This post ‘From the Diary of Anne Frank NCERT Solutions Class 10 English’ provides NCERT solutions for Class 10th English First Flight Chapter 4 From the Diary of Anne Frank. I recommend first read the summary of From the Diary of Anne Frank to understand the questions of this chapter better.
Before You Read Activity 1 (Match the terms)
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| (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 your thoughts and feelings or what has happened 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) |
Activity 2 (Which record is each entry from?)
(i) Diary (ii) Log (iii) Journal (iv) Memoir
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 51)
Q.1. What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?
Ans. She had never written anything before, and she felt that neither she nor anyone else would ever be interested in the thoughts of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl.
Q.2. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?
Ans. Because she has no true friend to confide in. She feels a strong need to get all kinds of things off her chest, so she decides to make the diary her friend and calls it ‘Kitty’.
Q.3. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?
Ans. Because “paper has more patience than people”. The diary would listen without interrupting or judging her, and she did not intend to let anyone else read it.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 51, second)
Q.1. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?
Ans. Because she is writing to Kitty as though to a real friend. Without knowing about her family and her past, Kitty would not understand a word of her stories.
Q.2. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?
Ans. She writes that no one knows how often she thinks of her grandmother and still loves her. On her birthday in 1942, Grandma’s candle was lit along with the others in her memory.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 54)
Q.1. Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?
Ans. He was annoyed because Anne talked too much in class. After several warnings he gave her extra homework (an essay) on the subject ‘A Chatterbox’.
Q.2. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?
Ans. She argued that talking is a student’s trait and that she would try to control it, but could never cure herself of it, because her mother talked as much as she did and nothing can be done about inherited traits.
Q.3. Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?
Ans. Yes, he was strict at first; he warned Anne repeatedly and punished her with three essays. But he was not harsh. He had a good sense of humour, laughed at her arguments and later even began joking with her.
Q.4. What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?
Ans. Her third essay, a poem written in verse with her friend Sanne’s help. It was about a mother duck and a father swan whose three ducklings were bitten to death for quacking too much. Mr Keesing took the joke in the right spirit, read the poem to several classes, and from then on allowed Anne to talk.
From the Diary of Anne Frank Thinking about the Text Question Answer
Q.1. Was Anne right when she said the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?
Ans. No, she was completely wrong. Her diary was translated into many languages and became one of the most widely read books in the world. It is a moving record of Jewish life under Nazi rule and shows a mature, insightful mind.
Q.2. Compare the entries in ‘Before You Read’ with Anne’s diary. What language was it originally written in? How is her diary different?
Ans. The sample entries are short and factual. Anne’s diary is long, personal and full of her thoughts and feelings, written like a letter to a friend called Kitty. It was originally written in Dutch.
Q.3. Why does Anne give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?
Ans. She gives the sketch so that Kitty can follow her story from the beginning. She treats Kitty as an insider, a close, trusted friend whom she addresses as ‘Dearest Kitty’ and to whom she tells everything.
Q.4. How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?
Ans. She calls her father the most adorable father she has ever seen, still loves and misses her dead grandmother, parted from Mrs Kuperus in tears, and though she calls Mr Keesing an “old fogey”, she appreciates his sense of humour. These show that Anne was a loving, sensitive and honest girl who valued relationships deeply, and who could also be witty and frank in her judgements.
Q.5. What does Anne write in her first essay?
Ans. In her essay ‘A Chatterbox’ she wrote that talking is a student’s trait, that she would do her best to control it, but that she could never cure it, for her mother talked just as much, and inherited traits cannot be helped.
Q.6. Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?
Ans. Yes. He punished Anne with essays, yet laughed heartily at her arguments. When she mocked him in a poem, instead of getting angry he read it aloud to his class and to other classes as well, allowed her to talk, and began making jokes himself.
Q.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.
(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.
(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.
(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.
Ans. (i) She is honest and self-critical; she is ready to blame herself for not being able to confide in her friends, and longs for a deeper friendship.
(ii) She is imaginative and lonely; she does not want a record of dry facts but a living friend to talk to.
(iii) She has a sense of humour and can laugh at herself, though the words also hint that she felt a little less important than Margot.
(iv) She is frank, bold and outspoken, and a sharp observer of the people around her.
(v) She is intelligent and hardworking; she is not satisfied with rambling but wants to build convincing arguments.
From the Diary of Anne Frank Thinking about Language
I. Compound words
| Word | Meaning | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Heartbreaking | producing great sadness | The news of the accident was heartbreaking. |
| 2. Homesick | missing home and family very much | She felt homesick in her first week at the hostel. |
| 3. Blockhead | (informal) a very stupid person | Don’t be a blockhead — read the question first. |
| 4. Law-abiding | obeying and respecting the law | He is a peaceful, law-abiding citizen. |
| 5. Overdo | do something to an excessive degree | Don’t overdo the salt in the soup. |
| 6. Daydream | think about pleasant things, forgetting the present | She sat by the window and began to daydream. |
| 7. Breakdown | an occasion when vehicles/machines stop working | Our bus had a breakdown on the highway. |
| 8. Output | something produced by a person, machine or organisation | The factory’s output has doubled this year. |
II. Phrasal Verbs
1. Meanings
- plunge (right) in: to begin suddenly, without any preparation
- kept back: not promoted to the next class
- ramble on: to talk or write aimlessly for a long time
- get along with: to have a good relationship with
2. Match with meanings
| Phrasal verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (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 |
Are their meanings the same as those of their parts? No. The meaning of a phrasal verb is usually quite different from the meanings of the separate words that form it.
III. Idioms
1. Meanings
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (i) quaking in its boots | trembling with fear and nervousness |
| (ii) not to lose heart | not to lose courage or hope |
| (iii) for ages | for a very long time |
| (iv) the joke was on him | he himself became the object of laughter |
2. Sentences of your own
- caught my eye: A bright red kite caught my eye as I crossed the field.
- he’d had enough: After hours of noise, he’d had enough and shut the window.
- laugh ourselves silly: We laughed ourselves silly at his imitation of the coach.
- can’t bring myself to: I can’t bring myself to tell her the bad news.
IV. Expressions with ‘heart’
| Expression | Meaning | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 1. break somebody’s heart | make someone very sad | His failure broke his mother’s heart. |
| 2. close/dear to heart | very important to someone | This old watch is very dear to my heart. |
| 3. from the (bottom of your) heart | very sincerely | I thank you from the bottom of my heart. |
| 4. have a heart | be kind and show mercy | Have a heart and let the boy rest. |
| 5. have a heart of stone | be cruel and unfeeling | Only a man with a heart of stone could ignore such misery. |
| 6. your heart goes out to somebody | you feel great sympathy for someone | My heart goes out to the flood victims. |
V. Contracted Forms
1. Contracted forms in the text
I’ve = I have; I’m = I am; it’s = it is; don’t = do not; doesn’t = does not; didn’t = did not; won’t = will not; can’t = cannot; that’s = that is; there’s = there is; they’re = they are; we’ll = we shall/will; who’ll = who will; you’re = you are; haven’t = have not; wasn’t = was not; I’d = I had/I would; he’d = he had/he would; Keesing’s = Keesing is; G.’s = G. is.
2. Contracted forms that stand for two different full forms
- I’d = I had or I would
- he’d = he had or he would
- there’s = there is or there has
- she’s = she is or she has
Speaking: the extract with contracted forms
MOB: Now where’s your husband, mistress? MARY: In his bed. He’s sick, and weary. You wouldn’t 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! HOB: And now for your husband! MARY: Neighbours, he’s a sick man and almost a cripple. You wouldn’t 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…
Writing: keeping a diary
Remember these points: write as though for another reader, be brief, use words that convey feelings, and use everyday ‘diary language’ like short forms (I’m, didn’t), subjectless sentences and fragments.
Sample entry
Monday, 14 July
Dearest Diary,
Woke up late again: the alarm rang, I heard it, and went straight back to sleep. Reached school just as the gate was closing. Maths test today; the last two sums beat me completely, though the rest went well. Sushma has stopped speaking to me over something I said on Saturday, and I still don’t know what it was. Rained heavily in the evening, so no cricket. Spent the time reading instead, which turned out to be better. Must sleep early tonight. Must.
Yours, [your name]
Listening: The Great Fire of London (complete the summary)
This entry has been made on 2 September 1666 (Lord’s Day) by Samuel Pepys. The person who told Pepys about the fire was called Jane. She called at about three in the morning. Pepys went back to sleep because he thought the fire was far enough away. Pepys rose again at about 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.
