Q1. Trace the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother in “The Portrait of a Lady”.

Ans: Their relationship went through three distinct phases. In the village, they were intimate friends; she woke him up, bathed him, and accompanied him to the temple school. The second phase began in the city, which was a turning point. He joined an English school, and she could no longer help him, leading to reduced interaction. The third phase started when he went to the university and was given his own room, snapping the common link of friendship. However, their underlying love for each other never diminished.

Q2. Bring out the spiritual and religious traits of the grandmother.

Ans: The grandmother was a highly religious woman. In the village, she spent her time inside the temple reading scriptures while the author studied. Her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer, and her hands were always telling the beads of her rosary. In the city, she was deeply distressed that there was no teaching about God in the English school. Even in her final moments, she ignored her family members, stopped talking, and peacefully chose to pray with her rosary until her last breath.

Q3. Contrast the village school education with the city school education in the story.

Ans: The village school was attached to a temple. The priest taught the children the alphabet and the morning prayer. It was heavily focused on religious teachings, which the grandmother loved and supported. In contrast, the city school was an English medium institution. The author went in a motor bus and was taught Western science, gravity, and English. There was no teaching about God or scriptures, and they even taught music. The grandmother completely disapproved of this modern, secular city education.

Q4. How did the grandmother celebrate the homecoming of her grandson?

Ans: When the author returned from abroad after five years, the grandmother did not pray that evening, which was highly unusual for her. Instead, she gathered the women of the neighbourhood, got hold of a dilapidated drum, and started singing songs of the home-coming of warriors. She thumped the sagging skins of the drum for several hours. The family had to persuade her to stop to avoid overstraining herself. This intense physical exertion ultimately led to her falling ill the very next day.

Q5. Explain the significance of the sparrows in the story.

Ans: The sparrows highlight the grandmother’s compassionate and peaceful nature. In the city, feeding them became the happiest half-hour of her day. She fed them little bits of bread, and they would sit on her legs, shoulders, and head. After her death, the sparrows gathered in thousands around her body to mourn her. They sat silently without chirruping and completely ignored the bread crumbs thrown by the author’s mother. Their silent departure after her body was taken away shows their deep connection and grief.