How I Taught My Grandmother To Read ...

Sudha Murthy
Questions-Answers:
1. What made Triveni a popular writer?
Triveni was a Kannada writer who used to write stories dealing with complex
psychological problems in the lives of ordinary people in a very simple, easy to read and
convincing style. This made Triveni a popular writer.

2. Why did the grandmother depend upon her granddaughter to know the story?
Grandmother did not go to school because of her mother death in her childhood and her
early age marriage. She liked the story of Triveni’s struggle to go to Kashi Yatra as she
could relate herself with Triveni. Her granddaughter could read. So, she depended upon
her granddaughter to know the story.

3. Pick out two sentences which state that the grandmother was desperate to know what
happened in the story.
Following are the sentences which state that the grandmother was desperate to know
what happened in the story:
- During that time, she would forget all her work and listen with greatest concentration.
- My grandmother too never went to Kashi, and she identified herself with the novel’s
protagonist.

4. Did the grandmother succeed in accomplishing her desire to read? How?

The grandmother succeeded in accomplishing her desire to read. She requested her
granddaughter to teach her how to read. She also decided her dead line to complete the
task. She grasped things very quickly and did all the assigned homework on time. She
would read, repeat, write and recite whatever she was taught. This is how she succeeded
in accomplishing her desire to read.

5. Which of the following traits would be relevant to the character of the narrator’s
grandmother? Why?
a) Determined
b) Selfish
c) Emotional
d) Mean
 The grandmother is a determined person. I feel so because she not only showed her
curiosity to learn reading but also decided the dead line for her own. She, in order to
learn reading, grasped things very quickly, and did all the assigned work on time.
Extra Questions
1. Write the character sketch of the grandmother from the story ‘How I
taught My Grandmother To Read’.
Answer:
Sudha Murthy’s ‘How I Taught My Grandmother To Read’ is the story of transformation
of her grandmother who depends upon the granddaughter for reading her favourite
novel ‘Kashi Yatre’ to becoming an independent reader.
Krishatkka is the grandmother who could not get education because of the death of her
mother in her young age. Also, educating a girl was not considered essential. She
accepted the fate and continued to be happy with the family. She adjusted herself with
the circumstances. She likes kids and her family.
Grandmother is a religious person. She goes to temple and shares the religious story
‘Kashi Yatre’ with her friends. She is also interested to go on a pilgrimage at Kashi. She is
a very determined person. She decides to be an independent reader and also decides the
deadlines for her task. She is not money minded because she is not more concerned
about money but about being independent. She is very emotional. When she could not
find anyone to read Kashi Yatre, she cries a lot. She also cries when she talks with the
writer about her inability to read the novel. Kshitakka is a good student as she can grasp
the things very quickly. She also respect her teacher (her granddaughter) by touching her
feet.

2. Make a list of qualities of the two characters of this story.

Sudha Murthy (the narrator):
- Caring
- Understanding
- Respect
Grandmother:
- Determined
- Adjusting with the situation
- Respect
- Practical
- Religious and cultured
- Emotional
3. Why did the grandmother think of learning to read and write at the age of
sixty-two?
Grandmother realised the importance of education in her granddaughter’s absence. She
had been unable to read the latest episode of ‘Kashi Yatre’. She felt helpless at her
 inability to read. She had depended on her granddaughter but then she decided to learn
the alphabet and become self-reliant.
4. Why was ‘Kashi Yatre’ grandmother’s favourite novel ? Give two reasons
to support your answer.
‘Kashi Yatre’ was grandmother’s favourite novel as she identified herself with the novel’s
protagonist, who never went to school and her ardent desire was to go to Kashi which
was believed to be the ultimate punya.
5. What is described in the novel, ‘Kashi Yatre’ ?
‘Kashi Yatre’ was the story of an old woman who wished to visit Kashi and worship Lord
Vishweshwara. She was a devout woman who wished to perform the ultimate act of
Punya. But, she chooses to help an orphan girl with her savings and believes it is more
important than going to Kashi.
6. What were the obstacles the grandmother faced when she was a young
girl?
The grandmother lost her mother when she was very young. She had nobody to look
after her and guide her. She never went to school and got married at a very young age.
Then, she had children and became busy.
7. Grandmother gave a gift to her granddaughter. What was that and why
did she give it?
Grandmother gave a frock material to the granddaughter. It was a mark of affection, love
and respect. Her granddaughter had taken on the role of a teacher and had patiently
taught her to read. Grandmother wanted to show her gratitude and also wanted to please
the little girl who was now her teacher.
8. How does Krishtakka justify the touching of her granddaughter’s feet ?
Krishtaka justifies the touching of her granddaughter’s feet as a gesture to show respect
and gratitude to the latter, who though her granddaughter, was her teacher in the first
place. To validate her action, she even makes a mention of the scriptures where it is
written that a teacher should be respected irrespective of the gender and age.

Value based Questions

1. The common belief is that God wishes us to serve him through his people, mankind. Do
you agree with this faith? Justify you answer in context with the novel Kashi Yatra.
2. The best way to thank an illiterate person is to make him/her literate. Give your views on
this opinion and justify them with reference to How I Taught My Grandmother to Read.
2.

Grammar:
Writing Skills:
You are the narrator in the story ‘How I Taught My Grandmother to Read’.
Write a letter to your friend telling him why you have decided to become a
teacher. Write the letter in about 150 words.
12-Lotus Appts.
Korapur Village
Karnataka

25th June, 2014

Dear Rudra,
Today, I am going to share my first teaching experience. I know you must be shocked to
hear this, a 10 year old child-a teacher! But yes, it’s true. And, imagine who’s my first
student–my own grandmother. When she asked me to teach her Kannada language
alphabet, I thought she was joking. I laughed at her, made fun of her. But, she just
smiled. I told her that she was old, her hair were grey, her hands wrinkled and that she
worked so much in the kitchen. She said that for a good cause, if one is determined, one
can overcome any obstacle. She also convinced me that for learning there is no age bar.
There was something in her words that compelled me to teach her. I started my tuitions.
She was a wonderful student. Her seriousness, tenacity and determination was amazing.
The amount of home-work she did, was outstanding. I was overwhelmed by her
response.
She took me truly as her teacher. She even touched my feet not as a granddaughter but as
a teacher. She was my only student and I was her only teacher. Beside teachings her, I
also had a new learning experience of my life.
Rest I shall write in my next letter.
Bye.

Regards,
Sudha Murthy
Chapter 05 | The New Schoolfellow

1. Character sketch of Philip Wakem

§ Philip is the only son of a wealthy lawyer, Mr. Wakem.
§ Mr. Wakem and Mr. Tulliver, Tom's father are enemies and so Tom and Philip continue the
same way initially.
§ Philip is physically deformed with a hunch on his back and so he is reserved and
depressed most of the time.
§ But slowly he brings out his intelligence in the way he tells Tom many interesting stories.
§ He has special gifts of narrating tales and is good at drawing.
§ Though he is physically challenged his mental health is good.
§ He soon becomes a friend of Tom by exhibiting his intelligence.

2. Character sketch of Tom Tulliver

· Tom is Maggie’s older brother by four years.

· He is athletic, prideful, obsessed with justice, and usually rather unforgiving.

· He has very little book-smarts but he is practical,determined, and willing to

sacrifice everything to regain his family’s honour.

· Tom is ill-suited for studies in Latin and geometry.

· Tom is highly moralistic and has a well-developed sense of right and wrong,
which he imposes on those around him.

3. Summary | The New Schoolfellow

1. Tom 14 years old, goes back to school and meets Philip Wakem
15 years old.
2. Philip is pale and small and has curly brown hair. He has a
hunchback and Tom is uncomfortable around him.
3. Philip and Tom are both proud and shy so they don’t say much to
each other during their first meeting. It’s all very awkward.
4. But Philip is a good artist, and Tom is absorbed by his pictures.
So the two finally strike up a conversation over drawing.
5. Philip says he taught himself to draw and Tom is impressed.
6. It turns out that Philip already knows Latin and he’s at Mr.
Stelling’s to learn some more advanced subjects.
 7. Tom then asks Philip about his dad, which makes Philip
uncomfortable.
8. The boys discuss school: Philip says he can learn the things he
wants to in the future and he’ll just study Latin and stuff for now.
Tom likes this plan.
9. Philip then impresses Tom with his knowledge of Greek and
Roman history and all the cool battles.
10. Tom starts talking about fishing and Philip thinks fishing is dumb.
The boys are called to dinner before they can argue about it

4. Word Meaning

§ Keenness - the quality of being eager or enthusiastic; eagerness.

§ Solace - comfort or consolation in a time of great distress or sadness.
§ Flutter- to move back and forth rapidly
§ Wrappings – covers
§ Defiance – disobedience
§ Aversion - a strong dislike
§ Deformity – defect,
§ Conspicuous - clearly visible

§ Furtive - attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or

a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive.
§ Repugnance - intense disgust
§ Oftener – many times
§ Pale – light in colour or shade
§ Puny - small and weak
§ Enviable – arousing or likely to arouse envy
§ Spiteful - wanting to annoy, upset, or hurt another person, especially in
a small way, because you feel angry towards them
§ Hearth - the floor of a fireplace

§ Knock under - to admit defeat

§ Suspicion - a feeling or thought that something is possible, likely, or true

§ Complacency - a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's

achievements.

§ conciliate - stop (someone) being angry or discontented

§ perplexity – confusion
§ harriers - a person who engages in persistent attacks on others or incursions
into their land.

§ epigrammatic - desire to say something briefly.

§ Wince - make a slight involuntary grimace or shrinking movement of the body

out of pain or distress

§ Allusion - an expression designed to call something to mind without

mentioning it explicitly

§ Peevishly - having or showing an irritable character

§ Pike – a kind of fish.

Question & Answers [Page 45]

1. What did Tom Tulliver do with the parcel of Sugar Candy?

Tom took out the parcel of sugar-candy, made a small hole in the paper, and
bit off a crystal or two. He liked it so much that he repeated the process more
than once.

2. Why did Mr. Stelling leave Tom and Philip alone after introducing them?

Mr Stelling left Tom and Philip alone after a brief introduction for he believed
that the shyness that boys feel when making new friends wears off in the
absence of their elders.

3. Why did Philip not get up to shake hands with Tom?

Philip did not get up to shake hands with Torn because he felt at once too
proud and too timid to walk towards him. Philip had a deformity, which made
him self-conscious. The deformity became more conspicuous when he
walked. He felt that Tom, like everyone else, would find him repulsive if he got
up and walked up to him to shake hands.
4. What prompted Tom to suddenly walk across to Philip?

As Tom warmed himself by the fire, Philip drew random things, which aroused
Tom's curiosity. Moreover, he thought he would rather have Philip as a
companion than keep looking out of the window at the rain and kick his foot
against the washboard, in the absence of anything better to do. He also
wanted to make Philip understand not to try his spiteful tricks on him while
they boarded together.

5. Which lesson was Philip very fond of?

Philip was very fond of Greek history and everything about the Greeks, so
much so that he would have loved to be one of them.

6. Why did Tom feel that Philip was not spiteful fellow after all?

Philip seemed to be easy to speak to. He did not seem proud of his talent
for drawing. He made it seem like an easy thing to do, something that Tom,
too, could master if he tried. When Tom felt disappointed that they would not
be reading the same lessons, Philip comforted hm by saying that he would be
glad to help him. This pleasant exchange made Tom feel that Philip was not a
spiteful after all.
DUSK

Vocabulary:
Sr.
No. Word Meaning

1 Deserted Empty, because all the people have left

2 Retreating To move backwards; to go to a safe or private place

3 Scarcely Only just; almost not

4 Judicially Connected with a court of law, a judge or a legal judgment

5 Outrageously Behave in a very angry or shocked manner.

6 Shrouded To cover or hide something

7 Quest A long search for something that is difficult to find

8 Blurted To utter suddenly

9 Circumstances The facts and events that affect what happens in a particular situati

To look closely or carefully at somebody/

10 Peering something, for example because you cannot see very well
Questions & Answers
Dusk written by Hector Hugh Munro who is also known by the pen name ‘Saki’. “Dusk” is
another of Saki’s darkly unexpected stories. The protagonist, Gortsby, spends the duration
of the story watching individuals running about at dusk. His error in judgement causes a
young man to get the better of him with his story of misery.
Dusk Questions & Answers:
Q 1. What was the atmosphere at Hyde Park?
Ans: The whole atmosphere at Hyde Park was full of sadness (dusky). It was an early
March evening at around 6:30 and there was not completely dark due to moonlight and
street lamps. Though there was an emptiness over the road and sidewalk, even some people
were moving here and there while others were sitting on the benches and chairs in the Park.
Their faces were hardly visible in the twilight. According to Gortsby, it was the time of
dejected and disappointed people who would come to such a place to enjoy their
solitariness.
Q 2. Where did Norman Gortsby sit? How does the narrator describe the dusk in and
around the park?
Ans: Norman Gortsby sat on a bench in the almost deserted park. It was some thirty
minutes past six on an early March evening, and dusk had fallen heavily over the scene
mitigated by some faint moonlight and many street lamps.
Q 3. How does Norman Gortsby view ‘Dusk’?
Ans: Norman Gortsby views dusk as the hour of the defeated. The people who had fought
and lost came out at this time so that their shabby clothes, bowed shoulders and unhappy
eyes might pass unnoticed and unrecognized by those who were successful.
Q 4. Draw a profile of the person who first sat near Gortsby on the bench?
Ans: It was an elderly gentleman who first sat near Gortsby on the bench. The man seemed
to have lost interest in life. He looked dejected and disappointed but refused to admit this
fact. He was not wearing entirely shabby clothes but one could not call them fine too. Even
his physical appearance did not seem deceptive. It seemed that no one cared him; perhaps
he was in the dusk of his life.
Q 5. How did the young man present himself as genuine in his tale?
Ans: The young man was agitated as he sat on the bench to gain Gortsby’s attention. He
frankly stated that he had done the silliest thing in his life. His reference to the mix up in
hotel bookings is often a genuine problem faced by travellers. He’s stepping out to buy an
essential item such as a bar of soap lent further credence to the story. Thus, by blaming
himself and behaving frankly, he presented himself as a genuine person.
Q 6. Why had the young man have to book a room in an unknown hotel?
Ans: The young man had to book a room in an unknown hotel because the Patagonian
Hotel he had come to lodge had been pulled down and a cinema theatre run upon its site.
Q 7. What predicament was the young man in?
Ans: The young man had come to London with the intention of staying at the Patagonian
Hotel but on arrival, he discovered that it had been razed. He checked into another hotel
and stepped out to buy a bar of soap. It seemed that he had forgotten to pack soap and hated
using hotel soap. When he turned to go back, he didn’t remember the name of the hotel and
its location. He had just two pence left with him and had no friends or connections in
London to lend him money.
Q 8. What kind of help is the young man looking for?
Ans: The young man is looking for monetary help as he has no money and felt lost in the
city.
Q 9. Why did Gortsby think that the man was careless?
Ans: Gortsby thought that the young man was careless because the man had lost the way to
his hotel, didn’t remember the street name or the name of the hotel, and kept the cake of
soap in a place unfamiliar to him.
Q 10. What was the ‘weak point’ in the man’s story?
Ans: The weakest point in the story of the man was that he could not produce the soap
bought by him, to prove to Mr. Gortsby that his story was genuine.
Q 11. Did Gortsby believe the young man’s story? Why?
Ans: Gortsby didn’t believe the young man’s story. However, he wanted to see how far the
young man would act or talk to prove his point and get some sympathy or money. So, he
casually narrated an incident where he and a friend had lost their way in a foreign capital
but somehow managed to go back to their hotel by remembering that it was near a canal.
Q 12: What did Gortsby conclude on finding the soap by the bench?
Ans: Gortsby linked the young stranger’s story and the bar of soap together and concluded
that the soap had fallen out of the youth’s overcoat pocket when he had flung himself down
on the bench.
Q 13. How did the young man fool Gortsby?
Answer: Gortsby realised that the young man was out to extract money from him, and
hence refused the young man a loan. However, after the young man left hurriedly, Gortsby
found a bar of soap lying next to the bench and thought that it was the young men. He ran
and caught up with the young man, apologised and gave him the soap and one pound (one
sovereign). The young man who looked hostile suddenly looked surprised, friendly and
thankful. He hastily took the money and Gortsby’s address and fled the scene. When
Gortsby walked past the park bench, the elderly gentleman was searching for his bar of
soap. It was then that Gortsby realised that he had been fooled by the young man.
Q 14. Describe in short, the various thoughts and feelings of Norman Gortsby from
the beginning to the end of the story ‘Dusk’.
Ans: Norman Gortsby didn’t have a positive opinion of the general public or himself. His
mood matched the dusk or the settling darkness. He saw honest, hardworking people
walking past him as ‘the defeated’. He made conclusions about the old gentleman sitting
next to him without knowing anything about him. He disbelieved the young stranger’s story
but took pleasure to prove him wrong.

On finding the soap, he is elated that the young man was telling the truth but feels guilty
that he didn’t help him. He hastens to hand over the soap and money to the young man. He
chides himself for judging the young man too quickly but realises that he has been fooled
when the old gentleman comes back looking for the soap.

Q 15. Do you think ‘Dusk’ is an appropriate title for the story?

Ans: Yes, ‘Dusk’ is an appropriate title for the story. Dusk is that part of the day when the
light is dim and murky. It is the time of the day when all living things are hurrying to go
back home or find a safe place before nightfall or darkness. For Norman, Dusk is “the hour
of the defeated” and it provides cover to those who are hiding their shabby clothes, bowed
shoulders and unhappy eyes which means dusk offers the shadowing required to hide their
failures.
At the end of the story, it is seen that Norman has fallen victim to one of the successes
which prove Norman to be one of the people of dusk. The title ‘Dusk’ not only describes
the part of the setting but it also describes the figurative partial darkness of Norman’s trust
in mankind. So, it is an appropriate title.
Q 16. Why do you think the young man built a story around a bar of soap?
Ans: The young man was a master at spinning tales to extract money from people. The
reason why the young man built a story around a bar of soap could be as follows:
It is quite common for people to have preferences for everyday items of use like shampoos,
towels, soaps, etc. A bar of soap is a very normal and common reason for people to go
shopping.