Bell pepper

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/bell-pepper

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is Bell pepper known for?Exceptional source of Vitamin C and various antioxidants
2. What is the scientific classification?Cultivar group of Capsicum annuum
3. What is the geographic origin?Mesoamerica (Mexico, Central America, South America)
4. What makes a bell pepper sweet instead of hot?A recessive gene stops the pepper from making capsaicinoids, the chemicals that make chili peppers spicy. This keeps bell peppers mild and sweet.
5. Why do bell peppers change color as they ripen?When a bell pepper matures, the green chlorophyll breaks down and new pigments called carotenoids form. These give the pepper yellow, orange, or red colors.

Capsaicinoids: A group of chemical compounds responsible for the pungency and heat in chili peppers.
Phytonutrients: Biologically active compounds found in plants that may offer health benefits.
Oxidative Stress: Cellular damage caused by an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body.
Columbian Exchange: The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World.