Question: What is the central idea of this poem?

[The Pardah Nashin by Sarojini Naidu]

Answer: Locking women away behind walls, screens, or curtains robs them of their dignity.

Question: How does the personification in the lines “Time lifts the curtain unawares, / And Sorrow looks into her face…” affect meaning?

[The Pardah Nashin by Sarojini Naidu]

Answer: When time lifts the curtain, the sadness caused by pardah is revealed.

Question: How do those who support the practice of seclusion view women?

[The Pardah Nashin by Sarojini Naidu]

Answer: Women are treasures that should be protected from men and from outside forces.

Question: In the first stanza of the poem, the woman is portrayed as someone who is beautiful and otherworldly.

Why does the poet choose to describe the woman in this manner?

[The Pardah Nashin by Sarojini Naidu]

Answer: The portrayal of the woman in this stanza expresses how some Hindu or Muslim communities would view this practice; it contrasts the speaker’s views expressed in the final stanza.

Question:

Answer: The speaker shows how this custom can be oppressive for women. This portrayal develops the speaker’s theme that women should be free and equal within society.

Question: How does Srimati’s experience develop the theme that beauty without morality is dangerous?

[The Pardah Nashin by Sarojini Naidu]

Answer: Srimati’s beauty attracts the attention of a wealthy man. Without someone to protect her, she gives in to temptation and deserts her home and son.

Question: How does the point of view affect this story?

[Excerpt from The Poison Tree: A Tale of Hindu Life in Bengal by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee]

Answer: It reveals the history of the characters, their motivations, and cultural customs that affect the characters’ choices and actions.

Question: Which sentence best describes a theme of The Poison Tree?

[Excerpt from The Poison Tree: A Tale of Hindu Life in Bengal by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee]

Answer: Family and reputation must be protected at all costs.

Question: How do the past actions of Srimati affect Surja’s actions?

[Excerpt from The Poison Tree: A Tale of Hindu Life in Bengal by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee]

Answer: Srimati abandons her son who is then taken in by Surja’s father and later by Surja, who cares for him like a brother. This leads Surja to leap at the chance to marry Tara to a respectable young woman.

Question: Based on this excerpt, how does Indian society view education?

[Excerpt from The Poison Tree: A Tale of Hindu Life in Bengal by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee]

Answer: A well-educated person is important and valued.