Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term - Senior Secondary School 3

SUBJECT: FOOD AND NUTRITION

CLASS:  SS 3

DATE:

TERM: 2nd TERM

REFERENCE BOOKS   

1. Foods and nutrition for SS 1-3 by Dr. J. O. Olusanya  and others.
2. Students cookery book by Enid Wright.

 
WEEK 5

TOPIC: TEST INTERPRETATION

Test interpretation (also called planning) is the art of preparing or arranging for cookery practical.  It is 

also called planning.  For example: Before building a house, one has to first of all set a plan.  In order 

words  planning in cookery practical is setting the guideline for the actual practical.  Cookery practical is 

the cooking itself while interpretation is the planning.  The test may be on individuals nutritional needs 

the use of equipment, cooking method etc.  Use of the test paper is thus:

Sample of Test Paper

Sample B

Total quantity of all ingredients

Section C

Time plan

EVALUATION: Differentiate between Interpretation and Cookery practical.

SECTION A

DISHES CHOSEN: Choose familiar but interesting dishes which will give the scope for showing your 

skill.  The dishes should be written appropriately under the column provided with headings such as dish I, 

dish II, dish III or appetizer, main dish accompaniment, dessert, snack, drink, etc.  Depending on the test 

question.

In writing dishes, the protein in the dishes comes first followed by the carbohydrate. E.g. fish vegetables 

soup, chicken jollof rice, mixed meat egusi soup, dried fish pottage yam.  Choose right dishes in relation 

to the test question.  If the test question requires one to prepare a meal for an individual, the 

characteristics of such individual should be borne in mind this will help one interpret the individual’s 

nutritional need and give a right choice of dishes.

FOR EXAMPLE: In choosing dishes for infants and toddlers, they have the characteristics of rapid 

growth.  Therefore, the food for growth should be chosen, the adolescent girl needs increase intake of iron to make up for 

that which she loses monthly.  While the manual worker needs increase in carbohydrate to accommodate 

his strength  lose through activities.

If the dish is to test for the use of an equipment the operational characteristics of such equipment should 

be borne in mind and the dishes chosen in such cases should make use of the said equipment in their 

preparation.

FOR EXAMPLE

If the use of slice and colander is being tested for, the choice of dishes will be such that will make use of 

slice and colander despite how nourishing or otherwise the dishes may be basically, a balanced meal 

should be aimed at as much as possible especially when an individuals nutritional need is being testd for.  

Any dish, which fails to fulfill the requirement of the test, is marked out of only half the maximum marks 

allowed.

NOTE

Excess dishes do not attract extra or excess mark, it will rather make one too busy for nothing and one 

may end up not meeting up with time.  So plan your dishes carefully and wisely.

REASONS FOR CHOICE

Simply put why you choose these dishes?  The reason for choice should reflect the test question.  In as 

much as one should aim at achieving maximum nutrient value in a dishes during preparation, one does not 

gain any mark for choosing a dish basically because of it’s nutrient value.  All foods are nutritious to an 

adolescent or the aged or vice versa.

In a situation where one is to choose dishes in respect to equipment, if a right choice is made, the reason 

for choice should read, “it makes use of ………….(i.e. the equipment in question).

In a case where test require one to prepare a dish using a particular cooking method, even though choice 

of dish may be nutritious but it is not enough reason for the choice.  The reason should be that it uses 

particular cooking method.

Chief Ingredients

One needs not to be detailed in this column.  Chief ingredients mean the main ingredients for the dishes.  

Their quantities should be written in familiar measures e.g. milk cup, tomato cup, big derica cup, half 

derica cup, and etc.

EVALUATION

What list of ingredients should come wider the chief ingredients.

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1. Test interpretation is also called __________

    (a) planning    (b) cooking    (c) all of the above

2. Interpretation is done ______ cooking.

    (a) after        (b) before    (c) during

3. Dishes chosen is under section _____

    (a) B        (b) A          (c)  C

4. The detail list of al the required ingredient is found in section ______

    (a) C         (b) A        (c) B

5. Section C is a comprehensive _________

    (a) list of ingredients       (b) Time plan        (c) method of cooking

THEORY

1. Define Test Interpretation.
2. Explain what you understand by Time Plan.