Previous Years Board Questions as well as some extra questions are given together with their answers. Students should try to write their own answers also. Click here for more study materials on Class 10 English
AMANDA: CBSE Board Questions
Q. What kind of an image does “languid, emerald sea” evoke? [CBSE QB 2020-21, CBSE 2016]
Ans. ‘Languid’ means relaxed. The word is used to depict the wave of the sea that sways gently. Amanda dreams to escape into her own solitary dreamland which is soothing, calm and peaceful
Q. What do you think is the significance of the exclamation mark in the title of the poem ‘Amanda!’? [QB 2020-21]
Ans. The title of the poem ‘Amanda!’ has an exclamation mark in it to emphasize the frustration that the mother of this school going girl named Amanda is inflicting upon her. The poet has used this exclamation mark with Amanda’s name throughout the poem just to make readers feel that Amanda’s mother called out her name angrily.
Q. Would you call Amanda a disrespectful child? Provide one reason to justify your opinion. [QB 2020-21]
Ans. Amanda was not listening to the speaker. Rather she was engulfed in her own imagination. Hence, she is regarded as a disrespectful child.
Another answer – No, I wouldn’t call Amanda a disrespectful child because she didn’t answer back to her mother even after being fed up of her constant nagging. Amanda found a way to escape the reality rather than arguing with her mother.
Q. The reader sympathises with the speaker in the poem. Support this opinion with a reason. [QB 2020-21]
Ans. The readers of the poem might sympathize with the speaker as she is the mother of a school going girl named Amanda and a mother can never scold her daughter for wrong reasons. Amanda has bad habits so her mother wants to correct her as an elder.
Q. This is Calvin, a character from a comic strip created by Bill Watterson. Do you think this might be something Amanda would say? Why/ why not? Give reasons. [QB 2020-21]
Ans. According to me, Amanda would definitely say this. She is a teenager and like other teens, she loves freedom. She wants to her own kind of life in her imaginary world. Her world is not the world of harsh realities but it is an imaginary world of fairies and mermaids. She finds solace in roaming around. And is not at all ready to accept the reality. She craves to live in a lonely tower peacefully like Rapunzel.
Q. What does the line “never let down my bright hair” tell us about Amanda? [QB 2020-21]
Ans. The line “never let down my bright hair” tells us that Amanda longed for freedom and privacy so much so that imagining herself as Rapunzel, she wouldn’t let her hair down because she didn’t want anybody to come and invade her privacy and freedom.
Q. How would you characterise the speaker in the poem Amanda!’? List any two qualities, supporting the reason of your choice, with evidence from the poem. [QB 2020-21]
Ans. The speaker seems to be mother of Amanda. I would consider her as caring but over protective so much so that She appears as if she is a nag and lacks understanding on her part of being a mother. Evidences are ample; It is clear from the poem that she constantly keeps on nagging Amanda for biting her nails, sitting in a slouching posture, eating chocolates, etc. She can be easily blamed that she doesn’t understand the psychology of her daughter’s mind.
But a mother is mother and she thinks that she has to do all these things to properly channelize her daughter though she would need to be stricter and people may regard her as a harsh mother. It becomes clear here when she asks Amanda to stop sulking because she was conscious of what people might think of her as a mother.
Q. ‘Amanda is alone but not lonely in the world she envisions.’ Justify the statement with reference to any one image she pictures in her mind. [QB 2020-21]
Ans. Amanda often imagines herself to be one of the fictional characters in order to escape from the reality of her mother’s forced instructions on her. One such reference was her being an orphan. She imagined being an orphan who lives alone as she has no parents. But at least the orphan is free to move wherever and with whomever she wants to.
Q. Justify the poet’s allusion to Rapunzel in ‘Amanda’. [QB 2020]
Answer. [CBSE Marking Scheme 2020]
– It is justified as Rapunzel lived with a witch who would constantly keep a check on her and had several rules to be followed.
– Amanda too, feels caged by the impositions
– Amanda desires peace in isolation like Rapunzel had in her tower; clarifying she will not let her hair down for anyone.
Detailed Answer: Rapunzel was a beautiful girl who lived with a witch who would constantly keep a check on her and had several rules to be followed. Amanda, like Rapunzel, feels caged by the restrictions imposed on her. She desires to live a peaceful life in isolation like Rapunzel lived in a tower. But on the other hand, she clarified also that she would not let her hair down for anyone in order not to interrupt her peaceful life.
Q. Read the quote given below carefully. Based on your understanding of the poem, explain how and why this quote can be applied to the poem. [QB 2020-21]
Ans. The quote very well suits this poem ‘Amanda’. It is a satire on the mother who was once a child loving freedom but now she is denying the same to a child of her own. She is shown failing in applying the child psychology here on her child Amanda. She is found nagging at Amanda.
Forcing decisions on children only make them detached, as we see in Amanda’s case, where she wishes to be the alone mermaid, an orphan, or the lonely Rapunzel. When children are dictated or are told to follow rules of dos and don’ts then they feel targeted and upset. They try to escape this parental regimentation through their day dreaming. They feel like shutting off their mind from the outside world as Amanda does.
But the parents should not be misjudged by their children. Parents love their children feel their responsibilities toward making their children the best ones in the world. Grown-ups can befriend the children but to a certain limit, after which they have to object to the any bad action or intention or orientation of children.
Children should always remember that whatever the parents or teachers are telling is for their good only. The habits inculcated in children by their parents will help them in their adult life. Isn’t it also true that mothers are judged and targeted for their nurturing for the bad behaviour anti-social activities of their grownup children? So, it happens that parents are found nagging at their children.
Q. What advice might “chatterbox” Anne (Frank) have for the quietly imaginative Amanda? Present this as a conversation between the two. [QB 2020-21]
Anne: Gosh! You do run off into some strange worlds, don’t you?
Amanda: (nods) Well………….
Answer.
Anne: Gosh! You do run off into some strange worlds, don’t you?
Amanda: (nods) Well…You see it’s important for me because my mom keeps on nagging me for no reason. I am fed up of her advice.
Anne: I can understand what you say but she is your mom. I would suggest you to convey your feelings to your mom but in a respectable way. Perhaps, she isn’t getting what you feel at her nagging. It happened to me with my dad and I had a conversation with him about it. After that, the problem with the two of us was solved forever.
Amanda: Exactly! If she would have known that her advice and nagging are only making me more defiant day by day, she won’t do it further.
Anne: Yes. So, have a healthy conversation with her. She is your mom. She will definitely understand your take on this.
Amanda: Thanks for your suggestion, Anne.
Q. Why does Amanda seem moody most of the time? [CBSE 2016]
Ans. Amanda’s mother constantly keeps a check on her activities and habits and scolds her all the time for correcting her ways of life. That’s why, Amanda gets fed up and escapes into the world of imagination, so she seems moody most of the time.
I need answer of this long question:-Amanda loves to live in a dream world and does not appreciate any interference.A parent tries to bring her back to the real world. Therefore , there is always a conflict going on. Elaborate.
Note:-Answer of this question should be in a very long paragraphs
The poem “Amanda” portrays a persistent conflict between Amanda’s inclination toward a dream world and the attempts of a parent (or speaker) to bring her back to reality. Amanda’s recurrent escape into imaginative scenarios like being a mermaid, an orphan, or Rapunzel suggests her desire for a refuge from the constraints and pressures of the real world. In these dreamlike states, she finds a sense of bliss, freedom, and tranquility, emphasizing her preference for the imaginative over the tangible.
Conversely, the parent’s constant instructions, reprimands, and inquiries about mundane tasks like finishing homework or tidying her room represent the intrusion of the real world into Amanda’s dreamscape. The conflict arises as the parent attempts to impose societal expectations and responsibilities on Amanda, disrupting her moments of imaginative escape. This clash between Amanda’s dream world and the parent’s attempts to anchor her in reality forms the core tension of the poem, illustrating the struggle between the individual’s desire for autonomy and the external pressures to conform.
The conflict between Amanda’s dream world and the real world in the poem reflects broader themes of societal expectations, individual autonomy, and the struggle to balance personal freedom with societal demands. The poem suggests that Amanda’s dreamlike fantasies serve as a coping mechanism or a form of rebellion against the nagging and regulations of the real world. This ongoing conflict underscores the challenges individuals face in maintaining their imaginative and independent spirit amidst the expectations and impositions of society.