Read the text below and answer the following true-false questions.
Bangladeshi cuisine is rich and varied with the use of many spices. We have delicious and appetizing food, snacks and sweets.
Boiled rice is our staple food. It is served with a variety of vegetables, curry, lentil soups, fish and meat. Fish is the main source of protein. Fishes are now cultivated in ponds. Also we have fresh-water fishes in the lakes and rivers. More than 40 types of fishes are common. Some of them are carp, rui, katla, magur (catfish), chingri (prawn or shrimp). Shutki or dried fishes are popular. Hilsha is very popular among the people of Bangladesh.
Panta ilish is a traditional platter of Panta bhat. It is steamed rice soaked in water and served with a fried hilsha slice, often together with dried fish, pickles, lentil soup, green chilies and onion. It is a popular dish on the Pohela Boishakh.
The people of Bangladesh are very fond of sweets. Almost all Bangladeshi women prepare some traditional sweets. Pitha, a type of sweets made from rice flour, sugar, syrup, molasses and sometimes milk, is a traditional food loved by the entire population. During winter Pitha Utsab, meaning pitha festival, is organized by different groups of people.
Sweets are distributed among close relatives when there is good news like births, weddings, promotions, etc.
Sweets of Bangladesh are mostly milk-based. The common ones are roshgolla, sandesh, rasamalai, gulap jamun, kalo jamun and chom-chom. There are hundreds of different varieties of sweet preparations. Sweets are therefore an important part of the day-to-day life of Bangladeshi people.
A . Read the text AND say True or false? If false, give the correct information.
1 Our foods are rich because they have a lot of oil in them.
2 We get protein mostly from fish.
3 On Pohela Boishakh, the traditional food is steamed rice and fried hilsha.
4 Pitha Uthsab takes place almost all the year round in Bangladesh.
5 Sweets are not much appreciated by the people of Bangladesh.
B . Read the text in again and answer the following questions.
1 What has made Bangladeshi food so special?
2 Where do we get the fishes from?
3 Apart from fish, what other foods do we eat with rice?
4 Why are sweets an important part of our life?
5. How is our staple food served?
6. Where are fishes cultivated now?
7. Are fishes available in our country? how?
8. How do we prepare panta-Ilish?
9. What is the traditional and common dish on the Pohela Boishakh?
10. Name four fresh water fishes.
11. Name four milk-based sweets.
C . Discuss and answer the questions in pairs.
1 Describe a Bangladeshi food that you like best.
2 Make a list of the things you and your partner eat every day.
3 Make two lists of food one eaten by the urban and the other by the rural people.
4 Why are there differences between the food eaten by the urban and the food eaten by the rural people?
D. Guess the meaning of the following words and choose the correct meaning closest to the text.
1 x 5 = 5
(a) cuisine— (i) cook (ii) food
(iii) cooking (iv) cooking process
(b) platter— (i) a large, flat dish (ii) plate
(iii) utensil (iv) pot(c) molasses—(i) molecule (ii) a thick treacle
(iii) sugar (iv) sweet
(d) staple— (i) step (ii) measure
(iii) main (iv) steep
(e) traditional—(i) of trade (ii) commercial
(iii) heritage (iv) conventional
E. Choose the correct answer to each question from the alternatives given and write the corresponding number of the answers in your answer script. 1x7=7
i) The word ‘cuisine’ in line 1 of the text means
a) A style of cooking b) a special kind of food
c) Cooking spicy dishes d) a combination of different dishes
ii) The words ‘appetizing food’ in line 1 of the text mean
a) Expensive food b) food that makes you feel hungry
c) Food that is cooked with spices d) food that has good nutritional value
iii) The word ‘platter’ in line 8 of the text meansa)
a large plate to serve food b) a meal served on a large plate
c) A dish with a variety of food items on it d) all of the above
iv) The main source of protein for Bangladeshi people is
a) Boiled rice b) lentil soup
c) Fish d) meat
v) Panta bhat is usually served with
a) Dried fish b) green chili and onion
c) hilsha d) all of the above
vi) Panta-ilish is eaten with much festivity
a) Throughout the year b) to the wedding guests
c) On a special day d) in winter
vii) A popular food item in winter is
a) Lentil soup b) pitha
c) panta bhat d) dried fish
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