The Little Girl

Question 1: Why was Kezia afraid of her father?

Answer: Kezia’s father was a strict person, who always used to give commands to everybody else in the house. He never seemed to smile. He was had an overpowering personality.  So  Kezia was always in awe of him.

Question 2: Who were the people in Kezia’s family?

Answer: Apart from Kezia and her father, there was Kezia’s mother, grandmother and a cook in the family.

Question 3: What was Kezia’s father’s routine?

(i) before going to his office?

(ii) after coming back from his office?

(iii) on Sundays?

Answer: (i) Before going to office the father used to give a casual kiss and ask her to say goodbye.

(ii) After  coming   back from office he would ask for newspaper and a cup of tea.

(iii) On   Sundays  he would sleep on the sofa with his face covered with his favourite cushion.

Question 4: In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?

Answer: Kezia’s   grandmother encouraged Kezia to get to know her father better by asking her to take off her father’s boots and she also sent her to the drawing room to talk to her parents on Sundays. She  also  suggested that  Kezia  should make a birthday gift for her father.  

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 Write down the answers in two or three paragraphs each

Question 1: Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?

Answer:  Kezia’s  grandmother asked her to make a surprise gift for her father’s birthday. She decided to make a nice pin cushion for him. She wanted to stuff the cushion with some scraps. While searching for scrap she found some sheet of papers on the bed table . She used them to stuff the pin cushion .

But it was her sheer bad luck that those were not useless papers, but  was  a speech written by her father. He had to deliver that speech at some important function. This made her father very angry and he beat her up with a ruler. 

Question 2: Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?

Answer: Mr. Macdonald was of a friendly and loving  nature. He played around with his kids. On the other hand   Kezia’s father was never seen in a playful mood and was always serious. He always scolded Kezia  for minor mistakes. 

Question 3: How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?

Answer: When Kezia’s mother falls sick she was feeling lonely. When she had a nightmare her  father  takes her to sleep with him. While consoling her, he seems to be an affectionate person. Kezia also feels the warmth of her father’s hug. Now she feels quite safe and secure with her father. She realizes that because of his busy schedule, her father is unable to give enough time to the family. When her father falls asleep before her, she realizes that her father is also a human being and he too needs  sympathy.