CBSE Class 12 English Going Places A R Barton Assignment

CBSE Class 12 English Going Places A R Barton Assignment. Students are advised to refer to the attached assignments and practice them regularly. This will help them to identify their weak areas and will help them to score better in examination. Parents should download and give the assignments to their children for practice.

MAIN POINTS:

(1) Two school girls- Sophie and Jansie- talked about their future plans after school-education.

(2) Sophie wanted to have a 'boutique' but Jansie doubted as it needed huge amount of money.

(3) Sophie would find money by working as a manager, or an actress or a fashion designer.

(4) Jansie thought that they (Sophie & she) are earmarked for biscuit factory.

(5) Geoff, her brother and an apprentice mechanic, a silent and realistic fellow by nature, was in her complete trust.

(6) She confided to him her illusory meeting with Danny Casey, a young Irish football player.

(7) Her father did not like her make-believe world. He protested quite often.

(8) On Saturday, the family went to watch the United, in which Casey scored the second goal for the United.

(9) The family celebrated this in their own distinct manner.

(10) Sophie under the delusion of meeting Danny Casey derives immense pleasure from it.

(11) Gradually reality dawns on her.

(12) She was disappointed, and is worried about her credibility.

(13) But is convinced that Danny and she understand the situation. She continues to live in virtual reality.

Major features :

Sophie's family

(1) Geoff ------- Brother ------------ Apprentice mechanic- realistic and silent.

(2) Her father ------------------ middleclass, poor man- dislikes her wild stories.

Issues Raised

(1) Adolescent fantasising

(2) Hero-worshiping

Important Questions NCERT Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 6 Going Places 

Question. Why is Sophie attracted to Danny Casey ?
Answer. Sophie is attracted to Danny Casey because he is a famous young Irish football player, who played for the United. Sophie’s attraction for the sports star can be seen as hero-worship by the adolescent girl.

Question. Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
Answer. Sophie did not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey because Jansie was a gossip monger. She took interest in knowing things about others, but would not keep any secret. Sophie feared that Jansie would tell the whole neighbourhood about this and Sophie’s fantasy would be exposed.

Question. How did Sophie’s father react when Geoff told him about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer. When Geoff told their father about Sophie’s meeting with Danny Casey, their father neither believed him nor her. He is aware of Sophie’s habit of lying and indulging in fantasy. He dismisses the information, by calling it another of her ‘wild stories’.

Question. “Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing.” Why did Sophie say so?
Answer. Sophie said so because she was angry at Geoff for giving away the secret, which he was supposed to keep to himself and not disclose to anyone. She had told Geoff of her imaginary meeting with Danny Casey. She knew he would easily believe her and not say anything to anybody. Besides, Sophie was also upset on being confronted by Jansie, who, according to Sophie, was extremely nosey.

Question. Has Sophie met Danny Casey? What details of her meeting with Danny Casey did she narrate to her brother?
Answer. No, Sophie has not met Danny Casey in person, but has seen him play football matches in the stadium with her father and brothers. When she lied to Geoff about meeting Danny Casey in person, she narrated that she had met him in the arcade. She was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window, when she spotted him standing beside her. She described his physical appearance saying that Danny Casey had gentle, green eyes and that he was not very tall. He was quiet by nature but when he spoke, he spoke in an Irish accent. Sophie said that she wanted his autograph for little Derek, but couldn’t get it because neither of them had a paper or a pen. She especially mentioned that Danny Casey did not have any girlfriend and that he asked her to meet him the following week and promised to give her an autograph.

Question. Given the socio-economic conditions in which Sophie lived should she have big dreams? Why? Why not?
Answer. Although, it is not wrong to have dreams and aspirations for the future, one may find fault with Sophie when she dreams. She belongs to a weak socio-economic background and to escape from the boring, working class existence she often fantasies of a grand and promising future with less hardship and money constraints. Given to her adolescent age, she is fickle minded as she aspires to be a boutique owner, a manager, an actress or a fashion designer when she grows up. However, she does not take concrete steps to convert any of her aspirations into reality. Sophie feels that a far better world, full of mysteries, awaits to be explored by her. Since her circumstances do not support her, one might also feel that her dreams are not based on reality. Sophie likes her world of fantasy more than the real world and wants to remain in it all the time, that is what is wrong.

Question. It is normal for adolescents to fantasise and indulge in hero worship. How far is it true of Sophie?
Answer. It is normal for adolescents to fantasise and indulge in hero-worship. Same is the case with the protagonist of the story, ‘Going Places’, Sophie. Sophie is someone, who looks for an escape from her harsh reality in her fantasies. In the story, one can see Sophie idolising two individuals. One is of course Danny Casey, the Irish, star football player and the other one is Geoff, her older brother.
Sophie loves Geoff the most in the family to the extent that she worships him and longs for his affection. Geoff is an introvert, he does not talk to her much and keeps himself busy with his bike. Sophie thinks that when Geoff is silent, he is far away somewhere in the mysterious world he belongs to. She too wants to be a part of Geoff ’s mystery world. She imagines herself riding behind him, wearing a yellow dress hearing the sound of people applauding for them. She wants him to think of her as an adult; it matters to her what Geoff thinks. However Geoff considers Sophie too young.
Her hero-worship for Danny Casey develops into a romantic fantasy, which she cherishes and starts to think as real. She lies about meeting him in person at the arcade. Her detailed description of the way he looks, his mannerisms, etc., makes her lie believable to her brother Geoff and her best friend Jansie. Sophie tells Geoff that Danny has asked her to meet him again and insist that he would certainly come, even though Geoff half believes it. Later on the day Sophie is supposed to meet Danny the second time, she imagines him coming and how she would react. Reality hits her hard once again when Danny does not come and it saddens Sophie. The fact is, she and Danny had never met in reality. Sophie had only seen him once playing at the stadium.

Question. Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie highlighting their temperament and aspirations.
Answer. Sophie and Jansie are classmates and friends. They belong to lower middle class families. Jansie thinks that they both are earmarked for biscuit factory. While Jansie seems to have no unrealistic dreams, her friend, Sophie, is a daydreamer. She wants to own a boutique when she grows up. Jansie, who is practical and a realistic person, reminds Sophie that it takes a lot of money to own a boutique. Sophie, on the other hand, is fickle minded. She says that she will get a high paying job of a manager or become an actress because they get paid a lot. Sophie shares her dream of becoming an actress/designer/boutique owner with her friend Jansie, which only saddens her. A worldly- wise Jansie warns Sophie against such far-fetched and unachievable dreams and is content with her reality, whereas Sophie wants to escape hers and find contentment outside, in a world, which is full of mystery and adventure. Sophie’s adolescent fantasising about having a grand and promising future and hero-worship of Danny Casey stands in total contrast to Jansie’s groundedness and practical temperament.

Question. Contrast Sophie’s real world with her fantasies.
Answer. Sophie is a school going girl who belongs to a poor family. She lives in a very small, untidy house with her parents and two brothers. She is fickle minded and lives in her own fantasy world. Sophie’s reality is too harsh for her to accept. No one supports her big dreams and considers her impractical. Her friend Jansie thinks they are earmarked for biscuit factory. All these reasons cause Sophie to escape her reality as much as possible and take refuge in her own fantasy world. Her fantasising does not end at owning a boutique after completing school or becoming an actress or a fashion designer. She fantasises about being a part of her elder brother Geoff ’s exotic world. She imagines herself riding behind him and there is a sound of applaud as the world greets them. However, in reality, Geoff does not talk much and considers Sophie immature. Sophie romantically fantasises about meeting Danny Casey and lies about it to her favourite brother and best friend. To her, all of this is real. Once again, she imagines Danny coming to meet her at the canal, she imagines her excitement on seeing him. She becomes sad and feels let down when Danny Casey does not ‘show up’ to give his autograph ‘as promised’. The fact is, she has had never met Danny Casey before she went to see him play at the stadium.

Question. Teachers always advise their students to dream big. Yet, the same teachers in yourclassrooms find fault with Sophie when she dreams. What is wrong with Sophie’s dreams?
Answer. Although, it is not wrong to have dreams and aspirations for the future, one may find fault with Sophie when she dreams. She belongs to a weak socio-economic background and to escape from the boring, working class existence she often fantasies of a grand and promising future with less hardship and money constraints. Given to her adolescent age, she is fickle minded as she aspires to be a boutique owner, a manager, an actress or a fashion designer when she grows up. However, she does not take concrete steps to convert any of her aspirations into reality. Sophie feels that a far better world, full of mysteries, awaits to be explored by her. Since her circumstances do not support her, one might also feel that her dreams are not based on reality. Sophie likes her world of fantasy more than the real world and wants to remain in it all the time, that is what is wrong.

Short Answer Questions I

Question. Why did Sophie long for her brother’s affection?
Answer.Geoff was an introvert and Sophie envied her brother’s silence as she thought that he had access to a world that she had never got a chance to visit. She sought her brother’s affection and approval because Geoff was not critical and disapproving of her like her father. To her, Geoff’s world symbolised freedom and adventure, which Sophie craved for a lot. She, to some extent hero-worshipped Geoff.

Question. How are Jansie and Sophie different from each other ?
Answer.While Jansie is practical, Sophie is a day dreamer. Jansie, is a realistic and grounded girl. Sophie on the other hand wants to escape her reality and yearns to be free.

Question. Why is Sophie attracted to Danny Casey ?
Answer.Sophie is attracted to Danny Casey because he is a famous young Irish football player, who played for the United. Sophie’s attraction for the sports star can be seen as hero-worship by the adolescent girl.

Question. Why was Sophie jealous of Geoff’s silence?
Answer.Geoff was an introvert by nature. Sophie was jealous of his silence because when he was not speaking, it seemed to Sophie that he was away somewhere, in his own world, the places Sophie had never been to, the people whom she had not met. The mystery of the world to which Geoff belonged fascinated her quite a lot. She wished to be admitted into his world because it symbolised freedom and adventure and she craved for both.

Question. Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer.Sophie did not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey because Jansie was a gossip monger. She took interest in knowing things about others, but would not keep any secret. Sophie feared that Jansie would tell the whole neighbourhood about this and Sophie’s fantasy would be exposed.

Question. Did Geoff keep his promise to Sophie ? How do you know ?
Answer.No, Geoff did not keep his promise to Sophie.
The moment he learnt that Sophie met Danny Casey, he told his father about it. Later, Jansie confronted Sophie saying that Geoff told her brother, Frank, about Sophie meeting Danny and Frank in turn gave her this information.

Question. How did Sophie’s father react when Geoff told him about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer.When Geoff told their father about Sophie’s meeting with Danny Casey, their father neither believed him nor her. He is aware of Sophie’s habit of lying and indulging in fantasy. He dismisses the information, by calling it another of her ‘wild stories’.

Question. What thoughts came to Sophie’s mind as she sat by the canal?
Answer.As Sophie sat by the canal, she felt that this would be the perfect place for her date with Danny Casey. She thought that when she would meet him here, it would be so romantic. However, the realisation that such a thing is impossible saddened her.

Question. Which was the only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person?
Answer.The only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person was on Saturday when she, her father and two brothers went to watch the United play at the stadium.

Question. Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from entertaining thoughts about the sports-star,Danny Casey?
Answer.Jansie discouraged Sophie from entertaining thoughts about Danny Casey because she knew it was not worth anything; nothing was going to materialise out of it.

Question. “Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing.” Why did Sophie say so?
Answer.Sophie said so because she was angry at Geoff for giving away the secret, which he was supposed to keep to himself and not disclose to anyone. She had told Geoff of her imaginary meeting with Danny Casey. She knew he would easily believe her and not say anything to anybody. Besides, Sophie was also upset on being confronted by Jansie, who, according to Sophie, was extremely nosey.

Question. What did Sophie tell Geoff about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer.About her meeting with Danny Casey, Sophie told Geoff that she met him in the arcade while she was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window. Then, she described Danny’s looks to Geoff, saying Danny had gentle green eyes and he was not as tall as one would think. Later, she went on to narrate her conversation with Danny, which apparently, she started. She said she asked Danny for an autograph for little Derek. However, she could not get one because neither of them were carrying paper and pen. Sophie then told Geoff that Danny had promised to meet her next week to give her the autograph.

Short Answer Questions II

Question. Sophie was dreaming of so many thing in her life. What were they?
Answer.Sophie dreamt of owing a boutique. But, that would require money. Therefore, Sophie thought of becoming a manager straight off. Then, she considered becoming an actress as it paid good money. She was going to be either that or a fashion designer. Eventually, once she acquired enough money, she would buy a boutique.

Long Answer Questions I

Question. Has Sophie met Danny Casey? What details of her meeting with Danny Casey did she narrate to her brother?
Answer.No, Sophie has not met Danny Casey in person, but has seen him play football matches in the stadium with her father and brothers. When she lied to Geoff about meeting Danny Casey in person, she narrated that she had met him in the arcade. She was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window, when she spotted him standing beside her. She described his physical appearance saying that Danny Casey had gentle, green eyes and that he was not very tall. He was quiet by nature but when he spoke, he spoke in an Irish accent. Sophie said that she wanted his autograph for little Derek, but couldn’t get it because neither of them had a paper or a pen. She especially mentioned that Danny Casey did not have any girlfriend and that he asked her to meet him the following week and promised to give her an autograph.

Question. What were Sophie’s plans for her future? Why would you call her dreams unrealistic?
Answer.Sophie wanted her future to be sophisticated and comfortable. She did not see herself working at the biscuit factory for the rest of her life. Instead, she wanted to have a boutique after leaving school. However, realising that it costs money to own a boutique, she changed her mind and decided to become a shop manager first to earn enough money for the boutique. Alternatively, she considered becoming an actress because, as a profession, it pays well. She changed her mind yet again and revealed that she would be an actress and run a boutique side by side. Her dreams can be called unrealistic because, she came from a poor family who could not provide all the resources needed to fulfil her fantasies. Moreover, Sophie wanted to escape her reality with the help of such dreams and fantasies, but not work hard to make them come true.

Long Answer Questions II

Question. Teachers always advise their students to dream big. Yet, the same teachers in your classrooms find fault with Sophie when she dreams. What is wrong with Sophie’s dreams?
Answer.Although, it is not wrong to have dreams and aspirations for the future, one may find fault with Sophie when she dreams. She belongs to a weak socio-economic background and to escape from the boring, working class existence she often fantasies of a grand and promising future with less hardship and money constraints. Given to her adolescent age, she is fickle minded as she aspires to be a boutique owner, a manager, an actress or a fashion designer when she grows up. However, she does not take concrete steps to convert any of her aspirations into reality. Sophie feels that a far better world, full of mysteries, awaits to be explored by her. Since her circumstances do not support her, one might also feel that her dreams are not based on reality. Sophie likes her world of fantasy more than the real world and wants to remain in it all the time, that is what is wrong.

Question. Every teenager has a hero/heroine to admire.So many times they become role models for them. What is wrong if Sophie fantasises about Danny Casey and is ambitious in life?
Answer.Every teenager has a hero or an idol to admire. So, many times they become role models for them. Sophie is one such teenager filled with boundless enthusiasm and ambitions. She wants to lead a sophisticated life. However, she is not a headstrong girl, who is determined to do things her own way and work hard to pursue her dreams. Instead, she appears to be fickle minded changing her aspirations without giving them much thought. She might even appear unrealistic and impractical on some instances because she prefers her world of fantasy over her reality. Her family is poor and cannot provide all the needed resources to fulfil her fantasises. Her hero-worship is limited to her infatuation with Danny Casey. She fantasises and lies about their somewhat romantic meeting rather than drawing inspiration from his dedication and hard work to achieve his dreams.

Question. How different is Jansie from Sophie?
Answer.Sophie and Jansie are classmates and friends. They belong to lower middle class families. Jansie thinks that they both are earmarked for biscuit factory. While Jansie seems to have no unrealistic dreams, her friend, Sophie, is a daydreamer. She wants to own a boutique when she grows up. Jansie, who is practical and a realistic person, reminds Sophie that it takes a lot of money to own a boutique. Sophie, on the other hand, is fickle minded. She says that she will get a high paying job of a manager or become an actress because they get paid a lot. Sophie shares her dream of becoming an actress/designer/boutique owner with her friend Jansie, which only saddens her. A worldlywise Jansie warns Sophie against such far-fetched and unachievable dreams and is content with her reality, whereas Sophie wants to escape hers and find contentment outside, in a world, which is full of mystery and adventure. Sophie’s adolescent fantasising about having a grand and promising future and hero-worship of Danny Casey stands in total contrast to Jansie’s groundedness and practical temperament.

Question. It is normal for adolescents to fantasise and indulge in hero worship. How far is it true of Sophie?
Answer.It is normal for adolescents to fantasise and indulge in hero-worship. Same is the case with the protagonist of the story, ‘Going Places’, Sophie. Sophie is someone, who looks for an escape from her harsh reality in her fantasies. In the story, one can see Sophie idolising two individuals. One is of course Danny Casey, the Irish, star football player and the other one is Geoff, her older brother. Sophie loves Geoff the most in the family to the extent that she worships him and longs for his affection. Geoff is an introvert, he does not talk to her much and keeps himself busy with his bike. Sophie thinks that when Geoff is silent, he is far away somewhere in the mysterious world he belongs to. She too wants to be a part of Geoff’s mystery world. She imagines herself riding behind him, wearing a yellow dress hearing the sound of people applauding for them. She wants him to think of her as an adult; it matters to her what Geoff thinks. However Geoff considers Sophie too young.
Her hero-worship for Danny Casey develops into a romantic fantasy, which she cherishes and starts to think as real. She lies about meeting him in person at the arcade. Her detailed description of the way he looks, his mannerisms, etc., makes her lie believable to her brother Geoff and her best friend Jansie. Sophie tells Geoff that Danny has asked her to meet him again and insist that he would certainly come, even though Geoff half believes it. Later on the day Sophie is supposed to meet Danny the second time, she imagines him coming and how she would react. Reality hits her hard once again when Danny does not come and it saddens Sophie. The fact is, she and Danny had never met in reality. Sophie had only seen him once playing at the stadium.

Question. Sophie lives in a world full of dreams, which she does not know she cannot realise. Comment.
Answer.Sophie is a girl still in her adolescense. She comes from a lower middle class family, but is full of dreams. She is an escapist, who is not satisfied with the reality of her life. Sophie is not ready to accept what life has to offer her. This is why she fantasises of a different life, which would be more exciting. Her best friend Jansie believes that Sophie and she are ear-marked for biscuit factory. However, Sophie dreams of becoming a fashion designer or opening a boutique even though it may not be achievable because of her financial constraints. Sophie’s hero-worship for Danny Casey causes her to make up stories and lie to her loved ones. There is no limit of her imaginations. She fantasises about her dream date with Danny even though she has never once met him in person. She eagerly waits for Danny to come and meet her by the canal, but for apparent reasons, he does not. It is she who gets disappointed in the end. Therefore, this proves that Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which she does not know she cannot realis

Question. Attempt a character sketch of Sophie as a woman who lives in her dreams.
Answer.The character of Sophie appears to be a girl who lives in her dreams. She belongs to a weak socio-economic background and to escape from the boring, working class existence, she often fantasises of a grand and promising future. She wants her future to have less hardships and money constraints.
Given her adolescent age, she is fickle minded. When she grows up, she aspires to be a boutique owner or a manager, or an actress, who is also a fashion designer, who also runs a boutique. However, she does not take concrete steps to convert any of her aspiration into reality. Of all her family members, Sophie admires her brother Geoff the most. She idealises him and at the same time is jealous of him, because he speaks less to Sophie, he seems full of mystery. She wants to be a part of her brother’s mysterious world because it symbolises freedom and adventure, both of which fascinate her immensely. She thinks that she is tailor made for such a world. Also, a part of her dream world is Danny Casey, an Irish footballer. Sophie has watched him play only once and develops a crush on him. Her hero-worship towards Danny Casey is so intense that she fantasises meeting him. She romanticises it and later feels disappointed when her fantasy does not come true. Therefore, it is suffice to say that Sophie is one incurable dreamer who lives in denial. Throughout the story, she has never once thought practically or come out of her dream world.

Question. Draw a character sketch of Sophie’s father.
Answer.Sophie’s father belonged to lower middle class. Nevertheless, he was like any other father. He was a hard working man with a realistic approach towards life. He came across as an overweight, dishevelled man, wearing his dirty and sweaty vest, hogging shepherd’s pie. He was not able to provide much for his family because of which the family always had to face money constraints and hardships. He is a practical man, who does not entertain his daughter’s fantasies. He does not believe Sophie when she says that she has met Danny Casey. He dismisses her by calling it one of her ‘wild stories’. He wants Sophie to be a hard working and worldly-wise girl. He himself is an ardent fan of football and pays a weekly visit to the stadium to watch the game.

Question. Contrast Sophie’s real world with her fantasies.
Answer.Sophie is a school going girl who belongs to a poor family. She lives in a very small, untidy house with her parents and two brothers. She is fickle minded and lives in her own fantasy world. Sophie’s reality is too harsh for her to accept. No one supports her big dreams and considers her impractical. Her friend Jansie thinks they are earmarked for biscuit factory. All these reasons cause Sophie to escape her reality as much as possible and take refuge in her own fantasy world. Her fantasising does not end at owning a boutique after completing school or becoming an actress or a fashion designer. She fantasises about being a part of her elder brother Geoff’s exotic world. She imagines herself riding behind him and there is a sound of applaud as the world greets them. However, in reality, Geoff does not talk much and considers Sophie immature. Sophie romantically fantasises about meeting Danny Casey and lies about it to her favourite brother and best friend. To her, all of this is real. Once again, she imagines Danny coming to meet her at the canal, she imagines her excitement on seeing him. She becomes sad and feels let down when Danny Casey does not ‘show up’ to give his autograph ‘as promised’. The fact is, she has had never met Danny Casey before she went to see him play at the stadium. 

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