NCERT

SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 11th

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Book Name : Hornbill Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 English

Class : 11th
Subject : English
Chapter : 1
Chapter Name : The Portrait Of A Lady by Khushwant Singh

Q1 The three phases of the author's relationship with his grandmother before he left the country
to study abroad.

Answer. The author had shared a very amiable bond with his grandmother since his childhood.
However, their relationship evolved with time into three phases.
The first phase brings out the most loving moments caught between them. That was the golden
time he spent with his only guardian 'grandmother' in a village where she used to take care of
him entirely.
The second phase marked a turning point in their relationship when they both were called on to
a city by the author's parents. They still shared a room but grandmother barely talked to the
author as his involvement into modern science and music swizzed her deeply.
The third phase starts when the author was admitted into a University and was given a separate
room for him. This marked a complete seclusion of grandmother from her grandchild. They no
more shared an active bond as they used to in the village.

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Q2 Three reasons why the author's grandmother was disturbed when he started going to city
school.

Answer. As described by the author, his grandmother had always been a spiritual lady with high
values and principles. Her fascination with the holy scriptures made her to dislike the modern
science as it questions the existence of God. The three main reasons which left her
disappointed are;
1. The complete alienation of lessons from holy scriptures in the education system.
2. The purview of modern science that completely outshone the traditional way of learning.
3. She never believed music is worth learning for the dignified section of society. When she
came to know about the author being given music lessons at school, she was perturbed
badly.

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Q3 Three ways in which the author's grandmother spent her days after he grew up.

Answer. After their migration to the city, the relationship between the author and his
grandmother started to become passive. The author onset a new journey with his admission to
a modern school, thus the grandmother was completely secluded from his life. She could no

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Book Name : Hornbill Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 English

more help him in his advanced studies, she could no longer accompany him to his school but
spend her entire time at home. Here are the three ways she would spend her time doing;
1. Being rosary beads her best comrade, now the grandmother would spend more time in
reciting prayers.
2. Spinning wheel was the new activity she indulged herself in.
3. In the afternoon, she would sit in the verandah feeding innumerable sparrows with the
bread crumbs.
These were the activities she would pass her entire day with.

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Q4 The odd way in which the author's grandmother behaved just before she died.

Answer. Her peculiar behavior had set off in the evening after the homecoming of the author
when she thumped a 'sagging dilapidated drum' and sang for hours without even bothering
about her health.
The next day she fell ill and felt her demise was near. With this, she stopped talking to her
family members against their protest and chose to recite prayers while moving rosary beads in
her hands.
After a while, she entered into a new world.
Her entire behavior since the previous evening till her demise was much strange to the author
and other family members.

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Q5 The way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author's grandmother died.

Answer. The grandmother's death not only brought grief to her family members but to thousands
of sparrows as well which were her best company after her relationship with the author abated.
When the family members mourned in silence, sparrows expressed their grief by neglecting the
bread crumbs given to them by the author's mother.
They perched on the grandmother's leg, sit on her head with melodious chirruping when she
used to feed them. But after her demise they sat scattered on the floor with complete silence as
they were deeply hurt inside. When the corpse of the grandmother was carried away they flew
with it silently.

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Q1 The author's grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we
come to know this?

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Book Name : Hornbill Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 English

Answer. Undoubtedly the grandmother was a religious and highly spiritual lady. Her fascination
towards the religion has been described by the author in many ways. Some of the instances
inspired from her religious attitude are;
1. She would accompany the author to the school and sit inside the temple reciting prayers
from the holy scriptures everyday.
2. She had immense compassion for animals, as she would feed stray dogs everyday on
their way back home after school in the village and sparrows in the city.
3. She was highly disappointed when she heard of alienation of the lessons from holy
scriptures in the modern school.
4. After migrating to the city, she would devote more time in reciting the prayers rather than
talking to someone.
5. Even before her death when she felt her end was near, she chose to communicate with
God with her prayers rather than the family members.

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Q2 Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their
feelings for each other change?

Answer. The relationship of shared by the author and his grandmother had been dynamic all
through their lives. From being the village residents to city dwellers, their relationship went
through many changes. The time when they shared a beautiful, loving and active bond was the
one they spent in the village. Aftermath their migration to the city, it all became passive. They
still shared a room but grandmother no longer accompanied him to the school and the modern
education system pissed her off completely. That was the time when their conversations
became rarer to rarest when the author was given a separate room to live in.
There relationship was hovered by many disappointments. But the feelings and love for each
other never changed in either of them.

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Q3 Would you agree that the author's grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes,
give instances that show this.

Answer. Yes, the author's grandmother was an absolute idol of strong character. Strong
character is something found in those with splendid hearts, and there are many instances that
show Grandmother being the one;
1. Her immense love and compassion for stray dogs and sparrows, depicts her
humanitarian behavior.
2. Her fondness of Religion makes her life affected by it, which is indeed a manifestation of
living a highly principled life.

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Book Name : Hornbill Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 English

Q4 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?

Answer. Yes. The author's grandmother had been a very religious lady which is a major trait
almost all the grandmothers across the world possess.
My Grandmother shares it as well, and my love for her is equally indispensable as it was for
author towards his grandmother.

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Q1 Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each
other?

Answer. People generally communicate in their mother-tongue with their family, since the author
was Punjabi , they might have communicated in the same.

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Q2 Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family?

Answer. Students ought to answer this.

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Q3 How would you say 'a dilapidated drum' in your language?

Answer. This must be answered by the students, know its meaning in your mother tongue. In
Hindi it would be , 'phata hua dholak'

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Q4 Can you think of a song or poem in your language that talks of homecoming?

Answer. Students ought to answer this.

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QI Notice the following uses of 'tell' in the text.

Given below are four different senses of the word 'tell'. Match the meanings to the uses listed
above.
i) make something known to someone in spoken or written words.

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Book Name : Hornbill Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 English

ii) count while reciting

iii) be sure
iv) give information to somebody

Answer.
1) At her age one could never tell.
2) She told us that her end was near.
3) Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
4) I would tell her English words and little things of Western science and learning.

The match is;

i) make something known to someone- 4) I would tell her English words and little things of
Western science and learning.
ii) count while reciting - 3) Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
iii) be sure - 1) At her age one could never tell
iv)give information to somebody - 2) She told us that her end was near.

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QII Notice different senses of the word 'take'.

i) to take to something: to begin to do something as a habit
ii) to take ill: to suddenly become ill
Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way they are used.

Answer. i) "..she took to feeding sparrows.." indicates the use of 'take to' in the sense of
acquiring a habit.
ii) "The next morning she was taken ill" indicates the meaning 'to suddenly become ill'.

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QIII 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.

Haggle, Shuffle, Stride, Ride, Waddle, Wriggle, Paddle, Swagger, Trudge , Slog

Answer. The words that also refer to a manner of walking are: shuffle, stride, waddle, slog,
paddle, swagger, trudge.

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