A House is not a Home

1. What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon? What is his mother's reaction? What does she do?

Ans. One Sunday afternoon, the author notices smoke coming through the ceiling. Soon the whole house is on fire. The mother goes running into the house. She brings out a small box full of important documents. She runs back again into the house. She wants to bring out her late husband's pictures and letters. She is caught in the flames. A fireman rescues her out.

2. Why does the author break down in tears after the fire?

Ans. After the fire the author finds that his house has completely been burned down. Suddenly he realised that his cat is also missing. The author thinks that the cat has been killed. So he broke down in tears.

3. Why is the author deeply embarrassed the next day in school? What words show his fear and insecurity?

Ans. The author had lost everything in the fire. He was not in his school dress. He was wearing the tennis shoes of his aunt. He had no books or homework. It made him deeply embarrassed. He felt insecure in the absence of hid house, old friends, cat and his old school.

4. The cat and the author are very fond of each other. How has this been shown in the story?

Ans. The cat and the author were very fond of each other. The author had saved the cat when she was a little kitten. The cat was never far from him. It used to play with him every morning. Sometime it climbed up it robe and crawl into his pocket to fall asleep.

5. Where was the cat after the fire? Who brings it back and how?

Ans. When there was fire, the cat ran away in fear. She went a mile away. A kind woman took  her  in. She worked hard to find whose cat it was. At last, after a month, she managed to bring the cat back to the author.

6. What actions of the schoolmates change the author's understanding of life and people, and comfort him emotionally? How does his loneliness vanish and how does he start participating in life?

Ans. The schoolmates know that the author has lost everything in fire. They make collections and buy for him all necessary things, books as well as clothes. They make friends with him. They help in rebuilding his house. A kind woman brings back his cat also. The author no longer feels lonely. He starts developing interest in life.  

7. What is the meaning of 'My cat was back and so was I'? Had the author gone anywhere? Why does he say that he is also back?

Ans. The author loses everything in the fire. Now he loses all interest in life and wants to die. But his schoolmates come forward to help him. They get him everything that he needs. They help in rebuilding his house. A kind woman brings back his cat also. Thus the author regains his interest in life. That is why he says, "My cat was back and so was I."

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1. Describe how the author and his mother react to the fire in his house?

Ans. The author was sitting in his dining room and his mother was stoking the fire to keep the house nice and warm. Suddenly, the author noticed smoke coming through the ceiling. Soon the whole house was on fire. They started running out into the front yard. The entire roof was engulfed in flames. The author ran to the neighbours to call the fire. His mother ran into the house to get the important documents. She brought out a metal box containing the documents. She again went into the burning house to get the phone and letters of her late husband. This time she inhaled some smoke.  She became unconscious. The fireman brought her out of the house with great difficulty. She was put on oxygen. They saw the house turning into a ball of fire. They had lost everything.