Do you think pot making is easy? If yes, why? If no, why not?
No, pot making is not easy. It involves heavy physical labour and is highly tedious. The clay has to be dug from a riverbank sixteen kilometres away, requiring one to climb down a sheer drop and carry the heavy load uphill, which causes severe backaches.
Furthermore, the process of pounding the stubborn clay inside bamboo cylinders to soften it is exhausting, and dropping the mould means starting all over again. It takes months of labour to produce a batch, and the pots require sunny days to dry. Despite the hard work, the reward is merely a few rupees, making it a difficult and unrewarding task.
Explanation
The textbook context clearly highlights the arduous nature of pot making through Arenla's complaints and Sentila's observations. The process involves physical strain (carrying heavy clay uphill), tedious repetitive work (pounding stubborn clay), time consumption (taking months for a batch), and weather dependence (needing sunshine to dry), all for very little financial return. Therefore, the answer must conclude that pot making is not easy, supported by these specific challenges from the text.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Determine the stance based on the text (Pot making is NOT easy).
Step 2: Identify reasons from the context: physical strain (digging, carrying heavy clay uphill, backaches), tedious process (pounding stubborn clay, risk of dropping the mould), time consumption (takes months), and low financial reward (a few rupees).
Step 3: Draft the answer in 2-3 paragraphs using bold key terms, keeping it within the 80-120 word limit for a 2-mark question.