CBSE Class 12 English Flamingo My Mother At Sixty Six Kamala Das Assignment Set B

THEME: The poem "My Mother at Sixty- six" examines the themes of:

(i) Advancing age

(ii) The fear of loss & separation.

MAIN POINTS TO REMEMBER:

1. The poet was travelling in a car along with her mother to the Cochin airport.

2. She compares the ashen face of her mother to a dead body; suddenly realizes that her mother has grown old & will finally die leaving her alone in this world.

3. This thought is painful to her so to divert her mind she looks out of the window of the car.

4. She sees the young trees running &the happy children coming out of their homes.

5. They are representatives' of-youth, energy, life & are in contrast to the pale worn out face of her mother who is sleeping beside her.

6. The dull face of her mother reminds her of the late winter's moon & troubles her once again of losing her mother.

7. At last she says good bye to her mother with a smile& without disclosing her feelings and fear of separation.

Figures of Speech used:

*SIMILE-: her face ashen like that of a corpse, as a late winters moon.

*REPETITION-: smile and smile and smile

*CONTRAST-: Old mother in the car has been contrasted with the young trees running and happy children coming out of their homes to the sadness of the poet on realizing the advancing age of her mother.

MCQs : 

Question. Smile and smile and smile is
(a) alliteration
(b) repetition
(c) simile
(d) metaphor

Answer: D

Question. She said to her mother
(a) goodbye
(b) au revoir
(c) good morning go.
(d) see you soon, Amma

Answer: D

Question. How is the imagery of ‘young trees and merry children’ a contrast to the mother?
(a) mother is old in comparison to the trees and children
(b) mother is like ash while the trees are green and children are happy
(c) like spring and autumn season
(d) Mother’s health-hopelessness and trees and merry children- youthfulness and hope

Answer: D

Question. ‘Trees sprinting’ is a poetic device. It is
(a) personification
(b) alliteration
(c) repetition
(d) simile

Answer: A

Question. When the narrator looked at her mother again she felt a pang of
(a) her familiar ache
(b) guilt
(c) heartache
(d) a headache

Answer: A

Question. The narrator again compared her mother too
(a) summer’s sun
(b) rain clouds
(c) late winter’s moon
(d) trees and plants

Answer: C

Question. ‘Children spilling out’ is an
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) personification
(d) transferred epithet

Answer: B

Question. The mother’s old age and lack of energy is a depiction of
(a) the poet’s helplessness in old age
(b) joy and fun of old age
(c) bonding of mother with family members
(d) sickness and ill-health

Answer: A

Question. The poetess says her mother looked pale like a
(a) corpse
(b) ghost
(c) malnourished child
(d) anaemic person

Answer: A

Question. The person in the car, beside the poetess, was,
(a) her aunt
(b) her niece
(c) her uncle
(d) her mother 

Answer: D

Question. She was going to
(a) Goa
(b) Mumbai
(c) Cochin
(d) Kolkata

Answer: C

Question. Why does the poet feel parted, upset and sad?
(a) because of her fears
(b) because she was getting late
(c) fear of missing her flight
(d) because of her duty towards mother and her own needs

Answer: D

Question. Kamala Das was an
(a) Bengali
(b) Punjabi
(c) Keralite
(d) Gujarati 

Answer: C

Question. What were the words she used while parting from her mother?
(a) See you soon Ba
(b) See you soon beeji
(c) See you soon mata ji
(d) See you soon, amma

Answer: D

Question. Whose house the poet was leaving?
(a) her friend’s house
(b) in-law’s house
(c) her husband’s house
(d) her parents’ house

Answer: D

Question. The image of merry children has been brought out by the narrator in order to
(a) show energy and exuberance of young children
(b) to show the children playing
(c) to show the children playing pranks
(d) to compare with herself

Answer: A

Question. What was the expression of the poet’s face while parting from her mother?
(a) satirical
(b) funny
(c) sad
(d) smiling

Answer: D

Question. The poem is made up of
(a) twenty lines
(b) a single sentence
(c) ten stanzas
(d) five stanzas

Answer: B

Question. Name the poetic devices used in the poem.
(a) metaphor
(b) similie
(c) alliteration
(d) all of these

Answer: D

Question. What does the narrative single sentence style of the poem highlight?
(a) Poet’s feelings
(b) Poet’s insecurities
(c) poet’s thoughts
(d) poet’s intertwining thoughts

Answer: D

Assertion And Reasoning Type Questions:

Question. Assertion: The poet was honest and didn't have any hesitation in describing her mother's ageing face.
Reason: She compares her mother's face to a corpse.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false.

Answer: A

Question. Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below:
Assertion: The poet brings in the image of merry children spilling out of their homes.
Reasoning: The merry children present an image of happiness and exuberance. This image is in stark contrast to the 'dozing‘ old mother who is an image of ageing, decay and passivity.
(a) Both A & R are correct. R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A & R are correct. R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is right, R is wrong
(d) R is right, A is wrong

Answer: A

Question. Assertion: The poet wards quickly off the thought of her mother getting old.
Reasoning: The poet didn‘t want to confront the inevitability of fate that was to dawn upon her mother.
(a) A can be inferred but R cannot be inferred
(b) A cannot be inferred but R can be inferred.
(c) Both A &R can be inferred
(d) Both A & R cannot be inferred

Answer: C

Question. Assertion: The poet was scared of losing her mother or her company from her childhood days.
Reason: So, the poet was expecting this and hence ready for this to happen.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false

Answer: C

Question. Assertion: The poet compares her mother to young trees.
Reason: Her mother was also young once.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false

Answer: B

Question. Assertion: The poet didn't reveal her sorrow on her face in the airport.
Reason: She didn't like to create a scene there.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false.

Answer: B

Question. Assertion: The poet gracefully accepts the reality of her mother growing old.
Reason: She left the airport without much difficulty.
(a) Both, A and R, are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both, A and R, are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
(e) Both A and R are false.

Answer: E

More Important Questions For CBSE Class 12 English My Mother at Sixty Six Kamla Das Assignment........

Extract Based Questions:

1. Read the following extract and choose the most appropriate option for each
question. I saw my mother, beside me, doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised with pain that she was as old
as she looked but soon put that thought away, and looked out at Young Trees sprinting,

Question. The words 'doze‘ and 'ashen‘ reflect that the mother was
(a) Tired and sleepy
(b) Sick and unhealthy
(c) Lost strength and vigour as she had grown old
(d) Hale and healthy

Answer: C

Question. ' Trees sprinting‘ contains
(a) Metaphor
(b) Personification
(c) Simile
(d) Alliteration

Answer: B

Question. What did the poet realize seeing her mother beside her in the car?
(a) That her mother may not survive for long
(b) That her mother was suffering
(c) That her mother wanted her to be with her.
(d) That she wanted to go with her daughter.

Answer: A

Question. ‗Thought Away‘ means
(a) Diverted
(b) Escaped
(c) Drifted
(d) Avoided

Answer: A

Question. Kamala Das turned her attention from her mother, because
(a) She was feeling guilty.
(b) She was shirking her responsibility
(c) She was trying to escape from pain filled emotions.
(d) She didn‘t like the idea of her mother growing old.

Answer: C

Question. The Literary Devices used in the above extract are
(a) Simile and Refrain
(b) Simile and personification
(c) Simile and Alliteration
(d) Only simile

Answer: B

Question. The Poetic Device used in the above lines is also found in
(a) Leena is the Latha Mangeshkar of Hyderabad.
(b) Ayra is as cool as a cucumber to receive the heavy news.
(c) The elephant is heavier than many other animals.
(d) He is a tiger

Answer: B

2. Read the following extract and choose the most appropriate option for each question. I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter‘s moon and felt that old familiar ache, my
childhood‘s fear, but all I said was, see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile......

Question. Though she feels painful, kamala Das smiles on …
(a) To hide her sad feelings and emotions
(b) To encourage her mother to smile and feel good
(c) Not to dishearten her mother by showing her worried face
(d) All the above

Answer: D

Question. Kamala Das comparing her mother to winter moon signifies
(a) Human life is as short as that of the moon.
(b) Though the mother is old, she is still beautiful
(c) Winter is the last season of the year
(d) Mother is about to die

Answer: B

Question. The tone of the poem is
(a) Pensive and sorrowful
(b) Disillusioned and unhappy
(c) Happy but discontented
(d) Remorseful

Answer: A

To be answered in 30-40 words each

Question. Where was the poet driving to? Who was sitting beside her?
Answer: The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. Her mother was sitting beside her.

Question. What did the poet notice about her mother?
Answer: The poet looked at her mother and saw that her mother was dozing with her mouth open.. She noticed that her mother was looking pale and lifeless like a dead body.

Question. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Answer: When the poet sees the pale face of her mother, her old familiar childhood fear returns. Ageing is a natural process. The poet’s mother is old and will die soon. This thought makes the poet feel miserable.

Question. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?
Answer: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. She has lost her shine and strength of youth. Similarly the late winter’s moon looks hazy and dull. It too lacks shine and strength.

Question. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Answer: The poet’s parting words and her smiles are intentional attempt to hide her real feelings. The parting words give an assurance to the old lady. Similarly, her repeated smiles are an attempt to overcome the pain and fear inside her heart.