NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 8 Going Places

Students can prepare for their exams by studying NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 8 Going Places was designed by our team of subject expert teachers.

Going Places NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 8

Going Places NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meanings from the context:
(i) incongruity
(ii) prodigy
(iii) chuffed
(iv) solitary elm
(v) arcade
(vi) amber glow
(vii) wharf
(viii) pangs of doubt
Answer:
(i) incongruity: inconsistency, Sophie wondered at the incongruity of the delicate bow.
(ii) Arcade: a covered passage, Sophie met him (Casey) in the arcade.
(lit) Prodigy: extremely talented, ….three of them of the young Irish prodigy, Casey.
(iv) Amber glow: shining through a kind of yellow resin, the table lamp cast an amber glow across her brother’s bedroom wall.
(v) Chuffed: rude, I’d have thought he’d be chuffed as anything.
(vi) Wharf: a landing place beside a sea, path lighted only by the glare of the lamps from the wharf across the water.
(vii) Solitary elm: lonely tree (a kind of), there was a wooden bench beneath a solitary elm where lovers came.
(viii) Pangs of doubt: pains of uncertainty.

Going Places Think as you read (Page 79)

Question 1.
Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
Answer:
After school, the two girls Sophie and Jansie were most likely to find work in the biscuit factory.

Question 2.
What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams?
Answer:
The options Sophie was dreaming of were to have a boutique, to be a manager till she has enough money to open a boutique, to have the most wonderful shop in the city, or to be an actress. She seems to be a daydreamer.

Jansie, who seems to be more realistic, used to discourage Sophie from having such dreams. She knew that Sophie can never arrange enough money to have a boutique. Jansie knew that they won’t make Sophie a manager straight off. She tells Sophie to be sensible as they don’t pay well for the shop work. Jansie discouraged Sophie from having such dreams which are not possible for Sophie to fulfil under the present circumstances.

Going Places Think as you read (Page 81)

Question 1.
Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
Answer:
Sophie had shared the secret of her meeting Danny Casey with her brother Geoff. When suddenly Geoff told his father that Sophie had met the renowned player Danny Casey, she wriggled or twisted her body to and fro. She did so because of the possible contempt of her father. She was also afraid that her father would never believe it.

Question 2.
Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey ?
Answer:
Firstly Geoff did not believe what Sophie had said about her meeting with Danny Casey. He says that it can never be true. He also says that he does not believe it. Then Geoff questions what Danny Casey looks like. He seems to have partly believed Sophie when she tells him about Danny’s green and gentle eyes and about his height. Perhaps that is why he tells his father that Sophie had met Danny Casey. He also tells his father that it is true.

Question 3.
Does her father believe her story ?
Answer:
When Geoff told his father that Sophie had met Danny Casey, he looked at her with an expression of scorn or contempt. It had no effect on him when Geoff said that it is true that Sophie had met Danny in the arcade. Her father told Sophie that it was another of her “wild stories.” He tells her that one of these days she is going to talk herself “into a load of trouble.” Thus it is obvious that Sophie’s father did not believe her story.

Question 4.
How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in the fantasy of her future?
Answer:
Geoff was an apprentice mechanic. He would travel to his work each day to the far side of the city. She fancied the places where he might be going but which were unknown to her. She was fascinated not only about the places but also with the people who might be there and who might be unusual and exciting. She indulged in dreaming that some day her brother might take her there with him. She was conscious of a vast world out there waiting for her.

She knew instinctly that she would feel, as it home there as in her own city. She imagined herself riding there behind Geoff. He wore new, shining black leathers and she a yellow dress with a kind of cape or a short cloak that flew out behind. In her fantasy she felt that there was the sound of applause as the world rose to greet her. This is how Sophie would include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future.

Question 5.
Which country did Danny Casey play for ?
Answer:
Danny Casey played for Ireland.

Going Places Think as you read (Page 85)

1. Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny ?
2. Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey ?
3. Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person ?
Answer:
1. Sophie did not want that Jansie should know about her story with Danny. She had requested Geoff not to tell about it to anybody. Sophie was afraid that Jansie would tell about the story to all of her neighbourhood. That is why Sophie told Jansie that it was meant to be a secret.

2. Though Sophie’s brother Geoff partly believed in her story and her father did not believe at all that she had met Danny, yet I think that Sophie had really met Danny Casey.

3. I think the only occasion when Sophie got a chance to see Danny Casey in person was when she met her in the first part of the story. In the story when she meets him again she is just imaging about him or was creating his image in her mind. It is because in the second meeting the author has mentioned, ‘coming through the arcade she pictured him again outside Royce’s. Here the word ‘pictured’ is used in the sense to imagine or create someone’s image in one’s mind.

Going Places Understanding the text

Question 1.
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. Both of them belonged to mediocre families. Yet Sophie was much more ambitious than Jansie. Sophie told Jansie that she is going to have a boutique. Jansie, who is more practical and realistic, tells Sophie that a lot of money is required to have a boutique.

Sophie says that she will find the money. Then Jansie tells her that it takes a long time to save that much of money. Then Sophie says that to begin with, she will be a manager till she has got enough money. Jansie tries to make Sophie understand that they will not make Sophie a manager straight off. Sophie still says that she will have the most wonderful shop in the city. So Sophie besides being impractical had a wavering mind also.

Jansie felt sad thinking that both of them Eire most likely to work in the biscuit factory after school. Jansie also tries to make Sophie understand that she should be sensible as they do not pay well for shop work. Sophie insisted that she would become an actress and have a boutique beside that. She said that she might be a fashion designer. Thus we find that Sophie is over-ambitious, impractical and rather a day dreamer. But, on the other hand, Jansie is more practical and has a firm mind.

Question 2.
How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father ?
Answer:
Sophie’s father is an authoritarian, somewhat short-tempered person who is a sports lover also. He seems to be fun-loving also because when the United team wins, he goes to the pub to celebrate. He had a plump face. When Geoff told his father that Sophie met Danny Casey, he looked at her with an expression of contempt. Then he starts discussing about the young, talented Irish player Danny Casey.

When Sophie said that Danny Casey is going to buy a shop, he made an ugly expression with face to show disgust. He said to Sophie that it was another of her wild stories. He did not believe at all that Sophie might have met Danny Sophie seems to be somewhat scared of her father. Sophie tells Jansie that there will be a “right old row” if her father gets to hear about it. She also says to Jansie about her father- “You know what a misery he is.”

Question 3.
Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person ? From her perspective, what did he symbolise ?
Answer:
Sophie was very much fond of her elder brother Geoff, who was an apprentice mechanic. He would travel to his work each day to the far side of the city. He was almost grown though he left school three years ago. Geoff spoke very little. Sophie felt that when he was not speaking it was as though he was away somewhere – out there in the world in those places she had never been.

These places had a special fascination for Sophie because they were unknown to her and remained out of her reach. She thought that there were also exotic and interesting people of whom Geoff never spoke. She longed to know them. She wished that her brother some day might take her there with him. Thus, from Sophie’s point of view her brother symbolised a person who could acquaint her with “the vast world out there,” which was totally unknown to her. Her love and likeness is shown by the fact that s she told Geoff only when she met Danny Casey.

Question 4.
What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to ? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status ?
Answer:
From the story ‘Going Places’ it emerges that Sophie belonged to a mediocre or rather poor socio-economic background. She aspires to have a boutique, but she has no means or money to fulfil her dreams. After school she is most likely to work in a biscuit factory.

When she says that if ever she has money she will buy a boutique, her father says that if she ever has money, she would better buy them a decent house to live in. That shows that their house must have been in a shabby condition. The small room of their house was “steamy from the stove and the dirty washing was filed up in the corner. Her brother Geoff was an apprentice mechanic.

He had to travel to his work each day to the far side of the city. Her father had a bicycle which we came to know when Sophie saw it propped against the wall of the pub. Thus we can say that Sophie belongs to a poor family. Their social life seems to be confined to watching the matches played by the United team.

Going Places Talking about the text

Discuss in pairs

Question 1.
Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind.
Answer:
For discussion in pairs in class. However a specimen reply is given :
Sophie belongs to a poor, mediocre family. But she aspires to have a boutique though she has neither means nor resources for it. Then she wants to be a manager till she saves enough money to buy a boutique. Jansie, who is more practical, tells Sophie to be sensible because it will take a very long time to save for that purpose. Then she thinks that she would be an actress because there is real money in it. Besides it, she can then open a boutique.

Sophie is a sort of day-dreamer. She wants to achieve in her dreams what the life has denied her. Her social life is confined to her school only. So she craves to see the vast world about which she is totally unaware. She dreams of meeting persons like Danny Casey, a talented Irish sportsman. But nobody believes her when she says that she met him. She imagines meeting Danny when she waits in the park. But he did not turn up. Thus we can say that Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind.

Question 2.
It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams ? What would you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasying ?
Answer:
For discussion in pairs in class. However a specimen answer is given below :
Most of the teenagers indulge in dreams or day-dreams. Some indulge in fantasying also. It is because they find realities of life quite tough and bitter. So what they cannot get in their real lives, they want to achieve it in their dreams. Some teenagers dream of having good jobs, some dream of being good human beings, some dream of being good leaders or good managers. If they work hard to achieve their aims in life, then these can be called realistic dreams.

But some teenagers may have unrealistic dreams, which are normally difficult to fulfil under the circumstances they five in. Though it is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams, but I think they should avoid these and not waste their precious time. This is the turning point in their lives when they can make or mar their lives. They should work hard, without wasting their time, to achieve what they want to achieve. Unrealistic dreams or fantasying about fanciful life without working hard will lead the teenager nowhere in life.

Going Places Working with words

Notice the following expressions. The highlighted words are net used in a literal sense. Explain what they mean.
(i) Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of a ground.
(ii) Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.
(iii) If he keeps his head on his shoulders.
(iv) On Saturday they made their weekly pilgrimage to the United.
(v) She saw…. him ghost past the lumbering defenders.
Answer:
(i) Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of a ground : Geoff spoke very little. So words had to be drawn out of his mouth with great efforts just as great effort is required to dig stones out of a ground.

(ii) Sophie felt a tightening in her throat : It means that Sophie felt uneasy and suffocated.

(iii) If he keeps his head on his shoulders : It means that if he maintains his balance of mind and play sensibly using his brain.

(iv) On Saturday they made their weekly pilgrimage to the United : A pilgrimage is a sacred voyage. So it means that they would go to watch the United team playing with the same devotion and dedication as they would go to a pilgrimage.

(v) She saw him ghost past the lumbering defenders : It means that she saw Danny moved past in a faint manner the defenders who were moving in a slow, awkward way.

Going Places Noticing form

Notice the highlighted words in the following sentences :
1. “When I leave”, Sophie said, coming home from school’, “I’m going to have a boutique.”
2. Jansie, linking arms with her along the street, looked doubtful.
3. “I’ll find it,” Sophie said, staring far down the street.
4. Jansie, knowing they were both earmarked for the biscuit factory, became melancholy.
5. And she turned in through the open street door leaving Jansie standing in the rain.

• When we add “ing” to a verb we get the present participle form. The present participle form is generally used along with forms of “be’, (is, was, are, were, am) to indicate the present continuous tense as in “Sophie was coming home from school.”
• We can use the present participle by itself without the helping verb, when w.e wish to indicate that an action is happening at the same time as another.
• In example 1, Sophie “said” something. “Said,” here, is the main action.
• What Sophie was doing while she was “saying” is indicated by “coming home from school.” So we get the information of two actions happening at the same time. We convey the information in one sentence instead of two.
• Analyse the other examples in the same way.
• Pick out five other sentences from the story in which present participles are used in this sense.

Answer:
Five other sentences from the story in which present participles are used to convey the information in sentence instead of two are given below :
(i) He was kneeling on the floor in the next room tinkering with a part of his motorcycle over some newspaper spread on the carpet.
(ii) When he wasn’t speaking it was as though he was away somewhere, out there in the world in those places she had never been.
(iii) She was conscious of a vast world out there waiting for her and she knew instinctively that she would feel as at home there as in the city which had always been her home.
(iv) There I was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window when someone came and stood beside me, and I looked round and who should it be but Danny Casey.
(v) But the last thing I need is queues of people round our house asking him, “What’s all this about Danny Casey ?”

Going Places Thinking about language

Notice these words in the story :

• “chuffed,” meaning delighted or very pleased
• “nosey,” meaning inquisitive
• “cawky,” meaning awkward, ungainly.

These are words that are used in an informal way in colloquial speech.

Make a list of ten other words of this kind.
Answer:
Ten other words of this kind in the story are given below :
(i) Natural
(ii) Scooping
(iii) Tinkering
(iv) Cradled
(v) Grunt
(vi) Unlikeliest
(vii) Miserly
(viii) Muffled
(ix) Slam
(x) Freckled

Going Places Writing

Think of a person who you would like to have as your role model.
Write down the points to be discussed or questions to be asked, if you were asked to interview that person on a Television show.
Answer:
For self-attempt.
You may think who you would like to have your role model. Your role model could be an able sportsperson, or an honest leader or a business tycoon or an ideal teacher or anybody you like most. Suppose you have to interview that person you like most an a Television show.

Then how you would discuss the points to be discussed or possible questions you could ask him if you are to interview that person on a Television show. You may ask questions about his career, about his personal life if these are reasonable or about what he or she wants to achieve.

Going Places Things to do

Question 1.
Look for other stories or movies where this theme of hero worship and fantasisying about film or sports icons finds a place.
Answer:
You may look for stories or movies where this theme of hero worship and fantasisying about film or sports icons finds a place. You may mention the story of the film “Guddi’, where the girl called Guddi was fascinated with the hero Dharmendra. The role of Guddi was played by Jaya Bachchan. Then Guddi’s grandfather requested Dharmendra to influence Guddi in such a manner that her teenage infatuation was no more there. Dharmendra made Guddi realise about the realities of the film world after inviting her to the film sets. Ultimately Guddi starts realising and becomes normal.

Going Places Extra Questions and Answers

Going Places Extra Questions Short Answer Type 

Question 1:
Why did Sophie long for her brother’s affection?
Or
Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person?
Answer:
Sophie found in her brother, Geoff a patient listener to all her fantasies and also one she could confide in. The other members of her family and even her friend Jansie made fun of her fantastic stories. This made her quite fond of Geoff.

Question 2:
Why is Sophie attracted to Danny Casey?
Answer:
Danny Casey is a young,tall and handsome football player who is successful. Romantic young girls of Sophie’s age indulge in day-dreaming about things beyond their reach or means. Naturally, she was attracted to him

Question 3:
How are Jansie and Sophie different from each Other?
Answer:
Jansie’s feet are grounded in reality while Sophie is a day dreamer. Jansie is very practical in thinking that people of their stature can only become workers in a biscuit factory, whereas Sophie dreams that she will become a successful actress, a fashion designer, a store manager or even an owner of a boutique.

Question 4:
Did Geoff keep up his promise? How do you know?
Answer:
Geoff didn’t keep his promise to Sophie. Sophie told Ge
Jansie, about it. However, Geoff never revealed the full story, as he did not tell Jansie about Sophie’s supposed ‘date’ with Danny Casey.

Question 5:
off about her meeting with Danny Casey at the Royce. Geoff told the story to Frank who in turn told his sister, Why was Sophie jealous of Geoff s silence?
Answer:
Geoff never spoke much. Sophie always pondered over the areas of his life which he never talked about. His world remained a fascination for her. She felt that when he was not speaking, his mind was away at some unknown place, and so she felt jealous of h

Question 6:
Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her meeting with Danny?
Answer:
ophie didn’t want Jansie to know about her meeting with Danny Casey because Jansie was a blabbermouth. The moment she knew of someone’s secret, the whole neighborhood would get to know of it. Sophie didn’t want this meeting to reach her father’s ears or else she would be in trouble.

Question 7:
Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
Answer:
Sophie’s father considered her to be a daydreamer. She knew that he would not believe her meeting with Danny Casey and he would be rather angry with her. She wriggled as she knew her father would scold her for having such wild fantasies.

Question 8:
Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?
Answer:
only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person was when she, along with her family, went to watch a football match of their team. United. Sophie was sitting among st the spectators and could see her hero Casey only from a distance.

Question 9:
Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from entertaining thoughts about the sports-star, Danny Casey?
Answer:
Jansie was a realist and not a daydreamer like Sophie. She discouraged Sophie from entertaining thoughts about the sports-star, Dapny Casey because she knew that her dreams were far from reality.

Question 10:
‘Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing.’ Why did Sophie say so?
Answer:
Sophie knew that her friend Jansie was a bit nosy. She was also a rumor monger. Sophie feared that Jansie would spread the story about this meeting with Danny and then people would come to her house asking about it. That was why she was annoyed with her brother Geoff for telling others the information she shared with him.

Question 11:
What thoughts came to Sophie’s mind as she sat by the canal?
Answer:
Sophie was waiting for Danny Casey, sitting by the canal. In the beginning, she imagined him coming, and even began to fantasize his actions and dialogues. However, after some time, when he did not turn up, reality hit her and she became sad. She thought that her family would never believe her. She also thought that Geoff would be disappointed.

Question 12:
How did Sophie’s father react when Geoff told him about her meeting with Danny Casey? Does her father believe her story?
Answer:
Sophie’s father is a realist to the core and is quite critical of her daydreaming. He does not believe in Sophie’s story at all and dismisses it as another of her wild fantasies. When Geoff tells him about Sophie’s chance encounter with Danny Casey, the Irish prodigy, he expresses disdain and rubbishes her story. He warns Sophie that such concocted stories will land her into trouble some day.

Question 13:
Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer:
Geoff finds it hard to believe the story of Sophie’s meeting Danny Casey. He knew that her stories were never true and he couldn’t believe this one as well. Sophie tries to convince him by even describing Casey’s appearance. He might have believed her story partially, for he tells about it to Jansie’s brother Frank.

Question 14:
What did Sophie imagine about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer:
Sophie imagined that she met the United football player, Danny Casey at the Royce store. She asked him for an autograph but neither of them had a pen. Then they began talking about the clothes in the shop. Casey promised to meet her again next week.

Question 15:
Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
Answer:
The two girls, Sophie and Jansie, were most likely to find work in the local biscuit factory. They belonged to the lower middle class and could not go in for higher studies after school. Besides, they could not think of other job options.

Question 16:
What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams?
Anwer:
Sophie was dreaming of opening a boutique. When Jansie told her that it would require a lot of money, she would said that she would become a manager till then to save the money for her boutique. She also hoped of becoming an actress. Jansie discouraged her from having such dreams because she knew that they were not realistic. Both of them belonged to lower middle-class families and didn’t have either the means or the skills to fulfil such dreams.

Question 17:r:
How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?
Answe
Sophie has no idea of the places Geoff visits or the people he meets there. His unknown world fascinates her and she longs to be a part of it. She hopes he would take her there some day. She imagines herself riding there behind Geoff on his motorcycle, and the world rising to greet them with applause.

Question 18:
Who was Danny Casey? Which country did he play for? What made him so popular?
Answer:
Danny Casey was a young soccer player who played for Ireland. He was popular because he played really well. His technique was a blend of innocence and Irish genius. He drove his fans ecstatic when he struck’ the football into the goal. They were so overwhelmed with his genius that they wished he was , an Englishman.

Going Places Extra Questions Long Answer Type 

Question 1:
Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which she does not know she cannot realize. Comment.
Or
Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. Discuss.
Answer:
Sophie always lives in a make-believe world of her own. She always imagined that she will have a successful career as a boutique owner, store
After he did not turn up, she realized that this was only her dream and Danny would never date her. Even then, she is lost in her dream world, becoming sad that Danny did not come.

Question 2:
How different is Jansie from Sophie?
Or
Of Jansie is just as old as Sophie but she is very different from her. Bring out the contrast between the two friends, citing relevant instances from the story, ‘Going places’.
Answer:
Sophie was a dreamer who created her own fantasy world using her fertile imagination. She displayed her urge to transcend her status from a working class girl to a higher level of sophistication by pursuing her ambition to become an actress, a fashion designer, a manager or a boutique owner. She even dreams of dating Danny Casey, a famous football player, although he was ‘ much above her financial status.

Jansie was just the opposite, being more practical, down to earth and realistic. Jansie, being mature and sensible, always reminded Sophie that they were earmarked for working in the biscuit factory after passing out from school and that wild dreams were not befitting their low financial status. Jansie was also a blabbermouth, as she could not keep any secrets.

Question 3:
It is not unusual for a lower middle class girl to dream big. How unrealistic were Sophie’s dreams?
Or
It is normal for adolescents to fantasize and indulge in hero worship. How far is it true Of Sophie?
Answer:
Sophie was an adolescent girl who always lived in a make-believe world of her own. She always had the unrealistic expectation that she will have a successful career as a boutique owner, store manager, actress or even local biscuit factory after passing out from school. Similarly, she unrealistically imagined that a famous footballer like Danny Casey would date her. She even went to the extent of waiting beside the canal for him.

After he did not turn up, she realized that this was a fashion designer. This was totally unrealistic, as she was from a working class family and would have to work in these only her dream and Danny would never date her. Even then, she is lost in her dream world, becoming sad that Danny did not come. This shows how unrealistic were her dreams.

Question 4:
Has Sophie met Danny Casey? What details of her meeting with Danny Casey did she narrate to her brother?
Or
Did Sophy really meet Danny Casey?
Answer:
No, Sophie has never really met Danny Casey. She has just seen Danny Casey on the field when she went to watch the team United play a football match. There, she was one of the spectators and could see Casey playing, but only from a distance. However, Sophie lives in a world of imagination. Casey was a young sports hero and Sophie idolized him. Her fictitious meeting with Casey was just another of her wild fantasies.

Sophie told her brother Geoff that she met Casey near Royce’s window. As she was looking at the clothes, Casey came and stood beside her. She wanted to take his autograph for her younger brother Derek, but neither of them had a pen or paper. Casey then suggested that they could meet again next week, and then he would also give his autograph.

Question 5:
What were Sophie’s plans for her future? Why would you call her dreams unrealistic?
Answer:
Sophie planned to open a boutique after she passed out of school. When Jansie told her that it would require a lot bf money, she said that she would become a manager and save money for her boutique. She later also added that she would either become an actress or a fashion designer.

For a girl from a lower middle class family, such dreams are certainly far from reality. Sophie’s friend Jansie, who is quite practical, dissuades Sophie from indulging in such childish fantasies. Sophie lives in’ her own world, a world of imagination. She wants to materialize all those things which were simply not possible on practical grounds. Never for once in the story does the girl think practically or comes out of her dream world.

Question 6:
Read the following and answer the question that follows in about 100 words. Sophie was a dreamer. The lesson ‘Going Places’ reminds us that mere dreams will not help us to accomplish anything. What qualities, do you think, would help Sophie to realize her dreams?
Answer:
Sophie needed to work hard to realize her dreams, instead of just fantasizing about her meeting with Danny Casey. She should understand her reality that she is from a middle class working family. ‘ manager, actress or fashion designer. Jansie always used to bring her down to earth by remarking that both of them were earmarked to be working in the local biscuit factory after passing out from school.

Initially she would face many difficulties because of her poor financial condition, but after she started working, she should save her earnings and try to improve her education so that she could take up better jobs.This requires her character to be determined and hard-working, instead of being just a daydreamer like she is now. Gradually she can raise her status to the level when she would be able to attract successful people like Danny.

Question 7:
Attempt a character sketch of Sophie as a woman who lives in her dreams.
Answer:
Sophie has been portrayed as a central character in the story ‘Going Places’. She represents the girls of her age from poor families. As in reality they can’t have the things they want, they dream about them. Sophie always lives in her dreams. She makes up the story of meeting Danny Casey, a young charming and upcoming footballer. Nobody believes her but she refuses to accept that it is her dream.

Rather, she starts believing that she has met him. To show that she is telling the truth, she makes up another story that she has fixed a date with him. She is so lost in her dream that she actually goes to the canal and waits for him. He does not show up. Her dreams have become an integral part of her life, and she cannot distinguish between her world of imagination and the real world.

Question 8:
Contrast Sophie’s real world with her fantasies.
Answer:
The story ‘Going Places’ is a journey into the dream world of the protagonist, a school girl named Sophie, who drifts from one dream to another. Sophie finds the reality of her life too harsh to accept. She belongs to a lower middle class family where nobody encourages her to dream of better prospects. Still she dreams of owning the best boutique, becoming a manager in some store or at other times becoming an actress or a fashion designer.

In reality, the pitiable condition of her life does not let her venture  into such joyrides. However, in her dream world, she visits the Royce’s, meets Danny Casey, the sports icon, and even fixes up a date with him. It’s all in her mind, but she considers it true and actually waits for him to show up at a specified spot and time. The flight of her imagination is such that it flips from one dream to another and from one place to the other.

Question 9:
How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?
Answer:
Sophie’s father is a typical man belonging to the working class. He is the sole provider of the family. We first meet him as a coarse, ill-mannered man stuffing shepherd pie into his mouth, wearing his dirty and sweaty vest. He is a practical person who never leaves the world of harsh reality.

He wants Sophie to step out of her dream world and tells her that her habit of making up stories is going to land her into trouble some day. He goes to the pub to celebrate something as frivolous as a football match. Thus, he is quite selfish. In spite of being the head of an impoverished family with so many mouths to feed, we never see him indulging in self-pity or cursing his fate. He rather enjoys his life to the fullest by making a weekly pilgrimage to watch the football match.

Question 10:
Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?
Answer:
To Sophie, her brother Geoff symbolized liberty from her dull, drab, monotonous and impoverished existence. He had left school three years ago and was working away from home as an apprentice mechanic. She imagined that he met many exotic and interesting people.

She wished in her heart of hearts that she could be admitted more deeply into her brother’s affections and that some day he might take her with him. She even imagined herself and Geoff to be a part of that glamorous world. Sophie liked Geoff because he was a man of few words.

He patiently listened to her stories about meeting the sports icon Danny Casey although he suspected it was not true. Still he gave her the impression that he had believed her. This made Sophie adore him more than she did any other member of her family.

Question 11:
“I can see the future and now I will have to live with this burden, “says Sophie. Discuss the statement in the light of the chapter ‘Going Places’.
Answer:
Sophie always lived in a make-believe world of her own. It was probable that in the course of her wishful thinking she imagined that Danny Casey had promised her for a date. Nobody in the family believed her. However, she went to her Favorited haunt to meet Casey, who did not show up.

This made her realize that Geoff had been right. Still she was under compulsion to insist that she had really met Danny Casey. She would never be able to tell about her family that—“they’re wrong to doubt me”. She was filled with sadness because her life would not undergo the transformation she had imagined. The glamour of the exotic world she dreamt of was not within her reach. This was a burden that she found difficult to come to terms with and carry.

Question 12:
Justify the title of the story ‘Going Places’.
Answer:
The story ‘Going Places’ is a journey into the dream world of the protagonist who drifts from one dream to another.
Sophie, the protagonist in the story, finds the reality of her life too harsh to accept. She belongs to a lower-middle class family.Still, she dreams of owning the best boutique, becoming a manager in some store or at other times becoming an actress or a fashion designer. In reality, the pitiable conditions of her life do not let her venture into such joyrides.

In her dream world, she visits the Royce’s, meets Danny Casey, the sports icon, and even fixes up a date with him. It’s all in her mind but she considers it true and actually waits for him to show up at a specified spot and time. The flight of her imagination is such that it flips from one dream to another and from one place to the other. Thus, the title suits the story, because throughout the narration the protagonist flip-flops from one dream to the next, from one place to the other.

Going Places Extra Questions Value Based Type

Question 1:
Sophie lives in her fantasies. She hopes to make it big. You realize that the modern day youth are also like that. You decide to write an article about the need to dream and how can it prove to be harmful sometimes.
Answer:
Dream Big by Ashu
We all hope to achieve our inner dreams and desires some day. Dreams are like a guiding light, they make us work harder. It is only when we dream big that we can achieve something great in life, because every dream precedes the goal. It is well said that the one who doesn’t dream cannot reach his goals.

But, how much of living in the fantasy world is good? Modern day youth has the tendency to get swayed by their wild fantasies, without realizing the reality. Being in a dream world all the time actually does morn e harm than good.
This doesn’t mean that we should be afraid to dream.

What is needed is a balance. We must never forget the difference between imagination and reality. It is important to dream; because only then can we strive to achieve our goals. Just forgetting reality in the pursuit of dreams is harmful.

Going Places Extra Questions Miscellaneous Type 

Question 1:
It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasising?
Answer:
Dreaming is a necessary part of one’s life. Without dreams, there will be no aims and aspirations in our lives.
Teenage is a stage which every human being goes through. At that she is involved in a romantic liaison with him. We cannot solely put the blame on her for this. Her dreams are unrealistic as age, everybody indulges in hero worship and fantasizing. This is what happens with Sophie also.

She idolizes Danny Casey to the extent that she imagines tend she views the world with rose-colored glasses. Her longing for earning a large amount of money forces her to dream of opening a boutique, become an actress or a fashion designer.

Such unrealistic dreams which are not within our reach can be damaging to our personality, as unrealistic goals which are beyond our capacity can lead to depression, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. Thus, dreams are a part and parcel of our lives. We cannot do without them, but we must remember that if we go overboard with them, they may have a negative effect on our personalities.

Download the PDF of NCERT Solutions from Here

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Prose

• • Chapter 1 The Last Lesson
  • Chapter 2 Lost Spring
  • Chapter 3 Deep Water
  • Chapter 4 The Rattrap
  • Chapter 5 Indigo
  • Chapter 6 Poets and Pancakes
  • Chapter 7 The Interview
  • Chapter 8 Going Places

More Resources for NCERT Solutions Class 12:

• Maths NCERT Solutions
• HC Verma Class 12 Solutions
• NCERT Solutions Class 12 Physics
• NCERT Solutions Class 12 Chemistry
• NCERT Solutions Class 12 Biology
• NCERT Solutions Class 12 English
• NCERT Solutions Class 12th History