My Mother At Sixty Six PYQ Answers 2007-2023| AHSEC | English | Lesson 5|
My Mother At Sixty-Six
Kamala Das
H.S. EXAM. QUESTIONS: Marks: 2
A. Short type questions :
1. Why has the mother been compared to the 'late winter's moon'? [HS '12, '14,'17]
Ans: The late winter's moon looks hazy, obscure, lacking, shine and strength. As same as this, the poetess's mother looks wan and pale alike. So, the mother has been compared to the 'late winter's moon.
2. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children 'spilling out of their homes'? [HS '13, 16]
Ans: The 'merry children spilling out of their homes' are symbolic of the activeness and liveliness of the environment. The poetess has brought in the image of the 'merry children spilling out of their home' to signify the contrast between her mother and the other active things like merry children.
3.What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels? [HS '14]
Ans: The poetess realised with pain that her sixty-six-year mother appeared very old and fading, like a late winter's moon. For her mother the poetess feels her old familiar ache; her childhood fear is that she would lose her mother and never see her again.
4. Explain the statement: "I saw my mother her face ashen like that of a corpse". [HS '14]
Ans: Here, the poetess Kamala Das explains a moment driving towards the Cochin Airport. At that moment, the poetess saw her mother who sat beside her and she dozed with open mouthed. Also, she observes her mother's ashen-like face which looks like a corpse.
5. What do the young sprinting trees signify? [HS '17]
Ans: In the poem, "My Mother At Sixty-Six" the young spiriting tress signifies the activity and young energetic life full of happiness and overflow of energy in life. The poetess describes the young trees as sprinting to contrast between her mother and the other active things (like trees).
6. What are the 'merry children spilling out of their homes' symbolic of? [HS '18]
Ans: The 'merry children spilling out of their homes are symbolic of the activeness and liveliness of the environment. The poetess has brought in the image of the 'merry children spilling out of their home' to signify the contrast between her mother and the other active things like merry children.
7. What is the significance of the parting words of the speaker and her smile in My Mother at Sixty-six'? [HS '19]
Ans: The parting words of the poetess "see you soon, amma" signify an assurance of life and a promise of meeting again shortly. Along with this, her smile signifies the overcome of the ache and childhood fear inside her heart.
8. What do the young sprinting trees signify in the poem, "My Mother at Sixty-Six"? [HS '20,'22]
Ans: In the poem, "My Mother At Sixty-Six" the young spiriting tress signifies the activity and young energetic life full of happiness and overflow of energy in life. The poetess describes the young trees as sprinting to contrast between her mother and the other active things (like trees).
9. Why has the mother been compared to the 'late winter's moon' in the poem, "My Mother at Sixty-Six"? [HS '20]
Ans: The late winter's moon looks hazy, obscure, lacking, shine and strength. As same as this, the poetess's mother looks wan and pale alike. So, the mother has been compared to the 'late winter's moon.
10 What childhood fear did Kamala Das refer to in her poem? How did she hide it? [HS '22]
Ans: The poetess's childhood fear was that she would lose her mother one day and would be left alone, she realised with pain that her mother was growing old and might not live long.
She hides her feelings. She composed herself and tried to look normal. She smiled continuously to assure her mother that they would meet again soon.
11. What is the significance of the parting words of the speaker and her smile in 'My Mother at Sixty-Six? [HS '22]
Ans: The parting words of the poetess "see you soon, amma" signify an assurance of life and a promise of meeting again shortly. Along with this, her smile signifies the overcome of the ache and childhood fear inside her heart.
12. What kind of images does the poet use to signify her mother's ageing decay in the poem 'My Mother At Sixty-Six'? [H.S.. '23]
Ans: The poet describes her mother as old and pale. As she dozed off beside her, the mother looked almost like a corpse, for her face was colourless and seemed to have lost the fervour of life.
B. Importance extracts for comprehension: 4
1. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: [H.S.'12]
"Driving 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..."
(i) Where was the poet driving to? 1
Ans: The poetess was driving from her parent's home to Cochin airport.
(ii) What did she notice when her mother sat beside her? 1
Ans: When her mother sat beside her then she noticed that she was dozing (sleeping lightly). Pale like a corpse. (Corpse = dead body).
(iii) Find words from the passage that mean 'sleep lightly' and 'dead body'. 1
Ans: sleep lightly -- doze
dead body -- corpse
(iv) Why was her mother's face like that of a corpse? 1
Ans: Her mother's face was ashen pale, dull and colourless. So, it was like a corpse.
2. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow: [HS '14]
(a) "but after the 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..."
Questions:
(i) What did the speaker do after the security check?
Ans: After the security check, the poetess stood a few yards away, and looked at her mother again.
(ii) Why did the poet compare her mother's face to a late winter moon?
Ans: The late winter moon looks brightness as well as strength.
(iii) What was the poet's childhood fear?
Ans: The poet's childhood fear is that she might lose her mother and never see her again.
(b) "But soon [HS '14, 23]
put that thought away and looked out at
Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
Out of their homes"
Questions:
(i) Who looked out at the young trees?
Ans: The poetess looked at young trees.
(ii) Which thought did the speaker put away?
Ans: The poet put the thought of her again decaying mother, away from her mind. Her 'corpse'-like ashen' face reminded of her mother's approaching death.
(iii) What do young sprinting trees signify?
Ans: The young sprinting trees signify the energetic action of the youth.
(iv) What did the poet see the children doing?
Ans: The poetess saw the children coming out of their homes and playing.
3. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow :
(a) "...... and felt that old [HS '15]
familiar ache, my childhood's fear,
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile...."
Questions:
(i) What was the childhood fear that now troubled the poet?
Ans: The fear of losing her mother troubled the poet.
(ii) What do the poet's parting words suggest? 2
And: The parting words of the poetess "see you soon, amma" signify an assurance of life and a promise of meeting again shortly. Along with this, her smile signifies the overcome of the ache and childhood fear inside her heart.
(iii) Why did the poet smile and smile? 1
And: The poetess tries to conceal the swelling emotions by smiling.
4. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow: [H.S '19]
Driving from 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..."
Questions:
(i) Where was the speaker driving to? 1
And: The poetess was driving from her parent's home to Cochin airport.
(ii) What did she notice when her mother sat beside her? 1
And: When her mother sat beside her then she noticed that she was dozing (sleeping lightly). Pale like a corpse. (Corpse = dead body).
(iii) Find two words from the passage that mean' sleep lightly' and 'dead body'. 1
And: Sleep lightly -- doze
Dead body -- corpse
(iv) Why was her mother's face like that of a corpse? 1
And: Her mother's face was ashen pale, dull and totally colourless. So, it was like a corpse.
The End
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