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Here we are providing Keeping Quiet Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo, Extra Questions for Class 12 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

Keeping Quiet Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

Keeping Quiet Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve ?
Answer:
Counting upto twelve and keeping still gives us time to introspect ourselves. In this way, we can recuperate our energy and restart our activities with fresh energy and zeal.

Question 2.
Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death ?
Answer:
No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. He only wants us to keep quiet for a few seconds and suspend all our activities for a few seconds. In this way we can introspect our¬selves and restart our activities with fresh energy and zeal.

Question 3.
What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?
Answer:
When people don’t introspect themselves they fail to understand themselves, then ‘sadness’ arises. The poet wants that people should overcome this sadness by introspecting themselves.

Question 4.
What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness ?
Answer:
In this poem, the poet uses the symbol of the earth to say that there can be life under apparent stillness. He says that the earth appears to be dead in the winter season. But when the spring season comes it becomes alive with all its new plants. It never takes rest.

Question 5.
How would keeping quiet affect the life in and around the sea ?
Answer:
It will affect the life in and around the sea in two ways. The fishermen will stop fishing for some time. It will help the number of the fish to recuperate. The man gathering salt will get some time to see his hurt hands get healed.

Question 6.
‘Life is what at is about;How is keeping quiet related to life ?
Answer:
Keeping quiet is related to life not death. The poet says that by keeping quiet we get some time to introspect ourselves. Keeping quiet helps us to recuperate our energy. In this way we can start our activities with fresh zeal and energy.

Question 7.
Why does one feel ‘a sudden strangeness’ on counting to twelve and keeping quiet ?
Answer:
When we keep quiet for some time and suspend all our activities for some time, we feel a sort of strangeness. The reason is that we are always surrounded by the noise of machines, etc. When there is no sound, we feel a sort of strangeness.

Question 8.
How will ‘keeping quiet’ protect our environment ?
Answer:
Keeping quiet helps us to stop wars. In this way it helps to prevent destruction of environment due to wars. Also, it prevents deforestation. In this way, we can say that keeping quiet is the only way to prevent our environment from all types of pollution.

Question 9.
What does the poet want us to tell ?
Answer:
The poet wants us to tell that by keeping quiet and remaining still for few moments, we will be able to do our work in a more effective way. We can analyse our past actions and not repeat our past, mistakes.

Question 10.
What does the poet mean by saying ‘victory with no survivors’ ?
Answer:
According to the poet the wars cause a lot of destruction. A lot of people die from both the sides. Therefore, no one can claim that their side has won, since the so called victor also has to face a lot of causalities.

Question 11.
What are the different types of wars mentioned in the poem ?
Or
What is Neruda’s attitude towards these wars?
Answer:
The poet says that there are green wars. He means t to say that the people who destroy forests also wage a war against their own coming generations. There are wars with fire, chemical weapons and poisonous gases. The wars bring so much destruction that no side could be called victorious. The poet wants that all these wars should be stopped. These wars bring nothing but destruction.

Question 12.
How does the earth teach us that there is activity even in apparent stillness ?
Answer:
We think that earth is dead as it remains still. But many changes are taking place under the surface of the earth. A seed that seems dead germinates under the earth and a new life springs from it.

Keeping Quiet Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Write in brief the summary of the poem.
Answer:
The poet wants everyone to count up to twelve in their mind. He wants every one of us to be calm and still. The poet wants that one should not talk in any language. He means to say that every person of the world should be quiet for few seconds. There would not be any rush. There would not be the jarring sounds of machines. The poet wants that the fishermen should not hunt whales in the sea. He also wants that the persons who gather salt should suspend their activities for a few seconds.

The poet says that the people who destroy forests also wage a war against their own coming generations. There are wars with fire, chemical weapons and poisonous gases. The was bring so much destruction that no side could be called victorious. The poet knows that the soldiers have to follow the orders. He implores them to leave the army and instead of uniforms wear clean clothes. They should walk with their civilian brothers and suspend their all war-related activities and walk idly under the shade.

The poet wants that we should not be self-centred. The poet says that the people are rushing to complete their tasks. But he says that by keeping quiet for a few seconds, they can understand the true purpose of life. The poet wants that we should not be self-centred. The poet says that the people are rushing to complete their tasks. The poet says that by keeping quiet for a few seconds they can understand the true purpose of life. The poet says that the earth can provide us all type of guidance.

He says that it appears dead and lifeless in winter. But when the summer season comes everything again comes to life. Similarly, after taking a short pause we can restart our activities in a new way. Therefore, the poet asks the people to take a pause, count to twelve and walks out of the scene.

Question 2.
Write the central idea of the poem.
Answer:
In this poem, the poet tells us about the value of quiet introspection. He wants us to keep quiet for twelve seconds and stop every movement of the body. He implores the fishermen not to harm the whales. He also wants the man gathering salt to stop his activities for a few minutes, since he has hurt his hands. The poet says that wars are useless.

These wars leave no survivors. However the poet doesn’t advocate total inactivity. He says that something that appears to be dead now later proves to be alive. Total inactivity is death, the poet just wants us to suspend our activities for a few seconds.

Keeping Quiet Extra Questions and Answers Stanza For Comprehension

Stanza 1

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the Earth
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
And not move our arms so much.

Questions
(a) What is the significance of the number ‘twelve’ ?
(b) Which two activities does the poet want us to stop ?
(c) What does the poet mean by ‘let’s not speak in any language’ ?
(d) Describe the pun on the word ‘arms’.
Answers
(a) There are twelve hours on the face of the clock and also there are twelve months in a year. The poet also
refers to the number twelve. He wants us to suspend our activities for twelve seconds.
(b) The poet wants us to stop talking and moving our arms.
(c) The poet wants us to give a universal message. He wants that all the people of the world irrespective of their nationality should suspend their activities for a few seconds. Not to use any organ to communicate.
(d) The poet has used the word arms for two purposes. He wants us to keep still for a few seconds and not move our arms. The second meaning of the word arms is weapons. The poet wants us to stop the use of arms against anyone.

Stanza 2

It would be an eicotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness
Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales.
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) Which moment has been referred to here and how it will be significant ?
(c) How would we feel during that moment ?
(d) What does the poet want from the fishermen ? Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘Keeping Quiet’ and the name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.
(b) The moment of quiet introspection has been referred here. It is significant in the sense that it brings all of us together and we have a feeling of oneness.
(c) We would feel all together and have a feeling of sudden strangeness.
(d) The poet wants that the fishermen should not kill whales for sometime.

Stanza 3

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers –
in the shade, doing nothing.

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) What does the poet mean by green wars ?
(c) What types of wars does the poet mention ?
(d) What does the poet want from the lovers of the war ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘Keeping Quiet’ and the poet is Pablo Neruda.
(b) It means the war against the environment or defores-tation.
(c) The poet mentions green wars, wars with gas and wars with fire.
(d) He wants them to wear clean clothes and walk lei-surely with their brothers.

Stanza 4

What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) What should not be confused with total inactivity ?
(c) What does the poet mean by …. I want no truck with death ?
(d) What is the gist of this stanza ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘Keeping Quiet’ and the name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.
(b) Keeping quiet and remaining still should not be con-fused with total inactivity.
(c) The poet wants to say that stillness and quietness is not death. He wants to restart his activities again after introspection of a few seconds.
(d) In this stanza the poet says that quietness is not death. Rather it helps us to restart our activities in a fresh way.

Stanza 5

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing, perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.

Questions
(a) Whom does ‘we’ refer to in the above lines ?
(b) Why does the poet want us to ‘do nothing1 for once ?
(c) What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem ?
(d) How can a huge silence do good to us ?
Answers
(a) ‘We’ in this stanza refers to the human beings who are self-centred and who only think about themselves.
(b) By doing nothing for once, we can have ample time to introspect ourselves and analyse our actions.
(c) When people don’t introspect themselves, they fail to understand themselves, then ‘sadness’ arises.
(d) Huge silence helps in analysing ourselves. In this way, we can introspect ourselves.

Stanza 6

Perhaps the Earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

Questions
(a) What does the earth teach us ?
(b) Why does the poet count up to twelve ?
(c) What will keeping quiet help us achieve ?
(d) How does the earth teach us that there is activity even in apparent stillness ?
Answers
(a) The earth teaches us that there is life in what we think that is dead.
(b) The poet wants to introspect by counting twelve.
(c) Keeping quiet help us to recuperate our energy. In this way, we can start our activities with fresh zeal and energy.
(d) We think that the earth is dead as it remains still But many changes are kept taking under the surface of the earth. A seed that seems dead germinates under the earth and a new life springs from it. The earth always seems in motion.

Here we are providing An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo, Extra Questions for Class 12 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you think is the colour of ‘sour cream’? Why do you think the poet has used this expression to describe the classroom walls ?
Answer:
The poet says that the colour of the walls is of‘sour cream’. The poet wants to convey the idea that the children living in the slum has no happiness in their life. It has become sour and the cream colour represents paleness. The children have no vitality in their lives, thus they have become pale due to malnutrition.

Question 2.
The walls of the classroom are decorated with the pictures of ‘Shakespeare’, ‘buildings with domes’, ‘world maps’ and beautiful valleys. How do these contrast with the world of these children ?
Answer:
The world of the children living in slum is totally different from the pictures of Shakespeare, maps beautiful valleys and big buildings. Their world is confined to the slum in which they are living. The open joyful world is accessible to them.

Question 3.
What does the poet want for the children of the slums ? How can their lives be made to change ?
Answer:
The poet wants that the children should be taken out of their slums. Their living conditions should be changed. The poet wants that the children should be shown green fields; they should be allowed to live a free and carefree life. Without any worry, they can concentrate well on their studies.

Question 4.
What does Stephen Spender want for the children of the school in a slum ?
Answer:
The poet wants that the children should be shown green fields; they should be allowed to live a free and carefree life. Without any worry, they can concentrate well on their studies. The poet says only those people create history who are carefree.

Question 5.
How is ‘Shakespeare wicked and the map a bad example’ for the children of the school in a slum ?
Answer:
The poet says that it will be useless to talk about Shakespeare to the children in the classroom. He even says that Shakespeare is wicked. The big map with all its places, ships and so on tempts the children to steal. These children have to spend their lives in small homes. The poet means to say that for the children their world is only the slums not the big maps.

Question 6.
Which words/phrases in the poem ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ show that the slum children are suffering from acute malnutrition ?
Answer:
There are many words and phrases in the poem that show the slum children are suffering from malnutrition. These words and phrases are hair torn round their pallor’, ‘tall girl with her weighed-down’ head, ‘the paper seeming boy’ and ‘the stunted heir of twisted bones’.

Question 7.
How does the poet describe the classroom walls ?
Answer:
The poet explains the classroom in detail. He says that the walls of the classroom have cream colour. They smell like sour cream. They are decorated with many pictures, maps of the world and the pictures of Shakespeare.

Question 8.
Whom does the poet appeal to change the life of the children for better ?
Answer:
The poet appeals to the governor, inspector and the visitors to do something for the poor children. The poet wants that the children should be shown green fields; they should be allowed to live a free and carefree life. Without any worry they can concentrate well on their studies. The poet says only those people create history who are carefree.

Question 9.
How does the poet describe the walls of the classroom wall ?
Answer:
The poet says that the walls of the classroom are cream. They smell like sour cream. There is a bust of Shakespeare in the classroom. There are pictures of big church and Tyrolese valley having bell-shaped flowers. There is an open-handed map, which shows all the places of the world.

Question 10.
Why does the Stephen Spender say that the pictures and maps in the elementary school classroom are not meaningful ?
Answer:
The poet says that there is a bust of Shakespeare in the classroom. There are pictures of a big church and the Tyrolese valley having bell-shaped flowers. There is an open-handed map, which shows all the places of the world. But ironically for the children living in the slum their world is not that map but only the scene that can be seen outside the window of their classroom. Therefore, the pictures and maps on the wall are meaningless.

Question 11.
How does the world depicted on the classroom walls differ from the world of the slum children ?
Answer:
There are many pictures and maps on the walls of the classroom walls. They present a very rosy picture of the world. But ironically the lives of the children living in the slum are very gloomy. They live a very miserable life.

Question 12.
What message does Stephen Spender convey through the poem ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ ?
Answer:
The message conveyed in this poem is that the children living in the slum should be given better facilities. They should be taken out of their slums. Only then they can become useful citizens.

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Write in brief the summary of the poem.
Answer:
The poet describes some children sitting in an elementary school. This school is situated in a slum. The children sitting here present a very miserable view. Their hair are like weeds and scattered on their pale face. Then the poet describes a tall girl. She is sitting with her head bent. There is a small and thin looking boy. His eyes are like that of a rat’s eyes. Then there is an another boy who has disease of swollen and twisted bones and joints. He has got his disease from his father.

The poet notices a young and sweet boy sitting at the back of the class. He is perhaps dreaming about the squirrel’s game. He is perhaps dreaming of having such tree-room for him¬self also. The poet says that the walls of the classroom are cream. They smell like sour cream. There is a bust of Shakespeare in the classroom. There are pictures of big church and the Tyrolese valley having bell-shaped flowers. There is an open-handed map, which shows all the places of the world. But ironically for the children living in the slum their world is not that map but only the scene that can be seen outside the window of their classroom.

The poet says that it will be useless to talk about Shakespeare to the children in the classroom. He even says that Shakespeare is wicked. The big map with all its places, ships and so on tempts the children to steal. These children have to spend their lives in small homes. Their lives are nothing but an endless night. The children have grown so weak that their bones could be seen from their skin. Many of these wear spectacles, and these spectacles have mended glass.

The poet appeals to the governor, inspector and the visitors to do something for the poor children. The poet wants that the children should be shown green fields; they should be allowed to live a free and carefree life. Without any worry they can concentrate well on their studies. The poet says only those people create history who are carefree.

Question 2.
Write the central idea of the poem in detail.
Answer:
This poem is about the children who are living in a slum. They are mostly suffering from malnutrition. In their classroom, there are many beautiful pictures. There is an open handed map and the bust of . Shakespeare. The poet wants that these children should be taken out of their slum and they should be shown green fields and be allowed to run freely. Therefore, he appeals to the officials to do some thing for the children.

The poet says that only those people can create history who can enjoy anything under the sun. Therefore, the poet wants that these children should also be provided proper facilities so that they can grow into useful citizens.

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Extra Questions and Answers Stanza For  Comprehension

Stanza 1

Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces.
Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round their pallor :
The tall girl with her weighed-down head.

Questions
(a) Who are these children ?
(b) Which figure of speech has been used in the first two lines ?
(c) Why is the tall girl’s head weighed-down ?
(d) What does the word ‘pallor’ mean ?
Answers
(a) These children are very poor children who live in a slum and sitting in a school classroom of the slum.
(b) The figure of speech used in the first two lines ‘simile’ A. like rootless weeds.
(c) The tall girl appears to be very sad with the condition of life. She might have many responsibilities. Therefore, her head is weighed-down.
(d) The word ‘pallor’ means the pale faces of the children due to malnutrition.

Stanza 2

At back of the dim class
One unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live in a dream,
Of squirrel’s game, in tree room, other than this.

Questions
(a) Why is the class dim ?
(b) How is the young child different from others ?
(c) What is he doing ?
(d) What is a tree room ?
Answers
(a) The class is dim because no one takes care of its paint as a result it has become dark and dingy. Possibly, the poet here also wants to indicate the poor class of society and their dark and dim future.
(b) All the other children look gloomy. But the young child is quite different from them. He is full of bright dreams of his future.
(c) He is possibly dreaming about the squirrel’s game in the tree room.
(d) A tree room is a type of hole in the trunk of a tree where the little animals or birds make their homes.

Stanza 3

On sour cream walls, donations.  Shakespeare’s head,
Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities.
Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. Open-handed map
Awarding the world its world.

Questions
(a) Name the poem and its poet.
(b) What is meant by ‘sour cream walls’ ?
(c) What donations are displayed on the walls ?
(d) Why does the poet call the map ‘open-handed’ ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘An Elementary School Class¬room in a Slum’ and the name of the poet is Stephen Spender.
(b) Sour cream walls mean damp and faded walls of the classroom that give foul smell.
(c) There are many things donated by people are displayed
on the walls. They include pictures, map and Shakespeare’s bust. .
(d) The map has been called ‘open-handed’ because all the places of the world are shown in it and it is big.

Stanza 4

And yet, for these
Children, these windows, not this map, their world,
Where all their future’s painted with a fog,
A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky Far far from rivers,
capes, and stars of words.

Questions
(a) Who are the children referred to here ?
(b) Which is their world ?
(c) How is their life different from that of other children ?
(d) Why is the future of these children ‘painted with a fog ?
Answers
(a) The children referred to here are the children living in the slum.
(b) Their world is confined to the slum in which they are living.
(c) The other children of well-to-do families have all basic facilities of life. They are free to go anywhere. But the children living in the slum are confined to their little dark world.
(d) The future of these children is very dark. Therefore the poet calls it ‘painted with a fog’.

Stanza 5

With ships and sun and love tempting them to steal
For lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes
From fog to endless night ?

Questions
(a) Who are ‘them’ referred to in the first line ?
(b) What tempts them ?
(c) What does the poet say about ‘their’ lives ?
(d) What do you understand ‘from fog to endless night’ ?
Answers
(a) The word ‘them’ in these lines referred to the children living in the slum.
(b) The beautiful places shown in the map tempt them.
(c) The poet says that ‘their’ lives are like a life of a mouse. The children are compelled to live in very small rooms as the mice live in holes.
(d) This phrase means that the children living in the slum have a very miserable existence. They have to suffer a lot from dawn till night and would never overcome.

Stanza 6

On their slag heap, these children Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel
With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones.
All of their time and space are foggy slum.
So blot their maps with slums as big as doom.

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) Which two images are used to describe these slums ?
(c) What sort of life do these children lead ?
(d) Which figure of speech is used in the last line ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘An Elementary School Class¬room in a Slum’. The name of the poet is Stephen Spender.
(b) The sickly bodies of the children has been compared to a slag heap. Their mended spectacles have been compared to the bottle bits on stones.
(c) These children live a very poor and miserable life.
(d) The poetic device simile is used in the last line – slums as big as doom.

Stanza 7

Unless, governor, inspector, visitor,
This map becomes their window and these windows
That shut upon their lives like catacombs,
Break O break open till they break the town.

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
Ob) What does the poet want from the governor, inspector and visitors ?
(c) What are ‘these windows’ which the poet talks of ?
(d) ‘That shut upon their lives like catacombs’. Which figure of speech has been used in this line ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ and the name of the poet is Stephen Spender.
(b) The poet wants that they should come and do something for the betterment of the children living in a slum.
(c) They are the classroom windows from where the children can see the narrow street of their slum.
(d) The figure of speech used here is simile

Here we are providing My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo, Extra Questions for Class 12 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet her mother might not live long with her. Therefore, feels ?
Answer:
The poet feels that her mother has grown so old that she couldnt grow older. She means to say that her mother might not live long with her. Therefore, the poet feels pain and ache,

Question 2.
Why are the young trees described as sprinting’?
Answer:
The young trees are described as sprinting since the car is moving fast in the forward direction. The trees appear to move in the backward direction. In fact it is the car that moves not the trees.

Question 3.
Why has the poet brought in the image of the children ‘spilling out of their homes’?
Answer:
The image of children spilling out of their homes has been brought to show the contrast between the old age and the childhood. In childhood, one is full of energy. In one’s old age the person becomes pale and lifeless.

Question 4.
Why has the mother been compared to the Tate winter’s moon’?
Answer:
Winter is considered as the season of death and life lessness. All the activities come to a standstill. The old age is often compared with the winter season. A person in old age looks as pale as a late winter’s moon. Therefore the poet has compared her mother to the late winter’s moon.

Question 5.
What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify ?
Answer:
The parting words of the poet were, ‘See you soon, Amma.’ And then she smiled and smiled only. These words show that the poet do feel for her mother but she could not express her feelings properly in words. Her smile signifies that she wants to hide her feelings for her mother under the garb of artificial smile.

Question 6.
Having looked at her mother the poet looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the children ?
Answer:
The poet is full of pain and ache when she looks at her ageing mother. She has grown so old that she might not grow older. This means her days on this earth are numbered. The poet looks at the children outside to divert her attention from the sad thoughts she has about her old mother.

Question 7.
What was Kamala Das’s childhood fear ?
Answer:
In her childhood, the poet’s heart was filled with fear whenever her mother was not with her. The poet now feels similar kind of fear since she senses that her mother has grown very old and perhaps she might not live long.

Question 8.
In the last line of the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’, why does the poet use the word ‘smile’repeatedly ?
Answer:
The repetition of the smile indicates that the poet does feel for her mother, but she is unable to ex-press her feelings openly. She tries to hide her true feelings under the garb of repeated smile.

Question 9.
How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother ?
Answer:
When the poet sees her ageing mother, she becomes full of pain and agony. She thinks that her mother might not live long. To put away the thoughts of her ageing mother, the poet starts looking out of the car. She starts looking at the children rushing out of their homes and the trees that appear to sprinting.

Question 10.
What were the poet’s feelings at the airport ? How did she hide them ?
Answer:
The poet would become afraid when she did not find her mother with her. Her childhood’s fear now again, came to surface when she reached the airport. But she only said, ‘See you soon, Amma.’ And the poet could do nothing but smile and smile. The poet wants to convey the idea that the young ones do feel for their elders but they couldn’t express their feelings.

Question 11.
What were Kamala Das’s fears as a child ? Why do they surface when she is going to the airport ?
Answer:
In her childhood, the poet would become afraid when she could not find her mother with her. During her drive to the airport, the poet looked at her mother. The mother looked quite old and her face was white as a corpse. She felt that her mother was going to leave her for ever. In this way, the poet’s childhood fear surfaced when she was going to the airport.

My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Ageing is a natural process; have you ever thought what our elderly parents expect from us ?
Answer:
Ageing is a natural process. When the person be-comes old he becomes weak, he needs support .both emotional and physical. Thus, it becomes our duty to provide our old parents the love-, emotional support and respect they deserve. Our parents usually give us their best period of life to bring us up. Therefore it becomes our moral duty to reciprocate the same when they become old.

But unfortunately, due to rank materialism and nuclear family system the old people are treated as an unnecessary commodity. They are harassed and sometimes even beaten up. Many a time the old people are sent to old age homes, where they lack emotional support which the family can provide. It is very shameful for the younger generation. Our parents do not deserve such shabby treatment in their old age.

Question 2.
Write in brief the summary of the poem.
Answer:
One Friday morning the poet was driving in her car to the Cochin Airport from her parent’s home. Her old mother was sitting beside her. She had a glance at her mother. Her heart was full of pain to realize that her mother had grown very old. The poet’s mother was dozing, her mouth was opened and her face was as white as of a dead body. The poet realised

My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Stanza For Comprehension

Stanza 1

Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain
that she was as old as she
looked…

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) Where was the poet driving to- ?
(c) Who was sitting beside her ?
(d) What did the poet realise with pain ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and its poet is Kamala Das.
(b) She was driving to Cochin.
(c) Her mother was sitting beside her.
(d) She realised with pain that her mother had grown very old.

Stanza 2

… saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain

Questions
(a) Who is T ?
(b) What did ‘I’ realized with pain ?
(c) Why was the realization painful ?
(d) Identify and name the figure of speech used in these lines.
Answers
(a) The word T in these lines refers to the poet or the narrator.
(b) She realized with pain that her mother had grown very old and she might not live long.
(c) The realization was painful because the poet felt that she had to bear the separation from her mother soon.
(d) The figure of speech used here is simile … ashen like that of a corpse.

Stanza 3

Put that thought away, and
looked out at young trees
sprinting, the merry children
spilling
out of their homes, but
after the airport’s
security check, standing
a few yards away,I 
looked again at her,
wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon.

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) Which thought did the poet put away ?
(c) What do the ‘sprinting trees’ signify ?
(d) What are ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’ symbolic of ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and its poet is Kamala Das.
(b) The thought that her mother had grown very old and might not live long.
(c) The ‘sprinting trees’ signify the childhood and youth.
(d) They are symbolic of carefree childhood.

Stanza 4

and felt that old
familiar ache, my
childhood’s fear,
but all I said was,
see you soon,
Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile…

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) What was the poet’s childhood fear that now troubled her ?
(c) What do the poet’s parting words suggest ?
(d) Why did the poet smile and smile ?
Answers
(a) frie name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and its poet is Kamala Das.
(b) When the poet was a child she became frightened when her mother was not with her. Now the same fear troubled her.
(c) These words show that the poet do love her mother but she couldn’t find appropriate words to express her love.
(d) The poet could not find any words to express her feelings. Therefore, she did nothing but smile.

Stanza 5

… old
familiar ache,
my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was,
see you soon,
Amma,
All I did was smile and smile and smile…

Questions
(a) What does the phrase, ‘familiar ache’ mean ?
(b) What was the poet’s childhood fear ?
(c) What do the first two lines tell us about the poet’s feeling for her mother ?
(d) What does the repeated use of the word ‘smile’ mean ?
Answers
(a) This was the pain and agony that the poet often felt that one or the other day she had to suffer due to the separation from her mother.
(b) In her childhood, the poet’s heart was filled with fear whenever her mother was not with her.
(c) The first two lines tell us that the poet was deeply attached with her mother. Whenever she was not with her, her heart was filled with fear.
(d) It signifies that the poet tried to hide her true feelings under the garb of false smile.