Story of my life - Helen Keller

Q1. Evaluate Helen Keller’s ‘The Story of My Life’ as an autobiography, describing the struggles and
achievements of her life.
Ans. Helen Keller’s famous autobiography ‘The Story of My Life’ explores the challenges she faced as a deaf and
dumb child and her struggles of communicating with the world. The autobiography was dedicated to Alexander
Graham Bell. He had taken a personal interest in Helen’s blindness and deafness. Helen Keller also shows her
gratitude to her wonderful teacher Miss Sullivan. Helen Keller was born on a plantation in Tuscumbia, Alabama, on
June 27, 1880 to Captain Keller. She contracted an illness which left her deaf and blind. By the age of seven, Helen
had over sixty home signs to communicate with her family. In 1886, Helen Keller’s mother sent her to Dr. Chisolm
and Graham Bell. Bell advised her parents to contact Perkins Institute for the Blind. The advent of Miss Sullivan was
the most important event in her life. Anne Sullivan arrived in Keller’s house in March, 1887. She immediately
began to teach Helen to communicate by spelling words into her hand. Gradually, she learnt from Miss Sullivan the
names of all the familiar objects in her world. The autobiography describes graphically Helen’s herculean efforts to
get an education. She entered The Cambridge School for Young Ladies before gaining admittance to Radcliffe
College in 1990. She graduated from Radcliffe at the age of 24, in 1904. She was the first person to earn a Bachelor
of Arts degree. One of Keller’s earliest pieces of writing was ‘The Frost King’ (1891) at the age of eleven. There
were allegations that the story had been plagiarised from Margaret Canby’s ‘The Frost Fairies’. At the age of 22,
Keller published ‘The Story of My Life (1903), written during her time in college. Keller depended on books for
pleasure and wisdom. She started with ‘Little Lord Fauntleroy’. She went on to read ‘‘Greek Heroes’’, La Fontaine’s
‘‘Fables’’, Howthorne’s ‘‘Wonder Book’’, ‘‘Bible Stories’’, Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare, ‘‘The Arabian Nights’’
and ‘‘Robinson Crusoe. In ‘The Story of My Life’ Helen also writes about her pleasures and amusements.
Swimming, rowing, canoeing on moonlight nights and sailing were her favourite amusements. Helen Keller had a
sixth sense – ‘a soul sense’ which could see, hear, feel all in one. She loved to visit museums and art stores. Music
and theatre thrilled her. In the end, the autobiography describes the important persons whom she valued
more than anything else in life. They were Bishop Brooks, Henry Drummond, Dr. Everett Hale, Dr. Alexander
Graham Bell, Mrs. Hutton, Dean Howell’s and of course, Mark Twain. These were the persons and friends who had
made the story of her life. They turned her limitations into beautiful privileges and achievements.

Q2. Describe the theme of Helen Keller’s ‘The Story of My Life’.

Ans. ‘The Story of My Life’ is based on the value of perseverance. It also glorifies the tireless and undying spirit of
overcoming insurmounting hurdles and obstacles in life. Due to sheer perseverance, a deaf and dumb child Helen
Keller learnt to communicate and interact with the outerward in a meaningful way. There is no doubt that at
moments she felt helpless and frustrated but Helen was determined to succeed. She was a wonderful fighter.
Helen Keller overcame the seemingly insurmountable obstacles and blindness. She became an icon of
perseverance and untiring struggle throughout the world. The autobiography ‘The Story of My Life’ was written
when she was only 22 years old. Her autobiography ‘The Story of My Life’ still motivates and guides thousands of
those unfortunate blind and deaf children for whom there is only darkness and silence in the world. She lived in
her isolated world until Miss Sullivan came to open up a world of communication to her. Anne taught her manual
sign language, braille and lip-reading. Helen’s achievements are awesome. She had a thirst for knowledge and her
love for learning and books was intense. It is quite amazing how she could lead a productive and purposeful life
with all her handicaps. Another important theme of the autobiography is the message that even the blind and the
deaf can lead a wholesome, purposeful and exciting life. Helen Keller set an example for all the physically
challenged, especially the deaf and the dumb. She became the first blind and deaf to earn a bachelor degree. She
enjoyed reading Shakespeare, Dickens and had good grounding in Greek and Latin. She read almost all the leading
French and German writers. She loved swimming, sailing, canoeing, visiting mountains and beaches. She had an
inner eye that could feel the beautiful sights, sounds, inner and smells of Nature. She loved the company of the
famous and great personalities of her times such as Alexander Graham Bell and Mark Twain.

Q3. Describe the plot or the structure of Helen Keller’s ‘The Story of My Life’.
Ans.Helen Keller’s ‘The Story of My Life’ was published in 1903 when she was at the age of twenty two. It includes
the story of her life and was written during her time in Redcliffe College. The story of Keller’s ability to
communicate despite of her insurmountable handicaps immediately fascinate people. Her story gives us an idea of
what it means to be both deaf and blind. She faces extraordinary difficulties, limitations and handicaps with
courage and grace. The plot or the storyline of ‘The Story of My Life’ covers only her childhood and young
womanhood. The story of Helen Keller’s life is incomplete as she had more than sixty years yet to live. Her story
serves as a model for what the physically disabled can accomplish. The storyline starts with the mysterious illness
that left her deaf and dumb when she was just one and a half years old. The advent of Miss Sullivan changed the
very course of her life. The first five chapters describe how Miss Sullivan taught her words by spelling them into
her hands. In this way, she learnt words like ‘‘d-o-l-l’’, ‘‘s-i-t’’, ‘‘p-i-n’’, ‘‘h-a-t’’, ‘‘c-u-p’’, etc. The next important
step in her education was learning to read. She learnt to speak in 1890. The winter of 1890 was darkened by the
charge of plagiarism against her for writing ‘The Frost King’.Chapters XVI to XXI describe Helen’s struggle to read
various subjects and languages and to get an education. She became the first deaf and blind to earn a university
degree.
‘The Story of My Life’ devotes Chapter XXII to describe Helen’s pleasures and amusements. Swimming, rowing,
canoeing, sailing were her thrilling pastimes. Blindness and deafness couldn’t rob her of her sixth sense—a soul
sense which would see, hear, feel, all in one. The last chapter XXIII is devoted to great men of letters and friends
like Bishop Brooks, Dr. Hale, Dr. Graham Bell, Mr. & Mrs. Hutton and of course, Mark Twain. They made the story
of Helen’s life and transcended her limitations to new privileges and opportunities.

Q4. Describe Helen Keller’s early life before the advent of her teacher Miss Sullivan.
Ans. Helen Keller was born on a plantation in Tuscumbia, Alabama on June 27, 1880 to Captain Arthur Keller. Her
father was a former officer of the Confederate Army. Helen was the first baby in the family. The happy days didn’t
last long. In the month of February came the illness that closed her eyes and ears. Except for some fleeting
memories, all seemed like a nightmare. But during the first nineteen months of her life she had caught faint
glimpses of green fields, sky, trees and flowers. The darkness that followed could not wholly blot them out. Her
hands started feeling every object and observed every motion. She started making crude signs to communicate
with others. A shake of head meant ‘‘No’’ and a nod, meant ‘‘Yes’’. A push meant ‘‘Go’’ and a pull meant ‘‘Come’’.
At five, she learned and understood a good deal of what was going on about her. She could fold her clothes and
wear them. She began to realise that she was different from other people. Her mother and friends didn’t use signs
as she did but talked with their mouths. In those days, a little coloured girl, Martha, the daughter of her cook
understood her signs. They spent a great deal of time kneading dough balls and feeding the hens and turkeys.
Belle, her dog was her other companion. The family consisted of her father and mother, two older half-brothers,
and afterwards, a little sister, Mildred. For a long time she regarded her sister an intruder as she had ceased to be
her mother’s only darling.
Helen’s desire to express herself grew. Her failures to make herself understood was followed by outbursts of
passion. Her mother’s only ray of hope came from Dickens’s ‘‘American Notes’’. She had read an account of Laura
Bridgman who had been educated instead of being deaf and blind. At the age of six, Dr. Alexander Graham Bell
advised her father to contact Mr. Anagnos, the director of the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston. Within a
few weeks Mr. Anagnos gave a comforting assurance that a teacher, Miss Sullivan had been found to teach Helen.
Naturally, the most important day in all her life was the one on which her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan came.
It was the third of March, 1887. And ‘the light of love shone’ on her in that very hour.

Q5. How was the advent of Anne Mansfield Sullivan, the most important day in her life? Describe the
‘immeasurable contrasts’ between the two lives which it connects’. How did Helen Keller react at her first
meeting with Miss Sullivan?
Ans. Certainly, the advent of Anne Mansfield Sullivan was the most important day in Helen Keller’s life. Helen was
filled with wonder when she considered the immeasurable contrasts before and after her arrival in her life. On that
day she stood on the porch, dumb and expectant. She was like a ship at sea in a dense fog before her education
began. ‘‘Light, give me light !’’ was the wordless cry of her soul. And the light of love shone on her in that very
hour. She felt approaching footsteps and stretched out her hand. She was caught up and held close in the arms of
her teacher. She had come to reveal the light of knowledge and above all, to love her.
Miss Sullivan gave her a doll sent by the little blind children at Perkins Institute. She spelled into her hand the word
‘‘d-o-l-l’’. Helen was at once interested in the finger play and tried to imitate it. When she was able to spell the
words correctly, she was filled with childish pride and pleasure. In the days that followed she learnt to spell ‘pin’,
‘hat’, ‘cup’ and a few verbs like ‘sit’, ‘stand’ and ‘walk’. She understood that everything had a name. Gradually she
came to know that a wordless sensation was called a ‘thought’. Somehow the mystery of language was revealed to
her. She knew that ‘‘w-a-t-e-r’’ meant something cool that was flowing over her hand. The living word ‘awakened’
her soul. Each name gave birth to a thought. Helen learned a great many new words that day. These words made
the world blossom for her, ‘like Aaron’s rod, with flowers.’’ For the first time Helen longed for a new day to come.

Q6. Describe the ‘slow and often painful process’ through which the deaf and blind child Helen Keller acquired
the ‘key to all language’? How did she learn to spell and read words?
Ans. It was really ‘a slow and often painful process’ through which the deaf and blind child Helen Keller acquired
the key to ‘all language’. Children who can hear can acquire language without any special effort. The first word that
her teacher, Miss Sullivan spelled into her hand was ‘‘d-o-l-l’’. In the days that followed she learned to spell many
words like ‘‘pin’’, ‘‘hat’’, ‘‘cup’’ and a few verbs like ‘‘sit’’, ‘‘stand’’ and ‘‘walk’’. At that time she even didn’t know
that everything has a name. Then she realised that a wordless sensation was called a ‘thought’. She understood
that everything had a name and each name gave birth to a new thought. Miss Sullivan had taught her to find
beauty in the fragrant woods and in every blade of grass. She linked Helen’s earliest thought with nature. She
made her feel that ‘birds and flowers’ and she herself were ‘happy peers’.
Helen Keller’s ideas were vague and her vocabulary was inadequate. But as she learned more and more words her
field of inquiry broadened. One morning she asked Miss Sullivan the meaning of the word ‘‘love’’. Miss Sullivan put
her arm gently round her and spelled into her hand, ‘‘I love Helen’. ‘‘What is love?’’ she asked. Miss Sullivan drew
her closer and pointing to her heart said, ‘‘It is here’’. Once Helen was finding difficulty in stringing beads of
different sizes. She was puzzled. Miss Sullivan touched her forehead and spelled the word with decided emphasis,
‘‘Think’’. In a flash Helen knew that the word was the name of the process that was going in her head. Miss Sullivan
had a wonderful faculty for description. Helen was not interested in the science of numbers. But Helen learnt from
life itself. When Miss Sullivan came, everything about her breathed of love and joy and full of meaning.

Q7. Describe Helen Keller’s stay at the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.
Ans. It was Alexander Graham Bell who advised Helen’s parents to contact the Perkins Institute for Blind for her
education. It was the institute where Laura Bridgman, a deaf and blind child had been educated. It was located in
South Boston. Michael Anaganos, the director, asked former student Anne Sullivan to become Keller’s instructor.
Miss Sullivan herself was visually impaired.
Helen made friends with the litle blind children. It was a unique pleasure to talk with other blind children in her
own language. Until then she had been speaking through an interpreter like a foreigner. All the eager and loving
children gathered round her and joined heartily in her frolics. They could read the books with their fingers. They
were so happy and contented that she lost all sense of pain in the pleasure of their companionship. With the blind
children she felt thoroughly at home in her new environment.
Helen learnt to speak in the spring of 1890. The impulse to utter audible sounds had always been strong within
her. Mrs. Lamson, who had been one of Laura Bridgeman’s teachers came to see Helen. She had taught a deaf and
blind child to speak in Norway. Helen resolved that she would learn to speak. Miss Fuller offered to teach her and
gave eleven lessons in all. Her first connected sentence was, ‘‘It is warm.’’

Q8. When and how did Helen Keller learn to speak? How did she feel when she spoke to her mother and little
Mildred after arriving home in Tuscumbia?
Ans.It was in the spring of 1890 that Helen Keller learned to speak. The impulse to utter audible sounds had always
been strong within her. She used to make noises. She kept one hand on her throat while the other hand felt the
movements of her lips. She was pleased with anything that made a noise. It was her urge to feel the cat purr and
the dog bark. She was entirely dependent on the manual alphabet. But she was determined to use her lips and
voice. Friends discouraged her. But the story of Ragnhild Kaata inspired her to succeed. In 1890, Mrs. Lamson
returned from Norway and came to see Helen Keller. She told her of a deaf and blind girl named Ragnhild Kaata.
Mrs. Lamson had taught her to speak. Helen resolved that she too would learn to speak. Miss Sullivan took Helen
to Miss Sarah Fuller. She offered to teach her herself. Miss Fuller passed Helen’s hand over her face and let her feel
the position of her tongue and lips when she made a sound. She was eager to imitate every motion and in an hour
had learned six elements of speech: M, P, A, S, T, I. Miss Fuller gave eleven lessons in all. She was filled with delight
and surprise when she uttered her first connected sentence. She uttered ‘‘It is warm.’’ They were broken and
stammering syllables. But they were parts of a human speech. Miss Sullivan’s untiring patience and devotion
helped her to progress towards natural speech.
Helen had leant to speak. At last, the happiest moment of her life arrived. The train stopped at the Tuscumbia
station. The whole family stood at the platform. Her mother pressed her close to her trembling with delight. Every
syllable that Helen uttered delighted her. The little Mildred seized, kissed her hand and danced. Seeing his
daughter uttering audible sentences, he expressed his pride and affection in a big silence.

Q9. How did Helen write a little story called ‘The Frost King’ and how was it received by Mr. Anagnos of the
Perkins Institute for the Blind? Why did Helen call the incident a dark ‘cloud’ in her ‘childhood’s bright sky?’ Was
Helen guilty of plagiarism?
Ans. A little story, ‘The Frost King’ which Helen Keller wrote and sent to Mr. Anagnos, created a lot of trouble for
her. It was like a dark cloud in her childhood’s bright sky’. For a long time she lived in anxiety, doubt, fear and
shame. She was accused of plagiarism.
Helen Keller wrote the story when she was at home. Miss Sullivan described to her the beauties of the late foilage.
Her descriptions revived the memory of a story which must have been read to her. Helen must have retained that
story unconsciously. When the story was finished, she read it to her teacher. At dinner the story was read to the
assembled family. They were surprised that Helen could write so well. It was her story and she had written it for
Mr. Anagnos. She sent it to him on his birthday. Mr. Anagnos was delighted with ‘‘The Frost King’’ and published it
in one of the Perkins Institute reports. It was discovered that a story similar to ‘‘The Frost King’’ called ‘The Frost
Fairies’ by Miss Margaret T. Canby had already appeared. Actually it was published in a book called ‘‘Birdie and His
Friends’ even before Helen was born. The two stories were very much alike in thought and language. It was
evident that Miss Canby’s story had been read to Helen. Helen’s story, ‘The Frost King’ was a plagiarism.
Mr. Anagnosis thought that he had been deceived. Helen tried to explain her position. But he turned a deaf ear to
the pleadings of love and innocence. He suspected that Helen Keller and Miss Sullivan had deliberately stolen the
bright story of Miss Canby. Helen was brought before a court of investigation. She was questioned and cross-
questioned. As she lay in her bed that night, she wept and her spirit was broken. In her trouble she received many
messages of love and sympathy. Miss Canby herself wrote kindly.‘‘Someday you will write a great story out of your
own head,……’’

Q10. Describe Helen Keller’s visit to Niagara in 1893 and her visit to the World’s Fair with Dr. Alexander Graham
Bell.
Ans. The chief events of the year 1893 were Helen Keller’s visits to Niagara and the World’s Fair. She went to
Niagara in March, 1893. It was a unique experience for her. It was difficult to describe her emotions when she
stood on the point which overhangs the American Falls. She felt air vibrate and the earth tremble.
It might seem strange to many people that a blind and deaf girl should be impressed by the wonders and beauties
of Niagara. What could that beauty and music meant to her? How could a blind and deaf girl see the waves rolling
up the beach or hear their roar? To Helen Keller visiting Niagara was an uplifting experience.
During the summer of 1893, Helen Keller visited the World’s Fair with Miss Sullivan and Dr. Alaxander Graham Bell.
She recalled those days when her childish fancies became beautiful realities. She saw many wonders from different
parts of the world. All the marvels of invention, industry and the activities of human life actually passed under her
finger tips. There she could feel the glories of India with its ‘Shivas and elephant gods’. There was the land of the
Pyramids with long processions of camels. The President of the World’s Fair gave her the permission to touch the
exhibits. Everything fascinated her, especially the French bronzes. Dr. Bell went everywhere with them. He in his
own delightful way described to Helen the objects of greatest interest. All these experiences added a great many
new words in Helen’s vocabulary. It matured her to appreciate ‘the real and the earnest in the workaday world.’

Q11. Describe Helen Keller’s struggle at the Cambridge School to be prepared for Radcliffe College. How did she
succeed in her mission?
Ans. In October, 1896, Helen Keller entered the Cambridge School for Young Ladies. Her mission was to get
herself prepared for Radcliffe. Even when she was a little child, she surprised her friends with an announcement.
She declared that someday she would go to college—to Harvard. It was decided that she should go to
Cambridge so that she could get to Harvard. At Cambridge her plan was to have Miss Sullivan attend the classes
with her and interpret to her the instruction given. Her studies for the first year were English history, English
literature, German, Latin, Arithmetic, Latin composition and occasional themes.
There were serious drawbacks to her progress. Miss Sullivan could not spell into her hands all that books required.
She had another difficulty. She couldn’t get textbooks embossed in time. Each day Miss Sullivan went to the classes
with her and spelled into her hand all that the teachers said with patience. She took a specialdelight in Schiller’s
wonderful lyrics and Goethe. She read Shakespeare, Burke and the ‘Life of Samuel Johnson’. She took her
preliminary examinations for Radcliffe in July 1897. She passed in everything, and received ‘‘honours’’ in German
and English. In the second year at the Gilman school she confronted unforseen difficulties. The books in
mathematics were not embossed in time. Little by little, difficulties began to disappear. For eight months she
received coaching at home and the preparation for the college went on without interruption. She took her final
examination on 30th June, 1899 but her dream of entering Radcliffe was fulfilled only in the fall of 1900.

Q12. Describe Helen Keller’s experience at Radcliffe. Why did she say, ‘But college is not the universal Athens I
thought it was?’
Ans. The first day at Radcliffe was very exciting. She had looked forward to it for years. She started her studies
with eagerness and hope. She felt within her the capacity to know all things. The lecture-halls seemed filled with
the spirit of the great and the wise. The professors were the embodiment of wisdom. But soon Helen Keller
realised that ‘college was not quite the romantic lyceum’ she had imagined. Many of her dreams ‘‘faded into the
light of common day.’’ Gradually she began to realise that there were disadvantages in going to college.
Helen soon realised that one goes to college to ‘learn’ and not to ‘think’. In the college, there was no time to
communicate with one’s thoughts. In the classroom she was practically alone. The professors were as remote as
they were speaking through a telephone. The lectures were spelled in her hand as rapidly as possible. The
significance and meaning of the lecturer got lost in her effort to keep in the race. Very few of the books required in
the various courses were printed for the blind. She was obliged to have them spelled into her hand. As a result, she
took more time to prepare her lessons than other girls. But there were exceptions too. Scholar like Kittredge would
loving back Shakespeare ‘‘as if new sight were given to the blind.’’ She felt like the proverbial bull in the china
shop. ‘A thousand odds and ends of knowledge came crashing about her head like hailstones.’ Helen discovered
that ‘college is not the universal Athens’ she thought it was. There one doesn’t meet the great and wise face to
face. One does not even feel their living touch. They seem mummified. But Helen never gave up the precious
science of patience. She took her education as she would take a walk in the country, leisurely.

Q13. Helen Keller ‘depended on books not only for pleasure and for the wisdom they bring to all who read, but
also for that knowledge which comes to others through their eyes and ears.’ Justify the statement highlighting
her interest in various authors and their books.
Ans. Helen Keller had a passion for books. She started reading when she was just seven years old. From that age
she had constantly ‘devoured’ every printed page that came within her reach. She didn’t study regularly nor
according to rule. At first she read a few books like ‘Our World’ in raised print. She preferred reading herself to
being read to. She began to read in good earnest during her first visit to Boston. She wandered from bookcase to
bookcase in the library to pick up books of her choice. The words themselves fascinated her. Her true interest in
books started from ‘Little Lord Fauntleroy’. Then she read ‘Greek Heroes’, ‘‘Fables’’, ‘‘Bible stories’’, Lamb’s ‘Tales
from Shakesperare’, ‘The Arabian Nights’, ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’, ‘Robinson Crusoe’, ‘Little Women’ and ‘Heidi’.
The stories in which animals were made to talk like human beings never appealed to her. But she loved ‘The Jungle
Book’ and ‘Wild Animals’ because they were real animals and not caricatures of men. She loved antiquity and
ancient Greece with pagan gods and goddesses fascinated her. Greek poetry suited her responsive heart. Her
admiration for ‘The Aenid’ was not so great as for Homer’s ‘Iliad’. The stories of the Greeks were full of charm for
her and the stories of the Bible didn’t interest her so much. Shylock and Satan were her favourite characters. Next
to poetry she loved history. Her favourites were: Green’s ‘History of English People’, Freeman’s ‘History of Europe’
and Swinton’s ‘World History’. She loved to read German literature for its strength, beauty and truth. Goethe’s
‘Faust’ fascinated her. Of all the French writers she loved to read Moliere and Racine best. She loved to read Mark
Twain and Scott. In a word, literature was her ‘utopia’. No barriers of senses could shut her out from the sweet and
gracious discourse of her book-friends.
Q14. Reading was not the only pleasure of Helen Keller; her pleasures and amusements were many and varied.
Describe her favourite amusements and pleasures as mentioned in Chapter XXII of ‘The Story of My Life’.
Ans. No doubt, books fascinated Helen Keller but books were not the only pleasure for her. Right from her
childhood she had special love for the country and out-of-door sports. She learned to row and swim at a young
age. She liked to contend with wind and wave. She enjoyed canoeing, especially on moonlight nights. Sailing was
her favourite amusement. The memories of it was a joy forever. She discovered that every man has a subconscious
memory of the green earth and murmuring waters. Even blindness and deafness can’t rob him of the inherited
capacity of the sixth sense. There is ‘a soul-sense that sees, hears, feels, all in one.’ All sensations reached her not
through the eye and the ear but her whole body was alive to them.
Next to a leisurely walk in the countryside she enjoyed a ‘‘spin’’ on her bicycle. She loved her dog companions,
particularly her bull tarriers. Her dog friends understood her limitations and always kept close to her when she was
alone. Rainy days kept her indoors. She liked to knit and crochet. She loved to frolick with children. She could
manage to read their lips. Museums and art stores were also sources of her pleasure and inspiration. Going to the
theatre was a rare pleasure. It was her privilege to meet a few great actors and actresses. No doubt, sometimes a
sense of isolation enfolded her like a cold mist. But then, all of a sudden came hope with a smile and whispers. So
she tried to make the light in others’ eyes, her sun, the music in others’ ears, her symphony and the smile on
others’ lips her happiness.

Q15. Who were the people, acquaintances and public figures who had helped and guided Helen Keller to
transcend her limitations giving her a new purpose and happiness in her life? How did she show her
indebtedness to them?
Ans. In the last chapter of ‘The Story of My Life’ Helen Keller sketches the names of all her friends, and public
figures who contributed in making her life happy and purposeful. Their influences sweetened and ennobled her
life. Helen disliked hypocrisy in human relations. A heart handshake or a friendly letter gave her genuine pleasure.
Helen Keller counted it one of the sweetest privileges of her life to have known and conversed with many men of
genius. She enjoyed the joy of Bishop Brooks’ friendship. As a child She loved to sit on his knee and clasp his great
hand. He impressed upon her mind two great ideas—the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. She
remembered meeting Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes. She saw Holmes many times and learned to love the man as well
as the poet. His gentle courtesy won her heart. Dr. Edward Everett Hale was one of her very oldest friends. She had
known him since she was eight and her love for him increased with her years. He had been a prophet and the
inspirer of men.
Helen Keller could never forget the contribution of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell in shaping her life. He had advised
her parents to send Helen to the Perkins Institute for the Blind. She had spent many delightful hours listening to
him about his experiments. He had a humorous and poetic side and loved children passionately. During her two
years stay in New York she had many opportunities to talk with distinguished people. She met Laurence Hutton
and Mrs. Hutton. He introduced Helen to his literary friends like William Dean Howells and Mark Twain. They were
also gentle and sympathetic. Twain had his own way of thinking, saying and doing things. To sum up, Helen Keller
remembered all those friends, acquaintances and public figures who made the story of her life. They turned her
limitations into beautiful privileges and opportunities.
QUESTIONS ON CHARACTERS
Q1. Give a character sketch of Helen Keller as it emerges out of her autobiography, ‘The Story of My Life’.
Ans. Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person
to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard. She set an example for thousands of deaf and blind persons to
conquer their handicaps and attain miraculous achievements.
Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880 at a plantation called Ivy Green in Tuscumbia. It was in Alabama state of
the United States of America. Her father Captain Arthur H. Keller was a former officer of the Confederate Army.
Her mother, Kate Adams Keller, was a cousin of Robert E. Lee. The Keller family originated from Switzerland. Helen
Keller was not born blind and deaf. A mysterious disease left her deaf and blind.
The advent of Anne Sullivan was the greatest moment in the life of Helen Keller. The desire to express herself grew
in her. Before the arrival of Miss Sullivan she used to communicate through few signs. Helen was a great fighter.
She started learning to spell simple words lode ‘‘d-o-l-l’’, ‘‘pin’’, ‘‘hat’’ and few verbs like ‘‘sit’’, ‘‘stand’’ and ‘‘walk’’.
She was thrilled when the mystery of language was revealed to her. She realised that everything had a name and
each name gave birth to a thought. Through a slow and often painful process she progressed from learning to read
to acquiring the skill of speaking. It was Miss Sullivan’s genius and Helen’s untiring devotion and patience that
brought miraculous results.
Nothing could stop the deaf and blind girl from earning a bachelor degree from Harvard. But she had to wage a
long struggle to get admission in Radcliffe College. She surprised the world when she became the first blind and
deaf person to earn a bachelor degree. Helen Keller had a passion for reading. She loved ancient Greeks, Homer,
Virgil, Shakespeare, Dickens. She was equally comfortable in French and German literature. Her pleasures and
amusements were many and varied. She loved swimming, rowing, sailing and walking leisurely in the countryside.
She loved visiting places. Her visits to Washington, Niagara and the World’s Fair broadened her knowledge and
vision. Helen was fortunate to have the company of many great persons like Alexander Graham Bell, Mark Twain,
Father Brooks and many others who shaped and made the story of her life.

Q2. Draw a character sketch of Anne Mansfield Sullivan highlighting her monumental efforts and patience to
teach a deaf and dumb girl to speak and write.
Ans. Miss Anne Mansfield Sullivan had the greatest influence on the life, character and achievements of Helen
Keller. She gave a new direction, meaning and purpose to Helen’s dark life. Miss Sullivan inherited all those traits
and characteristics that go in making a perfect teacher. She was a picture of tireless patience and unending
devotion. It was her constant encouragement, help and guidance that made Helen Keller first deaf and blind in the
world to earn a bachelor degree.
It was Graham Bell who advised the parents of Helen Keller to contact the Perkins Institute for the Blind. The
director, Mr. Anagnos asked a former student Miss Anne Sullivan to become Keller’s instructor. Miss Sullivan was
herself a visually impaired 20 years old lady. It was the beginning of a 49-year-long relationship. The relationship
evolved into Miss Sullivan becoming Helen’s governess and then eventual companion. Anne Sullivan arrived at
Keller’s house in March 1887. She immediately began to teach Helen to communicate by spelling words into her
hand, beginning with ‘‘ d-o-l-l’’ for the doll. It was Miss Sullivan who unfolded and developed Helen’s skills and
possibilities. It was Sullivan’s genius as a teacher, her sympathy and loving tact which made learning so beautiful
and interesting for Keller. She felt that her being was inseparable from her student. All that was best in Helen
Keller had been awakened by the loving touch of Miss Sullivan. Anne Sullivan stayed as a companion to Helen
Keller long after she taught her. Anne Sullivan married John Macy in 1905. She remained a constant companion to
Keller till she died in 1936.
 The Diary of a Young Girl —By Anne Frank

Q.1.How did Anne and her family reach the ‘Secret Annexe’ ? (Board 2014, Set QUD9VQW)
Ans. The Frank family received a call-up notice. The family got scared. The vision of the concentration camps and
lonely cells was frightening. So, they decided to go into hiding even if it had to be a month earlier than what had
been planned. Anne and her sister packed most important fixings in a schoolbag, no Jew in that situation would
dare to leave the house with a suitcase full of clothes, so all wrapped themselves in many layers of clothes as if
going off to spend the night in refrigerator, each took a satchel and a bag full of important things, Margot-Anne’s
sister took her bike to reach destination, other three members walked in the pouring rain, Miep escorted them to
the Secret Annexe. (CBSE Marking Scheme, 2014)

Q.2.Anne called 26th July a ‘tumultuous’ day. Explain the reasons behind it. (Board 2014, Set PRE2N18)
Ans. Value Points:
26th July full of tension and fright, sirens wailed, planes came and dropped bombs, guns booming loudly, smell of
fire everywhere, columns of smoke rising, the house shook, everyone in the Annexe full of fright, nobody slept for
the large part of night. (CBSE Marking Scheme, 2014)
Detailed Answer:
26th July was a tumultous day. It was full of tension and fright. The first warning siren sent off in the morning but
nobody paid any attention to it because it only meant that the planes were crossing the coast. It was only around
two in the afternoon when the sirens waited again. Both the sisters went upstairs. After five minutes they heard
the gun-shots which were very loud. Their house shook and the bombs kept falling. After half an hour the drone of
engines faded and life became normal. When they looked outside it seemed as if the city were enveloped in thick
fog. At dinner time, there was another air raid alarm. Nothing happened after that but after dinner, there was
another air raid warning, gun-fire and swarms of planes. The bombs rained down. Schilphol Airport was bombed.
The planes dived and climbed. The air was abuzz with the drone of engines. Nobody slept for the large part of the
night as it started again at midnight.

Q. 3. In what ways, do Anne’s description of life in the secret Annexe around the end of 1943, differ from the
earlier entries ? (Board Term-I 2013, Set 8SRR)
Ans. Anne Frank considered her diary, Kitty, as her best friend and made many entries in it. In her early diary
entries she has described her girlhood experiences. She has mentioned that she was a spoiled little girl who felt
that her mother did not love her. She had a feeling that her father loved her more than her mother. She didn’t like
Mrs. Van Daan and made fun of her. But as time passed there was a change in her. She no longer acted as a spoiled
girl, rather she turned into a responsible girl who made efforts to help everyone in the secret annexe. Her
relationship with her mother started improving. She grew a liking for Peter, Mrs. Van Daan’s son. In the beginning
she used to feel boredom in the annexe but gradually learnt to get rid of it by reading books, learning languages
and doing other things which kept her busy the whole day. Life had changed and so had the meaning of life.

Q. 4. The diary fulfilled a deeply felt need to write in Anne. Discuss. (Board Term-I 2013, Set 5007)
Or
How did the diary help Anne overcome her loneliness ? (Board Term-I 2013, Set 7PZ8, 5007)
Ans. Anne’s diary presents a remarkable account of the last two years in the life of a thirteen year old girl. This
diary was a birthday present and she considered it the best present which she had ever received. She was a shy,
introvert type of girl who never expressed herself freely and made the diary her medium of expression. She
mentioned her loneliness in the diary. In a way, she expressed her heart and revealed her inner self through Kitty,
her diary. The diary contains her innermost feelings, beliefs, moods and observation on people who lived around.
Her diary depicts her as a keen observer and a girl who had a flair to write with depth and feeling. Anne poured her
1 irt out in the diary and found comfort and solace with it in the saddest moments. Thus we can say that her diary
fulfilled her need to write. (CBSE Marking Scheme, 2014)

Q. 5. Why did Anne call herself a songbird without wings ?

Ans. Sadness had started setting in Anne’s life after a few months of hiding. The tension of being discovered
troubled her all the time. She had prepared an ‘escape bag’ also so as to leave the annexe as soon as she got the
opportunity but she knew she was safer inside than on the roads. She could feel tension building up in other
members of the annexe also. Everyone was fed up of that life. Anne felt like a songbird whose wings had been cut
off and who kept hurling itself against the bars of its dark cage. She longed to ride a bike, dance, whistle, feel
young and know that she was free. There was no escape. Frustration and sadness had become a part of her life.
She only liked to talk to ‘Kitty’ and no one else.

Q. 6. Why did Anne have a feeling that their style of living had ‘sunk low’ ?
Ans. Anne felt that they were leading a far better life than those who were not in the hiding. Still she was of the
opinion that their style of living was low. Despite their efforts to keep it spotless it was dirty and had more holes
than cloth in it. On the other hand the Van Daans had been sleeping on the same flannel sheet which could not be
washed as the detergent was in short supply. Whatever detergent was available was of a poor quality and hence
practically useless. Mr. Frank used to walk around in frayed trousers and his tie also showed signs of wear and tear.
Mrs. Frank and Margot shared the three undershorts whereas Anne’s vests had gram smell.

Q. 7. Paper has more patience than people. Justify.

Ans. Normally, people are not interested in others; they are too busy with their own lives and problems. It is very
difficult to find a person who is genuinely interested in us and listen to us with understanding and feels sympathy
for our problems. When we talk about our problems, people feel bored and become impatient. They want to end
the conversation as they are neither bothered about our problems nor our lives.
On the other hand, when we write our feelings and thoughts on paper, we can write as long as we want. We can
give vent to our feelings – both sad and happy. Paper does not get bored or stops us from writing. It becomes a
patient friend who listens to us with attention and sympathy.
Though, Anne had many friends but she did not have a friend in whom she could confined or who was genuinely
interested in her life. Hence, Anne turned to her diary to give her feelings expression.

Q. 8. Anne considered her family lucky or unfortunate to be living in the Annexe. Comment.
Ans. Anne’s feelings about the annexe constantly kept on changing. Most of the time, Anne felt that she and her
family were fortunate to have the annexe as a place to hide. She valued the kindness and generosity of her father’s
non- Jewish colleagues who risked their lives to provide them with food and supplies. However, Anne often felt
bad about the miserable physical and emotional conditions of the annexe, and the confinement bothered her. She
missed being able to see nature and the sky, Anne had to live with eight people under severe conditions. She had
no privacy, dealt with clashing personalities, and lived in the fear of being discovered. Most of all, she felt lonely
since she had no companions besides Peter in the annexe in whom she could confide.
However, when Anne compared her deprived freedom with her Jewish friends and family members who had
probably been arrested and sent to concentration camps, such as her friend Hanneli, she was extremely thankful
to be still alive.

Q. 9. Describe the situation in January 1943, when the war started.

Ans. War started in January 1943. Terrible things started happening. Helpless people were dragged out of their
homes ’
at any time of night and day. They were allowed to take only a knapsack and a little cash with them and even then,
were robbed of their possessions on the way. Families were tom apart – men, women and children were
separated. Children came from school only to find that their parents had disappeared. Women returned from J
shopping to find their houses sealed and families gone. The sons of Christian families, living in Holland, also lived in
fear as they were sent to Germany. Hundreds of planes passed over Holland on their way to German ’
cities to drop their bombs on the German soil. Thousands of people were killed. It was a frightening and horrible
situation.

Q. 10. Anne found a friend in her diary. Comment. ;

Ans. Anne was a very shy and introvert girl. She had friends but none with whom she could share her secrets. She
never confided in any of them. On her thirteenth birthday, she was presented a red and white checkered diary by
her parents. The first sight of the diary had made Anne grow a liking to it and she started entering her deep
thoughts and feelings into it. She gave it a name ‘Kitty’ and in all her enteries she had referred to it as ‘Dear Kitty’.
There was no aspect of her life which she had not mentioned in the diary. Whenever she found time, she !
‘spent7 it with the diary. She wrote about the teenage desires, her friends, her fears, her loneliness. She always felt
a need for friends which she found in her diary.

Q. 11. Why did Anne give the title ‘Ode to My Fountain Pen’ to 11 November, 1943 ?
Ans. Anne’s fountain pen was one of her most prized possession which she valued highly. It had a thick nib and had
led a long and interesting fountain pen life. The fountain pen packed, in cotton, arrived all the way from Aachen in
a red leather case. She liked it the moment she received it as she felt herself the proud owner of a fountain pen.
To her good luck, she was allowed to take the pen to school and even her teachers let her use it in the class. She
was provided a new case for the pen at the age of twelve. She liked the pen so much that she took it with her even
to the annexe. The pen had raced through countless diaries and compositions. But one day, when she swept the
floor after rubbing beans she accidentally threw it in the stove and found the remains in the morning. At first she
was very sad but later she was happy that at least it was cremated just as she would be one day.

Q. 12. What effect did Hanneli’s appearance have on Anne Frank ?

Ans. Anne Frank saw Hanneli in her dreams on 26 November, 1943. She was dressed in rags and her face had
become thin and worn. She looked at Anne with sadness in her eyes as if complaining why Anne had deserted her.
It seemed to Anne that she was pleading to be rescued from the hell that she was living in the outside world. Anne
felt herself to be mean to treat her that way. She felt she should not have been selfish and leave her to her own
problems. She had not forgotten her entirely but then she had not even thought about her. She felt guilty and
wished she were in a position to help her or share everything she had with her.

Q. 13. What was the cause of raging battles between the Van Daans ?
Ans. The Van Daans had shortage of money. They had run out of money and Mr. Van Daan had lost his last
hundred guilders in the warehouse. Everyone was suspicious about it but no one commented. They wanted to
raise money in any possible way but were not successful. Mr. Van Daan’s suit was difficult to sell; they put Peter’s
bike on the block but it was back again as there were no buyers. So, it was decided to sell Mrs. Van Daan’s rabbit
skin fur coat which got 325 guilders and that was a good amount. The cause of the raging battle was the amount
which Mrs. Van Daan was not ready to part away with. She wanted to buy new clothes for herself after the war
whereas Mr. Van Daan wanted the money for household expenses.

Q. 14. What type of relationship did Anne and Peter share ?

Ans. Anne was a lovely girl who never had anyone to share her secrets with. As she was growing up, she started
having a feeling that she should have a friend. She liked Peter and dreamt of him. She always wanted to be near
him, so she kept on finding some excuses to go to his room or talk to him. She longed for his company. Whenever
Peter didn’t talk to her she used to cry a lot and became restless. Both had a very understanding relationship.
Even Peter liked her company. They talked on every subject including physical changes in a teenager and sex.
They never felt embarrassed about it. Their parents objected to their meetings but still they used to meet. They
didn’t bother much about their parents as they felt them to be too rosy. Anne felt herself to be in love with him
whereas Peter thought of her as a friend.

Q. 15. Justify the title ‘The Diary Of A Young Girl’. ‘

Ans. ‘The Diary Of A Young Girl’ was written by Anne Frank, a thirteen year old Jewish girl. She started writing her
diary as she did not have any friend with whom she could share her feelings and emotions. The red and white
checkered diary came to her rescue and throughout her life she confided in it and gave it the name ‘Kitty’. She
treated it as her dear friend. She gave vent to her feelings while making her entries in the diary. Some of the
entries are very personal while some criticise her parents as well as her friends. She never kept anything back from
her diary and recorded even petty issues like the every day quarrel between her mother and Mrs. Van Daan and
even Mrs. and Mr. Van Daan. She recorded her feelings during the war, her fear, her frustrations and anger at the
way in which the Jews were treated by the Germans. The whole book has been written in the diary form and
revolves around the life of the girl – Anne Frank. Hence the title is justified.
Q. 16. What is the main theme of ‘The Diary Of A Young Girl’ ?
Ans. ‘The Diary Of A Young Girl’ was written at the time of the Second World War. It describes the pitiable
conditions of the Jews as they were the most affected by this war. Thousands of Jews were forced to leave their
houses and flee to other countries. They were supposed to wear a yellow star, distinguishing them from others.
During the war they were dragged out of their houses and were sent to the concentration camps. Many of the
Jews went into hiding to escape the clutches of the Germans. The Frank family was also one of those few who
went into hiding in a secret annexe. The entries of the sounds of guns, sirens and airplanes continued to create an
image of the war scene in front of the reader’s eyes. Thus, the main theme of the novel is the horrors of war faced
by the Jews at that time.

Q. 17. Anne Frank had bitter feelings for her mother. Comment.
Ans. The Frank family went into hiding as soon as Margot received a call up notice to report at the concentration
camp. The life during their hiding was frightening. They were away from all the comforts and pleasures of life.
Above all Anne’s mother kept on scolding her for every little thing that she did. She felt like a stranger amongst her
own family members. Her mother always favoured her elder sister Margot. So Anne got jealous of her and started
disliking her mother. With the result that she sometimes deliberately hurt the feelings of her mother and did not
even bother to apologise. Gradually, Anne started preferring a life full of loneliness where only her feelings and her
diary mattered. •

Q. 18. Why were the relationships in the annexe getting worse day-by-day?
Ans. Living through the fears of war was a terrible thing. All the residents got tired of the atmosphere of horror all
the time. With the result they didn’t dare open their mouths except at meal time because no matter whatever one
of them said, somebody was bound to feel resentment or take it the wrong way. Even Anne had to fight the
anxiety and depression that was settling into her life. They had almost forgotten how to laugh. Another fact that
made their life miserable was that Mr. Van Maaren, the man who worked in the warehouse had got suspicious
about the annexe. He was a man known to be unreliable and possessed a high degree of curiosity. All these
situations kept the habitants of the annexe under tension affecting their everyday life.

Q. 1. Describe the character traits displayed by the members of Annexe during their celebration of Hanukkah
and St. Nicholas Day. 5 (Board 2014, Set QUD9VQW)
Ans. Value Points :
Hanukkah and St. Nicholas Day celebrated with enthusiasm, Anne’s father quietly made some arrangements with
the help of his employees, each character manages to Snatch some moments of hope and happiness, Mr. Van
Daan made a menorah out of wood, gifts were exchanged and candles were lighted.
Detailed Answer:
Amongst all the tension and stress, arrived the Hanukkah and St. Nicholas Day. These were celebrated with great
enthusiasm. Both the festivals fell on the same day. Anne’s father quietly made some arrangements with the help
of his employees. They all had fun on that day and each character managed to snatch some moments of hope and
happiness. Mr. Van Daan made a menorah out of wood. Everyone exchanged gifts. Candles were lighted but only
for ten minutes as the candles were in short supply. To sum up, each and every member participated in the
celebration of Hanukkah and St. Nicholas Day in his own way.

Q. 2. What tells you that human beings continue to be petty-minded even in the most trying circumstances after
reading ‘Diary of a Young Girl’ ? (Board 2014, Set PRE2N18)
Ans. The inhabitants of the secret •annexe continue to have squabbles and heartburns on one or the other matter.
Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan quarrelled loudly and nastily. Mr. Van Daan was a disagreeable woman who frequently
complained something or the other about Anne. She had a row with Mr. Frank only because she found Franks
using her china instead of their own. Anne’s mother and Mrs. Van Daan did not get along well, no harmony in
Anne’s family too, Dr. Dussel proved to be very stingy, selfish and mean, denied Anne the use of a table and he 4
continued to violate the laws of the annexe thus risking his and others’ lives. Dr. Dussel, on the other hand, was
found to be a selfish man who never bothered about others. He was an irresponsible person.
The Franks also were not a happy family. Anne always thought that her parents loved Margot more than her so ,
she never paid any respect to her mother. With the result the atmosphere in the annexe was not friendly.
Q. 3. What impression do you form of Gestapo on its way of handling the Jews ? (Board 2014, Set 8LI922Q)
(Board Term-12013, Set 8SRR)
Ans. Value Points : ‘
Harsh, inhuman, cruel
Detailed Answer:
Gestapo handled the Jews in a very inhuman way. According to the entries made by Anne, the Jews were taken 4
to a big camp where they got almost nothing to eat and much less to drink as water was available only for one
hour a day. There was only one toilet and sink for several thousand people. The heads of women and children
were often shaved off. ,
Gestapo treated them in a very harsh and cruel way Mr. Alfred Dussel told the residents of the secret annexe that
many Jews had been taken to a dreadful fate. Every night, the grey green military vehicles cruised the streets and ‘
knocked at every door to ask for the Jews. If the Jews were found there, they were immediately taken away from
that place, exactly like slave-hunting of old days. The Jews found there were bullied and beaten until they nearly
dropped. They were so cruel that they didn’t spare anyone whether he was sick, elderly, babies or pregnant „
women. They all were supposed to march to their death.

Q. 4. Describe the character of Miep Gies. (Board Term-I2013, Set 7PZ8)

Ans. Miep Gies was a close friend of Franks, as she worked in Otto Frank’s company. Her husband Jan and she ,
both helped the Franks a lot when they were preparing to shift to the secret annexe. They used to stuff their
belongings in bags and pockets and took them to their hiding place. Most of the times she used to smuggle food
for them in the annexe. She even baked cakes for them on special occasions. In other words she turned out to :
be a good friend of the Franks who helped them in their hour of need. Miep often visited the secret annexe and ^
brought them the news from the outside and of course a breath of fresh air too whenever she came. Since Anne ‘
didn’t have any friend, she sometimes found a good friend in Miep. Miep always tried her best to make the
situation of the persons hiding in the annexe a little more comfortable. H

Q. 5. Draw a character sketch of Mr. Keesing, Anne’s Maths teacher. (Board Term-I 2013, Set WKYS)
Ans. The school where Anne went to receive her education had nine teachers out of which seven were men. Her ‘
Maths teacher, Mr. Keesing, was one of those seven. He was a very strict teacher. He didn’t like anyone talking in
_j
the class whereas Anne talked too much. One day he assigned her an extra home-work which was an essay on ‘A
Chatterbox’. Anne understood what her teacher wanted from her. She finished her assignment and decided j
to stay quiet in the class. She wrote the essay with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking.
Mr. Keesing liked her arguments that she was like her mother who was more talkative than her. Thus it was 4
her inherited trait. Mr. Keesing, being a hard task master wanted to ridicule Anne and so gave her two more ;
assignments ‘Quack Quack Quack’ and ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’. Anne took the help of her friend to write J
about the topic in verse and came out successful. Mr. Keesing took the joke in the right way and allowed Anne to ;
talk in the class. He understood that he had been wrong in telling her not to talk and to give her extra homework.

Q. 6. Who was Hanneli ? ‘ (Board Term-I 2013, Set 5007)

Ans. Value Points:
Hanneli was Anne’s school friend, a bit on the strange side, usually shy, outspoken at home, but reserved around
other people, blabs, whatever she is told to her mother, says what she thinks. (CBSE Marking Scheme, 2013) H
Detailed Answer:
Hanneli Goslar was Anne Frank’s school friend. She had a strange personality as she was outspoken at home but ”
reserved around other people. If anyone told her anything, she would reveal it to her mother and used to say .
whatever she thought. Usually, she was a very shy kind of girl. Anne had a liking for this friend.

Q. 7. Write the character sketch of Anne Frank.

Ans. Anne was bom on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany. She was four years old when her father moved to
Holland.to find a better place for the family to live. She was very intelligent and perceptive, and wanted to ’
become a writer: She loved Peter and had strong feelings for him. She even had to face opposition from her _
parents in this regard but she kept on meeting him. Anne was a good reader. Though in hiding she kept reading
something or the other every day to continue her studies. She translated chapters, wrote down the vocabulary –
words and used to work hard on Maths problems though she didn’t like Maths. She enjoyed shorthand but later
left it as her eye sight grew weak and she could not visit an ophthalmologist as long as she was in the hiding in the
secret annexe.
Like any other child, she loved her parents but later grew a dislike towards her mother as she used to compare her
to Margot, her elder sister whom she felt jealous of. She always had a feeling that her father loved her more than
her mother. Anne was an optimistic girl who learnt a lot from her sufferings. She always believed that a time would
come when all their problems would be over and they would lead a happy, tension free life after the war ended.
Anne had many friends but not a single in whom she could confide in. Thus, she made Kitty, her diary, her friend
and gave way to all her feelings in it. Anne died of typhus in the concentration camp at Bergen- Belsen in late
February or early March of 1945.

Q. 8. What do you know about Margot Frank after reading ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ ?
Ans. Margot was Anne’s elder sister. She was bom in Frankfurt in 1926. She was a pretty and smart girl. Anne’s
parents, according to Anne, loved Margot more than Anne as she was well-mannered, studious and reserved in
contrast to Anne who was outspoken. Margot had her schooling at a public school. She was good at arithmetic and
was a brilliant student. Anne was jealous of her as her mother always favoured Margot. It was Margot Frank whose
order of deportation had come from the Gestapo. Her father decided not to send her and the whole family went
into hiding. Margot had a better relationship with her mother in contrast to Anne. She wished to become a mid-
wife. According to Anne she was handsome and clever and Anne admired her for this as she had a tolerant and shy
nature. Unfortunately, Margot too died of typhus in the concentration camp a few days before Anne died.

Q. 9. Write a pen-portrait of Otto Frank.

Ans. Anne’s father. Otto was a practical and kind man. He was bom on May 12,1889, into a wealthy Frankfurt
family. He was a loving and caring father whom everyone respected. He worked in a Dutch company until the
family was forced into hiding in 1942. The moment he received a call-up notice, he started making preparation for
a secret hiding after discussing it with a few people. He always planned well before jumping into a situation.
Shifting to the secret annexe is a good example of his plan. He took a quick action and promptly followed it. Before
leaving, he even left a note for his landlord to take good care of their cat, Moortje, which they were leaving
behind. Like any other father, he loved his daughters too much and wanted to give them good education. He sent
Margot to a public school and Anne to a montessori school in 1934. He somehow managed to get books for his
daughters as he wanted them to read and have good knowledge of the world around them. When they were in
hiding Otto
was the only member of the family who survived the war and lived until 1980.

Q. 10. What impression do ypu form of Mrs. Van Daan ?

Ans. Mrs. Van Daan was a quarrelsome woman. She was a fatalist, egotistical, flirtatious and disagreeable woman.
She quarrelled over petty issues and nobody in the annexe got along well with her. Mrs. Van Daan frequently
complained that Anne didn’t admire or respect her. She was a timid lady who got frightened at the slightest noise.
She didn’t behave well with Mrs. Frank, Mr. Dussel and even Peter. She was always ready to pick up a fight. On
September 2,1942 she had a quarrel with Mrs. Frank as she had found out that the Franks were using her China
instead of their own. She got annoyed with Anne when she broke one of her soup bowls. All these incidents point
towards Mrs. Van Daan being short-tempered. Whenever she picked up a row with anyone it was only Mrs. Van
Daan who came out as a winner because she seemed a ‘born debater’ to Anne. In the later stage of her hiding, she
became uncomfortable and gave vent to her feelings by frequently hurting others with her speech. Mrs. Van Daan
did not survive the war like all others.

Q. 11. Briefly discuss the character of Peter Van Daan.

Ans. Peter Van Daan was the teenage son of the Van Daans, whose real name was Peter Van Pels. Anne first saw
Peter as obnoxious, lazy, and hypersensitive, but later they both became close friends. Peter was a quiet, timid and
honest boy who was sweet to Anne. During their time in the annexe, Anne and Peter developed a romantic
attraction. He was very fond of reading books and especially if they were meant for adult reading. Once he hid in
the loft to read one such book and got so engrossed in reading that he forgot to come down for dinner. His father
came up to call him and hit him hard when he found him reading the book. He was refused dinner that night.
He did not like when his parents scolded him. Sometimes he reacted also. As a result he got emotionally detached
from them.

Q. 12. Draw a pen portrait of Alfred Dussel.

Ans. Alfred Dussel was a dentist and an acquaintance of the Franks who hid with them in the annexe. He shared a
room with Anne, who suffered the brunt of his odd personal hygiene habits, pedantic lectures, and controlling
tendencies. Mr. Dussel’s wife was a Christian, so she did not go into hiding, and he was separated from her. He
never cared for the feelings of others and turned out to be an irresponsible person. He was the eighth entrant
of the house. The other residents of the annexe found him to be a selfish man who never bothered about others.
None of them ever found him to be helpful in any matter. The people of the annexe did not like him. On many
occasions, he committed a mistake, later apologised for it but only to repeat it again. He was an ungrateful
personality who showed an irresponsible behaviour throughout his stay at the annexe.

Q. 13. Draw a pen-portrait of Mrs. Edith Frank.

Ans. Mrs. Edith Frank was a good lady. She had two daughters, Margot and Anne. She always wanted to inculcate
good moral values and disciplined behaviour in her daughters. But sometimes her attitude towards Anne seemed
to be immature. She didn’t have an insight into the mind of a growing teenager. Most of the times she used to
scold Anne on petty issues and praised Margot in front of her which made Anne feel jealous. Anne always felt
uncomfortable in her presence and regarded her as an imperfect mother. She longed for a mother who would
understand her and love her as all other mothers do. Mrs. Frank was never seen participating much in the
squabbles during their stay in hiding. She didn’t like the selfish attitude of Mrs. Van Daan and Mr. Alfred Dussel
and even criticized them for being selfish. The tension in the annexe used to give her a headache. It caused her a
lot of stress.