Oxford Modern English Book 7 - Unit 10: Export Quality

Study Notes

The text is from an English lesson based on unit 10 "Export Quality" from Oxford Modern English book 7.
The lesson starts with introducing new words from page 115 of the book.
"Aladdin" is the hero of the Arabian Nights.
"Baubles" are showy trinkets, and "bric-a-brac" includes old furniture, china, and other cottage industry items.
"Cottage industries" are large stores selling handicrafts.
"Decked up" refers to dressing up and decorating an object or a person.
"Animation" is the state of being "as it about to come to life."
"Labyrinth" is a complicated structure with many passages, hard to find the way through.
"Lacquer" is a kind of varnish.
"Motif" is a figure design or pattern used by a particular craftsman or in a specific area.
"Austere" means simple and not showy, while "ostentatious" is a display of wealth and luxury.
"Balancing a covered litter chair" is a chair for one person carried by four or six men.
"Parry my way" means make way by warding off others.
The text mentions "Ramen senses" which are remembered incidents and events.
The story is based on an extract from a novel by Lena Dhingra.
The author lived in Europe after leaving Lahore at the age of 11.
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is mentioned in the text.- The text describes a woman's shopping experience in a large department store selling handicrafts.
The woman compares the store to cottage industries and finds similarities but also differences.
The entrance lobby is ostentatious with gold, glitter, craftsmanship, and wedding misés.
The shop is set out on three floors with different sections and labyrinthine passageways.
The woman is overwhelmed by the variety of arts and crafts from all over the subcontinent.
She collects several items, including bangles, and haggles over prices.
She encounters a fixed-price shoe shop and buys comfortable new chapels.
The woman reflects on the shopping system in the store and compares it to an in-between system.
She passes by street vendors and shops on her way home, including one selling cars.
The woman stops at a card selling "I don't know where I'm going but I am on my way" and buys it.