The Portrait of a Lady Class 11 - Summary & Extra Questions

The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad. 

Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school. 

Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up. 

The odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.

The way in which sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died. 

 The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this? 

Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change? 

Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.

Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother? Do you feel the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and lost? 

When I decided to go abroad for further studies, I was sure my Kushwant’s grandmother would be upset. I would be away for five years, and at her age one could never tell. But my Kushwant’s grandmother could. She was not even sentimental. She came to leave me at the railway station but did not talk or show any emotion. Her lips moved in prayer, her mind was lost in prayer. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary. Silently she kissed my forehead, and when I left I cherished the moist imprint as perhaps the last sign of physical contact between us.

But that was not so. After five years I came back home and was met by her at the station. She did not look a day older. She still had no time for words, and while she clasped me in her arms I could hear her reciting her prayers. Even on the first day of my arrival, her happiest moments were with her sparrows whom she fed longer and with frivolous rebukes.

a. Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below:

Statement 1:- The author’s grandmother was very spiritual

Statement 2:- The author’s grandmother had been praying

i. Statement 1 is true but statement 2 is false

ii. Statement 1 is false but statement 2 is true

iii. Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred.

iv. Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 can be inferred.

b. Even when the narrator returned from abroad there was no change in the grandmother’s life. Which line from the above passage supports this conclusion?

i. She still had no time for words

ii. Even on the first day of my arrival, her happiest moments were with her sparrows.

iii. Both (i) and (ii)

iv. Neither (i) nor (ii)

c. ‘Frivolous rebukes’ in the extract means:

i. The author’s grandmother’s appreciation of the sparrows

ii. The author’s grandmother’s criticism of the sparrows had a big effect on them

iii. The author’s grandmother’s appreciation of the sparrows had no effect on them.

iv. The author’s grandmother’s criticism of the sparrows did not have any effect on them

[2024]

Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?

[2023]

Why was it hard for the author to believe that his grandmother was once young and pretty?

The author says that his grandmother had always been beautiful. Explain the above statement.

With whom did grandmother develop a deep bond of friendship in the city? How did they satisfy mutual needs of each other?

In 'The Portrait of a Lady' the author talks about his old grandmother and his relationship with her and how he lost her. Getting inspired by the author's sketch, write an article in about 100 words, about your grandmother.