NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Memories of Childhood Part 1 The Cutting of My Long Hair Important Question Answers Lesson 8
Class 12 English Memories of Childhood Part 1 The Cutting of My Long Hair Question Answers – Looking for Memories of Childhood Part 1 The Cutting of My Long Hair question answers (NCERT solutions) for CBSE Class 12 English Vistas Book Chapter 8? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 12 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the board exam. Our solutions provide a clear idea of how to write the answers effectively. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Chapter 8: Memories of Childhood Part 1 The Cutting of My Long Hair now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given NCERT solutions to the chapter’s extract based questions, multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and long answer questions.
Also, practising with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams.
- Extract based Questions
- Multiple Choice Questions
- Short Answer Questions
- Long Answer Questions
- Memories of Childhood Class 12 English Explanation Notes Part 1
Class 12 English Memories of Childhood Part 1 The Cutting of My Long Hair Question Answers Lesson 8 – Extract Based Questions
Extract-based questions are of the multiple-choice variety, and students must select the correct option for each question by carefully reading the passage.
A Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
The first day in the land of apples was a bitter-cold one; for the snow still covered the ground, and the trees were bare. A large bell rang for breakfast, its loud metallic voice crashing through the belfry overhead and into our sensitive ears. The annoying clatter of shoes on bare floors gave us no peace. The constant clash of harsh noises, with an undercurrent of many voices murmuring an unknown tongue, made a bedlam within which I was securely tied. And though my spirit tore itself in struggling for its lost freedom, all was useless.
1. Name the chapter.
A Evans Tries an O Level
B Memories of Childhood
C The Tiger King
D Journey to the End of the Earth
Ans B Memories of Childhood
2. Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?
A Bama
B Zitkala-Sa
C Jo
D Clare
Ans B Zitkala-Sa
3. How was the narrator feeling in her new school?
A Relieved
B Annoyed
C Ecstatic
D Mesmerized
Ans B Annoyed
4. What is belfry?
A A bell tower
B Dormitory
C A room for rest
D A kind of hostel
Ans A A bell tower
B Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
A paleface woman, with white hair, came up after us. We were placed in a line of girls who were marching into the dining room. These were Indian girls, in stiff shoes and closely clinging dresses. The small girls wore sleeved aprons and shingled hair. As I walked noiselessly in my soft moccasins, I felt like sinking to the floor, for my blanket had been stripped from my shoulders. I looked hard at the Indian girls, who seemed not to care that they were even more immodestly dressed than I, in their tightly fitting clothes. While we marched in, the boys entered at an opposite door. I watched for the three young braves who came to our party. I spied them in the rear ranks, looking as uncomfortable as I felt.
1. Who has been referred to as a paleface woman?
A Her Teacher
B Her Warden
C Her Mother
D Her Principal
Ans B Her Warden
2. What does the word ‘moccasins’ mean?
A Hard leather shoes
B Soft leather shoes
C Leather shoes with stiff sole
D None of these
Ans B Soft leather shoes
3. What was the mental state of the narrator in her new school?
A Comfortable
B Uncomfortable
C Relieved
D Ecstatic
Ans B Uncomfortable
4. Who had worn shingled hair?
A American Girls
B Indian Girls
C Australian Girls
D None of these
Ans B Indian Girls
C Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
I saw that I was the only one seated, and all the rest at our table remained standing. Just as I began to rise, looking shyly around to see how chairs were to be used, a second bell was sounded. All were seated at last, and I had to crawl back into my chair again. I heard a man’s voice at one end of the hall, and I looked around to see him. But all the others hung their heads over their plates. As I glanced at the long chain of tables, I caught the eyes of a paleface woman upon me. Immediately I dropped my eyes.
1. What was the narrator unable to understand in the dining hall?
A Standing by formula
B Eating by formula
C Crying by formula
D None of these
Ans B Eating by formula
2. Why were others standing in the dining hall?
A For they were waiting for their teacher
B For they were waiting for their principal
C For they were waiting for their Headmistress
D For they were praying before they eat
Ans D For they were praying before they eat
3. Who was staring at the narrator?
A Paleface man
B Paleface woman
C Boys who entered their party
D Principal
Ans B Paleface woman
4. How did Zitkala-Sa react to the situation?
A She too stared at the paleface woman
B She dropped her food
C She dropped her eyes
D None of these
Ans C She dropped her eyes
D Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
But this eating by formula was not the hardest trial in that first day. Late in the morning, my friend Judewin gave me a terrible warning. Judewin knew a few words of English; and she had overheard the paleface woman talk about cutting our long, heavy hair. Our mothers had taught us that only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among our people, short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair by cowards!
1. What was the paleface woman planning to do?
A To take their surprise test
B To punish them
C To beat them like hell
D To cut their long hair
Ans D To cut their long hair
2. What view did the narrator’s mother have about shingled hair?
A Keeping it was a sign of bravery
B Keeping it was a sign of cowardice
C Keeping it was a sign of pride
D None of these
Ans B Keeping it was a sign of cowardice
3. What does the narrator mean by mourners?
A Griever
B Lamenter
C Sorrower
D All of these
Ans D All of these
4. Name the chapter.
A The Third Level
B The Enemy
C On the Face of It
D Memories of Childhood
Ans D Memories of Childhood
E Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
I watched my chance, and when no one noticed, I disappeared. I crept up the stairs as quietly as I could in my squeaking shoes, my moccasins had been exchanged for shoes. Along the hall I passed, without knowing whether I was going. Turning aside to an open door, I found a large room with three white beds in it. The windows were covered with dark green curtains, which made the room very dim. Thankful that no one was there, I directed my steps toward the corner farthest from the door. On my hands and knees I crawled under the bed, and huddled myself in the dark corner.
1. Why did the narrator hide herself?
A in order to protect her hair
B in order to avert the punishment
C in order to complete the homework
D None of these
Ans A in order to protect her hair
2. Who was looking for the narrator?
A Paleface woman
B Girls of her school
C Both A and B
D Neither A and B
Ans C Both A and B
3. Where did Zitkala-Sa hide herself?
A In her hostel
B Under the bed
C In washroom
D In her class
Ans B Under the bed
4. Which literary device has been used in ‘squeaky shoes’?
A Simile
B Personification
C Alliteration
D Repetition
Ans C Alliteration
Class 12 English Vistas Memories of Childhood Part 1 The Cutting of My Long Hair Lesson 8 Multiple Choice Questions
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) are a type of objective assessment in which a person is asked to choose one or more correct answers from a list of available options. An MCQ presents a question along with several possible answers.
Q1 “We have to submit because they are strong.” The speaker of these words was _____________.
A Zitkala-Sa
B Judewin
C Marry-Ann
D Christine
Ans B Judewin
Q2 In the author’s tribe, only _________ had short hair.
A mourners
B old people
C young kids
D elderly women
Ans A mourners
Q3 The entire classroom of students _____________ as the bell rang.
A sat on the floor
B drew a chair from under the table
C sat on the stools
D knelt down on the ground
Ans B drew a chair from under the table
Q4 The Indian girls wore ______________.
A clinging dresses
B nightgowns
C trousers
D skirts
Ans A clinging dresses
Q5 Zitkala-Sa was a victim of ____________.
A racial prejudice
B serious crime
C rape
D a car accident
Ans A racial prejudice
Q6 What was the name of the school where Zitkala used to study?
A Carlisle Indian school
B Carlisle Western school
C Carlisle Indonesian school
D Carlisle American school
Ans A Carlisle Indian school
Q7 What was the author’s original name?
A Zitkala
B Zitkala sa
C Zitkala Bama
D Gertrude Simmons Bonnin
Ans Gertrude Simmons Bonnin
Q8 Why did Zitkala experience oppression in her new establishment?
A because of indignities shown to her
B because she didn’t like the place
C she desired being near her mother.
D none
Ans A because of indignities shown to her
Q9 Why did Zitkala find following a formula to be such a huge challenge?
A because she couldn’t keep up with the bell tapping
B because of too many rules
C because of restrictions
D none
Ans A because she couldn’t keep up with the bell tapping
Q10 The lesson ‘Memories of Childhood’ is ________________.
A an autobiographical episode
B a fable
C a legend
D a play
Ans A an autobiographical episode
Class 12 English Memories of Childhood Part 1 The Cutting of My Long Hair Question Answers (including questions from Previous Years Question Papers)
In this post we are also providing important short answer questions from the Chapter 8 Memories of Childhood Part 1 The Cutting of My Long Hair for CBSE Class 12 Boards in the coming session. These questions have been taken from previous years class 12 Board exams and the year is mentioned in the bracket along with the question.
Q1 What does this chapter tell us about the first day’s weather in the country of apples?
Ans According to Zitkala Sa, the first day in the apple-growing region was extremely chilly because snow still covered the ground and the trees were barren.
Q2 The Indian females’ attire was what? Why did Zitkala feel as though she was slipping to the ground?
Ans The Indian girls wore tight-fitting skirts and stiff-soled shoes. The little girls had shingled hair and aprons with sleeves. It seemed really impolite to Zitkala. Due to the removal of the blanket from her shoulders, she felt herself sinking into the ground.
Q3 Who was Judewin? What did she say to Zitkala?
Ans Zitkala had a pal named Judewin. She had some basic English skills. They would shingle Zitkala’s long, heavy hair, the white woman had overheard. Zitkala, according to her, had to submit to them.
Q4 What information had Zitkala’s mother imparted to her regarding their tribe’s hair customs?
Ans Only inexperienced warriors who were taken had their hair shingled by the enemy, according to what Zitkala’s mother had told her. In her tribe, cowards wore shingled hair and mourners wore short hair.
Q5 Where did Zitkala hide herself to save her hair?
Ans Zitkala took refuge in a sizable space. The room was incredibly dark because of the thick green curtains that covered the windows. There was nobody in the room. She squeezed herself into a shadowy crevice under a bed.
Q6 How were Zitkala-Sa’s long hair shingled?
Ans Girls and women invaded the space where Zitkala Sa was concealing himself. She was carried away. She yelled out in protest. They confined her tightly to a chair. The scissors’ cool blades brushed across her neck as she continued to shake her head. She had shingly hair as a result.
Q7 At the dining table why did Zitkala-Sa begin to cry when others start eating?
Ans Everyone else began eating at the table with a knife and fork. But Zitkala started to sob. She found using a formula to be a really difficult trial.
Q8 How did Zitkala-Sa’s first day in the land of apples begin?
Ans It was really cold on the first day at the land of apples. When Zitkala noticed that the Indians were wearing constricting clothing, she thought it was quite impolite. She broke down in tears at the dinner table because she was unable to use a knife and fork to eat. She eventually had shingled hair.
Q9 Zitkala-Sa mentions the indignities she had to suffer as a child. How do such indignities break the morale of a child? (CBSE QUESTION BANK)
Ans Because Zitkala Sa came from a lower caste household, she was forced to endure severe indignities. Such humiliations could crush a child’s spirit, and they can choose the incorrect road to fight for their fundamental rights, which could lead to them being cold-hearted. She had been gazed at, moved around like a wooden puppet, forced to wear tight clothing, and had her hair shingled.
Class 12 Memories of Childhood Part 1 The Cutting of My Long Hair Long Answer Questions Lesson 8
Q1 Explain in detail Zitkala’s experience at the land of apples?
Ans On the first day in the country of apples, it was really cold. The breakfast bell rung loudly. Shoe clattering on the floor was obtrusive. After them, a white old woman approached. She observed Native American (Indian) girls who were wearing tight-fitting gowns and stiff-soled shoes, which she thought was rather immodest. While the boys came in at the opposite door.
All of them marched to breakfast. Once a little bell rang, each kid pulled out a chair from under the table. Zitkala speculated that they might take a seat. The others were standing and muttering a little prayer when she sat down as well. Likewise rising was Zitkala Sa. She afterwards discovered that the others had taken their seats. Eventually a man’s voice could be heard. Everyone retrieved their fork and knife and started munching. Zitkala, however, found this formulaic eating to be quite challenging. But, this was not her toughest test. She felt like an animal in a herd and had shingly hair.
Q2 Reproduce briefly in your own words Zitkala Sa’s experience in the dining room.
Ans The dining room’s tables and chairs were set up. Following the tapping of a little bell, each pupil pulled out a chair from underneath the table. Zitkala also sat down after bringing out the chair. Then she observed that while everyone else was standing, she was seated. She started to stand up, but the second bell soon rang. Finally, everyone was seated.
When a man’s voice could be heard at one end of the hallway, she turned to look for him. But, everyone else kept their heads bowed over the dishes. The man stopped murmuring, and the third bell was rung. Everyone retrieved their fork and knife and started munching. Zitkala, though, broke down in tears. She found the experience of eating by a formula to be too difficult.
Q3 What did Zitkala do to prevent her hair? How did her efforts prove futile?
Ans Zitkala made the decision not to allow her hair to shingle. She waited for her chance, then vanished when no one was looking. She took refuge in a sizable space. The room was incredibly dark because of the thick green curtains that covered the windows. There was nobody in the room. She crept under a bed and took cover in a shadowy area.
She could hear voices shouting her name and footsteps nearby in the hallway from where she was hiding. Judewin, one of her friends, was even looking for her. The sounds got closer and closer. Girls and women entered the space. She was carried away. She yelled out in protest. They confined her tightly to a chair. The scissors’ cool blades brushed across her neck as she continued to shake her head. She had shingled hair as a result.
Q4 The two accounts that you read above are based in two distant cultures. What is the commonality of themes found in both of them?
Ans Zitkala-Sa, a young Native American woman, is mentioned in the first narrative. The European settlers were prejudiced against the aboriginal people. Native Indians are nothing more than enemies to them. Somewhat against Zitkala’s wishes, they shingled her hair. They were not interested in honouring their culture.
Bama’s account is the second. She came from a community that was struggling. The upper caste individuals regarded them with contempt. They believed that the simple act of interacting with members of her community would contaminate them. Hence, it is clear that Zitkala and Bama belonged to various societies and cultures. Nonetheless, the essential themes of both stories are the same: racial prejudice exists practically everywhere in the globe and people from oppressed communities are treated like animals.
Q5 It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted, but the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life. Do you agree that injustice in any form cannot escape being noticed even by children?
Ans Elders in oppressed groups grow accustomed to the injustice. They do not raise a fuss over any tyranny since they see it as a part of their destiny. Children’s minds, however, are incredibly impressionable. They are aware of all forms of repression and humiliation. They generally revolt against any oppression. When they witness injustice being done to someone, they become quite upset. When they become adults, they make every effort to eradicate any customs that view them as less human. Hence we might argue that the seeds of revolt are sowed early in life.
Q6 Barna’s experience is that of a victim of the caste system. What kind of discrimination does ZitkalaSa’s experience depict? What are their responses to their respective situations?
Ans Native American was named Zitkala-Sa. Native Indians are greatly despised by the European colonisers. They view them as lower beings. They show no regard for their customs. Zitkala was shingled for this reason. Bama, on the other hand, comes from a community that is underprivileged. They are viewed as inferior beings by those of high caste. They believe that even their slightest touch would contaminate Both Zitkala and Bama responded differently to their unique circumstances.
To avoid having her hair shingled, Zitkala hid herself in a space. But, she was exposed, and her hair started to flake. Bama was enraged when she learned about the elder of their street’s humiliation. She put a lot of effort into her studies so that other people would respect her and want to be her friends.
Q7 “Where there is oppression, there will be resistance.” Comment on this statement with reference to the story. (CBSE QUESTION BANK)
Ans There will be resistance where there is oppression suggests that downtrodden people will eventually exact some sort of retaliation on their oppressors. The phrase can be found in the Memories of Childhood excerpts. My lengthy hair was trimmed, and that is the specific extract here. The passage clarifies issues of racial prejudice and society’s severe treatment of women. The focus of the passage is on two women named Zitkala Sa and Bama.
Zitkala-Sa must enrol in a boarding school administered by the government where her long hair is clipped without her knowledge. She displayed rebellion against the injustice she had to experience in how she responded to this situation. She initially protests getting her hair cut, but ultimately she was forced to do so by the authorities. But, the removal of her hair did not spell the end of her struggle against the injustice she had to face. She resists throughout her life by advocating for Native American rights and advancing Native American culture through her writing and action. Her actions demonstrate that oppression resistance can take on a wide variety of forms and can persist long after the first oppressive act has been carried out.
Q8 Both Bama and Zitkala Sa experienced the harsh reality of discrimination in their childhood. Instead of letting it pull them down, they both found a way to overcome it. You wish to include a cameo of both in your upcoming blog post. As a part of the research, compare and contrast the experiences faced by the two and their response/s to these experiences, in 120-150 words. (CBSE SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER 2022-23)
Ans Both Bama and Zitkala Sa’s discriminating experiences made a lasting impression on their impressionable young minds. Zitkala was discriminated against because she came from a different culture, whereas Bama was discriminated against because of her lower caste. When Bama learned of the unfair acts by the higher castes, she became enraged and wanted to touch the package of “vadai” to protest the injustice.
Zitkala battled valiantly to resist having her hair chopped and so to safeguard her cultural customs, but in the end, she was compelled to give up. Bama and Zitkala both put forth a lot of effort to be the best in their industries because they understood that education was the strongest defence against discriminatory behaviours. They both trained as authors and used their writing to raise awareness of the issue and defend the rights of their respective communities.
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