A Baker from Goa - Reading Comprehension

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Reading Comprehension 1

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 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.

      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 a special kind.

 1. What is the term used for bakers in Goa as mentioned in the text?

    a) Pader

    b) Baker

    c) Mixer

    d) Moulder

2. How often did the baker visit during the author’s childhood in Goa?

    a) Once a day

    b) Twice a day

    c) Three times a day

    d) Four times a day

  

3. What would the children long for when the baker visited?

    a) The loaves of bread

    b) The breadbangles

    c) The baker’s bamboo

    d) The huge basket

  

4. Who typically bought the loaves of bread in the household, according to the text?

    a) The children

    b) The father

    c) Paskine or Bastine, the maidservant

    d) The baker himself

  

5. State True or False Statement

The traditional baker's bamboo is no longer heard in Goa.

Reading Comprehension 2

     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 a “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. We would climb a bench or the parapet and peep into the basket, somehow. I can still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves; loaves for the elders and the bangles for the children. Then we did not even care to brush our teeth or wash our mouths properly. And why should we? Who would take the trouble of plucking the mango leaf for the toothbrush? And why was it necessary at all? The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all!

 

     Marriage gifts are meaningless without the sweet bread known as the bol, just as a party or a feast loses its charm without bread. Not enough can be said to show how important a baker can be for a 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 absolutely essential.

 1. What sound did the baker’s bamboo staff make?

    a) Ting, ting

    b) Jhang, jhang

    c) Dong, dong

    d) Clang, clang

 

2. What did the baker greet the lady of the house with?

    a) Good afternoon

    b) Good evening

    c) Hello

    d) Good morning

 

3. What did the children do to peek into the baker's basket?

    a) Climbed a tree

    b) Climbed a bench or the parapet

    c) Asked the baker directly

    d) Waited patiently

  

4. What were considered meaningless without the sweet bread known as the bol?

    a) Birthdays

    b) Weddings

    c) Marriage gifts

    d) Anniversaries

   

5. What must the lady of the house prepare on the occasion of her daughter’s engagement?

    a) Cakes

    b) Bolinhas

    c) Pastries

    d) Sandwiches

Reading Comprehension 3

     The baker or bread-seller of those days had a peculiar dress known as the kabai. It was a singlepiece long frock reaching down to the knees. In our childhood we saw bakers wearing a shirt and trousers which were shorter than full-length ones and longer than half pants. Even today, anyone who wears a half pant which reaches just below the knees invites the comment that he is dressed like a pader!

 

     The baker usually collected his bills at the end of the month. Monthly accounts used to be recorded on some wall in pencil. 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. Even today any person with a jackfruit-like physical appearance is easily compared to a baker. 

1. What was the peculiar dress known as that the baker used to wear?

    a) Kurta

    b) Kabai

    c) Dhoti

    d) Sarong

 

2. How did the bakers dress in the author's childhood?

    a) In fulllength trousers and shirts

    b) In traditional robes

    c) In a shirt and trousers shorter than fulllength ones but longer than half pants

    d) In shorts and tshirts

  

3. How did the baker usually collect his bills?

    a) Daily

    b) Weekly

    c) Monthly

    d) Yearly

   

4. Where were the monthly accounts recorded?

    a) In a ledger book

    b) On some wall in pencil

    c) On a chalkboard

    d) On a piece of paper

  

5. What indicated that the baker and his family were happy and prosperous?

    a) Their lavish lifestyle

    b) Their plump physique

    c) Their large house

    d) Their expensive clothes