NCERT Class 10 English – First Flight – Chapter 4: From the Diary of Anne Frank – Part 1
Exercise Questions: Short Answers & Simple Explanations
Q1. What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?
Answer: She feels that no one will be interested in her thoughts.
Explanation: Anne thought people might not care about her feelings, so writing seemed unusual.
Q2. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?
Answer: She wants a friend with whom she can share her feelings.
Explanation: She felt lonely and decided to write her thoughts in a diary as a true friend.
Q3. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?
Answer: Because she could be completely honest in her diary.
Explanation: She believed her diary would not judge or misunderstand her.
Q4. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?
Answer: To help the reader understand her background.
Explanation: She wanted readers to know about her family and life before reading her thoughts.
Q5. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?
Answer: She wrote that no one could replace her grandmother.
Explanation: She remembered her grandmother with love and lit a candle for her on her birthday.
Q6. Why was Mr. Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?
Answer: He was annoyed because she talked a lot in class. He asked her to write an essay on “A Chatterbox”.
Explanation: Mr. Keesing wanted her to think about her habit of talking too much.
Q7. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?
Answer: She said talking was part of her nature and she could not change it.
Explanation: Anne explained that her habit came from her mother, so it was natural for her.
Q8. Do you think Mr. Keesing was a strict teacher?
Answer: He was strict but also kind and fair.
Explanation: Though he punished Anne, he later enjoyed her funny poems and accepted her nature.
Q9. What made Mr. Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?
Answer: Her funny poem about a mother duck and her ducklings.
Explanation: The humour in the poem made him laugh and he stopped punishing her for talking.
Q1. Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?
Answer: No, she was not right. People all over the world have found her diary very interesting.
Explanation: Even though Anne thought no one would care, her diary became famous and touched millions of people’s hearts.
Q2. There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s diary different?
Answer: Anne’s diary was originally written in Dutch. Unlike normal diary entries, she writes like she is talking to a close friend.
Explanation: Most diaries keep short notes, but Anne’s is detailed, personal, and full of feelings, as if speaking to her friend “Kitty”.
Q3. Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?
Answer: She gives a brief sketch to help readers understand her background. She treats “Kitty” as an insider.
Explanation: By sharing details about her life, she makes “Kitty” a trusted friend who knows her personal story.
Q4. How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?
Answer: She loves and respects her father and grandmother. She feels emotional when remembering Mrs Kuperus and has mixed feelings about Mr Keesing.
Explanation: This shows she is loving, values relationships, and notices both kindness and strictness in people.
Q5. What does Anne write in her first essay?
Answer: Her first essay was on “A Chatterbox”. She explained that talking was part of her nature and she could not help it.
Explanation: She made the essay humorous and even said she got the habit from her mother.
Q6. Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?
Answer: Yes, Mr Keesing is unpredictable. At first, he punished Anne for talking, but later he laughed at her funny poem and stopped punishing her.
Explanation: His change from strictness to humour shows that his reactions were not always the same.
Q7. What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?
- Statements from the text:
- "We don’t seem to be able to get any closer…"
- "I don’t want to jot down…"
- "Margot went to Holland…"
- "… so many dummies… teachers are the most unpredictable…"
- "Anyone could ramble on… but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments…"
- What these statements show about Anne Frank:
- She is thoughtful and tries to understand her relationships.
- She values close friendships and emotional connection.
- She is humorous in her observations.
- She is honest and speaks her mind.
- She has strong opinions about people, situations, and life.
Explanation: Anne was an intelligent, sensitive, and outspoken girl. She had a unique way of expressing herself and liked to think deeply.
NCERT Class 10 English – First Flight – Chapter 4: The Hundred Dresses – I – Part 2
Exercise Questions: Short Answers & Simple Explanations
Q1. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?
Answer: Amanda is a school-age girl, probably 9–12 years old. We know this from the kind of instructions she is given, like doing homework and sitting straight.
Explanation: The poem describes her being nagged about daily habits, studies, and behaviour, which shows she is still a child.
Q2. Who do you think is speaking to her?
Answer: Most likely, it’s her mother or a parent-figure speaking to her.
Explanation: The tone is instructive and caring, like a parent telling a child what to do and what not to do.
Q3. Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?
Answer: These stanzas show Amanda’s thoughts and dreams, not spoken words.
Explanation: The brackets separate her imagination from the real-life instructions she is hearing.
Q4. Who is the speaker in Stanzas 2, 4 and 6? Do you think this speaker is listening to the speaker in Stanzas 1, 3, 5, and 7?
Answer: In Stanzas 2, 4, and 6, Amanda herself is the speaker. She is lost in her own thoughts and not really listening.
Explanation: Amanda is imagining different worlds and ignoring the adult’s continuous instructions.
Q5. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
Answer: She could drift happily in the calm green sea.
Explanation: Amanda imagines the life of a mermaid as peaceful and free from rules.
Q6. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?
Answer: No, she is not an orphan. She says so because she wants freedom and peace without anyone scolding her.
Explanation: The thought shows her wish to live alone and make her own choices.
Q7. Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?
Answer: Yes, Rapunzel was a girl with very long hair, locked in a tower. Amanda wants to be Rapunzel so she can live alone, peacefully, without anyone disturbing her.
Explanation: For Amanda, Rapunzel’s isolation seems like a life free from rules and instructions.
Q8. What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?
Answer: She yearns for freedom, peace, and a life without constant nagging and rules. The poem shows she is imaginative and values personal space.
Explanation: Amanda’s daydreams reflect her desire to escape into a world of her own where she feels free.
Q9. Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?
Answer: No, Amanda is not sulking. She is just lost in her thoughts and not paying attention.
Explanation: The parent thinks she is sulking, but Amanda is actually daydreaming about her imaginary worlds.