Question Bank — The Portrait of a Lady

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

1. What does the author find “almost revolting” about his grandmother?
   a) Her feeding of dogs
   b) The thought of her being young and pretty
   c) Her reciting of prayers
   d) Her spinning at the wheel

2. Which object in the house reminded the author of his grandfather?
   a) The rosary
   b) The portrait above the mantelpiece
   c) The wooden slate
   d) The old drum

3. Why did the grandmother stop going to school with the author in the city?
   a) The school was too far
   b) The author travelled by bus to an English school
   c) She was no longer allowed inside the school
   d) She preferred feeding sparrows

4. The grandmother was disturbed by music lessons because she believed music was
   a) a part of religious education
   b) the monopoly of harlots and beggars
   c) essential for gentlefolk
   d) taught only in village schools

5. What activity gave the grandmother her “happiest half-hour” of the day in the city?
   a) Spinning at her wheel
   b) Feeding the sparrows
   c) Reciting scriptures
   d) Talking to neighbours

Assertion-Reason Questions

6. Assertion (A): The grandmother accepted her seclusion with resignation after the author went to university.
   Reason (R): She no longer had any common link of friendship with the author and spent her time spinning and praying.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

7. Assertion (A): The sparrows sat scattered and silent on the verandah when the grandmother’s body lay there.
   Reason (R): They refused to eat the bread crumbs offered to them and flew away quietly when the body was carried away.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

8. The phrase “an expanse of pure white serenity” refers to
   a) the grandmother’s white clothes and peaceful appearance
   b) the snow-covered mountains
   c) the village temple courtyard
   d) the author’s room at university

9. Which of the following shows the grandmother’s disapproval without words?
   a) She stopped waking the author for school
   b) She remained silent when music lessons were mentioned
   c) She refused to feed the sparrows
   d) She stopped spinning

10. The grandmother’s decision to sing and beat the drum on the author’s return shows her
    a) sudden interest in music
    b) joy at the home-coming of a warrior-like figure
    c) desire to teach the neighbours
    d) wish to defy religious customs

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“My grandmother always went to school with me because the school was attached to the temple… This time the village dogs would meet us at the temple door.”

1. Who is the speaker/narrator and what phase of life does this extract describe?
2. Why did the grandmother accompany the author to school?
3. Identify the literary device used in “growling and fighting with each other for the chapattis.”
4. What does the extract reveal about the grandmother’s daily routine in the village?

Extract 2

“She was like the winter landscape in the mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment.”

1. Who is being described and by whom?
2. Explain the comparison made in the extract.
3. Name the figure of speech used.
4. Which quality of the grandmother is highlighted here?

Extract 3

“Even before we could suspect, her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless fingers. A peaceful pallor spread on her face and we knew that she was dead.”

1. What event is being described?
2. How did the grandmother spend her last hours?
3. Identify one literary device in the extract.
4. What does the falling of the rosary symbolise?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

1. Describe the three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he went abroad.
2. Why was the grandmother unhappy with the education the author received at the English school?
3. How did the grandmother spend her days after the author grew up and went to university?
4. What “odd” behaviour did the grandmother show just before her death?
5. How did the sparrows express their sorrow when the grandmother died?

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

1. Draw a character sketch of the author’s grandmother in 100–120 words. Highlight her appearance, religious nature, and her changing relationship with the author.
2. “The grandmother was a person of strong character.” Do you agree? Give instances from the text to support your answer (100–120 words).

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

1. Match the following uses of the word “tell” from the text with their meanings:
   a) Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
   b) I would tell her English words…
   c) At her age one could never tell.
   d) She told us that her end was near.
   Meanings: (i) count while reciting (ii) give information (iii) be sure (iv) make something known in words.

2. Write a short diary entry (80–100 words) from the author’s point of view on the day he returned from abroad and saw his grandmother feeding the sparrows with “frivolous rebukes.”