I A Baker from Goa
Short Questions with Answers
Q1. What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?
Ans. They are nostalgic about the Portuguese days and their famous loaves of bread.
Q2. What is a baker called in Goa?
Ans. He is called a pader.
Q3. What is the peculiar dress of the baker called?
Ans. It is called kabai, a single-piece long frock.
Q4. Where were the baker’s monthly accounts recorded?
Ans. They were recorded on a wall with pencil.
Q5. What did the children long for when the baker came?
Ans. They longed for bread-bangles and sweet bread.
Long Questions with Answers
Q1. Describe the role of the baker in the Goan village life.
Ans. The baker was very important in village life. He provided loaves for daily use and cakes, bol and bolinhas for occasions like marriages, engagements, and festivals. Without bread, no feast was complete, making the baker essential in Goa.
Q2. How did children look forward to the baker’s visit?
Ans. Children eagerly awaited the baker for bread-bangles and sweet bread. They rushed to greet him, peeped into his basket, and enjoyed the fragrance of fresh loaves. His bamboo staff’s sound made their mornings exciting.
Q3. What was special about the bakers’ dress?
Ans. In Portuguese times, bakers wore a long frock called kabai. Later, they wore shirts with trousers shorter than full-length but longer than half-pants. Even today, anyone in such half-pants is teased as “dressed like a pader.”
Q4. Why was baking considered profitable?
Ans. Baking was profitable because bread was needed daily and on all occasions. Bakers’ families were well-fed, looked happy and prosperous, and their plump bodies proved their success.
Q5. How important was bread in social and cultural life of Goa?
Ans. Bread was essential in Goa. Marriage gifts required bol, engagement ceremonies needed sandwiches, and Christmas or other festivals demanded cakes and bolinhas. Thus, bread was part of every event in Goan culture.
II Coorg
Short Questions with Answers
Q1. Where is Coorg located?
Ans. Coorg is midway between Mysore and Mangalore in Karnataka.
Q2. What is the main crop of Coorg?
Ans. Coffee is the main crop.
Q3. Who was the first Chief of the Indian Army from Coorg?
Ans. General Cariappa.
Q4. What is the traditional long coat worn by Kodavus called?
Ans. It is called kuppia.
Q5. Which river originates from Coorg?
Ans. The river Kaveri.
Long Questions with Answers
Q1. Give a description of Coorg’s natural beauty.
Ans. Coorg is called a piece of heaven with rolling hills, evergreen rainforests, coffee plantations, and spices. It has misty landscapes, rich wildlife, and rivers like the Kaveri, making it a paradise for nature lovers.
Q2. What is unique about the people of Coorg?
Ans. Coorgis are independent and hospitable. They are believed to be of Greek or Arabic descent. Their martial traditions, culture, and valour are distinct, and the Coorg Regiment is one of the most decorated in the Indian Army.
Q3. How does Coorg offer adventure to tourists?
Ans. Coorg is ideal for adventure lovers. Tourists can enjoy river rafting, canoeing, rappelling, rock climbing, mountain biking, and trekking. Its scenic trails and rivers make it a hotspot for thrill-seekers.
Q4. Describe the wildlife of Coorg.
Ans. Coorg is rich in wildlife. Mahaseer fish live in the Kaveri, kingfishers dive for prey, squirrels and langurs play by the river, and elephants enjoy baths. Macaques, Malabar squirrels, langurs, and wild elephants are common.
Q5. Why is Coorg called a piece of heaven on earth?
Ans. Because of its misty hills, evergreen forests, coffee estates, adventurous sports, rich wildlife, and hospitable people, Coorg is described as a heavenly land that truly reflects India’s beauty and spirit.
III Tea from Assam
Short Questions with Answers
Q1. Who were Rajvir and Pranjol?
Ans. Rajvir was a schoolboy visiting Assam, and Pranjol was his classmate whose father managed a tea garden.
Q2. What did Rajvir say about world tea consumption?
Ans. He said over eighty crore cups of tea are drunk daily.
Q3. What did Rajvir see in the tea plantations?
Ans. Vast stretches of tea bushes with tea-pluckers plucking leaves.
Q4. In which country was tea first drunk?
Ans. Tea was first drunk in China.
Q5. What Indian legend about tea did Rajvir mention?
Ans. He told of Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk, whose eyelids grew into tea plants to banish sleep.
Long Questions with Answers
Q1. What excited Rajvir on his journey to Assam?
Ans. Rajvir was thrilled by the greenery and the sight of tea plantations stretching endlessly. He observed tea-pluckers like dolls in the fields and felt excited to visit Dhekiabari Tea Estate.
Q2. What legends about tea did Rajvir share with Pranjol?
Ans. Rajvir shared two legends: a Chinese emperor discovered tea when leaves fell into boiling water, and an Indian ascetic Bodhidharma grew tea plants from his eyelids to fight sleep.
Q3. How did Rajvir show that he had studied about tea?
Ans. Rajvir knew legends, history, and facts about tea. He explained its origin, Chinese roots of words like chai and chini, its introduction in Europe, and even mentioned the second-flush tea season in Assam.
Q4. Describe the scene at Dhekiabari Tea Estate.
Ans. Rajvir saw acres of neatly pruned tea bushes, tea-pluckers with baskets on their backs, and factories with tall chimneys. The estate looked orderly and full of activity.
Q5. Why is tea an important part of human life?
Ans. Tea, first used in China as early as 2700 B.C., spread worldwide. It became a social and cultural habit, a refreshing drink, and now billions consume it daily, making it inseparable from life.
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