Class 10 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - First Flight

Q1: What are the legends related to the discovery of tea?
Ans: 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.

Q2: What details do you gather about tea from the lesson, ‘Tea from Assam’?
 Or
 What information do you gather about the history of tea after reading the lesson, ‘Tea from Assam’?
Ans: Tea was first drunk in China. Even the words 'chai’ and ‘chini’ are from Chinese. It dates back to 2700 B.C. In the 16th century, tea came to Europe and was drunk more as a medicine than as a beverage. Assam has the largest concentration of tea plantations in the world. There are large groups of women with bamboo baskets on their backs. They pluck the newly sprouted tea leaves from the plants and store them in the baskets.

Q3: What landscape did Rajvir notice while sitting in the train?
Ans: Rajvir was fascinated by the scenic beauty of the place. There were vast green tea gardens on both sides of the road. The tall trees at the back of the gardens in the forest on the rolling hills looked beautiful. The women plucking tea leaves looked like dolls. On the way, he saw people drinking tea. He also saw an ugly building with smoke coming out of its chimneys. Rajvir was received by Mrs and Mr Barua and was taken towards Dhekiabari Tea Estate. On both sides of the gravel road were acres and acres of neatly pruned tea bushes. It was the second sprouting period. Women were wearing plastic aprons and plucking new tea leaves, and putting them in the bamboo baskets on their backs.

Q4. What excited Rajvir? Why did Pranjol not share his excitement?
OR
Why was Rajvir excited to see the tea gardens?
OR
What made Rajvir amazed in the way?
Ans. Rajvir was extremely excited to see the tea gardens because he had never visited one before. He had heard a lot about tea plantations and had read about them in books, but seeing a tea estate in person left him fascinated. The sight of endless rows of tea bushes stretching as far as the eye could see was a new and thrilling experience for him. He was amazed by the beauty and vastness of the tea gardens and the workers plucking the leaves, which made the scene even more lively.
On the other hand, Pranjol, who had been born and brought up in the tea plantations, had already seen the tea gardens countless times. To him, it was a familiar sight, and he did not find it as exciting as Rajvir did. Pranjol had grown used to the scenery and was not as thrilled by it. While Rajvir was filled with wonder and curiosity, Pranjol felt that it was just a normal part of his everyday life and did not share Rajvir’s excitement.

Q5: Pranjol was born and brought up on a tea estate in Assam but he was Rajvir who knew much about tea leaves and the legends associated with tea. Base your answer on their visit to Dhekiabari Tea Estate in Assam.
Ans: Pranjol was indeed born and brought up on a tea plantation. His father managed the Dhekiabari Tea Estate in Assam. However, his friend Rajvir’s knowledge about tea and its history was more profound than his. The reason was simple. Rajvir had done a lot of reading about tea and its history. He even surprised Pranjol’s father with his in-depth knowledge of the subject. Rajvir’s visit to Dhekiabari was an opportunity for him to connect his reading and knowledge to the real existing tea plantation. He was fascinated by the magnificent sea of tea bushes stretching as far as his eyes could go. He saw with his own eyes the groups of tea pluckers, with bamboo baskets on their backs, plucking the newly sprouted leaves. His studies helped him to recognise that the trailer-load of tea leaves was the second flush or the sprouting period that gives the best tea.

Q6: Based on your reading of the chapter “Tea From Assam”, write a paragraph on the topic- importance of Tea in India.
OR
You know that everybody drinks tea every day in India. It banishes our sleep and makes us feel fresh. Describe the importance of tea in India.
Ans: Today, all people drink tea every day in India, though the quantity varies from person to person. Life in an Indian household often starts with a refreshing cup of tea. India has now surpassed China in tea production and is one of the largest tea producers in the world. About 70 per cent of its tea is consumed within the country. Assam and Darjeeling produce world-renowned tea. Tea became widely popular in India during the 1950s. The tea industry is the second-largest employer in the country. It is grown in many states across India. Tea plants need shade to grow in a humid climate. It is a labour-oriented industry. Tea also has a number of medicinal and therapeutic properties.

Q7: Where were Pranjol and Rajvir going? What did Rajvir see when he looked out of the train on the way?
Ans: Pranjol belonged to Assam. He was studying in a school in Delhi. Rajvir was his classmate. Pranjol’s father was the manager of a tea garden in Upper Assam. Pranjol invited Rajvir to visit his home during the summer vacation. Both of them travelled to Assam by train. When the train stopped at a station, a vendor called out, ‘chai-garam garam-chaff’; they took tea and started sipping it. Rajvir told Pranjol that over eighty crore cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world. Pranjol started reading his detective book again, but Rajvir looked out of the window of the moving train. There was beautiful scenery outside. Soon, the soft green paddy fields were left behind, and there were tea bushes everywhere. Rajvir was fascinated by the magnificent view of the tea gardens.

Q8: What did Rajvir tell Pranjol about the discovery of tea?
Ans: Rajvir said that no one really knows who discovered tea. He told Pranjol that there were many legends attached to the discovery of tea. According to one story, a Chinese emperor discovered tea by chance. He always boiled water before drinking it. One day, a few leaves from the twigs burning under the pot fell into the water. As a result, the boiled water got a delicious flavour. It is said they were tea leaves.
According to another Indian legend, Bodhidharma, an ancient Buddhist monk, fell asleep during meditation. So he cut off his eyelids. Ten tea plants grew out of the eyelids. The leaves of these plants, when put in hot water and drunk, banish sleep. It is believed that tea was first drunk in China in 2700 B.C. Words like ‘chai’ and ‘chini’ are Chinese. Tea came to Europe in the sixteenth century. At first, it was used more as a medicine than as a beverage.

Q9: What did Rajvir see during his train journey? Why was he more excited than his friend Pranjol?
Ans: Rajvir, a classmate of Pranjol, is visiting Dhekiabari Tea Estate in Assam for the first time. He was enjoying the train journey to Assam with his friend Pranjol, whose father manages Dhekiabari Tea Estate. The beautiful scenery fascinated Rajvir. It was green everywhere. He saw so much greenery for the first time in his life. As the landscape changed, the paddy fields gave way to tea bushes. A sea of tea bushes stretched as far as the eye could see. The orderly rows of bushes were pruned to the same height. Groups of tea pickers were carrying bamboo baskets on their backs, plucking the newly sprouted leaves. The magnificent view fascinated Rajvir. However, Pranjol was not so excited because these views were familiar to him. He had been born and brought up on a tea plantation.

Q10: What are different legends related to tea leaves?
Ans: Tea was first drunk in China as far back as 2700 B.C. In fact, words like ‘chai’ and ‘chini’ came from Chinese. According to one Chinese legend, there was a Chinese emperor who always boiled water before drinking it. One day, some leaves from the twigs burning under the pot fell into the boiling water. The leaves gave a delicious flavour. It is said that they were tea leaves. There is also an Indian legend about the discovery of tea leaves. Bodhidharma was an ancient Buddhist ascetic who supposedly cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditation. It is said that ten tea plants grew out of his eyelids. The leaves of these plants, when put in hot water and drunk, banish sleep. In Europe, tea came as late as the sixteenth century, where it was drunk more as medicine than as a beverage.

Also, Check at EduRev:

• Detailed Summary: Glimpses of India (Part- III) Tea from Assam
• Video Summary: Glimpses of India (Part- III) Tea from Assam