Chapter 15 of 24
Chapter 15: Making Pots
The Crow (Phudgudi) and Sparrow (Bhanate) Folk Story: Clay, Kiln, Tools, and Prehistoric Pottery | CBSE Session 2026–27
Core Pedagogical Competencies & Concepts
- The charming folk story of Bhanate the sparrow and Phudgudi the crow seeking water to wash its beak.
- The chain of helpers in pottery: River → Clay pit → Potter → Blacksmith (for trowel) → Kiln.
- The invention of early pottery: Early humans discovered that cooking clay over open flames made waterproof vessels to store food and water.
- Making miniature pinch pots, coil pots, and clay cups using moist soil.
All Textbook Exercises & In-Text Tasks (17 Questions)
100% Complete Ingestion
Q1
Story Progression
Narrate the chain of things the crow (Phudgudi) had to visit in order to get a pot made.
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
1. The crow went to the river for water to wash its beak.
2. The river asked for a pot.
3. The crow went to the potter, who asked for clay.
4. The crow went to the clay pit, which asked for a trowel (khurpi) to dig the soil.
5. The crow went to the blacksmith, who forged the trowel.
2. The river asked for a pot.
3. The crow went to the potter, who asked for clay.
4. The crow went to the clay pit, which asked for a trowel (khurpi) to dig the soil.
5. The crow went to the blacksmith, who forged the trowel.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Complete sequential chain (river, potter, clay pit, blacksmith)
3 Marks
Q2
Pottery Science
Why do raw clay pots need to be baked in a hot kiln (bhatti) before they can hold water?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Raw sun-dried clay contains loose water molecules that dissolve immediately back into mud when filled with liquids. Firing pots in a kiln at high temperatures chemically fuses the silica and clay particles into a vitrified, hard ceramic that retains its shape and holds liquids without dissolving.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Why raw clay melts in water
1.5 Marks
High-temperature baking creates durable, hardened ceramic
1.5 Marks
Q3
Human History
How did early prehistoric humans store grains and water before the potter's wheel was invented?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Early humans wove dried grass baskets and smeared them with sticky river clay, and shaped hollow bowls out of clay lumps with their hands (pinch pots) before sun-drying them.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Grass baskets lined with clay and pinch pots
2 Marks
Q4
Story Sequence • Phgudi and Bhanate
In the story of Bhanate the crow and Phgudi the sparrow:
List the helpers Bhanate visited in sequence to wash his beak before eating Phgudi's eggs:
River $\rightarrow$ Potter $\rightarrow$ Clay-pit $\rightarrow$ Blacksmith.
[4 Marks]
List the helpers Bhanate visited in sequence to wash his beak before eating Phgudi's eggs:
River $\rightarrow$ Potter $\rightarrow$ Clay-pit $\rightarrow$ Blacksmith.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Story Journey:
1. River: Told the crow to bring a pot to fetch clean water.
2. Potter: Told the crow to bring clay to make a pot.
3. Clay-pit: Told the crow to bring a trowel (khurpi) to dig clay.
4. Blacksmith: Gave the crow a sharp trowel.
• In the meantime, Phgudi's eggs hatched, the little chicks flew away, and the greedy crow went hungry.
1. River: Told the crow to bring a pot to fetch clean water.
2. Potter: Told the crow to bring clay to make a pot.
3. Clay-pit: Told the crow to bring a trowel (khurpi) to dig clay.
4. Blacksmith: Gave the crow a sharp trowel.
• In the meantime, Phgudi's eggs hatched, the little chicks flew away, and the greedy crow went hungry.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
All 4 helpers in exact sequence (River, Potter, Clay-pit, Blacksmith)
4.0 M
Q5
Pottery Science • Sun Drying vs Kiln Baking
(a) What happens if you pour water into an earthen pot dried only in the sun?
(b) Why do potters bake clay pots in a red-hot kiln (bhatti)?
[3 Marks]
(b) Why do potters bake clay pots in a red-hot kiln (bhatti)?
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Pottery Chemistry:
(a) Sun-Dried Pot:
• If water is poured into a raw, sun-dried clay pot, the clay absorbs moisture, turns back into soft mud, and collapses.
(b) Kiln Baking:
• High baking heat in a kiln melts silica in clay, turning it into permanent ceramic stone that is waterproof, sturdy, and durable.
(a) Sun-Dried Pot:
• If water is poured into a raw, sun-dried clay pot, the clay absorbs moisture, turns back into soft mud, and collapses.
(b) Kiln Baking:
• High baking heat in a kiln melts silica in clay, turning it into permanent ceramic stone that is waterproof, sturdy, and durable.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Sun-dried pot dissolving in water explained
1.5 M
Kiln heat permanently transforming clay into sturdy ceramic
1.5 M
Q6
History of Utensils • Early Humans
Before inventing pottery, in what natural containers did early humans store food and water?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Prehistoric Containers:
• Early humans used dried hollow gourds (tumba), animal skins, carved stone bowls, and woven reed baskets lined with clay.
• Early humans used dried hollow gourds (tumba), animal skins, carved stone bowls, and woven reed baskets lined with clay.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Gourds, animal skins, and carved stone containers named
2.0 M
Q7
Potter's Wheel • Rotational Physics
What is a Potter's Wheel, and how does the potter spin it?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Potter's Wheel:
• It is a heavy circular stone or wooden turntable. The potter spins it rapidly using a wooden stick, and while it spins steadily on its pivot, he shapes wet clay balls with his thumbs and palms into symmetrical round vessels.
• It is a heavy circular stone or wooden turntable. The potter spins it rapidly using a wooden stick, and while it spins steadily on its pivot, he shapes wet clay balls with his thumbs and palms into symmetrical round vessels.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Turntable mechanism and shaping using hands described
2.0 M
Q8
Observation Time • Animals and Habits
In Chapter 15 ('Making Pots'), 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.
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]
(a) On trees
(b) In water
(c) On land
(d) Underground in burrows.
✅ 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.
• (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.
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.
• 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.
• 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]
(a) Idli — (1) Frying
(b) Puri — (2) Steaming
(c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Matching:
• (a) Idli — (2) Steaming
• (b) Puri — (1) Frying in oil
• (c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.
• (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.
• 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]
(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.
✅ 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.
• (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.
• 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]
(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.
✅ 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.
• (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
Eco-Friendly Material Culture: Terracotta Cookware Revival
With modern awareness about microplastics and toxic non-stick chemical coatings, many urban households are switching back to traditional unglazed clay handis and terracotta water bottles.
Analytical Task: What are the ecological and health advantages of replacing plastic water bottles with natural clay bottles?
Evaluation & Model Answer:
Clay bottles offer distinct advantages: (1) Natural Evaporative Cooling: Tiny microscopic pores in the clay allow microscopic water seepage that evaporates continuously, cooling the water naturally by 4-5 degrees Celsius without electricity or refrigerators. (2) Zero Chemical Leaching: Unlike plastic bottles that release toxic bisphenol-A (BPA) and microplastics under hot sunlight, natural clay is 100% non-toxic. (3) Soil-Friendly Disposal: When discarded, terracotta breaks down harmlessly back into fertile natural soil.
Rubric: Evaporative cooling, zero microplastic toxicity, natural soil biodegradability (4 Marks).