CBSE Class 10 English HOTs The Hundred Dresses I

Extract-Based Questions

Q. 1. She always wore a faded blue dress that didn't hang right. It was clean, but it looked as though it had never been ironed properly. She didn't have any friends, but a lot of girls talked to her. Sometimes, they surrounded her in the school yard as she stood watching the little girls play hopscotch on the worn hard ground.
"Wanda," Peggy would say in a most courteous manner, as though she were talking to Miss Mason. "Wanda," she'd say, giving one of her friends a nudge, "tell us. How many dresses did you say you had hanging up in your closet?"

Question. The 'most courteous manner' here means that Peggy was
(a) on her best behaviour.
(b) teasing Wanda.
(c) trying to impress Wanda.
(d) respectful to Wanda.
Answer : B

Question. Pick the option having the words that DO NOT loosely match the word, 'closet', from those given.
(1) wardrobe (2) loft
(3) cabinet (4) cupboard
(5) porch (6) cellar
(a) (1), (3) and (4)
(b) (3), (4) and (5)
(c) (1), (2) and (6)
(d) (2), (5) and (6)
Answer : D

Question. Peggy gave her friend a nudge because
(a) she wanted to push her away from the scene.
(b) she disliked her friend being distracted then.
(c) she was teasing Wanda and wanted her to make others pay attention.
(d) she was teasing Wanda and didn't want anyone miss the 'fun'.
Answer : D

Question. Regarding Wanda being teased, Miss Mason was
(a) in denial that such behaviour was possible by her students.
(b) aware, but didn't want to discuss it with the students.
(c) unaware that the students were frequently teasing Wanda.
(d) of the belief that such behaviour was a normal part of growing up.
Answer : C

Question. Why was Wanda's answer to Peggy's question always the same? Pick the LEAST probable reason.
This was so because she knew that
(a) she was being picked on and it was probably her defence.
(b) confessing the truth would probably worsen the situation.
(c) she didn't know how else to get out of that situation.
(d) sticking to an unexpected answer would get her the attention she needed.
Answer : D

Q. 2. "In the opinion of the judges, any one of the drawings is worthy of winning the prize. I am very happy to say that Wanda Petronski is the winner of the girls' medal. Unfortunately, Wanda has been absent from school for some days and is not here to receive the applause that is due to her. Let us hope she will be back tomorrow. Now class, you may file around the room quietly and look at her exquisite drawings."

Question. Pick the sentence that DOES NOT use 'due to' in the same sense as in the given extract.
(a) She was disappointed due to their rude behaviour.
(b) We must give our colleagues the vacation due to them.
(c) I have some extra money due to me this month from my friend.
(d) You have an apology due to your parents.
Answer : A

Question. Pick the statement that is TRUE, according to the information given in the extract.
(a) Wanda won the prize because she had submitted a variety of entries.
(b) Wanda would have still won the prize even if she had submitted just one entry.
(c) Wanda won the prize because the majority of judges were women.
(d) Wanda would have still won the prize if she had drawn something else.
Answer : B

Question. When the teacher wants them to 'file around', she wants the students to
(a) put the files in their proper places.
(b) gather around her table to discuss the designs.
(c) file the designs properly in their folders.
(d) walk in a line to admire the designs.
Answer : D

Question. Miss Mason says, "I am very happy to ..... Which phrase DOES NOT replace the underlined phrase correctly from those given below?
(a) It gives me great pleasure to...
(b) I am sure you'll be surprised to...
(c) I am delighted to...
(d) It fills me with joy to...
Answer : B

Question. The teacher refers to Wanda's designs as 'exquisite' because
(a) each one of the hundred designs was different.
(b) each one of them was very beautiful.
(c) each of them was a copy of the latest fashion trend.
(d) each one had the same colour theme as the other.
Answer : B

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question. What, according to Room Thirteen, was ‘unusual’ about Wanda?
Answer : Wanda did not belong to the other girl's community. She had a funny name. Moreover, she came from a poor family and had a shabby appearance.

Question. Why was Wanda's claim to a hundred dresses incongruent with what she wore to school most days?
Answer : Wanda’s claim was incongruent as she was very poor and wore the same faded and non-ironed blue dress to  school every day. She had an inferiority complex. In order to impress the girls, she always said that she had a hundred dresses.

Question. Briefly justify Peggy's popularity.
Answer : Peggy was popular because she was pretty, her hair was curly and she had many pretty clothes. Her classmates used to wait for her to have some fun.

Question. Peggy and Maddie often waited for Wanda, to have 'fun' with her. How was this concept of 'fun' different from how we commonly know it?
Answer : It was actually not ‘fun’ that Peggy and Maddie waited for it was teasing and bullying. The two girls insulted Wanda by asking about her clothes and culture she belonged to.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. What does the reaction of the two girls, at the announcement of Wanda's name as the winner of the girls' medal, tell us about them?
Answer : Both Maddie and Peggy were deeply surprised after the announcement. Maddie showed Peggy one beautiful blue dress that Wanda told them about. Peggy too was amazed to see the green one she used to talk about. Their reactions proved that though made ‘fun’ of Wanda but their intentions were not bad. They were not really cruel.

Question. Wanda was not only different from the other students of her class but even from the other students at the back of the class where she sat. Explain how this was so?
Answer : Wanda was considered different by other girls because she was from a poor family and her name was different from everyone. Her dress was clean but faded and not properly ironed. She was also very quiet in comparison to the other students at the back of the class who were loud and noisy.

Question. Maddie had her own reason to feel embarrassed on occasion, when Wanda was teased about her dresses.
If you were Maddie, how would you have addressed the situation?
Answer : If I were Maddie, I would have either written a letter to Peggy. I would have made Peggy understand that bullying would hurt Wanda a lot or I would have straight way had a talk with Peggy regarding the same.
Because Maddie very well knew that Peggy could not possible do anything that was really wrong.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. As a student from a different class (Room Eleven), write a diary entry about the behaviour of Peggy and Maddie with Wanda, in the light of the given quotes.

You may begin like this:
07 July, 1944, Tuesday 7.30 p.m.
I have been watching the goings-on of Peggy and Maddie, every morning, for a while now. I'm going to report.............. (continue)
Answer : 07 july, 1944, Tuesday 7:30 P.M
I have been watching the going on of Peggy and Maddie, every morning, for a while now. I’m going to report……………………… the matter to Miss Mason very soon. I can’t tolerate such bullying any more. It is morally wrong to judge a person on the basis of their social status. Every day I see Maddie, Peggy and other girls making fun of Wanda Petronski because she has a funny name and also because she came to school wearing the same faded blue dress. This type of attitude is not justified. These girls are not mature enough to understand that judge other doesn’t define who they are, rather it defines who you are. I know Maddie and Peggy do not have any bad intentions. But they should learn to respect others. And Maddie? She appears to disapprove of Peggy’s teasing of Wanda. But she could not stop her as she doesn’t have courage to do so only because Peggy is her best friend. But her being natural is a sign of her cowardice nature she should stop Peggy from doing wrong thing. She herself should also stop being an accomplice.

Question. If Wanda had to choose one friend from among Anne Frank, Amanda and Valli, who do you think she would have chosen? Explain with relevant rationale and reference to the texts.
Answer : I think, if Wanda Petronski had to choose one from among Anne Frank Amanda and Valli then she would definitely choose Anne Frank. There are many reasons for her to do so. Firstly, Amanda and Valli are younger to her. Both are dealing with their own problems in life. Anne Frank is far more mature and understanding then them.
Wanda was always quiet and rarely uttered a word. Only sometimes she twisted her mouth into a crooked sort of smile. She had no friends and didn’t feel comfortable in the company of the girls in her class who made fun of her. Anne, on the other hand, was a chatter box. She was in an urgent need of a friend in whom she could confide in. Being a sensitive girl, she was aware of the difference between a real friend and the so called crowd of friends. The highly emotional Anne could be quiet and practical too. She knew how to defend people in their own games. The arguments she gave in favour of talking prove that she would have definitely taken a stand for Wanda.