CBSE Class 11 English The Address Marga Minco Worksheet Set 02

Introduction

The story is about the human predicament that follows the pre-war and post-war periods. Mrs S was a rich Jewish lady, whereas Mrs Dorling was a non-Jew. The girl, daughter of Mrs S, had lost her house and her mother during the war and has now come back to take her possessions from Mrs Dorling, an acquaintance whose address was given by her mother years ago. When she reached the house, the woman treated her with a cold reception and didn’t let her into the house. She decided to go back anyway and then she met her daughter who let her in and told her to wait inside. When she saw all the possessions in front of her, she couldn’t connect with them and decided to leave the house.

THEME

‘The Address’ by Marga Minco revolves around the theme of crisis that we as an individual encounter in our daily life. War brings destruction, pain and loss of lives which impact humans in various ways. However, this story speaks about the narrator and her mother’s life which were disrupted due to the war. It further reiterates that both past and future are illusions, and all we have with us is the present. The story sheds light on the importance of letting things go.

Summary

‘The Address’ begins with a victim of war going back to her native place. It is about a daughter who returns to her home in Holland. She goes there to search for her mother’s belongings after the war. When she reaches her native place, she does not receive a warm welcome. She follows the address she has on her. It is House Number 46 in Marconi Street. A woman opens the door and refuses to recognize the girl outside the door. The author notices the woman wearing her mother’s green knitted sweater. Thus, she became even surer that she was in the right place. However, the woman denied knowing her mother.

Despite the author’s resistance, the woman did not entertain her and closed the door on her. The author was going back when she starts thinking about the bygone days. She got the address from her mother years ago. After returning to her home post-war, she notices a lot of things missing from the place. Thus, her mother gives her the address of Mrs Dorling. She learns that Mrs Dorling is an old acquaintance of her mother. Her mother had handed over all their valuable possessions to Mrs Dorling to keep them safe. After many years, the author thinks of going back to take back their possessions. After being told to go away by Mrs Dorling on her visit, she goes back once again. On her second visit, a fifteen-year-old answers the door.

We learn that the mother was not at home. The author told her about her wish to meet her mother. The girl takes her inside the house. To the author’s surprise, she notices the room full of things which belonged to her mother. The room was not similar but the things were all very familiar. She started to feel uncomfortable and lost the desire to possess her mother’s belongings. Thus, she leaves the house and thinks of forgetting the address and the thought of ever getting those things back.

Marga Minco (pseudonym of Sara Menco; born on 31 March 1920) is a Dutch journalist and writer. Her real surname was Menco, but an official accidentally switched the first vowel. She was born to an Orthodox Jewish family. In 1957 Minco published her first book, ‘Het bittere kruid’ (The Bitter Herb).

Questions

READING WITH INSIGHT

Question. ‘Have you come back?’ said the woman. ‘I thought that no one had come back.’ Does this statement give some clue about the story? If yes, what is it?
Answer: Yes, this statement gives some clue about the story. It introduces the reader to the fact that someone was expected to be coming back to execute something specific. The statement indicates the greedy and covetous nature of the speaker. The story is about the wartime when Jews faced a lot of problems. It introduces us to the people who take undue advantage of those who are in distress. The narrator introduces us to her gullible mother and her cunning acquaintance. During the early part of the war, Mrs Dorling had shifted all of Mrs S’s valuable belongings to her own house: Number 46, Marconi Street. This was very tactfully done under the pretext of protecting Mrs S’s belongings, lest they get lost if they were to go away because of the war. These included tables, silver wares, antique plates and other nice things such as the iron Hanukkah, candle-holder, woollen table cloth and a green knitted cardigan with wooden buttons, and any such thing she could lay her hands on. As many years had passed since the war was over, Mrs Dorling did not expect anyone from Mrs S’s family to come back and claim their belongings. She did not open the door to the daughter of her former acquaintance nor did she show any signs of recognition. She did not as much as let the girl into her house. She refused to engage with her, saying it was not a convenient time for her to do so.

Question. The story is divided into pre-War and post-War times. What hardships do you think the girl underwent during these times?
Answer: During the pre-war times, the narrator lived in some other city far away from her home and she visited her mother only for a few days. During the first half of the war, the narrator’s mother was always afraid that they might have to leave the place and lose all their valuable belongings. The narrator lived in the city in a small rented room. Its windows were covered with black-out paper. She could not see the beauty of nature outside her room. The threat of death loomed large. After the liberation, everything became normal again. Bread was getting to be a lighter colour. She could sleep in her bed without any fear of death. She could glance out of the window of her room each day. She was able to walk around familiar places for the first time since the war. However, she did not go further than was necessary, as she didn’t want to upset herself with the sights of streets and houses full of memories from a precious time.

Question. Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?
Answer: The narrator remembered the address that her mother had told her. It was Number 46, Marconi Street, where her mother’s acquaintance Mrs Dorling lived. She had stored the valuable belongings of the narrator’s mother there. After the war and her mother’s death, the narrator had an urge to visit the place. She wanted to see those things, touch them and remember. She went to the given address twice. She was successful only during her second attempt when Mrs Dorling’s daughter allowed her to enter the house. She found herself in the midst of things she had wanted to see again. She felt oppressed in the strange atmosphere. Everything was arranged in a tasteless way. The ugly furniture and the muggy smell that hung there seemed quite unpleasant. The objects evoked the memory of her familiar life of former times. But they had lost their value as they had been separated from her mother and stored in strange surroundings. She no longer wanted to see, touch or remember these belongings. She resolved to forget the address. She wanted to leave the past behind and move on.

Question. ‘The Address’ is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.
Answer: War creates many difficult and unpleasant situations for human beings. Life is embroiled in uncertainties. The human predicament that follows war is amply illustrated through the experience of the narrator. The war had caused many physical difficulties as well as emotional sufferings to her. She had lost her dear mother. She was left all alone in the world. Her attempt to connect with the past, of touching and seeing her mother’s belongings also ended dismally. She went to Number 46, Marconi Street to see her mother’s valuable possessions. The extent to which human beings can be greedy and callous is exemplified by the behaviour of Mrs Dorling. She had taken away all the valuable belongings of the narrator’s mother, promising to keep them safe, but refused to even recognise, or engage in a conversation with the narrator, when she called upon her after several years. The presence of her mother’s possessions in a strange atmosphere pained her. Now these valuables had lost all their importance for her as they had been separated from her mother. She could get no solace or comfort from them.

Additional Questions

Extract-based Questions

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

“Every time she leaves here she takes something home with her,” said my mother. “She took all the table silver in one go. And then the antique plates that hung there. She had trouble lugging those large vases, and I’m worried she got a crick in her back from the crockery.” My mother shook her head pityingly. “I would never have dared ask her. She suggested it to me herself. She even insisted. She wanted to save all my nice things. If we have to leave here we shall lose everything,” she says.

Question. What does the phrase ‘she suggested it to me herself’ suggest?
Answer: The phrase ‘she suggested it to me herself ’ suggests that the woman was eager and persistent to take the narrator’s mother’s belongings.

Question. What can you infer from the line ‘If we have to leave here we shall lose everything’?
Answer: One possible inference is that the narrator’s mother and the woman were living in a time or place of war or conflict, and that they faced the risk of being displaced or losing their property.

Question. The extract suggests that the narrator’s mother was a:
(a) foolish lady
(b) cunning woman
(c) gullible woman
(d) witty person
Answer: (c) gullible woman

Question. After reading the extract, how would you describe Mrs Dorling?
(a) Materialistic
(b) Selfish
(c) Opportunist
(d) All of the options
Answer: (d) All of the options

“There is my daughter,” said my mother. She beckoned to me. The woman nodded and picked up the suitcase under the coat-rack. She wore a brown coat and a shapeless hat. “Does she live far away?” I asked, seeing the difficulty she had going out of the house with the heavy case. “In Macroni Street,” said my mother. “Number 46. Remember that.”

Question. List any two sensory details present in this extract.
Answer: The two sensory details in this extract are “the difficulty she had going out of the house with the heavy case” and “she wore a brown coat and a shapeless hat”.

Question. Identify the line from the extract that indicates that the woman lived nearby.
Answer: The line from the text that bears evidence to the fact that the woman lived nearby is ‘In Macroni Street”.

Question. Was the narrator convinced with her mother’s idea of letting Mrs Dorling take away their things?
(a) Absolutely
(b) Partially
(c) Quite a bit
(d) Significantly
Answer: (b) Partially

Question. Which of the following best suggests the central idea of the extract?
(a) A Woman’s Difficult Departure with a Heavy Suitcase
(b) A Woman’s Suspicious Behaviour to a Stolen Suitcase
(c) A Woman’s Friendly Visit to a Generous Friend
(d) A Woman’s Unexpected Encounter with a Stranger
Answer: (b) A Woman’s Suspicious Behaviour to a Stolen Suitcase

“Won’t you sit down?” asked the girl. She held open the door of the living room and I went inside past her. I stopped, horrified. I was in a room I knew and did not know. I found myself in the midst of things I did want to see again but which oppressed me in the strange atmosphere. Or because of the tasteless way everything was arranged, because of the ugly furniture or the muggy smell that hung there, I don’t know; but I scarcely dared to look around me. The girl moved a chair. I sat down and stared at the wollen table-cloth. I rubbed it. My fingers grew warm from rubbing.

Question. Why does the narrator say, “I scarcely dared to look around me”?
Answer: The narrator says so because she was afraid of what she might see or find in the room.

Question. What was the narrator’s reaction when she entered the living room?
Answer: The narrator was horrified when she entered the living room.

Question. How does the author describe the living room?
(a) Muggy smell
(b) Strange atmosphere
(c) Sophisticated
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Answer: (d) Both (a) and (b)

Question. “I was in a room I knew and did not know.” What does the author mean by this?
(a) She saw familiar things but in unfamiliar surroundings.
(b) She saw unfamiliar things but in familiar surroundings.
(c) She did not recognize the things she saw.
(d) She did not want to remember anything.
Answer: (a) She saw familiar things but in unfamiliar surroundings.

I had no need to follow her hand. I knew which things she meant. I just looked at the still life over the tea-table. As a child I had always fancied the apple on the pewter plate. “We use it for everything,” she said. “Once we even ate off the plates hanging there on the wall. I wanted to so much. But it wasn’t anything special.” I had found the burn mark on the table-cloth. The girl looked questioningly at me. “Yes,” I said, “you get so used to touching all these lovely things in the house, you hardly look at them any more...”

Question. What does the phrase ‘we use it for everything’ suggest?
Answer: The phrase ‘we use it for everything’ suggests that the woman and the girl did not value or appreciate the narrator’s mother’s things as much as she did.

Question. What can you infer from the line “you get so used to touching all these lovely things in the house, you hardly look at them anymore”?
Answer: The narrator felt nostalgic and sentimental about her mother’s things, and she wished she could see them again in their original state and place.

Question. Which of the following best suggests the central idea of the extract?
(a) A Woman’s Surprising Encounter With her Mother’s Things
(b) A Woman’s Disgusted Reaction to a Tasteless Room
(c) A Woman’s Awkward Conversation with a Strange Girl
(d) A Woman’s Disturbing Discovery of a Burn Mark
Answer: (a) A Woman’s Surprising Encounter With her Mother’s Things

Question. The narrator remembered that the table-cloth had:
(a) an ink mark
(b) a defect
(c) a burn mark
(d) none of the options
Answer: (c) a burn mark

She held her hand on the door as though she wanted to prevent it opening any further. Her face gave absolutely no sign of recognition. She kept staring at me in silence. Perhaps I was mistaken, I thought, perhaps it isn’t her. I had seen her only once, fleetingly, and that was years ago. It was most probable that I had rung the wrong bell. The woman let go of the door and stepped to the side. She was wearing my mother’s green knitted cardigan.

Question. What does the phrase ‘her face gave absolutely no sign of recognition’ suggest?
Answer: The phrase ‘her face gave absolutely no sign of recognition’ suggests that she did not remember or acknowledge the narrator.

Question. What do you understand by the term ‘fleetingly’ in the given extract?
Answer: The term ‘fleetingly’ indicates that the narrator’s memory of the woman was vague and brief.

Question. Why had the narrator come to visit Mrs Dorling?
(a) Because Mrs Dorling had belongings of the narrator’s mother
(b) Because Mrs Dorling called the narrator
(c) Because the narrator missed Mrs Dorling
(d) None of the options
Answer: (a) Because Mrs Dorling had belongings of the narrator’s mother

Question. Mrs Dorling was ________________ when the narrator visited her.
(a) warm and welcoming
(b) cold and inhospitable
(c) overjoyed and emotional
(d) nostalgic and emotional
Answer: (b) cold and inhospitable

Short Answer Questions

Question. How did Mrs Dorling react when the narrator said, “I’m Mrs S’s daughter”?
Answer: Mrs Dorling held her hand on the door as if she wanted to prevent it from opening any further. Her face showed no sign of recognition. She kept staring at the narrator without uttering a word.

Question. What two reasons did the narrator give to explain that she was mistaken?
Answer: She thought that perhaps the woman was not Mrs Dorling. She had seen her only once, for a brief interval and that too years ago. Secondly, it was probable that she had rung the wrong bell.

Question. Why did the narrator go to Mrs Dorling’s house?
Answer: The narrator went to Mrs Dorling’s house to collect the valuable belongings which her mother had given to her during the war time. She wanted to renew her past memories.

Question. Why was the narrator confident that she had reached the correct address?
Answer: The narrator remembered the house No. 46. She recognised her mother’s green cardigan which Mrs Dorling was wearing. The wooden buttons on it were now rather pale from washing. She was confident that she had reached the correct address.

Question. How did Mrs Dorling’s daughter treat the narrator?
Answer: Unlike Mrs Dorling, the daughter treated her with great courtesy. She told the author that her mother had gone on an errand and would be back soon. She invited the narrator inside her house and offered her a cup of tea.

Question. Why did the narrator decide not to collect her belongings?
Answer: The narrator was disappointed after recognising her belongings in a strange environment. She didn’t feel comfortable on seeing all those valuable articles in Mrs Dorling’s house.

Question. Why did the narrator’s mother ask her to remember the address by heart?
Answer: The narrator’s mother asked her to remember the address by heart because she had given a number of household and valuable articles to Mrs Dorling during the war time. She thought that her daughter could collect them after the war was over.

Question. To what extent did life assume its normal self after the war for the narrator?
Answer: Life returned to normal again gradually. The bread became lighter in colour, and there was a bed where she could sleep unthreatened. But the loss of relations and possessions made her feel dejected about them.

Question. Who had given the narrator the address, when, and under what circumstances?
Answer: The narrator’s mother had given her the address, years ago during the first half of the war. The narrator came home for a few days and missed various things in the rooms. Then her mother told her about Mrs Dorling and told her to remember the address.

Question. What did the narrator learn about Mrs Dorling from her mother?
Answer: Her mother told her that Mrs Dorling was an old acquaintance. The former had not seen her for several years. Then she suddenly turned up and renewed their contact. Every time she left their place she took something with her—table silver, antique plates, etc. promising to keep them safe.

Question. What reason did Mrs Dorling give for taking away the precious belongings of the narrator’s mother?
Answer: Mrs Dorling suggested to the narrator’s mother that she should store her belongings at a safer place. She wanted to save all her nice things. She explained that they would lose everything if they had to leave the place.

Question. What impression do you form of the narrator’s mother based on her conversation with the narrator?
Answer: The narrator’s mother was a kind-hearted, generous and liberal lady. She was fond of collecting valuable things. She is more worried about the physical risk to Mrs Dorling than of losing them to her. She thought it an insult to tell her friends to keep those things for ever.

Question. Was the narrator convinced with what her mother had told her about Mrs Dorling? How do you know?
Answer: The narrator did not feel convinced about her mother’s concern for Mrs Dorling. The latter was keen on removing the precious possessions of the narrator’s mother to her own house. It seems that the narrator did not like Mrs Dorling’s excessive interest in her mother’s belongings. It is evident from the questions she puts to her mother.

Question. What does the narrator remember about Mrs Dorling when she saw her for the first time?
Answer: Mrs Dorling was a woman with a broad back. She wore a brown coat and a shapeless hat. She picked up a heavy suitcase lying under the coat-rack and left their house.

Question. Why did the narrator wait a long time before going to the address Number 46, Marconi Street?
Answer: Initially, after the liberation, she was not at all interested in her mother’s belongings lying stored there. She was also afraid of being confronted with things that were hidden away in cupboards and boxes, and had belonged to her mother, who no longer existed.

Question. When did the narrator become curious about her mother’s possessions?
Answer: Gradually, as normalcy returned, the narrator became curious about her mother’s possessions. She knew that those things must still be at the address her mother had mentioned to her. She wanted to see them, touch them and remember.

Question. “I was in a room I knew and did not know,” says the narrator in the story ‘The Address’. What prompted her to make this observation?
Answer: The narrator found herself in the midst of things she was familiar with and which she did want to see again, as they oppressed her in the strange atmosphere. This was perhaps because of the tasteless way everything was arranged, the ugly furniture, and the muggy smell that prevailed in the room.

Question. “I just looked at the still life over the tea-table,” says the narrator in the story ‘The Address’. What does she mean by ‘the still life’? What prompted her to make this remark?
Answer: The reference to antique box and silver spoons by the young host prompted her to make this remark. By ‘the still life’, the narrator means the lifeless things that were over the tea table such as the table-cloth, tea pot, cups and spoons. She had always fancied the apple on the pewter plate as a child.

Question. “You only notice when something is missing.” What does the speaker exactly mean?
Answer: The speaker says that one gets used to touching one’s lovely things in the house and then hardly look at them anymore. It is only when something is missing that it is noticed, either because it is to be repaired or it has been lent to someone.

Question. When did narrator realise that the cutlery they ate off every day was silver?
Answer: Once the narrator’s mother asked her if she would help her polish the silver. The narrator asked her which silver she meant. Her mother was surprised at her ignorance and replied that it was the spoons, forks and knives, i.e., the cutlery they ate off every day.

Question. Why did the the narrator suddenly decide to leave?
Answer: The narrator had visited Number 46, Marconi Street for a specific purpose—to see her mother’s belongings and touch them. However, these objects were linked to the memory of a familiar life in former times, and they instantly lost their value when severed from them. And worse, if they are seen in strange surroundings.

Question. Why did the narrator decide to leave before Mrs Dorling returned and to forget her address?
Answer: The narrator realised that she could not have done justice to all her mother’s belongings if she took them away from Mrs Dorling as she lived in a small rented room. The room still had shreds of black-out papers along the windows. The narrow table drawers could hardly hold a handful of cutlery. She therefore resolved to forget the address and move on in life.

Long Answer Questions

Question. How did ‘The Address’ originate?
Answer: Years ago, during the first half of the war, the narrator went home for a few days to see her mother. After staying there for a couple of days, she noticed that something about the rooms had changed. She missed various things. Her mother told her about Mrs Dorling, who was an old acquaintance. She had suddenly turned up after many years. Now she came regularly and took something home with her every time she came. She suggested that she could save her precious belongings by storing them at her place. While talking to her mother about this, the latter mentioned Mrs Dorling’s address, Number 46, Marconi Street, and told her to keep it in her memory. The narrator asked her mother if she had agreed with her acquaintance to keep everything. Her mother did not like that and found it to be rude and insulting to do so. She was on the contrary, worried about the risk Mrs Dorling faced every time she left the house carrying a full suitcase or bag. This is how ‘The Address’ originated.

Question. The first visit in ‘The Address’. Elucidate.
Answer: In the post-war period, when things returned to normal, the narrator became curious about her mother’s possessions that were stored at Mrs Dorling’s house. Since she wanted to see them, she took the train and went to Number 46, Marconi Street. Mrs Dorling opened the door a chink. The narrator came closer, stood on the step and asked her if she knew her. Mrs Dorling told her that she didn’t know her. The narrator then introduced herself and told her that she was the daughter of Mrs S. Mrs Dorling kept staring at her in silence and gave no sign of recognition. She held on to the door as if she wanted to prevent it from opening any further. The narrator recognised the green knitted cardigan of her mother that Mrs Dorling was wearing. Mrs Dorling saw her looking intently at the cardigan and therefore half hid herself behind the door. She knew that she was at the right address, and asked the lady once more if she knew her mother. Mrs Dorling asked with surprise if they had come back. The author replied that only she had returned.

Question. Describe the outcome of the narrator’s second visit in ‘The Address’.
Answer: The second visit of the narrator to Number 46, Marconi Street, was different from the first one. During the first visit, the narrator was stalled at the entrance of the house by Mrs Dorling. Whereas during the second one, she was led to the living room, by a young girl who was more courteous. This time she could see and touch some of the things that belonged to her mother. She had visited this place with a specific purpose—to see her mother’s belongings. The touch and sight of familiar things aroused memories of her former life. These objects that were linked to her past had now lost their real value for her as they were severed from them, and worse so when she saw them in strange circumstances. Thus, her mission to see, touch and remember her mother’s belongings was partly successful. However, she resolved to forget these objects and the address and move on.

Question. Give a pen-portrait of the narrator.
Answer: The narrator comes across as a person with intense emotional and intellectual qualities. A devoted daughter, she loves and respects her mother. Though she does not approve of her mother’s trust in her acquaintance, Mrs Dorling, she does not challenge her mother’s decisions, though she does ask her mother, “Have you agreed with her that she should keep everything?” The narrator has a keen power of observation. She notices during her brief stay at home that various things are missing from the rooms. It is evident that she has a sharp sense of memory. The address that her mother had told her to keep in mind stayed with her for several years, till the war was over and normalcy had returned. She made persistent efforts to remind Mrs Dorling of her own identity and the latter’s relations with her mother. This was indeed a revelation of an indomitable spirit. She visits Number 46, Marconi Street twice to see, touch and remember her mother’s belongings. She is a realist, who doesn’t like to remain chained to the past. Her resolution to forget the address and move on shows her grit and forward-looking nature. She chooses to move ahead in life, instead of holding on to the sorrowful memories of the past.

Question. Comment on the significance of the title of the story ‘The Address’.
Answer: The title of the story ‘The Address’ is quite appropriate, and in keeping with the essence of the story. The address plays a significant role in the narration and appears at the beginning, middle and end of the story. Marga Minco invites the reader’s attention to the essence of her narration by the introduction she makes of Mrs Dorling. The middle part of the story reveals how she was convinced that she had arrived at the right place. It was her mother who had given her the address of the place where Mrs Dorling lived and asked her to remember it. The story ends dramatically with the narrator’s resolve to forget the address. She had remembered the address for so many years and now since the belongings of her mother stored there had lost their value, she realises that forgetting this address would be quite easy.

Question. Give a brief note on Mrs Dorling.
Answer: Mrs Dorling appears as a mysterious woman with a greedy heart and a shrewd mind. She contacted Mrs S when the war in Holland was about to break. She convinced Mrs S to hand over all her possessions on the pretext of keeping them safe. Mrs S, a gullible lady, is taken in by the pretended concern of her acquaintance. She is too simple to question the appropriateness of the demand, and quite willingly allows Mrs Dorling to take away all her belongings. She would come early in the morning so that she could complete her ‘errands’, unnoticed by the neighbours. One by one she took away all the stuff from Mrs S’s house. But she didn’t keep those things ‘safe’. She did not seem to have a knack for keeping her house and the things in it in a systematic and tidy manner. The callousness of Mrs Dorling was at its peak when she refused to acknowledge Mrs S’s daughter when she saw her. When the narrator recognised the cardigan as her mother’s, she was shrewd enough to hide herself behind the door. It was clear that she didn’t want to return those valuables. Her queries to the narrator, “Have you come back?”, and “I thought that no one had come back”, makes her intentions of keeping her loot very clear.