A Baker from Goa (Glimpses of India) Class 10 Extra Questions & Answers are available here. Class 10 English A Baker from Goa extra questions and answers are prepared by our expert teachers. All these questions are divided into two or three sections. They are short type questions answers, long type question answers and extract based questions. Learning these questions will help you to score excellent marks in the board exams.

A Baker from Goa Extra Questions and Answers

Very Short Answer Questions

1. What do the elders of Goa remember nostalgically?
Answer: They remember nostalgically the old Portuguese days and the loaves of bread.

2. What are the time tested things which still exist in Goa?
Answer: The furnaces of the bakers of Goa are time tested things which still exist there.

3. When did the baker come daily?
Answer: He came daily twice. Once in the morning when he set out for his selling and the other time after selling the bread.

4. What was the baker’s place in Goa is the author’s childhood days?
Answer: In those days the baker was the friend, companion and guide.

5. How is the entry of the baker described?
Answer: The entry of the baker is described as musical.

6. What did the author and the other children do to look into the baker’s basket?
Answer: They would climb a bench or the parapet to look into the baker’s basket.

7. What is the name of the dress worn by the baker in olden days?
Answer: It was known with the name of kabai.

8. What is the baker called in Goa?
Answer: Baker is called ‘pader‘ in Goa.

9. What is the financial status of a baker of Goa?
Answer: A baker of Goa is mostly in a sound financial position.

10. What is a kabai?
Answer: A kabai is a type of frock made out of a single piece of cloth.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. What did the baker mean to the narrator during his childhood? How many times did he pay a visit?

Answer: The baker or pader was an important person in the author’s life. He was treated like a friend. He used to come twice a day, once in the morning to sell bread and then while returning after emptying his basket. The author used to run to meet him in order to take the bread-bangles. He chatted and gossiped with him.

2. What were the bakers called? Describe their peculiar dress.

Answer: The bakers were known as pader. These bakers wore a peculiar dress known as the ‘kabai’. It was a single piece long frock reaching down to the knees.

3. What was Kabai ? Give a brief description.
Or
What did the bakers wear — (i) in the Portuguese days? (ii) When the author was young?

Answer: Kabai wants a particular dress — a single-piece long frock reaching down the knees which the bakers used to wear in the old days. Later it was replaced by a shirt and trousers which were longer than the shorts and shorter than the full length.

4. What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?

Answer: In Goa, the elders are nostalgic about the good Old Portuguese days as well as the Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread.

5. How can you say, ‘bread-baking is still popular in Goa’?

Answer: Bread making is still very popular in Goa. Still, we can see the mixers, molders and those who bake the loaves. Most of their festivals and other occasions are meaningless without the loaves of bread.

6. “Even today any person with a jackfruit-like physical appearance is easily compared to a baker.” Explain.

Answer: Bakers had a plump physique which meant they were happy and prosperous and hence, even today, any person with a jackfruit like physical appearance is compared to a baker.

7.`Baking was, indeed, a profitable profession’. Justify the statement with reference to the extract ‘A Baker from Goa’.
Or
Explain with examples that baking used to be a profitable profession.

Answer: Baking was indeed a profitable profession in the old days. The baker and his family never starved. He, his family and his servants always looked happy and prosperous. Their plump physique was an open testimony to this.

8. How did the baker attract the children?
Or
How does the writer know about the arrival of the baker? Why are they anxiously waiting for him?
Or
What role did the baker play in the childhood of the narrator?

Answer: The children would know about his arrival from the ‘jhang, jhang’ sound of his bamboo stick. They would run to meet and greet him. They tried to surround the basket but were pushed aside until the bread was delivered to the maid. Then they were allowed to choose their bread-bangles.

9. How did the baker make his entry?

Answer: The baker made his musical entry with the ‘jhang, jhang’ sound of his specially made bamboo staff One hand supported the basket on his head and the other banged the bamboo on the ground. He would greet the lady of the house and then place the basket on the bamboos.

10. How were the baker’s accounts maintained?

Answer: The monthly records/accounts of the baker were maintained on some wall in pencil.

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

Answer: Bread is still an important part of Goan life. Marriage gifts are meaningless and a party or a feast loses its charm without bread. Sandwiches are important for a daughter’s engagement. That is what that explains the fact that the bread makers are still there.

12. What marks of the Portuguese way of life can still be seen in Goa?

Answer: Goa was once occupied by the Portuguese. They were famous for preparing the loaves of bread. They left Goa long ago. But the traditional work of the bakers can still be seen in Goa. The furnaces in which the bread was baked still exist there.

13. What does the author recall about the visit of the baker to his village?

Answer: The author recalls that a baker used to visit the village twice a day. He used to be the author’s friend and guide. He used to carry a bamboo stick. The sound of this stick used to wake up the author and others from sleep.

14. How was the village baker very important for special occasions in the village?

Answer: The village baker was especially important for festive occasions. The villagers were much fond of the sweet bread known as ‘bol’. Marriage gifts were meaningless without these sweetbreads. Sandwiches, cakes, and Bolin has been a must for Christmas as well as other festivals. These were made with the bread.

15. Describe the bread-sellers dress.

Answer: The baker or the bread-seller wore a special, peculiar dress. It was known as the ‘kabai . It was a single-piece long frock. It reached down to his knees. During the narrator’s childhood, Bakers wore trousers which were shorter than full-length and longer than half pants.

16. When did the baker collect his bills? What showed that the bakers were prosperous?

Answer: The baker usually collected his bills at the end of the month. In the household, the baker’s monthly accounts used to be recorded on some wall in pencil. Baking was a profitable business in those days. Their families never starved. Their plump bodies showed that they were prosperous.

17. When would the baker come every day? Why did the children run to the baker?

Answer: The baker would come twice a day. Once in the morning when he set out on his selling round, and then again after emptying his basket. In the morning the children ran to him to have bread-bangles.

18. How did the baker make his entry in the morning?

Answer: In the morning the baker made his musical entry on the scene with the ‘jhang–jhang’ sound of his specially made staff. One hand supported the basket on his head and the other hanged the bamboo on the ground.

19. What are the childhood memories described by the author in this extract?

Answer: The author passed his childhood days in Goa. In this extract, he remembers his old days in Goa when the village baker occupied an important place in life. Although, with the passage of time, people do not eat so much bread, yet the sillage bakers are still there.

20. What do the elders reminisce about and why?

Answer: The elders reminisce nostalgically about the good old Portuguese days and the Portuguese loaves of bread. The loaves of bread were an integral part of Goan’s life. Marriages were meaningless without sweet bread. The lady of the house must prepare sandwiches on her daughter’s engagement. Christmas and other festivals must have cakes and bolinhas. They still remember the jingling thud of the baker in the morning.

21. How can you say that the makers of the famous Goan loaves are still there?

Answer: Many of those eaters of loaves might have died but their makers still exist. The mixers, moulders and those who bake the loaves are still there in Goa. The fire in the furnace has not yet been extinguished and the thud and jingle of the baker’s bamboo can still be heard in the morning in some places. These bakers, known as padres, exist in Goa even today. The family profession is still carried on.

22. How did the baker make his musical entry on the scene in the morning?

Answer: The baker made his musical entry in the morning. The jingling thud of his bamboo woke up the people in the morning. He used to come at least twice a day. The children ran to meet and greet him. For children, it was not just for the love of the loaf but for the love of the jingling music.

23. Why was the baker, the friend, companion and guide of the children?

Answer: For children, the very sight of the baker was quite exciting. He was their friend, companion and guide. The jingling thud of his bamboo put them in rapture. They ran to meet and greet him. It was not so much for the love of the loaf What they longed for were the bread-bangles. Sometimes they liked the sweet bread of special make.

24. What importance did the baker’s furnace have in the village in Goa?

Answer: The loaves of bread had become an important and integral part of the lives of the people in Goa. Marriages were meaningless without the sweet bread or the bol. No party or feast was possible without bread. The lady of the house would prepare sandwiches on the engagement ceremony of her daughter. Cakes and sweetbreads were a must for Christmas and other festivals. The presence of the baker’s furnace was absolutely essential in the village.

25. Describe the changes in the dress of the baker or the pader with the passage of the time?

Answer: In good old days during the Portuguese rule, the baker or bread seller had a peculiar dress. It was known as `Isobar. It was a single piece long frock reaching down to the knees. These days a pader wears a shirt and trousers which are shorter than full-length ones and longer than half pants.

26. What was the attitude of the baker towards
(i) the lady of the house
(ii) the children
(iii) the maidservant?

Answer: (i) First of all, the baker would greet the lady of the house with “Good morning” and then place his basket on the vertical bamboo before her.
(ii)He would push aside the children with a mild rebuke.
(iii)The loaves were delivered to the maid-servant.

27. How did the children behave when they have pushed aside with a mild rebuke by the pader?

Answer: The baker would push aside the children with a mild rebuke. But the kids would not give up. They would climb a bench or the parapet and peep into the basket. They longed for the bread-bangles. Actually, the jingling thud of the baker or the pader fascinated them.

28. Why would the children didn’t even care to brush their teeth or wash their mouths properly?

Answer: The jingling thud of the pader and his musical entry in the morning would wake up the children from their sleep.
They would run to greet and meet him. They didn’t even care to brush their teeth or wash their mouths. The tiger never brushed their teeth. There was no need of doing any such thing. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all.

29. When did the baker collect his bills and how did he record his monthly accounts?

Answer: The pader usually collected his bills from his customers at the end of the month. He didn’t have a notebook to record his monthly accounts. Monthly accounts used to be recorded on some wall in pencil.

30. How would you prove that baking was a profitable profession in the old days in Goa?

Answer: Baking was quite a profitable profession in Goa in the old days. The baker and his family never starved. Even his servants could meet both the ends easily. He and his family always looked happy and prosperous. Their plump physique was an open testimony of their happiness and prosperity.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. Why was it absolutely essential to have a “baker’s furnace” in a Goan village?

Answer: The Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread had made a permanent impact on Goan soil. The eaters of those loaves might have vanished but the makers of the loaves — the bakers still have an important place in the society. The Goan village still has the mixers, moulders and those who bake the loaves. There are also the age-old time-tested furnaces which exist till date. The bakers are still important in the 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 still essential.

2. Give a pen-portrait of a baker in Goa.

Answer: A baker had an important place in the village life of Goa. Marriage gifts were meaningless without bol or sweet bread, cakes and bolinhas at Christmas and other festivals. In the old days, the bakers used to wear a peculiar dress — kabai – a single-piece long frock reaching down the knees. Later they started wearing a shirt and trousers which were longer than the shorts and shorter than the full-length pants. They used to be prosperous. They, their family and servants never starved. Their plump physique was a testimony of their prosperity and good income.

The baker used to be a good friend, companion and guide for the author. He would come twice a day and then, the children of the house would crowd around his basket to choose the bread-bangles. Even today, baking and bakers are famous in Goa. They still use traditional furnaces to bake bread and cakes. These bakers are known as paders in Goa.

3. Describe the childhood memories of the author’s life in Goa and his fondness for bread and cakes.

Answer: The author’s childhood memories are full of fun. He remembers them and gets nostalgic. The pader or baker was an important person in the Goan village as well as in the author’s life. He used to mix, mold and bake loaves of bread in age-old, tested furnaces. He used to come twice a day, once in the morning to sell bread and then while returning after emptying his basket. He made his musical entry with the `jhang, jhang’ sound of his bamboo staff. The author with other children used to run to meet him in order to take the bread-bangles or sometimes the sweet bread of special make. He chatted and gossipped with him.

4. How is the effect of the traditional bread bakers can still be seen in Goa of today?

Answer: The author remembers his old days in Goa when the village baker occupied an important place in life. Bread eating was very common in those days. Apart from eating bread daily, bread held an important place at the time of Christmas, marriages and other functions. Although, with the passage of time, people do not eat so much bread today, yet the village bakers are still there. The Portuguese were famous for earns the loaves of bread. They left Goa long ago. But the traditional work of the bakers can still be seen in Goa. The furnaces in which the bread was baked still exist there. The sound of the traditional bakers’ bamboo can still be heard. These bakers are known as Pader in Goa even today.

5. What was the importance of the baker in the village? What kind of dress did wear?

Answer: The village baker was especially important for all occasions. The villagers were much fond of the sweet bread known as ‘Bor. Marriage gifts were meaningless without these sweetbreads. Sandwiches, cakes and bolinhas were a must for Christmas as well as other festivals. These were made with the bread. Thus the presence of a baker’s furnace was very essential in each village. The baker or the bread-seller wore a special, peculiar dress. It was known as the ‘kabai‘. It was a single-piece long frock. It reached -down to his knees. During the narrator’s childhood bakers wore trousers which were shorter than full-length and longer than half pants. Even today if someone wears a half pant, he is said to be dressed like a pader.

6. Give a pen-portrait of a Goan village baker.

Answer: A Goan village baker used to sell all kinds of bread loaves. He used to come in the morning with a basket of bread loaves on his head. He made a musical entry on the scene with the jhang–jhang‘ of his bamboo stick. He used to wear a peculiar dress known as the ‘kabai‘. It was a single-piece long frock reaching down to the knees. The baker usually collected his bills at the end of the month. Baking was indeed a profitable profession in the old days. The baker always looked happy and prosperous. He had a plump physique.

7. What do our elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about in Goa? Did the old profession of making the famous loaves of bread end with the Portuguese?

Answer: Our elders in Goa are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about the good old Portuguese days. They are often heard saying nostalgically about their famous loaves of bread. Many eaters of loaves might have vanished but the makers are still alive. The profession of baking loaves of bread has not died with the end of the Portuguese rule. Goa still has the mixers, molders and the bakers of those loaves. The furnaces still bake those unique loaves of bread. Even today one can hear the thud and jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo in the morning. Marriages, feasts, Christmas and other festivals are meaningless without the sweet bread known as bol. The baker’s presence in even Goan village is absolutely essential. Baking was indeed a profitable profession in good old days. However, the tradition hasn’t died completely yet.

8. Describe the author’s experience during his childhood in Goa? Why was the baker or the pader the guide of children in Goa?

Answer: The author remembers fondly his childhood days in Goa. He recalls how the baker used to be the friend, companion and guide of the children. The thud and jingle of the traditional baker’s bamboo woke them from their sleep. It heralded the arrival of the baker or the pader in the morning. He used to come at least twice a day. Once, he used to set out in the morning on his selling round. Then he returned after emptying his huge basket.

The children ran to meet and greet him. It was not for the love of the loaf. They longed for the bread-bangles. Sometimes it was sweet bread of special make. The children especially liked the musical entry on the scene with the ‘jhang, jhang’ sound of his specially made bamboo staff. He would greet the lady of the house with good morning but put the children with a mild rebuke. The children would not give up. They would climb a bench and peep into the basket. The author still recalls the fragrance of those loaves. The children would become crazy at the sight of the pader. They would forget even to brush their teeth.

9. Baking was a profitable profession in the old days in Goa. Prove it by giving examples from the text.

Answer: Baking was indeed a profitable profession in the old days in Goa. The people of Goa were used to the refreshing fragrance of loaves of bread. On all occasions and ceremonies, they needed them. Marriage gifts were meaningless without the sweet bread or the bol. No party was complete if bread was not served in it. The lady of the house must prepare sandwiches on the engagement ceremony of her daughter. Christmas and other festivals must have bolinhas during their celebrations. The presence of the baker’s furnace Was absolutely necessary for every, GNP village. The baker usually collected his bills at the end of the month. The baker and his family never starved. They always looked happy and prosperous. Their plump physique was an open testimony to their happiness and prosperity.

10. Give a pen-portrait of the baker or the pader highlighting the changes that came in his fortune and dress with the passage of the time?

Answer: The baker or the pader used to be an essential part of the Goans’ life. The baker or bread seller had a peculiar dress during the Portuguese days. It was known as the kabai. It was a single piece long frock reaching down the knees. With the passage of time, he started wearing a shirt and trousers which were just longer than the short pants.

The baker and his family always looked happy and prosperous in the good old days. Their plump physique was an open testimony of their happiness and prosperity. However, as the time changed, the bakers continued their profession but with their reduced fortune and importance. The thud and jingle of the traditional bamboo of the baker are still heard in the streets of Goa even now. Sweetbread or the boys are still the part of feasts, marriages and Christmas in Goa. However, the old charm and craze have become rather dim in recent days.