CBSE Class 5 Environmental Studies: From Tasting To Digesting NCERT Solutions

Reviewed by NCERT Help Editorial Team · Updated on 29 Jul 2026

NCERT Solutions PDF Class 5 PDF

This chapter, 'From Tasting To Digesting,' for CBSE Class 5 Environmental Studies, delves into the fascinating world of food and how our bodies process it. Students will explore the different tastes we experience – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent – and how our tongue helps us identify them. The solutions cover the journey of food from the mouth, where tasting and chewing begin, to the stomach, where digestion takes place. It highlights the role of saliva in breaking down food and the importance of smell in enhancing our perception of taste. These NCERT Solutions provide clear explanations and step-by-step answers to textbook questions, aiding students in understanding the fundamental concepts of taste, smell, and the initial stages of digestion, making it an excellent resource for exam revision.

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Quick info

Board	CBSE
Class	Class 5
Subject	Environmental Studies
Session	2026
Language	English
Type	NCERT Solutions
Chapter	3 From Tasting To Digesting

Chapter summary

Chapter 3, 'From Tasting To Digesting,' focuses on the basic sensory experiences related to food. It introduces students to the five primary tastes and the tongue's role in detecting them. The solutions explain how smell complements taste and briefly touches upon the initial steps of food processing in the body, starting from the mouth. This chapter aims to build foundational knowledge about how we perceive and begin to digest the food we eat.

Learning outcomes

Identify and describe different tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent).
Understand the role of the tongue in tasting food.
Explain how smell influences the perception of taste.
Describe the initial process of food entering the body and being tasted.
Recognize that different parts of the mouth have varying sensitivities to taste.

Topics covered

Paper topics

Tasting Food
Different Tastes
Role of the Tongue
Taste Zones on the Tongue
Smell and Taste
Digestion Process (Initial)
Food Perception
Sensory Organs
Saliva and Taste
Pungent Taste
Sour Taste
Sweet Taste

Important topics

Identifying Different Tastes
Function of the Tongue in Tasting
The Interplay of Smell and Taste
The Role of Saliva in Taste Perception
Describing Food Flavours

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Questions and Solutions

Solved Discuss And Write - Question 1

Jhoolan's mouth started watering when she heard the word 'imli' (tamarind). When does your mouth water? List five things you like to eat and describe their taste.

Solution: My mouth waters when I see or think about my favourite foods. Here are five things I like to eat and their tastes:

Things I like to eat:

Samosa
Pickles
Jalebi
Chocolate
Ice-cream

Their tastes:

Samosa: Salty and a bit spicy
Pickles: Sour and salty
Jalebi: Sweet
Chocolate: Sweet
Ice-cream: Sweet

Solved Discuss And Write - Question 2

Do you like only one kind of taste or different ones? Why?

Solution: I like different kinds of tastes. Eating only one type of taste can become boring over time. Variety in tastes makes food more enjoyable and interesting.

Solved Discuss And Write - Question 3

Jhoolan put a few drops of lemon juice in Jhumpa's mouth. Do you think we can make out the taste with just a few drops?

Solution: Yes, even a few drops of a strong-tasting substance like lemon juice are usually enough to identify its taste. The taste buds on the tongue are sensitive enough to detect the flavour from a small amount.

Solved Discuss And Write - Question 4

If someone were to put a few seeds of saunf (aniseed) on your tongue, would you be able to tell with your eyes closed? How?

Solution: Yes, I would be able to tell it is saunf even with my eyes closed. We can recognise many food items not just by taste, but also by their distinct smell and texture.

Solved Discuss And Write - Question 5

How did Jhumpa make out the fried fish? Can you guess the names of certain things only by their smell, without seeing or tasting them? What are these things?

Solution: Jhumpa was able to identify the fried fish by its distinct smell. Yes, I can guess the names of several food items just by their smell. For example, I can identify things like fish, an omelette, samosas, or pakoras by their aroma alone, without needing to see or taste them.

Solved Discuss And Write - Question 6

Has anyone ever told you to hold your nose before taking a medicine? Why do you think they tell you to do this?

Solution: Yes, sometimes people are advised to hold their nose before taking medicine. This is because our sense of smell is closely linked to our sense of taste. Many medicines have an unpleasant smell and taste. By holding our nose, we reduce the impact of the smell, which in turn helps to mask the unpleasant taste, making it easier to swallow the medicine.

Close Your Eyes and Tell - Question 1

Collect a few food items having different kinds of taste. Play a game with your friends like Jhumpa and Jhoolan did. Tell your friend to taste the food and ask— How did it taste? What was the food item?

Solution: During the game, when my friend tasted the food item, they said it tasted sweet. The food item was sugar.

Close Your Eyes and Tell - Question 2

On which part of the tongue could you get the most taste—in front, at the back, on the left or right side of the tongue? (Assuming sugar was given)

Solution: When tasting something sweet like sugar, I found that I could get the most taste on the front part of my tongue.

Close Your Eyes and Tell - Question 3

Which taste could be made out on which part of the tongue? Mark these parts on the picture given.

Solution: Different parts of the tongue are more sensitive to different tastes. Based on general understanding:

The front part of the tongue is most sensitive to Sweet tastes.
The sides of the tongue are sensitive to Salty tastes (front sides) and Sour tastes (back sides).
The back of the tongue is most sensitive to Bitter tastes.

(Note: A picture would be needed to mark these areas accurately.)

Close Your Eyes and Tell - Question 4

One at a time put some things to eat in other parts of your mouth—under the tongue, on the lips, on the roof of the mouth. Did you get any taste there?

Solution: No, I did not get any distinct taste when I placed food items under my tongue, on my lips, or on the roof of my mouth. The primary taste sensations are detected by the taste buds located on the tongue's surface.

Close Your Eyes and Tell - Question 5

Use a clean cloth to wipe the front part of your tongue so that it is dry. Put some sugar or jaggery there. Could you taste anything? Why did this happen?

Solution: No, I could not taste anything when I put sugar or jaggery on my dry tongue. This happened because taste can only be perceived when the food particles dissolve in saliva. Without saliva, the sugar or jaggery could not dissolve, and therefore, the taste buds could not detect the sweetness.

Close Your Eyes and Tell - Question 6

Stand in front of a mirror and look closely at your tongue. How does the surface look? Can you see any tiny bumps on the surface?

Solution: When I look at my tongue in the mirror, its surface appears rough. Yes, I can see many tiny bumps scattered across the surface of my tongue. These bumps contain the taste buds.

Tell - Question 1

If someone asks you to describe the taste of amla or cucumber, you might find it difficult to explain. How would you describe the taste of these - tomato, onion, saunf, garlic. Think of words that you know or make up your own words to describe the taste.

Solution: Describing tastes can be tricky! Here are my descriptions for the given food items:

Tomato: Sweet and sour, also juicy.
Onion: Pungent, sharp, and slightly sweet when cooked.
Saunf (Aniseed): Sweet, with a distinct, pleasant, licorice-like smell.
Garlic: Strong, pungent, and slightly bitter, with a sharp flavour.

Tell - Question 2

When Jhumpa tasted some of the things, she said "Ssssee, ssseee, ssseee...." What do you think she may have eaten?

Solution: The sound "Ssssee, ssseee, ssseee...." suggests a sharp, pungent, or spicy sensation. Therefore, Jhumpa most likely ate something very spicy, like a chilli.

Common mistakes

Confusing taste and smell, or not recognizing their combined effect.
Assuming taste can be detected equally well in all parts of the mouth.
Difficulty in describing less common tastes like pungent or bitter.
Not understanding the role of saliva in tasting.

Revision tips

Practice identifying different tastes using common food items.
Discuss how smell enhances the experience of eating.
Review the functions of the tongue and its different taste zones.
Explain the initial steps of digestion starting from tasting.

Practice MCQs

Q1. Which of these tastes is typically associated with lemon juice?

Q2. What helps us to identify the taste of food more completely?

Q3. Which part of the tongue is generally most sensitive to sweet tastes like sugar?

Q4. Why is it difficult to taste sugar on a dry tongue?

Q5. Which food item might cause someone to say 'Ssssee, ssseee, ssseee....' due to its pungent taste?

Frequently asked questions

What is the main topic of CBSE Class 5 EVS Chapter 3?

Chapter 3, 'From Tasting To Digesting,' focuses on how we taste food, the different tastes we experience (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent), the role of the tongue and smell in this process, and the initial steps of digestion.

How do these NCERT Solutions help Class 5 students?

These solutions provide clear, rewritten answers to all textbook questions, helping students understand concepts like taste, smell, and digestion more effectively for their exams.

What are the five basic tastes mentioned in the chapter?

The chapter discusses sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent tastes, explaining how our tongue helps us differentiate between them.

Why is the sense of smell important for tasting food?

The sense of smell works together with taste to give us the complete flavour of food. Closing the nose can significantly alter how we perceive the taste of food, as seen with medicines.

Can we taste food on a dry tongue?

No, it is difficult to taste food on a dry tongue because food needs to mix with saliva to dissolve properly, which allows the taste buds to detect the flavour.

What does the chapter say about the surface of the tongue?

The chapter notes that the surface of the tongue looks rough and has many tiny bumps, which are the taste buds responsible for detecting different tastes.

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