From the Diary of Anne Frank — NCERT Solutions

Answer:
Original language: Anne Frank's diary was originally written in Dutch.

Comparison with other diary/journal entries:

The entries in the 'Before You Read' (Activity) section are fairly simple and straightforward — they record events, times, places, or brief personal reactions. They are factual and do not go into deep emotional or philosophical reflection.

Anne's diary, however, is very different in the following ways:

1. Personal and emotional depth: Anne does not merely record events; she explores her feelings, fears, hopes, and inner conflicts in great detail.
2. Addressed to a friend: Anne writes her diary as letters to an imaginary friend called 'Kitty', giving it a conversational, intimate tone that ordinary diary entries lack.
3. Literary quality: Anne's writing is vivid, witty, and thoughtful. She uses humour, irony, and self-reflection, making her diary read almost like a piece of literature.
4. Contextual background: Anne provides a sketch of her life so that 'Kitty' (and the reader) can understand the context — something not usually found in simple diary entries.
5. Universal themes: While other entries are personal and local, Anne's diary touches on universal themes of friendship, loneliness, war, and the human spirit.

Answer:
Why the sketch is needed: Anne needs to give a brief sketch of her family because she writes her diary as letters to an imaginary friend called 'Kitty'. She realises that if she plunges straight into her daily stories, Kitty would have no background knowledge about who Anne is, who her family members are, and what their history is. To make her stories understandable, she provides essential information about her parents, her sister Margot, her grandmother, and the family's move from Frankfurt to Holland.

Insider or outsider: Anne treats 'Kitty' as an outsider — someone who does not know Anne or her family at all and needs to be introduced to them from scratch. This is evident from the fact that Anne says, 'I'd better provide a brief sketch of my life' before narrating anything. She explains basic facts (her father's age at marriage, her birth date, where she lived) that an insider would already know.

However, emotionally, Anne treats Kitty as a very close, trusted insider — a best friend to whom she can reveal her deepest thoughts and feelings without hesitation. So Kitty is an outsider in terms of factual knowledge but an insider in terms of emotional intimacy.

Answer:

Father: Anne describes her father as 'the most adorable father I've ever seen'. She clearly adores him and holds him in the highest regard. Her affection for him is warm and unconditional.

Grandmother: Anne loved her grandmother deeply. She was sad when her grandmother fell ill and her birthday went uncelebrated. After her grandmother's death, she writes: 'No one knows how often I think of her and still love her.' She even lit a candle for her grandmother at her next birthday celebration.

Mrs Kuperus: Mrs Kuperus was Anne's teacher and headmistress in the sixth form. Anne was clearly fond of her — at the end of the year, both Anne and Mrs Kuperus were in tears as they said farewell. This shows that Anne formed deep emotional bonds with her teachers.

Mr Keesing: Initially, Anne found Mr Keesing annoying because he punished her for talking. However, she was not intimidated by him; instead, she used her wit to turn the situation around. Eventually, she seems to have developed a warm, respectful relationship with him.

What these tell us about Anne:
These feelings reveal that Anne was a deeply emotional, sensitive, and affectionate person. She valued relationships greatly and formed strong bonds with people she admired. She was also spirited and confident — not afraid to stand up for herself (as with Mr Keesing) — but always with warmth and humour rather than defiance.

Answer: Anne's first essay, assigned by Mr Keesing as punishment for talking too much in class, was on the subject 'A Chatterbox'.

In this essay, Anne argued that talking is a student's natural trait. She acknowledged that she would try to control her habit, but explained that she simply could not stop talking because it was in her nature — inherited from her mother, who was also a great talker. She used the argument of heredity to justify her talkativeness, saying that inherited traits are very difficult to overcome.

Mr Keesing laughed at her arguments but did not give up. He assigned her two more essays on similar topics — 'An Incorrigible Chatterbox' and 'Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterback' — before Anne finally wrote a humorous poem that won him over completely.

Answer: Yes, Mr Keesing is indeed unpredictable, and Anne's experience with him proves her point.

How he is unpredictable:

1. When Mr Keesing first punished Anne by assigning her an essay on 'A Chatterbox', one would expect him to be satisfied when she wrote it. Instead, he assigned her more essays.
2. When Anne wrote a witty essay justifying her talkativeness through the argument of heredity, instead of being angry, he laughed at her arguments — an unexpected reaction from a strict teacher.
3. Most unpredictably, when Anne wrote a humorous poem that was essentially a joke at his expense, Mr Keesing did not punish her. Instead, he read the poem aloud to several classes, added his own comments, and found it amusing.
4. After all this, he completely reversed his earlier strictness — he allowed Anne to talk in class and even started making jokes himself.

This complete turnaround — from a strict, punishing teacher to a jovial, joke-making one — is what makes Mr Keesing unpredictable. Anne could not have foreseen that her poem would change his attitude so dramatically.

Answer:

(i) 'We don't seem to be able to get any closer, and that's the problem. Maybe it's my fault that we don't confide in each other.'
This shows that Anne was self-reflective and honest. Rather than blaming others for her lack of close friendships, she turns the question on herself and wonders if she is at fault. This reveals her maturity and her deep longing for genuine emotional connection.

(ii) 'I don't want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would, but I want the diary to be my friend.'
This tells us that Anne was imaginative and emotionally sensitive. She did not want a mere record of events; she wanted a companion. This shows her creativity and her need for deep, meaningful relationships.

(iii) 'Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot.'
This shows Anne's wonderful sense of humour. She describes her own arrival in Holland in a playful, self-deprecating way — as if she were a gift placed on a table. This light-heartedness and wit are characteristic of her personality.

(iv) 'If you ask me, there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth.'
This reveals Anne's sharp, observant, and opinionated nature. She is not afraid to express her views, even critical ones. It also shows her intelligence and her ability to assess situations around her with clarity.

(v) 'Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking.'
This shows Anne's intelligence, resourcefulness, and determination. Rather than taking the easy way out, she challenged herself to write something genuinely convincing. It reveals her as a thinker who takes pride in the quality of her work.

Matching:

Sentences:

1. Heartbreaking: It was heartbreaking to see the flood victims lose everything they owned.
2. Homesick: Riya felt terribly homesick during her first month at the boarding school.
3. Blockhead: Don't be such a blockhead — the answer is right in front of you!
4. Law-abiding: All law-abiding citizens are expected to pay their taxes on time.
5. Overdo: Don't overdo the exercise on your first day at the gym or you'll injure yourself.
6. Daydream: Instead of paying attention in class, Rohan would often daydream about becoming a cricketer.
7. Breakdown: We were late for the wedding because our car had a breakdown on the highway.
8. Output: The factory's output increased significantly after the new machines were installed.

Meanings:

(i) plunge (right) in: To start doing something in an enthusiastic or abrupt way, without hesitation or preparation; to go straight to the topic without any introduction.

(ii) kept back: To not allow someone to progress to the next grade/class; to hold someone back; also means to withhold information.

(iii) ramble on: To talk or write at length in a confused or unfocused way, without coming to the point.

(iv) get along with: To have a friendly, harmonious relationship with someone; to be on good terms with someone.

Matching phrasal verbs with meanings:

Note: The meanings of these phrasal verbs are generally different from the literal meanings of their individual parts, making them idiomatic expressions. For example, 'plunge in' literally means to jump into water, but here it means to start speaking/writing abruptly without introduction.

(i) quaking in its boots:
Meaning: To be very frightened or nervous about something.
The entire class was extremely scared/nervous (probably about an exam or a strict teacher's announcement).

(ii) not to lose heart:
Meaning: To not become discouraged or give up hope; to remain optimistic.
They encouraged each other to stay hopeful and not give up.

(iii) for ages:
Meaning: For a very long time.
Mr Keesing remained annoyed with Anne for a very long time because of her habit of talking.

(iv) the joke was on him:
Meaning: The person who tried to make a fool of someone else ends up looking foolish themselves.
Mr Keesing tried to embarrass Anne with a ridiculous essay topic, but Anne intended to turn the situation around so that Mr Keesing himself would end up looking foolish.

(i) caught my eye:
Meaning: To attract one's attention.
Sentence: As I walked through the market, a beautiful blue dress in the shop window caught my eye.

(ii) he'd had enough:
Meaning: He could no longer tolerate something; he was fed up.
Sentence: After being interrupted repeatedly during his speech, the principal had had enough and asked everyone to be silent.

(iii) laugh ourselves silly:
Meaning: To laugh uncontrollably for a long time.
Sentence: We laughed ourselves silly watching the comedian's performance at the school annual function.

(iv) can't bring myself to:
Meaning: To be unable to do something because it is too difficult emotionally.
Sentence: Even though I know it's the right thing to do, I can't bring myself to throw away the letters my grandfather wrote to me.

1. break somebody's heart:
Meaning: To make someone feel very sad and upset, especially by ending a relationship or causing a great disappointment.
Sentence: It broke his mother's heart when he left home without saying goodbye.

2. close/dear to heart:
Meaning: Something that you care about very much; something of great personal importance.
Sentence: The welfare of stray animals is a cause that is very close to her heart.

3. from the (bottom of your) heart:
Meaning: With complete sincerity; genuinely and deeply.
Sentence: I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the help you gave me during my illness.

4. have a heart:
Meaning: Used to ask someone to be kind and sympathetic; to show compassion.
Sentence: Oh, have a heart! The poor child has been waiting in the rain for an hour — let him in.

5. have a heart of stone:
Meaning: To be completely unfeeling and unsympathetic; to show no compassion.
Sentence: You would have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by the plight of the earthquake survivors.

6. your heart goes out to somebody:
Meaning: You feel great sympathy and sadness for someone who is in a difficult situation.
Sentence: My heart goes out to all those families who lost their homes in the floods.*

Contracted forms found in the text and their full forms:

(Note: Students should list the specific contracted forms that appear in the portion of the text they have read. The above is a comprehensive list of those likely to appear.)

Contracted forms that can stand for two different full forms:

Examples from context:

• 'I'd better provide a brief sketch' → I had better provide (or I would better provide)
• 'he'd had enough' → he had had enough

The apostrophe in contracted forms replaces the missing letter(s), but the same contracted form can sometimes represent two different words, so the meaning must be understood from context.

Original extract with contracted forms substituted:

[The door is flung open, and several men tramp in. They carry sticks, and one of them, HOB, has a hammer.]

MOB: Now where's your husband, mistress?

MARY: He's in his bed. He's sick, and weary. You wouldn't harm him!

HOB: We're going to smash his evil work to pieces. Where's the machine?

SECOND MAN: On the table yonder.

HOB: Then here's the end of it!

[HOB smashes the model. MARY screams.]

HOB: And now for your husband!

MARY: Neighbours, he's a sick man and almost a cripple. You wouldn't hurt him!

HOB: He's planning to take away our daily bread... We'll show him what we think of him and his ways!

MARY: You've broken his machine... You've done enough...

Changes made:

• where is → where's
• He is → He's (×2)
• You would not → You wouldn't (×2)
• We are → We're
• Where is → Where's
• here is → here's
• he is → he's (×2)
• We will → We'll
• You have → You've (×2)

Sample Diary Entries (One Week):

Monday, [Date]
Dear Diary,
Monday again — ugh! Can't believe how fast the weekend flew by. School was the usual chaos. Got my Science test back — 18/20! Mum'll be pleased. Stayed back after school to practise for the Annual Day skit. Tired but excited.

Tuesday, [Date]
Dear Diary,
Raining all day. Missed the school bus and arrived late — soaked to the bone. Teacher wasn't too pleased. Spent the afternoon reading. Cosy, actually.

Wednesday, [Date]
Dear Diary,
Big argument with Priya today. She told everyone about my crush. So embarrassing! Not talking to her. Maybe I overreacted — will think about it.

Thursday, [Date]
Dear Diary,
Made up with Priya. She apologised. Felt a huge weight lift off my chest. Friendship matters more than pride.

Friday, [Date]
Dear Diary,
Friday at last! Rehearsal for Annual Day went brilliantly. Teacher said I was a natural. Walked home with Arjun — laughed ourselves silly over nothing. Best evening in ages.

Saturday, [Date]
Dear Diary,
Lazy morning. Helped Dad in the garden. Planted tomatoes — hope they grow! Watched a film in the evening. Perfect Saturday.

Sunday, [Date]
Dear Diary,
Sunday — bittersweet. Finished homework early (miracle!). Spent the evening on the terrace watching the sunset. Orange and pink sky. Felt grateful for everything. Ready for another week.

Note: Students should write their own genuine diary entries based on real events in their lives, using the features of diary language: subjectless sentences, contracted forms, sentence fragments, and everyday expressions.