Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body Extra Questions

Extra practice questions for Class 6 Science Chapter 3, “Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body”, to reinforce nutrient tests, deficiency diseases, and balanced diet ideas beyond the textbook’s own exercises. These Class 6 Science Chapter 3 important questions are handy for last-minute exam practice.

Very Short Answer Questions

Q1. Which nutrient is mainly responsible for body-building and repair?
Answer: Protein.

Q2. What colour does iodine solution turn in the presence of starch?
Answer: Blue-black.

Q3. Name two plant sources and two animal sources of protein.
Answer: Plant sources: dal (pulses), beans. Animal sources: milk, eggs.

Q4. Which vitamin deficiency causes scurvy?
Answer: Vitamin C.

Q5. Name two millets mentioned as “nutri-cereals.”
Answer: Jowar and bajra (ragi is also acceptable).

Short Answer Questions

Q6. Describe the fat test for food.
Answer: Rub a small amount of the food sample onto a piece of paper. If the sample contains fat, it leaves an oily, translucent patch that does not dry up or disappear — confirming the presence of fat.

Q7. What is meant by “dietary fibre” and why is it important, even though it isn’t digested?
Answer: Dietary fibre (roughage) is the part of plant foods that the body cannot digest. Even though it isn’t broken down for energy, it is important because it helps move waste through the digestive system smoothly, preventing problems like constipation.

Q8. Explain the link between iodine deficiency and goitre.
Answer: The thyroid gland needs iodine to function properly. When the diet lacks enough iodine, the thyroid gland can swell up in an attempt to compensate, causing a visible swelling in the neck known as goitre. Using iodised salt helps prevent this deficiency.

Q9. Why does nutritional requirement vary from person to person?
Answer: It depends on factors like age (a growing child needs different nutrients than an adult), gender, and physical activity level (an athlete or physically active person generally needs more energy-giving food than someone with a sedentary routine).

Q10. What is meant by “food miles,” and why does reducing them help the environment?
Answer: Food miles refers to the distance food travels from where it is grown or produced to where it is finally eaten. Choosing more local and seasonal food reduces the distance food needs to travel, which lowers the transport, fuel, and packaging resources used — reducing the overall environmental impact.

Long Answer / Reasoning Questions

Q11. A student eats mostly biscuits, packaged noodles, and refined white bread every day. Explain, using ideas from this chapter, what nutritional problems this diet might cause and how it could be improved.
Answer: This diet is low in dietary fibre and likely low in proteins, vitamins, and minerals, since it relies heavily on refined, processed carbohydrates. Over time, this can cause digestive problems like constipation (due to lack of fibre) and possible nutrient deficiencies. The diet could be improved by adding fibre-rich foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pulses), protein sources (dal, eggs, milk), and reducing reliance on refined/processed foods — moving toward a properly balanced diet.

Q12. Design a simple experiment using materials found at home to test whether a food sample contains starch, and explain what result would confirm a positive test.
Answer: Take a small piece of the food sample (e.g., a slice of potato or a spoon of rice) and place a few drops of iodine solution (or iodine tincture, if available) directly on it. If the sample contains starch, the area where the iodine was applied will turn blue-black within a few seconds. If there is no colour change, the sample does not contain starch (though it might still contain other carbohydrates like sugar).

Q13. Explain why eating only one type of “superfood” (like millets) every day, even if it’s very nutritious, is not considered a scientifically sound approach to nutrition.
Answer: No single food, however nutritious, contains every nutrient the body needs in the right proportions. A balanced diet principle requires a variety of foods — carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and water — working together to meet the body’s full range of needs. Relying on just one food, even a nutrient-dense one like millets, risks missing out on nutrients that are better supplied by other food groups (such as proteins from pulses/dairy or fats from oils/nuts).

Q14. A doctor treating a bone fracture prescribes both calcium and Vitamin D. Using what you’ve learned, explain why prescribing calcium alone might not be enough.
Answer: Calcium is the mineral that actually builds and strengthens bone tissue, but the body needs Vitamin D to absorb calcium effectively from the digestive system into the bloodstream. Without enough Vitamin D, much of the calcium taken in may not be properly absorbed and used by the body, making the treatment less effective — so both are prescribed together.

Q15. Explain the idea of “mindful eating” as introduced in this chapter, and suggest two ways a student could practise it.
Answer: Mindful eating means being conscious and thoughtful about food choices — eating a balanced variety of nutrients, respecting regional and seasonal food traditions, avoiding excessive processed/junk food, and being aware of food wastage and food miles. A student could practise this by choosing fresh, local, seasonal fruits and vegetables when possible, and by being careful not to waste food, taking only as much as can be eaten.

Practice more: Solutions | Revision Notes for this chapter.

Written by Satish

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