CBSE Class 11 English The Address Marga Minco Worksheet

The Address

Marga Minco

SUMMARY

The story has been set on the aftermath of the destructive Second World War. By the end of the war in 1945, some 60 lac Jews who were staying in Germany and other territories occupied by the German Nazi forces, had been killed systematically by the German Nazi forces led by Adolph Hitler, something which is known as the Holocaust. Hitler and the other likeminded Germans had considered the Jews along with some other races of people as people of inferior racial quality and as enemies and threats to the German society and robbed them of all human rights. They first put them in confinement centers known as ghettoes and then to the concentration camps which were built in many places in Germany and other occupied territories and killed them in millions. When the war ended in the year 1945, some of the Jews got liberated from the concentration camps by the Allied Armies.

The narrator in the story is unmistakably such a survivor of the concentration camps. While others from her family had died she survived the war and came back in search of her belongings which had been taken away by Mrs. Dorling from her mother at the start of the war. By the quoted sentence Mrs. Dorling refers to the holocaust saying that she had thought that none of the narrator’s family members had been lucky enough to come back.

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 the 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 yielded no result so she planned to go once again. Interestingly, a girl of fifteen opened the 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 left the room, resolved to forget the address and move on.

“The Address” is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.

Value Points:

• Wars always bring death and destruction. Wars cannot end conflict.

• In Holland a Jew family suffered

• disrupted the life of Mrs. S and her family

• before War left town for safety

• Mrs. Dorling took chance

• grabbed her costly things.

• Mrs. S died – the daughter returns – visits Mrs. Dorling, No. 46, Marconi Street

• she shows her uncharitable character – denies recognition

• in her second visit the narrator found the daughter of Mrs. Dorling

• found her belongings – became nostalgic – recalled mother – felt sorry for her tragic death

• ‘things’ reminded the tragedy she had to undergo – resolved to leave things andforgot the address –

• War changed narrator’s life – lost mother and costly things.

Fill in the blanks with proper words

Question. ………………………… is the narrator of the story.
Answer: Marga Minco

Question. The narrator’s mother left all her household articles with her friend,…………
Answer: Mrs. Dorling

Question. Mrs. Dorling lived at No.46…………….street.
Answer: Marconi

Question. The narrator wanted to get the mother’s articles from the woman as she had an emotional……. for them.
Answer: Attachment

Question. The narrator recognized Mrs. Dorling by her…….. ………….
Answer: Knitted Cardigan

State whether the following statements are true/false:--

Question. Mrs. Dorling recognized the narrator immediately.
Answer: False

Question. The narrator wanted to get back her mother’s household articles.
Answer: True

Question. Mrs. Dorling took all the belongings from the narrator’s mother with her consent.
Answer: True

Question. The narrator visited Mrs. Dorling thrice.
Answer: False

Question. The narrator met Mrs. Dorling on her second visit.
Answer: False

Choose the correct option:--

Question. Mrs. Dorling’s behavior towards narrator was:--
(A) very sweet
(B) very threatening
(C) very harsh
(D) very descent
Answer: C

Question. When the narrator visited Mrs. Dorling’s home for the second time, she found:---
(A) Mrs. Dorling
(B) Mrs. Dorling and her daughter
(C) Mrs. Dorling’s daughter
(D)None of them 
Answer: C

Question. The narrator of the story wanted to forget the address because:---
(A) Mrs. Dorling was very harsh in her behavior.
(B) The address made her recall her mother’s memories.
(C) Mrs. Dorling lived far away.
(D) None of these
Answer: B

Question. Mrs. Dorling’s harsh behavior shows that she is:--
(A) an unfriendly lady
(B) an ungrateful lady
(C) A quarrelsome lady
(D) an extrovert lady
Answer: B

Question. Arrange following happenings from the lesson in proper sequence
(A) As she was returning to the station she was lost in the memories of days gone by.
(B) The woman didn’t allow her to enter into the house.
(C ) She resolved to forget the address and move on.
(D) The narrator went to her native place in Poland after the war in search of her mother’s belongings.
(E ) All those things painfully reminded her of her former life.
(F) The narrator introduced herself as Mrs. S.’s daughter.
(G) A girl of about fifteen opened the door to her.
(H) She found herself in the midst of familiar things which she longed to see again.
(I) She saw the woman was wearing her mother’s green knitted cardigan.
Answer: D F I B A G H E C

Question. Match following words with their meanings in the context of the lesson
(i) Musty               (a) Pieces
(ii) Crick               (b) Stale
(iii) Cumbersome  (c) Humid
(iv) Muggy             (d) Strain
(v) Shreds            (e)Awkward & burdensome
Answer: (i) –(b), (ii)—(d),(iii)—(e),(iv)—(c), (v)—(a)

Short Answer Questions: 

Question. “I was in a room I knew and did not know.” Why does the narrator say that she was in a room which she knew and yet she did not know?
Answer: The second time the narrator went to Mrs. Dorling’s house she was taken inside the house by Mrs. Dorling’s daughter. When the door of the living room was opened to her, she went inside and she was immediately horrified by whatever she saw inside the room. The room was full of all their belongings which had been taken away by Mrs. Dorling at the beginning of the war. She felt she ‘knew’ the room because it was full of all her belongings and as the room was not theirs but was a different room and the things were kept in a different manner she felt she ‘did not’ know the room.

Question. Why does the narrator come back without claiming her belongings?
Answer: The narrator came back without claiming her belongings. She says that the objects which are linked in our memory immediately lose their value when those objects are seen after some time in strange surroundings. All her belongings, the silver cutlery, the clothes etc. had lost their charm when they were seen in Mrs. Dorling’s house. She knew that if taken back they would again seem strange in her new small rented room.

Question. What change did the narrator notice in her rooms when she was home for a few days?
Answer: She noticed that various things were missing. – Mother was surprised that she noticed so quickly – told that Mrs. Dorling would keep things safely.

Question. Why did the narrator resolve to forget the address, No 46, Marconi Street?
Answer: Narrator turns up to collect the belongings – they aroused nostalgic feeling – true owner no more – the ‘stored’ things reminded the uncharitable Mrs. Dorling and her own tragic past – better to forget.

Question. Justification of the title
Answer: Short story revolved around the No 46, Marconi Street – starts with the address where the Jewish
family suffer – ends with the narrator forgetting the address.

Long Answer Questions:

Question. ‘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: The sentence uttered by the cruel woman Mrs. Dorling gives us clinching clues about the story.
The story has been set on the aftermath of the destructive Second World War. By the end of the war in 1945, some 60 lac Jews who were staying in Germany and other territories occupied by the German Nazi forces, had been killed systematically by the German Nazi forces led by Adolph Hitler, something which is known as the Holocaust. Hitler and the other likeminded Germans had considered the Jews along with some other races of people as people of inferior racial quality and as enemies and threats to the German society and nation and that is why they targeted the Jews and robbed them of all human rights and first put them in confinement centers known as ghettoes and from the ghettoes they took them to the concentration camps which were built in many places in Germany and other occupied territories and killed them in millions by putting them in gas chambers and also by other all types of cruel methods. When the war ended in the year 1945, some of the Jews got liberated from the concentration camps by the Allied Armies.
The narrator in the story is unmistakably such a survivor of the concentration camps. While others from her family had died she survived the war and came back in search of her belongings which had been taken away by Mrs. Dorling from her mother at the start of the war. By the quoted sentence Mrs. Dorling refers to the holocaust saying that she had thought that none of the narrator’s family members had been lucky enough to come back.

Question. The story “The Address” is divided into Pre-War and Post-War times. What hardships do you think the girl underwent during these times?
Answer:
-War affects the fortunes of many
– Mrs. S and her family left their town for safety purpose
– she died – the daughter returned
– told the tragic story.
-Before the War the narrator returns home
– finds things missing
– Mrs. Dorling takes things away
– – the narrator doubts Mrs. Dorling. After War narrator returns to take her belongings
– – the uncharitable Mrs. Dorling’s behaviour and ‘stored’ things unsettles her – things reminds her mother’s memories
– – Becomes nostalgic – wants to forget tragic past – resolves to forget the address and does not take things.

Question. “The Address” is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.
Answer:
-Wars always bring death and destruction. Wars cannot end conflict.
- In Holland a Jew family suffered
– disrupted the life of Mrs. S and her family
-before War left town for safety
– Mrs. Dorling took chance
– grabbed her costly things.
-Mrs. S died – the daughter returns – visits Mrs. Dorling, No. 46, Marconi Street
– she shows her uncharitable character – denies recognition
– in her second visit the narrator found the daughter of Mrs. Dorling
– found her belongings – became nostalgic – recalled mother – felt sorry for her tragic death
– – ‘things’ reminded the tragedy she had to undergo – resolved to leave things and forgot the address –
– War changed narrator’s life – lost mother and costly things.