From the Diary of Anne Frank - Q&A

Activity (Page 2)

1. Do you keep a diary? Given below under 'A' are some terms we use to describe a written record of personal experience. Can you match them with their descriptions under 'B'?

(i) Journal

A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every day

(ii) Diary

A book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your thoughts and feelings or what has happened on that day

(iii) Log

A written record of events with times and dates, usually official

(iv) Memoir(s)

A record of a person's own life and experiences (usually, a famous person)

2. Here are some entries from personal records. Use the definitions above to decide which of the entries might be from a diary, a journal, a log or a memoir.

(i) I woke up very late today and promptly got a scolding from Mum! I can't help it - how can I miss the FIFA World Cup matches?

Ans: Diary

(ii) 10:30 a.m. Went to the office of the Director
01:00 p.m. Had lunch with Chairman
05:45 p.m. Received Rahul at the airport
09:30 p.m. Dinner at home

Ans: Log

(iii) The ride to Ooty was uneventful. We rested for a while every 50 km or so, and used the time to capture the magnificent landscape with my HandyCam. From Ooty we went on to Bangalore. What a contrast! The noise and pollution of this once-beautiful city really broke my heart.

Ans: Journal

(iv) This is how Raj Kapoor found me all wet and ragged outside R.K.Studios. He was then looking for just someone like this for a small role in Mera Naam Joker, and he cast me on the spot. The rest, as they say, is history!

Ans: Memoir

Oral Comprehension Check (Page 4)

1. What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?

Writing in a diary is a strange experience for Anne Frank because she has never written anything before. Also, she feels that later on, neither she nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl.

2. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

Anne wants to keep a diary because she does not have a "real friend" to whom she can confide her feelings. She wants to get things off her chest.

3. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?

Anne believed that "paper has more patience than people." She felt she couldn't get close enough to her friends to talk about anything other than ordinary everyday things, whereas a diary would listen patiently without judgment.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page 4)

1. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?

Anne provides a brief sketch of her life because she treats her diary, 'Kitty', as a friend. She feels that no one would understand her stories to Kitty if she plunged right in without providing some context or background about herself and her family.

2. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?

The text mentions that Anne thinks of her grandmother often and still loves her. Also, during her birthday celebration in 1942, a candle was lit specifically for her grandmother, showing her deep affection.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page 7)

1. Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?

Mr Keesing was annoyed with Anne because she talked too much in class. As punishment, he asked her to write an essay on the subject 'A Chatterbox'.

2. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?

Anne justified her talking by arguing that it was a student's trait. She also mentioned that she could not cure herself of the habit because her mother talked as much as she did, implying it was an inherited trait that she couldn't control.

3. Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?

Yes, Mr Keesing was a strict teacher because he did not tolerate Anne talking in class and punished her multiple times. However, he was also sporting enough to take a joke when Anne wrote a poem about him, showing he wasn't rigid.

4. What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?

Anne's third assignment was a poem about a father swan biting his ducklings to death because they quacked too much. Mr Keesing took the joke in the right spirit, enjoyed the poem, and was so impressed that he allowed Anne to talk in class thereafter without assigning extra homework.

Thinking about the Text (Page 7)

1. Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?

No, Anne was not right. Her diary became one of the most widely read books in the world, translated into many languages, and she became one of the most renowned victims of the Holocaust.

2. There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the 'Before You Read' section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne's diary different?

Anne's diary was originally written in Dutch. Her diary is different from a standard log or journal because she treats the diary as a personal friend named 'Kitty'. Instead of just recording dry facts, she confides her private thoughts and feelings in it.

3. Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat 'Kitty' as an insider or an outsider?

Anne gives a brief sketch because she feels no one would understand her entries if she started writing without context. She treats 'Kitty' as an insider, a "true friend" she can confide in, unlike her real-life acquaintances.

4. How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?

* Father: She calls him "adorable." * Grandmother: She loves and misses her deeply. * Mrs Kuperus: She was attached to her and they had a "heartbreaking farewell." * Mr Keesing: She initially found him an "old fogey" and annoying, but later shared a joke with him.
These tell us that Anne was an affectionate, emotional, and observant girl who valued relationships.

5. What does Anne write in her first essay?

In her first essay titled 'A Chatterbox', Anne argued that talking is a student's trait. She promised to try and keep it under control but admitted she couldn't cure it completely because it was an inherited trait from her mother.

6. Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?

Yes, Mr Keesing proves to be unpredictable. Initially, he is strict and punishes Anne for talking. However, after reading her witty poem, his attitude changes completely. He takes the joke sportingly, reads it to the class, and stops punishing her, which was an unexpected reaction.

7. What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?

(i) We don't seem to be able to get any closer, and that's the problem. Maybe it's my fault that we don't confide in each other.

This shows Anne is self-aware and longs for a deep, emotional connection, acknowledging her own difficulty in opening up.

(ii) I don't want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would, but I want the diary to be my friend.

This shows she is imaginative and has a need for true companionship, valuing feelings over dry facts.

(iii) Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot.

This shows her sense of humor and perhaps a slight feeling of being secondary or just a "part of the package" in the family dynamic.

(iv) If you ask me, there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth.

This shows she is critical, intelligent, and has a frank opinion about her peers and the education system.

(v) Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking.

This highlights her wit, intelligence, and sincerity in doing her work properly rather than finding easy shortcuts.

Thinking about Language (Page 8)

I. Match the compound words under 'A' with their meanings under 'B'. Use each in a sentence.

1. Heartbreaking

Meaning: producing great sadness.
Sentence: The news of the accident was heartbreaking.

2. Homesick

Meaning: missing home and family very much.
Sentence: The student felt homesick during his first week at the hostel.

3. Blockhead

Meaning: an informal word which means a very stupid person.
Sentence: Only a blockhead would leave the car unlocked in this area.

4. Law-abiding

Meaning: obeying and respecting the law.
Sentence: He is a law-abiding citizen who always pays his taxes on time.

5. Overdo

Meaning: do something to an excessive degree.
Sentence: You should exercise, but don't overdo it on the first day.

6. Daydream

Meaning: think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present.
Sentence: She tends to daydream about becoming a pilot during math class.

7. Breakdown

Meaning: an occasion when vehicles/machines stop working.
Sentence: The bus had a breakdown, so we were late for school.

8. Output

Meaning: something produced by a person, machine or organisation.
Sentence: The factory has doubled its daily output of cars.

II. Phrasal Verbs (Page 9)

2. Find the sentences in the lesson that have the phrasal verbs given below. Match them with their meanings.

(i) plunge in

go straight to the topic

(ii) kept back

not promoted

(iii) move up

go to the next grade

(iv) ramble on

speak or write without focus

(v) get along with

have a good relationship with

(vi) calm down

make (them) remain quiet

(vii) stay in

stay indoors

(viii) make up for

compensate

(ix) hand in

give an assignment (homework) to a person in authority (the teacher)

III. Idioms (Page 9-10)

1. Here are a few sentences from the text which have idiomatic expressions. Can you say what each means?

(i) Our entire class is quaking in its boots.

Meaning: Shaking with fear and nervousness.

(ii) Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart.

Meaning: Not to lose hope or feel discouraged.

(iii) Mr Keesing was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much.

Meaning: For a very long time.

(iv) Mr Keesing was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I'd make sure the joke was on him.

Meaning: The tables would be turned; he would be the one who looked foolish or was outsmarted, not her.

2. Here are a few more idiomatic expressions that occur in the text. Try to use them in sentences of your own.

(i) caught my eye

The beautiful painting instantly caught my eye as I entered the room.

(ii) he'd had enough

The teacher said he'd had enough of the noise and asked the class to be silent.

(iii) laugh ourselves silly

We watched the comedy show and laughed ourselves silly.

(iv) can't bring myself to

I can't bring myself to throw away my childhood toys.

IV. Using a Dictionary (Page 11)

Now find out the meanings of the following expressions using the word 'heart'. Use each of them in a sentence of your own.

1. break somebody's heart

Meaning: To make someone very sad.
Sentence: Failing the exam would break her heart.

2. close/dear to heart

Meaning: Very important to someone.
Sentence: This charity project is very close to my heart.

3. from the (bottom of your) heart

Meaning: Very sincerely or genuinely.
Sentence: I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help.

4. have a heart

Meaning: To be kind and compassionate.
Sentence: Have a heart! Don't make them work on a holiday.

5. have a heart of stone

Meaning: To be cruel and unfeeling.
Sentence: You must have a heart of stone to ignore that crying puppy.

6. your heart goes out to somebody

Meaning: You feel great sympathy for someone.
Sentence: My heart goes out to the families who lost their homes in the flood.

V. Contracted Forms (Page 11)

1. Make a list of the contracted forms in the text. Rewrite them as full forms of two words.

I've = I have
can't = cannot
I'm = I am
don't = do not
it's = it is
won't = will not
I'd = I would / I had
who'll = who will
you're = you are
we'll = we will
didn't = did not
there's = there is
he'd = he had / he would
who's = who is
haven't = have not
doesn't = does not

2. Find in the text the contracted forms that stand for two different full forms, and say what these are.

(i) 'd: stands for would or had.
Example: "I'd better provide..." (I had) vs "I'd worry about that later" (I would).
(ii) 's: stands for is or has.
Example: "it's" (it is) vs "who's" (who is) or "he's" (he has).

Speaking (Page 11-12)

Try to make this extract sound more like a real conversation by changing some of the verbs back into contracted forms.

HOB: Now where's your husband, mistress?

MARY: In his bed. He's sick, and weary. You'd not harm him!

HOB: We're going to smash his evil work to pieces. Where's the machine?

SECOND MAN: On the table yonder.

HOB: Then here's the end of it! [smashes the model. MARY screams.]

HOB: And now for your husband!

MARY: Neighbours, he's a sick man and almost a cripple. You'd not hurt him!

HOB: He's planning to take away our daily bread... We'll show him what we think of him and his ways!

MARY: You've broken his machine... You've done enough...

Listening (Page 12)

Summary of the Great Fire of London

This entry in the diary has been made on September 2nd. The person who told Pepys about the fire was called Jane. She called at three in the morning. Pepys went back to sleep because he thought the fire was far enough off. Pepys rose again at seven in the morning. By then about 300 houses had been burned down. The fire had spread to Fish Street by London Bridge. Pepys then walked to the Tower along with Sir J. Robinson's little son.