NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill - The Portrait of Lady

Quick Recap

The Portrait of a Lady summary is a real story of the writer’s grandmother. The name of the writer is Kushwant Singh. His grandmother was an old lady. The writer tells us the story of his childhood that he had spent with his grandmother.

Let’s have a look at the questions from our textbooks.

Q: Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
The thought was almost revolting
An expanse of pure white serenity
A turning-point
Accepted her seclusion with resignation
A veritable bedlam of chirrupings
Frivolous rebukes
The sagging skins of the dilapidated drum

Ans:

1. The thought was almost revolting: The thought that the author’s grandmother was once young and pretty raises a doubt in the mind of the author. He finds it too hard to believe.
2. An expanse of pure white serenity: It refers to the calm, peaceful and serene character and conduct of the author’s grandmother. She is compared to the peaceful winter landscape in the mountains.
3. A turning point: It refers to the point where the author’s relationship with his grandmother changes drastically after they move to the city-house.
4. Accepted her seclusion with resignation: This shows the author’s grandmother’s passive submission to her secluded life after she gradually loses touch with her grandson.
5. A veritable bedlam of chirruping: It refers to the noise, confusion, and chaos caused by the chirruping of the sparrows that scattered and perched around the author’s grandmother.
6. Frivolous rebukes: It refers to the casual and light-hearted rebukes of the grandmother to the sparrows.
7. The sagging skins of the dilapidated drum: It points to the shabby and deteriorated condition of the drum.

Understanding the Text

• Early childhood: 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 accompany him to school. Both shared a good friendship with each other.
• Boyhood: The second phase was the time when the author and the grandmother moved to the city to live with the author’s parents. This was a turning point in their friendship because now they ‘saw less of each other’.
• Early youth: The third phase was the time the author joined University. He was given a room of his own and the common link of their friendship was snapped. The grandmother turns to wheel spinning and reciting prayers all day long. She accepts her seclusion with silence.

Q2: Mention three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.
Ans: The author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school because:

• She could not help him with his lessons in English, science. She didn't believe in Western learning.
• The fact that there was no teaching of God and scriptures was hurtful to her.
• She was unhappy with the idea of music lessons being given at school. She considered music suitable only for the people with low dignity, such as prostitutes and beggars.

Talking About the Text

• Yes, the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character. She was a picture of contentment. She had her own thoughts about learning at school. She considered the teaching of scriptures to be more fruitful than science and music. In her phase of loneliness and seclusion, she took to wheel-spinning and feeding sparrows.
• She appeared composed and did not display any emotion when the author decided to go abroad for studies. Ignoring everyone who tried to stop her, she sang for several hours celebrating the homecoming of her grandson. During the last few hours of her life, ignoring the protests of her family members, she stopped talking to everyone and took to reciting prayers and telling her beads.
  
  

OR
No, I have never known someone the way the author knew his grandmother. Thus, I have never felt the sense of grief presented in the story.

Thinking About the Language

Q1: Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?
Ans: The author and his grandmother might have used their mother tongue to converse with each other. As the author, Khushwant Singh belongs to Punjab, the language used by them might be Punjabi.

Q2: Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family?
Ans: My elderly relatives are well versed in English and Hindi. I feel at home greeting them in English but like to converse with them freely in Hindi. 

Q3: How would you say ‘a dilapidated drum’ in your language?
Ans: The expression used in our language for ‘a dilapidated drum’ is is ‘phata-hua dholak’.

Q4: Can you think of a song or a poem in your language that talks of homecoming?
Ans: Come back !
Back to the land of your birth.
Meadows are still green
Air as fresh as you left them.
Come and see those gurgling brooks
They will reflect your childhood.
Come back ! Years that rolled by
Will come to life once again.

Working with Words

I. Notice the following uses of the word ‘tell’ in the text.
a. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
b. I would tell her English words and little things about Western science and learning.
c. At her age one could never tell.
d. She told us that her end was near.
Given below are four different senses of the word ‘tell’. Match the meanings to the uses listed above.
1. make something known to someone in spoken or written words
2. count while reciting
3. be sure
4. Give information to somebody
Ans: 
1. Make something known to someone in spoken or written words: I would tell her English
words and little things of western science and learning.
2. Count while reciting: Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
3. Be sure: At her age, one could never tell.
4. Give information to somebody: She told us that her end was near.

II. Notice the different senses of the word ‘take’:
(i) to take to something: to begin to do something as a habit
(ii) to take ill: suddenly become ill
Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way they are used.
Ans: In the text, these phrases are used as under:
(i) to take to: She took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of our city house.
(ii) take ill: The next morning she was taken ill.

III. The word ‘hobble’ means to walk with difficulty because the legs and feet are in bad condition.
Tick the words in the box below that also refer to a manner of walking.

Ans: The words referring to a manner of walking are:
shuffle, stride, waddle, swagger, trudge, slog.

Noticing Form

Notice the form of the verbs highlighted in these sentences:

• My grandmother was an old woman. She had been old and wrinked for the twenty years that I had known her. People said that she had once been young and pretty and had even had a husband, but that was hard to believe.
• When we both had finished we would walk back together.
• When I came back she would ask me what the teacher had taught me.
• It was the first time since I had known her that she did not pray.
• Thus sun was setting and had lit her room and verandah with a golden light.

These are examples of the past perfect forms of verbs. When we recount things in the distant past we use this form.