From the Diary of Anne Frank Class 10, Chapter 4 - Summary, Questions, Answers, Extra Questions, MCQ

1. Do you keep a diary? Given below under ‘A’ are some terms we use to describe a written record of personal experience. Can you match them with their descriptions under ‘B’? (You may look up the terms in a dictionary if you wish.)

Column 1

(i) Journal
(ii) Diary
(iii) Log
(iv) Memoir(s)

Column 2

– A book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your thoughts and feelings or what has happened on that day. (Diary)
– A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every day. (Journal)
– A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person). (Memoir(s))
– A written record of events with times and dates, usually official. (Log)

2. Here are some entries from personal records. Use the definitions above to decide which of the entries might be from a diary, a journal, a log or a memoir.

(i) I woke up very late today and promptly got a scolding from Mum! I can’t help it — how can I miss the FIFA World Cup matches?

Ans: Diary

(ii) 10:30 a.m. Went to the office of the Director
01:00 p.m. Had lunch with Chairman
05:45 p.m. Received Rahul at the airport
09:30 p.m. Dinner at home

Ans: Log

(iii) The ride to Ooty was uneventful. We rested for a while every 50 km or so, and used the time to capture the magnificent landscape with my HandyCam. From Ooty we went on to Bangalore. What a contrast! The noise and pollution of this once-beautiful city really broke my heart.

Ans: Journal

(iv) This is how Raj Kapoor found me — all wet and ragged outside R.K.Studios. He was then looking for just someone like this for a small role in Mera Naam Joker, and he cast me on the spot. The rest, as they say, is history!

Ans: Memoir(s)

1. What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?

Ans: Anne finds it strange to write in a diary because she feels that no one, including herself, will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl. She also feels that writing in a diary is unusual because a diary, unlike people, cannot offer comfort or consolation.

2. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

Ans: Anne wants to keep a diary because she feels lonely and has no real friend to confide in. She believes that a diary, which she names 'Kitty', can be a way for her to share her deepest thoughts and feelings.

3. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?

Ans: Anne believed she could confide more in her diary because she felt that people were not interested in her innermost thoughts. She found it easier to be honest with her diary than with people who might judge her or misunderstand her.

1. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?

Ans: Anne provides a brief sketch of her life to give the readers a background of her family, upbringing, and early experiences. This helps the readers understand her situation better and how her life changed during the war.

2. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?

Ans: Anne's deep affection for her grandmother is evident when she mentions how much she missed her after her death. She often thought of her grandmother and lit a candle in her memory during her birthday celebrations, showing her love and respect.

1. Why was Mr. Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?

Ans: Mr. Keesing was annoyed with Anne because she talked too much in class. He asked her to write an essay on the topic 'A Chatterbox' as punishment for her excessive talking.

2. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?

Ans: In her essay, Anne justified her talking by saying that it was a trait that she inherited from her mother, who was also very talkative. She added that talking was a characteristic of students and was harmless.

3. Do you think Mr. Keesing was a strict teacher?

Ans: Although Mr. Keesing seemed strict at first, his decision to allow Anne to write essays in response to her talkativeness shows that he had a sense of humor and was not overly harsh. In the end, he accepted Anne’s playful nature and allowed her to talk in class.

4. What made Mr. Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?

Ans: Mr. Keesing allowed Anne to talk in class after she wrote an amusing essay where she creatively defended her talkative nature. The humor in her essay made Mr. Keesing realize that Anne’s chatter was harmless, and he relaxed his strictness towards her.

1. Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?

Ans: Anne was not entirely right. While she believed that her personal thoughts would not interest others, her diary has since become one of the most important historical documents of World War II, offering a unique and valuable perspective.

2. Compare Anne’s diary with the examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section. What language was Anne’s diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s diary different?

Ans: Anne’s diary was originally written in Dutch. Unlike typical diary entries, Anne’s diary is deeply personal, reflective, and offers insight into her emotions and the events surrounding her during the war. It reads more like a conversation with a close friend than a simple record of events.

3. Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?

Ans: Anne provides a brief sketch about her family to give context to her readers and to help them understand her life. She treats 'Kitty', her diary, as an insider, confiding in it as if it were her best friend.

4. How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs. Kuperus, and Mr. Keesing? What do these tell you about her?

Ans: Anne loved her father and grandmother deeply. She had fond memories of Mrs. Kuperus, her headmistress, and viewed Mr. Keesing, her teacher, with both humor and respect. These feelings show that Anne was sentimental and had close relationships with the people in her life.

5. What does Anne write in her first essay?

Ans: In her first essay, 'A Chatterbox', Anne humorously argued that talking was a natural characteristic of students, especially girls, and that she couldn’t change that trait.

6. Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr. Keesing unpredictable? How?

Ans: Yes, Mr. Keesing was unpredictable. Although he initially punished Anne for her talkative nature, he eventually softened and even laughed at her humorous essays. This unpredictability is what made him a kind and thoughtful teacher in the end.

7. What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?

• (i) Anne was introspective and self-aware, recognizing that her relationship with her mother was distant and trying to understand why.
• (ii) Anne wanted her diary to be more than just a factual record; she wanted it to be a reflection of her inner self and her emotions.
• (iii) Anne had a playful sense of humor, referring to herself as a birthday present for her sister Margot.
• (iv) Anne had strong opinions about her classmates and teachers, describing them with humor and honesty.
• (v) Anne was intelligent and articulate, using humor and creativity to make a strong argument in her essay about the necessity of talking.

I. Look at the following words. headmistress long-awaited homework notebook stiff-backed outbursts. These words are compound words. They are made up of two or more words. Compound words can be:

• • Nouns: headmistress, homework, notebook, outbursts
• • Adjectives: long-awaited, stiff-backed
• • Verbs: sleep-walk, baby-sit

Match the compound words under ‘A’ with their meanings under ‘B’. Use each in a sentence.

• 1. Heartbreaking – Producing great sadness
• 2. Homesick – Missing home and family very much
• 3. Blockhead – An informal word which means a very stupid person
• 4. Law-abiding – Obeying and respecting the law
• 5. Overdo – Do something to an excessive degree
• 6. Daydream – Think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present
• 7. Breakdown – An occasion when vehicles/machines stop working
• 8. Output – Something produced by a person, machine or organization

II. Phrasal Verbs

1. Look up the meanings of the following phrasal verbs in a dictionary:

• (i) plunge (right) in – Go straight to the topic.
• (ii) kept back – Stay indoors or held back from moving up to the next grade.
• (iii) move up – Go to the next grade.
• (iv) ramble on – Speak or write without focus.
• (v) get along with – Have a good relationship with someone.
• (vi) calm down – Make someone or something remain quiet or settle down.
• (vii) stay in – Stay indoors.
• (viii) make up for – Compensate for something.
• (ix) hand in – Submit (an assignment).

2. Find sentences in the lesson that have these phrasal verbs:

• (i) plunge in – Go straight to the topic (used when Anne starts her diary).
• (ii) kept back – Not promoted to the next grade.
• (iii) move up – Go to the next grade.
• (iv) ramble on – Write or speak without focus (Anne’s musings in her diary).
• (v) get along with – Have a good relationship (Anne’s relationship with her family members).

III. Idioms

1. Say what each idiomatic expression means:

• (i) Our entire class is quaking in its boots. – The class is very nervous or afraid.
• (ii) Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. – Not to lose courage or hope.
• (iii) Mr. Keesing was annoyed with me for ages. – Mr. Keesing was angry with Anne for a long time.
• (iv) Mr. Keesing was trying to play a joke on me. – Mr. Keesing was attempting to make fun of Anne, but the joke ended up being on him.

2. Use the following idiomatic expressions in sentences of your own:

• (i) caught my eye – The colorful dress in the shop window caught my eye.
• (ii) he’d had enough – After hours of work, he’d had enough and decided to take a break.
• (iii) laugh ourselves silly – We watched a comedy show and laughed ourselves silly.
• (iv) can’t bring myself to – I can’t bring myself to tell her the bad news.

IV. Using a Dictionary to Find Idiomatic Expressions

For example, look for the expression 'caught my eye' under the word caught, which is listed under catch. Study the partial dictionary entry for the noun ‘eye’.

Now, find the meanings of the following expressions using the word ‘heart’ and use them in sentences:

• 1. break somebody’s heart – To cause emotional pain: It broke his heart when he lost his pet.
• 2. close/dear to heart – Something of personal importance: This project is very close to my heart.
• 3. from the (bottom of your) heart – Sincerely: I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help.
• 4. have a heart – Be compassionate: Please have a heart and forgive him for his mistake.
• 5. have a heart of stone – To be unemotional or cruel: She refused to help the poor man; she must have a heart of stone.
• 6. your heart goes out to somebody – To feel sympathy for someone: My heart goes out to the victims of the flood.

V. Contracted Forms

1. Make a list of the contracted forms in the text. Rewrite them as full forms of two words.

• I’ve = I have
• I’d = I had / I would
• She’s = She is
• Can’t = Cannot
• He’ll = He will

2. Find contracted forms that stand for two different full forms and explain them:

• I’d = I had / I would
• He’d = He had / He would