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Shirley Toulson was born on 20th May 1924 in Henley-on-Thames, England. She had a great passion for writing and was greatly influenced by her father who was a writer too. She secured a B.A. on Literature from Brockenhurst College in London in the year 1953. Shortly, she took writing as a career but also served as the editor for many magazines in meantime. She married Alan Brownjohn on 6th February 1960. They had three children – Janet Sayers, Ian Toulson and Steven brownjohn. But after nine years they divorced on March 1969.
Poem: A Photograph
The cardboard shows me how it was
When the two girl cousins went paddling
Each one holding one of my mother’s hands,
And she the big girl – some twelve years or so.
All three stood still to smile through their hair
At the uncle with the camera, A sweet face
My mother’s, that was before I was born
And the sea, which appears to have changed less
Washed their terribly transient feet.
Some twenty- thirty- years later
She’d laugh at the snapshot. “See Betty
And Dolly,” she’d say, “and look how they
Dressed us for the beach.” The sea holiday
was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss
Now she’s has been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all,
Its silence silences.
Introduction
The poet describes how deeply she feels the loss of her mother. Her mother has been dead for more than twelve years. The poet recalls how her mother used to look at a photograph and remember her own childhood.
Summary
The poet looks at the photograph of her mother which was taken when her mother was 12 years old. She had gone for a sea holiday with her cousins Betty and Dolly. While they were paddling on the beach, her uncle clicked a photograph. Each of the cousins was holding the hands of the poet’s mother who was the oldest among them. All the three of them stood smiling through their hair while the photo was taken. Her mother had a sweet face, but it was a time before she was born. Years fled past since then. Her mother grew up into an adult. They all underwent changes while the sea stood still.
MCQ Questions for Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 1 A Photograph with Answers
Question 1.
What was the last phase in the poem?
(a) after her mother died
(b) after she grown up
(c) after her mother grown up
(d) None of the above
Answer
Answer: (a) after her mother died
Question 2.
What Epithet literary device was used in the poem?
(a) Terribly transient
(b) Through their
(c) Both wry
(d) Laboured ease
Answer
Answer: (a) Terribly transient
Question 3.
What is the meaning of the word ‘wry’?
(a) ironic
(b) cry
(c) sad
(d) None of the above
Answer
Answer: (a) ironic
Question 4.
What was the favourite memory of the poet?
(a) her mother’s memories
(b) her mother’s laughter
(c) her own vacation memories
(d) her childhood memories
Answer
Answer: (b) her mother’s laughter
Question 5.
After how many years did her mother laugh on seeing the photograph?
(a) twenty-one
(b) twenty-three
(c) twelve
(d) twenty-five
Answer
Answer: (b) twenty-three
Question 6.
Who took the photograph of her mother with her cousin?
(a) Her grandfather
(b) Her uncle
(c) Her mother’s friend
(d) Her grandmother
Answer
Answer: (b) Her uncle
Question 7.
Who are on both sides of her mother?
(a) Cousins, Betty and Dolly
(b) Parents
(c) Cousins, Dolly and Adam
(d) Friends
Answer
Answer: (a) Cousins, Betty and Dolly
Question 8.
How many people were in the photograph?
(a) two girls
(b) three girls
(c) two girls and one boy
(d) only her mother
Answer
Answer: (b) three girls
Question 9.
What was the age of the poet’s mother when the photograph was taken?
(a) eleven years old
(b) thirteen years old
(c) twelve years old
(d) fourteen year old
Answer
Answer: (c) twelve years old
Question 10.
Who is the poet/poetess of the poem ‘A Photograph’?
(a) Shirley Toulson
(b) Rudyard Kipling
(c) Elizabeth Jennings
(d) Markus Natten
Answer
Answer: (a) Shirley Toulson
1. Who is the poet/poetess of the poem ‘A Photograph’?
A. Shirley Toulson
B. Rudyard Kipling
C. Elizabeth Jennings
D. Markus Natten
2. What is the poem ‘A Photograph’ about?
A. About poet’s childhood memories
B. tribute to the poet’s mother
C. Poet’s photograph
D. Poet’s father
3. What was the age of the poet’s mother when the photograph was taken?
A. eleven years old
B. thirteen years old
C. twelve years old
D. fourteen year old
4. When did her mother die ?
A. two years ago
B. five years ago
C. thirteen years ago
D. twelve years ago
5. How many people were in the photograph?
A. two girls
B. three girls
C. two girls and one boy
D. only her mother
6. Which material was the frame of the photograph made of?
A. Cardboard
B. Wood
C. Steel
D. Plastic
7. Who are on both sides of her mother?
A. Cousins, Betty and Dolly
B. Parents
C. Cousins, Dolly and Adam
D. Friends
8. What are the three of them doing in the photograph?
A. playing
B. standing beside house
C. holding hands
D. holding hands and went for paddling
9. Who took the photograph of her mother with her cousin?
A. Her grandfather
B. Her uncle
C. Her mother’s friend
D. Her grandmother
10. What does ‘Terribly Transient Feet’ mean in the poem?
A. her feet represent the mother, who changed with time while the sea remained the same
B. temporary situation
C. age is temporary
D. None of the above
11. After how many years did her mother laugh on seeing the photograph?
A. twenty-one
B. twenty-three
C. twelve
D. twenty-five
12. What was the favourite memory of her mother?
A. beach holidays
B. school memories
C. vacations
D. None of the above
13. What was the favourite memory of the poet?
A. her mother’s memories
B. her mother’s laughter
C. her own vacation memories
D. her childhood memories
14. What would the mother show to her daughter while showing her the photograph?
A. how her parents dressed her for the beach
B. her cousins
C. her own childhood photograph
D. the background
15. What is the meaning of the word ‘wry’?
A. ironic
B. cry
C. sad
D. None of the above
16. What Oxymoron literary device was used in the poem?
A. Terribly transient
B. Through their
C. Both wry
D. Laboured ease
17. What Epithet literary device was used in the poem?
A. Terribly transient
B. Through their
C. Both wry
D. Laboured ease
18. How many phases were depicted in the poem by the poet?
A. one
B. two
C. three
D. four
19. What was the last phase in the poem?
A. after her mother died
B. after she grown up
C. after her mother grown up
D. None of the above
20. What does she feel in the last phase?
A. pain and grief
B. happy and nostalgic
C. sad and nostalgic
D. pain and nostalgic
Answer key for Class 11 English Hornbill Book Poem 1 – A Photograph
Q. No. | Answer | Q. No. | Answer |
1 | A | 11 | B |
2 | B | 12 | A |
3 | C | 13 | B |
4 | D | 14 | A |
5 | B | 15 | A |
6 | A | 16 | D |
7 | A | 17 | A |
8 | D | 18 | C |
9 | B | 19 | A |
10 | A | 20 | A |