The Hundred Dresses Part I &II by El Bsor Ester-English for Class X

 

Lessons 5 & 6: The Hundred Dresses Part I &II by El Bsor Ester [Notes Prepared by Shish Pal Chauhan)

Short Answer-type Qs.

Q1. Where did Wanda live”? What kind of place was it? Why were her shoes mud-smeared?

Ans. Wanda lived at Boggins Heights. It was far away from the town. It was a wetland. So her shoes were always mud-smeared.

Q2. In what way was Wanda different from other students in her class?

Ans. Wanda’s name was strange for the other students of class. She was not American. She was a Polish girl. Her name seemed strange to her class mates. She lived at Boggins Heights, a marshy (muddy) land. She had no friends. She always wore a faded blue dress.

Q3. Did Wanda have a hundred dresses? Why do you think she said that she had?

Ans. No, she did not have a hundred dresses. She had to say it because her class-fellow, Peggy, used to tease her. She would ask her as to how many dresses she had. Actually she had only one faded blue dress.

Q4. How is Maddie different from Peggy. Give reasons in support of your point.

Ans. Maddie and Peggy were also different. Maddie did not like to tease Wanda. Peggy used to make fun of Wanda’s poverty. Sometimes Maddie also felt embarrassed at Peggy’s words. But she had no courage to stop Peggy from that.

Q5. Why didn’t Maddie ask Peggy to stop embarrassing Wanda? What was she afraid of?

Ans. Maddie was also from a poor family. She was afraid that Peggy would start teasing her also. So she never had the courage to annoy Peggy.

Q6. What was the drawing contest about? Who won it and what had the winner drawn?

Ans. The contest was about making beautiful designs of dresses. Wanda won that competition. She had made beautiful designs of one hundred dresses.

Q7. Why did Wanda often say to Peggy that she had one hundred dresses?

Ans. Wanda did not have one hundred dresses in reality. But she had made one hundred beautiful designs of dresses. To counter Peggy’s attack on her, she used to say it.

Q8. When and why do Peggy and Maddie notice Wanda’s absence?

Ans. It was Wednesday when they noticed Wanda’s absence. They often waited for Wanda to make fun of her. But that day, she did not come. They also got late due to that.

Q9. Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?

Ans. Usually Wanda sat in the last row. The seat was the second last in Room Thirteen. She sat there because her shoes were often muddy.

Q10. Describe Wanda’s dress.

Ans. Wanda always wore a faded blue dress. It didn’t hang right. It was clean, but it looked as though it had never been ironed properly.

Q11. What quality of Peggy has been highlighted in the lesson by the narrator? Was she justified in making fun of Wanda?

Ans. Peggy was the most popular girl in school. She was pretty. She had many pretty clothes and her hair was curly. She often saved weak children from the stronger boys. She also protested if any animal was not treated properly. But she was not justified in making fun of Wanda. 

Q12. Why did Peggy and Maddie want to meet Wanda when Miss Mason read Wanda’s father’s letter to the whole class?

Ans. Maddie felt guilty. She understood that they were harsh on Wanda. So she, along with Peggy, wanted to meet her.  They would tell Wanda she had won the contest. They thought she was smart and the hundred dresses were beautiful.

Q13. How did Miss Mason feel before reading Wanda’s father’s letter to the class?

Ans. Miss Mason felt very bad. She became emotional. She read the letter in a very low voice.   

Q14. What advice did Miss Mason give to the class after reading Wanda’s father’s letter to the class?

Ans.   She advised the class that no one in Room Thirteen would make fun of any student’s names. It may be short, long or funny. No one would hurt anyone’s feelings.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Q15. What does Mr. Petronski, Wanda’s father write in his letter?

Ans. He writes that Wanda and Jake would not come to school in future. They are going to a new city. No one would make fun of their names. No one would call Wanda ‘hollack’, etc.

Long Answer –type Qs (100 words)

Q1. Describe Peggy’s character.

Ans. Peggy was the most popular girl in school. She was pretty but a thoughtless girl. She had many pretty clothes and her hair was curly. She often saved weak children from the stronger boys. She also protested if any animal was not treated properly. She often made fun of Wanda. She would ask her as to how many dresses she had. Wanda was a poor girl. She had only one dress. Peggy said that she did not like the lie told by Wanda about her dresses. She justified herself by saying that she had never been cruel to her. But in my opinion she was not justified in making fun of Wanda.  You cannot defend yourself by doing wrongs to others. Later on, she realised her mistake.

Q2. Describe Wanda Petronski’s character. (Any Question about Wanda)

Ans. Wanda belonged to a poor family. She was a Polish girl. She lived at marshy land, Boggins Heights. She had only one dress. The girls of her class always teased her. Her name was also unusual for them. She had no friends. She was a very sensitive girl. She remained silent.  Peggy used to tease her and often asked her as to how many dresses she had. Then she would say a few words that she had one hundred dresses. She had to leave that place.  In the end we come to know that she forgave all. She was very creative. That was why she won the contest. She also made paintings for Maddie and Peggy.

 Q3. Describe Maddie’s character.

Ans. Maddie was also a poor and sensitive girl. She used to wear somebody’s ‘hand-me-down’ clothes. She remained with Peggy, but she did not like her making comments on Wanda. She was afraid that Peggy would start making fun of her if she favoured Wanda. Once she wrote a note. She wanted to tell Peggy not to make fun of Wanda. But she had no courage. She wished Peggy would stop teasing Wanda Petronski. When Wanda left the town, she felt guilty that she had no courage to stop Peggy. She visited her house. But Wanda and her family had left the town.

Q4. What did Wanda’s father write in his letter? How did Maddie feel after listening to the letter?

Ans. Wanda’s father wrote a letter to the principal of the school. He was hurt and angry also because his daugher was not given due regards by her class-mates. She was often made fun of her dress, her name, etc. He wrote in his letter that Wanda won’t come to school anymore. Their whole family was shifting to a big city. His daughter would not face any insult there. No one would make fun of her name there. There were so many people there with funny names. But no one made fun of anyone there. Maddie felt very sad after listening to the letter. She could not focus on her studies. She felt guilty of remaining silent went Peggy laughed at Wanda.

Very Short Qs/Ans.

Some facts:

1.      Wanda Petronski lived at Boggins Heights.

2.      She was a quiet and simple girl.

3.      She was a Polish girl.

4.      She always wore a dress of faded blue colour.

5.      Peggy always made fun of Wanda.

6.      Wanda always replied to Peggy that she had one hundred dresses, all lined up.

7.      Maddie was Peggie’s friend. They were Americans.

8.      She never made fun of Wanda directly. But she enjoyed Peggy’s pranks on Wanda.

9.      Peggy was the most popular girl in the school.

10.  Peggy protected little children from being bullied. She also loved animals.

11.  Wanda won the competition.

12.  Peggy and Wanda also wrote a letter to Wanda.

13.  Miss Mason read the letter written by Wanda’s father.

14.  Wanda gave the green coloured design of a dress as a gift to Peggy.

15.  Wanda gave the blue coloured design of a dress as a gift to Maddie.

16.  Jan Petronski was Wanda’s father.

 

From the Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank-Lesson 4.-English for Class X-Book: First Flight

 

Lesson 4. From the Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank (Notes Prepared by Shish Pal Chauhan)

Short Answer-type Qs.

Q1.What makes the writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?

Ans. She thinks that no one would have interest in her diary entries because she was just a girl of thirteen years. She has never written anything before. So she thinks it a very strange experience.

Q2.  Why does Anne Frank want to keep a diary?

Ans. Anne wants to share her feelings with a friend. But she has no close friend. So she wants to keep a diary to share her private feelings with it.

Q3. Why did Anne think she could confide in her diary than in people?

Ans. It was because she thinks that paper has more patience than people. She could write what she had in her mind. Her diary would not react and get bored.

Q4. Describe how Anne loves her grandmother.

Ans. Anne passed a very good time with her grandmother. She had to stay for some time with her. Then she fell ill and died. Anne was very sad. After that also, she remembered and missed her grandmother from time to time.

Q5. Why was Mr. Keesing annoyed (angry) with Anne? What did he ask her to do?

Ans. Mr. Keesing was Anne’s Maths teacher. He was annoyed (angry) with her because she talked too much in the class. So one day, he gave her punishment of writing an essay on ‘Chatterbox’.

Q6. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?

Ans. Anne tried to convince in her essay that she inherited (got) the habit of talking from her mother. She also wrote that talking is students’ trait. She was unable to avoid it. She wrote all this to convince (satisfy) her teacher and he got convinced.

Q7. Write something about Mr. Keesing.

Ans. Mr. Keesing was an old fashioned teacher. He was a very strict teacher. He punished Anne several times. It was because she talked too much in his class. But she respects her teachers.

Q8.What does Anne write in her first essay given as punishment by her Maths teacher?

Ans. Anne writes in her first essay that she cannot avoid talking. It is a student’s trait (quality). She inherited (got) this quality from her mother. She also talks too much.

Q9. Why does Anne say ‘paper has more patience than people’?

Ans. She said this because paper does not react. You can write on paper as much as you like. But the human beings have no patience. They cannot listen to you continuously. Very soon they get fed up.

Q10. Why did Anne think she was alone?

Ans. Anne thought she was alone. It was because she had no close friend. No one was there with whom she could share her joys and sorrows.

Q11. Why was Anne in tears when she left the Montessory School?

Ans. Anne had to leave her Montessory School when she was in six form. She had developed very emotional relation with her teacher Mrs. Kuperous. So she was in her tears when she left the school. Her teacher was also in tears.

Q12. Why was the entire class quaking in its boots?

Ans. The entire class was in stress because their result was going to be announced. The teachers would decide as to which student should be promoted from or dropped in the present class.

 

 

Long Answer-type Questions  (Notes Prepared by Shish Pal Chauhan)

Q1. Give a brief sketch of Anne’s life.

Ans. Anne was an intelligent girl. She wrote her diary at the age of thirteen. She was born on June 12, 1929. She did not know that her diary would make a great novel after her death. She was very sensitive girl also. She could not make her close friend. So she made her diary ‘Kitty’ her intimate friend. She is a wise girl. She was able to convince her Maths teacher about talking. She loved her parents, sister and grandmother very much. She had her independent thinking. It made her different from her mother and sister and even from her father.

Q2. Explain: “Paper has more patience than people.”

Ans. Anne says that paper has more patience than people. She wrote this sentence when she was just thirteen years old. She had no close friend. She wanted to share her joys and sorrows with someone. She found that people had less patience. They do not listen to others with patience. They get fed up very soon. But one can write on paper as much as one wants. It never gets fed up. It never gets bored. So she wrote al her experiences, good or bad in her diary. In a way, she talked to her as a friend ‘My dear Kitty’.

Q3. Describe how Anne was punished by Mr. Keesing and how she convinced her teacher about her view-point.

Ans. She was habitual of talking too much in the class. So he punished Anne to write an essay on ‘Chatterbox’. She wrote the essay and tried to convince her teacher that talking is a student’s trait. She also wrote that she inherited that habit from her mother. After some days, Mr. Keesing again punished Anne for talking. This time she was told to write an essay on ‘Quack, Quack, Quack, said Mrs. Chatterbox’. Anne’s friend advised her to write the essay in verse. She did it. She wrote that the father swan killed his three ducklings just because they quack too much. It was a joke pointed towards Mr. Keesing. Thus finally, Anne convinced her teacher about her view-point.

Very Very Short Qs & Ans. (Notes Prepared by Shish Pal Chauhan)

Q1. Where did Anne stay before going to Holland?

Ans. Before going to Holland, Anne had to stay in Archen with her grand mother

Q2. What was the last essay given as punishment to Anne by Mr. Keesing?

Ans. Mr. Keesing punished Anne to write another essay ‘Quack, Quack, Quack, said mistress Chatterbox’

Q3. How many siblings (real brother/sister) did Anne have?

Ans. She had one sibling, i.e. sister.

Q4. Who was Anne Frank?

Ans. Anne Frank was a pretty Jewish girl.

Q5. How old was Anne?

Ans. She was thirteen years old.

Q6. Why was Mr. Keesing annoyed with Anne Frank?

Ans… because she talked too much in the class.

Q7. Who was Mr. Keesing?        

Ans Anne’s Maths teacher

 Q8. Who was Mrs. Kuperous?   

Ans. Anne’s headmistress at Montessori School.   

Q9. In which form was Anne at the Montessory School?   

Ans. six form (class)

Q10. How many teachers were there in Anne’s school?  

Ans. Nine

Q11. Who helped Anne to write the last essay in verse?   

Ans. Her friend Sanne