Mother’s Day Important Questions and Answers Class 11

English Snapshots

Mother’s Day Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Who is Mrs Fitzgerald? What does she advise Mrs Pearson?
Answer:
Mrs Fitzgerald is Mrs Pearson’s neighbour and friend. A fortune
teller, who had learnt the art from the East, she tells Mrs
Pearson that her fortune could turn either way. With effort and
counsel, the situation would swing in her favour. She advised
her to assert herself as the boss of the house.

Question 2.
What was Mrs Pearson’s reaction to Mrs Fitzgerald’s advice?
Answer:
Mrs Pearson said that it would not be easy to put her family
members in place as she was very fond of them. She knew that
they were thoughtless and selfish but felt, perhaps, they did not
mean to be so.

Question 3.
What was Mrs Fitzgerald’s opinion of Mrs Pearson’s attitude?
Answer:
Mrs Fitzgerald said that Mrs Pearson’s family was undoubtedly
spoilt. She felt that it was Mrs Pearson’s attitude that did them
no good, tending to their needs, taking their orders, and staying
at home every night while they went out enjoying themselves.

Question 4.
What does Mrs Fitzgerald offer to do for her?
Answer:
Mrs Fitzgerald sensed that Mrs Pearson was far too gentle,
submissive and generous to tackle her family. Mrs Fitzgerald
offered to make them realize the error of their ways not as Mrs
Fitzgerald but as Mrs Pearson. She offered to change their
bodies and change back again.”

Question 5.
How did the two women react after their bodies were changed?
Answer:
When Mrs Pearson looked down at herself in Mrs Fitzgerald’s
body, she gave a scream of fright. On the other hand, Mrs
Fitzgerald is rather pleased and feels that the transition was so
neat that she did not even know that she had it in her.

Question 6.
What is Doris’s first reaction on seeing her mother? Why?
Answer:
Doris was taken aback to see her mother smoking and playing
cards. When Doris asks her what she was doing, she is startled
to get her answer—‘whitewashing the ceiling.’ Moreover, her
conduct was not nervous and apologetic but cool and incisive.

Question 7.
What did Doris want her mother to do? How did the mother
react?
Answer:
Doris wanted her to iron her yellow silk dress that she ‘must
wear’ that night. She also wanted her mother to make tea for
her. She refused to get her tea and iron her dress, telling her
that she put in twice the hours Doris did but got neither wages,
nor thanks for it.

Question 8.
What does Mrs Pearson say to Doris that really bothered her?
Answer:
Mrs Pearson asked where Doris would wear her yellow silk
dress. She said that she planned to go out with Charlie Spence.
Mrs Pearson told her to find somebody better, and insulted
Charlie Spence by calling her buck-toothed and was half-witted.
Question 9.
What does Mrs Pearson have to say to Cyril that shocks him?
Answer:
When Cyril walk in and insists on her getting the tea and his
clothes ready, he is stunned to hear that she doesn’t ‘like
mending’. She goes on to tell him that when he does not want
to do something, he does not do it. She planned to do the
same. Cyril could not believe his ears.

Question 10.
What do Doris and Cyril feel about Mrs Pearson’s changed
behaviour?
Answer:
Doris and Cyril discuss that there is something wrong with their
mother as she is not behaving in character. They discuss how
Mrs Pearson behaved oddly with each of them. They try to
fathom if she had gone crazy or had a concussion.

Question 11.
What is Mrs Pearson’s reaction to see her children giggling
when she returns to the room?
Answer:
Mrs Pearson asks them the reason for their amusement. Doris
answers that she had never understood their jokes. To which
Mrs Pearson retorts, rudely, that she was bored at their jokes
even before they were bom. Doris is tearful and Mrs Pearson
blames them for being selfish about their needs.

Question 12.
What reason does she give Cyril for not making the tea?
Answer:
When Cyril again asks for tea as he had been working for an
eight-hour day, Mrs Pearson replies that she had done her eight
hours and henceforth she would work only for forty hours a
week. She declared that she would have her two days off on the
weekend.
Question 13.
What, according to Mrs Pearson, were her plans for the
weekends?
Answer:
Mrs Pearson tells her children that at the weekend she would
have her two days off. She agreed to make beds and cook a
little as a favour, conditional to how she was treated. Mrs
Pearson tells her children that in case they did not like the
arrangement, she would go elsewhere for the weekend.

Question 14.
Why was George Pearson surprised when he came home?
What was the answer that he got?
Answer:
Mr George Pearson was surprised to see Doris crying and was
shocked to see Mrs Pearson sipping beer. He said that it did
not look right. Mrs Pearson replied that it was ‘a nice change’
and it had been quite some time since he was surprised at her.

Question 15.
What did Mrs Pearson say to her husband when he was angry
with her for not making tea?
Answer:
Mr Pearson informed Mrs Pearson that he did not want tea but
grew angry at being told that tea was not ready. She taunted
him that if he went up to the bar at the club and refused a glass
of beer and showed irritation because they had not served it
earlier, he would invite ridicule.

Question 16.
What was the truth about Mr George Pearson that hurt him the
most?
Answer:
Mrs Pearson told George that that he was one of the standing
jokes in the club. He was called ‘Pompy-ompy Pearson’
because they thought that he was slow and pompous. She was
surprised that he spent so much time at a place where people
always ridiculed him, leaving his wife at home.

Question 17.
What was Mrs Fitzgerald’s reaction to Mrs Pearson shouting at
Cyril? Why?
Answer:
Mrs Fitzgerald was in reality Mrs Pearson, so when she saw
Mrs Pearson (the real Mrs Fitzgerald) shouting at Cyril, she
protested as she was actually Cyril’s mother. But Mrs Pearson
told her not to interfere.

Question 18.
What were the two slips that could have let out the real identity
of Mrs Fitzgerald?
Answer:
Mrs Fitzgerald, in her nervousness, addresses Mr Pearson, as
George. Mr Pearson is surprised to be called thus, but Mrs
Pearson covers up for Mrs Fitzgerald. Later, when Mrs
Fitzgerald attempts to slap George, following an argument, the
real Mrs Pearson exclaims and calls out to her, ‘Mrs Fitzgerald’,
which confuses George.

Question 19.
How was the experience for the two women after the change of
bodies?
Answer:
The real Mrs Pearson (now Mrs Fitzgerald) had not enjoyed the
experience as she had seen her family being treated roughly
and rudely by Mrs Fitzgerald. On the other hand, Mrs Fitzgerald
had enjoyed the experience, as she had been able to teach
Doris,Cyril and George Pearson a lesson to value Mrs Pearson.

Question 20.
What was Mrs Fitzgerald’s advice to Mrs Pearson after she had
put back the family members in their proper place?
Answer:
Mrs Fitzgerald advised Mrs Pearson not to be soft and waste
all the effort she had put in to change the attitude of her family
for the better. Mrs Pearson is unsure how she would explain
her behaviour. But Mrs Fitzgerald warns her not to yield.

Question 21.
What was the change that came over the Pearson family in the
end?
Answer:
When Mrs Fitzgerald left, Mrs Pearson’s family was relieved to
see her smile. Mrs Pearson decides to stay home for a family
game of rummy, and have the children prepare dinner. They
readily agree and gather around Mrs Pearson as the play ends.

Mother’s Day Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Write in your words the conversation between Mrs Pearson and
Mrs Fitzgerald in the beginning of the play. What is the
outcome of the meeting?
Answer:
Mrs Fitzgerald predicts her friend Mrs Pearson’s fate and tells
her that it was high time she asserted herself as the head of the
family. Mrs Pearson says that it was not easy because she
loves her family although they are very thoughtless and selfish.
But Mrs Fitzgerald insists that they ought to learn to appreciate
her and treat her appropriately. She tells her not to run after
them and oblige. Mrs Pearson agrees with Mrs Fitzgerald, but
wonders if anything would affect them.

She is afraid of creating unpleasantness in the family. As Mrs

Pearson is about to rush off to prepare dinner for her family,
Mrs Fitzgerald comes up with an idea. She tells . Mrs Pearson
that they could exchange their bodies. She then holds her hand
and asks her to keep quiet for a minute. They stare at each
other and Mrs Fitzgerald mumbles ‘Arshtatta dum—arshtatta
lam—arshtatta lamdumbona…’ and they assume each other’s
personality.

Question 2.
What does Mrs Pearson have to say to Doris that disturbs her?
Answer:
When Mrs Pearson’s daughter Doris returns and tells Mrs
Fitzgerald, in the body of Mrs Pearson, to iron her yellow silk
dress as she would like to wear it that night, her mother
continues playing patience. Doris asks her what she is doing
and she answers her smugly that she was not whitewashing
the ceiling. She also says that there is no law against smoking.
She informs Doris that she had already had her tea but had not
made tea for the others.

She had not cooked dinner either and would have her meal at
the Clarendon. She tells Doris that she worked twice as hard as
the others and got no wages or thanks for it. She then inquired
from Doris where she wanted to wear her yellow dress. Doris
tells her that she was going out with Charlie Spence. Mrs
Pearson tells her to find someone better than the buck-toothed
and half-witted man. Doris is offended and runs out.

Question 3.
Describe Mrs Pearson’s conversation with Cyril when he walks
in and his reaction.
Answer:
Mrs Pearson’s son Cyril walks in and insists on Mrs Pearson
getting the tea and his clothes ready. He reminds her of the
promise she made the same morning, to mend his clothes. He
is surprised to hear that she does not Tike mending’ and that
she would not do anything that she did not want to do. Cyril
could not believe his ears. Cyril again asks for tea, telling her
that he had been working for an eight-hour day, to which Mrs
Pearson says that she had done her eight hours and henceforth
she would work for only forty hours a week. On weekends, she
would have her two days off.

She might make a bed or two and do a bit of cooking as a

favour but that would be conditional to the fact that they asked
her very nicely and thanked her for everything and generally
made a fuss of her. Cyril and Doris are surprised and wait for
their father to arrive.

Question 4.
“Sometimes it does people good to have their feelings hurt.”
Who says this and what does she say to hurt Mr Pearson?
Answer:
When Mr Pearson announces that he did not wish to drink tea,
after he returned from work, the real Mrs Fitzgerald informs him
that his tea was not ready. He is angry and she reminds him
that he was annoyed because he did not get the tea that he did
not want in the first place. She adds that if he did that at bar—
went up to the bar at the club and told them he did not want a
glass of beer but got irritated because they had not already
poured it out for him, they would laugh at him even more than
they did already.

George was indignant and she added that he was one of their
standing jokes and was called ‘Pompy-ompy Pearson’ because
they thought that he was slow and pompous.
George checks with Cyril on the truth of the matter, and Cyril
accuses his mother of not being fair and sensitive. To which,
she replies that sometimes it does people good to have their
feelings hurt.

Question 5.
Pick out the instances that bring out the element of humour in
the play.
Answer:
The play is a light-hearted comedy. A mother accomplishes
changing the attitude of her family by exchanging her body with
her friend, Mrs Fitzgerald, a bold and assertive woman, thus,
introducing humour in the play. The moment the spirits change,
Mrs Pearson notices the cigarette, snatches it off Mrs
Fitzgerald, while she looks down at her changed body and
screams out of fright.

Mrs Pearson answers to her daughter’s query, sarcastically,

that she was not whitewashing the ceiling. Mrs Pearson insults
Doris’ date, comically, calling him ‘buck-toothed and half-
witted’. Cyril is told that she does not ‘like mending’ his clothes,
stunning him to silence. When Mrs Pearson walks out, Doris
and Cyril laugh at the idea of her having gone crazy and decide
to wait till the father comes. She tells Mr Pearson how he was a
standing joke in the club and was called ‘Pompy-ompy Pearson’
because they thought that he was slow and pompous. She also
tells him that he was George, and not the Duke of Edinburgh.

Question 6.
Mrs Fitzgerald’s effort does not go in vain, as the family
changes for the better. Justify.
Answer:
Mrs Pearson has a selfish and a thoughtless family, who is
insensitive to the feelings of the mother. But after the staged
trick, and when Mrs Fitzgerald leaves, the three—George, Doris,
and Cyril look anxiously at Mrs Pearson, who smiles. They are
much relieved, and smile back at her. Mrs Pearson tells them
that since they have decided to stay at home, they would have a
nice family game of rummy and then the children could get the
supper ready while she talked with their father. All of them
agree. Mrs Pearson wishes Mrs Fitzgerald goodbye and the
family surrounds Mrs Pearson, implying a happy ending. It
looks as if Mrs Fitzgerald’s effort is rewarded and they seem
eager to appease the real Mrs Pearson.