My Mother at Sixty Six by Kamla Das.

22 April /2020.  #Stay at Home , Stay Safe"

Summary of the poem

It is a short and beautiful poem written by Kamla Das. It explains the paradox of human relationships. Sometimes we fail to explain our genuine feelings . It is what happens in this poem. The poetess was driving to Cochin airport. Her mother was sitting beside her. She was very weak and thin. Her mouth was open. She was dozing. She looked like a corpse. The poetess realized that her end was near. This thought made her  sad. Soon she put that thought away and looked outside. She saw merry children spilling out of their homes. She saw young trees sprinting back. On reaching the airport she saw her mother again. She could not articulate her parting words. She kept only smiling . Thus the poem contrasts life with death, energy with inactivity . It also brings out the paradox of human relationships.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1 Why has the mother been compared to the late winter's moon?

In late winter , the moon becomes yellow and very small. It loses it lustre. The poet's mother was also very old and weak. She has turned pale due to old age. That is why , the poet compares her mother to waning moon.

Q2 What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

Ans. The poet's mother was old and weak. She had grown pale due to old age. She would not live long. The thought of losing her mother created pain and ache in her heart.
3. Why are the young trees described as ''sprinting'?

Ans. 'Sprinting means "running very fast. As the poet's car was moving fast and the trees appeared to move backward, so they have been described as sprinting. Infact trees were still. It was only illusion of vision.

Q4. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children spilling out of their homes,?

Ans. The image of merry children spilling out of their homes contrasts childhood and old age. Childhood is the symbol of energy, vitality and merry making while old age symbolises weakness, sadness and sickness.

Q5 What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

Ans, The poet's parting words : "See you soon, Amma"  are only formal. They signify that poetess was indifferent to her mother's mental state. Her smile also indicates that she was not serious about her mother's condition.

Q6.What painful thought comes to the poet' mind and how does she drive it away?

Ans  On seeing her mother' s physical state, the poetess realized that her end was near. But soon she put that painful thought away and looked outside at the merry children and sprinting trees .


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Read the stanza carefully and answer the questions that follow-:

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 realised with pain
that she was as old as she looked,

Q1. "I saw my mother". Who does "I"refer to?
Q2. Who was driving and where?
Q3. Who was sitting beside the narrator?
Q4. What does she compare her mother to? Why?
Q5. Make sentence using ' as...as'.
Q6-. What did the poet realise with pain?
Q7.  What is meaning of " corpse"?

July SAT SOLUTIONS

Q1. You are Manav Garg, the NSA Captain of Shiv Shakti School, Panipat. Draft a notice for your school notice board inviting volunteers to attend the 10 days Cleanliness Camp in a nearby village.

Ans.

…......….......................................................................

     Ten Days Cleanliness Camp at Jharli

                         A Notice

People are informed that a ten days cleanliness camp is to be organised at Jharli from August 1 to 10 by Manav youth club to promote "Sawachh Bharat Mission" - a programme of The Government of India. Volunteers are cordially invited to attend this camp and contribute their services to ....the nation. All arrangements such as food and stay will be made by Shiv Shakti School . Please register your names from 26 to 31 July with our school.

Manav Garg,

NSA Captain,

Shiv Shakti School, Panipat.

.......,............................................................................

                         OR

You want to sell a Colour T.V. Drafting an advertisement for it in the column of FOR SALE

Ans.

.......….........................................................................

                              FOR SALE

  An L.G. Colour T.V. , screen 24'', good condition, is offered for sale on reasonable prices as the owner is going abroad. Contact immediately  XYZ,  115 Friends Colony, Jhajjar. Contact no. xxxxxxx680.

....................................................................................
Q2.
Write a report on tree plantation programme which was organised by your school last month, in about 150 words.
_____________________________________________

            Tree Plantation Programme
                        A Report

  August 1,Goria .  A tree plantation programme was organised by our school last month to make the school campus green and beautiful. All the students and the teachers of our school took part in it. About 200 plants were brought from nursery at Sahlawas . Students and teachers planted some trees in the school campus and rest of the plants were distributed among the students. The principal of our school delivered a speech on the importance of trees and motivated the students to plant and protect trees. He said that the trees are invaluable gift from God to man and it is our duty to protect them. The students took an oath to protect the trees.
Reported by
XYZ ,
GSSS GORIA.
_____________________________________________
      OR
Recenty  your school has observed a Road Safety Week. The S.P.(traffic) of your city gave the students a lecture on Road Safety. The students were made aware of road signs and the rules with the help of posters and charts. As the Student Editor of your school magazine write a report on the event.

_____________________________________________

                  A Road Safety Week
                       (GSSS GORIA)
                           A REPORT

Goria. May,15 . A Road Safety Week was organised in our school by district traffic police from May 7 to May 13 . The students were made aware of road signs and the rules with the help of posters and charts. The S.P. traffic police of our city gave a lecture on Road Safety and motivated the students to follow rules of road. Books mentioning the rules of roads were distributed among students. A test having 30 objective type of questions was taken to evaluate the knowledge of students about road rules. At the end , our principal thanked the traffic police for enhancing the students' knowledge about road rules.

Reported by
Amit
Student Editor,
GSSS GORIA.
___________&________________________________

Q3.
a) She....tastes../has tasted.. meat several times.
b) He....has been absent.. since Monday.
c) The train...has just....arrived.
d) He gerally ...writes in English, but today he...is writing.. in Hindi.
....,...............................................
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