Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of A Lady

Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of A Lady Question Answer to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse through different chapters Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 The Portrait of A Lady, Class 11 English Hornbill Question Answer, HS 1st year English Notes and select needs one.

Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of A Lady

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Also, you can read the SCERT Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of A Lady book Notes online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per SCERT (CBSE) Book guidelines. These solutions are part of SCERT All Subject Solutions. Here we have given Assam Board Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of A Lady Solutions for All Subjects, You can practice these here.

The Portrait of A Lady

Chapter: 1

HORNBILL

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

MENTION

1. 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:

(i) The author and his grandmother had a good relationship. She used to wake him up and get him ready for school. She used to pack the things required by him for the day and walked him to school every day. She used to visit the temple that was attached to the school.

(ii) In the second phase the parents of the author went to the city to settle in and called them. In the city, his relationship with his grandmother took a turn. He started going to an English medium school, she no longer accompanied him to his school.

(iii) In the third phase the author became busy with his school activities, his studies increased and he started using difficult words with his grandmother. She found it uncomfortable with the new topics of study and hurt to know that there were music lessons in the new school. After that, she started being with herself and their friendship became weaker.

2. 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 are:

(i) The author started going to an English medium school by motor bus, which meant the grandmother could no longer accompany him or help him with his lessons.

(ii) She was disturbed by the subjects taught in school, such as the laws of gravity and Archimedes’ principles, as they did not include teachings about God or religious scriptures.

(iii) She was upset that the author developed an interest in music, which she believed was meant only for harlots and beggars. However, she did not openly express her disapproval.

3. Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up. 

Ans: Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up are:

(a) She stopped interacting with others and spent her days quietly at her spinning wheel.

(b) With one hand, she moved the beads of her rosary while softly reciting prayers.

(c) Her happiest moments were spent at dawn, feeding the sparrows in the verandah, finding comfort in their presence.

4. The Odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died. 

Ans: When the author’s grandmother fell ill, she believed that her death was near. Despite everyone’s reassurance, she was convinced that her illness was due to missing her prayers the previous evening. Determined not to waste any time, she chose to spend her final moments in devotion. Lying peacefully in bed, she started praying and counting her beads. Moments later, the rosary slipped from her hands, and her lips stopped moving. A serene expression settled on her face that she had passed away in peace.

5. The way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.

Ans: The sparrows expressed their sorrow in a remarkable way when the author’s grandmother died. Thousands of them gathered in the verandah and her room, silently sitting on the floor near her lifeless body. Unlike their usual chirping, they remained completely quiet, creating an atmosphere of mourning. Even when the narrator’s mother offered them bread crumbs, they did not eat, showing their grief in their own silent manner. As the grandmother’s body was carried away for cremation, the sparrows flew away quietly. The next morning, the untouched bread crumbs were swept into the dustbin.

Talk to your partner about the following:

1. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?

Ans: The author’s grandmother was a deeply religious woman. She always kept her fingers busy counting the beads of her rosary, while her lips continuously moved in silent prayer. She would wake up early in the morning and recite her prayers in a monotonous sing-song manner. Every day, she accompanied the narrator to school, as it was attached to a temple, where she would sit and read the scriptures.

She was a traditional and conservative lady who disapproved of modern education. She disliked the English school in the city because it did not include religious teachings or scriptures. This lack of spiritual education disturbed her. She was also displeased with the inclusion of music lessons, believing that music was meant only for harlots and beggars, not for respectable people.

The only time she did not pray was the day the narrator returned from abroad, which was unusual for her. However, she soon made up for this lapse. When she sensed that her end was near, she stopped speaking, lying peacefully in bed, praying and counting her beads. Eventually, her lips ceased to move, and the rosary slipped from her lifeless fingers.

2. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change? 

Ans: In the early years of their relationship, the author and his grandmother shared a close bond of friendship and togetherness, especially when he lived with her after his parents moved to the city. However, this dynamic changed when they, too, had to relocate. The grandmother felt a deep sense of loss as she could no longer be involved in his school life. As he grew older, their time together gradually decreased, and she spoke to him less and less. Their connection weakened further when he was given a separate room, marking the final break in their shared companionship.

Despite this growing distance, their love and affection for each other remained unchanged. When the author left for higher studies, she went to the railway station to see him off, expressing her emotions in her own quiet way. The author cherished the moist imprint of her kiss on his forehead. Upon his return, though she did not openly display her joy, her happiness was evident in everything she did.

3. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this. 

Ans: Yes, I agree that the author’s grandmother was a woman of strong character and unwavering beliefs. Though she lacked formal education, she deeply valued the author’s learning. However, she struggled to accept the Western influence of Science and English education. She strongly disapproved of music, believing it was not meant for respectable people.

Despite facing loneliness, she found ways to keep herself engaged. She never openly displayed her emotions or broke down in tears. When she went to the railway station to see off her grandson, she simply continued praying and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. Her deep faith in God and devotion to prayer were the sources of her inner strength. When she realized her end was near, she sought to make up for the prayers she had missed the previous evening. Lying peacefully in bed, she spent her final moments reciting prayers and counting the beads of her rosary until she took her last breath.

4. 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: Yes, I have experienced the same sense of loss for a loved one who has passed away. My grandfather died when I was in 4th standard. The death of my grandfather has been a great loss to me. I played with him every afternoon. He told me a story every evening. I still Remember the things he had told me. 

1. Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?

Ans: The author and his grandmother would have used their mother tongue to converse with each other. It is a common sight in Asian cultures. The author, Khushwant Singh, belonged to Punjab. Local and elderly there are well versed in Punjabi, their native language.

2. Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family? 

Ans: I belong to an Assamese speaking area. I use assamese language while talking to elderly relatives in my family.

3. How would you say ‘a dilapidated drum’ in your language? 

Ans: ‘A dilapidated drum’ in my language means “dhol”.

4. Can you think of a song or a poem in your language that talks of homecoming?

Ans: Students, do yourself.

Ⅰ. Notice the following uses of the word ‘tell’ in the text. 

1. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary. 

2. I would tell her English words and little things of Western science and learning. 

3. At her age one could never tell. 

4. 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: Her fingers were busy telling the head of her rosary-Count while reciting.

2. count while reciting.

Ans: I would tell her English words and little things western science and learning-make something known to someone in spoken or written words.

3. Be sure.

Ans: At her age one could never tell-be sure.

4. Give information to somebody.

Ans: She told us that her end was near- give information to somebody.

ⅠⅠ. Notice the different senses of the word ‘take’. 

1. To take to something: to begin to do something as a habit.

2. To take ill: to suddenly become ill Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way they are used.

Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way they are used.

Ans: There were no dogs in the streets and she took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of our city house. 

Here, the author’s grandmother developed the habit of feeding sparrows in their city house as she could no longer feed the street dogs.

‘The next morning she was taken ill’.

The author’s grandmother suddenly fell ill in the morning due to excessive strain the previous evening.

III. The word ‘hobble’ means to walk with difficulty because the legs and feet are in bad condition.

Tick the words in the box below that also refer to a manner of walking.

Ans: 

Shuffle – Walk without lifting one’s feet clear of the ground.

Stride – Walk with long steps.

Waddle – Walk with short steps and a swaying movement.

Paddle – Walk with bare feet in shallow water.

Swagger – Walk with excessive pride.

Trudge – Walk laboriously.

Slog – Walk hard and steadily.

Notice the form of the verbs italicised in these sentences. 

1. My 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.

 Ans: We understood the poem only when the teacher had explained it twice.

2. When we both had finished we would walk back together. 

Ans: When the rain came, they had already reached their hotel.

3. When I came back she would ask me what the teacher had taught me. 

Ans: We had worked together on that project for six months before she left me.

4. It was the first time since I had known her that she did not pray. 

Ans: It was the first time since I had lived there that it had begun to snow.

5. The sun was setting and had lit her room and verandah with a golden light. 

Ans: The full moon was in the sky and had scattered its soft light all around.

These are examples of the past perfect forms of verbs. When we recount things in the distant past we use this form.

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: My relationship with my grandfather was like a best friend. He always plays with me after my class. He told me stories evernight. I used to sleep with him when I was in middle school. Time passed when I moved to high school. My communication with my grandfather had reduced due to my busy study schedule. We used to share the same room but now we sometimes played or shared time like in the past. I miss the beautiful moments when I used to be a kid and spend all my time with grandfather. Those highly fanciful stories were full of deeds of bravery or adventure and end on a note of success. They inspired me to do noble deeds in life. He was equally careful about my health and studies. He was good at drawing and helped me in writing alphabets. He also gave ready-made solutions to all my problems. Now he is not with us but I believe he would bless me whenever I got success in any field-studies, sports, song, poetic recitation, poster making etc. Sometimes I miss him a lot.

Dev Kirtonia

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