CBSE Class 12 English Going Places Worksheet

 

 

The whole story is about unrealistic dreams and how we love to indulge in them knowing all the while that they have little possibility of coming true. But some, like Sophie, gets too involved in them and actually act on them. This is when disappointment makes its entrance into life. The story seems to hint at you that it is okay to dream, but dream with limits. This is the reality and do not believe too much in movies and novels where the characters miraculously overcome their challenges. This is a pessimistic way of looking at things, but sadly it is the true reality. Unless you are impossibly ambitious, hardworking, and have loads of patience and perseverance, such dreams are best to be kept under lock and key unless you like the taste of bitter disappointment.

 

Synopsis: The story revolves around the life of Sophie, a teenager, who, like others of her age, is filled with fantasies and desires. She comes from a poor financial background, but hopes to be sophisticated in the future. Sophie dreams of owning a boutique one day or being an actress or fashion designer, but her friend Jansie believes that both of them are earmarked for the biscuit factory. Jansie, who is more realistic, tries to pull Sophie to reality, but in vain. Sophie lives in a small house with her parents and brothers, Geoff and little Derek. Though she voices her feelings and desires, her parents belittle her, because they, unlike her, are more mature and have known the harsh realities of life. Sophie finds a sort of fascination for her elder brother Geoff, who, in her opinion, is tall, strong and handsome but reserved. She envies his silence and often wonders about his thoughts and areas of his life that she doesn‘t know about. The center of this story is that Sophie fantasizes about Danny Casey, an Irish football player, whom she had seen playing in innumerable matches. She makes up a story about how she met him in the streets and tells this to Geoff. Geoff, who is more sensible than Sophie, does not really believe her, even if she wants to. It seems an unlikely incident for Sophie to meet the prodigy in their street, but where Sophie describes the meeting in all her details, he begins to hope that it could be true. She tells him that Danny has promised to meet her somewhere again. Sophie gets so pulled into the story she made that she herself begins to believe that its true. She waits for the Irish player, but obviously, he never arrives. Then, she makes her way home, wondering how her brother would be disappointed on knowing that Danny Casey never showed up. However, Sophie still fantasizes about her hero, unperturbed.

 

 

The title of the lesson ‗Going Places‘ is an idiomatic expression meaning `to be successful in one‘s career.‘ The lesson is about Sophie‘s wish and fantasy to come out of the drudgery of belonging to the lower strata of society and to go places. Sophie also goes ‗places‘ in her fantasies.

 

It is a good thing to dream. However, dreams should be realistic. Merely fantasising and daydreaming will cause disillusionment. Unless one is hardworking and persevering, mere dreams will only lead to disappointment.

 

 

1. protagonist in ‗Going Places‘.

 

2. belongs to the weak socio-economic background.

 

3. doesn‘t have a decent house.

 

4. distaste – absurd situation – incongruity.

 

5. escapes from her boring, working-class existence.

 

6. fond of hero worship and fantasizes meeting Irish player Danny Casey

 

7. starts believing her imagination as real

 

8. nobody believes her-feels disappointed.

 

9. In her adolescent mind ―fantasy and real world merge to an extent – actually goes sits on a bench by canal waiting date to show up.‖

 

10. despondent and dejected – yet dreams on.

 

1. Sophie‘s friend simple – a sharp contrast to Sophie‘s romantic nature.

 

2. practical-realistic-balanced-honest.

 

3. wishes Sophie becomes sensible and practical.

 

4. tries to pull her back to reality-earmarked to work in a biscuit factory.

 

5. Cannot be trusted with secretes-gossips.

 

 

1. Symbolizing freedom for Sophie – brother.

 

2. apprentice mechanic.

 

3. dresses up shabbily, carelessly-not conscious of his good looks.

 

4. understands the harsh realities of life adult.

 

5. independent-evasive-reserved-man of few words.

 

6. big fan of Danny Casey.

 

 

1. Young Irish football prodigy-brilliant player-celebrity-playing for the English club United.

 

2. Sophie‘s hero figure.

 

 

1. strong, very practical hardworking.

 

2. humble living – years to make his family comfortable.

 

3. feels helpless due to the paucity of resources.

 

4. does not indulge in self-pity.

 

5. realistic does not humour Sophie for her concocted stories.

 

6. reminds her of their appalling living conditions.

 

7. makes the best of his life — weekly pilgrimage to watch United.

 

 

1. bent-burden of household chores.

 

2. oblivious to comfort-needs.

 

3. suffers harsh realities of life.

 

4. sigh symbolic of suppressed desires.

 

5. upset on hearing rows.

 

 

1) Jansie, knowing that both are earmarked for the biscuit factory, became melancholy. She wished Sophie wouldn‘t say these things. When they reached sophie‘s street Jansie said, ― It‘s only a few months away now, Soaf, you really should be sensible.‖

b) Who became sad?

c) What does Jansie know?

d) What are these things referred to here?

e) ―You really should be sensible‖. Why did she say so?

 

2) And she was jealous of his silence. When he wasn‘t speaking it was as though he was away somewhere, out there in the world in those places she had never been.

(a). Who is ‗she‘ here?

(b). Whom was she jealous of?

(c). What was the reason of her jealousy?

(d). What did Sophie feel about her brother when he does not speak?

 

 

Ans: Jansie was aware of Sophie‘s poor socioeconomic condition. Jansie discouraged her from entertaining such dreams because her dreams were wild and can never be realized. Moreover, she knew that they were earmarked to work in a biscuit industry.

 

Ans: Sophie‘s brother Geoff was an apprentice mechanic. He was almost grown up yet he hardly spoke anything of his own. Words were prized out of his mouth like stones from the ground. She could only suspect areas of his life which she wanted to hear from him. So she was jealous of his silence. She took him to be out there in the world, when he was not speaking.

 

Ans: Geoff had always been the first one with whom she shared her fantasy of her future. She told him about her meeting with Danny. She also shared her plan of meeting him the next week. She longed to know more about Geoff and wished that someday he might take her with him. She imagined herself riding behind Geoff one day.

 

Ans: Geoff does not believe in Sophie‘s story about her meeting with Casey. Though he listens to her story, he cannot draw himself into believing her story. He dismisses it as the most unlikely thing. He even tries to make Sophie see the reality by telling her that Danny would never keep his promise of meeting her again.

 

Ans: No, Sophie had never met Danny Casey in reality. She was a dreamer. The story of her meeting Danny Casey was one of the wild stories by her.

 

 

Introduction ....two sentences...- name of the lesson and author, and the theme......body (1- 2 paragraphs)

 

 

Ans: Sophie and Jansie- class mates and close friends – sharp contrast in their approach towards life - Sophie- escaped to the world of make believe on the wings of her imagination – glared defiantly right in the eyes of life and very optimistically aspired to achieve what others considered to be impossible - romantic-seemed to have nothing to do with the realistic worldambitions and her dreams – unrealistic- dreams of owning a boutique- becoming a manager or an actress- all beyond her reach- thought of living a life which is ‗sophisticated‘- adolescent fantasising and hero worship made her imagine an encounter with the football star, Danny Casey Jansie, on the other hand is a practical, down to earth girl- sensible and realistic – did not nurture big dreams – wanted to achieve what was achievable – accepted what destiny offered her with a sense of resignation - knew that with their economic background – they were earmarked for the biscuit factory- accepted her destiny – quite nosey by nature – her habit of gossip mongering made Sophie refrain from confiding - disapproved Sophie for her stories about Danny- wished she could pull her into the realistic world.

 

 

Ans: Sophie idolized her brother who was three years out of school. She was very fond of her elder brother who was an apprentice mechanic. He was reticent; hence she felt comfortable sharing her secrets with him .In spite of the fact that she was always concocting fantastic stories of imagination, he was a patient listener and never made fun of her. He carried an air of mystery which intrigued her. She felt when he was silent; he was journeying through unknown exotic and beautiful places which were beyond her reach. She wanted to go with him to all those wonderful places. He was always the first one to know her secrets because she wanted to be a part of his affection. Sometimes his silence made her jealous because she couldn‘t know what he was thinking. In order to attract his attention, she created a fantastic story about meeting Danny Casey, the football star, knowing that he idolized him. To Sophie .Geoff symbolized a pathway to the world of romance and excitement, a world which was drawn away from her and beyond her reach. He also symbolized freedom from her drab and impoverished existence.

 

 

 

Value Points: Dreaming is a two edged weapon- properly handled it leads to fortune and success- otherwise the voyage of life gets saddled with miseries and frustrations. - Newton dreamt and extended the boundaries of human knowledge, Immanuel Kant built a perfect system of philosophy, and many others have succeeded because of their dreams. - Dreams are like plants that need to be nurtured carefully. - Dreams that are carefully planned and thought

about, lead to professional and personal growth. Dreams that are fulfilled make life meaningful and worthwhile- so we should exercise restraint, will power, determination, grit and confidence to make our dreams materialise.

 

Q2. Sophie is a dreamer though her family tries its best to puncture her flights of fancy. Sophie’s father might be brash or blunt, but he is most practical and has Sophie’s interests at heart. Derek also reminds Sophie not to cook wild stories. So the family plays a pivotal role not only supporting us but warning us of our foolhardy ways. Based on these thoughts, write an article with the title ‘The Importance of Family in Our Lives’.

 

Value Points: The family constitutes the first world for the child-it is the cocoon which secures a new born from the harsh problems of the outside world. - A family, with parents inculcate the first values to the child. - It is the first platform for all kinds of learning and realisation. - Later in life- family supports and provides solid backing for education, personal fulfilment and all other opportunities in life. - Family is the anchor that makes the life meaningful and makes a

person responsible and develops the value of give and take relationships. - No doubt that the family is the best gift of God to mankind.

 

 

1. How does Sophie plan to get the kind of money she wanted for her boutique?

 

2. Sophie‘s ambitions were divorced from reality. Explain.

 

3. What does Sophie mean when she says ‗words had to be prized out of him like stones out of the ground‘?

 

4. How did Sophie dream of herself in Geoff‘s world?

 

5. Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?

 

6. What is referred to as ‗the weekly pilgrimage for the family‘? Why?

 

7. What was Sophie‘s reaction when Jansie questioned her about Danny Casey?

 

8. ‗Resignation was no sudden thing‘. What is the implication of this remark in the context of Sophie‘s character?

 

9. Where did Sophie go to wait for Danny?

 

10. ‗And she saw it all again‘…What did Sophie see?