Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 4. From the Diary of Anne Frank answers, ncert solutions

Chapter 4. From the Diary of Anne Frank

Exercise - Activity

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.)

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
Diary	– A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every day
Log	A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person)
Memoir(s)	A written record of events with times and dates, usually official

Answer :

Journal	– A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every day
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
Log	A written record of events with times and dates, usually official
Memoir(s)	A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person)

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.

(i) 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?

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

Ans: _____________________________

(iii) 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 Handy Cam. From Ooty, we went on to Bangalore. What a contrast! The noise and pollution of this once − beautiful city really broke my heart.
Ans: _____________________________

(iv) This is how Raj Kapoor found me − all wet and ragged outside R. K. 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?
Ans: _____________________________

Answer :

(i) 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?
Ans: Diary

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

(iii) 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 Handy Cam. From Ooty, we went on to Bangalore. What a contrast! The noise and pollution of this once − beautiful city really broke my heart.
Ans: Journal

(iv) This is how Raj Kapoor found me − all wet and ragged outside R. K. 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?
Ans: Memoir

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.

Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

Answer :

Anne wants to keep a diary as she didn’t have friend.

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.

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.

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 the love for grand

Oral Comprehension Check

Answer :

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

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

Answer :

She gave two arguments to justify her ‘Chatterbox’, one that chatting in student’s traits and other reason that nothing can be done about the inherited traits .

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 with 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 the class, acknowledging its content. Therefore, in regard of these events, Mr. Keesing cannot be entirely labelled as a strict teacher. He was fun-loving too.

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.

Exercise - Thinking about the Language

Question (1)

Heartbreaking	obeying and respecting the law
Homesick	think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present
Law-abiding	producing great sadness
Overdo	an occasion when vehicles/machines stop working
Daydream	an informal word which means a very stupid person
Breakdown	missing home and family very much
Output	do something to an excessive degree
Blockhead	something produced by a person, machine or organisation

Answer :

Heartbreaking	producing great sadness
Homesick	missing home and family very much
Law-abiding	obeying and respecting the law
Overdo	do something to an excessive degree
Daydream	think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present
Breakdown	an occasion when vehicles/machines stop working
Output	something produced by a person, machine or organisation
Blockhead	an informal word which means a very stupid person

Question (2)

Now find the sentences in the lesson that have the phrasal verbs given below. Match them with their meanings.

Plunge in	speak or write without focus
kept back	make (them) remain quiet
move up	have a good relationship with
ramble on	give an assignment ( home work ) to a person authority (the teacher)
get along with	compensate
calm down	go straight to the topic
stay in	go to the next grade
make up for	not promoted
hand in	not promoted

Answer :

(i) the plunge in − go straight to the topic Since no one would understand a word of my stories to Kitty if I were to plunge right in, I’d better provide a brief sketch of my life, much as I dislike doing so.

(ii) kept back − not promoted The reason, of course, is the forthcoming meeting in which the teachers decide who’ll move up to the next form and who’ll be kept back.

(iii) move up − go to the next grade The reason, of course, is the forthcoming meeting in which the teachers decide who’ll move up to the next form and who’ll be kept back.

(iv) ramble on − speak or write without focus 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 talking.

(v) get along with − have a good relationship with I get along pretty well with all my teachers.

(vi) calm down − make (them) remain quite Even G.’s pleading advances and my angry outbursts can’t calm them down.

(vii) stay in − stay indoors I thought of this saying on one of those days when I was feeling a little depressed and was sitting at home with my chin in my hands, bored and listless, wondering whether to stay in or go out.

(viii) make up for − compensate This birthday celebration in 1942 was intended to make up for the other.

(ix) hand in − give an assignment (homework) to a person in authority (the teacher) I handed it in, and Mr Keesing had nothing to complain about for two whole lessons.

Question (3)

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 quaking in its boots.
_____________________________________________________________

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

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

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

Answer :

(i) Our entire class is quaking in its boots. Shaking with fear and nervousness

(ii) Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. Not to lose hope

(iii) Mr Keeping was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much. For a long time

(iv) Mr Keeping was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him. He was outwitted by her.

Question (4)

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

caught my eye	laugh ourselves silly
he’d had enough	) can’t bring me to

Answer :

(i) caught my eye
A small red car passing by caught my eye.

(ii) he’d had enough
Tom had a hard time raising enough money build the orphanage he’d promised to build.

(iv) laugh ourselves silly
One girl said something funny, and we laughed ourselves silly.

(v) can’t bring me to
I can’t bring myself to eat anything but chocolates.

Question (5)

You have read the expression ‘not to lose heart’ in this text. Now find out the meanings of the following expressions using the word ‘heart’. Use each of them in a sentence of your own.
1. break somebody’s heart
2. close/dear to the heart
3. from the (bottom of your) heart
4. have a heart
5. have a heart of stone
6. your heart goes out to somebody

Answer :

1. break somebody’s heart − to upset somebody deeply
It has, unfortunately, become very easy these days to break somebody’s heart.
2. close/dear to heart − something or someone who is near and close to you
The drawing given to me by my little daughter is very close to my heart.
3. from the (bottom of your) heart − genuinely meaning or feeling something
He loved his son from the bottom of his heart.
4. have a heart − to evoke the feeling to help someone in distress
The poor beggar asked the rich man to have a heart and give him something to eat.
5. have a heart of stone − to not feel anything or any sentiment
The cruel landlady has a heart of stone as she beats up her children.
6. your heart goes out to somebody − to sympathise with someone else and understand his feelings and distress My heart goes out to the little girl who lost both her parents in a car accident.

Question (6)

Make a list of the contracted forms in the text. Rewrite them as full forms of two words.
For example:
I’ve = I have

2. We have seen that some contracted forms can stand for two different full forms:
I’d = I had or I would
Find in the text the contracted forms that stand for two different full forms, and say what
these are.

Answer :

(i) I’ve − I have
(ii) Doesn’t − does not
(iii) Won’t − would not
(iv) I’m − I am
(v) Don’t − do not
(vi) Can’t − cannot
(vii) it’s − it is
(viii) That’s − that is
(ix) I’d − I would
(x) Didn’t − did not
(xi) Who’ll − who will
(xii) You’re − You are
(xiii) We’ll − We will
(xiv) There’s − there is
(xv) He’d − he had
(xvi) Who’s − who is
(xvii) Haven’t − have not
2
(i) I’d − I had or I would
(ii) He’d − He had or he would

Exercise - Thinking about the Text

Question (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.

Question (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.

Question (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 Exercise - Thinking about the Text

Question (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.

Question (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.

Question (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.

Question (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.