Word Meaning, Summary, Important Questions Of Chapter 8 Going Places | Class 12

Hindi Meaning Of Difficult Words | Chapter 8 Going Places

About The Poet | R. Barton | Chapter 8 Going Places

R. Barton is a modern writer, who lives in Zurich and writes in English. He has authored many stories like “Going Places” which are mainly concerned with the problems and stages of adolescence.

Short Summary Of Chapter 8 Going Places In English

It is normal for teenagers to dream. They aspire to reach the sky. They feel they can do the impossible. They look up to someone as their role model. This story is about a teenage girl, Sophie, who is a dreamer. She wishes to have the first boutique in the city. She has no money or means as she belongs to a lower middle class family. Her friend Janie is a practical girl. She is aware of the realities of life. Janie advises her not to indulge in fantasy. Having a boutique requires a lot of money.

However, Sophie thought she would become a manager to have the money. She even dreamt of becoming an actor or a fashion designer. Janie knows they have no other option but to work in the biscuit factory.

Sophie lives in a small house with her parents and brothers, Geoff and little Derek. Though, she voices her feelings and desires, her parents belittle her, because they, unlike her, are more mature and know the harsh realities of life.

Sophie has a fascination for her elder brother Geoff, who in her opinion is tall, strong, handsome but reserved. Geoff is an apprentice mechanic. She envies his silence and often wonders about his thoughts and areas of his life that is not known to her. Sophie wants to meet interesting, exotic people who she thinks are part of her brother’s world. She wants her brother to introduce her to those places and people. However, she knows her father will not allow it. Moreover, Geoff thinks she is too young; Sophie was impatient. She imagines Geoff riding a bike wearing black leathers and she sitting behind him in a yellow dress with a cape. The whole world is applauding them.

Sophie tells Geoff of her meeting with Danny Casey in the arcade. Geoff does not believe her. But Sophie gives the description with such conviction, describing Danny’s physical appearance. Geoff tells the same to their father who waves off the story and discusses Danny’s skill as a player. Her father warns Sophie that cooking up such stories may land her up in some trouble. But Sophie does not give up. She describes it to be a chance encounter at the Royce’s. She asked Danny for an autograph and neither of them had a paper or pen, they discussed clothes and Danny promised her to

meet the next week and give his autograph. Geoff says that it was the most unlikely thing to happen. The family goes to watch the football match, Sophie, her father and Derek sit near the goal and Geoff and his friends sit higher to watch the match. Danny exhibits his Irish genius. Witnessing the crowd’s adulation Danny, Sophie glowed with pride.

Janie comes to know about Sophie’s lie. She asks Sophie about it. Sophie is shocked that Janie knows about her lie. She admits to Janie that she met the celebrity but Janie refuses to believe her Sophie is happy that Geoff kept her secret and did not tell about her date with Danny. Sophie tells Janie that it was all incidental. Sophie says as there was no pen or paper, she could not get an autograph. Janie said she may trust Sophie and then leaves. Sophie waits for Danny Casey at her favorite spot along the canal as she thought it was a perfect place for a date. She tries hard to maintain a balance between her dream and reality and keeps on contemplating on the prospect of Danny coming or not to meet her. Her own thoughts make her sad.

Sophie is frightened what will she go and tell her family about Danny not coming to meet her, especially to Geoff. She is unable to accept the reality. Though she feels sad and miserable she does not want to give up on her dream.

Sophie once again dreams of meeting Danny at Royce and asking for his autograph. She dreams of discussing his popularity with her family. She fail to come out of her fantasy and is overwhelmed b the memory of the match as this was the only time when she saw Danny Casey in reality.

Important Previous Year Questions From Chapter 8 Going Places

SA I (2 marks)

1. Why didn’t Sophie want Janie to know about her meeting with Danny Casey? (2020)
2. What was Sophie’s first choice of job after completing her school? How did she hope to succeed in her aim? (2020)
3. Why did Sophie long for her brother’s affection? (AI 2014)
4. How are Janie and Sophie different from each other? (Delhi 2014 C)
5. Why is Sophie attracted to Danny Casey? (Delhi 2014 C)
6. Why did Sophie like her brother, Geoff more than any other person? (Delhi 2013)
7. Why was Sophie jealous of Geoff’s silence? (AI 2013)
8. Why did Sophie not want Janie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey? (AI 2012)
9. Why didn’t Sophie want Janie to know about her story with Danny? (Delhi 2011)
10. Did Geoff keep his promise to Sophie? How do you know? (Delhi 2011)
11. How did Sophie’s father react when Geoff told him about her meeting with Danny Casey? (Delhi 2011)
12. What thoughts came to Sophie’s mind as she sat by the canal? (AI 2011)
13. Which was the only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person? (AI 2011)
14. Why did Janie discourage Sophie from entertaining thoughts about the sports-star, Danny Casey? (AI 2011)

SA II (3 marks)

15. What is your impression of Sophie’s brother Geoff? (AI 2019)
16. Sophie was dreaming of so many thing in her life. What were they? (Delhi 2017)

LA I (5 marks)

17. Has Sophie met Danny Casey? What details of her meeting with Danny Casey did she narrate to her brother? (Delhi 2014)
18. What were Sophie’s plans for her future? Why would you call her dreams unrealistic? (Delhi 2014)

LA II (6 marks)

19. Attempt a character sketch of Sophie as a girl who lives in her dreams. (Delhi 2019)
20. In one’s approach to life one should be practical and not live in a world of dreams. How is Janie’s attitude different from that of Sophie? (2018)
21. Teachers always advise their students to dream big. Yet, the same teachers in your classrooms find fault with Sophie when she dreams. What is wrong with Sophie’s dreams? (Delhi 2016)
22. Every teenager has a hero/heroine to admire. So many times they become role models for them. What is wrong if Sophie fantasizes about Danny Casey and is ambitious in life? (AI 2016)
23. Given the socio-economic conditions in which Sophie lived should she have big dreams? Why? Why not? (Foreign 2016)
24. How different is Janie from Sophie? (AI 2015)
25. It is not unusual for a lower middle class girl to dream big. How unrealistic were Sophie’s dreams? (AI 2015)
26. It is normal for adolescents to fantasize and indulge in hero worship. How far is it true of Sophie? (Foreign 2015)
27. Sophie lives in a world full of dreams, which she does not know she cannot realize. Comment. (AI 2015)

LA IV (10 marks)

28. Compare and contrast Sophie and Janie highlighting their temperament and aspirations. (Delhi 2012)
29. Attempt a character sketch of Sophie as a woman who lives in her dreams. (Delhi 2012)
30. Draw a character sketch of Sophie’s father. (Delhi 2012)

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Answer Of Chapter 8 Going Places For The Above Questions

1. Sophie didn’t want Janie to know about her meeting with Danny Casey because she was worried that Janie had the habit of sharing secrets with the whole neighborhood and she didn’t want it to happen. And deep down she knew her lies would be caught if Janie were to learn of her made-up stories. 2. Sophie’s first choice of job after completing school is to open a boutique. In order to achieve this dream Sophie aspires to run a store where she will work as a manager and she will use the money saved from working there to open her boutique. 3. Geoff was an introvert and Sophie envied her brother’s silence as she thought that he had access to a world that she had never got a chance to visit. She sought her brother’s affection and approval because Geoff was not critical and disapproving of her like her father. To her, Geoff’s world symbolized freedom and adventure, which Sophie craved for a lot. She, to some extent hero worshipped Geoff. 4. While Janie is practical, Sophie is a day dreamer. Janie, is a realistic and grounded girl. Sophie on the other hand wants to escape her reality and yearns to be free. 5. Sophie is attracted to Danny Casey because he is a famous young Irish football player, who played for the United. Sophie’s attraction for the sports star can be seen as hero-worship by the adolescent girl. 6. Refer to answer 3. 7. Geoff was an introvert by nature. Sophie was jealous of his silence because when he was not speaking, it seemed to Sophie that he was away somewhere, in his own world, the places Sophie had never been to, the people whom she had not met. The mystery of the world to which Geoff belonged fascinated her quite a lot. She wished to e admitted into his world because it symbolized freedom and adventure and she craved for both 8. Sophie did not want Janie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey because Janie was a gossip monger. She took interest in knowing things about others, but would not keep any secret. Sophie feared that Janie would tell the whole neighborhood about this and Sophie’s fantasy would be exposed. 9. Refer to answer 8. 10. No, Geoff did not keep his promise to Sophie. The moment he learnt that Sophie met Danny Casey, he told his father about it. Later, Janie confronted Sophie saying that Geoff told her brother, Frank, about Sophie meeting Danny and Frank in turn gave her this information. 11. When Geoff told their father about Sophie’s meeting with Danny Casey, their father neither believed him nor her. He is aware of Sophie’s have lying and indulging in fantasy. He dismissed the information, by calling it another of her ‘will stories. 12. As Sophie sat by the canal, she felt tha this would be the perfect place for her date wit Danny Casey. She thought that when she world meet him here, it would be so romantic. However the realization that such a thing is impossible saddened her. 13. The only occasion when Sophie got to Danny Casey in person was on Saturday whi she, her father and two brothers went to watch United play at the stadium. 14. Janie discouraged Sophie from entertain thoughts about Danny Casey because she kr it was not worth anything; nothing was going to materialize out of it.15. Geoff was an introvert by nature. He often remained silent and lost in his own world, a world to which Sophie had no access. She often sought her brothers affection and attention. She was quite fascinated about Geoff’s world as it symbolized when ture and freedom for Sophie. She hero worshipped her brother. 16. Sophie dreamt of owing a boutique. But, that would require money. Therefore. Sophie thought of becoming a manager straight off. Then, she considered becoming an actress as it paid good money. She was going to be either that or a fashion designer. Eventually, once she acquired enough money, she would buy a boutique. 17. No Sophie has not met Danny Casey in person, but has seen him play football matches in the stadium with her father and brothers. When she lied to Geoff about meeting Danny Casey in person, she narrated that she had met him in the arcade. She was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window, when she spotted him standing beside her. She described his physical appearance saying that Danny Casey had gentle, green eyes and that he was not very tall. He was quiet by nature but when he spoke, he spoke in an Irish accent. Sophie said that she wanted his autograph for little Derek, but couldn’t get it because neither of them had a paper or a pen. She especially mentioned that Danny Casey did not have any girlfriend and that he asked her to meet him the following week and promised to give her an autograph. 18. Sophie wanted her future to be sophisticated and comfortable. She did not see herself working at the biscuit factory for the rest of her life. Instead, she wanted to have a boutique after leaving school. However, realizing that it costs money to own a boutique, she changed her mind and decided to become a shop manager first to earn enough money for the boutique. Alternatively, she considered becoming an actress because, as a profession, it pays well. She changed her mind yet again and revealed that she would be an actress and run a boutique side by side. Her dreams can be called unrealistic because, she came from a poor family who could not provide all the resources needed to fulfil her fantasies. Moreover, Sophie wanted to escape her reality with the help of such dreams and fantasies, but not work hard to make them come true.19. The character of Sophie appears to be a girl who lives in her dreams. She belongs to a weak socio-economic background and to escape from the boring, working class existence, she often fantasizes of a grand and promising future. She wants her future to have less hardships and money constraints.Given her adolescent age, she is fickle minded. When she grows up, she aspires to be a boutique owner or a manager, or an actress, who is also a fashion designer, who also runs a boutique. However, she does not take concrete steps to convert any of her aspiration into reality. Of all her family members, Sophie admires her brother Geoff the most. She idealizes him and at the same time is jealous of him, because he speaks less to Sophie, he seems full of mystery. She wants to be a part of her brother’s mysterious world because it symbolizes freedom and adventure, both of which fascinate her immensely. She thinks that she is tailor made for such a world. Also, a part of her dream world is Danny Casey, an Irish footballer. Sophie has watched him play only once and develops a crush on him. Her hero-worship towards Danny Casey is so intense that she fantasizes meeting him. She romanticizes it and later feels disappointed when her fantasy does not come true. Therefore, it is suffice to say that Sophie is one incurable dreamer who lives in denial. Throughout the story, she has never once thought practically or come out of her dream world.20. Sophie and Janie are classmates and friends. They belong to lower middle-class families. Janie thinks that they both are earmarked for biscuit factory. While Janie seems to have no unrealistic dreams, her friend, Sophie, is a daydreamer. She wants to own a boutique when she grows up. Janie, who is practical and a realistic person, reminds Sophie that it takes a lot of money to own a boutique. Sophie, on the other hand, is fickle minded. She says that she will get a high paying job of a manager or become an actress because they get paid a lot. Sophie shares her dream of becoming an actress/designer/boutique owner with her friend Janie, which only saddens her. A worldly-wise Janie warns Sophie against such far-fetched and unachievable dreams and is content with her reality, whereas Sophie wants to escape hers and find contentment outside, in a world, which is full of mystery and adventure. Sophie’s adolescent fantasizing about having a grand and promising future and hero-worship of Danny Casey stands in total contrast to Janie’s groundedness and practical temperament.21. Although, it is not wrong to have dreams and aspirations for the future, one may find fault with Sophie when she dreams. She belongs to a weak socio-economic background and to escape from the boring, working class existence she often fantasies of a grand and promising future with less hardship and money constraints. Given to her adolescent age, she is fickle minded as she aspires to be a boutique owner, a manager, an actress or a fashion designer when she grows up. However, she does not take concrete steps to convert any of her aspirations into reality. Sophie feels that a far better world, full of mysteries, awaits to be explored by her. Since her circumstances do not support her, one might also feel that her dreams are not based on reality. Sophie likes her world of fantasy more than the real world and wants to remain in it all the time, that is what is wrong.22. Every teenager has a hero or an idol to admire. So, many times they become role models for them. Sophie is one such teenager filled with boundless enthusiasm and ambitions. She wants to lead a sophisticated life. However, she is not a headstrong girl, who is determined to do things her own way and work hard to pursue her dreams. Instead, she appears to be fickle minded changing her aspirations without giving them much thought. She might even appear unrealistic and impractical on some instances because she prefers her world of fantasy over her reality. Her family is poor and cannot provide all the needed resources to fulfil her fantasizes. Her hero-worship is limited to her infatuation with Danny Casey. She fantasizes and lies about their somewhat romantic meeting rather than drawing inspiration from his dedication and hard work to achieve his dreams.23. Refer to answer 21.24. Refer to answer 20. 25. Refer to answer 21.26. It is normal for adolescents to fantasize and indulge in hero-worship. Same is the case with the protagonist of the story, ‘Going Places, Sophie. Sophie is someone, who looks for an escape from her harsh reality in her fantasies. In the story, one can see Sophie idolizing two individuals. One is of course Danny Casey, the Irish, star football player and the other one is Geoff, her older brother, Sophie loves Geoff the most in the family to the extent that she worships him and longs for his affection. Geoff is an introvert, he does not talk to her much and keeps himself busy with his bike Sophie thinks that when Geoff is silent, he is far away somewhere in the mysterious world he belongs to. She too wants to be a part of Geoff’s mystery world. She imagines herself riding behind him, wearing a yellow dress hearing the sound of people applauding for them. She wants him to think of her as an adult; it matters to her what Geoff thinks. However Geoff considers Sophie too young.Her hero-worship for Danny Casey develops into a romantic fantasy, which she cherishes and starts to think as real. She lies about meeting him in person at the arcade. Her detailed description of the way he looks, his mannerisms, etc., makes her lie believable to her brother Geoff and her best friend Janie. Sophie tells Geoff that Danny has asked her to meet him again and insist that he would certainly come, even though Geoff half believes it. Later on the day Sophie is supposed to meet Danny the second time, she imagines him coming and how she would react. Reality hits her hard once again when Danny does not come and it saddens Sophie. The fact is, she and Danny had never met in reality. Sophie had only seen him once playing at the stadium.27. Sophie is a girl still in her adolescence. She comes from a lower middle class family, but is full of dreams. She is an escapist, who is not satisfied with the reality of her life. Sophie is not ready to accept what life has to offer her. This is why she fantasizes of a different life, which would be more exciting. Her best friend Janie believes that Sophie and she are ear-marked for biscuit factory. However, Sophie dreams of becoming a fashion designer r opening a boutique even though it may not be achievable because of her financial constraints. Sophie’s hero-worship for Danny Casey causes her make up stories and lie to her loved ones. There is no limit of her imaginations. She fantasizes about to her dream date with Danny even though she has never once met him in person. She eagerly waits for Danny to come and meet her by the canal, but for apparent reasons, he does not. It is she who gets disappointed in the end. Therefore, this proves that Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which she does not know she cannot realize.28. Refer to answer 20.29. The character of Sophie appears to be a girl who lives in her dreams. She belongs to a weak socio-economic background and to escape from the boring, working class existence, she often fantasizes of a grand and promising future. She wants her future to have less hardships and money constraints.Given her adolescent age, she is fickle minded. When she grows up, she aspires to be a boutique owner or a manager, or an actress, who is also a fashion designer, who also runs a boutique. However, she does not take concrete steps to convert any of her aspiration into reality. Of all her family members, Sophie admires her brother Geoff the most. She idealizes him and at the same time is jealous of him, because he speaks less to Sophie, he seems full of mystery. She wants to be a part of her brother’s mysterious world because it symbolizes freedom and adventure, both of which fascinate her immensely. She thinks that she is tailor made for such a world. Also, a part of her dream world is Danny Casey, an Irish footballer. Sophie has watched him play only once and develops a crush on him. Her hero-worship towards Danny Casey is so intense that she fantasizes meeting him. She romanticizes it and later feels disappointed when her fantasy does not come true. Therefore, it is suffice to say that Sophie is one incurable dreamer who lives in denial. Throughout the story, she has never once thought practically or come out of her dream world.30. Sophie’s father belonged to lower middle class. Nevertheless, he was like any other father. He was a hard working man with a realistic approach towards life. He came across as an overweight, disheveled man, wearing his dirty and sweaty vest, hogging shepherd’s pie. He was not able to provide much for his family because of which the family always had to face money constraints and hardships. He is a practical man, who does not entertain his daughter’s fantasies. He does not believe Sophie when she says that she has met Danny Casey. He dismisses her by calling it one of her ‘ wild stories. He wants Sophie to be a hard working and worldly-wise girl. He himself is an ardent fan of football and pays a weekly visit to the stadium to watch the game. 

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