VBQs Class 12 English Should Wizard hit Mommy (John Updike)

VBQs For Class 12

Please refer to VBQs for Class 12 English Should Wizard hit Mommy. All value based questions for English Class 12 have been provided with solutions. We have provided below important values questions and answers. Students should learn these solved VBQs for Class 12 English as these will help them to gain more marks and help improve understanding of important topics.

Should Wizard hit Mommy VBQs Class 12 English with Answers

Question. “Sitting on the bed beside her, Jack felt the covers tug as her legs switched tensely.” The given lines show that Jo was
(a) Sleepy
(b) Excited
(c) Happy
(d) Eager

Answer

B

Question. “Abracadabry, hocus-poo,
Roger Skunk, how do you do,
Roses, boses, pull an ear,
Roger Skunk, you never fear: Bingo!”
What is the significance of the rhyming lines?
(a) Through them, thewizard communicatedwithRoger Skunk.
(b) It is the spell that changes the smell of Roger Skunk.
(c) It serves no specific purpose apart from entertainment.
(d) None of the above 

Answer

D

Question. Why does Jack refuse to change the story?
(a) Because it reminded of his own humiliations 
(b) Because he wanted Jo to know that parents know what is best
(c) Because he knew that Jo would not like the changed story
(d) Because he did not want 10 highlight that mothers can be wrong

Answer

B

Question. “This was a new phase, just this last month, a reality phase.”
The new phase referred to here points to the fact that
(a) Jo has become observant.
(b) Jo has started forming her opinions.
(et Jo has started asking questions.
(d) Jo had stopped sleeping in naps.

Answer

C

Question. “Daddy.”
“What?”
“Roger Skunk. You said Roger Fish.”
“Yes. Skunk.”
The above dialogue shows Jo to be ……….. and her father to be ………..
Choose the correct option to complete the following sentence. 
(a) confused; exhausted
(b) rude; careless
(c) vigilant, hasty
(d) disrespectful; disinterested

Answer

C

Question. Classify (1) to (4) as Fact (F) or Opinion (O), based on your reading of ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy’.
1. Jo was no longer interested in Jack’s stories.
2. Jo was an active girl who would not nap anymore.
3. Jack found making Jo sleep tiring.
4. Jack wanted the custom to continue for some more time.
(a) Fact–(1) and (4); Opinion–(2) and (3)
(b) Fact–(3); Opinion–(1), (2) and (4)
(c) Fact–(1) and (2); Opinion–(3) and (4)
(d) Fact–(2) and (4); Opinion–(1) and (3)

Answer

B

Question. “They’re real in stories,” Jack answered curtly. She had made him miss a beat in the narrative.
The curt reply by Jack implies that he was getting
(a) irritated
(b) angry
(c) frustrated
(d) disdainful

Answer

A

Question. Select the suitable option for the given statements, based on your reading of ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy’.
(i) Clare can understand the dilemma that her husband was going through.
(ii) Clare’s decision to do the work by herself irritates Jack.
(a) (i) is true but (ii) is false.
(b) (i) is false but (ii) is true.
(c) Both (i) and (ii) are false
(d) Both (i) and (ii) are true

Answer

C

Question. “The little girl (not so little any more; the bumps her feet made under the covers were halfway down the bed, their big double bed that they let her be in for naps and when she was sick) had at last arranged herself,”
Some part of the given lines is given in parenthesis to ……… .
(a) give extra information
(b) present author’s view
(c) give Jack’s view
(d) to separate the information

Answer

A

Question. Choose the appropriate character traits that contrast Jo and Jack.
(a) Imagination and reality
(b) Innocence and harsh world
(c) Childishness and adulthood
(d) Immaturity and maturity

Answer

B

Question. Select the suitable option for the given statements, based on your reading of ‘ShouldWizard hitMommy’.
(i) Jack developed the custom of storytelling to make Jo sleep.
(ii) After 2 years, Jack had no idea of what to tell Jo in his story.
(a) (i) is true but (ii) is false
(b) (i) is false but (ii) is true
(c) Both (i) and (ii) are false
(d) Both (i) and (ii) are true

Answer

D

Question. “Jack didn’t like women when they took anything for granted; he liked them apprehensive, hanging on his words.”
Choose the option with the correct reference to the textual statement given above.
(a) The way Jo was looking out of the window as if she was not interested annoyed Jack
(b) The way Clare was shifting the furniture downstairs was irksome to Jack.
(c) The way Jack was not able to make Jo sleep on time was making him restless.
(d) The way the Skunk’s mommy in the story didn’t listen to his son, irritated Jack.

Answer

A

Question. Why does Jo want the wizard to hit mommy?
(a) Because mommy behaves rudely with the wizard
(b) Because mommy does not let her son have a new smell
(c) Because mommy does not allow her son to play with his friends
(d) Because mommy was a wicked and a bad person

Answer

B

Question. “Having a fresh hero momentarily stirred Jack to creative enthusiasm.” Pick out the line which is in agreement with the given line from the lesson.
(a) Nature is the best inspiration.
(b) Each and every thing around us can inspire us to act.
(c) For an artist a new experience is a new inspiration.
(d) New always breaks the monotony.

Answer

C

Question. “You come with me and we’re going right back to that very awful wizard.”
This shows that ……… …
(a) the Mother Skunk hated the wizard
(b) the Mother Skunk was angry
(c) the Mother Skunk disliked the smell of roses
(d) the Mother Skunk wanted her child to smell like a skunk

Answer

D

Extract Based MCQs :

1. Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow
Jo looked at him solemnly; she hadn’t foreseen this.
“Whenever he would go out to play,” Jack continued with zest, remembering certain humiliations of his own childhood, “all of the other tiny animals would cry, “Uh-oh, here comes Roger Stinky Skunk,” and they would run away, and Roger Skunk would stand there all alone, and two little round tears would fall from his eyes.” The corners of Jo’s mouth drooped down and her lower lip bent forward as he traced with a forefinger along the side of her nose the course of one of Roger Skunk’s tears.

Question. What effect does Jo’s solemn expression have on Jack?
(a) He gets excited upon realising that Jo likes the story.
(b) He is pleased as Jo shows her sincerity.
(c) He gets nostalgic and regretful for not telling Jo about it earlier.
(d) He gets into a hurry as he realises Jo’s reaction could delay her nap.

Answer

B

Question. Select the option that displays a cause-effect set. 

VBQs Class 12 English Should Wizard hit Mommy (John Updike)
Answer

B

Question. ‘Uh-oh’ in extract is used to show ………… .
(a) that something bad has happened.
(b) that something great had happened.
(c) that something strange had happened.
(d) that something clever had happened.

Answer

A

Question. How does the information that Jack was remembering certain humiliations of this own childhood effect the story?
(a) Makes the story moralistic
(b) Makes the story more interesting
(c) Makes the story relatable
(d) Make the story biographical for Jack

Answer

D

Question. Select the option that can be associated with Jack as described in the extract.
1. Dominating
2. Imaginative
3. Effective storyteller
4. Troubled childhood
5. Amazing father
(a) 1 and 4
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 2, 3, 4 and 5
(d) All of these

Answer

C

2. Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow.
“Over the crick, and there will be the wizard’s house.” And that’s the way Roger Skunk went, and pretty soon he came to a little white house, and he rapped on the door.” Jack rapped on the window sill, and under the covers Jo’s tall figure clenched in an infantile thrill. “And then a tiny little old man came out, with a long white beard and a pointed blue hat, and said, “Eh? Whatzis? Whatcher want?
You smell awful.” The wizard’s voice was one of Jack’s own favourite effects; he did it by scrunching up his face and somehow whining through his eyes, which felt for the interval rheumy. He felt being an old man suited him. 

Question. Select the option that tells you about Jack being a great storyteller.
1. Jack knew the right way to the wizard’s house as if he had been there.
2. Jack was commendable at giving his story realistic details.
3. Jack’s delivery of speech with sound effects was remarkable.
4. Jack looked like a really oldman as if hewas thewizard.
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 1 and 4

Answer

B

Question. What was Jo’s reaction to Jack’s knock on the window?
(a) She stiffened in anticipation of something thrilling.
(b) She held on to the covers tightly and compressed her lips.
(c) She relaxed, knowing that her father was around to protect her.
(d) She instantly responded in the voice of another character.

Answer

A

Question. Choose the option that tells the location of the wizard’s house when Jack says ‘over the crick’.

VBQs Class 12 English Should Wizard hit Mommy (John Updike)

(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4

Answer

C

Question. Why had Roger Skunk gone to visit ‘a little white house’?
(a) To find a solution to his problem
(b) To be able to make friends
(c) To get rid of his bad smell
(d) Both (a) and (c)

Answer

D

Question. Pick the option that suitably decodes the wizard’s message when he says “Eh? Whatzis? Whatcher want?”.
(a) What is this? What can you want?
(b) What’s this? What do you want?
(c) Who? What can I do?
(d) Who are you? What you want?

Answer

B

Short Answer Type Questions :

Question. How did the Wizard help Roger Skunk?
Ans. Roger Skunk went to the wizard to get rid of his awful smell. The wizard asked him what he wanted to smell like, and Roger replied that he wanted to smell like roses. The wizard then chanted a spell and changed his smell to that of roses. Roger Skunk was very happy, as now everybody liked to play with him.

Question. Why did Jo feel that the Skunk’s mommy was stupid? 

or

Why did Jo think Roger Skunk was better off with the new smell? 
Ans. Jo felt that Roger Skunk’s mommy was stupid because his mother was gravely wrong in getting Roger’s original smell back. After Roger began to smell of roses, he was happily accepted by his playmates, and, according to Jo, there was no need for him to smell awful again.

Question. What is Mother Skunk’s role in the story? 
Ans. Mother Skunk’s role in the story is to convince the reader about the narrator’s belief that we should never disobey our parents as they know what is best for us. Mother Skunk presents and proves the author’s stance that what Roger’s mother/his mother said and did was correct.

Question. What part of the story did Jack himself enjoy the most and why? 
Ans. Jack enjoyed the part of the story most when he had to speak in the wizard’s voice, as it was one of Jack’s own favourite effects. He did it by squeezing up his face and somehow whining through his eyes. He felt being an old man suited him. Besides, he also enjoyed telling the story when Jo listened carefully, without interrupting him with questions.

Question. “He was telling her something true, something she must know”. Why does the narrator make this statement? 
Ans. The narrator makes the given statement to highlight that he was telling something real to the listener. Though the narrator Jack, was telling his daughter Jo an imaginary story of Roger skunk, he was actually telling her about his childhood experience and suffering. In addition, by using this statement that author clarifies why Jack did not want to hurry through the story.

Question. What did Jo want the wizard to do when Mommy Skunk approached him? 

or

How did Jo want the wizard to behave when Mommy Skunk approached him? 
Ans. Jo wanted the wizard to get angry on Mommy skunk. According to her, the wizard should take the umbrella and hit mommy skunk on the head and also not change Roger’s smell.

Question. Why do you think both Jo and Jack want a different ending each, for Roger Skunk’s story?
Ans. Both Jack and Jo want a different ending to the story of Roger Skunk because of the difference in their nderstanding of the world. Jack is an adult who sees the world with maturity. His understanding is realistic and practical and thus he wants Roger Skunk to retain his original smell.
However, Jo is a child. Her perspective of the world is innocent and child like. She sees everything around her with rose-coloured glasses. Thus for her, Roger Skunk must retain the smell of roses and be happy while the wizard must hit the Skunk’s mother.

Question. Why did Jack feel irritated at his daughter?
Ans. Jack felt irritated with his daughter because of her constant interruptions. He wanted to tell her  something important and thus wanted her to hang on to his words. Even when he had finished the story, Jack did not like Jo protest against his ending. He did not want to change the ending of the story. Further, Jo did not fall asleep despite listening to the whole story.

Question. On seeing Roger Skunk again with a very bad smell, how did the little animals react first and then later on when he had lost it? 
Ans. Roger Skunk smelled very bad due to which little animals ran away from him. Later on, Skunk got rid of this problem with the help of wizard who made him smell like a roses. The little animals found skunk’s new smell quite pleasant. They played many games with him and gathered around him.

Question. Discuss Jack’s perception about gender and its roles. Cite instances from the text to support your answer. 
Ans. Jack’ perception about gender and its roles is derived from the male dominated society. By virtue of the patriarchal set up of the society, he feels that he should be dominating and thus asserts the same time and again in the story.
He is very peculiar of the females around him. He wants them to be yielding and submissive to him. He hated it when women took him for granted even if the female is his daughter.
When the story is almost reaching the end, his daughter gets distracted and does not pay much attention to the story as she feels that the story is over. This irritates him as he liked women to be apprehensive. This shows that Jack was a living embodiment of male chauvinism.

Question. How was the Skunk’s story different from the other stories narrated by Jack?
Ans. The protagonist of each of Jack’s stories used to be an animal named Roger who suffered from a problem, solved ultimately by the wizard. Though Skunk’s story has almost the same characters, its plot is a little different.
Though the wizard solves his problem, Skunk’s mother is annoyed and she makes him get back his original smell. Moreover, Jack’s other stories were too predictable for Jo while this was not.

Question. What message do you get from the story, ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy’ ?
Ans. The message that the story gives is that an individual’s views should be respected. We all must accept that everyone has different perspective, each one of which is important. Further, the story also hints that male domination on females should end.

Question. Why does Jack insist that it was the wizard that was hit and not the mother? 
Ans. Jack insists that it was the wizard that was hit and not the mother because Roger Skunk’s devotion and obedience to his mother is a reflection of Jack’s own self. This is what his hero, Roger Skunk, does when he accepts his mother’s command. Jack believes that parents are always right and must be given unconditional love and respect.
Moreover, Jack believes that the mother was eventually proved right because all the animals accept Roger heartily, with his distinct identity and his original smell.

Question. Wanting Roger Skunk to continue to smell the way a “little skunk should smell” has great significance. Explain. 
Ans. Wanting Roger Skunk to continue to smell the way a ‘little skunk should smell’ is of great significance to the thematic concern of the story. The theme of the story is that mothers know what is best for the children. The story of Roger Skunk inspired by Jack’s own childhood experience puts this forward with a proper logic. A Skunk’s original bad smell functions to protect it from preys. In light of this statement, the mother’s decision to bring back the original smell of the Skunk is justified.

Question. Having got rid of his stink, what problem did Roger Skunk face? 
Ans. After having got rid of his stink, Roger Skunk did not have the required seven pennies to pay the wizard as fee. He had only four pennies and so when the wizard demanded seven pennies, Roger Skunk was faced with another problem. In addition, he also had to face his mother’s anger at his changed smell.

Question. Why did Jack agree to use Skunk as the hero at the story? 
Ans. Jack agreed to use Skunk as the hero of the story as Jo had heard about this new animal at school. Further, Jack had no idea about the animal upon which he would base his story.
So, Jo’s suggestion of a new animal could work as a fresh hero.

Question. Why did Roger Skunk’s mother dislike the new smell ?What does it tell us about mothers in general ? 
Ans. Roger Skunk’s mother disliked the new smell because that was not the natural smell of Skunk and thus would not serve its purpose.
This tells us that mothers in general want to impose their opinion on their children and expect them to be obedient.

Question. What is the significance of the “half old tan and half new ivory cage of mouldings, rails and baseboards” appearing at the end of the story?
Ans. The given phrase presents an image of imprisonment which reflects how Jack feels in his life. Jack had just told an important lesson of his life to his daughter. While doing so he remembers his own childhood and the humiliations he had faced which makes him bitter.
But he had no time to think about it and had to go down to help his wife. This fills him with the feelings of resentment and isolation for the life he is living. His past is the still with him while he prepares for the present as well as the future. All of these feelings makes him feel as if he is caged.

Question. Why was Roger Skunk’s mommy angry with him? What did she finally tell him? 

or

Why was Roger Skunk’s mommy angry?
Ans. Roger Skunk’s mommy was angry with him because he got his original smell changed to the smell of roses. After Roger Skunk got his original smell back, Mother Skunk told him that he smelled like her little baby skunk again and that she loved him very much.

Question. Why does Jo insist that her father should tell her the story with a different ending? 
Ans. Jo is a four year old child who was used to the stories that have a happy ending. However, Roger skunk’s story. For her, does not have a happy ending. Roger skunk’s mother gets his original smell, due to which all other animals ignored him, back. Now, again the little Roger skunk would be left alone which is unacceptable to Jo. Hence, she wants her father to fell a story with a happy ending.

Question. When would Jack tell her daughter, Jo, a story? When had this custom begun?
Ans. Jo’s father Jack used to tell her a story in the evenings and for Saturday naps. This custom began when Jo was two but now she was four years old. Thus, he had been telling her the stories for the last two years.

Question. What was the basic tale or plot of stories told by Jack
Ans. Every story told by Jack had a small creature usually named Roger. He had some problem and went with it to the wise old owl. The owl would tell him to go to the wizard. The wizard solved the problem with some magic spell. However, he charged some pennies for it.

Question. What impression do you form of Jack as a father in the story, ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy?’
Ans. Jack is portrayed as a loving father, who loves telling stories to his four-year-old daughter, Jo. He brings in the dramatic element in his otherwise lame and boring story by using a lot of gestures and dramatic voices. This thrills his daughter, which eventually thrills him. Everything is fine till one day his daughter starts questioning his stories. She views each statement that her father makes with a critical eye and has a lot of questions. Instead of pacifying her by answering her questions, Jack tried to enforce his views on her. Therefore, we can say that Jack is loving and responsible but slightly an immature father.

Question. Why did Roger Skunk go to the owl? What advice did he get?
Ans. Roger Skunk smelled very bad. Whenever he went out to play, all other little animals would run away from him. He would then fell very sad and humiliated. In order to find a way out of his problem, he decided to go to the wise old owl. The owl advised Roger Skunk to go to the wizard.

Question. How did the wizard solve the skunk’s problem?
Ans. The wizard asked the skunk what he wanted to smell like. At this the skunk told her that he wanted to smell like roses. The wizard took his magic wand and chanted a spell. Soon, the whole inside of the wizard’s house was filled with the fragrance of roses.

Long Answer Type Questions :

Question. What makes Jack feel caught in an ugly middle position? 
Ans. Jack feels caught in an ugly middle position as he could not help his wife Clare in painting the woodwork, because at that time he was busy in narrating the story to his daughter. So, Clare must be angry with him. Here, it is important to note that the story also presents the unsettling of gender roles while at the same time revealing the male psyche and Jack’s
chauvinistic attitude.
Secondly, Jack could not convince his daughter that the ending of the story was proper and acceptable. As Jack tells the story, his child Jo strongly expresses, both by words and gestures, what she thinks about how the story should end, which is contrary to what Jack had narrated, but which is according to the principle that the child must respect the mother and do what she says. Jack realises that what Jo has asked for will not be proper.
That is why he feels caught in an ugly middle position which can be taken to be two fold. The first one lies in the present. He had to choose between his wife clare and his daughter. The second one oscillates between his part and his present. Jack cannot get over his childhood and because of it he cannot prepare for the present and future.

Question. Describe Jack’s art of story telling.
Ans. Story telling was a ritual for Jack and his four-year-old daughter Jo. For Jack it was a medium to express his wisdom, art and creativity infused with cunningness through his stories.
Jack begins his story telling sessions in the evenings and before Saturday naps. The originality of these stories are that they all revolve around a tiny creature called Roger. His stories more or less follow one pattern with minor variations depending on the theme for the day. Each story begins and describes a Roger who may be a squirrel, a fish or a chipmunk. The stories also have a wise owl and a magic wand wielding wizard. The creature named Roger always has a problem for which he goes to the owl for advice. The owl directs him to the wizard who casts a magic spell and the problem gets solved. While telling the story Jack successfully manages to capture the attention of his daughter because he understands her span of attention while using his creativity to create the desired effect. He imitates different voices and uses this positive attribute to communicate his ideas in an enthusiastic manner. Each of these stories are his own invention and he uses this talent along with his other talent of adopting the right facial expressions to capture his daughter’s interest and provide life lessons along the way.

Question. How does the story, ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy’ bear testimony to the fact that the frustrations faced by adults and their personal experiences often intrude upon their interaction with their children? 
Ans. It is true that the frustrations faced by adults and their personal experiences, in this case Jack, often intrude upon their interaction with their children. Jack’s childhood is interwoven with the character of Roger Skunk.
Just as Roger has his bad smell, Jack had suffered social rejection as a child due to his stammering. His mother helped him to recover from it. So, his childhood humiliation was transferred as Roger Skunk’s humiliation at not making friends due to his bad smell. As a result, he cannot even accept his daughter’s perspective about Mommy skunk. However, it is wrong on the part of adults to thrust their will on their children. Once a child is able to express himself, an adult should not brush aside the child’s queries, suggestions or opinions.
If the adult finds the child’s approach to be incorrect, the adult should appeal to his reasoning instead of forcing the child to see the adult’s point of view through threats or other coercive methods.

Question. How do you think Jack’s storyline would have been impacted if Jack had accepted Jo’s ending of the story? 
Ans. If Jack had accepted Jo’s version of the story then, the moral of the story would have been lost. Jack’s version of the story functioned not only to tell something important or true to Jo but also to teach her that parents and elders know what is best for the children as they have experienced the real world.
Hence, by virtue of the Mommy Skunk hitting the Wizard and the Wizard changing the smell of the skunk to his original smell, Jack posits that adults are always right. He also intrinsically accepts and justifies his mother’s decisions.
In this light, if he had changed the story according to Jo, the reality aspect of the story would have been lost. All the morals and justifications would be lost and the story would just appeal to the innocent and happy fairy tale world of children like Jo.

Question. How does Jo show her independent thinking in the story, ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy’ ?
Ans. It is obvious to find a marked difference in an adult’s perspective on life and that of a child. This difference in perspective is shown by Jo who makes sure to show her personality and independent thinking through her questions.
Jo herself suggests the animal whose story her father was to create. Further, when her father is narrating the story, she keeps interrupting the story with suggestions about the animals, the skunk was going to meet. Not just that, she even kept on asking curious questions like asking whether magic spells were real. Her individuality comes out when she disapproves of
her father’s ending to the story. Jo wanted the story to end happily. She wanted Roger Skunk’s problem to be solved and expected that he would live happily, playing with his new friends.
She also insists of wizard hitting the mother. This ending too is justified when we look at it from a child’s point of view. As a child, her world is fairytale like and full of happiness. Her thunking will reflect the need of happy ending which Jo does.

Question. What is your stance regarding the two endings to the Roger Skunk story? 
Ans. It is interesting to contrast the two endings of the Roger Skunk story. Jack’s ending of the story is quite mature and practical. It points out the harsh realities that one has to go through in life. The world is based on individual differences; every species of animal has its distinct features, which must be respected and accepted in totality. Moreover, parents know what is best for their children, and their decisions should be respected and obeyed.
Jo wanted the story to end happily. She wanted Roger Skunk’s problem solved and expected that he would live happily, playing with his new friends. This ending too is justified when we look at it from a child’s point of view. As a child, Jo was unable to understand the worth of one’s originality and individuality. Besides, it is difficult for children to understand or explain unhappy endings. Thus, both endings are justifiable.

Extract Based Questions :

Question. Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow.
She thought the story was all over. Jack didn’t like women when they took anything for granted; he liked them apprehensive, hanging on his words.
“Now, Jo, are you listening?”
“Yes.”
“Because this is very interesting. Roger Skunk’s mommy said, ‘What’s that awful smell?’
“Wha-at?”
“And, Roger Skunk said, ‘It’s me, Mommy. I smell like roses.’ And she said, ‘Who made you smell like that?’ And he said, ‘The wizard,’ and she said, ‘Well, of all the nerve. You come with me and we’re going right back to that very awful wizard.
(i) Why did she think that the story was over?
(ii) What do the given lines reflect about Jack?
(iii) How does Jack know that Jo felt that the story was over?
(iv) Do you think Roger Skunk’s mother liked the new smell on her son?
(v) How will you explain Mother Skunk’s reaction?
Ans.
(i) She thought that the story was over because generally her father Jack’s, stories ended with Roger solving the problem with the help of the wizard and being happy.
(ii) The given lines reflect that Jack was a dominating male who wanted all females to be yielding to him. He hated it when they did not pay attention to him.
(iii) The given lines are taken from a part wherein Jo was looking out of the window and was fussing. She was distracted and showed no interest to the story anymore. All these things lead Jack to believe that Jo felt that the story was over.
(iv) No, I don’t think that Roger Skunk’s mother liked the new smell on her son. In fact, she got angry at the new smell of her son.
(v) Mother Skunk was not at all happy with the new smell of her son as she felt that her son’s identity as a skunk was lost. She wanted her son to smell like a skunk only.

Question. Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow.
“Then did the other little animals run away?”
“No, because eventually they got used to the way he was and did not mind it at all.”
“What’s evenshiladee?”
“In a little while.”
“That was a stupid mommy.”
“It was not,” he said with rare emphasis, and believed, from her expression, that she realised he was defending his own mother to her, or something as odd. “Now I want you to put your big heavy head in the pillow and have a good long nap.” He adjusted the shade so not even a crack of day showed, and tiptoed to the door, in the pretense that she was already
asleep.
(i) For what reason and from whom would other animals run away?
(ii) Why does Jo call Mother Skunk ‘stupid Mommy’?
(iii) Do you think Jo understood that Jack was defending her own mother or that something was odd?
(iv) Explain the significance of ‘rare emphasis’ that Jack put in negating Jo’s beliefs.
(v) What do the given lines tell us about Jo?
Ans. (i) Other animals would run away from Roger skunk because of his bad smell.
(ii) Jo calls Mother Skunk as ‘stupid mommy’ because she cannot understand why mother skunk would change the new smell of roses, because of which her son had friends and was happy, back to the old bad smell. 
(iii) No, I do not think that Jo understood that Jack was defending her own mother as she did not know that the Roger Skunk story had a biographical element of her father’s childhood.
(iv) Jack has used a rare emphasis in negating Jo’s belief because unlike the previous stories that were completely imaginative, this story related to his childhood. In this light, Mother Skunk represented his own mother.
(v) The given lines tells us that Jo was smart, quick and an intelligent girl. She has a mind of her own and sticks to it. She is also an inquisitive learner who is learning new things including words.

Question. Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow.
Working his way through this scheme was especially fatiguing on Saturday, because Jo never fell asleep in naps any more, and knowing this made the rite seem futile. The little girl (not so little anymore; the bumps her feet made under the covers were halfway down the bed, their big double bed that they let her be in for naps and when she was sick) had at last arranged herself, and from the way her fat face deep in the pillow shone in the sunlight sifting through the drawn shades, it did not seem fantastic that some magic would occur, and she would take her nap like an infant of two. Her brother, Bobby, was two, and already asleep with his bottle. Jack asked, “Who shall the story be about today?”
(i) Explain ‘Working his way through this scheme’. 
(ii) Why does Jack say that the ‘rite seems futile’?
(iii) What is the purpose of the parenthesis in the given lines?
(iv) Why does Jack ask Jo ‘Who shall the story be about today’?
(v) Do you think Jo would have an answer to the question asked by Jack?
Ans. (i) The phrase ‘Working his way through his scheme’ refers to the storytelling custom of Jack to make his daughter Jo fall asleep in the evenings and for Saturday naps.
(ii) Jack says that the ‘rite seems futile’ because Jo had grown up and did not easily fall asleep now.
(iii) The parenthesis used in the given lines explains the statement that the little girl had grown up now. It gives a vivid description to prove that she had physically grown taller.
(iv) Jack asks Jo this question because after 2 years of narrating a story everyday to his daughter, he was out of ideas. Thus, to get a new idea, he asked Jo this question.
(v) Yes, I think Jo would have an answer for the questions asked by Jack as she was a school going nursery child. This indicates that she was taught about different things in school including animals.

Read the extract and answer the question that follow

“Roger……..” Jo squeezed her eyes shut and smiled to be thinking she was thinking. Her eyes opened, her mother’s blue. “Skunk,” she said firmly.
A new animal; they must talk about skunks at nursery school. Having a fresh hero momentarily stirred Jack to creative enthusiasm.

Question. What creative enthusiasm is being talked about in these lines?
Ans. Jack’s enthusiasm to create creative stories for Jo is being talked about in these lines.

Question. How old was Jo?
Ans. Jo was four years old.

Question. Find from the passage words which mean the same as;
(a) Powerfully
(b) instantly
Ans. (a) firmly
(b) momentarily.

Question. Name the chapter and its author.
Ans. The name of the chapter is ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy?’ and its author is John Updike.

Question. What does the phrase ‘her mother’s blue’ mean?
Ans. This phrase means that Jo’s eyes were blue, just like her mother.