CAPF AC 2021 Q14: Science & Technology – Chemistry
- (a) Earth, Fire, Sky, Gas and Water
- (b) Air, Earth, Fire, Sky and Water
- (c) Gas, Land, Fire, Sky and Water
- (d) Air, Earth, Fire, Land and Water
Answer: (b) Air, Earth, Fire, Sky and Water
Explanation
Panch Tatva: the five basic elements
How to think: this is a line straight from NCERT Class IX.
Recall the Hindi names, then translate.
| Hindi name | English |
|---|---|
| Vayu | Air |
| Prithvi | Earth |
| Agni | Fire |
| Akash | Sky |
| Jal | Water |
NCERT line: early Indian philosophers classified matter into five basic elements, the Panch Tatva: air, earth, fire, sky and water.
Everything, living or non-living, was said to be made of these five.
Spot the traps:
| Option | What is wrong |
|---|---|
| (a) | Has Gas in place of Air |
| (c) | Has Gas and Land in place of Air and Earth |
| (d) | Has Land as well as Earth, and leaves out Sky |
Answer: (b) Air, Earth, Fire, Sky and Water.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. It uses Gas where the list has Air.
- (b) CORRECT. The Panch Tatva are air, earth, fire, sky and water.
- (c) Incorrect. It uses Gas and Land, which are not the terms in the list.
- (d) Incorrect. It repeats earth as Land and leaves out Sky.
Key point
Panch Tatva = air (vayu), earth (prithvi), fire (agni), sky (akash), water (jal). Ancient Greek philosophers had a similar classification of matter.
Remember
Panch Tatva: air, earth, fire, sky, water.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out sky (akash), the element that is easiest to forget.
- Accepting gas in place of air; the list names air, not gas.
- Counting land and earth as two separate elements.
Exam tip
Educated guess: Earth and Land mean the same thing, so (d) repeats itself and goes. Gas is a modern state of matter, not an ancient element, so (a) and (c) go.
Sources
- NCERT Class IX Science — Matter in Our Surroundings (introduction)
- NCERT Class IX Science — Atoms and Molecules (early Indian ideas of matter)