Glimpses of India

I Value Points:

 ‘Glimpses of India’ conveys a strong message of the amazing diversity of India.

 The first account ‘A Baker from Goa’ by Lucio Rodrigues is an observation of life of a
typical baker and his place in the traditional Goan society, who were an important and
inseparable part of this community.
 ‘Coorg’ by Lokesh Abrol is informative and descriptive and presents to the reader the
splendor of Coorg and its many interesting aspects like its culture, landscape, crops, flora
and fauna.
 The lesson ‘Tea from Assam’ by Arup Kumar Datta explores the region of Assam and
the many practices and legends associated with tea growing.
 Though far from each other the three regions give a good idea of how varied yet unique
are the three regions in their importance, culture and landscape.

II ERC:

1. 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.
i. The end of the month was for ……………………
a) Recording the payment
b) Collecting the bills
c) Totaling the amount
d) Both a and b
ii. How can a baker be identified in Goa?
a) By jackfruit-like physical appearance
b) By plump physique
c) Both a and b
d) Neither a nor b
iii. How is baking profession reflected in the extract? Why?
iv. What is mentioned about the baker’s servants in the extract?

2. Coorg, or Kodagu, the smallest district of Karnataka, is home to evergreen rainforests,

spices and coffee plantations. Evergreen rainforests cover thirty percent of this district.
During the monsoons, it pours enough to keep many visitors away. The season of joy
commences from September and continues till March. The weather is perfect, with some
 showers thrown in for good measure. The air breathes of invigorating coffee. Coffee
estates and colonial bungalows stand tucked under tree canopies in prime corners.
i. What is Coorg famous for?
ii. Season of joy refers to time when ……………
a) Coorgis engage themselves in merry making
b) Many tourists visit Coorg
c) People enjoy as the rainfall is less
d) Various flowers and fruits are available.
iii. Pick the option that correctly classifies fact/s (F) and opinion/s (O) of the students
below:
(1) I think Coorg is located between ghats in Karnataka
(2) It may be, but it is famous for coffee.
(3) Yes, and I have heard that it is famous for plantation of spices also.
(4) By the way, we should also visit this beautiful hill station.
a) F- 1,2 and O- 3,4
b) F-2,3 and O- 1,4
c) F- 1,4 and O- 2,3
d) F- 3,4 and O- 1,2
iv. What can be seen in the prime locations of Coorg?

3. The train pulled out of the station. Pranjol buried his nose in his detective book again.
Rajvir too was an ardent fan of detective stories, but at the moment he was keener on
looking at the beautiful scenery. It was green, green everywhere. Rajvir had never seen so
much greenery before. Then the soft green paddy fields gave way to tea bushes. It was a
magnificent view. Against the backdrop of densely wooded hills a sea of tea bushes
stretched as far as the eye could see.
i. ‘Pranjol buried his nose in his detective book again.’ Here ‘buried his nose’
means:
a) Started reading the book inattentively
b) Started reading the book nonchalantly
c) Got engrossed in reading the book
d) Both b and c
ii. Why was Rajvir not interested in reading a detective book, when he too was an
ardent fan of them?
iii. What has the narrator compared the field of tea bushes to? Where did Rajvir see
them?
iv. The scenery was very beautiful due to its …………..
a) Magnificent landscape
b) Greenery
c) Paddy fields
d) Woody hills
III Short answers:

1. What is the importance of breads for the Goans?

2. How can you say that tea was first drunk in China?
3. The people of Coorg have a tradition of courage and bravery. How has it been recognized
in modern India?

IV Long answer:

1. The culture, lifestyle and traditions of a place are influenced by the people who lived or
settled there at some point of time. Cultural assimilation adds flavor to the existing
structure of a society. Justify the statement on the basis of the lesson.

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