Word Meaning, Summary, Important Questions Of Chapter 5 The Hundred Dresses
| Class 10

Hindi Meaning Of Difficult Words | Chapter 5 The Hundred Dresses

1Nudgea gentle pushकुहनी मारना poke, elbow, dig
2 Assembledgather together in one place for a common purposeसंकलितcompiled, amassed, anthologized
3 Drizzling rain lightlyबूंदा बांदीshower, mizzle, sprinkle
4 Exaggeratedoveremphasiseअतिरंजित overstated, inflated, magnified
5 Gaspedcatch one's breath with an open mouth, owing to pain or astonishment.हांफता हुआ blow, heave, wheeze
6 Mistreatedto treat someone badlyबुरा व्यवहार करनाmishandle, misbehave
7 Scarcelyhardly; barelyकठिनता सेheavily, inchmeal
8 Shudderedshake, trembleकाँपना pulsate, quake, shiver
9Absent-mindedlywithout making muchअनुपस्थित-मन से forgetful, distracted, inattentive
10Accordwish सहमत होनाconsent, symbolize, concurrence
11Accountdetail वर्णनdescription, narration, representation
12Admirationrespect and warm approvalआदर honor, reverence, esteem
13Announcedeclare घोषणा करना promulgate, publicize, proclaim
14Blonde hairgolden hairसुनहरे बाल pearly, sallow, snowy.
15Brilliantshinningचमकदारbright, glossy, lucid
16Censuscounting of peopleजनगणना enumeration, poll, demographics.
17Courteouspolite, respectfulविनम्र docile, tactful, soft
18Crooked sortawkward कुटिल प्रकार devious, gnarled, meandering.
19Cruelunkind निर्दय unmoved, heartless, dispiteous
20Dazzlingextremely impressive, beautiful, or skilfulबहुत चमकीलाblinding, glaring, gleaming
21Discriminatedmade discriminationभेद करना differ, tell, mark off
22Disguise to give a different appearance to conceal its identityकपट वेश बनानाcamouflaged, incognito, under cover
23Eagerlywith eagernessबेसब्री सेdazedly, distractedly, deucedly
24Embarrassedashamedशर्मिंदा awkward, self-conscious, uneasy
25Encyclopediabook dealing with all branches of knowledgeविश्वकोशalmanac, compilation, concordance.
26Enduringlong lastingटिकाऊdurable, permanent
27Ethnicitypetaining to raceजातीयताnationality, race, background.
28Exactlycorrectlyठीक ठीक precisely, entirely, absolutely
29Exquisitebeautifulअति सुंदरlovely, elegant, graceful
30Greetedwelcomedसत्कार करनाdignify, respect, entertain
31Hang rightfit properlyसही लटकाओpass, spin, swing.
32Hitchingcatchingपकड़ जाना pull, jerk, hike
33Hopscotcha kind of game एक लोकप्रिय खेल…..........
34Hurriedquickजल्दी कर दियाspeed, lose no time, dash
35Identifiedrecognisedपहचान की recognize, single out, pick out
36Incredulouslyshowing unwillingness to believeअविश्वसनीय रूप सेdoubtful, hesitant, quizzical.
37Inseprablethat which cannot be sepratedअविभाज्यIndivisible, Impartible, Indecomposable
38Inventeddiscoveredआविष्कारdevise, inventory, contrive
39Ironedpressed with ironइस्त्री किया हुआpress
40Judgeassessedआंकनाestimate, define, evaluate
41Lavish gorgeousउदारsumptuous, luxurious, costly
42Ledgeshelfआगे निकला हुआ भागsalience, prominence, jag
43Mockingmaking fun of मजाक करनाdroll, jest, fun
44Murmuredsay something in a low or distinct voiceबड़बड़ाया हुआrave, haw, grumble
45Notablefamousप्रसिद्धrenowned, legendary, popular
46Obviouslyapparently जाहिरा तौर परperceptibly, cognizably, overtly
47Occurred took placeप्रयुक्तhappen, transpire, materialize
48Peals of laughterloud laughterहँसी के ढेर giggle, twitter, snicker
49Possessionswealth/things keptसंपत्ति property, assets, fortune
50Pretended not genuineढोंग कियाfabled, seeming, professed
51Protectedsavedसंरक्षितconserved, guarded
52Rarelyvery seldomशायद ही कभीinfrequently, hardly ever, scarcely ever
53Roughindisciplinedअसभ्यrude, intractable, uncivilized
54Sashscarfपट्टीstrip, bandage, spline
55Scuffling of feetcreating noise by thumping shoesपैरों का फड़कनाfracas, ruckus, strife.
56Shrieks screamचिल्लाहटshout, vociferance, outcry
57Stolidlycalm, dependable, and showing little emotion and animationपूरी तरह सेcatatonic, deadpan, empty
58Suburbsoutskits of the cityउपनगरperiphery, faubourg, purlieus
59Surroundedencircledचारों ओर से घेरनाlocal, adjoining, bordering
60Targeta person chosen for attackलक्ष्य goal, objective, tee
61Teasingbotheringछेड़ छाड़ aggravate, molest, banter
62Treatbehave withव्यवहार करनाdemean, carry, affect
63Trimmingsdecorationट्रिमिंगcuttings, clippings, parings
64Velveta kind of clothमखमलीsoft cloth, delicate
65Windowsillledge or sill forming the bottom part of a windowखिड़की के नीचे की आलमारी.…..................




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About The Poet | Chapter 5 The Hundred Dresses

INTRODUCTION

The Hundred Dresses was written in 1944 by Eleanor Ester but is still as popular today as it was when it was published. The story is based on Ester own experiences. While in elementary school, she had a classmate who was teased because she wore the same dress to school every day. Ester never forgot the little girl and felt guilty for teasing her. She knew what it felt like to be poor. Thus to right this wrong Ester decided to write, ‘The Hundred Dresses-I’. The book is deeply moving, and touches children who are moved by Wanda’s forgiving nature.

Short Summary Of Chapter 5 The Hundred Dresses
In English

SUMMARY

After waiting for several minutes for Wanda to come, Peggy and her best friend, Maddie, came late to the class. They were surprised to find out she was not in the class also. Her absence meant no teasing Wanda that day.

Although generally kind, Peggy enjoyed mocking at her extremely shy classmate with an unpronounceable name Wanda Petronski. The teasing consisted of asking Wanda the number of dresses she had. To everyone’s amazement, the girl who obviously owned only one, claimed she had a hundred dresses. Maddie pitied the girl but never stopped Peggy from teasing the girl.

Time passed but neither Wanda nor her brother did show up. However, a mystery of their disappearance didn’t remain unsolved. Wanda’s father, Jan Petronski’s wrote a note to his daughter’s teacher through which the children learned that the family had left the town. The girls ran to Wanda’s house to apologize and ask her to stay. They found neither her nor anyone, who knew her. The next day, when they entered the class, they saw hundreds of breath-taking sketches of fancy gowns. They wrote her a letter out of guilt and congratulated her on winning a drawing contest. Their teacher read a letter from their missed classmate, from which the girls understood that she didn’t hold a grudge against them as she had made some sketches for Peggy and Maddie too.

TITLE JUSTIFICATION

TITLE JUSTIFICATION

The title ‘The Hundred Dresses-I’ is an apt one as it refers to the hundred dresses that Wanda Petronski had made quietly. She had created sketches of exquisite dresses due to which she won the contest. The title highlights the great talent and beautiful nature of the Polish girl Wanda. It also reminds her of the constant bullying she suffered at the hands of her classmates like Peggy and Maddie who presumed themselves to be superior to her just because she was poor. Yet her nature was such that she never bore any ill will towards her heartless classmates. Thus in a way the hundred dresses were not just that but also point the many ways in which Wanda proved to be superior to her tormentors.

THEME

THEME

The theme of forgiveness is dominant in the story. Although the girls teased Wanda every single day, Wanda forgives Maddie and Peggy and demonstrates this by giving them each one of the beautiful dresses she has painted. This also shows Wanda to be the bigger person given that her school experience has not been fun because of them.

One of the themes of the book is bullying because even though Peggy and Maddie do not think of their teasing as bullying, and do not mean to make Wanda unhappy, it is bullying nonetheless. Maddie begins to recognize it as such but does not want to say anything in case the teasing transfers to her instead of Wanda. The story also suggests that it is important to resist bullies as it is cruel.

MESSAGE

MESSAGE

The message of the story ‘The Hundred Dresses-I’ is that teasing and bullying others for being poor or different in some way is quite reprehensible as it is insensitive to the victim’s feelings. Wanda suffers isolation and bullying at the hands of Peggy and Maddie. Another message of the story is that forgiveness is the greatest virtue. Wanda, despite being targeted by bullies approaches them with great love and forgiveness. This is shown by her gesture of presenting them with beautiful paintings of her dresses. Her action is worthy of emulation.

CHARACTER SKETCH

CHARACTER SKETCH

  1. Wanda Petronski

Wanda is the owner of the hundred dresses in the book’s title. She is of Polish heritage and has a name most people struggle to pronounce. She is from a poor family and lives in the poor area of town with her brother and father. She is a quiet child who rarely says anything and never laughs. Wanda is teased, not because she wears the same dress to school every day, but because she claims to have one hundred dresses at home. At first the other children believe her, assuming that she means party dresses that would be inappropriate at school, but when she tells them she has all kinds of dresses, the teasing begins. She never speaks up against the girls teasing her, but says nothing while they do so. Wanda has a tremendous capacity for forgiveness, extending friendship to Peggy and Maddie after she has moved away. Wanda’s hundred dresses are really her stylish and eye-catching designs for which she wins the drawing and colour contest at school and which shows her in a very different light among her peers.

  1. Peggy

Peggy is the most popular girl in school and is confident and talented. Although she is the instigator of the teasing she is not really a mean girl, as she does not see the teasing as picking on Wanda; from Peggy’s perspective. She is just calling Wanda out for her obviously silly lie about having one hundred dresses at home. After they see Wanda’s drawings she is self-effacing enough to concede that although she is good at drawing Wanda is far more talented. Peggy feels rather guilty about Wanda leaving and is worried that her teasing has driven Wanda away. Peggy does learn an important lesson about not teasing people and is otherwise a nice child who would not consider herself, nor be considered by other, to be a bully.

  1. Maddie

Maddie is Peggy’s best friend and also teases Wanda but knows in her heart that this is wrong. Unfortunately because she is not quite as popular as Peggy, she is reluctant to speak up and say that the teasing is unkind. Maddie is also quite poor and wears hand made gowns, many from Peggy, which her mother alters or embellishes with braid and ribbons to make sure nobody at school remembers seeing them before. It is this fact that makes her reluctant to speak up for Wanda as she is concerned that if the class realizes she is also poor they will start teasing her instead. Maddie becomes a stronger person by the end of the book and decides that in the future she will be the champion of

anyone who is teased and not be one of the children teasing them.

GLOSSARY

  1. Courteous- a show of polite consideration for others, 
  2. Didn’t hang right- didn’t fit properly; 
  3. Hopscotch-a game in which children hop into and over squares marked on the ground; 
  4. Nudge- a gentle push; 
  5. Incredulously- showing unwillingness to believe, 
  6. Stolidly- not showing any feeling; 
  7. Bullies-those who use their strength or power to frighten weaker people; 
  8. Mocking-false; meant to make fun of; 
  9. Embarrassed- ashamed; 
  10. Target-a person deliberately chosen for attack; 
  11. Incredulous-too impossible to easily believe; 
  12. Pretended- not real; 
  13. Drizzling-a very light rain was falling.

TYPE I: REFERENCE TO CONTEXT (VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS)

TYPE I: REFERENCE TO CONTEXT (VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS)

Read the extracts and answer the following questions: 

  1. On the contrary, she was very quiet and rarely said anything at all. And nobody had ever heard her laugh out loud. 

Questions

(i) Who is referred to as ‘she’?

(ii) What was ‘she’ like?

(iii) What did Wanda never do?

(iv) What kind of person was ‘Wanda’?

Answers

(i) Wanda Petronski is referred to as ‘she’.

(ii) She was very quiet and rarely said anything.

(iii) Wanda never laughed loudly. 

(iv) She was a shy and reserved person.

  1. But on Wednesday, Peggy and Maddie, who sat down front with other children who got good marks and who didn’t track in a whole lot of mud, did notice that Wanda wasn’t there. 

Questions

(i) Where did Peggy normally sit?

(ii) Was Maddie a good student? 

(iii) Who was Wanda?

(iv) What did they notice about Wanda?

Answers

(i) Peggy normally sat in the front rows in the class.

(ii) Yes, Maddie was a good student as she got good marks.

(iii) Wanda was Peggy and Maddie’s classmate. 

(iv) They noticed that Wanda was absent.

  1. Most of the children in Room Thirteen didn’t have names like that. They had names easy to say,

Questions

(i) What is room thirteen?

(ii) Which names did most children not have? 

(iii) What kind names did most children have? 

(iv) Why did Wanda have an unusual name?

Answers

(i) Room thirteen is the classroom of Wanda Petronski.

(ii) Most children have common names and not an uncommon one like that of Wanda Petronski 

(iii) They had names which were easy to say.

(iv) Wanda had I an unusual name as she was Polish. 

  1. “Wanda” she’d say, giving one of her friends a nudge, tell us. How many dresses did you say you had hanging up in your closet?”

Questions

(i) Who is referred to as she?

(ii) Who is she talking to?

(iii) Why did she nudge one of her friends? 

(iv) Why did the speaker ask this question?

Answers

(i) She refers to Peggy

(ii) She is talking to Wanda. 

(iii) She nudged one of her friends to indicate to her that she was about to tease Wanda. 

(iv) The speaker asked this question as poor Wanda always insisted that she had a hundred dresses in her closet.

  1. “What are they like? All silk, I bet,” said Peggy. “Yeah, all silk, all colours.” “Velvet, too?” “Yeah, velvet too. A hundred dresses,”

Questions

(i) Who is Peggy speaking to?

(ii) What is the reference to ‘silk”?

(iii) What other dress material are mentioned in the above lines?

(iv) What does they in the first line refer to?

Answers

(i) Peggy is speaking to Wanda Petronski. 

(ii) Peggy enquires of Wanda if all her dresses made of silk.

(iii) In the above lines, other dress material mentioned is velvet.

(iv) They in the first line refers to hundred dresses of Wanda. 

  1. As for Maddie, this business of asking Wanda every day how many dresses and how many hats, and how many this and that she had was bothering her. Maddie was poor herself. She usually wore somebody’s hand me-down clothes. Thank goodness, she did not live up on Boggins Heights or have a funny name.

Questions

(i) Why did making fun of Wanda bother Maddie? 

(ii) What did Maddie thank goodness for?

(iii) What was bothering Maddie? 

(iv) What kind of girl was Maddie?

Answers

(i) Making fun of Wanda bothered Maddie because she was poor herself.

(ii) Maddie thanked goodness that she did not live there and did not have an unusual name. 

(iii) The business of asking about Wanda’s dresses, shoes and other was bothering Maddie.

(iv) Maddie was a poor girl.

  1. She would never have paid any attention to Wanda if Peggy hadn’t invented the dresses game. But suppose Peggy and all the others started in on her next? 

Questions

(i) Who is she?

(ii) Who was Wanda?

(iii) Who invented the dresses game? 

(iv) Why is the speaker worried?

Answers

(i) Maddie is referred to as “she’.

(ii) Wanda was the classmate of Maddie.

(iii) Peggy had invented the dresses game. 

(iv) The speaker is worried that her friends may start the dresses game on her, if she stopped them from teasing Wanda about her clothes.

  1. Sometimes, when Peggy was asking Wanda those questions in that mocking polite voice, Maddie felt embarrassed. 

Questions

(i) Who is Peggy?

(ii) What did Peggy ask Wanda? 

(iii) In what tone did Peggy ask the questions?

(iv) Why did Peggy mock at Wanda?

Answers

(i) Peggy is a popular girl and Maddie’s friend.

(ii) Peggy asked Wanda questions about her hundred dresses that Wanda claimed to have in her closet.

(iii) Peggy asked the questions in a mockingly polite way.

(iv) Peggy mocked at Wanda as she thought it ridiculous that Wanda, who was obviously poor repeatedly claimed to have a hundred dresses in her closet.

  1. She wasn’t as poor as Wanda, perhaps, but she was poor. Of course she would have more sense than to say she had a hundred dresses.

Questions

(i) Who is ‘she”?

(ii) Why does she think of Wanda? 

(iii) Who talked about the hundred dresses?

(iv) What does the speaker think of Wanda’s assertion that she possessed hundred dresses?

Answers

(i) Maddie is referred to as ‘she’. 

(ii) She thought of Wanda as she disliked that Wanda was teased for her plain clothes by her friends. 

(iii) Wanda talked about her hundred dresses.

(iv) The speaker, Maddie thinks that since Wanda was obviously poor she should not make such ridiculous claims of having a hundred dresses.

  1. Still she would not like for them to begin on her. She wished Peggy would stop teasing Wanda Petronski.

Questions

(i) Whose thoughts are these?

(ii) Who are them’?

(iii) Explain the phrase ‘begin on her’.

(iv) What did the speaker wish?

Answers

(i) These are Maddie’s thoughts.

(ii) ‘Them’ refers to Maddie’s friends.

(iii) The phrase, begin on her’ means to start teasing Maddie.

(iv) Maddie wished that Peggy would stop teasing Wanda.

  1. Thinking about Wanda and her hundred dresses are lined up in the closet, Maddie began to wonder who was going to win the drawing and coloring contest. For girls, this contest consisted of designing dresses and for boys, of designing motorboats. Probably Peggy would win the girls’ medal.

Questions

(i) What was Maddie thinking about Wanda?

(ii) What did the contest consist of? 

(iii) What was the contest about? 

(iv) Who can probably win the girl’s medal? 

Answers

(i) Maddie was thinking about Wanda and her dresses all lined up in the closet.

(ii) For boys, the contest consisted of designing motor boats whereas for girls, the contest consisted of designing dresses.

(iii) It was about drawing and coloring.

(iv) Peggy can probably with it.

  1. As for the girls”, she said, “although just one or two sketches were submitted by most, one girl -and Room Thirteen should be proud of her this one girl actually drew one hundred designs – all different and all beautiful. In the opinion of the judges, any one of the drawings is worthy of winning the prize.

Questions

(i) Who does she’ stand for?

(ii) How many sketches were submitted by most of the students?

(iii) Who drew one hundred designs? 

(iv) Why was Wanda given the girl’s medal?

Answers

(i) She stands for the teacher, Miss Mason. 

(ii) Most of the sketches were submitted by most of the students.

(iii) Wanda drew one hundred designs.

(iv) Because she had drawn one hundred different and beautiful designs.

TYPE II: SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (30-40 WORDS EACH)

Answer the following questions:

  1. When and why do Peggy and Maddie notice Wanda’s absence? 

Ans. Peggie and Maddie noticed Wanda’s absence after three days, i.e., on Wednesday because they wanted to be with her for a lot of fun. They waited for her for a long time but she didn’t turn up. They wondered why she hadn’t reported to school.

  1. What do you think “to have fun with her” means? 

Ans. Wanda was a quiet and shy girl who was ashamed of her dust laden feet. The girls used to gang up and make fun of her by teasing her about her clothes. This gave them a lot of pleasure. Therefore they wanted to have fun with her.

  1. Why didn’t Maddie ask Peggy to stop teasing Wanda? What was she afraid of? 

Ans. Peggy was the most popular girl. Moreover, she is a nice girl deep inside. She doesn’t hurt anybody and she cries even at the sight of some animal under pain. From Maddie’s perspective making fun of Wanda is simply a harmless fun. And given other virtues of Peggy she deserves a little bit of sympathy. Maddie does not want to annoy Peggy, her best friend. She is also afraid of coming under the firing line if she stops other girls from teasing Wanda as she herself was poor.

  1. Who did Maddie think would win the drawing contest? Why?

Ans. Maddie thinks that Peggy would win the contest. This is about lasting impression some people have on one’s minds. Maddie was awed by Peggy as she saw her as being popular and smart. This led her to believe that Peggy would be good at everything. But in reality one cannot be perfect in everything. Thus Maddie’s adoration of Peggy led her to believe that Peggy would win the contest.

  1. Who won the drawing contest? What had the winner drawn? 

Ans. Wanda won the drawing contest. She may have been determined to prove her worth through that contest. To complete her drawings she didn’t attend school for some days, this shows her will to win.

Her drawings of a hundred dresses was a way to send a strong message to Peggy and her team that she may not be having a single dress in her wardrobe but deep inside her imagination she had hundreds of dresses.

  1. How is Wanda seen as different by the other girls? How do they treat her?

Ans. Wanda is seen as someone with a funny name and accent. Overall, other girls see Wanda as a strange creature who is entirely different and inferior to them. They treat Wanda as someone who should be made fun of. 

  1. How does Wanda feel about the dresses game? Why does she say that she has a hundred dresses? 

Ans. It is difficult to guess because of her stoic and expressionless face, which Wanda maintains during the dresses game. But it can be assumed that like all normal people, Wanda may not be feeling good at

being humiliated. Her reply is a way to tell other girls that she is made of tough nerves and can withstand such attempts at humiliation

  1. Why does Maddie stand by and not do anything? How is she different from Peggy? (Was Peggy’s friendship important to Maddie? Why? Which lines in the text tell you this?)

Ans. Peggy is the most popular girl in the class and Maddie is her close friend. Maddie is afraid of losing Peggy’s friendship. That is why, Maddie does not want to take risk of annoying Peggy and prefers to be a mute spectator. The line, “Peggy was the best-liked girl……. and could do no wrong” illustrates this.

  1. What does Miss Mason think of Wanda’s drawing? What do the children think of them? How do you know? 

Ans. Miss Mason thinks of Wanda’s drawing as “exquisite “all different and all beautiful. The children think of them as amazing”. They stop sho and gasped when they look at the beauty and brilliance of her beautiful designs. They are taken in surprisingly by their dazzling colours and lavish design. 

  1. Describe the reaction of Wanda Petronski to Peggy and Maddie 

Ans. When Peggy and Maddie made fun of Wanda Petronski, a quiet, Polish girl in their class, she did not speak to them and remained serious. As she had no American friend she walked alone with dull eyes and hitched her shoulders in a funny way.

  1. Why did Maddie write a note to Peggy and then tore it?

Ans. Maddie wrote a note to Peggy wishing to convey to her to stop making fun of Wanda. But she tore it because she thought that it could annoy Peggy and she would make fun of her instead. Also she saw Peggy as being smart and superior to her and did not wish to cross her. 

  1. How does everyone in the class react to Wanda’s drawing?

Ans. Everyone clapped after having a look of Wanda’s drawing Even the boys who were not interested in drawing applauded and whistled at the taw-dropping sketches that Wanda had made, of the hundred dresses she claimed to have.

  1. Where does Wanda live? What kind of a place do you imagine it is?

Ans. Wanda lives in Boggins Heights. The fact that her shoes are covered in mud gives an idea that Boggins. Heights is not a developed or posh area. It must be something like unplanned colonies or slum which don’t have proper roads or drainage system. This leads to water logging and creates unhygienic conditions just like the ones described in Boggins Heights. 

  1. Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?

Ans. Wanda used to sit in the penultimate row of benches. She was from an immigrant Polish colony and was from a poor family. Moreover, she seems to be a quiet person engrossed in her own world. She doesn’t like to interact much with anybody. That is why she sits isolated from the main group of girls.

  1. How did Wanda Petronski look? Describe.

Ans. The appearance of Wanda Petronski was very different. She always wore a faded blue dress. It looked as though it had never been ironed properly. This is why Peggy asked her strange questions about her dresses.

  1. Did Wanda have a hundred dresses? Why did she answer Peggy like this?

Ans. When Peggy asked Wanda how many dresses she had, she answered that she had hundred dresses lined up in her closet. In fact she did not have hundred dresses. She was a poor girl. But even though she answered this only to counter Peggy’s fun. 

  1. Describe Peggy’s soft hearted qualities.

Ans. Although Peggy always made fun of Wanda, yet she was not cruel. She protected small children from bullies. If she saw an animal mistreated, she cried for hours. She made fun of Wanda only for the sake of fun.

  1. What was the drawing contest about? Explain.

Ans. The drawing contest was about designing and dressing. For girls, it was of designing dresses and for boys it was of designing motorboats. Peggy was the best in the class as she could copy a picture in a magazine or some film star’s head. Maddie was sure about Peggy’s victory.

  1. Why was Maddie sure about Peggy’s victory? Was she correct?

Ans. Maddie was Peggy’s best friend. She was sure about Peggy’s victory because she was the best in the whole class. She could copy a picture in a magazine or some film star’s head most correctly. But she proved wrong. Wanda was announced the winner for her best designs.

  1. When and why do Peggy and Maddie notice Wanda’s – absence?

Ans. Peggy and Maddie noticed Wanda’s absence on Wednesday. They waited for Wanda to have some fun with her. But she didn’t come.

TYPE III: LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (100-120 WORDS EACH)

Answer the following questions:

  1. Wanda Petronski was indeed a humble and talentet girl. Would you agree? 

Ans. Wanda Petronski is a polish girl who has shifted America from Poland with her parents. She is very poor and lives up in Boggins Heights. She is very shy and quiet. She does not talk to anyone. She ha no friends and sits in the last row of the class with some naughty boys so that nobody notices her. She wears the same faded blue dress everyday which not ironed but always clean.

Everybody teases her in her class. Curiously, she claims to have a hundred dresses and sixty pair of shoes at home. She is very determined and show her determination in the drawing competition by displaying the hundred sketches of dresses she claims to own. Each of them was so beau full, that she will the competition and surpasses Peggy.

  1. “The Hundred Dresses-I” gives a strong message d avoiding racist behavior. Comment.

Ans. The story “The Hundred Dresses-I’ is really all about teasing of Wanda because she is Polish and has 1 strange name. They made fun of Wanda and made her feel inferior by asking her about her dresses Their behavior towards Wanda was completely undesirable as it shows attitudes of racism and ragging. These are totally condemnable issues in the society.

Peggy and Maddie never thought of Wanda’s feeling and continued teasing her but her selection as winner of the contest shows that color, prejudice and racism are not the parameter of talent and ment is most desirable quality.

  1. What message does the writer wish to convey through the story ‘The Hundred Dresses-I’?

Ans. The message of the story ‘The Hundred Dresses is that teasing and bullying others for being poor or different in some way is quite reprehensible as it is insensitive to the victim’s feelings. Wanda suffers isolation and bullying at the hands of Peggy and Maddie. They picked on her as they believed she was poor and also different as she was a Polish. In the end the message conveyed is that prejudice and racism are not the parameters of talent and merit is most desirable quality. Another message of the story is that forgiveness is the greatest virtue. Wanda despite being targeted by bullies, approaches them with great love and forgiveness. This is shown by her

gesture of presenting them with beautiful paintings of her dresses. She is far superior to others and her action is worthy of emulation.

  1. Write a character sketch of Peggy.

Ans. Peggy is the most popular girl in school and is confident and talented. Although she is the instigator of the teasing she is not really a mean girl, as she does not see the teasing as picking on Wanda From Peggy’s perspective she is just calling Wanda out for her obviously silly lic about having one hundred dresses at home. After they see Wanda’s drawings she is self-effacing enough to concede that although she is good at drawing Wanda is far more talented. Peggy feels rather guilty about Wanda leaving and is worried that her teasing has driven Wanda away. Peggy does learn an important lesson about not teasing people and is otherwise a nice child who would not consider herself, nor be considered by other, to be a bully.

  1. Write a note on the character of Maddie. How was she different from Peggy?

Ans. Maddie is Peggy’s best friend and also teases Wanda but knows in her heart that this is wrong. Unfortunately she is s not quite as popular as Peggy. She is reluctant to speak up and say that the teasing is unkind. Maddie is also quite poor and wears hand me-downs, many from Peggy, which her mother alters or embellishes with braid and ribbons to make sure nobody at school remembers seeing them before. It is this fact that makes her reluctant to speak up for Wanda as she concerned that if the class realizes she is also they will start teasing her instead. Maddie becomes a stronger person by the end of the book and decides that in the future she will be the champion of anyone who is teased and not be one of the children teasing them. 

  1. In the end of the story, Wanda proved to be a large hearted and d loving person. Comment.

Ans. Wanda, a quiet, lonely girl, proved to be an essentially a bigger person than either Peggy or Maddie. They always teased her about her poor blue dress and asked her how many dresses she had, but she seems to have taken their r teasing as a sign of friendship rather than as something intentionally unkind. Their poking fun regarding her one hundred dresses was perhaps the most attention she ever received among the group o children and when they were not teasing her nobody was paying her any attention so interpreting their attention as a clumsy overture of friendship makes her also feel as if she has made friends in her class at school. This proves that she was a kind, tolerant and had a heart of gold.

  1. What is the theme explored in the story. The Hundred Dresses-1′?

Ans. The theme of forgiveness is dominant in the story Although the girls have teased Wanda every single day. Wanda forgives Maddie and Peggy and demonstrates this by giving them each one of the beautiful dresses she has painted. This also shows Wanda to be the bigger person given that her school experience has not been fun because of them. Another theme of the book is bullying because even though Peggy and Maddie do not think of their teasing as bullying, and do not mean to make Wanda unhappy, it is bullying nonetheless. Maddie begins to recognize it as such but does not want to say anything in case the teasing transfers to her instead of Wanda. The story also suggests that it is important to resist bullies as it is cruel.

  1. The Hundred Dresses-1″ is about teasing Wanda. It also borders on ragging and racism indirectly. Describe how does it affect you and how do you evaluate it.

Ans. The story The Hundred Dresses-I is really all about teasing of Wanda because she is Polish and has a strange name. They made fun of Wanda and made he her feel inferior by asking her about her dresses. Their behaviour towards Wanda was completely undesirable as it shows attitudes of racism and ragging. These are totally condemnable issues in the society.

Peggy and Maddie never thought of Wanda’s feelings and continued teasing her but her selection as a winner of the contest shows that color, prejudice and racism are not the parameters of talent and merit is most desirable quality.

  1. What message does the writer wish to convey through the story The Hundred Dresses-1′?

Ans. The message of the story The Hundred Dresses-1′ is that teasing and bullying others for being poor or different in some way is quite reprehensible as it is insensitive to the victim’s feelings. Wanda suffers isolation and bullying at the hands of Peggy and Maddic. They picked on her as they believed she was poor and also different as she was a Polish. In the end the message conveyed is that prejudice or racism are not the parameters of talent and merit is most desirable quality. Another message of the  story is that forgiveness is the greatest virtue. Wanda, despite being targeted by bullies, approaches them with great love and forgiveness. This is shown by her gesture of presenting them with beautiful paintings of her dresses. She is far superior to others and her action is worthy of emulation.

  1. Competitions are a real mirror of our qualities. Even a poor child can get respect and honor through competitions. Explain your views on it.

Ans. Yes, it is true that competitions are a real mirror of our qualities. Wanda’s story proves it. Wanda didn’t have respect among the students. Her poverty became the reason of her fun. Peggy and Maddie asked her how many dresses she had because she used to wear a faded blue dress. But she was talented. She didn’t say anything directly and when the dress design competition was held, she showed her quality. Her designs were unique and different. When the result was announced, all became surprised at her name. Thus this story proves that competitions give us a true reputation in the society.

QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE

  1. Did Wanda have a hundred dresses? Why do you think she said she had?
  2. Why is Maddie embarrassed by the questions Peggy asks Wanda? Is she also like Wanda, or is she different?
  3. What did the class perceive as different regarding Wanda?
  4. How did Ms. Mason appreciate Wanda’s designs? 
  5. Why was Wanda teased and mocked by the girls of her class?

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For more chapters word meanings click on the links given below.

Poem​

Chapter 1 Dust Of Snow 
Chapter 2 Fire and Ice 
Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo 
Chapter 4 How to Tell Wild Animals 
Chapter 5 The Ball Poem 
Chapter 6 Amanda 
Chapter 7 Animals 
Chapter 8 The Trees 
Chapter 9 Fog 
Chapter 10 The Tale of Custard the Dragon 
Chapter 11 For Anne Gregory

Prose​

Chapter 1 A Letter to God 
Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela 
Chapter 3 Two Stories About Flying 
Chapter 4 From the Diary of Anne Frank 
Chapter 5 The Hundred Dresses
Chapter 6 The Hundred Dresses
Chapter 7 Glimpses of India 
Chapter 8 Mijbil the Otter 
Chapter 9 Madam Rides the Bus 
Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares 
Chapter 11 The Proposal

Footprints Without Feet​

Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery 
Chapter 2 The Thief 
Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor 
Chapter 4 A Question of Trust 
Chapter 5 Footprints without Feet 
Chapter 6 The Making of a Scientist 
Chapter 7 The Necklace 
Chapter 8 The Hack Driver 
Chapter 9 Bholi 
Chapter 10 The Book that Saved the Earth

Download Free pdf For NCERT English Solutions Class 10

NCERT Solutions For Class 10 English First Flight Poem

Chapter 1 Dust Of Snow 
Chapter 2 Fire and Ice 
Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo 
Chapter 4 How to Tell Wild Animals 
Chapter 5 The Ball Poem 
Chapter 6 Amanda 
Chapter 7 Animals 
Chapter 8 The Trees 
Chapter 9 Fog 
Chapter 10 The Tale of Custard the Dragon 
Chapter 11 For Anne Gregory

NCERT English Solutions for Class 10 First Flight Prose

Chapter 1 A Letter to God 
Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela 
Chapter 3 Two Stories About Flying 
Chapter 4 From the Diary of Anne Frank 
Chapter 5 The Hundred Dresses (1)  
Chapter 6 The Hundred Dresses (2) 
Chapter 7 Glimpses of India 
Chapter 8 Mijbil the Otter 
Chapter 9 Madam Rides the Bus 
Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares 
Chapter 11 The Proposal

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Footprints Without Feet

Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery 
Chapter 2 The Thief 
Chapter 3 The Midnight Visitor 
Chapter 4 A Question of Trust 
Chapter 5 Footprints without Feet 
Chapter 6 The Making of a Scientist 
Chapter 7 The Necklace 
Chapter 8 The Hack Driver 
Chapter 9 Bholi 
Chapter 10 The Book that Saved the Earth

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