The Mark on the Wall Summary, Q&A & MCQs — Class 12 Kaleidoscope

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The Mark on the Wall — Virginia Woolf (Class 12, Kaleidoscope)

Includes: Summary • Explanation • Difficult Words • Textbook Q&A • Extract MCQs • 15 Practice MCQs • Extra Questions

Table of Contents

1. Summary of the Chapter
2. Explanation of the Chapter
3. Difficult Words and Meanings
4. Textbook Questions & Answers
5. Extract-Based MCQs (5 × 3)
6. Practice MCQs (15 Challenging Questions)
7. Extra Questions (Q&A)

Summary of the Chapter

On a winter evening, the narrator notices a tiny mark above the mantelpiece and begins to think freely about what it is and what thinking itself does. Her guesses—nail-head, speck, rose leaf—open into reflections on memory, ownership, rules, and the prestige of “standards” like Whitaker’s Almanack and its Table of Precedency. She imagines antiquaries, museums, and the way facts look certain yet prove little. Images of fish against the stream and a tree through seasons suggest a poised, living thought. Nature finally prompts action: look at the mark. A second voice breaks in—war, newspapers—and casually identifies the mystery as a snail. The ordinary answer deflates solemn theorising, yet confirms Woolf’s point: the mind makes meaning by wandering, circling, and returning; facts arrive late and modest, but the inward movement they spark is where experience truly unfolds. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2} :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Explanation of the Chapter

1) Winter Room & First Sight of the Mark

A quiet room after tea fixes time and mood. The small dark spot becomes a mental trigger; memory anchors date and place through firelight, flowers, and smoke. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

2) Lost Things & Fragile Knowledge

Lists of vanished objects and breathless images mock certainty. Knowledge feels accidental; possession slips away; thought leaps from item to item, alive yet unsure. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

3) Self-Image & Future Novelists

The narrator “dresses up” the self while predicting fiction will prize inner reflections over flat “reality”. The essay performs the very method it proposes. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

4) Antiquaries, Clergy & Proofs That Prove Little

A comic vignette of colonels, pamphlets, and museum pieces teases scholarship that piles evidence without settling truth. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

5) Whitaker’s Table & Standard Things

Whitaker’s Almanack and ranked offices symbolise rigid order. Old “standard things” become phantoms, loosening habit’s hold. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

6) Nature’s Nudge: From Thought to Action

Nature ends unhelpful rumination by urging a look at the mark. “Men of action” are not scorned; action can mercifully reset the mind. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

7) Trees, Fish & The Snail

Tree and fish images present stillness within motion. A voice ends the meditation: the mark is a snail—fact grounding fancy with gentle irony. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10} :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

Difficult Words and Meanings

Word / Phrase	Meaning (simple)
mantelpiece	shelf above a fireplace
chrysanthemums	large decorative flowers
cavalcade	procession of riders/vehicles
miniature	very small portrait/painting
annihilation	complete destruction
asphodel	flower linked with afterlife in myth
tumulus / barrow	mound over an ancient grave
antiquary	scholar of old objects/remains
phantom	something seeming real but unreal
precedency	official order of rank
Whitaker’s Almanack	annual British reference book
attrition	gradual wearing down
omnibuses	old word for buses
moorhen	water bird seen on ponds/rivers
illegitimate freedom	freedom that feels improper against custom

Textbook Questions & Answers Verbatim questions from NCERT

Understanding the Text / Talking about the Text / Appreciation pulled from NCERT pages. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12} :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}

Understanding the Text

1) An account of reflections is more important than a description of reality according to the author. Why? (Long Answer: 160–180 words)

Woolf shows that bare facts do not capture how experience actually forms within us. The narrator looks at a small spot and, before any “real” identification, her mind pours outward into images, memories, and questions about knowledge and authority. That meandering course is not a distraction from truth; it is the site where truth is felt, tested, and shaped. Lists of lost objects, musings on antiquaries, and satire of ranked tables reveal how generalisations harden into rules while private thought remains supple and alive. The final discovery—that the mark is only a snail—arrives almost as an afterthought and adds a gentle joke: the concrete answer is modest, but the inner journey it sparked was rich, humane, and revealing. By treating reflections as primary, Woolf urges readers to notice the flow of consciousness—pauses, leaps, returns—as a faithful record of life in time. Reality, she suggests, is not discarded; rather, it is understood more deeply when we honour the mind’s own way of moving. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14} :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}

2) Looking back at objects and habits of a bygone era can give one a feeling of phantom-like unreality. What examples does the author give to bring out this idea? (Short Answer: 50–60 words)

She recalls Sunday walks and luncheons, the habit of sitting together till a fixed hour, and decorative “standard things” such as tapestry tablecloths and Landseer prints. Once treated as absolute, these customs later seem half-real, like phantoms, showing how received standards lose authority and fade into mere images in memory. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}

3) How does the imagery of (i) the fish (ii) the tree, used almost poetically by the author, emphasise the idea of stillness of living, breathing thought? (Long Answer: 160–180 words)

Both images join motion to poise. The fish is “balanced against the stream,” suspended yet alive within current; it captures a mind held steady while ideas flow around it. The tree, imagined through seasons—storm grinding, sap oozing, winter bark enduring—suggests growth that is silent and composed. Woolf’s detailed scene, from beetles to moorhens and snapping fibres, lets the reader feel a calm centre within change. Thought, in this model, breathes: it is not fixed like a table of ranks, nor hurried like a timetable, but living, seasonal, and patient. The images slow attention so we sense the texture of consciousness—its pressure, rest, and quiet recoveries—without losing movement. They also oppose a noisy public world (war talk, newspapers) with an inward ecology of noticing. In short, fish and tree make inward stillness visible: they confirm that reflective life is neither idle nor inert, but a balanced activity that gathers the world without being swept away by it. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}

4) How does the author pin her reflections on a variety of subjects on the ‘mark on the wall’? What does this tell us about the way the human mind functions? (Long Answer: 160–180 words)

The mark works as a cue that repeatedly launches and resets associative thinking. Each time the narrator glances back—wondering if it is a nail, a crack, a rose leaf—her mind branches into linked scenes: lost possessions, imagined antiquaries, museum cases, and social hierarchies fixed by Whitaker’s. The returns to the mark keep the meditation coherent while allowing free movement. This rhythm—cue, departure, return—models a natural mental process in which small perceptions open into broad themes and then narrow again to the initial object. The essay shows that thought is recursive and layered: it loops, tests, and revises itself rather than marching in straight lines. When Nature finally nudges her to act (look at the mark), the chain is broken and the practical world enters, revealing the mark as a snail. Far from cancelling reflection, the reveal confirms how minds handle uncertainty: we imagine, compare, and question until a fact intervenes—and even then, the meaning of the journey remains. :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18} :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}

5) Not seeing the obvious could lead a perceptive mind to reflect upon more philosophical issues. Discuss this with reference to the ‘snail on the wall’. (Very Short Answer: 30–40 words)

Delaying inspection lets thought range over knowledge, order, and habit. When another voice finally names the snail, the ordinary fact grounds the meditation without erasing it, showing how small uncertainties can trigger large, useful reflections. :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20}

Talking about the Text

1) ‘In order to fix a date, it is necessary to remember what one saw’. Have you experienced this at any time? Describe one such incident, and the non-chronological details that helped you remember a particular date. (Very Short Answer: 30–40 words)

Yes. I once recalled an exam date by picturing wet corridors, a flickering tube-light, and steam on my glasses after rain. Those vivid details revived the timetable entry and fixed the exact Tuesday in my memory. :contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21}

2) ‘Tablecloths of a different kind were not real tablecloths’. Does this sentence embody the idea of blind adherence to rules and tradition? Discuss with reference to ‘Understanding Freedom and Discipline’ by J. Krishnamurti that you’ve already read. (Short Answer: 50–60 words)

The line satirises rigid norms that police taste. It echoes Krishnamurti’s warning that habit becomes authority when unexamined. Calling one pattern “real” and others false shows conditioning at work; true discipline, by contrast, grows from awake perception rather than obedience to inherited standards. :contentReference[oaicite:22]{index=22}

3) According to the author, nature prompts action as a way of ending thought. Do we tacitly assume that ‘men of action are men who don’t think’? (Short Answer: 50–60 words)

Woolf notes a “slight contempt” for action, yet shows action can kindly halt unhelpful rumination. Looking at the mark resets the mind. The point is balance: action may follow and clear thought, not replace it; doing and thinking can assist one another. :contentReference[oaicite:23]{index=23}

Appreciation

1) Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of narration… Which of these is exemplified in this essay? Illustrate. (Long Answer: 160–180 words)

The essay exemplifies the second: narration that reproduces a character’s mental process with minimal outside commentary. We move through associations triggered by a small visual cue, and the mind’s texture—hesitations, lists, leaps—supplies the structure. Woolf’s syntax extends like a thought breathing: clauses accrete, revise, and loop, while images (fish, tree, river) render inward stillness within motion. Social satire surfaces not as a lecturing voice but as drifted observations: antiquaries and colonels, museum cases, and ranked tables from Whitaker’s Almanack. Even time is remembered by recalling what was seen—firelight, chrysanthemums, cigarette smoke—rather than by calendar. Finally, the external “plot” arrives in a spoken interruption and a plain fact: the mark is a snail. The outside world, including war talk and newspapers, punctures the reverie without cancelling it. Thus the piece models stream-of-consciousness: meaning emerges from the living sequence of perceptions instead of a tidy, omniscient report. :contentReference[oaicite:24]{index=24} :contentReference[oaicite:25]{index=25}

2) This essay frequently uses the non-periodic or loose sentence structure… Locate a few such sentences, and discuss how they contribute to the relaxed and conversational effect of the narration. (Long Answer: 160–180 words)

Woolf’s loose sentences could pause earlier yet continue gathering clauses, mirroring thought as it pads forward. Consider the inventory of lost things that swells through commas to “the Tube at fifty miles an hour”, or the antiquary passage, which strings correspondences, breakfasts, arrow-heads, and museum cases before shrugging, “proving I really don’t know what.” The fish-and-tree paragraph similarly widens by accretion: moorhens, beetles, fibres “snapping,” each detail adding motion without closing cadence. Such sentences do not march to finality; they hover and qualify, keeping tone conversational and flexible. The effect is intimacy: we are inside a mind that revises itself in real time. Meaning condenses not at period’s end but along the path, so readers experience reflection as a lived sequence rather than a finished verdict. This style suits the essay’s claim that reflections matter more than bare description: the form enacts the argument. :contentReference[oaicite:26]{index=26} :contentReference[oaicite:27]{index=27}

Extract-Based MCQs (5 × 3)

Set 1

“Perhaps it was the middle of January in the present year that I first looked up and saw the mark on the wall… we had just finished our tea…” :contentReference[oaicite:28]{index=28}

1. What is the immediate function of this opening detail?
   1. To fix external plot
   2. To anchor memory through sense images
   3. To introduce another character
   4. To reveal the author’s biography
   Answer: b) To anchor memory through sense images
2. The tone here is best described as:
   1. Judicial
   2. Satirical
   3. Reflective
   4. Dramatic
   Answer: c) Reflective
3. The “mark on the wall” serves primarily as a:
   1. Symbol of war
   2. Device to start associative thinking
   3. Reminder of lost property
   4. Religious emblem
   Answer: b) Device to start associative thinking

Set 2

“Oh! dear me, the mystery of life; the inaccuracy of thought! The ignorance of humanity!” :contentReference[oaicite:29]{index=29}

1. The quoted lines mainly question:
   1. Religious authority
   2. Historical timelines
   3. Certainty in knowledge
   4. Moral values
   Answer: c) Certainty in knowledge
2. The figure of speech in “the inaccuracy of thought” foregrounds:
   1. Metonymy
   2. Personification
   3. Irony
   4. Hyperbole
   Answer: b) Personification
3. In context, the exclamation marks convey:
   1. Mock solemnity
   2. Measured approval
   3. Cold detachment
   4. Fear
   Answer: a) Mock solemnity

Set 3

“The masculine point of view which governs our lives… will be laughed into the dustbin where the phantoms go…” :contentReference[oaicite:30]{index=30}

1. The passage critiques:
   1. Romantic poetry
   2. Fixed social hierarchies
   3. Scientific method
   4. Rural life
   Answer: b) Fixed social hierarchies
2. “Masculine point of view” here implies:
   1. Individual preference
   2. Institutional authority setting standards
   3. Biological difference
   4. Family tradition
   Answer: b) Institutional authority setting standards
3. The phrase “laughed into the dustbin” signals:
   1. Reverence
   2. Inevitable decline
   3. Sudden rise
   4. Timelessness
   Answer: b) Inevitable decline

Set 4

“I must jump up and see for myself what that mark on the wall really is… Here is Nature once more at her old game of self-preservation.” :contentReference[oaicite:31]{index=31}

1. Nature’s “game” prompts the narrator to:
   1. Stop thinking and act
   2. Write a letter
   3. Change houses
   4. Burn the book
   Answer: a) Stop thinking and act
2. The phrase “self-preservation” suggests:
   1. Ending harmful rumination
   2. Seeking social praise
   3. Following Whitaker’s ranks
   4. Collecting antiques
   Answer: a) Ending harmful rumination
3. The narrative technique most visible here is:
   1. Objective reportage
   2. Epistolary narrative
   3. Stream-of-consciousness
   4. Third-person omniscience
   Answer: c) Stream-of-consciousness

Set 5

“‘I’m going out to buy a newspaper.’ … ‘All the same, I don’t see why we should have a snail on our wall.’ … Ah, the mark on the wall! It was a snail…” :contentReference[oaicite:32]{index=32}

1. The voice in the extract is:
   1. The narrator
   2. A passer-by on the street
   3. Another person in the room
   4. A newspaper vendor
   Answer: c) Another person in the room
2. The final identification of the mark creates:
   1. Tragic irony
   2. Situational irony
   3. Epic climax
   4. No irony
   Answer: b) Situational irony
3. The reveal mainly:
   1. Invalidates all reflections
   2. Confirms dreams are true
   3. Grounds the reflections in ordinary reality
   4. Begins a new plotline
   Answer: c) Grounds the reflections in ordinary reality

Practice MCQs (15 Challenging Questions)

1. Which single object structures the essay’s movement?
   1. The fireplace
   2. The chrysanthemums
   3. The mark on the wall
   4. The book
   Answer: c) The mark on the wall
2. Woolf’s forecast about future novelists stresses:
   1. Plots of adventure
   2. Inner reflections
   3. Historical chronicles
   4. Biographical accuracy
   Answer: b) Inner reflections
3. The list of vanished objects mainly supports the theme of:
   1. Domestic waste
   2. Fragility of possession
   3. Love of antiques
   4. Greed
   Answer: b) Fragility of possession
4. The imagined antiquary/colonel episode satirises:
   1. Museum lighting
   2. Collecting without meaning
   3. Classical languages
   4. Rural clergy
   Answer: b) Collecting without meaning
5. “Illegitimate freedom” best means:
   1. Freedom rightly earned
   2. Freedom that feels wrong because customs forbid it
   3. Political liberty
   4. Religious permission
   Answer: b) Freedom that feels wrong because customs forbid it
6. The recurring reference to Whitaker’s Almanack symbolises:
   1. Seasonal change
   2. Fixed order and ranks
   3. Travel guides
   4. Farming calendars
   Answer: b) Fixed order and ranks
7. The tone of the essay is often:
   1. Lecturing
   2. Playfully speculative
   3. Gothic
   4. Suspenseful
   Answer: b) Playfully speculative
8. Which image expresses poise within motion?
   1. Asphodel meadows
   2. Fish balanced against the stream
   3. Arrow-heads in a case
   4. Sideboards and prints
   Answer: b) Fish balanced against the stream
9. Woolf’s sentences are often “loose”, meaning:
   1. Grammatically wrong
   2. Able to end at many points without breaking sense
   3. Rhymed
   4. Very short fragments
   Answer: b) Able to end at many points without breaking sense
10. The final reveal works chiefly as:
    1. A moral lesson
    2. A comic correction
    3. A tragic reversal
    4. A political warning
    Answer: b) A comic correction
11. The essay’s structure is closest to:
    1. Detective plot
    2. Travelogue
    3. Stream-of-consciousness meditation
    4. Epistolary diary
    Answer: c) Stream-of-consciousness meditation
12. “Generalisation” in the text is treated with:
    1. Automatic respect
    2. Mild suspicion
    3. Open hostility
    4. Legal defence
    Answer: b) Mild suspicion
13. Which impulse ends circular thought?
    1. Buying antiques
    2. Writing a pamphlet
    3. Looking at the mark
    4. Reading newspapers
    Answer: c) Looking at the mark
14. The person who finally identifies the mark:
    1. The narrator
    2. An imagined scholar
    3. Another person in the room
    4. A museum guide
    Answer: c) Another person in the room
15. The snail chiefly symbolises:
    1. War
    2. Ordinary reality that humbles big theories
    3. Religious faith
    4. Childhood
    Answer: b) Ordinary reality that humbles big theories

Extra Questions (Q&A)

1. How does a tiny cue grow into a wide meditation?
   One sight (the mark) branches into memories, images, and debates. The mind returns to the cue again and again, keeping the meditation coherent while roaming freely.
2. Why are the lost-objects lists memorable?
   Their rhythm mixes humour and pathos. The piling-up style dramatises how ownership and certainty slip despite careful living. :contentReference[oaicite:33]{index=33}
3. What is satirised in the antiquary passage?
   Fussy evidence that secures no conclusion. Pamphlets and museum fragments feel precise yet prove “really I don’t know what.” :contentReference[oaicite:34]{index=34}
4. How do standards become “phantoms”?
   Tablecloth rules and Sunday routines once felt absolute; later they look half-real, exposing custom’s borrowed authority. :contentReference[oaicite:35]{index=35}
5. Explain “illegitimate freedom”.
   When rigid norms fade, a new liberty appears but seems improper at first, recording an uneasy shift from habit to choice. :contentReference[oaicite:36]{index=36}
6. Why feature newspapers and war at the end?
   Public noise intrudes on private thought before a domestic fact—“a snail”—quietly grounds everything. :contentReference[oaicite:37]{index=37}
7. How do fish and tree images guide readers?
   They slow attention to feel composed motion—stillness within flow—mirroring reflective thought. :contentReference[oaicite:38]{index=38}
8. Does the reveal cancel reflection?
   No. It gently corrects overreach while preserving the value of the inward journey that produced meaning. :contentReference[oaicite:39]{index=39}
9. What is the role of humour?
   Light irony keeps depth from heaviness; the snail ending humanises the meditation.
10. Why is the essay modernist?
    It centres consciousness, uses loose syntax, questions hierarchies, and ends with an anti-climactic, ordinary fact.

Go to: Class 12 English Core | Class 12 Elective Index

Focus Keywords: The Mark on the Wall summary, Class 12 Elective English Kaleidoscope, Virginia Woolf Q&A, extract based MCQs, difficult words meanings

Mother's Day Class 11: Summary, Notes & Q&A (J.B. Priestley)

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Mother’s Day — J. B. Priestley (Class 11, Snapshots) — Complete Guide

Detailed explanations, notes, themes, Q&A, extracts, and MCQs in clear classroom English.

Table of Contents (Complete Guide)

About the Author Introduction to the Play Characters (with exam-ready sketches) Summary (Short + Detailed) Scene-wise Explanation & Key Lines Themes & Messages Moral of the Play Title Justification Literary Devices & Techniques Appreciation (for long answers) Word Meanings / Glossary

NCERT: Reading with Insight — Answers Short Answer Questions (with answers) Long Answer Questions (with answers) Extract-Based Questions with Answers Interactive MCQs (15) Worksheets / Practice Tasks Quick Revision Notes (1-page) FAQs

About the Author — J. B. Priestley

Profile

J. B. Priestley (1894–1984) was a British playwright, novelist, and broadcaster. His plays often use everyday settings and witty talk to question unfair social habits. He is known for An Inspector Calls and other dramas that carry a moral note without harsh preaching.

Exam pointers

• Focus on family manners and respect.
• Uses humour and contrast to bring change.
• Prefers clear talk, quick pace, hopeful close.

Introduction to the Play

Mother’s Day is a short comic play set in the Pearson living room. It shows how a mother’s unpaid work is taken for granted. With a smart plan by the neighbour, the family realises its mistake and agrees to share chores and give due respect.

One-line idea for answers: “A light home-comedy that asks families to share work and show respect.”

Characters (with exam-ready sketches)

Name	Sketch (4–6 lines)
Mrs Pearson	She is the heart of the home, doing all chores quietly. The family treats her service as routine. Guided by Mrs Fitzgerald, she speaks firmly and sets limits. Her change is calm, not rude. By the end, the family apologises and promises to help.
Mrs Fitzgerald	A bold, practical neighbour. She sees the unfairness at once and pushes for a plan that will shake the family. Her sharp lines expose bad manners. She is the guide who helps Mrs Pearson claim fair treatment.
George Pearson	The father who enjoys comfort but ignores his wife’s tiredness. He expects food, tea, and service without thanks. When faced with firm talk, he understands and softens. He agrees to help and behave kindly.
Doris Pearson	The daughter, stylish and self-centred at first. She orders her mother about dresses and tea. When corrected, she feels the sting of truth, says sorry, and is ready to share work.
Cyril Pearson	The son who also avoids chores. He is casual about the load on his mother. The new firmness makes him reflect. He agrees to do his part.

Summary

A) Short (≈120 words)

Mrs Pearson runs the house without help or thanks. Her neighbour, Mrs Fitzgerald, urges her to be firm. A planned shake-up follows in which Mrs Pearson stops rushing to serve and speaks plainly about manners. Doris, Cyril, and George are shocked at first but soon see how rude and lazy they have been. The talk is funny yet clear. Each family member apologises and offers to help. The play closes on a warm note as they plan tea together. The message is simple: home runs best when all share work and show respect.

B) Detailed (step-wise)

1. Setting: A middle-class living room; mother busy, others carefree.
2. Problem: Mother’s work treated as duty without thanks.
3. Plan: Mrs Fitzgerald advises firm talk and a bold stand.
4. Turning point: Mother refuses to be ordered; points out daily rudeness.
5. Realisation: Children and father accept their fault.
6. Resolution: Family agrees to share chores and be polite.
7. Close: Tea together; tone friendly and hopeful.

Scene-wise Explanation & Key Lines

Opening

We see Mrs Pearson tired but active; others call for tea and clothes. This shows the habit of ordering without thanks.

Key line: “I’ve been on my feet all day…” — sets the mood of overwork.

Middle

Mrs Pearson, with Mrs Fitzgerald’s support, speaks firmly. Sharp replies reveal how the family takes her for granted. Humour keeps the tone light so the message is easy to accept.

Key line: “Time you learned some manners in your own home.” — a clear call for change.

End

The family feels sorry and promises to help. The shift from rudeness to good sense is shown through simple talk and small gestures.

Key line: “We’ll all have tea together.” — symbol of unity and shared work.

Exam hint: Use a “cause → effect” chain in answers: Habit of ordering → Mother’s firmness → Family’s realisation → Shared chores.

Themes & Messages

• Respect at home: Polite words and gratitude are basic manners.
• Shared work: Housework is work; everyone should help.
• Self-worth: Calm firmness changes behaviour.
• Humour for change: Light jokes make hard truths easy to accept.

Model 3-marker: “Humour supports reform by making correction acceptable; no shouting, just sharp, funny lines.”

Moral of the Play

Value care work. Speak kindly. Share chores. Keep promises.

Title Justification — Why “Mother’s Day”?

The title suggests a special day for a mother, but the play argues for daily respect. The family’s change makes every day the mother’s day.

Model 2-liner: “The title is ironic: not a yearly ritual, but daily regard and fair help.”

Literary Devices & Techniques (with examples)

• Irony: The one who serves must finally “put her foot down.”
• Satire: Light teasing of lazy habits at home.
• Foil: Mrs Fitzgerald’s boldness highlights Mrs Pearson’s growth.
• Dialogue-driven action: No big set changes; talk creates change.
• Everyday setting: A normal room shows the issue is common.

Model device-based line: “Contrast between the two women powers the reform.”

Appreciation (for long answers)

The play is short, fast, and rooted in home life. Priestley uses crisp lines and comic touches to correct rude habits without bitterness. The lesson is clear: a family is fair only when work and respect are shared. The ending is warm and practical, which suits school-level study and real family life.

LAQ frame (intro-body-close): State issue → show plan and turning point → show result and lesson.

Word Meanings / Glossary

Word / Phrase	Meaning (simple)	Use in line
Cross	Annoyed or irritable	He sounded cross after work.
Take for granted	Use someone’s help without thanks	They took her work for granted.
Put one’s foot down	Be firm and refuse	She put her foot down about chores.
Foil (character)	A contrast figure who highlights traits	Fitzgerald is a foil to Pearson.
Satire	Gentle mockery to correct habits	The scene uses satire on bad manners.
Resolution	End part where problem is solved	The resolution is warm and friendly.

NCERT: Reading with Insight — Model Answers

1. Q. What unfair habit does the play expose?

   Ans. The play shows how a mother’s unpaid housework is treated as duty, not work. Family members order her about, expect instant service, and do not say thank you. The firm talk forces them to accept that courtesy and shared chores are basic manners at home.

2. Q. How does humour help the message?

   Ans. The jokes and sharp replies make correction easy to accept. Instead of a bitter fight, laughter opens the mind. The family can see itself in the mirror of comedy and change without losing face.

3. Q. Comment on the role of Mrs Fitzgerald.

   Ans. She is the guide and contrast figure. She encourages plain talk, pushes for limits, and stands by Mrs Pearson. Her bold style exposes rude habits but keeps the scene lively, not harsh.

4. Q. Is the ending convincing?

   Ans. Yes. The family’s quick remorse fits a short comic play. The promise to share tea and chores is a practical sign of change. The close is hopeful and workable in real homes.

Answer frame tip: Start with point, add example from dialogue, close with lesson.

Short Answer Questions (2–3 marks) — with Answers

1. Q. What is the turning point of the play?

   Ans. The turning point is when Mrs Pearson refuses to rush and answers firmly. This shocks the family and begins their self-check.

2. Q. How do Doris and Cyril treat their mother at first?

   Ans. They order her to get tea, clothes, and small comforts. They complain if she delays. They forget to thank her.

3. Q. Give one example of irony.

   Ans. The person who serves everyone must finally “put her foot down” to receive basic respect. The helper must teach manners to the helped.

4. Q. Why is the living-room a good setting?

   Ans. It is where daily ordering and service happen. The common space makes the issue feel familiar and real.

5. Q. What change do we see in George at the end?

   Ans. He drops his careless tone, accepts fault, and agrees to help. His softer voice shows true change.

Long Answer Questions (5–6 marks) — with Answers

1. Q. “Firm limits bring fair behaviour.” Discuss with reference to Mrs Pearson.

   Ans. At first, Mrs Pearson works without rest or praise. The family sees her effort as natural duty. On Mrs Fitzgerald’s advice, she sets limits: no instant service, no rude tone. The firm yet calm talk makes the family face its selfish habits. Because the correction is not bitter, they do not defend themselves; they apologise. By the end, they plan tea together and promise to share chores. The play suggests that gentle firmness, not anger, turns a house into a fair home.

2. Q. Show how dialogue builds action and change in the play.

   Ans. The play has one room and few props, so words carry the action. Short, quick exchanges reveal the habit of ordering. Crisp replies from Mrs Pearson expose the unfairness. Jokes prevent the scene from turning sour. Each reply pushes the family from shock to reflection to apology. Thus, dialogue replaces big events and still produces a real change at home.

3. Q. Do you find the close realistic? Give reasons?

   Ans. The close is realistic for a short school play. People do feel ashamed when their rudeness is shown plainly. A warm promise to share tea and work is a believable first step. Real life change needs practice, but a new start often begins with a clear talk and a small joint act like making tea together.

Extract-Based Questions — with Answers

Extract A: “I’ve been on my feet all day and not a word of thanks.”

1. Who speaks and to whom? — Mrs Pearson to her family (general complaint).
2. What feeling is shown? — Tiredness and hurt due to lack of courtesy.
3. How does this move the plot? — Prepares for firm talk and change.

Extract B: “Time you learned some manners in your own home.”

1. What behaviour is criticised? — Ordering the mother about and speaking rudely.
2. What device is used? — Satire/irony in a sharp, corrective tone.
3. Effect on listener? — Shock that leads to reflection and apology.

Extract C: “We’ll all have tea together.”

1. What does “together” suggest? — Unity and shared work.
2. What stage is this? — Resolution.
3. How is the theme shown? — Respect is proved through action, not words only.

Interactive MCQs (15)

1. Central issue of the play is—

2. Mrs Fitzgerald mainly serves as—

3. The action is driven by—

4. Tone of the play is—

5. “Put one’s foot down” means—

6. Setting in one room helps to—

7. Ending shows—

8. Device used when a helper must demand help—

9. Best word for Mrs Pearson’s final voice—

10. Which pair forms a clear contrast?

11. Themes include all except—

12. Humour is used mainly to—

13. George changes because—

14. Best description of the plot—

15. The title suggests—

Worksheets / Practice Tasks

A) Skill check

1. True/False: The play argues for hiring help, not sharing work.

2. Match the columns: Click an item from 'Device' and then its matching 'Example'.

@media (min-width: 768px) { #guide-wrapper .matcher-container { flex-direction: row; } }

Device

• Irony
• Foil
• Setting

Example

• Single living-room
• Helper must demand help
• Fitzgerald vs Pearson

3. Fill in: “Respect is shown through ______ and ______.”

(Click the two correct answers)

B) Short writing

Write 80–100 words: “How can a family plan a fair chores chart for a week?” Include 3 concrete steps.

Quick Revision Notes (1-page)

• Issue: Mother’s unpaid work ignored.
• Method: Humour + firm limits.
• Turn: Mother speaks plainly; others reflect.
• End: Apology, shared tea, chores plan.
• Key device: Contrast (Pearson vs Fitzgerald).
• Exam cue: Use “cause → effect” chain in answers.

30-sec summary: Be polite, share work, value care.

FAQs

Q. What single line sums up the theme?
A. “Respect and share work at home.”

Q. What should I quote in answers?
A. Use lines that show firmness and courtesy, e.g., “Time you learned some manners…”

Q. How to score better?
A. Link a quoted line to a theme and device (e.g., irony, foil), then conclude with the lesson.

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