NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Summary of Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait
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NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Question Answer of Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Question 1:
Mention the three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.
Answer
The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad are given below.
The first phase was the period of the author’s early childhood. During this phase, he used to live with his grandmother in the village. The grandmother used to take care of him from waking him up and getting him ready to accompany him to school. Both shared a good friendship with each other.
The second phase was the time when the author and the grandmother moved to the city to live with the author’s parents. This was a turning point in their friendship because now they saw less of each other.
The third phase was the time the author joined the University. He was given a room of his own and the common link of their friendship was snapped. The grandmother turns to the wheel spinning and reciting prayers all day long. She accepts her seclusion with silence.
Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Question 2:
Mention three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.
Answer
The author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school because:
- Grandmother could no longer accompany the author to his school as she used to in the village. Now the author went in a motor bus.
- She did not like the things the author was taught at school. She thought that children should be taught about God and scriptures.
- The biggest shock came to her when she learnt that the author was learning music at school. For her, music was not meant for gentle people.
Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Question 3:
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
- by spinning wheel,
- reciting prayers and
- feeding the sparrows.
Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Question 4:
Mention the odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.
Answer
Grandmother said her end was near. She said she did not want to waste her time. She lay peacefully in bed. She started praying and telling her beads. Soon her lips stopped moving. The rosary fell from her fingers. There was peace on her face. She was dead.
Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Question 5:
Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
Answer
Thousands of sparrows sat silently surrounding the dead body of the author’s grandmother. There was no chirpping. The author’s mother threw some crumbs of bread to them. They took no notice of them. As soon as the grandmother’s corpse was carried off, they flew away quietly. Thus the sparrows expressed their sorrow.
Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Question 6:
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 a religious lady with a kind heart. Her one hand was always busy in telling the beads of her rosary. Her lips constantly moved in an inaudible prayer. She used to get up early in the morning. She did her morning prayer in “a monotonous sing-song”. Everyday, she went along with the author to his school and while the narrator studied she sat in a temple and read scriptures Later, in the city she was unhappy that there was no religious teaching at school. Before dying, she stopped talking to her family members and turned to prayers, and counting the beads.
Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Question 7:
Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?
Answer
The author spent his childhood in the village with his grandmother. She was his constant companion. She woke him up in the morning. She got him ready for school. She spent her day at the temple till the school closed. Then she would walk back home with him. But this relationship changed suddenly when the author joined an English school in the city. Grandmother didn’t like the things taught at the school. Now she rarely talked to him. But this change in no way lessened their love for each other. She kissed the author lovingly when he left for abroad. And when he came back after five years, she took him in her arms. She kept singing and beating the drum for hours.
Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Question 8:
Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.
Answer
Yes, I agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character. She was a strong woman with strong beliefs. Although she was not formally educated, she was serious about the author’s education. She could not adjust herself to the western way of life, Science and English education. She hated music and disapproved of its teaching in school.
She was a deeply religious lady. Her lips were always moving in a silent prayer. She was always telling the beads of her rosary. She went to temple daily and read the scriptures. She was distressed to know that there was no teaching about God and holy books at Khushwant’s new English school.
Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
Question 9:
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
My own grandmother is very much like the author’s grandmother. She loves me very much. She is deeply religious. She has no attachment for worldly things. She keeps praying all the time. When she is telling her beads, she looks very sweet. Her face is full of peace. She is fond of feeding the dogs in our street. Whenever she goes into the street, dogs wag their tails and gather around her. Then she buys some bread for them. All children in the street call her Dadi Ma. Sometimes, she goes to stay with my uncle at Delhi. Then I miss her badly.
Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
