1.3 Watching the Expert Potters at Work

Last updated at July 13, 2026 by

Extract from the Story

"Sentila continued her visits to watch the potters at work. She saw how the clay was mixed with water and pounded, how careful they were when they pushed their left hand into a lump of the softened clay and how deftly they rotated the lump as they started giving shape to the rotating clay with a spatula held in the right hand. The regular tap, tap of the spatula on the clay was music to her ears as she watched in fascination the pot emerging out of a shapeless lump right in front of her eyes."

Summary in Bullet Points

  • Sentila kept visiting to watch the expert potters carefully.

    Sentila baar-baar potters ka kaam dhyaan se dekhne jaati rahi.

  • She saw the clay mixed with water and pounded , then shaped on a rotating base.

    Clay ko paani se mix karke koota jaata, fir ghuma kar shape diya jaata.

  • The potters pushed the left hand into the clay and deftly rotated it, shaping it with a spatula in the right hand. deftly = skilfully; spatula = a tool used by a potter to shape a pot

    Potters left haath clay mein daalte aur right haath ke spatula se skill se shape dete.

  • The tap, tap of the spatula was like music to Sentila as she watched a pot emerge from a shapeless lump.

    Spatula ki tap-tap Sentila ko music lagti thi.

  • After two or three days the pots got a final touch-up, then dried in the sun and were fired in a kiln ; the fire had to be carefully tended . kiln = an oven for baking pots; tend = to take care of

    Pots ko dhoop mein sukha kar kiln mein paka-te the, aur aag ka dhyaan rakhna padta tha.

NCERT Questions (from the Textbook)
Check Your Understanding — Part I (NCERT Kaveri page 37)

Q I (Is pot making easy?) is directly linked to the pot-making process shown here. See Check Your Understanding — Part I

Board Pattern Questions Mapped to Exam Format
Fill in the Blank (Bracket Choice) 1 mark - 1 sentence only
The potters rotated the lump ____________ (deftly / roughly), shaping it with a spatula in the right hand.
How to answer: Start with the key word from the question. Support your answer with specific details from the story. Write in complete sentences.
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Answer: deftly
Meaning: skilfully, with neat and quick movements.
Why: The text says they " deftly rotated the lump," showing their skilled, practised hands.
We do not use "roughly" because the potters were careful and expert, not careless.

Sahi shabd "deftly" hai, matlab safaai aur skill se. Potters ke haath expert the, isliye "roughly" galat hai.

Multiple Choice Question 1 mark
What did the "tap, tap of the spatula" being "music to her ears" reveal about Sentila?
(A) She found the work boring and noisy
(B) She was deeply fascinated and in love with the craft
(C) She wanted to become a musician
(D) She was annoyed by the potters
How to answer: Start with the key word from the question. Support your answer with specific details from the story. Write in complete sentences.
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Answer: (B)
  • Calling an ordinary tapping sound "music" shows how much Sentila loved and admired pot making.
  • It reveals her deep fascination with the craft she dreamed of mastering.

Tap-tap ko music kehna dikhata hai ki Sentila ko yeh craft kitna pasand tha. Woh fascinated thi.

Short Answer. Observation 1 mark
What is a spatula used for in pot making?
How to answer: Start with the key word from the question. Support your answer with specific details from the story. Write in complete sentences.
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A spatula is a tool that a potter holds in the right hand to tap and shape the rotating lump of clay into a pot.

Spatula ek tool hai jisse potter ghoomte hue clay ko thapthapa kar shape deta hai.

Short Answer. Explain 3 marks - 50 to 60 words
Describe the process of pot making followed by the expert potters, as observed by Sentila.
How to answer: Give the steps in order: mix and pound, shape on the rotating base with a spatula, touch up, sun-dry, then fire in the kiln.
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First the clay was mixed with water and pounded soft. The potter pushed the left hand into the lump and deftly rotated it, shaping it with a spatula in the right hand. After two or three days the pots got a final touch-up, were dried in the sun, then arranged in a kiln on hay and bamboo and carefully fired.

Clay ko paani se mix karke kooto, ghuma kar spatula se shape do, do-teen din baad touch-up, dhoop mein sukhao, fir kiln mein dhyaan se paka-o. Yeh poora process hai.

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