Answers to 'The Portrait of a Lady' by Khushwant Singh
I. 3-Mark Questions
1. 1. How does Khushwant Singh describe his old grandmother?
Answer: He describes her as a short, fat, and slightly bent woman with a serene face. Her
silver hair was scattered untidily over her wrinkled face, and she constantly told the beads
of her rosary, lost in prayer.
2. 2. Give a pen-picture of the narrator’s grandfather as he appeared in the portrait?
Answer: He appeared old, with a long white beard that covered his chest. He looked like a
hundred-year-old man who could only have grandchildren, not children.
3. 3. What could the narrator not believe about his grandparents?
Answer: He found it hard to believe that his grandparents had once been young and had
children. They seemed as if they had always been old.
4. 4. How did the narrator’s grandmother give the impression of ‘winter landscape in the
mountains’?
Answer: She wore spotless white clothes, had a calm demeanor, and radiated peace and
contentment, resembling a pure white winter landscape.
5. 5. What does the grandmother’s habit of feeding dogs and sparrows tell us about her
nature?
Answer: It shows her kind, compassionate, and animal-loving nature. She had a generous
heart and was affectionate towards all living beings.
6. 6. How can we say that the grandmother was a deeply religious woman?
Answer: She always kept telling the beads of her rosary, recited prayers, went to the temple
daily, and was disturbed by the absence of religious teaching in modern schools.
7. 7. Which thought according to the narrator was ‘revolting’?
Answer: The thought of his grandmother being young and pretty, and perhaps even having
been married, was revolting to him.
8. 8. How did the grandmother and Khushwant Singh become constant companions in the
village?
Answer: They spent most of their time together. She woke him up, got him ready for school,
walked with him, helped with homework, and fed dogs on their way back.
9. 9. Why does the narrator say that his grandmother did not look pretty but she was
beautiful?
Answer: Her physical appearance was not conventionally attractive, but her calm, spiritual,
and loving nature made her truly beautiful.
10. 10. Khushwant Singh and his grandmother depended upon each other in the village.
Elucidate.
Answer: They shared a close bond. She helped him get ready and accompanied him to
school. In return, he gave her company and purpose in her daily routine.
11. 11. Why did the grandmother sing her morning prayer aloud while getting the author
ready for school?
Answer: She hoped that he would learn the prayer by listening to it repeatedly, as she
believed in religious learning.
12. 12. What made the bond between the author and his grandmother grow strong in the
village?
Answer: Their daily routine together, her involvement in his school life, and their constant
companionship built a strong emotional connection.
13. 13. Why did the grandmother accompany the author to his school?
Answer: The school was attached to the temple. While the narrator studied, she would sit in
the temple reading scriptures.
14. 14. Which subjects were taught to the narrator in the village?
Answer: The alphabet and scriptures were taught, focusing on religious education.
15. 15. How did the bond between the author and his grandmother get affected when they
moved to the city?
Answer: The bond weakened. They spent less time together as the author got busy with
English school and the grandmother could no longer accompany him.
16. 16. Why did the grandmother not accompany the author to school in the city?
Answer: Because the school was far away and she had no interest in the modern curriculum,
especially since it lacked religious teachings.
17. 17. How did the grandmother spend her day in the city?
Answer: She sat by the spinning wheel, recited prayers, and fed sparrows in the afternoon.
18. 18. Why was the grandmother not pleased with the city school?
Answer: She disliked it because it taught modern subjects and had no teachings about God
or scriptures.
19. 19. What was the grandmother’s views about learning music?
Answer: She considered it indecent and not suitable for gentle people, especially in a
religious household.
20. 20. How did the grandmother bid farewell to Khushwant Singh, when he was going
abroad for pursuing his studies?
Answer: She kissed his forehead silently without showing any emotions or sentiments.
21. 21. Why did the grandmother turn away from her family members and make the
sparrows her companions?
Answer: She preferred solitude and found comfort in feeding sparrows, indicating her
detachment from worldly affairs.
22. 22. Why did the grandmother not shoo away the sparrows when they perched on her
legs, shoulders and head?
Answer: She had a deep bond with them and didn’t mind their presence. It symbolized
peace and her acceptance of life’s final phase.
23. 23. How did the grandmother welcome Khushwant Singh when he returned home after
five years?
Answer: She was overjoyed and sang songs of warriors’ homecoming, celebrating with
neighbors and playing the drum.
24. 24. When and why did the grandmother skip her prayer?
Answer: She skipped it when the author returned from abroad, being so overwhelmed with
joy that she celebrated instead.
25. 25. What did the grandmother do when she realised her end was near?
Answer: She stopped talking to the family, prayed continuously, and peacefully accepted her
death.
