A Panorama of Life — Class 11

Chapter 2: The Portrait of a Lady

Author: Khushwant Singh

Q.1 Comprehension

(a) Short Answer Type Questions

1. Whose portrait hung above the mantelpiece in the drawing room?

The portrait of the author’s grandfather hung above the mantelpiece in the drawing room.

2. What, according to the author, was absurd and undignified on his grandmother’s part?

The author thought it was absurd and undignified of his grandmother to talk about the games she had played as a child. He could not imagine her being young and active because he had always known her as an old woman.

3. Why did she say her prayer in a monotonous singsong?

She recited her morning prayer in a monotonous singsong while bathing and dressing the author because she hoped he would listen to it and learn it by heart.

4. What did they have for breakfast?

They had a thick, stale chapatti with a little butter and sugar spread on it.

5. Why did Grandmother always go to school with the author?

Grandmother accompanied the author to school because the school was attached to a temple. While the priest taught the children, she sat inside the temple reading the scriptures.

6. The children in the village school were taught the alphabet. Did Grandmother know the alphabet?

The story does not explicitly state whether Grandmother knew the alphabet. She did not attend the children’s lessons; instead, she sat inside the temple reading the scriptures.

7. How did they feed the village dogs while returning home?

Grandmother carried several stale chapattis with her. On their way home, they threw pieces of chapatti to the village dogs, which followed them and fought over the food.

8. ‘That was the turning-point in our friendship.’ What happened to the friendship?

When the author’s parents settled in the city, they called the author and Grandmother to live with them. Their friendship began to change because Grandmother could no longer accompany him to school. He attended an English school by motor bus, and she began feeding sparrows in the courtyard.

9. How did the author go to school in the city?

The author went to an English school in a motor bus.

10. Why was Grandmother unhappy about the school education in the city?

Grandmother was unhappy because she could not help the author with his lessons. She did not believe in some things taught at the English school, such as Western science, and was distressed that the school did not teach about God and the scriptures.

11. Why did she feel disturbed when the author announced that they were being given music lessons at school?

Grandmother associated music with harlots and beggars. She believed it was not suitable for respectable people and therefore disapproved of the author’s music lessons.

12. When was the common link of friendship between the author and his grandmother broken?

The common link was broken when the author went to university and was given a room of his own. They no longer shared the same room or spent as much time together.

13. What did Grandmother do from sunrise to sunset?

From sunrise to sunset, Grandmother sat at her spinning-wheel, spinning and reciting prayers. In the afternoon, she relaxed for a while to feed the sparrows.

14. What took the place of the village dogs in Grandmother’s life in the city?

The sparrows took the place of the village dogs. Grandmother fed them every afternoon in the courtyard of her city house.

15. What could have been the cause of Grandmother’s falling ill?

Grandmother developed a mild fever the morning after celebrating the author’s homecoming by singing and beating an old drum. The story does not establish that this celebration caused her illness.

16. How did the sparrows show, on the last day, that they had not come for the bread?

On Grandmother’s last day, thousands of sparrows sat silently around her body. When the author’s mother offered them bread crumbs, they took no notice of the food. Their silence and refusal to eat showed their grief at Grandmother’s death.

(b) Long Answer Type Questions

1. Grandmother ‘had always been short and fat and slightly bent’. Is this true, in the light of what is said in the first paragraph? What information in the first paragraph would you cite in support of your answer?

No, this description reflects the author’s childhood impression rather than the whole truth about Grandmother’s earlier life.

1. The author had known his grandmother as an old and wrinkled woman for as long as he could remember.
2. People told him that she had once been young and pretty and had even had a husband.
3. The author found it difficult to believe this because his grandfather’s portrait also showed an extremely old-looking man.
4. Grandmother often told the children about the games she had played as a child, but the author considered these stories absurd.
5. Therefore, the first paragraph suggests that Grandmother had not always been old and bent; the author simply could not imagine her youth because he had known her only in old age.

2. How would Grandmother prepare the author for school?

Grandmother took great care in preparing the author for school.

1. She woke him up in the morning and helped him get ready.
2. While bathing and dressing him, she recited her morning prayers in a monotonous singsong, hoping that he would learn them.
3. She washed his wooden slate and plastered it with yellow chalk.
4. She arranged his little earthen ink-pot and reed pen, tied them together with the slate in a bundle, and handed it to him.
5. She gave him a breakfast of thick, stale chapatti with butter and sugar.
6. She accompanied him to school because it was attached to a temple.
7. On the way, she carried stale chapattis to feed the village dogs.

Her routine shows her loving, disciplined and devoted nature.

3. Grandmother is portrayed as a very religious woman. What details in the story create that impression?

The story presents Grandmother as deeply religious through her daily habits and beliefs.

1. She recited prayers while bathing and dressing the author every morning.
2. She accompanied him to the village school, which was attached to a temple, and read the scriptures while the children studied.
3. She believed that religious instruction was important and felt distressed that the English school did not teach about God and the scriptures.
4. She disapproved of music lessons because she associated music with people she considered unsuitable for respectable society.
5. When the author went to university, she spent most of her day at her spinning-wheel, reciting prayers.
6. Before the author left for further studies abroad, she silently prayed and counted the beads of her rosary.
7. Even during her final illness, she continued praying and counting the beads of her rosary.

These details show that prayer and religious faith were central to her life.

4. Grandmother has been portrayed as a kind woman. What details in the story illustrate this?

Grandmother’s kindness is evident in her care for both people and animals.

1. She lovingly looked after the author when his parents went to live in the city.
2. She woke him up, bathed and dressed him, prepared his school things, and accompanied him to school.
3. She carried stale chapattis to feed the village dogs on their way to and from school.
4. After moving to the city, she began feeding sparrows in the courtyard.
5. Hundreds of sparrows gathered around her in the afternoon. Some perched on her legs, shoulders and head, and she never drove them away.
6. She smiled at the birds and enjoyed their company, making their feeding time the happiest half-hour of her day.
7. Her affection for the sparrows was so strong that their silent gathering after her death became a moving expression of their bond with her.

Her selfless care and compassion make her a memorable example of kindness.

5. What was Grandmother’s daily routine in the city?

Grandmother’s routine in the city was simple, disciplined and centred on prayer.

1. In the early years, she continued to wake the author and prepare him for school.
2. When he returned, she asked what he had learned, although she could not help him with his English and Western science lessons.
3. As the author grew older, they spent less time together.
4. When he went to university and received a separate room, Grandmother accepted her seclusion quietly.
5. From sunrise to sunset, she sat at her spinning-wheel, spinning and reciting prayers.
6. In the afternoon, she took a break to feed the sparrows in the verandah.
7. She broke bread into small pieces for the birds, which gathered around her and perched on her body.
8. She rarely spoke to others and remained devoted to prayer and her peaceful routine.

Her daily life reflected simplicity, faith, patience and affection for living creatures.

6. Give a brief pen-portrait of the Grandmother.

Grandmother was a deeply religious, loving, kind and dignified woman.

1. Appearance: She was short, fat and slightly bent, with a wrinkled face, silver hair and a pale complexion. She usually wore spotless white clothes.
2. Religious nature: She constantly recited prayers and counted the beads of her rosary. Her faith guided her daily life.
3. Love for her grandson: She cared for the author when he was young, prepared him for school and accompanied him there.
4. Traditional outlook: She found it difficult to accept modern education, Western science and music lessons because they differed from her beliefs.
5. Kindness to animals: She fed village dogs in the past and later developed a close bond with the sparrows in her courtyard.
6. Patience and dignity: She accepted the growing distance between herself and the author without complaint.
7. Peaceful death: She continued praying until her last moments. The silent gathering of sparrows after her death reflected the affection she had inspired.

Grandmother represents traditional values, devotion, simplicity and unconditional love.

7. Write a brief note on Grandmother’s relationship with the sparrows.

Grandmother shared a special and affectionate relationship with the sparrows.

1. After moving to the city, she could no longer feed the village dogs, so she began feeding sparrows in the courtyard.
2. Every afternoon, she sat in the verandah and broke bread into small pieces for them.
3. Hundreds of sparrows gathered around her. Some perched on her legs, others on her shoulders, and some even sat on her head.
4. She enjoyed their company and never tried to drive them away.
5. Feeding the sparrows became the happiest half-hour of her day.
6. When she died, thousands of sparrows gathered silently around her body.
7. When the author’s mother offered them bread crumbs, the birds ignored the food. They flew away quietly only when Grandmother’s body was carried away.

Their unusual silence and refusal to eat suggest a deep bond between the birds and Grandmother. The episode makes her death especially moving.

Q.2 Vocabulary

1. Match the words under A with their antonyms under B

1. Pretty — Ugly
2. Absurd — Rational
3. Untidy — Smart-looking / Neat
4. Distressed — Happy
5. Sure — Doubtful
6. Moist — Dry
7. Frivolous — Serious
8. Quietly — Noisily
9. Western — Eastern
10. Stale — Fresh

2. Form verbs from the following words

Word	Verb
Belief	Believe
Knowledge	Know
Prayer	Pray
Food	Feed
Association	Associate
Decision	Decide
Arrival	Arrive
Suspicion	Suspect
Sweeper	Sweep
Sure	Assure

Q.3 Grammar

1. Fill in each blank with a suitable determiner

1. She told me about the games she used to play as a child.
2. My parents left me with grandmother.
3. Both of us were constantly together.
4. Every drop of water is precious.
5. We hear many amazing success stories, but we refuse to acknowledge them.

2. Fill in each blank with a suitable modal

1. I did not know who headed Telco. I thought it must be the Tatas.
2. The film ought to be a great success.
3. My hostel mates told me I should use the opportunity to go to Pune.
4. You must start somewhere, otherwise no woman will ever be able to work in your factories.
5. She could never have been pretty.

3. Rewrite the sentences as directed

(i) I was too scared to go to meet Mr JRD Tata.

Rewrite after removing “too”.

I was so scared that I could not go to meet Mr JRD Tata.

(ii) She was too old to have grown older.

Rewrite after removing “too”.

She was so old that she could not have grown older.

(iii) We are so lazy that we do not care to lift the garbage lying around us.

Rewrite using “too”.

We are too lazy to care to lift the garbage lying around us.

(iv) Major Som Nath was too brave to quit even in the face of heavy firing.

Rewrite after removing “too”.

Major Som Nath was so brave that he would not quit even in the face of heavy firing.

(v) I’m not too sure about it.

Rewrite after removing “too”.

I’m not very sure about it.