Question 1 - Chapter 1 - The Portrait of a Lady - Hornbill - Chapters (Literature) - English Class 11

Read the extract and answer the following questions.

Extract:

MY grandmother, like everybody’s grandmother, was an old woman. She had been old and wrinkled for the twenty years that I had known her. People said that she had once been young and pretty and had even had a husband, but that was hard to believe. My grandfather’s portrait hung above the mantelpiece in the drawing room. He wore a big turban and loose-fitting clothes. His long, white beard covered the best part of his chest and he looked at least a hundred years old. He did not look the sort of person who would have a wife or children. He looked as if he could only have lots and lots of grandchildren.

(The Portrait of a Lady)

Question (i)

How does the narrator describe his grandmother’s appearance?

Answer:

Answer by the student:

The narrator describes his grandmother as an old and wrinkled woman who had been old for the twenty years that he had known her.

Step-by-step explanation:

To answer this question, we need to identify the words and phrases that the narrator uses to describe his grandmother’s appearance in the extract. We can use bullet points to list them:

• an old woman
• old and wrinkled
• had been old for the twenty years that he had known her

We can then use these points to write a complete sentence that summarizes the narrator’s description of his grandmother’s appearance. We can use simple words and connect them with conjunctions like “and” or “who”. We can also use bold formatting to highlight the key words. For example:

• The narrator describes his grandmother as an old and wrinkled woman who had been old for the twenty years that he had known her.😊

Question (ii)

What did people say about the grandmother’s past that was hard to believe for the narrator?

• (a)  She had once been young and pretty
• (b) She had once been a famous singer
• (c)  She had once been a brave warrior
• (d)  She had once been a wealthy merchant

Answer:

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Answer by the student:

(a) She had once been young and pretty

Step-by-step explanation:

• To answer this question, we need to recall what people said about the grandmother’s past in the extract. We can use quotation marks to indicate the exact words that people said. For example:
• People said that she “had once been young and pretty”.
• We then need to compare this statement with the four given options and choose the one that matches it exactly. We can use a process of elimination to rule out the options that are different from what people said. For example:
• Option B is different because people did not say anything about the grandmother being a famous singer.
• Option C is different because people did not say anything about the grandmother being a brave warrior.
• Option D is different because people did not say anything about the grandmother being a wealthy merchant.
• We can then conclude that option A is the correct answer because it is the same as what people said about the grandmother’s past. We can use bold formatting to indicate our choice. For example:
• The correct answer is A. She had once been young and pretty .👍

Question (iii)

The narrator’s grandfather’s portrait is an example of _ in the extract.

• (a) contrast
• (b) foreshadowing
• (c) irony
• (d) symbolism

Answer:

Answer by the student:

(a) contrast

Step-by-step explanation:

To answer this question, we need to understand what each of the literary devices or techniques means and how they are used in texts. We can use definitions and examples to explain them briefly. For example:

• Contrast is a technique that shows how two or more things are different from each other.
• For example, black and white are contrasting colors.
• Foreshadowing is a technique that gives hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.
• For example, a stormy weather can foreshadow a conflict or disaster.
• Irony is a technique that shows how something is different from what is expected or intended.
• For example, a fire station burning down is ironic.
• Symbolism is a technique that uses an object, person, place, or idea to represent something else, usually something abstract or deeper.
• For example, a dove can symbolize peace.
• We then need to identify how the narrator’s grandfather’s portrait fits into one of these techniques in the extract. We can use evidence from the text to support our analysis. For example:
• The narrator’s grandfather’s portrait is an example of contrast in the extract because it shows how different he was from his grandmother and from the narrator’s idea of a husband or a father. The portrait depicts him as a very old, traditional, and distant man who wore a big turban and loose-fitting clothes, had a long, white beard, and looked at least a hundred years old. He did not look like someone who would have a wife or children, let alone a young and pretty one. He looked like someone who would only have lots and lots of grandchildren. This contrasts with the grandmother, who was once young and pretty and had a husband, and with the narrator, who could not believe that his grandparents had ever been anything other than old and wrinkled.
• We can then use bold formatting to indicate our answer and write a complete sentence that explains our analysis. For example:
• The correct answer is A. contrast because the narrator’s grandfather’s portrait shows how different he was from his grandmother and his grandson.😊

Question (iv)

Give one word that describes the narrator’s attitude towards his grandfather’s portrait.

Answer:

Answer by the student: 

Disbelief

Step-by-step explanation:

• To answer this question, we need to infer the narrator’s attitude or feeling towards his grandfather’s portrait from the words and tone he uses in the extract. We can use clues such as adjectives, adverbs, or expressions to help us. For example:
• The narrator says that it was hard to believe that his grandmother had once been young and pretty and had even had a husband.
• The narrator says that his grandfather did not look the sort of person who would have a wife or children.
• The narrator says that his grandfather looked at least a hundred years old.
• We can then use these clues to choose a word that best describes the narrator’s attitude or feeling towards his grandfather’s portrait. We can use a dictionary or a thesaurus to help us find synonyms or antonyms of possible words. For example:
• Disbelief means the inability or refusal to accept that something is true or real.
• Synonyms: doubt, skepticism, incredulity, etc.
• Antonyms: belief, trust, faith, etc.
• Disbelief is a suitable word to describe the narrator’s attitude or feeling towards his grandfather’s portrait because it shows that he does not accept or understand how his grandfather could be related to him or his grandmother. We can use bold formatting to indicate our answer. For example:
• The word that describes the narrator’s attitude towards his grandfather’s portrait is disbelief .😊

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