Chapter 10: Going places

English
(www.olympiadsuccess.com)

Chapter 8: Going places

Class: XII

Exercise number – 1

 

Question 1

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meanings from the context.

Answer 1

Expressions	Meanings
Incongruity	Quality of being unsuitable/absurdity
Prodigy	A young person endowed with exceptional qualities
Chuffed	Very pleased
Solitary elm	A secluded tall tree
Arcade	A passage or a walkway with shops and stalls on either side
Amber glow	Yellowish- brown light of the lamp
Wharf	A place beside the water bodies for loading or unloading of the ships
Pangs of doubt	A sudden realization of uncertainty about something

__

 

Think As you Read

Question 1

Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?

Answer 1

The two girls, Sophie and Jansie, were already destined for employment within the biscuit
factory and it absolutely was doubtless that they would work there after school.

 

Question 2

What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her to have such dreams?

Answer 2

Sophie dreamt of opening a dress shop or becoming an actress or a fashion designer.
She thought that she would be offered the position of a manager. After that she would work there and would save enough money for her shop.
Keeping in mind their lower middle class family background, Jansie discourages Sophie to have such dreams. Jansie is more realistic and sensible in life. She is aware of that huge ambitions cost serious investments that their working-class status cannot afford.

Question 3

Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?

Answer 3

Sophie knew her father well. He would be angry if he knew of her meeting with the
young Irish football player, Danny Casey. She failed to tell him. When Geoff told his father about it, he became angry. He turned his head to look at her with disdain. Sophie wriggled where she was sitting at the table.

Question 4

Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?

Answer 4

No Geoff doesn't believe what Sophie says regarding her meeting with Danny Casey.
First he looks round in disbelief and says that it cannot be true. Once more he says that he doesn't believe it. Sophie then narrates however Danny Casey came and stood beside her. Geoff asks her what he looks like. Therefore he doesn't seem to be convinced that Sophie has met Danny Casey.

Question 5

Does her father believe her story?

Answer 5

Sophie's father doesn't believe her story and he warns her that her "wild stories"
might land her into bother.

Question 6

How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of future?

Answer 6

Sophie is jealous of the actual fact that her brother has access to the world outside. She
dreams up about planning to these places with him some day in the future wearing a yellow dress. She fantasises that the world would rise to greet them.

Question 7

Which country did Danny Casey play for?

Answer 7

Danny Casey played football for Ireland.

__

Think as you read

Question 1

Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?

Answer 1

Sophie didn't want Jansie to know about her encounter with Danny as a result of her

feared that Jansie would unfold her story to the whole neighbourhood.

Question 2

Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?

Answer 2

Sophie failed to meet Danny Casey actually. She created up the story of her
encounter with Danny Casey only to seek the attention of her brother, Geoff.

Question 3

Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?

Answer 3

The only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey face to face was when the
family visited watch United on Saturday. Sophie, her father and little Derek went down close to the goal. Geoff went together with his mates higher up. United won two-nil. Her idol Casey drove within the second goal. She saw Irish genius going round two huge defenders on the edge of penalty area. He beat the hesitant goal keeper from a dozen yards. Sophie glowed proudly.

__

 

Understanding the Text

Question 1

Sophie and Jansie were class-mates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?

Answer 1

Sophie and Jansie were completely different from one another. Sophie was a dreamer who
enjoyed making her own fairyland using her imagination. She showed an urge to transcend her working-class status and attain sophistication by following the ambition of a fashion designer or an actress. Jansie, on the opposite hand, was more practical and realistic than Sophie. She tried to tug Sophie back to reality, but all in vain. Jansie’s sensibility and maturity are evident in her conceive to prompt her friend that they were earmarked for the biscuit factory, and expensive dreams were inappropriate for their money status.

 

Question 2

How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?

Answer 2

Sophie’s father features a plumpy face looking grim and sweaty. He does not seem to be a
soft or refined man. Sophie fears his aggressive manfulness. He's a realist and doesn't believe his daughter's wild stories. He loves watching football. He hopes young Casey are going to be nearly as good as Tom Finney. He wishes that the young footballer keeps off from all distractions. He shouts instructions to Casey at the playground. When the Irish genius, beats the hesitant goal keeper, Sophie's father screams with joy and pride. He goes to a pub to celebrate the victory.

Question 3

Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her

perspective, what did he symbolise?

Answer 3

Sophie liked her brother Geoff, more than anybody else because he wasn't in the
habit of talking much and remained lost in his own thoughts. She envied his silence and thought that he had access to an unknown world. She wished to be a part of that world wherever she made-up herself wearing glamorous clothes and being welcome by everybody. For Sophie, Geoff symbolised liberty from the monotonous and colourless life that they had been living.

Question 4

What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status?

Answer 4

Sophie belongs to a lower middle class. She lives in a little house along with her parents
and 2 brothers, Derek and Geoff. When she returns home after school, she feels filled with the steam of the stove and is fed up with the dirty dishes heaped in a corner. Her mother's back has become stooped and bent by handling all the household chores and responsibilities on her own. Her father is a hardworking man and her elder brother, Geoff works as an apprentice mechanic in a garage located far from his house. Her family needs Sophie to hitch work immediately after her school. These are a number of the indications of the financial status of Sophie's family.

__

Talking about the Text

Discuss in pairs.

 

Question 1

Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind.

Answer 1

Sophie was a dreamer who usually created up stories for herself and for others. One
possibility might be that she needed to escape the squalor of everyday life with the help of her fantasies. Her encounter with Danny Casey was a made-up story for the sake of catching her brother's attention. Eventually, she got such a lot engrossed in it that she began to live in the world of fantasy. When Danny Casey failed to arrive for the second 'date', she experienced disappointment. However painful and dissatisfactory her fantasy might be, she wasn't willing to just accept reality. Her dreams and disappointments are figments of her imagination.

 

Question 2

It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasising?

Answer 2

Teenage is the phase of life that constitutes the most important changes within the lifetime of an
individual. Throughout this phase, someone learns several things, sets his career goals, and deals with peer pressure and also the pressure of adults' expectations. Hence, it's natural for teenagers to fantasize and to have impractical dreams.
Advantages Fantasizing, supported realistic goals or the world around, provides a means to succeed in higher ambitions and dreams. Aspiring for higher career goals and dealing hard could guarantee successful career prospects. Therefore it in stills confidence and a spirit to realize one's need. In tough situations of life it helps in still positivity and optimism. People who do so are often judged as artistic individuals.
Disadvantages Fantasizing builds a gap between fantasy and reality. The belief of the inequality between one's goals and capabilities is also painful. Non achievement can also result in disappointment, depression or suicidal tendencies. Moreover, it's a sheer wastage of time for many.