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Matter Around Us — Exercise Solutions

Complete solutions for Samacheer Kalvi Class 6 Science, Term 1, Chapter 3: Matter Around Us. Solve every question on your own first, then check your answers here.

I. Multiple Choice Questions

Q1. \_\_\_\_ is not made of matter.

• (a) gold ring
• (b) iron nail
• (c) light ray
• (d) oil drop

Light is a form of energy, not matter. It has no mass and does not occupy space.

Q2. 200 ml of water poured into a 400 ml capacity bowl — volume of water now will be:

• (a) 400 ml
• (b) 600 ml
• (c) 200 ml
• (d) 800 ml

A liquid has a fixed volume. The water does not change its volume when transferred to a larger container; it simply takes the shape of the bowl.

Q3. Seeds from water-melon can be removed by \_\_\_\_ method.

• (a) hand-picking
• (b) filtration
• (c) magnetic separation
• (d) decantation

Seeds are larger and visibly different from the pulp, so they can be picked out one by one.

Q4. Lighter impurities like dust mixed with rice/pulses can be removed by:

• (a) filtration
• (b) sedimentation
• (c) decantation
• (d) winnowing

Winnowing uses wind (air) to blow away lighter particles like dust and husk while the heavier grains fall down.

Q5. \_\_\_\_ is essential to perform winnowing activity.

• (a) Rain
• (b) Soil
• (c) Water
• (d) Air

Winnowing relies on air (wind) to separate lighter and heavier components.

Q6. Filtration is effective in separating a mixture of:

• (a) solid-solid
• (b) solid-liquid
• (c) liquid-liquid
• (d) liquid-gas

A filter allows the liquid to pass through while trapping solid particles on the filter paper or sieve.

Q7. From the following, \_\_\_\_ is not a mixture.

• (a) coffee with milk
• (b) lemon juice
• (c) water
• (d) ice cream with nuts

Water (H₂O) is a pure substance — a single compound. The others contain more than one kind of particle mixed together.

II. True or False (with corrections)

Q1. Air is not compressible.

False ✗ — Air is highly compressible. The particles in a gas have large spaces between them, so they can be pushed closer together under pressure.

Q2. Liquids have no fixed volume but have a fixed shape.

False ✗ — Liquids have a fixed volume but no fixed shape. They take the shape of their container.

Q3. Particles in solids are free to move.

False ✗ — Particles in solids are not free to move. They are tightly packed and can only vibrate in their fixed positions. Only liquid and gas particles move freely.

Q4. When pulses are washed before cooking, water is separated by filtration.

False ✗ — The dirty water is separated by decantation, not filtration. After the pulses settle (sedimentation), the water is carefully poured away.

Q5. A strainer is a kind of sieve used to separate a liquid from a solid.

True ✓ — A strainer has holes that allow liquid to pass through while holding back solid particles, just like a sieve.

Q6. Grain and husk can be separated by winnowing.

True ✓ — Winnowing uses air to blow away the lighter husk while the heavier grains fall directly down.

Q7. Air is a pure substance.

False ✗ — Air is a mixture of gases (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapour, noble gases, etc.). It contains more than one kind of particle.

Q8. Butter from curds is separated by sedimentation.

False ✗ — Butter from curd is separated by churning, not sedimentation. Churning agitates the curd, causing butter fat to separate out.

III. Fill in the Blanks

1. Matter is made up of atoms. 2. In solids, the space between particles is less than in liquids and gases. 3. Grains can be separated from their stalks by threshing. 4. Chilies are removed from 'upma' by the hand-picking method. 5. The method to separate clay particles from water is filtration. 6. Among safety pins, pencil and rubber band — safety pins will get attracted to a magnet. 7. Water from tube wells is usually impure water.

IV. Complete the Analogy

1. Solid : rigidity :: gas : flexibility 2. Large inter-particle space : gas :: little inter-particle space : solid 3. Solid : definite shape :: liquid : shape of the vessel 4. Husk-grains : winnowing :: sawdust-chalk piece : filtration 5. Murukku from hot oil : filtration :: coffee powder residue from decoction : filtration 6. Iron-sulphur mixture : magnetic separation :: mustard seeds from urad-dhal : rolling

V. Match the Following

Match the following — States of Matter

Match the following — Separation Methods

VI. Very Short Answers

Q1. Define matter.

Anything which occupies space and has mass is called matter. Chair, water, air, sand — all are matter because they have mass and take up space.

Q2. How can husk or fine dust be separated from rice before cooking?

Wash the rice with water. The lighter impurities (husk, dust) float on top. After the rice settles at the bottom (sedimentation), carefully pour away the dirty water (decantation). The clean rice remains.

Q3. Why do we separate mixtures?

We separate mixtures for three reasons:

1. To remove harmful or unwanted impurities — e.g., removing stones from rice 2. To obtain useful components — e.g., extracting petrol from petroleum 3. To get a substance in a highly pure form — e.g., extracting gold from gold ore

Q4. Give an example of a mixture with justification.

Milk is a mixture. It contains water, fat, proteins, and carbohydrates mixed together physically. Since it has more than one kind of particle, it is not a pure substance.

Q5. Define sedimentation.

The settling down of heavier particles at the bottom of a liquid when the mixture is left undisturbed for some time is called sedimentation. Example: sand settling at the bottom of muddy water.

Q6. What is the main difference between a pure and an impure substance?

VII. Short Answers

Q1. A rubber ball changes shape on pressing — can it still be called a solid?

Yes, a rubber ball is a solid. It has a definite shape and definite volume under normal conditions. When you press it, it temporarily deforms because rubber is elastic, but it returns to its original shape when the force is removed. The particles in a rubber ball cannot move freely from one place to another — they only vibrate in their fixed positions, which is a characteristic of solids.

Q2. Why do gases not have a fixed shape?

Gases do not have a fixed shape because:

• The intermolecular space between gas particles is very large
• The force of attraction between gas particles is very weak
• Gas particles move freely in all directions at high speed
• As a result, gases fill the entire container and take its shape

Q3. How can cheese (paneer) be separated from milk?

1. Heat the milk and add lemon juice or vinegar 2. The milk curdles — cheese (paneer) floats on top as solid lumps 3. Separate the paneer using a strainer (filtration) 4. The liquid that passes through is called whey; the solid retained is paneer

Q4. What is the sieving method?

Sieving is a separation technique used to separate solid particles of different sizes. A sieve has fine holes that allow smaller particles to pass through while larger particles are retained. Example: separating bran from flour, or gravel from sand at construction sites.

Q5. How can tiny bits of paper mixed with pulses (dal) be separated?

Use winnowing. Hold the mixture in a plate and let air blow over it. The paper bits, being lighter, will be carried away by the wind. The heavier pulses will fall straight down, separating the two.

Q6. What is food adulteration?

Food adulteration is the process of lowering the quality of food by either:

• Adding inferior or harmful substances (e.g., mixing chalk powder in flour)
• Removing valuable ingredients from the food (e.g., removing fat from milk)

Adulteration makes food unsafe for consumption and is a punishable offence.

Q7. Mrs. Raghu has only curds — how can she make buttermilk?

1. Take curd in a vessel 2. Add two cups of chilled water 3. Churn the mixture well using a hand churner (mathu) until smooth 4. The butter separates and floats on top — remove it 5. Add salt and chaat masala to the remaining buttermilk and serve

VIII. Detailed Answers (HOTS)

Q1. Distinguish the properties of solids, liquids and gases.

Q2. How would you separate a mixture of chalk powder, mustard oil, water, and coins? Draw a flow chart.

Step-by-step separation:

1. Hand-picking — Remove the coins first (they are large and distinct) 2. Decantation — Mustard oil floats on water; carefully pour the oil layer out 3. Filtration — Filter the remaining water through filter paper; chalk powder stays on the paper, clear water passes through

Flow chart:

Q3. Groundnuts mixed with urad-dhal — how to separate?

Use a sieve or wire mesh. Groundnuts are larger than urad-dhal. When the mixture is shaken on a sieve, the smaller dhal passes through the holes while the larger groundnuts remain on top.

Q4. Water + tamarind juice + sugar stirred together — is this a mixture? Is it sweet or sour?

Yes, this is a mixture because it contains more than one kind of particle (water particles, tamarind particles, and sugar particles) mixed together physically. The solution is both sweet and sour — sugar makes it sweet, tamarind makes it sour.

Q5. Particle arrangement diagrams

Given three figures (Fig 1, Fig 2, Fig 3) showing different particle arrangements:

• (a) Fig 1 represents the liquid state — particles are moderately spaced and can move within the volume
• (b) Fig 3 has maximum interparticle attraction — this is the solid state (particles are closely packed)
• (c) Fig 2 cannot be contained in an open vessel — this is the gaseous state (particles spread out freely)
• (d) Fig 1 can take the shape of its container — this is the liquid state

IX. Life Skills — Food Adulteration Detection

X. Sequence Type — Steps for Making Tea

Arrange the steps using: mixture, dissolve, filtrate, residue

1. Take water and milk — a mixture of two liquids 2. Heat the mixture and add tea powder 3. Add sugar and stir well — sugar dissolves in the hot liquid 4. Filter through a strainer — the tea collected below is the filtrate 5. Tea leaves remain on the strainer — they are the residue

XI. Project Work

Q1. Fruit/Vegetable Salad — why is it a mixture?

A fruit salad contains banana, papaya, apple, pineapple, cream, milk, and honey — all physically mixed together. Each ingredient retains its own properties. Since it contains more than one kind of particle mixed physically (not chemically), it is a mixture.

Q2. How do hot air balloons work?

Hot air is lighter (less dense) than cool air, creating buoyancy that lifts the balloon. The balloon consists of:

• Envelope — made of nylon (melting point ~230°C)
• Basket — carries passengers
• Burner — uses liquid propane to heat the air inside

The internal temperature is kept below 120°C. Hot air balloons cannot fly in rain because rainwater on the envelope would boil from the heat, damaging the nylon fabric.

Common Mistakes

1. Saying "air has no mass" — Air does have mass. An inflated cycle tube weighs more than a deflated one, proving air has mass.

2. Confusing decantation with filtration — Decantation means carefully pouring off the liquid layer after sedimentation. Filtration uses a filter medium (paper, cloth) to separate solid from liquid. They are different methods.

3. Saying "liquids have no fixed volume" — Liquids do have a fixed volume. They have no fixed shape. If you pour 200 ml of water into a 400 ml bowl, the volume stays 200 ml; only the shape changes.

4. Calling water a mixture — Pure water (H₂O) is a compound, not a mixture. Pond water or tap water is a mixture because it contains dissolved impurities.

5. Confusing churning with sedimentation — Butter from curd is obtained by churning (mechanical agitation), not sedimentation (settling by gravity).

6. Saying "all matter can be seen" — Matter particles (atoms and molecules) are too small to be seen even with a powerful microscope. We only see their large-scale collections.

7. Forgetting that plasma is a state of matter — Stars including the Sun are composed of plasma, the fourth state of matter. Plasma exists at extremely high temperatures, not cold temperatures.

Exam Checklist

• [ ] Define matter and list its three states with examples
• [ ] Explain properties of solids, liquids, and gases (shape, volume, compressibility, particle arrangement)
• [ ] Distinguish between pure substances and mixtures
• [ ] Name and explain separation methods: hand-picking, threshing, winnowing, sieving, sedimentation, decantation, filtration, churning, magnetic separation
• [ ] Know when to use each separation method (which type of mixture)
• [ ] Define food adulteration and list detection tests for common foods
• [ ] Explain why air is compressible and has mass
• [ ] Describe the difference between decantation and filtration
• [ ] Arrange the steps of tea-making using correct terminology (mixture, dissolve, filtrate, residue)
• [ ] Draw and explain particle arrangement diagrams for solid, liquid, and gas
• [ ] Identify plasma as the fourth state of matter
• [ ] Define diffusion, sedimentation, and decantation