The Portrait Of A Lady Important Short and Long Question Class 11 Chapter-1 Book-1
0Team Eklavyaमार्च 03, 2025
1. Who was Khushwant Singh?
Answer:
Khushwant Singh was one of the prominent Indian writers. He wrote many famous books and stories. In this story, he gives a pen portrait of his grandmother and describes their relationship beautifully.
2. How does the author describe his grandmother’s appearance?
Answer:
She was old, short, fat, and slightly bent.
She had a wrinkled face and silver hair scattered over her pale face.
She always wore white clothes and roamed in the house.
She kept one hand on her waist to balance herself.
She always held a rosary in her other hand and moved her lips constantly in prayer.
3. What was the relationship between the narrator and his grandmother in the village?
Answer:
The narrator and his grandmother were good friends.
His parents had left him with her in the village.
She used to wake him up in the morning, get him ready for school, and prepare his breakfast (stale chapatti with butter and sugar).
She washed his wooden slate, plastered it with yellow chalk, and tied his inkpot and pen in a bundle.
She also carried some chapattis for the village dogs.
4. Why did the grandmother accompany the narrator to school?
Answer:
The school was attached to a temple.
A priest taught children the alphabet and morning prayers.
While the narrator attended school, the grandmother sat inside the temple and read holy books.
She walked back home with him every day.
5. What was the turning point in their relationship?
Answer:
When the narrator and his grandmother moved to the city with his parents.
They shared the same room, but their bond started breaking.
She no longer went to his school.
She didn’t like the English school, science, and music being taught there.
She missed religious teachings and village life.
She took to feeding the sparrows and spent more time alone.
6. How was the bond between the narrator and his grandmother completely broken?
Answer:
When the narrator went to university, the common link between them was broken.
Grandmother quietly accepted her loneliness.
She spent her time sitting in her wheel-chair, reciting prayers, and feeding the sparrows.
7. How did the grandmother react when the narrator went abroad?
Answer:
She came to drop him at the railway station.
She kissed his forehead, and the narrator thought it was their last meeting.
8. What was the grandmother’s reaction when the narrator returned after five years?
Answer:
She collected the neighborhood women and celebrated his homecoming.
She played the drum and sang for hours.
The family thought it might exhaust her, but she was very happy.
9. How did the grandmother die?
Answer:
The next morning, she fell ill.
She declared that her end was near.
She continued praying and telling her beads.
Suddenly, her lips stopped moving, the rosary fell from her hand, and she passed away.
10. What happened when the grandmother died?
Answer:
Thousands of sparrows gathered around her dead body in the evening.
They did not chirp or make any noise.
The narrator’s mother brought some bread and broke it into pieces, but the birds did not eat.
When the grandmother’s body was carried outside, the sparrows flew away quietly.
11. What was unusual about the sparrows on the day of the grandmother’s death?
Answer:
Thousands of sparrows gathered near her body but remained silent.
They did not eat any food given to them.
Their behavior showed their grief over her death.
12. What is the main theme of the story?
Answer:
The story highlights love, devotion, and the strong bond between a grandmother and grandson.
It shows how relationships change over time due to circumstances.
The grandmother’s simplicity, religious nature, and unconditional love for the narrator are the key elements.
The story also conveys the emotional impact of death and loss.
13. How does the author depict the grandmother’s religious nature?
Answer:
She constantly prayed and held a rosary in her hands.
She disliked science and music because they lacked religious teachings.
She spent her time reading holy books in the temple.
Even in her last moments, she continued praying.
14. How did the grandmother spend her time in the city?
Answer:
She spent most of her time alone.
She recited prayers and told her beads.
She started feeding the sparrows in the afternoon.
15. What was the significance of the grandmother feeding the sparrows?
Answer:
It showed her kindness and love for all living beings.
It became a major part of her routine in the city.
The sparrows’ mourning after her death symbolized their bond with her.
16. How the Common Bond of Friendship Was Broken When the Narrator’s Parents Sent for Them in the City
Answer:
The narrator and his grandmother shared a deep bond of friendship when they lived together in the village. However, this bond was broken when the narrator’s parents sent for him in the city. In the city, their relationship changed as the narrator became busy with his studies, and the grandmother was no longer a part of his daily routine. She felt isolated and found it difficult to connect with his new way of life, which eventually led to the weakening of their close bond.
17. The Turning Point of Their Friendship
Answer:
The turning point in their friendship came when the narrator moved to the city for his education. In the village, they were always together, but in the city, their interactions reduced significantly. The grandmother no longer helped him with his studies, and as he advanced in education, the gap between them widened. She disapproved of his modern subjects and found it hard to relate to his lifestyle, marking a major shift in their relationship.
18. Why the Author’s Grandmother Was Unhappy with the City Education
Answer:
The author’s grandmother was unhappy with the city education because it was completely different from the traditional learning she valued. She disapproved of subjects like science and English, as they did not teach about God or religious scriptures. She was especially disappointed that the narrator was not taught about religion or spirituality. Additionally, she could not understand or relate to the modern education system, making her feel disconnected from her grandson’s academic life.
