12th Eng.Flamingo Poem -1 Solved Extracts From My Mother At Sixty Six,

Poem -1 MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX by Kamla Das

Directions: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Extract -1

1. ...I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter's moon and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood's fear, but all I said was, see you soon,

Amma,

all I did was smile and smile and smile.....

(a) What is the speaker's emotional state when looking at her mother?

(i) Confused and disoriented

(ii) Nostalgic and longing

(iii) Empathetic and understanding

(iv) Fearful and apprehensive

(b) What does the use of the word 'but' at the beginning of the line, "but all I said...", suggest?

(c) Select the word that WILL NOT complete the sentence appropriately.

The description of the mother as "wan, pale/as a late winter's moon" creates a vivid image of…….

(i) vulnerability (ii) sensitivity

(iii) frailty (iv) mortality

(d) State whether the given statement is True or False.

The poetic device used in the line, 'pale as a winter's moon' is the same as the one used in the line, 'the winter wind wistfully wailed at night.

(e) What message do these lines highlight, in the context of familial relationships, and the speaker's sense of anxiety and fear at the prospect of losing her mother?

(f) Complete the sentence appropriately.

The repetition of the word, 'smile' suggests that…….

(Answers

(a) (iv) Fearful and apprehensive

(b) The use of the word 'but' at the beginning of the line, "but all I said......., suggests a contrast between the speaker's internal emotional response and her outward behaviour.

(c) (ii) sensitivity

(d) False

(e) These lines highlight the importance of cherishing and appreciating the people we love.

(f) despite the pain the speaker feels at parting from her mother, the speaker is trying to hold back her emotions and remain composed.

Extract -2

Driving from my parent's home to Cochin last Friday morning, I saw my mother, beside me, doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised with pain that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought away,

(a) Where was the poet coming from?

(b) Where was the poet's mother?

(i) At Cochin airport (ii) In Madras

(iii) In the car (iv) At her home

(c) How does the poet describe her mother?

(i) She was young and smart

(ii) She was beautiful

(iii) She looked old and sick

(iv) All of the above

(d) State whether the given statement is True or False.

She' refers to the poet's mother in the second last line of the stanza.

(e) What does 'corpse' mean?

(f) They are in…..and going to…..

Answers

(a) The poet was coming from her parent's home.(b) (iii) In the car

(c) (iii) She looked old and sick

(d) True

(e) 'Corpse' means a dead body, especially of a human.

(f) a car: Cochin

Extract -3

but after airport's

security check, standing a few yards away, I looked again at her, Wan, pale as a late winter's moon and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood's fear but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,

All I did was smile and smile and smile......

(a) Choose the correct option:

In the above extract the narrator feels:

(i) satisfied (ii) fearful (iii) nostalgic

(iv) regretful

(b) Identify the word in the extract that means 'colourless'.

(c) Complete the following analogy correctly:

She sang like a bird: Simile

All I did was smile and smile and smile:

(d)Read the following statement and choose the correct option:

(1) The poet had gone through the security check.

(II) She did not want to look at her mother.

(i) (1) is true, but (II) is false.

(ii) (1) is false. but (II) is true.

(iii) Both (1) and (II) are true.

(iv) Both (1) and (II) are false.

(e) What childhood fear is the poet referring to?

(f) Fill the blank with appropriate words with reference to the extract:

Pale as a winter's moon suggests…….

Answers 

(a) (ii) fearful (b) Wan (c) Repetition

(d) (i)(1) is true, but (II) is false.

(e) The poet had lost her father in her childhood. She has a fear of losing her mother too. The poet is referring to this childhood fear.

(f) Pale as a winter's moon suggests that the mother looks pale and weak. She has lost her shine and energy.

Extract -4

I saw my mother.

beside me, 

doze, open mouthed, her face 

ashen like that 

of a corpse and realised with pain

 that she was as old as she 

looked but soon put that thought away, and looked out at Young

Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes.

(a)Identify the phrase that indicates youthful energy.

(b)Which thought is the poet trying to put away?

(i) missing the flight (ii) fear of losing her mother

(iii) leaving her mother behind

(iv) reaching Cochin

© The poet's mother is described as 'open mouthed' because

(i) she is curious (ii) she is surprised

(iii) she was dead (iv) she was dozing

(d) Complete the following analogy:

children spilling metaphor ::  :

personification.

(e) The sight of the trees and the children helped the poet……..

 (f)In the given stanza, the phrase 'realised with pain' indicates the poet's……

(i) anxiety (ii) desperation (iii) troubled past

(iv) ill-health

ANSWERS 

(a)Ans. Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes.

(b) (ii) fear of losing her mother

©(iv) she was dozing

(d)Trees sprinting

(e) to overcome the fear

(f)Ans. (iii) troubled past

Poem-1 My Mother At Sixty Six 

Questions and answers 

https://youtu.be/657T-rW-Woo?si=IvL2qRLsiWYIZpPr

Poem-1 MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX

Annotations vocabulary 

https://naturalhealingtipsclg.blogspot.com/2024/04/12th-eng-flamingo-poem-1-my-mother-at_6.html

Poem-1 My Mother At Sixty Six

Summary, introduction 

https://naturalhealingtipsclg.blogspot.com/2024/04/12th-eng-flamingo-poem-1-my-mother-at.html

Poem-1 My Mother At Sixty Six

 Solved Extracts

https://naturalhealingtipsclg.blogspot.com/2024/04/12th-engflamingo-poem-1-solved-extracts.html