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NCERT Solutions Curiosity Chapter 1 A problem you solved yourself — Activity 1.1: Let us think and write

Book page 5 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Write about a similar problem that you tried to solve.
Answer

This is your own experience, so write about a real problem from your life. A good answer must contain three things: what went wrong, what you thought the reason was, and how you checked.

Choose a problem from home or school, for example:

  • The cycle became hard to pedal.
  • The TV remote stopped working.
  • The tubelight flickered but did not glow.
  • The plant on the window sill dried up even though it was watered.
  • The tap in the kitchen gave only a thin trickle of water.
Sample answer: One morning my bicycle became very hard to pedal, though nothing looked broken. I first guessed that the chain had become dry, so I looked at it — it was oiled and moved freely, so that guess was wrong. Next I guessed that the rear tyre had less air. I pressed both tyres with my thumb: the front one was firm but the rear one sank in easily. I filled air at the shop near my school and the cycle ran smoothly again. My second guess was correct.
What makes this a good answer: it names one clear problem, states the guesses before the checking, admits that the first guess failed, and ends with the evidence that settled the matter — not just “I fixed it”.
Q2.
What steps did you take?
Answer

Write your steps in order, and then match them with the five steps of the scientific method. For the cycle example above:

Step of the scientific methodWhat I actually did
1. ObservationThe cycle needed much more effort to pedal than usual; nothing was visibly broken.
2. QuestionWhy has my cycle suddenly become hard to pedal?
3. GuessFirst guess — the chain has gone dry. Second guess — the rear tyre has lost air.
4. TestLooked at and moved the chain (it was fine). Pressed both tyres with my thumb and compared them.
5. AnalysisThe rear tyre sank in easily → it was low on air. After filling air, the cycle ran smoothly. The second guess was proved right.
The point of the activity: you were already using the scientific method before you had a name for it. Writing the steps out in this order makes the method visible, so that next time you can use it deliberately on a harder problem.
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