PSEB Class 12 Poem 5 Father Returning Home Important Question Answers from A Rainbow of English book
PSEB Class 12 English Father Returning Home Question Answers – Looking for questions and answers for PSEB Class 12 A Rainbow of English Book Poem 5 Father Returning Home? 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 exam. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Poem 5 Father Returning Home now. The questions listed below are based on the latest PSEB exam pattern. All the Questions Answers given at the back of the lesson have also been covered.
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PSEB Class 12 English Poem 5 Father Returning Home Textbook Questions
I. COMPREHENSION AND ENJOYMENT
1. Give the central idea of the poem.
Ans. The central idea of the poem is the loneliness and alienation of an old man in the modern, busy world. The father works hard and travels daily in an overcrowded train but remains unconnected with people around him. At home too, he is neglected by his family and lives in isolation. He finds comfort only in his thoughts, memories, and dreams, reflecting man’s estrangement in an artificial and insensitive urban society.
2. Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow.
His eyes dimmed by age
fade homeward through the humid monsoon night.
Now I can see him getting off the train
Like a word dropped from a long sentence.
He hurries across the length of the grey platform,
Crosses the railway line, enters the lane
(a) Name the poet.
(b) Which line in the poem describes father’s irrelevance to the train?
(c) Write two reasons for father’s eyes being dimmed.
(d) Where does father go after getting off the train?
Ans.
(a) The poet is Dilip Chitre.
(b) The line “Like a word dropped from a long sentence” in the poem describes father’s irrelevance to the train.
(c) The father’s eyes are dimmed by age and also by the hardships of daily struggle and tiredness.
(d) After getting off the train the father crosses the platform, the railway line, and enters the lane leading to his home.
II. Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow:
His sullen children have often refused to share
Jokes and secrets with him. He will now go to sleep
Listening to the static on the radio, dreaming
Of his ancestors and grandchildren, thinking
Of nomads entering a subcontinent through a narrow pass.
(a) Explain the behaviour of the old man’s children towards him.
(b) What does he do after being written off by his children?
(c) How can you say that his dream mirrors that the old man is either thinking about his past or his future?
(d) Draw a pen portrait of the poet’s father.
Ans.
(a) The old man’s children are unfriendly and indifferent. They refuse to share jokes, secrets, or any warmth with him, leaving him emotionally isolated within his own family.
(b) The poet listens to the static on the radio and escapes into dreams and thoughts about his past (ancestors) or future (grandchildren).
(c) His dream includes ancestors (the past) and grandchildren (the future). This shows he lives more in memory and imagination rather than in his lonely present.
(d) The poet’s father is an old, weary, and lonely man who travels daily in a crowded train, neglected both by society and his own family. His clothes are soggy, his bag is torn, and his body shows signs of age. At home, he eats stale food, drinks weak tea, and lives a monotonous life. His children avoid him, so he turns inward, lost in thoughts of his past heritage and dreams of future generations. He symbolizes the alienation of modern man in an uncaring world.
PSEB Class 12 English Poem 5 Father Returning Home Extra Question and Answers
Extract-Based Questions
A. “My father travels on the late evening train
Standing among silent commuters in the yellow light
Suburbs slide past his unseeing eyes
His shirt and pants are soggy and his black raincoat
Stained with mud and his bag stuffed with books
Is falling apart. His eyes dimmed by age
fade homeward through the humid monsoon night.
Now I can see him getting off the train
Like a word dropped from a long sentence.
He hurries across the length of the grey platform,
Crosses the railway line, enters the lane,
His chappals are sticky with mud, but he hurries onward.”
Q1. Name the poem and the poet.
Ans. The name of the poem is Father Returning Home and it has been written by the Indian poet Dilip Chitre.
Q2. What time of the day does the father travel by train?
Ans. The father travels on the late evening train after finishing his work, showing his tiring daily routine.
Q3. What do the soggy clothes and muddy raincoat indicate?
Ans. The soggy clothes and the raincoat stained with mud indicate the father’s struggles during the monsoon season and how he faces daily hardships in his long and uncomfortable journey.
Q4. What is suggested by “like a word dropped from a long sentence”?
Ans. The comparison of the father to a “word dropped from a long sentence” suggests that he is unnoticed and alienated in the busy crowd, just as a dropped word goes unseen in a long passage.
Q5. What kind of life does this extract reflect?
Ans. This extract reflects the father’s life as one of monotony, struggle, and loneliness, where his daily commute is tiresome and his presence in society seems insignificant.
B. “Home again, I see him drinking weak tea,
Eating a stale chapati, reading a book.
He goes into the toilet to contemplate
Man’s estrangement from a man-made world.
Coming out he trembles at the sink,
The cold water running over his brown hands,
A few droplets cling to the greying hairs on his wrists.
His sullen children have often refused to share
Jokes and secrets with him. He will now go to sleep”
Q1. How is the father’s meal described?
Ans. The father’s meal is described as consisting of weak tea and stale chapati, which reflects his dull and neglected life at home.
Q2. What does the father contemplate in the toilet?
Ans. The father contemplates man’s estrangement from the man-made world, which means he thinks deeply about the loneliness and alienation that human beings experience in the artificial and fast-paced modern world.
Q3. What do his trembling hands and grey hair suggest?
Ans. His trembling hands and the grey hair on his wrists suggest that the father is growing old.
Q4. How do the children behave towards their father?
Ans. The children behave in an unfriendly and indifferent manner towards their father, as they often refuse to share their jokes or secrets with him.
Q5. What does this extract reveal about family relations?
Ans. This extract reveals that the father suffers from a lack of communication and emotional connection within his family.
C. “Listening to the static on the radio, dreaming
Of his ancestors and grandchildren, thinking
Of nomads entering a subcontinent through a narrow pass.”
Q1. What does the father listen to before sleeping?
Ans. Before sleeping, the father listens to the static on the radio, which refers to the meaningless noise from the device, symbolizing the emptiness of his life.
Q2. What does the father dream of?
Ans. The father dreams of his ancestors and his grandchildren, showing that he takes refuge in his memories of the past and his imagination of the future.
Q3. What do these dreams suggest about his thoughts?
Ans. These dreams suggest that the father’s thoughts are rooted either in the distant past or in the uncertain future, as his present life is filled with loneliness, and dissatisfaction.
Q4. How does the image of nomads add depth to the poem?
Ans. The image of nomads entering a subcontinent adds depth to the poem by symbolizing displacement, which mirrors the father’s own feeling of being displaced and alienated in the modern world.
Q5. What is the tone of this extract?
Ans. The tone of this extract is melancholic and reflective, as it highlights the father’s loneliness and his tendency to escape reality.
Multiple-Choice Questions
Q1. Who is the poet of Father Returning Home?
A. Nissim Ezekiel
B. Dilip Chitre
C. Kamala Das
D. R. Parthasarathy
Ans. B. Dilip Chitre
Q2. The poem Father Returning Home is taken from which collection?
A. A Time to Change
B. Travelling in a Cage
C. The Exact Name
D. Summer in Calcutta
Ans. B. Travelling in a Cage
Q3. What is the main theme of the poem?
A. Joy of family life
B. Celebration of festivals
C. Man’s alienation in the modern world
D. Success of old age
Ans. C. Man’s alienation in the modern world
Q4. What time does the father travel back home?
A. Morning
B. Afternoon
C. Late evening
D. Midnight
Ans. C. Late evening
Q5. With whom does the father travel in the train?
A. Farmers
B. Silent commuters
C. Vendors
D. Relatives
Ans. B. Silent commuters
Q6. The suburbs slide past his ____ eyes.
A. Bright
B. Unseeing
C. Curious
D. Happy
Ans. B. Unseeing
Q7. What condition are the father’s clothes in?
A. Neat and clean
B. Colourful and bright
C. Soggy and muddy
D. Brand new
Ans. C. Soggy and muddy
Q8. What is his raincoat described as?
A. Shiny
B. Black and stained with mud
C. New and costly
D. Old and torn
Ans. B. Black and stained with mud
Q9. What is the condition of his bag?
A. New and strong
B. Stuffed with books and falling apart
C. Empty and clean
D. Made of leather and shining
Ans. B. Stuffed with books and falling apart
Q10. Which simile is used to describe the father getting off the train?
A. Like a bird flying away
B. Like a leaf falling
C. Like a word dropped from a long sentence
D. Like a cloud drifting
Ans. C. Like a word dropped from a long sentence
‘
Q11. What makes the father’s chappals sticky?
A. Dust
B. Grass
C. Mud
D. Water
Ans. C. Mud
Q12. What does the father drink at home?
A. Coffee
B. Cold milk
C. Weak tea
D. Juice
Ans. C. Weak tea
Q13. What food does the father eat at home?
A. Rice
B. A stale chapati
C. Biscuits
D. Fruits
Ans. B. A stale chapati
Q14. What does the father do in the toilet?
A. Reads a book
B. Contemplates man’s estrangement from the world
C. Listens to music
D. Washes clothes
Ans. B. Contemplates man’s estrangement from the world
Q15. What does he do at the sink?
A. Washes utensils
B. Trembles as cold water runs over his hands
C. Drinks water
D. Cleans vegetables
Ans. B. Trembles as cold water runs over his hands
Q16. What clings to the grey hairs on his wrists?
A. Soap bubbles
B. Raindrops
C. Water droplets
D. Insects
Ans. C. Water droplets
Q17. How do the children behave with their father?
A. They love him dearly
B. They are playful with him
C. They are sullen and refuse to share with him
D. They respect him deeply
Ans. C. They are sullen and refuse to share with him
Q18. What does the father listen to before sleeping?
A. Music on the radio
B. The static on the radio
C. Stories from his children
D. Silence in his room
Ans. B. The static on the radio
Q19. What does the father dream of?
A. His office work
B. His friends and travels
C. His ancestors and grandchildren
D. Famous leaders
Ans. C. His ancestors and grandchildren
Q20. Who is mentioned as entering the subcontinent in his dreams?
A. Farmers
B. Traders
C. Nomads
D. Soldiers
Ans. C. Nomads
True or False
State whether the following are true or false-
1. The father travels home on the late evening train.
2. The commuters around him are noisy and cheerful.
3. His shirt and pants are described as soggy.
4. His bag, stuffed with books, is falling apart.
5. The father gets off the train like a bird flying away.
6. His chappals are sticky with mud.
7. At home, the father drinks strong coffee and eats fresh bread.
8. His children happily share jokes and secrets with him.
9. He listens to the static on the radio before sleeping.
10. The father dreams of his ancestors and grandchildren
Answers-
1. True
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False
6. True
7. False
8. False
9. True
10. True
Fill in the blanks
1. The father travels on the late ______ train.
2. He stands among silent ______ in the yellow light.
3. Suburbs slide past his ______ eyes.
4. His shirt and pants are ______.
5. His black raincoat is stained with ______.
6. The father gets off the train like a word dropped from a long ______.
7. At home, he drinks weak ______.
8. He eats a stale ______ while reading a book.
9. His sullen ______ refuse to share jokes and secrets with him.
10. He dreams of nomads entering a ______ through a narrow pass.
Answers-
1. evening
2. commuters
3. unseeing
4. soggy
5. mud
6. sentence
7. tea
8. chapati
9. children
10. subcontinent
Extra Questions
Answer the following questions-
Q1. How does Dilip Chitre present the father’s loneliness in Father Returning Home?
Ans. Dilip Chitre highlights the father’s loneliness through powerful imagery and description. The father travels daily in a crowded train but remains isolated, his “unseeing eyes” showing detachment from the world around him. His soggy clothes, muddy raincoat, and torn bag show his neglected and joyless existence. At home, he receives no comfort, only weak tea, stale chapati, and indifferent children who refuse to share their lives with him. His only escape is through dreams of the past and future. Thus, the poet highlights the deep loneliness of old age in modern society.
Q2. How does Dilip Chitre describe the father’s journey on the train?
Ans. Dilip Chitre presents the father’s journey as monotonous and joyless. The father travels on the late evening train, standing among silent commuters under the dull yellow light. The suburbs slide past his “unseeing eyes,” indicating that he is detached and lost in thought. His clothes are soggy, his raincoat stained with mud, and his bag, stuffed with books, is falling apart. This imagery shows the hardships of daily life in the city. His aging eyes fade homeward through the humid monsoon night. The simile “like a word dropped from a long sentence” further emphasizes his insignificance in the crowd.
Q3. What picture of home life is presented in the poem?
Ans. The home life presented in the poem is dull, joyless, and lonely. When the father returns home, he drinks weak tea and eats a stale chapati while reading a book. His food is simple, neglected, and unappetizing, showing a lack of care from the family. He then goes into the toilet, where he contemplates the alienation of man in the modern world. His children refuse to share jokes or secrets with him, which reveals the absence of warmth and communication. This lack of emotional bonding at home makes the father’s life more painful than his exhausting daily commute.
Q4. How does the poet highlight the theme of alienation in this poem?
Ans. Alienation from the modern world and the family is the central idea of this poem. In society, he travels among silent commuters but remains unnoticed, symbolized by the line “like a word dropped from a long sentence.” His clothes are shabby, and his bag is worn out, reflecting neglect. At home, he faces further isolation, with weak tea and stale food. His children refuse to communicate with him, deepening his loneliness. The father escapes into memories of ancestors and dreams of grandchildren, highlighting his disconnection from the present. The poem captures man’s estrangement in urban life.
Q5. Explain the significance of the simile “like a word dropped from a long sentence.”
Ans. The simile “like a word dropped from a long sentence” is very powerful in expressing the father’s sense of insignificance and alienation. Just as a dropped word is unnoticed in a long sentence, the father too is unobserved in the crowd of commuters. He has become isolated in the fast-paced modern world. The simile also highlights his loneliness and lack of belonging, despite being surrounded by people. This image conveys not just the father’s condition but also the universal plight of old age in urban society, where individuals lose importance and identity as they grow older.
Q6. What does the father do after returning home?
Ans. After returning home, the father leads a monotonous and neglected life. He drinks weak tea, eats a stale chapati, and reads a book. He then goes into the toilet, where he contemplates the estrangement of man in the man-made world, reflecting his awareness of alienation. When he comes out, he shakes as cold water runs over his hands, and water droplets cling to his grey hairs. His children remain indifferent and refuse to share their jokes and secrets with him, which increases his loneliness. Finally, he goes to sleep, listening to the static on the radio and dreaming.
Q7. How are the father’s physical features described in the poem?
Ans. The poet carefully describes the father’s physical features to reflect his age and struggles. His eyes are “dimmed by age,” suggesting weakness. His shirt and pants are soggy, and his raincoat is stained with mud, showing his hardships in the monsoon. His bag, stuffed with books, is falling apart, symbolizing his declining condition. When he comes out of the toilet, he trembles at the sink as cold water runs over his hands, highlighting his frailty. Droplets of water cling to the grey hair on his wrists, further showcasing his old age and declining physical strength.
Q8. How do the father’s children treat him, and how does he react?
Ans. The father’s children treat him with indifference. They are described as sullen and refuse to share jokes or secrets with him. This shows a lack of communication, affection, and warmth in the family. The children’s behavior hurts the father and deepens his sense of isolation. Instead of reacting outwardly, the father turns inward. He goes to sleep listening to the static on the radio and retreats into his dreams. He imagines his ancestors, his grandchildren, and nomads entering the subcontinent, reflecting his desire to escape from his present reality into the world of memory and imagination.
Q9. What role do dreams play in the life of the father?
Ans. Dreams play an important role in the life of the father because they provide him with an escape and solace from his harsh present reality. Neglected by his family and isolated from society, the father finds comfort in dreaming of his ancestors and grandchildren. This allows him to connect with both his past and his future, even though he feels alienated in the present. His dream of nomads entering the subcontinent suggests thoughts of history, migration, and continuity. Through dreams, the father finds a way to feel connected to humanity, since his present life is filled with loneliness.
Q10. In what ways does the poem show the father’s resilience despite his loneliness?
Ans. The poem shows the father as an old man who, despite being lonely and tired, continues with his daily routine without complaint. He travels every evening on a crowded train, standing quietly among others while his clothes are wet, his raincoat muddy, and his bag falling apart. At home, he eats simple food, drinks weak tea, and faces the indifference of his children. Yet, he does not give up; he moves forward, hurrying home through the mud and the monsoon night. His dreams of ancestors, grandchildren, and nomads reveal his strength and imagination, showing that even in isolation, he finds ways to endure and survive.