UP Board Solutions for Class 11 English Short Story Chapter 1 Pen Pal all question and answers free pdf

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UP Board Solutions for Class 11 English Short Story Chapter 1 Pen Pal पाठ का हिंदी अनुवाद free pdf — UP Board Solutions for Class 11 English Short Story Chapter 1 Pen Pal all question and answers free pdf

UP Board Solutions for Class 11 Pdf download all subjects are the part of UP Board Solutions. Here we have given UP Board Books Class 11th english short story chapter 1 Solutions Pdf.

Long Answer Type Questions
Answer each of the following questions in about 150 words:

1- Why was the author so keen to have a pen pal? Why did he choose to buy an expensive writing pad? What prompted him to buy a writing pad of pink sheets?

Ans: Introduction: The story ‘Pen Pal’ is a true incident of the author’s life. He states here how the thought related to this incident came to his mind.

Keen for pen pal: The author was a 21 year old college student. He saw the boys and girls of his class receiving fat airmail envelopes and parcels from their pen pals. It was the fashion of those days to have pen pals. One morning he came across a page in a popular Bombay magazine that printed addresses of young people from all over the world who sought pen pals in India. So the author picked out the address of one Alice H. in Los Angeles, California in U.S.A.

Expensive writing pad: As his pen pal belonged to U.S.A. a rich nation of the world, the author chose to buy an expensive writing pad.

Pad of pink sheets: A girl from his class had once given him a clue of a woman’s heart. She had confessed that she loved reading letters on pink sheets. Thus the author got an impression that girls usually loved reading letters on pink sheets. He therefore bought an expensive pad of pink sheets to write to Alice H.

Conclusion: The author was going to begin a romance. He therefore acted in a romantic way.

2- Why did Alice become a pen pal of the author? How did she avoid to reveal her identity to the author?

Ans: Introduction: Pen Pal, is a well-known autobiographical story of G. Srinivas Rao. When he was a college student, he had seen boys and girls of his own class receiving fat airmail envelopes from their pen pals. In those days, it became a fashion to have a pen pal. He, too, did not fail in his attempt to have a pen pal.

Pen-palship: The author selected a girl from America. Her name was Alice H. She must be beautiful and rich. The very idea was exciting. He began to write her very carefully.

Her response: Alice H. had not asked for a pen pal. When she received his first letter, she amazed to know how her address got into the pen pal column in India. But she did not want to break the heart of the author. She, therefore, wrote to him:

"I have never asked for a pen friend. You want me as a pen pal and here I am." Thus she accepted the author as her pen pal.

Her identity: Alice also wrote a letter in return. But she was very careful in her correspondence. She knew that she was an old lady and her pen pal was a young college student. So, she decided to hide her real age. When author asked her to send her latest photograph. Alice wrote that she had no picture just then, but she might send one some other day. Alice also advised her friend to send her photograph to her pen pal only after her death. The friend kept the promise and send her photograph after her accidental death.

3- Narrate the story of ‘Pen Pal’ in your own words.

Ans: Introduction: The story writer G. Srinivas Rao was a college student aged 21 years. One day while reading a popular Bombay magazine, he saw some addresses of young people who wanted pen friends from India.

Correspondence began: He selected the address of Alice H. in Los Angeles. He wrote a small letter on a pink sheet and posted it. The reply came. Though Alice had not asked for a friend yet she agreed to be his friend. The author was very happy to receive the letter from Alice. Now they started to write letters to each other. Alice sent him books, magazines and small keepsakes.

A sense of romance: The author felt some romance. He thought that she was rich and beautiful. He asked for her picture. Alice replied that she had no picture just then. But she might send one some day.

A new letter: One day the author received a large packet. It was from the home-town of Alice. The handwriting was feminine but it was not of Alice. Perhaps it was a new friend.

All about Alice: The writer of this new letter was a close friend of Alice. Alice had died in a car accident. She was 78. She could not see the fast speeding car.

The photograph: In that letter there was also a photograph of Alice. She has requested her friend to send it to the author only after her death. Her face had beauty and compassion in it. He felt that he would have tenderly loved the face of the old woman even when he was a shy college boy.

Conclusion: The story is real. It was an experience of his life. It is for us to decide whether it was pleasant or unpleasant. In my humble opinion it was a pleasant experience.

4- How was the author encouraged to win a Pen Pal? What did he do for it? What was the outcome?

Ans: See question no. 3 for answer.

5- Write the character of author in your own words.

Ans: The author is 21 year old college student. By seeing that his friends are receiving letters by their pen pals in foreign countries, he gets inspired to have a pen pal. After receiving the reply of his letter he imagined that his pen pal must be a rich, most beautiful and gracious lady. He was shy in nature, so he did not ask the age of her pen pal. He uses pink sheets to write letters so that he can impress his pen pal as his classmate once told that girls love reading letters on pink sheets. He was a young boy, full of adolescence so he made his all efforts to impress his foreign pen pal and asked for her photograph. He was a sincere and caring person as he used to send good wishes and get well soon cards to his pen pal when she was sick.

Short Answer Type Questions

Answer each of the following questions in about 30 words:

1- Why did Mr. Rao choose to buy an expensive writing pad of pink sheets?

Ans: He choosed to buy an expensive writing pad to create a good impression on his pen pal. A girl of his class once told him that she loved reading letters on pink sheets. So he bought a writing pad of pink sheets.

2- Who was the author’s pen pal? Where did she live?

Ans: The pen pal of the author was Alice H. She was a rich American lady. She lived in Los Angeles in U.S.A.

3- What was the effect of Alice’s first letter on the author?

Ans: Alice’s first letter made the author happy. He read it again and again. He felt all the music of life. He felt that he was in seventh heaven.

4- Why did Alice not send a picture immediately?

Ans: Alice was an old lady. Her pen pal was a young college student. She did not like to hurt his feelings. So she did not send her photo immediately so her pen pal would not disappointed to know the reality of her age.

5- Who sent a large packet to the author from America?

Ans: A close friend of Alice sent a large packet to the author from America.

6- What was the truth revealed to the author after twenty years in the story ‘Pen Pal’?

Ans: The truth revealed to the author after twenty years was that Alice was 78 year old lady. She was liberal, charming and sympathetic. She died in accident when she was returning home from church.

7- Where did Alice live? How did she become a pen pal?
Ans: Alice was a rich American lady. She lived in Los Angeles in U.S.A. The author picked out the address of Alice from a magazine and wrote to her to be his pen pal. Alice wrote back accepting the proposal. In this way she became the pen pal of the writer. Alice died in a tragic accident when she was returning from the church as she could not see the fast speeding car.

Appreciating the Story A.
Choose the most suitable option:

1- Author’s pen pal was: (i) an Indian young girl
(ii) an Indian old lady (iii) an American young girl
(iv) an American old lady
Ans:– (iv) an American old lady

2- The author was careful in his correspondence with Alice because:
(i) English was a foreign language for him.
(ii) he had a sense of romance in the corner of this heart for Alice
(iii) he was quite unknown about the American girl.
(iv) none of the above
Ans:– (iii) he was quite unknown about the American girl.

B. Answer each of the following questions about 150 words:

1- Why does the author call the correspondence with Alice a game of hide-and-seek?

Ans: When the author asked Alice for her photograph, she refused saying that she is not more beautiful than an average American girl. In this way, she tried to hide her identity. The author did not know the age nor had any photograph to recognise his pen pal Alice. Alice told him in her letter that she will send him her photograph one day as she realised the emotion of a twenty one year old boy. In this, way she tried to hide her identity. Therefore, the author called the correspondence with Alice a game of hide-and-seek as he did not have anything to recognise Alice nor was she ready to send her photograph.

2- Why was the author careful in his correspondence with Alice?

Ans: The author was very careful in his correspondence with Alice because his pen pal belonged to U.S.A. He thought that she must be a rich, beautiful and young girl. Moreover, as she was American so her native language was English and for the author it was a foreign language, learnt with great pain. The author bought an expensive writing pad of pink sheet in order to impress Alice as once his classmate told him that girls love to read letters written in pink sheets. The author felt some romance as he thought that Alice was beautiful and young therefore he asked for her picture. But Alice replied that she had no picture just then but will send one some day. Alice accepted the author as her pen pal though she mentioned that she did not asked for a pen pal so it was one of the major reason that the author was careful about his correspondence with Alice.

3- Why did Alice advise her friend to send her photograph to the author only after she (Alice) was died?

Ans: Her promise: The writer had requested Alice to send him her photo. She knew that he would find from the photo that she was old. So she replied that she had no photo just then. But she had written to the author that she might send him her photo some day. It was necessary to keep her promise. There could be many possible results of seeing her photo: he would be disappointed and angry, and would stop the correspondence. But she was a kind lady and did not want to disappoint him. She was happy to hear from him and did not want the correspondence to stop. These things would not matter much after her death. So she advised her friend to send her photograph to the author only after her death. Her promise was kept. There would be no harm then. The correspondence would automatically stop after her death. Alice friend kept the promise and send her photograph to the author only after her death.