Q. 1. Has Sophie met Danny Casey ? What details of her meeting with Danny Casey did she narrate to her brother ? [Foreign, 2014]
Ans. Value Points : No (but has seen him play football matches in the stadium with her father and brothers.)
Details of her meeting :
— Narrated that she had met Danny Casey in the arcade. She was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window, when she spotted him standing beside her.
— Said that he had green, gentle eyes, he was not very tall - he was going to buy a shop
— He didn’t have any girlfriend
— He was quiet by nature/spoke in an Irish accent
— She wanted his autograph for little Derek but neither of them had a paper or a pen
— They chatted a little about the clothes in Royce’s window
— He asked her to meet him the following week and promised to give her an autograph.
Detailed Answer : Sophie was a teenager who liked to live in the world of fantasy. She always imagined herself as belonging to a high class family. So she imagined that she had met Danny Casey. She liked this idea and narrated the whole incident to her brother Geoff. She told him that she had met Danny Casey at the shopping arcade when she had gone there for window-shopping. She had asked him for his autograph for Derek, her younger brother, which he agreed to but she could not get it as neither Danny Casey nor Sophie had a pen or a paper. So, Danny Casey had promised to give her the autograph if she would meet him the next week.
Q. 2. It is not unusual for a lower middle class girl to dream big. How unrealistic were Sophie’s dreams ?[Outside Delhi Set III, 2015]
Ans. Value Points :
– Sophie is a young girl full of dreams but comes from a lower middle class family
– She is an escapist from the real world
– She is caught in the web of her own creations, not ready to accept what life has to offer her
– Earmarked for the biscuit factory but dreams of becoming a fashion designer or opening a boutique which may not be achievable because of her financial status
– Fantasises about Danny Casey, weaves strange stories only to be disappointed.
Detailed Answer : Sophie’s dreams were absolutely unrealistic as she did not do anything to achieve them. Her dreams were not the dreams that one works for but, were the result of the futile daydreaming of a teenager.
The whole story is about the unrealistic dreams and how we love to indulge in them knowing all the while that they have little possibility of coming true. But some, like Sophie, get too involved in them and actually act on them. This is when disappointment makes its entrance into life. The story seems to hint at you that it is okay to dream, but dream with limits.
The story revolves around the life of Sophie, a teenager, who, like others of her age, is filled with fantasies and desires. She comes from a poor financial background but hopes to be sophisticated in the future. Sophie dreams of owning a boutique one day or becoming an actress or a fashion designer. The centre of this story is that Sophie fantasizes about Danny Casey, an Irish football player, whom she had seen playing innumerable matches. She makes up a story about how she met him in the streets and tells this to Geoff. Geoff, who is more sensible than Sophie, does not really believe her, even if she wants to. It seems an unlikely incident for Sophie to meet the prodigy in their street but when Sophie describes the meeting in details, he begins to hope that it could be true. She tells him that Danny has promised to meet her somewhere again.
Sophie gets so pulled into the story she had made that she herself begins to believe that it’s true. She waits for the Irish player but obviously, he never arrives. Then, she makes her way home, wondering how her brother would be disappointed on knowing that Danny Casey never showed up. However, Sophie still fantasizes about her hero, unperturbed.
Q. 3. Every teenager must dream big. Yet the dream should also be rooted to the ground. Write a character sketch of Sophie in the light of this aspect.[Comptt., Delhi Set I, 2015]
OR
What were Sophie’s plans for her future ? Why would you call her dreams unrealistic ? [Delhi Set-III, 2014]
Ans. Sophie was a teenager who day-dreamt most of the time. Her dreams were to open a boutique or to become a fashion-designer. She wanted to be an actress too. She always planned to do something which did not belong to the people of middle class. Her family conditions were not good and so her dreams seemed to be unrealistic and impractical. Her friend, Jansie, unlike Sophie lived in a world of reality and knew that both of them were marked for a biscuit factory. Opening a boutique or becoming a fashion-designer were next to impossible. Sophie had neither the means nor money to raise herself to the standard of becoming an actress or a fashion-designer. She had many limitations which she was not aware of. She lacked the skills also to achieve those dreams. Thus, we can say that her dreams were unrealistic and impractical.
Q. 4. Sophie was a dreamer. The lesson ‘Going Places’ reminds us that mere dreams will not help us to accomplish anything. What qualities do you think, would help Sophie to realize her dreams ? [Foreign, 2014]
Ans. Value Points :
— Needs to be practical and down to earth
— Needs to have realistic aims
— Keep in mind her family background, should have determination, sincerity, be focussed and have a strong will, needs to work hard to make her dreams and fantasies come true.
Detailed Answer : Sophie needs to be practical and should be aware of the realities of life. She should be simple and down to earth and should know her limitations She must keep in mind that she belongs to a lower middle class family. She should be sincere, determined and should possess a strong will to achieve her dreams. She needs to work hard to make her dreams and fantasies come true.
Q. 5. Do you think Sophie is over ambitious and Jansie is more practical ? Discuss. [CBSE, SQP, 2014-15]
Ans. Value Points :
Both belong to poor families :
- Jansie practical and realistic
- Ready to work in a biscuit factory
- Advises Sophie not to daydream
- Can’t be a manager
- Father will not allow.
Sophie :
- Not practical
- Dreamer
- Dreams wonderful
- Wants to become an actress or a fashion designer
- Looking for something sophisticated and fanciful
- Over ambitious and of wavering mind.
Detailed Answer : Sophie and Jansie both are friends and belong to poor families. Jansie is very practical and realistic whereas, Sophie lives in the world of fantasy. Jansie knows that after passing out from school, they both have to work in a biscuit factory and she is ready for it but Sophie dreams to open a boutique, become a manager or an actress. Jansie discourages her from dreaming such things. Sophie is over ambitious and dreams of things that are beyond her access. She is always looking for something sophisticated and fanciful. She even goes to the extent of cooking wild story that she had met Danny Casey in a shopping arcade and was going out on a date with him.
Q. 6. How different is Jansie from Sophie ? [Outside Delhi Set-II, 2015]
OR
In one’s approach to life, one should be practical and not live in a world of dreams. How is Jansie’s attitude different from that of Sophie ? [Delhi/Outside Delhi 2018]
OR
What impression do you form of Sophie and Jansie after reading the story, ‘Going Places’ ? [Comptt., Delhi/Outside Delhi 2018]
OR
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story ?
Ans. Sophie – daydreamer; impractical; wants a glamorous career; cut off from reality; attention seeker – creates the story of her meeting Danny Casey to arouse her brother’s interest/ to come closer to him.
Jansie – practical; grounded; knows the reality of her future in the biscuit factory.
Detailed Answer : Sophie and Jansie are classfellows and friends. They belong to lower middle class families. Jansie understands her limitations well. She is practical and grounded to earth. She knows that both of them are earmarked for the biscuit factory. But Sophie is totally blind to the harsh realities of life. She dreams of big and beautiful things. She wants a glamorous career. She wants to have a boutique. She also entertains the idea of becoming an actress. She loves to be nice, grand and sophisticated. All her dreams are beyond her reach and resources. Jansie advises her : “Soaf, you really should be sensible”. But Sophie refuses to be sensible. She is nothing more than a romantic dreamer.
Sophie and Jansie are poles apart in thinking and temperament. Sophie is all lost to herself and her dreamy world. There is only one person who first shares her secrets. He is her elder brother Geoff. Jansie is ‘nosey’ and takes interest in knowing new things about others. Sophie knows she will spread the story in the whole neighbourhood. Sophie is an incurable escapist. She adores the young Irish footballer Danny Casey. She remains what she always is — a dreamer.
Q. 7. Teachers always advise their students to dream big. Yet, the same teachers in your classrooms find fault with Sophie when she dreams. What is wrong with Sophie’s dreams ? [Delhi Set I, 2016]
Ans. Value Points:
– Sophie belonged to weak socio-economic background, escaped from boring working class existence to unrealistic fantasies
– Reality – earmarked for biscuit factory– dreams of owning boutique / being a manager / actress / fashion designer
– Dreams and disappointments all in her mind– dream and reality merged when she went to meet Danny Casey
– No concrete steps taken to convert dream into reality
– Lied / fooled everybody with her dreams
– Dreams are not based on reality
– Circumstances do not support her.
Detailed Answer : Sophie dreams of achieving things she has no access to. She belongs to a lower middleclass family but dreams of owning a boutique, or becoming an actress or a manager. Moreover, instead of working towards her goals, she just dreams about them. Sophie needs to be practical and should be aware of the realities of life. She should be simple and down to earth and should know her limitations that she belongs to a lower middle-class family. She should possess a strong will to achieve her dreams. She needs to work hard to make her dreams and fantasies come true.
Q. 8. Every teenager has a hero/heroine to admire. So many times they become role models for them. What is wrong if Sophie fantasizes about Danny Casey and is ambitious in life ?[Outside Delhi Set I, 2016]
OR
Unrealistic dreams often lead to a great deal of unhappiness. Justify the statement on the basis of the story “Going Places”. [SQP 2018-19]
Ans. Suggested Value Points:
– Sophie belongs to lower middle class but dreams of opening a boutique, become an actress or fashion designer; no financial support in fact father expecting her to buy a decent house for the family when she gets some money
– Also fantasizes of meeting the football sensation, Danny Casey
– She has started living her dreams and has got disconnected with the reality
– This causes her great disappointment and sorrow in life-when Danny did not come to meet her near the canal, Sophie was heartbroken and worried about how she would convince Geoff about Danny
– Sadness was hard burden to carry
Detailed Answer : Teenagehood is the phase of life which constitutes the major changes in the life of an individual. During this phase, a person learns many things, sets his career goals, and deals with peer pressure and the pressure of adults’ expectations. Hence, it is natural for teenagers to fantasize and to have unrealistic dreams. Fantasizing, based on realistic goals or the world around, provides a means to reach higher ambitions and dreams. Aspiring for higher career goals and working hard may ensure successful career prospects. Thus, it instills confidence and a spirit to achieve one’s desire. In difficult situations of life, it helps instill positivity and optimism. It is a talent in those who are creative. But fantasizing also builds a gap between fantasy and reality. The realisation of the disparity between one’s goals and capabilities may be painful. Nonachievement may also lead to disappointment, depression or suicidal tendencies. Moreover, it is a sheer wastage of time for many. This was the case with Sophie. Although she dreamt and fantasized, yet she made no efforts to achieve what she wanted and finally got so sucked up in her fantasy that she forgot her reality. This Caused her greas disappointment and sorrono in life. She got disconnects with reality. She didn’t take any to convert her dreams to reality.
Q. 9. It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasizing ? Elaborate it with references of “Going Places”. (NCERT)
Ans. No doubt the teenagers have ideals. They have no experience of the world. They dream of doing things that the adults would never dream of doing. Dreaming is essential and useful. It was because of having dreams that great inventions and discoveries were made. Joan of Arc was a young girl. She dreamed and heard voices. She felt they were telling her to do things that looked impossible to achieve. Because of her dreams, she drove away the British from France. Those who only dream and do nothing become lazy and idle. They are impractical in life. Our dreams can help us. But they should be practical and we ought to try to realise them. Sophie is a daydreamer. She can imagine things and her imagination runs wild. She had watched Danny Casey. He is her hero. She is always dreaming about him. She begins to think of meeting him. She is so engrossed in her dreams that she herself is convinced that she actually met him and he had promised to meet her again. She goes to meet him on the bank of a canal. There, she waits for him. He does not come. She is disappointed. But all this goes on in her mind all the time. She pictures him meeting her in the arcade once again. But all her dreams are impractical. She has not made any effort to realise them.
