CBSE Class 12 English Going Places Worksheet Set B

Short Answer Questions

Question 1. What was Sophie’s ambition in life? How did she hope to achieve that?
Answer: Sophie’s ambition in life was to become rich and important. She wanted to take up some sophisticated professions, like that of an actress or a fashion designer.

Question 2. Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from having dreams?
Answer: Sophie was a girl of unrealistic dreams. On her way home, she told her classmate Jansie that she would open a boutique. Jansie discouraged her because she knew that both were earmarked for the biscuit factory as both belonged to lower middle class families of low financial standing.

Question 3. What does Sophie dream of doing after she passes out of school? Why do you call it a ‘dream’ and not a ‘plan’?
Answer: Sophie dreams to have a boutique of her own. Since she has no money or experience, it is called a ‘dream’ and not a ‘plan’.

Question 4. What are the other dreams of Sophie in addition to having a boutique?
Answer: The greatest dream of Sophie is to have a boutique. Her other dream is of being an actress as “there’s real money in that”. Moreover, actresses don’t work full time. She also considers being a fashion designer.

Question 5. Why does Jansie say : “Soaf, you really should be sensible” ?
Answer: Jansie knows Sophie’s family background and financial position. She knows that both of them are earmarked for that biscuit factory. Sophie has neither money nor experience. So Jansie being down-to-earth advises her to be sensible and stop having wild dreams.

Question 6. Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie? Or Jansie is Sophie’s classmate and friend but doesn’t entertain any ‘wild dreams’ like her. Why?
Answer: Sophie and Jansie are poles apart in thinking and temperament. Sophie is an incurable dreamer and escapist. She dreams of big and beautiful things, which are beyond her reach. On the other hand, Jansie is realistic and practical. She knows that they are poor and will have to work in the biscuit factory.

Question 7. What job is Geoff engaged in? How does he differ from his sister, Sophie?
Answer: Geoff is an apprentice mechanic. He speaks little but listens to his sister’s ‘wild stories’. But he is not a day dreamer like her. He knows the financial limitations of his family and cautions Sophie against her dreams.

Question 8. Why was Sophie jealous of Geoff ’s silence?
Answer: Sophie was jealous of Geoff's silence because she knew that when he was not speaking, he was away somewhere in his mind—in places she had never been. She wanted to be part of that mysterious world.

Question 9. What does Sophie tell Geoff about her meeting with Danny Casey? How does Geoff react to it?
Answer: Sophie tells Geoff that she met Danny Casey in the arcade. Geoff is surprised and can’t believe her, saying, “It’s never true.” He asks what he looked like, but remains unconvinced.

Question 10. How does Sophie’s father react when Geoff tells him about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer: He turns his head with disdain and disbelief. He ignores the news and goes on to talk about other players, calling it "another of your wild stories."

Question 11. “He don’t believe you—though he’d like to.” Who says so, about whom and in what context?
Answer: Geoff says so to Sophie about their father. Their father had reacted aggressively to her account of meeting Danny Casey, saying she was going to talk herself into trouble.

Question 12. Why do you think, does Geoff tell Sophie the following? (i) “Casey must have strings of girls.” (ii) “As if he’d ever show up.”
Answer: Geoff knows Sophie is immature and star-struck. He tries to convince her that a celebrity would have many girls and doubts the reality of a future meeting.

Question 13. Who was Danny Casey? How did the members of Sophie’s family react towards him?
Answer: Danny Casey was a young Irish football player for United. Sophie’s father was a fan; Geoff had posters of him, and they all went to watch him play every Saturday.

Question 14. Why was the visit of Sophie’s father and his family to watch United ‘their weekly pilgrimage’?
Answer: The family were keen football fans. They visited the stadium regularly with such devotion that it was like a religious ritual—a pilgrimage.

Question 15. Where did Sophie meet Casey and what transpired between them?
Answer: Sophie claimed she met him in the arcade. She asked for an autograph for little Derek, but they had no pen or paper. He supposedly promised to meet her next week.

Question 16. What promise does Sophie want Geoff to make and why? Or Why does Sophie say: “Promise you’ll tell no one” and “Promise, Geoff–Dad’d murder me.”
Answer: Sophie wants Geoff to promise not to tell anyone about her meeting because she is afraid of her father's anger and her family's disbelief.

Question 17. Did Geoff keep his promise? How do you know? Or Why did Sophie say “Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing.”
Answer: Geoff did not keep his promise. He told Jansie’s brother Frank, which is how Jansie found out. Sophie was angry because she wanted it to be a special secret between her and Geoff.

Question 18. Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer: Sophie knew Jansie was 'nosey' and inquisitive. She feared Jansie would spread the rumor throughout the whole neighborhood.

Question 19. How did Jansie react at Sophie’s story of her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer: Her first reaction was disbelief. However, after hearing Sophie's details, she softened and expressed a wish that she had been there too.

Question 20. What did Sophie want to keep a secret from her father and why? How did Jansie react to this disclosure?
Answer: Sophie wanted to keep the meeting secret to avoid a "row" with her father. Jansie assured Sophie that she could be trusted to keep the secret.

Question 21. Why did Sophie choose to walk by the canal? What did she do there?
Answer: It was a quiet, sheltered path away from the city noise where she had played as a child. She sat on a wooden bench beneath an elm tree to dream of her hero, Danny Casey.

Question 22. How did Sophie react as she kept sitting for hours, waiting for Danny Casey and imagining his coming?
Answer: She was initially optimistic but as time passed, she became sad and despondent, realizing he wouldn't come and fearing others would laugh at her.

Question 23. Sophie is a typical adolescent hero–worshipper who carries her fantasising too far. Comment.
Answer: Sophie is a dreamer and escapist. She indulges in wishful thinking about Danny Casey to the point where the pain of reality makes her sad and dejected.

Question 24. “Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind.” Do you agree? Give reasons in support of your answer.
Answer: Yes, Sophie’s hero-worship and imagined meetings are entirely products of her mind and have nothing to do with reality.

Question 25. Why did Sophie long for her brother’s affection?
Answer: Geoff was an introvert. Sophie thought he had access to an "exotic" world she couldn't visit, and she wanted to be part of his life.

Question 26. The story is written in a manner that it makes it difficult to point out clearly if Sophie met Danny Casey or not. Suggest possible reasons for such writing.
Answer: The vividness of her imagination makes the reader almost believe her, creating a blurred line between her fantasy and reality.

Question 27. “Sophie felt a tightening in her throat. She went to look for her brother Geoff.” In the light of his quote, discuss the relationship Sophie shared with Geoff.
Answer: Geoff was the only person Sophie respected and felt comfortable confiding in, unlike her father whom she despised for his coarse nature.

Question 28. Sophie is caught between the world she lives in the world she wants to live in. Elucidate.
Answer: Sophie’s reality is one of poverty and drudgery, but her artistic nature leads her to aspire to a glamorous, sophisticated life that is far out of reach.

Question 29. Evaluate the two different perspectives to life that Jansie and Sophie represent.
Answer: Sophie symbolizes the world of the dreamer who refuses to accept a poverty-stricken life. Jansie represents the realist who is resigned to her fate of hard labor in a biscuit factory.

Question 30. According to you, should Sophie have continued to dream, or should she have stuck to the path that had already been chosen for her? Justify your choice in detail.
Answer: In my opinion, Sophie was right to hold onto her dreams. Dreaming allows for creativity and the possibility of changing one's circumstances rather than simply accepting a life of drudgery.

III. Long Answer Questions

Question 1. What impression do you form of Sophie on reading the story ‘Going Places’? Or Sophie has her own dreams and disappointments, but they are all her creations—the creations of her own mind. Justify the statement.
Answer: Sophie is a young school girl who dreams of big and beautiful things beyond her means, such as owning a boutique or becoming an actress. She develops a romantic fascination for Danny Casey, a young Irish football player, and indulges in hero worship. She is an incurable dreamer who sits alone waiting for his arrival and becomes despondent when he doesn't show up. Her suffering is a result of her own creations—the dreams and disappointments manufactured in her mind.

Question 2. Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie highlighting their temperament and aspirations.
Answer: Sophie and Jansie are classmates from lower-middle-class families earmarked for factory work. Sophie is "blind" to reality, dreaming of boutiques and fame. Jansie is practical with her feet firmly on the ground, advising Sophie to be sensible. Sophie is a secretive, romantic dreamer, while Jansie is 'nosy' and realistic. Sophie's world is one of escapism; Jansie's world is one of hard reality.

Question 3. Describe the bond between Geoff and Sophie in spite of differences in their temperament and thinking.
Answer: Geoff is Sophie's older brother and an apprentice mechanic. Despite his maturity and silence, they share a close bond. He is the first to hear her secrets. Though he doesn't believe her stories about Danny Casey, he acts like a protective elder brother by warning her of the pitfalls of hero-worshipping a celebrity. They share a common fascination for the player, though their perspectives differ.

Question 4. Who was Danny Casey? How was he adored by the family of Sophie, and specially by Sophie and her father?
Answer: Danny Casey was a young Irish football prodigy playing for United. Sophie’s father compared him to legends like Tom Finney. The family went to watch him every Saturday. Sophie's adoration was romantic; she imagined him as her personal hero and "met" him in her fantasies. Her father's adoration was that of a keen football fan who saw Casey as the future of the sport.

Question 5. The unrealistic dreams determine negativity and failure. Childhood dreams sometimes dishearten and disappoint the people. Write an article on the topic, “Horrors of Unrealistic Dreams” taking ideas from the lines: “For some while, waiting, she imagined his coming. She watched along the canal, seeing him come out of the shadows, imagining her own consequent excitement.”
Answer: Horrors of Unrealistic Dreams
People harbour fierce and uncontrollable desires for a better life. However, when these unquenchable desires deviate from reality, they lead to the depths of depression. Imagination is useful but should not replace wisdom. As the saying goes, ‘He who has imagination without learning has wings but no feet.’ Ignoring the present situation to live in a "reel" life results in future repentance. One must identify their actual talent and potential to set and achieve realistic goals rather than becoming a victim of their own mind's creations.

Question 6. The world we are living in is replete with hypocrites and ditchers. It becomes difficult for us to confide our secrets to someone. But it is important to have someone you can confide in. Discuss the topic taking ideas from the following expressions: “Sophie glared at the ground. Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing. It was meant to be something special just between them. Something secret. It wasn’t a Jansie kind of thing at all.”
Answer: Man is a social animal who needs friends to confide in to lighten the soul. In a "dog eat dog" world, finding a trustworthy person is difficult. Material prosperity has eroded the trust once found in joint families. Sophie’s anger at Geoff stems from this need for a "special" secret space. Having a "friend in need" who can objectively listen to candid confessions is essential for mental peace and strength to overcome life's obstacles.

Question 7. “Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.” The attitude of parents shape the child’s perception. Write an article on effective parenting taking ideas from the following lines: “Sophie’s father was scooping shepherd’s pie into his mouth as hard as he could go, his plump face still grimy and seat—marked from the day… outside the pub she passed her father’s bicycle propped against the wall, and was glad”
Answer: Effective Parenting
Effective parenting requires infinite patience and wisdom. Children are delicate and learn by imitating those around them. When parents are scolding or coarse, as seen with Sophie's father, children may grow distant or judgmental. Parents should encourage their children's curiosity and spontaneity rather than hindering it. They should play the role of a friend and mentor, avoiding arguments in front of the child and treating them with affection to help them develop healthy interests and a colorful outlook on life.

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