NCERT Solutions Curiosity Chapter 6 .3.3 Explore materials through which one can see or cannot see — In-text Questions

Book page 1086 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.

You have learnt that materials can have different properties, like lustre, hardness, softness and colour. Can you think of any other properties that are shown by materials?

Answer

Yes — many more. Here are the ones you can test yourself with things at home:

Property	Simple test	Example
Transparency	Try to read a page through it	Glass, butter paper, wood
Solubility in water	Stir a spoonful in water	Sugar dissolves, sand does not
Mass (heavy or light)	Weigh equal amounts on a balance	A cup of pebbles is heavier than a cup of water
Floating or sinking	Drop it in a mug of water	Wood floats, iron sinks
Attracted by a magnet	Bring a magnet close	Iron pins yes, aluminium foil no
Passing heat	Dip it in hot tea and touch the top	Steel spoon becomes hot, wooden ladle does not
Absorbing water	Put a drop on it	Cloth and paper soak it up, plastic does not
Bending without breaking	Try to bend it	Copper wire bends, chalk snaps

Where the chapter goes next: of this whole list, the book now studies three in detail — transparency (section 6.3.3), solubility in water (6.3.4) and mass and volume (6.3.5 and 6.3.6).

Q2.

Why did Ghulan, Sheeta and Sara choose these places to hide?

Answer

Because each of them picked something you cannot see through clearly. That is the whole trick of hide and seek.

Ghulan hid behind a wall. A brick or stone wall is opaque — no light passes through it, so the seeker sees only the wall.
Sheeta hid behind a big tree. The thick wooden trunk is also opaque, and it is broad enough to cover her.
Sara hid behind a frosted glass door. Frosted glass has a hazy surface and is translucent — light gets through, but the seeker sees only a blurred shadow and cannot tell who it is.

Why nobody hid behind a window pane: plain glass is transparent. Light passes straight through it, so the hider would be seen at once — which is exactly why Sheeta’s brother, standing behind the glass window, could watch the whole game.

Q3.

Do you think it would be possible for Sheeta’s brother to see her and her friends through a closed wooden window of the house?

Answer

No, he could not see anything.

A closed wooden window is opaque. Wood does not let light pass through it at all, so no light from Sheeta and her friends can reach his eyes. He would see only the wooden shutter in front of him.

Why he could see through the glass window: glass is transparent — light from outside passes straight through the pane and enters his eyes, forming a clear picture. Replace the glass with wood and the same window becomes a blank wall.

Did you know? This is exactly why houses have both. The glass pane lets in light and lets you see out; the wooden shutter is closed at night for privacy and to keep out cold, because wood blocks both light and heat.

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