Class 12 English Memories of Childhood Questions Answer

Memories of Childhood Important Questions Class 12 English

Memories of Childhood  - Up CBSE board Class 12 Chapter 8 Memories of Childhood  Explanation of the lesson with summary and meaning of difficult words. In addition, the explanation is followed by a summary of the text. All questions and answers given in the lesson are covered

The name of the Lesson - Memories of Childhood  ( )

Writer of this Chapter – Zitkala-sa and Bama

                  1- The Cutting of My Long Hair

                                       Zitkala- Sa

Born – (1876)

Dead -( 1938)

About the Author

Zitkala-sa, also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonin, was granted and later married by her missionary. He received his education at the Mahud Shram Sansthan in Gore.

About the Lesson

The Cutting of My Long Hair is a story that depicts the discrimination faced by Indians in the western world. The story narrates how an Indian girl was confronted by her school authorities for wearing western clothes and cutting her hair to look like an American student. 

Difficult Word

• Bitter cold - कंपकंपाने वाली ठण्ड -too cold
• Bare- नंगे -naked
• Belfry- घंटाघर -Tower for a bell
• Bedlam- पागलखाना -Pandemonium
• Securely- सुरक्षापूर्वक -safely
• Stiff- तंग -tight
• Stripped-उतार लिया गया - taken off
• Glanced -देखा -saw
• Venture- हिम्मत -Dare
• Submit- झुकना -Surrender
• Rebelled- विद्रोह -revolted
• Directed- बढ़ाये - moved 
• Crawled-रेंगकर - wriggle
• Peered- झाँका -peeped
• Shuddering- कांपती  trembling
• Dragged-खींचा हुआ pulled
• Resisted- विरोध opposed
• Wildly- आवाज से violently
• Tossed- ऊपर फेंक दिया thrown up 
• Reasoned- आश्वस्त convinced
• Harder- चरवाहा Herdsman
• Humiliated- अपमानित insulted
• Novelties- नवीनता new things
• Stunt- एक खतरनाक कार्रवाई a dangerous action
• Chopping- काटना cutting
• Double up - दोगुनी गति  speed up
•  String-डोरी  cord
• Amused-  मनोरंजन entertained
• Frenzy - पागलपन impelled

Reading with Insight 

Question 1- The two accounts that you read above are based in two distant culture. What is the commonality of theme found in both of them?

Answer- Childhood Memories offers two autobiographical details. Both are life forms of women. Both these women are from marginalized communities. A girl in The Cutting of My Long Hair is an American Indian. Americans rely on their own culture and thus fall prey to these rituals, though under opposition. The second girl in 'Hum Bhi Insan Hain' belongs to a so called Indian lower caste. She sees an elder of her caste being humiliated. He is inspired by his brother, and thus, is asked to devote himself to his studies in order to break out of the quagmire of caste. Both the girls fight against inhuman treatment in their own way. The former kicks and scratches to keep his hair from falling out. The other studies hard and earns a reputation for himself. Therefore, both the narratives present the dominance of the so-called upper caste people over the marginalized communities.

Question- 2 It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted, but the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life. Do agree that injustice on any form cannot escape being noticed even by children?

Answer-Perhaps rightly, as they say, gives way to oppression in society. week can deprive them of their fundamental rights. But there is always the seed of rebellion among the oppressed. Sooner or later it sprouts and makes them stand up for their rights. In fact, children are also aware of the social injustice being meted out to them. In cutting my long hair, a little girl finds it unjust to lose hair against her will, she rebels against it, but was under a powerful rule. We are also human beings, a small child feels the brunt of untouchability. When her elder brother tells her the truth about the old man taking her to Wadia, she becomes enraged. Even innocent children can feel injustice. She tries to overcome this injustice by studying hard and showing her ability. She takes forward her brother's education and breaks out of the caste-trap. Thus, we can say that injustice is noticed even by children.

Question 3- Bama’s experience is that of a victim of the caste system? What kind of discrimination does Zitkala –sa’s experience depict? What are their response to their respective situation?

Answer- The experiences of Bama and Zitkala-sa reflect the humiliation faced by the oppressed people of the society. They both belong to marginalized communities. Bama is suffering from the evil of untouchability. Popular in India. The people of his caste have to bow down to the so called upper caste people. They have to work for the upper caste people and suffer humiliation. Bama takes the prevailing social realities from her perspective. She is woken up and her brother teaches her to engage in her studies so that this stigma goes away. Bama fights this situation by studying hard and attaining high rank. Zitkala-Sa is an Indian of American descent. She sees that Americans impose their culture on other communities living in their country. Her long and heavy hair is against her will. As a child, she resists the act by kicking and scratching, but has to be subject to powerful systems.

Short answer type Questions

                              The Cutting of My Long Hair

Question 1- Why did Zitkala-sa feel herself securely tied? What was the environment there?

Answer- Zitkala was a native Indian in American. Other student in the school hostel behaved according to their culture and manners. She was forced to get the hair cut. So she felt her freedom lost. The American thrust on other their culture  and they falls prey to these rituals .

Question 2-How were Indian girls there and what did they feel?

Answer- Indian girls were searing stiff shoes and tight cloths. They were forced to cut their hair. The American thrust on them their own culture and as such they fall prey to these rituals the small girls wore sleeved aprons.

Question 3- Why was the small bell tapped and what did  they do then?

Answer-  The small bell was in dining hall. When the small bell was tapped very pupil drew his/her chair.

Question 4-what happened when second bell was sounded?

Answer – when second bell was sounded every one was seated. The second bell was tapped to be sit.

Question 5- who was the pale woman? What was she doing?

Answer- The paleface woman was the incharge of that hotel. She was noticing each and and every activities of every child with experts eyes.

Question 6- Who was Judewin? What did she tell Zatkala- sa?

Answer-  Judewin was the friend of Zitkala sa. She know a little English . she had overheard the white woman saying that they would shingle Zitkala long hair. she said that zitkala hard to submit to them.

Question 7-What did Zitkala- sa Mother tell about the cutting of hair?

     Answer- Zitkala mother had told her that only unskilled worriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among her tribe, short hair were worn by mourner and shingled hair by cowards.

Question 8- Where did the Zitkala-sa reach to escape from hair cutting?

Answer- Zitkala hid herself in a bigroom. The window were covered with dark green curtainds. Which made the room very dim. She crawled under a bed and huddled herself in the dark corner.

Question 9- What happened when Zitkala-sa was being searched?

Answer- When Zitkala-sa was beaing searched the hall was full of loud voices. Then the steps were quickened and the voices became excited. The sounds came nearer and nearer . they peeped behind the large trunks and from under the bed she was dragged out. She was tied in a chair and her hair were shingled.

Question 10- What was being done with Zitkala-sa when she was searched?

Answer- When she was found she was tied in a chair. She was shaking her head. She was kicking. She tried to be free until she felt the cold blades of scissors against her neck. So her hair were shingled.

Question 11- what did Zitkala-sa feel after cutting of her hair?

Answer- Zitkala-sa felt rather anguished and indignant when her long hair was cut. She lost her spirit and felt as helpless as puppet. She got the feeling of an animal driven her neck. So her hair were shingled.   

                           2- We Too are Human Beings

Question 1- How much time did Bama take to reach home from school? Why?

Answer- It was actually possible to walk the distance in ten minutes from Bama’s school to her home. But usually it would take her thirty minutes at the very least to reach home. Many interesting things would attract her.

Question 2- what things attracted Bama during the way to home?

Answer- several things attracted Bama during the  way to home such as, the performing monkey, the snake, which the snake charmer kept in its box, the cyclist who had not got off his bicycle for three days and who kept pedalling as hard as he could from the break of days sweet stall, of snakes etc.

Question 3- which were the other entertainments Bama found in the way?

Answer- some time she saw people from various political parties would arrive, put up a stage and harangue us through their makes. Then there might be a street play, or a puppet show, or magic show.

Question 4- How did the waiter cool the coffee in the bazaar?

Answer- the waiter cooled the coffee by lifting a tumbler high and pouring its contains into a tumber held in his other hand.  

Question 5- which different sights tether the legs of Bama and stop her?

Answer- The street light always displays how it can change color from blue to purple, Narkkuravan hunters with their wild lemurs in cages, selling needles, clay beads and tools for cleaning the ears. All these things don't let him move on.

Question 6- what fruits were found there according to the season?

Answer- according to the season, there would be mango cucumber, sugar, cane, sweet, potato, palm, shoots, gram palm-syrup, guavas, and jack-fruit for sale. 

Question 7- What was the set up there in the corner of the street?

Answer – At the corner a threshing floor had been set up and the landlord watched the proceeding, seated on a piece of sacking spread over a stone ledge. People were hard at work, driving cattle on pairs, round and round, to treated out the grain from the straw.

Question 8- What made Bama double up? Why did she want to laugh?

Answer- Bama saw an elderly man carrying something in pocket though he was holding out the pocket by its string without touching it. This Bama to double her speed and laugh.

Question- 9 How did the elder person give package to the landlord?

Answer- the elder went straight up to the landlord, bowed low and extended the packet towards him, cupping the hand that held the string with his other hand .

Question 10- Who was Annan? What did he tell Bama about?

Answer- Annan was Bama’s elder brother. He told Bama that the man was not being funny when he carried the packet like that. He said everybody believed that they were upper caste and therefore must not touch.

Question 11- What did Bama Become  angry and what did she want to do them ?

Answer- When Bama knew the social evil of untouchability she become very angry and decided to study hard.

Question 12- What thoughts arrived into of Bama after knowing the fact of carrying the package in that different?

Answer- When she heard from her brother that they were from low caste. She thought how Could they believe that it was disgusting if one of us held that package in his hands. She wanted to touch all those vadais directly.

Question 13- what happened with Bama’s elder brother once while returning from their neighbouring village’s liabrary?

 Answer- When Annan on his way to home. One of the landlord’s man asked his name and where did he live. Annan replied on which street he lived. In this way he came to know his caste.

Question 14- What did Annan tell Bama about their community? How did he Motivated her to overcome those indignities?

Answer- Annan told Bama that, Because they were born into untouchable community. They were never given any honour and respect, they were stripped of all that. But if they study and make progress. They can throw away these indignities.

Long answer Type Questions

                             The Cutting of My Long Hair 

1-   Question 1-Who was Zitkala-sa? Where was she carried? Why did she feel there as she was securely tied in a bedlam explain?

Answer- Zitkala-Sa belonged to a community of Native Americans. Her long hair is forcibly cut by the school authorities. One of the girls going towards the dining hall was made to sit. She describes that they were Indian girls who were wearing head boots and tight clothes. In her own culture, long and heavy hair was a sign of dignity. She wanted to maintain the distinctive quality of her culture. But when his hair was cut he was forced to leave it. So he felt himself to be just one of many. Zitkala-Sa was Indian in origin in America. In the school hostel other students behaved according to their culture and manners. He was forced to cut his hair against his will. So he felt that his freedom had been lost.

Question 2- What special way of dining did Zitkala-sa find there? What did Judewin tell her and how did Zitkala-sa try to escape herself?

Answer-Table and chairs were arranged in the dining room. A small bell rang, and each student pulled a chair from under the table. Zitkala also pulled up the chair and sat down. But saw that everyone else was standing but she was sitting. She began to get up, but soon the second bell was rung. Everyone sat down at the end. He heard a man's voice at one end of the hall, and he looked around to see him. But all the others hung their heads on the plates. The man stopped murmuring, and then the third bell was rung. Everyone picked up their knife and fork and started eating. But Zitkala started crying. This food by formula proved to be a very difficult test for him. Judwin was Zitkala's friend. She knew little English. He had heard the white woman say that they would shake Zitkala's long, wavy hair, saying that Zitkala had to submit to them.

Question 3- How and where did the paleface woman and others search Zitkala–sa? What happened with Zitkala–sa then? How did she remember her mother? Explain.

Answer- Zitkala decided not to let her hair fall out. She saw her chance and when no one noticed, she vanished. He hid himself in a large room. The yellow-faced lady searched for him in the hall and everywhere. Those guys behind the scenes and big tights. They met under the bed. Though resisting kicks and wild scratches, in spite of himself, he was taken down and tied to a chair. She cried loudly, shaking her head all the time, until she felt the cold blades of the scissors on her neck, and heard them chopping off one of her thick braids. Then he lost his temper. From the day he was separated from his mother, he had to face extreme resentment. People were staring at him. It was tossed in the air like a wooden puppet. And now her long hair was falling out like a coward! In her pain, she groaned for her mother, but no one came to console her. Not a soul reasoned quietly with him, as his own mother used to.

            We Too are Human Beings

Long Answer type Question

Question 1-Who was Bama? Why did take at least thirty minutes to her to reach home from the school? What different things, shows or happening, she used to observe in the way which attracted her?

Answer- Bama is also a school going girl. Belongs to a Dalit community. She is filled with anger when she sees an elder from their community being humiliated by an upper caste landlord. It was actually possible to walk the distance in ten minutes. But it usually took him thirty minutes to get back home. Many interesting things will keep his feet on the ground. Any demonstrator can be a monkey. There can be a snake charmer whose snake is kept in the basket. There could be a crystal that hasn't come off its cycle for three days. She could see the neck bell hanging in the temple. She used to watch Pongal prasad being cooked. Then there may be some entertainment along the way – a street play, a puppet show or a magic show. It was these things that stopped him at many points in his own way.

Question 2- What did she see once in a corner of her street? Which unusual scene made her double up and laugh?

Answer- One day, when she came to her street, she saw that a barn had been set up in the front corner, and the landowner watches the proceedings, sitting on a piece of sack stretched over a stone ledge. The people of his community worked hard at work, moving the cattle in pairs to treat the grain from the straw. An old man in his street like Bama had come from the side of the market. He had a small packet in his hands. Bama guessed that there are some things like vadais in the packet. Seeing this, Bama wanted to laugh out loud. He was holding the pocket with her string without touching it. He thought that this way, the packet could be undone and all the stuff would fall out.

Question 3- Why was Annan not amused? What did he tell Bama about their caste. What were the reaction of Bama then? Explain?

Answer-Bama told his brother that an elder of his caste had strangely held a food packet. His brother told him that he did this to avoid touching the packet. Thinking about the evil of untouchability, he was not happy. Annan advised Bama that he should read carefully and learn everything. Then people of their own accord would come to him and join him. Those words of Annan left a deep impression on him. Bama's brother told him about the social evil of untouchability. She got angry knowing this. He felt that the so called upper caste people deprive the lower caste people of their human rights. She wanted our people to work in their fields and get wages without these works.

Question 4- What incident had happened with Annan once? What information do you find by it? How do you take it? Discuss?

Answer- Once Bama's elders, who were studying in the university, had come home on vacation. He often went to the library of the neighboring village to borrow books. One day he was going to his house while walking on the banks of the irrigation tank. A man from the landlord came after him. She thought my Annan sounded unfamiliar, and so she asked, "Who are you Papa?" What's your name? Annan told him his name. Immediately the other man asked 'Thambi' Which street do you live in? This meant that if he knew which street we lived in, he would also know our caste. Thus in the olden days the upper caste people were the lower caste people.

Question 5- How did Annan motivate Bama To go ahead in her life? Did those words affects on Bama? How? Explain.

Answer- Bama's brother encouraged him and advised him to study hard to increase his rank in the class. She did the same and stood first in the class. Now many people became his friends. Thus, he fought against the stigma of belonging to a lower caste. As far as Bama is concerned, it was his brother Annan who suggested the way out for him. He advised that this social prejudice can be removed only through education. This happened after the Bizarre incident when he saw a man in his street carrying vadais with a particular style, as he was mandated to carry them without touching the packets. Had he touched the packing, the vadais could have been contaminated.