NCERT Solutions for Class 10

English
Chapter – 4 From the Diary of Anne Frank
Activity

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’? (You may look up the terms in a
dictionary if you wish.)

A B
(i) Journal – 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
(ii) Diary – A full record of a journey, a period
of time, or an event, written every day
(iii) Log – A record of a person’s own life and
experiences (usually, a famous person)
(iv) Memoir(s) – A written record of events with times
and dates, usually official

Ans:
A B
(i) Journal – A written record of events with times
and dates, usually official

(ii) Diary – A full record of a journey, a period of

time, or an event, written every day

(iii) Log – 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

(iv) Memoir(s) – A record of a person‟s own life and

experiences (usually, a famous person)

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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 Handy Cam. From Ooty, we went on to Bangalore.
What a contrast! The noise and pollution of this once − the 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

Comprehension Check

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

Ans: Diary writing was a strange experience for Anne because she thought
that neither she nor anyone else would be interested in reading the daily
affairs of thirteen years old.

2.Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

Ans: Anna was an introvert and had no close friends to share her feelings
with. Hence, she wanted to keep a diary to share her feelings. She felt that
paper has more patience than people. She kept her name, Kitty.

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

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Ans: Anne lacked social skills and as a young teenager she had a lot of
emotions to share. She had about thirty people whom she could call friends
and had loving parents and a sixteen-year-old sister. On the surface
everything was good, but she didn't have a faithful friend. She felt a paper had
more patience and space to hide and express her feelings.

Oral Comprehension

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

Ans: Anne provided a brief sketch of her life before beginning her diary
because she felt no one would understand her diary if she jumped right into
her present-day affairs.

2. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?

Ans: Anne used to light one candle for her grandmother during her birthday,
just as a poignant reminder of her love. She stated that no one could
understand the intensity of love she had for her grandma.

Oral Comprehension Check

1. Why was Mr. Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?
Ans: Anne was a talkative student in the class. Her interactive nature was not
appreciated by her teacher, Mr. Keesing. He even assigned her extra
homework to draft an essay on the subject „A Chatterbox.‟

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

Ans: She justified her talkative nature very cleverly in her essay. First, she
mentioned that it's a student‟s trait to chatter in the class and second, it's an
inherited trait and nothing could be done about it.

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

Ans: Mr. Keesing was a strict teacher and wanted all the students to practice
discipline and be silent in the class while he was teaching. Someone talking,
while he was teaching was not acceptable to him. He punished Anne for
talking in the class and asked her to draft an essay on „A Chatterbox‟. She
wrote a convincing essay but when she started talking in the class again, he
asked her to draft another essay titled „An Incorrigible Chatterbox‟. When she
further continued testing his nerves and talking in the class, he asked her to
write on the topic „Quack Quack Quack, said Mistress Chatterbox.‟ She wrote
yet another great piece of art and he acknowledged her content.

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4.What made Mr. Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?
Ans: Anne cleverly kept her point for talking in the class every time Mr.
Keesing punished her. She wrote her creative works cleverly and made him
laugh through her work. He was impressed by the way she presented her
arguments and finally, he had to accept that Anne would be this way and no
punishment would change her. Hence, he allowed her to talk in the class.

Thinking about the Text

1.Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in
the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?
Ans: Anne as a young teenager had no idea how the events of her life would
eventually unfold. She thought no one would be interested I reading her diary
but after her death, her diary was published by her dad and the entire world
now reads her diary, with great zeal.

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 dairy
different?
Ans: Anne‟s diary was originally written in Dutch. It became so popular that
it was translated into many languages. She named her diary Kitty and it was
very personal for her since she didn't write it with the filter of someone else
reading it. The account, in the beginning, is a formal one. It's not personal and
hence lacks that connection with the reader that the diary entries have. She
used to start her entries with “Dearest Kitty” and would sign off as “Yours,
Anne.”

3.Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she
treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?
Ans: Anne considered Kitty as a new part of her life. She started writing
because she knew Kitty would listen to everything, and had more patience
than any human. Since she was not there with her since the beginning, she
wanted to sum up the notable events and people in her life. She was alone and
had no friends. She does give a brief sketch of her close relationship with her
father and grandmother. They both were kind and loving and held a
prominent place in her heart.

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

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Ans: Anne had a different opinion about everyone. For her, her father was the
most adorable father she could have ever met. Her grandmother held a special
place in her heart and she loved her dearly. She wrote about her in the diary
and had an extra candle on her cake as a symbol of her presence. She loved
Mrs. Kuperus. She was her teacher in the sixth form at Montessori Nursery
School and was also the headmistress. They had a teary farewell. Mr. Keesing
often troubled her with apology essays for her being a chatterbox in the class.
He was the maths teacher and these punishments annoyed her. She was a
lovable and smart person and emotionally attached to some people in her life.

5.What does Anne write in her first essay?

Ans: Anne knew the importance of words. She wanted to produce something
convincing, instead of just penning an essay to complete the task. She wanted
to present her point about the necessity of talking and how it's an important
trait all students must possess. She also mentioned that she would do her best
to keep it under control to avoid any further disturbance in class. She
continued the essay by mentioning that it was an inherited trait and nothing
could be done about it. Mr. Keesing was impressed by the points she did put
forward and had a good laugh listening to the essay.

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

unpredictable? How?
Ans: Anne showed signs of superior creative intelligence and she was quite
analytic too. She felt that a quarter of her class was dumb. She also felt that
her teachers were unpredictable and would randomly promote the kids and
fail the ones they do not like. Mr. Keesing was predictable. He stuck with the
rules he laid out for the class. He did not like disturbance while teaching and
when Anne talked in the class, he gave her essays to write. Everyone would
have known the punishment and maintained silence in the class. But in
Anne‟s case, each time she drafted the essay, he was impressed by her
convincing skills, and by the third time he gave up.

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.
Ans: Anne had no close friend with whom she could trust and share her
feelings. She felt at one point that it was because of her own lack of efforts
that she had no close friend.

(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.

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 Ans: Anne felt paper had more patience than other human beings. Since
she had no friends to talk to about her feelings, she started writing a diary
and named her Kitty to form a more intimate connection with her.

(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.
Ans: Anne was a fun-loving person and we see that in various instances in
the text. Here also she jokes about being a surprise 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: Anne was confident that she was better than the rest of the class. She
felt that a quarter of her class was dumb and the teachers were
unpredictable. She felt it was their wish to fail or pass any student and
randomly decide their fate to pass to the next class.

(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 taking.
Ans: Anne had a good understanding of writing. When her teacher gave
her absurd apology essays, she could still come out with brilliant creative
pieces. She took on the work with full vigour and came up with convincing
arguments to prove her point, instead of just filling up the space.

Thinking about Language

I. Match the compound words under ‘A’ with their meanings under ‘B’.
Use each in the sentence.
A B
1. Heartbreaking – obeying and respecting the law
2. Homesick -think about pleasant things,
forgetting about the present
3. Blockhead – something produced by a person,
machine, or organization
4. Law-abiding – producing great sadness
5. Overdo – an occasion when
vehicles/machines stop working
6. Daydream – an informal word which means a
very stupid person

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 7. Breakdown – missing home and family very
much
8. Output – do something to an excessive
degree

Ans:
A B
1. Heartbreaking – producing great sadness
2. Homesick – missing home and family very much
3. Blockhead – an informal word which means a very
stupid person
4. Law-abiding – obeying and respecting the law
5. Overdo – do something to an excessive degree
6. Daydream –think about pleasant things, forgetting about
the present
7. Breakdown –an occasion when vehicles/machines stop
working
8. Output –something produced by a person, machine,
or organization

II. Now find the sentences in the lesson that have the phrasal verbs given
below. Match them with their meanings.
(i) plunge in – speak or write without focus
(ii) kept back – stay indoors
(iii) move up – make (them) remain quiet
(iv) ramble on – have a good relationship with
(v) get along with – give an assignment (homework) to a person
authority (the teacher)
(vi) calm down – compensate
(vii)stay in – go straight to the topic
(viii) make up for – go to the next grade
(ix) hand in – not promoted
Ans:
(i)plunge in − go straight to the topic
Since no one would understand a word of my stories to Kitty if I were to
plunge right in, I‟d better provide a brief sketch of my life, much as I
dislike doing so.

(ii)kept back − not promoted

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 The reason, of course, is the forthcoming meeting in which the teachers
decide who‟ll move up to the next form and who‟ll be kept back.

(iii)move up − go to the next grade

The reason, of course, is the forthcoming meeting in which the teachers
decide who‟ll move up to the next form and who‟ll be kept back.

(iv)ramble on − speak or write without focus

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.

(v)get along with − have a good relationship with

I get along pretty well with all my teachers.

(vi)calm down − make (them) remain quite

Even G.‟s pleading advances and my angry outbursts can‟t calm them
down.

(vii)stay in − stay indoors

I thought of this saying on one of those days when I was feeling a little
depressed and was sitting at home with my chin in my hands, bored and
listless, wondering whether to stay in or go out.

(viii)make up for − compensate

This birthday celebration in 1942 was intended to make up for the other.

(ix) hand in − give an assignment (homework) to a person in authority (the

teacher)
I handed it in, and Mr. Keesing had nothing to complain about for two
whole lessons.

III. Here are a few sentences from the text which have idiomatic
expressions. Can you say what each means? (You might want to consult a
dictionary first.)
i. Our entire class is quaking in its boots.
Ans: Our entire class is quaking in its boots, shaking with fear and
nervousness

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

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 Ans: Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. Not to lose
hope

iii. Mr. Keeping was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so
much.
Ans: Mr. Keeping was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so
much. Since a long time.

iv. Mr. Keeping was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous
subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him.
Ans: Mr. Keeping was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous
subject, but I‟d make sure the joke was on him. He was outwitted by 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
Ans: A small red car passing by caught my eye.

(ii)he’d had enough

Ans: Tom had a challenging time raising enough money to build the
orphanage he had promised to build.

(iii)laugh ourselves silly

Ans: One girl said something funny, and we laughed ourselves silly.

(iv)can’t bring myself to

Ans: I can‟t bring myself to eat anything but muffins.

IV. You have read the expression ‘not to lose heart in this text. 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
Ans: to upset somebody deeply
Sentence: It has, unfortunately, become extremely easy these days to
break somebody‟s heart.

2.close/dear to heart
Ans: something or someone who is near and close to you
Sentence: The drawing given to me by my little daughter is remarkably
close to my heart.

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 3.from the (bottom of your) heart
Ans: genuinely meaning or feeling something
Sentence: She loved her son from the bottom of her heart.

4.have a heart
Ans: to evoke the feeling to help someone in distress
Sentence: The poor beggar asked the rich man to have a heart and give
him something to eat.

5.have a heart of stone

Ans: to not feel anything or any sentiment
Sentence: The cruel property owner has a heart of stone as she beats up
her children.

6.your heart goes out to somebody

Ans: to sympathize with someone else and understand his feelings and
distress
Sentence: My heart goes out to the little girl who lost both her parents in a
car accident.

V.Make a list of the contracted forms in the text. Rewrite them as full
forms of two words.
For example:
I’ve = I have
Ans:
(i) I‟ve − I have
(ii) Doesn‟t − does not
(iii) Won‟t − would not
(iv) I‟m − I am
(v) Don‟t − do not
(vi) Can‟t − cannot
(vii) it‟s − it is
(viii) That‟s − that is
(ix) I‟d − I would
(x) Didn‟t − did not
(xi) Who‟ll − who will
(xii) You‟re − You are
(xiii) We‟ll − We will
(xiv) There‟s − there is
(xv) He‟d − he had
(xvi) Who‟s − who is

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(xvii) Haven‟t − have not

2. We have seen that some contracted forms can stand for two different
full forms:
I’d = I had or I would
Find in the text the contracted forms that stand for two different full
forms, and say what these are.
Ans:
(i) I‟d − I had or I would
(ii) He‟d − He had or he would

Listening
Your teacher will read out an extract from The Diary of Samuel Pepys
(given on the next page) about the great fire of London. As you listen
completely this summary of the happenings.
Summary
This entry in the diary has been made on_____________ by
____________. The person who told Pepys about the fire was called
_______________. She called at ________________in the morning. Pepys
went back to sleep because_____________. Pepys rose again
at______________ in the morning. By then about______________ houses
had been burned down. The fire had spread to ____________by London
Bridge. Pepys then walked to the_____________ along with Sir J.
Robinson’s______________.
Ans:
This entry in the diary has been made on 2nd September 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 the fire was on the
backside of Market-Lane at the farthest. Pepys rose again at seven in the
morning. By then about 300 houses had been burned down. The fire had
spread to all fish streets by London Bridge. Pepys then walked to the tower
along with Sir J. Robinson‟s little son.

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