My Mother at Sixty-Six — 20 MCQs | CBSE Class 12 English Core (Code 301)

Chapter Overview

A short, free-verse poem in which the speaker — driving her ageing mother to Cochin airport — looks at the dozing, ashen face beside her and is suddenly stricken by the awareness of her mother's mortality. She pushes the thought away by looking at sprinting trees and merry children outside, but at the airport security check, the fear surfaces again as she smiles and smiles, hiding her ache.

Key Themes

Mortality and the ageing parent
Mother-daughter bond
Forced cheerfulness as protection
Decay (inside the car) vs vitality (outside)

Key Concepts

Setting

Drive from poet's parents' home to Cochin airport

Mother's face

'Ashen like that of a corpse' — simile for mortality

Outside

Young trees sprinting; merry children spilling out — life

At the airport

Mother looks 'pale as a late winter's moon'

Smiled and smiled

Repetition — willed cheerfulness over fear

Final words

'See you soon, Amma'

Sample MCQs

Q1. How is the mother described as she sits in the car?

A. Singing happily and chatting

B. Dozing, mouth open, face ashen like a corpse

C. Reading a book

D. Smiling brightly, asking questions

The mother is 'doze, open-mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse' — peaceful sleep through imagery of death.

Q2. Which simile describes the mother at the airport?

A. 'pale like an autumn leaf'

B. 'pale as a late winter's moon'

C. 'dim like a winter dawn'

D. 'soft like wool'

Kamala Das compares her mother's pale, faded appearance to 'a late winter's moon' — luminous yet near the close of its cycle.

My Mother atSixty-Six

My Mother at
Sixty-Six