Question 5 - Chapter 3 - Mother’s Day - Snapshot - Chapters (Literature) - English Class 11

Read the extract and answer the following questions.

Extract:

MRS PEARSON: I’ve plenty of time. 

CYRIL: Yes, but I haven’t. Got a busy night tonight. [moving left to the door] Did you put my things out?

 MRS PEARSON: [coolly] Can’t remember. But I doubt it. 

CYRIL: [moving to the table; protesting] Now—look. When I asked you this morning, you promised. You said you’d have to look through ‘em first in case there was any mending. MRS PEARSON: Yes — well now I’ve decided I don’t like mending

 CYRIL: That’s a nice way to talk — what would happen if we all talked like that? 

(Mother’s Day)

Question (i)

List any two sensory details present in this extract.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

Two sensory details present in this extract are "moving left to the door" and "coolly".

Step-by-step explanation: 📝

•    Sensory details are words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
•    To find sensory details in a text, we can look for words that describe how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels.
•     In this extract, one sensory detail is "moving left to the door", which describes how Cyril moved towards the exit. This appeals to the sense of sight and motion.
•    Another sensory detail is "coolly", which describes how Mrs Pearson (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) spoke to Cyril. This appeals to the sense of sound and emotion.

Question (ii)

 Complete the sentence appropriately.

The phrase "Got a busy night tonight" suggests that ____________.

Answer:

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Answer as written by the student:

The phrase "Got a busy night tonight" suggests that Cyril had a lot of plans or activities to do in the evening.

 Step-by-step explanation: 📝

•    To complete a sentence with an appropriate word or phrase, we need to understand the meaning and context of the sentence.
•    In this case, the sentence is about Cyril's reason for being in a hurry and wanting his things ready.
•    The phrase "Got a busy night tonight" means that he had a lot of plans or activities to do in the evening, which shows his schedule or agenda for the night.
•    Therefore, we need to fill in the blank with something that explains what he had to do or why he said that.
•    Based on the extract, we can infer that he had a lot of plans or activities to do in the evening, because he implied that he did not have much time to spare and that he needed his things prepared for his night out.
•    So, we can complete the sentence with "Cyril had a lot of plans or activities to do in the evening".

Question (iii)

 Explain any one possible inference that can be drawn from the line "Now—look. When I asked you this morning, you promised".

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

One possible inference that can be drawn from this line is that Cyril was disappointed and annoyed by his mother's failure to keep her promise and do what he asked her to do.

Step-by-step explanation: 📝

•   An inference is a logical conclusion based on evidence and reasoning from a text.
•   To explain an inference, we need to provide both the evidence from the text and our reasoning behind it.
•   In this case, the line "Now—look. When I asked you this morning, you promised" is a statement made by Cyril to his mother when he found out that she had not put his things out as he had requested earlier.
•   The evidence from this line is that Cyril says that he asked her this morning and she promised, which means that he reminded her of their previous conversation and agreement about his things.
•   Our reasoning behind this inference is that this statement implies that he was disappointed and annoyed by his mother's failure to keep her promise and do what he asked her to do, because he used the word "now" to express his urgency or frustration and he used the word "look" to draw her attention or reproach her for her negligence or forgetfulness.
•   Therefore, we can explain our inference by saying that this line shows that Cyril was disappointed and annoyed by his mother's failure to keep her promise and do what he asked her to do.

Question (iv)

 Identify the line from the text that bears evidence to the fact that Mrs Pearson (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) was more rebellious and independent than Mrs Pearson (who has her own personality).

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

The line from the text that bears evidence to the fact that Mrs Pearson (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) was more rebellious and independent than Mrs Pearson (who has her own personality) is "Yes — well now I’ve decided I don’t like mending".

Step-by-step explanation: 📝

•    To identify a line from the text that supports a fact, we need to look for words or phrases that show or imply the fact.
•    In this case, the fact is that Mrs Pearson (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) was more rebellious and independent than Mrs Pearson (who has her own personality), which means that she was more willing and able to resist or challenge authority or norms and make her own decisions or choices.
•    The line that shows this fact is "Yes — well now I’ve decided I don’t like mending".
•    This line implies that Mrs Pearson (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) was more rebellious and independent than Mrs Pearson (who has her own personality) by saying that she had decided that she did not like mending, which shows that she changed her mind or opinion about doing a domestic chore that she had agreed to do earlier and that she did not care about Cyril's expectations or demands.
•    Therefore, we can identify this line as the evidence for the fact.

Question (v)

 What does the term 'coolly' indicate about Mrs Pearson's (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) emotion or reaction to Cyril's complaint?

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

The term 'coolly' indicates that Mrs Pearson's (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) emotion or reaction to Cyril's complaint was negative and indifferent.

Step-by-step explanation: 📝

•    To explain what a term indicates about something, we need to define the term and relate it to the context of the text.
•    In this case, the term is 'coolly', which means feeling or showing a lack of warmth or interest in a situation or person.
•     The term is used to describe how Mrs Pearson (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) spoke to Cyril when he complained that she had not put his things out as he had asked her to do.
•    This indicates that Mrs Pearson's (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) emotion or reaction to Cyril's complaint was negative and indifferent, because she did not show any sympathy or concern for him or his problem, but rather spoke to him in a calm and detached manner.
•    Therefore, we can explain what the term indicates by saying that it shows that Mrs Pearson's (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) emotion or reaction to Cyril's complaint was negative and indifferent.

Question (vi)

 Which of the following headlines best suggests the central idea of the extract?

1. A Woman's Surprise at Her Son's Busy Night Out
2. A Woman's Complaint to Her Son for Not Mending His Things
3. A Woman's Disregard of Her Son's Request and Promise
4. A Woman's Challenge to Her Son's Authority and Expectations

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

The best headline that suggests the central idea of the extract is (d). A Woman's Challenge to Her Son's Authority and Expectations.

Step-by-step explanation: 📝

•   To choose the best headline for an extract, we need to consider which one captures the main theme or message of the text.
•    In this case, the extract is about a conversation between a mother and a son, Mrs Pearson and Cyril, who have swapped personalities with their neighbour and friend, Mrs Fitzgerald. Cyril is annoyed and disappointed by his mother's failure to keep her promise and put his things out for his busy night out, while Mrs Pearson (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) is cool and indifferent about his complaint and challenge his authority and expectations over her.
•    The central idea of this extract is how Mrs Pearson (who has Mrs Fitzgerald's personality) challenges and resists Cyril's authority and expectations over her and how it affects their relationship and communication.
•    The headline that best reflects this idea is D. A Woman's Challenge to Her Son's Authority and Expectations, because it summarizes the main action and conflict in the extract.
•    The other headlines are either too specific (B), too general (A), or too irrelevant (C) to convey the central idea of the extract.

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