CBSE Class 10 English Amanda! Assignment Set 03

Short Answer Type Questions
 

Question. What does Amanda long to do at the sea?
Answer: Amanda wants to be the sole inhabitant of the sea. She wants to be as free as a mermaid. She wants to be a mermaid so that ‘she could drift joyfully with the gentle waves of sea’.

Question. Amanda imagines herself to be Rapunzel, yet would not like to do what all she did. Identify and state the reasons for her decision.
Answer: Amanda wants to be Rapunzel to live a peaceful life in a tower, where no one gives any instruction and she doesn’t have to do any work. But she doesn’t want to escape with a prince like Rapunzel. She never wants to escape and leave such a peaceful atmosphere, with no instruction and no work to do.

Question. Who is the mermaid in ‘Amanda’, what does she wish to do ?
Answer: The mermaid is Amanda herself, as imagined by Amanda. She wishes to drift blissfully on a dreamy, emerald sea, without anyone else accompanying her.

Question. What is the role/importance of punctuation marks in language ? Why has the poet used the exclamation mark after Amanda ? Comment on the title of the poem.
Answer:
1. Punctuation is an important part of grammar. It is used to create sense, clarity and stress in sentences. It is used to structure and organise our writing.
2. Exclamation mark is used after Amanda! to show the mother’s surprise on seeing Amanda. Amanda is a sulky and moody girl which upsets the mother.

Question. What is the theme of the poem ‘Amanda’ ?
Answer: Too many instructions and too much control is resented by children. They get bored and fed up. Then, they listen to their parents half-heartedly and indulge in daydreaming.

Question. Is the purpose of someone constantly giving instructions to Amanda being fulfilled? Explain.
Answer: No, Amanda sulks and becomes moody when her mother gives her too many instructions. She does not listen to her mother and didn’t care to follow them but she can’t dare to ignore them either so, she sulks. Parents in their endeavour to make their children well behaved, give them too many instructions.

Question. What is Amanda asked to do about her nails, shoulders and how is she asked to sit ?
Answer: Amanda is a little girl who is asked not to bite her nails. She is asked not to raise and bend her shoulders. She is asked to sit up straight and not in a lazy, drooping way.

Question. What is Amanda asked to do about her homework, her room and her shoes ?
Answer: Amanda is asked if she has finished her homework. She is asked to arrange her room neatly and in order. Then, she is asked to clean her shoes.

Question. “Anyone would think that I nagged at you, Amanda!” Do you think the speaker had a nagging attitude ?
Answer: Nagging is a state of harassing someone constantly for doing something they dislike. As the speaker, which I suppose is her mother, always and constantly told Amanda to do or not to do one thing or another, which she disliked. Thus, I can say that the speaker had a nagging attitude.

Question. Why does Amanda seem moody most of the time ?
Answer: Amanda is being given instructions every moment. She is being told to do so many things one after the other in a negative way. She does not want to follow them, but she can’t dare to ignore them either, so she sulks and seems moody most of the time. Hence, she has made up her mind that her mother doesn’t love her, that is why she is always nagging. This makes her even more sad and moody.

Question. Justify the title of the poem, ‘Amanda !’ Why has an exclamation mark been used in the title ?
Answer: The poem revolves around a little girl and her mother. The mother ‘in one breath’ keeps giving her instructions. Amanda is the little girl and her mother keeps repeating her name with every instruction. Therefore, the name of the poem is suitable and apt. Moreover, Amanda is lost in her own world and ignores her mother’s instructions and directions, as a result, the mother has to call out her name louder and louder with a degree of expression. Hence, the sign of exclamation has been appropriately used in the title.

Question. How would a life on a tower be different from a life anywhere else for Amanda ?
Answer: Life on a tower for Amanda would be very different from her reality. Just like Rapunzel, even she desires to live on top of a tower, away from everyday chaos. Amanda suffers due to the constant nagging from her parents. She seeks a place full of peace and serenity, where there is no one to disturb her. Hence, she wishes to live on a tower.

Question. Do you think Amanda is at fault ?
Answer: Amanda is not at fault at all. It is too harsh for a small child to understand the concept of acne and not eating a chocolate. Love of parents is missing from Amanda’s life. It is with pity that we look towards Amanda. There is nothing worst for a child who wishes to be an orphan. Amanda just seeks freedom from the overpowering environment around her.

Question. Do you consider Amanda’s mother to be a nagging mother ?
Answer: Amanda’s mother is indeed a nagging mother. She is all about instructions and finding faults. No doubt it is her responsibility to instil good values into her daughter, but not at the cost of her child’s happiness. One should know how to strike a balance between maintaining responsibilities and taking good care.

Question. There is a languid emerald sea, (stanza 2) where the sole inhabitant is me-
(a) Give the meaning of the word ‘languid’?
(b) Who is ‘me’ in the above lines?
Answer:
(a) ‘Languid’ in the above lines means relaxed.
(b) ‘Me’ in the above lines refers to Amanda.

Question. What are the instructions that Amanda gets which all school-going children must follow?
Answer: Amanda gets instructions to finish her homework, to tidy her room, to clean her shoes, to walk straight, to not to eat chocolates, not to bite her nails and finally to stop sulking.

Question. What does Amanda imagine doing as an orphan?
Answer: Amanda imagines herself as an orphan just roaming about carelessly in the streets. She makes patterns on the dust with her bare feet. There is no one to nag her and her freedom is sweet.
 

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. Colin Wilson, an English author, said, “Your imagination should be used not to escape reality but to create it.” Compare/contrast Wanda and Amanda in the light of this author’s opinion.
Answer: It is evident from the poem ‘Amanda’ that the girl is fed up with continuous nagging by her parent. Instead of facing the situation, she wants to avoid reality and get riddance by hiding in the imaginary world of mermaids and fairy tales. On the contrary, Wanda Petronski faced discrimination boldly. She used her imagination not to escape reality but to create it. She won everyone’s heart by displaying her talent. Her peers ridiculed her unusual name and shabby dress but with the power of her imagination, she not only won the drawing competition but children’s appreciation too. We should try to understand from these two references that we cannot escape reality. We have to face and reshape it.

Question. Bringing up teenagers can be both a challenge and fun. How far do you agree? Express your views with reference to Amanda’s life.
Answer: Bringing up teenagers is truly challenging and fun. Teenagers can be rebellious and apparently hot-headed with a highly independent perspective. In such circumstances, yelling at them, and nagging them, as done in the poem with Amanda, will only make matters worse. Forcing decisions on them only makes them more detached, as we see in Amanda’s case, where she wishes to be a lone mermaid, an orphan or the lonely Rapunzel. To make things fun, one must become a friend where needed. Sometimes, one needs to just ‘chill’ with one’s kids!

Question. Is Amanda’s attitude similar to a typical teenage behaviour? What is the lesson for parents from this poem?
Answer: Amanda’s attitude is typical of a teenager. Teenagers can be rebellious and apparently hot-headed with a highly independent perspective. In such circumstances, yelling at them and nagging them, as done in the poem with Amanda, will only make matters worse. Forcing decisions on them only makes them more detached as we see in Amanda’s case, where she wishes to be an alone mermaid, an orphan or the lonely Rapunzel. She doesn’t want to listen to anyone.

Question. Why does Amanda escape into the dreamy world of mermaids, fairies and orphans ? Does she find any solace there ?
Answer: Amanda is a teenager. Like all teenagers, she too loves freedom. She wants to lead her own kind of life. She doesn’t want to be an overprotected child. Nor does she want that her parents should control and guide her activities. What she should do and what not is her own choice. She should not be dictated by her mother. Her mother’s constant nagging leads her away from her. She creates a world of her own. Her world is not the world of harsh realities, but it is an imaginary world of fairies and mermaids. There she finds solace as she can wander in a lonely island blissfully like a mermaid. She can enjoy freedom by roaming around the streets like an orphan. She craves to live in a lonely tower leading a peaceful life like Rapunzel. This way, she avoids her mother as she doesn’t like her constant nagging. She doesn’t even look at her while she is speaking to her.

Question. How does Amanda tackle the nagging nature of her parents ? Explain with examples from the poem. What values does it portray about Amanda ?
Answer: Amanda is a small girl who is termed as moody for her careless behaviour. But it is very surprising to know that this is her defence mechanism to shield her self against her nagging parents. Amanda is getting instructions from her parents, which become too much to handle for the small girl. She is told not to eat her nails and sit in a proper position. Amanda’s response to it is her work of imagination where she is a mermaid drifting effortlessly by the languid river. Further, she is asked about cleaning her room and finishing her homework to which she reacts by imagining herself being an orphan roaming in the street and making patterns with her bare feet. Amanda then faces the heat for eating a chocolate, which had once caused her acne. This time in her imagination, she takes the form of Rapunzel and wishes to live on top of a tower away from everyone. Amanda’s parents are upset over her behaviour and casualness, but she stays in her own world. All these portray Amanda in a positive light while her parents in a negative light.

Question. Discuss the importance of proper upbringing with reference to the poem ‘Amanda’ by Robin Klein.
Answer: Upbringing plays an essential role in the personality development of an adult. Whenever we wish to admire or criticise someone, we question the upbringing of that person. Robin Klein’s poem Amanda highlights the tension in the ‘proper’ upbringing of a child. To instil good values and moral principles in a growing child comes as a foremost duty for the parents. However, the poem Amanda shows how a child feels trapped within the cluster of instructions. Amanda is no less than a victim in this travesty. No proper space is given to her creativity. She is instructed for everything. As a result, she feels trapped and seeks an escape. Her imagination proves to be her escape and which is also her defence against her nagging parents. The situation of Amanda is so worse that she wishes to be an orphan, in order to get rid of her parents. She imagines enacting various roles varying from a mermaid to Rapunzel. Amanda wishes to live alone and carefree. It is very important to understand the situation of Amanda where her freedom is cut short by constant instructions and guidelines. Proper balance should be maintained when dealing with such delicate issues. Love and care should always be part of this two-way transaction.
 

Extract Based Questions

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
(There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me-
a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)

Question. Complete the sentence with the appropriate option.
“There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me”
The poet has used _____ poetic device in the given lines.
(a) Assonance
(b) Personification
(c) Enjambment
(d) Synecdoche
Answer: (c) Enjambment

Question. Comment on the imagery that the poet creates in these lines in about 40 words.
Answer: While Amanda’s mother reprimands her, she imagines herself as a mermaid in a deep green sea. She imagines being the only resident of the sea who lives her life in a very relaxing way. Her mother’s constant nagging drives her to escape into her imagination wherein she can live a peaceful and solitary life. She imagines it to be a life of freedom

Question. Why does Amanda want to be sole inhabitant of sea?
Answer: Amanda wants to be away from this noisy and disturbing atmosphere and hence wishes to be the sole inhabitant of the sea

Question. Why is this stanza given within brackets in the poem?
Answer: This stanza is given within brackets because it reveals the inner thoughts of Amanda. Brackets have been used for visual contrast between what Amanda is saying and what her mother is instructing.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :

I am an orphan, roaming the street,
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.
Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,

Question. Fill the blank with one word.
The extract shows that the speaker, Amanda’s mother is _____ about Amanda’s acne and cares for her.
Answer: concerned

Question. How does the use of metaphor impact this extract?
Answer: The use of metaphor impacts the extract by an imagination and by helping the writer convey more emotions.

Question. Why is Amanda imagining being an orphan? Answer in about 40 words.
Answer: Amanda is imagining being an orphan to live a life of freedom. She is constantly scolded by her mother. So, she escapes into her own world of imagination wherein she lives a peaceful life, all alone.

Question. What is the poet estimating by making silence golden?
(a) The worth of silence
(b) The worth of beauty
(c) The value of independence
(d) The worth of privacy
Answer: (a) The worth of silence