EnglishCBSE Class 11 · The Portrait of a Lady

The Portrait of a Lady (Khushwant Singh): The Grandmother and Her Changing Bond, Class 11

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The grandmother in The Portrait of a Lady is old, devout, kind and strong in spirit. Her bond with the author passes through three phases: close friendship in the village, a turning-point in the city when he goes to an English school and takes music lessons, and a break at university, which she accepts with resignation. Her death, mourned silently by thousands of sparrows, shows her love for all living beings.

Understand The Portrait of a Lady: The Grandmother and Her Changing Bond

Her character. She is shown as short, fat and slightly bent, with a wrinkled face, yet the author insists she was always beautiful, serene like a winter landscape in the mountains. Her devotion is clear in the daily prayers and the scriptures she reads. She is kind to animals, feeding the village dogs with stale chapattis and, in the city, the sparrows. She is firm, too: she disapproves of Western science and music lessons because they take her grandson away from God.

Three phases of the relationship. In the village she wakes the boy, bathes him, prepares his slate and walks him to the temple school; they are close friends. In the city she cannot accompany him to the English school, and the lessons upset her, so the friendship reaches a turning-point. At university the author gets a room of his own and the common link of friendship is snapped. She accepts her seclusion and spends her day spinning and praying.

Her last days. She shows no emotion when he leaves for five years abroad. On his return she sings songs of warriors' homecoming on an old drum for hours, falls ill the next day and dies peacefully, telling her beads. Thousands of sparrows sit silently around her body and fly away quietly when it is carried out.

What the sparrows show. They are the silent mourners for a woman who gave them food every day. Their silence is more moving than any words, and it shows her bond with living beings. Neighbouring topics (summary and tradition versus modernity) are on the chapter page.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

She could never have been pretty; but she was always beautiful.
Author: Describing his grandmother at the start.
Inner beauty and serenity matter more than looks.
That was a turning-point in our friendship.
Author: On moving to the city.
Marks the first change in the bond.
The common link of friendship was snapped.
Author: At university.
Marks the final break in daily closeness.

The Portrait of a Lady: The Grandmother and Her Changing Bond: key facts

Three phases: Village
City
University; Friendship, turning-point, break.
Character answer: Trait
Incident
What it shows; Pair every trait with an incident.
Her traits: Devout
Kind
Strong in spirit; Prayers, dogs and sparrows, calm acceptance.

How to answer The Portrait of a Lady: The Grandmother and Her Changing Bond questions

Use this for any question on the grandmother's character or the changing bond.

1State the relationship in one line.
2Divide the bond into village, city and university.
3Give one incident for each phase.
4Add her traits with proof from the prayers, dogs and sparrows.
5End with her death and the silent sparrows.

The Portrait of a Lady: The Grandmother and Her Changing Bond in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Distance without quarrel

Suppose a boy moves to a hostel and his grandmother, who walked him to school each day, can no longer help with anything in his new life. They never argue, but their talk dwindles to a few polite lines.

Which phase in the chapter does this match, and why?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The change is not a quarrel.
Her help is no longer needed.
Closeness weakens as lives separate.

Answer: It matches the city and university phases, where the grandmother cannot take part in the author's studies and the daily link of friendship weakens without any quarrel.

Memory hook: No quarrel, only distance.

Tricks to remember The Portrait of a Lady: The Grandmother and Her Changing Bond

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

V-C-U
Village, City, University.
Use it when: The three phases of the bond.
D-K-S
Devout, Kind, Strong.
Use it when: The grandmother's traits.

The Portrait of a Lady: The Grandmother and Her Changing Bond: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Whom did she feed in the village · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

In the village the grandmother carried stale chapattis for
(a) the sparrows (b) the village dogs (c) the cows (d) the beggars

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

She took stale chapattis for the street dogs on the way to school (1 mark).

Answer: (b)

Example 2: Why was she upset in the city · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Why was the grandmother unhappy about the author's city school? Answer in 30-40 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

English school; she could not help (1).
Western science, nothing about God (1).
Music lessons upset her (1).

Answer: The grandmother disliked the English school because she could not help him, and its lessons in Western science taught nothing about God. Music lessons upset her too, so she withdrew into silence.

Example 3: Her reaction at the station · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

The grandmother showed no emotion when the author left for five years abroad. What does it show about her? (40-50 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Self-control or resignation (1).
Love shown in action, a kiss on the forehead (1).
Strength of spirit (1).

Answer: It shows her self-control and resignation. She does not weep and spends the day spinning and praying; her only sign of feeling is a kiss on his forehead, so her love is quiet and strong. Her acceptance of separation reveals her strength of spirit.

Example 4: The changing friendship · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Trace the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. (120-150 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Village closeness with two details (2).
City turning-point with reasons (2).
University break and her acceptance (1).
Last evening and death (1).

Answer: In the village the grandmother and the boy were close friends. She woke him, bathed him while reciting her prayers, prepared his slate and walked him to the temple school, carrying stale chapattis for the dogs on the way. In the city, the English school took him away and she could not help him. She disliked Western science and music lessons, so this was a turning-point. At university he had a room of his own and the common link of friendship was snapped. She accepted this with resignation, spending her time spinning, praying and feeding sparrows. She showed no emotion when he left for abroad, only kissing his forehead in silence. After his return she sang on an old drum, fell ill and died. The sparrows mourned her. The bond changed, but her love did not.

Example 5: The sparrows · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

"The silent sparrows are a tribute no words could equal." Do you agree? Support with details. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Detail: thousands, silent, ignored crumbs (1).
Link: she fed them daily (1).
Judgement (1).

Answer: I agree. Thousands of sparrows sat silently around her body, ignored the crumbs thrown by his mother and flew away quietly when it was carried out. They honour a woman who fed them every day, and their silence shows deeper feeling than words.

Where students lose marks in The Portrait of a Lady: The Grandmother and Her Changing Bond

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Listing only traits
No evidence.
Wrong working
She was religious and kind.
Right working
She was religious: she prayed while bathing him; kind: she fed the dogs.
Do this: Add an incident for each trait.
Usually costs: 2 marks of 6.
Mistake: Missing the phases
The relationship is the theme.
Wrong working
They were friends.
Right working
Village friendship, city turning-point and university break.
Do this: Name all three phases.
Usually costs: 2 marks of 6.
Mistake: Writing sparrows are birds she kept
She only fed them.
Wrong working
She kept pet sparrows.
Right working
She fed wild sparrows daily.
Do this: Use "fed".
Usually costs: 1 mark of 3.

Exam tips

Divide the relationship into village, city and university.
Give an incident for each trait.
Mention the sparrows in the ending of a long answer.
Use the author's words "turning-point" and "snapped".
Keep a 3-mark answer to 40-50 words and a 6-mark answer to 120-150 words.

Practice questions on The Portrait of a Lady: The Grandmother and Her Changing Bond

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
What did she do on the evening of the author's return?
(a) sing to an old drum (b) cook a feast (c) visit the temple (d) read the scriptures
Hint
She did not pray that evening.
Answer
(a)
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why was she unable to accept music lessons? (40-50 words)
Hint
She linked music with certain people.
Answer
She linked music with harlots and beggars, so it seemed improper to her, and she felt it drew her grandson away from God. She withdrew into silence. It shows her strict, traditional values and how far the boy was moving from her world.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What does "winter landscape in the mountains" tell us about the grandmother? (40-50 words)
Hint
Think of calm and peace.
Answer
The comparison shows her serenity and peace. Like a winter mountain scene, she was calm, pure and silent. It tells us the author found her beautiful for her inner calm, though she was wrinkled and old. Her beauty lay in character, not in looks.
Q4 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Does the author present the grandmother as a woman of the past or of lasting values? Argue in 120-150 words.
Hint
Use her prayers, resistance to change and kindness.
Answer
The grandmother belongs to the past in her objection to Western science and music, but her values endure. Her devotion shows in her prayers and reading, her kindness in feeding dogs and sparrows, and her strength in accepting seclusion without complaint. She never forced her ideas on the author and showed no emotion when he left, yet her love was clear in the kiss on his forehead. She sang on an old drum when he returned, and she had met his music lessons with silence rather than quarrel, which shows her gentle strength. The sparrows at her death prove the effect of her kindness. The author admires her as beautiful in character, so she stands for lasting values of faith, compassion and acceptance rather than for old habits alone.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Her love is never spoken in words. Show with two incidents how it appears. (3 marks)
Hint
Look at the kiss and the feeding of animals.
Answer
At the station she shows no emotion but kisses his forehead, a quiet sign of love. Every day she feeds dogs and then sparrows, which shows love in daily deeds. Her love is seen in actions and not in speeches.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Who wrote The Portrait of a Lady?Show answer
Khushwant Singh.
2.What did she feed in the village?Show answer
The village dogs.
3.What did she feed in the city?Show answer
Sparrows.
4.How long was the author abroad?Show answer
Five years.
5.Who sat around her body after death?Show answer
Thousands of sparrows.

The Portrait of a Lady: The Grandmother and Her Changing Bond: frequently asked questions

Is the chapter a character sketch?

Yes, it is a pen-portrait of the author's grandmother.

Why did the friendship weaken?

The city school, music lessons and university took him away from her world.

What do the sparrows symbolise?

Her kindness and her bond with living beings.