Which one of the following alcoholic drinks is produced without distillation? (a) Wine (b) Whisky (c) Rum (d)

NCERT Exemplar · Q9

Q. Which one of the following alcoholic drinks is produced without distillation?

(a) Wine

(b) Whisky

(d) Brandy

Yanam CbseMCQ· 1mImportance★★★★★

30% · 24/80 Questions

🔒 Locked · start free trial →

You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

Concept understanding — Microbial Fermentation Foods

Let’s begin with something you already know. Think of a pot of milk left out in warm weather. After a few hours, it turns sour and thickens into curd. That change is not spoilage in the usual sense — it is a controlled transformation caused by tiny living organisms called microbes. This is the heart of microbial fermentation.

Fermentation is a process in which microorganisms — bacteria, yeast, or moulds — break down organic substances (like sugars) in the absence of oxygen, producing energy for themselves and, as a by‑product, substances that change the food. When we deliberately use this process to make food, we call the result microbial fermented foods.

You have eaten many of them without thinking twice: curd (yogurt), idli and dosa batter, bread, cheese, pickles, vinegar, and even the dark chocolate you might enjoy. Each of these relies on specific microbes doing their work.

Note

The NCERT textbook (Class XII, Biology, Chapter 10: Microbes in Human Welfare) introduces fermented foods under the topic “Microbes in Household Products.” It lists curd, cheese, idli, dosa, and bread as common examples. The key point is that these are not modern inventions — they have been part of Indian and global diets for centuries.

Why does this matter? Because fermentation does three things that are valuable for us:

Preserves food — The acids or alcohol produced by microbes prevent spoilage by harmful bacteria. Pickles stay edible for months because of lactic acid from fermentation.
Improves digestibility — Microbes break down complex molecules. Lactose in milk becomes easier to digest in curd; the proteins in soy become more digestible in tempeh.
Enhances flavour and texture — The tang of yogurt, the airy holes in bread, the umami of soy sauce — all come from fermentation.

Let’s look at a few examples from your daily life, as the NCERT would describe them:

Curd (yogurt): Milk is boiled and cooled, then a small amount of previous curd (containing Lactobacillus bacteria) is added. The bacteria convert lactose into lactic acid, which thickens the milk and gives it a sour taste.
Idli and dosa batter: Rice and urad dal are soaked, ground, and left to ferment overnight. Naturally occurring Leuconostoc and other bacteria produce carbon dioxide gas, which makes the batter rise and gives idlis their spongy texture.
Bread: Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) ferments the sugars in dough, releasing carbon dioxide that makes the dough rise. The alcohol produced evaporates during baking.
Cheese: Milk is curdled using rennet (an enzyme) or acid, then specific bacteria and moulds are added to ripen it. Different microbes give different cheeses their distinct flavours — for example, Penicillium roqueforti gives blue cheese its veins and sharp taste. …

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

Wine is the alcoholic drink among the options that is produced solely through fermentation, without the subsequent process of distillation.

Alcoholic beverages are broadly categorised by their production method: those made purely by fermentation and those that undergo an additional step of distillation. Understanding this distinction is key to identifying which drinks fall into each category.

The initial step for almost all alcoholic drinks is fermentation. This biological process involves microorganisms, primarily yeast, converting sugars into ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide in the absence of oxygen. Different raw materials, such as fruit juices (grapes for wine), grains (barley for whisky), or molasses (for rum), provide the sugars for this process. The alcohol content achieved through fermentation alone is typically limited, as high concentrations of alcohol become toxic to the yeast, halting their activity. For instance, most wines have an alcohol content ranging from 10% to 18%.

To produce alcoholic drinks with a higher alcohol concentration, a process called distillation is employed. Distillation is a physical separation technique that takes advantage of the different boiling points of alcohol and water. Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water. When a fermented liquid (often called a 'wash' or 'mash') is heated, the alcohol vaporises more readily than water. These alcohol-rich vapours are then collected and condensed back into a liquid, resulting in a much more concentrated alcoholic product. This process effectively separates and purifies the alcohol, increasing its percentage significantly.

Let's examine the options provided:

Wine: Wine is traditionally made by fermenting grape juice. The natural sugars in the grapes are converted into alcohol by yeast. This process yields a beverage with a moderate alcohol content, and crucially, it is consumed directly after fermentation, maturation, and bottling, without any distillation.
Whisky: Whisky is produced by fermenting grain mash (like barley, corn, rye, or wheat). After fermentation, the resulting 'wash' is then distilled, often multiple times, to concentrate the alcohol. The distilled spirit is then typically aged in wooden casks. …

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

←Previous questionQ8 — BOD of waste water is estimated by measuring the amount of: (a) total …→Next questionQ10 — The technology of biogas production from cow dung was developed in Ind…

Q.Which one of the following alcoholic drinks is produced without distillation?

🎓Unlock everything free for 14 days

Unlock everything free for 14 days