NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science (Curiosity) Chapter 9: Methods of Separation in Everyday Life

These Class 6 Science Curiosity Chapter 9 solutions cover Methods of Separation in Everyday Life from the new NCF textbook (session 2026–27). Following Malli and Valli on their tour of India, this chapter explains how we separate the useful parts of a mixture from the unwanted ones using simple methods such as handpicking, threshing, winnowing, sieving, sedimentation, decantation, filtration, evaporation, churning and magnetic separation. Every “Let us enhance our learning” exercise question is reproduced and solved below.

Class: 6 Subject: Science Book: Curiosity Chapter: 9 Topic: Methods of Separation Session: 2026–27
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Class 6 Science Curiosity Chapter 9 Solutions – Overview

Chapter 9 of Curiosity, Methods of Separation in Everyday Life, shows that the things around us are often mixtures — two or more substances mixed together. We separate them either to remove a useless or harmful part (like stones from pulses) or to obtain a useful part (like butter from curd, or salt from seawater). The chapter follows Malli and Valli across India, where each place teaches a method that depends on a clever difference between the components — their size, weight, magnetic nature, or whether they dissolve in water. Solid–solid mixtures are sorted by handpicking, threshing, winnowing, sieving or magnetic separation; solids dissolved or suspended in liquids are separated by sedimentation, decantation, filtration and evaporation; and butter is taken from curd by churning.

Key Concepts & Definitions

Mixture: a substance made when two or more substances are mixed together, such as grains mixed with small stones and husk.

Handpicking: picking out small quantities of unwanted material (stones, husk) from a mixture by hand, based on differences in size, colour and shape.

Threshing: beating harvested stalks to separate the grains from them.

Winnowing: separating lighter husk from heavier grains by dropping the mixture in wind or by blowing air; the lighter husk is blown away.

Sieving: separating components of a solid–solid mixture that have different particle sizes, using a sieve — fine particles pass through while bigger ones stay on top.

Sedimentation: the settling down of a heavier, insoluble component at the bottom of a liquid.

Decantation: gently pouring off (or tilting) the upper liquid after the heavier solid has settled.

Filtration: separating insoluble solids from a liquid by passing it through a filter (cloth, filter paper, etc.); the solid stays as residue and the clear liquid passes as filtrate.

Evaporation: the process in which a liquid changes into vapour; used to recover a solid dissolved in a liquid (e.g. salt from salt solution).

Churning: agitating curd or cream so that fat droplets join to form butter, which separates from the liquid. In the textbook example, butter is collected from churned curd.

Magnetic separation: separating magnetic substances (like iron) from non-magnetic ones using a magnet.

Let us enhance our learning — NCERT Solutions

These original explanations cover Questions 1–10 on pages 178–180 of NCERT Curiosity, Reprint 2026–27. Read them alongside your textbook.

1. What purpose does handpicking serve in the process of separation? (i) Filtration    (ii) Sorting    (iii) Evaporation    (iv) Decantation

ANSWER (ii) Sorting. Handpicking is used to sort a mixture — we pick out unwanted bits such as small stones or husk from grains and pulses by hand, on the basis of differences in their size, colour and shape.

2. Which of the following substances are commonly separated using the churning method? (i) Oil from water    (ii) Sand from water    (iii) Cream from milk    (iv) Oxygen from air

ANSWER(iii) Cream from milk is the intended choice among the four options given in this exercise.Concept clarification: the chapter itself describes churning curd to obtain butter (page 174). Cream and butter are different. Cream can be separated from milk by allowing it to rise or by centrifugation; churning curd or cream brings fat droplets together into butter.

3. Which factor is usually essential for the filtration? (i) Apparatus size    (ii) Presence of air    (iii) Pore size    (iv) Temperature of the mixture

ANSWER (iii) Pore size. Filtration works because the filter has tiny pores. The pores must be small enough to hold back the solid particles (residue) while letting the liquid (filtrate) pass through, so the size of the pores is the essential factor.

4. State with reason(s) whether the following statements are True [T] or False [F]. Also, correct the False statement(s). (i) Salt can be separated from salt solution by keeping it under the Sun. [  ] (ii) Handpicking should be used only when the quantity of one component is less. [  ] (iii) A mixture of puffed rice and rice grains can be separated by threshing. [  ] (iv) A mixture of mustard oil and lemon water can be separated by decantation. [  ] (v) Sieving is used to separate a mixture of rice flour and water. [  ]

ANSWER (i) True [T]. When salt solution is kept under the Sun, the water evaporates and the solid salt is left behind, so salt is separated by evaporation. (ii) True [T]. Handpicking is convenient only when the unwanted component is present in a small quantity and can easily be picked by hand; it would be too slow for large amounts. (iii) False [F]. Threshing only separates grains attached to stalks; it cannot separate puffed rice from rice grains. Correction: a mixture of puffed rice and rice grains can be separated by winnowing, because light puffed rice is carried farther by moving air than heavier rice grains. Sieving may also work if their sizes differ sufficiently and a suitable sieve is available. (iv) True [T]. Mustard oil does not mix with lemon water and forms a separate layer on top when left undisturbed, so the two can be separated by decantation. (v) False [F]. An ordinary kitchen sieve is too coarse to retain fine rice-flour particles dispersed in water. Correction: a mixture of rice flour and water is separated by filtration (and the flour can then be dried), since rice flour is insoluble in water.

5. Match the mixtures in Column I with their method of separation in Column II.

Column IColumn II
(i) Gram flour mixed with black gram(a) Handpicking
(ii) Chalk powder mixed with water(b) Magnetic separation
(iii) Corn mixed with potatoes(c) Decantation
(iv) Iron powder mixed with sawdust(d) Sieving
(v) Oil mixed with water(e) Filtration
ANSWER (i) → (d) Sieving — fine gram flour passes through the sieve while the larger black gram stays on top. (ii) → (e) Filtration — chalk powder is insoluble in water and is held back as residue on the filter. (iii) → (a) Handpicking — corn and potatoes differ greatly in size, colour and shape, so they are easily picked apart by hand. (iv) → (b) Magnetic separation — iron is magnetic and is pulled out by a magnet, leaving the non-magnetic sawdust. (v) → (c) Decantation — oil and water do not mix and form separate layers, so the upper oil can be poured off. Summary: (i)-(d), (ii)-(e), (iii)-(a), (iv)-(b), (v)-(c).

6. In what situations would you use decantation instead of filtration to separate solids from liquids?

ANSWERUse decantation when an insoluble solid settles readily and the upper liquid can be poured off without disturbing the sediment. It is useful for washing rice or separating settled sand from water when a small amount of remaining solid is acceptable.Choose filtration when particles do not settle readily or need to be retained more effectively. The filter must have suitable pores. Neither ordinary decantation nor filter paper removes dissolved salt, and clear-looking water is not necessarily safe to drink.

7. Can you relate the presence of nasal hair to any separation process?

ANSWERYes—this is similar to filtration. Nasal hair helps trap larger airborne particles, such as dust, as air enters the nose. It does not remove every fine particle or germ. The mucus lining also helps capture particles.

8. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all of us wore masks. Generally, what material are they made of? What is the role of these masks?

ANSWERMaterials: cloth masks use layers of woven fabric; medical masks and many respirators use fine non-woven synthetic fibres, commonly polypropylene.Role: the material filters some particles and respiratory droplets from air passing through it. Masks can reduce the release and inhalation of infectious particles. Protection depends on the material, filtration performance and fit; leakage around the edges reduces protection. They do not stop every particle. See CDC guidance on filtration and fit.

9. A mixture containing potatoes, salt and sawdust has been given to you. Outline a stepwise procedure for separating each component from this mixture.

ANSWER Step 1 – Remove the potatoes (handpicking): Potatoes are large and easy to see, so pick them out by hand. This leaves a mixture of salt and sawdust. Step 2 – Add water and stir: Add water to the salt–sawdust mixture and stir. The salt dissolves in water, while the sawdust is insoluble and floats/remains suspended. Step 3 – Filter the mixture: Pass it through a filter. The sawdust is collected as residue on the filter; dry it to recover the sawdust. The salt solution passes through as filtrate. Step 4 – Evaporate the filtrate: Let the salt solution evaporate in sunlight (or have a teacher demonstrate heating it) so the water evaporates and the salt is left behind. All three components — potatoes, sawdust and salt — are now separated.
Flowchart: handpick potatoes, dissolve salt in water, filter out sawdust, then evaporate water to recover salt.
Question 9: each step uses a different property—size, solubility, filtration and evaporation. Tap to view at full size.

10. Read the following story titled ‘Intelligent Leela’ and tick the most appropriate options. Provide a suitable title of your choice for the paragraph.

Leela was working in the farm with her father when she realised that they left their drinking water at home. Before her father felt thirsty/hungry, she went to the nearby pond to fetch some water/grains. After obtaining some water in the container, she noticed that the water was muddy and fit/unfit for drinking. To purify the water, she kept it for some time and then she filtered/churned the muddy water using a piece of paper/muslin cloth. Leela, then, cooled/boiled the water for about 10 minutes in a covered pan. After cooling/boiling, she filtered/churned it again and made it fit/unfit for drinking. She served this water to her father while having food, who blessed her and appreciated her efforts.

ANSWER Completed paragraph (correct options ticked): Leela was working in the farm with her father when she realised that they left their drinking water at home. Before her father felt thirsty, she went to the nearby pond to fetch some water. After obtaining some water in the container, she noticed that the water was muddy and unfit for drinking. To purify the water, she kept it for some time and then she filtered the muddy water using a piece of muslin cloth. Leela, then, boiled the water for about 10 minutes in a covered pan. After cooling, she filtered it again and made it fit for drinking. She served this water to her father while having food, who blessed her and appreciated her efforts. Suitable title: “Leela’s Clever Way to Clean Water” (or “Leela Uses Separation Methods”). Any sensible title of your choice is accepted.

Textbook story versus real drinking-water safety: “fit” is the intended story choice. Cloth filtration removes some suspended matter and boiling kills many disease-causing germs, but neither guarantees removal of harmful dissolved chemicals. Do not drink pond water from a classroom filtration activity. Use a known safe supply; prevent treated water from being contaminated again. See CDC drinking-water guidance.

Extra Practice Questions

These questions and MCQs are ClearStudy practice, separate from the NCERT exercise.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. What is a mixture? Give one example.

ANSWERA mixture is formed when two or more substances are mixed together. Example: wheat grains mixed with small stones and husk.

Q2. Why do we separate the substances in a mixture? Give two reasons.

ANSWER(1) To remove an unwanted or harmful component, e.g. removing stones from pulses. (2) To obtain a useful component, e.g. getting butter from curd or salt from seawater.

Q3. Differentiate between threshing and winnowing.

ANSWERThreshing is beating the harvested stalks to separate the grains from them. Winnowing is separating the lighter husk from the heavier grains by dropping the mixture in wind or blowing air, so the husk is carried away.

Q4. How is salt obtained from seawater?

ANSWERSeawater is collected in shallow pits and exposed to sunlight and air. The water slowly evaporates, leaving behind a solid mixture, from which common salt is obtained after further purification.

Q5. Define sedimentation and decantation.

ANSWERSedimentation is the settling down of a heavier, insoluble component at the bottom of a liquid. Decantation is then pouring off (or tilting away) the clear upper liquid, leaving the settled solid behind.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. Explain how suspended mud can be removed from pond water. Does clear water prove it is safe to drink?

ANSWERLet heavier particles settle (sedimentation), carefully pour off the upper liquid (decantation), then pass it through a suitable filter (filtration). Retained particles are the residue; the liquid passing through is the filtrate.This can improve clarity, but clear water is not proof of safe drinking water. Ordinary filters may allow germs and dissolved chemicals through. Boiling can kill many germs but cannot remove harmful chemical contamination. Classroom water-filter models are for observation, not drinking.

Q2. Describe the method of separating grains from harvested crops as practised by farmers.

ANSWERWhen a crop is harvested, the grains are attached to the stalks. Farmers first carry out threshing, in which the stalks are beaten on a hard surface such as a wooden log so that the grains fall off. After threshing, the grains are mixed with light husk. To remove this husk, farmers do winnowing: standing on a raised platform, they drop the mixture from a bamboo tray (soop) in the direction of the wind. The heavier grains fall straight down into a heap, while the lighter husk is blown a little away by the wind, forming a separate pile. Modern threshing machines (threshers) can do both threshing and winnowing together. Finally, any small stones left among the grains are removed by handpicking.

Q3. A shopkeeper has a mixture of iron filings, salt, sand and water. Explain how each component can be separated.

ANSWERFirst, a magnet is moved through the mixture so that the magnetic iron filings are attracted to it and pulled out — this is magnetic separation. The remaining mixture of salt, sand and water is then filtered: the insoluble sand stays on the filter as residue, while the salt solution passes through as filtrate (salt is dissolved in water). The sand is dried to recover it. The salt solution is finally heated or kept in the Sun so that the water evaporates, leaving behind solid salt; if we want to recover the water too, the vapour can be cooled and condensed back into liquid water. To recover all four components, use magnetic separation and filtration, then distillation—evaporation followed by collecting and condensing the vapour. Open-air evaporation alone loses the water. Heating and distillation should be demonstrated by a teacher.

MCQs & Assertion–Reason

1. Picking small stones out of rice by hand is called:

(a) sieving    (b) handpicking    (c) winnowing    (d) filtration

2. Beating harvested stalks to separate grains is known as:

(a) winnowing    (b) churning    (c) threshing    (d) sedimentation

3. Lighter husk is separated from heavier grains by:

(a) winnowing    (b) sieving    (c) decantation    (d) magnetic separation

4. A sieve is used to separate components of a mixture that differ in:

(a) colour    (b) particle size    (c) smell    (d) magnetic nature

5. Salt is recovered from salt solution by the process of:

(a) filtration    (b) decantation    (c) evaporation    (d) threshing

6. Tea leaves are removed from tea most completely by:

(a) decantation    (b) filtration (using a strainer)    (c) winnowing    (d) sieving

7. In filtration, the clear liquid that passes through the filter is called the:

(a) residue    (b) mixture    (c) filtrate    (d) sediment

8. Butter is separated from curd by:

(a) sieving    (b) churning    (c) filtration    (d) evaporation

9. Iron nails can be separated from sawdust using a:

(a) sieve    (b) filter paper    (c) magnet    (d) bamboo tray

10. The settling down of a heavier insoluble solid at the bottom of a liquid is called:

(a) decantation    (b) sedimentation    (c) evaporation    (d) filtration

Answer key: 1-(b), 2-(c), 3-(a), 4-(b), 5-(c), 6-(b), 7-(c), 8-(b), 9-(c), 10-(b).

For each Assertion–Reason question, choose: (A) Both true and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion; (B) Both true but the Reason is not the correct explanation; (C) Assertion true, Reason false; (D) Assertion false, Reason true.

A-R 1. Assertion: Winnowing is used to separate husk from grains.

Reason: The husk is lighter than the grains, so it is carried away by the wind.

A-R 2. Assertion: Salt can be obtained from seawater by evaporation.

Reason: On heating or exposure to sunlight, the water turns into vapour and the dissolved salt is left behind.

A-R 3. Assertion: Decantation completely separates all the tea leaves from tea.

Reason: In decantation the heavier solid settles down and only the clear liquid is poured off.

A-R 4. Assertion: A magnet can be used to separate iron filings from a mixture.

Reason: Iron is a magnetic substance and is attracted towards a magnet.

A-R 5. Assertion: Sieving can be used to separate rice flour from water.

Reason: Sieving separates solid components of a mixture that have different particle sizes.

Answer key: 1-(A), 2-(A), 3-(D), 4-(A), 5-(D).

Quick Revision Summary

  • A mixture contains two or more substances; we separate them to remove an unwanted part or to obtain a useful part.
  • Handpicking separates small amounts of stones/husk by differences in size, colour and shape.
  • Threshing beats stalks to free the grains; winnowing blows away the lighter husk in the wind.
  • Sieving separates solid–solid mixtures of different particle sizes.
  • Sedimentation + decantation separate a settled heavy solid from a liquid; filtration removes insoluble solids (residue) and gives clear filtrate.
  • Evaporation recovers a dissolved solid (salt) from a liquid; churning extracts butter from curd.
  • Magnetic separation uses a magnet to pull out magnetic substances like iron. Mixtures of more than two components need a combination of methods.

Real-life Applications

Methods of separation are used everywhere in daily life. Farmers thresh and winnow grain; cooks sieve flour, strain tea and churn curd into butter; and salt is harvested from seawater and lakes (such as Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan) by evaporation. At construction sites, sieves separate pebbles from sand. Our own body uses filtration — nasal hair traps dust from the air we breathe — and masks work on the same principle. Recyclers and industries use giant magnets fitted to cranes to pull scrap iron out of waste heaps so it can be reused. Water treatment can combine several methods, but removing visible mud alone does not establish drinking-water safety. Learning these methods helps us choose the right one based on the property — size, weight, solubility or magnetism — that makes the components different.

How to write a clear answer

Always link the method to the property being used: size (sieving, handpicking), weight (winnowing, sedimentation), solubility (filtration, evaporation) or magnetism (magnetic separation). In “separate the mixture” questions, write a clear stepwise procedure and remember that a mixture with more than two components needs a combination of methods. Use the correct terms — residue, filtrate, threshing, winnowing — and add a real-life example to strengthen your answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Class 6 Science Curiosity Chapter 9 about?

Chapter 9, Methods of Separation in Everyday Life, explains why and how we separate the components of a mixture using everyday methods — handpicking, threshing, winnowing, sieving, sedimentation, decantation, filtration, evaporation, churning and magnetic separation — each chosen according to a property such as size, weight, solubility or magnetism.

What is the difference between winnowing and sieving?

Winnowing separates lighter and heavier components (like husk and grain) using wind or blowing air, so it depends on weight. Sieving separates solid components of different particle sizes using a sieve, where fine particles pass through and bigger ones stay on top.

How is salt separated from a salt solution?

By evaporation. The salt solution is heated or left in sunlight so the water evaporates as vapour, leaving the solid salt behind. To get the water back too, the vapour can be cooled and condensed.

Are these Class 6 Science Curiosity Chapter 9 solutions free?

Yes. All solutions are free and follow the official NCERT Curiosity textbook for 2026–27.

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