CBSE, GRADE 11 ENGLISH CORE, A PHOTOGRAPH BY SHIRLEY TOULSON

 

CBSE, GRADE 11, ENGLISH CORE (301), HORNBILL

A PHOTOGRAPH, BY SHIRLEY TOULSON

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SHORT ANSWERS
1. The poet seemed to be highly emotional when she was looking at the photograph. Why?
Ans:   The poet’s mother was no longer with her. The memory about her mother made her emotional. The poet’s mother was enjoying a seaside holiday in the photograph.

2. What impression do you form of the poet’s mother after reading the poem ‘A Photograph’?
Ans: The poet’s mother is an innocent girl of twelve. She seems to be happy and full of enjoyment during her seaside holiday.

3. “And of this circumstance there’s nothing to say at all. Its silence silences”, says the poet in ‘A ’Photograph’. What is she referring to? ‘Its silence silences’ means what?
Ans: It refers the death of her mother. Death silences everyone. The prevailing gloom silences her

4. “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss” Explain

Ans: there is a sense of loss associated with them. Both are amusing yet. The sense of loss is quite painful to bear.

5.How has the poet expressed her sense of loss?
Ans: The poet feels a sense of loss by looking at the photograph of her mother. She remembers her mother’s reaction to the photo in their holiday suits. She is a painful reminder of time and age.

6. What did the cardboard picture capture?

Ans.   The cardboard picture captured the happy faces of three girls who were enjoying a sea-holiday.

7. What do you think made the poetess’ mother laugh?

Ans. Their funny beach dress made and her own shape at the age of twelve made her to laugh

8. When and where were the three cousins photographed?

Ans.   The three girls had gone to a beach on a pleasure trip. They stood in the shallow water with sea waves washing their feet. Their uncle took the snapshot asking them to smile.

9. What does the poetess mean by ‘their terribly transient feet’?

Ans.   “Transient” means temporary. All living beings are mortal. They change day by day and at last be perished away from the earth. But here the sea appears to have changed less. The expression highlights the contrast between mortal man and ageless sea.

 

10. Explain: The sea holiday was her past, mine is her laughter.

 Ans: ‘Her’ refers to the poetess’s mother. Visiting the seashore on holidays were her past- time. The picture taken during the sea holiday made her mother laugh. But twelve years after the mother’s death, her laughter became a thing of painful pleasure for the poetess.