myCBSEguide

Class 12 - English Core

Vistas Memories of Childhood Test 03

1. Read the text carefully and answer the questions:

When I heard this, I didn't want to laugh any more, I felt terribly sad. How could they believe that it was disgusting if
one of us held that package in his hands, even though the vadai had been wrapped first in a banana leaf, and then
parcelled in paper? I felt so provoked and angry that I wanted to touch those wretched vadais myself straightaway. Why
should we fetch and carry for these people, I wondered. Such an important elder of ours goes meekly to the shops to
fetch snacks and hands them reverently, bowing and shrinking, to this fellow who just sits there and stiffs them into his
mouth. The thought of it infuriated me.
i. The elder handing snacks reverently, bowing and shrinking to the fellow indicates that the fellow was
1. condescending
2. unassuming
3. submissive
4. disdainful
5. aggressive
6. domineering
a. 2, 3 and 6
b. 1, 4 and 5
c. 1, 4 and 6
d. 2, 3 and 4
ii. Based on the given context, choose the option that illustrates when a person can be provoked, out of the
examples given below.
1. The employees organised a peaceful protest outside the firm.
2. The manager ill-treated one of the employees and wrongfully terminated him.
3. The employees wrote a letter of complaint against the manager.
4. The director of the firm scheduled a meeting for reconciliation.
a. Option 1
b. Option 2
c. Option 3
d. Option 4
iii. What changed the mood of the narrator?
iv. Complete the sentence appropriately, with reference to the extract.
The narrator of the given extract is a Tamil Dalit woman whose penname is ________.
To practice more questions & prepare well for exams, download myCBSEguide App. It provides complete study
material for CBSE, NCERT, JEE (main), NEET-UG and NDA exams. Teachers can use Examin8 App to create similar
papers with their own name and logo.
2. What were the indignities that the new girls were subjected to at Carlisle Indian School?
3. “I felt like sinking to the floor,” says Zitkala-Sa. When did she feel so and why?
4. Bama was a victim of caste system. How did she fight against it?
5. Both Bama and Zitkala-Sa face difficult situations in their lives. Describe how they face these situations.
6. What activities did Bama witness on her way back from school?

Copyright © myCBSEguide.com. Mass distribution in any mode is strictly prohibited.

1/2
 myCBSEguide

Class 12 - English Core

Vistas Memories of Childhood Test 03

Solution

1. i. 1, 4 and 6
ii. Option 2
iii. The fact behind the comic story changed the mood of the narrator.
iv. Bama
2. The girls were scrutinized thoroughly by a grey haired woman. The students were under strict supervision. They were made
to wear tight fitted clothes and stiff shoes. During breakfast a systematic and regimental discipline was observed. The girls
had to get their long hair shingled. They had to submit to the authorities who were strong, unfeeling and cruel.
3. The Caralisle school was located in the land of apples but the attitude of the authorities was colder than the land of snow.
The authorities believed in the dictum "Spare the rod and spoil the child". They were given tight fitted dresses which were
very embarrassing for the students. When Zitkala-Sa's blanket was removed from her shoulders, she felt very embarrassed
due to her clinging school dress. Thus, she felt like sinking to the floor going to the dining hall in that body-hugging dress.
4. Bama was a victim of the caste system prevalent in those days. She was advised by her brother to study hard and secure a
good position in the class so that the caste stigma could be thrown off. She took her brother's advice seriously, studied hard
and stood first in the class. The people of the upper caste then came to her of their own accord and tried to befriend her. So
Bama's incessant efforts to gain academic excellence and strong will to struggle against the oppression helped her in the
long run.
To practice more questions & prepare well for exams, download myCBSEguide App. It provides complete study material
for CBSE, NCERT, JEE (main), NEET-UG and NDA exams.
5. The story ‘Memories of Childhood’ show the sufferings and oppression faced by people from the marginalized community.
Both authors face social stratification in different forms. Zitkala Sa had been stared at, her blanket and moccasins had been
taken from her; she had to wear tight-fitting clothes. She protested against all this by hiding under a bed in the darkroom.
Zitkala Sa’s hair was “shingled” though she kicked, scratched and cried aloud in protest. In her community, shingled hairs
were worn by mourners or cowards who had lost the war. On the other hand, Bama was a victim of the practice of
untouchability. She saw an old man from her community presenting food to an upper caste person not directly but by using a
stick. She was amazed at this site and on asking came to know that they were not supposed to touch their food directly. She
was informed by her brother that it was because they were from a lower caste and treated as untouchables. Her brother told
him that the only way to breakthrough this practice was to make an individual identity. She was motivated by her brother
and used education to empower herself and stood first in her class.
6. Bama's home was at ten-minutes walking distance from her school but it usually took her from half an hour to an hour to
reach home. On her way back, many activities and sights caught her attention. Bama got attracted to many novelties and
oddities on the street like the performing monkey, the snake charmer's snake, the wild lemur in a cage, the pedaling cyclist,
the Maariyaata temple and its huge bell, etc. She also noticed the pongal offerings being cooked in front of the temple. There
was a dried fish stall near the statue of Gandhiji and a sweet stall and a stall selling fried snacks. There were many other
shops next to each other. Then there was the narikkuravan hunter gypsy. He had his wild lemur in cages. He sold needles,
clay beads and instruments for cleaning out the ears.
Sometimes, she saw various political parties put up a stage. They addressed people through their mikes. There might be a
street play, a puppet show, or a “no magic, no miracle” stunt performance. There was some entertainment or the other
happening there from time to time. Puppet shows, street plays, public meetings of political parties were other entertaining
activities. She would see the waiters pouring coffee and vendors chopping onions She also admired the various seasonal
fruits that flooded the market.

Copyright © myCBSEguide.com. Mass distribution in any mode is strictly prohibited.

2/2