Class 6 Science Chapter 1: Food: Where Does It Come From? Notes and Questions Answers

📘 Chapter Notes

Food is one of the basic needs of all living beings. It provides energy, helps in growth, and keeps the body healthy. This chapter introduces us to different sources of food, the variety of food items we eat, and the concept of food habits in different regions of India.

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What is Food?

Food is the substance that living beings eat and drink to survive. It gives energy to work, helps in body growth, and protects us from diseases. Different types of foods have different nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Sources of Food

Food comes mainly from two sources:

  • Plants: We get fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, oil, and spices from plants. For example, rice, wheat, mango, potato, spinach, and groundnut.
  • Animals: We get milk, eggs, meat, honey, and fish from animals. For example, cow gives milk, hen gives eggs, goats provide meat, and bees give honey.

Food Variety

In our daily life, we eat a variety of food. For example, rice, chapati, dal, curry, fruits, vegetables, milk, etc. This variety is due to different ingredients that come from plants and animals. For example:

  • Idli: Made from rice and urad dal.
  • Chapati: Made from wheat flour.
  • Vegetable curry: Made from vegetables, oil, and spices.

Ingredients of Food

The raw materials used to prepare a dish are called ingredients. For example, to make dal, the ingredients are pulses, water, oil, salt, and spices.

Food Habits

Food habits differ from region to region depending on climate, crops, and culture. For example:

  • People in coastal areas eat more fish and rice.
  • People in northern India eat more wheat, milk, and vegetables.
  • In southern India, rice, coconut, and tamarind are common.

Herbivores, Carnivores, Omnivores

Animals are classified according to their food habits:

  • Herbivores: Animals that eat only plants (e.g., cow, goat, deer).
  • Carnivores: Animals that eat only flesh (e.g., lion, tiger, eagle).
  • Omnivores: Animals that eat both plants and animals (e.g., humans, crow, dog).

Important Notes

  • Food is essential for survival and energy.
  • We get food from plants and animals.
  • Different regions have different food habits.
  • Ingredients are the raw materials used to prepare food.
  • Animals can be herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores depending on their eating habits.

📝 Questions and Answers

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

  1. Which of the following is an ingredient used to make chapati?
    (a) Rice flour (b) Wheat flour (c) Maize flour (d) Besan
    Answer: (b) Wheat flour
  2. We get honey from:
    (a) Cow (b) Hen (c) Bee (d) Goat
    Answer: (c) Bee
  3. Which is an example of herbivore?
    (a) Tiger (b) Lion (c) Cow (d) Dog
    Answer: (c) Cow
  4. Which of these is obtained from plants?
    (a) Egg (b) Rice (c) Meat (d) Fish
    Answer: (b) Rice
  5. Idli is made from:
    (a) Wheat (b) Rice and urad dal (c) Maize (d) Besan
    Answer: (b) Rice and urad dal
  6. People in coastal areas mostly eat:
    (a) Chapati (b) Milk (c) Fish and rice (d) Meat and bread
    Answer: (c) Fish and rice
  7. Crow is an example of:
    (a) Herbivore (b) Carnivore (c) Omnivore (d) None
    Answer: (c) Omnivore

Very Short Answer Questions

  1. Name two sources of food.
    Answer: Plants and animals.
  2. What do cows give us?
    Answer: Milk.
  3. What is the main ingredient of chapati?
    Answer: Wheat flour.
  4. Write one example of a carnivore animal.
    Answer: Lion.
  5. Name one plant product used as oil.
    Answer: Groundnut oil.
  6. Which insect gives us honey?
    Answer: Honeybee.
  7. What do we call raw materials used to prepare food?
    Answer: Ingredients.

Short Answer Questions

  1. Why do we need food?
    Answer: We need food for energy, growth, repair of the body, and to fight diseases.
  2. What are omnivores? Give examples.
    Answer: Animals that eat both plants and animals are called omnivores. Examples: Humans, dogs, crows.
  3. Give two examples of food obtained from animals.
    Answer: Milk and eggs.
  4. List three food items made from rice.
    Answer: Idli, dosa, boiled rice.
  5. What are food habits?
    Answer: The eating patterns of people based on region, culture, and climate are called food habits.
  6. Write two differences between herbivores and carnivores.
    Answer: Herbivores eat plants (e.g., cow), while carnivores eat flesh (e.g., tiger).
  7. What do we call animals that eat only plants?
    Answer: Herbivores.

Long Answer Questions

  1. Explain the importance of food in our daily life.
    Answer: Food is essential because it gives us energy to work, helps in the growth of the body, repairs damaged cells, and protects us from diseases. Without food, life cannot exist.
  2. Describe with examples the sources of food from plants and animals.
    Answer: Plants give us cereals like rice, wheat, fruits, vegetables, and pulses. Animals provide milk, eggs, meat, fish, and honey. For example, cow gives milk, hen gives eggs, and bees provide honey.
  3. Write a note on the food variety in India.
    Answer: India has a wide variety of food because of its diverse climate and culture. In northern India, people eat chapati, milk, and vegetables. In southern India, rice, coconut, and tamarind are common. In coastal regions, fish and rice are popular.
  4. Explain the classification of animals on the basis of food habits with examples.
    Answer: Animals are divided into three groups: herbivores (cow, goat), carnivores (lion, tiger), and omnivores (human, crow). This classification is based on whether they eat plants, flesh, or both.
  5. What are ingredients? Explain with examples.
    Answer: Ingredients are the raw materials used to prepare food. For example, rice and dal are ingredients for idli, while pulses, oil, salt, and water are ingredients for dal.
  6. How do food habits vary in different regions of India?
    Answer: Food habits vary due to climate, crops, and culture. In northern India, people eat wheat-based food like chapati. In southern India, rice and coconut are common. In coastal areas, people eat more fish. This shows diversity in food culture.
  7. Why do animals and humans depend on plants for food?
    Answer: Plants are the primary producers of food. Herbivores directly eat plants, carnivores eat herbivores, and omnivores eat both. Ultimately, all living beings depend on plants because they produce food through photosynthesis.