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Short Answer Questions
Short Answer Questions
Answer: This was the address of Mrs. Dorling, the woman who had carried the valuable items
from the narrators mother to her home giving assurance to keep them in her safe custody
during war time. Before dying narrators mother gave this address to the narrator. So the
narrator went there to claim the belongings of her mother.
Question 2. "I was in a room I knew and did not know", says the narrator in the story 'The
Address'. What prompted her to make this observation?
Answer: The narrator found her in the midst of things she was familiar with and which she did
not want to see again. However, she found these things in a strange atmosphere where
everything was lying in a tasteless manner. The ugly furniture and the muggy smell created the
feeling as if, she did not know the room.
Question 3. "Of all the things I had to forget, that would be the easiest." What does the
speaker mean by that? What is its significance in the story?
Answer: The word "That" here stands for the address of Mrs. Dorling i.e., Number 46 Marconi
Street. The story moves around the address which is also the title of the story. It is significant
because, the address was very important for the narrator in the beginning of the story although,
at the end she resolves to forget it as she wants to break off with the painful past and move on
with the present into the future.
Question 4. Who is Mrs. Dorling? Do you justify her behaviour in the story?
In the story Mrs. Dorling exploits Mrs. Ss fears and insecurity during the war. She insists Mrs. S
and took away all her valuable things after giving assurance that she would keep them safe until
the war was over. In fact, Mrs. Dorling had no intentions of returning the valuables as she was
sure that Mrs. S and her family would not survive the war. So when the narrator, Mrs. Ss
daughter, went to Mrs. Dorlings house to claim those articles to which her mothers
precious memories were associated, she even pretended not to recognize her. In stead of
returning those articles to the narrator, she shamelessly used them which actually belonged to
the narrators mother and also behaved rudely to the narrator. So, in the context of the above
Mrs. Dorlings behaviour can not be justified.
Question 5. Why did the narrator of the story The Address feel that she had rung the
wrong bell? How was she then assured that she was at the right place?
Answer: When the narrator rung the door bell, a woman appeared half-hidden by the door. She
refused to recognize the narrator even though she was told that the narrator was Mrs. Ss
daughter. This made the narrator think that she had rung the wrong bell.
But the woman remarked Have you come back? I thought that no one had come back.
indicated her recognizing the narrator. Also when the narrator saw the lady wearing her
mothers knitted green cardigan, the narrator got assured that the lady was Mrs. Dorling and she
was at the right place.
Question 6. Comment on the significance of the title of the story 'The Address'. OR,
Justify the title of the short storyThe Address.
Answer: Marga Minco very aptly titled the story 'The Address'. The narrator and her mother
were victims of war. They had to flee from their house leaving all their nice belongings with Mrs.
Dorling after getting an assurance from her for the safe custody of those things during the war.
The narrators mother had told the address of Mrs. Dorling 46, Marconi Street to her daughter
before she died during the war. When the war was over the narrator came back and went to
Mrs. Dorlings address in search of those 'nice things' with which the fond memories of her
mother were associated. But when the narrator reached there, she found all those things were
lying in a very tasteless manner. Mrs. Dorling even pretends not to recognize her nor did she
show any intention of returning those articles which she was using shamelessly.
Sadly then the narrator feels this address has no meaning at all as the precious memories of the
true owner were no longer cherished at their new address. The narrator in the end resolves to
forget 46, Marconi Street forever. Hence, the title The Address is quite appropriate and bears a
definite meaning for the story.
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