Why is Maddie embarrassed by the questions Peggy asks Wanda? Is she also like Wanda, or is she different?

What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?

Chubukov says of Natalya: “... as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat...” Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.

Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is? You may select appropriate words from the box to answer the question.

   greedy            naive                   stupid                ungrateful 
   selfish            comical               unquestioning

Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?

Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?

What ideals does Nelson Mandela set for the future of South Africa?

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

How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country

(i) in the first decade, and
(ii) in the final decade of the twentieth century?

Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?

Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?

What did being free mean to Mandela as a boy, and as a student ? How does he contrast these “transitory freedoms” with “the basic and honourable freedoms”?

 Why was the otter named ‘Maxwell’s otter’?

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.)
                       A                                                                                                                            B

      (i) Journal                                                                                     – A book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your and                                                                                                                      feelings or what has happened on that day 

      (ii) Diary                                                                                       – A full record of a journey, a period of time, or  an event, written every day
      (iii) Log                                                                                         – A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person)
      (iv) Memoir(s)                                                                               – A written record of events with times and dates, usually official         

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

What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?

What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal who needs love?

Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?

What did the postmaster do then?

Who won the drawing contest? What had the winner drawn?

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