CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Extra Questions Chapter 6 The Hundred Dresses – II

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
While the class was circling the room, the monitor from the principal’s office brought Miss Mason a note. Miss Mason read it several times and studied it thoughtfully for a while. Then she clapped her hands. ‘Attention, class Everyone back to their seat.” When the shuffling of feet had stopped and the room was still and quiet, Miss Mason said, “I have a letter from Wanda’s father that I want to read to you.” Miss Mason stood there a moment and the silence in the room grew tense and expectant. The teacher adjusted her glasses slowly and deliberately.
(a) What was in the note that Miss Mason get from the principal’s office?
(b) How did Miss Mason do before reading the note and what was the reaction of class?
(c) Find out the synonym of ‘Knowingly’ used in the passage.
(d) Who wrote the note to Miss Mason?
Answer:
(a) The note that Miss Mason received from the principal’s office was a letter from Wanda’s father.
(b) Miss Mason’s reaction showed that there was something of great importance as she adjusted her glasses slowly and deliberately. Everybody in the class was silent and listened closely to the note.
(c) Deliberately
(d) Wanda’s father wrote the note to Miss Mason.

Question 2.
A deep silence met the reading of this letter. Miss Mason took off her glasses, blew on them and wiped them on her soft white handkerchief. Then she put them on again and looked at the class. When she spoke her voice was very low.
“I am sure that none of the boys and girls in Room Thirteen would purposely and deliberately hurt anyone’s feelings because his or her name happened to be a long, unfamiliar one. I prefer to think that what was said was said in thoughtlessness. I know that all of you feel the way I do, that this is a very unfortunate thing to have happened unfortunate and sad, both. And I want you all to think about it.”
(a) What did Miss Mason do when she finished reading the letter of Wanda’s father?
(b) What did Miss Mason say to the class?
(c) Find out the word in the passage which means ‘inappropriate’.
(d) What was the reaction of Miss Mason after reading the letter?
Answer:
(a) Miss Mason put off her glasses, blew on them and wiped them on her white handkerchief and then put them on again.
(b) Miss Mason advised the class to think about the whole incident which happened with Wanda and condemned them not to repeat it.
(c) Unfortunate
(d) Miss Mason was unhappy and disappointed after reading the letter as she had known about the incidents happened to Wanda as the girls teased her in the class.

Question 3.
Goodness! wasn’t there anything she could do ? If only she could tell Wanda she hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings. She turned around and stole a glance at Peggy, but Peggy did not look up. She seemed to be studying hard. Well, whether Peggy felt badly or not, she, fvfaddie, had to do something. She had to find Wanda Petronski. Maybe she had not yet moved away.      [CBSE 2014]
(a) Who does ‘she’ refer in the passage ?
(b) What does Maddie decide to do ?
(c) Find out the synonym of ‘look’ used in the passage.
(d) What was Peggy doing when Maddie looked at her?
Answer:
(a) ‘She’ refers to ‘Maddie’ in the passage.
(b) Maddie decided to find Wanda Petronski as she believed that Wanda might be at her home.
(c) Glance
(d) Peggy did not look up as she seemed to be studying hard, when Maddie looked at her.

Question 4.
I think that’s where the Petronskis live,” said Maddie, pointing to a little white house. Wisps of old grass stuck up here and there along the pathway like thin kittens. The house and its sparse little yard looked shabby but clean. It reminded Maddie of Wanda’s one dress, her faded blue cotton dress, shabby but clean. There was not a sign of life about the house. Peggy knocked firmly on the door, but there was no answer. She and Maddie went around to the back-yard and knocked there. Still there was no answer.
(a) What does the house of Petronski remind to Maddie?
(b) Why did they knock the door of the house?
(c) Find out the word which means ‘dirty’ and of low quality as used in the passage.
(d) How did Wanda’s house look?
Answer:
(a) The house of Petronski reminded Maddie of Wanda’s blue cotton dress as it was very neat and clean just.
(b) They knocked the door of the house because they were . hopeful that Wanda was still there.
(c) Shabby
(d) Wanda’s lived in a little white house which looked shabby but clean.

Question 5.
At last Maddie sat up in bed and pressed her forehead tight in her hands and really thought. This was the hardest thinking she had ever done. After a long, long time, she reached an important conclusion.
She was never going to stand by and say nothing again. If she ever heard anybody picking on someone because they were funny looking or because they had strange names, she’d speak up. Even if it meant losing Peggy’s friendship. She had no way of making things right with Wanda, but from now on she would never make anybody else that unhappy again.                [CBSE2015]
(a) What decision did Maddie take after a long time?
(b) Why was it difficult to Maddie to make things right with Wanda?
(c) Find out the word which means the summing up of an argument.
(d) What could be the result of Maddie’s changed attitude after Wanda’s incident?
Answer:
(a) Maddie decided not to keep quiet and stop others from making fun of anyone because of their looks or names.
(b) It was difficult for Maddie to make things right with Wanda because she had left the school and she had shifted to another city.
(c) Conclusion
(d) After Wanda’s incidents Maddie decided not to make fun of others and she knew that she might loose Peggy’s friendship.

Question 6.
On Saturday Maddie spent the afternoon with Peggy. They were writing a letter to Wanda Petronski. It was just a friendly letter telling about the contest and telling Wanda she had won. They told her how pretty her drawings were. And they asked her if she liked where she was living and if she liked her new teacher. They had meant to say they were sorry, but it ended up with their just writing a friendly letter, the kind they would have written to any good friend, and they signed it with lots of X’s for love. They mailed the letter to Boggins Heights, writing ‘Please Forward’ on the envelope.
(a) What did Maddie and Peggy write in the letter to Wanda?
(b) How did they end the letter and why?
(c) Find out the synonym of ‘competition’ used in passage.
(d) How were Peggy and Maddie feeling when they wrote a letter to Wanda?
Answer:
(a) Maddie and Peggy wrote a friendly letter asking Wanda about her new house and school, they also informed her that she had won the drawing contest.
(b) They ended the letter with lots of X’s to show their love and friendship to Wanda. It was their way of apologising indirectly.
(c) Contest
(d) Peggy and Maddie were ashamed of their behaviour to Wanda so they wrote a friendly letter to her.

Question 7.
Weeks wenfcby and still Wanda did not answer. Peggy had begun to forget the whole business, and Maddie put herself to sleep at night making speeches about Wanda, defending her from great crowds of girls who were trying to tease her with, “How many dresses have you got ?” And before Wanda could press her lips together in a tight line, the way she did before answering, Maddie would cry out, “Stop!” Then everybody would feel ashamed the way she used to feel.
Now it was Christmas time and there was snow on the ground. Christmas bells and a small tree decorated the classroom. On the last day of school before the holidays, the teacher showed the class a letter she had received that morning.              [CBSE 2011]
(a) What happened at night with Maddie when she thought of Wanda?
(b) What did the teacher show the class on the last day of school before the holidays?
(c) Find out the word which means ‘made something more attractive’.
(d) Did Wanda reply the letter of Maddie and Peggy?
Answer:
(a) Maddie put herself in the thought of Wanda and the dress game. She made up speeches about how she would defend Wanda from other girls.
(b) The teacher showed a letter from Wanda to the class on the last day of school before the holidays.
(c) Decorated
(d) No, Wanda didn’t reply them. Peggy had begun to forget the whole incident but Maddie still dreamed about that.

Question 8.
Tears blurred her eyes and she gazed for a long time at the picture. Then hastily she rubbed her eyes and studied it intently. The colours in the dress were so vivid that she had scarcely noticed the face and head of the drawing. But it looked like her, Maddie! It really looked like her own mouth. Why it really looked like her own self! Wanda had really drawn this for her. Excitedly, she ran over to Peggy’s.
(a) Who does ‘She’ refer in the passage?
(b) Why did she run over to Peggy?
(c) Find the word which has same meaning as ‘hardly’ used in the passage.
(d) Why was Maddie amazed to see the picture? Who sent it Maddie?
Answer:
(a) ‘She’ refers to ‘Maddie’ in the passage.
(b) She ran over to Peggy because she had noticed her own face in the drawing gifted to her by Wanda and she wanted to know if same is the case with the drawing gifted to Peggy.
(c) Scarcely
(d) Maddie was amazed to see the picture as it had her face. Wanda sent it to her as a gift.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.
State the reason behind the letter of Mr Petronski, Wanda’s father ?
Answer:
Mr Petronski, Wanda’s father wrote the letter because he was upset to know about what all his daughter had to go through because of her strange name.

Question 2.
What do you think about Wanda’s-action of not coming to school anymore?    [CBSE 2016]
Answer:
Wanda never replied to anyone against their misbehaviour. But due to insult she faced, she decided not to come to school anymore. It was very mature of her age to teach them lesson without any argument.

Question 3.
How did Peggy and Maddie try to amend for their behavior towards Wanda?       [CBSE 2015]
Answer:
Both Peggy and Maddie decided to change their behaviour as Peggy had tried to justify that it was not her dress for which she teased her. Maddie decided not to be a mute spectator and promised herself that she would try to protect if anyone would be mocked down.

Question 4.
What impression do you form of Wanda Petronski on the basis of reading the lesson ‘The Hundred Dresses’?         [CBSE 2012]
(or)
What kind of a girl was Wanda Petronski?
Answer:
Wanda Petronski was a polish girl who was very simple. She used to keep herself calm and silent in every condition and never reacted when Peggy teased her and took it lightly. She always replied everyone with a smile. She even gifted her drawings to Peggy and Maddie which showed her innocent and loving behaviour.

Question 5.
Why did Maddie rush to Peggy’s house while gazing at the drawing ?
Answer:
Maddie rushed to Peggy’s house while gazing at the drawing because she had seen her face in the drawing and wanted to confirm about Peggy for the same.

Question 6.
Why did Peggy and Maddie assume that Wanda had received their letter ?
Answer:
Peggy and Maddie assumed that Wanda had received their letter because in her letter to Miss Mason, Wanda requested her to gift her drawings to both of them.

Question 7.
Why did Maddie have sleepless nights ?
Answer:
Maddie had sleepless nights because she was very upset about what all had happened and couldn’t amend her behaviour towards Wanda as she had shifted to some other city.

Question 8.
What did the children of room thirteen do on the Christmas eve?
Answer:
The children of room thirteen decorated their room with great love and affection. They decorated it with Christmas bells and a chirstmas tree.

Question 9.
Why was there no reply of the letter written to Wanda by the girls ?       [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
The girls, Maddie and Peggy, didn’t receive any reply from Wanda either because of her anger towards them or because they wrote the address of her old house in Boggins heights and not of her new house.

Question 10.
What did Peggy say to Maddie when they did not find her at Boggins Heights?
Answer:
Peggy told Maddie that Wanda had won because of her teasing that inspired her to draw such beautiful dresses otherwise, she would not have been able to win the contest.

long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.
What did Maddie and Peggy write in the letter to Wanda ? What happened to it ? How did Maddie behave even though Peggy had begun to forget the whole business?
Answer:
Peggy and Maddie wrote a friendly letter to Wanda. Rather than being sorry they asked her about her new school, new teacher. They told her about the result of drawing contest which she had won and that her drawings were very beautiful. They meant to say sorry indirectly. They signed it with lot of X’s for love and didn’t say anything to tease her. But they did not get any reply from her. After sometime Peggy had begun to forget the whole business. But Maddie was surrounded by the thoughts of Wanda and everything that happened to Wanda. She felt guilty and decided not to be silent anymore so that other might not feel ashamed like her.

Question 2.
 You are ‘Wanda’. You are deeply hurt by the behaviour of your classmates. Express your feelings in the form of a diary entry.      [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Tuesday , 30th March 20XX 10:00 AM Dear diary,
I am very much aggrieved and disturbed by the insulting words of my classmates: Peggy and Maddie as both of them leave no stone unturned to look me down. And being a Polish girl having a long name, I feel helpless to revert them in the same coin. Peggy is vain; she teases me by asking about my dress. She asks me how many dresses, shoes, hats etc do I have. When I reply that I have a 100 dresses and sixty pairs of shoes; – they ask whether all of them are of different colours and designs. Maddie always remains calm and thus supports Peggy in doing so; she lacks courage to state what is right and what is wrong.
I never react and try to smile at their irritating questions because I know, there will be no difference, between me and them if I too turn the table to their side in the same way. Now that my father has come to know what I am going through, he has decided to shift to another city in order to avoid confrontation and racism as such humiliating circumstances can neither be tolerated nor can be accepted.

Question 3.
Give a character sketch of Wanda Petronski?
Answer:
Wanda Petronski a polish girl has shifted to America with her parents and younger brother. She is very kind and simple-hearted; she never behaves badly with anyone. She feels disturbed when Peggy teases her. But she replies confidently and courageously to what Peggy says to her. She wears the same blue faded dress everyday but she never complains about anything. She is very talented and has a good hand at drawing. She also wins the drawing contest and thus shows her creative side.
She is forgiving and generous as she forgives Peggy and Maddie by gifting them two of her drawings in which she draws their faces.
So, it can be said that she is a mature, sensible and loving girl who cares about everyone.

Question 4.
How can you say that Maddie is an emotional girl ? Compare and contrast Maddie and Peggy.
Answer:
By a close reading of the lesson it can be said that Maddie is an emotional girl. Being a close friend of Peggy she remains by her side when Peggy teases Wanda but she feels bad for her. She decides to write a note to Peggy to stop teasing Wanda but tears it as she doesn’t want to be the next target of fun. In the end she decides to stand against anyone who teases others even if she has to lose her friend, which shows her emotional attribute.
As compared to Maddie, Peggy is an arrogant girl. She teases Wanda by asking her about dresses, but she is not cruel as she helps children from bullids and cries when she sees an animal being hurt. But she tries to make fun of Wanda everytime and defends herself.
So, both the girls have different personalities and attributes which can be directed by their actions.

Question 5.
“The Hundred Dresses – II” gives out a moral lesson of what a man should be like as Wanda displays herself in the given situation. Wanda by her behaviour towards Peggy and Maddie shows her exalted character as is seen in her letter. How far would you agree with her and justify such a behaviour in all persons as essential? Write a paragraph on such an aspect.     [CBSE 2015]
Answer:
Wanda Petronski’s letter highlights her greatness which gives us a view of her nature as a simple, loving, caring, and friendly human being. She gifts her drawings to Peggy and Maddie though they tease her a lot. It shows how great she is as it requires a lot of courage and patience to do so. An ordinary person cannot do that and would definitely hate them but Wanda shows polite and peaceful traits of her character.
In our society it is very difficult to find such a character but such traits are a must to be a good human being. Here, in our society, people tease others with racist remarks, which is not a sign of good culture.
By answering in a polite and friendly manner Wanda displays to be a humble person.
We all should try to have or acquire such traits in our character so that everyone could praise us and we can live peacefully.

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