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English (Core) · Class 12 Languages

Ch 8Going Places — Class 12 English (Core), concept-first.

In the CBSE Class 12 English NCERT syllabus (Flamingo), "Going Places" by A. R. Barton is a prose lesson about adolescent fantasising and hero-worship. Before reading, it helps to know a little about the author, the story's working-class world, and the words the textbook itself asks you to notice.

35

Q&A

1

Concept

40m

Section weightage

Section C · Literature Textbooks (Flamingo & Vistas) · across all 19 lessons

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Key concepts

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Character Analysis

When you finish a good story, you often remember a person more than the plot — the way they spoke, what they feared, the choice they made when it mattered most.

Most relevant Q&A

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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

In the CBSE Class 12 English NCERT syllabus (Flamingo), "Going Places" by A. R. Barton is a prose lesson about adolescent fantasising and hero-worship.

1.1

Summary of the Lesson

Sophie's dreams The story opens with Sophie sharing her ambitions with her friend Jansie as they walk home.

1.2

Themes

"Going Places" is a small story with a large emotional reach, and several interlocking themes give it depth.

1.3

Character Sketches

Barton peoples "Going Places" with a small but sharply drawn cast - the dreaming Sophie, her down-to-earth friend Jansie, her admired elder brother Geoff, and, around them, the tired father, little De…

1.3.1

Sophie

Sophie is the heart of the story, an imaginative and restless adolescent who cannot reconcile herself to the ordinary future laid out for her.

1.3.2

Jansie

Jansie is Sophie's friend and, in almost every respect, her opposite. She is practical, realistic and clear-sighted, firmly aware that she and Sophie are destined for the biscuit factory and unlikely…

1.3.3

Geoff

Geoff is Sophie's elder brother, a young apprentice mechanic who has already left school and begun working life.

1.3.4

The Family and Danny Casey

Sophie's father is a large, weary, working man, sceptical and unromantic, who dismisses her claims about the footballer as just another of her fanciful tales; his tiredness and disbelief embody the ha…

1.4

Title and Message

The title of the story and its deeper message are closely bound together. This section looks first at what "Going Places" signifies for a girl like Sophie, and then at the message Barton leaves us wit…

1.4.1

The Significance of the Title

The phrase "going places" is an everyday expression meaning to succeed, to rise in the world, to move up from one's present situation towards a bigger and brighter future.

1.4.2

The Message of the Story

The story's message concerns the value and the danger of dreams. On one hand, Barton clearly understands why Sophie dreams; her fantasies bring colour, hope and a sense of possibility to a life that w…

Summary

- Context Story: Going Places by A.R. Barton follows the daydreams of a young girl, Sophie, who lives in a lower-middle-class family.

Think as you Read

+Think as you Readi10 questions
  1. Q1Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?Free
  2. Q2What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams?Free
  3. Q3Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?Free
  4. Q4Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?Preview
  5. Q5Does her father believe her story?Preview
  6. Q6How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?Preview
  7. Q7Which country did Danny Casey play for?Preview
  8. Q8Why didn't Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?Preview
  9. Q9Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?Preview
  10. Q10Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?Preview

Understanding the Text

+Understanding the Texti4 questions
  1. Q1Sophie and Jansie were class-mates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?Free
  2. Q2How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie's father?Free
  3. Q3Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?Preview
  4. Q4What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family's financial status?Preview

Talking about the Text

+Talking about the Texti2 questions
  1. Q1Sophie's dreams and disappointments are all in her mind.Free
  2. Q2It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasising?Preview

Working with Words

+Working with Wordsi1 question
  1. Q1Notice the following expressions. The highlighted words are not used in a literal sense. Explain what they mean. - Words had to be prized ou…Preview

Noticing Form

+Noticing Formi1 question
  1. Q1Notice the highlighted words in the following sentences. 1. “When I leave,’ Sophie said, coming home from school, “I’m going to have a bouti…Preview

Thinking about Language

+Thinking about Languagei1 question
  1. Q1Notice these words in the story. - “chuffed”, meaning delighted or very pleased - “nosey”, meaning inquisitive - “gawky”, meaning awkward, u…Preview

Writing

+Writingi1 question
  1. Q1– Think of a person who you would like to have as your role-model. – Write down the points to be discussed or questions to be asked, if you…Preview

Things to Do

+Things to Doi1 question
  1. Q1Look for other stories or movies where this theme of hero worship and fantasising about film or sports icons finds a place.Preview

About the Unit

"Going Places" closes this Flamingo unit, and the NCERT textbook rounds it off with an "About the Unit" box that names the ideas the story is built on.

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
  1. Q1What were Sophie's fantasies about her future, and how realistic were they? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
  2. Q2Contrast Sophie and Jansie in their attitudes to the future that awaits them. (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
  3. Q3Describe Sophie's home and family background as they appear in the story. (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
  4. Q4Why does Sophie admire her brother Geoff, and what does she wish about his life? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  5. Q5What story does Sophie invent about the footballer Danny Casey? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  6. Q6Describe Sophie's wait for Danny Casey by the canal and what it reveals about her. (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  7. Q7How do Sophie's father and family react to her dreams and stories? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  8. Q8Give a character sketch of Sophie, bringing out the mixture of imagination and vulnerability in her. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  9. Q9Compare and contrast the characters of Sophie and Jansie as they are drawn in the story. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  10. Q10"Sophie lives in a world of her own making." Discuss how fantasy and reality are contrasted in 'Going Places'. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  11. Q11Why does Sophie invent the meeting with Danny Casey, and what does this fabrication reveal about her inner life? (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  12. Q12Discuss the relationship between Sophie and her brother Geoff and what it means to Sophie. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  13. Q13What does 'Going Places' suggest about the dreams and disappointments of adolescence? (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  14. Q14Explain the significance of the title 'Going Places' in the light of Sophie's character and circumstances. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview