MCQs - Class XI - Hornbill - English - Poem - The Voice Of The Rain - By Walt Whitman

Objective Questions (MCQs)

Q.1. What is the meaning of 'who art thou'?

(A) who are you?

(B) what are you?

(C) how are you?

(D) whose art is this?

Q.2. What does 'reck'd or unreck'd' mean?

(A) Enrichment or no enrichment

(B) Cared for or not cared for

(C) To purify or not

(D) To wash or not to wash

Q.3 What does the word 'descend' mean?

(A) Not clear

(B) Come down

(C) To wash

(D) Hidden

Q.4. In which of the following lines 'hyperbole' is used in the poem?

(A) I am the Poem of Earth

(B) Soft-falling shower

(C) Bottomless sea

 (D) Voice of the rain

Q.5 From where does the song of rain originate?

(A) From heaven

(B) From ocean

(C) From the heart of the singer

(D) From the soul of earth

Q.6. What does the poet compare the rain with?

(A) Song

(B) Heaven

(C) Beauty

(D) Flowers

Q.7. How does the rain help the seeds inside the earth?

(A) Provides water

(B) Provides life and helps them grow

(C) Provides love 

(D) None of the above

Q.8. According to the poet, from which two places does the rain rise in the form of water vapour?

(A) Land and sea

(B) Land and pond

(C) Mountains and lakes

(D) None of the above

Q.9. What does the rain reply to the poet's question 'Who are you'?

(A) She is rain.

(B) She is the poem of earth.

(C) She is rain from mountains.

(D) She is poem of mountains.

Q.10. The poem 'The Voice of the Rain' is a conversation between

(A) poet and rain

(B) poet and mountains

(C) rain and trees

(D) birds and rain

Q.11. In which of the following expressions 'metaphor' is used? 

(A) I am the Poem of Earth

(B) Soft-falling shower 

(C) Bottomless sea

(D) Voice of the rain

Q.12. Why does the rain tell the poet that she cannot be touched?

(A) Because she is water

(B) Because she rises in the form of water vapour

(C) Because she is in the form of clouds

(D) None of the above

Q.13. Why does the rain descend 'on the earth'?

(A) To wash off the drought.

(B) Remove the dust and dirt and clean and purify the Earth.

(C) To germinate the seeds lying on the ground. 

(D) All of these

Q.14. Where does the song return? 

(A) To its originator

(B) To the poet

(C) To the earth

(D) To the ocean

Q.15. Why does the poet compare the rain with a song?

(A) Because she beautifies the earth 

(B) Because she provides life on earth

(C) As they both share a common journey

(D) None of the above

Answer Key

1. Option (A) is correct

Explanation: Latin English translation.

2. Option (B) is correct

3. Option (B) is correct

4. Option (C) is correct

Explanation: Bottomless sea is an exaggeration.

5. Option (D) is correct

Explaination: The Rain originates from the land and the deap sea.

6. Option (A) is correct

Explanation: For song, issueing from its birthplace, after fulfillment, wandering Reck'd or unreck'd duly with love returns.

7. Option (B) is correct

Explanation: it provides life to the latent seeds.

8. Option (A) is correct

9. Option (B) is correct

10. Option (A) is correct

Explanation: And who art thou? said I to the soft falling shower,

Which strange to tell gave me an answer.

11. Option (A) is correct

Explanation: Rain is called as the poem of the Earth

12. Option (B) is correct

Explanation: Water vapuors or steam cannot be touched.

13. Option (D) is correct

14. Option (A) is correct

Explanation: For song, issueing from its birthplace, after fulfillment, wandering Reck'd or unreck'd, duly with love returns.

15. Option (C) is correct

Explanation: Both rise from their originators and after fulfilling the task of spreading happiness around, they return back to their originators with love.

Extract Based MCQs

I. Read the extract given below and answer the following questions by choosing the correct option: 

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, 

Q.1. What is the tone of the poet in these lines?

(A) Dominating 

(B) Conversational

(C) Enthusiastic

(D) Compassionate

Q.2. What does the phrase 'strange to tell' express about the poet's feelings? 

(A) He is surprised.

(B) He finds himself dumbstruck.

(C) Both (A) & (B)

(D) None of these

Q.3. What type of effect is created with, 'soft falling showers'?

(A) Musical

(B) Sleepy

(C) Nostalgic 

(D) Exciting

Q.4. Which poetic device can you spot in the first line of the stanza? 

(A) Personification & Alliteration

(B) Apostrophe & Personification

(C) Apostrophe & Alliteration.

(D) Personification & Metaphor

Q.5. A reader should take note of the fact that the speaker says that the rain's words were "translated". What was the original language?

(A) Something more conventional 

(B) Atmosphere of a rain shower

(C) The sounds and emotions associated with it

(D) All of these

II. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,

 Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form'd, altogether changed and yet the same,

Q.1. How is rain born?

(A) In an obscure and concrete form 

(C) In an invisible and intangible form

(B) In a discernible and elusive form 

(D) In a perceptible and vague form

Q.2. 'Eternal I rise....'

This shows that the process is:

(A) heavenly

(C) continuous

(B) interrupted

(D) time-bound

Q.3. How does the rain manage to reach the 'heaven'?

(A) The vapours reach the sky which is called 'heaven'.

(C) The vapours form the clouds in the 'heaven'.

(B) The rain lives in the heaven. 

(D) It is not clear.

Q.4. What is formed vaguely?

(A) Rain

(B) Vapours

(C) Ice

(D) Clouds

Q.5.Which figure of speech can be spotted in: "...altogether changed and yet the same"?

(A) Alliteration

(C) Oxymoron

(B) Pun

(D) Personification

III. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

I descend to lave the droughts, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,

And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn;

And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own-origin and make pure and beautify it;

Q.1. Which of the following is the purpose of rain when it comes down?

(A) To quench thirst of the parched land

(B) To wash the smallest particle on earth

(C) To clean the entire earth surface

(D) All of these

Q.2. Who What does them' refer to in 'And all that in them...?

(A) Seeds

(B) Plants

(C) Human beings

(D) Clouds

Q.3. Which figure of speech can be found in: "I give back life to my own origin"?

(A) Simile 

(B) Antithesis

(C) Irony

(D) Metaphor

Q.4. How does the rain 'make pure and beautify it'?

(A) By filling water in the dry water bodies

(B) By covering the earth's surface with plants 

(C) Both (A) and (B)

(D) None of these

Q.5. What is the advantage of conversational tone in this poem? 

(A) It helps to maintain continuity of thoughts and ideas of the poet.

(B) It brings clarity and vividness in expression. 

(C) Both (A) & (B)

(D) None of these

Answer Key:-

I. 1. Option (B) is correct.

Explanation: the poet and the rain are in the conversation with each other.

2. Option (C) is correct.

Explanation: the poet does not find it normal to hear an answer from the rain.

3. Option (A) is correct.

Explanation: 'Soft falling showers' creates a melodious musical effect.

4. Option (C) is correct.

Explanation: the poet talks to the rain; said to the soft falling shower.

5. Option (D) is correct.

Explanation: its original language would be more predictable.

II. 1. Option (C) is correct.

Explanation: Water Vapours that rise from the water bodies cannot be touched or seen.

2. Option (C) is correct.

Explanation: Eternal means ceaseless/timeless.

3. Option (A) is correct.

4. Option (D) is correct.

Explanation: the clouds are shapeless.

5. Option (C) is correct.

Explanation: Oxymoron is one where ideas in a sentence contradict each other. The poem is based on rain talking to the poet. So altogether changed refers to the concept of rain formation-evaporation, condensation and precipitation.

 Water evaporates to form vapour and changes to clouds. Though it takes a different form, it is water. The water form as rain is what has two different ways

III. 1. Option (D) is correct.

Explanation: I descend to lave the droughts, atomies, dust-layers of the globe.

2. Option (A) is correct.

Explanation: Seeds need water to transfer into a plant.

3. Option (B) is correct.

Explanation: A person or thing that is the directe opposite of someone or something else.

4. Option (C) is correct.

5. Option (C) is correct.

Short Answer Type Questions:-

Q.1. The poem begins in a conversational tone. Who are the two participants in this conversation? 

Ans. The two participants are the poet and the rain. The poet makes the rain relate its own story. This direct presentation makes the narration more authentic, interesting and captivating. 

Q. 2. How did the poet look at the rain? What did he ask? 

Ans. The poet looked at the rain as the soft falling shower and asked who she was.

Q. 3. What questions does the poet put to the rain and how does he feel when he gets the answer? 

Ans. The poet watches the falling showers f the rain. The showers are falling very lightly producing a soft music. The poet is fascinated and asks who it is Strangely enough, the rain itself answer the questions posed to it. The poet feels really surprised to get an answer and translates the answer into his own language. 

Q.4. How does the rain justify its claim: "I am the Poem of Earth'? 

Ans. In poem The Voice of the Rain, the rain is personified and describes what it is and what it does using metaphoric and literary phrases. The whole journey of rain has a beauty and charm associated with it and like a poem it brings joy happiness and life to everything it touch.

Q.5. What is the cycle of the song? What does it represent? 

Ans. The cycle of the song is that it issues from its birthplace fulfills its journey moving reck'd-unreck'd and returns to its origin with love. It represents completion of a whole journey with love which is very similar to that of the rain. 

Q.6. What does the rain do day and night to the things?

Ans. The rain gives back life to its own origin and continues making it pure and beautiful. This action of rain is automatic. It is a source of life to all things without which it would remain seeds only.

 Q.7. On what does the rain descent? What does it do to those things on which it falls? Ans. The rain descends on droughts, atoms and dust particles on the surface of the earth. It also falls on everything that is there. It gives life to those things on which it falls. The things not getting it remain seeds only, latent and unborn.

Q.8. "Eternal, I rise impalpable. What gives eternity to rain? 

Ans. Rain water cycle makes it eternal as it rises out of the land and deep sea. It gathers in the sky, changes its form and then comes down to the earth. 

Q.9. What answer does rain give to the poet about its origin?

Ans. The rain answered the poet that it was the Poem of Earth. It rose eternally out of the land and the bottomless sea into the sky. There, it formed vaguely and changed its form. But it remains the same.

Q.11. Behind the apparent simplicity, the poem hides a deep meaning. What exactly does the poem convey to the reader?

Ans. The poem is not merely a description of life-cycle of rain. It has deeper meaning. Rain is a poem or thing of beauty of Earth and so is song or music. The comparison between rain and music and their function, making the Earth pure and beautiful conveys the eternal role of natural phenomenon and art in real life. 

Q.12. How does the rain describe herself in the poem 'The Voice of the Rain'?

OR

Give the central idea of the poem, "The Voice of the Rain."

Ans. The rain calls itself the poem of earth. It is everlasting and perpetual. It is something that cannot be touched. It originates from the land and the deep sea. Then it rises upward to heaven, changing its form into a cloud yet remaining the same in quality. From the sky, it pours down on earth to wash the earth's dry, thin particles and dust layers. The rain helps the unborn seeds to sprout. These seeds lay hidden and unborn under the layer of the earth. Rain gives back life to its origin, making it pure and beautiful.

Q.13. Why are the last two lines put within brackets?

Ans. The last two lines are in brackets because the rest of the poem is in the form of conversation between the poet and the rain. The last two lines are written by the poet as narration.

Poem - The Laburnum Top - Class 11 English Hornbill

The Laburnum Top - Text

Laburnum Tree

The Laburnum top is silent, quite still
In the afternoon yellow September sunlight, A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.

Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup
A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end.
Then sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt,
She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings —
The whole tree trembles and thrills.
It is the engine of her family.
She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end
Showing her barred face identity mask

Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings
She launches away, towards the infinite

And the laburnum subsides to empty.

Word Meaning of the Poem Laburnum Top

Word	Meaning
laburnum	Laburnum, sometimes called golden chain or golden rain, is a genus of two species of small trees in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae.
goldfinch	a kind of bird, a brightly coloured finch with yellow feathers in the plumage.
twitching	1a : a brief spasmodic contraction of the muscle fibers. b : a slight jerk of a body part. 2 : an act of twitching especially : a short sudden pull or jerk.
chirrup	make high-pitched sounds; "the birds were chirping in the bushes"
startlement	the state of being strongly impressed by something unexpected or unusual. the look of startlement in her eyes when she found herself at the wedding seated next to her ex-boyfriend.
chittering	a chirping noise
tremor of wings	an involuntary quivering movement(of wings)
trillings	produce a quavering or warbling sound, chirruping, twittering
tremble	(of a person, a part of the body, or the voice) shake involuntarily, typically as a result of anxiety, excitement, or frailty.
thrill (v.)	cause (someone) to have a sudden feeling of excitement and pleasure.
stoking (the engine)	add coal or other solid fuel to (a fire, furnace, boiler, etc.).
flirt out	(of a bird) wave or open and shut (its wings or tail) with a quick flicking motion.
barred face identity mask	mask having bars or lines like pattern
eerie	strange and frightening.

Summary of the Poem

Goldfinch Bird

The poem “The Laburnum Top” by Ted Hughes describes the mutual relation between a Laburnum Tree and a goldfinch. Both of them are yellow in colour (the tree is yellow because of its flowers) and quite beautiful in appearance.

The Laburnum Tree is beautiful, large but quite silent and getting naked because of winter. However, the bird, Goldfinch appears from the sky and soon the whole tree is surrounded by the sweet chirps of the bird and her young ones. It was previously dead and now it seems to be alive and shaking until the bird vanishes away again. Dead silence prevails.

The poem has been divided into three stanzas. There is not set rhyme scheme. The first stanza describes the tree before the bird reaches it. The second stanza describes the coming of the bird and the final stanza tells the condition of the tree when the bird goes away.

In the first stanza, the poet says that he saw a Laburnum Tree (with its yellow flowers). In his words, “The Laburnum top is silent“. The tree is still and looks dead-like in the day time of September. Even the sunlight is also yellow. As it is the time of autumn, the leaves of the tree have turned yellow and its seeds have fallen off it.

In this stanza, the poet uses the image “yellow” colour repeatedly. First the tree’s flowers are yellow, then its leaves have also turned yellow and the sunlight is also yellow.

The yellow color symbolises beauty (because of flowers, which, though have fallen off in the form of seeds), death (because of yellow leaves) as well as silence (day time without rain or wind). In the whole stanza, the poet is trying to describe the miserable condition of the Laburnum Tree which is silent, dying and without seeds (useless).

The death-like scene however changes as soon as the goldfinch comes with a twitching chirrup. Goldfinch is a bright yellow coloured bird. Twitching chirrup means “short chirping sounds”.

The bird is quite precautious while sitting at a branch end of the tree and has sudden quick movements. Perhaps it is looking out for any danger that might be there.

It then goes into the thick bark of the Laburnum Tree smoothly but abruptly with alertness. As soon as she enters the tree (her nest is inside the Laburnum Tree), a machine starts up of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings.

The image of machine here refers to the young ones of the bird. A machine makes a lot of noise when it starts. Similarly, when the young birds see their mother they start chirping like a machine, flattering their wings in joy as their mother has come with food. They were hungry as well as sad being far from their mother.

Now the whole tree trembles and thrills because of the mother bird and her young ones. The poet probably wants us to feel how a solitary and silent tree becomes alive because it has given space to the bird and her young ones. The birds have gotten shelter and the tree in return has got life.

The goldfinch is thus the engine of her family which includes the Laburnum tree as well. According to the poet it fills them with fuel i.e. it gives food to the young ones and thrill to the tree. Having done that, she again flies to a branch-end. Only her dark-coloured striped face is visible as it is yellow and hence becomes invisible in the yellow leaves of the tree.

Reaching the branch-end of the tree, it makes strange but sweet chirping sounds and then begins his journey towards the infinite i.e. the sky and the Laburnum Tree again becomes silent again.

The Laburnum Top Questions and Answers

1. What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
   
   
   ANSWER: The first line of the poem, "The Laburnum top is silent, quite still" and the last line of the poem, "And the laburnum subsides to empty" indicate that before the arrival and departure of the bird the laburnum top was quiet and still. 
   
   
   
2. To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
   
   
   ANSWER: The bird's movement is compared to that of a lizard. When the bird comes back with food to feed the chicks and enters the thickness of the laburnum top, the way the bird moves reminds the poet of the movement of a lizard in its abruptness, sleekness and alertness.  
   
   
   
3. Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
   
   
   ANSWER: "It is the engine of her family", the engine is a key component in a machinery that gets the job done. The arrival of the bird and the trillings of the young checks in response make the tree alive like an engine. The tree makes it possible the bird and her chicks are safe and are able to move forward in the life process.
   
   
   
4. What do you like the most about the poem?
   
   
   ANSWER: I like the imagery of laburnum tree as the engine of the goldfinch family coming to life with tremors and trillings when the bird arrives to feed her young chicks. The use of literary devices like simile and alliterations make the poem more sonorous, appealing and meaningful.
   
   
   
5. What does the phrase "her barred face identity mask" mean?
   
   ANSWER:

   

   British Goldfinch with 'barred face identity mask'
   

   The phrase "her barred face identity mask" means the unique pattern of goldfinches found in the United Kingdom where the poet belonged to. The goldfinch birds have a distinct mask like pattern on their head as if wearing a mask. 
   
   
   

Themes in the novel Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway

THEMES

THE HONOR IN STRUGGLE, DEFEAT & DEATH

From the very first paragraph, Santiago is characterized as someone struggling against defeat. He has gone eighty-four days without catching a fish—he will soon pass his own record of eighty-seven days. Almost as a reminder of Santiago’s struggle, the sail of his skiff resembles “the flag of permanent defeat.” But the old man refuses defeat at every turn: he resolves to sail out beyond the other fishermen to where the biggest fish promise to be. He lands the marlin, tying his record of eighty-seven days after a brutal three-day fight, and he continues to ward off sharks from stealing his prey, even though he knows the battle is useless.

Because Santiago is pitted against the creatures of the sea, some readers choose to view the tale as a chronicle of man’s battle against the natural world, but the novella is, more accurately, the story of man’s place within nature. Both Santiago and the marlin display qualities of pride, honour, and bravery, and both are subject to the same eternal law: they must kill or be killed. As Santiago reflects when he watches the weary warbler fly toward shore, where it will inevitably meet the hawk, the world is filled with predators, and no living thing can escape the inevitable struggle that will lead to its death. Santiago lives according to his own observation: “man is not made for defeat . . . [a] man can be destroyed but not defeated.” In Hemingway’s portrait of the world, death is inevitable, but the best men (and animals) will nonetheless refuse to give in to its power. Accordingly, man and fish will struggle to the death, just as hungry sharks will lay waste to an old man’s trophy catch.

The novel suggests that it is possible to transcend this natural law. In fact, the very inevitability of destruction creates the terms that allow a worthy man or beast to transcend it. It is precisely through the effort to battle the inevitable that a man can prove himself. Indeed, a man can prove this determination over and over through the worthiness of the opponents he chooses to face. Santiago finds the marlin worthy of a fight, just as he once found “the great negro of Cienfuegos” worthy. His admiration for these opponents brings love and respect into an equation with death, as their destruction becomes a point of honour and bravery that confirms Santiago’s heroic qualities. One might characterize the equation as the working out of the statement, “Because I love you, I have to kill you.” Alternately, one might draw a parallel to the poet John Keats and his insistence that beauty can only be comprehended in the moment before death, as beauty bows to destruction. Santiago, though destroyed at the end of the novella, is never defeated. Instead, he emerges as a hero. Santiago’s struggle does not enable him to change man’s place in the world. Rather, it enables him to meet his most dignified destiny.

PRIDE AS THE SOURCE OF GREATNESS & DETERMINATION

Many parallels exist between Santiago and the classic heroes of the ancient world. In addition to exhibiting terrific strength, bravery, and moral certainty, those heroes usually possess a tragic flaw—a quality that, though admirable, leads to their eventual downfall. If pride is Santiago’s fatal flaw, he is keenly aware of it. After the sharks have destroyed the marlin, the old man apologizes again and again to his worthy opponent. He has ruined them both, he concedes, by sailing beyond the usual boundaries of fishermen. Indeed, his last word on the subject comes when he asks himself the reason for his undoing and decides, “Nothing . . . I went out too far.”

While it is certainly true that Santiago’s eighty-four-day run of bad luck is an affront to his pride as a masterful fisherman and that his attempt to bear out his skills by sailing far into the gulf waters leads to disaster, Hemingway does not condemn his protagonist for being full of pride. On the contrary, Santiago stands as proof that pride motivates men to greatness. Because the old man acknowledges that he killed the mighty marlin largely out of pride, and because his capture of the marlin leads in turn to his heroic transcendence of defeat, pride becomes the source of Santiago’s greatest strength. Without a ferocious sense of pride, that battle would never have been fought, or more likely, it would have been abandoned before the end.

Santiago’s pride also motivates his desire to transcend the destructive forces of nature. Throughout the novel, no matter how baleful his circumstances become, the old man exhibits an unflagging determination to catch the marlin and bring it to shore. When the first shark arrives, Santiago’s resolve is mentioned twice in the space of just a few paragraphs. First we are told that the old man “was full of resolution but he had little hope.” Then, sentences later, the narrator says, “He hit [the shark] without hope but with resolution.” The old man meets every challenge with the same unwavering determination: he is willing to die in order to bring in the marlin, and he is willing to die in order to battle the feeding sharks. It is this conscious decision to act, to fight, to never give up that enables Santiago to avoid defeat. Although he returns to Havana without the trophy of his long battle, he returns with the knowledge that he has acquitted himself proudly and manfully. Hemingway seems to suggest that victory is not a prerequisite for the honour. Instead, glory depends upon one having the pride to see a struggle through to its end, regardless of the outcome. Even if the old man had returned with the marlin intact, his moment of glory, like the marlin’s meat, would have been short-lived. The glory and honour Santiago accrues come not from his battle itself but from his pride and determination to fight.

• The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway: Critical Analysis and Summary
• Plot Overview
• Themes
• Character sketch of Santiago

The Portait of a Lady by Khushwant Singh - Hornbill - Prose - Class XI- English Core Summary and Answers

Class XI- English Core

Chapter 1 - The Portrait of a Lady

by Khushwant Singh

Hornbill - Prose -  Summary and Answers

Summary of 'The Portrait of a Lady'

The story "The Portrait of a Lady" by Khushwant Singh is a nostalgic reflection on the author's relationship with his grandmother. The narrator describes his grandmother as a deeply religious, old woman who was always busy with her rosary beads and prayer books. The story is divided into three phases, depicting the changing relationship between the grandmother and the narrator as he grows up.

In the first phase, the grandmother and the narrator share a close bond. They live together in a village where the grandmother takes care of the narrator's daily needs and accompanies him to school. The second phase begins when they move to the city. Here, the narrator attends an English school, and their relationship starts to change as they spend less time together. The grandmother is upset because the subjects taught at school, like English and science, do not include religion, which was a vital part of her life.

The third phase occurs when the narrator goes to university and moves into a separate room. The distance between them grows even more, and the grandmother's loneliness increases. Despite these changes, the grandmother remains deeply religious and continues to live a life of routine and devotion.

Towards the end of the story, the grandmother's health deteriorates, and she passes away peacefully, surrounded by the family. The story concludes with the narrator and his family mourning her death, reflecting on her life and the simplicity and spirituality that characterized her existence.

The story is a beautiful depiction of the bond between the narrator and his grandmother, highlighting the themes of love, loss, and the passage of time.

Understanding the text(Q&A) of 'Portrait of a Lady'

Question:

Mention the three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.

ANSWER

The author mentions three phases in his relationship with his grandmother before he went abroad for studies.

The Early Childhood: During this phase, he lived with his grandmother in the village and was very intimate with her. The grandmother looked after him and took care of him like parents do. She woke him up, bathed and prepared him for school. Moreover, she used to accompany her to school as it was attached to the temple and she prayed there. The write is very close to her in this phase.

In the City: This is the second phase when they both shift to the city as the author's parents get settled there. The author shares a room with his grandmother, but she does not accompany him to school anymore and can't help him in his studies. They saw less of each other in this phase and this proved a turning point in their relationship.

The author gets a separate room: In this phase, the author gets a separate room as he joins university and the only common link of their friendship: room, is also broken. The grandmother takes up the wheel spinning, bird feeding, and prayers. She accepts her aloofness with resignation.

Question:

Mention three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.

ANSWER

The three reasons that the author's grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school are:

Firstly she could not help the author with his lessons.

Secondly, she did not believe in the things they taught at the English school and was distressed that there was no teaching about God and the scriptures.

And finally, she was very disturbed when she heard that her grandson was receiving music lessons. She believed that music had lewd associations and it belonged to harlots and beggars.

Question:

Mention three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.

ANSWER

The three ways in which the author's grandmother spent her days after he grew up are:

a)Most of the time she remained by the side of spinning wheel.

b)She talked less and her lips always moved in reciting prayers and fingers busy telling the beads of the rosary.

c)She also loved to spend her time with sparrows, feeding them.

Question:

The odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.

ANSWER

The author’s grandmother behaved in a very odd way just before she died. She did not pray. Instead, she collected the women of the neighbourhood, got an old drum and started to sing. This was very unusual for her and the family had to persuade her to stop.

Question: Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.

Answer:

Thousands of sparrows sat around the grandmother's dead body without any chirruping. All flew away silently when the body was taken away for cremation without eating any of the breadcrumbs offered to them by author's mother.

Talking About the Text(Q&A) of 'Portrait of a Lady'

1. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?
   ANSWER: The author’s grandmother was clearly a deeply religious person, and this is shown in several ways throughout the story. She spent most of her time praying and telling the beads of her rosary. Every morning, she would softly sing her prayers while helping the author get ready for school. When they moved to the city, she was upset because the author’s new school did not teach about God or religion, which were very important to her. Even as she grew old and became bedridden, she continued to pray, showing that her faith and devotion were constants in her life.
   
   
2. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?
   ANSWER: The relationship between the author and his grandmother changed as they both grew older and their circumstances changed. When they lived in the village, they were very close, and she took care of him daily, even walking him to school. However, when they moved to the city, their relationship became more distant. The author went to an English school, which taught subjects that were unfamiliar to his grandmother, creating a sense of separation between them. Finally, when the author went to university and moved into his own room, the physical distance between them increased, but their emotional bond remained strong. Despite spending less time together, their love and respect for each other did not change.
   
   
3. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.
   ANSWER: Yes, the author’s grandmother was definitely a person strong in character. She demonstrated her strength in several ways throughout the story. She handled the various changes in her life with quiet dignity, whether it was moving to the city or dealing with the loneliness that came as the author grew up. She was resilient and independent, sticking to her daily routines and maintaining her religious practices even when she became weak and bedridden. Additionally, when the author left for university, she did not openly show her sorrow. Instead, she focused on her spinning wheel and prayers, showing her inner strength and self-control.
   
   
4. Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother? Do you feel the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and lost?
   ANSWER: This question invites a personal reflection. If you have known someone like the author’s grandmother, you might think about how they influenced your life, their strong character, and how you felt when they were no longer with you. You may have experienced a similar sense of loss, cherishing memories of the love and support they provided, much like the author did with his grandmother. This reflection can be an opportunity to remember and honor those who have had a significant impact on your life.
   
   
   The author’s grandmother was clearly a deeply religious person, and this is shown in several ways throughout the story. She spent most of her time praying and telling the beads of her rosary. Every morning, she would softly sing her prayers while helping the author get ready for school. When they moved to the city, she was upset because the author’s new school did not teach about God or religion, which were very important to her. Even as she grew old and became bedridden, she continued to pray, showing that her faith and devotion were constants in her life.
   
   
5. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?
   ANSWER: The relationship between the author and his grandmother changed as they both grew older and their circumstances changed. When they lived in the village, they were very close, and she took care of him daily, even walking him to school. However, when they moved to the city, their relationship became more distant. The author went to an English school, which taught subjects that were unfamiliar to his grandmother, creating a sense of separation between them. Finally, when the author went to university and moved into his own room, the physical distance between them increased, but their emotional bond remained strong. Despite spending less time together, their love and respect for each other did not change.
6. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.
   ANSWER: Yes, the author’s grandmother was definitely a person strong in character. She demonstrated her strength in several ways throughout the story. She handled the various changes in her life with quiet dignity, whether it was moving to the city or dealing with the loneliness that came as the author grew up. She was resilient and independent, sticking to her daily routines and maintaining her religious practices even when she became weak and bedridden. Additionally, when the author left for university, she did not openly show her sorrow. Instead, she focused on her spinning wheel and prayers, showing her inner strength and self-control.
7. Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother? Do you feel the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and lost?
   ANSWER: This question invites a personal reflection. If you have known someone like the author’s grandmother, you might think about how they influenced your life, their strong character, and how you felt when they were no longer with you. You may have experienced a similar sense of loss, cherishing memories of the love and support they provided, much like the author did with his grandmother. This reflection can be an opportunity to remember and honour those who have had a significant impact on your life.

Thinking About the Language of 'Portrait of a Lady'

1. Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?

The author and his grandmother most likely communicated in Punjabi or Hindi, as the story is set in a Punjabi family in India. These languages were commonly spoken in the region where they lived, and it’s likely that they used their native language for everyday conversations, especially given the grandmother's traditional and religious nature.

2. Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family?

The language you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family may depend on your cultural background and family traditions. Many people communicate with their grandparents or older family members in their native or regional language, which could be anything from Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, or Marathi to languages like Urdu, Malayalam, or Gujarati. This is because elderly relatives often feel more comfortable and connected when speaking in their mother tongue.

3. How would you say ‘a dilapidated drum’ in your language?

To translate "a dilapidated drum" into your language, you would use the words that describe something old and broken down. For example, in Hindi, you might say "टूटा-फूटा ढोल" (Toota-Foota Dhol). The exact translation would depend on your native language and the specific words used for "dilapidated" and "drum."

4. Can you think of a song or a poem in your language that talks of homecoming?

Many cultures have songs or poems that speak of homecoming, reflecting the emotions of returning home after a long time. In Hindi, for instance, there is a famous song, "घर आया मेरा परदेसी" (Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi), which expresses the joy of a loved one returning home. Similarly, in other languages, you may have songs or poems that resonate with the theme of homecoming, evoking feelings of nostalgia, warmth, and belonging.

Working with Words

The word "tell" is used in different ways in these sentences.

1. "Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary."

In this sentence, "telling" refers to the act of counting or moving the beads of a rosary one by one as part of a prayer ritual. It shows a physical action linked with a religious practice.

2. "I would tell her English words and little things of Western science and learning."

Here, "tell" means to inform or share information with someone. The author is explaining that he used to teach his grandmother some English words and facts about Western science and education.

3. "At her age one could never tell."

In this sentence, "tell" means to be able to know or predict something. It implies uncertainty, suggesting that at her age, it was difficult to predict what might happen next.

4. "She told us that her end was near."

Here, "told" is used in the sense of communicating or conveying a message. The grandmother is informing the family that she believes her death is approaching.

In each of these examples, "tell" is used in a different context, demonstrating the versatility of the word in English.