Question Bank — The Pot Maker

QUESTION BANK

Unit: The Pot Maker (Prose + Poem)

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

1. Why did Arenla want Sentila to learn weaving instead of pot making?
   (a) Weaving was less tiring and earned more money
   (b) Weaving could be done only outdoors
   (c) Pot making was a prestigious craft
   (d) Sentila disliked clay

2. What did the village council remind Mesoba about traditional skills?
   (a) Skills belonged only to the family that practised them
   (b) Experts were obliged to pass on skills to anyone who wished to learn
   (c) Only men could teach pot making
   (d) Pot making should be stopped

3. Assertion-Reason
   Assertion (A): Sentila could finally shape pots perfectly only after Onula’s guidance.
   Reason (R): Onula noticed that Sentila was too tense and taught her to relax while shaping the mouth of the pot.
   (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   (c) A is true but R is false.
   (d) A is false but R is true.

4. Assertion-Reason
   Assertion (A): Onula believed that a new pot maker had been born.
   Reason (R): She saw two identical rows of pots in the shed and realised Sentila had mastered the craft.
   (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   (c) A is true but R is false.
   (d) A is false but R is true.

5. Which word in the story means “a small amount of money received as income”?
   (a) pittance (b) tally (c) momentum (d) dao

6. The line “A new pot maker was born” symbolises:
   (a) the physical birth of a child (b) Sentila’s mastery of the craft (c) Arenla’s death (d) the village council’s decision

7. In the poem “Gifts of Grace”, the phrase “the voice of their vocation is the voice of their identity” means:
   (a) People are known by the work they do
   (b) Vocations have no connection with identity
   (c) Only pot makers have identity
   (d) All vocations are identical

8. What does the poet celebrate in the poem?
   (a) Only modern professions (b) The varied traditional vocations of Bharat
   (c) Only government jobs (d) Only women’s work

9. Which literary device is used in “delicious singing of the cook”?
   (a) Simile (b) Metaphor (c) Personification (d) Alliteration

10. The word “myriad” in the poem means:
    (a) few (b) countless (c) dull (d) expensive

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“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… And the reward? A few rupees.”

(i) Who is the speaker and to whom is she speaking?
(ii) What does the speaker find tedious about pot making?
(iii) Identify the literary device used in “the reward?”
(iv) Pick out the word from the extract that means “tiring and boring”.

Extract 2

“When Sentila wearily let the misshapen lump fall flat on the ground, Onula went to her and said, ‘Don’t worry, little one, I shall teach you how to make a perfect pot.’”

(i) Who is Onula and what is her role in the story?
(ii) Why was Sentila’s effort described as “clumsy”?
(iii) Name the figure of speech in “the clay seemed unable or unwilling to yield the right shape.”
(iv) What does Onula’s offer reveal about her character?

Extract 3 (Poem)
“The delicious singing of the cook, or the rhythm of designer, mason, each celebrating what belongs to them and to none else.”

(i) Name the poet and the poem.
(ii) What does “delicious singing” suggest about the cook’s work?
(iii) Identify the literary device used in the phrase.
(iv) What idea about vocations does the poet convey in these lines?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

1. Why did Arenla initially refuse to teach Sentila pot making?
2. How did the village council react when they heard Arenla was not teaching her daughter?
3. Describe the role played by Onula in helping Sentila realise her dream.
4. What does the poem suggest about the relationship between a person’s vocation and identity?
5. How did Sentila feel when she saw her mother lying motionless on the floor?

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

1. “Skills such as pot making… did not ‘belong’ to any individual.” In the light of this statement, discuss the role of tradition and community in preserving crafts. (100–120 words)
2. Draw a character sketch of Sentila highlighting her determination and the challenges she faced. (100–120 words)

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

1. From the unit, fill in the blanks with appropriate determiners:
   (a) __ pot makers of the village were worried.
   (b) Onula gave Sentila _ useful advice.
   (c) ___ skill of pot making is handed down from generation to generation.

2. Write a diary entry (80–100 words) from the point of view of Sentila on the day she finally made pots as skilfully as her mother.