My Mother at Sixty Six

Previous Years' CBSE Board Questions

MCO (1 mark)

1. The poet Kamala Das brought in the image of 'spilling children' with the intention

put that thought away, and

looked out at young

trees sprinting, the merry children spilling

out of their homes. (a)

1. of praising children.
2. of reminiscing her childhood.
3. of bringing in a contrast to the mood of the poet.
4. of making her mother happy and cheerful.

(Term I, 2021-22) U

SAI (2 marks)

1. Why has the poet mentioned 'merry children spilling out of their homes' in the poem? (2020)
2. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her aging mother? (Delhi 2014)
3. What was the poet's childhood fear? (Al 2014) R
4. Why has the poet's mother been compared to the 'late winter's moon'? (Delhi 2013) U

SA II (3 marks)

1. What does the poet's smile in the poem, 'My Mother at Sixty-six' show? (2018) An
2. Why are the youngsters described as springing? (Delhi 2017) [II]
3. What were the poet's feelings as she drove to Cochin airport? (Delhi 2015C) [An]

SAIII (4 marks)

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. Driving from my parent's home to Cochin last Friday morning, I saw my mother, beside me. doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that Of a corpse and realised with pain that she was as old as she

1. I saw my mother beside me. doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised with pain.....

looked ... ... ... (a) Who is '1'?

1. Where was the poet driving to? Who was sitting beside her?
2. What did the poet notice about her mother?
3. Which thought made the poet feel painful?
4. Name the figure of speech used in the expression: 'her face ashen like that of a corpse'.

10. but soon

1. What thought did the poet put away?
2. Why are the young trees described as sprinting?
3. How do you know that the joyful scene did not help her drive away 'that thought' from her mind? (Al 2019)
4. I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter's moon and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood's fear, but all I said was, see you soon, Amma all I did was smile and smile and smile ...
5. Name the poet and the poem.
6. What was the poet's childhood fear?
7. What is the poetic device used in lines 1-2?
8. Explain: 'late winter's moon'. (Delhi 2019)

12. Old

Familiar ache, my childhood's fear,

but all I said was, see you soon,

Amma, all I did was smile and smile and

smile......

1. What does the phrase, 'familiar ache' mean?
2. What was the poet's childhood fear?
3. What do the first two lines tell us about the poet's feelings for her mother?
4. What does the repeated use of the word, 'smile' mean? (Delhi 2016) 🕕
5. What did 'I' realise with pain?
6. Why was the realisation painful?
7. Identify and name the figure of speech used in these lines. (Al 2016)
8. I saw my mother, beside me. (2020) 👔 doze, open mouthed, her face

ashen like that looked out at young

of a corpse and realised with trees sprinting, the merry children spilling

pain out of their homes....

that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought away, ....

1. What worried the poet when she looked at her mother?
2. Why was there pain in her realisation?
3. Why did she put that thought away?
4. Identify the figure of speech used in these lines. (Delhi 2015)

1. looked out at young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes, but after the airport's security, I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter's moon and felt that old familiar ache. ... ...
2. How can the trees sprint?
3. Why did the poet look at her mother again?
4. What did she observe?
5. Identify the figure of speech used in these lines. (AI 2015) An

I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter's moon and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood's fear,

1. Who is 'her'?
2. Why did the poet look at 'her' again?
3. What was the poet's childhood fear?
4. Identify the figure of speech used in these lines. (Foreign 2015) U

1. ... ... ... and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood's fear, but all I said was, see you soon, Amma All I did was smile and smile and smile...
2. Name the poem.
3. What was the poet's childhood fear?
4. What does her smile signify?
5. What does the word 'ache mean'. (AI 2015C)

1. What thought did the poet drive away from her mind?
2. What did she see when she looked out of the car?
3. What did she see that the joyful scene did not help her drive away the painful thought from her mind? (Delhi 2014C)

LAII (6 marks)

19. Read the following extract and answer the

guestions that follow:

I saw my mother, beside me. doze, open mouthed, her face

ashen like that of a corpse and realised with

pain that she was as old as she

looked but soon put that thought away, and

looked out at Young

Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling

out of their homes,

Identify the phrase that indicates youthful energy.

Which thought is the poet trying to put away?

(a) missing the flight (d)

1. (c) leaving her mother behind

The poet's mother is described as 'open mouthed'

because .

1. (c) she was dead (d) she was dozing

1. Complete the following analogy: children spilling: metaphor:: _____: personification
2. The sight of the trees and the children helped the poet.

In the given extract, the phrase 'realised with pain'

indicates the poet's (c)

1. anxiety (b) desperation

1. ... but soon put that thought away, and

CBSE Sample Questions

MCQ (1 mark)

(Term I, 2021-22)

The sight of young trees and merry children, on the way to Cochin, is _____ the poet's aging mother.

1. like a divine assurance for
2. in sharp contrast to
3. a distraction from pain for
4. the bridge between the poet and

SAI (2 marks)

Kamala Das speaks of 'an old familiar ache? What do

you think is the reason for this feeling? (2020-21) [An