CBSE Class 10 English From the Diary of Anne Frank VBQs

From the Diary of Anne Frank Notes Class 10 English

Introduction:
This lesson is an excerpt from “Diary of a Young Girl” or “The Diary of Anne Frank”. It is an autobiography that was first published in 1947. In this, Anne expresses her thoughts in a diary which was gifted to her on her thirteenth birthday. She names the diary “Kitty” which she considers as her only true friend. She mentions about her childhood, her family and a lot other things that she could tell no one else.

Gist:
In this lesson, Anne talks about being lonely and having no one to talk to; despite being surrounded by family and around 30 people whom she calls her “friends”. Thus, she takes the decision of writing her feelings in a diary. It is unusual for her to write in a diary but she is really in need of a true friend. Thus, she decides to name her diary “Kitty” and unlike other people, she decides not to mention just facts in it. She starts with writing her background, to make it easier to understand for anyone who reads it later. In this diary she describes her family and early childhood when they all migrated. She also describes in it about her early schooling. After giving a brief account of her background. She comes to the present day where she tells us about the result day. All the students of the class are nervous about their result and boys are even making bets. Anne is quite sure about herself and her friends result. She had a good bonding with all the teachers except her maths’ teacher, Mr. Keesing who was constantly annoyed at her for her talking habits. Thus, he started giving her punishments in the form of essays on weird topics such as “Chatterbox” to which she replied with full wit. She wrote essays that were funny and explained that this was a trait that she inherited from her mother and not much could be done to change it. He kept on giving her essays until she wrote a satire talking about a mother duck and a father swan who swam with three baby ducklings. These three baby ducklings were bitten to death by the father because they quacked so much. After the third and the last assignment, Mr Keesing never pointed her out for talking. He even became a bit more friendly with his students and often cracked jokes in the class for making his students happy.

Read the extracts below and answer the questions that follow.

1. Paper has more patience than people.’ I thought of this saying on one of those days when I was feeling a little depressed and was sitting at home with my chin in my hands,
bored and listless, wondering whether to stay in or go out. I finally stayed where I was, brooding: Yes, paper does have more patience, and since I’m not planning to let anyone else read this stiff-backed notebook grandly referred to as a ‘diary’, unless I should ever find a real friend, it probably won’t make a bit of difference.”

Questions:

Question. ‘Paper has more patience than people.’ What does this imply? This implies that Anne:
(i) believed in the power of writing more than speaking to people.
(ii) felt that she could pour her heart out on paper without any hindrance.
(iii) had more faith in sharing her thoughts and feelings with paper.
(iv) felt that she could share her feelings openly on paper.
Answer. B

Question. Pick out the emoticon which clearly brings out the meaning of ‘listless’ as used in the extract.

(i) Option 1
(ii) Option 2
(iii) Option 3
(iv) Option 4
Answer. C

Question. Pick the option that is ODD one out with reference to the meaning of ‘patience’.
             1. Indolence
                      ↑
4. Grit  ← PATIENCE  → 2. Perseverance
                      ↓
               3. Tolerance
(i) Option 1
(ii) Option 2
(iii) Option 3
(iv) Option 4
Answer. A

Question. If the diary were a ‘real friend’, what qualities would Anne expect it to have? Pick the option that lists these correctly.
1. optimistic 2. good listener 3. confidant 4. energetic
5. non-judgemental 6. outgoing 7. ambitious
(i) 1 & 4
(ii) 5, 6 & 7
(iii) 2, 3 & 5
(iv) 3 & 7
Answer. C

Question. Pick out the sentence that brings out the meaning of ‘brooding’ as used in the extract?
(i) The mysterious house on the hill is still brooding above the village.
(ii) The people at the stock market always keep brooding about the gains.
(iii) He was brooding over the matter and took a long time to decide.
(iv) Suspense and drama were brooding at the site of the investigation.
Answer. C

2. Let me put it more clearly, since no one will believe that a thirteen-year-old girl is completely alone in the world. And I’m not. I have loving parents and a sixteen-yearold sister, and there are about thirty people I can call friends. I have a family, loving aunts and a good home. No, on the surface I seem to have everything, except my one true friend. All I think about when I’m with friends is having a good time. I can’t bring myself to talk about anything but ordinary everyday things. We don’t seem to be able to get any closer, and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other. In any case, that’s just how things are, and unfortunately they’re not liable to change. This is why I’ve started the diary.

Questions:

Question. Based on the given extract, what is Anne Frank NOT likely to think at this moment?
(1) I wish I had a good friend with whom I can share all my secrets!
(3) I wish I had such friends I could confide in them!
(4) I wish my friends were trustworthy and had patience to listen to me!
(2) I wish I had my loving parents!
(i) Option (1)
(ii) Option (2)
(iii) Option (3)
(iv) Option (4)
Answer. B

Question. She writes a diary because she:
(i) has a hobby to write something or other.
(ii) does not have any friends with whom she can share her feelings.
(iii) does not want to share her feelings with others.
(iv) feels she is absolutely alone in the world.
Answer. B

Question. What was her final search?
(i) A true teacher
(ii) A true trainer
(iii) A true guide
(iv) A true friend
Answer. D

Question. What demerit did she suffer from?
(i) Lack of trust
(ii) Lack of cooperation
(iii) Lack of knowledge
(iv) None of these
Answer. A

Question. Give the noun form of ‘unfortunately’.
(i) Unfortunate
(ii) Unfortune
(iii) Fortune
(iv) None of these
Answer. B

Choose the correct answer.

Question. Anne started her education at the:
(i) Montessori nursery school.
(ii) middle school.
(iii) primary school.
(iv) secondary school.
Answer. A

Question. Who was Mrs Kuperus?
(i) Anne’s friend
(ii) Anne’s class teacher
(iii) Anne’s headmistress
(iv) None of these
Answer. C

Question. Mr Keesing was annoyed with Anne because:
(i) he didn’t like her.
(ii) she was very naughty.
(iii) she was very arrogant.
(iv) she talked so much.
Answer. D

Question. What kind of teacher was Mr Keesing?
(i) Strict
(ii) Liberal
(iii) Friendly
(iv) Careless
Answer. A

Question. Anne argued that talking is:
(i) a student’s right.
(ii) a student’s habit.
(iii) a student’s trait.
(iv) a student’s food.
Answer. C

Question. Why was Anne’s habit of talking an inherited trait?
(i) She had learnt it from her mother.
(ii) She had read it in some book.
(iii) She had learnt it in the class.
(iv) All of these
Answer. A

Question. Why are teachers the most unpredictable creatures?
(i) Their decisions are well-known.
(ii) Their decisions are certain .
(iii) Their decisions are uncertain.
(iv) Everybody can guess what they think.
Answer. C

Question. What does Anne mean by ‘dummies’?
(i) Mediocre students
(ii) Average students
(iii) Intelligent students
(iv) Star students
Answer. A

Question. What does ‘had a good laugh’ imply, in the context of Mr Keesing?
(i) Mr Keesing celebrated his ability to make Anne write the essay.
(ii) Mr Keesing ridiculed Anne in front of the whole class.
(iii) Mr Keesing pulled up Anne for her arguments in the essay.
(iv) Mr Keesing realised the humour in it and was amused.
Answer. D

Question. How did Anne feel when she was punished the third time by Mr Keesing?
(i) She was happy as she had to write three essays on the same topic.
(ii) She enjoyed making fun of Mr Keesing in her own way.
(iii) She was worried as she had run out of original ideas for her essay.
(iv) She was thrilled at another opportunity to showcase her writing abilities.
Answer. C

Question. What was topic of the essay written by Anne?
(i) My Diary
(ii) A Chatterbox
(iii) A letterbox
(iv) None of these
Answer. B

Question. How does Anne want to begin her diary?
(i) By writing her name.
(ii) By giving an introduction.
(iii) By writing about her hobby.
(iv) None of these
Answer. B

Question. Why was Anne unable to get closer to her already existing friends?
(i) She didn’t like her friends.
(ii) Her friends were not understanding.
(iii) She couldn’t bring herself to talk about personal stuff.
(iv) All of these
Answer. C

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. ‘Paper has more patience than people’. Elucidate.
Answer : According to Anne Frank, people are not always interested in listening to what you are telling them. They get bored and lose patience, but it is not so with paper. You can go on writing whatever you like, and as long as you like.

Question. Who taught Anne Frank maths ? Why did the maths teacher always get annoyed with her ?
Answer : Mr. Keesing, the old fogey taught her Maths. He was annoyed with Anne for ages because in his class Anne talked too much. He had warned her several times, but Anne didn’t bother.

Question. Why does Anne want to keep a diary? Why does she feel she can trust a diary more than the people ?
Answer : She wanted to keep a diary because she felt that people change and can’t be trusted but paper doesn’t change. Moreover, it patiently documents one’s experiences. And she would keep it confidential.

Question. Grandma had a significant place in Anne’s heart. Explain.
Answer : In the summer of 1941, Anne’s grandma fell ill and had to have an operation. But she died in January 1942.
Anne loved her grandma very much. Anne remembered her very much. On Anne’s birthday, a separate candle was lit for grandma along with the rest.

Question. The classmates of Anne Frank were shaking with fear and nervousness. Why ?
Answer : The classmates of Anne Frank were shaking with fear and nervousness because it was time to move to the next class. The students did not know who would be kept back and who would be promoted.

Question. What does Anne write in her first essay ?
Answer : Anne wrote that talking is a student’s trait. She would not keep talking under control because her mother talked a lot. She had inherited that trait from her mother. And she would do her best to keep it under control.

Question. How did Anne regard her diary and what name did she give to it ?
Answer : Anne regarded her diary as her long-awaited friend in her imagination. She didn’t want to jot down facts in this diary, but she wanted the diary to be her friend and she named ‘Kitty’.

Question. How did Sanne help Anne Frank in writing the third essay ?
Answer : Sanne was one of Anne Frank’s friends. She suggested Anne to write the essay in verse form. She also advised her to put up the example of a swan and ducklings in it. The poem was very beautiful.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. Was Anne an intelligent girl ? Support your answer giving instances ?
Answer : Anne was indeed a very intelligent girl. She was a thirteen years old school going girl, but her diary shows that she was mature enough for her age. Anne was a jewish girl who had to go into hiding during World War II to avoid the Nazis. Nobody ever thought of writing an account of how Hitler tortured Jews. But Anne Frank did so. On her thirteenth birthday her father gifted her a diary, in which chronicles of the events of her life were written. She decided to write a diary because she felt that paper was more patient than people. Only an intelligent girl could think so wisely and deeply. In school in her Maths period, she proved her necessity of talking. She defended her habit as hereditary. By writing a poem of a mother duck and a father Swan in a humorous form, she very wisely turned a punishment into a joke. Even Mr. Keesing, her Maths teacher, took the joke in the right way and read the poem to the class, after that he was often seen making jokes in the class. Only an intelligent girl like Anne could do that.

Question. How did Anne respond to the punishment by Mr. Keesing ? What light does it throw on her nature ?
Answer : Mr. Keesing Anne’s, Maths teacher, was always annoyed with Anne because of her talkative nature. So, he had given her some extra work to write an essay on “A Chatter Box”. She wrote in her essay, “Talking is a student’s trait and I would do my best to control it. But I won’t be able to cure this habit since my mother is also talkative. So moving from the inherited trait cannot be done“. On reading her arguments, Mr. Keesing had a good laugh. When the teacher gave her another essay on ‘An Incorrigible Chatter Box’. It was a punishment for Anne for talking in the class. Anne gave a message through the poem to the teacher. The teacher got so impressed by her little poem that he decided not to punish her. She made him realize his mistake. It also reflects her fearlessness, critical thinking, humility and unbiased approach as well as her creativity and humorous approach to deal with her strict teacher.

Question. Why did Anne Frank think that she could confide more in her diary than in the people ?
Answer : Anne got a diary as a gift on her thirteenth birthday. First, she didn’t like the idea of writing diary at all. But then she felt like writing because she had to get all kinds of things off her chest. She felt lonely, bored and depressed, though she had loving parents, a sister and thirty others. She was a shy and introvert type of a girl. She did not have a true friend. Even though she had a happy family but somehow, she could not confide in them. She wanted someone with whom she could share her secrets. She found a real friend in her diary ‘Kitty’. Moreover, she realized the truth lying in the fact that paper has more patience than people. She did not plan to let anyone else read her diary, unless she ever found a real friend. So she could confide in more ideas in her diary than in people because people are not always interested in listening to what you are telling them. But diary conceals all your secrets.