The Pot Maker Class 9 Extra Questions and Answers English Chapter 2
The Pot Maker Extra Question Answer
Question 1.
Why did Sentila want to become a pot maker despite her mother's disapproval?
Answer:
Ever since she was old enough to accompany her mother, Sentila was fascinated by the craft and dreamed of becoming a potter like her mother and grandmother. To her, the "tap, tap" of the spatula was like music.
Question 2.
What reason did Arenla give for preferring weaving over pottery?
Answer:
Arenla believed weaving was less messy, could be done indoors in any season, and offered a handsome financial return compared to the pittance earned from pottery.
Question 3.
What physical hardships of pot making did Arenla mention?
Answer:
She described the sixteen-kilometer trek to fetch clay, the sheer drop to the riverbank, the backbreaking load of carrying clay uphill, and the tedious process of pounding stubborn clay.
The Pot Maker Short Question Answer
Question 4.
Why did the village council summon Mesoba?
Answer:
The council was concerned by gossip that Arenla was refusing to teach Sentila. They feared that if expert potters stopped passing on their skills, the tradition and history of the people would be lost.
Question 5.
What was the duty of an expert according to the village elders?
Answer:
The elders stated that skills like pot making do not belong to an individual; experts are obliged to pass them on to their children or anyone who wishes to learn to preserve their heritage.
Question 6.
Why was Sentila unsuccessful during her first year of training with her mother?
Answer:
Sentila was too tense and lacked confidence, causing the clay to be unwilling to yield the right shape. Her mother also simply watched her from a corner, adding to her frustration.
Question 7.
Who was Onula, and how did she help Sentila?
Answer:
Onula was a kind, middle-aged widow who supervised the girls' dormitory. She noticed Sentila's struggle, taught her with patience, and helped her find the confidence to create her first perfect pot.
The Pot Maker Class 9 Extra Question Answer
Question 8.
What specific technique did Onula tell Sentila to observe in her mother?
Answer:
Onula advised Sentila to watch how her mother shaped the "mouth of the pot" and how she held her hands and the spatula to create the rim.
Question 9.
How did Sentila eventually find her "momentum" in pot making?
Answer:
After her mother left her alone in the shed due to a headache, Sentila began to work in perfect coordination, eventually making pots with the same speed and dexterity she had admired in her mother.
Question 10.
What did Onula see in the work shed that she called a "profound revelation"?
Answer:
She saw two neat, identical rows of newly-made pots. They were so perfectly symmetrical that she could not tell which batch belonged to the master and which to the student, signaling the birth of a new expert.
Question 11.
Why did the village council believe that skills like pot making did not "belong" to any individual?
Answer:
The council believed these skills symbolised the tradition and history of the people and were meant to be preserved for the community, not kept private.
Question 12.
Describe the physical challenges Arenla faced while collecting and preparing clay.
Answer:
Arenla had to climb down a sheer drop to the riverbank, carry heavy loads uphill, and spend hours pounding stubborn clay inside bamboo cylinders.
Question 13.
How did Onula identify that Sentila was a "quick learner"?
Answer:
Onula noticed that once Sentila was given clear instructions and gained confidence, she created a beautiful pot immediately.
The Pot Maker Long Question Answer
Question 1.
Discuss the conflict between Sentila's passion and Arenla's pragmatism.
Answer:
The conflict stems from different perspectives on labour. Arenla views pottery through a pragmatic lens, focusing on the "backaches," tedious labour, and the pittance it pays. She wants Sentila to have an easier life through weaving. Sentila, however, views pottery through a lens of passion. To her, the process is a "fascination" and the sound of the spatula is music". The story eventually resolves this by showing that passion, when supported by community duty and proper guidance, ensures the survival of culture despite economic hardships.
Question 2.
How does the village council's intervention highlight the social significance of traditional crafts?
Answer:
The council's intervention emphasizes that traditional crafts are not just jobs but symbols of a people's tradition and history. They argue that these skills do not belong to any one person to withhold. By summoning Mesoba, they assert that experts have a social obligation to ensure that these cultural markers are handed down from generation to generation so that the community's identity remains intact.
Question 3.
Analyze the role of Onula as a mentor in Sentila's journey.
Answer:
Onula provides the empathy and encouragement that Sentila lacked at home. While Arenla's presence made Sentila "tense" and "ashamed," Onula noticed her "clumsy efforts" and resolved to help. She offered a safe space in the dormitory and gave Sentila the "confidence she had never felt before". Onula's mentorship was the bridge Sentila needed to finally apply the observations she had made of her mother's skill.
Question 4.
Describe the final scene in the work shed and its symbolic importance.
Answer:
The final scene shows two identical rows of pots standing in perfect symmetry. This is symbolically important because it represents the seamless transition of heritage. Even though Arenla dies, her "handiwork" lives on through Sentila. The inability to distinguish between the two batches signifies that the student has fully absorbed the master's essence, fulfilling the village's need for a "new pot maker".
Question 5.
The voice of their vocation is the voice of their identity. Elaborate on this theme with reference to the story.
Answer:
In the story, a vocation is more than labor; it is identity. For Sentila, being a potter was her "dream" from childhood, defining her purpose. The "voice" of their work is what they celebrate as belonging "to them and to none else," making their vocation the truest expression of who they are.
Question 6.
Contrast the environment of the girls' dormitory with Sentila's home life. How did this change her ability to learn the craft?
Answer:
At home, Sentila felt shame and frustration because her mother merely watched her fail. In the dormitory, Onula provided a kind, supportive environment and promised to teach her, which removed Sentila's tension.
Question 7.
Explain the significance of the "two neat rows of newly-made pots" found at the end of the story.
Answer:
The two rows symbolise the successful transition of the craft from one generation to the next. Since they were identical in symmetry and quality, it proved that Sentila had achieved the same level of dexterity as her mother.
The Pot Maker Extract Based Questions and Answers
Extract 1
"Sentila did not disclose her fascination with pot making at home as she had overheard a conversation between her parents one night... 'I shall not teach her pot making as it has brought no joy to me and only a pittance for my troubles."
Question 1.
Why did Sentila keep her interest a secret?
Answer:
She had overheard her mother expressing strong disapproval and a refusal to teach her.
Question 2.
What does the word "pittance" tell us about Arenla's experience?
Answer:
It indicates that the financial reward for her hard labor was extremely small and unsatisfying.
Question 3.
What vocation did Arenla prefer for her daughter and why?
Answer:
Weaving, because it earned more money, was not messy, and could be done indoors.
Question 4.
What does the father's statement reveal about his feelings towards pot making?
Answer:
The father's statement shows that he feels disappointed and unhappy with pot making. He believes it has given him neither joy nor enough money, which makes him unwilling to teach it to his daughter.
Question 5.
Why did Sentila's father refuse to teach her pot making?
(A) He wanted her to become a teacher.
(B) He believed pot making had brought him no happiness and very little income.
(C) He thought she was too young to learn.
(D) He did not like the craft anymore.
Answer:
(B) He believed pot making had brought him no happiness and very little income.
Extract 2
"They also told him that skills such as pot making... did not 'belong' to any individual. And experts were obliged to pass on their skills not only to their own children but also to anyone who wished to learn."
Question 1.
Who is "him" in this extract?
Answer:
Mesoba, Sentila's father.
Question 2.
Why does the village council believe skills do not belong to individuals?
Answer:
Because these skills symbolize the collective tradition and history of the people.
Question 3.
What is the obligation mentioned here?
Answer:
Experts must teach their skills to their children or anyone else interested to ensure the craft's survival.
Question 4.
Why were experts expected to share their skills with others?
Answer:
Experts were expected to share their skills because such crafts were considered common heritage and not personal property. Therefore, they had a responsibility to teach anyone who was willing to learn.
Question 5.
What idea is emphasized in the extract about traditional skills like pot making?
(A) They should be kept secret within families.
(B) They are a shared heritage that must be passed on.
(C) They are outdated and no longer useful.
(D) They belong only to trained professionals.
Answer:
(B) They are a shared heritage that must be passed on.
Match the following terms with their correct descriptions :
| (a) Deftly | (i) A small amount of money |
| (b) Pittance | (ii) Tiring or boring |
| (c) Malleable | (iii) Skillfully |
| (d) Tedious | (iv) Tool used for shaping pots |
| (e) Spatula | (v) Able to be shaped without breaking |
Answer:
| (a) Deftly | (iii) Skillfully |
| (b) Pittance | (i) A small amount of money |
| (c) Malleable | (v) Able to be shaped without breaking |
| (d) Tedious | (ii) Tiring or boring |
| (e) Spatula | (iv) Tool used for shaping pots |
Choose the correct Determiner to complete the sentence:
"Arenla believed that ............ (some / several / much) more money could be made from weaving than pottery."
Answer:
Much
Identify the type of clause underlined below:
"Sentila, whose passion for pottery was deep, practised every day."
Answer:
Adjectival / Relative Clause