NCERT Solutions for Class 5 EVS Chapter 3 - From Tasting to Digesting

I like different types of tastes. It is interesting and exciting to eat foods having different tastes.

Yes, a few drops of lemon juice are enough to distinguish its taste as it is sour.

Yes, we will be able to distinguish saunf with our eyes closed as it has a distinct texture and aroma. One can identify its taste only after it is chewed.

Jhumpa made out the fried fish by its smell.
Yes, some things smell differently when cooked so their smell can distinguish them. Some of them are halwa, omelette, chicken curry.

Sense of smell helps us to understand completely the food we eat. Medicines are usually bitter and have a similar smell. Hence, sometimes my mother asks me to hold my nose before I take any medicine so that I may not realise that she is about to give me medicine by identifying its characteristic smell.

Sugar—Sweet
Lemon—Sour
Bitter gourd—Bitter

Sugar—in front
Lemon—left and right side
Bitter gourd—back

The surface of the tongue looks rough. Yes, I can see tiny bumps on the surface, which makes the tongue look rough.

No, I was not able to detect any taste as I placed several food items in other parts of my mouth. However, my mouth watered when these food items were placed in other parts of my mouth.

Following tastes are detected on different parts of the tongue—
(i) Salty and sweet on the tip of the tongue.
(ii) Bitter on the back region of the tongue.
(iii) Sour on both the sides of the tongue.

She must have eaten a chilli which was spicy and hot.

Yes, there was a change in taste. The food started to taste sweet because of the action of saliva on food.

When I bite a piece of green guava, it is hard and slightly bitter. But, after chewing the piece of hard guava, it becomes soft and sweet.

The saliva in our mouth makes the food softer. So, it becomes easier to swallow and digest the food.

Yes, all of us have almost similar pictures.

Food goes to the stomach after we swallow it. In the stomach, the food is broken down into small pieces. These small food chunks mix with some acidic juices in the stomach and are then transferred to the small intestine, where digestion of food takes place. The digested food is then absorbed in the small intestine, and the undigested food travels to the large intestine. The undigested food passes through the large intestine and moves to the rectum where it is stored for some time and is thrown out of the body through the anus by defecation.

Food gives us the energy to do work. Not eating for two days would make me feel weak as my body will not gain energy.

 When I am hungry, I feel uneasy, and my stomach makes strange sounds. I feel that I need to eat food immediately.

 When I am hungry, I feel my stomach making sounds, and I generally say rats are running in my stomach.

Water makes 60% weight of our body. Water has vital functions to perform in our body. Hence, it is not possible to manage without water for two days. Water helps in different metabolic activities and the transportation of essential components throughout the body. The water we drink is mostly absorbed in our body, and some amount of water is lost through sweat and urine.

 Once my brother was suffering from typhoid, and he was hospitalised for the same. Doctors said he was too weak and hence, he was given a glucose drip along with the medicines for a speedy recovery.

Salt and sugar are lost during excessive loose motion and vomiting, which is not good for the body as it causes dehydration. So, a solution of salt and sugar is given to the person suffering from the above-mentioned disorders to maintain the body’s salt and sugar levels.

Yes, I have heard this word. I have seen it written on the packets of some biscuits like Parle-G and also on the packets of glucose powder.

Yes, I have tasted glucose. It is sweet.

Our body utilises a lot of energy while playing. We also sweat a lot which results in the loss of both salt and sugar from the body. The energy reserve in our body that we develop by eating food cannot be used for a long time during vigorous exercise or physical activity. Also, simultaneous loss of salt and sugar makes us weak.
Glucose is a simple carbohydrate that gives us instant energy when required and also replenishes the salt and sugar loss. This is the reason Nitu’s teacher must have told the girls to have it while playing.

The picture shows a glucose drip being given to Nitu.
The glucose solution is present in the bottle and a tube is attached to it. The tube is then connected to a needle which is inserted into the veins so that the glucose directly travels to our blood-stream.

The food which is sufficient for the body and contains the right amount of nutrients required by the body is called proper or balanced food.

Rashmi and Kailash are on opposite ends. Rashmi is not getting adequate food, and so she is malnourished. On the other hand, Kailash is eating too much of junk food which has led to the accumulation of fat in his body, thereby making him obese.

If I were in place of Dr. Beaumont, I would have done experiments with boiled rice, chapatti, and salad. I would have extracted digestive juices from Martin’s stomach and kept equal amounts of cooked rice, chapatti, and salad in different glasses. I would have noted the time periods, each of those specific food had taken to digest.

 Rashmi is too poor to afford a good meal, and that is why she could eat only one roti in the whole day.

No, I think Kailash would not like games and sports. Due to his obese condition, he would not be able to play well. Hence, he would not participate in any physical or sports activities.

Times have changed. We eat rice, dal, and vegetables, but we also have a fair amount of junk food. I use the school bus to go to school. A major part of my free time is spent sitting on the sofa, watching TV, or playing computer games. We do fewer physical activities than our grandparents.

My grandparents diet included rice, dal, green vegetables, milk and lot of fresh fruits. They did not have too many options for junk food. However, they were involved in a lot of physical activities. They used to walk two miles to go to school, and they used to play games which involved physical activities.

Yes, my house help lives in a nearby slum. She is poor and cannot afford proper meals for her children.

 Yes, I have seen a godown in Anaj mandi where a lot of grains are stored.

Our food comprises carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. The food we eat is placed in our mouth where we chew it, and our tongue helps in getting it mixed with the digestive juice secreted in our mouth called saliva. Saliva contains an enzyme called amylase, which is responsible for the digestion of carbohydrates. Amylase converts carbohydrates into glucose.
Therefore, we conclude that the carbohydrates are digested at the beginning of the digestion process due to the action of salivary amylase in the mouth. Hence, we say that digestion begins in the mouth.

We know that the sense of smell helps to understand the sense of taste completely. In the case of common cold, our nose is blocked because of mucus, swelling, and inflammation, which in turn blocks the sense of smell. That is why we are unable to taste food properly while suffering from cold.