Class 10 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - First Flight

Short Answer Questions

Q1: Why is the baker essential for the Goan people? (CBSE 2013)
Ans: Most of the celebrations and festivals need supply of bread so the baker’s furnace is essential for the Goan people. Bakery products have a traditional value in Goan culture.

Q2: Why did the baker and his family always look happy and prosperous?
Ans: The baker used to collect his bills at the end of the month. Baking was indeed a profitable business in the old days. The baker and his family never starved. Their plump physique was an open testimony that they were happy and prosperous.

Q3: Why would the children run to meet and greet the baker?
Ans: The jingling thud of the baker’s bamboo would wake the children from their sleep. They would run to meet and greet him to get bread bangles or sometimes sweet bread of special make.

Q4: What indicates the presence of the paders still in Goa?
Ans: The presence of the paders in Goa even today is indicated by the fact that still there are mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves. Moreover, those age-old time-tested furnaces still exist.

Q5: What would the baker do after his musical entry?
Ans: The baker would greet the lady of the house with good morning and then place his basket on the bamboo. They daily supply of loaves would be given to the servant.

Q6: How did the pader treat the kids who surrounded him?
Ans: The pader treated the kids who surrounded him very kindly. He would push them aside with a mild rebuke.

Q7: Was baking a profitable profession?
Ans: Yes, baking was really a profitable profession as bread was an important part of the food of the Goan people. The bakers earned well and kept servants. Their families looked happy and prosperous. They never starved.

Q8: What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about? (CBSE 2014)
Ans: The elders in Goa are nostalgic about the good old days. They are very fond of loaves of bread. Those old days were the Portuguese days and the people liked the breads of different types which were given to them by the Portuguese and still hold importance in Goan culture..

Q9: Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know?
OR
How is bread an important part of life in Goa? (CBSE SQP 2019-20)
Ans: Bread-making is still popular in Goa. We can see the mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves. Most of their festivals and other occasions will become meaningless without the loaves of the bread. The ladies of the house prepare sandwiches on the occasion of their daughter’s engagement.

Q10: What is the baker called?
Ans: The baker is called ‘Pader’ in Goa as per the Portuguese culture. In the olden times, they wore traditional dresses called Kabai.

Long Answer Questions
Q11: Describe the pen-portrait of a traditional Goan village baker.
Ans: There is a deep impact of Portuguese culture on Goan life. The baker is also a part of this culture. They are known as paders in Goa. When the author was a child, one could see the traditional baker in the village. He used to be a friend of the children. He visited the house twice a day. Children arose with the sound of thud and jingle of the bamboo in the morning. They would run to greet him. Children were fond of sweet bread and the bread bangles. The ladies of the house bought the bread. Bakers were professional and it was a family business. It was a profitable business and most of the bakers were plump. They had their peculiar traditional dress called Kabai.

Q12: Not enough can be said to show how important a baker can be for a village. How were the services of the baker required on various occasions?
OR
How did the baker become synonymous with celebrations and occasions in Goa? (CBSE QUESTION BANK)
OR
Why was the baker’s furnace essential in a traditional Goan village?
Ans: A baker is very important and essential for a Goan village. He does not merely represent a profession but a highly admired Portuguese tradition. His breads are essential on each and every occasion. Marriage gifts are meaningless without the sweet bread known as the bol. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals. A mother prepares sandwiches on her daughter’s engagements. Meals are incomplete without bakery goods. Bakery is an important part of Goan food and culture. The baker, known as Pader, enjoys the respect and love of the people. The children consider him their friend, companion and guide. They have continued their family profession. It is a highly profitable business. Thus, the presence of the baker’s furnace in the Goan village is absolutely necessary.

Q13: Rodrigues describes his childhood and the bakers of Goa. What does he remember so fondly about these bakers?
OR
What according to the author, do the elders of Goa think fondly about the past?
Ans: Rodrigues describes his childhood and old Portuguese days and their famous loaves of bread. The bakers are known as paders in Goa. The writer remembers a baker fondly. The baker would come at least twice a day to sell his bread. The jingling thud of his bamboo would wake the children and they would run to meet and greet him. The children longed for his visit for those bread-bangles or sometimes for sweet bread of special make. They would try to sneak and peep into the baskets to pick their favourite sweet bread. The baker would greet the lady of the house with good morning. Then he would place his basket on the vertical bamboo. He collected the bill at the end of the month.

Q14: Baking was considered an important and a profitable profession in a traditional Goan village. Explain.
Ans: In olden days, Goa was very much influenced by Portuguese culture. Baking was considered an essential and profitable profession in a traditional Goan village. The Portuguese were famous for preparing the loaves of bread. Baking was the traditional family work and was passed on to the children too. The villagers were very fond of the sweet bread known as “bol”. The marriage gifts were meaningless without it. Cakes and bolinhas formed an important part of each celebration. At various occasions like Christmas and other festivals the bakers would collect the bill at the end of month. Baking was a profitable profession in olden days.

Q15: Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life, in olden days. Based on your reading of the “A Baker from Goa”, describe the Goan culture.
OR
Bread and cakes were essential to Goan life in older days. Describe the memories that the author recollects about good old Portuguese days and their loaves of bread.
Ans: Goa in west India, called golden Goa by the Portuguese, has an important Portuguese colony in Asia. The Portuguese were driven by their desire to spread their faith to the local population. Thus the culture of Goa is deeply influenced by Portuguese culture. Modern day Goa, a state of India, is a quaint blend of tradition, religion and modernity. Hindu temples are as much a part of Goa as are Christian monuments. The culture of Goa today is a synthesis of Portuguese and Indian cultures. It is one of the most attractive cultures in India. A Goan is said to be born with music in his blood and music literally accompanies him from the cradle to the grave. Musical traditions run in generations.

Q16: The custom of baking bread is closely associated with Goan culture. Explain/Discuss, with reference to the chapter “A baker from Goa”.
Ans: Bread forms an essential part of the Goan culture. There is no party or festival without bread. Marriage gifts are meaningless without the sweet bread known as the bot. Any party or a feast loses its charm without bread. A baker is very important for a village. The lady of the house must prepare sandwiches on the occasion of her daughter’s engagement. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals. Thus, the presence of the baker’s furnace in the village is absolutely essential. Loaves of bread are very popular in Goa and are a staple food even in remote villages. The bread has health benefits. There are still a few small bakeries left in some of the smaller towns.