The Mark on the Wall
Understanding the Text
1. An account of reflections is more important than a description
of reality according to the author. Why?
Answer:
2. Looking back at objects and habits of a bygone era can give
one a feeling of phantom-like unreality. What examples does
the author give to bring out this idea?
Answer:
3. How does the imagery of (i) the fish (ii) the tree, used almost
poetically by the author, emphasise the idea of stillness of living,
breathing thought?
Answer:
4 How does the author pin her reflections on a variety of subjects
on the ‘mark on the wall’? What does this tell us about the way
the human mind functions?
Answer:
5. Not seeing the obvious could lead a perceptive mind to reflect
upon more philosophical issues. Discuss this with reference
to the ‘snail on the wall’.
Answer:
Talking about the Text
1. ‘In order to fix a date, it is necessary to remember what one
saw’. Have you experienced this at any time? Describe one such
incident, and the non-chronological details that helped you
remember a particular date.
Answer:
2. ‘Tablecloths of a different kind were not real tablecloths’. Does
this sentence embody the idea of blind adherence to rules and
tradition? Discuss with reference to ‘Understanding Freedom
and Discipline’ by J. Krishnamurti that you’ve already read.
Answer:
3. According to the author, nature prompts action as a way of
ending thought. Do we tacitly assume that ‘men of action are
men who don’t think’?
Answer:
Appreciation
1. Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of narration: one, where
the reader would remain aware of some outside voice telling
him/her what’s going on; two, a narration that seeks to
reproduce, without the narrator’s intervention, the full
spectrum and continuous flow of a character’s mental process.
Which of these is exemplified in this essay? Illustrate.
Answer:
2. This essay frequently uses the non-periodic or loose sentence
structure: the component members are continuous, but so
loosely joined, that the sentence could have easily been broken
without damage to or break in thought. Locate a few such
sentences, and discuss how they contribute to the relaxed and
conversational effect of the narration.
Answer:
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