Questions (SA)
(SHORT ANSWER TVDe
2 marks
Answer the following questions in 40-50 vwords:
17. The pain of separation is expressed both
literally and metaphorically in this poem.
Elucidate. [CBSE Question Bank 2021]
Ans. The pain of separation in 'My Mother at Sixty
Six' is one of physical separation since the poet
wasleaving her mother in Cochin while catching
flight. The metaphorical separation is one that
the poet fears. She fears an eternal separation
from her mother because of her death.
18. Imagery is used as an effective literary device
to bring out the contrast between the "merry
children" and mother. Comment.
[CBSE Question Bank 2022]
Ans. The poet looks away from her mother's face
and sees through the car window children
rushing out of their homes. The contrast is all
the more sharper since the poet hasjuxtaposed
two vastly different images old age and
childhood-right next toeach other.
19. What does the poet's smile in the poem 'My
Mother at Sixty-Six' show? [CBSE 2018, 17]
Ans. Thepoet was taking leave of hermother, but her
mind was on her mother's advancing age and
the old familiar fear that gripped her. To not let
her mother know about how she was feeling,
the poet smiled at her mother.
20. What was the poet's childhood fear?
[CBSE 2017, 14]
Ans. The poet was afraid as a child at the thought of
Losing her mother. This fear is not uncommon
among children. The same fear came back to
haunt her when she noticed how pale and pallid
her mother looked when she left Cochin.
21. What were the poet's feelings asshe drove to
Cochin Airport? [CBSE 2016]
Ans. When the poet was driving to Cochin Airport,
her mother was beside her. The poet noticed
her mother sleeping with her mouth open and
realised that she had grown old. The thought
made her uncomfortable.
292 EduLart English Core Class XIl
Whatcan be inferred about the poet's living
22.
arrangements from the poem "My Mother ot
Sixty-Six'?
unconmfortable at the
23. Why does the poet feel Rationalise.
fact of her mother'smortality?
face for anuone
Ans. Death is a verydifficult fact to
Parents are aguiding and protective force for
adult children as well. Hence, the poet found it
difficult to face the fact of her mother's gging
and mortality.
24. Close-reading refers to reading with attention
and finding proof in the literature to make an
analysis. Do a close reading of the poem to
find out the relationship of the poet with her
parents.
Ans. It is evident from the way she notices her
mother's ashen and pallid look quite late in her
trip that the poet does not meet her parents
often. A person who visits regularly will not
have this realisation while leaving. The aging
would be slow, gradual and unnoticeable.
25. Describe the relationship between the mother
and daughter in the poem.
You may begin your answer like this:
The relationship between the mother and the
daughter is a close one
Ans. The relationship between the mother and
the daughter is aclose one. The poet is the
daughter whogoes to visit her parents in Cochin
sometimes. The mother accompanies ner
daughter while she leaves the cits. The daughter
is scared to lose her
mother both as achild and
as an adult.
26. EWhat was the fact that
the
want to face in "Mu Mother atpoetSixty-Six
did no
Explain.
27. State the common issue
faced by
aged in the current times, with most or ie
the poem MyMother at reference t
Sixty-six.
[CBSE SÌP 2022]
 Elderlytoday faces alot of issues. They are through different
able to convey the same
Ans.
left
alone to survive in their
lalu on their own self for decreasingage, rely poetic techniques. Discuss.
Rte when their curing ailments, [CBSE Question Bank 2022]
children move away to build seeing her
their career. Just as in My Mother at Ans. The poet is filled with dread on
Sixtu-six! infirmity
the poet's mother was left behind to look
after ageing mother. She notices the signs of
able to accept the fact
her ownself in her diminishing age as the
poet setting in,and she is not
separated from her
ieft for another city, old people go
through a that one day she would be
looks out
lot of loneliness in their lives. through death. This is the reason she
mother.
a A smile does not always ofthe window ofher car, away from her
indicate happiness.! showcases
The farewell smile of the poet also
Does 'My Mother at Sixty-Six' reflect this her sadness. In this was. she is able to
convey
statement? Justify your response with an her feelings without explicitly
mentioningthe
example from the poem. subject of death.
[CBSE Question Bank 2023]
30. Ageing is a natural process; have you ever
Ans. Yes, the poem My Mother at Sixty-Six' reflects thought what our elderly parents expect
this statement. At the end of the poem, when from us? [Diksha]
the poet smiles at her mother when bidding ofloneliness
farewell at the airport, it does not stand for Ans. Aged peopleusuallyundergo pangs for
and need companionship. They long only
joy or happiness. Rather, it is a testament to expect their
the sadness and longing the poet felt at that our love, care and attention. They
moment. children to share the happenings in their lives
with them andtaketheir suggestions for making
29. The poet does not directly mention the fear of significant decisions. This will encourage them
her mother's death and yet she is successfully to live life enthusiastically.

LONG ANSWERType Questions (LA)

[5 marks]
Answer the following questions in 120-150 words: Iam writing to you because when you left me
at the airport, I felt something wasn't right.
31. Imagine the mother gets to know the poet's Judging by how little you spoke that day and
personal fears. Write a letter, as the mother, the way you were looking at me as if you had
telling her daughter why she must not dwell seen a ghost, IthoughtImust write to you. I
on these fears. know what you were thinking. That one day
You may begin this way: on the trip to the irport, Imight not be sitting
next to you at all. Don't worry; that day is
Pallipuram very far,away. have to tell you l may look
Cochin, Kerala a bit old but Iam tough as nails. I am also
stickingaround whether you like it or not. You
22 August '60 grandmother lived to a ripe old 98. Ihave those
Mydear Kamala genes. Plegse don't think about all these things
now. There will be time to deal with it.
Iam writing to you because when
you left
wasn't With love
me at the airport, Ifelt something
right. Judging by how little you spoke that
Amma

day 32. What is the significance of the poet's

.continue).... final smile in 'My Mother at Sixty-Six?
Substantiate with reference to the text.
With love Ans. When the poem starts, the poet has just noticed
[CBSE Question Bank 20221 that her mother has aged. She described
Amma
her as fragile, wan and corpse-like. The poet
Ans. Pallipuram cannot face this fact, so she looks away from
Cochin, Kerala her mother at the children playing outside on
the street. When she is at the airport security
22 August '60 check, the poet looks back at her mother and
Mydear Kamala, notices again her face which is like the 'late

My Mother at Sixty-Six 293

 winter street. This is when she feels an old
familiar ache return. This is the ache of being
abondoned. of being left alone. something thot
children feel Her old childhood fear has arrived
agoin. But she doesn't wont her mother to know
the tsunami of feelings that she is
under, so all she does is smile at herdrowning
and tell
her that she vwill see her soon. This
smile must
be an uncomfortable one, yet she tries to
to cover up the complex thoughts that smile
her. The poet ends the poem with the plague
'smile and smile and smile. It is words
in a poem of such doom and significant that
gloom, the poet
chooses to end the poem on this positive note.
33. OExamine concepts of old age and Loss as
seen in the poenm 'MyMother at Sixty-Six.
34. Imagine that you are the
poet's mother.
Describe the trip to the airport fom your
point of view.
Ans. Kamala came to visit us just like
father and Iwere very happy to seealways.
her
Her
again.
After afew days,she had to take her fight from
the Cochin AirportI went with her to
to see her off. On the way, Ifell the airport
car. I was embarrassed. Ithink nmyasleep the
in
mouth was
open too. When Iwoke up, Isaw my
turning to look at the passing scenery. daughter
It was
not much. Just some young trees
pasSing
fast and younger children rushing out of their very
homes. Soon, we reached the airport.
went off towards the securits check. Kamala
Ihad to
saygoodbye from the outside. New rules meant
thatIcould not enter the airport. Kamala turned
to look at me. She kept looking at me likel looked
different or something. I told her to take care of
herself andvisit often. She smiled and said that
she'd see me sOon.
35. Imagine you are Douglas Adams, the
of the story 'Deep Water'. What author
you offer to Kamala Das, in the advice would
comflicted context of her
lines?
emotions as displayed in the given
Away, Ilooked again at her, wan, pale as a
Late winter's moon and felt that
my childhood fear"
ache familiar
Ans. Dear Kamala
I recently read your
poem, 'My Mother at
Sixty-Six, and I felt that
you were
with your mother ageing. Even obessed
though you do
Detailed solutions for
OSelf-Practice questions
accessible here
not explicity soy. death, you hint at it through
various indirect ways. The first indirect reference
todeath is in the description of your mother. Yo.
describes your mother's face as 'ashen ike rhos
of a corpse. The second indirect reference to
death was when you said, 'she was as old as sha
looked. Given that half a ine earlier, you soid
thother face looked like a corpse, this meant that
uour mother looked as old as acorpse as well
The next indirect reference is to mother's face
being 'pale as a late winter's moon'. Seasons
of nature are compared to stages in a human's
ife. Spring is childhood; summer is adulthood:
autumn is maturity; and winter is old age. The
'late winter's moon' therefore, is a reference to
oldage aswell as tothe dying ight of life for the
poet's mother. In ashort poem,there are three
references to death. Hence, it can be said that a
shadow of death hangs over this poem.
Iwould suggest you to spend more time with
your mother, until you feel satisfied. I would
also like to address your fears about death.
36.Separation anxiety' is the psychological
term for anxiety that children feel when
they are away from their parents. Examine
'My Mother at Sixty - Six in light of this
statement.
37. Irony is a literary technique by which the full
significance of a character's words or
is clear to the audience or reader actions
unknowNn to the character. Does the although
poem
'My Mother at Sixty-six' come
across as an
example of the poet's ironical situation?
[Mod. Diksha)
Ans. In the poem 'My Mother at
in a dilemma as she sits Sixty-six, the poet is
in the car, on her way alongside her mother
to the airport. She
suddenly realises that her mother has aged,
and the thought makes her
She looks away outside the uncomfortable.
car to see young children window of the
playing
around on the streets. The childhood and running
losing her mother resurfaces in the fear of
she is unable to express her poet and
feelings. Even at
the end, as the poet is bidding
mother at the airport, all she does farewell to her
her mother. The is smile at
inabilits
the intensity of her
of the poet to
express
Comes out through emotions
for the mother
her
realize that the poet is notwriting,
aware
but we alsO
of the same.
This makes the poem an
example of 'irony.