{"id":118555,"date":"2022-04-27T15:51:40","date_gmt":"2022-04-27T10:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/?p=118555"},"modified":"2022-04-27T15:51:40","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T10:21:40","slug":"chapter-5-mothers-day-questions-and-answers-ncert-solutions-for-class-11-english-snapshots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/education\/chapter-5-mothers-day-questions-and-answers-ncert-solutions-for-class-11-english-snapshots","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 5 – Mother\u2019s Day Questions and Answers: NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English (Snapshots)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question 1.
\nThis play, written in the 1950s, is a humorous and satirical depiction of the status of the mother in the family.
\n(i) What are the issues it raises?
\n(ii) Do you think it caricatures these issues or do you think that the problems it raises are genuine? How does the play resolve the issues? Do you agree with the resolution?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe play, written in the 1950s, is a humorous and satirical depiction of the status of the mother in the family.
\nIt raises very poignant social issues of women, as housewives, being taken for granted by the family. The husband, son and daughter\u2014all take the mother for granted. She gets no respite and no gratitude for all that she does. The day, she refuses to attend to them, they are outraged.
\nThese issues are genuine, especially in a country like India where there is still a gender bias. The housewife is supposed to perform all the chores of the house as her duty. The scenario is now, however, showing some signs of change although we still have a long way to go before we achieve equality.<\/h3>\n

Question 2.
\nIf you were to write about these issues today what are some of the incidents, examples and problems that you would think of as relevant?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nHints-problems related to this issue:<\/h3>\n

mother working at a job and struggling with the housework alone
\ngeneration gap
\nsibling rivalry
\nmarital discord in parents
\nsingle parent family<\/h3>\n

Question 3.
\nIs drama a good medium for conveying a social message? Discuss.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe modem artist is, in the words of August Strindberg, \u201ca lay preacher popularising the pressing questions of his time.\u201d Millet, Meunier, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, Emerson, Walt Whitman, Tolstoy, Ibsen, Strindberg, Hauptmann and a host of others mirror in their work as much of the spiritual and social revolt as is expressed by the most fiery speeches of the propagandist. And more important still, they compel far greater attention. Their creative genius, instilled with the spirit of sincerity and truth, strikes root where the ordinary word often falls on barren soil.
\nThe medium mirrors every phase of life and embraces every strata of society, showing each and all, caught in the throes of the tremendous changes going on, and forced either to become part of the process or be left behind. Ibsen, Strindberg, Hauptmann, Tolstoy, Shaw, Galsworthy and the other dramatists represent the social iconoclasts of our time. They know that society has gone beyond the stage of patching up, and that man must throw off the dead weight of the past, if he is , to go free to meet the future.Drama is the dynamite which undermines superstition, shakes the social pillars, and prepares men and women for the reconstruction.<\/h3>\n

Question 4.
\nRead the play out in parts. Enact the play on a suitable occasion.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe play\u2019s title Mother\u2019s Day indicates that a suitable occasion for it to be performed may be the 2nd Sunday in May, when Mother\u2019s Day is most commonly celebrated. This day has been set aside every year to honour mothers and motherhood all over the world. The foundations for this day being celebrated as Mother\u2019s Day were laid by Anna Marie Jarvis in the United States. She chose this day to honour her mother and all mothers at a church memorial ceremony in West Virginia in 1908.
\nHowever, as the play portrays how mothers are taken for granted in the family, any occasion may be suitable for a performance of this play. This is a common social issue across the Indian subcontinent and the world, mothers everywhere are taken for granted by their families\u2019 all the time. Like the family depicted, people are often so self- involved that they forget about the amount of responsibilities shouldered by mothers. The lesson this play seeks to convey is that other members of the family must learn to share responsibilities, and not leave everything for the mother to do.<\/h3>\n

Question 5.
\nDiscuss in groups plays or films with a strong message of social reform that you have watched.
\n(Answers may vary.)Sample answer:<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nSome plays with a strong message of social reform include:
\nThe Good Person of Szechwan \u2013
\nThis is a play written by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. This play is about a young poor condemned Chinese woman who offers shelter to Gods who visit one evening and they bless her with money to open a business. Other people in her village who earlier shunned her then take advantage of her and oppress her, forcing her to invent an alter ego to fight against their cruelty. The play portrays the changing attitudes of people towards members of different classes, and the necessity to be strong to fight oppression in society.<\/h3>\n

The Death of a Salesman \u2013
\nThis play, written by the Irish playwright Arthur Miller, describes the trajectory of a salesman who focuses most of his time and energy on his career and neglects his family in the process. His son blames him for not having a role model to follow and destroying his possibilities for a stable future. After the salesman loses his job, he feels he has lost everything. This play highlights how difficult career struggles can be, and how they can destroy our lives and that we should not neglect family in the process. Both as parents and as children it is important to recognise and appreciate people close to us.
\nA Raisin in the Sun \u2013
\nThis play, written by African-American playwright Lorraine Vivian Hansberry, describes the financial struggles of an African-American family living in a poor neighbourhood in Chicago. After the family receives an inheritance each of them wishes to use this sum in different ways to better their lives. It touches upon how important staying together as a family can be during difficult circumstances. The play also portrays racial discrimination against African-Americans in America, when the family tries to move into a neighbourhood of white people they are threatened by a racist white association. The message the play leaves us with is a need for change in the way we treat each other.
\nSome films with a strong message of social reform include:
\nEnglish Vinglish \u2013
\nThis Indian film is about a housewife who is taken for granted by her daughter and husband, who ridicule her for her poor English speaking skills, making her suffer from confidence issues. She starts taking classes to improve her English keeping this secret from her immediate family. Gradually this helps her become more confident and feel better about herself, changing the way her family view her. This film leaves us with the message that we should learn to appreciate everyone\u2019s strengths and not mock people who have not received the same education we have.<\/h3>\n

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas \u2013
\nThis British-American film is set in World War II and describes the experiences of the Jewish people who were forced into concentration camps by Nazi soldiers. This depiction is portrayed through a friendship that develops between two 8-year-old boys who live on opposite sides of the camp \u2013 a Jewish prisoner and the son of a Nazi commander. The film ends with both of them being executed inside the gas chambers, while the commander and his Nazi soldiers desperately search for his son. This film depicts the violence of war and the cruel methods in which prisoners were made to live and disposed of.
\n12 Years a Slave \u2013
\nThis American film is based in 1841, when slavery was still legal in certain parts of the world. It describes the experiences of a free American man who is drugged and sold into slavery. The film highlights how slaves were brutally whipped and beaten by white overseers of estates and their masters. It also highlights the experiences of female slaves who were abused and exploited by these white men. This film seeks to remind us through its heart\u00acbreaking account, how historically cruel people with power working at such plantations were towards their poor and oppressed slaves.<\/h3>\n

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED<\/h3>\n

Question 1:
\nHow are Mrs Pearson and Mrs Fitzgerald contrasted?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe two ladies are sharply contrasted. Mrs Pearson is a pleasant but worried looking woman in her forties. She speaks in a light, flurried sort of tone with a touch of suburban cockney. Mrs Fitzgerald is older, heavier and has a strong and sinister personality. She smokes. She has a deep voice, rather Irish tone.<\/h3>\n

Question 2:
\n\u201cI\u2019m much obliged,\u201d says Mrs. J Pearson. What for does she feel obliged and to whom?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs. Pearson feels obliged to Mrs Fitzgerald for telling her fortune. She thinks it quite wonderful having a real fortune teller living next door.<\/h3>\n

Question 3:
\nWhat fortune does Mrs Fitzgerald predict for Mrs Pearson?<\/h2>\n

Answer: Mrs Fitzgerald is quite equivocal in her predictions. She says it could be a good fortune or a bad one. All depends on Mrs Pearson herself now. She asks her to decide firmly. Her fortune depends on it.<\/h3>\n

Question 4:
\nWhat problem does Mrs Pearson face? Who do you think is responsible for this state of affairs?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Pearson devotes all her time and energy to serve her husband, son and daughter. These thoughtless and selfish persons go out every night to enjoy themselves leaving Mrs Pearson alone at home. She is no better than a servant in her own home. Mrs Pearson herself is responsible for the ill-treatment, neglect and lack of concern shown to her.<\/h3>\n

Question 5:
\nWhat course of action does Mrs Fitzgerald suggest to Mrs Pearson to tackle the situation?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Fitzgerald tells Mrs Pearson to decide firmly and stick to her decision. She must assert her position and become the real mistress of the house. Her own initiative can help her. She must let them wait or look after themselves for once.<\/h3>\n

Question 6:
\nWhat difficulties does Mrs Pearson face while dealing with the various members of her family?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Pearson loves her husband and children too much. She does not find courage enough to discuss the problem with them. She only keeps dropping hints. She hates any unpleasantness. She does not know where to start. She doesn\u2019t know how to begin discussion with the other members of the family.<\/h3>\n

Question 7:
\n\u201cThen let me do it\u201d, suggests Mrs Fitzgerald. How does Mrs Pearson react to it?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Fitzgerald offers to deal with the family of Mrs Pearson and teach them to
\ntreat her properly Mrs Pearson feels flustered. She thanks her saying that it wouldn\u2019t do at all. They would resent being ill-treated by somebody else and wouldn\u2019t listen.<\/h3>\n

Question 8:
\nHow does Mrs Fitzgerald plan to deal with the family of Mrs Pearson?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nShe tells Mrs Pearson that she will deal with her family not as herself but as Mrs Pearson. They will change places or really bodies. Mrs Pearson would then look like Mrs Fitzgerald and the latter would look like the former.<\/h3>\n

Question 9:
\nWhy does Doris Pearson feel astounded on returning home?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nDoris finds her mother smoking away\u2014lighting another cigarette and laying out the cards for patience on the table. She shoots her query about ironing her yellow silk, but feel astounded on seeing her mother\u2019s behaviour.<\/h3>\n

Question 10:
\nWhat are the two reasons that annoy Doris Pearson?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nFirstly, Doris is annoyed that her mother has not ironed her yellow silk dress which she has to wear that night. Secondly, she has returned home after working hard all day and mother hasn\u2019t even bothered to get her tea ready.<\/h3>\n

Question 11:
\nHow does Mrs Pearson refute Doris\u2019s argument about working hard?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Pearson tells Doris that she has a good idea how much Doris does. Mrs Pearson claims that she puts in twice the hours that Doris does, and gets no pay or thanks for it.<\/h3>\n

Question 12:
\nHow does Mrs Pearson criticize Doris on going out with Charlie Spence?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Pearson asks Doris if she could not find anyone better than Charlie Spence. He has buck-teeth and if half-witted. She wouldn\u2019t be seen dead with Charlie Spence. At her age she would either have found somebody better than Charlie Spence or stopped dating boys on seeing no hope of success.<\/h3>\n

Question 13:
\nWhy is Cyril Pearson annoyed with his mother? Give two reasons.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nCyril feels annoyed when his mother tells him that tea is not ready as she couldn\u2019t bother about it. He esquires if she is not feeling well and then asks her to be quick as he has not too much time. His mother has not taken his things out. She has neither mended them nor is she willing to do so.<\/h3>\n

Question 14:
\n\u201cThat\u2019s a nice way to talk What would happen if we all talked like that?\u201d says Cyril. In what context does he say so? What argument does he get in return?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nWhen Mrs Pearson tells her son, Cyril that she has decided now that she doesn\u2019t like mending, Cyril objects to her words. Mrs Pearson gives him a taste of his own medicine by saying that all of them do talk like that. If there\u2019s something at home they don\u2019t want to do, they don\u2019t do it. If it is something at their work, they get the union to bar it. She has now joined the movement.<\/h3>\n

Question 15:
\nHow do Doris and Cyril react to Mrs Pearson\u2019s query about stout?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nCyril is the first to react. He hints that she doesn\u2019t want stout then i.e., at tea time. Her remark that she wants to drink surprises both Doris and Cyril and they exchange notes regarding her behaviour towards them since they returned home that evening.<\/h3>\n

Question 16:
\nWhat changes in the behaviour of Mrs Pearson startle Doris and Cyril? What possible reasons do they suggest?<\/h2>\n

Answer: Doris couldn\u2019t believe her eyes when she saw her mother smoking and playing cards. Cyril too noted the change and asked her if she was feeling ill. She looks just the same but her behaviour is suddenly different. Cyril asks if she has gone slightly mad. Doris thinks that she has a concussion as a result of her head hitting something.<\/h3>\n

Question 17:
\nHow does Mrs Pearson teach her children to be responsible adults?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nFirst she scolds them for their guffawing and giggling. Then she has a dig at their lifestyle. They just-come in, ask for something, go out again and then return as there\u2019s nowhere else to go. When Doris and Cyril boast of doing their work all day, Mrs Pearson tells them that she has also done her eight hours. She threatens to have two days off at the weekend.<\/h3>\n

Question 18:
\n\u201cBut any of you forty-hour-a weekers who expect to be waited on hand and foot on Saturday and Sunday with no thanks for it, are in for a nasty disappointment,\u201d says Mrs Pearson. How has she planned to spend the weekends?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nShe might do cooking or make a bed or two as a favour: only if she is asked very nicely and thanked for it. They\u2019ll have to pay attention to her and show care and concern. Perhaps she might go off for the weekend. It will provide her a change. She is bored of remaining at home all the time.<\/h3>\n

Question 19:
\n\u201cI\u2019ll hit you with something, girl, if you don\u2019t stop, asking silly questions.\u201d says Mrs Pearson to Doris. Which \u2018silly\u2019 questions does she object to?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nDoris at first asks with disbelief if she would go off for the weekend and then enquires where she would go and with whom. Mrs Pearson tells her that it is her business. Doris then asks her if she had fallen or hit herself with something. Mrs Pearson objects to this silly question.<\/h3>\n

Question 20:
\n\u201cWell that ought to be nice change for you\u201d says Mrs Pearson. What \u2018change\u2019 does she refer to and how does George react to it?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nGeorge finds his wife Annie (Mrs Pearson) drinking stout at the wrong time of the day. Moreover, he has never seen her doing it before. Naturally, he is confused and surprised. When he remarks that he doesn\u2019t like her drinking and it doesn\u2019t look right. Mrs Pearson remarks about the \u2018change\u2019 in her style.<\/h3>\n

Question 21:
\n\u201cAnnoyed because I don\u2019t get a tea for him that he doesn\u2019t even want\u201d, says Mrs Pearson. What forces her to make this remark?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nAt first, George Pearson tells his wife that he wouldn\u2019t want any tea as there is supper at the club that night. He feels hurt to know that she hasn\u2019t prepared any tea. When he asks \u201csuppose I\u2019d wanted some,\u201d Mrs. Pearson makes this bitting remark.<\/h3>\n

Question 22:
\nHow, do you think, is George Pearson treated at the club?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe members of the club laugh at George Pearson. He is, in fact, one of their standing jokes. They call him Pompy-Ompy Pearson because they think he is quite slow and pompous. Although this joke is quite famous, George is unaware of it.<\/h3>\n

Question 23:
\nWhat objection does Mrs Pearson have against George\u2019s going to club so frequently?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Pearson fails to understand why her husband George wants to spend so much
\ntime at the club where people are always laughing at him behind his back and calling him names. He leaves his wife alone every night. She wouldn\u2019t make him look a fool if he went out with her.<\/h3>\n

Question 24:
\n\u201cSometimes it does people good to have their feelings hurt.\u201d Do you agree with Mrs Pearson\u2019s observation?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Pearson has hurt the feelings of her husband, George by telling him the truth. She thinks that truth should not hurt anybody for long. I think she is right. It\u2019s no good living in fool\u2019s paradise.<\/h3>\n

Question 25:
\nWhy does Mrs Pearson doubt the value of Cyril\u2019s opinion?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nShe tells Cyril frankly that he knows nothing about worldly affairs. He spends too much time and good money at amusement shows like greyhound races, dirt tracks and ice shows.<\/h3>\n

Question 26:
\nWhy is George Pearson incensed at Mrs Fitzgerald\u2019s utterances?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nGeorge reacts with horror and surprise when his neighbour, Mrs Fitzgerald addresses him by his first name, George, instead of the formal Mr George Pearson. Her second remark \u201cOh-dear-I ought to have known\u201d further incenses him as he thinks she has no business to poke \u201cher nose into their family affairs.<\/h3>\n

Question 27:
\n\u201cPerhaps you\u2019ll excuse us\u2026.\u201d What lessons of civility does Mrs Pearson teach George Pearson?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Pearson tells George that she will not excuse him for his behaviour. She asks him to be polite to her friend or neighbour in future. He should greet her politely instead of coming in and sitting down silently.<\/h3>\n

Question 28:
\nWhy does Mrs Pearson threaten to slap her husband?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nGeorge feels angry at being humiliated in the presence of his neighbour. He loses his temper and asks his wife if she has gone mad. This is too much for Mrs Pearson to bear. She jumps up and threatens to slap George if he shouts at her again.<\/h3>\n

Question 29:
\n\u201cEither Pm off my chump or you two are\u201d. Why do you think George arrives at this conclusion?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Pearson threatens to slap George if he shouts at her again. Then Mrs Fitzgerald begins to moan and addressing Mrs Pearson as Mrs Fitzgerald, requests her not to do so. George is bewildered and exclaims that either he is mad or both of them are mad.<\/h3>\n

Question 30:
\nHow is Doris taught a lesson in behaviour?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nWhen Mrs Fitzgerald remarks that Doris was going out with Charlie Spence that
\nnight, Doris feels annoyed and retorts that she has got nothing to do with it. Mrs Pearson rebukes Doris harshly and tells her to answer Mrs Fitzgerald properly. She adds that she won\u2019t have her daughter behaving rudely with anyone.<\/h3>\n

Question 31:
\nHow does the real Mrs Pearson learn about her daughter\u2019s miserable state?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe real Mrs Pearson has the body of Mrs Fitzgerald. At her insistence Doris tells
\nher that her mother has been criticizing her and making her feel miserable. According to her Charlie Spence has buck-teeth and is half-witted. All this has made her miserable.<\/h3>\n

Question 32:
\nWhat forces the real Mrs Pearson to come to the conclusion: \u201cThat\u2019s enough quite enough\u201d?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Fitzgerald who has the body of Mrs Pearson, has been quite harsh to George Pearson, Doris and Cyril. The real Mrs Pearson objects to her comments about Charlie Spence. Later when she is a bit rude to George, the real Mrs Pearson feels offended.<\/h3>\n

Question 33:
\nWhat is Mrs Fitzgerald\u2019s final advice to Mrs Pearson after reversion to their original personalities?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Fitzgerald advises Mrs Pearson not to go soft on the members of her family again. She should not start explaining or apologizing. She should give them a look or a rough tone of voice now and then to suggest that she might be tough with them if she wanted to be so.<\/h3>\n

Question 34:
\nWhat would Mrs Pearson like the members of her family to do?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nShe wants them to stop at home in the evening and give her a hand with supper. She would also like to play a nice game of rummy, which she fails to have except at Christmas.<\/h3>\n

Question 35:
\nHow does the stern treatment reform the spoilt children?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe children look apprehensively at Mrs Pearson. However, they smile back at her, as she smile. Since they are not going out, she suggests having a nice family game of rummy. She tells the children to get the supper ready while she has a talk with their father. The spoilt children meekly obey her.<\/h3>\n

Long Answer Type Questions<\/h3>\n

Question 1:
\nWhat do you think is the theme of the play? How has it been worked out?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe theme of the play is the status of women in their own household. The housewife serves the members of her family with complete devotion, sincerity and love. However, she is never given the regard, attention or thanks due to her. Her leniency and eagerness to please everyone reduces her to the rank of an unpaid domestic servant in her own house. Instead of being politely requested for a favour, she is ordered to do it. She gets no thanks in return.
\nThe theme is worked out by portrayal of the Pearson family. Mrs Pearson is the harassed mother. Her daughter Doris, son Cyril and husband George take her services for granted and have become thoughtless and selfish. The interchange of personalities and the harsh treatment meted out to them by the personality of Mrs Fitzgerald (in the body of Mrs Pearson) reforms them and they obey the mother willingly.<\/h3>\n

Question 2:
\nWhat impression do you form of Mrs Annie Pearson?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Pearson is the main character in the play \u2018Mother\u2019s Day\u2019. She is a pleasant but worried-looking woman in her forties. She speaks in a light, flurried sort of tone, with a touch of suburban cockney. She loves her husband and children very much and runs after them all the time. Her excessive love and care have spoilt them and they have become thoughtless and selfish. She feels neglected and lonely but lacks courage to discuss things with them. Perhaps she hates any unpleasantness as well. She is not willing to act as a tough mom as she is nervous and fluttering by nature. She is so tender-hearted that she is shocked to see the rough treatment meted out to her children. She decides to change back to her original personality to deal with her family herself. She is indeed a loving and affectionate mother and a devoted wife.<\/h3>\n

Question 3:
\n\u201cThe shock treatment makes the thoughtless and selfish persons realise the real position of the lady of the house.\u201d How far do you agree with the statement? Give reasons for your answer.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nI fully agree with the aforesaid statement. Drastic situations need drastic remedies. The thoughtless, selfish and spoilt members of the Pearson family do not understand the language of love and affection. Mrs Pearson with Mrs Fitzgerald\u2019s bold and dominating personality and her toughness makes them realise their own state. Doris is the first to learn her lesson in civility and politeness. The criticism of her boy friend seems quite unexpected to her\u2014perhaps more than the non-compliance of her orders of ironing the yellow silk dress. Doris has tearful eyes. Cyril is also told to help himself. The mother\u2019s declaration that she too will henceforth work forty hours a week, have the weekends off and go somewhere to enjoy herself come as a shock treatment. The balloon of her husband\u2019s ego is punctured by disclosing to him how people at the club make fun of him. In the end all the three members come round and show their willingness to obey the mother\u2019s command.<\/h3>\n

Question 4:
\nWrite a note on the role of Mrs Fitzgerald in the play.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMrs Fitzgerald plays a very important role in the play. She is introduced as a fortune teller and the next-door neighbour of the Pearsons. It is through the initial conversation between her and Mrs Pearson that we come to know the problems that Mrs Pearson faces. Mrs Fitzgerald analyses the situation quite objectively and becomes the playwright\u2019s mouthpiece. She also suggest the ways and methods of tackling the situation. Since Mrs Pearson does not have the guts to stand for her right, Mrs Fitzgerald suggests a novel approach\u2014exchange of personalities. Now as Mrs Pearson, with the personality Mrs Fitzgerald, she puts the plan of reformation in action. She smokes, drinks and plays cards. All this is unusual for the family. She further shocks them by being tough with them in word and action. She asks them to look after themselves. She clearly tells them that she has already worked for more than eight hours that day. She tells them plainly how they behave at home and workplace. She is equally blunt with Mr George Pearson, who goes away every evening to club, leaving his wife alone at home. She reveals to him how the people at club make a fun of him. In short, she makes them realise their responsibility towards the mother. In the end, she performs the exchange of personalities once again. Thus she is the main spring of initial action, climax and denouement.<\/h3>\n

Question 5:
\nThe play \u2018Mother\u2019s Day\u2019 is a humorous and satirical depiction of the status of the woman in a family. Bring out briefly the elements of humour and satire.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe play \u2018Mother\u2019s Day\u2019 treats a serious theme in a light-hearted manner. The humour in the play springs from an unusual situation where the personalities of two ladies change bodies. Their subsequent behaviour, which is in total contrast to their previous one, is a very powerful source of laughter. The ignorance of the characters about the personality they are facing also creates humour. Suggestive dialogues also provide a lot of fun. For example, consider the following:
\n\u201cMrs Pearson if you had to live my life it wouldn\u2019t be so bad. You\u2019d have more fun as me than you\u2019ve had as you.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s that silly old bag from next door\u2014Mrs Fitzgerald.\u201d
\n\u201cTicking her off now, are you, Annie?\u201d
\n\u201cThey call you Pompy-Ompy Pearson because they think you\u2019re so slow and pompous.\u201d
\nThe actions, gestures and reactions of the characters also provide humour. The housewife being given orders, treated like dirt and forced to stay home every night while other members go out to amuse themselves is sharply contrasted with the position at the end of the play where she is the mistress of the house. Then play also satirises the eight hour work culture and threats to go on strike. Even the housewife adopts this weapon.<\/h3>\n

Question 6:
\nComment on the ending of the play \u2018Mother\u2019s Day\u2019.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe play has a happy ending with a complete reversal of the initial situation. Mrs Pearson is now cheerful while the family looks anxiously at her. When she smiles, they feel much relieved and smile back at her. None of them is going out.
\nFor the first time, perhaps she tells the members of the family what they should do. Instead of behaving timidly, she looks sharply at the family and asks if they have any objections. George is the first to yield. He agrees to do whatever she says. Still smiling, she suggests that they should have a nice family game of rummy and then the children could get the supper ready while she has a talk with their father. George supports her and looks enquiringly at the children. Cyril hastily approves the proposal while Doris agrees hesitatingly. A sharp command: \u201cWhat Speak up!\u201d does the trick and Doris agrees. Mrs Pearson bids good bye to Mrs Fitzgerald and smilingly asks her to come again soon.
\nThe ending seems quite natural. It also leaves a message for the mothers. They should assert themselves.<\/h3>\n

Question 7:
\nWrite a note on the title of the play \u2018Mother\u2019s Day\u2019.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe title of the play is quite appropriate. It sums up the theme of the play. It suggests that the action of the play revolves round a mother. The playwright confronts us at the outset with the problems the mother faces from her grown up children and their father. The novel technique employed to tackle the spoilt children and the grown up man is quite amusing and thought provoking. The bold and dominating mother acts tough with the children and makes them realise the need of proper attention towards their mother. They are made to learn lesson in courtesy
\nand polite behaviour not only towards the mother but also towards the visiting neighbour. The mother certainly has her day as the children learn to treat her properly. The supper being prepared by the children, their stay at home and the family game of rummy is a rare gift that the mother receives on this important day.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Class 11 Mother\u2019s Day solutions for Chapter 5 – English (Snapshots) Questions and Answers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21830,"featured_media":118535,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-118555","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118555"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118556,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118555\/revisions\/118556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}