Class: XII

Subject: English Core

Chapter: My Mother at Sixty-Six(Poem); Book: Flamingo
Pages: 90-91
Learning Objectives:
• to understand and appreciate poetry.
• to interpret the poem.
• to complete a gapped summary of the poem.
• to answer questions based on the poem.

ASSIGNMENT 3: All the following questions/ gapped summary etc. are to

be done in the notebook or file paper, if the former is unavailable.
1. Complete the following summary of the poem, by choosing the correct
options from the clues given in the boxes (Do NOT copy the boxes). Leave a
line between each paragraph and underline the blanks : -
The poet is on her way to Cochin airport with her old mother sitting beside her.
As she looks at her mother’s ____________face, she is struck with the
___________. The mother’s dozing face and open mouth are compared to a
corpse.

fear that her mother might forget her sickly and pallid
fear and pain of losing her wrinkled and haggard

The poet is __________________her mother and shifts her attention outside the
car in order to _________________. The scene outside the window is that of
_____________. The rapidly sprinting trees and the children playing merrily,
 symbolise joy and vitality and are in complete contrast to the
___________inside the car.

y old, sickly lady dozing drive out the negative feelings

enjoy the beautiful scenery outside unhappy as she is not able to talk to
old lady sleeping peacefully pained at the thought of losing

As the poet _________________to her mother at the airport, the image of

her_____________ mother reminds her of the pale winter’s moon and fills her
with the _________________ of her childhood. But she chooses to put up a
brave front as she bids farewell to her mother. She
_________________________and just keeps smiling.

waves cheerfully happy memories wipes her tears

old and handicapped bids goodbye she masks her true feelings
old fears and old, frail and sickly
y

2. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow by
choosing the correct options to complete the answers.

Extract 1

“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 realized with pain
that she was as old as she looked …”
 a) Where was the poet driving to?

Ans. The poet was driving ______________________

• to her parents’ home in Cochin.

• to Cochin airport .
• to drop her mother at the airport.

b) What did she notice about her mother?

Ans. The poet noticed that _______________________

• her mother was extremely ill and was unable to sleep peacefully.
• her mother was very tired and had fallen asleep.
• her mother was sleeping with her mouth open and that she was looking
pale and sickly.

c) Why has her mother’s face been compared to that of a corpse?

Ans. Her mother’s face has been compared to that of a corpse

because________________

• her face looked pale, faded and nearly lifeless.

• her face was extremely thin, and she had sunken cheeks.
• her face showed no signs of life and she was barely breathing.

Extract 2

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) Why was the poet worried when she looked at her mother?

Ans. The poet was worried because

________________________________

• her mother had fallen asleep. This made the poet fear that she may not be
able to say goodbye to her mother.
• her mother looked pale and sickly .This made the poet fear that her
mother may die very soon.
• her mother looked pale and sickly . This made the poet realise that her
mother needed medical attention immediately.

b) What do the words ‘that thought’ refer to?

Ans. The words ‘that thought’ refers to _______________________

• the thought of driving such a long way to the airport.

• the thought of her mother’s impending death.
• the thought of living far away from her mother.
•

c) How did she put that thought away?

Ans. The poet put that thought away by______________________________

• looking out of the car window.

• talking to her mother.
• thinking about her childhood days with her mother.

d) What did she see when she looked out of the car?

Ans. The poet saw______________________________________

• trees along the roadside and children playing near the trees.
• trees growing in an orchard and children sprinting past the trees.
• trees appearing to rush past the moving car and she also saw the children
running out of their homes to play.
2. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each. Use suitable words
and phrases from the boxes given below to complete your answers. (Do
NOT copy the boxes). Leave a line (and draw a line) after each answer and
underline the blanks.

1.What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Ans. The pain and ache that the poet feels is due to the realisation that
______________. The ache also refers to the ______________that revisits the
poet due to the mother’s old age and _________________.

her mother has dozed off her mother is old and sick
old familiar ache of her childhood her ill health her approaching end

2. How does the poet describe her mother?

Ans. The poet’s mother at sixty-six, is sitting beside the poet and
is___________. This is a sign of_______________. Her face ___________ like
that of a corpse.
old age and ill health is pale fast asleep
tiredness dozing off with her mouth open is frightening

3. Why are the young trees described as sprinting?

Ans. The young trees are personified in the poem. They seem to be
__________when seen______________. The movement of the trees is
_______________ the stillness associated with the mother.

running in the same direction in stark contrast with

running in the opposite direction absolutely similar to
by the poet as she was walking by through the window of the moving car
4. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?
Ans. The mother has been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’ because the
moon in the winter season______________, as it is veiled behind__________.
The mother’s face also seems to have lost its __________due to____________.
Winter symbolises the end of the year and her mother too is nearing_________.

is dim and seems to lose its brightness dark clouds fog and mist
radiance age and ill health end of her trip
beauty and charm the end of her life

5.What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Ans. The parting words of the poet reflect her effort to _______________ her
mother. She puts on a smile on her face to _______________and to
_______________to her mother.

appear indifferent and cheerful to

hide her pain and helplessness from bid farewell cheerfully
give hope and reassurance conceal her true feelings

______________________________________________________________