Page 74
Question 1.
What did Mr Petronski’s
letter say?
Answer:
Mr Petronski’s letter was to inform the principal and Miss Mason that Wanda
would not come to school as she was fed up of being bullied in the school.
They were going to shift to a bigger place where nobody would make fun of
their last name.
Question 2.
Is Miss Mason angry with the
class, or is she unhappy and upset?
Answer:
Miss Mason seems to be unhappy
and upset rather than angry because she had never expected such a behaviour
from the students. She wants everyone to think about it and asks them not to
do look down anyone in the class.
Question 3.
How does Maddie feel after
listening to the note from Wanda’s father?
Answer:
Maddie feels sorry and ashamed
for the behaviour although she herself did not make fun of Wanda. She never
tried to stop Peggy to do so and remained a silent spectator. She feels as a
coward.
Question 4.
What does Maddie want to
do?
Answer:
Maddie wants to amend her behaviour towards Wanda. She wants to meet her to
apologise. She decides to find Wanda at her house at Boggins Heights. She also
wanted to convey that all was meant in good humour and people really love her.
Page 76
Question 5.
What excuses does Peggy think
of giving in justification of her behaviour? Why?
Answer:
Peggy tries to defend herself
by saying that her
behaviour towards
Wanda inspired her to explore her drawing skills as she sketches a hundred
dresses and that makes her win the drawing contest.
Question 6.
What are Maddie’s thoughts as
they go to Boggins Heights?
Answer:
Maddie was feeling ashamed and apologetic for being a silent spectator while
Peggy humiliated Wanda. She was feeling upset and distraught for Wanda and
herself. She was also repenting for not stopping Peggy for behaving badly with
Wanda.
Question 7.
Why does Wanda’s house remind
Maddie of Wanda’s blue dress?
Answer:
Wanda’s house was sparse, old and laded but neat and clean like her blue
dress that she wore everyday to school. Thus, Maddie was reminded of the same
old blue dress.
Question 8.
What does Maddie think hard
about ? What important decision does she come to?
Answer:
Maddie thinks about not to be
mute spectator anymore that she had been in case of Wanda. She promised
herself about not letting any injustice happen to anyone even if she would
have to lose a friend in this.
Page 79
Question 9.
What did the girls write in
the letter?
Answer:
Maddie and Peggy wrote a friendly letter to Wanda. They wanted to apologise
for their behaviour but they ended up asking her whether she liked her new
school and teacher. They informed her about her sketches winning the drawing
competition. They praised her drawing skills and also told how much other
students liked her art. The letter was just a usual letter one may write to a
good friend.
Question 10.
Did Maddie and Peggy get a
reply? Who was more anxious for a reply? How do you know?
Answer:
No, they didn’t get a reply
from Wanda. Maddie was more anxious for a reply than Peggy because she was
very upset and feeling sad for Wanda. She had assumed that Wanda was deeply
hurt so she was not replying and blamed herself for everything. Maddie used to
have sleepless nights and saw frightful dreams about Wanda.
Question 11.
How did the girls know that
Wanda liked them even though they had teased her?
Answer:
Both Maddie and Peggy realised
that Wanda liked them although they had teased her because she had gifted them
her two beautiful dresses, a green one with red trimmings to Peggy and the
blue one to Maddie. She had even drawn their faces in the painting of the
dresses they got.
Thinking about the Text
(Page
79,80)
Question 1.
Why do you think Wanda’s
family moved to a different city? Do you think life there was going to be
different for their family?
Answer:
Wanda’s family moved to a different city due to the racist and insulting
behaviour of students towards Wanda and her brother. They were teased by other
students for their funny name and blue dress. Life there in a different city
was going to be different because people there did not have such a narrow mind
and would not tease them because of their name or status.
Question 2.
Maddie thought her silence
was as bad as Peggy’s teasing. Was she right ?
Answer:
Yes, Maddie thought that her
silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing because it is often said that turning a
blind eye to a crime is worse than committing a crime. So by being silent she
indirectly encouraged Peggy to do so.
Question 3.
Peggy says, “I never thought
she had sense to know we were making fun of her anyway. I thought she was too
dumb. And gee, look how she can draw!”What led Peggy to believe that Wanda was
dumb ? Did she change her opinion later ?
Answer:
Wanda never replied to Peggy ‘s
misbehaviour and pranks that she faced everyday. So, her neutral face and
unusual behaviour led Peggy to think that Wanda was dumb. Wanda even described
the hundred dresses she said about though she wore the same old faded blue
dress everyday. But later Peggy’ changed her opinion after having a look on
Wanda’s sketches and her gesture of gifting her a beautiful drawing from her
collection.
Question 4.
What important decision did
Maddie make? Why did she have to think hard to do so ?
Answer:
Maddie decided to go to Wanda’s
house with Peggy to apologise and amend for all that had happened but Wanda
had left her house with her family. She felt bad because she thought of
herself as a coward who did not stop Peggy to insult Wanda. So, she decided to
raise voice against injustice and bullying. She was firm of not being a mute
spectator anymore.
Question 5.
Why do you think Wanda gave
Maddie and Peggy the drawings of the dresses ? Why are they surprised ?
Answer:
When Maddie and Peggy wrote a
letter to Wanda, she might have understood their feelings behind their letter
and during the dresses game, she had observed both of them. So she requested
Miss Mason to give two of her drawings to them and had taught them a lesson of
life. Maddie and Peggy were surprised as she gifted them the drawings with
their faces.
Question 6.
Do you think Wanda really
thought the girls were teasing her ? Why or why not ?
Answer:
Wanda was aware of the
misbehaviour of the girls who teased her everyday “but she remained calm. To
keep them mum she fabricated a story of having a hundred dresses and sixty
pairs of matching shoes in her closet. She taught them a lesson of life by the
drawings of the hundred beautiful dresses she claimed to have.
Thinking about Language
(Page
80,81)
Question 2.
What adjectives can we use to
describe Peggy, Wanda and Maddie? You can choose adjectives from the list
above. You can also add some of your own.
1. Peggy ____
2. Wanda ____
3. Maddie ____
Answer:
1. Peggy Sarcastic, thoughtless, zealous, unforgiving arrogant, cruel,
haughty, proud, vain
2. Wanda Kind,
courteous, introverted, talented, lonely, determined, complacent, contented,
generous, friendly, intrepid, sensitive, compassionate, creative.
3. Maddie Insipid, timid, placid, stolid
Question 3.
Find the sentences in the
story with the following phrasal verbs.
lined up, thought up, took off, stood by
Answer:
1. Lined up She thought of the
glowing picture of those hundred dresses all lined up in the classroom.
2. Thought up Peggy who had thought up this game and Maddie her inseparable
friend, were always ‘the last to leave.
3. Took off Miss Mason took off her glasses, blew on them and wiped them on
her soft white handkerchief.
4. Stood by
She had stood by silently and that was just as bad as what Peggy had done.
Question 4.
Colours are used to describe
feelings, moods and emotions. Match the following ‘colour expressions’ with a
suggested paraphrase.
1. The Monday morning blues : feel embarrassed /angry /ashamed
2. Go red in the face : feel very sick, as if about to vomit
3. Look green : sadness or depression after a weekened of fun
4. The red carpet : the sign or permission to begin an action
5. Blue-blooded : a sign of surrender or acceptance of defeat; a wish to stop fighting
6. A green belt : in an unlawful act; while doing something wrong
7. A blackguard : a photographic print of building plans; a detailed plan or scheme
8. A grey area : land around a town or city where construction is prohibited by law
9. A white flag : an area of a subject or a situation where matters are not very clear
10. A blue print : a dishonest person with no sense of right or wrong
11. Red-handed : a special welcome
12. The green light : of noble birth or from a royal family
Answer:
1. The Monday morning blues : sadness or depression after a weekend of fun
2. To go red in the face : feel embarrassed /angry/ashamed
3. Look green : feel very sick, as if about to vomit
4. The red carpet : a special welcome
5. Blue – blooded : of noble birth or from a royal family
6. A green belt : land around a town or city where construction is prohibited by law
7. Black guard : a dishonest person with no sense of right or wrong
8. A grey area : an area of a subject or a situation where matters are not very
clear.
9. A white flag : a sign of surrender or acceptance of defeat; a wish to stop fighting
10. A blue print : a photographic print of building plans; a detailed clan or scheme
11. Red-handed : in an unlawful act; while doing something wrong
12. The green light : the sign of permission to begin an action