NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 5: Glimpses of India (First Flight) 2026-27

Ans: The elders in Goa are nostalgic about the good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese culture, and their famous, traditional loaves of bread.

Ans: Yes, bread-making remains immensely popular in Goa. The author points out that the mixers, the molders, and the bakers who bake the loaves still exist. The traditional, time-tested furnaces still burn brightly, and the rhythmic thud and jingle of the baker’s bamboo staff can still be heard in many villages. In many households, if the father is no longer alive, the son continues the family trade.

Ans: In Goa, a traditional baker is called a pader.

Ans: • When he visited: The baker came twice daily—first in the morning as he set out on his selling rounds carrying his basket, and again in the afternoon after emptying his basket.
• Why children ran to meet him: The children ran not for the daily bread loaves (which were bought by the household maids), but for the sweet bread-bangles (gimble) or special sweet bread carefully chosen for them.

Ans: • (i) In Portuguese days: The bakers wore a peculiar traditional single-piece long frock reaching down to the knees, known as the kabai.
• (ii) When the author was young: They wore a shirt and trousers that were shorter than full-length trousers and longer than half-pants (three-quarter pants).

Ans: Anyone who wears three-quarter trousers reaching just below the knees invites this comment. This is because such three-quarter trousers were the trademark everyday attire of traditional Goan bakers (*paders*).

Ans: The monthly accounts of the baker were recorded on some wall in pencil. The baker usually collected his bills at the end of the month.

Ans: A “jackfruit-like appearance” refers to a plump, round, and well-fed physical build. In those days, baking was a highly profitable profession. Bakers and their families never starved, and their prosperous, plump physique served as an “open testimony” to their wealth and comfortable lifestyle.

Ans: Yes, bread is an indispensable part of Goan culture, customs, and daily social existence:

1. Weddings: Marriage gifts are completely meaningless without the traditional sweet bread called ‘bol’.
2. Feasts & Gatherings: No village party or banquet is complete without bread loaves.
3. Family Engagements: The lady of the house must prepare sandwiches on her daughter’s engagement.
4. Festivals & Christmas: Cakes and coconut cookies known as bolinhas are mandatory for Christmas and celebrations.

Ans: Coorg (also known as Kodagu) is the smallest district of Karnataka. It is nestled midway between the historic city of Mysore and the coastal town of Mangalore, perched amid rolling hills of evergreen rainforests, spices, and sprawling coffee plantations.

Ans: There are two widely accepted theories explaining the origin of the martial Kodavu people:

1. Greek Origin Theory: A contingent of Alexander the Great’s army moved south along the western coast of India. When their return became impractical, they permanently settled in Coorg and intermarried with the local population. Their martial traditions, wedding customs, and religious rites are distinctly different from the Hindu mainstream.
2. Arab Origin Theory: The Kodavus wear a traditional long black coat with an embroidered waist-belt, known as kuppia. This garment closely resembles the kuffia worn by Arabs and Kurds, strongly suggesting ancient Arab or Kurdish ancestral links.

Ans: The second-flush or sprouting period lasts from May to July. It is the most valuable season because it yields the finest, richest-flavoured tea of the entire year. Mr. Barua (Pranjol’s father) was thoroughly impressed that Rajvir had done his homework and acquired such detailed knowledge before arriving.

Ans: In a treeless forest:

1. No bird can sit or perch on boughs.
2. No insect can hide under leaves or bark.
3. The sun cannot bury its feet (rays) in the cool shadow of trees.

Ans: • Visual Imagery: The words evoke a vivid picture of radiant sunlight filtering through a thick, lush forest canopy, where the rays reach the forest ground and are swallowed by the deep, cool shadows of trees.
• The Sun’s “Feet”: The poet personifies the sun; the sun’s “feet” refer to the streaming beams and rays of light touching the earth. In a barren, treeless landscape, the sun’s rays find no foliage to create protective shadow.

Ans: • Where they are: The trees are unnaturally confined inside the poet’s house and glassed veranda.
• Their struggle: All through the night, the roots work relentlessly to disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor; the leaves strain toward the window glass to catch open air; and the small twigs stiffen with exertion, struggling to escape captivity and return to the empty forest.

Ans: The poet compares the long-cramped boughs shuffling under the ceiling to newly discharged hospital patients—half-dazed, weak, yet eager and moving toward the clinic exit doors to taste fresh air and freedom.

Ans: • (a) At the beginning of the 3rd stanza: The night is fresh and cloudless, with the full moon shining unbroken like a bright sphere in the open sky.
• (b) At the end of the stanza: The moon is described as “broken like a mirror”, its fragmented silver pieces flashing in the crown of the tallest oak tree.
• What causes the change: The triumphant escape of the trees into the forest causes this change. As the tall oak tree reoccupies its place in nature, its leafy branches crisscross the sky, breaking the moon’s direct image into flashing shards like a fractured mirror.

Ans: On a symbolic level, Adrienne Rich uses the trees as an extended metaphor for women breaking free from centuries of domestic oppression and patriarchal confinement:
• For generations, women were confined to the decorative domestic space of homes, just like decorative houseplants.
• The nocturnal struggle of roots and branches represents women actively breaking free from social restrictions to enter the public sphere.
• The replenishment of the empty forest signifies the restoration of balance and vitality to society when women reclaim their rightful freedom and agency.

Model Answer (Scoring Full 6/6 Marks):
Glimpses of India presents a vivid pan-Indian cultural journey, highlighting how distinct historical influences have shaped the identity of three diverse regions:

1. Goa (Western Coastal Legacy): Lucio Rodrigues depicts the nostalgic Portuguese heritage through the traditional village baker (*pader*). Bread is not just food, but an indispensable cultural symbol vital for marriages (*bol*), feasts, engagements, and Christmas (*cakes and bolinhas*).

2. Coorg (Southern Martial Heritage): Lokesh Abrol introduces Kodagu’s fierce martial traditions, tracing the Kodavus’ possible descent to Alexander the Great’s soldiers or ancient Arabs (*kuppia*). Their unmatched hospitality, courage in the Indian Army, and rich coffee plantations reflect an independent, vibrant spirit.

3. Assam (North-Eastern Agricultural Splendour): Arup Kumar Datta showcases the sprawling tea gardens of Assam, connecting the beverage to both Chinese and Indian Buddhist folklore. Rajvir’s enthusiasm illustrates how tea cultivation serves as an economic and cultural lifeline for the region.

Together, these three travelogues celebrate the harmonious coexistence of Portuguese, Greek/Arab, and indigenous traditions, embodying India’s unity in diversity.

Model Answer:
The people of Coorg are renowned for their warm hospitality; they take immense pride in recounting tales of bravery associated with their sons and fathers. The Coorg Regiment is one of the most decorated in the Indian Army, and General Cariappa, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, was a proud Coorgi. Furthermore, Kodavus are the only citizens in India allowed to carry firearms without a license, testifying to their trustworthiness and martial valor.

Model Answer:
The sound of breaking glass symbolizes the shattering of domestic boundaries, glass ceilings, and rigid patriarchal restrictions that kept women confined. As the trees stumble forward into the open night, winds rush to welcome them, showing that nature and society celebrate the liberation of women when they emerge to claim their rightful place in the world.