This Educational Post on Class 11 English Chapter 1 “A Photograph” by Shirley Toulson is in 3 segments: PDF, Summary, Extra Questions & Answers. Let’s Get Started!
CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill (Poem): A Photograph by Shirley Toulson PDF
Here are the Preview + Download links of NCERT Class 11 English Hornbill Book and Poem 1 “A Photograph” by Shirley Toulson. These are the Links to the PDF published by Official Website of NCERT, i.e. ncert.nic.in.
| A Photograph NCERT PDF | PDF View or Download Link |
| Full NCERT Hornbill Book PDF | PDF Download Link |
A Photograph Summary
A Photograph by Shirley Toulson is the 1st poem of the CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Book. (To Be Updated)
A Photograph Extra Questions & Answers
Here you get, A Photograph Extra Question Answers! These Important Extra Questions and answers from “A Photograph” will help you in your CBSE Class 11 English Subjective Exams or Tests and also in memorising the chapter in depth. So, Here you go:-
When was the photo taken? What has been shown in the Photograph?
The photo was taken when the poet’s mother was a child of around 12 years or so. The Photograph shows poet’s mother and her two cousin sisters Betty and Dolly holding her hand in the beach.
Explain “Its Silence Silences” from the poem “A Photograph”.
The expression from the poem “A Photograph” by Shirley Toulson mean the death or loss of poet’s mother and the poet’s inability to express her grief and sorrow. “Its silence” here refers to death of poet’s mother and “silences” refers to the poet’s silence or sorrow because of it.
Why does the poet feel nostalgic?
On seeing the photograph, the poet feels nostalgic because it reminds her of her mother who is dead. The photograph visualises the time when her mother was a child. She remembers how her mother used to look at one of her old photograph, where she posed in a beach with her cousins Betty and Dolly with a smile.
The poet’s mother would laugh looking at the photograph. Why?
The poet’s mother laughed while recalling a moment of her past captured in the photograph. She looks back at her childhood days with nostalgia and recollects her innocent joys. Looking at the picture, years later, brings in her minds the fond memories. She laughs at the way they were dressed up for the beach holiday.
Explain “The sea holiday was her past, mine is her laughter”.
Gone are the childhood days of the poet’s mother and the sea holiday has become her past, the photograph flashes her back to the scene that was captured around 30 years ago. Gone is the carefree laughter of her mother which was love at one time. But now, the laughter of her mother has eventually become a thing of the past for the poet. She has silently resigned herself to the fate.
Explain “Terribly transient feet”.
In the phrase “terribly transient feet” the word ‘feet’ is used to describe human beings and transient means short-lived or temporary. The phrase as a whole means that human life is impermanent. Human beings are mortal and have to die one day or the other but the sea is permanent and will remain the same even after our death.
What is the meaning of the line “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss”?
Both the poet’s mother and the poet suffer a sense of loss. The mother has lost her childlike innocence and joyful spirit that the photograph captured years ago. For the poet, the smile of her mother has become a thing of the past. Ironically, both labour to bear this loss with ease.
What does ‘this circumstance’ refer to?
‘this circumstance’ refers to the painful memory of the death of poet’s mother. The happy and carefree girl seen in the photograph is no more. The poetess could not help being sorry and sad to think of her mother as an objected person.
Did the mother enjoy her childhood? How do you know?
The poet’s mother was a happy and carefree girl. She enjoyed her childhood days with her cousins, which is evident in the photograph of the sea holiday that they had once enjoyed. The memory of the holiday also made her laugh.
What was the occasion of taking the photograph? Who was there with the girls?
The poet’s mother along with her cousin sisters Betty and Dolly had gone to the beach for a picnic during summer holidays and so, were posing for a photograph which was being taken by there uncle who was there with them, the girls.
We hope you found these Important Extra Question Answers of CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill (NCERT) Poem 1 “A Photograph” by Shirley Toulson, helpful for your Subjective Exams and Better Understanding + Revision of the Poem’s Important Questions. Share it with your friends of CBSE Class 11. Thank you very much!
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