Question Bank — My Mother at Sixty-Six

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

1. The poet realises her mother’s age while
   a) driving to the airport
   b) looking at young trees
   c) seeing her mother doze
   d) passing through Cochin

2. The phrase “ashen like that of a corpse” suggests
   a) the mother’s cheerful mood
   b) the mother’s pale and lifeless appearance
   c) the poet’s excitement
   d) the beauty of the landscape

3. Assertion (A): The poet deliberately turns her attention to the sprinting trees and merry children.
   Reason (R): She wants to avoid the painful thought of her mother’s ageing.
   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.

4. The poet’s journey is from her parents’ home to
   a) Delhi
   b) Cochin airport
   c) her own house
   d) a school

5. Assertion (A): The mother’s face is compared to a corpse.
   Reason (R): The poet feels pain on realising how old her mother has grown.
   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.

6. “Young Trees sprinting” is an example of
   a) simile
   b) personification
   c) metaphor
   d) alliteration

7. The poet puts the painful thought “away” because
   a) she is in a hurry
   b) she does not want to confront the reality of ageing
   c) her mother asks her to do so
   d) the security check distracts her

8. The word “doze” in the poem means
   a) to sleep lightly
   b) to shout loudly
   c) to run fast
   d) to cry

9. The poet sees the merry children
   a) inside the car
   b) spilling out of their homes
   c) at the airport
   d) near the security check

10. The overall mood of the given extract is
    a) joyful
    b) nostalgic and painful
    c) angry
    d) humorous

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

Extract 1

“Driving from my parent’s home to Cochin last Friday morning, I saw my mother, beside me, doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised with pain that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought away…”

1. Who is the speaker and what is the context?
2. What does the comparison “ashen like that of a corpse” convey?
3. Identify the literary device used in “ashen like that of a corpse”.
4. Why does the speaker “put that thought away”?

Extract 2

“…and looked out at Young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes…”

1. Who is the speaker? Where is she going?
2. What do the “Young Trees sprinting” symbolise?
3. Name the literary device in “Young Trees sprinting”.
4. Why does the poet focus on the children and trees?

Extract 3

“…but after the airport’s security check, standing a few yards away, I looked again at her…”

1. Who is “her” in the line?
2. What does the phrase “a few yards away” indicate about the situation?
3. Identify the figure of speech in the extract (if any) or comment on the tone.
4. What feeling does the poet experience at this moment?

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

1. Why does the poet feel pain when she looks at her mother?
2. How does the poet try to overcome the thought of her mother’s ageing?
3. What do the “sprinting” trees and “merry children” represent in the poem?
4. Describe the mother’s appearance as seen by the poet.
5. Why does the poet look at her mother again after the security check?

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

1. Kamala Das captures the complex emotions of a daughter who realises her mother’s advancing age. Discuss with reference to the poem “My Mother at Sixty-six”.
2. The poem “My Mother at Sixty-six” presents the universal theme of ageing and the fear of separation. Elaborate.

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

1. Vocabulary/Grammar task
   From the poem, pick out one word each for the following meanings:
   a) to sleep lightly
   b) pale grey in colour
   c) moving very fast
   d) happy and cheerful

2. Writing task
   You are the poet’s daughter. After dropping your mother at the airport, you write a diary entry expressing your feelings about her ageing and your inability to stop time. Write the entry in 80–100 words.