components-of-food MCQs for UPSC Prelims

28 practice questions on components-of-food from the Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 28 come with a written explanation. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

8 Easy 14 Medium 6 Hard

Sample questions

Q1
hard

A doctor advises a patient to cut down on fried snacks but warns against removing fat from the diet altogether. Which reason explains this advice best?

  1. A The body needs some fat, but too much fat brings health problems
  2. B The body can make all the fat it needs out of water
  3. C Fat is needed by children only and never by adults
  4. D Fried foods contain no fat at all
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - The body needs some fat, but too much fat brings health problems

Fat is a necessary part of a balanced diet and acts as the body's energy store, yet eating far more than is needed leads to obesity and other problems. Adults need fat just as children do, and fried snacks are high in fat rather than free of it. The body cannot build fat out of water.

Q2
easy

Proteins are needed by the body mainly for

  1. A growth and repair of the body
  2. B supplying most of the daily energy
  3. C keeping the body cool
  4. D removing waste from the body as urine
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - growth and repair of the body

Proteins are the body-building foods used to build new tissue and repair worn-out parts. Sweat and water keep the body cool, and water carries waste out as urine. Most of the daily energy comes from carbohydrates, not from proteins.

Q3
hard

Two children eat the same amount of rice and dal every day, but one of them also eats a fruit and a green vegetable daily. What difference is this most likely to make?

  1. A A much greater supply of starch
  2. B No further need to drink water
  3. C A better supply of vitamins and minerals
  4. D No further need for the protein in dal
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - A better supply of vitamins and minerals

Fruits and green vegetables are the main everyday sources of vitamins and minerals, so the second child is better protected against deficiency. Rice already supplies plenty of starch, so starch is not the main gain. Water is still needed every day, and dal is still needed for protein.

Q4
medium

Read these statements about carbohydrates. (i) Starch and sugar are both carbohydrates. (ii) Potato and sugarcane are both good sources of carbohydrates. Which is correct?

  1. A Only statement (ii)
  2. B Neither statement
  3. C Only statement (i)
  4. D Both statements
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - Both statements

Starch and sugar are the two common forms of carbohydrate in our food, so the first statement is correct. Potato stores starch and sugarcane stores sugar, so the second statement is correct too. Because both are true, the choices naming only one of them and the choice naming neither are all wrong.

Q5
medium

Sweating on a hot day is one way the body uses water. What does sweating mainly do?

  1. A It builds new body tissue
  2. B It cools the body down
  3. C It adds energy to the body
  4. D It stores fat under the skin
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - It cools the body down

Sweat spreads over the skin and carries heat away as it dries, so the body cools down. Sweating releases no energy and builds no tissue. Fat is stored from extra food energy and has nothing to do with sweating.

Q6
easy

Which component of our food is the body's main source of energy?

  1. A Carbohydrates
  2. B Water
  3. C Roughage
  4. D Vitamins
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates such as starch and sugar supply most of the energy the body uses every day. Vitamins are needed in very small amounts and protect the body. Roughage is not digested and gives no energy, and water carries substances about but supplies no energy.

Q7
easy

Which of these foods is the richest source of fats?

  1. A Boiled rice
  2. B Cabbage
  3. C Lemon
  4. D Groundnut oil
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - Groundnut oil

Cooking oils such as groundnut oil are almost entirely fat. Boiled rice is mainly carbohydrate, and lemon is valued for vitamin C. Cabbage supplies mostly roughage and vitamins with almost no fat.

Q8
hard

Assertion (A): Chapati made from whole wheat flour helps the bowels work better than chapati made from finely refined flour. Reason (R): Whole wheat flour keeps the outer covering of the grain, which supplies roughage. Choose the correct option.

  1. A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  2. B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. C A is true, but R is false
  4. D A is false, but R is true
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

The outer covering of the grain is the part that supplies roughage, and whole wheat flour keeps it while refined flour removes it. That extra roughage is exactly why whole wheat chapati helps the bowels work smoothly. Both statements are true and the reason explains the assertion, so the other three choices are wrong.

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