Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 – The Portrait of a Lady (Khushwant Singh) Extract/passage based question answers

 

NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English

Hornbill

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

Extract/passage based question answers

 

1) He looked as if he could only have lots and lots of grandchildren. As for my grandmother being young and pretty, the thought was almost revolting. She often told us of the games she used to play as a child.

1. Who does 'he' refer to in the extract? Where was he?

2. Why did the author find it difficult to imagine his grandma was once young and attractive?

3. What did she tell the narrator when he was younger?

4. Who wrote 'The Portrait of a Lady'?

Answers

1 ) The narrator's grandfather appeared very ancient, and the author assumed that he could have numerous grandkids but no wife or children.

2) The author never imagined that his grandmother would be that young and attractive. He couldn't relate to this idea. b) She was old and wrinkled.

3) She shared childhood recollections with him and his relatives, including activities she used to play as a child.

4) The author of this chapter is Khushwant Singh.

2) My grandmother, like everybody’s grandmother, was an old woman. She had been old and wrinkled for the twenty years that I had known her. People said that she had once been young and pretty and had even had a husband, but that was hard to believe. My grandfather’s portrait hung above the mantelpiece in the drawing room. He wore a big turban and loose-fitting clothes. His long, white beard covered the best part of his chest and he looked at least a hundred years old.

 

1. name the chapter.

 A The Portrait of a Lady 

b) Landscape of the Soul.

C. Discovering Tut 

D. We are not afraid to die if we can all be together 

 Ans A, Portrait of a Lady).

 

2. Provide the name of the author.

 A. Khushwant Singh

B A.R. Williams, 

C. Marga Minco

D Kalki,

 Ans A Khushwant Singh.

 

3. What literary device is used in "Like Everyone's Grandmother"?

 A.   metaphor, 

B.   simile, 

C.   transferred epithet,

D.   enjambment,

  answer: simle.

 

4. What is the synonym of 'Pretty' among the following?

 A beautiful 

B. Ugly 

C Unappealing 

D None of these

  Ans A Beautiful.

 

3) She hobbled about the house in spotless white with one hand resting on her waist to balance her stoop and the other telling the beads of her rosary. Her silver locks were scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face, and her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer. Yes, she was beautiful. She was like the winter landscape in the mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment.

What is the narrator referring to with the term 'Silver locks'?

 

A. Lock and Key

 B. Grey Hair

C. Attire of Silver colour

 D. None of these

 

Answer: B. Grey Hair

 

What poetic device is utilized in the expression “Pale puckered face”?

 

A. Simile

B. Metaphor

C. Alliteration

D. Zeugma

Answer: C. Alliteration

 

Identify the antonym of ‘Audible’ from the options below.

 

A. Unhearable

B. Unsounded

C. Imperceptible

D. All of these

 

 Answer: D. All of these

 

How would you define the term ‘Hobble’?

 

 A. Walk quickly

B. Limp

C. Rush

D. Hasten

 

Answer: B. Limp

 

4) She used to wake me up in the morning and get me ready for school. She said her morning prayer in a monotonous sing-song while she bathed and dressed me in the hope that I would listen and get to know it by heart; I listened because I loved her voice but never bothered to learn. it. Then she would fetch my wooden slate which she had already washed and plastered with yellow chalk.

 

Who was responsible for the narrator's care?

 

A. His Grandmother

B. His Mother

C. His Father

D. Both B and C

 

Answer: A. His Grandmother

 

Where was their residence located?

 

A. In a village

B. In a city

C. In a metropolitan city

D. None of these

 

Answer: A. In a village

 

Identify the antonym of ‘Monotonous’ from the given options:

 

A. Dull

B. Boring

C. Obsolete

D. Exciting

Answer: D. Exciting

 

What did the narrator's grandmother consistently hold in her hands?

 

A. Rosary

B. Wooden Slate

C. Food for the Narrator

D. All of these

 

Answer: A. Rosary

 

5) The priest taught us the alphabet and the morning prayer. While the children sat in rows on either side of the verandah singing the alphabet or the prayer in a chorus, my grandmother sat inside reading the scriptures. When we had both finished, we would walk back together. This time the village dogs would meet us at the temple door. They followed us to our home growling and fighting with each other for the chapattis we threw to them.

 

What was the grandmother engaged in at the temple?

A. Read scriptures

B. Play with the kids

C. Feed the dogs

D. All of these

Answer: A. Read scriptures

 

Who prepared chapatis specifically for the dogs?

A. Narrator

B. His Grandmother

C. Both of them

D. None of them

Answer: B. His Grandmother

 

Provide the meaning of the word ‘Chorus’.

A. Sing in a group

B. Sing alone

C. Sing in a group of two

D. Sing in a group of three

Answer: A. Sing in a group

 

What literary device is employed in the line ‘They followed us to our home growling’?

A. Onomatopoeia

B. Transferred epithet

C. Epithet

D. Repetition

Answer: A. Onomatopoeia

Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 – The Portrait of a Lady (Khushwant Singh) Word Meaning

 

NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English

Hornbill

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

 

Word Meaning

1. Absurd – Illogical
2. Beads – a small piece of glass or stone threaded with others to make a rosary or necklace
3. Bedlam – confusion
4. Blaze – a very large burning fire
5. Bothered- to be concerned 
6. Cherished – hold something dear
7. Clasped – hold tightly 
8. Contentment – a state of happiness and satisfaction
9. Corpse- dead body
10. Courtyard- verandah
11. Cremated – dispose of or burn a body after it is dead
12. Criss- cross – a pattern of intersecting straight lines
13. Crude – in a natural state, roughly made
14. Customary – traditional
15. Dilapidated – in a state of despair or ruin
16. Distressed – suffer from extremely sorrow, anxiety or pain
17. Earthen- made of baked or fired clay
18. Fables- fictitious stories with a moral teaching
19. Fetch – go for and then bring back something for someone
20. Frivolous – not having any serious purpose, light-hearted
21. Frivolous rebukes – light hearted scoldings
22. Gentlefolk – People of noble birth
23. Growling – making a low guttural sound in the throat 
24. Harlots – Prostitutes
25. Hobbled – walked in an awkward way
26. Imprint – impression or stamp 
27. Inaudible- unable to be heard
28. Lewd Association – Indecent or Obscene
29. Locks- hair
30. Mantelpiece- a structure of wood, marble, or stone above and around a fireplace.
31. Moist- wet
32. Monotonous – dull and boring
33. Omitted – leave out or exclude something
34. Overstraining- overdoing something
35. Pallor – an unhealthy pale appearance
36. Perched – alight or rest on something
37. Persuade – to talk someone into doing something, request
38. Plastered- covered with a layer of plaster
39. Portrait- painting or picture
40. Prophets- saints
41. Protested – express an objection against something or someone
42. Puckered – a face contract into wrinkles
43. Rebuke – disapproval of something or someone
44. Revolting – unpleasant
45. Rosary- a string of beads for keeping count of number of chants made of a religious prayer
46. Sagging – sinking downwards
47. Scattered – disorganized 
48. Scriptures – the sacred writings of a religion 
49. Seclusion – the state of being private and away from the people
50. Sentimental – a feeling of nostaglia, sadness or tenderness; an emotional feeling
51. Serenity – the state of being peaceful and calm
52. Shooed – make a person or animal go away by shouting or saying ‘shoo’
53. Shroud – a piece of cloth used to wrap a dead person
54. Slate- a flat plate of slate formerly used for writing on in schools
55. Snapped- break suddenly and completely 
56. Spinning-wheel – a household machine with a wheel attached to it for spinning yarn
57. spotless white – she wore clean, white coloured dresses
58. Stale- no longer fresh and pleasant to eat; hard, musty, or dry.
59. Stoop – bend one’s body forward
60. Thumped- hit
61. Undignified- disrespectful
62. Untidily – not neat
63. Veritable – use to describe something which is very interesting or unusual
64. Wrinkled- having lines or folds
65. Years rolled by- time passed

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

 

NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English

Hornbill

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

Long question answers

 

Question 1: What are the three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left country to study abroad.
Answer:
Before leaving the nation to study abroad, the author's connection with his grandmother progressed through three stages:

1. During childhood, the grandma assisted him in preparing for school and accompanying him to school.

2. In his childhood, he used to ride the bus to school in the city. He shared a room with his grandma, but she could no longer help him with his academics.

 

3. During his early adolescence, he was given his own room at university. The common thread of friendship was severed.Student Education Loan

Question 2: Give three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.
Answer:
The three reasons why the author's grandma was upset when he began attending the city school are:

1. She hated western science and learning.

2. She was disappointed to find no teachings about God or the scriptures.

3. She had an allergy to music. She assumed that was not intended for nice folks and gentlemen. It was the exclusive domain of prostitutes and beggars.

Question 3: What are the three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.
Answer:
The author's grandmother spent her days after he grew up in three ways:

• She lived alone in her chamber, accepting loneliness quietly.

 • She sat at her spinning wheel, chanting prayers.

• She spent 30 minutes in the afternoon feeding birds.

 Question 4:
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 exhibited a deep and unwavering devotion, evident in her daily rituals. Each morning, she made a regular pilgrimage to the temple, delving into scripture reading. In the sanctity of her home, she maintained a consistent practice of softly murmuring inaudible prayers, all the while attentively tallying the beads of her rosary. As the writer prepared for school, she would melodiously repeat prayers, desiring that he commit them to memory. Dissatisfied with the lack of religious teachings in the English school, she favored institutions that integrated God and scriptures.

Even during her sessions at the spinning-wheel, she upheld the tradition of reciting prayers. A singular departure from this routine occurred on the evening preceding her demise, fueled by the exuberance of celebrating her grandson's arrival with songs and drumbeats. In the midst of this joyful event, she unintentionally neglected her prayers. Nevertheless, from that jubilant moment until her last breath, her devotion remained steadfast. She continued to recite prayers and diligently count the beads of her rosary, demonstrating an enduring commitment to her religious practices.

Question 5:
Describe the friendship ‘between Khushwant Singh and his grandmother.
Answer:
Khushwant Singh's grandmother played a crucial role in nurturing him during their shared time in the village in his early years. Establishing a daily routine, she would rouse him early each morning, singing prayers as she bathed and dressed him, aiming for him to commit them to memory. Following this, she would serve him breakfast, typically a stale chapatti with butter and sugar. Together, they would then make their way to the temple school where the author pursued his studies, and the grandmother immersed herself in reading holy books. Their joint activities concluded upon returning home.

A turning point in their relationship transpired when his parents called them to the city. Despite sharing a room, the grandmother's capacity to assist him waned. Her aversion to music, science, and Western education resulted in a gradual dissolution of the shared bond that had been central to their friendship.

 

Question 6:
What image of the grandmother emerges from ‘The Portrait of a Lady’?
Answer:
Khushwant Singh’s grandmother is depicted as an elderly woman, short in stature, with a plump figure, and a slightly bent posture. Clad in immaculate white attire, her face adorned with wrinkles, she exuded a deep sense of religiosity. Her lips were in perpetual motion, engaged in silent prayers, and she consistently counted the beads of her rosary. Regular visits to the temple for scripture reading were part of her routine.

This grandmother was characterized by her kindness, extending her compassion to dogs in the village and later, sparrows in the city. Her profound affection for her grandson was evident as she cared for him in the village. However, she found it challenging to adapt to Western customs, scientific knowledge, and English education. Her aversion to music was coupled with distress over the absence of teachings about God and holy books at Khushwant's new English school. In summary, she was a benevolent, kind-hearted, and deeply religious woman.

Question 7:
Write a character sketch of the author’s grandmother.

Answer:
Khushwant Singh's grandmother, an elderly figure, had a petite and stout stature with a gentle bend, her face marked by wrinkles and adorned with white hair. Despite her advanced age, she radiated warmth and affection, playing a crucial role in the author's upbringing. The duo lived in the village, where she diligently attended to him by waking him early, preparing him for school, serving breakfast, and accompanying him to his educational endeavors. Their routine included her waiting for him at the temple, engaging in prayer while he studied, and their subsequent return home.

A compassionate individual, she extended her kindness to animals, initially feeding dogs in the village and later, sparrows in the city. Immersed in her religious beliefs, she maintained a continuous, silent prayer on her lips and regularly counted the beads of her rosary. Her commitment to her faith also led her to frequent the temple for scripture reading.

Despite a lack of formal education, she embodied resilience and strong convictions, particularly in matters related to the author's education. Struggling to reconcile with Western lifestyle, science, and English education, she held a disdain for music. Her distress arose from the absence of teachings about God and holy books in Khushwant's new English school. In essence, she epitomized qualities of kindness, affection, resilience, and religious devotion.

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.

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

 

NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English

Hornbill

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

Summary

The writer fondly remembers his grandmother as a short, robust woman with a slight bend, her silver hair scattered untidily across her wrinkled face. She roamed their home in white attire, one hand resting on her waist, the other engaged with the beads of her rosary. Although he didn't consider her conventionally pretty, he found her enduringly beautiful, comparing her serene countenance to the tranquility of a winter landscape.

During their extended stay in the village, Grandmother played a pivotal role in the writer's daily routine. She woke him early, prepared his wooden slate, organized breakfast, and sent him off to school, which was intricately linked to the nearby temple. While the children learned their alphabet, she immersed herself in studying sacred texts.

Their beautiful relationship encountered a turning point when they relocated to the city. Despite sharing a room, their bond began to wane. The writer, now attending a city school, studied subjects like English, Physics, and mathematics that his grandmother couldn't comprehend. Unable to accompany him to school, she lamented the absence of teachings about God and scriptures, disapprovingly tolerating music lessons.

As the writer proceeded to university and acquired a separate room, the common link between grandson and grandmother weakened further. She withdrew into her solitude, engaged with her spinning wheel and prayers, seldom conversing with anyone. Her daily routine included breaking bread for the birds, who perched on her legs, head, and shoulders.

When the writer departed for his overseas studies, his grandmother, though seemingly undisturbed, bid him farewell at the train station with a silent kiss on his forehead. Her lips moved in prayer, and her fingers remained entwined with her rosary beads. Upon his return after five years, she welcomed him warmly, celebrating his homecoming.

The morning after his return, she fell ill. Despite the doctor's assurances of a mild fever, she sensed her impending departure. Preferring solitude, she occupied herself with her rosary beads, praying until her lips fell still, and the rosary slipped from her lifeless hand. Discovered on the floor, shrouded in a red shawl, her death was marked by the silent arrival and departure of thousands of sparrows, grieving her passing as her body was carried away for the final rites.