The Going Places

 THE GOING PLACES By A.R.Barton( Notes by Baljit Singh)
#Stay home ,Stay safe 

4/08/2020

Main characters of the story:

1. Sophie- She is a school going teenager filled with fantasies and desires. She comes from a poor background. She is a dreamer.
2. Jansie- She is Sophie's friend and classmate. She is a practical girl.
3.Geoff- Sophie's elder brother.
4 Derek- Sophie's younger brother.
5.Danny Casey- He is a young Irish football player.
6.Tom Finney- He is a great football player.
7.United- name of a football team.
8.Father and mother of Sophie.

Essay type Questions with Answers

Q1.Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie highlighting their temperament and aspirations?

Ans. Sophie and Jansie are classmate and friends. Both of them are teenagers. They belong to poor families. But they are poles apart in temperament and aspirations. Sophie is filled with fantasies and desires. She is ambitious and a dreamer. She wants to have a boutique or she wants to become a manager. She also wants to become a fashion designer. She visualizes meeting Danny Casey. She is not constant in her views. On the other hand, Jansie is a practical girl. She is a realist. She knows her limits. She says to Sophie,'' We are earmarked for biscuit factory.'' Thus both the girls are poles apart in temperament and aspirations.

Q2.Describe the character of Sophie's father and the role played by him?

Ans. Sophie's father is a careless and carefree person. He belongs to the labour class. He often goes to a pub to enjoy himself. His face is plump and greasy. His eating manners are clumsy. He understands his daughter's nature. He knows that she makes wild stories to impress others. He does not believe her when she says that she met Danny Casey.He looks at her in disdain. He says to her,"One of these days you are going to talk yourself into a load of trouble."He is very fond of football. He shouts instructions to Casey at the playground. When Casey beat the hesitant goalkeeper, Sophie's fathers screams with joy and pride. Then he goes to a pub to celebrate the victory.

Q3.Sophie's dream and disappointments are all in her mind. Discuss.

Ans.Sophie is a teenager. She is filled with fantasies and desires. She is ambitious and a dreamer. She belongs to a poor labour class still she wants to have a boutique or she wants to become a manager. She also wants to become a fashion designer. These things are all in her mind. She visualizes meeting Danny Casey. This is again her imagination. Her father does not believe her wild stories. They are all in her mind. Her fantasies and dreams only bring disappointment to her.

Q4. What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are indications of her family's financial status?
Ans. Sophie belongs to a poor family. There are many indications of her family's financial status. She
lives in a small house. Her father has an old cycle on which he travels to his place of work.He is a careless person and he is not worried about his children' education. He goes to pub daily and enjoys himself. Sophie's elder brother is out of school for three years. He is still a mechanic apprentice.Sophie's mother has to do all household work. Sophie herself is a good for nothing girl. She does not have a penny still she hopes to have a boutique in the city. She is lost in daydreams and visualizes meeting Danny Casey, a celebrity. She has a fancy of the girl who belongs to the poor class. Thus the story has many indications that Sophie's family was poor and deprived.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS.

Q1. Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective. what did he symbolize?
Ans. Sophie liked her brother Geoff because she believed that he would not let her down. She considered him a good friend. She shared all her secrets with him. For her, he was a confidential friend. He was a symbol of trust for her.

Q2. Which was the only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person?
Ans Danny Casey was a brilliant football player. He played for Ireland. Sophie had fantasized meeting him. But she got to see him in person only when she went with her family to watch the match in which Danny was playing. She was sitting near the goal. She saw Danny closely when he scored a brilliant goal for his team.

Q3.How does Sophie's father react when he learns of Sophie's meeting with Danny Casey? Does he believe her story?
Ans. He understands his daughter's nature. He knows that she makes wild stories to impress others. He does not believe her when she says that she met Danny Casey.He looks at her in disdain. He says to her,"One of these days you are going to talk yourself into a load of trouble."

Q4. What do you know about Jansie? How was she different from Sophie?
Ans. Jansie was Sophie's classmate and close friend. But she was quite different from her. She was a practical girl. She knew her limits. She was not a victim of false dreams like Sophie. She knew that they were made for working in a biscuit factory. She is quite wise and sensible. She is a very true friend. She promises her to keep her meeting with Danny a secret. Thus Jansie and Sophie are poles apart in aspirations and temperament.

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The Interview

THE INTERVIEW-( by Christopher Silvester) Notes by Baljit Singh

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TEXTUAL AND OTHER EXAMINATION STYLE QUESTIONS WITH MODEL ANSWERS

Q1 Write in brief the various views expressed by celebrities about the interview in journalism.

Ans. The interview is an effective mode of communication in journalism. But opinions of the interview- of its functions, methods and merits vary considerably. Some claim it as a source of truth and in its practice, an art. Others despise the interview as an ‘unwarranted intrusion into their lives’. They feel it diminishes them. Silvester lists out well – known writers who are against interview. Lewis Carroll had a horror of the interviewer. Rudyard Kipling regarded interviewing as immoral. H.G. Wells called interview as an ordeal though he had interviewed many personalities. Saul Bellow called interviews thumb imprints on his windpipe. It is surprising to notice that as an interviewer, each one is comfortable, whereas, as an interviewee, they feel it much disturbing and diminishing. Yet in the words of the writer, ‘it is a serviceable medium of communication’.

Q2. What light does Eco throw on his famous novel The Name of the Rose?

Ans.The Name of the Rose is a famous novel written by Umberto Eco. It is a detective novel but it deals with metaphysics, theology and medieval history. It is a deep and difficult novel still between 10 million to 15 million copies of this novel were sold. Its success was a mystery for the writer. It broke the illusion that people liked trash.

Q3.Explain what Eco says about his activity of novel writing.

Ans. Umberto says that he started writing novels by accident. One day he had nothing to do so he started writing novels. It satisfied his taste for narration. His first novel, The Name of the Rose, was a huge success. Though it deals with difficult and serious subjects of metaphysics, theology and medieval history, its 10-15 million copies were sold. Its success was a mystery for the writer. It broke the illusion that people liked trash.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1 What are some of the positive views on interviews?

Ans The interview is an effective mode of communication in journalism. It is a source of truth. In practice, it is an art. It leaves in our mind the most vivid impression of our contemporaries.

Q2. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed? (अधिकतर सेलेब्रिटी लेखक interview देने से नफरत क्यों करते थे?
Ans  Celebrity writers did not have a good view about being interviewed. They usually despise d (नफ़रत करना) the interview . They consider it as an ‘unwarranted (बेवजह) intrusion (घुसपैठ) into their lives’. They felt थर it diminishes ( छवि धूमिल करना) them. Silvester lists out well – known writers who are against interview. Lewis Carroll had a horror (दहशत) of the interviewer. Rudyard Kipling regarded interviewing as immoral(अनैतिक) H.G. Wells called it as an ordeal, (कठिन कार्य) though he had interviewed many personalities. Saul Bellow called interviews thumb imprints on his windpipe.(श्वास नली).

Q3. Despite its drawbacks, what place does the interview have in journalism?

अपनी कमियों के बावजूद साक्षात्कार का पत्रकारिता जगत में क्या स्थान है?
Ans. Over last 130 years, the interview has become the most effective mode of communication in journalism. It leaves in our minds the most vivid impression of the person being interviewed. Everything reaches us raw about the person being interviewed.

Q4. Who was Umberto Eco? What does he say about his novel writing?
Ans. He was a university professor. He started writing novels by accident. One day he had nothing to do so he started writing novels. It satisfied his taste for narration. His first novel, The Name of the Rose, was a huge success. Though it deals with difficult and serious subjects of metaphysics, theology and medieval history, its 10-15 million copies were sold. Its success was a mystery for the writer. It broke the illusion that people liked trash.

Q5. How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Ans. Eco says that everyone has empty spaces in his life. He calls these empty spaces as interstices. He says that he writes in these empty spaces. He says, 'I am a university professor who writes novels on Sundays'

Q6.What was unique and distinctive about Eco's academic style?
Ans. Eco's writing style was playful and personal. Even his essays had a narrative aspect which made them interesting.

Q7.What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, 'The Name of the Rose'?
Ans. The Name of the Rose is a famous novel written by Umberto Eco. It is a detective novel but it deals with metaphysics, theology and medieval history. Its huge success was a mystery for the writer. The reason for its success was perhaps its narrative aspect and theme of medieval history.

Q8. What did the publisher think of 'The Name of the Rose'?
Ans.The publisher was an American lady. She said that she loved the novel but she did not hope to sell more than 3000 copies of this novel.