Questions on Mother’s Day

Q1. What picture of Mrs. Pearson emerges in the opening of the play
‘Mother’s Day’?

Ans. Mrs. Pearson is in her forties. She is a pleasant looking woman. She is a

typical housewife. She takes delight in serving her family, though they take no
notice of her. Even if they are thoughtless and selfish, she is very fond of them.
She bears with them patiently as she does not want any unpleasantness in the
house.
Q2. Why is Mrs. Fitzgerald insisting upon Mrs. Pearson’s being the boss of her
family?

Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald was insisting upon Mrs. Pearson being the boss of her
family because Mrs. Pearson’s husband and children considered her as a
housemaid rather than a loving and caring mother and wife. They treated her
like a slave, ordered her to make tea and never thought that she, too, is a
human being and needs rest.  They thought that it was her duty to work for
them while they never considered her work as work.
Q3. How was Annie Pearson responsible for her fate?

Ans. To a certain level, Annie Pearson was herself responsible for her fate. She
loved and cared for her children and husband so much that they failed to
understand her value and worth
. She had wished to correct them but for fear of hurting them, she didn’t
mention it.
Q4. Write down Mrs. Fitzgerald’s opinion about a perfect household?

Ans. In a perfect household all the family members should be considerate

towards the lady of the house. They are not supposed to order her but are
supposed to lend a helping hand in the smooth running of the family. The lady
sacrifices her entire life making the family happy and comfortable. She should
be given due regard and recognition.
Q5. How did Mrs. Fitzgerald offer to help Mrs. Pearson to set her family
right?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald tells her plan and says that they would change their
personalities with each other. She had learnt this art when she was in East.
Mrs. Fitzgerald would look like Mrs. Pearson and vice versa. Thus Mrs.
Fitzgerald offered to set Mrs. Pearson’s family right for her.
Q6. What were the immediate effects of the magic spell?

Ans. When it was spelled, the two women stirred out of their selves and
transformed into contrasting characters. Annie became bold and started
behaving like Mrs. Fitzgerald. She snatched the cigarette from Mrs. Fitzgerald’s
mouth and put it in her own mouth.
Q7. How is George Pearson treated at the club?

Ans. The members of the Club laugh at George Pearson. His wife Mrs. Pearson
says, “He is their one of their standing jokes at the club.” They call him
“Pompy-Ompy” Person because they think him very “slow and pompous”. She
tells that people always laugh at him behind his back. They call him names but
he is quite unaware about all this.
Q8. Mrs. Pearson was behaving strangely but her children were making fun
of her. What does this show?

Ans. Mrs. Pearson, after having undergone a change in her personality started

behaving with her children Cyril and Doris severely but they did not take her
seriously. Doris said she might have hit her head and had a concussion, which
caused her strange behaviour. She began to giggle and Cyril felt it very strange.
He wanted to stay and see what would happen on the arrival of their father.
Q9. Mention three things in the behaviour of mother that astonish Doris
Pearson.

Ans. First, mother, as usual, has not got tea ready for her. Secondly, mother’s
smoking. Thirdly, she is not in mood to iron her silk that she intends to wear
that evening.
Q10. How does mother make fun of Charlie Spence?

Ans. Charlie Spence is Doris’s boy-friend. She intends to go out with him that
evening. But mother makes fun of Charlie Spence. She says that Charlie has
buck-teeth and he is half-witted. She wonders whether Doris could not find of
anyone better than Charlie Spence.
Q11. Why is Cyril Pearson astonished at mother’s behaviour?

Ans. First, mother has not got tea ready for him, as usual. Secondly, she has
not got his things ready though she had promised in the morning to look
through them in case there was any mending. Obviously, he is astonished at
strange behaviour of the mother. Then, mother asks him whether there is any
stout left in the house. He wonders why mother needs stout.
Q12. What, according to Doris, could be the reason for mother’s strange
behaviour? Does Cyril agree with her?

Ans. According to Doris, mother might have hit her head or something that
could have been the cause of her strange behaviour, Cyril agrees that mother’s
behaviour was rather, odd but Doris’s idea seems to him too far-fetched.
Q13. What is mother’s future plan as revealed to Doris?

Ans. Mother tells Doris that she would work like them forty hours a week and
have two days off i.e. Saturday and Sunday. She might make their bed or do a
little bit of cooking on her off- days if she is properly asked and thanked for
everything she does. She adds that she might go off on weekend days for a
change.
Q14. Why does Doris ask mother whether she had fallen or hit herself with
something? How does mother react to it?

Ans. Doris asks mother whether she had fallen or hit herself with something
because she is under the impression that mother had gone barmy because of
some violent shock. Mother becomes aggressive to hear this and asks her to
behave properly and stop asking such silly questions.
Q15. What is odd, according to Mrs. Pearson, in the behaviour of George,
when he is annoyed with her for not getting his tea ready?

Ans. George tells Mrs. Pearson that he does not want any tea. When Mrs.
Pearson tells him that there is no tea ready for him he gets annoyed. She
wonders why he is annoyed at not getting his tea ready while he does not want
it. This seems rather odd to her.
Q16. How does Mrs. Pearson make fun of her husband?

Ans. Mrs. Pearson tells her husband that they laugh at him at the club and call
him Pompy- ompy Pearson because they think he is so slow and pompous.
When his son Cyril also confirms it, he is shocked and staggers out of the room.
Q17. Why is George Pearson astonished when Mrs. Fitzgerald calls him
‘George’? How does Mrs. Pearson make fun of him?

Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald is their neighbour. Obviously, George Pearson is

astonished when she informally calls him ‘George’. Mrs. Pearson makes fun of
him saying that his name is, after all, George, and then asks him mockingly
whether he thinks he is Duke of Edinburgh.
Q18. Why did Mrs. Fitzgerald request Mrs. Pearson to change back? Who
were these two ladies actually?

Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald was, in fact, Mrs. Pearson in Mrs. Fitzgerald’s body. She
saw how miserable her husband and children were feeling. She could stand it
no longer. So she requested Mrs. Pearson to change back.
Q19. What was Mrs. Fitzgerald’s final advice to Mrs. Pearson?

Ans. She advised Mrs. Pearson to be tough on them for a couple of hours. She
also forbids to feel sorry for the drama and give any explanation or apology. If
she stays firm, they will eat out of her hands obediently.
Q20. What change do you notice in George, Doris and Cyril at the end of the
play?

Ans. They are no longer thoughtless and overbearing in their behavior. Cyril

and Doris agree to get supper ready while their mom have a talk with their
father. She also asks for a nice family game of rummy. All agree with her. She
finally thanks her neighbour and bids her goodbye. As she walks out of the
room, the family gathers round mother.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. Give a brief character-sketch of Mrs. Pearson.

Ans. Mrs. Pearson is a loving wife and mother. She is very fond of her husband
and children. She looks to all their needs. She does her best to keep them
happy. Mrs. Pearson is a simple-hearted woman. But she is gentle to a fault.
She does feel that her husband and children are thoughtless. Her husband and
children work eight hours a day and five days a week. But the poor mother has
to work all the hours of the day and all the days of the week. Yet the husband
and the children have for her no word of praise or gratitude. This is what pains
Mrs. Pearson. But, she is too weak to protest. It is Mrs. Pearson’s own
weakness that has spoiled her husband and children. (Add examples from the
text book here)
Q2. Give a brief character-sketch of Mrs. Fitzgerald.

Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald is Mrs. Pearson’s neighbour. She is a strong-minded

woman. She has a dominating nature. She believes in equal rights with men.
She believes that women have the liberty to do anything that men do. Mrs.
Fitzgerald feels strongly that the woman should be the mistress of her own
house. Mrs. Fitzgerald is very intelligent also. She knows how to cure people of
their waywardness. She handles Doris, Cyril and George very intelligently. She
gives each of them a good pounding. She puts them in their proper places. She
makes them realise that a mother and a wife is also a human being. Thus she
helps Mrs. Pearson to rein in her husband and children. (Add examples from
the text book here)
Q3. How were George, Doris and Cyril all ungrateful to Mrs. Annie Pearson?

Ans. George, Doris and Cyril are all ungrateful. Each is worried about himself or
herself only. George doesn’t want tea, yet he grows angry with his wife
because she hasn’t made any tea for him. Doris wants her mother to iron her
yellow silk dress because she is going out to meet her boyfriend. Cyril says he is
tired after his eight-hour day. But none of them ever thinks of poor Mrs.
Pearson’s fate. Everybody orders her about as if she is their servant. Really
they are all very ungrateful.
Q4. How did Mrs. Fitzgerald help Mrs. Pearson to be the boss of her family?

Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald is Mrs. Pearson’s neighbour. She offers to help Mrs.

Pearson in setting her family right. She knows some magic, and effects a
change of personality with Mrs. Pearson. Now she looks as if she were Mrs.
Pearson and vice versa. She sends Mrs. Pearson to her own house and herself
stays in Mrs. Pearson’s house. When Doris, Cyril and George come in, she deals
with them very severely. She makes them realize how unfeeling and selfish
they are. Thus Mrs. Fitzgerald helps Mrs. Pearson to be the boss of her f
amily.
Q5. ‘Husbands, sons, daughters should be taking notice of wives and
mothers, not giving them orders and treating them like dirt.’ What do you
think about it?

Ans. The problem of wives and mothers is a universal one. Husbands, sons and
daughters treat them like dirt. They order them about as if they were their
servants. They go out to enjoy with their friends, leaving the poor mothers and
wives at home. They think they have done much work during the day. And
when they come home, they want to be served like kings and princes. Really, it
is something very unfortunate. All husbands, sons and daughters must think
that the poor wife and the mother is also a human being and has the same
feelings and desires as they have.
Q8. Bring out the theme of the play ‘Mother’s Day.

Ans. In this play, Priestley tries to depict the fate of most housewives. The
poor housewife has to work all hours of the day and all days of the week. She
works hard to keep her husband and children happy. But the husband and
children are almost always thoughtless. They have no regard for the feelings of
the poor mother. They treat her as a servant. After their work, they go out to
spend their evening with friends. The poor mother has to stay at home and
keep working. Her husband and children never think that she, too, is a human
being. They never realise that she, too, needs some rest and entertainment.
Such husbands and children need to correct themselves.