The Little Girl
Gist of the story .. It’s about a family of four members. A little girl Kejia is the youngest member. She has a father. mother and a grandmother. The father is a person with a large frame whose manners are a lttle rough and scary. He demands attention from his family members for all his small comforts. Kejia, the little daughter, fears her father whose coarse behavior appears too unpleasant to her.
The father, has a rough exterior, but a tender, affectionate interior. He loves Kejia a lot, but the daughter can’t see it. On one ocassion, the father lovingly grabs her and makes her sleep beside him showering his fondness over her. This encounter completely changes the perception of Kejia about her father. She realizes that he is a very loving father, and not a boorish person as she hsad thought him to be be before.
Thinking about the Text
A. Given below are some emotions that Kezia felt. Match the emotions in Column A
with the items in Column B.
1. fear or terror ———–(i) father comes into her room to give
her a goodbye kiss (iii) father comes home (iv) speaking to father (v) going to bed when alone at home
2. glad sense of relief ———– (ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter
3. a “funny” feeling, perhaps of understanding —————– (vi) father comforts her and falls asleep (vii) father stretched out on the sofa, snoring
———————————————————–.
B. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.
1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father? Answer .. Her father was a heavily-built person with a hosrse voice and domineering attitude towards other members of the family. In contrast, Kezia was a soft, little girl. This made her afraid of her father.
2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family? Answer . The other members of her family were her paents and her grandmother.
3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine
(i) before going to his office? Answer .. Before stepping out of the house, he used to come near Kejia and plant a kiss on her forehead as a token of affection.
(ii) after coming back from his office? Answer .. He would order his tea, and newspaper to be brought near him. He used to ask Kejia to take off the boots from her feet. There was no softness in his voice.
(iii) on Sundays? .. He spent the afternoon sleeping on the sofa with his face covered by a handkerchief. He stretched his legs to rest on the sofa’s cushion.
4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better? Answer .. The grandmother used to coax Kejia to go to her father’s presence and chat with him informally.
——————————————————————————————-.
C. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.
1. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen? Answer .. Kejia tried her best to be courteous and nice towards her father, but her voice faltered in the process. Her stuttering voice irritated her father.
2. Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father? Answer .. Mr. McDonald was a family man who mingled with his children joyfully. He played fun games with them. In contrast, Kejia’s father was reserved, coarse and threw his weight around.
3. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy? Answer .. When he affectionately took her to the bed and hugged her lovingly, her perception of him changed radically.
Thinking about Language
I. Look at the following sentence.
There was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter…
Here, glad means happy about something.
Glad, happy, pleased, delighted, thrilled and overjoyed are synonyms (words or expressions that have the same or nearly the same meaning.) However, they express happiness in certain ways.
Read the sentences below.
• She was glad when the meeting was over.
• The chief guest was pleased to announce the name of the winner.
1. Use an appropriate word from the synonyms given above in the following
sentences. Clues are given in brackets.
(i) She was thrilled by the news of her brother’s wedding. (very pleased)
(ii) I was extremely pleased to be invited to the party. (extremely pleased and
excited about)
(iii) She was overjoyed at the birth of her granddaughter. (extremely happy)
(iv) The coach was happy with his performance. (satisfied about)
(v) She was very delighted with her results. (happy about something that has happened)
2. Study the use of the word big in the following sentence.
He was so big — his hands and his neck, especially his mouth…
Here, big means large in size.
Now, consult a dictionary and find out the meaning of big in the following sentences. The first one has been done for you.
(i) You are a big girl now. older
(ii) Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career. most crucial
(iii) Their project is full of big ideas. innovative
(iv) Cricket is a big game in our country. popular
(v) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeskar. dedicated
(vi) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater. voracious
(vii) What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear. Large
II. Verbs of Reporting
Study the following sentences.
• “What!” screamed Mother.
• “N-n-no”, she whispered.
• “Sit up,” he ordered.
The italicised words are verbs of reporting. We quote or report what someone
has said or thought by using a reporting verb. Every reporting clause contains
a reporting verb. For example:
• He promised to help in my project.
• “How are you doing?” Seema asked.
Reprint 2025-26
We use verbs of reporting to advise, order, report statements, thoughts,
intentions, questions, requests, apologies, manner of speaking and so on.
1. Underline the verbs of reporting in the following sentences.
(i) He says he will enjoy the ride.
(ii) Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.
(iii) No one told us that the shop was closed.
(iv) He answered that the price would go up.
(v) I wondered why he was screaming.
(vi) Ben told her to wake him up.
(vii) Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.
2. Some verbs of reporting are given in the box. Choose the appropriate verbs
and fill in the blanks in the following sentences.
were complaining shouted replied
remarked ordered suggested
(i) “I am not afraid,” the woman.
(ii) “Leave me alone,” my mother .
(iii) The children that the roads were crowded and noisy.
(iv) “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all,” the master.
(v) “Let’s go and look at the school ground,” the sports teacher.
(vi) The traffic police all the passers-by to keep off the road.
SpeakingSpeaking Speaking
Form pairs or groups and discuss the following questions.
1. This story is not an Indian story. But do you think there are fathers, mothers
and grandmothers like the ones portrayed in the story in our own country?
2. Was Kezia’s father right to punish her? What kind of a person was he?
You might find some of these words useful in describing him:
undemonstrative loving strict hard-working
responsible unkind disciplinarian short-tempered
affectionate caring indifferent
Writing
Has your life been different from or similar to that of Kezia when you were a
child? Has your perception about your parents changed now? Do you find any
change in your parents’ behaviour vis-à-vis yours? Who has become more
understanding? What steps would you like to take to build a relationship based
on understanding? Write three or four paragrap