The Portrait of A Lady

THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY-KHUSHWANT SINGH
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS
1. Mention the three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before
he left the country to study abroad.
Answer. The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the
country to study abroad are given below.
The first phase was the period of the author’s early childhood. During this phase, he used to live
with his grandmother in the village. The grandmother used to take care of him from waking him
up and getting him ready to accompanying him to the school. Both shared a good friendship
with each other.
The second phase was the time when the author and the grandmother moved to the city to live
with author’s parents. This was a turning-point in their friendship because now they ‘saw less of
each other’.
The third phase was the time the author joined the university for higher education. He was
given a room of his own and the common link of their friendship was snapped. The
grandmother devoted to reciting prayers all day long. She accepted her seclusion with silence.
2. Mention three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he
started going to the city school.
Answer. The author’s grandmother was unhappy after knowing that the things taught to him at
school were related to western science and learning. Secondly, she did not believe such things
that were taught at his new school. She was disturbed that there was no teaching about God and
scriptures. Thirdly, she was unhappy with the idea of music lessons being given at school. She
considered music suitable only for the people with low dignity. The disapproval of the
grandmother was visible in her silence.
3. Mention three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he
grew up.
Answer. The author’s grandmother “accepted her seclusion with resignation”. She spent her
days of loneliness by incessantly spinning the wheel, reciting prayers and feeding the sparrows.
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4. Mention the odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she
died.
Answer. Just before the day the grandmother died, a change came upon her. She did not pray in
the evening. She got an old drum and started singing for her grandson, which went on for hours.
Next morning, she was taken ill. The doctor thought nothing of it but the grandmother thought
differently. She told everyone that her end was near and since her end was near, she would
spend last of her living moments in prayer and would not waste her time in talking to anyone.
She lay peacefully in bed praying and before anyone could suspect, her lips stopped moving.
She passed away peacefully.
5. Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s
grandmother died.
Answer. The author’s grandmother shared a unique bond with the sparrows. She seemed at her
happiest self while feeding the sparrows. The day the author’s grandmother died, thousands of
sparrows sat scattered around her dead body. They sat there in utter silence mourning the death
of the grandmother. They took no notice of the bread crumbs thrown at them and flew away
silently after the body was carried for the final rites.
6. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in
which we come to know this?
Answer. The author’s grandmother was a religious lady with a kind heart. She moved about in
the house “telling the beads of her rosary”. Her lips constantly moved in “inaudible prayer”.
She said her morning prayers in monotonous sing-song hoping that the author would learn it by
heart. Every day, she went along with the author to his school and sat in the temple that was
attached to it, reading the holy books for hours. She believed in the teachings about God and
scriptures and did not like that her grandson was not taught about them in the city school.
Gradually, she turned to reciting prayers throughout the day. Before dying, she stopped talking
to her family members and turned to prayers, and counting the beads.
7. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did
their feelings for each other change?
Answer. The story describes vividly the relationship between the author and his grandmother.
In his early childhood, the author shared a strong bond with his grandmother. However, that tie
of friendship loosened a little when they both shifted to his parents’ city house. She no longer
accompanied him to the school and could not help him with his lessons. There was a further
crack in the relationship when the author joined university. He was given a private room and the
common link between them was snapped. They were further distanced from each other when
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the author went abroad for five years.
In spite of changes in the course of the relationship, due to the demands of the situation, their
feelings for each other remained unchanged. Though she did not display her emotions, when the
author was leaving for abroad, she wholeheartedly celebrated his homecoming when he
returned.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS:
Q1. Draw a vivid character sketch of the narrator’s grandmother.

Q2. Draw a comparison between village school education and city school education.
Q3. What used to be the happiest moments of the day for the grandmother?
Q4. What was “the last sign” of physical contact between the author and the
grandmother?
Q5. How did the grandmother celebrate the homecoming of her grandson?
Q6. Why did the grandmother stop talking before her death?
Q7. What could have been the cause of grandmother’s falling ill?
Q8. How can you say that the grandmother was a kind- hearted woman?
Q9. How did the grandmother receive the author when he returned from abroad?
Q10.The grandmother herself was not formally educated but was serious about
author’s education. How does the text support this?
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THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY-KHUSHWANT SINGH

Q1. Draw a vivid character sketch of the narrator’s grandmother.

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