Short Questions (2 Marks)
Question 1 : Why was the author’s first year of school awkward?
Answer : The first year of the author’s high school was awkward as he had joined a new school and his old friends were in a different school. Apart from this, his house was destroyed in a fire and he lost his belongings and his pet cat. Nothing was going well for him at all.
Question 2 : What were the author and his cat doing when the fire broke out?
Answer : The author was sitting on his dinning table doing his homework when the fire broke out. His cat was lying on top of his papers, purring loudly and playing with his pen. When he smelled something strange and noticed smoke coming out through the seams of the ceiling.
Question 3 : What two things were rescued by the author’s mother and why?
Answer : The author’s mother rescued a small metal box and his father’s pictures and letters. The metal box was rescued as it contained important documents and the pictures and letters as they were a token of remembrance of his father who had died when he was small.
Question 4 : ‘I just wanted to curl up and die’. When and why did the author say these words?
Answer : The author said these words when he had to go to school after his house was destroyed by fire. He said this as all his belongings had been destroyed and he had to go to school wearing borrowed shoes and without a bag and homework.
Question 5 : Why did the author get attention in his new school? Why didn’t he like it?
Answer : The author got a lot of attention in his new school as everyone, including the teachers, came to know that his house had been completely destroyed in the fire. He didn’t like it as he thought that somehow he was responsible for the fire.
Question 6 : Describe the author’s pet cat. When was she rescued?
Answer : The author’s pet cat was a red tabby cat. It was rescued by the author when she was a kitten and somehow she knew that the author was responsible for giving her a good life. The cat was loved by the author very much.
Question 7 : What was the author doing when he got his cat back? Who was with him?
Answer : The author was watching his house being rebuilt and planning his new bedroom when he got his cat back.
His two friends from his new school were also with him when a lady approached him with his pet cat and asked if the cat belonged to him.
Question 8 : Whom all did the author feel grateful to after getting his cat?
Answer : After getting his cat, the author felt grateful to his life, his new friends, the kindness of the stranger and his beloved pet cat. He was back to the life and so was his cat whom he loved very much. He was grateful for everything now and very happy as his cat was back.
Long Questions (8 Marks)
Question 1 : Compare and contrast the author’s life before and after the fire incident.
Answer : The author was leading a peaceful life before the fire broke out in his house. He was a bit disappointed for he was missing his old school, friends and teachers. He was trying to be normal with everything in his life. At this very moment, the fire broke out in the house. Before the fire had broken out in his house, the author had joined a new school . It felt strange to him starting all over as a fresher.
The author felt very lonely as his closest friends were sent to a different high school . He used to miss his old school, teachers and friends and went to meet his teachers regularly. After the fire incident, the author was completely devastated.
The loss of all his belongings and his pet cat added to the misery of joining a new school. He felt no inclination to go to his new school and at one point of time wanted to die. He missed his pet cat very much and used to go to the place where his house once stood to search for her.
Question 2 : Describe the hardships faced by the author and his family in the story ‘A House is not a Home.’
Answer : Hardships are the part of the life. One can’t avoid it if it is destined. You can overcome it only with perseverance and determination. If you lose courage then the situation will get worsened only and it will improve only with your stead fastness. The author and his family faced a lot of hardships in the story ‘A House is not a Home’. The author’s house was completely destroyed in the fire.
As a result , he lost all his belongings and his pet cat and he and his mother had to take refuge at his grandparents’ home. His mother had to borrow money from his grandparents as her money, credit cards and identification proofs were lost in the fire.
The author had to face a lot of mental trauma as he had to go to school without his school bag, notebooks and homework. He even had to borrow shoes from his aunt in order to attend the school.
He feels like an oddball going to the school like this and at one point of time he wanted to die. He also misses his pet cat badly and goes to search her every now and then.
Question 3 : Justify the title of the story ‘A House is not a Home.’
Answer : The title ‘A House is not a Home’ is apt in relation to the story. In the story, the author’s house gets completely destroyed in a fire. Due to this, he and his mother had to take refuge at his grandparents’ home and later in a rented apartment. The places where the author lived after the fire incident cannot be called a home. A home is the place where one get comfort, coziness and the joy of longings. One can find the true happiness and comfort within the premises of home. On the other hand, a house is without these sentiments and emotions. House is just a confined place made-up of the four walls. It can never be a match to a home.
They were merely places where he took shelter. A home is where one has comfort, security and freedom of doing whatever one wishes to. Moreover, these places were without the belongings and things which the author loved.
As one has a sense of belonging to his home, it cannot be fulfilled by a place where one takes temporary shelter. Hence, the title of the story ‘A House is not a Home’ is justified.