Ch 4 From the Diary of Anne Frank 10th Eng notes first flight (prose)

Comprehension Check

Question 1. Do you keep a diary? Given below under A are some terms we use to describe a written record of personal experience. Can you match them with their descriptions under ‘B’?

(You may look up the terms in a dictionary if you wish.)

* A. * B

(i) Journal. A book with a separate

space or page for each

day, in which you write down

your thoughts and feelings or

what has happened on that day

(ii) Diary A full record of a journey, a

period or an event,

written every day

(iii) Log A record of a person’s own

life and experiences

(usually, a famous person)

(iv) Memoir(s) A written record of

events with times

and dates, usually official

–

* A * B

(i) Journal. A full record of a

journey, a period

or an event, written every

day

(ii) Diary. A book with a separate

space or page for each day,

in which you write down

your thoughts and feelings

or what has happened on

that day

(iii) Log. A written record of events

with times and dates,

usually official

(iv) Memoir(s) . A record of a person’s

own life and experiences

(usually, a famous person)

Question 2. Here are some entries from personal records. Use the definitions above to decide which of the entries might be from a diary, a journal, a log, or a memoir.

1. I woke up very late today and promptly got a scolding from Mum! I can’t help it — how can I miss the FIFA World Cup matches?

2. 10:30 a.m. Went to the office of the Director at 01:00 p.m. Had lunch with Chairman 05:45 p.m. Received Rahul at the airport 09: 30 p.m. Dinner at home

3. The ride to Ooty was uneventful. We rested for a while every 50 km or so and used the time to capture the magnificent landscape with my HandyCam From Ooty we went on to Bangalore. What a contrast! The noise and pollution of this once beautiful city broke my heart.

4. This is how Raj Kapoor found me – all wet and ragged outside RK Studios. He was then looking for just someone like this for a small role in ‘Mera Naam Joker and he cast me on the spot. The rest, as they say, is history.

Answers:

(1) Diary

(2) Log

(3) Journal

(4) Memoir

Oral Comprehension Check 

3. What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?

Answer 

First, she had never written anything like this before and secondly, she thought that nobody is going to read or would be interested in her diary.

4. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

Answer 

Anne wants to keep a diary as she doesn’t have friends.

5. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?

Answer 

She could confide in her close friend but she didn’t have one, the friends she had there were to have more fun and good times rather than the ones on whom she could confide. She also believes that a paper to have more patience than people, so she decided to write and confide in a diary.

6. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?

Answer 

Anne provides a brief sketch of her life since no one would understand a word of her musings if she were to jump right in.

7. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?

Answer 

Her statement, that no one could understand her intensity of love for her grandma tells that she loved her grandmother. Moreover, the touching gesture of lighting up one candle for grandmother during Anne’s birthday is also a poignant reminder of her love for grandma.

8. Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?

Answer 

Mr. Keesing was annoyed with Anne because she talked very much in class. He assigned her extra homework, asking her to write an essay on the subject, ‘A Chatterbox’.

9. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?

Answer 

She gave two arguments to justify her ‘Chatterbox’, one that chats in students’ traits and another reason that nothing can be done about the inherited traits.

10. Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?

Answer 

Mr. Keesing was a strict teacher. However, he was not rigidly strict. He expected discipline and silence in his class while he was teaching, which is acceptable. He punished Anne by asking her to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. When Anne wrote a convincing essay on it, he received it with a good laugh. However, when Anne continued her talking, he punished her again by asking her to write another essay; this time the topic was ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’. Even after this when she kept talking, he asked her to write on the topic ‘Quack Quack Quack, said Mistress Chatterbox”. He was trying to play a joke on her. However, she came up with a brilliant poem, and he read this poem in class, acknowledging its content. Therefore, in regard to these events, Mr. Keesing cannot be entirely labeled as a strict teacher. He was fun-loving too.

11. What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class? 

Answer 

Anne was able to justify her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr. Keesing. On three occasions, as punishment, he gave her topics to write essays on. However, on each occasion he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments. Finally, Mr. Keesing accepted the fact that Anne would always be that way. Hence, she was allowed to talk in class.

Thinking about the Text 

1. Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?

Answer 

No, Anne was not right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl.

2. There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s dairy different?

Answer 

Anne’s diary was originally written in Dutch. Her diary is different from the others in many aspects. She had named her diary ‘Kitty’. She thought of it as her only true friend whom she could confide in. She treated it as another person who was listening to her daily accounts. She wrote all her stories in it. She started by writing ‘Dearest kitty’ and ended the account by writing, ‘Yours, Anne’. Her diary was a lot more personal than other diaries.

3. Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?

Answer 

Anne Frank claims that paper has more patience than people. She usually sits depressed and all alone .She claims of having no real friend .This lends the reader the perception that there isn’t any body to take care of Anne Frank. To clear the clouds of doubt , Anne Frank gives the sketch of her adorable father, compassionate mother, kind grandmother, and loving sister. 

She treated Kitty as an insider because she called it her best friend and was ready to confide in it.

4. How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?

Answer 

Anne felt that her father was the most adorable father she had ever seen. 

Anne remembered her grandmother even after her death. She wrote in her diary that no one knew how often she thought of her grandmother and still loved her. 

In the sixth form at the Montessori nursery school, her teacher was Mrs Kuperus, who was also the headmistress. At the end of the year, they were both in tears as they said a heartbreaking farewell. 

Mr Keesing was her Maths teacher. He was annoyed with her because she talked too much. However, Anne was able to justify her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr. Keesing. On each occasion he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments. 

All these incidents show how lovable and smart Anne was. Everybody was attached to her, and even Mr Keesing could not help but laugh at her essays and acknowledge her smart mind.

5. What does Anne write in her first essay?

Answer 

In her first essay, titled ‘A Chatterbox’, Anne wanted to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. She began thinking about the subject. She wrote three pages and was satisfied. She argued that talking was a student’s trait and that she would do her best to keep it under control. She further wrote that she would never be able to cure herself of the habit since her mother talked as much as she did. There was not much that one could do about inherited traits. Mr Keesing too had a good laugh reading her arguments.

6. Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?

Answer 

Anne felt that a quarter of her class was dumb, and should be kept back and not promoted to the next class. However, she also felt that teachers were the most unpredictable creatures on earth. Mr Keesing could be termed as unpredictable. The way Anne always talked while the class was going on, any teacher would lose his temper. However, after several warnings, all Mr Keesing did was to assign her extra homework. She had to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. In this way, he tried to play a joke on her. Each time that he asked her to write such essays, she wrote very well. She kept countering his jokes. One could not have predicted that he would take all the jokes in the right spirit. Finally, when she wrote an entire essay in verse he accepted her talkative nature and actually allowed her to talk in class. He did not even assign her any more extra homework. That is why it can be said that Mr Keesing was unpredictable.

7. What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?

(i) We don’t seem to be able to get any closer, and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other.

(ii) I don’t want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would, but I want the diary to be my friend. 

(iii) Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot.

(iv) If you ask me, there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth. 

(v) Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of taking.

Answer 

(i) These lines show that Anne had no true friend whom she could confide in. She even put the blame on herself that the fault might be hers. 

(ii) This line shows that Anne really considered her diary as a friend whom she could trust and narrate all her stories to. She did not want just a diary in which she could write down the facts like others did. She considered it as her friend and named her Kitty. 

(iii) This statement shows that Anne was a fun-loving person. She was witty and knew how to present things in a funny way. She narrated this incident with a lot of fun. The use of ‘plunked down’ shows her sense of humour. 

(iv) This statement shows that she had an opinion on everything. She thought that a quarter of her class was full of dummies, signifying that she herself was intelligent enough to make it to the next class. She thought of teachers as the most unpredictable creatures on earth because nobody could say which students they would fail and which students would be passed on to the next class. 

(v) This statement shows that Anne knew a lot about writing. She was given the task of writing an essay as a punishment. She took it on with full vigour. She did not want to write it like others who merely left big spaces between the words to make the essay look voluminous. She knew that the trick was to come up with a convincing argument to prove the necessity of talking. She was different in her approach from everybody else.

Thinking about Language

Question 1. Match the compound words under A with their meanings under ‘B’. Use each in a sentence.

* A * B

1. Heart-breaking. (a) Obeying and

respecting the law

2. Homesick (b) Think about pleasant

things, forgetting about

the present

3. Blockhead (c) Something produced

by a person, machine or

organization

4. Law-abiding. (d) Producing great

sadness

5. Overdo. (e) An occasion when

vehicles/machines stop

working

6. Daydream (f) An informal word

which means a very

stupid person

7. Breakdown. (g) Missing home and

. family very much

8. Output (h) Do something to an

excessive degree

Answers:

1. (d),

2. (g),

3. (f),

4. (a),

5. (h),

6. (b),

7. (e),

8. (c).

Question 2. Now find the sentences in the lesson that have the phrasal verbs given below. Match them with their meanings. (You have already found out the meanings for some of them.) Are their meanings the same as that of their parts? (Note that two parts of a phrasal verb may occur separated in the text.)

1. Plunge in. (a) Speak or write

without focus

2. Kept back (b) Stay indoors

3. Move up (c) Make (them)

remain quiet

4. Ramble on (d) Have a good

relationship with

5. Get along with (e) Give an

assignment (homework)

to a person in authority

(the teacher)

6. Calm down (f) Compensate

7. Stay in. (g) Go straight to the

topic

8. Make up for. (h) Go to the next grade

9. Hand in (i) Not promoted

Answers:

1. (g),

2. (b),

3. (h),

4. (a),

5. (d),

6. (c),

7. (b),

8. (f),

9. (e).

Question 3(a). Here are a few sentences from the text which have idiomatic expressions. Can you say what each means? (You might want to consult a dictionary first.)

1. Our entire class is quacking in its boots.

2. Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart.

3. Mr Keesing was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much.

4. Mr Keesing was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him.

Answers:

1. Shaking with fear and nervousness.

2. Not to think about the negative side, but hope for the best.

3. For quite a long time.

4. The joke would be on him only.

Question 3(b).

Here are a few more idiomatic expressions that occur in the text. Try to use them in sentences of your own.

1. Caught my eye

2. He’d had enough

3. Laugh ourselves silly

4. Can’t bring myself to

5. Break somebody’s heart

6. Close/Dear to heart

7. From the (bottom of your) heart

8. Have a heart

9. Have a heart of stone

10. Your heart goes out to somebody.

1. Caught my eye While I was in the market, a beautiful purse had caught my eye.

2. He’d had enough The teacher said that they’d had enough and he wanted all the notebooks by Wednesday.

3. Laugh ourselves silly He laughed ourselves silly on his stupid jokes.

4. Can’t bring myself I can’t bring myself to terms with this tragedy.

5. Break somebody’s heart It is not a good habit to break somebody’s heart.

6. Close to heart I am very close to my father’s heart.

7. From the (bottom! of your) heart I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being my mentor.

8. Have a heart I request you to have a heart and look again at my application.

9. Have a heart of stone It is said that people like Hitler have a heart of stone.

10. Your heart goes out to somebody As I looked at shabbily dressed up children, my heart went out to them.

MCQs

Question 1.

What was the subject on which she had to write?

(a) Necessity of Walking

(b) Necessity of Running

(c) Necessity of Talking

(d) Necessity of Studying

Answer

 (c) Necessity of Talking

Question 2.

What was the topic of the essay written by Anne?

(a) My Diary

(b) A Chatterbox

(c) A letterbox

(d) None of the Above

Answer

 (b) A Chatterbox

Question 3.

How does Anne explain his father?

(a) Most Adorable father

(b) Most Angry Father

(c) Most delicate Father

(d) None of the Above

Answer

 (a) Most Adorable father

Question 4.

Who is Anne’s long-awaited friend?

(a) Her pen

(b) Her cat

(c) Her diary

(d) Her Dog

Answer

 (c) Her diary

Question 5.

How does she want to begin her diary?

(a) By writing her name

(b) By giving an introduction

(c) By writing about her hobby

(d) None of the Above

Answer

 (b) By giving an introduction

Question 6.

On which date did Anne record the incident in Mr Keesing’s class in her diary?

(a) 12 June, 1942

(b) 21 June, 1942

(c) 20 June, 1942

(d) 22 June, 1942

Answer

 (c) 20 June, 1942

Question 7.

In which city were Anne and Margot sent to live with their grandmother?

(a) Berlin

(b) Aachen

(c) Munich

(d) Bonn

Answer

 (b) Aachen

Question 8.

Who was the only survivor from Anne’s family

(a) Anne

(b) Anne’s father

(c) Anne’s mother

(d) Anne’s sister

Answer

 (b) Anne’s father

Question 9.

How many siblings did Anne have?

(a) 1

(b) 2

(c) 3

(d) 4

Answer

 (a) 1

Question 10.

What name was her book published with?

(a) From the Diary of Anne Frank

(b) The Diary of a Young Girl

(c) Anne Frank

(d) Anne Frank’s Diary

Answer

 (b) The Diary of a Young Girl

Question 11.

What did she write in her last essay?

(a) a poem

(b) a joke

(c) a paragraph

(d) a funny poem

Answer

 (d) a funny poem

Question 12.

Why was she unable to get closer to her already existing friends?

(a) she didn’t like her friends

(b) her friends do not understand

(c) she can’t bring herself to talk about personal stuff

(d) all of the above

Answer

 (c) she can’t bring herself to talk about personal stuff

Question 13.

What shows Anne’s love for her grandmother?

(a) she still thinks about her

(b) she misses her

(c) she let her birthday pass with a little celebration

(d) both 1 and 2

Answer

 (d) both 1 and 2

Question 14.

What language was the diary originally written in?

(a) Spanish

(b) English

(c) Dutch

(d) French

Answer

 (c) Dutch

Question 15.

Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with her?

(a) she was not a good student

(b) she was talkative

(c) she was rude

(d) all of the above

Answer

 (b) she was talkative

Question 16.

Why does she give a brief sketch of her family in the diary?

(a) no one would understand it if she dove right in

(b) to introduce Kitty to her family

(c) she would forget facts about her family

(d) she liked talking about her family

Answer

 (a) no one would understand it if she dove right in

Question 17.

Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

(a) she has no close friends

(b) she loves to write

(c) she wants people to read about her later

(d) she likes the idea of it

Answer

 (a) she has no close friends

Question 18.

Why was writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne?

(a) she had never written anything before

(b) she didn’t know how to write

(c) neither she nor anyone else would be interested in it later

(d) Both A and C

Answer

 (d) Both A and C