Class 6 Science Notes Chapter 1 (Food: Where Does it Come From?) – Science Book

Detailed Notes with MCQs of Chapter 1 from our Class 6 Science book, "Food: Where Does it Come From?". This chapter forms the foundation for understanding biology and is surprisingly important for various competitive exams, as questions often test basic concepts. Pay close attention to the details.

Chapter 1: Food: Where Does it Come From? - Detailed Notes for Exam Preparation

1. Why Do We Need Food?

• Energy: Food provides the energy required to perform various life activities like walking, running, studying, playing, and even sleeping (our body functions internally).
• Growth: Nutrients from food help our bodies grow, especially important during childhood and adolescence.
• Repair: Food helps repair damaged tissues and cells in the body.
• Health: Food keeps us healthy and protects our body from various diseases by providing essential vitamins and minerals.

2. Food Variety

• There is a vast variety of food items eaten across different states and regions of India and the world.
• People's food habits depend on factors like climate, culture, and availability of ingredients.
• Even within a single day, we eat different kinds of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

3. Food Ingredients

• Definition: Ingredients are the materials or substances needed to prepare a particular food dish.
• Example: To cook vegetable curry, we need different kinds of vegetables, salt, spices, oil, and water. To cook rice, we need raw rice and water.
• Understanding ingredients helps us identify the sources of our food.

4. Food Sources: Where do ingredients come from?

There are two primary sources of food ingredients:
* Plants
* Animals

A. Plants as Sources of Food

• Plants are major producers of food. We eat various parts of different plants.
• Edible Parts: The parts of a plant that can be eaten are called edible parts. Some plants have multiple edible parts.
  • Roots: We eat the roots of plants like Carrot, Radish, Beetroot, Turnip, Sweet Potato.
  • Stems: We eat the stems of plants like Sugarcane (juice), Potato (modified underground stem), Ginger (modified underground stem), Onion (modified stem/bulb), Asparagus.
  • Leaves: We eat the leaves of plants like Spinach (Palak), Cabbage (Patta gobhi), Fenugreek (Methi), Mustard (Sarson), Lettuce.
  • Flowers: We eat the flowers of plants like Cauliflower (Phool gobhi), Broccoli, Banana flower, Pumpkin flower.
  • Fruits: We eat the fruits of many plants. These include common fruits like Mango, Apple, Banana, Guava, Grapes, Orange, etc. Many vegetables we consume are botanically fruits, such as Tomato, Brinjal (Eggplant), Cucumber, Pumpkin, Lady's finger (Okra).
  • Seeds: We eat the seeds of many plants.
    • Cereals: Wheat, Rice, Maize (Corn), Barley.
    • Pulses (Legumes): Moong (Green gram), Chana (Bengal gram), Peas (Matar), Rajma (Kidney beans), Arhar (Pigeon pea).
    • Oilseeds: Mustard, Groundnut, Sunflower, Sesame (Til), Soybean (used for oil extraction).
    • Nuts: Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts.
• Sprouted Seeds:
  • Seeds like Moong or Chana can be soaked in water, drained, and left for a day or two until a small white structure grows out. These are called sprouted seeds.
  • Sprouting increases the nutritional value (especially Vitamin C content) and makes them easier to digest. They can be eaten raw or cooked.
• Nectar and Honey:
  • Bees collect sweet juices called nectar from flowers.
  • They convert this nectar into honey and store it in their beehive as food for themselves, especially for times when flowers are not available.
  • Humans collect this stored honey from beehives. Honey is used as food and has medicinal properties.

B. Animals as Sources of Food

• Animals provide us with important food products.
  • Milk: Obtained from animals like Cows, Buffaloes, Goats, Sheep, Camels. Milk is used to drink directly and to make various products like curd (yogurt), butter, ghee (clarified butter), cheese (paneer), ice cream.
  • Eggs: Obtained mainly from Hens, Ducks, Quails. Eggs are rich in protein.
  • Meat: Obtained from animals like Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Hens (Chicken), Fish. Meat is a source of protein.
  • Fish: An important source of food, especially in coastal areas. Rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
  • Honey: As mentioned earlier, produced by bees (an animal product derived from plant nectar).

5. What Do Animals Eat? - Classification Based on Food Habits

Based on what they eat, animals are classified into three main groups:

• Herbivores:
  • Animals that eat only plants or plant products.
  • Examples: Cow, Buffalo, Goat, Sheep, Deer, Elephant, Rabbit, Horse, Grasshopper.
• Carnivores:
  • Animals that eat only other animals (flesh).
  • Examples: Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Wolf, Snake, Lizard, Eagle, Spider, Frog.
• Omnivores:
  • Animals that eat both plants and animals.
  • Examples: Humans, Dog, Cat, Crow, Bear, Rat, Cockroach.

Key Terms to Remember:

• Ingredients: Materials needed to prepare a food dish.
• Edible: Suitable or safe to eat.
• Nectar: Sweet juice found in flowers, collected by bees.
• Sprouted Seeds: Seeds that have germinated and started growing a small shoot.
• Herbivore: Plant-eating animal.
• Carnivore: Flesh-eating animal.
• Omnivore: Animal that eats both plants and animals.

Practice MCQs for Exam Preparation

Here are 10 Multiple Choice Questions based on the chapter:

1. Which of the following provides energy to our body?
   a) Water
   b) Food
   c) Air
   d) Sleep

2. Potato is which part of the plant that we eat?
   a) Root
   b) Fruit
   c) Stem (modified)
   d) Leaf

3. Which of the following is NOT an animal product?
   a) Milk
   b) Honey
   c) Ghee
   d) Mustard Oil

4. Animals that eat only plants are called:
   a) Carnivores
   b) Omnivores
   c) Herbivores
   d) Producers

5. Which part of the mustard plant is edible?
   a) Only Seeds
   b) Only Leaves
   c) Seeds and Leaves
   d) Stem and Roots

6. Bees collect _______ from flowers to make honey.
   a) Pollen
   b) Water
   c) Nectar
   d) Petals

7. Which of the following is an example of an Omnivore?
   a) Cow
   b) Lion
   c) Crow
   d) Deer

8. Sprouting of seeds like moong involves soaking them in:
   a) Oil
   b) Milk
   c) Salt Solution
   d) Water

9. Brinjal (Eggplant) is technically which part of the plant?
   a) Root
   b) Stem
   c) Leaf
   d) Fruit

10. Which pair consists only of Herbivores?
    a) Cow, Lion
    b) Deer, Elephant
    c) Tiger, Wolf
    d) Human, Bear

Answer Key for MCQs:

1. b) Food
2. c) Stem (modified)
3. d) Mustard Oil
4. c) Herbivores
5. c) Seeds and Leaves
6. c) Nectar
7. c) Crow
8. d) Water
9. d) Fruit
10. b) Deer, Elephant

Make sure you revise these notes thoroughly. Understanding these basic concepts is crucial. Good luck with your preparation!