NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 5 Mother’s Day

Reading with Insight

Question:- 1. This play, written in the 1950s, is a humorous and satirical depiction of the status of the mother in the family.

(i) What are the issues it raises?

Answer:-  Many serious issues are raised in the play. The first and most important is a solid understanding of the job and obligations of a housewife. Those who work eight hours a day, forty hours a week consider the housewife as an underpaid domestic servant who must obey their commands. They don’t request for her help or appreciate her for it. The second problem is the mother’s or wife’s thankfulness and exchange of affection. Every night, the husband, son, and daughter leave the lady of the home alone and go out to have fun in their various ways. They are unconcerned about her and have grown ignorant and selfish. They are also spoiled by their mother’s excessive affection, attention, and promptness in serving them.

(ii) Do you think it caricatures these issues or do you think that the problems it raises are genuine? How does the play resolve the issues? Do you agree with the resolution?

Answer:- No, I don’t believe it caricatures these issues, implying that the challenges it raises are real. The play helps to resolve these concerns by demonstrating what happens when a mother ignores her obligations. Yes, I agree with the resolution that has been suggested. Every family member should spend some time with the angel who has given the family so much love and affection.

Question:- 2. If you were to write about these issues today what are some of the incidents, examples and problems that you would think of as relevant?

Answer:- The issues depicted in the storey are genuine, and we must consider them.

1.  Throughout the narrative, Mrs Pearson’s major complaint is that her family does not spend enough time with her. The author has sought to underline how lonely a woman might feel when her entire family goes early in the morning to work, returns just to receive supper in the evening, and then leaves to socialise outside the home. They don’t care about her. She builds the house with no expectation of receiving anything in return. We don’t realise that they, too, desire to spend time with their loved ones and seek companionship.

2. Doris Pearson, the family’s daughter, was prepared to go out with Charlie Spence, a mature man who was not particularly good and may perhaps ruin her life. She, on the other hand, is mad about him. The same thing is happening in our day. For their fun and frolic, the girls prefer to go out even late at night. Their partner should be passionate and wealthy. If a man meets these two requirements, the ladies will go insane.

Question:- 3. Is drama a good medium for conveying a social message? Discuss.

Answer:- Yes, drama is a powerful tool for conveying social messages. It’s a fantastic tool for demonstrating most of these issues and answers in a matter of minutes. Dramas have a strong emotional bond and are likely to be watched for a long period. That is why advertising on television are so well-known all across the world. Dramas unquestionably have an important role in promoting societal change.

Question:- 4. Read the play out in parts. Enact the play on a suitable occasion.

Answer:- Do it yourself.

Question:- 5. Discuss in groups plays or films with a strong message of social reform that you have watched.

Answer:- Do it yourself. For class discussion in groups. There might be a wide range of answers. The following is an example of such a response: ‘SWADESH’ is the most current film I’ve seen recently. It has a strong social change theme. It portrays the storey of an Indian scientist working for NASA in America who returns to India to see his ancestral home. He is in excruciating pain because of the peasants’ terrible living conditions and lack of basic amenities. He quits his job in America and comes to his home nation of Swadesh to start his task of rural development. He sends a message to the villages that self-help is the greatest aid and that we cannot rely on the government for everything. Because there is no power in this rural community, it is completely dark after sunset. The scientist is able to create hydroelectricity and light the hamlet dwellings with the aid of a few peasants. The water can also be utilised to irrigate crops. As a result, the peasants’ economic and social situation drastically changes.