DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Subject: English Lesson: Flamingo- My Mother at Sixty – Six Grade: XII
Q.1 Read the following extract and choose the most appropriate option for each
question.
“……..I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with pain that she was as old
as she looked
but soon put that thought away,
and looked out at Young Trees sprinting,
1. Kamala Das turned her attention from her mother because
a) She was feeling guilty.
b) She was shirking her responsibility
c)She was trying to escape from pain filled emotions.
d)She didn’t like the idea of her mother growing old.
2.The poetic device used in the third line is also found in
a) Leena is the Latha Mangeshkar of Hyderabad.
b) Ayra is as cool as a cucumber to receive the heavy news.
c) The elephant is heavier than many other animals.
d) He is a tiger..
3.The words ‘doze’ and ‘ashen’ reflect that the mother was
a) Tired and sleepy
b) Pale and old
c) Lost strength and vigour as she had grown old
d) Hale and healthy
4.What did the poet realize seeing her mother beside her in the car?
a) that her mother may not survive for long.
b) that her mother was suffering.
c)that her mother wanted her to be with her.
d) that she wanted to go with her daughter.
5.‘Thought Away ’means
a) Diverted
b) Escaped
c) Drifted
d) Avoided
6.‘Trees sprinting ‘is an example of
a) Metaphor
b) Personification
c) Simile
d) Alliteration
Q.2 “…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....”
1.Kamala Das comparing her mother to winter moon signifies…………….
a) Human life is as short as that of the moon.
b) Though the mother is old, she is still beautiful.
c)Winter is the last season of the year.
d) Mother is about to die.
2.Though she feels painful, Kamala Das smiles on……………...
a) to hide her sad feelings and emotions
b) to encourage her mother to smile and feel good
c) not to dishearten her mother by showing her worried face
d) All the above.
3. The narrator is only using her smile to
(a) overcome her pain (b) make herself happy
(c) to make her mother happy (d) to hide her pain
4. “Smile and smile and smile” is an example of ………………………
(a) Refrain
(b) Repetition
(c) Simile
(d) Anaphora
5. What was the expression of the poet’s face while parting from her mother?
(a) satirical
(b) hopeful
(c) sad
(d) guilt
Q.3 “………. .I saw my mother, beside me, doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a
corpse and realised with pain that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought
away, and looked out at young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their
homes………………”
a) Where was the poet driving to? Who was sitting beside her?
The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. Her mother was sitting
beside her.
b) What did the mother look like?
Her old mother looked sick, drowsy and pale like a dead body.
c) What thought did she put away?
The poet drove away the painful thought of the distressing reality that her mother was getting
old and she might die anytime.
d) What do the sprinting trees signify?
The “sprinting tress” signify the vitality of youth.
e) What are “the merry children spilling out of their homes” symbolic of?
The “merry children spilling out of their homes” are symbolic of carefree childhood when all
time is playtime.
f) How do you know that the joyful scene didn’t help her drive away the painful thought
from her mind?
As the poet passed through security check at the airport and happened to look at her mother,
she was again haunted by the same fear of losing her to death. This shows that the joyful
scene earlier didn’t help drive away the painful thought from her mind.
g) Why are the trees described as sprinting?
As the poet looked outside the window of her moving car, the trees appeared to be moving
fast in the opposite direction. So, they are described as sprinting.
Q.4 “Driving from 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
and realised with pain that
she was as old as she looked
but soon put that thought away,
and looked out at Young Trees sprinting,
the merry children spilling out of their homes”
1. What is the theme of the poem?
a. separation from friends b. separation from relatives
c. fear of separation from the mother d. love and hatred
2. ‘Trees sprinting’ and ‘merry children spilling’ is an attempt by the poet to create
a. suspense b. laughter c. visual imagery d. chaos
3. Which of these phrases uses the same poetic device as the following line from the
extract?
looked out at Young Trees sprinting...
A. that restaurant is as nice as the Big Fish B. the pen became my highway to success
C. that fluffy cloud crying with sadness D. the tall trees with many branches
4.On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to the two
statements given below.
1. My mother dozed off in the rear seat
2. She was tired working the whole day.
i. (1) can be inferred from the extract but (2) cannot.
ii. (2) can be inferred from the extract but (1) cannot
iii. Both (1) and (2) can be inferred from the extract.
iv. (2) is the reason for (1) and can be inferred from the extract.
5. State a reason for the following.
The speaker looks out of the window while travelling with her mother
Q.5 ... I saw my mother, beside me, doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse
and realised with pain that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought away, and
looked out at Young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes, ... (My
Mother at Sixty-Six)
1. Why does the poet compare her mother's face to a corpse? Answer in one sentence.
2. What effect does the phrase 'open mouthed' have on the poem?
A. It builds a mood of surprise and shock in the poem.
B. It reveals the speaker's fear of her own death and mortality.
C. It adds to the imagery of the speaker's mother appearing dead.
D. It highlights the speaker's attempt at hiding her emotions from her mother.
3. Complete the given sentence appropriately.
The contrast present in the given extract is between __________.
4. State a reason for the following.
The speaker looks out of the window while travelling with her mother.
5.What does the poet mean by the expression put that thought away?
6. Why do you think the poet has placed the word 'pain' on a separate line? Give a
reason.
Q.3 Answer the following in not more than forty-fifty words:
1.How does the poet describe her mother in the poem?
2. Why does the poet look outside? What activities does the poet see outside the car window?
3. Why is the mother compared to the late winter’s moon?
4. What childhood fears do you think the poet is referring to in the poem?
5. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?
7. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
8. Kamala Das speaks of ‘an old familiar ache...' What do you think is the reason for this
feeling?
9. Having looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the young children?
10. How does the poet’s mood change as she looks at her mother after the security check at the airport?
11. What are the poet's final words to her mother and what do they signify?
12. Comment on the tone of the poem.
Q.4 Long Answer Questions.
1. The pain of separation is expressed both literally and metaphorically in this poem.
Elucidate.
2. The poet does not directly mention the fear of her mother's death and yet she is successfully
able to convey the same through different poetic techniques. Discuss.
Q.5 Long Answer Questions for practice.
1. Imagine the mother gets to know of the poet persona’s fears. Write a letter, as the mother,
telling the daughter why she must not dwell on these fears. You may begin this way:
My dear Kamala
I am writing to you because when you left me at the airport, I felt something wasn’t right.
Judging by how little you spoke that day ..........................
2. Imagine you are the poet’s friend. Write a dialogue exchange between yourself and the poet
where the latter confides in you about her fears and asks for your advice. What would your
advice be to face her fears, to ignore them or something else?
3. Bring out the significance of the smile of the poet as she bade farewell to her mother.
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