H.S. 2ND YEAR :: ENGLISH

NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Flamingo English Going Places

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

THINK AS YOU READ
Q1.Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
Ans: Sophie and Jansie would soon pass out of their school. Only a few months were left. Jansie knew very well that both of the them were earmarked for biscuit factory. Sophie had wild dreams about her career. Jansie was a realist. She knew that they did not pay well for shop work and Sophie’s father would not allow her to work there.

Q2. What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams?
Ans: Sophie wanted to open a boutique. It would be the most amazing shop that city had ever seen. Alternatively, she would become an actress and have the boutique as a side business. She also thought of being a fashion designer. Jansie had her feet firmly planted to the ground. She wanted Sophie to be sensible and drop all her utopian plans because all of them required much money and exprience.

THINK AS YOU READ
Q1.Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
Ans: Sophie knew her father well. He would be angry if he knew of her meeting with the young Irish footballer, Danny Casey. She didn’t tell him. When Geoff told his father about it, he became angry. He turned Ms head to look at her with disdain. Sophie wriggled where she was sitting at the table.

Q2.Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Ans: No, Geoff doesn’t believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey. First, he looks round in disbelief and says, “It can’t be true”. Again he says, “I don’t believe it.” Sophie then narrates how Danny Casey came and stood beside her. Geoff asks her, “What does he look like?” So, he doesn’t seem to be convinced that Sophie met Danny Casey.

Q3. Does her father believe her story?
Ans: No, Sophie’s father does not believe her story. When Geoff tells him that Sophie met Danny Casey, his father looked at SopMe with disdain. He ignores her totally. He thinks that it is yet another ‘wild story’. He begins to talk about Tom Finny, another great football player.

Q4. How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?
Ans: Geoff was always the first to share her secrets. So, she told him about meeting Danny Casey. She also told him about her plan to meet him next week. She suspected areas of his life about wMch she knew nothing. She longed to know them. She wished that someday he might take her with him. She saw herself riding there behind Geoff.

Q5. Which country did Danny Casey play for?
Ans: Danny Casey played for Ireland.

THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
Ans: Jansie was very interested in things that did not concern her. She wanted to know other people’s affairs. She would spread the news in the whole neighbourhood. So, Sophie didn’t want Jansie to know about her story with Danny. It may also be mutual rivalry and one-up manship on her part. Sophie was startled to learn that Geoff had told Jansie about her story with Danny.

Q2. Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey? [Delhi 2014]
Ans: No, Sophie did not really meet Danny Casey. She was very fascinated by the young Irish footballer. She imagined his coming. She sat in the park, waiting for Casey and knowing that he would not come. She felt sad. Sadness was a hard burden to carry. She was always lost in a dreamy world where she imagined Casey meeting her.

Q3. Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?
Ans: The only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person was when the family went to watch United on Saturday. Sophie, her father and little Derek went down near the goal. Geoff went with his mates higher up. United won two-nil. Her idol Casey drove in the second goal. She saw the Irish genius going round two big defenders on the edge of penalty area. He beat the hesitant goal keeper from a dozen yards. Sophie glowed with pride. She was very happy.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Q1. Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?
Ans: Sophie and Jansie are poles apart in tastes and temperament. Sophie has fantastic dreams and floats in a fairy land. She is an incurable escapist who won’t come out of her dreams. Jansie is down to earth—a realist. Sophie wants to do something sophisticated. Jansie knows that these things require a lot of money which their families do not possess. Jansie also knows that they were earmaked for the biscuit factory. She even advises Sophie to be sensible and practical. Sophie considers Jansie ‘nosey’ and does not want to confide in her.

Q2. How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?
Ans:Sophie’s father has a plumpy face looking grimy and sweaty. He doesn’t seem to be a soft or sophisticated man. Sophie fears his agressive manliness. He is a realist and does not believe in his daughter’s wild stories. He loves watching football. He hopes young Casey will be as good as Tom Finney. He wishes that the young footballer keeps away from all distractions. He shouts instructions to Casey at the playground. When the Irish genius beats the hesitant goal keeper, Sophie’s father screams with joy and pride. He goes to a pub to celebrate the victory.

Q3. Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?
Ans: Geoff is the only person who listens to Sophie’s fantasies and long cherished dreams. Her father is too bossy and aggressive. He hates Sophie’s fantastic stories. Even little Derek – makes fun of her growing rich. Her classmate Jansie is ‘nosey’ and can’t be trusted with a secret. Only Geoff can be trusted to keep all the secrets of Sophie to himself.
From her perspective, Geoff symbolises an elder brother who has grown up and visited places unknown to her. She wished that someday her brother might take her to those places. He is sympathetic and cautions her by telling her that Casey might have strings of girls. He warns her that he would never show up again. He speaks softly so as not to break the heart of the young dreamer.

Q4. What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status?
Ans: Sophie belongs to a lower middle class family. She is an escapist and has wild dreams. She dreams of things she can’t have in real life. Jansie tells her that boutique needs a lot of money. Sophie knows that the family doesn’t have money. She says, “If ever I came into money, I’ll buy a boutique.” Even little Derek understands her unrealistic nature.
Geoffs occupation reflects their socio-economic background. He is an apprentice mechanic. He travels to his work each day to the far side of the city. His jacket is shapeless. Her father lacks sophistication. He is a heavy breathing man. He sits in his vest at the table. He grunts and tosses one of little Derek’s shoes from his chair on to the sofa. There is stove in the same room where dirty washing is piled in a comer. Sophie’s father goes to pub on his bicycle. All these indicators confirm their lower middle-class family background.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Discuss in pairs
Q1.Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind.
Ans: Sophie is a young school-girl belonging to a lower middle-class family. She wants to rise from the situation in which she finds herself. She is an incurable dreamer and escapist. She dreams of opening a boutique. Her classmate Jansie, who had her feet firmly planted on the ground, tells Sophie that opening a boutique requires a lot of money and experience and she has neither of them. Sophie, who floats in a dreamy world of her own, dreams of becoming an actress or a fashion designer. She has dreams of a hero also. She develops fascination for Danny Casey, the wonder-boy of football. She sees him in action only once when he scores the second goal for United. She imagines him coming to her and tells her brother about the meeting. She goes on waiting for him on the next date but he does not turn up. She becomes sad and carries the burden of sadness all the times. Thus, her dreams and disappointments are the creations of her mind.

Q2.It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasising?
Ans: Teenagers have boundless enthusiasm and ambitions. They have sweet dreams and go on fantasising. It is natural for them to do so. Every youth is a dreamer. Every great scientist or writer has a dream. Without some thing to aspire for one can’t strive to achieve that goal. Dreams lead to the golden gate of success. Some teenagers float in the world of fantasy. They have unreal dreams. It is just like a child asking for the moon. Their feet are in the mud and they dream of the stars in the sky. Such fantasising results in disappointment and disillusionment. A dreamer who fails to realise his dream is labelled a failure. Those who realise their dreams become heroes and achievers in their spheres. I think it is better to have dreams even if we fail to realise them. Who would have dreams if the teenagers don’t—will these grey-headed, grey-bearded persons have dreams? Let the teenagers indulge in their natural activity and dream of a golden future. They will strive to translate them into reality.

WORKING WITH WORDS
Notice the following expressions. The highlighted words are not used in a literal sense. Explain what they mean.
•Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of a ground.
•Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.
If he keeps his head on his shoulders.
•On Saturday they made their weekly pilgrimage to the United.
•She saw … him ghost past the lumbering defenders
Ans. (i)Phrase Meaning : Words had to be prized out of him. He was so silent that words had to be extracted from him with great difficulty or force.
(ii)Phrase Meaning : … a tightening in her throat. Sophie felt a stiffness in her throat and felt upset.
(iii)Phrase Meaning : … keeps his head on his shoulders. If he is sensible or intelligent.
(iv)Phrase Meaning : … they made their weekly pilgrimage. They went to see the football match every week as if they were visiting a holy place.
(v) Phrase Meaning :… ghost past. Making a silent move or running to dodge/deceive.

NOTICING FORM
Notice the highlighted words in the following sentences:
1.“When I leave,’ Sophie said, coming home from school, “I’m going to have a boutique.”
2. Jansi, linking arms with her along the street, looked doubtful.
3.“I’ll find it,” Sophie said, staring far down the street.
4. Jansie, knowing they were both earmarked for the biscuit factory, became melancholy.
5.And she turned in through the open street door leaving Jansie standing in the rain.
-When we add “ing” to a verb we get the present participle form. The present participle form is generally used along with forms of “be’, (is, was, are, were, am) to indicate the present continuous tense as in “Sophie was coming home from school.”
-We can use the present participle by itself without the helping verb, when we wish to indicate that an action is happening at the same time as another.
-In example 1, Sophie “said” something, “Said”, here, is the main action.
-What Sophie was doing while she was “saying” is indicated by “coming home from school”. So we get the information of two actions happening at the same time. We convey the information in one sentence instead of two.
-Analyse the other examples in the same way.
-Pick out five other sentences from the story in which present participles are used in this sense.
Ans. 1.“She thinks money grows on trees, don’t she, Dad? said little Derek, hanging on the back of his father’s chair. ,
2.She was conscious of a vast world out there waiting for her …
3.She saw herself riding there behind Geoff.
4.Here I sit, she said to herself, wishing Danny would come, wishing he would come
and sensing the time passing.
5.She waited, measuring in this way the changes taking place in her.
6.Sitting here waiting and knowing he will not come I can see the future…

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
Notice these words from the story.
•“chuffed”, meaning delighted or very pleased
•“nosey”, meaning inquisitive
•“gawky”, meaning awkward, ungainly.
These are words that are used in an informal way in colloquial speech.
Make a list of ten other words df this kind.
Ans. (i) “boutique”, meaning a shop selling fashionable clothes or expensive gifts.
(ii)“dad”, meaning father.
(iii)“scooping”, meaning picking up something with a spoon.
(iv)“prized out”, meaning extract some infrmation with difficulty or force.
(v)“muttered”, meaning murmured.
(vi)“pub”, meaning a place where one can drink.
(vii)jeered”, meaning taunted.
(viii)“damn”, meaning ‘go to hell!’
(ix)“ghost past”, meaning moved unseen and unheard.
(x)“huh”, meaning an expression showing disagreement.

WRITING
-Think of a person who you would like to have as your role-model.
-Write down the points to be discussed or questions to be asked, if you were asked to interview that person on the Television show.
Ans: INTERVIEWING SUNIL GAVASKAR
1.Welcome, Sunil to our chat show. How do you feel at this stage of life?
2.Sachin Tendulkar has broken your record of hitting the highest number of test hundreds. How do you react to that?
3.What helps you to keep fit and smart at this age?
4.What are your current international engagements?
5.What do you prefer—writing books on cricket or commenting on television?
6.Have you ever thought of coaching India?
7.Would you like to be involved intimately in grooming budding talent, if offer comes from the right quarters?
8.What are your plans for helping the players to get a better deal?
9.How do you balance your international engagements with you personal obligations?
10.What are your interests other than cricket?

THINGS TO DO
1.Look for other stories or movies where this theme of hero worship and fantasising about film or sports icons finds a place.
Ans: Extension Activity : To be attempted under the guidance of the teacher.

Going Places Textual Questions and Answers

Think-as-you-read Questions

Question 1.
Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
Answer:
Both the girls belong to poor families. As per their economic background, they would find a job in a biscuit factory after schooling.

Question 2.
What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? WTiy does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams?
Answer:
Sophie was dreaming of opening her own boutique. She believed that she was as efficient and original as Mary Quant. So she would easily get a job of a manager in a shop or would become an actress. In this way, she would earn money and then would open her own boutique. Jansie was a practical girl. She knew that all these were Sophie’s dreams which were not possible so she discouraged her from having such dreams.

Question 3.
Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
Answer:
When Geoff told his father that Sophie had met Danny Casey, she wriggled because she knew that her father would not believe it. He would take it as a story that she had made up.

Question 4.
Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer:
Initially, Geoff is doubtful but when Sophie starts adding the details, he starts believing in her story. But when she tells him about the proposed date with Danny Casey, Geoff becomes sceptical.

Question 5.
Does her father believe Sophie’s story?
Answer:
Sophie’s father does not believe her. He knows that she is a dreamer and lives in a world of imagination. She is used to make up stories to impress him.

Question 6.
How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in the fantasy of her future?
Answer:
Geoff is a person who speaks very little. Sophie knows that he has his own world which is far away from her. She believes that he visits places she has never been to. She hopes that in future, he would introduce her to the beautiful and glamorous world which is the most appropriate place for her.

Question 7.
Which country did Danny Casey play for?
Answer:
Danny Casey, an Irish sports star, used to play for the Irish team.

Question 8.
Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
Answer:
Sophie did not want Jansie to know about her story with Danny for two reasons. First, it was meant to be something special just between her brother Geoff and herself. Secondly, Jansie would have told the whole neighbourhood about it.

Question 9.
Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?
Answer:
No, Sophie did not meet Danny Casey, but she liked fantasising that she had met him.

Question 10.
Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?
Answer:
The only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person was in a football match on a Saturday. Sophie along with her father and little brother Derek went to watch United. They saw champion Danny Casey there to play football:

Going Places Understanding the text

Question 1.
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story? [Delhi 2012]
OR
How different is Jansie from Sophie? [All India 2015]
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends but were very different from each other. Sophie was filled with fantasies and desires. She lived in her world of dreams which was far away from reality. She wanted to open a boutique or become either an actress or a manager. Though she came from a humble background, she wanted to be part of a rich, sophisticated circle. Moreover, she liked the football star Danny Casey so much that she started hero-worshipping him. Her wild fantasies forced her to imagine not only talking to Danny Casey but to even going for a date with him. She is so much engrossed in her world of fantasy that she starts hallucinating about Danny Casey.
On the contrary, Jansie is more realistic and practical. She is well aware of her family background. She knew that both she and Sophie would have to work in a biscuit factory after passing out the school. She kept on reminding Sophie of her reality but all in vain. Unlike Sophie who was all the time lost in her own world, Jansie was nosey to know everything. Sophie never shared her secrets with her because she knew that Jansie would blab around her secrets.

Question 2.
How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father? [Delhi 2012]
Answer:
Sophie’s father is symbolic of a typical poor class family man. He works hard to fulfil the needs of his family. He is rough in manners and is described as a ‘heavy breathing man in his vest’. He never believes any of the Sophie’s stories and knows that she is not to be believed due to her characteristic fantasies. When Geoff tells him about Sophie’s meeting with Danny Casey, he gives an expression of disdain and calls it another of her wild stories. He is a practical man who does not like his daughter getting too much involved in her fantasies. As a father, he knows his daughter’s temperament very well. That’s the reason he doesn’t believe in Sophie’s story of having met Danny Casey. Rather he becomes aggressive and warns Sophie that one day she would get into a load of trouble.

Question 3.
Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?
Answer:
Sophie liked her brother Geoff more than any other person. She hero-worships him. Geoff was three years out of school and was working as an apprentice mechanic. She used to confide in him all her secrets. Geoff was silent most of time and Sophie was curious to know the areas of his life about which she knew nothing. In fact she wanted to be admitted more deeply into her brother’s affections and hoped that someday he would take her along with him.

She wanted to be part of the other world which Geoff belonged to. She wanted to visit that world riding with her brother on his motorcycle. He would be in new, shining black leathers and she would wear a yellow dress and then the entire world would applaud and rise to greet both of them. Thus, for Sophie, her brother Geoff was very close to her heart.

Question 4.
What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status?
Answer:
Sophie belonged to a poor family. Her parents managed the household with difficulty. Her father was a typical poor class family man, rough in his manners and indisciplined. The marks of the sweat on his face indicated that he had to work hard throughout the day to earn his livelihood. Sophie’s mother was an average housewife who was burdened with the family’s responsibilities. She was busy with household chores. She had a crooked back due to constant hard work and the incongruity of the bow clearly showed that she was not a sophisticated lady.

Even the younger brother Derek’s comment on Sophie that “she thinks money grows on trees” emphasized the importance of money in the family. The family was living in a small house with minimum requirements, including very old furniture. All those things indicate that Sophie came from a family with a humble background.

Going Places Talking about the text

Question 1.
Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. Explain. [Delhi 2012]
Answer:
No doubt Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. As a young girl she is engrossed in the world of fantasy. She talks about buying a shop and having her own boutique. In order to earn money, she would work as an actress or a manager. She imagines meeting Danny Casey, the Irish football star, and even fantasises going for a date with him. She goes to the wharf and waits for him. But he doesn’t come and she feels sad and disappointed.

In fact, it is all in her mind. She herself has created a story in her mind and finally starts hallucinating. But finally when she realises that it is all her fantasy she feels disappointed. Both the things take place in her mind. Thus, her dreams and disappointments are all in Sophie’s mind.

Going Places – Solved Question Bank

Reference-to-Context Questions

Question 1.
“Well, I’ll be a manager then—yes, of course—to begin with. Till I’ve got enough. But anyway, I know just how it’s all going to look.”
“They wouldn’t make you manager straight off, Soaf.”
Answer the following.
(a) The speaker was sure they would make her a manager to begin with. (True/False)
(b) The speaker knew exactly how things were going to shape up. (True/False)
(c) The speaker thought she would become ________ in the beginning.
(d) The speaker said that she knew how it was all going to ________
Answer:
(a) True
(b) True
(c) a manager
(d) look

Question 2.
Jansie, knowing they were both earmarked for the biscuit factory, became melancholy. She wished Sophie wouldn’t say these things.
(a) Jansie was melancholy because she and Sophie worked in the biscuit factory. (True/False)
(b) Jansie and Sophie were earmarked to work in a ________ .
(c) What were Jansie’s feelings about her new job at the biscuit factory?
(d) Jansie wished that ________ wouldn’t say the things she said.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) biscuit factory
(c) melancholy
(d) Sophie

Question 3.
“Huh – if you ever come into money ________ if you ever come into money you ’ll buy us a blessed decent house to live in, thank you very much.”
(a) The speaker says that if they ever come into money, they will buy a decent house. (True/False)
(b) The speaker wants to use the money they come by to buy a decent house. ( True/False)
(c) If you ever come in money you will buy us a ________ decent house.
(d) What kind of house does the speaker think they should be buying?
Answer:
(a) False
(b) True
(c) blessed
(d) decent/blessed

Question 4.
And she was impatient. She was conscious of a vast world out there waiting for her and she knew instinctively that she would feel as at home there as in the city which had always been her home.
(a) She would feel as confident in that vast world as she did at her home. (True/False)
(b) She was confident of a vast world ________ for her out there.
(c) She was ________ .
(d) She experienced ________ at home and in the city?
Answer:
(a) True
(b) waiting
(c) impatient
(d) confidence

Question 5.
“I met Danny Casey, ” Sophie said.
He looked around abruptly. “Where?”
“In the arcade – funnily enough. ”
“It’s never true. ”
“I did too. ”
“You told Dad?”
(а) Sophie told her brother that she had met Danny Casey. (True/False)
(б) The speaker’s Dad had also seen Danny Casey. (True/False)
(c) Sophie had met Danny Casey, according to her, in the
(d) Sophie said that she had met in the arcade.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) arcade
(d) Danny Casey

Question 6.
“Well – he has green eyes. Gentle eyes. And he’s not so tall as you’d think
if she should say about his teeth, but decided against it.
(a) The speaker says that the person she is talking about has green eyes. (True/False)
(b) The person being described is gentle. (True/False)
(c) The speaker decided against speaking ________ .
(d) She wanted to speak about his teeth but ________ against it.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) teeth
(d) decided

Question 7.
“One of these days you’re going to talk yourself into a load of trouble, ” her father said aggressively. “Geoff knows it’s true, don’t you, Geoff?”
“He don’t believe you though he’d like to. ”
(a) One of these days Sophie’s father would land in a load of trouble. (True/False)
(b) Sophie turned to Geoff to validate what she was saying. (True/False)
(c) According to Sophie’s father, Geoff would like to ________ what Sophie had said. (True/False)
(d) What, according to Sophie’s father, would she land herself into by her talking?
Answer:
(a) False
(b) True
(c) believe
(d) trouble

Question 8.
“….And, then just as he was going, he said, if I would care to meet him next week he would give me an autograph then. Of course, I said I would. ”
(a) The speaker said that just as he was going, he enquired if Sophie would care to go with him. (True/False)
(b) The speaker offered to take her autograph next week. (True/False)
(c) He offered to give his ________ when he and Sophie met the following week.
(d) He offered to give his autograph ________.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) False
(c) autograph
(d) next week

Question 9.
On Saturday they made their weekly pilgrimage to watch United. Sophie and her father and little Derek went down near the goal – Geoff, as always, went with his mates higher up.
(a) They went to watch a game by United on Wednesday. (True/False)
(b) Geoff went with his ________ higher up while the rest sat near the goal.
(c) For Sophie and her family, the weekly visit to the football game was like a ________ .
id) Who, along with Geoff, sat higher up to watch the game?
Answer:
(a) False
(b) mates
(c) pilgrimage
(d) his mates

Question 10.
“What’s this you’ve been telling?” Jansie said, next week.
‘About what?”
“Your Geoff told our Frank you met Danny Casey. ”
This wasn’t an inquisition, just Jansie being nosey,
but Sophie was startled.
(a) Jansie asked Sophie what she had been telling others. (True/False)
(b) Jansie said that their Frank had learnt from Sophie’s Geoff that Sophie had ________ Danny Casey.
(c) By enquiring whether Sophie had actually met Danny Casey what was she not carrying out?
(d) The name of Jansie’s brother was ________ .
Answer:
(a) True
(b) met
(c) an Inquisition
(d) Frank

Question 11.
It was meant to be something special just between them. Something secret. It wasn’t a Jansie kind of thing at all. Tell gawky Jansie something like that and the whole neighbourhood would get to know it. Damm that Geoff, was nothing sacred?
(a) According to the author, if something was told to Jansie, it remained a secret. (True/False)
(b) The secret between the speaker and Jansie was meant to be something ________ between them.
(c) What unique quality did the message told to Jansie have?
(d) As Jansie broadcast the message, what word did the speaker use, to describe Jansie?
Answer:
(a) False
(b) special
(c) secrecy
(d) gawky

Question 12.
She realised then that Jansie didn’t know about the date bit – Geoff hadn’t told about that. She breathed more easily. So Geoff hadn’t let her down after all. He believed in her after all. After all, some things might be sacred.
(a) The speaker realised that Jansie did not know about her secret date. (True/False)
(b) Geoff had not told Jansie about his secret date. (True/False)
(c) As Geoff had not let down the speaker she ________ more easily.
(d) ________ were considered sacred between Geoff and the speaker.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) breathed
(d) some things

Going Places Short Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from living in a world of fantasy? [Delhi 2013 (C)]
Answer:
Jansie was a realistic and practical girl. She knew very well about her socio-economic background and accepted it. Being a good friend of Sophie, she often reminded her of the reality of their lives. She knew that Sophie lived in the world of her fantasy. But she always used to discourage her from living in that world because she knew that it would be heartbreaking for Sophie.

Question 2.
Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from having dreams? [All India 2017]
Answer:
The elderly persons had come to know that, that was the last French lesson they were going to attend as per the order received. They had earlier been indifferent, so in order to express their gratitude and respect, they had come in full attendance on the last day.

Question 3.
What is unrealistic about Sophie’s dreams of her future life? [Ddhi 2013 (c)]
Answer:
Sophie belonged to a poor family. Her parents were managing the basic necessities of life with great difficulty. But Sophie had high dreams. She had plans to set up her own boutique. She would like to be a manager or an actress. But she was not ready to accept the reality that she could not get any work except that in a biscuit factory.

Question 4.
What was Sophie’s ambition in life? How did she hope to achieve that? [Delhi 2017]
Answer:
Sophie wanted to open a boutique for which she thought she would save money by working as a manager. She also toyed with the idea of becoming an actress to earn good money and have the boutique too.

Question 5.
Sophie was dreaming of so many things in her life. What were they? [Delhi 2017]
Answer:
Sophie, a daydreamer, dreamt of big things in life. She wanted to open a boutique after her schooling was completed and was looking at becoming a manager too. She also harboured the dream of becoming an actress or a fashion designer.

Question 6.
Which was the only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person? [All India 2011, Foreign 2013]
Answer:
When Danny Casey was playing with the United team in the stadium, Sophie saw him for the first time. She was one of the spectators.

Question 7.
Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey? [All India 2012]
Answer:
Sophie did not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey. She did not trust her for keeping secrets as Jansie was fond of gossiping. Sophie feared that she might gossip about her meeting with Danny Casey. This might enrage her father.

Question 8.
Why was Sophie jealous of Geoff’s silence? [All Foreign 2013]
Answer:
For Sophie, Geoff’s silence symbolised freedom. Geoff used to work as a mechanic. He used to ride his motorcycle and visited places where she had never been to. Sophie believed that he moved into a different exotic world which was far away from home and their reality. She was jealous of his silence which does not reveal that world to her.

Question 9.
Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey? Why was she always talking about him? [Foreign 2013]
Answer:
No, Sophie did not meet Danny Casey in reality. She was a dreamer. She had developed a liking for Danny Casey and in her world of fantasy she had imagined herself meeting him. It was just an effect of teenage fantasy and hero-worship that she started hallucinating about the football star Danny Casey.

Question 10.
Did Geoff keep up his promise? How do you know? [All India 2013]
Answer:
Sophie had shared her secret of meeting Danny Casey with her brother Geoff. But Geoff didn’t keep his promise not to share it with anyone. He told this to Frank who was his friend and Jansie’s brother. When Jansie came to ask Sophie about Danny Casey, it became evident that Geoff had told that secret to her brother.

Question 11.
Why did Sophie long for her brother’s affection? [All India 2014]
Answer:
Sophie liked her brother Geoff more than any other person. She used to confide in him all her secrets. She was very curious to know about his world. She longed for her brother’s affection so that he would take her into his exotic world which was far away from their own real world.

Question 12.
What did Sophie imagine about her brother, Geoff? [Foreign 2017]
Answer:
Sophie imagined that her brother, Geoff, was in the world that she had never seen. Besides, she thought that her brother might be knowing interesting people, she longed to know. She wished that her brother would some day take her to his world with him.

Question 13.
What did Sophie tell Geoff about her ‘meeting’ Danny Casey? [Foreign 2o17]
Answer:
Sophie told her brother Geoff that she had met Danny Casey, a sports star, in the arcade. She said that she was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window when Danny Casey came and stood beside her. He had gentle, green eyes but was not very tall. She asked him for an autograph for little Derek, but neither of them had any paper or a pen.

Question 14.
Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know about her story with Danny? [Foreign 2017]
Answer:
Sophie did not want Jansie to know about her story with Danny because she felt that Jansie would tell the same to the whole neighbourhood. She also felt that Jansie might disclose her secret to her father who would be angry.

Question 15.
Why, according to Sophie, couldn’t she take the autograph of Danny Casey when she met him?
Answer:
According to Sophie, she couldn’t take the autograph of Danny Casey when she met him because neither she nor Danny Casey had a pen. Besides, the meeting took place only in Sophie’s fantasy.

Question 16.
How did the evening “blackened the window of Sophie’s mood too”?
Answer:
Sophie was a daydreamer who had carried her fantasy too far. She had imagined her meeting with football star Danny Casey for a date. All this imagination gave her a lot of pleasure. But she met with the reality when Danny Casey didn’t come to meet her. This made her sad and despondent and blackened her mood like the black sky.

Question 17.
How is the title ‘Going Places’ most appropriate?
Answer:
In literary terms, going places refers to achieving success. The title ‘Going Places’ is most appropriate as it very clearly describes the protagonist Sophie. She is deeply enthusiastic about her successful life and fantasises all good and successful things for her. In her imagination, she fantasises herself to be an actor or a manger and then finally a boutique owner. She also fantasises to have met the football star Danny Casey as her close friend and going for a date with him. The title ‘Going place’ clearly depicts the exotic journey of Sophie into the dream world.

Going Places Long Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What were Sophie’s plans for future? Why would you call her dreams unrealistic? [Delhi 2014]
Answer:
Sophie was a school girl who would pass out in a few months. She came from a humble background but was untouched by the harsh realities of life. She was lost in her world of fantasies. She planned to open a boutique after she passed out of school. She thought she would work as manager or an actress in order to earn money for the boutique. She didn’t realise that she belonged to a family that didn’t have the sources to finance her dreams. Her dreams had no ground of reality. With the kind of socio-economic background that Sophie belonged to, it was completely unrealistic to have such dreams fulfilled.

Question 2.
Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which she does not know she cannot realise. Comment. [All India 2015]
Answer:
There is no doubt Sophie lives in a world of dreams which she cannot realise. She dreams of opening a boutique which requires a lot of money. But the kind of family background she has, it is not possible for her to have that much finances. Moreover, she has high aspirations and a very high esteem about herself. Despite of her poor socio-economic background, she doesn’t accept the idea of working in a biscuit factory which is obvious for a girl of her qualifications and background. Rather she believes that she would get a job not less than that of a manager or would become an actress.

Sophie, like any adolescent, indulges in daydreaming and fantasy to the extent that she completely ignores the reality of her life.

Question 3.
In one’s approach to life one should be practical and not live in a world of dreams. How is Jansie’s attitude different from that of Sophie? [CBSE 2018]
Answer:
Jansie and Sophie have contrasting characteristics and a totally different approach to life. Jansie is portrayed as very practical with her feet grounded in reality, whereas Sophie is a daydreamer living in her imaginary world.

Jansie is a mature person and accepts the truth that people of their kind can only aspire to become workers in a factory. On the other hand, Sophie tries to escape from reality and dreams of becoming an actress, a manager or a fashion designer.

It is not unreasonable to have high hopes and aspirations for one’s future, but daydreaming can be justified only when one is prepared to work hard to fulfil one’s dreams.

Sophie needs to work hard to achieve her dreams, instead of merely imagining a bright and successful future for herself or fantasising about her meeting with Danny Casey. Sophie is a middle class girl with lofty aspirations. She is a daydreamer, unrealistic and impractical. She aspires to be an actress, own a boutique, become a manager, etc. which is all beyond her means.

So we conclude that we shouldn’t daydream but have a realistic view of life.

Question 4.
Teachers always advise their students to dream big. Yet, the same teachers in your classrooms find fault with Sophie when she dreams. What is wrong with Sophie’s dreams? [Delhi 2016]
Answer:
It is true that in our classrooms, the teachers always encourage us to dream big but what they discourage is daydreaming which Sophie used to indulge in all the time. She was far removed from reality and lived in her own world of dreams. She strongly felt that there was a whole new world waiting for her and that she was tailor-made for it. All through the story, she never thought practically or came out of her dreamworld.

Sophie’s ambitions and her dreams were unrealistic as she was from a poor socio-economic background. She was earmarked for joining a biscuit factory after completing her studies. Her parents didn’t even have a decent house to live in. Her father wanted her to step out of her dreamworld and start thinking worldly-wise. Being an impractical person, it was difficult for Sophie to understand that she was living in a world of harsh realities.

Question 5.
Has Sophie met Danny Casey? What details of her meeting with Danny Casey did she narrate to her brother. [Delhi 2014]
Answer:
No, Sophie never met Danny Casey. It was one of her wild imaginations that she met Danny Casey, the football star. She told her brother Geoff she met Danny Casey at the market place at Royce’s window. When Geoff showed his disbelief, she gave him Danny’s description. She told him that Danny Casey had green gentle eyes and was not very tall. She said she wanted to have his autograph but unfortunately none of them had a pen. She had a conversation with Danny and found him to be very lonely. Sophie said she was going for a date with Danny, the next week.

Sophie’s imagination is so vivid that she creates each and every minute detail and describes it to her brother so as to make him believe her.

Question 6.
Sophie was a dreamer. The lesson ‘Going Places’ reminds us that mere dreams will not help us to accomplish anything? What qualities, do you think, would help Sophie to realise her dream? [Foreign 2014]
Answer:
Sophie represents a teenager who is lost in the world of imagination. She was fond of daydreaming. As a result, she lost her touch with the reality of life.

She dreams to own a boutique, though she has no financial background. She doesn’t accept the reality that she comes from a poor background. There is no harm in aiming high. One should be ambitious in life. But along with aspirations, we must have a clear planning to achieve that goal. Sophie needs to be practical in her life and analyse her situation. She should be hardworking and determined to achieve what she wants in life. Only dreaming doesn’t help. To succeed in life, actions are required. Sincere and continuous efforts, along with a proper action plan, bring the desired result. Sophie needs to be practical and patient to materialise her dreams.

Question 7.
It is normal for adolescents to fantasise and indulge in hero-worship. How far is it true of Sophie? [Foreign 2015]
Answer:
Teenage is the time of hero-worship and fantasising. When one finds a celebrity one starts admiring that person so much that the celebrity becomes one’s hero and one starts fantasising about him/her. A similar thing happened with Sophie. She liked Danny Casey, the Irish football star. She used to go with her family to see his match and was attracted by his personality.

She liked Danny Casey to the extent, she started fantasising about him. Her wild imagination got converted into hallucination and she started imagining to meet Danny Casey in person. She enjoyed this fantasy so much that she went to the extent of imagining going for a date with Danny, who was her hero.

Sophie, in fact, represents an adolescent lost in the world of fantasies and hero-worship.

Question 8.
Every teenager has a hero/heroine to admire. So many times they become role models for them. What is wrong if Sophie fantasises about Danny Casey and is ambitious in life? [All India 2016]
Answer:
There is no denying the fact that every teenager has someone to admire who he/she looks up to as his/her role model. What was wrong with Sophie’s fantasizing was that she was far removed from reality and lived in her own world of dreams. She strongly felt that there was a whole new world for her and that she was tailor-made for it. Sophie’s ambitions and her dreams were unrealistic as she was from a poor socio-economic background.

She was earmarked for joining a biscuit factory after completing her studies. Her imaginative meetings with Danny Casey were part of her dream world. She knew that her parents didn’t even have a decent house to live in. Her father wanted her to step out of her dream world and start thinking worldly-wise. Being an impractical person, it was difficult for Sophie to understand that she was living in a world of harsh realities.

Question 9.
Describe Sophie’s so-called meeting with Danny Casey. [HOTS]
Answer:
As per Sophie, she met with Danny Casey in the arcade outside Royce’s while she was doing window shopping. Sophie narrated her meeting to her brother Geoff and said that Danny Casey was standing beside her. She could not take his autograph as none of them had a pen. She talked to him a little bit. Sophie said that Danny seemed lonely and promised to give her autograph if she would care to meet him next week. Sophie not only imagined her meeting with Danny Casey but also believed to have fixed a date with him.

Question 10.
“There was the sound of applause as the world rose to greet them.” What is the world that Sophie is dreaming about? Why? [HOTS]
Answer:
Sophie always dreamt of a life of sophistication and elegance. Her brother Geoff was very close to her and she used to confide in him. Geoff used to speak less and Sophie believed that he had his own world in which he was moving and which was far away. She wanted to be part of that world. She imagined to be introduced to that glorious world by her brother as she believed her to be most suited for that. She believed that one day she would accompany Geoff to the world which was waiting for her. Geoff in his black leather and she in her elegant yellow dress would be welcomed by the people in that world with a standing ovation and applause.

Sophie, as per her habit, is dreaming of a world of elegance and sophistication for which she believed herself to be most suitable.

Question 11.
What made Sophie imagine her meeting with Danny Casey? What does it tell us about her life and her relationship with her family?
Answer:
Sophie is a young girl who lives in her world of imagination. Like adolescents she dreams of unbelievable and far-fetched things. Though she belongs to a lower middle class family, she fantasises a world of sophistication. She has seen Danny Casey playing and has started hero-worshipping him. She not only imagines talking to him but also goes all the way to have an imaginary date with him. In fact, it was her longing and dreaming to be part of an exotic world. Her family knows very well about her imaginary world and always tries to draw her away.

Her father never believed in her stories and says, ‘One day you are going to talk yourself into a load of trouble’. Even her younger brother Derek says, “She thinks money grows on trees”, when Sophie is fantasising about opening a boutique. Her elder brother Geoff also does not believe in her story about Danny Casey initially. This clearly shows that except for her elder brother Geoff, Sophie doesn’t connect well with her family.

Question 12.
‘I can see the future and now I will have to live with this burden’, says Sophie. What is the burden being referred to? What light does it throw on Sophie’s life?
Answer:
Sophie lives in her world of imagination. She tells her brother that she met football star Danny Cassey in the arcade outside Royce and would be going on date with him. Her father does not believe that she has met Danny Casey. Geoff, though believes in her meeting, warns her that Danny Casey is a popular star and has many girl friends.

Sophie has probably met Danny Casey and exchanged a few words and asked for an autograph. It is just in imagination that Sophie fantasises to have a date with Danny Casey. When Danny Casey does not show up for the date, Sophie faces a dilemma of having to uphold the fact that she had really met Danny Casey. She is aware that nobody would believe her. She is deeply sad at the realisation that her life is not going to change. Her life of poverty will not change into the glamorous world of her dreams. This is a heavy burden for her. She finds it very difficult to cope with her reality.

Question 13.
The theme of the story ‘Going Places’ is an adolescent fantasy and hero-worship. Every teenager has a hero in his/her life. Based on your reading of the story, write an article on the topic:
‘Are teenagers justified in their act of hero-worship’?
Answer:
‘Hero-worship’ is a very common phenomenon in teenagers. They idolise, even literally worship their heros or role models. Huge crowds gather outside the studios and stadia to take pictures or autographs of the celebrity stars or sports stars. No doubt it is good to admire and appreciate these achievers, but there must be some limit. The fans should not waste their time because adolescence is the time when the foundation of the success of life is laid in the form of career.

Moreover, aping and doing what they see their stars doing is not going to give them any benefit. In that way adolescents just waste their time and resources. In fact, the teenagers should select their role model very carefully and should have self-control and determination. They should imbibe all the good qualities of these heroes and try to be like them by putting in their sincere efforts. They should plan out their career and set their priorities. They must have some inspiring people as their role models to make their lives meaningful.

Question 14.
All of us, like Sophie, look up to people who then become our role models. These role models have a positive impact on our lives and possess those qualities that we would like to have.
As head boy/head girl of your school, you have to address the students in the morning assembly telling them about the kind of people, they should adopt as role models and seek inspiration from them. Write this speech in 120-150 words.
Answer:

Dear friends

It is said that every successful person has a role model in his life. This role model is the one who changes our life. Role models guide us in our quest for success and make the world a better place. We need to be very careful in choosing our role models. A role model is one who is an embodiment of all virtues; a person who is selfless and truthful, one who is sincere, honest, and straightforward. Depending upon our field of interest, we can have many legendary personalities to make our role models, personalities such as Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Vivekananda, the list is inexhaustive. These are the people who have enlightened the lives of others, they have lived their life much above the selfish pursuits. We must idolise someone who has the virtues which should be followed to be a good human being.

There are such inspiring people even in our surroundings, in our society, at home, or in school. Our teachers are the best example. They are our best role models who have taught us to differentiate between right and wrong. To conclude, I would just like to say that we should make an honest, sincere, and inspiring person our role model.

Going Places Important Questions Short Answer Type Questions (3-4 MARKS)

Question 1.
“Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing.” Why did Sophie say so? (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Sophie had cooked up the story of her meeting with Danny Casey to impress Geoff who was a great fan of the football prodigy. She knew this news would be of great interest to her brother. She had also thought her brother would keep her secret. She did not want Jansie, who was ‘nosey’, to know about this. So when Geoff told Jansie, Sophie cursed him because she knew Jansie would spread her story in the entire neighbourhood.

Question 2.
Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? (All India 2010)
Answer:
For Sophie, her brother Geoff was the only person who listened to her fantasies and long cherished dreams. She only trusted Geoff to keep all her secrets to himself.

Question 3.
Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny? (All India 2010)
Answer:
Jansie told Sophie that Geoff had given her the news of her (Sophie’s) meeting with Danny Casey. Sophie cursed Geoff for telling Jansie this because it was meant to be something special between Geoff and her. ‘It wasn’t the jansie kind of thing at all’. Jansie was ‘nosey’ and now the whole neighbourhood would come to know her story.

Question 4.
What did Sophie tell Geoff about her meeting with Danny Casey? (All India 2010)
Answer:
Sophie told Geoff that she had met Danny Casey, the wonder footballer. As she was looking at the clothes in a shop’s window Casey came and stood beside her. Geoff did not believe her. Sophie then went on to tell him that Casey had green and gentle eyes and he was not very tall.

Question 5.
Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny? (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
Sophie did not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey because she knew Jansie was good at spreading rumours. Telling anything to Jansie was like telling the whole town. Sophie had made up this story only for her family and she did not want this story to spread in the town.

Question 6.
Did Geoff keep his promise to Sophie? How do you know? (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
No, Geoff did not keep his promise to Sophie. He told Sophie’s secret to Jansie’s brother Frank who in turn told Jansie about it. We know this because Jansie questions Sophie about her meeting with footballer, Danny Casey and Sophie is startled that Jansie knows about this meeting.

Question 7.
How did Sophie’s father react when Geoff told him about her meeting with Danny Casey? (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
When Geoff told their father about Sophie’s meeting with Danny Casey he did not believe it and suspected it was one of Sophie’s wild stories. He was filled with disdain and did not want to encourage her in any way. So he warned her to keep herself out of any kind of trouble.

Question 8.
What thoughts came to Sophie’s mind as she sat by the canal? (All India 2011)
Answer:
Sophie considers the spot along the canal the best place for a date, as it is away from the rush of the city. As she sits by the canal she is lost in the world of her dreams. She imagines Casey coming along the river and her own excitement thereafter.

Question 9.
Which was the only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person? (All India 2011)
Answer:
The only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person was when she had gone to see the football match with her family. Sitting among the spectators, she saw Danny Casey from a distance.

Question 10.
Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from enter¬taining thoughts about the sports-star, Danny Casey? (All India 2011)
Answer:
Jansie is a practical girl who lives in the real world. She knows that Danny Casey, a sports- star is far beyond Sophie’s dreams and imagination. So she discourages Sophie from entertaining any kind of wild thoughts about him.

Question 11.
Did Geoff keep his promise? How do you know? (Comptt. Delhi 2011)
Answer:
No, Geoff did not keep his promise. He told Frank about Sophie’s meeting with Danny Casey though he had promised her he would not disclose it. Even Jansie came to know about it. Sophie was happy to know that Geoff had at least not revealed the date of her meeting with Casey.

Question 12.
Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know any¬thing about her meeting with Danny Casey?(All India 2012)
Answer:
Sophie did not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey because she knew Jansie was good at spreading rumours. Telling anything to Jansie was like telling the whole town. Sophie had made up this story only for her family and she did not want this story to spread in the town.

Question 13.
What do you think of Sophie’s dream about her career? (Comptt. Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Sophie’s dreams of her future life are far removed from her reality. She dreams of owning a boutique, of becoming an actress but the fact was that she was earmarked for the biscuit factory. Sophie drifts into a world of fantasy and wants to live her dreams by stepping out of her middle-class status.

Question 14.
Though Sophie and Jansie were good friends, how were they basically different from each other? (Comptt. All India 2012)
Answer:
Although Sophie and Jansie were good friends they were completely different from each other.
Sophie lived in a world of dreams and fantasy, a world which was far removed from reality. Jansie, on the other hand, was a sensible and realistic girl who was grounded to her reality.

Question 15.
Why did Sophie want to keep her story with Danny a secret from Jansie? (Comptt. All India 2012)
Answer:
Sophie did not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey because she knew Jansie was good at spreading rumours. Telling anything to Jansie was like telling the whole town. Sophie had made up this story only for her family and she did not want this story to spread in the town.

Question 16.
Why did Sophie like her brother, Geoff more than any other person? (Delhi 2013)
Answer:
For Sophie, her brother Geoff was the only person who listened to her fantasies and long cherished dreams. She only trusted Geoff to keep all her secrets to himself.

Question 17.
Why was Sophie jealous of Geoff’s silence? (All India 2013)
Answer:
Sophie’s brother’s hallmark is his silence. Sophie feels “words have to be prized out of him like stone out of the ground.” She is jealous of his silence and is very keen to enter the recesses of his mind. There is so much about her brother that Sophie only suspects because she has never really known anything about him.

Question 18.
Did Geoff keep up his promise? How do you know? (All India 2013)
Answer:
No, Geoff did not keep his promise. He told Frank about Sophie’s meeting with Danny Casey though he had promised her he would not disclose it. Even Jansie came to know about it. Sophie was happy to know that Geoff had at least not revealed the date of her meeting with Casey.

Question 19.
What is unrealistic about Sophie’s dreams of her future life? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
Sophie’s dreams of her future life are far removed from her reality. She dreams of owning a boutique, of becoming an actress but the fact was that she was earmarked for the biscuit factory. Sophie drifts into a world of fantasy and wants to live her dreams by stepping out of her middle-class status.

Question 20.
Why does Jansie discourage Sophie from living in a world of fantasy? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
Jansie was a realistic and practical girl who knew both she and Sophie were earmarked for the biscuit factory. So she discouraged Sophie from living in a world of fantasy. Whenever Sophie expressed her wishes aloud Jansie became melancholic and told Sophie to behave sensibly.

Question 21.
Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know about her story with Danny? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
Sophie did not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey because she knew Jansie was good at spreading rumours. Telling anything to Jansie was like telling the whole town. Sophie had made up this story only for her family and she did not want this story to spread in the town.

Question 22.
How do we know that Sophie’s family lived in poor circumstances? (Comptt. All India 2013)
Answer:
We know that Sophie’s family lived in poor circumstances as her father worked hard as a manual labourer. Her mother’s back had become crooked due to the burden of household work. Their house was rather small, easily suffocated with steam from the stove.

Question 23.
Why did Sophie want to be admitted into Geoff’s affections? (Comptt. All India 2013)
Answer:
Geoff was an apprentice mechanic who traveled to the far side of the city every day. Sophie wished she could be admitted into Geoff’s affections so that someday he might take her with him to meet those exotic and interesting people whom he never spoke about.

Question 24.
Whom did Sophie like more than anyone else in the story? Why? (Comptt. All India 2013)
Answer:
Sophie liked her brother Geoff more than anyone else. She was most fascinated by his evasiveness and wanted to travel with him to his enigmatic world. Her brother’s lost and inquisitive eyes captivated her and his silence intrigued her.

Question 25.
Why did Sophie long for her brother’s affection? (All India 2014)
Answer:
Sophie longed for her brother’s affection because she trusted him more than any other member of her family. He symbolised freedom and she wanted to be a part of his exotic and adventurous world. He was the only one to whom she could look for approval as her father was critical and disapproving and she hero- worshipped him.

Question 26.
How are Jansie and Sophie different from each other? (Comptt. Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Although Jansie and Sophie are classmates and friends, their approach to life is completely different from each other. While Jansie is practical and grounded to reality, Sophie lives in a make-believe world of her own, which she ‘invents’ in her imagination.

Question 27.
Why is Sophie attracted to Danny Casey? (Comptt. Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Danny Casey is an Irish football prodigy and Sophie is attracted to him because like most youngsters she idolizes and hero-worships him. So she envisions her meetings with the football star and also gives vivid details of their meetings.

Question 28.
What was Sophie’s ambition in life? How did she hope to achieve that? (Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Sophie’s ambition in life was either to have her own boutique and be a fashion designer or to be an actress. She wanted to do something a bit sophisticated. She hoped to achieve her ambition by being a manager at a boutique to start with and then save enough money to have her own boutique.

Question 29.
Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from hav-ing dreams? (All India 2017)
Answer:
Jansie was a realistic and practical girl who knew both she and Sophie were earmarked for the biscuit factory. So she discouraged Sophie from living in a world of fantasy. Whenever Sophie expressed her wishes aloud Jansie became melancholic and told Sophie to behave sensibly.

Going Places Important Questions Long Answer Type Questions (5-6 MARKS)

Question 30.
Contrast Sophie’s real world with her fantasies. (Delhi 2009)
Answer:
Sophie belongs to a lower middle class family and lives a humble life with her parents and elder brother. But her dreams far supercede the reality in which she is living. Her dreams are far beyond her reach. So she wishes to open a boutique, entertains the idea of being an actress and also aspires to be a fashion designer. Her dreamy disposition and romantic allusions lead her to hero-worship the wonder-footballer, Danny Casey towards whom she develops a romantic fascination. Though she sees him only once in person she sits for hours imagining Danny Casey coming to her. The incurable dreamer in her remains an escapist who wants to remain away from her real world.

Question 31.
Describe the character of Sophie’s father and the role played by him. (Delhi 2009)
Answer:
Sophie’s father is a happy-go-lucky and carefree man. He does not appear to be either soft or even sophisticated. He is a heavy breathing man. He usually sits in his vest at the table. Sophie, it appears, fears him. He does not believe in his daughter’s ‘wild stories’ and so he ignores her completely and prefers to go and watch television than listen to her. Even when his son Geoff tells him that Sophie had met the Irish prodigy Danny Casey, he completely ignores this news. He is extremely interested in football and, like all his children, he also adores Danny Casey. He is a middle-class man who goes to the pub on his bicycle to celebrate his team’s victory and the fact that Casey had scored a second goal. He is a rather dominating person and a typical representation of the lower middle-class family of that time.

Question 32.
Jansie is just as old as Sophie but she is very different from her. Bring out the contrast bet¬ween the two friends citing relevant instances from the story, “Going Places”. (All India 2009)
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie were classmates as well as friends. They both belonged to lower middle- class families. But that is where their similarity ends. There is a striking contrast between their characters. Sophie is a day-dreamer and Jansie is practical. Sophie lives in a world of dreams and does not want to come out of this fairyland. She is an incurable escapist and dreams of having a boutique, becoming an actress or a fashion designer. Jansie, on the other hand, is very grounded. Jansie has her feet firmly planted on the ground and knows they are both ‘earmarked for the biscuit factory’. She knows big things require big money and experience which they lack desperately. She advises Sophie to be sensible and not entertain wild dreams. Sophie and Jansie’s temperaments differ greatly. While Sophie shares her dreams only with one person, her brother Geoff, Jansie on the other hand is nosey. She takes an interest in learning new things about others and can spread stories in the whole neighbourhood.

Question 33.
Contrast Sophie’s real world with her fantasies. (Comptt. All India 2011)
Answer:
Sophie belongs to a lower middle class family and lives a humble life with her parents and elder brother. But her dreams far supercede the reality in which she is living. Her dreams are far beyond her reach. So she wishes to open a boutique, entertains the idea of being an actress and also aspires to be a fashion designer. Her dreamy disposition and romantic allusions lead her to hero-worship the wonder-footballer, Danny Casey towards whom she develops a romantic fascination. Though she sees him only once in person she sits for hours imagining Danny Casey coming to her. The incurable dreamer in her remains an escapist who wants to remain away from her real world.

Question 34.
Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie high¬lighting their temperament and aspirations. (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie were classmates as well as friends. They both belonged to lower middle- class families. But that is where their similarity ends. There is a striking contrast between their characters. Sophie is a day-dreamer and Jansie is practical. Sophie lives in a world of dreams and does not want to come out of this fairyland. She is an incurable escapist and dreams of having a boutique, becoming an actress or a fashion designer. Jansie, on the other hand, is very grounded. Jansie has her feet firmly planted on the ground and knows they are both ‘earmarked for the biscuit factory’. She knows big things require big money and experience which they lack desperately. She advises Sophie to be sensible and not entertain wild dreams. Sophie and Jansie’s temperaments differ greatly. While Sophie shares her dreams only with one person, her brother Geoff, Jansie on the other hand is nosey. She takes an interest in learning new things about others and can spread stories in the whole neighbourhood.

Question 35.
Attempt a character sketch of Sophie as a woman who lives in her dreams. (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Sophie belongs to a lower middle class family and lives a humble life with her parents and elder brother. But her dreams far supercede the reality in which she is living. Her dreams are far beyond her reach. So she wishes to open a boutique, entertains the idea of being an actress and also aspires to be a fashion designer. Her dreamy disposition and romantic allusions lead her to hero-worship the wonder-footballer, Danny Casey towards whom she develops a romantic fascination. Though she sees him only once in person she sits for hours imagining Danny coming to her. The incurable dreamer in her remains an escapist who wants to remain away from her real world.

Question 36.
Why did Sophie enjoy living in a world of dreams? Describe some of her dreams. (All India 2012)
Answer:
Sophie, like most girls of her age, enjoyed living in her world of dreams which provided to her the refuge she needed from her middle – class reality. Through her dream world she visualised for herself a life that she would like to lead. Her imagination drew into her life all the things she desired and people she idolised but could never make a part of her real life. Sophie dreams of having her own boutique after she leaves school, a boutique which will be the most amazing in the city. Becoming an actress or a fashion designer is also her dream. She was conscious of a vast world which waited for her and she was very sure that she would adjust easily in that world. In her dream world, Sophie dreams of meeting the sensational footballer Danny Casey. She even fixes a date with him and actually travels to that place and waits for him to come. In her world of fantasy, Sophie moves rapidly from one dream to another through the leaps of her mind.

Question 37.
Has Sophie met Danny Casey? What details of her meeting with Danny Casey did she narrate to her brother? (Delhi 2014)
Answer:
No, Sophie had never met Danny Casey. Her story is merely a part of her fantasy. Her fertile mind made up the story of her encounter with him. She told her brother that she had met Danny Casey in the arcade. When she was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window someone came and stood beside her and she looked around and saw Danny. She also told Geoff that Danny Casey has gentle, green eyes and he is not as tall as one would think him to be. She also asked Danny for his autograph but could not get it as none of them had a paper or pen with them. Sophie’s dream world makes her travel into those aspects of life which she may never be able to achieve in reality.

Question 38.
What were Sophie’s plans for her future? Why would you call her dreams unrealistic? (Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Sophie had rather unrealistic plans for her future. She wanted to own a boutique and have the most amazing shop in the city. She also dreamed of being an actress or a fashion designer. Considering her meagre resources and family’s position, her dreams are quite unrealistic, in fact they are in sharp contrast to her reality. Her father works hard for a living and so she is never likely to be a part of the sophisticated world. Her mother bears the back-breaking burden of household chores. I Ier brother works as an apprentice mechanic. Considering her circumstances she would actually have to work in the biscuit factory. So her dreams would just remain dreams and never become a reality.

Question 39.
Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which she does not know she cannot realise. Comment. (All India 2015)
Answer:
Sophie, like most girls of her age, loves to fantasize and live in a world full of dreams which is far away from reality. She envisions a life for herself which she would like to lead not knowing that she might never be able to realise her dreams. She dreams of owning a boutique which again she might never be able to fulfil. The best part of her fantasy is that she is unaware of the fact that her dreams may never materialise. Though her friend Jansie tries her best to keep her grounded, Sophie is undeterred. Sophie’s dream world makes her traverse into those spheres of life which she may never be able to achieve in reality and this does not cause her any anxiety. She blissfully ignores the fact that she comes from a lower middle class family and continues to dream on.

Question 40.
How different is Jansie from Sophie?(All India 2015)
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie were classmates as well as friends. They both belonged to lower middle- class families. But that is where their similarity ends. There is a striking contrast between their characters. Sophie is a day-dreamer and Jansie is practical. Sophie lives in a world of dreams and does not want to come out of this fairyland. She is an incurable escapist and dreams of having a boutique, becoming an actress or a fashion designer. Jansie, on the other hand, is very grounded. Jansie has her feet firmly planted on the ground and knows they are both ‘earmarked for the biscuit factory’. She knows big things require big money and experience which they lack desperately. She advises Sophie to be sensible and not entertain wild dreams. Sophie and Jansie’s temperaments differ greatly. While Sophie shares her dreams only with one person, her brother Geoff, Jansie on the other hand is nosey. She takes an interest in learning new things about others and can spread stories in the whole neighbourhood.

Question 41.
It is not unusual for a lower middle class girl to dream big. How unrealistic were Sophie’s dreams? (All India 2015)
Answer:
Sophie belongs to a lower middle class family and lives a humble life with her parents and elder brother. But her dreams far supercede the reality in which she is living. Her dreams are far beyond her reach. So she wishes to open a boutique, entertains the idea of being an actress and also aspires to be a fashion designer. Her dreamy disposition and romantic allusions lead – her to hero-worship the wonder-footballer, Danny Casey towards whom she develops a romantic fascination. Though she sees him only once in person she sits for hours imagining Danny Casey coming to her. The incurable dreamer in her remains an escapist who wants to remain away from her real world.
Her friend Jansie continued to ground her to reality by stating that they were earmarked for the biscuit factory. Her father also stated that if she ever had enough money she would first buy them a decent house to live in. Sophie’s little brother Derek too feels that his sister thinks money grows on trees.

Question 42.
Every teenager must dream big. Yet the dream should also be rooted to the ground. Write a character sketch of Sophie in the light of this remark. (Comptt. All India 2015)
Answer:
Every teenager must dream big. Yet the dream should also be rooted to the ground. This statement is so true for Sophie whose dreams are larger than life and far supercede her real life. Sophie had rather unrealistic plans for her future. She wanted to own a boutique and have the most amazing shop in the city. She also dreamed of being an actress or a fashion designer. Considering her meagre resources and family’s position, her dreams are quite unrealistic, in fact they are in sharp contrast to her reality. Her father works hard for a living and is never likely to be a part of the sophisticated world. Her mother bears the back-breaking burden of household chores. Her brother works as an apprentice mechanic. Considering her circumstances she would actually have to work in the biscuit factory. So her dreams would just remain dreams and never become a reality.

Question 43.
Teachers always advise their students to dream big. Yet, the same teachers in your classrooms find fault with Sophie when she dreams. What is wrong with Sophie’s dreams? (Delhi 2016)
Answer:
There is nothing wrong with having big dreams. Infact it is an advice given to us by our teachers. But then our dreams must not be in j complete contrast to our reality. This is the fault with Sophie’s dreams. Her dreams are not ! only over-ambitious but also most impractical. She is an incurable escapist and lives in the world of her dreams. She drifts into the world of her fantasy and wants to make her dreams her reality. Dreaming the unachievable can have a negative impact on one’s personality. It can lead to depression. Sophie blissfully ignores the fact that she comes from a lower middle class family and is ear-marked for the biscuit factory. She dreams of owning a boutique, becoming a fashion designer or an actress, dreams which she may never be able to fulfill. Sophie not only dreams big but concocts stories about her imaginary meeting with the Irish prodigy, Danny Casey. She envisions her meeting with the football star and also gives vivid details of the meeting. Such unrealistic dreams need to be discouraged.

Question 44.
Every teenager has a hero/heroine to admire. So many times they become role models for them. What is wrong if Sophie fantasizes about Danny Casey and is ambitious in life? (All India 2016)
Answer:
Dreams and fantasies are an integral part of every teenager’s life. Their dreams motivate them to achieve their goals. Every teenager has an idol to admire and these idols become role models for them. Same is the case with Sophie who idolizes Danny Casey. The only thing wrong with Sophie’s fantasy is that she nurtures unrealistic dreams which are in sharp contrast to her reality. Her ambitions too are way beyond the confines of her lower middle class status. Sophie has never met Danny Casey but she envisions her meeting with the football star and even invents vivid details of this meeting. Her over-imaginative mind concocts stories and she starts living in her make-believe world. Through her dreams Sophie escapes from the harsh realities of life and such people find it difficult to cope with reality.

Question 45.
Describe the fantasies Sophie had about Danny Casey. (Comptt. All India 2016)
Answer:
Sophie had never met Danny Casey. Her story is merely a part of her fantasy. Her fertile mind made up the story of her encounter with him. She told her brother that she had met Danny Casey in the arcade. When she was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window someone came and stood beside her and she looked around and saw Danny. She also told Geoff that Danny Casey has gentle, green eyes and he is not as tall as one would think him to be. She also asked Danny for his autograph but could not get it as none of them had a paper or pen with them. Sophie’s dream world makes her travel into those aspects of life which she may never be able to achieve in reality. Sophie imagines Danny Casey coming to her, her own excitement and subsequent disappointment.

Question 46.
Geoff and Sophie are different from each other, though they belong to the same family. Com¬ment with examples from the text. (Comptt. All India 2016)
Answer:
Though Geoff and Sophie belong to the same family they are very different from each other. Geoff, Sophie’s elder brother is an apprentice mechanic who travelled to work to the far side of the city everyday. He lived in reality and spoke little. In fact Sophie felt that words had to be prized out of him like stone out of the ground. He had a life of his own and though he listened to Sophie’s fantasies, he did not believe her. Sophie, on the other hand, lived in a dream world. She dreams of having a boutique, becoming an actress or a fashion designer. She is a day-dreamer and an incurable escapist. She imagines meeting the football prodigy Danny Casey. Geoff is the most important member of her family for Sophie who wishes to be admitted into her brother’s affections so that some day he might take her with him to meet the exotic and interesting people whom he never spoke about.

Important Questions for Class 12 English

Going Places Lesson Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Why did Sophie wish to become an actress?
Answer:
Sophie was interested in a boutique. For this, she needed money. So, she thought that she should become an actress as there was real money in that. Then she could have a boutique too.

Question 2.
What was Geoff doing and how did he go to his work?
Answer:
Geoff was Sophie’s elder brother. He had been out of school for three years and was almost grown up. He was an apprentice mechanic. He used to travel to his work each day to the far side of the city on his motor bike.

Question 3.
“And she was jealous of his silence.” Why was Sophie jealous of Geoff’s silence?
Answer:
Sophie’s brother Geoff spoke very less. She was jealous of him as she thought that when he was not speaking it was as though he was away somewhere out there in the world in those places she had never been to.

Question 4.
What was the special fascination of the teenager Sophie?
Answer:
The unknown outlying districts of her city, unknown places beyond her country, and the world of places where she had never been were great fascination for Sophie. She wished to know about exotic places. She hoped to go there with her brother Geoff.

Question 5.
What did Geoff mean by saying, ‘Casey must have strings of girls’?
Answer:
Sophie wanted Geoff to promise not to tell daddy about her meeting with Danny Casey. He would get angry at her badly. Then Geoff told that Casey must be having a large number of girls in his contact, and she was still a schoolgirl. But Sophie pointed out that Casey was quiet. He did not have strings of girls.

Question 6.
What was the autograph riddle? Could it be solved?
Answer:
On first meeting, Danny Casey at Royce’s window, Sophie asked his autograph for little Derek. But neither had a paper nor a pen. In the second real meeting at the Royce’s, the same riddle stood unsolved—the autograph couldn’t be given neither had a pen.

Question 7.
What was Jansie’s attitude towards Sophie on hearing about her meeting Danny Casey?
Answer:
Geoff told Frank that Sophie met Danny Casey. Frank’s sister Jansie was nosey. She asked Sophie about the meeting. It surprised Sophie because she had termed it a secret. She felt at ease when she realised that Geoff had not let her down.

Question 8.
Write a character sketch of Jansie.
Answer:
Jansie belonged to a middle class family. Though she was sensible and practical, she was nosey. She loved to gossip. She did not have high ambitions in life like Sophie. She knew that she was earmarked to work in a biscuit factory.

Question 9.
What was going on in Sophie’s mind about people and places unknown to her?
OR
What were Sophie’s views about the vast world around?
Answer:
The unknown far off places even beyond the surrounding country had a great attraction in Sophie’s mind. She wanted to see, meet exotic and interesting people of whom Geoff never spoke. She was impatient to know them. She thought the world was waiting to welcome her.

Question 10.
What did Sophie tell Geoff about Danny Casey?
Answer:
Danny Casey was a young Irish player of the United first squad. Sophie told Geoff of the meeting Danny Casey at Royce’s window. It surprised him and he wanted to know the truth. She told about Danny Casey’s gentle green eyes. She told him that she talked with him first and also asked for an autograph. But they had neither pen nor paper. So he promised to do it next week, if she cared.

Question 11.
Why did Sophie like Danny Casey?
Answer:
The young Irish Danny Casey was a sports icon. He was gentle and calm. He was handsome and always impressively dressed. He was tall and handsome with a strong dark face. She imagined him to be fit for her love.

Question 12.
What did Sophie imagine about her meeting with Danny Casey?
OR
Write Sophie’s description about her first meeting with Danny Casey.
Answer:
Sophie told that she met Danny Casey at the Royce’s window. She was looking at her clothes there. He came and stood beside her. She spoke to him first and asked if he was Danny Casey. He confirmed, she asked for an autograph but neither had paper nor a pen. They talked a bit. He assured her of an autograph next week, if she cared.

Question 13.
What was the weekly pilgrimage in the story, ‘Going Places’?
Answer:
Their weekly pilgrimage on Saturday was to watch the United match. Actually she got interested in Danny Casey and wanted to see his game and watch him playing at the United on Saturday. Sophie with her lather and litde Derek sat near the goal, and Geoff went up with his friends. They boost up Danny’s morale and got thrilled at his scoring goal.

Question 14.
What did Sophie tell Jansie about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer:
Next week when Jansie met Sophie, she asked her about meeting Danny Casey. Though Sophie got surprised and damned her brother Geoff, yet she called it something special between them. Something secret but not a Jansie type. Jansie promised to keep it a secret. Sophie told it was a litde thing, she asked for an autograph but neither had a pen.

Question 15.
‘It was a perfect place, she had always thought so.’ Which is the place described and what made it so perfect?
Answer:
For the fancy date, Sophie walked by the canal in the evening. She used to play there in her childhood. She reached the wooden bench beneath the solitary elm tree. She sat and waited there for Danny Casey. It was a perfect place for the lovers, who wished not to be observed.

Question 16.
What was Sophie’s ambition in life? How did she hope to achieve that?
Answer:
Sophie wanted to be a manager, like Mary Quaint and have the most amazing shop, or an actress, or have a boutique or a fashion designer. She wanted to make money and fulfil her sophisticated wish.

Question 17.
Sophie was dreaming of so many things in her life. What were they?
Answer:
Sophie was a dreamer as she wanted to be a manager till she had enough money to have a boutique or an actress as there was real money in it, or fashion designer, something a bit sophisticated.

Question 18.
Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from having dreams?
Answer:
Jansie discouraged Sophie from having dreams because the latter was unrealistic and had unattainable visions. Jansie knew that they were earmarked for the biscuit factory as she was practical, and she thought reasonably how tough and challenging life could be.

Question 19.
What did Sophie imagine about her brother, Geoff?
Answer:
Sophie imagined that when her brother Geoff is silent, his mind goes to all the new places that beyond the surrounding country. He meets new people, who are exotic and interesting.

Question 20.
What did Sophie tell Geoff about her ‘meeting’ with Danny Casey?
Answer:
Sophie told Geoff that she met Danny Casey while she was staring at the clothes in Royce’s window. She started the conversation and then asked for an autograph. But neither of them had any paper or pen, so Danny Casey asked Sophie if she would meet him again for an autograph.

Question 21.
Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know about her meeting with Danny?
Answer:
Sophie did not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey because she knew that Jansie would spread the news to the whole neighbourhood. Sophie did not want to be ridiculed before others.

Going Places Lesson Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
How did Geoff and Sophie’s father react when they came to know that Sophie had met Danny Casey?
Answer:
Sophie’s father and her brother, Geoff were very much fascinated with Danny Casey, whom they regarded a great player. When Sophie told Geoff that she had met Danny Casey, he did not seem to believe her. That is why, he inquired of her what Danny Casey looked like. She told him in detail how she happened to meet Danny Casey in the arcade. She even told him that Danny Casey’s eyes were green and gentle, and he was not so tall.

Perhaps that is why, Geoff told his father that Sophie had met Danny Casey and it was true.But when Geoff told his father about Sophie having met Danny Casey, he gave an expression of contempt. Her father did not believe it to be true. He told Sophie that it was another of her “wild stories”.

Question 2.
Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie, highlighting their temperaments and aspirations.
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie are classmates. They belong to lower middle class families. Both of them are earmarked for biscuit factory. Jansie’s feet are firmly planted on the ground. But Sophie is totally blind to the harsh realities of life. She dreams of big and beautiful things. She wants to have a boutique. She thinks of becoming an actress as there is a lot of money in this profession. If need be, she can also be a fashion designer. In short, she loves to be grand and sophisticated.

All her dreams are beyond her reach and resources. Jansie advises her to be sensible, but she remains a romantic dreamer. Sophie and Jansie differ in thinking and temperament. Sophie is lost in her dream world. She shares her secret with only one person. It is her elder brother, Geoff. Jansie is ‘nosey’. She takes interest in learning new things about others.

She can spread the story in the whole neighbourhood; so Sophie does not want to share secrets with her. Sophie is an incurable dreamer and escapist. She adores young Irish footballer Danny Casey. She develops a fascination for him. She becomes sad and helpless, but she doesn’t become wiser. She remains a dreamer. Jansie is practical and a realist. She has no such unrealistic dreams.

Question 3.
Do you think Sophie is overambitious and Jansie is more practical? Discuss.
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie are class fellows and friends. They belong to lower middle class families. Jansie understands her limitations well. She knows that both of them are earmarked for the biscuit factory. But Sophie is totally blind to the harsh realities of life. She dreams of big and beautiful things. She wants to have a boutique. She also entertains the idea of becoming an actress. She loves to be nice, grand and sophisticated. All her dreams are beyond her reach and resources. Though Jansie advises her, Sophie refuses to be sensible. She is nothing more than a romantic dreamer and is in awe of the footballer Danny Casey. Sophie and Jansie are poles apart in their thinking and temperament. Sophie is all lost to herself and her dreamy world. She is an incurable escapist. She adores the young Irish footballer Danny Casey. She remains what she always is a dreamer.

Question 4.
Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which she does not know she cannot realise.Comment.
OR
Attempt a character sketch of Sophie as a woman who lives in her dreams.
Answer:
Sophie is a young girl of a lower middle class family. Though she has been earmarked to work in the biscuit factory, she dreams of opening a boutique and also becoming an actress or a fashion designer or a manager. She dreams of coming out of her economic situation. She is an incurable dreamer and an escapist. All her dreams and disappointments are figments of her own imagination. Although she is warned against such dreams by her friend, Jansie and her father, but she ignores them. As no one believes her, she shares her dreams only with her brother, Geoff who is an introvert. She also worships the football player, Danny Casey. She fantasises about meeting Danny at the market place and later near the canal.

Question 5.
It is not unusual for a lower middle class girl to dream big. How unrealistic were Sophie’s dreams?
Answer:
Sophie is a young girl of a lower middle class family. She wants to open a boutique and also become an actress or a fashion designer or a manager. She is an incurable dreamer and an escapist. Although she was warned against such dreams by her friend, Jansie and her father but she ignores them.

Dreams are very important to go ahead in life. If there were no dreams, there would not be any progress anywhere. But being a mere dreamer is not enough. One should be realistic and practical as well. If our imagination has only wings, it will not take us anywhere unless and until we are firmly grounded also. Sophie’s dreams were just imagination, a flight of fancy which took her nowhere. She derived momentary delight from her dreams and that was all.

Question 6.
Do you think the title of the story ‘Going Places’ by A.R. Barton is appropriate? Discuss.
OR
In the story ‘Going Places’, the author A.R. Burton has successfully taken the readers to places. Elaborate.
Answer:
The author A.R. Burton has taken the readers to places through his female character Sophie. She was a very sweet and beautiful teenager, who loved fantasising. In the first phase of the journey, she took the readers in search of work. She wanted to have a superb boutique of her own or become a shop manager. She wanted to become an actress to have real money. If not that, she wanted to become a fashion designer though it was a little sophisticated. Her such thinking made her friend Jansie sad as she knew that both of them were earmarked for the biscuit factory.

In the second phase of the journey, she suspected the areas of Geoff’s life about which she knew nothing. Geoff never spoke much. When Geoff kept silent, she thought him to be away somewhere out there in the world in those places she had never seen; the adjacent areas of the neighbouring country, its people and thus, she had developed a great fascination for them. Riding behind Geoff, she took us to the world that one can easily praise.

In the final phase, from the Royce’s window to Danny Casey, the United’s first squad player. In her excitement and dreaming, Sophie waited under the elm tree near the canal. She pictured Danny Casey outside Royce’s arcade again. But here, she really could not take an autograph because neither of them had a pen. Thus, throughout the story, the reader goes on from place to place, but there is no solid result. So the title ‘Going Places’ is appropriate.

Question 7.
“Sophie’s dream world clashes with the world of her family and friends”. Bring out the stark difference between the two worlds.
Answer:
Sophie belonged to a mediocre or rather poor socio-economic background. But she aspired to have a boutique, though she had no means or money to fulfil her dreams. After school, she was likely to work in a biscuit factory.
When she told her father that she wishes to buy a boutique if she ever has money, he asks her to be practical and to rather build a decent house to live in with that money. This showed that their house was in a shabby condition. Her friend Jansie was very much aware about their financial conditions and family background. She knew that both were earmarked for the biscuit and tries to make Sophie understand the same. ‘‘However, Sophie refused to understand and remained an impractical daydreamer.

Question 8.
Teachers always advise their students to dream big. Yet, the same teachers in your classrooms find fault with Sophie when she dreams. What is wrong with Sophie’s dreams?
Answer:
It is good to dream but one needs to be practical too. Sophie belonged to a mediocre family. She aspired to own a boutique, though she had no means or money to fulfil her dreams. After school she was likely to work in a biscuit factory. Her dreams are unrealistic. She loves to indulge herself without even thinking of how to achieve it. In her heart of hearts, she knows that her dreams have little possibility of coming true and are only a product of adult fantasising. She also dream dates Danny Casey, an Irish football player.

She gets so pulled into her date story told to her brother Geoff that she was supposed to meet Danny. Irrespective of all this, Sophie fantasises about her hero, unperturbed. Dreaming within limits is good. Unless one is impossibly ambitious, hardworking, and have loads of patience and perseverance, such dreams are best kept under lock and key, unless one likes to be disappointed.

Question 9.
Every teenager has a hero/heroine to admire. So many times they become role models for them. What is wrong if Sophie fantasises about Danny Casey and is ambitious in life?
Answer:
Teenager is the phase of life which constitutes major changes in the life of an individual. During this phase, a person learns many things, sets his career goals, and deals with poor pressure and the reprimands, demands and expectations of the adults. Hence, it is natural for the teenagers to fantasise and love in a world of dreams.

It would be wrong to ridicule dreaming and fantasising, it is based on realistic goals and the world around provides them the means of opportunities to achieve these aspirations and dreams. Desiring to move ahead in life and working towards this instills confidence, positivity and optimism. However, if there is a disparity between the goal, dream and one’s capabilities, the effect could be harmful and painful. Failure could lead to disappointment, depression and a complete drop in confidence.

In short, dreaming or fantasising is not wrong, and therefore, Sophie was perfectly entitled to fantasise about her future or about her favourite footballer Danny Casey. The only problem or worry is that one should be realistic, sensible and prepared to face consequences whether good or bad with elegance.

Question 10.
Unrealistic dreams often lead to a great deal of unhappiness. Justify the statement on the basis of the story, ‘Going Places’.
Answer:
Unrealistic dreams lead to unhappiness. It is true as the world of dreams takes us away from reality. Dreams which are far away from reality put the person in difficult situation. In the story, Sophie always lived in a dream world, dreaming impossible things. She is not ready to accept the reality and always takes an imaginary flight. Only constructive dreams are like a guiding light.

They make us work harder. When dream becomes a fantasy, it does more harm than good. Just forgetting reality in the pursuit of dreams is harmful. Sophie, the protagonist in the story has been nurturing her dreams since childhood. She has taken a fancy for Danny Casey, the footballer as her hero. She refuses to accept that it is her fantasy. She is so lost in her dreams that she even imagines herself waiting for him by the canal. She goes to the extent and puts herself into load of troubles which leads to unhappiness.

Question 11.
In one’s approach to life one should be practical and not live in a world of dreams, flow is Jansie’s attitude different from that of Sophie?
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and very good friends. Both of them belonged to a very poor socio-economic background. However, Sophie was very ambitious and had great plans of setting up a boutique of her own or be a manager in one. She would also speak of becoming an actress and would earn the requisite money to fulfil her dreams, whenever Jansie cautioned her.

According to her, working in the biscuit factory was absolutely not where she saw herself in the future. Jansie, on the other hand, was a very practical person. She advises her friend to come back to reality and out of her world of dreams. The down to earth and firm-minded Jansie knew that the castles Sophie built would only remain in the air. The attitude of the two friends very clearly shows that they were totally different in the approach to life.

Question 12.
What impression do you form of Sophie and Jansie after reading the story, ‘Going Places’?
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie, neighbours and schoolmates have opposite temperament while Sophie is imaginative, Jansie is practical. Sophie is a daydreamer and impractical. She wants to be in a glamorous career. She is an attention-seeker. She lives in a fantasy world and is always far from realty. She creates a story of her meeting Danny Casey to arouse everyone’s interest. Sophie is an escapist and gregarious, whereas Jansie’s views are grounded. She is individualistic and self-contained. She is contented, whereas Sophie is dissatisfied at her being a victim of lower middle class. She never accepts the reality that they are meant for biscuit factory.

Question 13.
In what way was Sophie’s hero worship and fantasising at odds with her socioeconomic background? Was she justified in dreaming the ‘impossible’?
Answer:
In many respects Sophie’s dreams were unrealistic. She wanted to buy a boutique, be a manager, an actress or a fashion designer. She hailed from a weak socio-economic background and did not even have a decent house. It seemed as Jansie said, that they were not made to work in a biscuit factory. Glamorous dreams about Danny Casey, the Irish soccer player and all her fantasies. Yet these dreams are justified perhaps because they take Sophie away, for some time, from the bitter reality that she cannot accept.

Question 14.
Maintaining a balance between one’s fantasies and the real world is the key to the survival. Give your opinion on Sophie’s character in the light of the above statement.
Answer:
Fantasy always takes one away from the real world. It is temporary refuge. Sophie an adolescent/teenager belongs to the poor socio-economic background. Her real world forces her to remain in the fantasy world. She always takes imaginary flight where she wants to remain. Her world is full of glamour and sophistication. Though this is a temporary refuge, but she is unable to balance both real and fantasy world. For her brother Geoff, she desires to be in his world, the places where he goes, the people he meets.

Not only this, she fantasises the famous footballer prodigy Danny Casey and tries to prove her meeting with him a real one. No one believes her but she suffers badly as it only gives her disappointments. So for survival, it is must for one to maintain balance between a fantasy and reality.

More Resources for CBSE Class 12
RD Sharma class 12 Solutions
NCERT Solutions for Class 12th English Flamingo
NCERT Solutions for Class 12th English Vistas
CBSE Class 12 Accountancy
NCERT Solutions for Class 12th Maths
CBSE Class 12 Biology
CBSE Class 12 Physics
CBSE Class 12 Chemistry
CBSE Sample Papers For Class 12

NCERT Solutions Class 12 Flamingo English Class 12 Vistas English

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