CBSE Class 11 English The Portrait of A Lady Worksheet

THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY

In this story, the author draws a pen portrait of his grandmother. He beautifully unfolds his relationship with her, while describing her appearance and daily activities.

Appearance of the grandmother

The author recalls his grandmother as a very old lady with a wrinkled face. She appeared so old that it was hard for him to believe that she had once been ‘young and pretty’. She was short, fat and a little stooped in appearance. The author remembers her moving about the house in ‘spotless white’, counting the beads of her rosary while her lips moved constantly in silent prayers. She was not ‘pretty’ in the traditional sense, yet her serenity made her ‘beautiful’.

Initial years of togetherness: Life in the village

In the initial years of his life, the author lived with his grandmother in the village, sharing a good friendship. His grandmother used to wake him up in the morning and get him ready for the school. She would hand over to him the things he required in the school. After having thick, stale chappatis with butter and sugar for breakfast, they used to leave for school. The author's grandmother always accompanied him to school as it was attached to the temple. It was her habit to carry several stale chappatis for the village dogs, which they used to feed while returning from the school. The grandmother used to sit inside the temple reading holy books while the narrator learnt alphabets and prayers in the school.

Turning point of their friendship: Life in the city

The ‘turning-point’ of their friendship came when they moved to the city to stay with the author’s parents. Though they shared the same room, his grandmother no longer accompanied him to the school since the author started going in a bus. As years rolled by, they ‘saw less of each other’. Meanwhile, as there were no dogs in the streets, she took to feeding the sparrows. Unlike the village school, the author was not taught about God and the scriptures which troubled his grandmother. She did not believe in what was being taught at his school and was unhappy as she could not help him with his lessons. Moreover , she was disturbed at the idea of music lessons being given at school as she considered music to be unsuitable for gentlefolk. Her disapproval was conspicuous in her silence.

The grandmother combats her loneliness by feeding the sparrows

When the author started going to the university he was given a room of his own. It resulted in a further gap between them. She accepted her loneliness and rarely spoke to anyone. All day long, she sat spinning the wheel and reciting her prayers. She relaxed for a short time , only in the afternoon, to feed the sparrows who came in large numbers. The bond and level of comfort they shared with her is evident in the fact that they perched even on her legs and head. She used to be at her happiest-self while feeding the sparrows.

Author leaves for higher studies

The author decided to go abroad for further studies. He was sure that his grandmother would be upset at his departure. On the contrary, she came to the railway station to see him off but did not show any emotion. She was absorbed in her prayers, telling the beads of her rosary. She silently kissed the author's forehead, which the author considered to be (supposedly) the last sign of their physical contact.

Author’s homecoming

On his return after five years, the author did not find any change in his grandmother. She was as old as ever and remained absorbed in her prayers. Even that day, the happiest moment for her was feeding the sparrows.
In the evening, for the first time ever, she did not pray. She collected several ladies of the neighbourhood and sang songs related to the home-coming of the warriors. She had to be persuaded to stop singing in order to avoid overstraining. However, the next day she was taken ill.

Grandmother's death

Though diagnosed with a mild fever by the doctor, grandmother knew that her end was near. She decided to spend the last few hours of her life reciting prayers and telling her beads. Soon, her lips stopped moving and she died.

A silent tribute by the sparrows

The family went to make arrangements for the grandmother’s funeral. As they came with a stretcher, they stopped mid-way to find thousands of sparrows scat tered around her dead body. The sparrows mourned the death of the grandmother in utter silence. They ignored the bread crumbs thrown at them by the author’s mother and flew away silently after the body was carried away for cremation. The bread-crumbs were swept away the next morning.

THEME

The fact that generation gap is not an unsurpassable gulf, is characterized by the fact that a wave of nostalgia overpowers us when we think of the simple and serene days of our childhood spent with parents and grandparents. We might grow up and grow apart but the morals and principles instilled in us by the older generation refuse to die.

As we grow up, various tasks and interests attract our attention leaving us with little time to realize that we might be the only interest of someone in our family. We end up being so busy that those silent steps the old ones take to retreat from our lives are rarely noticed.

The story by Khushwant Singh is an attempt to celebrate those childhood years spent with his grandmother when the simple pleasures of chanting of Gurubani and feeding the dogs kept the duo busy. There might not be anything dramatic in their routine but the way she took care of the smallest of his needs and worked for his education shows the depth of their relationship.

But, as is true of every good thing, this bonding had to face the test of time when the writer’s parents took both of them to the city, throwing them out of their humble abode into a city which took the attention of the child and drove them a little apart every passing day.

Although the generation gap widened in the city, they still loved one another. She silently lent him support when he went to study abroad. Her death left a void in Khushwant’s life even though he felt blessed for having had her as a part of his life.

TITLE :

The title of the story is appropriate. The focus is on the grandmother from the beginning to the end. In a true sense, it is a vivid portrait of the grandmother. The author gives a detailed account of the life and personality of a person with whom he had a long, emotive association. By giving her graphic portrait, he seems to pay his tribute to his old grandmother who had a great influence on him.

→ Answer the following questions in 30-40 words.

1. The grandmother has divine beauty. How does the author bring it out?

2. How does Khushwant Singh portray his grandfather in the lesson?

3. What was the happiest moment of the day for the grandmother?

4. ‘I would be away for five years, and at her age one could never tell.’ Why did the narrator think so?

5. Draw a comparison between Khuswant's village school education and city school education.

6. 'That was a turning point in our friendship.' What was the turning point?

7. How did the grandmother react when the author decided to go abroad?

8. How did the grandmother spend her time at home when the author was at the university?

9. How did the grandmother celebrate the home coming of her grandson?

10. When the people are pious and good, even nature mourns their death. Justify.

→ LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

(For all long answer questions, write in 2 – 3 paragraphs. Write the introduction in the first paragraph.) (Word Limit: 150 words)

1. Describe the three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad. (Sample answer)

In ‘The Portrait of a Lady’, the author Khushwant Singh draws a pen portrait of his grandmother. He beautifully unfolds his relationship with her, while describing her appearance and daily activities.

The first phase was the period of the author’s early childhood. During this phase, he used to live with his grandmother in the village. The grandmother used to take care of him from waking him up and getting him ready to accompanying him to the school. Both shared a good friendship with each other.

The second phase was the time when the author and the grandmother moved to the city to live with author’s parents. In city the narrator joined an English school and started to go to school in a motor bus. Despite taking lot of interest in his studies she could not help him in his lessons. Here the role of his grandmother in his bringing up was curtailed a little bit. This was a turning-point in their friendship because now they ‘saw less of each other’.

The third phase was the time the author joined university. He was given a room of his own and the common link of their friendship was snapped. The grandmother turns to the spinning- wheel and reciting prayers all day long. She rarely talked to anyone. The only recreation for her was in the afternoon when she relaxed for a while to feed the sparrows. She accepts her seclusion with silence.

2. How far do you agree that the narrator’s grandmother was a person strong in character?

(Introduction - mentally and morally strong – fulfilled her duties well – narrator’s parents in city – took care– woke him – bathed him –got him ready – in city – unhappy with many things – however, did not reveal her unhappiness openly –remains quiet – prays – practical and realistic – narrator – abroad –station – did not talk or show any emotion –kissed his forehead – accepts the inevitable just before her death – shows strong –end near – no talk – prays)

3. Gradually the author and the grandmother saw less of each other and their friendship was broken. Was the distancing deliberate or due to the demands of the situation?

(Introduction – author – young boy – parents shifted to city – left him with grandmother – good friends – accompanied to school – parents settled in city – sent for them – turning point in their friendship – only thing unchanged was their bedroom – could not accompany him to school – motor bus – English school – taught Science – could not understand – did not believe – unhappy – music – When he went to University – got a separate room – snapped off their ties even further – not deliberate – but demands of the situation)

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