THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
(1) Answer the following questions in one or two sentences
based on your understanding of the story:
Question (a) Describe the grandfather as seen in the
portrait.
Answer. The author's grandfather looked as if he were
hundred years old with lots of grandchildren. He had loose fitting garments. He
looked too old to have had a wife and children.
Answer. The author's parents went to the city to make a
living. The young author was left with his grandma till his parents settled
well in the city.
Answer. The author studied in the veranda of a village
temple. He learnt letters of the alphabet from the priest.
Answer. Grandma was a pious lady. The school was attached to
the temple. So, the grandmother accompanied the author to his school. While he
learnt letters of alphabets, she spent her time inside the temple reciting
prayers and telling the beads of her rosary.
Answer. Grandmother brought a bundle of stale chapattis with
her to the temple. The village dogs followed her. On return, she went on
throwing the chapattis to the dogs who growled and fought with each other to
have a piece of chapatti.
Answer. Grandmother got alienated from her grandson the time
he went to the English medium school in the city. The reduction of focus in
spiritual education and value education and increase in the importance of
science perturbed grandma a great deal. She knew that she can't help the
changes, so she did not show any sentimentality when the grandson went abroad Priest.
How is school education in the village different from that
in the city?
Answer: Village school is easily accessible on foot. Values
and letters of the alphabet are given utmost importance. Children carried
wooden slate and ink-pot. These was no subject specialization in the village
school. One teacher taught all. City school has huge buildings. Subject-wise
teachers are there. School is remote. Children have to travel to long distance
to reach school.
Answer. Grandma did have respect for education and that is
why she personally monitored the village education of the author. She insisted
on good manners and love for all living things. She demonstrated this by
feeding village dogs and sparrows. She didn't object to; the author going
abroad.
Question (e) The grandmother was strong-minded. Justify.
Answer. Grandmother had strong values and had zest for life.
She lived the life the way she wanted it. She spun the wheel, told her beads,
fed the dog in the village and sparrows in the city unmindful of changes around
her. She played the drum with joy when she realized her impending death. She
died a peaceful death after predicting it to all her family members. She is
really a strong hunchback.
Answer. Grandma often told the author and his friends about
various games she had played as a young girl. This appeared absurd and hence
the author and his friends treated her games as fables of prophet.
Answer. Young girls are pretty like the buds of a flower.
The author had never seen his grandma young. The author thought she could never
have been pretty but full bloomed flower like beauty.
Answer. The sheer thought of grandma having been pretty once
was really revolting to the author.
Answer Grandma hobbled about the house in spotless white
saree. She had one hand resting on her waist to balance her stoop and the other
telling the beads of her rosary.
Answer. She was beautiful like the winter landscape in the
mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment.
Her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer.
Answer. Grandma said her morning prayer in a sing-song voice
while she bathed and dressed the boy author. She wanted her grandson to learn
the prayers by heart.
Answer. She would fetch his wooden slate already plastered
with yellow chalk, a tiny earthen, ink -pot and a red pen. She would bundle
them all and hand it to the boy author.
Answer. The boy author's parents got settled in the city.
They sent for them. That was a turning point in their friendship.
Answer. The boy author went to school in a motor car. So,
she could not accompany him to school.
Answer. In the city, there were no dogs. So grandma started
feeding the sparrows.
Answer. The boy author's learning material included new
English words, principles of science such as Archimedes Principle and law of
gravity and the round shape of the earth. Shifting of gear from traditional and
value-based education to modem English and science education made grandma
unhappy.
Answer. Grandma was bent with age. So, she could not walk
straight. She could only hobble about the house.
Answer. As years rolled by, the author grew up. He had a
room of his own. English education did not cover scriptures and God. These distanced
her from her grandson.
Answer. Grandma belonged to an older generation in which moral values, scriptures and literacy dominated education. Even music was meant to only accompany hymns and devotional songs. Professional musicians and dancers were treated with contempt. So, grandma disapproved of "music lessons" at school.
Answer. As the narrator moved on to university, he was given
a separate room at home. This almost snapped the friendship between grandma and
the author.
Answer. Grandma accepted her seclusion gracefully. She spun
and recited prayers the whole day. She took half an hour break to feed the
sparrows happily.
Answer. The author was going abroad for a five years study.
Grandma kissed Khushwant Singh on his forehead. He mistook it to be the last
sign of physical contact with grandma.
Answer. The author thought his grandma was getting very old.
He believed that before he returned from foreign study. she may have kicked her
bucket. But she came to receive him in a cool headed way on his return from
abroad.
Answer. It appeared that grandma was holding on to see her
grandson back home. She sensed her impending death and shocked her family
members with the prediction. She drummed and sang along with neighbors with
great zest as if she were celebrating her grandson's return. In reality. She
was enjoying the last moments of her life with absolute abandon even suspending
her prayers for a while
Answer. Elders who have deep love for young ones do leave a
life time impression in the minds of
Answer 15 Jan 20XX as young Khushwant Singh, write a letter
to your parents describing your daily routine along with your thoughts and
feelings about staying in the village. 15 Jan 20XX Dear Mom and Dad, I am fine.
Grandma is also fine. She wakes me up every day and prepares me for school. She
sings her morning prayers in a sing-song voice to my great delight. But she
wants me to learn; and repeat them. She washes my slate clean and bundles up
ink pot pen and slate and gives it to me.
We walk together to the temple. While the village priest is
teaching us letters of the alphabet and some religious songs in the verandah of
the temple, grandma stays inside the temple and joins group of devotees in
singing or telling beads. I am touched by her extreme interest in my academics.
She feeds me with butter-smeared chapattis with great love. She is quite'
thoughtful of village dogs which wait at the temple gate till my school is
over. When we walk back home the village dogs follow us growling and barking as
grandma throws chapattis to those dogs.
Every day, she enquires what I learn. Though her hunch back
and wrinkles show her old age the serenity, contentment in her face and the
winter landscape of her hair make me believe that she is the most beautiful
lady. Dad, I am unable to believe she was ever young or pretty because as far
as my memory goes, I have always seen her old and wrinkled. Though grandma's
love is immense, I must admit I miss you both. Why don't you take us both to
the city? I want to see the city and study in a city school as the education I
get in the village school has no variety. Every day I have to team only songs
and letters of alphabet. Don't you know variety is the spice of life? I also
want to learn different subjects, wear fashionable clothes. And go in a motor
car to an English school. Dad and Mom don't you miss me as I miss you? Your
loving son. Khushwant Singh
Answer. A middle-aged lady in Australia had a heart attack.
She was in great pain. Her pet pig saw i mistress in distress. It ran to the
street and pulled the shirt sleeve of a man and brought him
Home He called an ambulance. The lady was saved. We had a pet dog. It was extremely fond of grandpa. He used to take him for long walks. One day grandpa died. The dog refused to eat any food. It went to the burial yard. It starved for a few days and died in front of grandpa's grave. Even in this story the sparrows in thousands sat in silence. Mom thought they were hungry. She broke the bread into pieces and threw them. But not a single sparrow touched them. Once grandma's dead body was taken to the graveyard, the birds flew away. These instances prove beyond doubt that animals are capable of empathy.