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NCERT Solutions for Class 5th The World Around Us Chapter 1 Mustard seeds on crumpled paper — Activity 6

Book page 10–11 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
What did you observe about the mustard seeds?
Answer

The seeds rolled down from the highest point towards the lower parts of the paper. They did not stay where they were poured. They followed the dips and folds of the crumpled paper and gathered in the low hollows.

How to set it up:

  1. Take a sheet of old newspaper and crumple it into a ball, then open it out. It now has many folds and creases.
  2. Lay a second sheet over it and press it down gently so that the folds become soft, gentle slopes.
  3. Lift one edge so that one part is clearly the highest point.
  4. Pour a cup of mustard seeds slowly on that highest point.
  5. Watch where the seeds go. Do not shake the paper.
What I watchedWhat I observed
The direction of the seedsAlways from the higher part towards the lower part — never uphill.
Their pathNot straight. They ran along the grooves and bends of the folds.
Where they stoppedIn the low hollows, where they piled up in little heaps.
SpeedFast on the steep parts, slow where the slope was gentle.
Why it happens: The seeds have weight, so they roll to the lowest place they can reach. The shape of the paper decides which way they can go. Water behaves in exactly the same way, which is why this activity is a good model of a river.
Q2.
Are they moving in a straight line, or do they spread out in different directions?
Answer

They spread out in different directions. They do not travel in one straight line.

The stream of seeds splits into several smaller streams. Some go left, some go right, some run down the middle. Each little stream follows the groove it happens to fall into.

Highest point Seeds gather in the hollows Different folds send the seeds in different directions.
One starting point, many paths — because the folds of the paper decide the way.
Why they spread: The crumpled paper is not one smooth slope. It has many small ridges and many small valleys. A seed cannot cross a ridge, so it must follow whichever valley it lands in. Rivers do the same. That is why rivers born close together on the same mountain can end up in seas on opposite sides of the country.
Q3.
Are they collecting in some areas? Do they gather like water gathers in lakes, rivers and so on?
Answer

Yes. The seeds collect in the low hollows of the paper — exactly the way water collects in ponds and lakes.

On the paperIn nature
A long groove with seeds running along itA river or a stream
A hollow where seeds pile up and stopA pond or a lake
A steep fold where seeds rush down fastA waterfall or a fast mountain stream
A ridge the seeds cannot crossA hill or a mountain range that divides two rivers
Seeds spilling off the edge of the paperA river reaching the sea
Why they gather: A hollow has no lower place to go on to. Once a seed is in it, it stops. Water does the same. If the ground under the hollow is hard and the water cannot soak away, the water stays and a pond or a lake is formed.
The rule to remember, in the book's own words: water flows, stops or curves according to the shape of the land formations in its path — and the flow of water can also change the shape of the land.
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