Farheen Hasnat

Selected Stories and Poems

Class – 8
Short Questions on Once Upon a Time

1. How did people laugh once upon a time?

Ans: Once upon a time, the people laughed with their hearts asnd with their eyes.

2. How do they laugh now?

Ans: Now the people only laugh with their teeth.

3. What do their ice-block-cold-eyes search?

Ans: Their ice-block-cold-eyes search for other person’s shadow.

4. How did they shake hands once upon a time?

Ans: Once upon a time, the people shook hands with their hearts.

5. How do they shake hands now?

Ans: Now the people shake hands without hearts while their left hands search the empty pockets of
the person their shaking hands with.

6. What do people of the present time tell others to be their guests? Mention the two phrases?
Ans: “Feel at home!” & “Come again!”

7. What contrast does the poet find in the behavior and words of the hosts?
Ans: The writer found that the hosts told him to 'feel at home' and 'come again' for
a visit, but when he started feeling comfortable as a guest and when he
visited the host's home once or twice, the host got annoyed and didn't allow
him to be a guest for the third time. The host just slammed the door in front
of the guest then.

8. What has the poet learnt from the present day people?
Ans: The poet learnt many things from the present day people. He had learnt how
to wear many faces at different situation as dresses; how to laugh with only
his teeth; how to shake hands without hearts; how to say 'goodbye' to mean
'good riddence'; how to say 'Glad to meet you' without being glad; and how to
say 'It's been nice talking to you' after being bored.

9. How many faces has the poet learnt to wear? How does he change them?
Ans: The poet has learnt five faces- home face, office face, street face and cocktail face. He changes
them like dresses with all their conforming smiles like a fixed portrait.

10. How does he suit his faces? How does he look like with those pretended faces?
Ans: He suits his faces with all their conforming smiles and he looks a portrait with his smiles.
11. What does the poet mean while saying ‘Goodbye’?
Ans: The poet means ‘Good-riddance’ while saying ‘Goodbye’.

12. How does the poet feel while saying ‘Glad to meet you’?
Ans: The poet does not actually feel glad to meet the person at all while saying ‘Glad to meet you’.

13. How does the poet feel while saying ‘It’s been nice talking to you’?
Ans: The poet actually feels bored while hiding it and saying ‘It’s been nice talking to you’.

14. What does the poet want to be?

Ans: The poet wanted to be what he was when he was like his son.

15. What does the poet want to unlearn?

Ans: The poet wants to learn all the muting things he learned while growing up.

16. What does the poet want to relearn? Why?

Ans: The poet wants to relearn how he used to laugh.

17. How do the poet’s teeth look like in the mirror? Why?
Ans: The poet’s teeth look like a snake’s bare fangs in the mirror because he only laughs with his
teeth, not with his heart. Moreover, there is a purpose behind his laughter which is as poisonous as
the fangs of a snake.

18. From whom does the poet want to relearn his past manner? Why? What would he learn from
him?
Ans: The poet wants to relearn his past manner from his son, because his son knows how to laugh
and shake hands with his heart; as he is a child he has not learnt all the fake and muting things like
his father. The poet would learn how to laugh and smile when he was little like his son.