Read the extract and answer the following questions
Extract:
OUR elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about those good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread. Those eaters of loaves might have vanished but the makers are still there. We still have amongst us the mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves. Those age-old, timetested furnaces still exist. The fire in the furnaces has not yet been extinguished. The thud and jingle of reminiscing nostalgically thinking fondly of the past the traditional baker’s bamboo, heralding his arrival in the morning, can still be heard in some places. Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession. These bakers are, even today, known as pader in Goa.
(Glimpses of India)
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Question (i)
What does the word "reminiscing" mean in the context of the extract?
- (a) Remembering or thinking fondly of the past
- (b) Comparing or contrasting the past and the present
- (c) Regretting or complaining about the past
- (d) Forgetting or ignoring the past
Answer:
As written by the student:
(a) Remembering or thinking fondly of the past
Step-by -step explanation: 📝
- To answer this question, we need to understand the meaning of the word "reminiscing" and how it is used in the extract.
- Reminiscing means remembering or thinking fondly of the past, usually with pleasure or nostalgia.
- In the extract, the narrator says that our elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about those good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread . This suggests that our elders are remembering or thinking fondly of the past, usually with pleasure or nostalgia, about those times and people.
- Therefore, the correct answer is A. Remembering or thinking fondly of the past. This option matches the definition of reminiscing and makes sense in the context of the extract.
Question (ii)
Why does the narrator say that those eaters of loaves might have vanished but the makers are still there? Answer in about 40 words.
Answer:
As written by the student:
The narrator says that those eaters of loaves might have vanished but the makers are still there because they want to show that the Portuguese culture and influence have faded away but the baker's profession and tradition have survived.
Step-by-step explanation: 📝
- To answer this question, we need to recall what the narrator says about those eaters of loaves and those makers in the extract.
- The narrator says that our elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about those good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread. Th is implies that those eaters of loaves are the Portuguese who used to rule Goa and enjoy their bread.
- The narrator also says that we still have amongst us the mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves. These bakers are, even today, known as pader in Goa. This implies that those makers are the local bakers who have continued their profession and tradition despite the changes in time and culture.
- This shows that the narrator says that those eaters of loaves might have vanished but the makers are still there because they want to show that the Portuguese culture and influence have faded away but the baker's profession and tradition have survived.
- Therefore, a possible answer in about 40 words is: The narrator says that those eaters of loaves might have vanished but the makers are still there because they want to show that the Portuguese culture and influence have faded away but the baker's profession and tradition have survived.
Question (iii)
Read the following descriptions (a)-(c) and identify which one correctly corresponds to the extract.
- (a) A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using words like "as" or "like".
- (b) A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes something as if it were something else without using words like "as" or "like".
- (c) A personification is a figure of speech that gives human qualities or characteristics to something that is not human.
Answer:
As written by the student:
(c) A personification is a figure of speech that gives human qualities or characteristics to something that is not human.
Step-by-step explanation: 📝
- To answer this question, we need to understand what each description means and how it relates to the extract.
- A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using words like "as" or "like". For example, " He was as brave as a lion" or "She sings like a nightingale".
- A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes something as if it were something else without using words like "as" or "like". For example, "He is a lion in battle" or "She is a nightingale of music".
- A personification is a figure of speech that gives human qualities or characteristics to something that is not human. For example, "The sun smiled at us" or "The wind whispered in my ear".
- In the extract, the narrator uses a personification when they say that the fire in the furnaces has not yet been extinguished. This gives human quality of being alive or active to the fire which is not human.
- Therefore, the correct answer is C. A personification. This option matches the description of a figure of speech that gives human qualities or characteristics to something that is not human.
Question (iv)
State TRUE or FALSE.
The narrator's attitude towards the baker's profession in Goa is respectful and admiring.
Answer:
As written by the student:
TRUE
Step-by-step explanation: 📝
- To answer this question, we need to understand what the narrator's attitude means and how it is expressed in the extract.
- The narrator's attitude is the way they feel or think about something or someone, usually shown through their words and language. It can be respectful or disrespectful, admiring or disapproving, positive or negative, etc.
- In the extract, the narrator's attitude towards the baker's profession in Goa is respectful and admiring. They use words and phrases that show their appreciation and recognition for the baker's profession and tradition. For example, they say that we still have amongst us the mixers, the moulders and those who bake the loaves; that these bakers are, even today, known as pader in Goa; that the thud and jingle of the traditional baker's bamboo can still be heard in some places; that maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession.
- Therefore, the correct answer is A. TRUE. This option matches the narrator's attitude towards the baker's profession in Goa which is respectful and admiring.
