THE VELAMMAL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL COMPARTMENT

CLASS-X
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE-184
AMANDA NOTES
REFERENCE TO CONTEXT

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!
(a) Amanda is getting instructions for what purpose?
(b) Give a synonym of ‘hunch’.
(c) What does the speaker of above lines instruct Amanda in the first stanza?
(d) What is the literary device used in the third line?

Answer:
(a) Amanda is getting instructions as a part of her upbringing. Her conduct and manners are
getting refined for future purposes.
(b) Bend.
(c) Amanda is getting instructed for biting her nails and sitting lazily with her shoulders bent.
(d) Literary device used in third line is Alliteration. ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’.

Question 2.
(There is a languid, emerald sea, where the sole inhabitant is me – a mermaid, drifting
blissfully.)
(a) Why are these lines given within brackets?
(b) Give the word from the passage which means free flowing act of going with the motion
and force?
(c) What is the role of mermaid here?
(d) Which word in the extract means opposite of ‘sorrowful’?
Answer:

(a) These lines are given within brackets because they reveal the inner thoughts of Amanda.
Brackets are used for visual contrast between what Amanda is saying and what her mother is
instructing.
(b) Drifting means free flowing act of going with the motion.
(c) Mermaid is a part of Amanda’s fantasy in her own created world. As mermaid sails in a
sea carelessly and effortlessly, similarly Amanda longs to do so in a place where she is all by
herself.
(d) Blissfully is opposite of sorrowful.

Question 3.
Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!
(a) Why is Amanda not looking at the speaker?
(b) Find the word in the extract which means same as consume?
(c) The speaker is so worried about acne. What does it show?
(d) Which word in the extract means the same as ‘to gaze’?

Answer:
(a) Amanda is lost in her own thoughts and is paying no attention to instructions being given
to her. That is why she is not looking at the speaker.
(b) Eat means same as consume.
(c) Speaker being worried about acne shows how much importance is given to physical
beauty in a household. Amanda is prepared for the unforeseen future. Natural experience
such as acne is also taken care of at any cost.
(d) To look means the same as ‘to gaze’.

Question 4.
(I am an orphan, roaming the street,
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.

The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)

(a) How come silence is golden?
(b) Give a synonym of ‘roaming’.
(c) What is Amanda upto in this stanza?
(d) What poetic device is used in this stanza?

Answer:
(a) Silence is shown golden using the poetic device metaphor. By making silence golden the
poet is estimating the worth of silence. For Amanda seeks peace and calmness, which is
absent in her reality.
(b) Wandering.
(c) Amanda is again taking refuge in her imagination. Here, she wishes to be an orphan,
away from her nagging parents. Amanda wants to roam aimlessly in streets and draw
patterns using just her bare feet.
(d) The poet uses metaphor such as ‘orphan’, ‘silence is golden’, and ‘freedom is sweet’.

Question 5.
(I am Rapunzel, I have not a care;
life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair)
(a) Does Amanda live on a tower?
(b) Why will Amanda not let down her bright hair?
(c) What is the underlying poetic device used in this stanza?
(d) Find from the passage a word which means the same as ‘serene’.

Answer:
(a) No, Amanda stays at her place. Here, she is imagining herself to be Rapunzel who lived
on a tower.
(b) Amanda is aware about the story of Rapunzel. In the story of Rapunzel all the
mishappening and misfortunes are brought to her by letting down the hair. Amanda also
wishes to live alone apd carefree, without any disturbance.
(c) Poet uses allusion here as the underlying poetic device.
(d) The word is ‘tranquil’.

Question 6.
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!
(a) Is Amanda really sulking?
(b) Why does the speaker care for others?
(c) Give the word from the passage which means same as unstable.
(d) What poetic device has been used in the first line of this stanza?

Answer:
(a) Amanda is not sulking. She just doesn’t care about instructions given to ber as she is lost
in a world of her own.
(b) The whole poem revolves around the aspect that how one is presented in a society.
Speaker doesn’t wish to be regarded as a nagging parent in the society, so Amanda is
expected to put up a happy face all the time.
(c) Moody means same as unstable.
(d) ‘Alliteration’ has been used in the first line; words ‘stap’ and ‘sulking’ start with the same
sound.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Write a short note on the title of the poem?

Answer: The title of the poem is Amanda as it revolves around the upbringing of little girl
named Amanda. Her life is full of struggles where she is denied freedom and expression.
Amanda is so much iritated that she escapes reality by living in her imaginative world.
Through this gateway she experiences calmness, away from her nagging parents.

2. Why is Amanda getting scolded for having chocolate?

Answer: Amanda is getting scolded for having chocolates as previously it had caused her
acne. Amanda’s mother is very particular about such things. Amanda is made conscious
about her physical appearance. It is very sad that at such a young age Amanda is made to
worry about natural experiences.

3. How life on a tower would be different from life anywhere else for Amanda?

Answer: Life on tower for Amanda would be very different from her reality. Just like
Rapunzel, even she desires to live on top of a tower, away from everyday chaos. Amanda
suffers due to the constant nagging from her parents. She seeks a place full of peace and
serenity, where there is no one to disturb her. Hence, she wishes to live on a tower.

4. Why does Amanda seem moody most of the times?

Answer: Amanda seems moody most of the time because she is trying to make an escape
from her sorry reality where she is nagged most of the times. It is indeed a sorry state for a
small child like Amanda to bear. Here the only defence against such reality is her
imagination where she often escapes to. Hence, it makes her look moody and uninterested.

5. Why does Amanda wish to be a mermaid, an orphan, or Rapunzel?

Answer: Amanda wishes to be a mermaid so that she could be the sole inhabitant of the
languid, emerald sea and blissfully drift in it. She yearns to be an orphan so that she is able to
roam on the street making pattern on soft dust using her bare feet. Being Rapunzel means she
could live carefree on a high tower. Amanda wishes to be these so that she could avoid her
suffocating reality.

6. How does it help Amanda to be an orphan?

Answer: Amanda feels troubled around her parents, so she wishes herself to be an orphan. As
then only she could live a life of her own without much hassle.

7. Do you consider Amanda’s mother to be a nagging mother?

Answer: Amanda’s mother is indeed a nagging mother. She is all about instructions and
finding faults. No doubt it is her responsibility to instil good values into her daughter, but not
at the cost of her child’s happiness. One should know how to strike a balance between
maintaining responsibilities and taking good care.

8. Is Amanda at fault at all?

Answer: Amanda is not at fault at all. It is too harsh for a small child to understand the
concept of acne and not eating a chocolate. Love of parents is missing from Amanda’s life. It
is with pity that we look towards Amanda. There is nothing worst for a child who wishes to
be an orphan. Amanda just seeks freedom from the overpowering environment around her.

9. What is the central theme of the poem Amanda?

Answer: The poem Amanda by Robin Klein highlights the importance of upbringing of a
child. It points out that upbringing doesn’t involve making a child responsible and fit for the
society only. It is important to note that upbringing involves understanding from both the
sides. One cannot just force a child to be civilised and good mannered. “Love and proper
care is required in nurturing of a child.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

10.Discuss the importance of proper upbringing with reference to the poem Amanda by
Robin Klein.

Answer: Upbringing plays an essential role in personality development of an adult.

Whenever we wish to admire or criticise someone we question the upbringing of that person.
Robin Klein’s poem Amanda highlights the tension in the ‘proper’ upbringing of a child. To
instil good values and moral principles in a growing child comes as a foremost duty for the
parents. However, the poem Amanda shows how a child feels trapped within the cluster of
instructions. Amanda is no less than a victim in this travesty. No proper space is given to her
creativity. She is instructed for everything. As a result, she feels trapped and seeks an escape.
Her imagination proves to be her escape and also her defence against her nagging parents.
Situation of Amanda is so worse that she wishes to be an orphan, in order to get rid of her
parents. She imagines enacting various roles varying from mermaid to Rapunzel. Amanda
wishes to live alone and carefree. It is very important to understand the situation of Amanda
where her freedom is cut short by constant instructions and guidelines. Proper balance should
be maintained when dealing with such delicate issues. Love and care should always be part
of this two way transaction.

11.How does Amanda tackle the nagging nature of her parents? Explain with examples
from the poem. What values does it portray about Amanda?
Answer: Amanda is a small girl who is termed as moody for her careless behaviour. But it is
very surprising to know that this is her defence mechanism to shield against her nagging
parents. Amanda is getting instructions from her parents, which become too much to handle
for the small girl. She is told not to eat her nails and sit in a proper position. Amanda’s
response to it is her work of imagination where she is a mermaid drifting effortlessly by the
languid river. Further, she is asked about cleaning her room and finishing her homework to
which she reacts being an orphan roaming in the street and making patterns with her bare
feet. Amanda then faces the heat for eating a chocolate, which had once caused her acne. She
takes the form of Rapunzel and wishes to live on top of a tower away from everyone in her
imagination. Amanda’s parents are upset over her behaviour and casualness, but she stays in
her own world. All these portray Amanda in a positive light while her parents in a negative
light. We as readers feel very sorry for a child like Amanda.

12.State the key points in the poem Amanda. What do you learn from it?

Answer: Every child is special in itself, and it requires a great deal of patience and love to
make them understand this. Parents should give proper space to children, as they learn
through experiences as well. Children do tend to learn certain bad habits, to undo that
requires great level of understanding and right approach. One cannot teach their child
everything in one day and expect them to behave properly henceforth. It is natural for a child
like Amanda to seek freedom at her place, to curb that freedom means to make her angry and
moody. Growing up of child should not be about dos and don’ts only. To have nagging
parents judging every action of child would do more harm than good. Robin Klein points to
the fact that Amanda is forbidden to do anything without seeking permission. Everything she
does it is corrected by her mother all the time, she cannot perform a single thing according to
her will. She can’t sit lazily around, she can’t eat chocolate for that could cause acne. Life of
Amanda is very suffocating and limited in itself. She yearns for freedom and choice. Her
mother doesn’t understand the fact that Amanda is innocent and naive, she is too small to
understand the benefits of advice. Only thing that matters to Amanda’s mother is what
society will make of Amanda. We witness miserable failure of parents when Amanda wishes
to be an orphan so that she could be free.

Part-2: Black Aeroplane by: Frederick Forsyth

Summary:
The story revolves around the mystery, ‘who was another pilot?’ who saved the narrator. The
lesson “Black Aeroplane” depicts vividly the mystery and suspense. It seems incredible
sometimes to the scientific world, on the other hand, we can’t deny the existence of such
happenings.

The story teller was on his flight from France to England hoping to have a good English
breakfast with his family. But during flight he saw great storm clouds ahead of him and
clouds looked like mountains. As he did not have enough fuel to fly around or over the storm
and even he wanted to be with his family as soon as possible, he took the risk entering in the
clouds and everything turned black. The plane’s instruments stopped functioning including
radio and compass. Suddenly he saw a black aeroplane without lights on its wings. The pilot
waved his hand to the story teller and asked him to follow him. The story teller followed that
another pilot as his compass, radio went dead. Even there was not enough fuel in his tank.
With the help of another pilot, he landed safely and when he went to receptionist to thank the
pilot. He enquired about the other aeroplane. But he was dumb struck when he came to know
that there was no aeroplane noticed on the radar that night. Many questions remained
unanswered, mysterious and unsolved.

BOOK EXERCISE BLACK AEROPLANE

1. “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?

Answer: The risk was to fly through the black storm clouds. The narrator took the risk
because his home was beckoning him. He was dreaming of his holiday and looking forward
to be with his family. He also wanted to get home in time to enjoy a good English breakfast.

2. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.

Answer: As he flew into the storm, everything went black. It was impossible to see anything
outside the plane. It jumped and twisted in the air. When he looked at his compass, he saw
that it was turning round and round. It was dead. Along with it, the other instruments,
including the radio, were also dead. Suddenly, he saw another aeroplane. Its pilot waved at
him, asking him to follow. He was glad to find a helper. He was using his last fuel tank and
there was only enough fuel to fly for five or ten minutes. Then, the other pilot started to go
down and he followed. He suddenly came out of the clouds and saw the runway, on which he
then landed his plane safely.
 3. Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old
Dakota…”

Answer: After landing, the narrator was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota because
he had a horrific and scary experience flying that plane. He was happy that he had landed the

plane safely. That is why he was not sorry to walk away. Instead, he wanted to know where
he was and who the other pilot was.

4. What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?

Answer: The narrator had asked the woman in the control centre about the identity of the
other pilot. She looked at him strangely as there was no other plane in the storm on her radar.
She told him that no other plane was flying that night. His was the only plane she could see
on the radar.

5. Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves
and give reasons for your answer.

Answer: Probably, it was the narrator’s own self that helped him through the storm. There
was no other plane in the storm as the woman at the control centre could see only his plane
on the radar. Also, no other plane was flying that night. In his fear, he might have been
hallucinating. He was a good pilot, and it might have been his own self that came to his help.

EXTRA QUESTIONS

1. Describe author’s feeling while he was flying his aeroplane back to England?

Answer: The author was very excited while he was flying his aeroplane back to England
because he wanted to spend his holiday with his family at home.

2. How much fuel was there in the aeroplane when the writer started flying?

Answer: There was sufficient fuel in the tanks of the aeroplane to reach England safely when
the writer started flying.

3. What risk did the writer take while flying? Why?

Answer: The writer decided to risk to fly through the storm clouds because he wanted to
enjoy his holiday with his family back in England.

4. What did the writer feel inside the clouds?

Answer: When the writer entered the clouds, it became impossible to see outside the
aeroplane. The aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air and all the instruments like compass,
radio etc stopped working due to the weather conditions.

5. What did the writer,see inside the black clouds?

Answer: The writer saw a black aeroplane which had no lights on its wings. The writer could
see the face of the pilot in the black clouds who was waving and signaling him to follow to
get out of the storm.

6. Why did the writer follow the pilot of another aeroplane?

Answer: The writer followed another aeroplane because he had lost the way in the storm and
was unable to see anything. The pilot of another aeroplane was helping him to get out of the
storm and land safely.

7. Why did the woman in control room get shocked when the writer asked about another
aeroplane?

Answer: The woman in the control room was shocked when the writer asked about another
aeroplane because there was no such plane flying in the sky that night as she saw on the
radar.

8. Why did the writer want to meet the pilot of another black aeroplane?

Answer: The writer wanted to meet the pilot of another black aeroplane to thank him as he
had saved the life of the writer by helping him to come out from in the storm.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

9. How did the writer get out of the storm in the night to land safely?

Answer: The writer was flying his old Dakota aeroplane when he saw the black clouds. He
decided to fly through the storm as he did not have enough fuel to fly over or around it. He
got lost in the storm with all the instruments of the plane getting dead. Suddenly, he saw a
black aeroplane among the storm clouds by his side, which had no lights, on its wings.
The pilot instructed the writer to follow as he had lost the way. He obeyed him like a child.
He was very happy to follow him. After some time the pilot of another plane started to land.
The writer followed him blindly through the storm and came out of the clouds. He saw the
lights of the runway and landed safely.

10.Why was the writer happy when he decided to fly in the night?

Answer: The writer was very happy when he decided to fly that night because he was going
home to his family to enjoy his holiday. When he started, everything seemed to be perfect.
The sky was clear, no clouds could be seen and the stars were shining. It all made it an easy
task for the writer to fly that night over the sleeping countryside of Paris. His assumption of
being with his family in few hours for a big english breakfast and everything being in place
made him happy.

11.The pilot wanted to thank another pilot after his safe landing. Why? What values of the
writer are reflected from his action?

Answer: The pilot (writer) of the old Dakota was caught in the storm. He lost his contact
with the control room. In this troubling situation, his fuel tank was also empty. He lost all his
hopes but suddenly a black strange plane appeared. The pilot of the black plane asked writer
to follow him and helped him to land safely. After his safe landing, he wanted to thank the
pilot of the black plane. This shows his gratitude towards the pilot of the Black Plane. He
was thankful to him for saving his life. It shows that the pilot of Dakota had a value of
gratefulness and gratitude in his character.

12.Do you agree that the story ‘The Black Aeroplane’ is a mystery? Justify.

Answer : A pilot was flying in his Old Dakota plane. It was very clear sky and the flight was
easy. He was dreaming of holiday with his family. Suddenly he saw black storm clouds in
the sky. He had limited fuel so he could neither fly over the clouds nor go back to Paris. He
flew straight into the storm clouds. Everything was black there. Instruments of the aeroplane
stopped working. Suddenly he could see another black aeroplane. The pilot of the aeroplane
guided him through the black clouds. He came out of the clouds and could see the light of the
runway. The pilot of the Dakota wanted to thank the pilot of the black aeroplane and went to
the control room. But nobody had seen that black aeroplane. It was really a mystery.

BOOK EXERCISE FROM A DIARY OF ANNE FRANK

1. What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?

Answer: First she had never written anything like this before and secondly she thought that
nobody is going to read or would be interested in her diary.

2. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

Answer: Anne wants to keep a diary as she didn’t have friend and she thought she could
confide in her diary.

3. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?

Answer: She could confide in her close friend but she didn’t have one. The friends she had
were there to have more fun and good times rather than the ones on whom she could confide.
She also believed that a paper has more patience than people, so she decided to write and
confide in a diary.

4. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?

Answer: Anne provides a brief sketch of her life since no one would understand a word of
her musings if she were to jump right in without telling anything about herself.

5. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?

Answer: Her statement, that no one could understand her intensity of love for her grandma
tells that she loved her grandmother. Moreover, the touching gesture of lighting up one
candle for grandmother during Anne’s birthday is also a poignant reminder of the love for
grandma.

6. Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?

Answer: Mr. Keesing was annoyed with Anne because she talked very much in the class. He
assigned her extra homework, asking her to write an essay on the subject, ‘A Chatterbox’.

7. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?

Answer: She gave two arguments to justify her ‘Chatterbox’, one that chatting is student’s
traits and other reason that nothing can be done about the inherited traits as she inherited the
trait of talking from her mother who is as talkative as she is if not more.

8. Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?

Answer: Mr Keesing can be called as a strict teacher but he was not rigid. Being strict is
based on different perspective of different peple. Nowhere, he was found reprimanding
Anne. He wanted discipline in class and there is nothing wrong in that. He was a fun-loving
person too. When he sees that anne was good at writing and arguing, he asked her to write an
essay on, ‘Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox’. He was trying to play a joke on
her. But, he acknowledges the good content of the verse that Anne wrote in her assignment.
Moreover, he allowed her to talk freely in class.

9. What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?

Answer: Anne was able to justify her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr.
Keesing. On three occasions, as punishment, he gave her topics to write essays on. However,
on each occasion he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments.
Finally, Mr. Keesing accepted the fact that Anne would always be that way. Hence, she was
allowed to talk in class.

10.Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of
a thirteen-year-old girl?

Answer: No, Anne was not right when she said that the world would not be interested in the
musings of a thirteen-year-old girl as this thirteen years old girl’s diary became one of the
best selling books ever.

11.There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section.
Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary
originally written in? In what way is Anne’s dairy different?

Answer: Anne’s diary was originally written in Dutch. Her diary is different from the others
in many aspects. She had named her diary ‘Kitty’. She thought of it as her only true friend
whom she could confide in. She treated it as another person who was listening to her daily
accounts. She wrote all her stories in it. She started by writing ‘Dearest kitty’ and ended the
account by writing, ‘Yours Anne’. Her diary was a lot more personal than other diaries.

12.Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as
an insider or an outsider?

Answer: Anne Frank claims that paper has more patience than people. She usually sits
depressed and all alone .She claims of having no real friend .This lends the reader the
perception that there isn’t any body to take care of Anne Frank. To clear the clouds of doubt,
Anne Frank gives the sketch of her adorable father, compassionate mother, kind
grandmother, and loving sister.

She treated Kitty as an insider because she called it her best friend and was ready to confide
in it.

13.How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing?
What do these tell you about her?

Answer: Anne felt that her father was the most adorable father she had ever seen. Anne
remembered her grandmother even after her death. She wrote in her diary that no one knew
how often she thought of her grandmother and still loved her.

In the sixth form at the Montessori nursery school, her teacher was Mrs Kuperus, who was
also the headmistress. At the end of the year, they were both in tears as they said a
heartbreaking farewell.

Mr Keesing was her Maths teacher. He was annoyed with her because she talked too much.
However, Anne was able to justify her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr.
Keesing. On each occasion he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her
arguments.

All these incidents show how lovable and smart Anne was. Everybody was attached to her,
and even Mr Keesing could not help but laugh at her essays and acknowledge her smart
mind.

14.What does Anne write in her first essay?

Answer: In her first essay, titled ‘A Chatterbox’, Anne wanted to come up with convincing
arguments to prove the necessity of talking. She began thinking about the subject. She wrote
three pages and was satisfied. She argued that talking was a student’s trait and that she would
do her best to keep it under control. She further wrote that she would never be able to cure
herself of the habit since her mother talked as much as she did. There was not much that one
could do about inherited traits. Mr Keesing too had a good laugh reading her arguments.

15.Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?

Answer: Anne felt that a quarter of her class was dumb, and should be kept back and not
promoted to the next class. However, she also felt that teachers were the most unpredictable
creatures on earth. Mr Keesing could be termed as unpredictable. The way Anne always
talked while the class was going on, any teacher would lose his temper. However, after

several warnings, all Mr Keesing did was to assign her extra homework. She had to write an
essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. In this way, he tried to play a joke on her. Each time that he asked
her to write such essays, she wrote very well. She kept countering his jokes. One could not
have predicted that he would take all the jokes in the right spirit. Finally, when she wrote an
entire essay in verse he accepted her talkative nature and actually allowed her to talk in class.
He did not even assign her any more extra homework. That is why it can be said that Mr
Keesing was unpredictable.

16.What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?

(i) We don’t seem to be able to get any closer, and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault
that we don’t confide in each other.

(ii) I don’t want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would, but I want the
diary to be my friend.

(iii) Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked
down on the table as a birthday present for Margot.

(iv) If you ask me, there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be
kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth.
(v) Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to
come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of taking.

Answers:

(i) These lines show that Anne had no true friend whom she could confide in. She even put
the blame on herself that the fault might be hers.

(ii) This line shows that Anne really considered her diary as a friend whom she could trust
and narrate all her stories to. She did not want just a diary in which she could write down the
facts like others did. She considered it as her friend and named her Kitty.

(iii) This statement shows that Anne was a fun-loving person. She was witty and knew how
to present things in a funny way. She narrated this incident with a lot of fun. The use of
‘plunked down’ shows her sense of humour.

(iv) This statement shows that she had an opinion on everything. She thought that a quarter
of her class was full of dummies, signifying that she herself was intelligent enough to make it
to the next class. She thought of teachers as the most unpredictable creatures on earth
because nobody could say which students they would fail and which students would be
passed on to the next class.

(v) This statement shows that Anne knew a lot about writing. She was given the task of
writing an essay as a punishment. She took it on with full vigour. She did not want to write it
like others who merely left big spaces between the words to make the essay look
voluminous. She knew that the trick was to come up with a convincing argument to prove the
necessity of talking. She was different in her approach from everybody else.

EXTRA QUESTIONS:

17.‘Paper has more patience than people’. Elucidate.

Answer: According to Anne Frank, people are not always interested in listening to what you
are telling them. They get bored and lose patience, but it is not so with paper. You can go on
writing whatever you like, and as long as you like.

18.How did Anne regard her diary and what name did she give to it ?
Answer: Anne regarded her diary as her long awaited friend with whom she could share all
her feelings and secrets. She named her diary as ‘Kitty’.

19.Grandma had a significant place in Anne’s heart. Explain.

Answer: Anne loved her grandma very much. She died in January 1942. Her death was all
the more troublesome to Anne. At Anne’s birthday, a separate candle was lit for
grandmother.

20.The class-mates of Anne Frank were shaking with fear and nervousness. Why ?

Answer: The class mates of Anne Frank were shaking with fear and nervousness because it
was time to move to the next class. The students did not know who would be kept back and
who would be promoted.

21.Who taught Anne Frank maths ? Why did the maths teacher always get annoyed with
her ?

Answer: Mr. Keesing taught her maths. He always got annoyed with her because she talked
too much in the class.

22.What does Anne write in her first essay ?

Answer: Anne wrote that talking is a student’s trait. She would not keep talking under
control because her mother talked a lot. She had inherited this trait from her mother.

23.How did Sanne help Anne Frank in writing the third essay ?

Answer: Sanne was one of Anne Frank’s friends. She suggested Anne to write the essay in
verse form. She also advised her to put up the example of a swan and ducklings in it.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

24.Was Anne an intelligent girl ? Support your answer giving instances ?

Answer: Anne was indeed an intelligent girl. She was only 13 but her diary shows she was
mature for her age. She decided to write a diary because she felt that paper has more patient
than people. Only an intelligent girl can think so deeply and wisely. Moreover, she proved
the necessity of talking; She defended her habit as hereditary. Finally, She wrote a fine poem
and turned the joke on her teacher.’ Only an intelligent girl could do it.
 25.Why did Anne Frank think that she could confide more in her diary than in the people?

Answer: Anne felt alone, bored and depressed, though she had loving parents, a sister and
thirty other people. She was a shy, introvert type of girl she did not have a friend. She had a
happy family but somehow, she could not confide in them. She wanted someone with whom
she could share her secrets. At that time, her friend gifted her a red and white diary. She
found a real friend in her diary ‘Kitty’. Moreover, she realized the truth lying in the fact that
paper has more patience than people. So she could confide more ideas in her diary than in
people because people are not always interested in listening to what you are telling them.

26.How did Anne respond to the punishment by Mr. Keesing ? What light does it throw
on her nature ?

Answer: When Mr. Keesing punished Anne for her talkativeness again and again and asked
her to write essay, one after the other, she composed a poem on ‘The incorrigible Chatterbox’
and gave a message through it to the teacher. The teacher got so impressed by her little poem

that he decided not to punish her. It shows that she was capable of writing good essays and
poems and to win the heart of Mr. Keesing and make him realize his mistake. It also reflects
her fearlessness, critical thinking humility and unbiased approach as well as her creativity
and humorous approach to deal with her strict teacher.