CHAPTER-2 The Portrait of a Lady English Class 11th All Chapter Solution

                               Chapter - 2

                     The  Portrait Of A Lady

Q. hose portrait hung above the mantelpiece in the drawing room? 

Ans. It was the portrait of the authof's grandfather that hung above the mantelpiecein the drawing room. He wore a big turban and loose-fitting clothes. He had a long white beard. He looked at least a hundred years old. 

Q. What, according to the author, was absurd and undignified on Grandmother's part? 

Ans. Grandmother often described the games she used to play in her childhood. It seemed to the author absurd and undignified on her part. It was so because as a child the author could not imagine that his grandmother who was so old, could ever have been young and pretty. 

Q. Why did she say her prayer in a monotonous singsong 

Ans. Everyday when grandmother got the author ready for school, she would keep saying her morning prayer all the time. But she would say her prayer in a monotonoussingsong.She did so with the hope that the author would listen and get to know it by heart. 

Q. What did they have for breakfast? 

Ans. For breakfast, they used to have thick stale chapattis with some butter and sugar spread on them. 

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

Ans. Grandmother always went to school with the author because the school was attached to the village temple. While the author studied in the school, Grandmother would read the scriptures in the temple. And after the school, Grandmother and the author would come back home together. 

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

Ans. Yes, she knew the alphabet. She used to read the scriptures in the village temple. 

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

Ans. Everyday in the morning before taking the author to school, Grandmother would pack several stale chapattis for the village dogs. And while returning home after the school, she and the author would feed the village dogs with those chapattis. 

Q. That was the turning-point in our friendship. What happened to the friendship? 

Ans. While living in the village, Grandmother used to accompany she author to his school. Grandmother knew the alphabet. She helped the author in his studies also. But in the city che could neither accompany him to school nor help him in his studies. Their friendship id not remain as intimate as it was in the village. 

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

Ans. How did the author go to school in the city? gsong. Ans. In the village. the author used to go to school on foot with his Grandmother. There school was situated not far from Granmother' s house. But in the city the school was very far from the authors home. So he would go to school in a motor-bus in the city

Why was the Grandmother Unhappy about the school education in the city ? 

Ans. the city schools, the children were taught lessons in science and music only. They were not given any religious education. They were not taught any holy books or prayers. This was ther eason that Grandmother wa sun happy about the school education in thecity. 

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

Ans. According to grandmother, musichad lewd associations.She consideredit the monopoly of harlots and beggars. She believedthat music was not meant for gentle folk. This was the reasonthat she felt disturbed when the author announced that they were being given music lessons at school.

Q. When was the common link of friendship between the author and his Grandmother broken? 

Ans. The common link of friendship between the author and his grandmother was broken when the author went to the University. He was given a room of his own. Grandmother accepted her seclusion calmly. Now she would spend most of her time in spinning wheel. 

Q. What did Grandmother do from sunrise to sunset ? 

Ans. When the author joined the University and was givena separate room for him, Gtandother started npending most of her time in spinning wheel. From sunrise to sunset, she would sit by her wheel, spinning and reciting prayers. She would rarely leave her spinning wheel to talk to anyone. 

Q. What took the place of the village dogs in Grandmother's life in the city ? 

Ans. Sparrows took the place of village dogs in her life in the city. Grandmother would daily feed the sparrows with breadcrumbs. She would feed them very lovingly. Hundreds of sparrows collected round her. But she never shooed them away. 

Q. What could have been the cause of Grandmother's falling ill ? 

Ans. When the author came back from aborad, she celebrated his homecoming in her own way. She collectred the women of her neighbourhood, got a drumand started singing. Grandmother overstrained herself in thumping the drum and singing. That was why she fell ill. 

Q. How did the sparrows show (on the last day) that they had not come for the bread? 

Ans. Grandmotherwas lying dead in her room. A large number of sparrows came and sat all around her. The author's mother threw breaderumbs to them, but the sparrows didnt eat them. When the dead body was carried off for cremation, the sparrows also tlew away in silence. It clearly shows that they had not come for the bread. 

Q. Grandmother had always been short and fat and slighty bent. Is this true in th raph light of what is said in the first paragraph ? What information in the first paragran would you cite in support of your answer? 

Ans. In the chapter, 'The Portrait of a Lady, the author Khuswant Singh describes th. physical appearance of his Grandmother. He says that his Grandmotherwas terribly old. H. says that Grandmother had always been short and fat and slightly bent. He further says thae people said that she had been once young and pretty. But the author finds it hard to believe. He says that he had known her for twenty years and she had always looked the same short and slightly bent. 

Q. How would Grandmother prepare the author for school ? 

Ans. The author's grandmother would wake him up in the morning to get him ready for school. She would bathe him and dress him up for school. All the time she would keep saying her morning prayer. She would say her prayer in a monotonous singsong. She did so with the hope that the author would listen and get to learn it by heart. She would wash his wooden slate and plaster it with yellow chalk. She would tie a tiny earthen ink-pot anda reed pen in a bundle. Then she would give the author a thick stale chapatti to eat. She would spread on it some butter and sugar. Then after breakfast, she would hand the bundle to theauthor andwalkwithhimto school. 

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

Ans. The authors grandmother was a deeply religious lady. She spent most of her time saying prayers and telling beads. She was fond of reading the scriptures also. She would describes the rribly old spend whole day in the Gurudwara of the village. When the author was sent to an English ribly old. He school, she was unhappy because children were not given any religious education there. It was because of her religious nature that she fed birds and animals. Her inner peace was also because of this. She remained calm and showed no emotion when the author left for abroad for five years. Like all great persons of religion, she knew when her end was near. Now she did not want to waste her little time in talking to anyone. She kept saying prayers and telling the beads till her last breath. 

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

Ans. The author's grandmother had a truly kind heart. Her love for the author is no proof of her kindness. Every grandmother loves her grandchildren. The real proof of the old lady's kindness lies in her love for animals and birds. As long as she lived in the village, she used to feed the dogs with stale chapatties. And when she came to live in the city, she took THHT n ready for vould keep to feeding the sparrows. She took great delight in it. The sparrows would perch on her legs, shoulders and even on her head. But the old woman never shooed them away. The little birds were full of grief when their foster mother passed away. All this shows that the author's grandmother was really a kind-hearted lady. 

Q. What was Grandmother's daily routine in the city? 

Ans. From sunrise to sunset, grandmother would sit by her spinning wheel, spinnine reciting her prayer. Only in the afternoon she would relax a little when she ted spar with little bits of bread. She took great delight in feeding them. She would feed them - lovingly. Hundreds of sparrows collected round her. Some sat on her legs, shoulders head. She would just keep smiling. She never shooed them away. The sparrows also see- to feel quite at home in her company. It used to be the happiest half hour of the day- grandmother. 

Q. Give a brief pen-portrait of Grandmother. 

Ans. The author's grandmother was very old. Her face was a criss-cross of wrinkles. was fat and had a little stoop. She was so old that she couln't have looked older. The aúi had lived with her for twenty years. She had always looked the same. It was difficult imagine that she had ever been young and pretty. But in spite of being so old, she loo! very attractive. She was dignified in her looks and habits. She was deeply religious. S spent most of her time saying prayers and telling the beads. She was fond of reading scriptures also. She had a very kind heart. She took great delight in feeding dogs and li birds. She dressed in spotless white. In her soul also, she was spotless. Her inner puriry le her spiritual peace. Like all pure souls, Grandmother knew when her end was near. refused to talk to anybody. She kept saying prayers and telling the beads till her end. 

Q. Wtite a brief note on Grandmother's relationship with the sparrows. 

Ans. In the city, Grandmother used to feed the sparrows daily with breadcrumbs. Sh took great delight in it. She would feed the sparrows very lovingly. Hundreds of sparrow collected round her. The sparrows would come and sit on her legs, shoulders, and head also But the old woman never shooed them away. The little birds too loved her. They seemed to enjoy her company. When Grandmother died, the sparrows were ful of grief. Thousands of sparrows came to the place where Grandmother lay dead. They were all very quiet. They did not chirp at all. The author's mother threw some crumbs to them. But they did not touch them even. They flew away quietly when Grandmother's deadbody was carried off for crematioon. 

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