Short Answer Questions

QUESTION.1: What does Khushwant Singh describe in The Portrait Of A Lady ? Answer: In The Portrait Of A Lady, Khushwant Singh draws a pen picture of his belovedgrandmother. He describes the relationship he enjoyed with her and the changes that occurred in their bond with time, as the years passed. QUESTION.2: How could the grandmother be beautiful without being pretty ? Answer: Grandmother was never a physically attractive women but she reflected a divine beauty from within. She was a symbol of peace, serenity and contentment. Her novel virtues gave her a spiritual beauty. QUESTION.3: What was the turning point of their friendship ? Answer: The narrators parents sent for them and they shifted to the city. It was the turning point in their friendship. Grandmother could not accompany him to the English or help him in his studies. She saw less of him and the distance grew. QUESTION.4: What opinion did the grandmother form of the English school in the city ? Answer: The grandmother did not like the English school in the city. She was sad that they did not teach anything about God and the scriptures. Nor was she interested in science. She hated music lessons given in the school. QUESTION.5: How were the grandmother and the narrator good and intimate friends in the village ? Answer: Grandmother woke her grandson up every morning and got him ready for school. She gave him breakfast, got him his slate, ink-pot and accompanied him to school. He was entirely dependent on her. QUESTION.6: Why did the grandmother hate music ? Answer: Grandmother considered that music was indecent and was meant for harlots and beggars. It was not meant for gentle folk or school children from respectable families. QUESTION.7: How did the sparrows mourn the death of grandmother ? Answer: The sparrows gathered in thousands around grandmothers dead body. They did not chirrup or touch the crumbs of bread thrown to them. They seemed to mourn her death in silence and flew away when her body was taken away for cremation. QUESTION.8: How did the grandmother celebrate the homecoming of her grandson ? Answer: Grandmother was overjoyed at the homecoming of her grandson. She collected the women of neighbourhood and was in the mood of celebration. She beat the drum and sang for hours about the homecoming of warriors. She even forgot to pray. QUESTION.9: Why did the grandmother stop talking before her death ? Answer: The old lady was taken ill. She had a mild fever. The doctor told her that she would be alright soon. But the grandmother declared that her end was near. She forgot to pray the last evening. She was not going to waste anymore time talking to them.

Long Answer Questions

QUESTION.1: Describe in brief the pen picture of the narrators grandmotherhighlighting her noble qualities. Answer: Khushwant Singh presents his grandmother as a symbol of love, care and affection. She was a highly religious and conservative lady but, a woman of generosity and nobility. she was like everybodys grandmother, loving her grandson immensely and caring for him with deep love and concern. She was not physically attractive. She was old, fat and short with a stoop and hobbled about the house with her hand supporting waist, reciting her prayers and telling her beads. In the village, she was actively involved in her grandsons life but when they shifted to the city, the bond of friendship was broken. Yet, she presented she presented a picture of peace and contentment always. Her love for animals was reflected in the way she fed the dogs and sparrows. She did not like the English school but, never interfered. She accepted every decision of her grandson regarding his life with a calm and composed manner. Even in death, she achieved peace and contentment. QUESTION.2: Describe the intimate relationship of grandmother with the sparrows. How did the sparrows mourn her death ? Answer: Grandmother had love and compassion for animals. In the village, she fed the street dogs with bits of chapattis. In the city, she took to feeding the sparrows. She would sit in the verandah in the afternoons and break the bread into small crumbs. She would throw these crumbs to the hundreds of sparrows that gathered around her. They would perch themselves on her legs, shoulders and even on her head and feel the air with their noisy chirruping. It was the happiest half-hour of the day for her. On the death of grandmother, the sparrows paid a silent tribute to her. Thousands gathered around her dead body. They did not chirrup or accept the bread crumbs given by mother. They mourned her death in silence and flew away after her body was taken away for cremation. QUESTION.3: Describe the friendship between Khushwant Singh and hisgrandmother. Answer: Khushwant Singhs grandmother was closely involved in bringing him up when the author lived with her in the village during his early life. She used to wake him up early in the morning. While bathing and dressing him, she sang her prayers, she hoped that the young boy would learn it by heart. She then gave him breakfast a stale chapatti with butter and sugar. Then they would go together to the temple and school. While the author learnt his lesson, the grandmother would holy books. They returned home together. A turning point came in their friendship when his parents called them to city. Although they shared a room, she could not help him much. She hated music, science and western education. The common link of their friendship was gradually snapped. Q.1: The authors grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this? Answer: The authors grandmother was a highly religious lady. Her one hand was always busy in telling the beads of her rosary. Her lips constantly moved in an inaudible prayer. She used to get up early in the morning. She did her morning prayer in a monotonous sing -song. In village, she accompanied the author to the school and in stead of returning home, she used to sit in a temple reading scriptures which was attached to the school. It was because of her religious nature that she could not like the new English school in the city. She was unhappy because there was no teaching about God and scriptures at the city-school. Being a religious lady and a widow, she could be seen hobbling about the house in a spotless white dress.

When she realized that her end was near, she stopped talking. She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads till she took her last breathes. Q.2: Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feeling for each other change? Answer: The changing circumstances did have a bearing on the relationship between the author and his grandmother. Author and his grandmother lived as intimate friends in the village. A turning point came in their relationship when they came to the city to live with authors parents. The author joined an English school in the city. She remained confined to home as here she could not accompany him to the school. In the new English school she could not help him in studies. She could not like the kind of education being given to the author at the English school. The grandmother became disturbed as there was no teaching about God and scriptures in the new school. She reconciled herself with spinning and taking to feed the sparrows. When the narrator grew up, he went up to university and then went abroad. The common link of friendship between the author and his grandmother was snapped. His grandmother accepted her seclusion with resignation. No, their feelings for each other did not change though distances grew between them. Q.3: Would you agree that the authors grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this. Answer: Yes, it is a fact that the grandmother was a very strong personality. She was a highly religious lady. She was a conservative lady who hated modern views and ways. She had very strong personal likings and dislikes. Being a religious lady and a widow, she could be seen hobbling about the house in a spotless white dress. She used to get up early in the morning. She said her prayers in a monotonous sing-song. One of her hands was always telling the beads of her rosary. According to the author, she was a symbol of white serenity. She had peace and contentment. She had certain rigid ideas about life. She liked the village school because it was attached to the temple. She sat in the temple reading the scriptures. She hated the English school in the city for various reasons. She was unhappy that there was no teaching about God and the scriptures there. She was quite disturbed. They gave music lessons at the school. She considered it fit only for harlots and beggars and not meant for gentle folks. When the author returned from abroad after five years, he found her in the same condition. Before she died, she herself declared that her end was near. There were some unique changes in her behaviour. She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads. It is quite difficult to show complete agreement with her outdated views. But she was a strong and determined character. She led her own kind of life and never compromised with her principals. She loved the narrator deeply but never tried to be sentimental or emotional. She had a lasting