4 Marks Questions
Question 1 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
………….and felt that old
familiar ache, m childhood’s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile……………
a) What was the childhood fear that now troubled the poet?
Answer : As a child, the poet was insecure about losing her mother and the same fear had come again now when her mother has grown old.
b) What do the poet’s parting words suggest?
Answer : The poet, while parting, smiled and said to her mother that she would see her soon. This suggests that the poet said it to reassure her mother that they would meet again and infuse optimism in her.
c) Why did the poet smile and smile?
Answer : The poet smiled and smiled as she wanted to hide her fears beneath her smile.
d) Explain, “that old familiar ache.”
Answer : “That old familiar ache” refers to the agony and pain of separation from her mother that the poet felt in her childhood, as she feared that she might lose her mother.
Question 2 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
…….. I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with
pain…………………….
a) Who is “I”?
Answer : ‘I’ in the above lines is the poetess, Kamal Das.
b) What did ‘I’ realise with pain?
Answer : ‘I’ realised with pain that her mother had grown old and could die, leaving her alone.
c) Which ‘thought’ did the poet ‘put away’?
Answer : The realisation was painful as the poet was attached to her mother and did not wanted to lose her.
d) What does the phrase, ‘ashen like a corpse’ mean?
Answer : The figure of speech used in these lines in simile.
Question 3 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
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, plae
as a later winter’s moon and felt that old familiar ache, …………
a) How can the trees sprint?
Answer : The trees were stationary at the side of the road, but the poet’s car was moving fast along the road, giving the appearance of the trees sprinting.
b) Why did the poet look at her mother again?
Answer : The poet looked at her mother again to bid goodbye to her before leaving at the airport.
c) What did she observe?
Answer : She observed that her mother’s face was pale and colourless just like a winter’s moon which lacks brightness as well as strength.
d) Identify the figure of speech used in these lines.
Answer : The figure of speech used in these lines is simile.
Question 4 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
I saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised
with pain that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away,…………………
a) What worried the poet when she looked at her mother?
Answer : The poet was worried when she looked at her mother as her mother was growing old.
b) Why was there pain in her realisation?
Answer : The poet felt pain in the realisation as she may not see her mother again.
c) Why did she put that thought away?
Answer : She put that thought away as it was a painful thought.
d) Identify the figure of speech used in these lines.
Answer : The figure of speech sued in these lines is simile.
Question 5 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood fear,
but all I said was see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile……………….
a) What was the poet’s childhood fear?
Answer : In her childhood, the poet was insecure about losing her mother, just as all young children usually are.
b) What were the poet’s parting words?
Answer : The poet’s parting words were, “See you soon, Amma”, which are suggestive of the hope that they will meet again.
c) What is the poetic device used in these lines?
Answer : The poetic device used in these lines is simile.
d) Why did the poet smile and smile?
Answer : The poet smiled and smiled (smiled continuously) because she was trying to hide her real feelings of losing her mother due to old age.
Question 6 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
…………..but soon
put that thought away and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes……………….
a) What thought did the poet drive away from her mind?
Answer : The poet drove away the painful thought of the distressing reality that her mother was getting old and she might die anytime.
b) What did she see when she looked out of the car?
Answer : When she looked out of the car, she saw young trees on the roadside, which appeared to be sprinting. She also saw a group of children, merrily rushing out of their homes to play.
c) How do you know that the joyful scene didn’t help her drive away the painful thought from her mind?
Answer : As the poet passed through security check at the airport and happened to look at her mother, she was again haunted by the same fear of losing her to death. This shows that the joyful scene that she saw earlier didn’t help drive away the painful thought from her mind.
d) What are the merry children symbolic of?
Answer : The merry children are symbolic of the exuberance of youth.
Question 7 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
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 realised with pain
that she was as old as she looked……….
a) Where was the poet driving to?
Answer : The poet was driving to the Cochin airport from her parent’s home.
b) Why was her mother’s face looking like that of a corpse?
Answer : Her mother’s face was looking like a corpse as it was pale, lifeless and colourless.
c) What did the poet notice about her mother?
Answer : The poet noticed that her mother was sleeping with her mouth open and her face looked like that of a corpse. She also noticed that her mother had grown old.
d) Why was the realisation painful?
Answer : The realisation that her mother had grown very old was painful because it brought with it the distressing thought that she was also nearing her death.
Question 8 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
…………..and
looked but soon
put that thought away and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes,……………
a) Name the poem and the poet.
Answer : The name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six and the poet is Kamala Das.
b) What did the poet realise? How did she feel?
Answer : The poet realised that her mother was getting old and was nearing her death. She felt afraid of losing her mother.
c) What did she do then?
Answer : The poet at once turned her face away from the harsh reality and looked out of the window of the car to divert her mind.
d) What did she notice in the world outside?
Answer : The poet saw green trees sprinting by . She also saw a group of children who were merrily coming out of their houses.
3 Marks Questions (30 – 40 Words)
Question 1 : Having looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the young children?
Answer : Kamala Das looked at the young children, as they represented youth, which is full of life and energy. She wanted to drive away the fearful and disturbing thought that her mother was getting old and weak and might die soon.
Question 2 : In the last line of the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’, why does the poet use the word ‘smile’ repeatedly?
Answer : In the last line of the poem the poet has repeatedly used the word ‘smile’ to mask her painful feeling on parting from her. She also wanted to reassure her mother of hope and happiness by smiling in front of her.
Question 3 : What kind of pain does Kamala Das feel in ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’?
Answer : Kamala das feels pained at the thought of her mother getting old. She was pained to think that she might have to lose her mother soon, as she was likely to die.
Question 4 : What were the poet’s feelings as she drove to Cochin airport?
Answer : As she drove to Cochin airport, the poet looked at her mother who was dozing and realised that she was getting old. She felt fearful that her mother might die soon.
Question 5 : What childhood fear did Kamala Das refer to in her poem? How did she hide it?
Answer : Kamala Das childhood fear was that she would lose her mother to the cruel hands of death and thus would get separated from her forever. She attempts to hide this fear through her long and superficial smile.
Question 6 : How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
Answer : Kamala Das makes a deliberate effort to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother by looking out of the moving car and seeing the trees sprinting and the joyful young children rushing out of their homes.
Question 7 : What was Kamala Das’s childhood fear?
Answer : As a child, Kamala Das was insecure about losing her mother just as all young children usually are. The same feelings are evokes in her while she is on the way to the airport ,as she sees her mother’s pale face, which is a sign of her old age and impending death.
Question 8 : What do the parting words of Kamala Das and her smile signify?
Answer : The parting words of the poet (Kamala Das) are used by her to reassure her mother that they would meet again and to infuse optimism in her. The poet uses her smile to hide her feelings of fear of losing her mother to death.
Question 9 : Why does Kamala Das compare to her mother to ‘a late winter’s moon’?
Answer : The poet’s mother has been compared to the ‘later winter’s moon’ as the late winter’s moon is dull, shrouded and it symbolises the ebbing of life. Similarly, the poet’s mother is pale and old.
Question 10 : How did Kamala Das’s mother look during the drive to Cochin?
Answer : During the drive to Cochin, Kamala Das’s mother looked pale and lifeless. Her face was grey-coloured and resembled that of a dead person’s face.
Question 11 : Why are the young tress described as ‘sprinting’?
Answer : The poet is travelling in a speeding car and the roadside trees seemed speeding past in the opposite direction. So, the young trees are described as sprinting.
Question 12 : What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them?
Answer : At the airport, the poet feels fearful as her mother is getting old and may die soon. She is not sure if she would be able to see her again. She hides her feelings by smiling at her mother.
Question 13 : What do the parting words of the poet Kamala Das to her mother signify?
Answer : The parting words of the poet, Kamala Das to her mother signify her anxiety and fear about her mother’s old age. They also express the hope that her mother would survive till they meet again.
Question 14 : Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children spilling out of their homes?
Answer : The young children spilling out of their homes represent the exuberance and vigour of youth. They are in complete contrast to the poet’s mother. Perhaps the poet has used the image to bring out the pangs of old age and show the contrast between youth and old age.