THE ADDRESS

I. Answer the following questions in 40 - 50 words:

Q. 1. Why did the narrator go to number 46, Marconi Street?
Ans. 46, Marconi Street was the address of the woman who carried their valuables
from their home for safety during war time. So, the narrator went there to claim the
belongings of her mother.

Q. 2. How does Mrs. Dorling react when the narrator said, "I am Mrs. S daughter" ?
Ans. Mrs. Dorling held her hand on the door as if she wanted to prevent it from
opening any further.
Her face showed no sign of recognition. She kept staring at the narrator without
uttering a word.

Q.3. 'Her face gave absolutely no sign of recognition.' Do you think the woman didn't
recognize the narrator, or she was merely pretending? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. Yes, the woman was pretending that she didn't recognize the narrator. As soon as
she realized that she has been found out, she said, "Have you come back? I thought
that no one had come back."

Q.4. How did the woman try to avoid the narrator?

Ans. First, the woman refused to recognize the narrator.When she realized that she
had been found out, she regretted that she couldn't do anything for the narrator. Then
she asked the narrator to come another time. She gave the impression that there was
someone in the house whom she didn't want to disturb.

Q.5. What are the two reasons did the narrator give to explain that she was mistaken?
Ans. She thought that perhaps the woman was not Mrs. Dorling, she had seen her only
once, for a brief interval and that many years ago. Secondly, it was probable that she
had rung the wrong bell.

Q.6. How was the narrator convinced that she had made no mistake and had reached
the right address?
Ans. When the woman who opened the door, gave no sign of recognition, the narrator
thought she was perhaps mistaken and had rung the wrong bell. When she saw the
woman wearing her mother's green knitted cardigan, she was convinced that she had
made no mistake and reached the right address.

Q.7. Who had given the narrator the address? When and under what circumstances?
Ans. The narrator's mother had given her the address. Years ago during the first half
of the war, the narrator came home for a few days and found various things missing in
the rooms. Then, her mother told her about Mrs. Dorling and gave her the address.

Q. 8. How do you know that there was someone in the house? What did she ask? How
did the woman respond?
Ans. When the narrator was still on the steps, someone stared at her from the bay
window. He/She asked what the visitor wanted. The woman replied that it was
nothing.
Q. 9. What did the narrator learn about Mrs. Dorling from her mother?
OR
Who was Mrs. Dorling? What did the narrator's mother tell her about the woman?
Ans. Mrs. Dorling was an old acquaintance of the narrator's mother. The latter had not
seen her for several years. Then she suddenly turned up and renewed their contact.
Whenever she would leave that place she took something from her table silver,
antique plates etc.

Q. 10. What reason did Mrs. Dorling give for taking away the precious belongings of
narrator's mother?
Ans. Mrs. Dorling suggested to the narrator's mother that she should store her
belongings at a safer place. She wanted to save all her nice things. She explained that
they would lose everything if they had to leave the place.

Q. 11. What did the narrator notice when she came back home for a few days during
war? What was her immediate reaction ?
Ans. When the narrator came back home for a few days during war, she noticed that
something or the other about the rooms had changed. She was surprised to see that
various things were missing.

Q. 12. Did the narrator feel convinced about the views of her mother regarding Mrs.
Dorling? How do you know?
Ans. The narrator did not feel convinced about her mother's concern for Mrs. Dorling.
The latter was keen on removing the precious possessions of the narrator's mother to
her own house. It seems that the narrator did not like Mrs. Dorling's excessive interest
in her mother's belongings. It is evident from the questions she puts to her mother.

Q.13. Why didn't the narrator pay much attention to things around while walking to
the station?
Ans.While walking to the station the narrator didn't pay attention to things around
because she did not want to upset herself with the sight of streets and houses which
were full of memories of her former life.

Q. 14. Why did the narrator feel the urge to see her mother's belongings?
Ans.The war was over. Gradually, things became normal again. One day, the narrator
felt an urge to see her mother's belongings which, she thought, must be still at House
Number 46 in Marconi Street. She wanted to see those things and feel them.

Q. 15 What did the narrator see as she followed the girl along the passage?
Ans. As the narrator followed the girl along the passage, she saw an old fashioned iron
candle-holder hanging next to a mirror. It belonged to her mother. They had never
used it because it was more difficult to carry a single candlestick.

Q. 16. Why was the narrator horrified when she entered the living room?
Ans. When the narrator entered the living room, she was horrified because she felt as
if she had been in a room she did not know. She found herself in the midst of things
she wanted to see again but which distressed her in the strange atmosphere. She was
oppressed to see them arranged in a tasteless manner.
Q. 17. "I was in a room I knew and did not know," says the narrator in the story 'The
Address'. What prompted her to make this observation?
Ans. The narrator found herself in the midst of things she was familiar with and which
she did not want to see again. However, she found them in a strange atmosphere
where everything was arranged in tasteless way. The ugly furniture and the muggy
smell created the feeling that she didn't know the

Q. 18. How was the narrator able to recognize her own familiar woollen table cloth?
Ans.The narrator first stared at the woollen table cloth. Then she followed the lines of
the pattern.
She remembered that somewhere there was a burn mark which had not been
repaired. At last she found the burn mark on the table cloth. This helped her to
recognize her own familiar article.

Q.19. Why did the narrator wait a long time before going to the address number 46,
Marconi Street?
Ans. Initially, after the liberation, she was not at all interested in her mother's
belongings, lying stored there. She was also afraid of being confronted with things
that had belonged to her mother, who was now no more.

Q. 20. "You only notice when something is missing." What does the speaker exactly
mean? What examples does she give?
Ans. The speaker says that one gets used to touching one's lovely things in the house.
One hardly looks at them any more. It is only when something is missing then it is
noticed either because it is to be repaired or it has been lent to someone.

Q. 21. Why did the narrator suddenly decide to leave?

Ans. The narrator had visited 46, Marconi Street for a specific purpose-to see her
mother's belongings and touch them. However, these objects seemed to have lost
their value in strange surroundings and on being served from the life of former times.
So, she suddenly decided to leave.

Q.22. Why did narrator want to forget the address finally?

Ans. The narrator was eager to take back her mother's belongings and made some
efforts but at last decided to forget the same and move ahead. In fact, she had found
Mrs Dorling and her daughter using those things as their own. The things had also lost
the beauty in a different background. So, she decided to leave the bitter past and
start afresh.

Q. 23. "Of all the things I had to forget, that would be the easiest." What does the
speaker mean by
'that'? What is its significance in the story?
Ans. 'That' here stands for the address. The words: No. 46, Marconi Street' i.e., the
address reoccur throughout the story. The address is important for the narrator at the
beginning of the story.
However, at the end of the story she resolves to forget it as she wants to break off
with the past and move on with the present into the future.

Reading with Insight:

Q. 1. Have you come back?' said the woman. 'I thought that no one had come back.
Does this statement give some clue about the story? If yes, what is it?
Ans. Yes, the above said statement in question gives us a clue about the story. It
clearly proves that the lady, whom the young girl had paid a visit, knew her already
and didn't want to meet her. The given statement shows that the two families knew
each other. Some people had left their homes due to the war many years ago. Those
who had stayed back, thought that the ones who had left would never come back.
That is why the woman feels surprised to see one of them back.

Q. 2. The story is divided into pre-War and post-War times. What hardships do you
think the girl underwent during these times? AQ (MSE, 2007)
Ans. The story, 'The Address, is distinctly divided into pre-war and post-war times.
There are clear indications of the hardship which the narrator, a young girl, had to
undergo during these times.
The girl belonged to a well-to-do family. They lived comfortably in their house. They
had a lot of valuable possessions. Then the war broke out.

A shrewd and cunning woman Mrs. Dorling, an old acquaintance of the girl's mother,
renewed their contact and started visiting their house. She took away all their
valuables, one after the other, under the pretext that she wanted to save all their nice
things in case they had to leave the place to perhaps they had migrate to a place of
safety. They must have faced untold hardships also. Then the war got over. Things
became almost normal. Now, the girl was living all alone in a rented house. She
happened to know the address of Mrs. Dorling. She went to the address in the hope
that her mother's belongings might still be there. She found Mrs. Dorling using her
mother's things recklessly. Suddenly, she lost interest in the things that had belonged
to a connection that no longer existed. She decided to leave it all behind and resolved
to move on.

Q. 3. Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?
Ans. The narrator of the story is a young girl, a victim of war. The war had left her a
desolate soul. But, the narrator appears to be a very optimistic girl. She wanted to
forget the address because there were stored objects that were linked in her memory
with the life of former times which had now lost their value. Moreover, the narrator
now lived in a small rented room. She had no place to keep all those things.

Q. 4. 'The Address' is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.

Ans. War brings death and destruction with it. It has a de-humanizing effect on human
beings. It kills the finer feelings of love and sympathy. It makes man cruel and selfish.
Mrs. Dorling had carried narrator's valuable to her home for safety during war time.
She lived at 46, Marconi Street. The narrator's mother had died during the war. The
narrator went to the woman to claim her mother's belongings. The woman pretended
that she did not recognize the narrator. She was surprised to see her come back.

Later, she realized that she was found out. Stil she did not let the narrator enter her
house. The narrator found her own rooms changed. Various of her things were
missing. The narrator wanted to see and touch her mother's valuables. They were
linked in her memory with the life of former times. She failed to get them back. They
still remained in strange surroundings with Mrs. Dorling. Mrs.Dorling's daughter
behaved properly but she could not restore her valuables. She wanted to forget
everything