Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store

CBSE Important Questions for Class 11 English The Portrait of a Lady - 2025-26

ffImage
banner

The Portrait of a Lady Class 11 Extra Questions and Answers Free PDF Download

Important Questions for CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 - The Portrait of a Lady are provided here on Vedantu. The Important Questions For Class 11 English Hornbill PDF help students prepare for their examinations in an orderly manner. These Class 11 English Chapter 1 Important Questions are written in a simple and easy-to-comprehend way, by the subject-matter experts at Vedantu to enable students to get a fair idea of the story. The Portrait of a Lady Class 11 Important Questions PDF provides a conceptual understanding of the chapter and a rough idea of the types of questions that they can expect in the exams. Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 Important Questions can be downloaded from Vedantu for free.

Study Important Questions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1- The Portrait of a Lady

A. Very Short Answer Questions                                                                                1 Mark

1. Write the meaning of the given words.

i. Revolting

Ans: Rebelling

ii. Serenity

Ans: Calmness

iii. Seclusion

Ans: Aloofness

iv. Veritable

Ans: Genuine


2. The story “The Portrait of a Lady” is about which lady?

Ans: In the story “The Portrait of a Lady”, Khushwant Singh describes the pen picture of his grandmother who raised him in his early childhood.


3. How does the grandfather look in the portrait?

Ans: In the portrait that hung above the mantelpiece in the drawing, the grandfather wore a big turban and loose-fitting clothes. His long, white beard covered the best part of his chest and made him look at least a hundred years old.


4. What two activities does the grandmother do every day?

Ans: When Khushwant Singh went to the university and was given a room of his own, Grandmother accepted her seclusion with resignation. She rarely left her spinning wheel. She realized for a while in the afternoon while feeding sparrows bread crumbs.


5.   “In the evening a change came over her.” What change came over the grandmother?

Ans: Grandmother was overjoyed when Khushwant Singh returned. In the evening she did not sing her prayers instead she gathered the neighbourhood women and started to sing songs of the homecoming of warriors along with playing a dilapidated drum.


B. Short Answer Questions                                                                                         2 Marks

1. Give a pen picture of the narrator’s grandfather as he appeared in the portrait?

Ans: Grandfather in the portrait had the appearance of a man who would neither have a wife nor children. His beard, turban and loose-fitted clothes made him look like a person who could only have lots and lots of grandchildren.


2. How did the grandmother utilise her time in the city home?

Ans: After the author got a room of his own in the city home his grandmother accepted her detachment calmly. She recited prayers and worked on her spinning wheel the entire day. In the afternoon, she would take a half-hour break to rest and feed the birds bread crumbs in the veranda. 


3. How does grandmother feel about English education and music lessons at school?

Ans: Grandmother did not approve of the education Khushwant received in school. She did not believe in the things taught and was baffled to know that there was no teaching about God or scriptures. She was very disturbed to know about the music lessons because her music had filthy associations. It was meant for harlots and beggars, not decent people.


4. How were the author and grandmother connected and how did it break?

Ans: The author was raised by his grandmother in early childhood. They were constantly together. She brushed, bathed, dressed, and accompanied him to school. It chanced when they shifted to the city where he went to the school with a motor bus and studied subjects grandmother could not comprehend. Their relationship saw a steeper turn when he was given a room of his own in the university and the common link of their friendship broke.


5. Why does the author say that at the age of her grandmother, one could never tell? What was one could never tell?

Ans: The author had to go foreign for his higher studies. Grandmother was remarkably old and at her age, one could never tell when she would breathe her last. The fact that he would be gone for five years made him fear losing his grandmother more.


C. Short Answer Questions                                                                                     3 Marks

1. What was the narrator unable to believe about his grandparents?

Ans: The narrator was unable to believe that his grandfather ever had a spouse and children. He had the look of a man who always had lots of grandchildren. On the other hand, it was difficult for him to believe that grandmother was ever young and pretty and that she too had a husband or she played as a child. He could only associate her image with the old and wrinkled grandmother he has seen her as since forever. 

 

2. Why it seemed to the author that his grandmother looked like a winter landscape in the mountains?

Ans: Grandmother had a very serene and calm vibe, similar to that of mountains. Her age gave her silver hair and she also wore spotless white clothes which made her look like a mountain covered with snow. She roamed around in the house with one hand on her waist and the other telling her rosary while whispering inaudible prayers. She was an expanse of pure white beauty.


3. Why was the grandmother unhappy in the city?

Ans: Grandmother grew up and spent a major fraction of her life in the rural. It was difficult for her to leave everything behind and adjust to a place she was least familiar with. At home, since the author was busy with his studies, she occupied herself with her spinning wheel, prayers and feeding the birds in the evening. The lack of company with the author also distressed her but she had no choice. She accepted her seclusion and buried herself in work and prayers.


4. “...thousands of sparrows sat scattered on the floor. There was no chirruping.” Why does the author say so?

Ans: The author’s grandmother was very fond of feeding the sparrows. It used to be the happiest half-hour for her in the entire day. Some birds would come and perch on her legs while others on her shoulder and head. When grandmother passed away the sparrows came, as customary but seeing her dead they neither chirped nor ate the bread crumbs and left eventually when grandmother’s body was lifted off the ground.


5. “And she the big girl — some twelve years or so.” Who is the big girl in this line? Why is the poetess talking about her?

Ans: Eldest of the three cousins, the author’s mother went paddling with her cousins when she was twelve years or so. The snapshot had memories of the sea holiday which the daughter randomly came across. She is talking about her because she was remembering the laughter and the sweet memory of her mother who is dead nearly as many years as the girl in the photograph had lived.


D. Long Answer Questions-                                                                                            5 Marks

1. Give a sketch of the author’s grandmother according to the chapter “The Portrait of a Lady”.

Ans: Khushwant Singh’s grandmother, like every other grandmother, was old, wrinkled and had white silver locks. She had a serene appearance and looked like snow-covered mountains. She always murmured inaudible prayers and while telling her beads of the rosary. She was adaptable as when they shifted to the city, a place and environment that was foreign to her she found peace in spinning, praying, and feeding the sparrows that visited her. She showed keen interest during the early education of the author and never dragged him down for doing things she did not approve of. She gradually felt more secluded when the author grew up but she accepted it with resignation.

 

2. How the grandmother was interested in the education of the author.

Ans: Grandmother had no formal education but she was serious about the education of her grandson. She helped him with his lessons in the village. She would wash and plaster wooden slate. She also accompanied him to the school. In the city, she could not do either of them as the author went to an English medium school and on a motor bus. Even after this gap, she asked the author regularly about his school lessons, even though she did not approve of them. She believed that the music is for beggars and harlots and they should be given religious knowledge instead of sciences. Her concept of the right education was different but still, she accepted and encouraged him for further studies. She never dragged him down morally or questioned him for his decisions.


3. What type of bond did the grandmother share with dogs and sparrows?

Ans: Grandmother was accustomed to living in the village. She raised the author during his early childhood in the village when his parents were trying to figure out their lives in the city. She was a spiritual person and close to nature. She loved the rustic living in the village and made sure to carry stale chapatis for the dogs and fed them when she and the author returned from the temple. In the city she lost touch with the life she was fond of but her love for nature still flourished. She made sure to feed bread crumbs to the sparrows every day. She never shooed them away when they perched on her shoulder and head. When she passed away, they mourned her death and sat in the veranda where the body lay, without chirping or feeding on the crumbs that were given to them.


4. “Some twenty-thirty -years later She’d laugh at the snapshot. “See Betty And Dolly,” she’d say, - and look how they Dressed us for the beach.” The sea holiday

Was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry with the laboured ease of loss.”

Give line by line explanation of the stanza from the poem “A Photograph.”

Ans: The photograph of the poet's mother and her cousins capture a fond memory, some twenty-thirty years old. On being shown the photograph, the mother laughed at the way she, Betty, and Dolly dress for the sea holiday. The sea holiday and the photograph were a blissful memory for the mother while her laughter on seeing the photograph is a warm memory for the daughter who has lost her mother for nearly as many years as the girl in the photograph had lived.

 

5. Write the summary of the poem “A Photograph.”

Ans: The poem ‘A Photograph’ talks about the transient nature of mortals being compared with the eternal state of nature which appears to change less with time. The poet starts by describing a snapshot, on a piece of cardboard, of her mother and cousins. Her mother was the eldest one out of the three in the photograph. When asked upon the mother laughed remembering her cousins, Betty and Dolly making fun of the way they dressed for the beach holiday. The poet also beautifully adds how the immortal sea washes away the imprints of the mortals who walk on the sand, leaving no trace of their visit there. 

As of the present, the poet describes the mother's laughter on seeing the picture as a memory as she is dead. It brought her immense sorrow and the line “Its silence silences” reflects her remorseful state of mind.


Benefits of Important Questions for CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 - The Portrait of a Lady 

  • Students can study these important questions to deepen their understanding of the chapter. 

  • Important questions and answers also represent the important points of the chapter. 

  • These questions will help the students to know which type of questions are expected in the examination and thus they can prepare accordingly. 

  • They can revise the chapter for their exam with the help of these important questions and answers. 

  • These important questions and answers will make students know how the questions will be structured in the examination paper. 


CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 - The Portrait of a Lady - Summary and Explanation

Portrait of a Lady is a story based on Khushwant Singh's elderly grandmother's life. Khushwant Singh was one of the most famous authors, a well-known columnist, and a journalist in India.  a beautiful yet earthly image of Singh's grandmother is portrayed in this story. The story also shows how the relationship between Singh and his grandmother changed over the years, while he grew up. His grandmother was always seen either chanting her prayers, counting the rosary beads, or feeding animals and sparrows, even in the courtyard of their city house. It was quite the sort of life led by India's majority upper-caste Sikh or Hindu women. They spent their last days focusing entirely on their heavenly home and, whenever possible, looking after their grandchildren.


Singh describes the relationship between him and his grandmother in the story. As always, he speaks of her as being old and wrinkled; in no other way does he think of her. 


Tips to Study Class 11 English Hornbill 

The following are some tips that will help students to study English Hornbill effectively.

  • Students are required to understand the chapters thoroughly. 

  • They are required to practice the questions and answers of each chapter well. 

  • They can refer to the NCERT Solutions, important questions, and answers, previous years’ question papers, and other reliable resources to prepare the chapters of Class 11 Hornbill. 


Important Questions for CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady PDF is available on Vedantu mobile app and official website. Students can refer to these important questions to prepare the chapter for their exams. They can also find the important questions of all other chapters of Class 11 English Hornbill for their exam preparation.


Related Study Materials for Class 11 English (Hornbill) Chapter 1 (Prose)



CBSE Class 11 English(Hornbill) Important Questions for All Chapters

CBSE Class 11 English Important Questions and Answers include topics from Hornbill, helping with thorough preparation and easier revision.


Chapter No

Chapter-wise Important Questions for Class 11 English (Hornbill)

Chapter 1

A Photograph Questions (Poem)

Chapter 2

We’re Not Afraid to Die... if We Can All Be Together Questions (Prose)

Chapter 3

Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues  Questions (Prose)

The Laburnum Top Questions (Poem)

The Voice of the Rain Questions (Poem)

Chapter 4

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role Questions (Prose)

Childhood Questions (Poem)

Chapter 5

The Adventure Questions (Prose)

Chapter 6

Silk Road Questions (Prose)

Father to Son Questions (Poem)


Important Study Materials for Class 11 English

WhatsApp Banner

FAQs on CBSE Important Questions for Class 11 English The Portrait of a Lady - 2025-26

1. Based on CBSE exam trends, what is an important character sketch question that can be asked from 'The Portrait of a Lady'?

A highly expected question is the character sketch of the author's grandmother. For full marks, your answer should cover the following aspects:

  • Physical Appearance: Described as short, fat, slightly bent, with a face full of wrinkles and silver locks. She was not 'pretty' but exuded a divine 'beauty'.
  • Pious and Spiritual Nature: Her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer, and her fingers were always busy telling the beads of her rosary.
  • Kind and Affectionate: She had a deep love for the author, cared for him in the village, and showed kindness to animals by feeding dogs and sparrows.
  • Strong and Resilient: She accepted her seclusion in the city with grace and found solace in her spinning wheel and prayers without complaining.

2. How did the relationship between Khushwant Singh and his grandmother evolve through the three distinct phases mentioned in the story?

The evolution of their relationship is a very important topic for the Class 11 English exam. The three phases are:

  • Phase 1 - Childhood in the Village: This was the phase of maximum closeness. The grandmother was his constant companion, waking him up, getting him ready for school, and walking with him to the temple-school.
  • Phase 2 - Boyhood in the City: This was the turning point where their friendship was strained. They shared a room, but she could not help him with his English lessons and disapproved of the modern education, leading to a growing distance.
  • Phase 3 - University and Abroad: The common link of their friendship was almost broken when the author got his own room. Her acceptance of his decision to go abroad for five years showed her strength, and their interactions were reduced to silent, affectionate gestures.

3. Why was the grandmother disturbed by the author's education in the city school? What does this reveal about her values?

The grandmother was deeply disturbed by the city school education for two main reasons. Firstly, she was distressed that there was no teaching about God and the scriptures, which she considered essential. Secondly, she was appalled to learn about music lessons, as she associated music with 'harlots and beggars' and considered it unsuitable for 'gentlefolk'. This reveals her deeply traditional, religious, and conservative values, highlighting the conflict between modern education and orthodox beliefs.

4. How is the title 'The Portrait of a Lady' justified? Explain its significance for your exam answer.

The title 'The Portrait of a Lady' is highly significant and apt. The author, Khushwant Singh, doesn't just describe his grandmother; he paints a vivid and loving picture (a portrait) of her character, values, and inner beauty. The story focuses not on her physical appearance but on her grace, piety, kindness, and resilience. Like a painter capturing the soul of a subject, the author captures the essence of a truly noble and dignified lady, making the title a perfect metaphor for his literary tribute.

5. How did the sparrows mourn the grandmother's death, and what does their behaviour signify?

The sparrows' reaction is a crucial element of the story. On the day of her death, thousands of sparrows gathered silently around her body. They did not chirp as they usually did, and when the author's mother threw bread crumbs, they took no notice of the food. Their silent departure after the body was carried away signifies a deep, unspoken bond of love and gratitude. It shows that even nature mourned the loss of a kind soul, highlighting her selfless love that was understood even by birds.

6. The author describes his grandmother as never having been 'pretty', but always 'beautiful'. What is the deeper meaning behind this distinction?

This distinction is a key theme of the story. 'Pretty' refers to conventional, external physical attractiveness, which the grandmother lacked due to old age. In contrast, 'beautiful' refers to an inner, spiritual quality. Her beauty lay in her serenity, contentment, and the peace she radiated, which the author compared to a 'winter landscape in the mountains'. This highlights the idea that true beauty comes from the soul and character, not just the physical appearance.

7. What are the main themes in 'The Portrait of a Lady' that are important for the CBSE 2025-26 examination?

For the CBSE Class 11 English exam, students should focus on these important themes:

  • Innocence and Love: The pure, unconditional love between a grandchild and a grandparent.
  • Tradition vs. Modernity: The clash of values represented by the grandmother's beliefs and the author's modern education.
  • Companionship and Loneliness: The changing dynamics of their relationship, leading to the grandmother's graceful acceptance of isolation.
  • Inner Beauty vs. Outer Appearance: The idea that a person's character and soul are more beautiful than their physical looks.

8. How did the grandmother spend her time when the author went to university? How did she find contentment?

When the author went to university and was given his own room, the grandmother accepted her seclusion calmly. She found contentment in a structured routine. From sunrise to sunset, she sat at her spinning wheel, a symbol of her self-reliance and peace. She rarely spoke to anyone and recited her prayers. Her 'happiest half-hour of the day' was in the afternoon when she would take a break to feed the sparrows, who would perch on her and eat the bread crumbs she gave them.