NCERT Solutions for Class 4th The World Around Us Chapter 6 Mindful Eating — Discuss
Book page 92 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
What role does your tongue play in this process?
The teacher’s six instructions, printed on page 92:
(a) Put the food item in your mouth slowly.
(b) Use your tongue and mouth to feel the surface of the food.
(c) Gently, chew it with your teeth.
(d) Feel the flavour and taste, using your tongue, nose and other senses.
(e) Remember the taste as you continue to chew.
(f) Before swallowing, remember the texture of the food.
The students followed these steps with their eyes closed, with one peanut on the palm.
Answer
The tongue is the part that feels and tastes the food.
It feels the surface of the food — smooth or rough, hard or soft (step b).
It tells us the taste — sweet, salty, sour or bitter (step d).
It moves the food about inside the mouth and pushes it back to the teeth.
Why: Without the tongue we could still chew our food, but we would not know what we were eating. That is why the teacher asked the students to use the tongue first.
Q2.
What do your teeth do to the food?
The teacher’s six instructions, printed on page 92:
(a) Put the food item in your mouth slowly.
(b) Use your tongue and mouth to feel the surface of the food.
(c) Gently, chew it with your teeth.
(d) Feel the flavour and taste, using your tongue, nose and other senses.
(e) Remember the taste as you continue to chew.
(f) Before swallowing, remember the texture of the food.
The students followed these steps with their eyes closed, with one peanut on the palm.
Answer
The teeth chew the food and break it into small pieces.
The front teeth cut the food, and the back teeth grind it.
Chewing gently and slowly makes the food soft (step c).
When the food is soft, it is ready to be swallowed.
Why: A big, hard piece is difficult to swallow. Small, soft pieces slip down easily and the body can use them better.
Q3.
What happens to the food inside your mouth during this process?
The teacher’s six instructions, printed on page 92:
(a) Put the food item in your mouth slowly.
(b) Use your tongue and mouth to feel the surface of the food.
(c) Gently, chew it with your teeth.
(d) Feel the flavour and taste, using your tongue, nose and other senses.
(e) Remember the taste as you continue to chew.
(f) Before swallowing, remember the texture of the food.
The students followed these steps with their eyes closed, with one peanut on the palm.
Answer
Inside the mouth the food changes slowly. Four things happen to it.
It becomes wet, because our mouth is always a little wet.
It breaks into small pieces as the teeth chew it.
Its taste and smell spread, so we enjoy it more.
It becomes soft, and then we swallow it (step f).
Why: Chewing slowly mixes the food with the water in the mouth. That is why food eaten slowly tastes better than food gulped down.
Try this: Take one peanut, close your eyes and follow the six steps. Notice how the taste keeps changing while you chew.