AN OLD
WOMAN
Arun Kolatkar
I. Answer the
following in a word, a phrase or a sentence each :
1. In the poem ‘An Old Woman’, ‘You’ refers
to______________.
a. the old woman. b. any pilgrim whom the old
woman meets.
c. Khandoba.
Ans: b. any pilgrim
whom the old woman meets
2. What does the old woman offer to do?
a) Take visitors to
horseshoe shrine
b) Take visitors to
temple
c) Take visitors to
dam
Ans: a) Take visitors
to horseshoe shrine
3. Where does the old woman want to take the speaker?
a) Take visitors to
horseshoe shrine
b) Take visitors to
temple
c) Take visitors to
dam
Ans: a) Take visitors
to horseshoe shrine
4. The old woman is __________.
a. a beggar. b. a person with
self-respect.
c. a guide appointed
by the government.
Ans: b. a person with
self-respect
5. The old woman represents __________
a) inhuman social
negligence. b) Greediness.
c) happiness.
Ans: a) inhuman
social negligence.
6. What does the old woman demand for her service?
a) a ten paisa coin b) twenty paisa coin c) 50 paisa coin
Ans: c) 50 paisa coin
7. The old woman sticks to the speaker like a _______.
a) flower b) fevi-stick c) a burr
Ans: c) a burr
8. The old woman’s eyes are compared to ______.
a) bullet holes b) tree holes c) wall holes
Ans: a) bullet holes
9. What does the phrase ‘bullet holes’ stand for?
a) Old woman’s nose b) Old woman’s eyes c) Old woman’s hand
Ans: b) Old woman’s
eyes
10. ‘You want to end the farce.’ Here, “farce” stands for
a. a play that was
enacted there. b. the speaker.
c. the old woman
pestering the speaker.
Ans: c. the old woman
pestering the speaker.
11. Who is referred to as a ‘shatterproof crone’ in the
poem?
a) Old woman b) visitor c) author
Ans: a) old woman
12. Name the shrine mentioned in the poem.
a) Veda shrine b) Horseshoe shrine c) Tiger shrine
Ans: b) Horseshoe
shrine
