The Portrait of a Lady Common Question For HS 2026

The Portrait of a Lady Common Question For HS 2026: The Portrait of a Lady by Khushwant Singh is the chapter 1 from class 11 English NCERT textbook. Here you can avail The Portrait of a Lady Common Question For HS 2026.

The Portrait Of A Lady HS 1st Year Question Answer English | The Portrait of a Lady Class 11 questions with answers PDF

The Portrait of a Lady" by Khushwant Singh is a story about the author's relationship with his grandmother, highlighting its changes from childhood to adulthood. The grandmother is portrayed as a deeply religious, kind, and caring figure who is central to the author's early life. Their bond weakens as the author grows older and moves away for studies, but the grandmother eventually finds solace in her faith and her simple routines.

The Portrait of a Lady Class 11 Extra Questions with Answers | The Portrait of a Lady short question Answer PDF download

The Grandmother's Character: The grandmother is depicted as a traditionally religious woman, deeply connected to nature and animals, especially dogs and sparrows. She is portrayed as kind, caring, and selfless, always putting the author's needs first.

Changing Relationship: The story explores the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother as he grows up. In his childhood, they share a close bond, but as he enters adulthood and studies abroad, their lives diverge, and their connection weakens.

The Grandmother's Activities: After the author leaves for university, the grandmother spends her time reciting prayers, spinning on the spinning wheel, and feeding sparrows.

Themes: The story explores themes of family, change, love, loss, and the enduring power of faith.

Loss and Acceptance: The story highlights the author's grandmother's acceptance of her loneliness as the author grows up and becomes independent.

Religious Nature: The grandmother's strong religious beliefs are evident in her daily prayers, her visits to the temple, and her hope that the author learns religious scriptures.

The Portrait of a Lady HS 1st Year Question Answer | The Portrait of a Lady Previous Years Question Answer

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

Ans: It was hard for the author to believe that his grandmother was once young and pretty. In fact, the thought was almost revolting. He had only known her as an old woman with a wrinkled face. For him, she was always old, and the idea of her being young and beautiful seemed contradictory to the image he had in his mind.

2. How does Khuswant Singh describe his grandmother ? HS 2013

Ans: Khushwant Singh describes his grandmother as a short, fat, and slightly bent old woman with a wrinkled face. He emphasizes her religious nature, noting her constant silent prayers and the rosary she always held. He also highlights her serenity and inner beauty, despite not being traditionally pretty, and her attire of spotless white clothes.

3. Explain: 'Old, so terribly old that she could not have grown older'. HS 2014

Ans: Here the author is talking about his grandmother. From the start he had seen his grandmother with countless wrinkles on her face and her hair were silver due to her old age. Her appearance had not changed at all in the coming years. This led the author to beleive that his grandmother had not aged at all, and hence could not have grown any older than she already was.

4. How could the grandmother be 'beautiful' without being 'pretty' ? HS 2014

Ans: The grandmother can be considered beautiful without being conventionally pretty by possessing inner qualities like kindness, wisdom, and a nurturing spirit, which are often more enduring and impactful than physical appearance. While "pretty" often refers to outward, physical attractiveness, "beautiful" can encompass a broader range of positive attributes and character.

5. How did the sparrows react to the death of the author's grandmother ? HS 2015, 2016

Ans: Thousands of sparrows sat silently surrounding the dead body of the author’s grandmother. There was no chirruping. The author’s mother threw some crumbs of bread to them. They took no notice of them. As soon as the grandmother’s corpse was carried off, they flew away quietly. Thus the sparrows expressed their sorrow.

6. What the difference between village school education and urban school education is as brought out in the lesson 'The Portrait of a Lady' ? HS 2015

Ans: There was a lot of difference in the studies of both the places. In village, more emphasis was given on religious scriptures, alphabet and morning prayer. The city school focused mainly on English, western Science, Mathematics and music.

7. Mention three reasons why the author's grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school ? HS 2016

Ans: The author's grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school because she could not help him with his lessons in English, science. There was no teaching of God and scriptures in the author's English medium school. She was unhappy with the idea of music lessons being given at school.

8. What are the different ways in which we come to know that the author's grandmother was a deeply religious person ? HS 2017

Ans: The author's grandmother was a deeply religious person. She used to get up early in the morning. She always mumbled an inaudible prayer at home and one hand always busy telling the rosary beads. Everyday she went along with the author to his school, she sat in a temple and read scriptures. She was unhappy for no religious teaching at city school. Before dying, she stopped talking to everyone and turned to prayers and telling the beads.

9. Mention three ways in which the author's grandmother spent her days after he grew up. HS 2017

Ans: Once the author grew up, his grandmother adapted to a life of more solitude, focusing on a routine that brought her comfort and peace. She would spend most of her time sitting and spinning. She dedicated a significant portion of her day to prayer and chanting. In the afternoons, she would relax for half an hour and scatter breadcrumbs for the sparrows.

10. Would you agree that the author's grandmother was a person strong in character ? If yes, give instances that show this. HS 2018

Ans: Yes, the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character. She had her own thoughts about education. She considered the teaching of scriptures to be more fruitful than science and music. She was a happy and contented person in all circumstances. During the time of loneliness and seclusion, she took to wheel spinning and reciting prayers and in the afternoon she used to feed the sparrows.

11. Give two examples of the author's grandmother's love of animals. HS 2018

Ans: She was an old widowed woman who used to spend all her time in worship. When she was in the village, she used to feed the dogs in the morning and when she came to town, she used to feed sparrows every day. This shows that her heart was kind and compassionate towards not only humans but also towards animals and birds.

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

Ans: When the grandmother died, thousands of sparrows collected and sat in the courtyard. There was no chirruping. When the author's mother threw some breadcrumbs for them, they took no notice of the breadcrumbs. They were full of grief at her death and flew away quietly after the cremation.

13. How did the author's grandfather look in his portrait ? HS 2020, 2021

Ans: In the portrait, the author's grandfather was depicted as an elderly man with a long white beard that covered most of his chest. He wore a large turban and loose fitting clothes. He appeared to be at least a hundred years old, and the author thought his grandfather did not look the sort of person who would have a wife or children. He looked as if he could only have lots and lots of grandchildren.

14. How did the author's grandmother prepare to take him to the village school ? HS 2020, 2021

Ans: The grandmother woke him up each morning, bathed him, dressed him and got him ready for school. There after, she plastered his wooden slate. After breakfast, she would accompany him to the village school. While the author was learning his alphabet and prayers, his grandmother sat inside the temple and read the scriptures.

15. How did the author's grandmother look ? HS 2021

Ans: The author describes his grandmother as short, fat, and slightly slightly bent. Her face was a criss-cross of wrinkles running all over her face. She always wore spotless white clothes and had silver hair. The author compared her to a "winter landscape in the mountains," emphasizing the serene and peaceful quality of her appearance, despite her age and physical characteristics.

16. Why did the author's grandmother not like his city school ? HS 2021

Ans: The author's grandmother did not like the city school because she could not help him with his lessons in English, science. There was no teaching of God and scriptures in the author's English medium school. She was unhappy with the idea of music lessons being given at school. She considered music suitable only for the people with low dignity.

17. How do you know that the author's grandmother was a deeply religious person ? HS 2022, 2025

18. How did the grandmother celebrate the homecoming of the author ? AHSEC 2022, 2025

Ans: When the narrator came back to his homeland, his grandmother jumped with joy. She didn't talk much like she did always. But something happened in the evening which surprised everyone. She expressed her joy by invitating all neighbourhood women, beating drum and singing for hours of the homecoming of warriors.

19. Why did the grandmother always accompany the author to the school ? HS 2022

Ans: The grandmother always accompanied the author to school because the school was attached to a temple. While the author was learning his alphabet and prayers, she would spend her time there reading scriptures. This allowed her to stay close to her grandson while also engaging in her own religious practices.

20. Give a pen picture of the narrator's grandfather as he appeared in the portrait. HS 2023

Ans: The author's grandfather appeared as an elderly man with a long white beard that covered most of his chest. He wore a large turban and loose fitting clothes. He appeared to be at least a hundred years old, and the author thought his grandfather did not look the sort of person who would have a wife or children. He looked as if he could only have lots and lots of grandchildren.

21. Why did the narrator's grandmother give the impression of 'winter landscape in the mountains' ? HS 2023

Ans: The narrator’s grandmother gave the impression of ‘winter landscape in the mountains’ because of her silver hair and spotless white clothes. The narrator's grandmother used to wear the clothes which would have no spots in them and her hair had turned all grey. This evoked the image of a snow-covered mountain peak, conveying a sense of purity, tranquility, and quiet beauty.

22. Why was it hard for the author to believe that his grandmother had a divine beauty ? HS 2024

Ans: It was hard for the author to believe that his grandmother had a divine beauty. In fact, the thought was almost revolting. He had only known her as an old woman with a wrinkled face. For him, she was always old, and the idea of her being young and beautiful seemed contradictory to the image he had in his mind.

23. How did the sparrows mourn the grandmother's death ? HS 2024

Class 11 / HS 1st Year Science Biology English Medium

HS 1st Year Mathematics Question Paper 2016 PDF Download

HS 1st Year Mathematics Question Paper 2017 PDF Download

HS 1st Year Mathematics Question Paper 2018 PDF Download

HS 1st Year Mathematics Question Paper 2019 PDF Download

HS 1st Year Mathematics Question Paper 2020 PDF Download

HS 1st Year Mathematics Question Paper 2022 PDF Download

HS 1st Year Physics Question Paper 2022 PDF Download

HS 1st Year Political Science Question Paper 2016 PDF Download

HS 1st Year Political Science Question Paper 2017 PDF Download

HS 1st Year Political Science Question Paper 2018 PDF Download