A house is not a

home

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Why did Zan feel awkward and isolated during his first year of high school?
Answer: Zan’s position during his first year of high school as the junior most class made him feel
awkward. The big size of the new school and the separation from his closest friends made him feel
isolated.

2. Why did the author miss his old teachers?

Answer: The author missed his old teachers because they would encourage him to get involved in
school activities so that he could meet new people. They also assured him that he would soon adjust
to his new school. Their affection, warmth, and cooperation in making him feel special made the
author miss them.

3. What kind of day it was when a fire broke out in the author’s house? What were the author and
his cat doing at that time?

Answer: It was a Sunday afternoon of a cold and windy winter when the fire broke out. The author
was at the dining-room table doing homework with the fire burning in the fireplace. His red tabby cat
was lying over his papers, purring loudly and sometimes swatting at his pen.

4. What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon? What is his mother’s reaction? What does
she do?

Answer: One Sunday afternoon, the author smelled something strange and noticed smoke pouring in
through the seams of the ceiling of his house. His mother reacted promptly and the two of them ran
out into the front yard. However, she ran back into the house and brought out a small metal box full
of important documents.

5. Why did Zan’s mother run back into the house after having saved the important documents?
Or
“I knew what she was after”. Why does Zan make this observation?

Answer: Zan’s mother ran back to save the pictures and letters of his father who had died when Zan
was young. Zan knew that these memories of her husband were extremely precious for her and she
did not want them to go up in flames.

6. Why does the narrator say, “I was suffering loss, big time”?
Answer: The author feels that he was suffering loss, big time because he had lost his old dear school
and teachers, he had lost his house to the fire, and now he had lost his dear cat whom he loved
dearly.

. In what condition does the author go to school after the fire incident?
Answer: After the fire incident, the author goes to school wearing the dress that he had worn to
church on Sunday morning and the tennis shoes that he had borrowed from his aunt. His shoes,
clothes, books, homework, and backpack had been destroyed in the fire.

7. What is surreal? Why does the author feel that everything was surreal?

Answer: Surreal means something strange or unreal. The author felt that everything was surreal
because too many unfortunate things had happened to him – his house was burnt down, his cat was
lost, his mother was left with no money and he had no books, shoes, clothes and school uniform. His
secure zone had been ripped away suddenly and the changes were too much and too many for him
to handle.

8.Why did Zan’s mother have to borrow money from his grandparents?

Answer: Zan’s mother had to borrow money from his grandparents because her credit cards, cash
and even identification that was needed to draw money from the bank had got burnt up in the fire.
She had to rent a new place, buy new clothes for Zan and resettle quickly. She did not have time to
wait for the recovery of her lost documents till then.

9. Why did the narrator go over to his burnt house even though they had rented an apartment
nearby?
Answer: The narrator went over to his burnt house even though they had rented an apartment
nearby because he hoped that his cat would be found somewhere. He would watch the clearing away
of the debris expecting to see his cat.

10. How and why were people acting stranger than usual at Zan’s school?

Answer: When Zan was getting ready for gym class at his locker, people were gathering around him
asking him to hurry up. This was stranger than usual as they almost seemed to shove him into the
gym. They behaved so because they had put up a surprise collection of school supplies and clothes
etc for Zan in the gym.

11. What help did the author get from his schoolmates after the fire accident?
Or
What kind of gesture did Zan’s schoolmates show to hint?
Answer: The author’s schoolmates helped him by getting him school supplies, notebooks, and
different clothes – jeans, tops sweatshirts. Those who had never spoken to him introduced themselves
and many invited him to their homes.

12. Why was the author overcome by emotions when he got help from his schoolmates?
Answer: The author was overcome by emotions when he got help from his schoolmates because they
had gone out of their way to bring him the things he needed. He was touched by their genuine
outpouring of concern.

13. When does the author say “It was like Christmas”? Why?
Answer: The author says this when he gets inside the gym to see the surprise load of school supplies
and different clothes on the big table only for him. This seemed like Christmas because these assorted
gifts were similar to the surprise gifts that one gets from loved ones on Christmas.

14. Why was it different for Zan to see his house getting rebuilt? How did the fire help him?
Answer: It was different to see his house getting rebuilt because Zan wasn’t alone this time. Two of
his new friends from school were with him. The fire had helped him by diverting his mind away
from his feelings of insecurity. He now opened up to the wonderful people around.

15. What problem does the author face when he moves to a new school?
Answer: In the junior school, l he was the head boy of his class. He was very close to all the teachers.
He enjoyed the seniority. But when he joins a new school at senior level, he faces many problems.
This school was twice as big as his old school. He felt very isolated.

16. Even after taking admission in a new school, why did the author keep visit his teachers at the
old school
Answer: The author felt very isolated in the new school. It was a big school and nobody knew him
there. All his fellow at the junior school had taken admission in other schools. But he was very close
to the teachers of the previous school. So he visited them often.

17. What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon? What is his mother’s reaction? What does
she do?

Answer: The author, while doing his homework, noticed the smoke pouring in through the seams of
the ceiling. The room was filled with the smoke very quickly. The author and his mother ran outside
to save their life. His mother ran out of the house with a small metal box full of important documents.
She became so crazy that she rushed back to the house just after dropping the box.

18. Why is the author deeply embarrassed the next day in school?

Answer: The author was full of remorse as he was left with nothing. He didn’t have a proper dress
and study material. He had no backpack. He had a feeling of insecurity. All things appeared strange
to him. He was shocked deeply and seemed frustrated.

19. What was the author’s mother doing on a Sunday afternoon?

Answer: It was blowing cold on that Sunday afternoon. And the author was doing homework at the
dining table. His mother was fuelling the fire at the fireplace to keep the room warm.

20. How did Zan’s mother save important documents from the burning house?
Answer: When the house caught fire, the narrator and his mother were in the house. Zan’s mother
ran out of the house carrying a small metal box full of important documents. She again ran back to
bring back her husband’s pictures and letters.
21. What actions of the schoolmates change the author’s understanding of life and people, and
comfort him emotionally? How does his loneliness vanish and how does he start participating in
life?

Answer: His schoolmates bought him school supplies, notebooks, all kinds of different clothes for the
author in order to help him. It was a matter of surprise and too difficult to believe for him. He got
emotional satisfaction. People who had never spoken, introduced themselves one by one. All things
seemed new and got back his interest in life. Now, he had all the things whatever he used to have. He
started enjoying his life as usual.

22. How did the narrator realise that he was not alone in the world?

Answer: Unfortunately, a fierce fire had burnt down the narrator’s house. He had lost everything in
the fire and become deserted. But he went to school the following day and found that his friends
were also worried about this incident. They gave him many things. Thus, the feeling of his insecurity
gradually vanished and he realised that he had many friends to decrease his problems. He became
open up to all the wonderful people around him.

23. When the narrator’s house was on fire, how did his mother try to save the threads of life?
Answer: When the fierce fire broke out in the narrator’s house, his mother ran to the house
repeatedly. She had to save the threads of life. She ran to the house to collect important documents.
She also tried to save the pictures of her husband and letters because they were the precious gifts of
time for her.

24. How did the author get rid of his feelings of loss and tragedy?
Answer: His new friends in the new school and the kindness of the lady, who returned his cat,
helped the author in getting rid of his feelings of loss and tragedy. He regained confidence. Now he
wanted to live happily in his new home.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. The cat and the author are very fond of each other. How has this been shown in the story?

Answer: The red tabby cat had been rescued by the author when she was a helpless kitten. She would
never be far from him and knew that he was the one responsible for giving her a good life. He would
get up early in the morning and teasingly disturb her. She would then tag along after him, climb up
his robe and crawl into his pocket to fall asleep. Zan loved her so much that he would allow the cat to
sit over his papers and swat at his pen while he did his homework. He missed her terribly after losing
her and would go over to watch the clearing of debris with the hope to find her somewhere. When
she was restored back to Zan, the cat purred as happily as the author felt elated to get her back. Even
the woman who rescued the cat knew that she was loved and sorely missed.

2. What actions of the schoolmates change the author’s understanding of life and people, and
comfort him emotionally? How does his loneliness vanish and how does he start participating in
life?
Or
What role did Zan’s school play in normalising his life after the fire accident?
Answer: After the loss of all his belongings in the fire that ravaged his house, Zan, the narrator,
started feeling depressed and embarrassed. At this time, the friendly and helpful actions of his
schoolmates changed his understanding of life and people and comforted him emotionally. His
schoolmates took up a collection and bought him school supplies, notebooks, and all kinds of clothes
– jeans, tops, and sweats. Those who had never spoken to him before came up to him and introduced
themselves. Many invited him to their houses. Their genuine concern touched Zan. He felt relieved
and began to believe that everything would be okay. He stopped focussing on his feelings of
insecurity and opened up to all the wonderful people around him. The company of his new friends
and sharing joys with them made his loneliness vanish and reconnected him to live.

3. What is the meaning of “My cat was back and so was I”? Had the author gone anywhere? Why
does he say that he is also back?

Answer: Zan’s cat was brought back home after more than a month of absence. She had run away
due to fear of fire and could not be brought back early as her collar had those phone numbers that
had got disconnected due to the fire. Zan too was back to his normal cheerful life. His absence was
emotional unlike the physical absence of his cat. Zan says that he is also back since he wants to point
out the return of his faith in the goodness of life. He had drifted away from joys of friendship and
comfort of familiarity on moving to a new school. By the time his cat returned, his gratitude for life
had also returned in the company of new friends.

4. Describe the fire tragedy that struck Zan’s house?

Answer: What was stoked to keep the house nice and warm, triggered a major fire break out that
turned Zan’s house to cinders and left him and his mother devastated.
At first, Zan only smelled something strange but soon noticed smoke pouring in through the seams of
the ceiling. The smoke filled the room quickly and Zan and his mother could barely see. Somehow,
they groped their way to the front door and ran out into the front yard.

No sooner had they made their way outside than the whole roof was engulfed in flames, and the fire
spread quickly. Zan ran to his neighbours to call the fire department and his mother ran back into the
house and soon came out carrying a small metal box full of important documents. She rushed back
into the house to retrieve his husband’s pictures and letters – the only things she had to remember
him by.

Zan tried to run after her but was stopped by a fireman. The fire truck had already arrived and was
busy dousing the fire. Some firefighters ran into the house and safely brought out Zan’s mother and
gave her an oxygen mask because she had inhaled smoke. It took five hours to finally put out the fire
but the house was almost completely burnt and there was the sign of Zan’s pet cat. Zan feared that
she was burnt alive.

5. What values in Zan’s mother endeared him to her? Zan’s mother was his sole support after the
death of his father. She carried out her responsibilities as a single parent with complete devotion.
Zan loved her a lot and obeyed all that she

Answer: asked him to do because he respected her for her value of devotion towards him. He
willingly changed school and tried to adjust to the new environment because he knew his mother
was doing everything for his good. She valued memories and knew the significance of the letters and
pictures of her late husband. She risked her life to recover these things and thus displayed the value
of courage. Her son, Zan, acknowledged this value when he evaluated the few things that could be
saved from the fire, all because of his mother’s courage. She possessed the value of emotional
strength and hence quickly brought back normalcy to Zan’s life by sending him to school the next
day after the fire incident. Zan admired her because of her positive values both as a mother and as a
human being. That is why he rushed after her to save her from the fire, without worrying about his
own safety, because he did not want to lose her at any cost.

6. Suppose you are the woman who rescued Zan’s cat. Write a diary entry in about 150 words
describing how you found the cat, what efforts you had to make to trace its home, and how happy
you felt after handing over the cat to its rightful owner.

Answer: (Day & date) (Time)

Dear Diary
A month ago, I found a beautiful red tabby cat strolling on my porch. The cat was healthy and clean.
Her appearance indicated that she was a much loved and adored pet. I moved closer to the scared
little thing and saw that it had a collar on it. I noted down the phone number etched on its collar and
took the cat in before calling up its owners.

I fed milk and biscuits to the cute furry thing and she purred gently as if expressing gratitude for
having rescued her. Then I put an old rug in a basket and made it her new comfortable home.
I sat down by the fire and tried to call the number of its owners.

Unfortunately, the number seemed out of order. Then I searched the telephone directory to locate the
address of the owners given against the phone number. Somehow, the directory did not have the
complete address but the name of the locality and the city mentioned therein helped me reach the
right place. On reaching there, I asked a few locals who guided me to a house under construction.

Lo and behold! I had reached the correct place. I handed over the cat to Zan, its rightful owner. The
expression of joy, relief and gratitude on this young boy’s face made my day. I was elated to see his
friends jumping around and hugging each other. It was a wonderful day for me because God had
given me the opportunity to bring joy to a young boy, his mother and his friends. Tonight I go to bed
with gratitude to God for choosing me as an instrument of His goodwill.
Good night!
Mrs Hillary G. Thomas

7. Describe the author’s experience at school after the fire tragedy.

Answer: The author had just joined a new school. He was facing a big problem to make himself fit in
the new school. Just after a couple of days in his house caught fire. His school bag and shoes had
burnt in a fire.

The next day he went to school. He was around school like a wanderer. Everything appeared to him
strange. He did not know what was going to happen him. He returned home with a broken heart. He
was experiencing terrible developments in his life.
The next day when he went to school; he found a strange atmosphere all around. People were getting
together all around him. They had collected money for him and arranged school supplies and
clothing for him. This changed his vision for life once again.

8. Have any of your classmates/schoolmates had an experience like the one described in the story
where they needed help? Describe how they were helped.

Answer: Two years ago, my friend Raju visited the market to buy some household things. It was a
crowded market and a shop caught fire due to short circuit. The panic-stricken people rushed here
and there. My friend too was trying to leave that place. He with three people got himself locked in a
nearby shop to escape from the smoke. But the shop was filled with smoke within a little span of
time. They felt suffocated by the fumes. They considered that their end was near. In the meantime, a
team of an NGO broke open the shutter and took them out of the shop. They were hospitalised
quickly. I could get my friend back because of the team and the grace of God.

9. Sometimes, unexpected trouble strikes our life. But people around us come to our aid. Describe
this with reference to the lesson ‘A House Is Not a Home’.

Answer: In ‘A House Is Not a Home’, the narrator falls into deep trouble. His house is burned down
in a fire. He has also shifted to a rented house. His joining in a new school also makes him feel
isolated. But very soon, all his problems came to an end. His schoolmates contribute all the things he
needs, including books and clothes. Further, he is greatly sad about the loss of his pet cat. A woman
in the neighbourhood locates his cat and gives it to him. The narrator feels very happy. He feels that
normalcy had been restored in his life. Thus, people around him played a big role in making him
happy again.

10. The value of a person in one’s surrounding is truly known in one’s hardship. Comment with
reference to the story ‘A House is not a Home’.

Answer: People in one’s surroundings are sometimes indifferent and less co-operative. They keep
busy in their own business but they are truly known in one’s hardship when they come forward to
support whole-heartedly to the sufferer. In the story ‘A House is not a Home’, the author felt
uncomfortable in the new school because he was not familiar with the school environment, teachers
and classmates. When he lost each and everything in the fire, he felt insecure and in this harsh time,
his schoolmates introduced themselves to him. They all contributed and gifted his school supplies. As
everyone was aware of his plight, all the teachers knew about his hardship. Thus the sympathy and
co-operation in school comforted him. Now his opinion changed about his new school and he started
making friends.

11. The lady who handed over Zan’s cat to him did a noble deed. Write a few reasons to appreciate
her deed.

Answer: The author loved his cat very much. He lost his cat when his house caught fire. He tried to
find the cat but did not get her. After a month, a woman came to him with his cat. He could not
believe it. He grabbed his cat and started jumping. The wonderful woman somehow handed over his
cat to him. She tried her best to find the owner of the cat. On seeing the collar and the phone number
written on it, she decided that the cat was loved and missed. She was a good lady. She realized the
feeling of the owner of the cat. The author called her wonderful as getting his cat back was no less
than wonder for him. Really, she did a noble deed.

12. Zan’s life, one month after the fire incident, was happier than his earlier life. Discuss a few
reasons for this change.

Answer: Zan is a schoolboy who moves from Junior school to High School. He finds some initial
problems in adjusting to life in the new school. Unfortunately, his house gets burned down in a fire
and he is in deep trouble. But his schoolmates help him out by providing everything to him. A
neighbour also greatly increases his joy by helping him to find his lost cat. So the narrator manages to
become happy again after facing a lot of troubles. The affection he gets from many people touched
him. He is able to get rid of his insecurity and opens up to others. A new chapter has opened in his
life.

13. How is a Home different from a House? Explain with reference to the lesson ‘A House Is Not a
Home’.

Answer: Life without love is not life. Human relationship is based on love. The title itself indicates it
clearly that a house is not a home without love. The author had to face adverse circumstances in his
life. He was a fatherless boy. He led a satisfactory life with his old friends and teachers. But when he
changed his schools, he could not adjust to the new environment. He felt alienated. Later, his house
caught fire and he lost all the things including his cat. He started feeling dejected and isolated. Life
had no interest in him anymore. He started building a new house. But it was not home, as a house
is a home only when there is love and happiness. The author did not have any attachment to the new
house. His reunion with his cat, his new friends and the new house made his house a home.

14. The teachers and students in the school were aware of Zan’s plight. What did they do to help
him?

Answer: The author’s friends played a vital role in rebuilding his life. He was a fatherless boy. His
mother looked after him. He had a chat with him and he loved her very much. %Then his house
caught fire, he lost everything. He, in his new school, did not feel good. He kept visiting his old
school and teachers. His life had become dull. He had lost all hopes to live. When he visited his new
school the next day, he found the atmosphere strange. His new friends provided him with all the
necessary items. They invited him to their homes. All this contributed a lot to the author. He lost the
feeling of isolation, dejection and insecurity. He started leading a happy life again.