Memories of Childhood Important Questions CBSE Class 12 English
Memories of Childhood Important Questions Short Answer Type Questions (3 – 4 Marks)
Question 1.
When did Bama first come to know of the social discrimination faced by the people of her community? (Delhi 2009)
Answer:
Bama was in the third standard and she used to walk from her school to her home. One day she saw an elderly man carrying a small packet that contained some eatables. He held the packet by its strings without touching it and extended it to the landlord who opened it and began to eat. She thought it was something funny but Annan, her elder brother, told her that the man was not being funny and he was in fact from a low caste because of which he couldn’t touch the food packet.
Question 2.
How did Zitkala-Sa try to prevent the shingling of her hair? (Delhi 2009)
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa disappeared unnoticed and entered a large room with three beds. She crawled under the beds and cuddled herself in a dark comer. She could not hide there for long and was soon dragged out. She resisted by kicking and scratching wildly but then she was tied fast in a chair and her long and heavy hair was shingled.
Question 3.
Why did the landlord’s man ask Bama’s brother, on which street he lived? What was the significance? (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
The landlord’s man asked Bama’s brother on which street he lived in order to find out his caste. During those times, when untouchability was prevalent, each caste lived in a particular street and by enquiring about the street where one lived, helped to determine his caste.
Question 4.
Why was Zitkala-Sa terrified when Judewin told her that her hair would be cut short? (All India 2010)
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa hid herself because she had got to know that the authorities wanted to cut her long hair. In her community hair of mourners, prisoners of war and cowards were cut and therefore she made a vain attempt to prevent her hair from being shingled by hiding herself.
Question 5.
What did Zitkala-Sa feel when her long hair was cut? (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa felt rather anguished and indignant when her long hair was cut. She lost her spirit and felt as helpless as a puppet. She got the feeling of being an animal driven by a herder and desperately looked for some comfort. With her hair being shingled like a coward’s, she moaned in anguish. She also felt she had lost her distinct cultural recognition and identity.
Question 6.
What advice did Annan offer Bama? (All India 2011)
Answer:
Annan loves his sister Bama dearly and acts as her true guide and philosopher. He told her that being Dalits they would never be given any dignity or respect. He advised her to study and make progress to throw away these indignities. He advises to his sister about the indigenous method of outdoing the upper class by winning laurels in their examinations and thus earning their admiration.
Question 7.
“I felt like sinking to the floor,” says Zitakala-Sa. When did she feel so and why? (All India 2011)
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa felt like sinking to the floor when the blanket she had donned over her immodest- looking dress was stripped from her shoulders. She felt uncomfortable in her tight-fitting clothes and because she was ill at ease.
Question 8.
What did Judewin tell Zitkala-Sa? How did she react to it? (All India 2011)
Answer:
Judewin, who knew a few words of English, told Zitkala-Sa that she had overheard the pale¬faced woman saying that Zitkala-Sa’s long hair would be cut. Judewin advises her to submit and resign to her fate but Zitkala-Sa disagrees with her and decides to resist and stand-up against it.
Question 9.
How long would it take Bama to walk home from her school and why? (Comptt. Delhi 2011)
Answer:
It took Bama half an hour to one hour to walk home from her school, although it was possible to cover the distance in ten minutes. This was because on the way many attractions slowed her down. These included fun, games, entertaining novelties and oddities in the streets, the shops and the bazaar.
Question 10.
When did Bama first come to know of the social discrimination faced by the people of her community? (Comptt. All India 2011)
Answer:
Bama was in the third standard and she used to walk from her school to her home. One day she saw an elderly man carrying a small packet that contained some eatables. He held the packet by its strings without touching it and extended it to the landlord who opened it and began to eat. She thought it was something funny but Annan, her elder brother, told her that the man was not being funny and he was in fact from a low caste because of which he couldn’t touch the food packet.
Question 11.
How could Bama rise above indignities? (Comptt. Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Bama’s brother advised her to concentrate on her studies and outshine everybody in the examinations in order to rise above indignities. So Bama followed her brother’s advice religiously and earned the respect of members of the higher class by standing first in her class.
Question 12.
What made Bama return home invariably late from school? (Comptt. All India 2012)
Answer:
Bama took thirty minutes to an hour to reach home as she would watch all the fun and games that were taking place on the road. She would also stop and look at the shops and the bazaars and even see the performance of the snake charmers and the monkeys.
Question 13.
What were the articles in the stalls and shops that fascinated Bama on her way back from school? (All India 2013)
Answer:
On her way back from school Bama would be extremely fascinated by various articles available in the stalls and shops. These included the dried fish stall, the stall selling fried snacks, the stall of the hunter gypsy selling needles, clay beads and instruments for cleaning ears. Everyday she would see people selling payasam, halwa, boiled tamarind seeds, iced lollies, etc.
Question 14.
What sort of shows or entertainment attracted Bama? (All India 2013)
Answer:
Bama was attracted by the shows that people from various political parties would put up on a stage. These included a street play, or a puppet show, or a “no magic, no miracle” stunt performance. All these happened from time to time.
Question 15.
Which activities of the people would Bama watch keenly in the bazaar? (All India 2013)
Answer:
Bama watched the way each waiter would cool the coffee in the coffee clubs in the bazaar. She would watch the way some people sat in front of the shops chopping up onion, their eyes turned elsewhere so that they would not smart. At times she would watch people from various political parties put up a street play or a puppet show.
Question 16.
Which words of her brother made a deep impression on Bama? (Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Bama’s brother told her that because they were born into a lower community, they were never given any honour, dignity or respect. But if they studied and made progress they could get rid of these indignities. His words made a deep impression on Bama.
Question 17.
Why was Zitkala-Sa in tears on the first day in the land of apples? (All India 2014)
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa was in tears on the first day in the land of apples because she was in a new environment. She received a cultural shock because of the unknown language. The strict regime of eating by formula, squeaking shoes and the news about cutting her hair were also unknown to her.
Question 18.
What is common between Zitkala-Sa and Bama? (Comptt. Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa and Bama have a lot in common as far as their suffering is concerned. They both belonged to marginalised communities. Zitkala-Sa was a victim of cultural invasion where her own cultural identity was being threatened and Bama was a victim of untouchability that is a form of struggle for class.
Question 19.
Why did Zitkala-Sa resist the shingling of her hair? (Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa hid herself because she had got to know that the authorities wanted to cut her long hair. In her community hair of mourners, prisoners of war and cowards were cut and therefore she made a vain attempt to prevent her hair from being shingled by hiding herself.
Question 20.
Why did Bama reach home late after school? (Comptt. All India 2015)
Answer:
It took Bama half an hour to one hour to walk home from her school, although it was possible to cover the distance in ten minutes. This was because on the way many attractions slowed her down. These included fun games, entertaining novelties and oddities in the streets, the shops and the bazaar.
Question 21.
At the dining table why did Zitkala-Sa begin to cry when others started eating? (All India 2016 )
Answer:
As Zitkala-sa glanced at the long chain of tables, she caught the eyes of a pale face woman upon her. She wondered why she was being so keenly watched by the strange woman. She was not used to eating by formula. When the third bell tapped and the others started eating, she felt out of place and began crying instead.
Question 22.
How did Zitkala-Sa’s first day in the land of apples begin? (All India 2016 )
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa’s first day in the land of apples was a bitter-cold one. The snow covered the ground and the trees were bare. A large bell rang for breakfast, its loud metallic sound crashing into their sensitive ears. The annoying clatter of shoes and the constant clash of harsh noises gave her no peace.
Question 23.
According to Zitkala-Sa what does ‘eating by formula’ mean? (All India 2016 )
Answer:
According to Zitkala-Sa ‘eating by formula’ meant following an eating-decorum in the dining room. At the sound of the first bell the pupils drew a chair from under the table. All were seated when the second bell was sounded and when the third bell was tapped everyone started eating with forks and knives.
Question 24.
Why did Zitkala-Sa hide herself? (Comptt. Delhi 2016 )
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa hid herself because she had got to know that the authorities wanted to cut her long hair. In her community hair of mourners, prisoners of war and cowards were cut and therefore she made a vain attempt to prevent her hair from being shingled by hiding herself.
Question 25.
Why was Bama always late while returning from school? (Comptt. Delhi 2016 )
Answer:
It took Bama half an hour to one hour to walk home from her school, although it was possible to cover the distance in ten minutes. This was because on the way many attractions slowed her down. These included fun games, entertaining novelties and oddities in the streets, the shops and the bazaar.
Question 26.
What did Bama’s brother want her to do? Why? (Comptt. All India 2017)
Answer:
Annan loves his sister Bama dearly and acts as her true guide and philosopher. He told her that being Dalits they would never be given any dignity or respect. He advised her to study and make progress to throw away these indignities. He advises his sister about the indigenous method of outdoing the upper class by winning laurels in their examinations and thus earning their admiration.
Memories of Childhood Important Questions Long Answer Type Questions (5-6 Marks)
Question 27.
What kind of discrimination did Bama and Zitkala experience? How did they respond to their respective situations? (Delhi 2009)
Answer:
Bama and Zitkala belonged to marginalised communities. Zitkala was an American Indian woman who was ill-treated by the whites who adopted force and oppression to compel the natives to shed their age old customs and traditions. The worst indignity she suffered was the cutting of her long hair. Her long and beautiful hair were cut after she was dragged out. She cried and resisted by kicking and scratching wildly as she was tied fast in a chair but still she did not submit. No one came to help her or to console her. Bama, who belonged to a Dalit community was a victim of the caste system. She was upset by the inhuman attitude of the people belonging to the ‘higher’ caste towards the ‘lower’ caste. She had experienced the evils of untouchability when she was studying in the third standard.
Both these women fought and struggled against exploitation and oppression. Zitkala does not submit but struggles when her hair is being shingled. She fights till she is overpowered. Bama fights against the evils of untouchability in her own way. She works hard and stands first in her class. People then come to her of their own accord.
Question 28.
What are the similarities in the lives of Bama and Zitkala though they belong to different cultures? (All India 2009)
Answer:
Bama and Zitkala belonged to marginalised communities. Zitkala was an American Indian woman who was ill-treated by the whites who adopted force and oppression to compel the natives to shed their age old customs and traditions. The worst indignity she suffered was the cutting of her long hair. Her long and beautiful hair were cut after she was dragged out. She cried and resisted by kicking and scratching wildly as she was tied fast in a chair but still she did not submit. No one came to help her or to console her. Bama, who belonged to a Dalit community was a victim of the caste system. She was upset by the inhuman attitude of the people belonging to the ‘higher’ caste towards the ‘lower’ caste. She had experienced the evils of untouchability when she was studying in the third standard.
Both these women fought and struggled against exploitation and oppression. Zitkala does not submit but struggles when her hair is being shingled. She fights till she is overpowered. Bama fights against the evils of untouchability in her own way. She works hard and stands first in her class. People then come to her of their own accord. The similarity between their lives is the struggle and fight against racial and social discrimination. They did not accept this exploitation and injustice meekly but fought against it.
Question 29.
Describe how Zitkala-Sa tried in vain to save her hair from being cut. Why did she want to save her hair? (All India 2009)
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa’s friend Judewin warned her that her hair was going to be cut. Judewin knew a few English words and had overheard the ‘paleface woman’ talking about cutting the native Indian girl’s long hair. This news shocked Zitkala. Her friend told her to accept her fate but she was not ready to submit and decided to fight against this oppression. She disappeared unnoticed and went into a room where she crawled and hid under a bed, cuddling herself in a dark comer. But she was caught and dragged out. She then resisted by kicking and scratching wildly as she was carried down and tied fast to a chair. As they gnawed at her long hair, she kept shaking her head. No one came to her aid. Zitkala was desperate to save her hair because among her people short hair was kept by mourners and shingled hair was a sign of cowardice. So she did not want her long hair to be cut.
Question 30.
What activities did Bama witness on her way back home from school? (Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
On her way back home from school Bama would take thirty minutes to cover a ten minute distance. This was because she would witness various activities on her way back home. The performing monkey, the snake charmer, the cyclist who had not got off his bike for three days. She also watched the Pongal offerings being cooked in front of the Maariyaata temple. At times people from various political parties would arrive, put up a stage and harangue the public through their mikes. She would watch a street play, or a puppet show or a magic stunt performance. All these would happen from time to time. But almost certainly there would be some entertainment or other going on, that would delay Bama.
Question 31.
How did the scene she saw in the market place change Bama’s life? (Comptt. Delhi 2015)
Answer:
Bama usually reaches home late from school. She walks along leisurely watching and enjoying the sights on her way home. One day on her way back, she saw the harvest being threshed. The landlord stood watching the work being done. It was then that Bama saw one of the elders coming down the street holding a packet by a string. The packet contained vadais for the landlord. At first Bama thought that the elder man was being funny. But later her brother told her that the elder man was of a low caste so he was not allowed to touch the vadais brought for the landlord. This scene infuriated Bama and brought about a ‘ change in her life wherein she decided to study well, make a position for herself in life and rebel against caste inequalities.
Question 32.
What were Zitkala-Sa’s experiences on her first day in the land of apples? (Comptt. All India 2015)
Answer:
The first day in the land of apples was bitterly cold and as the bell rang for breakfast, there was an annoying clatter of shoes which gave Zitkala-Sa no peace. Though her spirit tore itself in struggling for its freedom, it was of no use. Zitkala-Sa was placed in a line with the Indian girls and marched into the dining room. All the girls were rather immodestly dressed in tightly fitting clothes. As Zitkala-Sa sat down she observed that she was being keenly watched by a strange palefaced woman. Later her friend Judewin gave her a terrible warning that this palefaced woman was talking about cutting their long, heavy hair. Zitkala-Sa crept into a room and crawled under a bed and huddled herself in the dark corner. But women and girls entered the room and dragged her out. She resisted by kicking and scratching wildly. Inspite of her resistance she was carried downstairs, tied fast in a chair and her long hair was shingled.
Question 33.
Untouchability is not only a crime, it is inhuman too. Why and how did Bama decide to fight against it? (Delhi 2017)
Answer:
There is no denying the fact that untouchability is not only a crime but it is also inhuman. Bama, who belonged to a marginalised community was a victim of the caste system. As a little girl, studying in the third class, she had seen, felt and been humiliated by its effect. So the spark of hostility towards this social evil had been ignited in her heart from a very early age. Upset over the inhuman attitude of the people of the so-called higher caste towards the lower caste, she decided to fight against this evil in her own way. Bama’s brother advised her to study and make progress to throw away indig¬nities. She took the advice of her elder brother seriously, studied diligently and stood first in her class thereby compelling people to respect and befriend her.
Question 34.
In India, the so-called lower castes have been treated cruelly for a long time. Who advised Bama to fight against this prejudice, when and how? (All India 2017)
Answer:
There is no denying the fact that untouchability is not only a crime but it is also inhuman. Bama, who belonged to a marginalised community was a victim of the caste system. As a little girl, studying in the third class, she had seen, felt and been humiliated by its effect. So the spark of hostility towards this social evil had been ignited in her heart from a very early age. Upset over the inhuman attitude of the people of the so-called higher caste towards the lower caste, she decided to fight against this evil in her own way. Bama’s brother advised her to study and make progress to throw away indignities. She took the advice of her elder brother seriously, studied diligently and stood first in her class thereby compelling people to respect and befriend her.