THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY - KHUSHWANT SINGH
Q1. Personal Reflection and Creative Expression:
Talk to your parents or elders about an elderly person—someone you or your family
were deeply connected with—who is no longer with you. Reflect on their presence in
your life and the memories you cherish.
Then, write a short poem of 5 to 8 lines capturing your feelings about this person—
someone you admired, loved, or learned from. Try to bring out what made them special
to you. If possible, also share a photograph of that person along with your poem.
Q2. Answer the following questions in 40-50 words each:
a. In what ways does the title ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ reflect the central theme and
characterization in the story?
b. Once the author joined university, how did the grandmother adapt to her changed
routine and spend her time meaningfully?
c. The author describes his grandmother as having ‘a divine beauty.’ What expressions
and imagery does he use to highlight this?
d. How did the grandmother express her joy on her grandson’s return from abroad?
Why was this gesture considered unusual?
e. The author refers to his grandmother’s stories as ‘fables of the prophets.’ What does
this reveal about his perception of her storytelling?
f. What incident marked the end of the shared companionship between the grandmother
and her grandson? How did it affect their bond?
g. What symbolic role do the sparrows play in the story, especially in relation to the
grandmother’s final moments?
Q3. Answer the following questions in 120–150 words:
a. Discuss how the grandmother’s attitude towards her grandson’s education evolved
over time. What does this reveal about her values and their relationship?
b. Elderly family members are reservoirs of wisdom and emotional strength. Do you
agree that they should live closely with their children and grandchildren to foster
intergenerational bonding and mutual understanding? Give reasons and examples to
support your opinion.
c. Imagine the grandmother had lived in today’s digital age. How do you think her
relationship with her grandson and her views on education might have changed?
THE PHOTOGRAPH - SHIRLEY TOULSON
Q1. Creative Writing Task:
Write an 8-line poem as a sequel to Shirley Toulson’s poem "A Photograph",
imagining what the poet might have written if she had discovered another photograph or
memory later in life. Use at least two poetic devices (such as metaphor, simile,
alliteration, personification, etc.) in your poem. The poem should reflect themes of
memory, time, or emotional connection.
Q2. Answer the following questions in 40-50 words each:
a. How does the poet’s reflection in the final stanza of ‘A Photograph’ reveal her
feelings about loss and the passage of time?
b. In what ways does the poet present her mother’s personality and presence through
the photograph?
c. Interpret the line ‘Both wry with the laboured ease of loss’. What emotion does it
convey? Name the poetic device used in this line.
d. Why does the poet’s mother laugh at the old photograph? What does this reaction tell
us about her character?
e. Describe the scene captured in the photograph and explain what the girls, including
the poet’s mother, were doing at the sea beach.
Q3. Answer the following questions in 120–150 words:
a. Highlight the key ideas and stylistic features that make ‘A Photograph’ a moving and
reflective poem on memory and loss.
b. What universal message does Shirley Toulson convey through the poem? How is this
message relevant to readers today?
c. The three stanzas in the poem represent three different phases of time. Identify these
phases and explain how each contributes to the overall theme of the poem.
d. If the poet’s mother had written a poem about the same photograph, how might her
emotions and perspective differ from her daughter’s? Give reasons for your response.
POETIC DEVICES
1. Alliteration
Example: “Stood still to smile”
Repetition of the ‘s’ sound creates a musical effect and rhythm in the memory.
2. Imagery
Examples:
“The two girl cousins went paddling”,
“Smile through their hair”,
“Washed their terribly transient feet”
Vivid descriptions evoke a clear visual scene and emotional nostalgia.
3. Personification
Examples:
“The cardboard shows me how it was” – The photo (cardboard) is given the
ability to "show."
“Its silence silences” – Silence is portrayed as actively muting the speaker,
conveying profound grief.
4. Oxymoron
Example: “Laboured ease of loss”
Combines opposing ideas to show the emotional contradiction in processing loss
— comfort found in pain.
5. Enjambment
Example: “All three stood still to smile through their hair / At the uncle with the
camera.”
The sentence flows across lines, reflecting continuity in memory.
6. Symbolism
Examples:
Photograph – Symbolizes cherished memories.
Sea – Represents permanence in contrast to human transience.
7. Transferred Epithet
Example: “Terribly transient feet”
The word "transient" refers to human life, not just feet, emphasizing how short-
lived the moment was.
8. Synecdoche
Example: “Feet”
Refers to the whole person, using a part (feet) to symbolize the entire being and
the fleeting nature of life.