NCERT Solutions for Class 5 EVS Chapter 8: Clothes — How Things are Made – Free PDF Download

Chapter 8 of Class 5 EVS, Our Wondrous World, Clothes — How Things are Made, traces the journey of cloth from raw fibre to finished garment.

Last Updated: August 27, 2026

NCERT Solutions for Class 5 EVS Chapter 8: Clothes — How Things are Made

What this chapter teaches.
Different fibre types — natural fibres like cotton, wool, and silk, and synthetic fibres like polyester and nylon; how threads are woven into cloth; the production process for cotton cloth; how clothes are stitched together; why people in different regions wear different clothes; and reusing and recycling old clothes.

Discuss & Think (Textbook Questions)

Have you seen products woven out of natural material at home or elsewhere? What are they?
(Open-ended.) Examples include a cane/bamboo basket, a jute mat or bag, a woven cotton durrie (rug), and a wicker chair.

What can you find in your classroom that is woven?
Examples: the school uniform fabric, a woven bag, curtains, or a mat — all made by interlacing threads over and under each other, the same principle as weaving paper strips.

We have seen how threads can be woven together to form cloth. But how are threads made?
Threads are made by spinning — twisting together many short, fine fibres (from cotton, wool, or silk) into one long, strong strand, traditionally using a spinning wheel (charkha) or, today, mostly by machines in mills.

Have you ever seen someone stitching at home or in your neighbourhood? What were they making or fixing?
(Open-ended.) Common answers include a tailor stitching a new shirt or school uniform, or a family member fixing a torn seam or a missing button.

Look at your shirt or school bag. Can you find where the pieces have been stitched together?
Yes — seams are usually visible along the shoulders, sides, sleeves, and hems, where two pieces of fabric have been sewn together with thread.

Where else can we use running stitches in daily life?
Running stitches are used for basic hemming (folding and sewing an edge), simple mending of small tears, joining two pieces of cloth for a craft project, and basic embroidery outlines.

If one thread breaks in your stitching, what do you think will happen to the rest?
Depending on the type of stitch, a single broken thread may cause the seam to loosen or unravel nearby, especially in a running or chain stitch — which is why some seams are reinforced or double-stitched for strength.

Activities

Activity 2 — Cloth under magnification.
Viewed through a magnifying glass or a phone camera’s zoom, woven cloth shows a criss-cross (over-and-under) pattern of horizontal and vertical threads — these are called the weft and the warp.

Activity 4 — Materials in everyday items.
Children list materials used in clothes, bags, or daily items they use — such as cotton (natural), wool (natural), polyester (synthetic), leather, or a cotton-polyester blend — and classify each as natural or synthetic.

Activity 6 — Trying to stitch.
(Open-ended, hands-on task.) Children attempt simple stitching, such as fixing a small tear or sewing on a button, to directly experience how stitching holds fabric together.

Let Us Reflect (End-of-Chapter Questions)

1. Have you ever reused or recycled an old piece of cloth? What did you or your family make from it? (Open-ended.) Common answers include turning old cloth into cleaning rags, a patchwork quilt, a cushion cover, or reusable cloth bags.
2. If one thread breaks in a stitched cloth or in a woven mat, what might happen? Why is each thread important? A single broken thread can weaken the whole piece and, in some weaves or stitches, cause the surrounding fabric to unravel or come apart — each thread helps hold the overall structure together, so its strength depends on every thread doing its part.
3. Visit a tailor’s shop or a handloom store with an adult. What tools or machines did you see being used there? (Open-ended, field-visit task.) Typical tools/machines: a sewing machine, scissors, a measuring tape, needles and thread, chalk for marking fabric, and (at a handloom store) a traditional loom.
4. Find out what kind of weaving or stitching work is famous in your area or state. Name it. (Open-ended, region-specific.) Examples across India include Banarasi silk weaving (Uttar Pradesh), Chikankari embroidery (Lucknow), Kanjeevaram silk weaving (Tamil Nadu), Phulkari embroidery (Punjab), and Bandhani tie-dye (Gujarat/Rajasthan).
5. We should not throw old clothes away. Why? Because old clothes can be reused, repaired, donated, or recycled into new items (like rags, quilts, or bags); throwing them away wastes the material and resources (water, energy, land) that went into making them, and adds to textile waste in landfills.
6. Below are the jumbled-up steps of the life cycle of a moth. Read and number them from 1 to 6 in the correct order. Answer guide: 1. Egg → 2. Larva (caterpillar) → 3. Larva spins a cocoon → 4. Pupa forms inside the cocoon → 5. Adult moth emerges from the cocoon → 6. Adult moth lays eggs, continuing the cycle. (This links to how the silk moth’s cocoon is the source of silk fibre.)

Why This Chapter Matters

Understanding how clothes are made builds appreciation for the effort behind everyday garments and encourages sustainable habits like reusing fabric.

How to Use These Solutions

Check the fabric labels on a few clothes at home together to identify natural versus synthetic fibres. Download the full chapter from our Class 5 EVS NCERT book page, or browse the Class 5 hub.

More on This Chapter

See also the Extra Questions and Revision Notes for this chapter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Name two natural fibres.
Cotton and wool (or silk).

What is the first step in making cotton cloth?
Harvesting the cotton bolls.

What does the “Let Us Reflect” section of this chapter ask students to do?
It is the textbook’s own set of six end-of-chapter reflection tasks — on reusing old cloth, why every thread matters, visiting a tailor or handloom store, and sequencing the silk moth’s life cycle — answered in full above.

Written by Satish

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