NCERT Solutions for Class 4th The World Around Us Chapter 3 Picking up Food — Activity 3

Book page 45 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
Take different food items like grains, berries, fruits, nuts, etc., in a plate. Try to pick these food items using a spoon, a toothpick or a pair of sticks. Fill the table below with appropriate tool(s) for picking each of these food items.
Food itemAppropriate tool(s)
Grains 
Berries 
Nuts 
Pieces of fruits 
The table as it is printed in the book.
Answer

Do it like this:

  1. Put a little of each food in one plate — a few grains of rice or wheat, two or three berries, some groundnuts, and small pieces of banana or apple.
  2. Pick up each food with the spoon first. Note whether it was easy or hard.
  3. Try again with the toothpick, and then with the pair of sticks.
  4. Write the tool that worked best in the table.

What you will find:

Food itemAppropriate tool(s)Why that tool works
GrainsSpoonGrains are tiny and many. A spoon scoops up a lot at one go.
BerriesPair of sticksA berry is soft and round. Sticks hold it without squashing it.
NutsPair of sticksA nut is hard and big. Sticks grip it firmly and it does not roll away.
Pieces of fruitsToothpickA sharp point goes straight into a soft piece and lifts it.
What the activity is really showing: No single tool picks up everything well. In the same way, no single beak suits every food. Each bird has the beak that suits what it eats.
ToolThe beak it is likeThat bird eats
SpoonThe duck’s flat billFood sifted out of water
Pair of sticks / tongsThe sparrow’s short strong beakSeeds and grains
ToothpickThe sunbird’s long thin beakNectar from inside a flower
A bent, sharp hookThe eagle’s curved beakThe meat of the prey it catches
Tip: The book says we can guess the eating habits of a bird by looking at its beak and claws. Try it the next time you see a bird.
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