GSEB Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 2 The Address Solutions

Reading with Insight

Question 1. 'Have you come back?' said the woman, 'I thought that no one had come back.' Does this statement give some clue about the story? If yes, what is it?
Answer: Yes, this statement gives some hint about the story. Early in the war, Mrs Dorling moved the valuable items of her friend, Mrs S., from her home to 46, Marconi Street. These possessions included silver cutlery, old plates, and other lovely things like the iron Hanukkah candle holder, a woollen tablecloth, and a green knitted cardigan with wooden buttons. As Mrs S. had passed away during the war, Mrs Dorling did not think anyone would return to claim these expensive items because she believed no one else knew her location. This statement shows Mrs Dorling's selfish and owning personality. She did not open her door to the daughter of her deceased friend, nor did she show any sign of knowing her. She kept the girl out. She refused to meet her then, saying it was not suitable for her. The narrator had visited this address specifically to see her mother's possessions. Even when she explained to Mrs Dorling that she alone had come back, the woman with a thick back showed no warmth at all. Therefore, the conflict of interests is suggested by this earlier remark.
In simple words: The woman's surprise shows she didn't expect anyone to return. It reveals her greedy nature, as she kept items she thought no one would claim, refusing to recognize the owner's daughter.

Exam Tip: When analyzing character statements, always consider the character's motivations and the context of the situation to reveal deeper meanings in the story.

Question 2. The story is divided into pre-war and post-war times. What hardships do you think the girl underwent during these times?
Answer: Before the war, the narrator stayed in a different city far from her family, visiting her mother for just a few days. During the initial part of the war, her mother constantly feared they might need to leave their home and lose all their valuable possessions. The narrator lived in a tiny rented room in the city, with windows covered by blackout paper, preventing her from seeing any natural beauty outside. The danger of death was very strong. After the country was freed, things returned to how they usually were. Bread was becoming a lighter shade. She could finally sleep in her bed without any worry each day. One day, she really wanted to see all her mother's items, which she knew were kept at 46, Marconi Street. She visited that place. She felt let down when Mrs Dorling did not know her and would not let her enter. Mrs Dorling asked her to return another day, clearly wanting to avoid her. The narrator was keen to look at, feel, and recall her mother's items. So, she had to make the effort to visit the place again.
In simple words: Before and during the war, the girl faced fear of loss, separation from family, and a gloomy living situation. After the war, she endured disappointment and rejection when trying to reclaim her mother's belongings.

Exam Tip: To score well, describe specific difficulties faced during both periods, linking them directly to the impact of war and the character's emotional state.

Question 3. Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?
Answer: The narrator only remembered the address her mother had shared once: 46, Marconi Street, where her mother's friend, Mrs Dorling, resided. Mrs Dorling had kept the narrator's mother's precious items there. After her mother passed away, the narrator felt a strong need to visit the place. She wished to see, feel, and recall those objects. She went to the specified address two times, finally managing to enter the living room on her second try. Once inside, she was surrounded by items she had hoped to see again. However, she felt weighed down by the odd setting, as everything was arranged without good taste. The unsightly furniture and the damp smell made the experience quite disagreeable. These items brought back memories of her earlier, familiar life. Yet, these things had lost their true importance for her because they were separated from her life and kept in an unfamiliar place. She no longer desired to see, touch, or remember these possessions. She made up her mind to forget the address. She wished to leave the past and move forward in her life.
In simple words: The narrator wanted to forget the address because seeing her mother's belongings in a strange, tasteless environment, separated from her mother, made them lose their meaning and brought pain instead of comfort. She decided to move on from the past.

Exam Tip: Explain that the items, once cherished, lost their sentimental value in the new, inappropriate surroundings, pushing the narrator to discard painful memories and embrace the future.

Question 4. 'The Address' is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.
Answer: War often leads to many hard and sad situations for people. It can sometimes become unclear what actions to take. The difficulties people face after a war are clearly shown through the narrator's experience. The conflict had caused her much physical hardship and deep emotional pain. She had lost her beloved mother. She traveled to 46, Marconi Street to see her mother's precious items. Mrs Dorling's actions demonstrate how selfish and uncaring people can become. She had kept all the valuable belongings of the narrator's mother but declined to acknowledge the narrator, refusing to even let her inside. Seeing her mother's items in an unfamiliar environment caused her pain. By now, these cherished possessions had no meaning for her since they were kept apart from her mother. She found no peace or ease from them.
In simple words: The story highlights the tough choices and emotional struggles people face after war. The narrator's loss, her search for comfort in old belongings, and Mrs Dorling's greed all show the sad human condition post-conflict.

Exam Tip: Focus on how the war led to loss, disillusionment, and moral decay (like Mrs Dorling's behavior), emphasizing the protagonist's emotional journey.

Gseb Class 11 English The Address Additional Important Questions And Answers

Answer The Following Questions In Four To Five Sentences Each:

Question 1. How did the narrator come to know about Mrs Dorling and the address where she lived?
Answer: Many years ago, during the first part of the war, the narrator visited her mother's house for a few days. After being there for a couple of days, she saw that various things in the rooms were different. She noticed many missing items. Then, her mother informed her about Mrs Dorling, an old friend. Mrs Dorling had suddenly reappeared after many years and started visiting regularly, taking something home with her each time. She proposed that she could protect their valuable items by keeping them at her own house. The narrator's mother then provided her address: Number 46, Marconi Street. The narrator inquired if her mother had agreed that Mrs Dorling should keep everything. Her mother disapproved of this question, believing it would be disrespectful to ask. She was more concerned about the danger Mrs Dorling faced while transporting a large suitcase or bag.
In simple words: The narrator learned about Mrs Dorling when her mother revealed that items were missing from their home during the war. Her mother explained that Mrs Dorling, an old friend, was storing their valuable belongings at 46, Marconi Street for safety.

Exam Tip: Clearly state the sequence of events: missing items, mother's explanation, Dorling's offer, and the address given. Mention the mother's concern for Dorling's safety as a detail.

Question 2. In what respect was the second visit of the narrator to 46, Marconi Street different from the first one? Did she really succeed in her mission? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer: The narrator's second visit to 46, Marconi Street, varied from the first in one key way. During her initial visit, the narrator was denied entry into the house. However, on the second visit, she was allowed into the living room, where she could finally see and touch some of the items she had so greatly desired to find. Her visit to this place had a clear goal: to view her mother's possessions. Touching and seeing these familiar items brought back memories of her previous life. Yet, these objects had now lost their true importance for her because they were separated from her life and kept in unusual surroundings. Therefore, her goal to see, touch, and remember her mother's belongings was only partly successful. She decided to let go of these items, their history, and progress in life, clearly shown by her choice to forget the address.
In simple words: The second visit was different because she got inside the house and saw her mother's items. However, she only partly succeeded because the items felt strange and meaningless in their new setting, causing her to decide to forget them.

Exam Tip: Highlight the contrast in access (denied vs. allowed entry) and the emotional impact of seeing the items. Emphasize that physical access doesn't always equal emotional fulfillment.

Question 3. What impression do you form of the narrator?
Answer: The narrator makes a very positive impression on us regarding her emotional and intellectual traits. We see her as a smart yet loyal daughter. She loves and respects her mother, but she doesn't agree with her mother's gentle attitude towards her friend, Mrs Dorling. She asks a direct question that her mother considers rude. The narrator has a strong ability to observe things. During her short visit home, she notices that several items are missing from the rooms. She possesses a sharp sense of understanding. She quickly understands Mrs Dorling. Her ongoing attempts to remind Mrs Dorling of her identity and connection to her mother show her strong, unbreakable will. She visits 46, Marconi Street twice to see, feel, and recall her mother's possessions. She is a practical person who doesn't like to stay stuck in the past. Her decision to forget the address and move on demonstrates her courage and forward-thinking attitude. She has a modern outlook.
In simple words: The narrator is shown as an intelligent, loyal, and observant daughter. She is realistic, persistent, and has a forward-looking personality, choosing to move past painful memories rather than cling to them.

Exam Tip: Use adjectives like "intelligent," "observant," "resilient," and "practical" to describe her, backing each with a brief example from her actions in the story.

Question 4. Comment on the significance of the title of the story 'The Address'.
Answer: The title of the story 'The Address' is very suitable. It acts as the core of the entire action. Indeed, the whole plot revolves around it. The title is quite meaningful and appears at the beginning, middle, and conclusion of the tale. Marga Minco directs the reader's attention to it through the narrator's uncertainty about whether she was wrong and her certainty that she had arrived at the correct place. The central part of the story explains how she learned the address. Her mother had told her about the location where Mrs Dorling lived and asked her to keep it in mind. The story concludes powerfully with the narrator's decision to forget the address, bringing the situation to a full close. She had kept the address in mind for many years, but now, because her mother's stored belongings had lost their meaning, she realizes that letting go of this address would be quite simple.
In simple words: The title 'The Address' is highly significant because it drives the entire plot. It's the physical location where the narrator seeks her past, only to find disappointment, leading her to finally let go of the emotional attachment to both the place and her memories.

Exam Tip: Explain how the address is both a physical destination and a symbolic link to the past, and how its ultimate rejection by the narrator signifies her emotional journey.

Question 5. Give a brief account of the narrator's first visit to 46, Marconi Street. What impression do you form of Mrs Dorling from it?
Answer: After the war, when conditions became stable, the narrator grew interested in her mother's belongings kept at Mrs Dorling's house. Wanting to see them, she traveled by train to 46, Marconi Street. Mrs Dorling opened the door just a crack. The narrator approached, stood on the step, and asked if she still remembered her. Mrs Dorling replied that she did not know her. The narrator then stated that she was Mrs S.'s daughter. Mrs Dorling continued to stare silently, showing no sign of knowing her. She kept her hand on the door, as if trying to stop it from opening wider. The narrator recognized her mother's green knitted cardigan that Mrs Dorling was wearing. Mrs Dorling noticed this and partly concealed herself behind the door. The narrator asked again if she knew her mother. Mrs Dorling, looking surprised, asked if she had returned. She then refused to meet the narrator or offer any assistance.
In simple words: On her first visit, Mrs Dorling opened the door only slightly, denied knowing the narrator, and refused to let her in, even after being identified. This interaction makes Mrs Dorling seem cold, unwelcoming, and deceitful, protecting stolen goods.

Exam Tip: Detail Mrs Dorling's actions (opening a chink, denying knowledge, wearing the cardigan, refusing entry) to support your impression of her as greedy and unsympathetic.

Question 6. “I was in % room I knew and did not know,” says the narrator in the story ‘The Address'. What prompted her to make this observation?
Answer: The narrator discovered herself surrounded by familiar items that she genuinely wanted to see once more. However, she found these items within an odd environment where everything was set up without any style. The unpleasant furniture and the damp smell made her feel as though she did not recognize the room at all.
In simple words: The narrator felt this way because, while the items were her mother's familiar things, they were placed in an unfamiliar, tasteless, and unpleasant setting, making the room feel foreign to her.

Exam Tip: Emphasize the contrast between the familiarity of the objects and the strangeness of their new environment and arrangement, highlighting the sense of displacement.

Question 7. "Of all the things I had to forget, that would be the easiest”. What does the speaker mean by 'that'? What is its significance in the story?
Answer: Here, 'that' refers to the specific address. The phrase 'number 46, Marconi Street,' which is the address, appears many times in the story. This address holds importance for the narrator at the start of the tale. Nonetheless, by the story's conclusion, she decides to let it go, wishing to separate from her past and embrace her present and future.
In simple words: 'That' refers to the address 46, Marconi Street. Its significance is that, while initially crucial for reclaiming her past, the address eventually symbolizes her painful memories, leading her to decide that forgetting it is the best way to move on.

Exam Tip: Explain the dual role of the address: initially a link to her past, but ultimately a symbol of disillusionment, leading to her decision to forget and live in the present.

The Address Summary in English

The Address Summary:

The story 'The Address' is all about human predicament that follows war. The story narrates how a daughter goes to her native place in Holland in search of her mother's belongings after the war. In the beginning of the story, it is narrated how the protagonist was given a cold reception when she went to her native place after the war in search of her mother's belongings.

After ringing the bell of House Number 46 in Marconi Street, a woman opened the door. On being introduced, the woman kept staring at her in silence. There was no sign of recognition on her face. The woman was wearing her mother's green knitted cardigan. The narrator could understand that she had made no mistake. She asked the woman whether she knew her mother. The woman could not deny this.

The narrator wanted to talk to her for some time. But the woman cautiously closed the door. The narrator stopped there for some time and then left the place. In the subsequent sections, the memories of the narrator's bygone days come to light. Her mother had provided the address years ago during the war. She went to home for few days. She could find that various things were missing.

At that time, her mother told her about Mrs Dorling. She happened to be an old acquaintance of the narrator's mother. Lately, she had renewed contact with her and had been coming there regularly. Every time she left their house she took something home with her.

She told that she wanted to save all their nice possessions. The next day, the narrator saw Mrs Dorling going out of their house with a heavy suitcase. She had a fleeting glimpse of Mrs Dorling's face. She asked her mother whether the woman lived far away. At that time, the narrator's mother told about the address: Number 46, Marconi Street. After many days, after the war, the narrator was curious to take record of the possessions that must still be at Number 46, Marconi Street. With this intention, she went to the given address.

The concluding part of the story describes the second visit of the narrator. As the narrator's first visit had yielded no result, she planned to go once again. Interestingly, a door to her. Her mother was not at home. The narrator expressed her wish to wait for her. The girl accompanied her to the passage. The narrator saw an old fashioned iron candle holder hanging next to a mirror."

The girl made her sit in the living room and went inside. The narrator was horrified to find herself in a room she knew and did not know. She found herself in the midst of familiar things which she longed to see again but which troubled her in the strange atmosphere. She had no courage to look around her. But she no longer had desire to possess them. She got up, walked to the door, and left the room. She resolved to forget the address and moved on.