Q1.
(Conversation about the grazing cow) According to you, whose statement is correct and why?
Answer
The last child is correct — the one who says: “The cow is eating grass. Grass leaves need sunlight to grow. So, the main source of energy is the Sun. This way the cow gets energy from the Sun.”
Let us look at each statement:
| Statement | Correct? | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| “The cow is grazing the grass and getting energy from it.” | Partly right | True as far as it goes — the cow does get its energy from the grass. But it stops at the grass and does not ask where the grass got the energy from. |
| “The cow is standing in the Sun, but that does not mean it is getting energy from the Sun.” | Right about one thing | Correct that an animal cannot take in energy simply by standing in sunlight — animals cannot make food from sunlight. But wrong to conclude that the Sun gives the cow no energy. |
| “The cow eats grass; grass needs sunlight to grow; so the main source of energy is the Sun.” | Fully correct | It follows the energy all the way back to where it started. |
Sun → sunlight helps grass prepare food → cow eats the grass → cow gets energy
So the Sun is the main source of energy for the cow, though not directly.
So the Sun is the main source of energy for the cow, though not directly.
Why the second child is mistaken: a cow standing in the Sun only gets warm — it cannot turn sunlight into food. Only green plants can do that. So sunlight reaches the cow through the grass, not through its skin. The same is true for us: our chapati, dal, milk and egg are all sunlight stored by plants.