Question Bank — Mother's Day

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

1. What does Mrs Fitzgerald advise Mrs Pearson to do at the beginning of the play?
   (a) Leave the house
   (b) Put her foot down and become mistress of her own house
   (c) Go out every night
   (d) Ignore her family

2. How do the two women exchange personalities?
   (a) By magic words learned in the East
   (b) By drinking a potion
   (c) By wearing each other’s clothes
   (d) By a medical procedure

3. Which character is described as “pleasant but worried-looking” in her forties?
   (a) Mrs Fitzgerald
   (b) Doris Pearson
   (c) Mrs Annie Pearson
   (d) None of these

4. Assertion (A): Mrs Pearson begins to smoke and drink stout after the personality change.
   Reason (R): She wants to shock her family into treating her with respect.
   (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.

5. What reason does Cyril give for needing tea quickly?
   (a) He has a date
   (b) He has a busy night ahead
   (c) He is ill
   (d) He has to go to work

6. Assertion (A): George Pearson is called “Pompy-ompy Pearson” at the club.
   Reason (R): Club members find him slow and pompous.
   (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. What does Mrs Pearson threaten to do if her family continues to treat her badly?
   (a) Leave home for the weekend
   (b) Stop cooking forever
   (c) Divorce George
   (d) Report them to the police

8. The word “sinister” is used to describe which character?
   (a) Doris Pearson
   (b) Mrs Fitzgerald
   (c) Cyril Pearson
   (d) George Pearson

9. How does Doris react when her mother refuses to iron the yellow silk dress?
   (a) She laughs
   (b) She cries and runs out
   (c) She thanks her mother
   (d) She calls Charlie Spence

10. What game does the restored Mrs Pearson suggest the family play at the end?
    (a) Bridge
    (b) Rummy
    (c) Snooker
    (d) Chess

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

Extract 1

“Put your foot down, once an’ for all, an’ be the mistress of your own house an’ the boss of your own family.”

(i) Who is the speaker and to whom is she speaking?
(ii) What does the speaker want the listener to do?
(iii) Identify the figure of speech in “put your foot down”.
(iv) What does the phrase “mistress of your own house” suggest about the listener’s current situation?

Extract 2

“I was yawning at your jokes before you were born, Doris.”

(i) Who says these words and in what tone?
(ii) What does the line reveal about the speaker’s changed attitude?
(iii) Name the literary device used in the exaggeration.
(iv) Infer why Doris feels hurt by this remark.

Extract 3

“They call you Pompy-ompy Pearson because they think you’re so slow and pompous.”

(i) Who is speaking and to whom?
(ii) What is the effect of this revelation on the listener?
(iii) Identify the literary device in the nickname “Pompy-ompy Pearson”.
(iv) What does this line suggest about George’s position at the club?

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

1. Why does Mrs Fitzgerald suggest that Mrs Pearson should change her attitude towards her family?
2. Describe the change in Mrs Pearson’s behaviour after she exchanges personalities with Mrs Fitzgerald.
3. How do Doris and Cyril react when they find their mother smoking and refusing to prepare tea?
4. Why is George Pearson shocked to see his wife drinking stout?
5. What lesson does the play suggest about the importance of mutual respect in a family?

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

1. Draw a character sketch of Mrs Annie Pearson in about 100–120 words. Highlight her initial nature, the transformation she undergoes, and the impact on her family.
   (Key points: timid and apologetic at start; becomes assertive after swap; forces family to recognise her labour; restores original self but keeps new firmness.)

2. “The play Mother’s Day is a humorous yet serious comment on the status of mothers in middle-class families.” Discuss this statement with reference to the text in 100–120 words.
   (Key points: mothers treated as unpaid servants; family takes them for granted; body-swap device exposes selfishness; resolution shows need for respect and shared responsibility.)

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

1. From the unit, fill in the blanks with appropriate words:
   (i) Mrs Fitzgerald has a __ personality.
   (ii) Mrs Pearson speaks in a light, _ tone.
   (iii) George is described as and self-important.
   (iv) The spell is spoken in a ___ voice.
   (1 mark each)

2. Write a short diary entry (50–60 words) from the point of view of Mrs Pearson after the personality swap has been reversed, expressing how she plans to maintain her new self-respect.