| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| 1. Fear or terror | (i) Father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss |
| 2. Glad sense of relief | (ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter |
| 3. A ‘funny’ feeling, perhaps of understanding | (iii) father comes home |
| (iv) speaking to father | |
| (v) going to bed when alone at home | |
| (vi) father comforts her and falls asleep | |
| (vii) father stretched out on the sofa, snoring |
Answers:
Fear or terror – (iii) father comes home
Glad sense of relief – (ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter
A ‘funny’ feeling, perhaps of understanding – (vi) Father comforts her and falls asleep
Kezia was afraid of her father because he was a strict and often scolded he. He worked hard at the office and never took out time to play or talk to her. She was terrified by the way he looked at her over his spectacles. Even his appearance terrified her. He had big hands and a heavy face and a big mouth, especially when he yawned.
2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family?The people in Kezia’s family were her father, mother, grandmother, and herself.
3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine before going to his office and after coming back in the evening?Before going to his office, Kezia's father would give her a casual kiss. In the evening, he would ask for tea, take off his boots, and demand the newspaper and his spectacles.
4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?Kezia’s grandmother asked her to improve communication between her parents. She asked her to talk with them in the drawing-room and suggested she make a beautiful pincushion from yellow silk as a gift for her father’s birthday.
Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him when she decided to make a pin-cushion as a birthday gift for him. She stitched the pin-cushion out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk. To stuff it, she tore up sheets of paper that she found on her father’s desk, thinking they were just scrap. Unfortunately, those papers were her father’s important speech for the Port Authority. When he discovered what she had done, he was furious and punished her severely. Her good intentions led to unintended consequences, causing her father to be more displeased than ever.
2. Kezia decides that there are ‘different kinds of fathers’. What kind of father was Mr. Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?Mr. Macdonald was a loving and playful father. He spent time with his children, played with them, and showed them affection. Kezia observed him laughing, playing, and having fun with his kids. In contrast, her own father was strict, and often distant. Mr. Macdonald’s behavior made Kezia realize that fathers could be kind and nurturing, unlike her own father, who seemed more intimidating and less approachable.
3. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?Kezia began to see her father as a human being who needed her sympathy after a particular night when her mother was hospitalized, and she was left alone with her father. Kezia had a nightmare and woke up screaming. Her father came to her room, comforted her, and took her to his bed. For the first time, she felt his kindness and warmth. She noticed that he was very tired and had a loving side that he rarely showed. This experience made her realize that he, too, had his own struggles and needed care and understanding. She started to understand that her father’s strictness was not because he didn’t love her, but because he had a lot of responsibilities and was often too exhausted to show his softer side.