NCERT Class 3 Environmental Studies (EVS) • Classic CBSE Track

Chapter 10: What is Cooking

Q: Classify the following foods according to their method of cooking: Idli, Samosa, Roti, Boiled Rice, Cake, Roasted Corn.

• Steaming: Idli.• Deep Frying: Samosa.• Roasting: Roti, Roasted Corn (Bhutta).• Boiling: Boiled Rice.• Baking: Cake.

Q: What is a solar cooker and what are two major advantages of using it?

A solar cooker is an insulated black-painted box with a glass lid and mirror reflector that traps solar heat to cook food without firewood or gas.Advantages:1. Zero fuel cost and zero smoke pollution.2. Preserves vitamins and prevents food from burning.

Q: Match each food dish with its primary cooking method:• Idli: [Boiling, Steaming, Deep Frying, Roasting/Baking]• Puri: [Boiling, Steaming, Deep Frying,

Cooking Methods:• Idli: Steaming• Puri: Deep Frying (in hot oil)• Rice / Dal: Boiling (in water)• Chapati: Roasting / Baking (on tawa)

Q: Look at common cooking vessels. Why are frying pans made of iron, steel, or aluminum, but their handles are covered with wood or plastic?

Thermal Conduction Science:• Vessel Body: Iron, steel, and aluminum are good conductors of heat, so they quickly transfer cooking heat from the stove flame to the food.• Handles: Wood and plastic are insulators (poor conductors of heat). They stay cool, allowing the cook to lift and hold the hot pan

Q: Compare an LPG gas stove with a traditional wood chulha in terms of cleanliness and health.

Fuel Comparison:• LPG Gas Stove: Burns with a clean, smokeless blue flame, produces no indoor soot, cooks quickly, and protects women's lungs and eyes from disease.• Wood Chulha: Produces heavy suffocating smoke, releases harmful carbon soot that turns kitchen walls black, and causes respiratory and

Q: How does a solar cooker cook food without using any wood, coal, electricity, or gas?

Solar Cooker:• A solar cooker has a black-painted insulated box and a mirror reflector that traps the radiant heat of sunlight under a glass sheet (greenhouse effect), slowly baking dal, rice, or vegetables cleanly using free solar energy.

Q: In Chapter 10 ('What is Cooking'), what animals did the characters observe, and how do they move from place to place?

Observations:Animals move in diverse ways adapted to their bodies:• Birds (Crow, Pigeon): Fly using wings and hop on two feet.• Mammals (Cow, Dog): Walk and run on four legs.• Reptiles (Lizard, Snake): Crawl on walls or slither on the ground.• Insects (Ant, Grasshopper): Walk on six legs and hop/fly

Q: Name two animals that live:(a) On trees(b) In water(c) On land(d) Underground in burrows.

Habitats:• (a) On trees: Monkey, Squirrel, Owl.• (b) In water: Fish, Frog, Crocodile.• (c) On land: Horse, Elephant, Goat.• (d) In burrows: Rabbit, Earthworm, Snake.

Q: How do our five sense organs help us understand and navigate our daily environment?

Five Senses:1. Eyes: Help us see shapes, colours, and identify hazards.2. Ears: Help us hear traffic horns, spoken words, and alarm sounds.3. Nose: Helps us smell food, flowers, and detect smoke or gas leaks.4. Tongue: Helps us taste sweet, sour, salty, and bitter food.5. Skin: Helps us feel touch,

Culinary Methods: Boiling, Frying, Roasting, Steaming, Baking; Utensil Materials and Fuels | CBSE Session 2026–27

Core Pedagogical Competencies & Concepts

Different methods of cooking: Boiling (potatoes/rice), Roasting (rotis/corn), Steaming (idli/dhokla), Frying (puri/samosa), and Baking (cakes/bread).
Cooking utensil materials: Clay earthenware, copper, brass, stainless steel, cast iron, and glass.
Cooking fuels and stoves: LPG gas cylinders, solar cookers, electric induction stoves, and traditional chulhas using firewood or cow-dung cakes.
Safety in the kitchen: Turning off gas knobs, keeping flammable cloth away from flames, avoiding burns.

All Textbook Exercises & In-Text Tasks (17 Questions)

100% Complete Ingestion

Q1 Cooking Methods

Classify the following foods according to their method of cooking: Idli, Samosa, Roti, Boiled Rice, Cake, Roasted Corn.

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

• Steaming: Idli.
• Deep Frying: Samosa.
• Roasting: Roti, Roasted Corn (Bhutta).
• Boiling: Boiled Rice.
• Baking: Cake.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Correct pairing for all six food items 3 Marks

Q2 Cooking Utensil Materials

Why are clay pots considered healthier for slow cooking than aluminum utensils?

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Clay pots are alkaline and react gently with the natural acids in food, neutralizing acidity while preserving micronutrients. The porous clay allows moisture and heat to circulate evenly. In contrast, cheap aluminum pans can leach small amounts of toxic metal into acidic foods over time.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Benefits of porous, alkaline clay cookware 1.5 Marks

Drawbacks of metal leaching in cheap aluminum 1.5 Marks

Q3 Clean Cooking Energy

What is a solar cooker and what are two major advantages of using it?

[2 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

A solar cooker is an insulated black-painted box with a glass lid and mirror reflector that traps solar heat to cook food without firewood or gas.
Advantages:
1. Zero fuel cost and zero smoke pollution.
2. Preserves vitamins and prevents food from burning.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Definition of solar cooker 1 Mark

Two advantages (zero pollution, nutrient retention) 1 Mark

Q4 Cooking Methods • Culinary Science

Match each food dish with its primary cooking method:
• Idli: [Boiling, Steaming, Deep Frying, Roasting/Baking]
• Puri: [Boiling, Steaming, Deep Frying, Roasting/Baking]
• Rice / Dal: [Boiling, Steaming, Deep Frying, Roasting/Baking]
• Chapati: [Boiling, Steaming, Deep Frying, Roasting/Baking]

[4 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Cooking Methods:
• Idli: Steaming
• Puri: Deep Frying (in hot oil)
• Rice / Dal: Boiling (in water)
• Chapati: Roasting / Baking (on tawa)

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

All 4 cooking methods correctly matched 4.0 M

Q5 Cooking Utensils • Material Identification

Look at common cooking vessels. Why are frying pans made of iron, steel, or aluminum, but their handles are covered with wood or plastic?

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Thermal Conduction Science:
• Vessel Body: Iron, steel, and aluminum are good conductors of heat, so they quickly transfer cooking heat from the stove flame to the food.
• Handles: Wood and plastic are insulators (poor conductors of heat). They stay cool, allowing the cook to lift and hold the hot pan safely without burning their hands.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Good thermal conductivity of metals for cooking 1.5 M

Insulating plastic/wood handles protecting hands from burns 1.5 M

Q6 Cooking Fuels • Clean Energy

Compare an LPG gas stove with a traditional wood chulha in terms of cleanliness and health.

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Fuel Comparison:
• LPG Gas Stove: Burns with a clean, smokeless blue flame, produces no indoor soot, cooks quickly, and protects women's lungs and eyes from disease.
• Wood Chulha: Produces heavy suffocating smoke, releases harmful carbon soot that turns kitchen walls black, and causes respiratory and eye damage.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

LPG clean blue flame and health benefits 1.5 M

Wood smoke pollution and lung damage explained 1.5 M

Q7 Solar Cooker • Renewable Energy

How does a solar cooker cook food without using any wood, coal, electricity, or gas?

[2 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Solar Cooker:
• A solar cooker has a black-painted insulated box and a mirror reflector that traps the radiant heat of sunlight under a glass sheet (greenhouse effect), slowly baking dal, rice, or vegetables cleanly using free solar energy.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Mirror reflector, black box, and trapped solar heat explained 2.0 M

Q8 Observation Time • Animals and Habits

In Chapter 10 ('What is Cooking'), what animals did the characters observe, and how do they move from place to place?

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Observations:
Animals move in diverse ways adapted to their bodies:
• Birds (Crow, Pigeon): Fly using wings and hop on two feet.
• Mammals (Cow, Dog): Walk and run on four legs.
• Reptiles (Lizard, Snake): Crawl on walls or slither on the ground.
• Insects (Ant, Grasshopper): Walk on six legs and hop/fly.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Birds, mammals, reptiles, insects movement 3 M

Q9 Find Out & Write • Animal Habitats

Name two animals that live:
(a) On trees
(b) In water
(c) On land
(d) Underground in burrows.

[2 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Habitats:
• (a) On trees: Monkey, Squirrel, Owl.
• (b) In water: Fish, Frog, Crocodile.
• (c) On land: Horse, Elephant, Goat.
• (d) In burrows: Rabbit, Earthworm, Snake.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Correct examples for all 4 habitats 2 M

Q10 Discuss & Share • Our Senses

How do our five sense organs help us understand and navigate our daily environment?

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Five Senses:
1. Eyes: Help us see shapes, colours, and identify hazards.
2. Ears: Help us hear traffic horns, spoken words, and alarm sounds.
3. Nose: Helps us smell food, flowers, and detect smoke or gas leaks.
4. Tongue: Helps us taste sweet, sour, salty, and bitter food.
5. Skin: Helps us feel touch, heat, cold, roughness, and pain.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

All 5 sense organs explained with functions 3 M

Q11 Water Cycle & Weather • Rain and Clouds

Where does rainwater come from, and why do plants and trees look fresher and greener after a rain shower?

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Rain and Plant Health:
• Rain comes from water evaporating from rivers, ponds, and seas, forming clouds in the sky that cool and condense into rain droplets.
• Rain washes off thick dust accumulated on leaves, unblocks stomata for breathing, and deeply soaks the roots with fresh mineral-rich moisture.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Water cycle / cloud formation 1.5 M

Why plants look greener after rain 1.5 M

Q12 Food Diversity • Regional Diets

Why do people living in Kerala eat more rice, fish, and coconut, while people in Punjab eat more wheat chapatis, mustard greens, and lassi?

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Regional Food Factors:
• What people eat depends directly on what grows easily and abundantly in their climate and geography.
• Kerala has coastal climate, abundant rainfall, and coconut groves, making fish and rice staples.
• Punjab has fertile plains ideal for wheat and mustard cultivation, and a strong dairy culture.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Climate and agriculture connection 1.5 M

Kerala and Punjab examples explained 1.5 M

Q13 Cooking Methods • Kitchen Science

Match each food item to its primary method of cooking:
(a) Idli — (1) Frying
(b) Puri — (2) Steaming
(c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Matching:
• (a) Idli — (2) Steaming
• (b) Puri — (1) Frying in oil
• (c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Idli-Steaming, Puri-Frying, Roti-Roasting 3 M

Q14 Shelter & Houses • Diversity in Homes

Why are houses in heavy-rainfall regions like Assam built on bamboo stilts with sloping roofs?

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Stilt Houses:
• Bamboo Stilts: Keep the house 10 to 12 feet above ground level to prevent floodwaters and wild animals from entering.
• Sloping Roofs: Allow torrential rainwater to slide off quickly without accumulating or causing leaks.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Reason for bamboo stilts (floods) 1.5 M

Reason for sloping roof (rain runoff) 1.5 M

Q15 Community Helpers • Occupations

Identify the worker who:
(a) Mends our shoes
(b) Delivers letters and parcels
(c) Shapes clay into earthen pots on a wheel
(d) Treats sick people and prescribes medicines.

[2 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Community Helpers:
• (a) Mends shoes: Cobbler
• (b) Delivers letters: Postman / Mail carrier
• (c) Shapes clay pots: Potter
• (d) Treats sick people: Doctor.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Cobbler, Postman, Potter, Doctor 2 M

Q16 Web of Life • Food Chain

What is the 'Web of Life'? Draw a simple food chain showing how grass, deer, and lion are connected.

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Web of Life & Food Chain:
• The Web of Life shows that every living organism is interconnected and depends on others for survival.
• Food Chain: Sunlight → Grass (Producer) → Deer (Herbivore) → Lion (Carnivore).
If grass disappears, deer starve; if deer disappear, lions cannot survive.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

Definition of Web of Life 1.5 M

Grass → Deer → Lion chain explained 1.5 M

Q17 Review Questions • True or False

Write True or False:
(a) Blind people can read books written in Braille script using their fingertips.
(b) Rainwater is the main natural source of fresh water on Earth.
(c) Animals do not have feelings and cannot communicate danger to each other.

[3 Marks]

✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working

Answers:
• (a) True: Braille uses raised dots felt with fingertips.
• (b) True: Rain replenishes rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
• (c) False: Animals communicate through warning calls, scents, and body language to alert their group of predators.

CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme

True, True, False with reasoning 3 M

🌟 NEP 2020 Competency-Based Case Study

Clean Indoor Air: Transitioning from Wood Chulha to LPG (PM Ujjwala Yojana)

In many rural homes, women cook on unventilated firewood chulhas, inhaling smoke equivalent to smoking dozens of cigarettes daily, causing eye irritation and chronic lung illnesses.

Analytical Task: Why is switching to clean cooking gas (LPG) or biogas critical for women's health and environmental protection?

Evaluation & Model Answer:

Switching from smoky wood chulhas to LPG or biogas is vital because: (1) Health Protection: It eliminates harmful soot, carbon monoxide, and smoke particles, preventing asthma, lung damage, and eye cataracts in mothers and infants. (2) Forest Conservation: It halts the cutting of firewood, preserving neighborhood trees and topsoil. (3) Time and Labor Savings: It saves women hours of arduous firewood gathering, allowing more time for childcare, education, and rest.

Rubric: Respiratory health benefits of smokeless fuel, halting deforestation, social empowerment (4 Marks).