Winds of Change & Canvas of Soil

(i) Pankhas were one of the most popular items of commerce. True or false?
False. The extract says they were significant cultural goods carried on trade routes. It does not say they were the most popular items of commerce.

(ii) Why has the word ‘traditional’ been used to describe pankhas?
Pankhas have been made for centuries. Each region made them in its own old style, with local materials and designs passed down over generations.

(iii) ‘They were considered exotic and stylish’ is an opinion and not a fact because ______.
it tells us what people felt about pankhas. It cannot be proved.

(iv) Infer one reason for commonality in the use of pankhas across India.
Most parts of India are hot, so people everywhere needed hand fans to keep cool.

(v) Select the correct assertion for the reason: Pankhas were made of indigenous materials, unique to the region, with elaborate designs.
A. Each kind of pankha could be distinguished from the other.

(i) Infer one negative impact of technological advancement on pankha.
Electric fans and coolers have replaced hand fans. So pankhas are slowly disappearing from daily life.

(ii) The writer refers to ‘pankhas’ as a ‘culture’ because ______.
pankhas carry the art, stories, rituals and traditions of each region.

(iii) Select a line that depicts how the role of the pankha has changed.
“Once made for personal use, over time this handicraft has transformed into a commercial business.”

(iv) List one way in which the increase in demand might benefit artisans.
It gives artisans more work and a steady income.

(v) Select the factor that has contributed to the commercialisation of pankhas.
B. economic demand

1. How does the title ‘Winds of Change’ capture the essence of the chapter?
Pankhas create wind. The chapter shows how pankhas changed over time — from royal and temple use, to daily use, to decoration and business. So the title fits well.

2. Support the statement with two examples: ‘The structure and design of pankhas are testimony to the cultural identity of the region.’
Gujarat is the centre of bead craft, so its fans are covered with colourful beads and mirror work.

Bengal uses the milky-white sola and palm leaf, which are found there. The Tal Patar Pankha is kept in every Bengali home.

3. Evaluate how a balance between traditional craftsmanship and innovative designs will help.
Traditional skill keeps the true identity of the craft. New designs make pankhas useful and attractive to young buyers. Together they increase demand and keep the craft alive.

4. How might pankha-making workshops contribute to preserving the craft?
Workshops teach new people the skill. They spread awareness about its beauty. They also give artisans a platform to sell their work.

5. Assess how celebrating pankhas could benefit artisans and the craft.
Celebrating pankhas brings respect and attention to the craft. Artisans can show their skill and get more buyers. This gives them a sustainable livelihood.

6. How does restricting pankhas to decorative use reflect their changing cultural role?
Earlier, pankhas were needed for cooling and rituals. Now they are kept as wall decorations and gifts. They have become symbols of heritage rather than daily objects.

(i) Which option uses a metaphor?
B. She has a heart of gold.

(ii) The phrase ‘planted true’ is significant because it implies ______.
the seeds were planted with care and sincerity, so they will grow well.

(iii) Why has the poet used the word ‘hue’ instead of ‘colours’?
‘Hue’ suggests a fine shade of colour, as a painter would say. It also rhymes with ‘true’.

(iv) Summer : hot :: Spring : ______
vibrant

(v) (A): Gardeners wait for Spring. (R): Gardens are worth painting in Spring.
B. Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

(i) What does ‘Each plot’ refer to?
Each piece of land in a garden where plants are grown.

(ii) Select the option that imitates the rhyme scheme of the extract.
A. beautiful and clear / laughter and cheer

(iii) Select the line that conveys that gardening blends aesthetic beauty with natural growth.
“Where art and life coincide.”

(iv) The plot is likened to a canvas suggesting that ______.
the gardener creates a beautiful picture on the land, just as a painter does on a canvas.

(v) Why has the poet used ‘wide’ instead of ‘long’ in ‘canvas wide’?
‘Wide’ shows a broad open space with room for creativity. It also rhymes with ‘coincide’.

1. How does the metaphor ‘Brushstrokes of seeds’ enhance our understanding of gardening as an art?
It shows that sowing a seed is like making a stroke with a brush. Each seed adds to the final picture. So gardening becomes a creative art, not just work.

2. What can you infer about the poet’s view on nature and creativity from ‘Each plot, a canvas wide,/Where art and life coincide’?
The poet feels that nature and creativity are closely linked. In a garden, living plants become a work of art.

3. Does the imagery successfully paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind?
Yes. Words like “blossoms bloom”, “morning light” and “shades of green, red, and blue” help us see a colourful garden clearly.

4. Support the view that the mention of yellow would have added to the imagery.
Yellow is the colour of sunshine and of flowers like marigold and sunflower. It would have made the garden picture brighter and more cheerful.

5. What can you interpret from ‘Gardens become paintings still’ about the timelessness of nature’s beauty?
A painting keeps its beauty forever. By calling gardens still paintings, the poet suggests that nature’s beauty is lasting and always new.

6. Justify the title ‘Canvas of Soil’.
The poem compares the soil of a garden to a painter’s canvas. Gardeners use seeds and flowers as colours to create a picture on it. So the title is apt.