Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 – The Portrait of a Lady (Khushwant Singh) Short question answers

 

NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English

Hornbill

Chapter 1 – The Portrait of a Lady (Khushwant Singh)

 

Short question answers

Question 1: How did the narrator’s grandfather appear in the portrait?
Answer:
His grandfather seemed really ancient. He sported a lengthy white beard. His clothes were loose-fitting. He wore a large turban. He appeared too elderly to have a wife and children. He appeared at least a century old. He could only have many, many grandkids.

Question 2: Explain: “As for my grandmother being young and pretty, the thought was almost revolting”.
Answer:
The narrator's grandmother was really old. She couldn't seem young and beautiful. Her face was a crisscross of wrinkles. She was short, overweight, and somewhat bowed. The mere thought of her being youthful and attractive did not appeal to the thoughts.

Question 3: The narrator’s grandmother ‘could never have been pretty, but she was always beautiful’. Explain the importance of the statement.
Answer:
She was too elderly to be attractive. Her face was a crisscross of wrinkles. She was short, overweight, and somewhat bowed. She did not create any physical appeal or fascination. However, in her sparkling white clothing and grey hair, she exuded tranquilly, peace, sobriety, and beauty.

Question 4: How did the narrator and his grandmother become good friends?
Answer:
During his childhood, the narrator lived with his grandmother in the village. She was his constant companion. She watched after him. She would wake him up. She prepared him for school in the morning. She would serve him breakfast. She attended school with him.

Question 5: The grandmother had a divine beauty. How does the author bring this out?
Answer:
The grandmother's silvery locks fell untidily across her pale and wrinkled face. This made her appear like an expanse of pure white serenity. She has a wonderful beauty. She resembled the winter landscape in the Alps.

Question 6: The grandmother was a kind-hearted woman. Give examples in support of your answer.
Answer:
Grandmother has an extremely compassionate heart. She adored her grandchild. She adored both birds and animals. She fed the village's street dogs. In the city, she would feed birds.

Question 7: “That was a turning point in our friendship.” What was the turning point?
Answer:
When they moved to the city, their friendship took a new path. Now, the narrator took a bus to an English school. Grandma could no longer accompany him to school. Despite the fact that they shared a room, they spent less time together.

Question 8: Draw a comparison between village school education and city school education.
Answer:
Elementary education was provided in the local school. The kids were taught the alphabet and multiplication tables. It was pretty straightforward, focusing on the three R's: reading, writing, and arithmetic. At the city school, English, Science, and Music were taught. Unlike village schools, there was no teaching about God or scriptures.

Question 9: What led to the gradual distancing of the narrator from his grandmother in the city? Give three reasons.
Answer:
The narrator's age increased over time. His reliance on grandmother decreased. He began travelling to an English school via motor bus. She could not accompany him. Furthermore, she was unable to assist him with teaching English and Science. She despised English school. There was no teaching about God or scriptures. All of these things separated the narrator from his grandmother.

Question 10: When did the narrator and his grandmother's shared friendship ultimately come to an end?

Answer: The turning point occurred when the narrator entered university and was allocated a room of his own, effectively separating him from his grandmother and conclusively breaking the common bond of their friendship.

Question 11: How did the grandmother occupy her time when the narrator started university?

Answer: Alone in her room, she embraced her solitude with quiet acceptance. Engaging herself in constant activity, she devoted her time to her spinning wheel, reciting prayers as she worked. Interaction with others became minimal, and her sole pastime involved feeding sparrows in the afternoon.

Question 12: Why did the grandmother start feeding sparrows in the courtyard of their city house?

Answer: In the village, she used to provide "chapattis" to street dogs, but with no such dogs in the city streets, she redirected her compassionate efforts by feeding sparrows in the courtyard of their city residence.

Question 13: What constituted the happiest moment of the day for the grandmother?

Answer: The grandmother's most joyous half-hour occurred when she fed the sparrows. Seated in the verandah, breaking bread into small pieces, she delighted in the lively presence of the chirping sparrows, allowing them to perch on her legs, shoulders, and even her head without shooing them away.

Question 14: How did the grandmother bid farewell to the narrator at the railway station?

Answer: Devoid of sentimentality, the grandmother maintained silence, suppressing her emotions. Engaged in prayer and rosary-beading, she kissed the narrator's forehead, a gesture he cherished as possibly their last physical contact, given his impending five-year departure and her advanced age.

Question 15: What was the author's perceived "last sign" of physical contact with his grandmother, and why did he believe it to be the final one?

Answer: The grandmother kissed Khushwant Singh on his forehead, and the author thought of it as perhaps their last physical contact due to his five-year departure and uncertainty about her remaining lifespan, considering her advanced age.

Question 16: Why did the grandmother abstain from praying on the evening of the narrator's return home?

Answer: Experiencing an unusual excitement, the grandmother celebrated her grandson's arrival with songs and drumbeats, deviating from her usual routine. She was persuaded to avoid overstraining herself, marking an unusual occasion when she did not engage in her evening prayers.

Question 17: How did the grandmother pass away?

Answer: Aware that her end was near, the grandmother continued praying and telling beads of her rosary. In her final moments, lying peacefully in bed, her lips stopped moving, and the rosary fell from her fingers, signifying her peaceful departure.

Question 18: How did the sparrows demonstrate that their presence wasn't merely for the bread?

Answer: Upon the grandmother's death, thousands of sparrows gathered silently in the courtyard and verandah, where she lay wrapped in a red shroud. Their silence during the offering of bread crumbs indicated that their presence was not solely for the food. When the grandmother's body was taken away, the sparrows departed quietly.

Question 19: How did both the family members and the sparrows mourn the grandmother's passing?

Answer: The old grandmother passed away peacefully, and her family mourned her death. Thousands of sparrows gathered in the courtyard and verandah, where she lay wrapped in a red shroud. Ignoring the bread crumbs tossed to them, they remained silent. As soon as the grandmother's body was carried away, the sparrows departed quietly, marking a collective mourning for the departed soul.