right amounts for YOU - and those amounts differ by age, gender, activity, health and lifestyle, so no single plate suits everyone. Millets are nutrition-rich cereals, traditional Indian grains returning to modern meals.
Choose, solve, check, then try a fresh question.
Before calculating, read the method prompt and name the condition that makes it useful. Write your own attempt. Open the steps only when you need them, and use the check to catch a wrong sign, unit or interpretation. Finish with the fresh question before reading its answer.
Explain why needs differ but components do not
Choose the method: List the components first, then ask what changes with the person.
EZT practice question
A sprinter and her grandmother eat very different amounts but the same components. Explain.
Show the worked solution
- Both need carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibres and water.
- The type and amount of nutrients vary with age, gender, physical activity, health status and lifestyle.
- The sprinter needs more energy food and more protein for muscle.
Answer: Both eat the same components; only the types and amounts differ with age, activity, health and lifestyle - the component list itself does not change.
Check: The answer names the components and then the five factors that change the amounts.
Watch for this: Do not say the grandmother needs no protein; everybody needs every component, in different amounts.
Now try it yourself
Which two components give us most of our energy?
Check your answer
Carbohydrates and fats.
The chapter names carbohydrates and fats as the energy-giving components.
Sort foods by the job they do
Choose the method: Match each food to carbohydrate, fat or protein before labelling.
EZT practice question
Sort into "energy-giving" and "body-building": rice, butter, dal, paneer, groundnuts.
Show the worked solution
- Rice is mostly carbohydrate - energy-giving.
- Butter is fat - energy-giving.
- Dal, paneer and groundnuts are protein - body-building.
Answer: Energy-giving: rice (carbohydrate) and butter (fat). Body-building: dal, paneer and groundnuts (protein).
Check: Every food lands in exactly one group here.
Watch for this: Do not call paneer energy-giving; its main job in this sort is body-building protein.
Now try it yourself
Name two plant sources and two animal sources of protein.
Check your answer
Plant: pulses and beans (also peas and nuts). Animal: milk and eggs (also paneer, fish and meat).
The chapter lists pulses, beans, peas, nuts and mushrooms as plant sources, and milk, paneer, egg, fish and meat as animal sources.
Read the iodine test on two foods
Choose the method: Look for the blue-black colour that marks starch.
EZT practice question
Iodine dropped on (i) boiled rice and (ii) cucumber gives: rice turns blue-black, cucumber shows no such change. What does each result mean?
Show the worked solution
- Rice turns blue-black with iodine, so rice contains starch.
- Cucumber shows no blue-black colour, so no starch is detected in this test.
Answer: Rice contains starch (blue-black with iodine); cucumber shows no starch in this test.
Check: Each result is tied to the presence or absence of the blue-black colour.
Watch for this: Do not say cucumber has no food value; the test only reports starch.
Now try it yourself
What colour does iodine turn when it meets starch?
Check your answer
Blue-black.
A blue-black colour with iodine is the positive sign for starch.
Identify the fat test on paper
Choose the method: Rub the food on paper and hold it against the light.
EZT practice question
A crushed peanut rubbed on paper leaves a patch you can partly see light through. Which component does this show, and what is the test called?
Show the worked solution
- The oily patch lets some light pass through the paper.
- That translucent patch is the sign of fat in the food.
Answer: Fat - shown by the paper (oily patch) test for fats.
Check: The translucent patch is the positive sign.
Watch for this: Do not confuse a wet patch that dries away with an oily patch that stays translucent.
Now try it yourself
What does an oily, light-passing patch on paper show?
Check your answer
The food contains fat.
Fat leaves a translucent oily patch on paper.
Read the protein test result
Choose the method: Add copper sulfate and caustic soda to the food paste, then look for violet.
EZT practice question
In the protein test, a soya bean mixture turns violet after adding copper sulfate and caustic soda solutions. What does violet indicate?
Show the worked solution
- The food is made into a paste with water.
- Copper sulfate and caustic soda solutions are added, and a violet colour appears.
Answer: Violet indicates the presence of proteins in the food item.
Check: Violet is the positive sign for this test.
Watch for this: Do not swap the colours of the starch and protein tests; blue-black is for starch, violet for protein.
Now try it yourself
Why is the protein test demonstrated by the teacher rather than done by students?
Check your answer
It uses caustic soda, which must be handled with care.
Caustic soda is hazardous, so the teacher demonstrates it.
Explain the sailors' recovery
Choose the method: Find what was missing, then what supplied it.
EZT practice question
What was wrong with the sailors' diet on long voyages, and how was it found?
Show the worked solution
- Their food lacked a protective component - a vitamin found in citrus fruits.
- In 1746, James Lind observed that sailors given lemons and oranges recovered from bleeding, swollen gums.
Answer: The sailors' food lacked a vitamin; James Lind's 1746 observation - that sailors given lemons and oranges recovered from bleeding, swollen gums - revealed it.
Check: The answer names both the deficiency and the 1746 observation.
Watch for this: Do not say the sailors lacked energy food; protective foods were missing, not fillers.
Now try it yourself
Name the vitamin-rich foods that helped the sailors.
Check your answer
Lemons and oranges.
Sailors who ate them recovered in Lind's observation.
Explain why salt is iodised
Choose the method: Trace the deficiency from soil to food to disease.
EZT practice question
Why is common salt supplemented with iodine?
Show the worked solution
- In some regions the soil - and so the local food and water - lacks iodine.
- The shortage causes deficiency diseases such as goitre (swelling at the front of the neck).
- Iodised salt is a simple way to restore iodine for everyone.
Answer: Because in some regions the soil, food and water lack iodine, causing deficiency diseases such as goitre; iodised salt is a simple way to restore it for everyone.
Check: The chain runs soil to food to disease to the salt remedy.
Watch for this: Do not say iodine is added for taste; it prevents deficiency disease.
Now try it yourself
Name one mineral, its role, and one source.
Check your answer
Iodine - keeps physical and mental activities normal - seaweed or iodised salt.
The chapter gives seaweed as a source and notes that common salt is supplemented with iodine.
Find the flaw in a two-food diet
Choose the method: Check the diet against ALL components, not only healthy items.
EZT practice question
"If rice and dal are healthy, eating only rice and dal every day must be the healthiest diet." Where does this go wrong?
Show the worked solution
- A balanced diet needs ALL components - including vitamins, minerals and dietary fibres from fruits and vegetables.
- Amounts must match the person's age, gender, activity, health and lifestyle.
- Two items, however healthy, cannot cover every component.
Answer: It misses components - vitamins, minerals and dietary fibres - and the right amounts for the person; two items, however healthy, cannot cover every component.
Check: The flaw is completeness, not the healthiness of rice or dal.
Watch for this: Do not argue that rice and dal are unhealthy; the point is that they are not enough alone.
Now try it yourself
What are millets?
Check your answer
Nutrition-rich cereal grains.
The chapter presents millets as nutrition-rich traditional Indian cereals returning to modern meals.
Try a mixed set
Choose a method or explanation before opening each answer.
1. Which component helps growth and body repair?
Show answer and reason
Proteins.
Sportspersons need them in larger quantities.
2. What is dietary fibre also called?
Show answer and reason
Roughage.
It is listed with water among the components of food.
3. Which test uses copper sulfate and caustic soda?
Show answer and reason
The protein test.
A violet colour after adding them shows protein.
4. Why do nutritional needs differ between people?
Show answer and reason
Age, gender, physical activity, health status and lifestyle differ.
The chapter lists these five factors.
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- Test a boiled potato and a slice of cucumber with iodine and predict the results.
- Where do mushrooms grow, and why are they listed with plant protein sources?
- Plan a one-day balanced thali and name the component each item supplies.
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Questions about this practice page
- What are the main components of food?
- Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals - plus dietary fibres (roughage) and water.
- How do I test a food for starch at home?
- Put 2-3 drops of iodine solution on it - a blue-black colour means starch is present.
- Which test shows protein, and what is the positive sign?
- The copper sulfate and caustic soda test - a violet colour means protein is present.
- What is a balanced diet in one line?
- Food that contains all nutrients and essential components, in amounts right for that person's age, activity and health.
- Are these the NCERT exercise questions for Mindful Eating?
- No. EZT pages are original practice written by our tutors, aligned to the chapter's syllabus - use them to prepare for the textbook exercises, not as a substitute for your book.