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Science — CBSE Class 10 board question

Q1. [1]
Define the following terms : (i) Olfactory indicator (ii) Water of crystallization Water of crystallization
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2026 31/5/1 Q25 (ii)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 06:43 · grounding rag
Model Answer

(i) Olfactory indicator: Substances whose odour changes in acidic or basic media are called olfactory indicators. Examples: onion, vanilla essence, clove oil.

(ii) Water of crystallisation: The fixed number of water molecules present in one formula unit of a salt is called water of crystallisation. Example: CuSO₄·5H₂O.

Source: Acids, Bases and Salts, sections 2.1.1 and "What you have learnt"

Explanation

For olfactory indicators, the key phrase from the textbook is "substances whose odour changes in acidic or basic media." Always give an example.

For water of crystallisation, copy the textbook definition exactly — "fixed number of water molecules present in one formula unit of a salt." An example (like blue vitriol) earns full marks. Since this is a 1-mark question split into two parts, each definition needs just one concise line.

If a question refers to an image, map, graph or diagram that is not shown here, open the Study Guide single page app, go to Library and find the actual CBSE question paper. The original papers are also available on the CBSE website: cbse.gov.in.
Previous-year CBSE Grade 10 board exam questions, organised by subject and chapter, each with a model answer — free to read and print.