10th Std Amanda

Extract based questions :-

Q 1. (There is a languid, emerald sea,

where the sole inhabitant is me —

a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)

Questions :

(a) Who do these lines refer to?

(b) How is the sea?

(c) Who is the sole inhabitant of the sea?

(d) Why is this stanza bracketed?

(e) What does the person refer to want to do?

Answers :

(a) These lines refer to a little girl Amanda.

(b) The sea is peaceful and beautiful.

(c) Amanda is the mermaid who is the sole inhabitant of the green sea.

(d) This second stanza is bracketed because this is the daydream of Amanda.

(e) Amanda wants to drift blissfully with the soft-moving waves of the sea.


Q 2. (I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet)

Questions :

(a) Who longs to be an orphan?

(b) Where is the orphan roaming?

(c) How does the speaker make designs?

(d) What does the speaker say about silence and freedom?

(e) What does ‘orphan’ long to do?

Answers :

(a) The orphan longs to roam freely in streets.

(b) The orphan is roaming in the street.

(c) The speaker makes designs with her bare feet on the soft dust.

(d) The speaker says that silence is golden and freedom is sweet.

(e) Amanda longs to be an orphan.

Q3. Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
 Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you, Amanda!

Questions:

(a) Who is the speaker of these lines?

(b) What is she asked not to do?

(c) Why is eating chocolate harmful for her?

(d) Where should she look when someone is talking to her?

Answers:

(a) Amanda’s mother is the speaker of these lines.

(b) She is asked not to eat chocolate.

(c) She should not eat chocolate as she has pimples on her face.

(d) She should look at the speaker when someone is speaking to her.

Q4. Who is the mermaid in ‘Amanda’, what does ‘she’ wish to do?

Ans. The mermaid is Amanda herself; as imagined by Amanda. She wishes to drift blissfully on a dreamy, emerald  green sea, without anyone else accompanying her.

Q5. What is the theme of the poem — ‘Amanda’?

Ans. Too many instructions and too much control are resented by children. They get bored and fed up. Then, they listen to their parents half-heartedly and indulge in daydreaming.

Q6. What message does the poet want to give through the poem — ‘Amanda’?

Ans. The poet wants to convey that parents in their endeavour to make their children well-behaved, mannerly having good habits, give them too many instructions or nag (always finding fault) them. They should adopt positive measures, acceptable to children. Otherwise, they will stop listening to them and indulge in daydreaming as Amanda did.

Q7. Who was Amanda? What idea do you form her through the poem?

Ans. Amanda was a little school going, girl. She seems to love fairy tales, stories like Rapunzel and mermaids. She does not like too many instructions or nagging which make her sulk and become moody. Then she does not listen to her mother attentively and starts daydreaming.

Q8. Why does she dream to be an orphan?

Ans. She thinks orphans lead a carefree life. There is no one to pester them with instructions. They can wander in a street and make patterns in the soft dust with their bare feet. They don’t have to clean the shoes or room or do the homework.

Q9. Amanda imagines herself to be Rapunzel, yet would not like to do what all she did. Identify and state the reasons for her decision.

Ans. Amanda says it. In the story, Rapunzel lets down her long, beautiful hair to escape with the prince. But Amanda is fascinated by Rapunzel’s life in the tower. She never wants to escape and leave such a peaceful atmosphere, with no instruction and no work to do.

Q10. What made Amanda sulk and become moody?

Ans. Amanda sulks and becomes moody when her mother gives her too many instructions. She does not want to follow them but she can’t dare to ignore them either, so she sulks.

Q.11. How does Amanda is seen behaving when the poem starts? What does the speaker ask her not to do?

Ans. When the poem beings, we find that Amanda is biting her nails. She is hunching her shoulders. She is sitting in a slouching posture. That is why the speaker asks her to behave normally. He asks her not to bite her nails and hunch her shoulders. She should sit up straight.

Q.12. In her day-dreaming, Amanda reaches the sea. What does she imagine herself to be?

Ans. Amanda finds that the sea is relaxed and peaceful. She is the only creature in the sea. She imagines herself to be a mermaid. She is happy. She is drifting on the waves blissfully.

Q.13.What three things the speaker ask Amanda to do which she has not done?

Ans. The speaker asks Amanda to finish her homework. Then he asks her if she has cleaned up her room. Finally, he finds that her shoes are not clean even though he had asked her to clean them.

Q.14. How does Amanda describe her life as an orphan?

Ans. Amanda says that she is an orphan. She is free and roams the street. There is soft dust in the street under her feet. She walks silently and creates patterns on the soft dust with her bare feet. She thinks that silence is golden and freedom is sweet.

Q.15. Why is Amanda forbidden to eat chocolate? How does Amanda behave when she is addressed by the speaker?

Ans. The speaker asks Amanda not to eat chocolate. It is because she has had acne already. Eating chocolate might create more pimples. Amanda listens to the speaker without raising her face.

Q.16. What does Amanda say, ‘I am Rapunzel’? What does she promise not to do?

Ans. Rapunzel was a beautiful girl with long hair. She was locked up in a tower by a witch. In her imagination, Amanda thinks herself to be like Rapunzel who led a peaceful life. She promises never to let down her bright hair.

Q.17. What does the speaker tell Amanda in the end? What is the speaker afraid of?

Ans. The speaker thinks that Amanda is sulking and moody. He thinks that Amanda is always moody. He asks her not to sulk because he is afraid that people will think that he is nagging Amanda.

Q.18. What is the central idea of the poem?

Ans. The central idea of the poem is that children love freedom. They do not want any restrictions on their activities. Secondly, they have a dream world of their own. They like to spend most of their time in that dream world. But the elders are always destroying that dream world by ordering them around.

Q19. Do you think that Amanda doesn’t like to be controlled and instructed not to do one thing or the other? Give a reasoned answer.

Ans. Amanda loves her freedom. She doesn’t want it to be curtailed. She wants to lead her own kind of life. If she is asked what to do and what not, she feels that her freedom is curtailed. She doesn’t bother to answer her mother when she goes on instructing her what to do and what not.

Q20. List the things which Amanda’s mother doesn’t want her to do.

Ans. Her mother doesn’t want her to hunch her shoulders and bend her body down. She stops her from eating chocolates as it would not be good for her pimpled face. She wants her to stop sulking as others would think that she is being nagged by her mother.

Q21. Why does Amanda want to be a mermaid?

Ans. Amanda is an escapist. She imagines herself to be a mermaid. She wants to live on an island where she is the only inhabitant. She loves freedom. She loves drifting blissfully like a mermaid on that lonely island.

Q22. Why does Amanda want to be an orphan?

Ans. Amanda values freedom more than anything in her life. She feels suffocated at home as she is constantly nagged by her mother there. She wants to be an orphan. Like an orphan, she likes to wander about the streets freely with bare feet.

Q23. Why does Amanda want to be Rapunzel?

Ans. Amanda is an escapist. She imagines herself as a fairy-like Rapunzel. She wants to live happily in her lonely tower far from the maddening crowd of the world. Like Rapunzel, she wants to take care of her beautiful golden hair.


Q 24. Is the purpose of someone constantly giving instructions to Amanda being fulfilled? Explain.

Ans. No, Amanda sulks and becomes moody when her mother gives her too many instructions. She does not listen to her mother and didn’t care to follow them but she can’t dare to ignore them either so, she sulks. Parents in their endeavour to make their children well-behaved, give them too many instructions.

Q25. Amanda imagines herself to be Rapunzel, yet would not like to do what all she did. Identify and state the reasons for her decision.

Ans. Amanda wants to be Rapunzel to live a peaceful life in a tower, where no one gives any instruction and she doesn’t have to do any work. But she doesn’t want to escape with a prince like Rapunzel. She never wants to escape and leave such a peaceful atmosphere, with no instruction and no work to do.

10th Std The hundred dresses

The hundred dresses

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. How did Peggy and Maddie try to amend their behaviour towards Wanda?

Ans. Both Peggy and Maddie felt guilty for their behaviour towards Wanda. Maddie felt very sad to know that Wanda and her family were leaving the town. Both of them wrote a friendly letter to Wanda telling her that she had won the contest. They asked her if she liked the place where she was living. They wanted to say sorry to her.

2. Why was Maddie sure Peggy would win the dress designing contest?

Ans. Maddie was sure that Peggy would win the dress designing contest because according to her and everyone in the class knew Peggy was the best artist in the class.

3. How did Peggy make fun of Wanda Petronski?

Ans. Peggy would always wait to make fun of Wanda at school. She would most courteously ask her, how many dresses she had hanging in her closet. Wanda would reply that there were a  hundred. Peggy would then ask about the dress material, and when Wanda walked away, would burst into laughter, sarcastically making fun of her.

4. What kind of girl was Wanda? Where did she usually sit in the class?

Ans. Wanda was a quiet girl who rarely laughed out loud. She didn’t have any friend and always come to school, and went home alone. She usually sat in the corner of the room, where those who didn’t get good marks sat, and which was the noisiest and dirtiest area in the room.

5. Why did children make fun of Wanda?

Ans. Children made fun of Wanda because she had a funny name. And also because she came to school wearing the same faded blue dress although she claimed she had a hundred dresses—all of the different designs, colours and a variety of clothes, embroidery silk and velvet.

6. Did Wanda have a hundred dresses? Why did she say so and how did she prove that?

Ans. No, she did not have the actual dresses. She had only the drawings of a hundred dresses on papers. All had different designs and colours. She had lined them up in her closet. She proved herself right by submitting a hundred drawings of dresses in the drawing and painting competition of her school.

7. Why did Maddie write a note to Peggy and then tore it?

Ans. Maddie wanted Peggy to stop teasing Wanda. She thought it was cruel. She could not dare to say all this verbally so she wrote a note to Peggy. But then she pictured herself as a new target for Peggy and other girls, making fun of her for wearing hand-me-down clothes. She shuddered and tore the note.

8. Who was Maddie?

Ans. Maddie belonged to a poor family. She wore old clothes which were given by others, her parents were not rich. They lived in a simple house.                                    

9. What was the opinion of the judges about Wanda?

Ans. Wanda had drawn one hundred designs of dresses, which were all different and all beautiful. In the Opinion of the judges, any one of the drawings was worthy of winning the prize. So she was declared the winner of the girl medal.

10. How can you say that Peggy was a soft girl?

Ans. Peggy was not really cruel. She protected smaller children from bullies. If she saw an animal mistreated, she would cry for hours.

11. Maddie wrote a note for Peggy but she tore it away. Why?

Ans. Maddie wanted that Peggy should stop teasing and making fun of Wanda. So she wrote a note to Peggy. But she lacked the courage to give that note to Peggy fearing lest she should lose Peggy’s friendship. So she tore the note.

12. What kind of girl Peggy was?

Ans. Peggy was not really a cruel girl. In fact. she protected small children from bullies. She was a sensitive girl. She cried for hours if she saw an animal mistreated. She asked Wanda questions about her dresses and shoes. But her intentions were not bad. She simply wanted to have some fun. She was the most popular girl in the class. She was a pretty girl.

13. Did Wanda Petronski sit in that corner near the last row because she was rough and noisy?

Ans. No, Wanda Petronski did not sit in that corner because she was rough and noisy like the boys who sat there. She was always quiet and rarely uttered a word. Only sometimes she twisted her mouth into a crooked sort of smile. She sat there because she didn’t feel comfortable with other girls in the front row. They made fun of her. She had no friends and didn’t feel comfortable in the company of other girls.

14. What did they think about Wanda and why? Wanda’s classmates?

Ans. Generally, particularly girls usually didn’t notice Wanda’s presence or absence in the class. Only outside the school when they came to school or went home they would talk to her. They would be talking and laughing on their way to the schoolyard. Girls like Peggy would ask mockingly how many dresses Wanda had lined up in her closet. They spoke politely but only to make fun of her.

15. What did her classmates and Maddie think about Peggy?

Ans. Peggy was decided by the most popular girl in the class. She was pretty. She had many pretty clothes. Her hair was curly they thought that she could draw better than other girls. She handed down her old clothes to her closest friend Maddie. Maddie wished that Peggy would not embarrass Wanda by asking uncomfortable questions about her dresses and shoes.

16. Was Peggy really cruel? Why did she make fun of Wanda Petronski by asking questions about her dresses and shoes?

Ans. No, Peggy was not really cruel. She protected small children from bullies she cried for hours if she saw an animal mistreated. But in Wanda’s case, she thought differently. She thought that Wanda was telling a lie about her hundred dresses and sixty pairs of shoes. She had always seen Wanda wearing a faded blue dress. Moreover, she didn’t like the place, Boggins Heights where Wanda lived. She also found the Polish name Wanda Petronski rather difficult and funny.

17. Why didn’t Maddie like Peggy asking Wanda how many dresses, hats and shoes she had? How did she feel at such times?

Ans. Maddie was quite poor. She depended on Peggy’s generosity who handed down her old clothes to her. However, she didn’t like Peggy embarrassing Wanda by asking uncomfortable questions related to her dresses and shoes. She couldn’t stand up against her closest friend and benefactor Peggy. She wished Peggy would not ask such embarrassing questions.

18. Why did Maddie feel that she could be the next target of Peggy and all other girls? What did she wish?

Ans. No doubt, Peggy was her closest friend and benefactor. However, Maddie knew that she herself was a poor girl. She wore old clothes given up by Peggy. Peggy and all others could ask her where she had got the dress from which she was wearing. She would have to answer that it was Peggy’s old ones. She could be the next target of Peggy and the other girls. She wished Peggy would stop teasing Wanda Petronski.

19. Why did Maddie think of writing a letter to Peggy? Why did she tear it into bits?

Ans. Maddie didn’t like Peggy teasing Wanda Petronski. But she could not muster up the courage to say it to Peggy. Peggy was her closest friend. She gave her old clothes to Maddie. So, she thought of writing a letter asking Peggy not to tease Wanda again. But Maddie tore into bits the letter she had started. She thought that Peggy could not possibly do anything that was really wrong.

20. Why did Maddie and other girls think that Peggy would win the drawing and colouring competition?

Ans. Not only Maddie but others also believed that Peggy would win the drawing and colouring competition. Peggy drew better than anyone else in the class. She could copy a picture of some film star’s head in a magazine. Moreover, Wanda’s skills in drawing and designing had not been revealed yet.

21. Why did Peggy and Maddie stop short and gasp when they entered the classroom?

Ans. The moment they entered the classroom, Peggy and Maddie stopped short and gasped as there were drawings all over the room. Even every ledge and windowsill had them. There were designs with dazzling colours. They were drawn on wrapping paper. More than a hundred of them were there all lined up all over the room.

22. How did Miss Mason announce Wanda Petronski’s name as the winner of the girls’ medal in the drawing and colouring contest?

Ans. As soon as the class assembled, the teacher, Miss Mason announced the winners. Jack Beggles won for the boys. As for the girls, most of the girls submitted one or two sketches. One girl submitted one hundred designs. All of them were different and beautiful. Anyone of the drawings was worthy of winning the prize. She announced that Wanda Petronski was the winner of the girls’ medal.

23. How did Peggy, Maddie and other girls react to Wanda’s drawing winning the girls’ medal in the drawing and colouring contest? Did the boys react differently?

Ans. Mostly they are schoked ,irrespective of that they all applauded when Wanda was announced as the winner of the girls’ medal. All of them gathered around the room to look at the paintings. Maddie showed Peggy one beautiful blue dress that Wanda told them about. Peggy was surprised to see the green one she used to talk about. The boys were not interested in dresses but found time for enjoying and whistling.

10th Std How to tell about wild animals

How to tell about wild animals

Read the following stanzas and answer the questions that follow :

1.If ever you should go by chance

To jungles in the east ;

And if there should to you advance

A large and tawny beast.

If he roars at you as you’re dyin’

You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…

Questions :

(a) Where should you go by chance?

(b) How does the described animal look?

(c) How will you know that it is an Asian lion

(d) What do you mean by ‘the east’?

(e) Name the poem and the poet.

Answers :

(a) You should go to jungles in the east.

(b) The described animal looks large and yellow-coloured.

(c) It will roar at you when you are dying with fear.

(d)  ‘The cast’ means the countries in the eastern part of the world.

(e) Here the poet is Carolyn Wells and the
poem is How to Tell Wild Animals.

2.Or if sometimes when roaming around,

A noble wild beast greets you,

With black stripes on a yellow ground,

Just notice if he eats you.

This simple rule may help you learn

The Bengal Tiger to discern.

Questions :

(a) Who is the noble wild beast?

(b) Describe its appearance.

(c) Where will you encounter the Bengal Tiger?

(d) What are the rhyming words in this stanza?

(e) Name the poem and the poet.

Answers :

(a) The noble wild beast is the Bengal Tiger.

(b) He has black stripes on a yellow background.

(c) You will encounter him while roaming in the jungle.

(d) The rhyming words are :
round – ground
You-you
Learn – discern

(e) Here the poet is Carolyn Wells and the poem is How to Tell Wild Animals.


3.If strolling forth, a beast you view,

Whose hide with spots is peppered,

As soon as he has lept on you,

You’ll know it is the Leopard.

‘Twill do no good to roar with pain,

He’ll only lep and lep again.

Questions :

(a) How is the leopard’s skin?

(b) How does a leopard behave when he meets a person?

(c) Will roar with pain help a person when the leopard has attacked him?

(d) Which are the rhyming words in this stanza?

(e) Name the poem and the poet.

Answers :

(a) The leopard has spots on his skin.

(b) When he meets a person he leaps on him at once.

(c) No. it will not help him. The leopard will only eat him up.

(d) Thy rhyming words in this stanza are :
view – you
Peppered- Leopard
pain – again

(e) Here the poet is Carolyn Wells and the
poem is How to Tell Wild Animals.


4.If when you’re walking around your yard

You meet a creature there,

Who hugs you very, very hard,

Be sure it is a Bear.

Questions :

(a) From which poem have these lines been taken?

(b) Where can you meet the bear?

(c) What does the bear do on meeting a person?

(d) What is the rhyming scheme of this stanza?

(e) Who is the poet of this poem?

Answers :

(a) These lines have been taken from the poem ‘How to Tell Wild Animals’.

(b) We can meet around our yard.

(c) The bear hugs the person very hard when he meets one.

(d) The rhyme scheme of this stanza is `abab’.

(e) The poet of this poem is Carolyn Wells.

5.If you have any doubts, I guess

He’ll give you just one more caress.

Though to distinguish beasts of prey

A novice might nonplus,

Questions :

(a) From which poem have these lines been taken?

(b) Who is ‘he’ in the second line?

(c) How will ‘he’ react to the human being?

(d) About what may we have a doubt?

(e) What can nonplus a victim?

Answers :

(a) These lines have been taken from the How to Tell Wild Animals’.

(b) Here ‘he’ is a bear.

(c) ‘He’ will embrace tightly the human being.

(d) We may have doubt about the strength of a bear.

(e) Distinguishing beasts of prey can nonplus a victim.

6. With black stripes on a yellow ground,

Just notice if he eats you.

This simple rule may help you learn

The Bengal Tiger to discern.

Questions:

(a) What kind of beast is the Bengal Tiger?

(b) What is the colour of his skin and stripes?

(c) What will he do if he sees you?

(d) How will the simple rule help you?

Answers:

(a) The Bengal Tiger is a grand and impressive beast.

(b) His skin is yellowish and he has black stripes on it.

(c) The moment he sees you, he will pounce on you to eat you.

(d) The simple rule will help you to understand that you are seeing the Bengal Tiger.

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. How does one identify a chameleon?
Ans. A chameleon resembles a lizard and is a small, wingless, fearless creature. The poet says that when there is nothing visible on the tree, there is the chameleon camouflaged with the tree.

2. Name the different animals and birds found in the jungles of the east.

Ans. Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Bear, Hyena, Crocodiles and Chameleons.

3. What is the famous saying associated with crocodiles and what does it mean?

Ans. The famous saying associated with crocodiles is that of ‘shedding crocodile tears’. It actually means tears or expressions of sorrow that are insincere, and are said to be so named from a belief that crocodiles wept while devouring their prey.


4. Peppered spots, tawny beast and noble wild beast live in the jungles along with some others. Name them.

Ans. The leopard, the lion and the Bengal Tiger live along with the bear, hyenas, crocodiles and chameleons.

5. What is the theme of the poem — ‘How to Tell Wild Animals’?

Ans. The theme of the poem is to create humour. The poet creates humour by suggesting dangerous ways of identifying wild animals. You can identify most of the beasts while they are attacking you. Instead of shouting for help or trying to protect yourself, you are busy identifying the attacker—the idea creates humour.

Q.6.What does the poet say about the Asian Lion in this poem?

Ans.thie poet says that the Asian Lion is a large beast. He is brownish-yellow in colour. He is found in forests of the eastern countries of the world. His roar is very loud and terrifying.

Q.7. How does the Bengal Tiger look? What is so distinct about a hint?

Ans. The poet says that the Bengal Tiger roams in the forest and looks noble. His skin is yellow and there are black stripes on it. As soon as the Bengal Tiger notices someone he tries to eat him.

Q8. What do you learn about the leopard from this poem?

Ans. The poem tells us that a leopard has spots on his skin. As soon as he sees someone he leaps over him at once and starts eating. He is so terrifying and powerful.

Q.9. How does the poet describe the bear?

Ans. The poet suggests that the bear can enter a human colony also. That is why you can encounter a bear even in your yard. As soon as the bear comes near a human being, he embraces him. This embrace appears loving. But in fact, it can be fatal.

Q.10. Why does the poet say that a bear’s ‘hug’ may confuse a novice?

Ans. It is the tendency of a bear to kill his victim by embracing him. He hugs the victim so tight that he usually dies. But a novice who does not know the ways of bears may misunderstand his hug. He may think that it is a loving embrace.

Q.11. What does the poet say about the crocodile and the hyena?

Ans. The poet describes the crocodile and the hyena humorously. The hyena seems to be laughing. In fact, it does not laugh. Only its face appears so. On the other hand, the crocodile has tears in his eyes when It eats its victim. it appears as if he is shedding tears at the death of his victim. But this is not so.

Q12. How will you recognise the Bengal Tiger?

Ans. He is a very grand and impressive animal. His hide is yellowish. There are black stripes all over his body. He is very agile. The moment he notices someone, he will simply eat away that creature at once. If any animal fulfils all these traits, he must be the Bengal Tiger.

Q13. How will you recognise the leopard?

Ans. The leopard is very agile and is always ready to pounce upon its prey. His hide/s is spotted all over with dark spots. If he sees you, he will pounce upon you. There will be no use of crying with pain. He will show no mercy and jump at you once again.

Q14.  How will you recognise a bear from other animals?

Ans. If you are walking around your courtyard, you can meet a creature there. If he hugs you very hard, then, be sure he is the bear. His embrace is very hard and tight. If you have any doubt about it, he will give you just one more caress.

Q15. Can a novice distinguish among wild animals? How can hyenas be distinguished from crocodiles?

Ans. It is very difficult for a novice to distinguish among wild animals. He can be easily confused. But it is very easy to distinguish between crocodiles and hyenas. Hyenas come with merry smiles. Crocodiles can be recognised by the tears in their eyes.

Q16. How will you recognise a chameleon?

Ans. A chameleon is a small creature. It looks like a lizard in appearance. It is strange that he doesn’t have any ears. Nor does he have a single wing. If you see such a creature sitting on a Tree, be sure he is a chameleon.

Q17. What does the bear do?

Ans. According to the poet, the bear embraces the human being tight. The description of the bear has been presented in a humorous style. The bear comes near a human being and embraces very hard. He hugs very tightly and that is the indication of the bear's grip.

Q18. What humorous descriptions do you find in the poem?

Ans. We find some humorous descriptions about the animals in the poem. The poet has created it by the selection of words and his pattern of explaining. As the Bengal tiger is described noble, the bear hugs and the hyena smiles.



Answer the following question in 100-120 words:

1.’Many animals can be identified according to the poets’ suggestion. Name the animals. Which ones would you like to identify? Are there any lessons for us from this poem?
Ans. The poet has listed down the ways of identifying seven animals in the poem, viz., and the lion, the Bengal Tiger, the leopard, the bear, the hyena, crocodiles and chameleons. As for me, I would like to identify the bear, the Bengal Tiger and the leopard. However, putting my life on the line just to identify the tiger and the leopard doesn’t seem worth the risk! So if I see a noble beast with black stripes on yellow, I’II knows the tiger, and the peppered spots will reveal the leopard. The bear hug, I wouldn’t mind! The poetess, using humour, seems to warn readers against venturing too close to these animals.

2. The poet has successfully used humour to be able to ‘tell’ or identify ‘Wild Animals’. How do you think we need lots of it in our daily life?

Ans. Humour is the fuel of life. Without it, it would become difficult to continue living. Today, a life of the common man is typically mired in stress, tension, problems and sadness. It is amazing how the smallest problems may take on epic proportions for a common person. In such a situation, it becomes necessary to have a little humour in life. It gives us the much-needed respite from our monotonous routine and helps us face life more positively. Thus, the poetess’ successful use of humour helps liven our minds and brings a smile on our faces.

10th Std Footprints without feet

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. Why was Mrs Hall angry with Griffin, the strange scientist?

Ans. Griffin had attacked Mr and Mrs Hall and even threw her mother’s chair at her. Moreover, Griffin had not paid the rent for a long time and he  has been delaying on that. Obviously ,the above situation agitated Mrs Hall.

2. How did Griffin try to get rid of Mrs Hall’s accusations?

Ans. Griffin got furious with Mrs Hall’s accusation of stealing money and of not paying her rent. He threw off his bandages,artificial nose, spectacles and became invisible. He started hitting everyone and escaped from there.

3. Why did Griffin set the landlord’s house on fire?                                          

Ans. Griffin never liked his landlord and had a huge confrontation with him. He decided to take revenge on him, so one day he set his house on fire. Moreover, he did not want anyone to know about his secret discovery, so he ran away from there.

4. How did Griffin escape from the London store?                                                  

Ans. When two attendants of the store discovered Griffin, they screamed and chased him. Hence, in order to protect himself, he threw away his clothes and became invisible and escaped from the London store.

5. How did Griffin become invisible?

Ans. Griffin was a successful scientist and while in the process of inventing some unique drugs, he swallowed a concoction of certain rare drugs that made his body transparent like glass, and also, solid as glass.

6. Why were the landlord and his wife surprised to see the scientist’s door open?

Ans. They were surprised because typically the door to the scientist’s room was always shut and locked, and he would be very angry if anyone entered it and hampered his privacy.

7. Why did Griffin go inside a big London store?

Ans. As Griffin was loitering in the chilled London streets,so he went inside a big London store to gain some warmth, find a place for the night, and also to put on some clothes and fill his tummy.

8. Why did Griffin not get a suitable house to live in?

Ans. Griffin was a lawless person, who was largely disliked by all. When his landlord tried to evict him, he set fire to the house and escaped due to his invisibility. Thereafter, it became difficult for him to find a proper place to live in.

9. How did Griffin try to become visible?

Ans. Griffin went into a shop in Drury Lane, the heart of the theatre world, with the aim of finding something to wear, and becoming visible. He emerged from the shop wearing bandages around his forehead, dark glasses, a false nose, bushy sideburns and a large hat.

10. Why were the two boys surprised when they saw the imprints of a pair of bare feet?

Ans. The two boys could see muddy footprints on the steps of a house in central London, descending towards the street. It was surprising to see the footprints without seeing anybody making them.

11. How did he save himself from the chasing staff of the store?    

Ans. When Griffin saw that the salesmen of the store were coming near him, he took off all his clothes and became invisible. He did not have any other choice to save himself.

12.Why was Mrs Hall hysterical and fell down the stairs?       

Ans. When Mrs Hall went to see the invisible man in his room, she found the bedroom chair became alive, springing into the air, it charged straight into her. Then the chair pushed both husband and wife out of the room. She felt that spirits have entered into her furniture and she became hysterical.

13. What did he do inside the shop?

Ans. Inside the London store, Griffin wore woollen clothes. He wore shoes, an overcoat and a hat. He ate cold meat and drank coffee. He enjoyed sweets and wine also. Then he slept on a pile of quilts.

14. What happened when Griffin didn’t wake up in time?

Ans. Griffin entered a big London store. There he slept on a pile of quilts. The next morning he did not wake up in time. The shop assistants opened the door. They found Griffin sleeping.

15. How did he escape from the London store?

Ans. Griffin got up and tried to escape. The assistants ran after him. But Griffin took off his clothes one by one. He became invisible and escaped.

16. What did Griffin do in the shop of a theatrical company?

Ans. Griffin entered the shop of a theatrical company. He wore bandagesaround his forehead. Then he wore dark glasses, a false nose and a big hat. He put side whiskers also. Then he attacked the shopkeeper. He robbed him of his money and came out.

17. Why were the landlord and his wife surprised to see the scientist’s door wide open?

Ans. The scientist always kept his room locked. He got angry if anybody tried to enter his room. So, the landlord and his wife were surprised when they found his door wide open. It was an unusual thing.

18. What did the scientist do when he became furious? Why were the people in the bar horrified?

Ans. The scientist became angry. He took off his bandages, false nose and side whiskers. But he was still wearing his clothes. The people in the bar were horrified when they saw a headless man.

19. What happens to the constable?

Ans. The policeman tried to catch Griffin. But he looked a headless man. Griffin hit the constable. Then Griffin took off his clothes and became totally invisible. The constable was hit by unseen blows. Griffin knocked him unconscious.

20. Why did Griffin set the house of the landlord on fire?

Ans. Griffin was a lawless man. His landlord disliked him. He tried to eject him from his house. Griffin became angry. He wanted to take revenge upon him. So he set fire to his house.

21. What reason did Griffin give Mrs Hall for coming to Iping?

Ans. Griffin told Mrs. The hall that he had come to Iping for having rest. He said that he did not want to be disturbed in his work. He told her that his face had been affected in an accident.

22. What did Griffin do in the house of the clergyman?

Ans. Griffin ran short of money. He decided to steal it from the clergyman’s house. He entered the house invisibly and stole money from his desk.

23. How did Griffin become a homeless wanderer without clothes?

Ans. Griffin was a lawless scientist. He wanted to take revenge on his landlord. He set his house on fire. Then he took some rare drugs. He became invisible. He took off his clothes and came out. Thus he became a homeless wanderer without clothes.

24. Why was the time bad for Griffin, the scientist, to become invisible?

Ans. Griffin removed his clothes and became invisible. It was the month of January. The air was very cold. He started shivering with cold. Thus the time was bad for Griffin to become invisible.

25. How did Griffin save himself from the cold of January?

Ans. Griffin was shivering with cold. He entered a big store. After some time, the store was closed. Griffin Wore warm clothes. Then he slept on a pile of quilts. Thus he saved himself from the cold.

26. Why was there an empty space above the shoulders even when Griffin was fully clothed?

Ans. Griffin’s body had become totally invisible. He became fully clothed. But the space over his shoulders remained uncovered. Therefore, there was an empty space above his shoulders.

27. What discovery did Griffin make?

Ans. Griffin was a brilliant scientist. He made some experiments to show that the human body could be made transparent. At last, he discovered a rare drug. He took this drug and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass.

28. Why were the two boys in London surprised and fascinated?

Ans. The two boys in London saw the muddy footprints. The footprints were fresh. But they could not see any man. The footprints moved on. Soon these prints disappeared. So, the two boys were surprised and fascinated.

Q29. Why were the two boys surprised and fascinated?

Ans. The two boys were highly surprised. They saw fresh muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet. They wondered what a barefooted man doing on the steps of a house in the middle of London. They saw only the footsteps but didn’t see the man whose marks they were. As they gazed, a fresh foot mark appeared from nowhere. The boys followed them fascinated. The marks became fainter and disappeared altogether.

Q30. How and why did a brilliant scientist like Griffin degenerate into a lawless and homeless wanderer?

Ans. There can’t be any doubt that Griffin was a brilliant scientist. After all, the man who discovered invisibility of the human body couldn’t be an ordinary person. But he misused the discovery. He utilised it for his petty interests. He indulged in petty thefts, burglaries and beatings of innocent persons. He made illegal and unlawful entries in stores and shops only to feed and dress without paying anything. All these illegal activities made him a lawless person and an anarchist.

11th Std Ranga's Marriage

11th Std Ranga's Marriage

Short Answer Questions

1. What were the two distinctive features of the village Hosahalli?

Ans. The narrator speaks elaborately of his village, Hosahalli in Mysore. He lists a number of distinctive features of the place ,the people and their mind sets. It has a doctor who had travelled widely. Then there are some special mango trees and a creeper growing in the village pond.

2. How does the narrator give us a vague picture of Indian villages during the British rule?

Ans. During the British rule, Indian villages were poor and underdeveloped. Very few people could understand or speak English. So when Ranga was sent to Bangalore to study, it was a great event and an achievement for the village's people. Early marriage was a prevalent practice at that time.That's why Ratna was married off when she was just eleven years old.


3. Why was Ranga’s homecoming a great event?

Ans. Ranga was the son of the village accountant. He was sent to Bangalore to study in an English school. People were very excited when Ranga returned home after six months. They expected a big change in the boy. So they rushed to his doorstep. His homecoming became a great event.

4. What role does the narrator play in the life of Rangappa?

Ans. Shyama, the narrator, resolves to get Ranga married. He lays a trap for Ranga. He invites both, Ratna and Ranga to his house so that they see each other. There, as the narrator had thought, Ranga becomes attracted to Ratna. Finally, the narrator manages to get them married. Thus, the narrator plays the role of a match-maker.

5. What were Ranga’s views on the selection of a bride and marriage in general?

Ans. Rangappa had no intention to marry unless he found the right girl. He wanted a mature girl and also one whom he admired. He was against arranged marriage and against marrying an adolescent girl. If he failed to find the girl of his choice, he was ready to remain a bachelor.

6. Who was Ratna?

Ans. Ratna was the eleven-year-old pretty niece of Rama Rao. She had lost her parents. Since she was from a big town, she knew how to play the veena and the harmonium. She also had a sweet voice. Shyama played a key role in her marriage with Ranga.

7. How did the narrator bring Ranga and Ratna face to face?

Ans. The narrator called Ratna to his house to take away some buttermilk. When she came he requested her to sing a song. In the meantime, he also sent for Ranga, so that he could see the girl. His plan was successful. Ranga fell for the sweet-voiced young and pretty girl.

8. What tricks did the narrator play to intensify Ranga’s interest in Ratna?

Ans. At first, Ranga was against marrying a young and immature girl. But the narrator played his cards tactfully. He brought Ranga and Ratna face to face. When he noticed that Ranga was attracted to the girl, he lied to him that Ratna had got married recently. Ranga was sad and disappointed on hearing this. Then with the help of the village astrologer, the narrator convinces Ranga that Rama was the girl for him. Even the stars predicted the same. Thus, Rana was convinced and he married Ratna.

9. Why did the narrator resolve to get Ranga married?

Ans. The narrator was pleased when Ranga greeted him respectfully and later came to meet him with a couple of oranges. He thought that such a decent boy should marry and settle down. But Ranga had his own views about an ideal life-partner. He was willing to remain single until he found the right gid. So the narrator made up his mind to get the boy married soon.

10.  What role does Shastri play in bringing about Ranga and Ratna together?

Ans.   The narrator sought the help of Shastri in bringing Ranga and Rama together. He tutored Shastri, the astrologer. He took Ranga to his house. Shastriji read the stars and made calculations. He finally declared that the girl in Ranga’s mind has the name of something found in the ocean. It could be Ratna as well. Ranga was convinced that even stars wanted that he should marry Ratna.

11. How did Ranga and Ratna express their gratitude to the narrator?

Ans. Several years passed since the marriage of Ranga and Ratna. They had a three-year-old son now. Ranga invited the narrator for dinner at his house on the child’s birthday. There he came to know that the child was named “Shyama” after him. That was how the Iwo youngsters expressed their gratitude to Shyama.

12. Why did the narrator tell a lie about Ratna’s marital status?

Ans. The narrator , after noting Ranga’s growing interest in Ratna. Ranga enquired if she was married or not. The narrator told a lie that she was married a year ago. He said so to see Ranga’s reaction. Later on, he declared that she was not married yet. Ranga was happily surprised and was all willing to marry Ratna.

Long Answer Questions

1. Give a brief account of Ranga’s education, his views on marriage and finally how he got married.

Ans. Ranga was the son of an accountant of Hosahalli village. He made news when he went to Bangalore to study further. In those days, not many people could speak or even understand English. So when he returned home after six months, a curious crowd of villagers gathered at his house to see the change in the boy. They were disappointed.

Ranga was unwilling to marry a very young and immature girl. He was willing to remain a bachelor until he found the right girl. He was opposed to arranged marriage. A man should marry a girl he admired—that was his clear-cut philosophy. But the narrator resolved to get Ranga married at the earliest. He so manipulated the situation that Ranga saw young Ratna got attracted to her and with the sanction of Shastri’s astrology, married her.

2. Why and how does the narrator conspire to get Ranga married?

Ans. Ranga was a young educated, generous and promising boy. But he was adamant on not marrying a very young and immature girl, selected by his parents. He was bent upon staying single until he found the right girl whom he admired. The narrator resolved to get him married. lie thought of Rama. the eleven-year-old niece of Rama Rao. She could play the harmonium and even had a sweet voice. The narrator brought Ratna and Ranga face to face at his own house. He roused the boy’s interest in the girl. He declared that the girl was already married. But it was a lie. He conspired with Shastri to further Ranga’s interest in Ratna. Ranga was made to believe that even according to the Shastras he was destined to marry Ratna.

3. Briefly narrate the main events of the story ‘Ranga’s Marriage’.

Ans. Ranga is the son of a village accountant. He becomes a hero when he goes to Bangalore for studies. When he returns to Hosahalli village, after six months, the people make a crowd at his house. They are curious to see the change in him. But they go back disappointed. Ranga’s views about marriage are now quite different after his stay in the city. He declares he would marry a mature girl whom he himself selects and admires. The narrator Shyama is provoked to get him married to the young 11-year-old niece of Rama Rao. He calls both of them to his house. Ratna comes to fetch buttermilk. Ranga hears her sing and becomes interested in her. Shyama tutors the village Shastri who declares that the girl called Ratna is the right match for him. The marriage is solemnised soon. Ranga names his firstborn son after Shyama. It is his tribute to the narrator.

Value Based Questions

1. The institution of child marriage is deep-rooted in our society. Laws are present to check it but it is still prevalent in society. It is an evil which laws alone cannot annihilate. Something more is to be done. Discuss.

Ans.   Child marriage is prohibited by law in our country. Strangely enough, this social tradition is still prevalent in society. Child marriage is a social evil. Thus, this social evil needs treatment at the social level and this responsibility lies on the shoulders of the social organisations. They should carry out intensive awareness programmes against child marriage. To fight this evil, young boys and girls should willingly come forward to oppose this tradition. They should not give consent to such marriages. Child marriage snatches away childhood and its dreams. It makes a girlchild’s life a virtual hell. Motherhood at a tender age leaves her weak physically and mentally. As she is not well educated she does not know how to look after her children efficiently. The girls who become mothers at a tender age often die a premature death.

Those who try to perpetuate child marriage should be severely punished. The custodians of law, if found negligent, should be equally punished. More and more girls should be educated. Moreover, the girls must have more say when the question of their marriage crops up. Such measures can provide the only way to uproot this most heinous of the social evils.

2. To decry any language and any culture is not good. The bad thing is the unmindful aping of other cultures. Elucidate.

Ans. The widening influence of the western culture is all pervasive. Every culture has positive as well as negative points. Soaping any culture blindly is never good. English education has changed our lifestyle. It is good that it has made us broad-minded and we have rejected many age-old and outdated rites and rituals. Today, our women are no longer the slaves of men. They have their own say. But under the influence of western culture, we have ignored the good of our own culture. Junk food has replaced our healthy food. Materialism has made us forget the values of human relations. Cut-throat competition, a product of western culture has made us insensitive and brutish. Old Morals and values are forgotten. Marriage is a union of two families. So while having the right to choose one’s life partner one’s family’s role should not be ignored. We can conclude that we should try to form an amalgamation of positive points of different cultures and make this world a better place to live in.

10th Std The ball poem

10th Std The ball poem

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1.”In a world of possessions. People will take
Balls, balls will be lost always the little boy
And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.”

(a) The poet speaks of the ball as a symbol of ______ _.
(b) Who has lost the ball and when?
(c) What has the boy learnt from the loss?
(d) What does the poet want him to learn?

Ans. (a) the world of wealth and property.
(b) A boy has lost the ball while playing.
(c) The boy has learnt a sense of loss. He has his childhood memories associated with the ball.
(d) The poet wants him to learn that losses and gains are part of life.


2. No use to say. ‘O there are other balls’ :
Ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went                       

(a) How do people generally comfort a boy who has lost his ball?
(b) What does he stare at?
(c) What comes to his mind when he looks at the ball?
(d) Why is the boy so sad?
(e) Where was the boy staring at?

(a) People generally comfort him by saying, “There are other balls.”
(b) He stares at the ball which has fallen in the water.
(c) When he looks at the ball, all his young days come to his mind.
(d) He is grief-stricken at the loss of his ball.
(e) He was staring down the harbour where his ball had gone with almost no hope of getting it back.

3. I would not intrude on him;
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions.

(a) Who does the word ‘he’ refer to?
(b) Why is money or another ball worthless for the boy?
(c) How does the boy sense responsibility?
(d) What kind of a world is it?
(e) Name the poem and the poet.

(a) The word ‘he’ refers to the boy whose ball has lost.
(b) Money or another ball is worthless for the boy because he has lost something dear to him. He is suffering from a sense of loss.
(c) He senses responsibility when his possessed ball is lost.
(d) Here the poet wants to sayis a materialistic world.
(e) The name of the poem is Ball Poem and the poet is John Berryman.

4.People will take
Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.
And no one buys a ball back. Money is external

(a) Why does the poet say ‘balls will be lost always’?
(b) Why does the poet say that no one buys a ball back?
(c) What does the poet mean by ‘Money is external’?
(d) What is external?
(e) What is the name of the poem?


(a) The poet wants to say that the loss of dear things is a fact of life.
(b) The poet says so because no one can buy the ball back because it is lost. He means to say that money cannot compensate for the sense of loss.
(c) It means that it always meant to be spent.
(d) Money is external.
(e) The name of the poem is ‘The Ball Poem’.

 5. He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up.

 (a) How are the boy’s eyes?
(b) Why are the boy’s eyes ‘desperate’?
(c) What is the boy learning?
(d) What is the boy going to know?
(e) Who is the poet of this poem?


(a) The boy’s eyes are desperate and deliberate enough.
(b) The boy’s eyes are ‘desperate’ because he has lost his ball and by any means he wishes to get it back.
(c) The boy is learning the meaning of loss and to cope up with life bearing the loss.
(d) He is going to know the universal truth that almost all men lose something and they have to compromise with their loss.
(e) John Berryman is the poet of this poem.

6. What is the boy now, who has lost his ball
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over — there it is in the water!

(a) What has gone wrong with the boy?

(b) What did the poet see?

(c) Where did the ball fall into?

(d) What is the condition of the boy after losing his ball?

(a) The boy has lost his ball.

(b) The poet saw the ball bouncing down the street and finally falling into the water.

(c) The ball fell into the water.

(d) The boy seemed to be upset after losing his ball.

7. No use to say ‘O there are other balls’;
An ultimate shaking grieffixes the boy’
As he stands rigid, trembling, staringdown
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went.

(a) What is the significance of the lost ball for the boy?

(b) What is the condition of the boy?

(c) Where is he staring down?

(d) What does he think of his young days?

(a) There will be of no use of consoling the boy that he can have other balls in place of the lost one.

(b) The boy is overpowered with grief and stands like a statue staring down the harbour where the ball was lost.

(c) He is staring down the harbour where his ball disappeared into the water.

(d) The boy feels that as the ball has been lost into the harbour. Similarly, his childhood has been lost in the harbour of life.

8. I would not intrude on him;
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions.

(a) Does the poet want to intrude in the matter?

(b) What is the cost of the ball?

(c) How does the boy prepare himself?

(d) What kind of the world is it?

(a) No, the poet doesn’t want to intrude in the matter.

(b) The cost of the ball is just a dime, it is very cheap.

(c) The boy senses his responsibility and composes himself calmly.

(d) This is the world where people run after possessing and grabbing material things.

9. People will take

Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.

And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.

(a) What will people take?

(b) What will be the fate of the balls?

(c) Can money buy a lost ball?

(d) Why is money external?

(a) People will go on buying new balls.

(b) The balls will always be bought and lost forever.

(c) No, money can’t buy back a lost ball.

(d) Money can’t compensate internal or emotional losses suffered by us.

10.He is learning, well behind his desperateeyes,

This epistemology of loss, how to stand up

Knowing what every man must one day know

And most know many days, how to stand up.

(a) Are his eyes shining with hope?

(b) What is the epistemology of loss?

(c) What should every man learn?

(d) What lesson is the boy taught here?

Answers:

(a) No, there is no hope in his ‘desperate’ eyes.

(b) It means the nature of loss and means what it means to lose something.

(c) Every man has to learn that gains and losses are to be accepted with a balanced mind.

(d) The boy should learn how to stand up again and move ahead in life forgetting his loss of childhood.

 Answer thefollowing questions:-

1. Express your views on the title of the poem, ‘The Ball Poem’.
Ans. When one reads the title ‘The Ball Poem’, one assumes that the poem may be a light-hearted one but perhaps about the joys of childhood. We must not feel disheartened, dejected and desperate but try to stand up and bear the loss through self-understanding.

2. Express your views on the title of the poem, ‘The Ball Poem’.

Ans. When one reads the title ‘The Ball Poem’, one assumes that the poem may be a light-hearted one, perhaps about the joys of childhood. However, as the reader reads the poem, the seriousness of the topic comes forth, as does the title’s appropriateness.

3. What is the theme of the poem —’The Ball Poem’?

Ans. In this world sometimes we lose things which we love and are attached to. We must not feel disheartened, dejected and desperate but try to stand up and bear the loss through self-understanding as the boy who lost the ball he loved was trying to learn.

4. A ball is an easily available, inexpensive thing. Then, why is the boy so sad to lose it?

Ans. No doubt the ball is an easily available and inexpensive item but the ball, the boy has lost is valuable for him. His memories of young days are associated with it for he had been playing with it for a long time. It was not an ordinary but special a ball for him. No other ball could take its place. So, he is sad to lose it.

5. What shows that the ball was valuable for the boy?

Ans. The ball was valuable for the boy is obvious (clear) from the way he reacts after losing it He was shocked, remained fixed, trembled with grief staring at the place where the ball had fallen. All this shows that he loved the ball and it was valuable for him.

6.`He senses first responsibility’—what responsibility is referred to here?

Ans. The responsibility referred to here is how to stand up or bear the loss through self-understanding and trying to console oneself on his own as the boy who lost his ball was trying to do.

7. Why did the poet not console the boy?

Ans. The poet did not console the boy for two reasons—One, the boy was too shocked and grief-stricken to listen to any sense. Second, the poet also observed that the boy was trying to stand up or bear the loss on his own through self-understanding which is much morereflective and lasting. The poet’s or anybody else’s consoling would not be that effective.

8. ‘.....starting, down/All his young days into the harbour where/His ball went'..Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to memories of days when he played with it?

Ans. Yes, I think the boy had that ball for a long time. The expression—`all his young days into the harbour’ suggests this. It is linked with old memories when he used to play with it, that is why he is so upset about losing it.

9. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest the answer.

Ans. I don’t think the boy has lost anything earlier. The first loss is shocking and full of grief—the line—An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy’ reflects it. Also in the `senses first responsibility’—the word first shows that it was his first loss.

Q.11. What does the poet notice at the beginning of the poem?                 (H.B.S.E. March 2017 (Set-A)

Ans. The poet sees a boy playing near a harbour with a ball. The poet saw his ball bouncing. It bounced and fell into the water of the harbour. The boy lost his ball. He became very sad.

Q.12.What was the effect of the loss of ball on the bay?

Ans. The poet sees the boy whose ball has fallen into the harbour. He describes the effect of the loss on the boy. The boy is shaken with grief. He trembles and stares down the harbour. His past days come alive in his mind.

Q.13. Why does the poet decide not to give money to the boy or he buy another ball for him?

Ans. The poet says that he will not intrude upon the boy because he must learn to tolerate loss. The poet emphasises this loss. He thinks that money cannot compensate for the sense of loss. So he doesn’t give the boy money or buy another ball for him.

Q.14. Explain the line, “And no one buys a ball back. Money is external”.

Ans. This line means that no one can buy something that is lost forever. No one can buy the boy that very ball which he has lost. Money is an external thing. It is a medium of possessing things. But even money cannot compensate for the sense of loss suffered by a person.

Q.15. Why does the poet say, “Balls will be lost always”?

Ans. Hem balls are the symbol of man’s possessions. We love our things. Some things are dearer to us than the others. But nothing is permanent in life. We may lose our dear things. Then we suffer from a sense of loss. This is experienced by everyone in life. That is why, the poet says, “Balls will be lost always”.

16. What is the main idea of the poem?

Ans. The main idea of the poem is ‘the sense of loss in life’. The loss is a fact of life. The sooner man learns to tolerate it the better it is. When we lose something for the first time, we feel very sad. But later we learn to live with our loss. In this poem, the boy loses his ball. He is very sad. The poet can buy him another hall. But he does not want to do so. He wants the boy must learn the bitter truth of life that everyone can suffer the loss of something dear.

Q17. How did the poet witness the whole scene of the boy losing his ball?

Ans. The poet saw the boy playing with his ball. While he was playing with it, the ball bounced down the street ‘merrily’. And then the most unexpected thing happened. Rolling down the street and after taking a few bounces, finally, the ball fell down in the water of the harbour below.

Q18. How did the boy react after his ball fell into the water of the harbour?

Ans. The falling of the ball in the water was quite sudden. Actually, it was an unexpected loss. The boy was completely shaken but couldn’t even move a step. He stood there fixed to the ground like a statue. He constantly continued staring at the point where his ball fell into the harbour. It seemed as if he was thinking of his childhood days which had disappeared forever like the lost ball.

Q19. Does the lost ball stand for the metaphor of the boy’s lost childhood? How?

Ans. The boy has lost his ball. It has fallen down into the harbour. It will not be found back again. However, through the metaphor of the lost ball, the poet wants to highlight a bigger loss. It is the loss of his childhood. Like the lost ball, the childhood days which he cherishes still now, have been lost forever. This makes the loss inconsolable.

Q20. Why does the poet say: ‘No use to say ‘O there are other balls’?

Ans. The loss of the ball looks like an ordinary incident. It seems that the boy should not make such a fuss over it. Boys usually lose such balls and again buy new ones as they are not very costly. But the boy seems to be inconsolable over the loss. No money can buy the same ball that he has lost forever. Similarly, no wealth can buy back the childhood that he has lost forever.

Q21. Why doesn’t the poet want to intrude on ‘him’? What does he consider the safest course?

Ans. The poet doesn’t want to intrude on the inconsolable boy. There is no gain in telling him that the ball he has lost costs almost nothing. He can buy a new ball easily in a dime. Instead of sermonising, the poet leaves it on the boy to develop a new sense of responsibility. It will help him in bearing the loss.

Q22. What is the general rule of this `world of possessions’? Why is money `external’?

Ans. Getting and losing is a natural cycle. Many more boys before him bought and lost their balls. This process will go on forever. However, no amount of money can buy back the same ball that has been lost forever. Money is external and has its own limitation. Wealth can’t compensate such emotional losses such as the loss of one’s childhood days.

Q23. How is the boy learning the `epistemology of loss’ from the loss of his ball? What he has to learn?

Ans. The boy has to understand the nature of the loss. He has to understand what it means to lose something. Profit and loss are the two sides of the same coin. The boy has to learn how to move forward forgetting everything about the losses he has suffered in the past.

Q24. How can the boy stand up again? What everyman must know one day?

Ans. The boy has to understand the epistemology of loss — the knowledge and nature of the loss. This is not the problem of the boy alone. Everyone has to know it sooner or later that it is useless to weep over the loss of our dearest childhood days. One should move ahead forgetting all such losses. Life has to be lived only by moving ahead in it.

Q25. What is the message that John Berryman gives to the readers in ‘The Ball poem’?

Ans. In ‘The Ball Poem’ John Berryman gives a very positive message. Gain and loss, getting and losing are the essentials in the cycle of life. One should learn epistemology or the knowledge and nature of the loss. Our childhood with all its attachments and sweet memories has gone forever never to come back again. We should not weep over the losses of our loved ones that we have suffered. Let us learn to live and moving ahead in life forgetting all inconsolable losses.

11th Std Discovering Tut: the Saga continues

Discovering Tut : the Saga continues

Short Answer questions

1.Who was Tut? What new name did he take on and why?

Ans. Tut or Tutankhamun was the last heir/ruler of a powerful family that had ruled the Egyptian empire for centuries. His life and death—both are wrapped in mystery. He took on a new name, i.e. Tutankhamun—living Image of Amun because he again started the worship of ‘Amur’—The ancient God.

2. When did Tutankhamun die? Where was he laid to rest? When was his mummy discovered?

Ans. Tut died more than 3,300 years ago. He was a young ruler who was perhaps done to death only after nine years of reign. He was laid to rest 26 feet below in a tomb in the valley of the king’s in Thebes. His mummy was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter.

3. When was Tutankhamun’s dead body subjected to CT scrutiny? Why?

Ans. Tut’s dead body was buried 26 feet down in the desert along with golden treasures. The mummy was discovered and freed from the hardened resins in 1922. Since the king had Died young and unexpectedly, his body was subjected to X-rays and CT scan in 2005 to ascertain the cause of his death.

4. Who were called Pharaohs? Where were they laid to rest? How many of their embalmed dead bodies have been counted so far?

Ans. The rulers of Egypt in ancient times were called Pharaohs. After their death, they were buried deep down into the earth along with treasures in the Valley of the departed kings. The Egyptian Mummy Project has recorded almost 600 so far and the counting is still going on.

5. What has been the role of Howard Carter in the discovery of Tut?

Ans. Howard Carter was the British archaeologist, who, in 1922, discovered Tut’s tomb after years of searching. He took out the richest royal collection along with everyday things like razor, clothes, food and wine. Since Tut was buried in a solid gold coffin, he freed Tut’s mummy part by pan from solidified resins, reassembled it, put it in a wooden case and buried it in the tomb.

6. What things formed a part of the funerary treasure recovered from Tut’s tomb?

Ans. Tut’s treasure included necklaces, bracelets, rings, sandals, lingeries,food and wine,the inner coffin and mask—all of pure gold.

7. What did Carter have to do to detach Tut’s mummy from the coffin?

Ans. Carter was left with no choice. Tut’s mummy was cemented to the bottom of his solid gold coffin. The resin had become solid. The hot sun could not melt it. So chisels were used to cut away the resins beneath the limbs. Tut’s head and almost all the joints had to be severed to free them from the resins.

8. Why were Egypt’s ancient pharaohs buried along with treasures?

Ans. The Emperors of Egypt in ancient times were called pharaohs. They were very wealthy. They thought they must take their riches with them for use in the afterlife. So, they were buried along with gold ornaments and even everyday things.


9. What startling facts were revealed when a professor X-rayed Tut’s mummy?

Ans. An anatomy professor X-rayed Tut’s mummy in 1968 and revealed that the king’s breast-bone and front ribs were missing.

10. What does CT scanning do? When was it used in the case of Tut and why?

Ans. A CT machine takes hundreds of X-rays in cross section. These are then put together to create a three-dimensional body. Such scanning became necessary to know the age of Tut at the time of his death and also the cause of his death. This diagnostic method was used in 2005 on Tut.

11. King Tut’s death was a big event even by royal standards. Why?

Ans. Tut was the last of the family line. His death marked the end of a dynasty. So, it was a great event. But how he passed away and what followed his death is still a mystery for historians.

12. Akhenaten went a little wacky. What did he do to earn such censure?

Ans. Akhenaten was a crazy king. He promoted the worship of Aten, the Sun-god. So, he changed his name. He moved the religious capital from Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten. He attacked Amun, a major god. He broke Amun’s images and closed his temples. All this shocked the people.

13. How did Tut undo all the whimsical activities of Akhenaten?

Ans. Tut, the boy king, soon changed his name to Tutankhamun, because he restored the old tradition of worshipping Amun. He reigned for about nine years and then died unexpectedly.

14. What was considered to be the curse of the Pharaoh when Tut’s mummy was being scanned?

Ans. Tut’s mummy was believed to be protected by the winged.goddess. So, when it was being scanned, dark clouds raced across the sky and strong winds started blowing stirring up the sand of the desert. The machine would not work for 20 minutes because of sand in a cooling fan. A guard said jokingly that it was the ‘curse of the Pharaohs’.

Long Answer questions

1. Who was Tut? Why is his life as well as death wrapped in mystery?

Ans. Tut was a teenager when he ascended the throne. He was the last heir of a powerful royal family. He was laid to rest 26 ft below the earth’s surface in a tomb. His mummy was discovered in 1922 by a British archaeologist, Howard Carter. He found a fabulous treasure in the tomb. The casket in which Tut’s body was laid, was made of pure gold. Tut’s body was X-rayed and scanned to find out Tut’s age at the time of death and how he died. His life remained as great a mystery as his death. In 1968, the X-rays of the mummy showed a broken breastbone and some missing ribs. Tut’s untimely death at a young age is still a matter of research. How he died—whether under natural circumstances or unnatural ones—is still not confirmed.

2. What problems did Howard Carter face with regard to Tut’s mummy? How did he solve them?

Ans. Howard Carter, a British archaeologist, discovered King Tut’s tomb in 1922, after years of searching. He found fabulous treasures in the tomb, even though it had been ransacked earlier. The treasure consisted of a golden coffin, gold ornaments and even petty things of everyday need.

Carter found three coffins. In the first, he found the garlands of leaves and flowers. But when he reached the mummy, he ran into trouble. The resins used to embalm Tut’s body had hardened. The coffin was of solid gold. Neither human force nor the scorching sun could loosen the body. So Carter used chisel and hammer to remove the resins. He had little choice. Tut’s mummy also had to be removed part by part. Having taken out the gold coffin, the body parts were reassembled, put in a wooden box and placed in the tomb again.

3. How did science help collect information about King Tut’s mummy, his life and death in mysterious circumstances?

Ans. King Tut’s mummy was first discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. The embalmed of the boy king was buried in the tomb along with lots of gold ornaments, sandals masks and coffin filled with pure gold.

 His death was a big event. He was the last of powerful ruling family. But he died in mysterious circumstances at an early age, just nine years after his coming to the throne. In 1968, Tut’s body was X-rayed. The anatomy professor’ found Tut’s breastbone and front ribs missing. But the researchers sought the help of advanced technology to solve the mystery. On January 2005, Tut’s head was pushed into a CT scanner. The young king had died 3,300 years ago,the whole operation took less than three hours. The pharaoh was rested in peace again. The mystery has not been resolved so far.

10th Std A question of trust

10th Std A question of trust

Read the extracts given below carefully and answer the questions that follow :

1. “Then he heard a voice say from the doorway, what is it? A cold or hay fever?”

(a) Who heard whose voice and where?

(b) What is the significance of this question asked by somebody?

(c) What did Horace suffer from?

(d) How did it result in his failure in his robbery attempt at the house at Shot over Grange?

Ans. (a) Horace Danby heard a lady’s voice in the house at Shot over Grange.

(b) She appeared to be concerned about the problem. She wanted to prove that she was the owner of the house.

(c) Horace Danby suffered from hay fever.

(d) The smell of flower made him sneeze. At Shot, over Grange, the flowers betrayed his, presence to the lady in red who posed to be the mistress of the house.

2.”Horace saw them go, and he felt happy in spite of a little tickle of hay fever in his nose.

(a) Who did Horace see ‘go’ that made him happy? How many were there?

(b) Why did Horace forget his discomfort and was pleased?

(c) Why was Horace in discomfort?

(d) How did it herald his presence in the house at Shotover Grange?

Ans. (a) Horace saw the two servants of Shotover Grange go for a movie, leaving the place empty.

(b) Horace was pleased because Shotover Grange was empty and he could rob it.

(c) He was suffering from hay fever.

(d) The pollen made him sneeze. At Shotover Grange, the flowers betrayed his presence to the young lady who posed to be the mistress of the house.

3. She nodded. “I see what an inconvenience it is for you to meet me.”


(a) What was he planning to do?

(b) Is there any truth in what the lady said?

(c) Who is speaking to Horace Danby?

(d) What made ‘the lady in red’ look the real mistress of the house?

Ans. (a) He was planning to break the safe.

(b) Yes, because she interrupted Horace’s robbery attempt and startled him.

(c) Another lady-thief is speaking to him. She has posed herself as the mistress of the ho

(d) The familiar way Sherry, the dog of the house followed her, the confidence and the authoritative voice and the reason for opening the safe — all made her look the real mistress of the house.

4. How foolish people are when they own valuable things, Horace thought. A magazine article had described this house, giving a plan of all the rooms and a picture of this The writer had even mentioned that the painting hid a safe!

(a) What was foolish about people?

(b) How did Horace know about the details of the house?

(c) Where was safe?

(d) Why do you think ‘Horace Danby’ was good and respectable but not completely hon?

Ans. (a) It was foolish of rich people to give all the details of their house and sea/ every

(b) It was given in a magazine article.

(c) The writer of a magazine article had mentioned that the painting hid a safe.

(d) Horace was a good, respectable and successful locksmith. But he used to rob 8 years to get money to buy rare and expensive books.

5.The voice was suddenly sharp. “Why should I? You were going to rob me. If I let you go, you’ll only rob someone else. Society must be protected from men like you.”

(a) Identify ‘I’ in the above lines.

(b) Why was her voice sharp?

(c) What was her opinion about the robber?

(d) Why do you think the lady did not call the police immediately?

Ans. (a) ‘I’ is the young lady.

(b) She posed to be the lady of the house.

(c) She felt that society must protect from men like Horace.

(d) In fact, she herself was a thief and wanted to rob the safe. She only wanted to threaten Horace and use him for her purpose.

6. It was a quiet, kindly voice, but one with firmness in it. A woman was standing in g the doorway, and Sherry was rubbing against her. She was young, quite pretty, and was dressed in red. She walked to the fireplace and straightened the ornaments there.

(a) What does the first line reflect on the woman?

(b) What was her approach to the present situation?

(c) When was Horace confronted with the lady in red?

(d) What did she do at the fireplace?

Ans. (a) She was confident and firm.

(b) She tried to manipulate the situation according to her needs. She posed as the owner of the house.

(c) As Horace was about to open the safe, he heard a voice from the doorway. The voice was of the lady in red.

(d) She straightened the ornaments there.

7. The safe was in the drawing room, behind a rather poor painting. Horace wondered for a moment whether he should collect pictures instead of books. But they took up too much room. In a small house, books were better.

(a) Where was the safe placed?

(b) Why was he in a dilemma?

(c) Why did Horace prefer to collect books?

(d) Do you think intentions justify actions?

Ans. (a) It was behind a painting.

(b) He thought if he should collect paintings rather than books.

(c) Since pictures might take up too much room, he preferred to collect books in his small house.

(d) I do not approve this view. Means and ends both should be good, fair and just.

Short Answer Type Important Questions
Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. How did Horace know all the details of the house?

Ans. Horace had been studying the house for the past two weeks. Moreover, a magazine article had described this house, giving a plan of all the rooms and a picture of the room. There were also the details of the safe hidden behind the safe.

2.How did Horace fulfil his desire of reading books after he was arrested?

Ans. After Horace was arrested, he became the assistant librarian in the prison and fulfilled his desire of reading books.

3. Though Horace planned everything meticulously, why did he fail?

Ans. Though Horace planned everything meticulously; he failed led because of the smart lady. She posed herself to be the owner of the house and convinced him to open the shelf as she had “not the password of the shelf. Horace got trapped in her plot.

4. How did the flowers cause him trouble?

Ans. Horace Danby had an allergy for flowers, especially during pollen season. Who flowers are nearby, he got sneezing. The only cure for it was to stay away from those path flowers.

5. What was Horace Danby’s hobby? How did he manage to fulfil his hobby?

Ans. Horace’s only hobby was to read expensive and rare books. He used to rob a safe every year in order to arrange money for his hobby. He used to get those books from an agent.

6. How did the lady spoil his plan?

Ans. The lady posed as the owner of the house in front of Horace. Horace got scared and believed her. She asked him to open the safe as she had forgotten the password. Horace opened the safe and handed over the jewels to her. Hence, Horace’s plan of robbing the safe was spoiled.

7. Why did the lady report to the police though she promised that she would not report to the police?   

Ans. The lady was very clever and shrewd. She promised Horace that she would not report to the police if he would help her in getting the jewels from the safe. Horace broke the safe and helped her. But she didn’t keep her promise as she was also a thief and did not want to get into trouble.

8. How did Horace enter Shot over Grange?

Ans. Horace had seen the housekeeper hang the key in the hook outside the kitchen door. He came out from behind the garden wall. He put on his gloves, took the key and opened the door of the kitchen and entered Shot over Grange.

9. Who is the real culprit in this story, the lady or Horace? How did he/she manage to rob the safe without leaving a single fingerprint?

Ans. In this story, the real culprit is the young lady. She managed to trick Horace for breaking the safe for her. She did not even touch the safe herself. She managed to get all the jewels. She had to do no physical exercise for this. In this way, she managed to rob the safe without leaving a single fingerprint.

10. What do you think is the meaning of the phrase ‘honour among thieves’?

Ans. The phrase ‘honour among thieves’ means that thieves have their code of conduct. One thief is honest to the other thief. They never betray one another.

11. Which of the two lacked honour?

Ans. Among the two the young lady lacked honour. She came face to face with a thief, still, she tricked ‘him. But Horace did not know that she was a thief. She got all the jewels. She went free but poor Horace was arrested. It was against the profession of thieves.

12. Describe Horace Danby.

Ans. Horace Danby was a good and respectable citizen. He was about fifty years old, but he was unmarried. He was a locksmith. He was very successful in his business. He was usually very well and healthy except for attacks of hay fever. But he was not completely honest.

13. How did Horace Danby manage to get rare and expensive books?

Ans. Horace Danby loved rare and expensive books. He bought them secretly through an agent. But for this, he had to rob a safe every year because he had not enough money to buy these books. In this way, he managed to get these rare and expensive books.

14. What did the young lady ask Horace to do for her?

Ans. The young lady told Horace that she had come there to take the jewels from the safe. She said that she had to wear them that night at a party. She made an excuse of forgetting the number to open the safe. So she compelled Horace to break open the safe for her if not she would tell the police everything about him.

15. What story did Horace tell the police when he was arrested?

Ans. He told the police that he had not stolen any jewels. He said that he broke open the safe for the young wife of the owner of the house. But the wife was herself an old lady of about sixty with grey-hair. So, none believed his story.

16. Why is Horace Danby described as good and respectable but not completely honest?

Ans. Horace Danby was a good person. He made locks. He was very successful in his business. He had engaged two helpers in his business. But he was not completely honest because he robbed a safe every year.

11th Std The voice of the rain

11th Std The voice of the rain

Read the stanza carefully and answer the questions that follow :

1. And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower,
Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:
I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,

(i)  Name the poem and the poet.
(i)The title of the poem is ‘The Voice of the Rain’. The poet’s name is Walt Whitman.

(ii) What does the phrase strange to tell mean?
(ii) ‘Strange to tell’ sounds a note or exclamation of surprise. The poet had not expected to get an answer inhuman voice from the rain.

(iii) Why does the rain call herself the ‘Poem of the Earth’?
(iii) The rain has its birthplace in the river bodies and season the earth. It is the lovely and musical child of the earth.


2. Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,
Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely formed, altogether changed, and yet the same,
I descend to lave the droughts, atomics, dust-layers of the globe.
And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn;

(i) There are two voices in the poem. Who do they belong to?
(i) The two voices in the poem are those of the poet and the rain.

(ii) How does the rain narrate the story of her birth and functions?
(ii) The rain rises from the earth in the form of light vapour which takes on the shape of dark, dense clouds. The clouds after wandering all over in the sky dissolve again into water and return to their birthplace. Thus rain gives new life and greenery to the dry earth.

(iii) What impression do you form about the speaker?
(iii) The speaker ‘the rain’ gives a scientific account of her birth and gifts to the drying earth. She tells her life-story with pride and self-praise.

(3)And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin,
And make pure and beautify it;
(For the song, issuing from its birthplace, after fulfilment, wandering
Reck’d or unreck’d, duly with love returns).

(i)  How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem?
(i)  The poem gives us a clear picture of how the clouds are formed and how they dissolve into the water again. They have a short life-span.

(ii) What is the significance of the word ‘song’ here?
(ii)  The word ‘song’ refers to the musical sound which can be heard when the rain falls on different surfaces on the earth.

(iii) How does the rain benefit the earth?
(iii) The rain is a great benefactor of the earth. It cleanses, purifies and waters the dry earth. It gives a new life and beauty to the scorched fields and all the living beings.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Why does the poet call this poem a ‘translation’?

Ans. The voice of the rain is naturally mysterious and is different from our own. So, the poet who alone understands it translates the reply of the rain into English.

2. What is the life-cycle of clouds?

Ans. Clouds are nothing but water in the form of gas. The scorching sun turns the water on land and sea into vapour. The water vapours rise upwards like dark clouds and float in the sky. Finally, the clouds again return to their birthplace in the form of rain.

3. What question does the poet ask for the rain? What reply does he get?

Ans.   The poet asks the rain who she is. The rain in its mysterious voice introduces herself as Poem of the Earth.

4. What is the cloud’s birthplace? How does it go upward to heaven?

Ans. The cloud’s birthplace is the water bodies like rivers, ponds and the sea. Water vapours being lighter than air, rise to the sky and take on strange shapes in the form of clouds. Yet essentially, it remains the same old water.

5. What are the functions of the cloud or rain?

Ans. The rain bathes everything on the earth, washes away dust layers, cures dry conditions. and gives a new life to seeds. In this way, it cleans, purifies and beautifies all things on the earth.

6. What is the central idea of Walt Whitman’s poem?

Ans. The poet wants to convey the birth, growth, change and finally the blessings of rain. It is water that turns into clouds, wanders in the sky, takes on strange shapes, but finally in the form of water returns to the earth. It purifies, bathes and adds beauty to all things on the earth. Rain does its duty unmindful of any recognition. Human beings should learn a lesson from this and make efforts to preserve the Earth.

10th Std From the diary of Anne Frank

From the diary of Anne Frank

1. What does Anne write in her first essay?

Ans. In her first essay, titled ‘A Chatterbox’, Anne wanted to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. She wrote three pages and argued that talking was a student’s trait and she would do her best to keep it under control.

2. Mr Keesing is a kind, but strict teacher. Explain.

Ans. Mr Keesing is a kind but strict teacher. He was annoyed with Anne as she was a very talkative girl. He warned her several times but she didn’t change. So, he punished her by giving an essay to write.

3. How did Sanne help Anne Frank in writing the third essay?

Ans. Senile was Anne’s close friend, and good at poetry. She helped Anne write the third essay in verse. It turned out to be a good poem, and even the teacher, Mr Keesing, took it in the right way.

4. Why did Anne prefer confiding in her diary?                                                           

Ans. Anne did not have a true friend to whom she could confide, hence she started writing a diary. Moreover, she knew that paper had more patience than people and her secrets would be safe in a diary. She could trust a diary more than people.

5. How does Anne feel about her father, grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing?

Ans. Her father was the most adorable father, she loved him very much. She also loved her grandmother and often thought of her with reverence after her death. She was deeply attached to her teacher, Mrs Kuperus and was in tears when she left her. Anne did not have a good impression of Mr Keesing, her maths teacher and often called him ‘old fogey’.

6. ‘Paper has more patience than people.’ Do you agree/disagree? Give reason.

Ans. I do agree with the above statement. People sometimes get bored, tired or have no mood or time to listen to you. They can get irritated, grudge or complaint about forcing them to listen to you but paper never grudges. It definitely has more patience than people.

7. How did Anne want her diary to be different?

Ans. Anne did not want to jot down the facts in her diary, the way most people do. She wanted the diary to be her friend. She called it a kitty. She wrote about her feelings and experiences in it. It was a mature work, reflecting deep insight.

8. Explain ‘teachers are the most unpredictable creatures’.

Ans. Anne and her classmates thought that teachers were the most unpredictable creatures’ as nobody would know what there was in their minds and what their next step would be.

9. Why did Anne think that she was alone? Give reasons.

Ans. Anne had losing parents and an elder sister she had losing aunts and a good home She had a member of blends also Rut there was no one in whom she could confide So she thought that she was alone.

10. How do you know that Anne was close to her grandmother?

Ans. Anne lived with her grandmother for some months when her parents went to Holland. She loved her deeply. When her grandmother died, Anne felt sad. She often thought about her. So she was close to her grandmother.

11. Where did Anne stay before going to Holland?

Ans. Anne’s parents migrated to Holland. They did not take Anne with them. So Anne stayed with her grandmother for some months.

12. Why was Anne in tears, when she left the Montessori School?

Ans. When Anne was in the sixth form in the Montessori School, her teacher was Mrs Kuperus, the headmistress. Anne loved her teacher deeply. She also showed affection to Anne. So when Anne left the Montessori school, she was in tears.

13. Why was the entire class quaking in its boots?

Ans. The time for declaring the annual results were coming closer. Soon a meeting would be held. The teachers would decide whom to pass and whom to retain in the same class. That is why the whole class was quaking in its boots.

14. Why does Anne feel that writing in a diary is really a strange experience?

Ans. It must be remembered that Anne Frank was just a thirteen-year-old girl. She was in hiding and cut off from the larger world. She was hesitant that no one would be interested in the musings of a young girl. She had never written anything before. So, it was naturally a strange experience for her.

15. What motivated Anne Frank to write in a diary?

Ans. It should not be forgotten that Anne was living in hiding. She couldn’t have normal dealings with the people outside. She could talk about ‘ordinary things’ with her family and friends. She couldn’t talk highly personal and intimate issues with them. She didn’t have any real friend. She felt utterly lonely and depressed. Writing in a diary could get all kinds of things off her chest.

16. Give a brief life-sketch of Anne Frank.

Ans. Anne was born on 12 June 1929. She lived in Frankfurt until she was four. Her father emigrated to Holland in 1933. Her mother went with him to Holland in September. Anne and her elder sister, Margot, were sent to Aachen to stay with their grandmother. Margot, went to Holland in December and Anne followed in February. She started right away at the Montessori nursery school. She stayed there until she was six, where she started in the first form. His grandmother died in January 1942, when she was thirteen.

17. Why does Anne say: “Paper has more patience than people”?

Ans. Anne doesn’t seem to have much faith in the people around her. She was living in a hiding and couldn’t trust people so easily. Moreover, people do react. Sometimes people react rather in negative, unpleasant, vulgar and violent manners. Paper is an impersonal and non-reactive object. Whatever you write on it, it receives it without giving any such reactions.

18. Why doesn’t Anne want to jot down facts as most people do in a diary? Why does she call it her friend ‘Kitty’?

Ans. For Anne Frank, a diary writing is a highly personal and intimate experience. He is not like other diary writers who load it with facts and non-personal matters. She wants to compensate her loss of having no ‘true friends’ with opening out of her heart in the pages of her diary. She wants the diary to be her true friend and calls it `Kitty’.

19. Why does Anne think it prudent and wise to provide a brief sketch of her life?

Ans. Anne Frank calls her diary ‘Friend Kitty’. She addresses all her writings to Kitty. For readers, it would be rather difficult to understand ‘a word’ of her stories to Kitty. So, instead of plunging ‘right in’, she thinks it wise to provide a brief sketch of her life. Though she dislikes doing so.

20. Why did Anne Frank feel suffocated?

Ans. Anne Frank was a very sensitive girl. She was cut off from the mainstream of life, her friends and her people. She was living in a hiding to escape being arrested by the Nazi agents in Holland. Moreover, even with so-called friends, she could not share her intimate and personal feelings and problems. She felt suffocated. She was left with no alternative than opening out her heart through the pages of her diary. ‘Kitty’ her diary became her most intimate friend.

21. Give a brief description of Anne Frank’s family.

Ans. Anne confesses that she has ‘lovely parents’. Her father Otto Frank is ‘the most adorable father’ she has ever seen. Her elder sister Margot was born at Frankfurt in Germany in 1926. Her mother Edith was 25 when she married her father. She and her elder sister stayed with their grandmother before they were sent to live with their parents in Amsterdam.

22. Anne Frank had a great attachment with her grandmother. Justify your answer.

Ans. There is no doubt that Anne Frank had a great attachment with her grandmother. When her parents migrated to Holland, she along with her elder sister Virago were sent to live with her grandmother in Aachen. The grandmother died in January 1942. She thought of her quite often and still loved her.

23. Why was the entire class quaking in its boots?

Ans. It is true that the whole class was shaking with fear. The teachers were to decide about the fate of the students. They were to decide who would go up in the next class or not. Half of the class was making bets. The verdict of the teachers could go either way. They were quite unpredictable creatures on earth.

24. Why did Anne Frank says that teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth?

Ans. Anne Frank felt that nothing could be predicted about the mood of the teachers. They were the most ‘unpredictable creatures on earth’. It depended on their choice who would go up in the next class. Only they could decide who would be kept back. Half the class was making bets.

25. How was Anne getting along with her teachers? Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with her?

Ans. No doubt, Anne Frank was getting along well with all her nine teachers— seven men and two women. Mr Keesing was an old-fashioned man who taught them maths. He was annoyed with her for a long time. The reason was simple. He didn’t like Anne as she talked so much in the class.

26. Why did Mr Keesing assign Anne to write an essay entitled ‘A Chatterbox’?

Ans. There was only one teacher with whom Anne was not getting along well. He was Mr Keesing. The maths teacher was annoyed with her because she talked too much in the class. After several warnings, he gave her extra homework like a sort of punishment. She was assigned to write an essay on the topic, ‘A Chatterbox’.

27 How did Anne justify her habit of talking in her first essay on ‘A Chatterbox’?

Ans. Anne Frank wrote three pages on the topic, ‘A Chatterbox’. In the essay, she justified her habit of talking. She argued that talking was a student’s trait. She would never be able to cure herself of the habit. Her mother talked as much as she did, if not more. She would do her best to keep it under control. However, it was very difficult to control her inherited trait.