Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

Pounding the stubborn clay inside bamboo cylinders to soften it, is also tedious. So many times I’ve dropped the mould out of sheer exhaustion and have had to start all over again. It takes months to bring out a batch of pots after so much labour. And the reward? A few rupees. But if Sentila learns weaving, she can make much more money besides providing enough cloth for the family. Weaving is not messy like pot making and can be done indoors in all seasons. Also, the time spent on weaving one shawl is much less and the return is handsome.

(i) Choose the correct reason for the given assertion.

(A): The effort in making pots is far greater than the returns.

1. The process of pot making is quite tiresome and long, and one hardly earns much.
2. The process of pot making is exhausting, takes a long time, yet gives a sense of satisfaction.

(ii) Why does Arenla want Sentila to learn weaving?

(iii) State one advantage that weaving has over pot making, as per the extract.

(iv) Choose the sentence that uses the word ‘handsome’ in the same way as in the extract.

1. My father is a handsome man.
2. They will make a handsome profit selling this property.

(v) ‘And the reward?’ What is the author’s purpose of using a question mark here?

Answer 1

(i) The correct answer is:

A. The process of pot making is quite tiresome and long, and one hardly earns much.

(ii) Arenla wants Sentila to learn weaving because it is less tiring and more profitable than pot making. It would also enable her to make enough cloth for the family.

(iii) One advantage of weaving is that it can be done indoors in all seasons.

(iv) The correct answer is:

B. They will make a handsome profit selling this property.

Here, ‘handsome’ means large or considerable.

(v) The question mark emphasises the contrast between the great amount of labour involved in making pots and the very small reward earned from it.