5 “A Baker from Goa” 10

A Baker from Goa – Word Meanings

Word	Meaning
Reminiscence	Memories or remembering past events
Elders	Older people
Portuguese	People from Portugal (they ruled Goa in the past)
Pader	A baker in Goa (local name)
Furnace	Oven used for baking
Heralding	Announcing or giving news
Staff	A long stick (used by the baker for support or fun)
Plump	Fat or chubby
Attire	Clothes or dress
Kabai	Traditional dress with long sleeves
Honourable	Respectable or having high status

NCERT Book Questions & Answers – A Baker from Goa

Oral Comprehension Check – Page 86

Q1. What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?

Answer:
The elders in Goa feel nostalgic about the old Portuguese days when the baker, known as a pader, used to come every morning with his basket of bread. They remember the sound of his bamboo stick and how everyone would wait for him.Q2. Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know?

Answer:
Yes, bread-making is still popular in Goa. We know this because people still love to eat bread and cakes during special occasions like weddings and festivals. The mixers, moulders and bakers are still around and doing their work.

Q3. What is the baker called in Goa?

Answer:
The baker is called a pader in Goa.

Q4. When would the baker come everyday? Why did the children run to meet him?

Answer:
The baker would come every morning. Children would run to meet him not for the bread but for the sweet bread-bangles and other tasty snacks he carried in his basket.

Oral Comprehension Check – Page 87

Q1. Match the following:

Column A	Column B
(i) Pader	(d) Baker
(ii) Bread-bangles	(a) Sweet bread
(iii) Bol	(b) A type of cake
(iv) Kabai	(c) Traditional baker’s dress
(v) Bastion of the bread-making	(e) Important place for bread-making

Q2. What did the bakers wear in the Portuguese days?

Answer:
During Portuguese days, bakers wore a special dress called kabai, which was a long shirt reaching down to the knees. Later they wore a half pant that reached just below the knees.

Q3. Who invites the comment – “he is dressed like a pader”? Why?

Answer:
Someone who wears half pants that reach just below the knees is said to be “dressed like a pader” because that’s how bakers used to dress.

Q4. Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?

Answer:
The baker used to record the accounts on a wall using pencil or chalk, and then he would collect the money at the end of the month.

Q5. What does a ‘jackfruit-like appearance’ mean?

Answer:
It means someone is fat and round, just like a jackfruit. The writer says the baker and his family usually had this kind of look because they ate a lot of bread and cakes.