A Thing of Beauty – Important Questions

Important Questions with Answers

Q. Why does a thing of beauty never pass into nothingness?

Ans. A thing of beauty never passes into nothingness because it would give us a joy which would last with us forever and never end.

Q. What does the line, ‘Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth’ suggest to you?

Ans. In this line Keats says that human beings are aware of the value of beauty in life. They know that a wreath of flowers in the morning can make their whole day worth living. For, in the moments of gloom and grief, the thought of the beautiful wreath will give them a solace. Thus this line suggests to us that a simple but beautiful thing like a wreath of flower is a very valuable things.

Q. How does a thing of beauty provide shelter and comfort?

Ans. A thing of beauty provides shelter and comfort in many ways. It is like a bower, a place under the shade of tree where we can rest. It gives us a sleep full of sweet dreams in the hot weather, the small streams of cool and clear water and the green forests around making a shady place for us.

Q. How do beautiful things help us to live a happy life?

Ans. Beautiful things are a source of eternal joy which provide peaceful sleep and mental peace, uplift out gloomy souls; provide hope, health, happiness, contentment and comfort. These provide a experience of divine feeling.

Q. Mention any two things which cause pain and suffering. Or List the things that cause suffering and pain.

Ans. There are many things that cause us suffering and pain. Things which cause pain and suffering are sadness, hopelessness, a lack of noble qualities and an unhealthy and wicked style of living.

Q. What makes human beings love life inspite of troubles and sufferings?

Ans. Human beings love life inspite of all the trouble and sufferings they face because of all the things of beauty which surround them. These things remove our despondent state and allow us to enjoy the beauty of nature.

Q. According to Keats, what spreads the pall of despondence over our dark spirits? How is it removed?

Ans. Keats says that pain and suffering are a part of life which spread the pall of despondence Over our dark spirits. But still, we can find hope. The hope and motivation comes from nature and it removes this covering of despondence.

Q. List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.

Ans. The poet refers to objects of nature as well as creation of literary work as things of beauty. The objects of nature mentioned in the poem are clear streams, musk-rose and daffodil flowers, the greenery surrounding them, old and young trees, the forests, the Sun and the Moon.

Q. Why is ‘grandeur’ associated with the ‘mighty dead’?

Ans. The ‘mighty dead’ were very powerful and dominating persons during their own times. Their achievements made them, ‘mighty’ and great. Grandeur is associated with them because our past is full of stories of their glory. They will always be remembered for their achievements.

Q. How is a thing of beauty a joy forever? Or Do we experience things of beauty only for a short moment or do they make a lasting impression on us?

Ans. According to the poet ‘A thing of beauty’ is an idea that beauty is an eternal source of pleasure. A lovely thing can give us heavenly joy for all time to come. We can bring to our mind the dancing daffodils and share their joy.

Q. What does a thing of beauty do for us? Or How do we get joy from life which is otherwise full of sorrows?

Ans. Life is, no doubt, full of sorrows. There are troubles and sufferings in life. A thing of beauty adds endless joy to our life and helps us to overcome our sadness and hopelessness. The memory of such a thing gives us everlasting happiness.

Q. What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the Earth?

Ans. The poet uses the image of nature as an ‘endless fountain’ pouring unto us from heaven. Nature is a source of endless joy. The sun, the moon, the daffodils, the clear streams, the forests etc. are a few beautiful images that make a deep impact on us.

Q. What does Keats consider an endless fountain of immortal drink and why does he call its drink immortal?

Ans. Keats considered nature as endless fountain of immortal drink. He called it immortal because a man can get nest, relief, and power in the company of nature and an endless beauty is hidden in her species.

Q. What is the message of poem ‘A thing of Beauty’?

Ans. The message of the poem ‘A thing of Beauty’ is that a thing of beauty gives us endless joy. It can never vanish nor diminish. These things of beauty take away out stress and tension and rejuvenate us each day. The memory of such thing is a source of everlasting happiness.

Important Questions with Answers

Q. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“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.”

1. What does the Earth teach us? The Earth teaches us that there is life under apparent stillness. It means that we • can still be alive even if we appear to be ‘still’ or ‘calm’.
2. What does the poet mean to achieve by counting upto twelve? The poet wants to achieve peace by counting upto twelve. He wants us to introspect in a moment of silence.
3. What does the poet ask us to do? Poet asks us to keep quiet while he is counting upto twelve.
4. What is always alive when everything seems dead? Only the Earth is alive when everything else appears to be dead.

Q. What will counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve?

Ans. Counting upto twelve and keeping still will bring us the peace of mind. We shall be in a state of mind where we will be able to see the things as they really are. We will be able to understand ourselves better and then we are expected to behave better.

Q. Do you think that the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

Ans. No, he doesn’t advocate either total inactivity or death. He clarifies that he has no truck with death. According to him, life is meant to be lived to the fullest. He just wants the inhuman and destructive activities to stop.

Q. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?

Ans. The sadness which the poet refers to in the poem is the sadness ‘of never understanding ourselves’. In the race to live our lives we forget to stop and our ponder what is it that we actually need and that leads to sadness.

Q. What symbol from nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness? Or What symbol from nature does the poet use to prove that keeping quiet is not a total inactivity?

Ans. Poet uses two symbols to prove his statement:

1. ‘Earth’ seeming to be still is very much alive underneath/murmuring life under the apparent stillness, e.g., ‘when everything seems dead and later proves to be able.’
2. In winter, seeds buried are dormant but sprout in the spring.

Q. Which is the exotic moment that the poet refers to in ‘Keeping Quiet’?

Ans. The poet refers to the moment of stillness and quietness as an exotic moment because it will initiate peace and brotherhood. There would be no movement, no talk, no activity and consequently, no violence.

Q. How is total inactivity on the Earth in the winter months full of life?

Ans. In the moment of total inactivity on the Earth in the winter months, the fisherman would not be catching fish. Hence, the whales in the sea will be safe. Also the man who gathers salts will be able to tend to his wounded hands for which he had no time earlier.

Q. Why does one feel ‘a sudden strangeness’ on counting to twelve and keeping quiet?

Ans. When all keep quiet for a while on counting to twelve, there will a strange atmosphere of silence; thus, we will feel ‘a sudden strangeness’ at this moment.

Q. What are the different kinds of wars mentioned in the poem? What is Neruda’s attitude towards these wars?

Ans. The poet writes about wars against humanity and nature. Green wars, wars with poisonous gases and wars with fire are the kinds of the wars that are mentioned in the poem. Neruda’s attitude towards war is one of rejection. He feels that such wars may bring victory but there are no survivors to celebrate the victory.

Q. How is the Earth a source of life when all seems dead on it?

Ans. When everything seems dead, the Earth still remains alive. The life on the Earth goes on as usual under the apparent stillness. For instance, a seed appears to be ‘dead’ but huge fruit bearing tree are ‘born’ from such seeds lying ‘dead’ here and there.

Q. How can suspension of activities help?

Ans. The suspension of activities will give people time to introspect and analyze their actions. This will help them in solving their problems and conflicts. They will develop a new understanding and hence will mend their destructive ways.

Q. What will possibly be the effect of keeping quiet? Or How, according to Neruda, can keeping quiet change our attitude to life?

Ans. As a result of keeping quiet, people would stop harming themselves and others. This will give us a better idea of the consequences of the actions, thus changing our attitude to life.

Q. How will ‘keeping quiet’ protect our environment?

Ans. Keeping quiet and introspecting will initiate peace and brotherhood among men, halting all destructive activities like waging wars which harm people besides damaging the environment. Thus, the environment will be protected.

Q. Which images in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’ show that the poet condemns violence?

Ans. The images of fishermen not harming the Whales in the sea and wars leaving behind no survivors to celebrate victory show that the poet condemns violence. The poet’s refusal to have any association or dealings with death also Shows that he is not in favor of any form of violence.

Q. ‘Life is what it is all about; …… How is keeping quiet related to life?

Ans. Keeping quiet does not mean total inactivity, but stillness and quietness to introspect on what we are doing. This means stopping our normal day-to-day activities to reflect on our actions. Thus it is related to life, although this may not be visible outwardly.

Q. Analyze the poetic devices that the poet adopts in the poem?

Ans. The poet has incorporated the use of repetition in the line ‘let’s not speak’ and ‘let’s stop for one second’ to create the poetic effect of emphasis on his readers. Even the phrases ‘count to twelve’ and ‘count upto twelve’ are symbolic, as the poet repeats his request to keep quiet for a second time. The word ‘twelve’ symbolizes a measure of time representing our clock time of real life, capturing a moment, from our present time. The phrases ‘hurt hands’ and ‘clean clothes’ are examples of alliteration. Man will cleanse his soul, heart and mind in the process. The word ‘brothers’ here implies brotherhood and synecdoche is used by using a concrete object instead of an abstract concept. There is use of metaphor in ‘put on clean clothes’, as the poet wants the warmongers to shed their blood-soiled clothes (meaning, stop wars) and put on fresh clothes (meaning, follow brotherhood).

Q. What are the main ideas contained in the poem “Keeping Quiet”? Or Write the summary of the poem Keeping Quiet.

Ans. Pablo Neruda emphasizes a unique as well as universal impact of having a sense of togetherness alongwith the need of introspection for mutual understanding. In this respect he is of the opinion to bring total inactivity among all the people. They may realize some strangeness and enjoy the exotic moments in their life. So, he urges people of all languages to stop speaking and the fishermen are asked to stop harming the whales. Those who advocate deadly weapons to destruct the humanity have been requested to stop and save humanity.

He says that we should not confuse with, his theory of total inactivity. The life will go on moving as it is to move. There is no change in the laws of nature. There can be no agreement with death but sadness may trouble us. It is very much essential for us that we must understand ourselves because there can be life under apparent stillness and their is life beyond it. The nature teaches us that everything seems dead but later proves to be alive. So it is utmost important for us to realize the feeling of mutual understanding among all of us.

Important Questions with Answers

Q. 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?

Ans. The colour of sour cream is white but not pleasant to look at. The poet uses this expression to describe the white class room walls which are also white but not pleasant looking.

Q. 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?

Ans. These contrast with the world of the children. There is no love for art or literature in their lives of which Shakespeare is a symbol. Instead of ‘buildings with domes’ they live in the dark slum houses. The world map for them means nothing because they have hardly seen anything out of their slums.

Q. What does the poet want for the children of the slums? How can their lives be made to change?

Ans. The poet wants a better life for these children of the slums. He wants that they should be given better surroundings and better opportunity to study.

Q. How is the atmosphere inside an elementary slum classroom different from the one outside it?

Ans. The children sitting inside the elementary classroom, are sick and under nourished. The atmosphere and surroundings are pate and morose. The world outside is filled with beauty and luxuries.

Q. Which words/phrases in the poem ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ show that the slum children are suffering from acute malnutrition?

Ans. The words or phrases in the poem which show that the slum children are suffering from acute malnutrition are, ‘faces like rootless weeds’, ‘the hair torn round their pallor’, ‘paper-seeming boy’, ‘stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones’ and ‘wear skins peeped through by bones’.

Q. The poet says, ‘And yet, for these Children, these windows, not this map, their world’. Which world do these children belong to? Which world is, inaccessible to them?

Ans. There is a map on the wall. There are pictures, which show beautiful hills and valleys. But the world of the poor school children is not what is shown in the map. Their world is not sunny. It is darkened with the fog of poverty and pain from their slum only dull and dreary sky can be seen.

Q. Why does Stephen Spender feel the maps in the elementary school classroom are meaningless?

Ans. Stephen spender feels that the maps in the elementary classroom are meaningless because the children in the classroom would never be able to reach those places.

Q. How is ‘Shakespeare wicked and the map a bad example’ for the children of the school in a slum?

Ans. Both represent a beautiful world and high values which the slum children will have never experienced. Since the slum children cannot relate to these things, there was no point in giving such examples.

Q. To whom does the poet in the poem, ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ make an appeal? What is his appeal?

Ans. The poet makes an appeal to his readers, especially the educated and well-off people the appeal is to help the poor children of the slum come out and be freed from their miserable surroundings. His appeal is that these children should be given quality education, because education holds the key to their emancipation.

Q. What change does the poet hope for in the lives of the slum children?

Ans. Stephen Spender wants a better life for the children of the slums. He wants the officials to help these poor children come out of their miserable surroundings. He wishes that these children should be given education, because education is the key to prosperity.

Q. What message does Stephen Spender convey through the poem, ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’?

Ans. The poet wants freedom from a life of hunger and misery for the poor children. He wishes that the children should be provided with quality education. They should be brought out from their filthy surroundings into the comforting lap of nature.

Q. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

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.

1. Name the poem and the poet.
   An Elementary School Classroom in Slum; Stephen Spender
2. Which image is used to describe the poverty of these children?
   Their slag heap refers to their badly nourished and very weak bodies due to poor living conditions in the slum which were just like unwanted waste materials.
3. What sort of life do these children lead?
   In the dirty and unhygienic surroundings the children lead very pathetic and miserable lives full of woes, wants, diseases, poverty and uncertainty.
4. Identify and name the figure of speech used in line?
   Simile/Alliteration.

Q. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

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.

1. Who are these children?
   These children are the poor children who live in the slum.
2. What does the poet mean by ‘gusty waves’?
   By ‘gusty waves’ the poet means the beautiful sights of nature which are not visible in the slum.
3. What has possibly weighed down the tall girl’s head?
   The tall girl’s head has possibly been weighed down by being burdened with sad thoughts about her misfortune, which is making her feel depressed.
4. Identify the figure of speech used in these lines.
   Simile is used in these lines when the unkempt hair is compared to rootless weeds.

Q. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

The stunted unlucky heir
Of twisted bones, reciting a father’s gnarled disease,
His lesson, from his desk. 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.

1. Who is the ‘unlucky heir’?
   The boy who has a stunted growth with twisted bones, sitting in the slum school classroom, is the ‘unlucky heir’.
2. What is the stunted boy reciting?
   The stunted boy symbolizes the disability that he has inherited from his father and is reciting his lesson from his desk.
3. Who is sitting at the back of the dim class?
   A sweet young boy is sitting at the back of the dim class. He is daydreaming of squirrels playing in a tree.
4. What quality of unlucky heir is depicted in the Stanza?
   The unlucky heir is depicted with twisted bones which he has inherited from his father, who suffers from arthritis.

Q. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

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.

1. Why is the class dim?
   ‘Class’ refers to the classroom which is dark and dingy, as it is in a slum school, where nobody cares for the lighting. ‘Dim’ is also used to denote the bleak future of these children in the class.
2. Why is the child called ‘sweet and young’?
   The child is called ‘sweet and young’ probably because he is an innocent child who is not concerned with what is going on in the classroom. Instead, he is daydreaming.
3. What does the child want to enjoy?
   The child wants to enjoy seeing squirrels playing in the tree outside the classroom.
4. What is the significance of the phrase, ‘other than this’?
   The phrase, ‘Other than this’ refers to the classroom, which does not interest the boy. He wants to go elsewhere, particularly outside, where the squirrels are playing in the tree.
5. How is the young child different from others?
   The young child was sitting at the back of the class unnoticed.
6. What is he doing?
   He was sitting there unnoticed and dreaming of squirrels playing in a tree.

My Mother at Sixty Six – Important Questions

Important Questions with Answers

Q. 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 …”

1. Name the poem and the poet.
   The poem’s name is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ composed by Kamala Das.
2. Where was she driving to?
   The poet was driving from her parents’ home to Cochin airport on a Friday morning.
3. How did her mother look like? Why was her mother looking like that of a corpse face?
   Her mother looked sick and drowsy. Her face was lifeless. She was ash-coloured like that of a dead body.
4. What did she notice about her mother?
   The poet noticed that her mother was sleeping with her mouth open.

Q. What is the kind of pain and the ache that the poet feels?

Ans. The poet feels the pain and ache which is born out of the fear of losing one’s mother. As a child, the poet feared being separated from her mother. Now when the mother is old and weak, the poetess feels the same of fear again.

Q. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?

Ans. The poet is in the car. As she looks out of the window, she feels the trees in the distance are racing away. The young trees remind the poetess of her youngers years which have run by very quickly. They also remind her of the children who run happily while the old people like her mother cannot move.

Q. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?

Ans. The merry children stand as a contrast to the old mother sitting beside the poetess. The mother’s ashen face is a contrast to the rosy faces of the children. The young children are merry but the old faces are sad. Yet both of them are a part of life.

Q. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?

Ans. Mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon because the moon in this seas looks weak and cold. Like an old person, it has lost the charm which it has in the summer season. In summer, the same moon looks bright like a merry child.

Q. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

Ans. The parting words and the smile of the poetess signify her failure with the words. She feels the pain born out of the fear of separation from her mother who is so old and weak.

Q. Bring out the poetic devices used in the poem?

Ans. The poem captures the complex subtlety of human relationship in a texture of symbols, imagery, and other poetic devices. The entire poem is structured in the frame of a single sentence, punctuated by commas. It indicates a single string of thought that runs throughout the poem. There is a single simile in the explicit comparison of her mother’s ashen face to that of corpse. We find another simile in comparison between the pale visage of her mother and the late winters moon, as her face has lost its brightness.

There is the use of personification in the line “Tress sprinting”, where tree are attributed with the quality of running swiftly, for enhancing the poetic effect. The poet has used alliteration in the use of the words, ‘familiar’, ‘fear’ with the repetition of the consonant sound (f). It also suggests the poet’s familiarity with her childhood fear and sorrow of losing her mother to death.

Q. Give the theme of Kamla Das’ poem ‘My Mother at Sixty Six’?

Ans. The mother of the poet is not yet very old. She is sixty six. But due to her illness or so, she looks pale and ash colored like a dead body. The poet is in a hurry to catch a flight. She is deeply concerned about her aged murder. She is not sure of finding her alive on her next visit. She looks out of the car at the young trees and merry children. By contrast, the sight of the mother looks critical. She casts a last look at her at the airport. In order to cheer up the old mother, she smiles and smiles to hide her own fear and promises to see the old woman again.

Going Places – Important Questions

Important Questions with Answers

Q. What is unrealistic about Sophie’s dream of her future life?

Ans. Sophie dreams of achieving things she has no access to. She belong to a lower middle class family but dreams of owning a boutique, or becoming an actress, or a manager. Moreover instead of working towards her goals, she just dreams about them.

Q. How are Jansie and Sophie different from each other?

Ans. Jansie’s feet are grounded in reality while sophie is a day dreamer. Jansie is very practical in thinking that people of there stature can only become workers in a biscuit factory, whereas Sophie dreams that she will become successful actress, a fashion designer, a store manager or even an owner of a boutique.

Q. Why does Jansie discourage Sophie from living in a world of fantasy?

Ans. Jansie is a practical girl who knows that Sophie gets lost in her dream world. She understands that the world Sophie talks and dreams about is beyond them. So she discourages Sophie from escaping in that world.

Q. Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?

Ans. Sophie and Jansie would soon pass out of their school. Only a few months were left. They knew very well that both of them were most likely to find work in the local biscuit factory. They belonged to the lower middle class family and could not go in for higher studies after school. Besides, they could not think of other job options.

Q. How do we know that Sophie’s family lived in poor circumstances?

Ans. The house that Sophie lived in was not in a good condition. The family members are simple unsophisticated people while Sophie dreams of a fancy world. The father is described as grimy and sweaty, ‘scooping shepherd’s pie in his mouth as hard as he could, while the mother was shown washing dishes. The house was steamy and the atmosphere choked Sophie.

Q. Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person?

Ans. Sophie found in her brother, Geoff a patient listener to all her fantasies and also one she could confide in. The other members of her family and even her friend Jansie made fun of her fantastic stories. This made her quite fond of Geoff.

Q. Why was Sophie jealous of her brother’s silence?

Ans. Geoff was silent and did not share his experiences with anyone. Sophie always pondered over the areas of his life which he never talked about. His world remained a fascination for her. She felt that when he was not speaking, his mind was away at some unknown Place, and so she felt jealous of him.

Q. Why did Sophie want to be admitted into Geoff’s affections?

Ans. Sophie wanted to be admitted into Geoff’s affections because she used to envy Geoff’s world which was not accessible to her. He never discussed where he went. His life therefore held a lot of fascination for her and she wanted to be a part of it.

Q. Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?

Ans. Geoff finds it hard to believe the story of Sophie’s meeting Danny Casey. He knew that her stories were never true and he couldn’t believe this one as well. Sophie tries to convince him by even describing Casey’s appearance. He might have believed her story partially, for he tells about it to Jansie’s brother Frank.

Q. How did Sophie’s father react when Geoff told him about her meeting with Danny Casey? Or Does her father believe her story?

Ans. Sophie’s father is a realist to the core and is quite critical of her daydreaming. He does not believe in Sophie’s story at all and dismisses it as another of her wild fantasies. When Geoff tells him about Sophie’s chance encounter with Danny Casey, the Irish prodigy, he expresses disdain and rubbishes her story. He warns Sophie that these stories will someday put her into trouble.

Q. Why is Sophie attracted to Danny Casey?

Ans. Danny Casey is a young, tall and handsome football player who is successful. Romantic young girls of Sophie’s age indulge in daydreaming about things beyond their reach or means. Naturally, she was attracted to him.

Q. Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?

Ans. Sophie knew her father well. He would be angry if he knew of her meeting with the young Irish footballer, Danny Casey. She didn’t tell him. When Geoff told his father about it, he became angry. He turned his head to look at her with disdain. Sophie wriggled where she sitting at the table.

Q. Did Geoff keep his promise? How do you know?

Ans. Geoff did not keep his promise. He told Jansie’s brother about Sophie’s claim of having met Danny Casey. Jansie came to know ab out Danny Casey and questioned Sophie about him. However, Geoff had not told them about the date so that remained a secret.

Q. Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?

Ans. The only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person was, when she, along with her family, went to watch a football match of their team, United. Sophie was sitting amongst the spectators and could see her hero Casey only from a distance.

Q. Why Sophie didn’t want Jansie to know about her story with Danny? Or Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her meeting with Danny Casey?

Ans. Sophie did not want Jansie to know about her meeting with Danny because she thought Jansie would not believe her. Moreover, she knew that she would tell the whole neighborhood. Sophie didn’t want this meeting to reach her father’s ears or else she would be in trouble.

Q. What thoughts came to Sophie’s mind as she sat by the canal?

Ans. Sophie was waiting for Danny Casey, sitting by the canal. In the beginning, she imagined him coming, and even began to fantasize his actions and dialogues. However, after sometime, when he did not turn up, reality hit her and she became sad. She thought that her family would never believe her. She also thought that Geoff would be disappointed.

Q. What is your impression of Sophie’s brother Geoff?

Ans. Geoff is grown up boy. He left school three years ago. Now he is an apprentice mechanic. He has to travel to his work each day to the far side of the city. He speaks little but listens to his sister’s wild stories. But he is not a day dreamer like her. He know the financial limitations of the family. He cautions Sophie against entertaining dreams for a celebrity like Danny Casey.

Q. What were Sophie’s plans for her future ? Why would you call her dreams unrealistic?

Ans. Sophie was teenager who day dreamt most of the times. Her dreams were to open a boutique or to become a fashion-designer. She wanted to be an actress too. She always planned to do something which did not belong to the people of middle class. Her family conditions were not good and so her dreams seemed to be unrealistic and impractical. Her friend, Jansie, unlike Sophie lived in a world of reality and knew that both of them were earmarked for a biscuit-factory. Opening a boutique or becoming a fashion.-designer were next to impossible. Sophie had neither the means nor money to raise herself to the standard of becoming an actress or a fashion- designer. She had many limitations which she was not aware of. She lacked the skills also to achieve those dreams. Thus, we can say that her dreams were unrealistic and practically impossible.

Q. Why did Sophie enjoy living in world of dreams? Describe some of her dreams.

Ans. Sophie enjoyed her life. She is like any other teenager who lived in her own dreams. Though in her case her dreams were a little farfetched. She dreamt of opening her boutique and she imagined herself to be a national like Mary Quant. This shows that she is too imaginative. Another dream that she had, was that she had met Danny Casey a famous player and had talked to him for a while. This meeting was just a figment of her imagination as she had really not met him. It was her dream that she wanted to meet him and concocted a story about it. She was a highly imaginative and had a fertile imagination. She was quite unrealistic and both her dreams show her to be impractical.

Q. Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which she does not know she cannot realise. Comment. Or Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. Discuss.

Ans. Sophie always lives in a make-believe world of her own. She always imagined that she would have a successful career as a boutique owner, store manager, actress or fashion-designer. Jansie always used to bring her down to earth by remarking that both of them were earmarked to be working in the local biscuit factory after passing out from school. Similarly, she always imagined that a famous footballer like Danny Casey would date her. She even went to the extent of waiting beside the canal for him. After he did not turn up, she realised that this was only her dream and Danny would never date her. Even then, she was lost in her dream world, becoming sad that Danny did not come.

Q. How different is Jansie from Sophie? Or Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie highlighting their temperament and aspirations.

Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. Both friends are teenagers. Sophie belongs to a lower middle class family. She is a daydreamer. She always indulges in fantasy. She wishes to have the finest boutique in the city. Although, she has no money and no means, she is confident that she would be a manager, a fashion-designer or an actress right away.

Jansie is a practical girl. She is aware of the away. realities of life. She does not have any dreams. She is simple and down to earth. She knows limitations. She knows that she belongs to a lower middle class family and is destined to work in a biscuit factory. She also discourages Sophie from Having such dreams because Sophie’s dreams are wild and impossible. She had neither the means nor the skills to achieve them.

Q. Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?

Ans. No, Sophie has never really met Danny Casey. She has just seen Danny Casey on the field when she went to watch the team United play a football match. There, she was one of the spectators and could see Casey playing, but only from a distance. However, Sophie lives in a world of imagination. Casey was a young sports hero and Sophie idolised him. Her fictitious meeting with Casey was just another of her wild fantasies. Sophie told her brother Geoff that she had met Casey near Royce’s window. As she was looking at the clothes, Casey came and stood beside her. She wanted to take his autograph for her younger brother Derek, but neither of them had a pen or paper. Casey then suggested that they could meet again next week, and then he would also give his autograph.

Q. Attempt a character sketch of Sophie as a woman who lives in her dreams.

Ans. Sophie belongs to a lower middle class family. Her family conditions are not so good. She is a daydreamer. She indulges in fantasy. Her dreams are wild, impractical and impossible. She thinks the world is waiting to receive her with open arms. Although she has no money and no means. She dreams of having a boutique in the city. She is confident that she would be a manager, a fashion-designer or an actress right away. Her dreams are wild and impossible. She has neither the means nor the skill to achieve them. She makes up the story of meeting Danny Casey, a Young charming and upcoming footballer. Nobody believes her but she refuses to accept that it is her dream. Rather, she starts believing that she has met him. To show that she is telling the truth, she makes up another story that she has fixed a date with him. She is so lost in her dream that she does actually goes to the canal and waits for him. He does not show up. Her dreams have become an integral part of her life, and she cannot distinguish between her world of imagination and the real world.

Q. Draw a character sketch of Sophie’s father.

Ans. Sophie’s father is a typical man believing to the working class. He is the sole provider of the family. We first meet him as a coarse, ill-mannered man stuffing shepherd pie into his mouth, wearing his dirty and sweaty vest. He is a practical person who never leaves the world of harsh reality. He wants Sophie to step out of her dream world and tells her that her habit of making up stories is going to land her into trouble some day. He goes to the pub to celebrate something as frivolous as a football match. Thus, he is quite selfish. In spite of being the head of an impoverished family with so many mouths to feed, we never see him indulging in self-pity or cursing his fate. He rather enjoys his life to the fullest by making a weekly pilgrimage to watch the football match.

Q. “Sophie was a dreamer”. The lesson ‘Going Places’ reminds us that mere dreams will not help us to accomplish anything. What qualities, do you think, would help Sophie to realise her dreams?

Ans. Sophie needs to be practical and should be aware of the realities of life. She should be simple and down to earth and should know her limitations that she belongs to a lower middle class family. Initially she would face many difficulties because of her poor financial condition, but after she started working, she should save her earnings and try to improve her education so that she could take up better jobs. This requires her character to be determined and hard-working, instead of being just a daydreamer like she is now. Gradually she can raise her status to the level when she would be able to attract successful people like Danny.

Q. It is not unusual for a lower middle class girl to dream big. How unrealistic were Sophie’s dream? Or It is normal for adolescents to fantasize and indulge in hero worship. How far is it true of Sophie?

Ans. Sophie was an adolescent girl who always An lived in a make-believe world of her own she always had the unrealistic expectation that she would have a successful career as a boutique owner, store manager, actress or even a fashion-designer. This was totally unrealistic, as she was from a working class family and would have to work in the local biscuit factory after passing out from school. Similarly, she unrealistically imagined that a famous footballer like Danny Casey would date her. She even went to the extent of waiting beside the canal for him. After he did not turn up, she realised that this was only her dream and Danny would never date her. Even then, she is lost in her dream world, becoming sad that Danny did not come. This shows how unrealistic were her dreams.

Q. Every teenager has a hero/heroin to admire. So many times they become role models for them. What is wrong if Sophie fantasises about Danny Casey and is ambitious in life?

Ans. Sophie was a girl having unrealistic dreams. She felt that she would become either a boutique owner, shop manager, actress or fashion-designer, though her friend Jansie realised that with their background and education, they would just become workers in a biscuit-factory. Like every young girl, Sophie also had in her fancies a strong feeling of knowing the unknown, seeing the unseen and even dating famous people like Danny Casey. So she visited the perfect place for lovers and sat on the solitary wooden bench under the tree. She waited for her lover coming out of the shadows but there was no sign of him. She became burdened with sadness. This may lead to depression among teenagers, as their life’s ambitions are not fulfilled. Thus, such fantasies are not good for her to develop into a mature adult.

Q. Teachers always advise their students to dream big. Yet, the same teachers in your classrooms find fault with Sophie when she dreams. What is wrong with Sophie’s dreams?

Ans. It is good to dream but one needs to be practical too. Sophie belongs to a mediocre family she aspires to own a boutique, though she has no means or money to fulfil her dreams. After school she is likely to work in a biscuit factory. Her dreams are unrealistic. She loves to indulge herself without even thinking of how to achieve it. In her heart of hearts, she knows that her dreams have little possibility of coming true and are only a product of adult fantasising. She also dream dates Danny Casey, an Irish football player. She gets so pulled into her date story told to her brother Geoff that she was supposed to meet Danny. Irrespective of all this Sophie fantasises about her hero, unperturbed. Dreaming within limits is good. Unless one is impossibly ambitious, hardworking, and have loads of patience and perseverance, such dreams are best kept under lock and key unless one likes to be disappointed.

Q. It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasising? Elaborate it with references of “Going Places”.

Ans. No doubt the teenagers have ideals. They have no experience of the world. They dream of doing things that the adults would never dream of doing. Dreaming is essential and useful. It Was because of having dreams that great inventions and discoveries were made. Joan of Arc was a young girl. She dreamed and heard voices. She felt they were telling her to do the things that looked impossible to achieve. Because of her dreams, she drove away the British from France. Those who only dream and do nothing become lazy and idle. They are impractical in life. Our dreams can help us. But they should be practical and we ought to try to realise them. Sophie is a daydreamer. She can imagine things and her imagination runs wild. She had watched Danny Casey. He is her hero. She is always dreaming about him. She begins to think of meeting him. She is so engrossed in her dreams that she herself is convinced that she actually did meet him and he had promised to meet her again. She goes to meet him on the bank of a canal. There she waits for him. He does not come. She is disappointed. But all this goes on in her mind all the time. She pictures him meeting her in the arcade once again.

Important Questions with Answers

Q. What are some of the positive views on interviews?

Ans. Some people think that in its highest form an interview is a source of truth and an art in its practice. Many people consider it a supremely serviceable medium of communication. Our impressions of the people are created by their interviews. So interviewer holds a position of unprecedented power and influence.

Q. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?

Ans. Most celebrity writers despise being interviewed because they think it is an intrusion into their lives. They think that the interview somehow diminishes them. V.S. Naipaul feels that some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves. Rudyard Kipling said that interviewing was immoral. He called it cowardly or vile.

Q. What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?

Ans. Some primate cultures believed that if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody. Then one is stealing that person’s soul.

Q. What do you understand by the expression “thumbprints on his, windpipe” ?

Ans. The expression “thumbprints on his windpipe’ refers to the feeling of suffocation or strangulation.

Q. Who, in today’s world, is our chief source of information about personalities?

Ans. In today’s world, the interviewer” is our chief source of information about personalities.

Q. Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.

Ans. Yes, we feel that Umberto Eco likes being interviewed. For, in all his answers, he speaks at great length while answering the questions of the interviewer. At no stage, it appears that he wants to get rid of the interviewer. This .is a clear indication that Umberto Eco likes being interviewed.

Q. How does Eco find the time to write so much?

Ans. Eco finds the time to write so much for two reasons. First, as he writes about the same things but in different manners. He has some philosophical interests and he pursues them in his academic work and also in his novels. Even his books for children are about non-violence and peace. The second thing is that he does not let go any time wasted. For example while he was waiting for his interviewer, he had written an article. He calls this time ‘interstice’ and makes full use of it.

Q. What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?

Ans. The distinctive quality of Eco’s academic writing style is his love for narration. Even his dissertation for a doctoral degree was presented as a narrative. This makes even the serious things look interesting.

Q. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?

Ans. Umberto Eco considered himself an academic scholar first. He participates in academic conferences and not in meetings of Pen clubs and writers. He writes novels only when he is not having an academic pursuit at the time. He says “I am a professor who writes novels on Sundays”.

Q. What is the reason for the huge success of the novel. The Name of the Rose?

Ans. The reason for the huge success of the novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ is a mystery. However Eco feels that it might have been because of its timings. Had it been published ten years earlier or ten years after, it might not have succeeded so well, he feels.

Q. What are some of the positive views on interviews?

Ans. Following are some of the Positive views on interviews: (i) The interview has become a commonplam of journalism. (ii) In its highest form, an interview is a source of truth and, in practice, it is an art. (iii) An interview is a supremely serviceable medium of communication.

Q. What do most celebrated writers despise their being interviewed?

Ans. Most celebrated writers despise their being interviewed because of the following reasons: (i) They think that interview is an unjustified intrusion into their private lives. (ii) They feel that interview diminishes thern.

Q. What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?

Ans. The belief in some primitive cultures is it one takes a photo of somebody, then one is stealing that person’s soul.

Q. What is the chief source of information in today’s world about personalities?

Ans. In today’s world our chief source of information about personalities is interview. We get most vivid impressions of our contemporaries through interviews.

Q. When was the interview invented?

Ans. The interview was invented over 130 years ago.

Q. Why do the opinions of the interview vary considerably?

Ans. Thousands of famous persons have been interviewed over the years. Some of them have been repeated. So the opinions of the interview vary considerably.

Q. What does V.S. Naipaul feel about interviews?

Ans. V.S. Naipaul feels that some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves.

Q. Who is Lewis Carrol? What did he say about the horror of the interviewer?

Ans. Lewis Carrol is the creator of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. He was horrified of the interviewer and he never consented to be interviewed.

Q. Why did Rudyard Kipling refuse to be interviewed?

Ans. Rudyard Kipling refused to be interviewed because according to him it immoral. It was a crime. It was an offence of assault on his person. It was cowardly and vile. No respectable man would ask it.

Q. What do you understand by the expression ‘The interviewing ordeal’?

Ans. The expression ‘the interviewing ordeal’ implies that when person gives an interview he has to undergo a painful experience.

Q. Is Rudyard Kipling practically right in his assertion for interview?

Ans. No, Rudyard Kipling is not practically right in his assertion for interview. He perpetrated an assault of interview on Mark Twain only a few years before.

Q. Who is Umberto Eco? What does he do on Sundays ?

Ans. Umberto is a professor at the University of Bologna in Italy. He writes novels on Sundays.

Q. What works had already acquired a formidable reputation for Umberto Eco as a scholar before he began to write fiction?

Ans. His ideas on semiotics (the story of signs), literary interpretation, and medieval aesthetics had already acquired a profound reputation for Umberto Eco as a scholar before he began to write fiction.

Q. What do you understand by “The Name of the Rose’? What achievement did it bring to its author?

Ans. ‘The Name of the Rose’ is a novel writteri by Umberto Eco. It acquired the equivalent pr intellectual superstardom for its author.

Q. What did once David Lodge remark?

Ans. David Lodge, an English novelist and academic, once remarked, “I can’t understarid how one man can do all the things he (Eco) does.”

Q. What are interstices, according to Umberto Eco?

Ans. According to Umberto Eco, interstices are the empty spaces in the universe, in all the atoms and in our lives. If we eliminate these empty paces from the universe and from within the atoms, the universe will become as big as his fist.

Q. Which is, according to Mukund, is a marked departure from academic style?

Ans. According to Mukund, Eco’s style is a marked departure from academic style. His scholarly work has a certain playful and personal quality about it which is a marked departure from a regular academic style.

Q. Who was Roland Barthes? Why was he always frustrated?

Ans. Roland Barthes was a friend of Professor Umberto Eco. He was always frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist. He wanted to do creative writing one day or the other day.

Q. Why is Umberto Eco not satisfied to be only a novelist?

Ans. Umberto Eco is not satisfied to be only a novelist because he is a university professor. He participates in academic conferences. He identifies himself with the academic community.

Q. What genres are represented in the novel ‘The Name of the Rose’?

Ans. The novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ represents a detective yarn at one level, and metaphysics, theology and medieval history on the other level.

Q. Why are journalists and publishers puzzled?

Ans. Journalists and publishers are puzzled because they believe that people like trash and don’t like difficult reading experiences.

Q. Why was Umberto Eco given an advance for only 3,000 copies of his novel by his American publisher?

Ans. His American publisher gave Umberto Eco an advance for only 3,000 copies of his novel because she didn’t expect to sell more than 3,000 copies of his novel.