Saturday 2 May 2020

AHSEC | Class 11 English | A Photograph Notes | Questions Answers | NCERT

AHSEC | Class 11 English | A Photograph Notes | Questions Answers | NCERT

AHSEC | Class 11 English | A Photograph Notes | Questions Answers | NCERT
THE PHOTOGRAPH BY SHIRLEY TOULSON

A PHOTOGRAPH | POEM BY SHIRLEY TOULSON

The Cardboard shows me how it was
When the two girl cousins went paddling,
Each one holding one of my mother's hands,
And she the big girl-some twelve years or so.
All three stood still to smile through their hair
At the uncle with the camera. A sweet face,
My Mother's, that was before i was born.
And the sea, which appears to have changed less,
Washed their terribly transient feet.

Some twenty-thirty-years later
She'd laugh at the snapshot, "see betty
And Dolly." she'd say, "and look how they
Dressed us for the beach." The sea holiday
was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
with the laboured ease of loss.

Now she's been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all.
its silence silences.

AHSEC | CLASS 11 ENGLISH | A PHOTOGRAPH NOTES


(1) "A PHOTOGRAPH" VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE

(a)“The cardboard…. Twelve years or so”

(i) Who is the speaker?
Answer: In the question mentioned stanza the poet “Shirley Toulson” is the speaker.

(ii) What does the cardboard show?
Answer: The cardboard displays the smiling face of the poet’s mother along with two cousins.

(iii) Who is the ‘big girl’ referred to here?
Answer: In the stanza, the ‘big girl’ referred to the mother of the poet.

(iv) Do you see the presence of the speaker in the photograph?
Answer: No, the speaker was not present in the photograph because he was not even born when the photograph was taken.

(b) “Some twenty…… us for the beach.”

(i) Who is ‘she’ referred to here?
Answer: In the given stanza, ‘she’ is referred to the poet’s mother.

(ii) Who are “Betty and Dolly”?
Answer: “Betty and Dolly” were two cousins of the poet’s mother.

(iii) What has made the poet’s mother laugh when she looked at the photograph?
Answer: When the poet’s mother looked at the photograph, she recalled her past happy holidays near the beach. So, the photograph brought to her freshness of her past along with her cousins. And she smiled.

(c) “Now she’s been dead…. its silence silences.”

(i) Who is “She” referred to here?
Answer: In the given stanza, ‘she’ is referred to the poet’s mother.

(ii) Explain: “Nearly as many years as that girl lived.”
Answer: In the given stanza the poet uses this statement to show that his mother had died many years ago. It has almost been that much years of her death as much she lived. The poet is very sad to remember the memory of his mother.

(2) "A PHOTOGRAPH" SHORT ANSWER TYPE


AHSEC | CLASS 11 | ENGLISH | QUESTION PAPER H.S. 2015 2016 | 2017


(i) Why would the poet’s mother laugh at the snapshot? [H.S. 15 & 16]
Answer:  When the poet’s mother looked at the photograph, she recalled her past happy holidays near the beach. So, the photograph brought to her freshness of her past along with her cousins. And she smiled.

(ii) Whose transient feet is the poet talking about? Why are they transient?
Answer: The poet is talking about the transient feet of his mother and of the two cousins.
Their transient feet symbolize the transient life of his mother. His mother died many years ago. But the beach still exists and their transient foot marks were washed away.

(iii) The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did her smile indicate?
Answer:  When the poet’s mother looked at the photograph, she recalled her past happy holidays near the beach. So, the photograph brought to her freshness of her past along with her cousins. And she smiles which indicates that her memory of the past days brought endless joy for her.

(3) AHSEC | CLASS 11 | ENGLISH | "A PHOTOGRAPH" |LONG ANSWER TYPE

 (c)“The cardboard…… years or so.”

(i) What does the cardboard show to the poet?
Answer: The cardboard displays the smiling face of the poet’s mother along with two cousins.

(ii) How did the girls go to the beach?
Answer: The girls in the poem went paddling to the beach.

(iii) Why did the two girl cousin hold one of the poet’s mother’s hand? How old was the poet’s mother?
Answer: The two girl cousins held one of the poet’s mother’s hand because his mother was the eldest among them and she was providing a safe hand to them.
    The poet’s mother was only twelve years old.

(iv) Who clicked the three girls in the cardboard?
Answer: The uncle clicked the three girls in the cardboard.

(d) “The cardboard shows………. the uncle with the camera” [H.S. 2017]

(i) What does the cardboard show the poet?
Answer: The cardboard displays the smiling face of the poet’s mother along with two cousins.

(ii) How did the girls go to the sea beach?
Answer: The girls in the poem went paddling to the sea beach.

(iii) Why did the two girl cousin hold one of the poet’s mother’s hand?
Answer: The two girl cousins held one of the poet’s mother’s hand because his mother was the eldest among them and she was providing a safe hand to them.

(iv) Who clicked the three girls in the cardboard?
Answer: The uncle clicked the three girls in the cardboard.

(v) What kind of a childhood do the quoted lines project?
Answer: The quoted lines in the poem “A Photograph” project a joyous childhood enjoyed by the poet’s mother. She had an enjoyable holiday on the sea beach along with her two cousins. She was just twelve, yet the eldest among the girls. She endeavored her caring guide to two of her cousins. The beach holiday in fact depicted the utmost fun they were having. Their smile looked lively and vivid even after so many years in the photograph.

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