My Mother at Sixty-Six

By Kamala Das
I. Read the following extract and choose the most appropriate option foreach question.
I saw my mother,beside me, doze, open mouthed,
her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised with pain
that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought away,
and looked out at Young Trees sprinting,
1. Kamala Das turned her attention from her mother, because
a) She was feeling guilty.
b) She was shirking her responsibility
c) She was trying to escape from pain filled emotions.
d) She didn‘t like the idea of her mother growing old.
2. The Poetic Device used in the above lines is also found in a) Leena is the Latha Mangeshkar of
Hyderabad.
b) Ayra is as cool as a cucumber to receive the heavy news.
c) The elephant is heavier than many other animals.
d) He is a tiger
3. The words ‗doze‘ and ‗ashen‘ reflect that the mother was a) Tired and sleepy
b) Sick and unhealthy
c) Lost strength and vigour as she had grown old
d) Hale and healthy
4. What did the poet realize seeing her mother beside her in the car?
a) That her mother may not survive for long
b) That her mother was suffering
c) That her mother wanted her to be with her.
d) That she wanted to go with her daughter.
5. ‗Thought Away‘ means
a) Diverted
b) Escaped c) Drifted
d) Avoided
6. ‗ Trees sprinting‘ contains
a) Metaphor
b) Personification
c) Simile
d) Alliteration
7. The Literary Devices used in the above extract are
a) Simile and Refrain
b) Simile and personification
c) Simile and Alliteration
d) Only simile
II. Read the following extract and choose the most appropriate option for
each question.
I looked again at her,
wan, pale as a late winter‘s moon and felt that old familiar ache,
my childhood‘s fear, but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile......
1. Kamala Das comparing her mother to winter moon signifies a) Human life is as short as that of the
moon.
b) Though the mother is old, she is still beautiful
c) Winter is the last season of the year
d) Mother is about to die
2. Though she feels painful, kamala Das smiles on …
a) To hide her sad feelings and emotions
b) To encourage her mother to smile and feel good
c) Not to dishearten her mother by showing her worried face
d) All the above
3. The tone of the poem is a) Pensive and sorrowful
b) Disillusioned and unhappy
c) Happy but discontented
d) Remorseful
My Mother at Sixty Six
1. Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain that she was as old as she
looked but soon put that thought away….
(a) Choose the option that best applies to the given extract
1. a conversation 2. an argument 3. a piece of advice 4. a strategy
5. a recollection 6. a suggestion
a) 1, 3 & 6
b) 2, 4 & 5
c) Only 5
d) Only 1
(c) Choose the option that applies correctly to the two statements given below.
Assertion: The poet wards off the thought of her mother getting old quickly.
Reason: The poet didn’t want to confront the inevitability of fate that was to dawn upon her mother.
(i) Assertion can be inferred but the Reason cannot be inferred.
(ii) Assertion cannot be inferred but the Reason can be inferred.
(iii) Both Assertion and Reason can be inferred.
(iv) Both Assertion and Reason cannot be inferred.
(d) Choose the option that displays the same literary device as in the given lines of the extract.
her face ashen like that of a corpse…
(i) Just as I had this thought, she appeared and…
(ii) My thoughts were as heavy as lead that evening when …
(iii) I think like everyone else who…
(iv) I like to think aloud when
2.Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
Driving from my parent’s home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with pain

1. What question arises from the complexity of the situation in the poem?
A) how to overcome fears
B) how to do one’s duties
C)how to take care of the parents
D)How to strike a balance between duties and responsibilities
2. Who is the poet of this poem?
A) John Keats
B) Rudyard Kipling
C) William Wordsworth
D) Kamala Das
3. What is her work known for?
A) for its originality, versatility and flavor of the soil
B) for its popularity
C) for its style
D) for the expressions used
4. What does the poem revolve around?
A) poet’s fears
B) poet’s love for her mother
C) poet’s journey
D)Theme of advancing age and fears associated with it
3.Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. that she was as old as she
looked but soon put that thought away, and
looked out at Young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes,
1. What do the running trees signify?
A) fast moving appearance
B) speed of the moving car
C) fast moving change in human life from childhood to old age
D) none
2. Which poetic device is used here ‘she was as old as she looked’
A) Metaphor
B) Simile
C) Alliteration
D) Repetition
3. What is the significance of the title My Mother at Sixty Six?
A) Poet’s fear of losing her old mother
B) Poet’s fear of moving fast
C) Poet’s inability to express her feelings
D) All of these
4. Why are the trees described as sprinting?
A) their running appearance and to show fast moving change of human life
B) to show their running appearance
C) to tell how trees look from a running car
D) to show the speed of the car
4.Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
but after the airport’s security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter’s moon and felt that
old familiar ache, my childhood’s fear, but all I said was, see you soon,
Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile......
1. What thought did the poet put away?
A) of her mother’s declining health
B) to wake up her mother
C) of leaving her parent’s house
D) that she would not be able to bid adieu to her mother
2. The example of a Metaphor in the above extract is:
A) Merry children spilling out of their homes
B) Trees sprinting
C) late winter’s moon
D) Both (A) and (B)
3. The joyful scene of trees and children did not drive away the poet’s painful thought because:
A) she was feeling emotional
B) her mother was looking old and pale
C) of her mother’s poor health
D) all of the above
4 What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
A) Losing her mother
B) heart attack
C) headache
D) children screaming at her
5. And looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old
familiar ache…
a) What is the most likely reason the poet capitalised ‘Young Trees’? This was to
(i) convey a clearer meaning
(ii) highlight the adjective-noun combination
(iii) enhance the contrast
(iv) draw a connection with the title
[Answer (iii)
(c) Choose the option that completes the sentence given below.
Just as the brightness of the winter’s moon is veiled behind the haze and mist, similarly,
____________.
(i) the pain of separation has shaded mother’s expression.
(ii) age has fogged mother’s youthful appearance.
(iii) growing up has developed a seasoned maturity in the poet.
(iv) memories warm the heart like the pale moon in winter. [Ans. (ii)
(