NCERT Solutions Class 10, English, First Flight, Prose, Chapter- 5, Glimpses of India.
A Baker from Goa
Oral Comprehension Check
1. What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?
Solution:
The elders in Goa are nostalgic about the good old
Portuguese days and their love of bread and loaves. The writer says that the eaters of loaves have left but the makers still exist.
2. Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know?
Solution:
Yes, bread making is still popular in Goa. This is very clear from the narrator’s statement that the eaters have gone away leaving the makers behind. There are mixers, moulders and the ones who bake the loaves. The time tested furnaces still exist there.
3. What is the baker called?
Solution:
The bakers are known as pader in Goa.
4. When would the baker come everyday? Why did the children run to meet him?
Solution:
The baker came twice every day, once when he set out in the morning on his selling round, and then again, when he returned after emptying his huge basket. The children ran to meet him not because of their love of the loaf, which was bought by the maid-servant of the house. They actually longed for the bread-bangles, which they chose carefully. Sometimes, it was a sweet bread of special make.
Oral Comprehension Check
1. Match the following. What is a must
| A |
B |
| (i) as marriage gifts? |
cakes and bolinhas |
| (ii) for a party or a feast? |
sweet bread called bol |
| (iii) for a daughter’s engagement? |
bread |
| (iv) for Christmas? |
sandwiches |
Solution:
| A |
B |
| (i) as marriage gifts? |
sweet bread called bol |
| (ii) for a party or a feast? |
bread |
| (iii) for a daughter’s engagement? |
sandwiches |
| (iv) for Christmas? |
cakes and bolinhas |
2. What did the bakers wear:
(i) in the Portuguese days?
Solution:
The bakers had a peculiar dress known as the kabai. It was a single-piece long frock reaching down to the knees.
(ii) when the author was young?
Solution:
He saw the bakers wearing a shirt and trousers, which were shorter than full-length ones and longer than half pants.
3. Who invites the comment — “he is dressed like a pader”? Why?
Solution:
Any person who is wearing a half pant which reaches just below the knees invites this comment. This is because the baker, known as a pader, used to dress like that.
4. Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?
Solution:
Monthly accounts of the baker were recorded on some wall in the house with a pencil.
5. What does a ‘jackfruit-like appearance’ mean?
Solution:
It means having a plump physique, like a jackfruit.
Thinking About the Text
1. Which of these statements are correct?
(i) The pader was an important person in the village in old times.
Solution: Correct
(ii) Paders still exist in Goan villages.
Solution: Correct
(iii) The paders went away with the Portuguese.
Solution: Incorrect
(iv) The paders continue to wear a single-piece long frock.
Solution: Incorrect
(v) Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life in the old days.
Solution: Correct
(vi) Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business.
Solution: Correct
(vii) Paders and their families starve in the present times.
Solution: Incorrect
2. Is bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know this?
Solution:
Yes, bread is an important part of Goan life. It is needed for marriage gifts, parties and feasts. Bread is also needed by a mother for preparing sandwiches during her daughter’s engagement. Thus, it is necessary to have breads for every occasion, because of which the presence of a baker’s furnace in the vi .age is very important
3. Tick the right answer. What is the tone of the author when he says the following?
(i) The thud and the jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo can still be heard in some places. (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)
(ii) Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession. (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)
(iii) I still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. (nostalgic, hopeful, naughty)
(iv) The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all. (naughty, angry, funny)
(v) Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals. (sad, hopeful, matter-of-fact)
(vi) The baker and his family never starved. They always looked happy and prosperous. (matter-of-fact, hopeful, sad)
Solution:
(i) Nostalgic
(ii) Nostalgic
(iii) Nostalgic
(iv) Funny
(v) Matter-of-fact
(vi) Matter-of-fact
