A Baker from Goa – NCERT Solutions

Q. What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?

Ans. The elders in Goa are nostalgic about the Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread. Those eaters of loaves might have died but the makers are still there.

Q. Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know?

Ans. Yes, bread-making is still popular in Goa. This is clear from the fact that there are still the mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves. The age-old furnaces still exist. The fire in the furnaces has not yet been extinguished. The thud and jingle of the baker’s bamboo can still be heard in certain places.

Q. What is the baker called?

Ans. The baker is called pader in Goa.

Q. When would the baker come everyday? Why did the children run to meet him?

Ans. The baker used to come everyday when the writer was a child. He used to come at least twice a day. The children ran to meet and greet him. They did so because they longed for the bread bangles.

Q. Match the following. What is a must

  1. as marriage gifts? — cakes and bolinhas
  2. for a party or a feast? — sweet bread called bol
  3. for a daughter’s engagement? — bread
  4. for Christmas? — sandwiches.

Answer

  1. as marriage gifts? — sweet bread called bol
  2. for a party or a feast? — bread
  3. for a daughter’s engagement? — sandwiches
  4. for Christmas? — cakes and bolinhas

Q. What did the bakers wear: (i) in the Portuguese days? (ii) when the author was young?

Ans. In the Portuguese days, the bakers wore a peculiar dress known as the Kabai. It was a single-piece long frock reaching down to the knees. When the author was young, the bakers wore a shirt and trousers which were shorter than full-length ones and longer than half pants.

Q. Who invites the comment—‘‘he is dressed like a pader’’? Why?

Ans. Anyone who wears a half-pant which reaches just below the knees invites the comment that he is dressed like a pader! This is because a pader used to dress like that.

Q. Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?

Ans. The monthly accounts of the bakers were recorded on some wall with a pencil.

Q. What does a ‘jackfruit like appearance’ mean?

Ans. It means that the bakers were plumpy like jackfruit. They were quite fat and healthy.

Q. Which of these statements are correct?

  1. The pader was an important person in the village in old times.
  2. Paders still exist in Goan villages.
  3. The Paders went away with the Portuguese.
  4. The Paders continue to wear a single-piece long frock.
  5. Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life in the old days.
  6. Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business.
  7. Paders and their families starve in the present times.

Answer

  1. correct
  2. correct
  3. incorrect
  4. incorrect
  5. correct
  6. incorrect
  7. incorrect

Q. Is bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know this?

Ans. Yes, bread is an important part of Goan life. It is needed for marriage gifts, for parties and feasts. Bread is needed by a mother for preparing sandwiches on the occasion of her daughter’s engagement.

Q. Tick the right answer. What is the tone of the author when he says the following?

  1. The thud and the jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo can still be heard in some places. (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)
  2. Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession. (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)
  3. I still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. (nostalgic, hopeful, naughty)
  4. The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all. (naughty, angry, funny)
  5. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals. (sad, hopeful, matter-of-fact)
  6. The baker and his family never starved. They always looked happy and prosperous. (matter-of-fact, hopeful, sad)

Answer

  1. nostalgic
  2. hopeful
  3. nostalgic
  4. funny
  5. matter-of-fact
  6. matter-of-fact

Q. In the extract, the author talks about traditional breadbaking during his childhood days. Complete the following table with the help of the clues on the left. Then write a paragraph about the author’s childhood days.

Clues Author’s childhood days
the way bread was baked
the way the pader sold bread
what the pader wore
when the pader was paid
how the pader looked

Answer

Clues Author’s childhood days
the way bread was baked in the furnace as it is done today
the way the pader sold bread hanging on the thud and bambur
what the pader wore shirt and trousers
when the pader was paid end of the month
how the pader looked like a friend

Paragraph

We still have amongst us the mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves. The age-old time-tested furnaces still exist. The fire in the furnaces has not been extinguished. The baker comes with the ‘jhang, jhang’ sound made by his bamboo staff. He placed his basket full of bread. He would deliver the loaves to the servant. The pader wore a shirt and trousers which were shorter than full length ones and longer than half-pants. When the pader was paid, he used to record it on some wall in pencil. The baker looked plumpy like a jackfruit.

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