The little girl
EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow in one or two lines each.
To the little girl he was a figure to be feared and avoided. Every morning before going to work he came into her room and gave her a casual kiss.
(a) Who does ‘he’ refer to in this extract?
Ans:He refers to the father of the little girl, Kezia.
(b) What were the feelings of the little girl towards him?
Ans:The little girl was afraid of him and tried to avoid him.
(c) What did ‘he’ do before going to work every morning?
Ans: Before going to work every morning, he came to the room of the little girl and casually kissed her.
(d) What does this gesture show about him?
Ans:This gesture shows that he loved her girl but was not very expressive in his affection.
(II)
She never stuttered with other people – had quite given it up – but only with Father, because then she was trying so hard to say the words properly.
(a) Who is ‘she’ in this extract?
‘Ans:She’ is Kezia, the little girl who was afraid of her father.
(b) What had she ‘quite given up’?
Ans:She had quite given up the occasional stuttering in front of other people.
(c) How did ‘she’ speak in the presence of her father?
Ans:In the presence of her father, Kezia stuttered while speaking and displayed lack of confidence.
(d) Why did ‘she’ speak so differently before her father?
Ans:Being afraid of her father, Kezia hesitated to speak to him. Whenever she had to, she would stutter and sound different because her natural speech would be obstructed.
(III)
He was so big – his hands and his neck, especially his mouth when he yawned. Thinking about him alone was like thinking about a giant.
(a) Who is ‘he’ in the above extract?
Ans: In this extract, ‘he’ refers to the father of Kezia, who was a veil strict disciplinarian.
(b) why does the speaker find him so big?
Ans:The speaker is his little daughter Kezia who was very scared of him. Hence she finds him so big – with big hands, neck and mouth.
(c) why does the speaker think of him as a giant?
Ans:The speaker, Kezia, thought of him as a giant because to a small girl like her, his big body structure was as frightening as that of a giant of children’s stories.
(d) When did his mouth especially appear big?
Ans:His mouth especially appeared big when he opened it wide while yawning.
(IV)
“Mother, go up to her room and fetch down the damned thing – see that the child’s put to bed this instant.”
(a) Who speaks these lines and to whom?
Ans: Kezia’s father speaks these lines to his mother.
(b) What is the mood of the speaker in these lines?
Ans:The speaker, Kezia’s father, is in a very angry mood while speaking these lines because Kezia had torn his important speech to pieces.
(c) What does the speaker refer to as the ‘damned thing’?
Ans:The ‘damned thing’ referred to by the speaker, Kezia’s father, is the pin-cushion Kezia had made for him.
(d) Who is the ‘child’ here? Why does the speaker wish the child to be put to bed immediately?
Ans:The ‘child’ here is Kezia. Her father, the speaker, wishes her to be put to bed immediately because he is furious at the damage caused by her. He does not want to lose his anger further due to her presence in front of him.
(V)
“Here’s a clean hanky, darling. Blow your nose. Go to sleep, pet; you’ll forget all about it in the morning. I tried to explain to Father but he was too upset to listen tonight.”
(a) Who speaks these lines to whom and when?
Ans:The kind and affectionate Grandmother speaks these lines to a sobbing Kezia after she is hit on her little pink palms with a ruler by her father.
(b) Why does the speaker offer a clean hanky?
Ans:Grandmother, the speaker, offers a clean hanky because Kezia had been crying after she was punished by her father for tearing his important papers. She needed a clean hanky to blow her nose.
(c) What did the speaker want the listener to forget? Why?
Ans:Grandmother, the speaker, wanted Kezia , the listener to forget all about the beating that she had got from her Father. She wanted her to forget it because the punishment was not given to hurt her but to make her understand that things belonging to others must not be touched.
(d) What did the speaker try to explain to Father?
Ans: Grandmother, the speaker, tried to explain to Father that Kezia was a ‘little girl and had not destroyed the papers intentionally. She was in fact trying to complete his surprise birthday gift.
(VI)
“What’ll I do if I have a nightmare?” she asked. “I often have nightmares and then Gninnie takes me into her bed – I can’t stay in the dark – it all gets ‘whispery’…”
(a) Who is the speaker in these lines? Who is being addressed here?
Ans: In these lines, the speaker is Kezia, the little girl and she is addressing Alice, the cook.
(b) What happens when the speaker has nightmares?
Ans:When Kezia has nightmares, she is comforted by her grandmother who takes the little girl into her bed.
(C)Why can’t the speaker stay in the dark?
Ans:Kezia can’t stay in the dark because she is a little girl and the deep silence of darkness scares her.
(d)Where is Grannie right now?
Ans:Kezia’s Grannie is at the hospital with Kezia’s mother who is unwell.
(VII)
“Oh,” said the little girl, “my head’s on your heart. I can hear it going. What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear.”
(a) Who is the little girl in these lines?
Ans:The little girl in these lines is Kezia.
(b) Where has she put her head? Why?
Ans:Kezia has put her head on the big heart of her father. She has done so because she is free from her fears and nightmare and is happy to discover the tender and loving side of her otherwise strict daddy.
(c) What can the little girl hear?
Ans:Kezia can hear the heart beat of her father. Symbolically, it means that she can understand the true love that is buried deep in her father’s heart.
(d) How does the little girl feel at this time?
Ans:Kezia feels happy and safe at this time. She does not think her father to be cruel, dominating, and giant-like. Instead she knows that he is actually a kind, loving, and considerate person with a big heart.
Answer the following questions in one or two sentences
Question 1: Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Answer: Kezia’s father was a strict person, who always used to give commands to everybody else in the house. He never seemed to smile. He was having an overpowering personality. So Kezia was always in awe of him.
Question 2: Who were the people in Kezia’s family?
Answer: Apart from Kezia and her father, there was Kezia’s mother, grandmother and a cook in the family.
Question 3: What was Kezia’s father’s routine?
(i) before going to his office?
(ii) after coming back from his office?
(iii) on Sundays?
Answer: (i) Before going to office the father used to give a casual kiss and asked her to say goodbye.
(ii) After coming back from office he would ask for newspaper and a cup of tea.
(iii) On Sundays he would sleep on the sofa with his face covered with his favourite cushion.
Question 4: In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?
Answer: Kezia’s grandmother used to encourage Kezia to serve tea and to fetch spectacles for her father, so that she could get opportunity to interact with him.
Question 1: Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?
Answer: Kezia’s grandmother asked her to make some surprise gift for the father’s birthday. She wanted to make a nice pin cushion for her father. She wanted to stuff the cushion with some scraps. While searching for scrap she found some pieces of papers strewn on the bed. She used them to stuff the pin cushion.
But it was her sheer bad luck that those were not useless papers, but was speech written by her father. He had to deliver that speech at some important function. This made her father angry to the extent that he beat her up.
Question 2: Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?
Answer: Mr. Macdonald was of jovial nature. He used to play around with his kids. On the other hand Kezia’s father was never seen in a playful mood and was always serious. He always scolded Kezia for seemingly minor mistakes. This was his way of bringing up a child.
Question 3: How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
Answer: When Kezia’s mother falls sick she is feeling lonely. To take solace she goes to sleep in her father’s lap. While consoling her he seems to be an affectionate person. Kezia also feels the warmth of the proverbial bear hug of her father. Now she feels quite safe and secure with her father. She realizes that because of his busy schedule her father is unable to give enough time to the family. When her father falls asleep before her, she realizes that her father is also a human being and he too needs sympathy.
EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow in one or two lines each.
To the little girl he was a figure to be feared and avoided. Every morning before going to work he came into her room and gave her a casual kiss.
(a) Who does ‘he’ refer to in this extract?
Ans:He refers to the father of the little girl, Kezia.
(b) What were the feelings of the little girl towards him?
Ans:The little girl was afraid of him and tried to avoid him.
(c) What did ‘he’ do before going to work every morning?
Ans: Before going to work every morning, he came to the room of the little girl and casually kissed her.
(d) What does this gesture show about him?
Ans:This gesture shows that he loved her girl but was not very expressive in his affection.
(II)
She never stuttered with other people – had quite given it up – but only with Father, because then she was trying so hard to say the words properly.
(a) Who is ‘she’ in this extract?
‘Ans:She’ is Kezia, the little girl who was afraid of her father.
(b) What had she ‘quite given up’?
Ans:She had quite given up the occasional stuttering in front of other people.
(c) How did ‘she’ speak in the presence of her father?
Ans:In the presence of her father, Kezia stuttered while speaking and displayed lack of confidence.
(d) Why did ‘she’ speak so differently before her father?
Ans:Being afraid of her father, Kezia hesitated to speak to him. Whenever she had to, she would stutter and sound different because her natural speech would be obstructed.
(III)
He was so big – his hands and his neck, especially his mouth when he yawned. Thinking about him alone was like thinking about a giant.
(a) Who is ‘he’ in the above extract?
Ans: In this extract, ‘he’ refers to the father of Kezia, who was a veil strict disciplinarian.
(b) why does the speaker find him so big?
Ans:The speaker is his little daughter Kezia who was very scared of him. Hence she finds him so big – with big hands, neck and mouth.
(c) why does the speaker think of him as a giant?
Ans:The speaker, Kezia, thought of him as a giant because to a small girl like her, his big body structure was as frightening as that of a giant of children’s stories.
(d) When did his mouth especially appear big?
Ans:His mouth especially appeared big when he opened it wide while yawning.
(IV)
“Mother, go up to her room and fetch down the damned thing – see that the child’s put to bed this instant.”
(a) Who speaks these lines and to whom?
Ans: Kezia’s father speaks these lines to his mother.
(b) What is the mood of the speaker in these lines?
Ans:The speaker, Kezia’s father, is in a very angry mood while speaking these lines because Kezia had torn his important speech to pieces.
(c) What does the speaker refer to as the ‘damned thing’?
Ans:The ‘damned thing’ referred to by the speaker, Kezia’s father, is the pin-cushion Kezia had made for him.
(d) Who is the ‘child’ here? Why does the speaker wish the child to be put to bed immediately?
Ans:The ‘child’ here is Kezia. Her father, the speaker, wishes her to be put to bed immediately because he is furious at the damage caused by her. He does not want to lose his anger further due to her presence in front of him.
(V)
“Here’s a clean hanky, darling. Blow your nose. Go to sleep, pet; you’ll forget all about it in the morning. I tried to explain to Father but he was too upset to listen tonight.”
(a) Who speaks these lines to whom and when?
Ans:The kind and affectionate Grandmother speaks these lines to a sobbing Kezia after she is hit on her little pink palms with a ruler by her father.
(b) Why does the speaker offer a clean hanky?
Ans:Grandmother, the speaker, offers a clean hanky because Kezia had been crying after she was punished by her father for tearing his important papers. She needed a clean hanky to blow her nose.
(c) What did the speaker want the listener to forget? Why?
Ans:Grandmother, the speaker, wanted Kezia , the listener to forget all about the beating that she had got from her Father. She wanted her to forget it because the punishment was not given to hurt her but to make her understand that things belonging to others must not be touched.
(d) What did the speaker try to explain to Father?
Ans: Grandmother, the speaker, tried to explain to Father that Kezia was a ‘little girl and had not destroyed the papers intentionally. She was in fact trying to complete his surprise birthday gift.
(VI)
“What’ll I do if I have a nightmare?” she asked. “I often have nightmares and then Gninnie takes me into her bed – I can’t stay in the dark – it all gets ‘whispery’…”
(a) Who is the speaker in these lines? Who is being addressed here?
Ans: In these lines, the speaker is Kezia, the little girl and she is addressing Alice, the cook.
(b) What happens when the speaker has nightmares?
Ans:When Kezia has nightmares, she is comforted by her grandmother who takes the little girl into her bed.
(C)Why can’t the speaker stay in the dark?
Ans:Kezia can’t stay in the dark because she is a little girl and the deep silence of darkness scares her.
(d)Where is Grannie right now?
Ans:Kezia’s Grannie is at the hospital with Kezia’s mother who is unwell.
(VII)
“Oh,” said the little girl, “my head’s on your heart. I can hear it going. What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear.”
(a) Who is the little girl in these lines?
Ans:The little girl in these lines is Kezia.
(b) Where has she put her head? Why?
Ans:Kezia has put her head on the big heart of her father. She has done so because she is free from her fears and nightmare and is happy to discover the tender and loving side of her otherwise strict daddy.
(c) What can the little girl hear?
Ans:Kezia can hear the heart beat of her father. Symbolically, it means that she can understand the true love that is buried deep in her father’s heart.
(d) How does the little girl feel at this time?
Ans:Kezia feels happy and safe at this time. She does not think her father to be cruel, dominating, and giant-like. Instead she knows that he is actually a kind, loving, and considerate person with a big heart.
Answer the following questions in one or two sentences
Question 1: Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Answer: Kezia’s father was a strict person, who always used to give commands to everybody else in the house. He never seemed to smile. He was having an overpowering personality. So Kezia was always in awe of him.
Question 2: Who were the people in Kezia’s family?
Answer: Apart from Kezia and her father, there was Kezia’s mother, grandmother and a cook in the family.
Question 3: What was Kezia’s father’s routine?
(i) before going to his office?
(ii) after coming back from his office?
(iii) on Sundays?
Answer: (i) Before going to office the father used to give a casual kiss and asked her to say goodbye.
(ii) After coming back from office he would ask for newspaper and a cup of tea.
(iii) On Sundays he would sleep on the sofa with his face covered with his favourite cushion.
Question 4: In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?
Answer: Kezia’s grandmother used to encourage Kezia to serve tea and to fetch spectacles for her father, so that she could get opportunity to interact with him.
Question 1: Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?
Answer: Kezia’s grandmother asked her to make some surprise gift for the father’s birthday. She wanted to make a nice pin cushion for her father. She wanted to stuff the cushion with some scraps. While searching for scrap she found some pieces of papers strewn on the bed. She used them to stuff the pin cushion.
But it was her sheer bad luck that those were not useless papers, but was speech written by her father. He had to deliver that speech at some important function. This made her father angry to the extent that he beat her up.
Question 2: Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?
Answer: Mr. Macdonald was of jovial nature. He used to play around with his kids. On the other hand Kezia’s father was never seen in a playful mood and was always serious. He always scolded Kezia for seemingly minor mistakes. This was his way of bringing up a child.
Question 3: How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
Answer: When Kezia’s mother falls sick she is feeling lonely. To take solace she goes to sleep in her father’s lap. While consoling her he seems to be an affectionate person. Kezia also feels the warmth of the proverbial bear hug of her father. Now she feels quite safe and secure with her father. She realizes that because of his busy schedule her father is unable to give enough time to the family. When her father falls asleep before her, she realizes that her father is also a human being and he too needs sympathy.
No comments:
Post a Comment