Chapter 7 Glimpses of India Solutions
Question - 1 : - What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?
Answer - 1 : - The elders in Goa are nostalgic about the good old Portuguese days and their love for the famous bread and loaves. The writer also mentions that although the eaters of loaves have vanished, but the makers still do exist.
Question - 2 : - Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know?
Answer - 2 : - Yes, bread-making is still popular in Goa. It is evident from the fact when the narrator states that the eaters have gone away, but the makers still exist. The presence of the mixers, moulders and the ones who bake the loaves and the time tested furnaces are a proof of their existence.
Question - 3 : - What is the baker called?
Answer - 3 : - A baker is popularly known as a pader in Goa.
Question - 4 : - When would the baker come everyday? Why did the children run to meet him?
Answer - 4 : -
The baker would come twice everyday—once he would set out early in the morning and the second time when he returned after emptying his huge basket by selling all his bread.
The children would run to meet him as they loved to eat loaves and longed to have bread-bangles which they chose carefully. Sometimes it was sweet bread of special make.
Question - 5 : - Match the following. What is a must
Answer - 5 : -
(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
Answer:
(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
Question - 6 : - What did the bakers wear: (i) in the Portuguese days? (ii) when the author was young?
Answer - 6 : -
(i) In the Portuguese days, the bakers were usually dressed up in a peculiar dress known as the kabai. It was a single-piece long frock reaching down to the knees.
(ii) During the author’s childhood days, he saw the bakers used to wear a shirt and trousers which were shorter than full-length ones and longer than half pants.
Question - 7 : - Who invites the comment — “he is dressed like a pader”? Why?
Answer - 7 : - Any person who wears a half-pant that reaches just below the knees invites this comment— “he is dressed like a pader”. This is because the baker who is popularly known as a pader in Goa, used to dress in a similar fashion.
Question - 8 : - Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?
Answer - 8 : - The bakers usually collected his bills at the end of the month and their monthly accounts were recorded on some wall in the house with a pencil.
Question - 9 : - What does a ‘jackfruit-like appearance’ mean?
Answer - 9 : - A ‘jackfruit-like appearance’ means a plump physique. A baker used to resemble such a physique since it was believed that he and his family never starved. Baking was a lucrative profession and the baker, his family and his servants always looked happy and prosperous with their physical appearance.
Question - 10 : - Which of these statements are correct?
Answer - 10 : -
(i) The pader was an important person in the village in old times.
(ii) Paders still exist in Goan villages.
(iii) The paders went away with the Portuguese.
(iv) The paders continue to wear a single-piece long frock.
(v) Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life in the old days.
(vi) Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business.
(vii) Paders and their families starve in the present times.
Answer:
1. Correct
2. Correct
3. Incorrect. The paders still exist in Goan villages.
4. Incorrect. The bakers wear a shirt and trousers that are shorter than full-length ones and longer than half pants.
5. Incorrect. Bread and cakes are still an integral part of Goan life.
6. Correct
7. Incorrect. Baking happens to be a profitable business in Goa.