Stories of Childhood | Lesson 8 | Class 12th | Questions and Answers

 




The Cutting of My Long Hair

(Short Answer Type Questions)

Q1. Why did Zitkala-Sa feel herself securely tied? What was the environment there?

Ans: Zitkala-Sa felt securely tied because she was tightly bound to a chair to stop her resistance. The environment was frightening, strange, and oppressive, full of white women who treated her cruelly.


Q2. How were the Indian girls there and what did they feel?

Ans: The Indian girls were silent, frightened, and obedient. They felt confused, scared, and helpless due to strict discipline and unfamiliar customs.


Q3. Why was the small bell tapped and what did they do then?

Ans: The small bell was tapped to signal routine activities. On hearing it, the girls lined up quietly and followed instructions without question.


Q4. What happened when a second bell was sounded?

Ans: When the second bell rang, the girls entered the dining hall and took their seats silently to eat their food.


Q5. Who was the paleface woman? What was she doing?

Ans: The paleface woman was a white woman at the boarding school. She was supervising and forcing Indian girls to follow the school rules.


Q6. Who was Judewin? What did she tell Zitkala-Sa?

Ans: Judewin was Zitkala-Sa’s friend. She told her that resistance was useless and warned her that her hair would surely be cut.


Q7. What did Zitkala-Sa’s mother tell about the cutting of hair?

Ans: Zitkala-Sa’s mother told her that cutting hair was a sign of shame and mourning in their culture.


Q8. Where did Zitkala-Sa reach to escape from haircutting?

Ans: Zitkala-Sa hid under a bed in a dark room to escape from having her hair cut.


Q9. What happened when Zitkala-Sa was being searched?

Ans: She was dragged out from under the bed by the women and taken forcibly for haircutting.


Q10. What was being done with Zitkala-Sa when she was searched?

Ans: She was held tightly, overpowered, and tied to a chair to prevent her from resisting.


Q11. What did Zitkala-Sa feel after cutting of her hair?

Ans: She felt humiliated, defeated, and deeply hurt as her cultural identity was destroyed.


📘 The Cutting of My Long Hair

(Long Answer Type Questions)

Q1. Who was Zitkala-Sa? Where was she carried? Why did she feel herself securely tied in a bedlam? Explain.

Ans: Zitkala-Sa was a Native American girl taken to a Christian boarding school. She felt trapped like a prisoner because she was forcibly tied to prevent her escape while her hair was cut. The situation felt like a madhouse due to cruelty and oppression.


Q2. What special way of dining did Zitkala-Sa find there? What did Judewin tell her and how did Zitkala-Sa try to escape herself?

Ans: The dining system was controlled by bells and strict discipline. Judewin advised her to submit quietly. Zitkala-Sa tried to escape by hiding under a bed to save her hair.


Q3. How and where did the paleface woman and others search Zitkala-Sa? What happened with her then? How did she remember her mother?

Ans: The women searched every room and found her under a bed. She was dragged out and her hair was cut forcibly. She remembered her mother’s warning that cutting hair was a sign of disgrace.


📗 We Too Are Human Beings

(Short Answer Type Questions)

Q1. How much time did Bama take to reach home from school? Why?

Ans: Bama took at least thirty minutes because she enjoyed observing street life and daily activities on the way.


Q2. What things attracted Bama during the way to home?

Ans: Shops, vendors, animals, street games, political meetings, and people attracted Bama.


Q3. Which were the other entertainments Bama found on the way?

Ans: Watching performances, street quarrels, children playing, and vendors selling goods entertained her.


Q4. How did the waiter cool the coffee in the bazaar?

Ans: The waiter poured the coffee from one container to another repeatedly to cool it.


Q5. Which different sights tethered the legs of Bama and stopped her?

Ans: Street scenes, amusing human behavior, public meetings, and shopkeepers delayed her.


Q6. What fruits were found there according to the season?

Ans: Fruits like mangoes, bananas, guavas, and jackfruits were available seasonally.


Q7. What was set up there in the corner of the street?

Ans: A platform for public meetings and announcements was set up.


Q8. What made Bama double up? Why did she want to laugh?

Ans: She laughed at an elderly man carrying food with a string, finding it funny.


Q9. How did the elder person give the package to the landlord?

Ans: He held the packet by a string without touching it and handed it carefully to the landlord.


Q10. Who was Annan? What did he tell Bama about caste?

Ans: Annan was Bama’s elder brother. He explained that caste discrimination caused such humiliating behavior.


Q11. Why did Bama become angry and what did she want to do then?

Ans: She became angry after learning about untouchability and wanted to fight injustice through education.


Q12. What thoughts came into Bama’s mind after knowing the fact of carrying the package differently?

Ans: She felt ashamed and determined to overcome caste discrimination by studying hard.


📗 We Too Are Human Beings

(Long Answer Type Questions)

Q1. Who was Bama? Why did it take at least thirty minutes for her to reach home from school? What things attracted her on the way?

Ans: Bama was a Dalit schoolgirl. She took long because she observed people, shops, games, meetings, and daily life activities that fascinated her.


Q2. What did she see once in a corner of her street? Which unusual scene made her laugh?

Ans: She saw an elderly man carrying food without touching it. The strange sight made her laugh innocently.


Q3. Why was Annan not amused? What did he tell Bama about caste? What were Bama’s reactions?

Ans: Annan explained that it was caste discrimination. Bama felt angry, sad, and hurt after learning the truth.


Q4. What incident had happened with Annan once? What information do you find by it?

Ans: Annan faced caste discrimination despite being educated. It shows that society treated people unfairly based on caste.


Q5. How did Annan motivate Bama to go ahead in life? Did those words affect her?

Ans: Annan encouraged her to study hard to gain respect. His words deeply influenced Bama and shaped her future.


Akmal, here are ENHANCED (high-quality) summaries of both lessons, written in rich but simple language, suitable for top-grade answers in Class 12 / UP Board exams.
I’ve given English first, then Hindi, with themes clearly highlighted.


The Cutting of My Long Hair – Enhanced Summary

English (Enhanced Summary)

The Cutting of My Long Hair is an autobiographical extract by Zitkala-Sa that exposes the brutal cultural oppression faced by Native American children in white-run boarding schools. Zitkala-Sa is forcibly separated from her traditions and subjected to strict discipline meant to erase her identity. The cutting of her long hair, which in her culture symbolizes honor and freedom, becomes an act of deep humiliation. Despite her resistance, she is overpowered by the authorities. This traumatic experience leaves her emotionally broken but awakened to the cruelty of forced assimilation. The lesson powerfully condemns cultural domination and highlights the pain of losing one’s identity.

Themes:

  • Cultural oppression
  • Loss of identity
  • Resistance and humiliation
  • Colonial domination

हिंदी (विस्तृत सारांश)

The Cutting of My Long Hair ज़िटकाला-सा की आत्मकथात्मक रचना है, जिसमें श्वेत शासकों द्वारा आदिवासी बच्चों पर किए गए सांस्कृतिक अत्याचार को उजागर किया गया है। ईसाई बोर्डिंग स्कूल में बच्चों को अपनी संस्कृति छोड़ने के लिए मजबूर किया जाता है। ज़िटकाला-सा के लंबे बाल, जो उसके समाज में सम्मान और स्वतंत्रता के प्रतीक हैं, जबरन काट दिए जाते हैं। यह घटना उसके आत्मसम्मान को गहरी ठेस पहुँचाती है। यह पाठ जबरन सांस्कृतिक समावेशन की क्रूरता और पहचान की पीड़ा को स्पष्ट रूप से दर्शाता है।

मुख्य विषय:

  • सांस्कृतिक दमन
  • आत्मपहचान की हानि
  • अपमान और प्रतिरोध
  • औपनिवेशिक अत्याचार

📗 We Too Are Human Beings – Enhanced Summary

English (Enhanced Summary)

We Too Are Human Beings is an autobiographical piece by Bama that highlights the deep-rooted caste discrimination in Indian society. Through the innocent eyes of a child, Bama narrates everyday incidents that expose untouchability. A seemingly funny incident later reveals the harsh reality of social inequality. Her brother Annan explains how caste-based oppression denies dignity to certain communities. Instead of surrendering to anger, Bama learns that education is the most powerful weapon against injustice. The lesson is a strong call for equality, human dignity, and social reform.

Themes:

  • Caste discrimination
  • Social injustice
  • Education as empowerment
  • Human dignity and equality

हिंदी (विस्तृत सारांश)

We Too Are Human Beings बामा की आत्मकथात्मक रचना है, जिसमें भारतीय समाज में व्याप्त जातिगत भेदभाव का यथार्थ चित्रण किया गया है। बालपन की एक साधारण घटना धीरे-धीरे एक गंभीर सामाजिक समस्या का रूप ले लेती है। जब बामा को जाति के कारण अपमान का अर्थ समझ आता है, तो वह क्रोधित और दुखी हो जाती है। उसका भाई अन्ना उसे समझाता है कि शिक्षा ही भेदभाव के विरुद्ध सबसे प्रभावी हथियार है। यह पाठ समानता, आत्मसम्मान और सामाजिक न्याय का सशक्त संदेश देता है।

मुख्य विषय:

  • जातिगत भेदभाव
  • सामाजिक अन्याय
  • शिक्षा द्वारा सशक्तिकरण
  • मानव गरिमा और समानता



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