The Portrait of a Lady By Khushwant Singh [AHSEC Class 11 English Notes for 2025 Exam]

THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
By Khushwant Singh

[AHSEC Class 11 English Notes for 2025 Exam]

About The Lesson

The Portrait of a lady’ is part of an autobiography by Khushwant Singh. In this story, the author draws a pen portrait of his grandmother. He beautifully unfolds their relationship and how it undergoes several changes. In other words, the story is a loving tribute from a grandson to his grandmother. The story gives a picture of human relationships. It is a realistic account of how the grandparents give all their time, attention and love to their grandchildren.

About the Characters

Grandmother: Khushwant Singh’s grandmother is described as an extremely religious person. She was a very kind lady. She was short, fat and slightly bent. Her face was wrinkled and she was always dressed in spotless white clothes. In the village she took care of all the needs of the author when he was a child.

Khushwant Singh: the author he recounts his childhood days and his relationship with his grandmother.

 SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTER

The Author Remembers his Grandmother and Grandfather

The author recalls his grandmother as a very old lady. For the twenty years that the author had known his grandmother, he had found her old and wrinkled.

It was hard for him to believe that she had once been young and pretty and she had a husband. Khushwant Singh’s grandfather’s portrait hung on the wall of the drawing room. He wrote a big turban. His clothes were loose. He looked at least a hundred years old. Looking at his portrait once could not imagine him in his youth with his wife and children.

The Author’s Grandmother

The thought of the grandmother being young and pretty was almost revolting to him. She was short, fat and slightly bent in stature. Her face was a criss-cross of wrinkles. Her silvery white hair was scattered over his wrinkled face.

The author remembered her hobbling around the house in spotless white clothes with one hand resting on her waist to balance her stoop and the other hand busy counting the beads of her rosary. Her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer.

To the author, she could never have been pretty, but she reflected a divine beauty. She was like the winter landscape in the mountains.

The Author’s Childhood with his Grandmother

The author and his grandmother were good friends. His parents left him to stay with her when they shifted to the city. In the village, his grandmother took care of all his needs. She was quite active and agile. She used to wake him up in the morning and get him ready for school.

She said her morning prayers in a sing-song manner white she bathed and dressed him in the hope that her grandson would learn them by heart. The author listened to the prayers because he loved her voice, but never bothered to learn them.

Then she would fetch his wooden slate which, she had already washed, the plastered it with yellow chalk. She would take an earthen inkpot and a reed pen and tie them in a bundle and hand it to author. After having a thick, stale chapatti with a little butter and sugar spread on it for breakfast, they used to leave for school. The author’s grandmother always accompanied him to the school as it was attached to the temple.

The Author at School

The priest taught children the alphabet and the Morning Prayer. The children sat in two rows in the verandah. They would sing the alphabet or the prayer in a chorus. While the author learnt his lesson at school, the grandmother would read scriptures in the adjoining temple. On their way back, they would feed stale chapattis to the dogs.

The Turning Point in the Relationship of Grandmother and the Author

The turning point came in their relationship when they moved to the city to stay with Khushwant Singh’s parents. In the city, the author went to an English school in a motor bus. The grandmother could not accompany him to the school. As there were no dogs in the streets, the grandmother took to feeding the sparrows.

As the years rolled by, they saw less of each other. In spite of her immense interest in his studies, she could not help him in his lessons as he was learning English, the law of gravity, Archimedes’ principle and many more such things which she could not understand, and this made her unhappy. Sometimes she would ask him what the teacher had taught him.

Grandmother Distressed and Disturbed

Grandmother didn’t believe in the things taught at the English school and was distressed to learn that there was no teaching about God and the scriptures in the school.

Moreover, she was very disturbed at the idea of music lessons being given at the English school. To her, music had lewd association and she considered music to be unsuitable for gentle folk.

The Common Link of Friendships gets snapped

The common link of friendship between the author and the grandmother was broken when the author went to the University and was given a room of his own. The grandmother accepted her loneliness and rarely spoke to anyone. All day long, she sat spinning the wheel and reciting her prayers.

Only in the afternoon she relaxed for a while to feed the sparrows. They perched on her shoulders and some even on her head but she never shooed them away. It used to be the happiest half-hour of the day for her.

The Author Leaves for Higher Studies

The author decided to go abroad for higher studies for five years. He was sure that his grandmother would be upset at his departure, but she was not even sentimental. She came to the railway station to see him off. She showed no emotion. She was absorbed in praying and counting the beads of her rosary. Silently she kissed his forehead. The author thought that perhaps it was the last sing of physical contact between them.

The Grandmother Celebrates the Author’s Return and Falls Sick

After five years, the author found his grandmother at the station when he returned. She held him in her arms. He found her more religious and more self-contained. He could hear her reciting prayers. Even that day, the happiest moment for her was feeding the sparrows herself. However, something strange happened to her in the evening.

For the first time ever, she did not pray. Instead, she collected the women of the neighborhood, got an old drum and started to sing songs of the homecoming of warriors. They tried to persuade her to stop to avoid overstraining herself. But she didn’t listen. She fell ill the next morning.

Grandmother’s Death

The grandmother was diagnosed with a mild fever by the doctor but she insisted that her end was near. She told everyone that she did not want to talk to anyone and would rather spend her last moments praying. She ignored everyone’s protests and started counting the beads in her rosary while praying.

After a short while, the author noticed that his grandmother’s lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless fingers. She died a peaceful death. She was covered with a red shawl.

The Sparrows Mourn her Death

When the author and others came to take away the grandmother’s body, they met a strange sight. To mourn her death, a log of sparrows had surrounded the grandmother’s body. They were all silent. When the author’s mother offered the sparrows some bread, they refused to eat and quietly flew away after the grandmother’s body was carried away for the last rites.

Also Read: AHSEC Class 11 Chapter wise notes  (Prose & Poetry 30 Marks)

CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS

Ø   When the author, Khushwant Singh, was a little child, his parents left him in the village with his grandmother and went to live in the city.

Ø   The author’s grandmother was an old lady. She was very religious. The author shared a very close bond with his grandmother. They became very good friends.

Ø   The grandmother woke him up, dressed him and accompanied him to school. The school was attached to the temple. While the author was at school, the grandmother used to read the scriptures in the temple.

Ø   When the author’s parents were well-settled, he and his grandmother also went to the city. It proved a turning point in their friendship.

Ø   In the city, Khushwant Singh attended an English school and travelled in a motor bus. He learnt English words and topics of Western Science.

Ø   The grandmother could no longer accompany him to his school nor help him in his studies. However, they shared the same room.

Ø   When the author went to the University, he was given a separate room. Thus, the last link of their friendship was broken.

Ø   The grandmother kept herself busy in her prayers and spinning the wheel. Her favorite part of the day was feeding the sparrows.

Ø   When the author went abroad for higher studies, the grandmother came to see him off at the station but she showed no emotions and was not even sentimental.

Ø   The author came back after five years and was received by his grandmother at the station. She was unchanged and did not look a day older.

Ø   In the evening, the grandmother did not pray and instead collected the women of the neighborhood and celebrated her grandson’s homecoming.

Ø   The grandmother fell ill the next day and she knew that her end was near.

Ø   She stopped talking and closed her eyes. She was lost in her prayers and counting the beads of her rosary. Suddenly, the rosary fell down and her lips stopped moving. She was dead.

Ø   Thousands of sparrows assembled in the room and sat quietly to mourn her death. They did not even eat the crumbs given by the author’s mother.

Ø   After the grandmother’s body was taken for cremation, the sparrows flew away silently.

Question-Answer

1. Mention three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad?

Ans. The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother were –

a)  The first phase of the author’s relationship with his grandmother was when the author’s parents went to live in the city and left him with his grandmother. She took utmost care of him right from waking him up in the morning to getting him ready for school. They were always together and enjoyed an easy companionship.

b)  The second phase of their relationship was when they were called to join his parents in the city. Though the grandmother and the author shared the same room yet there was a gap between them now. His grandmother no longer when to school with him and could not help in his studies.

c)   The third phase of their relationship was when the author went up to university. This broke the common link of friendship between them as they now live in separate rooms. The old lady rarely talked to her grandmother.

2. Mention Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.         2016

Ans. Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to city school were –

a)   In the English school, she could not help him with his lessons in English and Science because she neither knew English nor Science. Thus she had no faith in what was being taught there, and thus she was disturbed.

b)  Secondly, the grandmother was distressed to know that there was no teaching about God and the scriptures.

c)  Thirdly, the grandmother was disturbed to know that he was being taught music as for her music was a culture for lowly people.

3. Mention Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up. 2011 2017

Ans. Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up were –

a)      She spent most of her time at the spinning wheel and hardly spoke to anyone.

b)      She recited her prayers from sunrise to sunset sitting next to her spinning wheel.

c)    She spent the happiest hour in the afternoon by feeding the hundreds of sparrows in the verandah.

4. The odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.

Ans. Just before the day the grandmother died, a change came over her. She did not pray. She collected the women of the neighbourhood, took an old drum and started singing. Next morning, she was taken ill due to overstraining. The doctor said it was a mild fever and will go away, but the grandmother thought differently.

She told everyone that her end was near and she would spend the last few living moments in prayer and would not waste her time in talking to anyone. She lay peacefully in bed praying and before anyone could suspect, her lip stopped moving. She passed away peacefully.

5.Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.          2016

Ans. When the author’s grandmother died, the sparrows expressed their sorrow in the following ways –

a)      Thousands of sparrows gathered all over the verandah and in her room right upto where shy layed and sat scattered on the floor.

b)      The birds were not chirruping.

c)       They took no notice of the bread crumbs thrown to them by the author’s mother.

d)      The sparrows quietly flew away when the grandmother’s corpse was carried often.

6. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?               2017

Or

Cite reasons to validate whether the distancing relationship between the author and his grandmother was deliberate or beyond their control.

Ans. Changing circumstances affected the relationship between the author and his grandmother. In the village, the author and his grandmother spent most of their time together. She used to get him ready for school, accompany him to the school and help him in his studies. But moving to the city proved to be a turning point in their friendship. They still shared the same room but the grandmother could no longer accompany him to school or help him in his studies.

The grandmother did not like the kind of education being given to the author at the English school. She became disturbed and rarely talked. She reconciled herself with spinning and feeding the sparrows.

The gap in their friendship was further widened when the author went to the University and was given a room of his own. She accepted her loneliness and gave more time to praying.

However, their feelings for each other never changed. The author still respected her and she kept on loving her grandson. She went to the station to see him off when he was going abroad for higher studies. Further, when he returned from abroad after five years, she celebrated his homecoming by singing songs and beating the drum.

7. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.         2018

Ans. Yes the grandmother was a strong character. First, she was physically strong in spite of her old age, second she never sat idle, she span the wheel, recited prayers, fed the birds and may be did other things of her own. In the village she did everything for the author and took perfect care of him. Third, She was mentally strong, she never showed too much emotion or weakness; one reason for this was her faith in God. Again she was able to hold back her sadness when the author was going abroad, and even received him at the railway station after five years. She was duty bound and never missed her regular activities of life. She passed on this enthuusim and zeal to others also. Finally, we got to know from the evening prior to her death, that she could enjoy so well.

8. Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother? Do you feels the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and lost?              

Ans. My paternal grandparents had died before my birth, but I was blessed with the love of my maternal grandparents. My grandfather was also almost like Khushwant Singh’s grandmother.  He was a hardworking, punctual and diligent farmer who never spent a minute idle in his life. He was a strong and stout man, very tall and fair, he left for the fields early in the morning and even after the day’s work used to make things from bamboo like mats, baskets, containers for storing grains etc. and even nets for catching fish. He scolded his son (my uncle) who is a very lazy person and no way capable of working hard like his father. Even at the age of 75, my grandfather could climb coconut trees to fetch betel leaves. He was hurt if even a single grain was wasted while eating meals. This way he raised his big family very well and got his six daughters married as well. He passed away last year at 80 and I really miss his loving presence. I do feel his loss as I loved him dearly.

9.The author’s grandmother was religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?         2012   2017

Ans:  The author’s grandmother was a deeply religious lady. We come to know this through the different ways of her behaviour.

(i) She hobbled about the house in a white saree, always carrying and telling the beads of her rosary.  

(ii) she always come to school along with his grandson because temple is attaching to the school, and used to pray inside by reading the scriptures

(iii) When her grandson went up to university she rarely left her spinning wheel to talk to anyone. From sunrise to sunset she sat by her spinning wheel and Reciting prayers.  

(iv) She would always feed the animals (dogs in the village) and birds (sparrows in the city) because she thought it to be a part of religious rituals.  

(v) At her last stage she lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads. These are the different cases we can take to decide that grandmother was a religious person

10. Describe the author’s grandmother’s life in the village in contrast with the kind of the life she led in the city, highlighting her values.

Ans. The author’s grandmother had been living in the village for a very long time. She was used to the life of the village. She had her fixed routine. She got up early in the morning. After that she used to wake up her grandson and get him ready for school. She accompanied him to the school. She sat in the temple reading the scriptures. Thus she practised all her values of being pious and dutiful.

In the contrast, the city life was just the opposite and its culture did not suit her. Now, she could no more accompany her grandson to his school. Neither could she help him in his lessons. Thus she could not practise properly the values of life which she believed in. When the author went to the university, he was given a room of his own. This made the grandmother even more lonely. But she accepted her loneliness and devoted her time in spinning the wheel, feeding the sparrows and praying, thus continuing to practise her values.

11. Give a character sketch of the author’s grandmother, mentioning her values.

Ans. Khushwant Singh presents his grandmother as a symbol of love, care and affection, as well as a strong character with traditional religious beliefs. She loved his grandson immensely. She was not physically attractive, but had an inwardly spiritual beauty. In the village, she was actively involved in her grandson’s life, but when they shifted to the city, the bond of friendship was first weakened and finally broken when he went abroad for higher studies. Yet, she always presented a picture of peace and contentment.

Her love for animals was reflected in the way she fed the dogs and sparrows. She did not like the English school but never interfered in the narrator’s education. She accepted every decision of her grandson regarding his life in a clam and composed manner. Even in death, she achieved peace and contentment.

12. Give a description of the author’s grandmother after your reading of “The Portrait of a Lady”.          2019

Ans: See Q. No. 2 page no. 48 and q. no 11 page 47

ADDITIONAL QUESTION- ANSWER

Very Short Type Questions

1. Name the writer of the prose piece entitled “The portrait of a lady”?

Ans. Khushwant Singh is the writer.

2. Name the person with whom the narrator spent his childhood in the village.

Ans. The narrator spent his childhood with his grandmother in the village.

3. Where did the narrator study when he was in the village?

Ans. The narrator studied in a school attached to a temple in the village.

4. Who accompanied him to school in the village?

Ans. The narrator’s grandmother accompanied him to school in the village.

5. Who taught the children in the village school?

Ans. The priest taught the children in the village school.

6. What was taught in the village school?

Ans. Alphabets and Morning Prayer were taught in the village school.

7. How did he go to school in the city?

Ans. He went to school in a motor bus in the city.

8. Which creatures created ‘a veritable bedlam of chirrupings’?

Ans. The sparrows created ‘a veritable bedlam of chirrupings’.

9. Where did the narrator go for pursue further studies?

Ans. The narrator went abroad to pursue further studies.

10. Which creatures came to mourn the death of the grandmother?

Ans. The sparrows came to mourn the death of the grandmother.

SHORT TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Give a short description of the narrator’s grandfather as the appeared in the portrait.

Ans. The narrator’s grandfather’s portrait which hung above the mantel piece in the drawing room depicted him as hundred years old. He had a long, white beard which covered the best part of his chest and wore a big turban and loose fitting clothes. He did not appear as one who had a wife or children, but as one who had lots and lots of grandchildren.

2. How does Khuswant Singh describe his grandmother?         2013

Ans: Khuswant Singh’s grandmother was a old lady. She was short and slightly bent .Her face was full of crisscross wrinkles that had been the same there on for the last twenty years. There was no change in the wrinkles for the last twenty years. She hobbled about the house in a white saree, always carrying and telling the beads of her rosary.  

3. Why did the narrator not believe that his grandmother was once young and pretty?  2011, 2012

OR

Explain: ‘Old, so terribly old that she could not have grown older’.         2014

Ans. The author had always seen his grandmother as a very old woman. For the past twenty years he had seen her as an old lady with white hair and countless lines running across her face. Because his first impression about his grandmother was one of being aged, it was hard for the author to believe that his grandmother was once young and pretty.

4. What was the turning point in their friendship?

Ans. The turning point in the author’s friendship with his grandmother was their shift to the city. There, she could neither accompany him to school not could help him with his studies as a result a gap developed between them. As time passes, they saw very less of each other.

5. Describe the grandmother’s feeding of the village dogs.

Ans. When they would walk back home together, the village dogs met them at the temple door. They followed them almost home. The grandmother would throw chapattis to them. The dogs would growl and fight with each other for the crumbs.

6. What was the grandmother’s opinion about the English school in the city?

Ans. The narrator’s grandmother had a very poor opinion about the English school in the city. She was quite sad and disappointed they didn’t teach anything about God and the scriptures at the school. Moreover she did not like that music lessons were given in English school as she thinks it was not meant for gentle folks.

7. Why did the grandmother go to the school along with the narrator?

Ans. The narrator’s grandmother was a very loving and caring woman. When the narrator’s parents left him in her charge when they went to the city, she looked after him in every possible way. She not only looked after him even accompanied him to the school and stayed in the temple attached to the school till his school gets over. It was her love for her grandson that she cared for him so much.

8. What did the priest teach at the village school?

Ans. The priest taught alphabets and Morning Prayer at the village school. He made the children stand in rows in either side and they would sing the alphabets or the prayer in a chorus.

9. Why did the grandmother keep one hand on her waist?

Ans. The grandmother was very old. She was slightly bent in her physique. So she couldn’t stand and walk with her body in an upright position. She had to keep one of her two hands on her waist. She did so to balance her stoop.

10. What were her views on music?

Ans. The grandmother did not like the idea of music lessons being taught in English school. She was very upset and disturbed when she came to know about it as to her music had loud associations. It was the monopoly of harlots and beggars and was not meant for gentlefolk.

11. How did the narrator and his grandmother developed a deep-rooted friendship?

Ans. When the narrator was quite young, his parents moved to the city and left him in charge of his grandmother. He and his grandmother stayed back in the village where she was his constant companion. She looked after him, woke him up and got him ready for school in the morning. She would give him breakfast and even accompany him to school which was attached to a temple and came back together. Thus, the narrator and his grandmother developed a deep-rooted friendship.

12. What did the priest teach at the village school?

Ans. The priest taught alphabets and Morning Prayer at the village school. He made the children stand in rows in either side and they would sing the alphabets or the prayer in a chorus.

13. How did the strong bond of friendship snap?

Ans. A gap developed between the narrator and his grandmother when they shifted to the city. Later when the narrator reached university, he was given a separate room of his own. This led to their separation and the bond of friendship which existed between them finally snapped.

14. What was the happiest hour of the day for the grandmother?

Ans. The happiest hour of the day for the grandmother in the city was when she took a break from the spinning wheel and feed the sparrows. Hundreds of these birds gather around her every afternoon as she threw bread crumbs to them.

15. Describe the grandmother’s feeding the sparrows?

Ans. When the narrator went up to university the grandmother was left alone. She spent her time by feeding the sparrows in the afternoon. She took a break from the spinning wheel, sat in the verandah, broke the crumbs of bread to them. Hundreds of birds gather around her and sat on her legs, shoulders and even head. She only smiled and never shooed them away.

16. What was the reaction of the grandmother when the narrator decided to go abroad?

Ans. When the narrator decided to go abroad for further studies, the grandmother was not upset. She was not even sentimental. She kept silent and did not show her emotions. Her lips moved in prayer and her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary. Then she silently kissed his forehead before departing.

17. How did the grandmother celebrate the home coming of the narrator from abroad?

Ans.  After five years, the author was coming home. The grandmother went to the railway station to receive him. She hugged him and he could hear her reciting prayers. After reaching home, she gathered the women of the neighbourhood. She got an old drum and started singing songs about the homecoming of warriors. That was the first time since the author had known her that she did not pray.

18. Did the narrator find any transformation in the appearance of his grandmother after he returned from abroad?

Ans. No, the narrator did not find any transformation in the appearance of his grandmother. She did not look a day older and still was the same religious lady reciting her prayer when she clasped the narrator in her arms.

19. What did she do while lying on the bed before her death?

Ans. Just before the grandmother died, she said that her end was near. She did not want to waste any more time talking to others. She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads. Her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless figures. There was peace on her face and the author and his family know that she was dead.

20. What is the difference between village school education and urban school education as brought out in the lesson ‘The Portrait of a Lady’?         2015

Ans. The education in the village school was vastly different from the education in the city school. In the village, the school was next to the temple and the priest himself was the teacher. He taught them the alphabet and the Morning Prayer. But in the city school, there was no teaching of God or the scriptures. English and science along with music were taught in the city school.

21. How could the grandmother be ‘beautiful’ without being ‘pretty’?         2014

Ans: In the story The Potrait of a Lady, by Khushwant Singh, the grandmother was old and never appeared to be pretty. She was never an attractive woman. But she was gifted by a divine beauty in her. Her noble qualities gave her a spiritual beauty. She Used to feed dogs in village and sparrows in the city. This shows that she had a soft corner for animals. This makes her ‘beautiful’ without being ‘pretty’

22. Give two examples of the author’s grandmother’s love of animals.         2018

Ans: The narrator’s grandmother was a very loving and caring woman. When they would walk back home together, the village dogs met them at the temple door. They followed them almost home. The grandmother would throw chapattis to them. In city ,she used to feed sparrows.

23. Grandmother appeared like the ‘winter landscape in the mountains’. Discuss.

Ans. The author brings out the inner beauty of the grandmother by comparing her to the winter landscape in the mountains. This comparison shows her calmness and serenity. Moreover, like the winter, the grandmother too was going through the last stage of her life. Just as the mountains are covered with snow and appear white, the old lady was altogether white with her white clothes, white hair and pale skin. Through the comparison, the author brings out the serenity and peacefulness of the grandmother.

24. What was the last sign of physical contact between the author and his grandmother? Why did the author think so?

Ans. When the author was going abroad for five years for higher studies, the grandmother went to leave him off at the railway station. He could tell that she was still reciting prayers. The grandmother then kissed his forehead lovingly. That kiss seemed to the author as the last sign of physical contact between them. He perhaps thought that the grandmother, being old, might not survive for five years.

25. Why have the sparrows refused to eat the crumbs of the bread on the death of the author’s grandmother? 2019

Ans: Sparrows were very closely attached to author's grandmother. She use to give bread crumbs to sparrows when she is alive.When she died the sparrows express their sorrow by not chirrup.They gathered in thousand around her dead body. The sparrows also express their love for author's grandmother by not eating bread crumbs thrown to them by author's mother and when the dead body was taken for cremation, they fly away quietly.

Exam Questions from 2011 to 2024

1.       Mention three ways how the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.     2011 2017

2.       Why was it hard for the author to believe that his grandmother was once young and pretty. 2011, 2012

3.       3.The author’s grandmother was religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?                 2012   2017

4.       How does Khuswant Singh describe his grandmother?         2013

5.       Explain: ‘Old, so terribly old that she could not have grown older’.         2014

6.       How could the grandmother be ‘beautiful’ without being ‘pretty’?         2014

7.       7. How did the sparrows react to the death of the author’s grandmother?         2015

1.       What the difference between village school education and urban school education is as brought out in the lesson ‘The Portrait of a Lady’?         2015

2.       Cite reasons to validate whether the distancing relationship between the author and his grandmother was deliberate or beyond their control.         2015

3.       Mention three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school?

4.       How did the sparrows react to the death of the author’s grandmother?          2016

8.     Describe the changing relationship between the author Khushwant Singh and his grandmother. Did their feeling for each other change?        2017

9.       Describe the childhood days spent in the village by the author with his grandmother.         2018

10.   Give two examples of the author’s grandmother’s love of animals.          2018

11.   Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.         2019

12.   Why have the sparrows refused to eat the crumbs of the bread on the death of the author’s grandmother?        2019