The Portrait of a Lady Class 11 English Solutions 2026
Welcome to English Rath, your trusted resource for Class 11 UP Board and CBSE English solutions! Need The Portrait of a Lady Class 11 solutions? This comprehensive guide offers a detailed summary, Short Answer Type Questions and Answers, and Long Answer Type Questions and Answers for Chapter 1, The Portrait of a Lady by Khushwant Singh, a vital part of the Class 11 English Hornbill syllabus 2026. This heartfelt narrative about familial bonds and tradition is essential for your UP Board and CBSE exams. Our exam-focused answers simplify complex themes, ensuring you excel in the Class 11 English exam 2026. Explore more Class 11 and Class 12 resources, such as The Last Lesson, Lost Spring, My Mother at Sixty-Six, and Keeping Quiet at English Rath!
Keywords: Class 11 UP Board English, Class 11 CBSE English, The Portrait of a Lady Class 11 solutions, Khushwant Singh, Hornbill Chapter 1, Short Answer Questions The Portrait of a Lady, Long Answer Questions Class 11 English, Summary The Portrait of a Lady, Hornbill syllabus 2026, Class 11 English exam preparation 2026.
Summary of The Portrait of a Lady
The Portrait of a Lady by Khushwant Singh is a poignant autobiographical narrative from the NCERT Hornbill textbook for Class 11. It explores the deep bond between the author and his grandmother, reflecting themes of love, tradition, and generational change.
Village Life and Close Bond
In his childhood, Khushwant Singh lived with his grandmother in a village while his parents were in the city. She cared for him with devotion, waking him up, preparing him for school, and accompanying him to the temple school. Their daily routines, including her prayers and feeding village dogs, strengthened their friendship.
Move to the City
When the family moved to the city, their relationship changed. The narrator attended an English-medium school, learning modern subjects like science and music, which his grandmother disapproved of due to her traditional values. Her role in his life diminished, and she spent more time in prayer and feeding sparrows.
Grandmother’s Character
The grandmother was a saintly figure, dressed in white, with silver hair and a serene demeanor. Her life revolved around prayer, symbolized by her constant rosary. Her kindness extended to animals, and her peaceful routine of spinning and praying defined her simplicity and spirituality.
Key Themes
The chapter highlights themes of familial love, the impact of modernization on traditional values, and the inevitability of change. The grandmother’s unwavering devotion and the narrator’s evolving life reflect the bittersweet nature of growing up.
Exam-Oriented Questions and Answers
Short Answer Type Questions
1. How did the narrator’s grandfather appear in the portrait?
The narrator’s grandfather appeared to be at least a hundred years old in the portrait. He wore a turban and loose-fitting clothes, giving him a traditional and dignified appearance.
2. Describe ‘the happiest half-hour of the day’ for the grandmother.
The happiest half-hour of the day for the grandmother was when she sat in the verandah in the afternoon, feeding small pieces of bread to the birds. This daily ritual brought her immense joy and peace.
3. How did the narrator and the grandmother become good friends?
During his childhood, the narrator was left in the care of his grandmother when his parents moved to the city. She took care of him, and through this close bond, they became good friends.
4. Why could the grandmother not walk straight?
The grandmother could not walk straight because she was short, slightly bent, and had grown old, which affected her posture.
5. How did the grandmother spend her time when the narrator went to the university?
After the narrator went to the university, the grandmother spent her time singing prayers while sitting at her spinning wheel, devoting herself to her routine.
6. What role did the grandmother play in the narrator’s early education?
The grandmother accompanied the narrator to the temple school, where she sat and prayed while he studied. She also helped him prepare for school each morning.
7. Why did the grandmother disapprove of the narrator’s city education?
She disapproved because it included modern subjects like music and science, which she felt lacked religious or moral value, conflicting with her traditional beliefs.
8. How did the grandmother’s appearance reflect her personality?
Her white clothes and silver hair reflected her simplicity, purity, and spiritual nature, portraying her as a serene and saintly figure.
9. What did the grandmother feed to animals in the village and city?
In the village, she fed stale chapatis to dogs; in the city, she fed small pieces of bread to sparrows during her happiest half-hour.
10. How did the sparrows react to the grandmother’s death?
The sparrows gathered silently around her body, showing sorrow, and did not eat the bread crumbs scattered by the narrator’s mother.
Long Answer Type Questions
1. Describe the friendship between Khushwant Singh and his grandmother.
The friendship between Khushwant Singh and his grandmother was deep and affectionate during his childhood in the village. His grandmother took care of him with love and devotion. She would wake him up early in the morning, sing her prayers while helping him bathe and dress, and provide him with a simple breakfast of stale chapatis with butter and sugar. They would walk together to the temple school, where she also spent time in prayer. This daily routine strengthened their bond, making them close companions. However, their friendship underwent a significant change when they moved to the city. Khushwant Singh’s education now included subjects like music and science, which his grandmother disapproved of, as she preferred traditional and religious values. She disliked the western education he received, and her role in his life diminished. As a result, the bond of friendship they shared in the village gradually loosened, though the affection between them never faded.
2. Write a character sketch of Khushwant Singh’s grandmother.
Khushwant Singh’s grandmother was a remarkable and saintly woman, as described in his portrait of her. She possessed qualities of calmness, contentment, spirituality, and devotion. Dressed in spotless white clothes, her silver hair symbolized her simplicity and purity. She had a routine steeped in religious practices, always engaged in prayer, often with a rosary in hand, which she never abandoned until her death. Her kindness extended not just to her family but also to animals. She lovingly fed the village dogs in the village and, later, the birds when they moved to the city. This strong affection for animals was mutual, as shown by the birds’ sorrowful reaction after her passing. Her calm demeanor, love for prayer, and care for all living beings painted her as a gentle and saintly figure who left a lasting impression on everyone around her.
3. How did the move to the city affect the narrator’s relationship with his grandmother?
The move to the city significantly altered the narrator’s relationship with his grandmother. In the village, their bond was strong, built on daily routines like walking to the temple school and her nurturing care. However, in the city, the narrator attended an English-medium school, studying modern subjects like science and music, which his grandmother disapproved of due to her traditional values. She felt disconnected from his new education, and her role in his life diminished. She withdrew into prayer and feeding sparrows, and their once-close companionship weakened, though their mutual affection remained intact.
4. Discuss the significance of animals in the grandmother’s life.
Animals played a significant role in the grandmother’s life, reflecting her kindness and connection to nature. In the village, she fed stale chapatis to stray dogs, showing her compassion. In the city, her happiest moments were spent feeding sparrows in the verandah, a ritual that brought her peace. The sparrows’ sorrowful reaction to her death—gathering silently and refusing bread crumbs—underscored their mutual bond. Her care for animals highlighted her gentle, nurturing nature and added depth to her saintly character.
5. Analyze the themes of tradition and modernization in The Portrait of a Lady.
The chapter juxtaposes tradition and modernization through the grandmother and the narrator. The grandmother embodies tradition with her religious practices, simple lifestyle, and disapproval of modern education. Her life of prayer, spinning, and feeding animals reflects timeless values. In contrast, the narrator’s city education in science and music represents modernization, creating a rift in their relationship. The story explores the tension between these forces, showing how progress can distance younger generations from traditional roots while highlighting the enduring value of familial love.
Explore More English Resources
- The Last Lesson Class 12 Solutions - Master Chapter 1 with summary and exam-oriented questions.
- Lost Spring Class 12 Solutions - Dive into Chapter 2 with detailed answers.
- My Mother at Sixty-Six Class 12 Solutions - Explore the poem with key insights.
- Keeping Quiet Class 12 Solutions - Understand the poem’s themes and questions.
- Class 11 English Hornbill Notes - Comprehensive notes for all chapters.
