Page 1 :
EXAM, PRACTICE, , SHORT ANSWER, Type Questions |3 Marks each|, , 1 Why was it hard for the author to believe that, his grandmother was once young and pretty?, , Ans The author had always seen his grandmother as a, very old woman. For the past twenty years he had, seen her as an old lady with white hair and countless, lines running across her face. Because his first, impression about his grandmother was one of being, aged, it was hard for the author to believe that his, grandmother was once young and pretty., , , , 2 How does the author describe his, grandfather? :, , Ans The portrait of Khushwant Singh’s grandfather was, hung above the mantelpiece. He wore a big turban, and loose-fitting clothes. His long white beard, covered the major part of his chest. He looked a, hundred years old. To the author, he did not look the, , sort of person who would have a wife or children; he, looked as if he could only have lots and lots of, grandchildren., , 3 What stories of the grandmother did the, author treat as ‘Fables of the Prophets’? Why?, , Ans The author treated his grandmother’s stories about, her childhood and the games she used to play to be as, old as the ‘Fables of the Prophets’. He had always, seen his grandmother as an old, wrinkled, stooped, woman and could not imagine her as a young child., Thus, he considered her stories about her childhood, to be a fantasy and a myth. :, , 4 Describe the author’s grandmother. Was she, young and pretty once?, Ans The author’s grandmother was short, fat and slightly, , bent in stature. Her silvery white hair was scattered, over her wrinkled face., , Khushwant Singh remembers her hobbling around, the house in spotless white clothes with one hand, resting on her waist to balance her stoop and the, other busy in counting her beads., , It was difficult for the author to believe that once she, too was young and pretty as he had always known, her as an old woman. She had been the same for the, last twenty years. To the author, she was beautiful, , but not young and pretty., , 5 Elucidate the phrase ‘not pretty but beautify,, , with reference to the chapter., , Ans To the author, the grandmother was not pretty fy, , beautiful. She was beautiful in a peaceful way. He, remembered her counting the beads of her rosary, untiringly. Her silver locks lay scattered untidily oy,, her pale, puckered face and her lips constantly moved, in an inaudible prayer. She was like the winter, landscape in the mountains, serene and content,, , 6 Why could the grandmother not walk, , straight? How did she move around the, house?, , Ans The grandmother was short, fat and her body was, , bent due to her age. She was forced to put a hand to, her waist to support the stoop so that she could not, walk straight. So she hobbled around the house while, she was moving around, just like a lame person., , 7 Grandmother appeared like the ‘winter, , landscape in the mountains’. Discuss., , Ans The author brings out the inner beauty of the, , grandmother by comparing her to the winter, landscape in the mountains. This comparison shows, her calmness and serenity. Moreover, like the winter,, the grandmother too was going through the last stage, of her life. Just as the mountains are covered with, snow and appear white, the old lady was altogether, white with her white clothes, white hair and pale, skin. Through the comparison, the author brings out, the serenity and peacefulness of the grandmother., , 8 What kind of bond did the author and the, , grandmother share in the village?, , Ans In the village, the grandmother woke him up every, , morning and got him ready for school. She would, bathe and dress him. She gave him breakfast, got him, his slate and inkpot and then accompanied him to, school. While he studied at school, grandmother used, , _to-read the scriptures in the temple. When the school, was over, they would walk back home together and, feed the village dogs on the way. Thus, they shared a, very strong bond in the village., , 9 What was the daily routine of the, grandmother in the village?, , Ans The grandmother would wake up the narrator in the, , morning, bathe him and dress him for school before, giving him breakfast. Then she would get his writing, implements (slate with chalk, reed pen and an inkpot), ready and give them to him. Then she would, accompany him to school. While he was in the, school, she used to read the scriptures in the temple, next door to the school. Then she would accompany, the narrator back home and spend the rest of the ¢Y, with him.

Page 2 :
2, Which language do you use to talk to elderly, relatives in your family?, , Ans Do it yourself., , 3 How would you say ‘a dilapidated drum’ in, your language?, , ‘Ans Do it yourself., , 4 Can you think of a song or a poem in your, language that talks of homecoming?, , Ans Do it yourself., , WORKING WITH WORDS, , |. 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., Aw, 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, , 2. count while reciting, , 3. be sure ¢, , 4. give information to somebody, , _ Il. Notice the different senses of the word ‘take’., , 1 to take to something: to begin to do something, | as a habit, B 2 totake ill: to suddenly become ill, Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way, , they are used., , [I]. 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., heggle shuffle stride ride waddle, wriggle paddle swagger trudge slog, Answers, , I. 1 Her fingers weré busy telling the beads of her rosary —, count while reciting, , 2 I would tell her English words and little things of, , Western Science and learning — give information to, somebody, , 3 At her age one could never tell — be sure, , 4 She told us that her end was near — make something, known to someone in spoken or written words, , II. The instances where these phrases have been used in the, story are given below, , 1 “She took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of our, city house” — The grandmother began to feed the, sparrows as a habit when they shifted to the city., , 2 “The next morning she was taken ill” — It refers to the, author’s grandmother's sudden illness., , III. The words that also refer to a manner of walking are, , shuffle stride waddle, swagger trudge slog, , THING TO DO, , 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. Do it yourself.

Page 3 :
2, , Ans, , clothes, always counting the beads of her rosary and, reciting prayers. When the author was in the village, with her, he would always find her saying morning, prayers while she bathed him and dressed him in the, hope that her grandson would learn them by heart., The grandmother would always go to the village, school with her grandson because the school was, attached to the temple., , While, the children were taught, the grandmother, would sit inside the temple and read scriptures., When they moved to the city and the author got busy, in his education, she started devoting her time to, prayers. He always found her lips moving in silent, prayer and her hands counting the beads of her, rosary. She was doing the same when she went to, receive him at the station when he came back from, studying abroad. The last moments of her life were, spent in praying rather than talking to her family, members. All these instances show that the, grandmother was a religious person., , Describe the changing relationship between, the author and his grandmother. Did their, feelings for each other change?, , Changing circumstances affected the relationship, between the author and his grandmother. In the, village, the author and his grandmother spent most of, their time together. She used to get him ready for, school, accompany him to the school and help him in, his studies. But moving to the city proved to be a, turning point in their friendship. They still shared the, same room but the grandmother could no longer, accompany him to school or help him in his studies., , The grandmother did not like the kind of education, being given to the author at the English school. She, became disturbed and rarely talked. She reconciled, herself with spinning and feeding the sparrows., , The gap in their friendship was further widened, when the author went to the University and was, given a room of his own. She accepted her loneliness, and gave more time to praying., , However, their feelings for each other never changed., The author still respected her and she kept on loving, her grandson. She went to the station to see him off, when he was going abroad for higher studies., Further, when he returned from abroad after five, years, she celebrated his homecoming by singing, songs and beating the drum., , 3 Would you agree that the author’s, , grandmother was a person strong in, character? If yes, give instances to show this., , ns Yes, it is true that the author’s grandmother was a, , , , very strong personality. She was a highly religious, and conservative lady who hated modern views and, ways. She had very strong personal likes and dislikes., Being a religious lady and a widow, she could be seen, , Ans, , 1, , hobbling about the house in a spotless white dregs., counting and reciting the beads of her rosary., , She had certain rigid ideas about life. She liked the, village school as it was attached to the temple and, children were taught prayers and about God. She, hated the English school in the city for various, reasons. When she came to know about the music, lessons there, she rarely talked to the author., Moreover, when the author was leaving for abroad,, she showed no emotion and was not even, , sentimental., , She was a strong and determined character, as she led, her own kind of life and never compromised with her, principles. She loved the narrator deeply but never, showed her sentiments or emotions., , Even when she knew that she was dying, her, strength of character did not allow her to show any, sorrow or regret. All this shows that she was strong, , in character. Hs, , 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?, , Yes, I have known someone like the author’s, grandmother. She was none other than my own, grandmother. She was old, but not as old as the, author’s grandmother. Neither did she wear white., She was also fat and hobbled around the house., But she had a very strong voice. She was very, religious and fasted a lot., , I was very close to her and we shared a very strong, bond. Since the time I can remember, I had seen her, , taking care of my small needs. She loved me, unconditionally., , She was one of my closest friends and we also had, secrets. If someone scolded me, I would run straight, to her and she would hug me. The sweetest gesture, of her was hiding foodstuffs from others so that!, could eat them., , After she died, her death left a void in my life which, [have been unable to fill. Even while writing about, her, I have tears in my eyes. I miss her presence a lot, [ will always cherish the moments that I shared, , -with her., , THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE, , Which language do you think the author and, , his grandmother used while talking to each, other?, , Ans The author and his grandmother used to live ina, , village and belonged to a Punjabi Sikh family., Therefore, they must have used their mother tong¥, Punjabi, to converse with each other.

Page 4 :
scolding them for small mistakes, The grandmott, , had developed a special bond with the analesare pa, sparrows came in huge numbers and the vie, grandmother fed them with little bits of bread, Sometimes she also used to scold them, The sparro, perched on her legs, shoulders and even sat on We, head but she smiled and never shooed them away, , (g) the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum, Ans It points to the shabby and deteriorated condition of, the drum. The grandmother celebrated the, homecoming of the author by collecting the women, of the neighbourhood and getting an old drum. For, several hours she beat the worn out drum and sang, the songs related to the homecoming of warriors., , UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT, , { Mention the three phases of the author’s, , relationship with his grandmother before he, left the country to study abroad., , _ Ans The first phase of the author's relationship with his, , | grandmother was when the author’s parents went to, live in the city and left him with his grandmother., She took utmost care of him right from waking him, up in the morning to getting him ready for school., , They were always together and enjoyed an easy, companionship., , The second phase was when the author's parents, asked them to come to the city. This was the time, when Khushwant Singh’s relationship with his, grandmother changed. The author went to an English, school. She could no longer accompany him nor, , | could she help him in his studies. She continued, , | getting him ready for school and asking him about, , | his studies, as they shared the same room. However,, she rarely talked to him after learning that he was, learning music at school. Slowly the friendship, between them weakened. I, The third phase came when the common link of, friendship, the room they shared, snapped when the, , author moved to the University and was given a, room of his own. His grandmother accepted her, , seclusion with resignation., , 2. Mention three reasons why the author's _ :, | grandmother was disturbed when he starte, , i going to the city school., , | Ans The author’s grandmother was disturbed when he, started going to the city school because, , (i) She ith him to leave him to school, as, ) ae Oa ae ol bus. This broke her connection, with the author and disturbed her. a, | (ii) In the English school, she could not help ate., his lessons in English and Science BoC: S i ee, neither knew English nor Science. Thus s : ae, faith in what was being taught there, ane, , \, | was disturbed., 4], |, , , , (ii) She was unhappy that there was no teaching about, God and the scriptures in the school, Instead, music, , was being taught which, to her, had indecent, associations. This disturbed her the most., , 3 Mention three ways in which the author's, grandmother spent her days after he grew up., , Ans The three ways in which the author's grandmother, spent her days after he grew up were, , (i) She now spent most of her time at her spinning, wheel, spinning thread., , (ii) While spinning, she continued reciting her prayers,, rarely leaving her spinning to talk to anyone., , (ii) During the afternoons she relaxed for a while to feed, the sparrows. While she sat in the verandah, breaking the bread into little bits, hundreds of little, , birds collected round her. It used to be the happiest, half-hour of the day for her., , 4- Mention the odd way in which the author's, grandmother behaved just before she died., , Ans Just before the day the grandmother died, a change, came over her. She did not pray. She collected the, women of the neighbourhood, took an old drum and, started singing. Next morning, she was taken ill due, to overstraining. The doctor said it was a mild fever, , and will go away, but the grandmother thought, differently., , She told everyone that her end was near and she, would spend the last few living moments in prayer, and would not waste her time in talking to anyone., She lay peacefully in bed praying and before anyone, could suspect, her lips stopped moving. She passed, away peacefully., , 5 Mention the way in which the sparrows, expressed their sorrow when the author’s, grandmother died., , Ans In the evening, when the author and his family, members went to grandmother's room to take her for, the last rites, they saw thousands of sparrows sitting, scattered on the floor near her. They were silent. ., There was no chirping. The author's mother offered, them.some bread but the sparrows took no notice., After the grandmother’s body was taken away, the, sparrows flew away quietly. Thus, the sparrows, mourned her death and paid their silent tribute to the, grandmother in a unique manner., , TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT, 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 erandmother was a truly religious lady., She hobbled about the house in her spotless white

Page 5 :
Sz WORD MEANINGS, , The given page numbers correspond to the pages in, the prescribed NCERT textbook., , a ———— —- —, , , , , , , , ROLDER |, , Word Meaning, , PAGE 3 |, portrait true picture (Here we have a EEE i: all the short and long TWD, mantelpiece shelf above a fireplace questions of NCERT tex ., absurd ridiculous NOTICE THESE EXPRESSIONS, , , , fables of the, , stories of the Sikh Gurus, , , , , , , , Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the contex,, , prophets (a) the thought was almost revolting, PAGE 4 Ans The thought that the author’s grandmother was once young ar, hobbled walked with difficulty pretty raises a doubt in the mind of the author. He finds it to, , hard to believe, as he had always seen her in the same old and., stoop bent body due to old age wrinkled physical condition for the last twenty years., , telling the beads, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , counting the beads while (b) an expanse of pure white serenity, enanlngiplayers Ans It refers to the calm, peaceful and serene character and conduct, rosary a string of beads used for of the author’s grandmother. She is compared to the peaceful —, counting prayers as they are winter landscape in the mountains. She was always attired in, chanted spotless white clothes and had silver hair. She, thus, presented a, puckered wrinkled picture of pure white serenity. v, inaudible which cannot be heard (c) aturning-point, serenity calm and peaceful Ans It refers to the point where the author’s relationship with his, oF grandmother changes drastically after they move to the, monotonous unchanging city-house. The grandmother is unable to accompany the author, stale not fresh to school as he travels by motor bus. Neither is she able to help, him in his lessons. Although they share the same room, a sort of, in a chorus together distancing occurred in the relationship., pony ele Ree Pa Nes (d) accepted her seclusion with resignation, Ans This shows the author’s grandmother’s passive submission to, PAGE 5 her secluded life after she gradually loses touch with her, lewd indecent grandson. When the author was given a room of his own, the, 7 ‘common link of friendship between the two was snapped., harlots prostitutes However, the grandmother accepted her fate without complaint, bedlam confusion She rarely talked to anyone in the house and was busy spinmins, the wheel and reciting her prayers. Even when she relaxed, I!, thumped beat hard was to feed the sparrows., PAGE 6 (e) a veritable bedlam of chirpings, dilapidated falling to pieces Ans ie to the ea confusion and chaos caused by the oe, 1€ sparrows that sce e au, pallor pale colouring of the face grandmother, The edn wenee es ched aroun aa broke, shroud a piece of cloth used to cover the bread into little bits and threw it to the sparrows. Hundt ., a dead body before cremation of Sparrows collected around her and created a noise by thet, crude made in a simple manner continuous chirping,, scattered lying here and there (AD lrivolous rebukes, ns, , took no notice of, , did not care, , It refers to the casual and light-hearted rebukes of the, , grandmother to the sparrows. That day she rentised that sae., , would die and so was having some fun with the sparrows by