Amanda Chapter all Questions & Answers (Class-10)

 Amanda Chapter all questions and answers

NCERT Solutions: Thinking about the Poem (Page 62)

Que 1: How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?

ANSWER:

Amanda is a school going girl, she must be around 10-11 years old. The things that she is scolded for by her mother are all typical instructions given to a 10-11 year old girl.

Que 2: Who do you think is speaking to her (Amanda)?

ANSWER:

Based on the conversation between Amanda and the other person, it is fair to assume that she is speaking to her mother.

Que 3: Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?

ANSWER:

Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 are the thoughts of a child in between the instructions that she is given by her mother, so these thoughts were given in parenthesis because her mother's instructions were given in stanzas 1, 3 and 5. The scolding by the mother and the child’s thoughts are placed in alternate stanzas by the poet.

Que 4: 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, the speaker is the child, whose name is Amanda. In the stanzas 1, 3 and 5 the speaker is Amanda's mother.

No, Amanda is not listening to her mother as her mother is giving her instructions and scolding her. Amanda is lost in her thoughts and she is clearly not listening to her mother.

Que 5: What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?

ANSWER:

Amanda like a typical 9-10 year old is not following her mother's instructions properly. That's why she is being scolded. She dream of being a mermaid. If Amanda were a mermaid, then she would drift slowly on a languid emerald sea. She would be the sole inhabitant of the relaxed green sea and would move slowly on it.

Que 6: Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?

ANSWER:

No, Amanda is not an orphan at all. She says so because she is being scolded by her mother and she wants to be alone. She wants to roam around the street alone. She wants the pattern dust to wit her bare feet. She finds silence ‘golden’ and freedom ‘sweet’.  That's why she calls herself an orphan.

Que 7: Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?

ANSWER:

Rapunzel was a beautiful girl with long hairs who  lived alone in a tall tower. Her grandmother had kept her captive in the tower. She came up the tower by climbing Rapunzel's long hair. 

Amanda also wants to live alone in a tower as she would not have to care about anything. She thinks that the life in a tower would be tranquil, peaceful and rare. However, she also decided that she would never throw down her hair for anyone to come up as she wanted to live alone always.

Que 8: What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?

ANSWER:

The girl in the poem is a 9-10 year old Amanda. She yearns for solitude and peace. She wants to stay alone. She dream of being a mermaid. If she were a mermaid, then she would drift slowly on a calm sea where she would be the only inhabitant. Even she imagines as if she were an orphan. In that case, she would roam around in the street in silence and freedom. 

She also wants to be Rapunzel. However, she would not let her hair down for anybody to climb up. Because she always wants to be alone as she is fed up of the continuous scolding by her mother. She wants to go away from her home to some place where she would not be nagged constantly and would be able to live peacefully.

Que 9: Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?

ANSWER:

We can not say that Amanda is sulking, though she could be moody. She is completely lost in her thoughts and is not even listening to her mother. Her mother perceives her to be sulking as she does not react to her instructions at all. As Amanda does not listen to her, her mother concludes that she is very moody and continues to nag her.

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