Class 10 English lesson 7 Glimpses of India :-
1. What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?
Answer : The elders in Goa were nostalgic about the good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese, and their famous loaves of bread.
2. Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know?
Answer : Yes, bread-making is still popular in Goa. The author has described about the existence of time-old furnaces and their still burning fire. The Goan society is still having moulders, bread mixers and bakers.
3. What is the baker called?
Answer : The bakers are known as pader.
4. When would the baker come everyday? Why did the children run to meet him?
Answer : 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 :
2. What did the bakers wear :
(i) in the Portuguese days?
(ii) when the author was young?
Answer :
(i) In the Portuguese days, the bakers had a peculiar dress known as thekabai. It was a single-piece long frock reaching down to the knees.
(ii) When the author was young, 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 apader”? Why?
Answer : Anyone who wears a half-pant which reaches just below the knees invites the comment that “he is dressed like apader”. This was so because the bakers were known aspaderand they wore such half pants.
4. Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?
Answer : The monthly accounts of the baker were recorded on some wall in pencil.
5. What does a ‘jackfruit-like appearance’ mean?
Answer : A ‘jackfruit-like appearance’ means a plump physique. Such a physique was linked to the bakers because they never starved. Baking was a profitable profession. The baker, his family, and his servants always looked happy and prosperous and had a ‘jackfruit-like appearance’.
Thinking About Text :
1. Is bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know this?
Answer : Bread is an important part of Goan life.Marriage gifts are meaningless without the sweet bread known as the bol. For a party, bread is a must, while for Christmas, cakes and bolinhas are a must. Sandwiches must be prepared by the lady of the house on her daughter’s engagement. The author says that everybody loves the fragrance of loaves. The elders were given loaves and the children were given bread-bangles, which they longed for. Also, the fact that bakery is a profitable profession shows that the love for bread is enormous in Goa.
2. Where is Coorg?
Answer : Coorg is the smallest district of Karnataka, located midway between Mysore and Mangalore.
3. What is the story about the Kodavu people’s descent?
Answer : It is believed that Kodavu people are of Arabic origin. It is said that some of Alexander’s armymen moved to south and settled there. Their costume, martial practices and marriage rituals also point to the fact that they are from Arabic origin.
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