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Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Home Science study materials
Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Home Science study resources

Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Home Science practice questions

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Question 1Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

In the Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Home Science syllabus, the subject is best described as the study of which of the following?

  1. The history of textile mills in Tamil Nadu
  2. The chemical analysis of industrial food additives
  3. Only stitching and embroidery techniques used in tailoring
  4. Everyday living skills that connect family resources with food, clothing, shelter and health Correct answer.

Explanation

Home Science is an interdisciplinary field that applies science to daily life, linking human needs with available resources in food, clothing, shelter, health and family relationships. It draws on science, arts and social science but is not limited to any one craft or industry. This broad, life-centred scope is what the first-year syllabus introduces.

Question 2Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

A first-year student wants to understand why Home Science is called an interdisciplinary subject. Which grouping best supports this claim?

  1. It depends only on traditional cooking practices handed down in families
  2. It borrows concepts from nutrition, chemistry, physiology, psychology and economics Correct answer.
  3. It uses only mathematics for calculating household budgets
  4. It is taught only through practical laboratory work without theory

Explanation

Interdisciplinary means the subject draws concepts and methods from several established disciplines and integrates them to solve real-life problems. Nutrition, chemistry, physiology, psychology and economics all contribute to areas such as meal planning, child development and resource management. A single source or a single method cannot justify the label.

Question 3Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

Which of the following is the clearest example of a career that applies Home Science knowledge of food and nutrition in a hospital setting?

  1. Textile designer
  2. Fashion merchandiser
  3. Dietitian Correct answer.
  4. Interior decorator

Explanation

A dietitian plans and supervises therapeutic diets for patients, directly using nutrition science in a clinical setting. The other listed careers draw on clothing, textiles or housing knowledge rather than food and nutrition. Matching the career to the specialisation is the key to this question.

Question 4Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

Which branch of Home Science deals most directly with the selection, care and construction of fabrics?

  1. Human development
  2. Clothing and textiles Correct answer.
  3. Food science and nutrition
  4. Family resource management

Explanation

Clothing and textiles covers fibre properties, fabric selection, garment construction and care of clothes. It is the branch whose content is defined by textiles rather than by food, growth or household resources. Recognising the branch by its core content is the aim here.

Question 5Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

A community worker helps a village self-help group plan a small catering unit. Which combination of Home Science areas is most useful for this task?

  1. Nutrition, food preparation and resource management Correct answer.
  2. Textile chemistry and garment construction
  3. Housing design and furniture carpentry
  4. Child psychology and school curriculum design

Explanation

Running a catering unit requires safe and nutritious food preparation plus budgeting, costing and management of money and time. These come from nutrition, food preparation and family resource management. The other combinations address clothing, child development or housing, which are not central to a catering enterprise.

Question 6Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

Which statement best explains why Home Science is described as a subject with both scientific and vocational value?

  1. It replaces the need to study physics, chemistry and biology separately
  2. It teaches only manual skills that are tested in practical examinations
  3. It is useful only for students who plan to become teachers
  4. It applies tested scientific principles to daily living while also preparing learners for income-generating occupations Correct answer.

Explanation

Home Science uses scientific principles such as nutrition, hygiene and physiology to improve everyday living, and it also develops practical skills that can lead to employment or self-employment. That dual character is what the phrase scientific and vocational value captures. It supplements rather than replaces the basic sciences.

Question 7Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

A student is interested in the physical, emotional and social changes that occur in children as they grow. Which area of Home Science should the student pursue?

  1. Nutrition
  2. Human development Correct answer.
  3. Extension education
  4. Textiles

Explanation

Human development studies growth and development across the lifespan, including physical, emotional, social and cognitive changes. It prepares learners for work with children, families and community programmes. The other branches focus on food, fabrics or community outreach.

Question 8Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

Which of the following best describes the role of extension education in Home Science?

  1. Maintaining accounts in a household budget register
  2. Testing food samples in a laboratory for adulteration
  3. Carrying scientific knowledge from institutions to families and communities to improve living standards Correct answer.
  4. Designing garments for export markets

Explanation

Extension education is the link between research-based knowledge and the community, using methods such as demonstrations, campaigns and training to bring about change in daily practices. It is about dissemination and adoption rather than laboratory testing or commercial design. This distinguishes it from the other branches.

Question 9Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

A student plans to work in the hospitality industry managing menus, food cost and kitchen hygiene. Which Home Science preparation is most relevant?

  1. Child guidance and counselling
  2. Food science, catering management and hygiene Correct answer.
  3. Fabric testing and dyeing
  4. Interior space planning

Explanation

Menu planning, food costing and kitchen hygiene are core concerns of food science and catering management. These directly match the demands of the hospitality industry. Counselling, textiles and interior planning address different needs.

Question 10Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

Which statement about the scope of Home Science is most accurate?

  1. It is limited to household cooking and cleaning tasks
  2. It excludes the use of technology and modern appliances
  3. It extends from individual and family needs to community and national development Correct answer.
  4. It covers only topics useful for girls and not for boys

Explanation

Home Science begins with the individual and family but extends to community health, consumer awareness and national development through better living standards. It is not restricted to domestic chores, to one gender, or to traditional methods. Technology is in fact an important tool within the subject.

Question 11Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

In the context of Home Science, which of the following is an example of a resource that a family manages?

  1. A certificate awarded at the end of a course
  2. A laboratory balance used in school
  3. Time, money and energy available to the household Correct answer.
  4. A textbook chapter on digestion

Explanation

Resources are the means available to a family for meeting its goals, and time, money and energy are classic examples. Resource management studies how these are planned and used efficiently. A textbook, an instrument or a certificate is not a household resource in this sense.

Question 12Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

Which career would most directly use Home Science knowledge of housing, ergonomics and space planning?

  1. Textile chemist
  2. Clinical dietitian
  3. Interior designer Correct answer.
  4. Preschool teacher

Explanation

Interior design applies knowledge of space planning, ergonomics, ventilation and aesthetics to create functional living and work environments. It draws on the housing and resource management branch. Dietetics, preschool teaching and textile chemistry belong to other branches.

Question 13Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

A Home Science graduate starts a crèche for working parents. Which two areas of the subject are most directly applied in running it?

  1. Textile chemistry and dyeing
  2. Food preservation and packaging
  3. Human development and family resource management Correct answer.
  4. Housing finance and carpentry

Explanation

A crèche requires understanding of child growth, care and stimulation, which comes from human development, along with planning of staff, money and schedules, which comes from resource management. The other pairs address industrial textiles, food processing or construction, which are not central to childcare services.

Question 14Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

Which of the following best explains why consumer education is included within Home Science?

  1. It trains students to sell household products door to door
  2. It teaches only the legal procedures for filing court cases
  3. It helps families make informed choices, avoid adulterated goods and use income wisely Correct answer.
  4. It replaces the need for budgeting in the family

Explanation

Consumer education develops awareness of standards, labels, prices and rights so that families can choose wisely and avoid exploitation. It is closely tied to resource management and family welfare. It does not train sellers, deal only with litigation, or remove the need for budgeting.

Question 15Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

A student argues that Home Science has little scientific content because it deals with daily life. Which response is the strongest counter-argument?

  1. Home Science applies principles from nutrition, physiology, chemistry and microbiology to solve practical problems Correct answer.
  2. Home Science is scientific because it uses measuring cups in the kitchen
  3. Home Science is scientific because it is examined in schools
  4. Home Science is scientific because it is taught by trained teachers

Explanation

A subject is scientific when it uses systematic principles and evidence, and Home Science applies established findings from nutrition, physiology, chemistry and microbiology to real problems such as safe food handling and balanced diets. Examination status, kitchen tools or teacher training do not by themselves establish scientific content. The strongest counter-argument therefore rests on the principles applied.

Question 16Home Science: Concept, Scope and Career Opportunities

Two students discuss which Home Science branch would best prepare them for work in a rural nutrition programme. Which choice is most defensible and why?

  1. Housing, because rural houses need improvement
  2. Human development, because rural areas have children
  3. Food science and nutrition with extension education, because the work requires nutrition knowledge plus community teaching methods Correct answer.
  4. Textiles, because rural families wear clothes

Explanation

A rural nutrition programme needs both accurate nutrition knowledge and the ability to communicate and motivate the community, which is the domain of extension education. Combining these two areas matches the task precisely. The other branches touch rural life but do not address nutrition delivery.

Question 17Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

In the study of family and community life, which statement best describes the term 'family' as used in Home Science?

  1. A group of people who share a common place of work and income
  2. A formal organisation registered for community welfare activities
  3. A group of individuals related by blood, marriage or adoption who live together and share resources Correct answer.
  4. A temporary gathering of neighbours during a festival

Explanation

Home Science defines the family as a basic social unit whose members are linked by blood, marriage or adoption and who usually share a household and its resources. This shared living and resource base is what distinguishes the family from other social groups.

Question 18Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

A household in which a married couple lives with their children, and the grandparents also live under the same roof, is best described as which type of family?

  1. Nuclear family
  2. Joint family Correct answer.
  3. Childless family
  4. Single-parent family

Explanation

A joint family includes two or more generations living together, typically parents, their married children and grandchildren. Because grandparents, parents and children share one household here, the structure is joint rather than nuclear.

Question 19Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of the following is a socialising function performed by the family?

  1. Maintaining the village street lights
  2. Collecting taxes for the local government
  3. Teaching children the language, customs and values of their community Correct answer.
  4. Providing a loan to a neighbour for a small business

Explanation

Socialisation is the process by which the family transmits language, customs, values and acceptable behaviour to the younger generation. This makes the family the first and most basic agency of socialisation in society.

Question 20Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of these is an example of a non-human resource within a family?

  1. The grandfather's knowledge of farming
  2. The family's sewing machine Correct answer.
  3. The homemaker's cooking skill
  4. The elder daughter's time spent tutoring her brother

Explanation

Family resources are classified as human resources, such as skills, knowledge and time possessed by people, and non-human resources, such as money, goods and equipment. A sewing machine is a material possession, so it belongs to the non-human category.

Question 21Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

In the family life cycle, which stage generally brings the greatest demand on the family's time and money for child care and education?

  1. The expanding stage, when young children are being raised Correct answer.
  2. The ageing stage, after retirement
  3. The beginning stage, before children arrive
  4. The contracting stage, when children leave home

Explanation

During the expanding stage the family grows with the arrival of children, and expenditure on food, clothing, health and schooling rises sharply. This stage therefore places the heaviest continuous demand on both time and money.

Question 22Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

A family earns a fixed monthly income. The mother plans to buy school books first, then clothing, and postpone a new television. Which management principle is she applying?

  1. Simplifying work through equipment
  2. Sharing tasks among family members
  3. Standardising household work
  4. Prioritising needs according to their importance Correct answer.

Explanation

When resources are limited, management requires arranging needs in order of importance so that essential items are met first. Buying books before entertainment is a clear example of setting priorities rather than of work simplification or task sharing.

Question 23Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of the following best illustrates the principle of division of labour in a family?

  1. Every member doing every household task in rotation each day
  2. The father cooking, the mother managing accounts and the children cleaning, according to ability Correct answer.
  3. Hiring a maid to do all the household work
  4. Postponing all household work to the weekend

Explanation

Division of labour means allocating different tasks to different members according to their ability, time and interest so that work is completed efficiently. Assigning cooking, accounts and cleaning to different people is a direct application of this principle.

Question 24Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

A family's monthly income is ₹20,000 and its expenditure is ₹23,000. What does this situation indicate?

  1. The family has surplus money to invest
  2. The family has a balanced budget
  3. The family is spending more than its income and may need to borrow Correct answer.
  4. The family is saving regularly

Explanation

When expenditure exceeds income, the family is running a deficit and must use savings or borrow to meet the gap. A balanced budget requires income and expenditure to be equal, and savings require income to be greater than spending.

Question 25Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of the following is the most appropriate first step in making a family budget?

  1. Opening a savings account in a bank
  2. Listing the family's total expected income from all sources Correct answer.
  3. Borrowing money to cover expected expenses
  4. Buying household appliances on instalments

Explanation

A budget must begin with a clear estimate of the total income available, because spending plans can only be made within that limit. Only after income is known can the family estimate and allocate expenditure.

Question 26Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of these is an example of a fixed family expenditure?

  1. Cost of medicines during an illness
  2. Expenses for a family holiday
  3. Money spent on a festival celebration
  4. The monthly house rent Correct answer.

Explanation

Fixed expenditures are regular and predictable commitments that must be paid, such as rent, school fees or insurance premiums. House rent recurs every month in a known amount, so it is a classic fixed expense.

Question 27Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

A mother needs to attend a parent-teacher meeting and also complete an urgent office report on the same morning. Which resource is she most directly trying to manage?

  1. Time Correct answer.
  2. Space
  3. Energy
  4. Money

Explanation

When two important tasks compete for the same hours, the resource under pressure is time. Managing time involves scheduling, prioritising and combining activities so that both obligations can be met.

Question 28Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of the following best describes 'work simplification' in household management?

  1. Making tasks easier and quicker by better methods, tools and layout Correct answer.
  2. Employing more people to do the household work
  3. Doing household work less often to save money
  4. Avoiding all household work during busy periods

Explanation

Work simplification aims to reduce the time, energy and fatigue involved in a task through improved methods, suitable equipment and an efficient arrangement of the work area. It does not mean avoiding work or merely hiring more help.

Question 29Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of these is an example of a family's social resource?

  1. The goodwill and support of relatives and neighbours Correct answer.
  2. The family's savings in a bank
  3. The family's car
  4. The monthly salary earned by the father

Explanation

Social resources are the relationships, networks and goodwill that a family can draw upon for help and support. Relatives and neighbours who offer assistance represent this intangible social capital, unlike money or goods.

Question 30Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

In a family, the father makes major decisions alone while the mother and children have little say. Which pattern of family authority does this represent?

  1. Autocratic or authoritarian Correct answer.
  2. Matriarchal
  3. Laissez-faire
  4. Democratic or egalitarian

Explanation

An authoritarian or autocratic family is one in which decision-making power is concentrated in the hands of one member. Since the father decides alone and others have little influence, the pattern is autocratic.

Question 31Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of the following best explains why the family is called the primary agency of socialisation?

  1. It is the largest institution in society
  2. It is funded by the government for social work
  3. It is legally required to register every member
  4. It is the first group in which a child learns values, language and behaviour Correct answer.

Explanation

The family is called primary because a child's earliest and most lasting learning of language, values and behaviour takes place within it. Its influence comes from being the first social group, not from size or legal status.

Question 32Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of these changes is most likely to alter the roles and relationships within a modern Indian family?

  1. A decrease in the number of festivals celebrated
  2. A rise in the price of vegetables
  3. An increase in the number of women working outside the home Correct answer.
  4. An increase in the number of television channels

Explanation

When more women take up employment outside the home, household tasks, decision-making and income sharing are renegotiated, which reshapes family roles and relationships. The other options are minor changes that do not directly restructure family roles.

Question 33Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

A teenager in the family is given the responsibility of managing the household grocery budget for a month. Which family function does this most directly support?

  1. The religious function of worship
  2. The biological function of reproduction
  3. The economic function of resource management Correct answer.
  4. The protective function of health care

Explanation

Managing a grocery budget involves planning, spending and controlling family resources, which is the economic function of the family. Giving this task to a teenager also trains the young member in resource management.

Question 34Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of the following is the best example of effective communication between parents and a teenager in the family?

  1. Parents giving instructions without allowing the teenager to respond
  2. Parents comparing the teenager unfavourably with other children
  3. Parents listening actively and discussing the teenager's concerns with respect Correct answer.
  4. Parents avoiding all conversation about problems

Explanation

Effective communication requires two-way exchange in which each person listens and responds with respect. Active listening and respectful discussion build trust, whereas one-way instruction, avoidance or comparison damage relationships.

Question 35Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of these is an example of a community resource that a family can use for health care?

  1. A sewing machine kept at home
  2. The family's own first-aid box
  3. The family's personal savings account
  4. A primary health centre run by the government Correct answer.

Explanation

Community resources are facilities and services provided for the use of all members of a locality, such as a government primary health centre. A first-aid box, savings account or sewing machine belongs to the individual family, not the community.

Question 36Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

A family plans to reduce its electricity bill by switching off unused lights and using LED bulbs. Which type of resource is being conserved most directly?

  1. Social goodwill of neighbours
  2. Time spent on household work
  3. Non-human material and financial resources Correct answer.
  4. Human energy of family members

Explanation

Electricity is a purchased utility, so reducing its use conserves both a material resource and the money spent on it. The savings arise from lower consumption of a non-human resource, not from changes in human energy, goodwill or time.

Question 37Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which of the following statements about the roles of family members is most accurate?

  1. Roles in a family are fixed by gender and should never change
  2. Roles are learned expectations that can change with circumstances and needs Correct answer.
  3. Roles are unimportant because family members act independently
  4. Roles are decided only by the eldest member and cannot be questioned

Explanation

In Home Science, roles are understood as socially learned expectations attached to positions such as parent or child, and they adapt as circumstances, employment and needs change. They are not permanently fixed by gender or by the authority of one member.

Question 38Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

A family with a low income uses local public transport, buys seasonal vegetables and repairs clothes instead of replacing them. This behaviour best illustrates which concept?

  1. Avoidance of social responsibility
  2. Hoarding of surplus goods
  3. Efficient use of limited resources Correct answer.
  4. Conspicuous consumption

Explanation

When resources are scarce, good management means choosing alternatives that give maximum satisfaction for the least cost, such as public transport and seasonal foods. These choices show efficient use of limited resources rather than wasteful or conspicuous spending.

Question 39Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

Which statement correctly distinguishes a 'need' from a 'want' in family resource management?

  1. A want is necessary for health, while a need is only for comfort
  2. A need is always more expensive than a want
  3. A need is essential for survival and well-being, while a want is desirable but not essential Correct answer.
  4. Needs and wants mean exactly the same thing in budgeting

Explanation

Needs are requirements essential for survival and well-being, such as food, shelter and health care, whereas wants are desirable extras that can be postponed. Cost is not the distinguishing factor, and the two terms are not interchangeable in budgeting.

Question 40Family and Community: Roles, Relationships and Resources

A family facing a sudden loss of income decides to postpone a planned wedding celebration, sell an unused plot and take up extra tailoring work at home. Which combination of management steps does this best represent?

  1. Reassessing goals, converting resources and generating additional income Correct answer.
  2. Borrowing heavily without any plan for repayment
  3. Only increasing expenditure and avoiding planning
  4. Ignoring the problem and continuing the original plan

Explanation

Facing a crisis, the family reviews its goals by postponing the celebration, converts an idle asset into cash and creates new income through tailoring. Together these reflect planned adjustment of goals and resources rather than unplanned spending or borrowing.

Question 41Food Science, Nutrition and Meal Planning

In the Tamil Nadu Home Science syllabus, foods are grouped into three main functional categories. Which group includes foods such as rice, wheat and potato that supply the body with energy?

  1. Body-building foods
  2. Energy-giving foods Correct answer.
  3. Regulatory foods
  4. Protective foods

Explanation

Foods rich in carbohydrates, such as cereals, roots and tubers, are classified as energy-giving foods because they are the body's main fuel source. Body-building foods supply protein, while protective foods supply vitamins and minerals.

Question 42Food Science, Nutrition and Meal Planning

A student wants to include a cheap, locally available cereal that is a good source of carbohydrate and also contains some protein. Which choice best fits this description?

  1. Rice Correct answer.
  2. Sugar
  3. Ghee
  4. Cabbage

Explanation

Rice is a cereal staple eaten daily in Tamil Nadu and supplies carbohydrate for energy along with a small amount of protein. Ghee is almost pure fat, cabbage supplies mainly vitamins and fibre, and sugar supplies only refined carbohydrate.

Question 43Food Science, Nutrition and Meal Planning

Which nutrient is the chief structural material for building and repairing body tissues, making it especially important for growing adolescents?

  1. Fat
  2. Calcium
  3. Protein Correct answer.
  4. Vitamin C

Explanation

Protein supplies amino acids that are used to build new tissue and repair worn-out cells, so it is called the body-building nutrient. Fat is mainly a concentrated energy store, while calcium and vitamin C are specific minerals and vitamins.

Question 44Food Science, Nutrition and Meal Planning

A meal of plain rice with sambar and a little ghee is eaten daily. Which nutrient is most likely to be present in excess relative to need in such a diet?

  1. Dietary fibre
  2. Vitamin A
  3. Carbohydrate Correct answer.
  4. Iron

Explanation

A rice-dominant meal supplies a large share of energy from carbohydrate, often more than the body needs if portion size is large. Vitamins A and iron are typically short in such diets, and fibre is moderate because rice is refined.

Question 45Food Science, Nutrition and Meal Planning

Which vitamin is synthesised in the skin on exposure to sunlight and is therefore called the sunshine vitamin?

  1. Vitamin K
  2. Vitamin A
  3. Vitamin B12
  4. Vitamin D Correct answer.

Explanation

Vitamin D is produced in the skin when ultraviolet light converts a cholesterol derivative into the vitamin, so adequate sunlight prevents deficiency. Vitamin A, B12 and K must be obtained mainly from food.

Question 46Food Science, Nutrition and Meal Planning

A child shows bleeding gums and slow healing of wounds. Which vitamin deficiency is most likely responsible?

  1. Vitamin A
  2. Vitamin B1
  3. Vitamin C Correct answer.
  4. Vitamin D

Explanation

Vitamin C is needed for collagen synthesis, so deficiency causes bleeding gums, easy bruising and delayed wound healing, the picture of scurvy. Vitamin D deficiency affects bones, B1 deficiency causes beriberi, and vitamin A deficiency affects vision.

Question 47Food Science, Nutrition and Meal Planning

Which mineral is essential for the formation of haemoglobin, and its absorption is improved when taken with a source of vitamin C?

  1. Sodium
  2. Iodine
  3. Phosphorus
  4. Iron Correct answer.

Explanation

Iron is a component of haemoglobin, and vitamin C keeps it in a more absorbable form, which is why lemon or amla with meals helps. Iodine is needed for thyroid hormone, sodium for fluid balance and phosphorus for bone mineral.

Question 48Food Science, Nutrition and Meal Planning

Which of the following is a rich plant source of good-quality protein commonly used in Tamil Nadu meals?

  1. Bottle gourd
  2. Coconut oil
  3. Soybean Correct answer.
  4. Tapioca

Explanation

Soybean is a legume with a high protein content and a good amino acid profile compared with most plant foods. Tapioca is starchy, coconut oil is pure fat and bottle gourd is mostly water with little protein.

Question 49Food Science, Nutrition and Meal Planning

In meal planning, which principle explains why cereals and pulses are combined in dishes such as idli and sambar?

  1. Increased fat content
  2. Reduction of cooking time
  3. Improved colour of the dish
  4. Complementary action of proteins Correct answer.

Explanation

Cereals are low in lysine while pulses are low in methionine, so combining them supplies a more complete amino acid pattern. This is called complementary action of proteins and is a key meal-planning principle.

Question 50Food Science, Nutrition and Meal Planning

Which cooking method best preserves water-soluble vitamins in vegetables?

  1. Steaming until just tender Correct answer.
  2. Frying in deep oil
  3. Boiling in plenty of water and discarding it
  4. Prolonged soaking before cooking

Explanation

Water-soluble vitamins such as C and B group leach into cooking water and are destroyed by heat and oxidation. Steaming briefly with little contact with water minimises both losses.