UP Board Class 10 English Chapter 4 – From the Diary of Anne Frank (Prose)

This chapter is an extract from the diary of Anne Frank, a 13-year old Jewish girl. She had written her dairy while hiding with her family and friends in Amsterdam during the German occupation of the Netherlands in Second World War. On 20th June, 1942, Anne Frank started writing her diary, just eight days after her birthday. At first, she wasn’t sure if anyone would care about her thoughts. But she needed to let out her feelings, so she kept writing. Even though, she seemed to have everything-a loving family and some friends, she felt lonely and wanted a true friend. So, she started writing the diary and named it ‘Kitty’.

Anne provides a brief description of her early childhood. Her father and mother moved to Holland from Frankfurt in 1933. Margot, her elder sister, and Anne were sent to Aachen to live with their grandmother for a little while. She tells us that in 1941, her grandma fell ill and died. Anne says that she still misses her grandma.

She also talks about Mrs. Kuperus, her headmistress in the sixth form, and how both of them cried when Anne had to bid. farewell to the school.

After setting her background for the readers, she narrates what is currently happening with her. She tells us that all the students at her school are worried about who would be moving to the next level. She tells us that she and her friends are going to pass, but she is unsure about Maths. She also tells us that her Maths teacher Mr. Keesing was annoyed with her because she talked too much. So, he gave her a punishment to write an essay on the subject ‘A Chatterbox’. Anne wrote about the benefits of talking and even Mr. Keesing laughed at it. However, when she kept talking all through the next class too, she was punished again. She had to write an essay on ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’. Later, she was punished again for talking. This time he assigned her another essay titled ‘Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox. This time Anne wrote a poem on the topic about a mother duck and a father swan with three baby ducklings who were ‘bitten to death by the father because they quacked too much. This time, her teacher took it lightly and recited it in the class and in other classes as well. He even allowed Anne to talk without assigning any extra homework.

यह अध्याय एक 13 वर्षीय यहूदी लड़की, ऐनी फ्रैंक की डायरी का अवतरण है। उसने अपनी डायरी तब लिखी थी, जब वह अपने परिवार और मित्रों के साथ, द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के दौरान जर्मनी के द्वारा नीदरलैण्ड पर आधिपत्य कर लेने के कारण एम्सटरडम में छिपी हुई थी। ऐनी फ्रेंक ने अपने जन्मदिन के मात्र आठ दिनों बाद 20 जून, 1942 को अपनी डायरी लिखना प्रारम्भ किया था। प्रारम्भ में, वह निश्चित नहीं थी कि किसी को उसके विचारों की कोई परवाह होगी, लेकिन उसे अपनी भावनाओं को व्यक्त करने की आवश्यकता थी, इसलिए वह लिखती रही। हालाँकि, ऐसा लगता है कि उसके पास सब कुछ था एक प्यारा परिवार और कुछ मित्र, वह अकेलापन महसूस करती थी और एक सच्चा मित्र चाहती थी। इसलिए, उसने डायरी लिखना प्रारम्भ किया और उसे ‘किट्टी’ नाम दिया।

ऐनी ने अपने पूर्व बाल्यकाल का संक्षिप्त वर्णन प्रस्तुत किया है। उसके पिताजी और माताजी वर्ष 1933 में फ्रेंकफर्ट से हॉलैण्ड चले गए थे। ऐनी की बड़ी बहन, मार्गोट और ऐनी को कुछ समय के लिए आचेन उनकी दादी के साथ रहने के लिए भेजा गया था। वह हमें बताती है कि वर्ष 1941 में, उसकी दादी बीमार हुई और उनकी मृत्यु हो गई। ऐनी कहती है कि वह अभी भी अपनी दादी को याद करती है।

वह अपनी छठी कक्षा की प्रधानाध्यापिका, श्रीमती कृपरस के बारे में भी बात करती है कि कैसे वह दोनों रोए थे, जब ऐनी को विद्यालय छोड़ना पड़ा था।

पाठकों के लिए अपनी पृष्ठभूमि स्थापित करने के उपरान्त, वर्तमान में जो उसके साथ हो रहा था, वह उसका वर्णन करती है। वह हमें बताती है कि उसके विद्यालय के सभी विद्यार्थी इस बारे में चिन्तित थे कि अगली कक्षा में कौन पहुँचेगा? वह हमें बताती है कि वह और उसके मित्र उर्त्तीण हो जाएगे, परन्तु वह गणित के बारे में निश्चित नहीं थी । वह हमें यह भी बताती है कि उसके गणित के अध्यापक, श्रीमान कीसिंग उससे नाराज थे, क्योंकि वह बहुत अधिक बातें करती थी इसलिए, उन्होंने उसे सजा के रूप में एक ‘ A Chatterbox’ विषय पर निबन्ध लिखने के लिए दिया था। ऐनी ने बातें करने के लाभों के बारे में लिखा और श्रीमान कीसिंग को इस पर हँसी भी आई थी। हालाँकि, वह अगली कक्षा में भी लगातार बातें करती रही थी, उसे पुन: सजा मिली। उसे ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’ विषय पर निबन्ध लिखना पड़ा। बाद में, उसे पुनः बात करने पर सजा मिली।

इस बार उन्होंने उसे ‘Quack, Quack, Quack Said Mistress Chatterbox’ नामक शीर्षक पर निबन्ध लेखन का कार्य दिया। इस बार ऐनी ने एक माँ बत्तख और एक हंस पिता तथा उनके तीन बत्तख बच्चों के विषय पर कविता लिखी, जिन्हें उनके पिता ने पीट-पीट कर मार दिया था, क्योंकि वह बहुत ज्यादा बोलते थे। इस बार उसके अध्यापक ने इसे सहजता से समझा और कक्षा में पढ़कर सुनाया, साथ ही उन्होंने इस कविता को अन्य कक्षाओं में भी इस बार पढ़कर सुनाया। उन्होंने ऐनी को अतिरिक्त गृहकार्य का भार ना प्रदान करते हुए बात करने की अनुमति भी प्रदान कर दी।

परीक्षा में पाठ्यपुस्तक के Prose के पाठों से एक Extract दिया जाएगा तथा उस पर आधारित 2 Multiple Choice Questions पूछे जाएँगे, जिनके उत्तर विद्यार्थी को देने होते हैं। यहाँ पर हमने Extracts के साथ 2 अधिक Questions दिए हैं, जो केवल विद्यार्थियों के सम्पूर्ण अभ्यास के लिए है। परीक्षा में 1-1 अंकों के 2 ही Questions पूछे जाते हैं।

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

(a) Hollander Frank

(b) Otto Frank

(c) Margot Frank

(d) Anne Frank

Ans. (d) Anne Frank

(a) Thirteen-year-old

(b) Seventeen-year-old

(c) Sixteen-year-old

(d) Ten-year-old

Ans. (c) Sixteen-year-old

(a) Because she felt lonely

(b) For her friend

(c) For time pass

(d) None of these

Ans. (a) Because she felt lonely

(a) 13th June, 1929

(b) 22nd June, 1929

(c) 17th June, 1929

(d) 12th June, 1929

Ans. (d) 12th June, 1929

(a) twenty-five

(b) twenty-seven

(c) thirty-four

(d) thirty-six

Ans. (d) thirty-six

(a) Apigrated

(b) Emigrated

(c) Exigrated

(d) Semigrated

Ans. (b) Emigrated

(a) Because there is no teacher

(b) Because the exams have been delayed

(c) Because the exams result are to be declared soon

(d) All of the above

Ans. (c) Because the exams result are to be declared soon

(a) To be scared

(b) To be relaxed

(c) To be calm

(d) To be settled

Ans. (a) To be scared

(a) She would expect to pass the exams.

(b) She would expect to fail in the exams.

(c) She would expect not to promote in the next class.

(d) All of the above

Ans. (a) She would expect to pass the exams.

(a) A thirteen-year-old Jewish girl

(b) A ninteen-year-old Jewish girl

(c) A seventeen-year-old Jewish girl

(d) A nineteen-year-old Jewish girl

Ans. (a) A thirteen-year-old Jewish girl

(a) Anne’s friend

(b) Anne’s mother

(c) Anne’s sister

(d) Anne’s father

Ans. (c) Anne’s sister

(a) Her mother

(b) Her sister

(c) Her brother

(d) Her father

Ans. (d) Her father

(a) Anne

(b) Otto Frank

(c) Hollander Frank

(d) Mr. Keesing

Ans. (a) Anne

(a) a real friend

(b) a great time pass

(c) a real hero

(d) a great thing

Ans. (a) a real friend

Ans. Anne Frank is a 13-years-old teenager. She feels that writing in a diary is strange. She believes that no one would be interested in reading her diary. People would think that as a teenager, she would have many people to talk to, but in reality, she doesn’t have any person to talk with.

Hence, she states that having a diary is her need so that she could share her feelings and secrets with someone.

Ans. Anne Frank was a German-born Jewish girl. She wrote a diary while hiding with her family in Amsterdam from Nazis who had occupied the Netherlands during the Second World War.

Ans. Anne Frank was a very bright and intelligent student. Her earliest education was in a Montessori Lyceum in Amsterdam where she studied until she was six.

She started studying there in the first form and in the sixth form, she had developed such a good relation with her headmistress Mrs. Kuperus that both of them were in tears on the farewell day.

Ans. In her dairy, Anne tells us about her father and her grandmother. She states that her father was the most adorable father she had ever seen. For her grandmother, she writes that she loves her and remembers her a lot.

Ans. Anne needs to give a brief sketch about her family to make it understandable for anyone who reads it. According to her, no one would understand her, life if she did not give a brief description of her life. For Anne, her diary ‘Kitty’ is her friend with whom she could share all her secrets. Therefore, she treats ‘Kitty’ as an insider.

Ans. Anne Frank maintained a diary because she wanted to disclose her secrets in it as she had never been able to confide in anyone. She hoped that the diary which she named Kitty would be a great source of comfort to her as she thought that paper had more patience than people.

Ans. In summer of 1941, author’s (Anne’s) birthday had a little celebration. Around that time, her grandmother fell ill and she had to have an operation.

Ans. Anne Frank thinks that paper has more patience than people because it is devoid of all emotions and passions which a human suffers from. She believes that it listens to her patiently through all her words and emotions. She could also confide all her secrets in her diary without getting judged.

Ans. Writing in a diary was a strange experience for Anne Frank as she had never written anything earlier. She also thought that nobody would be interested in reading the thoughts of a thirteen-year-old girl.

Ans. Anne thought that she could confide more in her diary than people because she felt that paper had more patience than people to listen to her thoughts. So, it was easier for her to write all kinds of thoughts which she had in her mind in her diary.

Ans. Mr. Keesing, the Maths teacher was annoyed with Anne because she talked too much in the class.

Mr. Keesing asked Anne to do extra homework as a punishment and asked her to write an essay on the topic ‘A Chatterbox’.

Ans. Anne justified her being a chatterbox in her essay by explaining that talking was a student’s trait and that she would try to cure it. But she finds being talkative to be incurable as she had gained this trait from her mother and no one can cure an inherited trait.

Ans. Yes, I think Mr. Keesing was a strict teacher but he was not rigid. He expected discipline and silence in his class while he was teaching. He punished Anne by asking her to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. When Anne wrote a convincing essay, he received it with a good laugh/humour.

Ans. Anne wrote the essay on the topic Quack Quack Quack said Mistress Chatterbox’ in the form of a poem. She wrote that a father swan had bit his ducklings to death for quacking too much. Mr. Keesing liked this poem and changed his attitude towards Anne. Since then, he had allowed Anne to talk in class.

Ans. Anne wants to keep a diary because she feels that she has no true and sincere friend with whom she could share her secrets. She believed that she could do so with her diary which would act as her best friend. She named her diary ‘Kitty’.

Ans. In her first essay, Anne wrote about her talkative nature. She tried to justify her trait as a characteristic of every student. She also stated that she would try to cure it but was not sure she would be able to do so. She wrote that she had inherited this trait from her mother and no one can cure an inherited trait.

Ans. Introduction Anne Frank was a thirteen-year-old smart and intelligent girl who shared her experiences, happenings and tales through a diary.

Lonely and Sensitive Anne felt lonely because she did not have any friend to talk with. She lived with her family but she could not share her intimate feelings with them. Moreover, she could not go out because of the invasion by German over Holland.

Emotional Anne was an emotional girl. She was strongly attached with her grandmother even after her death. She was also attached to her teacher Mrs. Kuperus and cried when she was separated from her.

Intelligent and Smart Being a smart girl, every time Mr. Keesing gave her an essay on the ‘Chatterbox’ subject, she justified the reason for being talkative. She was a favourite of all her teachers except Mr. Keesing.

Creative Whenever Mr. Keesing gave her a punishment to write an essay on her talkativeness, she represented her arguments in a creative way. Mr. Keesing gave her punishment again and again but she did not improve herself. Instead, she argued that her trait of talkativeness is heredity and she could neither control nor cure it.

Humorous Anne was a humorous girl. She convinced Mr. Keesing everytime by writing the essay with convincing arguments. Everytime Mr. Keesing also laughed at her arguments.

Conclusion Anne was a smart, talkative and intelligent girl who convinced her angry teacher by her arguments.

Ans. Introduction Mr. Keesing was the Maths teacher of Anne Frank. He was an old fogey man who did not like the talkative nature of Anne. He gave several warnings to her but when she did not change herself, he gave her extra homework as punishment to write essays on the subject of Chatterbox.

Disciplined Man Mr. Keesing wanted to make his students disciplined. He did not like noise in the classroom. So, he punished Anne again and again when she was continuously talking in the class.

Strict but Liberal Despite being a strict teacher, Mr. Keesing was a good teacher who didn’t give any physical punishment to his students. He also gave a punishment which could enrich Anne’s creative mind and made her realise her mistake. But Anne was much smarter than Mr. Keesing and convinced him by her arguments.

Well Wisher He loved his students. He was angry with Anne and did not like her talkative nature but he was not her enemy. He only wanted to teach her discipline. He was her well wisher. He did not humiliate her by saying wrong words. He also laughed at her funny arguments.

Ans. Yes, Mr. Keesing is unpredictable. In the beginning, he gave Anne unusual punishments. However, he finally pardoned her altogether. Anne felt that teachers were the most unpredictable creatures on the Earth. First, she was punished by having to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. In this way, he tried to play a joke on her. Each time that he asked her to write such essays, she wrote very well. She kept countering his jokes.

One could not have predicted that he would take all the jokes in the right spirit. Finally, he accepted her talkative nature. He actually allowed her to talk in class. He did not even assign her extra homework any more. It shows Mr. Keesing’s unpredictable nature.

Ans. Anne was very attached to her teacher, Mrs. Kuperus and cried when she was separated from her.

Anne felt that her Maths teacher, Mr. Keesing was very strict and always annoyed with her for her talkative nature. However, Anne was able to justify her talkative nature everytime she was punished by Mr. Keesing. He asked her to write essays as punishment again and again on the common topic of being a chatterbox. On each occasion, he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments.

Anne’s attachment with the people around her shows that she was very lovable and smart. She was also obedient and hardworking. Despite having a talkative nature, she was respectful and fulfilled her duties as a student diligentty.