English

Chapter 03- The Laburnum Top

1. What laburnum is called in your language.
Ans: In my language, which is Hindi, the laburnum is called Amaltaas. It is a tree characterised
by medium height, drooping branches, bright yellow flowers and poisonous seeds.
2. Which local bird is like the goldfinch.
Ans: The local i.e., Indian bird with a likeness to goldfinch is a parakeet named 'Indian Lutino
Ringneck'.
Think It Out
1. What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
Ans: As the poem begins, I notice that the poet had described the laburnum tree on an afternoon
of September bathed in yellow light. Only a few leaves of the tree had turned golden and all the
seeds had fallen. The tree was portrayed as calm and silent. At the end of the poem, I notice that
when the goldfinch left to the unknown after making its final whistle-chirping sounds the tree
remained empty and still.
2. To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
Ans: The bird’s movement in the poem was compared to that of a lizard.
Lizards when moving on the wall make watchful movements towards their prey and suddenly
attach it. According to the poet, the bird’s movements were vigilant and unexpected as it arrived
at the laburnum tree just like a lizard.
3. Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
Ans: The little goldfinch ensures that sustainment is provided to its family so the future
generation remains alive. Thus, the bird’s behaviour of bringing food to its family has evoked
the image of an engine in the poet’s mind which similarly provides energy to a machine to keep
it running.
4. What do you like most about the poem?
Ans: I like the simple yet beautiful description of the relationship between the tree and bird
given in the poem. I like the way the poet has described a very mundane routine of a bird and
how it was pouring life in the silent and still laburnum tree.
5. What does the phrase “her barred face identity mask” mean?
Ans: The phrase “her barred face identity mask” has referred to the appearance of the
goldfinch bird. The bird’s body is yellow while its face has stripes. Though the bird can hide its
body in the yellow flowers of the laburnum tree, its striped face can only identify its presence
on the tree.
 English - Snapshots
Chapter 2 – The Address
2. Where and when does the story take place?
Ans: The story takes place in Holland after the war.
3. Who took away things from the narrator’s house?
Ans: Mrs Dorling removed items from the narrator's home.
4. Who lived at number 46, Marconi Street?
Ans: Mrs Dorling lived at number 46, Marconi Street.
5. How does the narrator recognise Mrs Dorling?
Ans: Mrs Dorling is recognized by the narrator due to the green knitted sweater
she was wearing, which belonged to the narrator's mother.
Short Answer Questions 2 Marks
1. What was the reaction of Mrs Dorling when the narrator said she is the
daughter of Mrs S?
Ans: Upon hearing that she is Mrs S’s daughter, Mrs Dorling gave an odd reaction.
She pressed her hand on the door to prevent it from opening further. She couldn't
recognize the storyteller and stared at her without saying anything.
2. How did the narrator get confirmed of her doubt?
Ans: Mrs Dorling was wearing the narrator's mother's green knitted sweater, which
verified the narrator's suspicions about her. The narrator noticed that the buttons had
turned pale from washing, and Mrs Dorling hid herself behind the door as soon as
she saw the cardigan. Mrs Dorling's reaction verified the narrator's suspicions.
3. Who gave the address to the narrator and why?
Ans: Her mother gave the narrator the address years ago, during the first half of the
war. The narrator went home for a few days and discovered that numerous materials
and belongings were stolen from her room; therefore, her mother told her about Mrs
Dorling and gave her the location.
4. What did the narrator’s mother tell her about Mrs Dorling?
Ans: Mrs Dorling was a friend of the narrator's mother. Her mother hadn't seen her
in a long time. Mrs Dorling unexpectedly appears to the narrator's mother one day
and renews their contact. Mrs Dorling had a practice of taking something from their
home every time she went, such as table silver, antiques, and so on.
5. What reasons does the narrator give to explain that she might be mistaken?
Ans: The narrator suspected that the woman who opened the door was not Mrs
Dorling since she refused to acknowledge her. As a result, the narrator claims to
have only seen her once, for a brief moment, many years ago. Second, she suspected
she had rung the wrong bell.
Short Answer Questions 3 Marks
1. What reason did Mrs Dorling give to the narrator’s mother to take her
belongings?
Ans: Mrs Dorling and the narrator's mother knew one other and had acquired each
other's trust. Mrs Dorling stated that she would put the narrator's mother's stuff in a
safer area since she wanted to save all of the narrator's mother's nice things. She
warns her that if they ever have to empty the place, they may lose everything.
2. What were the things that the narrator remembers about Mrs Dorling from
their first meeting?
Ans: The narrator has little memories of Mrs Dorling from their initial meeting. She
recalls some details, such as Mrs Dorling having a broad back, dressed in a brown
coat and a shapeless hat when they first met. Only she had taken up a big suitcase
sitting under the coat rack and departed their house during that meeting. She recalls
living at Marconi Street, number 46.
3. Why did the narrator wait for a long time before heading to the address her
mother gave?
Ans: The narrator delayed a long time before going to the location number 46,
Marconi Street that her mother gave her since she first did not care about her mother's
goods that were lying in the store. Furthermore, she was terrified of being presented
with items that had belonged to her deceased mother..
4. Why did the narrator become curious about the possessions of her mother?
Ans: After the narrator lost her mother, she grew interested in obtaining her mother's
goods as normalcy was restored in the post-liberation period. She was certain that
her mother's stuff would still be at the address that her mother had given her, which
was Mrs Dorling's address. The narrator desired to view and touch the items, as well
as reminisce about her past.
5. How did the narrator recognise her own familiar woollen table cloth?
Ans: The narrator fixed his gaze on the woollen tablecloth. Then she traced the lines
of the cloth's pattern. She recalls seeing a bum mark somewhere that was either not
fixed or could not be cleaned away. And when she discovered the bum stain on the
table linen, she knew it was one of her mother's items.
Long Answer Questions 5 Marks
1. How does the mother come to know about Mrs Dorling and her address?
Ans: Several years ago, during the first half of the war, the narrator visited her
mother in her hometown for a few days. After staying there for a few days, the
narrator discovers that something about the rooms has changed. She notices that
some of the items are gone. Her mother then tells her about Mrs Dorling, an old
acquaintance of hers. Her mother told her that the lady reappeared after a long
absence and began paying her regular visits. The narrator's mother informed her that
she had taken their stuff to store them at her home, which is why her mother provided
her Mrs Dorling's address.
2. Write in brief about the narrator’s visit to 46, Marconi Street.
Ans: During the post-war time, when things were returning to normal, the narrator
grew inquisitive about her mother's goods, which had been taken by one of her
acquaintances Mrs Dorling. The narrator recalls her mother giving her the address
46, Marconi Street. The narrator went to the address to see what her mother had left
behind. The narrator pays a visit to Mrs Dorling and notices that she did not properly
open the door. The host couldn't recognize the visitor, so she told him she was Mrs
S's daughter, and Mrs Dorling looked at her in silence, unable to recognize her. Mrs
Dorling's green knitted jumper with wooden buttons was recognized by the narrator.
She declined to see or assist the storyteller.
3. How is the narrator’s second visit to Mrs Dorling’s house different from the
first one?
Ans: The first and second meetings at Mrs Dorling's place were very different from
one another. Mrs Dorling did not invite the narrator to the first meeting, but she was
invited to the second meeting and escorted to the living room, where she was able to
touch and see some of the objects that belonged to her mother, not Mrs Dorling. Her
visit was to look at her mother's possessions. The touch and sight of familiar things
triggered memories of her previous life. She assumed that because the artifacts had
been isolated from their own lives and stored in ludicrous settings, they had lost their
true value to her.
4. How would you define the character of the narrator?
Ans: The narrator's character, in my opinion, is one that is both emotional and
intelligent. She is a thoughtful and caring daughter. She adored and feared her
mother, but she despises the concept of Mrs Dorling. She interrogates her mother
about Mrs Dorling, which her mother considers to be quite disrespectful. The
narrator has an acute sense of observation. She observes that some items are gone
from her mother's house and is quite critical of a person. She went to 46 Marconi
Street twice to see, touch, and remember her mother's possessions. She prefers to
leave the past behind and move on with her life.
5. What is the significance of the title “The Address”.
Ans: The title of the story, "The Address," represents the action's spring wheel. It is
the focal point of the entire chapter. The title is highly evocative and appears three
times in the story: at the beginning, middle, and end. Marga Minco draws the reader's
attention to it through the narrator's uncertainty about where she went wrong and
confidence that she had arrived at the correct address. Her mother donated it to her
since Mrs Dorling, an old friend of hers, resided there, according to the account. The
story concludes dramatically, with the narrator attempting to forget the address.