Memories of Childhood-Important Long Answer-Type Qs-Ans

Memories of Childhood by Zitkla Sa and Bama

Q1. “ I felt like sinking to the floor,” says Zidkala-Sa. When did she feel so and why? 2011

 Zidkala-Sa was a native American girl.

Ans. In her community, it was thought to be wrong if the girl did not cover her shoulders with some cloth. That day, she was marching in a line towards the dining room. But all of a sudden, her blanket was removed from her shoulders. She felt so much insulted that she felt like sinking to the floor.

Q2. What did Judewin tell Zidkala-Sa? How did she react to it? OR  Why was Zidkala-sa terrified when Judewin told her that her hair would be cut short?

Ans. Judewin was the narrator’s friend and she  told Zidkala-Sa that her hair would be cut and she would have to submit (surrender/accept what they liked). She was very much terrified. She refused to submit and ran up the stairs to hide herself under a bed.  2011

Q3. What did Zidkala-Sa do when she heard that they were going to cut her long heavy hair?   Or How did Zidkala-Sa try to prevent the shingling of her hair? 2009

Ans. As she came to know that they would cut her hair, she ran upstairs. She entered a room. It was quite dim because there were dark curtains in it. She crawled down under a bed and hid herself. But they made a search and found her. Then they dragged her out to cut her hair.

Q4. Why was the girl tied to a chair in ‘Memories of Childhood’? ( Sample Paper)

Ans. She was Zidkala-Sa. She was tied to a chair because they were going to cut her hair. She had long and heavy hair which she loved most. She kept shaking her head all the time they were cutting her hair. She cried a lot but of no use. At last her hair was cut. Then she was untied from the chair.

Q5. How did  Zidkala-Sa feel after her hair had been cut. 2011

Ans. She felt very much shocked. She loved her hair very much. She could not understand why they had cut her hair. She kept weeping for a long time. She missed her mother, but no one was there to comfort her. She felt as if she were one among the herd of animals being driven by their masters.

Q6. Why did Bama take thirty to one hour to cover the distance from her school to home? Give reasons.

Ans. The way from her school to home was hardly of ten minutes. But the attractions on the way made her stay for some time to enjoy them. She would stay to see street play, puppet or snake charmer’s show, etc. That’s why she took much time to reach home.

Q7. When did Bama come to know the social discrimination (untouchability) faced by the people of her community?

Ans. One day, she saw an elder of her community carrying food packet holding it by its strings. She was amused to see that, but her brother told her that the people of the upper caste believed that the food packet would be polluted if it was touched by them. He also told her that they belonged to lower caste. That was the incident when she came to about untouchability.

Q8. What advice did Annan offer Bama?

Ans. Annan advised Bama to work hard in her studies. In this way she would be highly education. Then she could progress and live a life full of respect and dignity.

Q9. Why did the landlord’s man ask Bama’s brother as to which street he lived in? What did he want to know from him?

Ans. The landlord’s man wanted to know the caste of Bama’s brother. He did not ask him directly, but asked him indirectly as to which street he lived.  People of a particular caste or community lived in particular streets.

Q10. Why was the pale face woman staring at the narrator in the dining hall? Do you think it was her fault?

Ans. The pale-faced woman was staring at the narrator because she committed a mistake in sitting on the chair because she did not know the rules that were to be followed at the dining table. It was her first day.

Why did  the narrator not want to get her hair tonsured?

Long Answer-Type Qs

Q1. What oppression and discrimination did Zitkala-sa and Bama experience during their childhood? How did they respond to their respective situations?

Or  What kind of discrimination did Bama and Zitkala experience? How did they respond to their respective situations?

                                                                 Or

What are the similarities in the lives of Bama and Zitkala though they belong to different cultures?

Ans. Bama and Zitkala-sa were the victims of social discrimination, though at different places. Zitkala-Sa was a native of America. The European settlers treated the natives of America very badly. They had made set rules which the natives had to follow. Zitkala-Sa was forced to get her hair cut. The blanket from her shoulders was also removed. She was not allowed to wear loose dress. In Zitkala-Sa’s tribe, it was a part of their culture to have long and heavy hair, to wear loose dress and to cover shoulders with some cloth. She was helpless when her long and heavy hair were cut. She resisted hard, but of no use.

Bama was a victim of untouchabitlity in Tamil Nadu. The people of her community were not allowed to touch the food of the upper caste people. They were not allowed to take water from their well, to enter the temple also. One day, she saw an elder of her community carrying food packet holding it by its strings. She was amused to see that, but her brother told her that the people of the upper caste believed that the food packet would be polluted if it was touched by them. He also told her that they belonged to lower caste. That was the incident when she came to about untouchability.