CBSE Class 12  >  Class 12 Notes  >  English   >  Worksheet Solutions: Poem - My Mother at Sixty Six

Worksheet Solutions: Poem - My Mother at Sixty Six

 Fill in the Blanks 

Q1: The poetess was driving from her parents' home to the __________ airport.
 Ans: 
Cochin
Cochin is the specific airport to which the poetess was travelling.

Q2: The poetess noticed her mother dozing with her __________ mouth.
 Ans: 
Open
The word open describes the mother's mouth while she was dozing, showing her unconscious, sleepy state.

Q3: The poetess saw young trees __________ past them.
Ans:
Running
The verb running personifies the trees, emphasising their swift movement as seen through the car window.

Q4: The poetess felt the old familiar ache of __________ in her heart.
Ans
: Childhood
The noun childhood captures the nostalgic ache the poetess felt - a tender, familiar sorrow connected to her early years and separation from her mother.

Q5: The poetess contained herself and kept on __________ to conceal her emotions.
Ans
: Smiling
The action smiling was a deliberate attempt by the poetess to hide her sadness and appear composed.

Q6: The poetess bid goodbye to her mother with a hope to __________ her again.
Ans
: See
The verb see expresses the poetess's wish and expectation to meet her mother again in the future.

Q7: The poetess looked at her mother's face after going through __________ check.
Ans: 
Security
The event referred to is the security check at the airport, after which she glanced back at her mother.

Q8: The poetess' mother's face was as pale as a late __________ moon.
Ans:
Winter's
The simile winter's moon conveys the delicate paleness of the mother's face.

Q9: The poetess' mother was standing outside a few yards away after the __________ check.
Ans
: Security
After the security check, the mother waited a few yards away from the poetess.

Q10: The poetess' mother was __________ in the car beside her.
Ans: 
Sitting
The verb sitting describes the mother's posture beside the poetess in the car.

 Assertion and Reason Based 

Q1: Assertion: The poetess noticed her mother's pale face during the car ride. 
Reason: Her mother was feeling unwell. 
 (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true, and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion. 
(b) Both Assertion and Reason are true, but Reason is not the correct explanation of Assertion. 
(c) Assertion is true, but the Reason is false. 
(d) Both Assertion and Reason are false.

Ans: (a)
Explanation:
(i) Assertion: The poetess noticed her mother's pale face during the car ride.
(ii) Reason: Her mother was feeling unwell.
(iii) Justification: The description of the mother's pallor and her dozing state indicates poor health; therefore, the Reason correctly explains the Assertion.

Q2: Assertion: The poetess smiled to conceal her emotions. 
Reason: She didn't want her mother to see her sad. 
 (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true, and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion. 
(b) Both Assertion and Reason are true, but Reason is not the correct explanation of Assertion. 
(c) Assertion is true, but the Reason is false. 
(d) Both Assertion and Reason are false.

Ans: (a)
Explanation:
(i) Assertion: The poetess smiled to conceal her emotions.
(ii) Reason: She didn't want her mother to see her sad.
(iii) Justification: Smiling was a deliberate effort to hide sadness and to avoid worrying her mother; the Reason thus explains the Assertion correctly.

Q3: Assertion: The poetess bid goodbye to her mother with hope. 
Reason: She believed her mother would recover soon. 
 (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true, and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion. 
(b) Both Assertion and Reason are true, but Reason is not the correct explanation of Assertion. 
(c) Assertion is true, but the Reason is false. 
(d) Both Assertion and Reason are false.

Ans: (b)
Explanation:
(i) Assertion: The poetess bid goodbye to her mother with hope.
(ii) Reason: She believed her mother would recover soon.
(iii) Justification: While the poetess does say goodbye with hope, the poem does not explicitly state that this hope was based on a belief that her mother would recover imminently; therefore the Reason, though plausible, does not correctly explain the Assertion.

Q4: Assertion: The poetess felt the old familiar ache of childhood. 
Reason: She was afraid of traveling alone. 
 (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true, and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion. 
(b) Both Assertion and Reason are true, but Reason is not the correct explanation of Assertion. 
(c) Assertion is true, but the Reason is false. 
(d) Both Assertion and Reason are false.

Ans: (b)
Explanation:
(i) Assertion: The poetess felt the old familiar ache of childhood.
(ii) Reason: She was afraid of traveling alone.
(iii) Justification: The ache refers to the poetess's fear of separation from her mother and the tenderness of childhood memory; the poem does not state that the ache arose from a general fear of travelling alone, so the Reason does not correctly explain the Assertion.

Q5: Assertion: The poetess looked at the outside world to distract herself from her emotions. 
Reason: She was not concerned about her mother's health. 
 (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true, and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion. 
(b) Both Assertion and Reason are true, but Reason is not the correct explanation of Assertion. 
(c) Assertion is true, but the Reason is false. 
(d) Both Assertion and Reason are false.

Ans: (d)
(i) Assertion: The poetess looked at the outside world to distract herself from her emotions.
(ii) Reason: She was not concerned about her mother's health.
(iii) Justification: The poetess's attention to external scenes is a coping strategy to control her feelings, but she remains deeply concerned about her mother's condition; thus both the Assertion is true and the Reason is false.

 Very Short Answer Type Questions 

Q1: What was the poetess doing last Friday morning?
Ans: 
The poetess was leaving her parents' home that Friday morning to go to the airport.

Q2: Who was sitting beside the poetess in the car?
Ans: 
Her mother was sitting beside her in the car.

Q3: How did the poetess feel when she looked at her mother's pale face?
Ans: 
She felt emotional and experienced a familiar ache of childhood at the sight of her mother's pallor.

Q4: What did the poetess see outside the car window?
Ans:
She saw trees and children and other scenes of everyday life passing by outside the car window.

Q5: Why did the poetess smile despite feeling emotional?
Ans: 
She smiled deliberately to hide her true feelings and to avoid making her mother worry.

Q6: What did the poetess say to her mother before leaving?
Ans:
She said, "See you soon, Amma," and bade her mother goodbye.

Q7: Where did the poetess bid goodbye to her mother?
Ans: 
She bade goodbye at the airport, after the security check.

Q8: What did the poetess notice about her mother after the security check?
Ans: 
She noticed that her mother appeared smaller and more fragile, and her face looked even paler.

Q9: How did the poetess try to distract herself from her emotions?
Ans: 
She distracted herself by looking at the outside world and at a newspaper, focussing on ordinary sights.

 Q10: What did the poetess hope for when bidding goodbye to her mother? 
 Ans 
: The poetess hoped that her mother would be safe and well during the time they were apart.

 Short Answer Type Questions 

Q1: Describe the poetess' mother's condition during the car ride.
Ans:
The poetess observed her mother dozing with her mouth open; her face looked pale and drawn, giving an impression of frailty.

Q2: How did the poetess react to her mother's pale face?
Ans: 
She felt a familiar ache from childhood, a sudden fear of separation, and she tried to hide her distress by smiling.

Q3: What did the poetess observe outside the car window?
Ans:
She noticed young trees rushing past and children playing - ordinary lively scenes that contrasted with her own sadness.

Q4: Why did the poetess smile despite feeling emotional?
Ans:
She smiled intentionally to conceal her grief so that her mother would not become worried or upset.

Q5: How did the poetess bid goodbye to her mother?
Ans: 
She said, "See you soon, Amma," and left with a hopeful but anxious heart.

Q6: What was the poetess' emotional state after the security check?
Ans: 
The familiar ache intensified; she felt more acutely the fear of separation and the vulnerability of her mother.

Q7: What did the poetess hope for while bidding goodbye to her mother?
Ans:
She hoped to see her mother again and wished for her mother's continued safety and well-being.

Q8: Why did the poetess try to distract herself by looking at the outside world?
Ans:
She used the lively external scenes to divert her mind from sorrow, finding temporary relief in everyday life happening around her.

 Long Answer Type Question 

Q1: Describe the poetess' emotional journey during the car ride with her mother.
Ans:
Throughout the car ride the poetess experiences a movement from outward attention to inward feeling. At first she notices small, lively details outside the window - the trees, children and passing scenes - and this external observation seems to steady her. Gradually, however, her attention turns inward as she observes her mother dozing; the mother's pallor and frailty awaken a deep, familiar ache associated with childhood and separation. The poetess then tries to control her feelings by smiling, but the fear of leaving her mother and the tenderness she feels become stronger. When she reaches the airport and passes through security, that ache intensifies and she bids farewell with hope and anxiety mixed together. Overall, the journey moves from distraction to emotional clarity: she acknowledges love, worry, and the poignancy of parting.

Q2: Explain the significance of the contrast between the outside world and the poetess' emotional state.
Ans: The lively outside world - young trees, children and ordinary urban life - contrasts sharply with the poetess's inward sorrow and anxiety. This contrast emphasises the poetess's isolation: while life continues cheerfully around her, she is preoccupied with her mother's fragility. The juxtaposition also highlights the universal nature of human feeling - even amid normal, bright scenes, private grief and concern persist.

Q3: Reflect on the poetess' hope while bidding goodbye to her mother.
Ans: The poetess's hope is gentle and uncertain. When she says goodbye she expresses a wish to see her mother again and an implicit desire for her mother's safety. This hope helps her to cope with separation; it is both an emotional support and a way to sustain the relationship despite distance and worry.

Q4: Analyze the poetess' attempt to conceal her emotions and its significance.
Ans: The poetess conceals her emotions by smiling and looking away. This act of self-restraint serves two purposes: it protects her mother from seeing her distress, and it allows the poetess to keep some dignity and composure in public. The effort to hide feelings points to the strength of their bond - she does not want to burden her mother - and to a cultural tendency to manage emotions in company. Yet the concealment is not complete; her inner ache is evident in small signs, showing that love and worry cannot be fully suppressed.

The document Worksheet Solutions: Poem - My Mother at Sixty Six is a part of the Class 12 Course English Class 12.
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FAQs on Worksheet Solutions: Poem - My Mother at Sixty Six

1. What is the poem "My Mother at Sixty Six" about?
Ans. The poem "My Mother at Sixty Six" is about the speaker's observation of her mother's aging and the emotions that arise from witnessing the vulnerability and mortality of a loved one.
2. Who is the author of the poem "My Mother at Sixty Six"?
Ans. The poem "My Mother at Sixty Six" is written by Kamala Das, an Indian poet and writer.
3. What are some themes explored in the poem "My Mother at Sixty Six"?
Ans. Some themes explored in the poem "My Mother at Sixty Six" include aging, mortality, love, and the relationship between a mother and daughter.
4. What is the significance of the title "My Mother at Sixty Six"?
Ans. The title "My Mother at Sixty Six" highlights the age of the speaker's mother and emphasizes the vulnerability and fragility that comes with old age.
5. How does the speaker feel about her mother's aging in the poem?
Ans. The speaker in the poem expresses a mixture of emotions towards her mother's aging, including love, concern, and a sense of loss. She is deeply affected by her mother's mortality and recognizes the fleeting nature of life.
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