Glimpses of India Class 10 Worksheet English Chapter 1

Q.1. According to the text, Assam is said to be ‘tea country’. Do you believe that Assam has some of the best plantations in the world that makes it a unique country?

In India, some of the best plantations like tea and coffee are grown in huge quantities. India is also a home to many spices like haldi and while Assam is home to tea, Coorg is home to coffee.Others which are grown exclusively in India and exported to various countries. These plantations make India a unique country which has not just traditional spices and beverage plants growing within it but also follows traditional agricultural practices. 

Q.2. What are the elders reminiscing about the Portuguese days?

The elders are reminiscing nostalgically about the Portuguese days when bakers were important and they had a unique and different place among the people. The people love to eat loaves of bread. Those eaters of loaves might have vanished but the bakers are still there. The mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves are still in Goa. Those age-old, time-tested furnaces still exist. The fire in the furnaces has not yet been extinguished.  

Q.3. What are the legends related to the discovery of tea?

There are many popular legends about the discovery of tea. Two of them are as follows:

A Chinese emperor was used to drinking boiled water. One day a twig from the fire fell into the pot in which water was being boiled. It gave a delicious flavour to the drink. It is said that those were tea leaves.
An Indian legend goes like this. Once there was a Buddhist ascetic who used to feel sleepy during meditations. So he cut off his eyelids. Ten tea plants grew out of the eyelids. When the leaves from these plants were put in hot water and drunk they banished sleep.

Q.4. What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about? Write your answer in the context of Glimpses of India.

The elders in Goa are nostalgic about the good old Portuguese days and the Portuguese loaves of bread. The Portuguese were very famous for their bread. Those eaters of loaves might have vanished but the makers are still there. The mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves still exist. Those age-old, time-tested furnaces still continue to function. 

Q.5. What did Rajvir see while looking outside from the train?

Rajvir saw much greenery while looking outside from the train. He was amazed to see the soft: green paddy fields first and then the green tea bushes.

Q.6. How are the tea-pluckers different from the other farm labourers?

Tea pluckers are different from other farm labourers as the tea pluckers are hired labourers whereas the farm labourers can be hired or can be the owners of the land. Groups of tea-pluckers, with bamboo baskets on their backs, wearing plastic aprons, pluck the newly sprouted leaves. On the contrary, farm labourers go through the whole process, from sowing to harvesting.

Q.7. Why did Pranjol’s father say that Rajvir had done his homework before visiting Assam?

Rajvir was very excited about visiting the tea garden and thus, he studied a lot about it before visiting the tea garden. Thus, Pranjol’s father said that Rajvir had already done his homework before visiting Assam.

Q.8. How did Rajvir describe the view from the train?

Rajvir described the magnificent view of the landscape from the train window. It was green everywhere. Rajvir had never seen so much greenery before. Then the soft green paddy fields gave way to tea bushes. Against the backdrop of densely wooded hills a sea of tea bushes stretched as far as the eye could see. Dwarfing the tiny tea plants were tall sturdy shade-trees and amidst the orderly rows of bushes busily moved doll-like figures. In the distance was an ugly building with smoke billowing out of tall chimneys.

Q.9. Where were Rajvir and Pranjol going and why?

Rajvir and Pranjol were going to Assam as Pranjol had invited Rajvir to spend summer vacation there.

Q.10. Should we learn from the history that has been passed on to us from generations?

History is the mirror through which we can relive our past. It actually provides us with a glimpse of the path that our ancestors have laid for us. The various battles and wars, that are fought and won, show us the strength and valour our people had. The traditions and customs make us better human beings. 'A Baker from Goa' is a pen portrait of a traditional Goan village baker who still has an important place in the society. People learn the customs of bread baking passed down from their ancestors. The leavened, oven-baked bread is a gift of the Portuguese to India. These traditions have strengthened our present as they make us more aware of the ways of life of our ancestors. Their way of living helps us understand how we exist in the present, what we did wrong and how we can avoid mistakes to live a better life in future. We should appreciate the gifts given by our previous generations so that we can use their skills and preserve their culture. People may come and go, but it is this culture that prevails in the long run.