CBSE Class 5 EVS Chapter 4: Mangoes Round The Year NCERT Solutions

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NCERT Solutions PDF Class 5 PDF

This chapter, 'Mangoes Round The Year' for CBSE Class 5 Environmental Studies, delves into the crucial topic of food preservation and spoilage. Students will explore how different food items spoil, the signs of spoilage like bad smell and colour changes, and the reasons behind it, including the role of microorganisms and environmental conditions like season and moisture. The solutions cover practical aspects such as identifying spoilt food, understanding expiry dates on food packets, and listing foods that spoil quickly versus those that last longer. Through discussions and simple experiments, students learn about the importance of checking food packets and the methods used to prevent food from spoiling, ensuring food safety and reducing waste. These solutions are designed to help students grasp these essential concepts for their exams.

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BoardCBSE
ClassClass 5
SubjectEnvironmental Studies
Session2026
LanguageEnglish
TypeNCERT Solutions
Chapter4 Mangoes Round The Year

Chapter summary

Chapter 4, 'Mangoes Round The Year', focuses on understanding food spoilage and preservation for Class 5 EVS. The NCERT Solutions explain why food spoils, how to identify spoilt food through smell and appearance, and the impact of seasons and storage conditions. It covers practical skills like reading food packets for expiry dates and categorizing food items based on their shelf life. The chapter encourages observation and discussion about food safety.

Learning outcomes

  • Identify signs of spoilt food, such as smell, colour, and texture changes.
  • Understand the importance of expiry dates on food packaging.
  • Categorize food items based on how quickly they spoil.
  • Explain the role of seasons and moisture in food spoilage.
  • Discuss methods to prevent food from spoiling.
  • Recognize the potential health risks of consuming spoilt food.

Topics covered

Paper topics

  • Food spoilage
  • Signs of spoilt food
  • Bad smell
  • Colour changes in food
  • Expiry dates
  • Food preservation
  • Shelf life of food items
  • Impact of seasons on food
  • Fungal growth on food
  • Reading food packets
  • Food safety
  • Preventing food waste

Important topics

  • Identifying spoilt food
  • Understanding expiry dates
  • Factors affecting food spoilage (season, moisture)
  • Categorizing food by shelf life
  • Preventing food spoilage

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Questions and Solutions

Discuss

1. How did Aman know that the potato sabzi had got spoilt?
Solution: Aman knew that the potato sabzi had got spoilt because it had developed a bad smell. This unpleasant odour is a common and clear indicator that food has started to decay.
2. Have you ever seen some food that has got spoilt? How did you know that it was spoilt?
Solution: Yes, I have seen food that has gone spoilt. I knew it was spoilt because it smelled bad, and sometimes the colour of the food looked unusual or mould had started to grow on it. For example, milk can turn sour and curdle, and bread can develop fuzzy green or black spots.
3. Preeti told Nitu not to eat the potato sabzi. What would have happened if she had eaten it?
Solution: If Nitu had eaten the spoilt potato sabzi, she might have fallen ill. Consuming spoiled food can lead to food poisoning, causing symptoms like stomach ache, vomiting, or diarrhoea.

Write

1. Look in your kitchen and write down names of food items that:
  1. Can get spoilt in 2-3 days.
Solution: Food items that can get spoilt in 2-3 days include:
  • Milk
  • Bread
  • Cooked dal (lentils)
  • Boiled rice
  • Freshly cooked curries or vegetables
These items are more perishable and require refrigeration or quick consumption.
  1. Can be kept for a week.
Solution: Food items that can generally be kept for about a week include:
  • Potatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Onions
  • Carrots
  • Apples
  • Some types of cakes (if stored properly)
These items are less perishable than milk or cooked food but will eventually spoil.
  1. Would not spoil till one month.
Solution: Food items that would not typically spoil for a month or longer include:
  • Flour (atta, maida)
  • Raw rice
  • Dry pulses (like moong, masoor)
  • Pickles
  • Ghee
  • Sugar
  • Salt
These items are usually dry or preserved, which inhibits the growth of spoilage-causing microorganisms.
2. Look at your friend's list and discuss in the class.
Solution: Discussing with friends' lists helps understand that most cooked foods spoil quickly (within 2-3 days), while raw vegetables might last a week. Dry grains and preserved items like pickles can last for a month or even longer. This variation is due to their composition, moisture content, and how they are stored.
3. Will your list be the same in all seasons? What would change?
Solution: No, the list will not be the same in all seasons. Food spoils much faster in hot weather (summer) than in cold weather (winter). In the rainy season, the high moisture content in the air can also speed up the spoilage process for many food items, especially those that are sensitive to humidity.
4. When food gets spoilt in your house, what do you do with it?
Solution: When food gets spoilt in our house, we discard it by throwing it in the garbage bin. It is important not to consume spoilt food as it can cause illness.

Biji Returned the Bread

1. Look at the picture of the bread packet here and guess why Biji returned it? How did she find that the bread had got spoilt?
Solution: Biji likely returned the bread because it had gone stale or spoilt. She might have found that the expiry date printed on the packet had passed, meaning the bread was no longer fresh or safe to eat. Alternatively, she may have observed visible signs of spoilage, such as black, fuzzy, or mouldy spots on the bread's surface, which indicate fungal growth.

Find Out

1. What can we know from what is written on the packet?
Solution: From what is written on a food packet, we can know several important details:
  • The name of the product.
  • The net weight or quantity of the food inside.
  • The price of the product.
  • The date of manufacturing (when it was made).
  • The date of expiry (the last date it is recommended to consume it by).
  • The list of ingredients used to make the food.
  • Sometimes, storage instructions or nutritional information.
This information helps us make informed choices about the food we buy.
2. When you buy anything from the market, what do you look for on the packet?
Solution: When I buy anything from the market, I primarily look for the dates on the packet. I check the date of manufacturing and, most importantly, the date of expiry to ensure the product is fresh and safe to consume. I also check the price and the weight to make sure I am getting good value.

How Does Food Get Spoilt?

1. The whole class can do this experiment together. Take a piece of bread or roti. Sprinkle a few drops of water on it, and put it in a box. Close the box. See the bread or roti everyday until you find some changes on it. Make this table on a chart paper and put it up in the classroom. Fill up the chart every day after discussing the changes seen.
Solution: This experiment helps us observe how food spoils over time. By sprinkling a little water on a piece of bread or roti and keeping it in a closed box, we create a moist environment suitable for microorganisms like fungi to grow. We observe the changes daily in terms of touch, smell, appearance (with or without a hand lens), and colour. The table below shows a sample observation:

Day Changes in the bread or roti By touch By smell By looking through hand lens By colour
1 Slightly moist, soft Clammy, soft Light smell Normal Normal
2 Moist, soft Clammy, soft Light stinking smell Velvet like white layer Slightly white
3 Moist and soft Moist and soft Stinking smell Velvet like white layer White
4 Moist and soft Moist and soft Stinking smell Greenish-white coloured small grass like structures Greenish white
5 Moist and soft Moist and soft Stinking smell Greenish coloured small grass like structures Green grass-like structures
6 Moist and soft Moist and soft Stinking smell Greenish-black coloured small grass like structures Greenish-black small grass-like structures

2. Find out the reason for these changes? From where did the fungus come on the bread?
Solution: The changes observed on the bread are due to the growth of fungus. Fungus reproduces through tiny spores that are present everywhere in the air. When these spores land on a moist surface, like the damp bread in the box, and find food (the bread itself), they start to grow. The white, green, or black patches seen are the fungus colonies. The bad smell is also a result of the decomposition process caused by the fungus.
3. Different kinds of food items spoil due to different reasons. Some foods spoil soon, some stay good for long. List some seasons and conditions in which food spoils quickly.
Solution: Food spoils quickly under certain conditions and in specific seasons. Here are some of them: Seasons:
  • Summer: Higher temperatures accelerate the growth of bacteria and fungi.
  • Rainy Season: Increased moisture and humidity in the air provide ideal conditions for mould and bacterial growth.
Conditions:
  • If cooked food is left uncovered at room temperature.
  • If milk is not boiled properly or is left out for too long.
  • If green vegetables are stored in hot and humid places instead of a cool environment.
  • If pickles or other preserved foods are exposed to moisture, which can lead to mould growth.
  • If food is not stored at the correct temperature (e.g., refrigeration).
These factors create an environment where microorganisms can multiply rapidly, leading to spoilage.

Common mistakes

  • Not checking expiry dates on food packets before consumption.
  • Assuming all food items have the same shelf life.
  • Ignoring early signs of spoilage like slight changes in smell or appearance.
  • Not understanding the impact of environmental factors (heat, moisture) on food spoilage.

Revision tips

  • Review the signs of spoilage discussed in the solutions (smell, colour, texture).
  • Practice identifying different food items that spoil quickly versus those that last longer.
  • Understand the significance of expiry dates and manufacturing dates on packaged food.
  • Discuss the role of seasons and storage conditions in food preservation.
  • Recall the experiment on bread/roti spoilage to understand fungal growth.

Practice MCQs

Q1. What is a common sign that potato sabzi has gone bad?

Q2. Which of the following food items is likely to spoil in 2-3 days?

Q3. What can be observed on bread that has started to spoil due to fungal growth?

Q4. Which information can be found on a food packet?

Q5. In which season does food tend to spoil more quickly?

Frequently asked questions

What does the chapter 'Mangoes Round The Year' teach about food?

This chapter teaches students about how food spoils, the signs to look for (like bad smell or colour changes), why it spoils, and how different seasons affect spoilage. It also covers the importance of checking expiry dates on food packets.

How can one tell if food has gone bad?

You can tell if food has gone bad by its smell (it might smell bad or sour), its appearance (unusual colours, mould growth), and sometimes its texture (it might become slimy or mushy).

Why is it important to check the expiry date on food packets?

It is important to check the expiry date to ensure the food is safe to eat. Consuming food past its expiry date can lead to illness.

Do all food items spoil at the same rate?

No, different food items spoil at different rates. Cooked food and dairy products usually spoil quickly, while dry grains, pickles, and ghee can be kept for a much longer time.

How do seasons affect food spoilage?

Food spoils more quickly in warmer seasons like summer and in rainy seasons due to increased moisture. Higher temperatures and humidity encourage the growth of bacteria and fungi.

What happens if someone eats spoilt food?

Eating spoilt food can make a person fall ill. It can cause stomach problems, vomiting, or other health issues.

Important links

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