What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams?
Sophie dreamt to open a boutique or to become an actress or a fashion designer. She planned that she would work on the position of a manager and would save money to open her own boutique.
But Jansie is a practical girl who knew her reality and background of her middle class family so she knows that bigger dreams need bigger investments which they can’t afford that’s why she discouraged Sophie for such dreams.
What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status?
Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?
Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?
Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?
How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?
Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind.
Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
Sophie and Jansie were class-mates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?
Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Strike out what is not true in the following.
a. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) a sharecropper.
(ii) a politician.
(iii) delegate.
(iv) a landlord.
b. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) poor.
(ii) physically strong.
(iii) illiterate.
What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up’?
What are some of the positive views on interviews?
What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown into the pool? What plans did he make to come to the surface?
How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the studios? Why was he disappointed?
How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?
Strike out what is not true in the following.
a. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) a sharecropper.
(ii) a politician.
(iii) delegate.
(iv) a landlord.
b. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) poor.
(ii) physically strong.
(iii) illiterate.
What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?