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Read the extract and answer the following questions-
Extract:
During our childhood in Goa, the baker used to be our friend, companion and guide. He used to come at least twice a day. Once, when he set out in the morning on his selling round, and then again, when he returned after emptying his huge basket. The jingling thud of his bamboo woke us up from sleep and we ran to meet and greet him. Why was it so? Was it for the love of the loaf? Not at all. The loaves were bought by some Paskine or Bastine, the maid-servant of the house! What we longed for were those bread-bangles which we chose carefully. Sometimes it was sweet bread of special make. The baker made his musical entry on the scene 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 with “Good morning” and then place his basket on the vertical bamboo. We kids would be pushed aside with a mild rebuke and the loaves would be delivered to the servant. But we would not give up.
(Glimpses of India)
Question (i)
What does the phrase "bread-bangles" mean in the context of the extract?
- (a) Bread that is shaped like bracelets
- (b) Bread that is hard and crunchy
- (c) Bread that is soft and chewy
- (d) Bread that is sweet and flavoured
Answer:
As written by the student:
(a) Bread that is shaped like bracelets
Step-by-step explanation: 📝
- To answer this question, we need to understand the meaning of the words "bread" and "bangles" and how they are used together in the extract.
- Bread is a food made from flour, water, yeast, and sometimes other ingredients, that is baked in an oven or on a fire. It can have different shapes, sizes, textures, and flavours depending on how it is made.
- Bangles are rigid bracelets that are worn around the wrist or arm as jewellery. They can be made from metal, wood, plastic, or other materials and can have different colours, designs, and patterns.
- In the extract, the narrator says that they longed for " those bread-bangles which we chose carefully ". This suggests that the bread-bangles were a special kind of bread that was shaped like bracelets and that they were appealing to the children.
- Therefore, the correct answer is A. Bread that is shaped like bracelets . This option matches the description of the bread-bangles in the extract and makes sense in the context of the passage.
Question (ii)
Why did the narrator and the other children run to meet and greet the baker? Answer in about 40 words.
Answer:
As written by the student:
The narrator and the other children ran to meet and greet the baker because they wanted to get some bread-bangles or sweet bread from him.
Step-by-step explanation: 📝
- To answer this question, we need to recall what the narrator says about their reason for running to meet and greet the baker in the extract.
- The narrator says that it was not for the love of the loaf that they ran to meet and greet the baker. The loaves were bought by the maid-servant of the house.
- The narrator says that what they longed for were those bread-bangles which they chose carefully. Sometimes it was sweet bread of special make.
- This shows that the narrator and the other children ran to meet and greet the baker because they wanted to get some bread-bangles or sweet bread from him. These were special kinds of bread that were appealing to them.
- Therefore, a possible answer in about 40 words is: The narrator and the other children ran to meet and greet the baker because they wanted to get some bread-bangles or sweet bread from him.
Question (iii)
Read the following descriptions (a)-(c) and identify which one correctly corresponds to the extract.
- (a) A biography is a written account of someone's life, usually based on facts and research.
- (b) A memoir is a personal account of someone's experiences or memories, usually written by themselves or with some help.
- (c) A fiction is a story or a narrative that is invented or imagined by the writer, usually with some elements of realism.
Answer:
As written by the student:
A memoir
Step-by-step explanation: 📝
- To answer this question, we need to understand what each description means and how it relates to the extract.
- A biography is a written account of someone's life, usually based on facts and research. It usually covers a person's achievements, challenges, influences, and legacy. It is written by someone who has studied or interviewed the person or has access to reliable sources of information about them.
- A memoir is a personal account of someone's experiences or memories, usually written by themselves or with some help. It usually focuses on a specific theme, period, event, or aspect of their life. It is written by someone who has lived through or witnessed those experiences or memories first-hand or has access to personal records or documents about them.
- A fiction is a story or a narrative that is invented or imagined by the writer, usually with some elements of realism. It usually involves characters, settings, plots, conflicts, and themes that are created by the writer's imagination or inspired by real-life situations. It is written by someone who has used their creativity or artistic skills to craft a story for entertainment or expression purposes.
- In the extract, the narrator says "During our childhood in Goa" which indicates that they are writing about their own past experiences or memories. They also use words like "we", "our", "us", which show that they are writing from their own perspective or point of view. They also describe specific details about their interactions with the baker and his products which show that they are writing about something that they have lived through or witnessed first-hand.
- Therefore, the correct answer is B. A memoir. This option matches the description of a personal account of someone's experiences or memories written by themselves or with some help.
Question (iv)
What kind of mood does the extract create for the reader? Choose one option from below and explain why in about 40 words.
- (a) Happy
- (b) Sad
- (c) Angry
- (d) Nostalgic
Answer:
As written by the student:
(d) Nostalgic
Step-by-step explanation: 📝
- To answer this question, we need to understand what each option means and how it relates to the extract.
- Happy means feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.
- Sad means feeling or showing sorrow or unhappiness.
- Angry means feeling or showing strong annoyance or displeasure.
- Nostalgic means feeling or showing a sentimental longing for something past or lost.
- In the extract, the narrator uses words like "during our childhood", "used to be", "used to come", "woke us up", "we ran", "we longed for", which indicate that they are reminiscing about something that happened in their past but not in their present. They also use words like "friend", "companion", "guide", "greet", "love", "carefully", which suggest that they have positive feelings and emotions associated with those memories. They also use words like "jingling thud", "musical entry", "jhang jhang sound", which create a vivid sensory impression for the reader.
- Therefore, a possible answer in about 40 words is: D. Nostalgic. The extract creates a mood of nostalgic for the reader because it describes something that happened in the narrator's past but not in their present with positive feelings and emotions and vivid sensory details.
