English (Core) · Class 11 Languages
Ch 1The Portrait of a Lady — Class 11 English (Core), concept-first.
Khushwant Singh (1915-2014) was one of India's best-known writers in English — a novelist, historian, short-story writer, editor and newspaper columnist, famous for his sharp wit, plain honesty and warm humour. Among his best-loved works is the novel Train to Pakistan.
32
Q&A
3
Concepts
31m
Section weightage
Section C · Literature Textbooks (Hornbill & Snapshots) · across all 16 lessons
Key concepts
Hover a concept to preview it and jump to its most relevant Q&A.
Narrative Perspective Bias
Imagine you're watching a movie where the camera never leaves the main character's shoulder. You see only what they see, hear only what they hear, and you're fed their private thoughts.
Most relevant Q&A
- Mention the three phases of the author's relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.Free
- Mention three reasons why the author's grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.Free
- Mention three ways in which the author's grandmother spent her days after he grew up.Preview
- Mention the odd way in which the author's grandmother behaved just before she died.Preview
- Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author's grandmother died.Preview
Chapter contents
The NCERT structure, section by section. Open a section to see its questions, then read the concept-first solution.
About the Author and the Text
Khushwant Singh (1915-2014) was one of India's best-known writers in English — a novelist, historian, short-story writer, editor and newspaper columnist, famous for his sharp wit, plain honesty and wa…
Summary of the Lesson
The author begins with a portrait of his grandmother as he had always known her: short, fat and slightly bent, her face a criss-cross of wrinkles, dressed in spotless white, one hand telling the beads…
Themes
The bond between generations At its heart the lesson is a celebration of the deep, loving friendship between a grandmother and her grandchild.
Character Sketches
The lesson centres on just two living figures — the author-narrator (Khushwant Singh as a boy and young man) and his grandmother, the "lady" of the title.
The Author (the Narrator)
The narrator is the young Khushwant Singh, looking back with honesty and affection on his boyhood and youth.
The Grandmother
The grandmother is the true heart of the lesson — the "lady" whose portrait the author paints.
Title and Message
The title and the underlying message both point to the grandmother as a figure of quiet beauty and dignity, and to the value of the bonds we too often take for granted.
Significance of the Title
The title 'The Portrait of a Lady' works on more than one level.
Message of the Lesson
The lesson carries several quiet but important messages.
Summary
- Author type: An autobiographical character-portrait by Khushwant Singh of his grandmother — the "lady" of the title.
Understanding the Text
+−Understanding the Texti5 questions
- Q1Mention the three phases of the author's relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.Free
- Q2Mention three reasons why the author's grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.Free
- Q3Mention three ways in which the author's grandmother spent her days after he grew up.Preview
- Q4Mention the odd way in which the author's grandmother behaved just before she died.Preview
- Q5Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author's grandmother died.Preview
Talking about the Text
+−Talking about the Texti4 questions
- Q1The author's grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?Free
- Q2Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?Free
- Q3Would you agree that the author's grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.Preview
- Q4Have you known someone like the author's grandmother? Do you feel the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and lost…Preview
Thinking about Language
+−Thinking about Languagei4 questions
- Q1Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?Free
- Q2Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family?Free
- Q3How would you say 'a dilapidated drum' in your language?Preview
- Q4Can you think of a song or a poem in your language that talks of homecoming?Preview
Working with Words
+−Working with Wordsi3 questions
- Q1I. Notice the following uses of the word 'tell' in the text. 1. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary. 2. I would tell her E…Free
- Q2II. Notice the different senses of the word 'take'. 1. to take to something: to begin to do something as a habit 2. to take ill: to suddenly…Preview
- Q3III. The word 'hobble' means to walk with difficulty because the legs and feet are in bad condition. Tick the words in the box below that al…Preview
Noticing Form
Things to Do
About the Unit
The Hornbill textbook closes the chapter with a short descriptor of what each exercise section is meant to do. In our words:
Additional Practice
Extra exam-style practice questions written by us on this lesson — beyond the NCERT textbook's own exercises — for more CBSE board-exam preparation.
+−Additional Practicei14 questions
- Q1Why did the author find it difficult to believe that his grandmother had once been young and pretty? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
- Q2How does Khushwant Singh describe his grandmother's physical appearance and constant habits in the opening of the lesson? (Answer in 30–40 w…Free
- Q3Describe the daily routine the author and his grandmother shared in the village before the family moved to the city. (Answer in 30–40 words.…Free
- Q4Why is the family's move to the city called the turning point in the friendship between the author and his grandmother? (Answer in 30–40 wor…Preview
- Q5What upset the grandmother about the education given at the English school in the city, and why did the music lessons disturb her? (Answer i…Preview
- Q6How did the grandmother spend her days after the author went up to the university and the common link between them snapped? (Answer in 30–40…Preview
- Q7How did the grandmother behave at the railway station when the author left for abroad, and what did he fear at that moment? (Answer in 30–40…Preview
- Q8In what unusual way did the grandmother celebrate her grandson's homecoming after five years, and what happened to her the next morning? (An…Preview
- Q9How did the sparrows express their grief at the grandmother's death? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
- Q10Draw a character sketch of the grandmother, bringing out her religious devotion, her generosity to living creatures, her quiet dignity and h…Preview
- Q11Trace the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother through its three phases — the village, the city, and her last years…Preview
- Q12'The Portrait of a Lady' presents a clash between traditional village values and modern city education. Discuss this theme with instances fr…Preview
- Q13Justify the title 'The Portrait of a Lady'. In what sense does Khushwant Singh paint a portrait in words, and how does one grandmother come…Preview
- Q14The grandmother shared a special harmony with the world of birds and animals — from the village dogs to the city sparrows. Discuss how this…Preview