NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady
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Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the text.
Q. The thought was almost revolting
Ans. The author had always seen his grandmother very old with her face covered with wrinkles in a criss-cross manner. Her hair was white; she had always been short and slightly bent. He was incredulous that she had once been young and pretty. For the past twenty years, he had seen her in the same physical state, so he could not imagine her to be young. Mere imagining her to be a young woman once, was almost revolting.
Q. An expanse of pure white serenity
Ans. The author’s grandmother always wore spotless white clothes. She used to keep her one hand on the waist to balance her stoop and the other telling the beads of rosary. Her hair was silvery white which were scattered over her face and her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayers. According to the author, she was really beautiful and simple. The author personified her as the winter landscape in the mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity full of peace contentment. Her inner satisfaction and beauty was reflected on her face.
Q. A turning-point
Ans. The author was left to live with his grandmother in a village when his parents shifted to the city and since then they were constantly together. But when his parents called them after being perfectly settled in the city, it became a turning-point in their friendship. Although they shared the same room but she no longer accompanied him to school as he had joined an English medium school and started going by a motor bus. She even couldn’t help him in his studies because she could hardly understand English words. She was unhappy with the things taught in the English medium school as there were no religious teachings. This widened the gap in their relationship. The cozy relationship between the two had widened
Q. accepted her seclusion with resignation
Ans. When the author went up to the University, he was given a separate room. Sharing a common room was the only link left between them and that was also snatched. But the grandmother accepted her loneliness and began to adjust accordingly with quiet and dignified acceptance. She kept herself busy with the spinning wheel and rarely talked to anyone. From sunrise to sunset she spent her time reciting prayers and spinning. She relaxed only in the afternoon while feeding the sparrows.
Q. A veritable bedlam of chirrupings
Ans. After shifting to the city, grandmother’s life totally changed. Most of her time was spent in spinning the wheel and reciting prayers. She took a break only during the afternoon when she fed the sparrows. The birds were also accustomed to the scheduled time. When she sat in the verandah breaking the bread into little bits, little birds in hundreds of number gathered around her filling the atmosphere with a noisy uproar of chirruping. They developed a deep bond of relationship with grandmother. Some perched on her legs and some on her shoulders, some even sat on her head but she never shooed them away. It was the happiest time of the day for her.
Q. frivolous rebukes
Ans. The author had gone abroad for further studies. He returned back after five years and found his grandmother at the railway station who came to receive him. She did not look a day older. She did not speak to him but when she clasped him, she was still chanting prayers. Even on the day of his arrival, she was occupied with feeding sparrows which was her happiest time of the day. She fed them for a longer time and in between, rebuked them in a casual childish manner as if scolding a young child.
Q. The sagging skins of the dilapidated drum
Ans. When the author returned back after a period of five long years from abroad, his grandmother did not seem to be changed and she carried out her usual routine work. But in the evening the author noticed a change in her. She did not pray, rather collected the women of the neighbourhood, got an old drum and started to sing. The grandmother thumped the poor and worn out drum for severalhours and sang about the home-coming of the warriors. It also indicated that the drum might not have been used for a long time and so, it had also grown old.
Understanding the Text :
Mention
Q. The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.
Ans. The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad are as follows:
The first phase of the relationship between the author, Khushwant Singh and his grandmother was the time they spent in the village. They were best friends and companions. The grandmother used to wake him up in the morning and get him ready for school. She always went to school with him because the school was attached to the temple. While the author was busy in taking lessons in school, grandmother used to visit the temple and recite her prayers.
The second phase of their relation was when they shifted to city to the live with the author’s parents. Although they shared the same room but the bond between them was no longer as strong as it was earlier. She could neither accompany him to his school nor help him in his studies. She was totally upset with the things taught at school as there was no teaching about God and the scriptures.
The third phase began when the author was sent to the University and he was given a separate room. Because of which the common link of friendship was snapped and the grandmother remained all the way more secluded and lonely.
Q. Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.
Ans. Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school were that firstly, when the author came back from school, grandmother would ask him what the teacher had taught and the author would tell her words of English and little things related to Western science and learning, the law of gravity, Archimedes’ principle, the world being round, etc., which made her unhappy as she was not educated and therefore, could not help him in his lessons. Another thing which distressed her was that there was no teaching about God and scriptures in the city school. Secondly, the author then started going to school by motor bus and therefore, grandmother could no longer accompany him to school. She was further disturbed when she came to know about the lessons being given on music. To her, music was something indecent and was meant for harlots and beggars which had nothing to do with the gentle folk.
Q. Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.
Ans. The author’s grandmother was left alone after he started going to the University. He was given a room of his own and the last link of sharing a common room between them was also snapped. She kept herself busy with her spinning-wheel. From sunrise to sunset she sat by her wheel, spinning.
Another way she spent her time was in reciting prayers and telling the beads of her rosary.
Also, she used to feed the sparrows when she took time to relax in the afternoon. While she sat in the verandah breaking the bread into little bits, and hundreds of birds gathered round her and perched on her legs, shoulders and head. She smiled but never shooed them away and that was the happiest time of her day.
Q. The odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.
Ans. The author’s grandmother had always lived a kind of life which included prayers, spinning the wheel and feeding the sparrows. There was never a change in her daily routine, but when author returned back after five years, she collected the neighbourhood women to celebrate and sang the homecoming of warriors on an old drum. The family members persuaded her to stop singing in order to avoid overstraining. For the first time she did not pray. Next day she fell ill and told them that her end was near and she should not waste time talking to them. She laid in bed praying and telling her beads, when her lips stopped moving and a peaceful pallor spread on her face and she died.
Q. The way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
Ans. The author’s grandmother’s corpse was covered with a red shroud and was laid on the ground. In the evening when her body was taken for cremation, thousands of sparrows sat scattered on the floor. It seemed as if they had come to pay a tribute to the grandmother. There was absolute silence and no chirping was heard. When the author’s mother tried to feed them with little bits of bread crumbs, the sparrows took no notice of it. They flew away quietly after the grandmother’s body was taken off.
Talking about the Text :
Q. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this ?
Ans. There is no doubt that the author’s grandmother was a religious lady. One of her hands would always rest on the waist to support her, the other was always telling the beads of her rosary. Even when she bathed and dressed the author, she said her morning prayer in a monotonous sing-song so that he would also listen and learn it. Her lips constantly moved in an inaudible prayer. She went along with the author to his school because it was attached to the temple and while he received his lessons, she sat inside to read the scriptures. On their way back home, they used to feed the street dogs with the chapatis.
When they went to live in the city, she became disturbed after knowing that there was no holy teaching in the English school. The author was not taught about God and scriptures. But she did not leave reciting her prayers and telling her rosary beads. She used to spend her time by spinning the wheel and reciting prayers. Even when the author was leaving for further studies and returned back from abroad, her lips were moving in prayers. Just before her death, she regretted wasting time omitting to pray and told everyone that she would no waste any time talking to anyone.
All these instances show that author’s grandmother was a religious lady.
Q. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?
Ans. The author and his grandmother had a very strong bonding since the beginning. The author’s parents had shifted to the city leaving him with his grandmother. Since then they were together and became very good friends. She used to wake him up and get him ready for school, plastered his wooden slate with yellow chalk and even went to school with him.
But this relationship saw a change when they were asked to come and live in the city. The author was admitted to an English medium school and started going there by a bus. When she asked about his studies, he would tell her English words and things of western science which she strongly disapproved. She did not believe in such types of teaching which were devoid of spiritual lessons on God and scriptures. Moreover, she couldn’t help him with his studies.
Another phase in which a change in their relationship was seen was when the author joined the University. At that time he shifted to a room of his own and whatever little link was left between them was also snapped. The grandmother accepted this and diverted her mind to prayers, spinning the wheel and feeding the sparrows. Thus, there was a chain of changes in their relationship which changed their feelings for each other. Gradually, they both drifted apart.
Q. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.
Ans. The author, Khushwant Singh’s grandmother was a person of strong moral values. She was blessed with the qualities like generosity, kindness and contentment. She had a wonderful adjusting nature. The whole story revolves around her which portrays her as a woman of substance. Although she was not well-educated and had never been out of the village, still she was a spirited lady. After the author’s parents had moved to the city, she perfectly took over the responsibility of raising him. She took care of the child very well. She instilled the same strong spiritual qualities in him. But when they also moved to live in the city, there was a turning point in their relationship, but the values remained constant. She was distressed to know that there was no teaching about God and scriptures in the city school but never imposed her feelings of disapproval. She diverted her mind to prayers, spinning-wheel and feeding the sparrows which became her favourite past time. She even accepted her isolation when the author was given a room of his own. When he went abroad, then also she did not express her grief with quiet dignity as she did not want to become a hurdle in his aspirations.These instances show that the grandmother was a lady of strong will power, compassion, love and spirituality
Q. Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother ? Do you feel the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and lost ?
Ans. Do it yourself
Thinking about Language :
Q. Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?
Ans. The author and his grandmother might have used ‘Punjabi’ while talking to each other as it was their mother tongue. Grandmother had never been out of the village; above all, she was a homely lady, so there was a possibility that she was unaware of any other languages.
Q. Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives of your family ?
Ans. Do it yourself.
Q. How would you say ‘a dilapidated drum’ in your language ?
Ans. Do it yourself
Q. Can you think of a song or a poem in your language that talks of homecoming ?
Ans. Do it yourself.
Working with Words :
I. Notice the following uses of the word ‘tell’ in the text.
- Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
- I would tell her English words and little things of western science and learning.
- At her age one could never tell.
- She told us that her end was near.
Given below are four different senses of the word ‘tell’. Match the meanings to the uses listed above.
1. Make something known to someone in spoken or written words.
Ans. I would tell her English words and little things of western science and learning
2. Count while reciting.
Ans. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
3. Be sure.
Ans. At her age one could never tell.
4. Give information to somebody.
Ans. She told us that her end was near.
III. The word ‘hobble’ means to walk with difficulty because the legs and feet are in a bad condition.
Tick the words in the box below that also refer to the manner of walking.
haggle
shuffle
stride
ride
waddle
wriggle
paddle
swagger
trudge
slog
Ans. shuffle - walk without lifting feet completely from the ground.
stride - walk with long, decisive steps.
waddle - walk with short steps in a clumsy swaying motion.
paddle - walk with bare feet in shallow water.
swagger - walk in a very confident way.
trudge - walk slowly with heavy steps.
Things to Do :
Talk with your family members about elderly people who you have been intimately connected with and who are not there with you now. Write a short description of someone you liked a lot.
Ans. Do it yourself.
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