ABU DHABI INDIAN SCHOOL BR-1 AL WATHBA

The Portrait of a Lady

Short Answer questions
Learning Objectives: To analyze the nuisances in the lesson and answer the questions
appropriately.
To write a diary entry and create a caricature.

1. How does Khushwant Singh describe his old grandmother?

Ans. Khushwant Singh says that his grandmother was so old that she could not get any older. Her
face was full of wrinkles. She was short, fat and somewhat bent. It was unbelievable to imagine
that she had once been young and pretty, and had a husband. The thought of her being a child
once was almost revolting to him.

2. Give a pen-picture of the narrator’s grandfather as he appeared in the portrait.

Ans. The portrait of the narrator’s grandfather hung in the drawing room. He wore a turban and
loose-fitting clothes. His long, white beard gave him the look of a 100-year-old man who could
have only grandchildren.

3. What could the narrator not believe about his grandparents?

Ans. It was almost unbelievable that the author’s grandfather ever had a wife and children. He
looked as if he could have only lots of grandchildren. In case of the author’s grandmother, it was
difficult to imagine or believe that she, too, once used to play as a child, that she was ever young
and pretty, or that she too had a husband.

4. Why did the narrator’s grandmother give the impression of ‘winter landscape in the
mountains’?
Ans. The author’s grandmother used to wear spotless white clothes. She had silvery hair. White
all over, she looked like the winter landscape in the mountains covered with snow. She recited
her prayers all the time, so had a serene expression on her face which was like the peaceful, white
mountains.

5. How did the old lady look after the narrator in the village?
Ans. The narrator was left to the care of his grandmother in the village home when his parents
went to live in the city. She looked after the child with care and love. She bathed him, dressed
him, fed him, got his school bag ready, and then took him to temple-school. She helped the boy
with his lessons.

6. Why did the grandmother feed dogs and birds in the village and then in the city? What
did the habit tell about her nature?
Ans. The old lady was a caring person. She had a love for birds and animals. In the village, she
threw chapattis to the street dogs. In the city, she had no dogs around, so she began to feed little
birds. This showed her affection for all living creatures and her noble nature.

7. How can you say that the grandmother was a deeply religious-minded lady?
Ans. The author’s old grandmother was deeply religious-minded. She all day long counted the
beads of the rosary and recited prayers. She read scriptures inside the temple. She was disturbed
to know that there was no teaching about God and scriptures at the city school. She fed the dogs
in the villages and the birds in the city.

8. The thought was almost revolting. What was that thought and why was it disgusting?
Ans. The old grandmother often told the children of the games she used to play as a child. It
seemed absurd or unbelievable and even Indecent on her part. The children treated those stories
like fables. They found it hard to believe that their grandmother could have ever been young and
pretty. They had always seen her as an old lady: so they liked to think of her only as their
grandmother.
9. My grandmother and I were good friends. When was the friendship cemented and
broken?
Ans. The author and his grandmother became good friends in the village home. The grandmother
readied him for school and accompanied him there. They were together almost the whole day.
Her affection and care lasted until her last breath. But in between, when they lived together in the
city that link grew weak. The author studied in an English school and was not taught about God
and scriptures at all. Now she could not help him with his studies. Finally, he got a room of his
own and this made her withdraw from him. But the friendship was broken only after she had
died.

10. Why did the grandmother accompany the narrator to the school?
Ans. The grandmother was quite doting and was very affectionate towards her grandson. The
author was a small boy. For his safe journey to and from school, she went with him to the temple-
school. She utilised her time reading scriptures in the temple.

11. What made the grandmother unhappy in the city?

Ans. In the city, the friendship between the old lady and the little grandson came under strain.
She was disturbed because she could not go with him to school, nor help him with his lessons.
She did not approve of English education, particularly the music lessons. The author, as he grew
up, got a room of his own. The growing distance between them upset her. All this made her
unhappy.

12. What was the grandmother’s attitude towards English education and music lessons at
school?
Ans. The old grandmother was old-fashioned in her thinking and she herself was not much
educated. She did not believe in the things they taught in English schools. She was against
English education as it imparted no religious teaching. She was of the view that music was meant
only for beggars and prostitutes.

13. What was the common link of friendship between the narrator and his grandmother
and when was it broken?
Ans. The common link between the old lady and her growing-up grandson was that they shared
the same room in the city for several years. It was broken when he went to university and got a
room of his own. She was left alone but she accepted her aloofness quietly.

14. How did the old grandmother keep herself busy in the city home?
Ans. When the author got a room of his own in the city home, the old lady accepted her aloofness
calmly. She worked on her spinning wheel all day long and recited her prayers. Only in the
afternoon did she take a half-hour break to rest and to feed the birds.

15. Give a brief account of the grandmother’s friendship with the sparrows in the city.
Ans. The old grandmother lost even the last link of friendship with the author so she made friends
with the sparrows. In the afternoon, she threw small bits of bread to the birds who even sat on her
shoulders and her head. After her death, the sparrows also grieved for her. Thousands of them
made a circle round her. They made no noise, no movement. They refused to eat the crumbs
offered to them. They flew away only after her dead body was taken away.

16. And at her age, one could never tell. What was it that one could never tell?
Ans. The author was going abroad for five years. He had a fear that the grandmother would be
badly upset, and might not be able to bear the separation. At her age, she could die any day, any
moment. Nobody could tell how long she would stay alive.

17. Give a brief account of how the grandmother saw the narrator off at the station and
then celebrated his homecoming.
Ans. The old grandmother went to the railway station to see her dear grandson off. She showed
no sentiments, no emotions. She only kissed his forehead. She was still there to receive him at the
end of five years. She seemed to be very happy. In the evening, she celebrated his home-coming
by singing songs and beating the drum. She was so tired that she was taken ill and she died the
next day.
18. Only once did the grandmother not pray. When and why did she break that routine?
Ans. The grandmother was very punctual and regular in her prayers and counting of beads. She
missed them only on the day of the return of the author from aboard. She collected some women,
got an old drum, beat it and sang of the author’s home-coming. That was the only day in her life
when she broke the routine.

19. Describe In brief how the old lady died peacefully.

Ans. Because of overstraining at such an old age, the grandmother was taken ill. She knew for
certain that her end was near. So she declined to talk to anybody. She wanted to spend the last
moments of her life praying and telling the beads of her rosary. Then slowly her lips stopped
moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless fingers. Thus, She died peacefully.

20. How and why did the sparrows mourn the death of the old grandmother?
Ans. The association or friendship of the old lady with the sparrows began in the city. Left alone,
she sought the company of the sparrows. She fed them every day in the afternoon. The birds
became very friendly and attached with her. So they felt bereaved when she died. They gathered
around her and sat quietly until the dead body was carried off.

Long Answer Questions

1. Give a brief character—sketch of Khushwant Singh’s grandmother on the basis of the
portrait of a Lady.
Ans. The writer’s grandmother was a very old woman. She was religious-minded and noble-
hearted. In the house, she always carried a rosary in her hands. She kept telling the beads of the
rosary and reciting prayers silently. She read holy books in the village temple. She would say her
prayers while getting the child ready for school. She used to feed the dogs in the village and the
sparrows in the city. She treated the author with the utmost affection. The author was sent abroad
for five years for further studies. He thought that this might upset his grandmother, but she did
not object and went to the railway station to see him off. When he returned after five years, she
was there to welcome him. She was so happy that she collected the women in her neighbourhood
and sang songs and beat the drum to celebrate his homecoming.
She was not formally educated. She had no knowledge of English and Science. But she was
serious about the education of her grandson. She even helped him with his lessons in the village.
But she was disturbed to know that music lessons were being given at the city school. It pained
her to note that there was no teaching about God and holy books. She hated music. She belonged
to the old generation.

2. Describe how the bond of friendship between the author and his grandmother grew
strong and then weak with the passage of time.
Ans. The little boy and his old grandmother became best friends in the village. She gave him the
morning bath and breakfast. She went with him to the temple school in the village and they came
back home together in the afternoon.
But when the two moved to the city, their friendship suffered a crack. It was a turning point in
their relationship. The author went to an English school in the city. He went by the school bus. So
the grandmother could not accompany him anymore. Now he was being taught science, Maths
and English; so she could not help him with his lessons. Moreover, when she heard that music
lessons were also being given at school, she felt very disturbed as music had cheap associations
for her. Now she saw less of him and withdrew herself. When he went to university, he got a
room of his own. The common link of sharing the same room was also broken. She felt isolated.
She took to plying the charkha and feeding the sparrows.
But her concern and affection for the writer were not affected. She gave him a send-off at the
station, received him on coming home and celebrated his arrival with songs and beating the drum.
She even forgot to pray that evening.

3. Draw a contrast of the lifestyle of the author’s grandmother in the village and in the city.
What could be the reasons?
Ans. The author’s grandmother was a very old and gracious lady. She hobbled about in the
house, one hand resting on her waist to balance herself. She carried a rosary in her other hand.
The author could not believe that she had once been a child playing games or a young lady who
was married and had children.
In the village, she took complete care of the author. She bathed the link boy in the morning, gave
him breakfast. Prepared his wooden slate and inkpot for taking to school. She went with him to
the temple school where he was taught the morning prayer and the alphabet by the priest. She sat
there and read the scriptures. While going back home both of them threw stale chapattis to the
village dogs who followed them.
When the two were called to the city, there came a big change in her routine and also in her
lifestyle. Her friendship with the author was almost broken. She felt isolated. She accepted it
calmly. She made use of her time by reciting prayers, plying the charkha and feeding the
sparrows in the afternoon. She loved doing that.
The reason for the weakening of the bonds of friendship between the two was that she could not
go to school nor help him with his lessons, as now he went to an English school. She did not even
approve of what was being taught at school. But her affection for her grandson was as strong as
ever. She welcomed his homecoming with songs and music. Circumstances made all the
difference as life in the village and in the city were very different.

4. Trace the interest of the old grandmother in the education of the author. Do you think
her concern was misplaced?
Ans. The old grandmother had no formal education. But she was seriously concerned about the
education of her grandson. She used to wash and plaster his wooden slate, get the school bag
ready and go with him to the school. She even helped him with his lessons in the village. Even in
the city, she would ask the boy what he had been taught at school. But she could not understand
the English words and laws of science. She felt unhappy to know that there was no teaching about
God and scriptures. She was shocked to know about music lessons being taught there. So she
withdrew herself completely. She hated music because she thought it was the monopoly of harlots
and beggars. The grandmother belonged to the old world order. So her concept of right education
was different. Her mindset could not accept any change.
Her concern was misplaced because the author had already inculcated the moral values from her
and now he was being taught English and Modern science for a progressive future. This
education helped him a great deal in his career in later life.

5. What aspects of old people are highlighted in the chapter “The portrait of a Lady”?
Ans. Khushwant Singh’s story portrays the life of a grandmother who was trying to bring up her
grandson in a country where the majority of the people were fighting to make it free from the
British. They were still the rulers and as a result whatever they had brought with them, be it
English education or English fashion, It was looked upon with doubt and distrust by most of the
Indians. Khushwant Singh’s grandmother, being old and uneducated, could not reconcile to the
thought of her grandson being taught all the modern subjects like Maths, science, new theories
and music. She looked upon these subjects with distrust. Although she did not force her views on
her family; she became a recluse. She lived in her own world, winning the wheel the whole day,
praying and feeding the sparrows.
The writer says that if the old people are not able to understand or accept the changes which take
place in society regarding education, thinking, lifestyle etc., they feel isolated. This gives way to
a generation gap which can be bridged to some extent by proper understanding by the old as well
as the young.

6. Describe the unique relationship of the grandmother with the dogs and the sparrows. Do
you think itis believable and desirable?
Ans. The old grandmother had lived a secluded life in the village. She knew how to bring up and
feed the children lovingly. She had no formal education. Yet with long practice, she had learnt to
read scriptures. She wished her little grandson also to learn the morning prayers by heart.
The old lady had a unique relationship with the dogs in the village and the birds in the city. She
carried stale chapattis for the village dogs. They waited for her as she left the temple. In the city,
she befriended the sparrows by offering them the crumbs of bread in the afternoon. They became
so friendly with her that they perched on her head and shoulders. She never shooed them away.
That was the reason why the birds gathered in thousands to mourn her death. They sat quietly in
the courtyard, took no notice of the bread pieces thrown to them, and flew away quietly after her
dead body was taken for cremation. Yes, this relationship is believable because when people feel
isolated even in a family, they find solace in the company of animals and birds. Grandmother
loved feeding and playing with the sparrows and the feeling was reciprocated.

Value-Based questions

1. It really pained the grandmother that the schools did not teach anything about God
and the scriptures. Should moral education be taught in schools? What do you think?
Ans. Our present education system has miserably failed to uplift the students’ moral, ethical and
spiritual values. We require religion and morality to keep men as civilized human beings. We are
raising the standard of living but not the standard of life. Performance of duty, consideration for
fellow men and compassion has taken a back seat. The crisis of character looms large. Our lofty
civilization is becoming hollow because it lacks high values and character. Value education is the
need of the hour.
Morals are a set of principles which teach us the difference between right and wrong. Morality is
religion in practice. Social evils prevail and their roots are due to lack of moral and spiritual
education. Morals train man to be good and propagate goodness. if we do not impart moral
education at the primary level, we will have a whole new generation of misguided youth. If a
section of this misguided youth indulges in loot, arson, robbery and if they do nothing for their
family or country; then we have only ourselves to blame. To inculcate discipline and values in the
children of today, the older generation has to guide them by setting an example before them.

2. Aged people should not be left behind and every effort should be made that they live with
their children and grandchildren. This will inculcate a proper understanding between the
old and the new generation. Pen down your views.
Ans. The aged people feel the need for physical. Moral, financial and emotional support from
their children. They are left alone by their children quite often to lead a lonely life. Even their
virtues become major vices.
When the aged are left alone, a fathomless gap appears between them and their children. The
temporary separation which may be the outcome of circumstances is good as it enhances love and
respect. The elderly live in their own world and it is difficult to change their lifestyle. They want
nothing from the new generation except love and respect.
It is true that our new generation has its priorities but they must not become indifferent to the
needs of the aged. When the aged live with their children, there comes a change in their outlook.
Being experienced they try to adapt themselves to the new environment. A solution of old age
problems lies not in building old age homes but giving them a little care, affection and love. We
must remember that we, too, will be like them one day. A thorough change of attitude is needed.
The new generation can enrich itself by listening to the experiences of the elderly and they, in
turn, can learn a lot about modern gadgets and things from the young. This will help in bridging
the generation gap and give way to a healthy and happy society.

3. Parents face a dilemma—English education or no English education. Still, they go in for

it. Discuss.
Ans. Parents want their children to study English as they know that if it is not done their children
would lag behind in this competitive world. They fear that western culture and education can also
take their children away from their own culture. So, they speak against English education but in
their hearts, they feel somewhat satisfied. We are facing a strange dilemma. What is the way out?
A balance must be struck between English education and native culture. For that our children
should be given moral education. The positive points of our culture should be inculcated in their
minds. They should be told that unmindful and blind aping of the Western culture will make them
disoriented and lead to an identity crisis. English education without lessons in ethics and morality
will do more harm than good. Generation gap will go on widening and materialistic attitude will
be all pervasive. Thus, we can say that while English education is important to keep pace with the
rest of the world; it is equally imperative for the young generation to be connected with their
roots and culture.