Going Places Class 12: Summary, Themes, Characters and Board Answers
Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked
Going Places by A.R. Barton, from Flamingo, is about Sophie, a working-class schoolgirl who dreams of boutiques, acting and fame, and imagines meeting the young football star Danny Casey. The story explores adolescent fantasy and hero worship, and the gap between dreams and reality. The board tests it through extracts, short and long answers.
What Going Places is about
Going Places by A.R. Barton is set in a working-class family in an English city. Sophie, about to leave school, dreams of owning a boutique, becoming an actress or a fashion designer, although she and her friend Jansie are 'earmarked for the biscuit factory'. She tells her brother Geoff that she met Danny Casey, the young Irish football prodigy of United, and that he promised to meet her again. She waits by the canal, but he never comes; the meeting existed only in her imagination.
NCERT gives the theme as adolescent hero worship and fantasising, with relationships within the family and with friends as the sub-theme.
What the board asks: extracts (Q9), 40-50 word answers on where the girls would work, Sophie's dreams, why Jansie discourages her, whether Geoff and her father believe her, why she does not want Jansie to know, and 120-150 word answers on the differences between Sophie and Jansie, Sophie's family background, her father's character, or the benefits and dangers of fantasising.
Weightage: Section C (Literature) carries 40 of the 80 theory marks; Flamingo is tested through a Flamingo prose extract (6 x 1), five of six short answers from Flamingo (5 x 2) and one of two long answers (5).Source: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus and sample paper 2026-27
In real board papers: asked in 2 of the 2 board papers we hold (2026 to 2026), on average 5.5 marks per paper. See the questions
Going Places: summary
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
Walking home from school, Sophie tells Jansie that she will have a boutique when she leaves school. Jansie, practical and aware that both of them are headed for the biscuit factory, reminds her that it needs money and that her father would never allow shop work. Sophie switches to other dreams: becoming a manager, an actress or a fashion designer.
At home the family's poverty is clear: her father, a labourer, eats his shepherd's pie noisily in his vest; her mother, with a stooped back, works at the sink; dirty washing lies in the corner. Her father mocks her dream and says if she ever has money she should buy the family a decent house. Little Derek says she thinks money grows on trees.
Sophie adores her quiet brother Geoff, an apprentice mechanic, and longs to share the unknown world he seems to inhabit. She tells him she met Danny Casey, the young Irish football star, in the arcade outside Royce's clothes shop. Geoff doubts her but tells their father, who scornfully calls it another of her wild stories and warns that she will talk herself into trouble. Alone with Geoff, Sophie adds that Casey asked her to meet him the next week. Geoff calls it the unlikeliest thing he ever heard.
On Saturday the family watches United win, with Casey scoring a brilliant goal, and Sophie glows with pride. When Jansie hears from Geoff's friend that Sophie met Casey, Sophie is upset, but relieved that Geoff has not told about the date, which shows he took her secret seriously.
In the evening Sophie waits on a bench under a solitary elm by the canal. As time passes, hope gives way to doubt and then to sadness; she knows Danny will not come and that her family will never believe her, but she tells herself 'we know how it was'. Walking home, she relives the imagined meeting in the arcade, Danny's shy smile and green eyes, and his goal on Saturday. The meeting had never happened.
Themes and message
Adolescent fantasy and hero worship
Sophie escapes her dull, poor life through daydreams of boutiques, fame and Danny Casey. Her hero worship is so intense that she imagines a whole relationship with him.
From the text: Her final memory of Casey's 'shy' smile and green eyes is entirely imagined; the date never happens.
Dreams versus reality
Sophie's dreams clash with the reality of her family's poverty and her future at the biscuit factory. The story shows both the comfort and the pain of unrealistic dreams.
From the text: Jansie knows they are both 'earmarked for the biscuit factory'.
Family relationships
Sophie is close to Geoff and wants a place in his world; her father is dismissive; her mother is worn out. Relationships shape how her dreams are received.
From the text: Her father calls her claim 'another of your wild stories'.
Friendship and trust
Jansie is practical and gossipy; Sophie does not trust her with secrets. Geoff keeps the most important part secret, which shows his loyalty.
From the text: Sophie is relieved that Geoff 'hadn't told about the date bit'.
Characters
Sophie
Protagonist, a schoolgirl from a poor family.
- Dreamy and imaginative
- Ambitious but unrealistic
- Adores her brother Geoff
- Hero-worships Danny Casey
- Sensitive: feels the sadness of disappointment
She plans a boutique, then acting, then fashion design; she waits by the canal for a meeting that never happens.
Jansie
Sophie's classmate and friend.
- Practical and realistic
- Nosey and fond of gossip
- Concerned for Sophie
She warns Sophie to be sensible and is curious about the Danny Casey story.
Geoff
Sophie's elder brother, an apprentice mechanic.
- Quiet and reserved
- Shares Sophie's admiration for Casey
- Sceptical but loyal
Words had to be 'prized out of him'; he does not reveal the date to anyone.
Sophie's father
A working-class labourer.
- Rough and dismissive of Sophie
- Fond of football and Casey
- Goes to the pub to celebrate
He looks at Sophie with disdain and warns she will talk herself into trouble.
How it is written
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | Words had to be prized out of Geoff 'like stones out of the ground'. | Shows how little Geoff speaks. |
| Contrast / incongruity | The delicate bow on her mother's apron and her crooked back. | Shows the gap between beauty and the harsh life of the family. |
| Interior monologue | 'Here I sit... wishing Danny would come... I feel the pangs of doubt stirring inside me.' | Takes us inside Sophie's mind as hope turns to sadness. |
| Shift to second person and present tense | 'He turns, reddening slightly... And you look away.' | Makes the imagined meeting feel vivid and real to Sophie. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
She thinks money grows on trees
Little Derek: When Sophie talks of buying a boutique.
Her family sees her dreams as unrealistic.
Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of the ground.
Narrator: Describing Geoff.
Shows Geoff's silence, which fascinates Sophie.
It’s the unlikeliest thing I ever heard
Geoff: When Sophie says Casey asked to meet her.
Even Geoff doubts the story.
I feel the pangs of doubt stirring inside me.
Sophie (thinking): Waiting by the canal.
Hope begins to give way to doubt.
Resignation was no sudden thing.
Narrator: As Sophie waits.
Her acceptance that Danny will not come grows slowly.
Going Places in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Dreams need action
Suppose a friend keeps saying she will become a famous singer but never practises or takes lessons.
How is she like Sophie, and what advice would you give? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Sophie dreamed without acting.
- Disappointment followed.
- Dreams need effort.
Answer: Like Sophie, my friend dreams of fame without taking any steps towards it. I would tell her to keep the dream but back it with practice, lessons and small performances, so that her hopes lead to progress instead of disappointment.
Memory hook: A dream without effort is just a daydream.
Hero worship
Imagine a teenager who claims online to be close friends with a famous cricketer he has only seen at a stadium.
Which part of 'Going Places' does this mirror?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Sophie imagined a meeting with Danny Casey.
- Hero worship can blur fantasy and reality.
Answer: It mirrors Sophie's imagined meeting and date with Danny Casey, whom she had actually seen only on the football field.
Memory hook: Admire heroes; don't invent them.
Keeping a secret
Suppose you tell your sibling something private and later learn they kept the most important part to themselves.
How does this compare with Sophie and Geoff?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Geoff told about the meeting but not the date.
- Sophie felt he believed in her after all.
Answer: Like Geoff, your sibling showed loyalty by guarding the important part, which made Sophie feel some things might be sacred.
Memory hook: A kept secret is a kept trust.
Topics in this chapter
How the board asks Going Places
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Prose extract (Q9, 6 x 1) | Passages on the girls' walk, Sophie's home, Geoff, the match or the wait by the canal. | Identify speaker and context; explain phrases like 'earmarked', 'incongruity', 'resignation'. |
| Short answer (Q10, 40-50 words) | Where the girls would work; Sophie's dreams and Jansie's discouragement; whether Geoff and the father believe her; why she hid it from Jansie; did she really meet Casey? | Answer directly and support with a detail. |
| Long answer (Q12, 120-150 words) | Sophie vs Jansie; Sophie's family background; father's character; Geoff as a symbol; benefits and dangers of fantasising. | Use specific incidents, then judge or extrapolate. |
Tricks to remember Going Places
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Sophie's dream ladder
Boutique → manager → actress → fashion designer → Danny Casey's date: each dream is grander and less real.
Use it when: Listing her dreams.
Who believes Sophie?
Jansie: curious; Father: no (disdain); Geoff: doubts but wants to; Derek: 'money grows on trees'.
Use it when: Short answers on belief.
Canal scene
Hope → doubt → sadness → resignation → pride in 'how it was'.
Use it when: Explaining her emotions while waiting.
Going Places: extract-based questions
Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.
Extract 1: Sophie's home
The evening had already blacked in the windows and the small room was steamy from the stove and cluttered with the heavy-breathing man in his vest at the table and the dirty washing piled up in the corner. Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.
(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Just before this, Sophie watches a woman's back 'stooped over the sink' and wonders at 'the incongruity' of the delicate bow on her apron strings. Whose back is described as 'stooped over the sink'?
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
(See the context given in the first question.) What 'incongruity' does Sophie notice?
(a) A large kitchen in a small house (b) A delicate bow on a worn-out, crooked back (c) A clean room with dirty dishes (d) A rich father in a poor house(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Who is 'the heavy-breathing man in his vest'?
(4) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Name two details that show the family's poverty.
(5) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Why does Sophie feel 'a tightening in her throat'?
(6) · 1 mark · MCQ
The phrase 'blacked in the windows' means:
(a) the windows were painted (b) it had become dark outside (c) the glass was broken (d) curtains were drawn
Show the answersAnswers
- Sophie's mother's.
- (b) A delicate bow on a worn-out, crooked back
- Sophie's father.
- The small, steamy, cluttered room and the dirty washing piled in the corner (also the mother's stooped back).
- She is upset and suffocated by the dreariness and poverty of her home.
- (b) it had become dark outside
Extract 2: Waiting by the canal
Now I have become sad, she thought. And it is a hard burden to carry, this sadness. Sitting here waiting and knowing he will not come I can see the future and how I will have to live with this burden.
(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
For whom is Sophie waiting?
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
'Resignation was no sudden thing' means that:
(a) she resigned from her job (b) she slowly accepted that he would not come (c) she suddenly became angry (d) she decided to leave home(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What 'burden' will Sophie have to carry?
(4) · 1 mark · Very short answer
She goes on to think that 'They of course will doubt me, as they always doubted me'. Who are 'They' in the extract?
(5) · 1 mark · Very short answer
She ends by telling herself that she will have to 'hold up my head remembering how it was'. What does 'hold up my head remembering how it was' suggest about Sophie?
(6) · 1 mark · MCQ
Which narrative technique is used here?
(a) Dialogue (b) Interior monologue (c) Flashback only (d) Letter
Show the answersAnswers
- Danny Casey, the young Irish football star.
- (b) she slowly accepted that he would not come
- The sadness of disappointment and of being disbelieved.
- Her family, especially her father and Geoff (and others who doubted her story).
- She will cling to her imagined meeting to keep her pride, though it never really happened.
- (b) Interior monologue
Going Places: board-level solved questions
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: Earmarked for the biscuit factory · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
Where were the two girls most likely to find work after school, and why did Jansie discourage Sophie's dreams? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Biscuit factory.
- Jansie realistic: money, father, shop pay.
Answer: Both girls were earmarked for the biscuit factory. Jansie, being practical, knew that a boutique needed money they did not have, that shops paid poorly and that Sophie's father would never allow it, so she wanted Sophie to be sensible.
Example 2: Does Geoff believe her? · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about meeting Danny Casey? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Doubts at first.
- Calls the date 'the unlikeliest thing'.
- Yet tells father and keeps the date secret; wants to believe.
Answer: Geoff doubts her: he calls her claim about the date 'the unlikeliest thing I ever heard' and says Casey would never show up. Yet he tells their father, insists 'It's true', and keeps the date secret. He wants to believe her, as he too admires Casey.
Example 3: Hiding it from Jansie · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
Why didn't Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Jansie is gossipy.
- Secret meant for Geoff.
- Fear of father's anger.
Answer: Jansie was nosey and would spread the story across the neighbourhood. Sophie wanted it to remain a special secret between her and Geoff. She also feared a row if her father heard of it and people came asking him about Danny Casey.
Example 4: Did she really meet him? · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey? What is the only occasion on which she saw him in person? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- No, the meeting was imaginary.
- Saw him only at the United match.
- Her fantasy explained by hero worship.
Answer: No. The meeting in the arcade and the promised date were products of her imagination; Casey never came to the canal. The only time she saw him in person was at the Saturday United match, where he scored the second goal and she glowed with pride.
Example 5: Sophie and Jansie · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Sophie and Jansie are classmates and friends. Bring out the differences between them as shown in the story. Answer in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Dreamer vs realist.
- Response to future.
- Secrecy vs gossip.
- Common background; conclusion.
Answer: Sophie and Jansie come from the same working-class neighbourhood and are both headed for the biscuit factory, but their outlooks are very different. Sophie is a dreamer. She talks of owning a boutique, becoming a manager, an actress or a fashion designer, and even imagines a romance with the football star Danny Casey.
Jansie is practical and down to earth. She reminds Sophie that a boutique needs money, that shop work pays badly and that her father would never allow it. She becomes melancholy when Sophie talks this way, because she knows the reality that awaits them.
They also differ in nature. Sophie is secretive and shares her deepest dreams only with Geoff. Jansie is nosey and fond of gossip; Sophie fears that telling her anything means the whole neighbourhood will know.
The contrast highlights how Sophie's fantasy sets her apart from the realistic world around her.
Example 6: Benefits and dangers of fantasising · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
'It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams.' With reference to Sophie, discuss the benefits and dangers of such fantasising. Answer in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Benefits: escape, hope, motivation.
- Dangers: disappointment, isolation, disbelief, wasted effort.
- Balance: dreams with action.
- Conclusion.
Answer: Sophie's dreams of boutiques, acting and a meeting with Danny Casey show how teenagers use fantasy to escape a dull or difficult life. Her home is cramped and poor, and her future at the biscuit factory looks grey. Dreaming gives her hope, excitement and a sense that a bigger world is waiting for her.
But her fantasies also hurt her. She waits alone by the canal for a man who never comes and feels the hard burden of sadness. Her father scorns her 'wild stories', and even Geoff doubts her. She risks losing touch with reality and with the people around her.
Dreams are valuable when they push us to act: to study, train and plan. Sophie dreams but takes no steps towards her goals. Teenagers should keep their dreams, but ground them in effort, so that they lead somewhere rather than end in disappointment.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
Does Sophie's father believe her story? (40-50 words, 2 marks) (2 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| No; he looks at her with disdain and calls it another wild story. | 1 |
| He warns she will talk herself into trouble; within word limit. | 1 |
Long answer on fantasising (120-150 words, 5 marks) (5 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Evidence from Sophie's dreams and disappointment. | 2 |
| Balanced view on benefits and dangers. | 1 |
| Organisation. | 1 |
| Accuracy. | 1 |
Where students lose marks in Going Places
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Writing that Sophie really met Danny Casey
Do this: The meeting and date were imaginary; she saw him only at the match.
Usually costs: Central content mark.
Mistake: Calling Danny Casey English
Do this: He is a young Irish player for United; someone on the bus wished he were English.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Confusing Jansie's brother with Geoff
Do this: Geoff told Jansie's brother Frank; Frank told Jansie.
Usually costs: Accuracy.
Mistake: Summarising instead of contrasting in 'Sophie vs Jansie'
Do this: Organise by points of difference: dreamer vs realist, secretive vs gossipy.
Usually costs: Organisation marks.
Going Places: previous year questions
- Asked in 2 of the 2 board papers we hold (2026 to 2026), on average 5.5 marks per paper; 2 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 2 of 3 sample papers.
Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.
Every Going Places question, by year
- For 2027
Sample paper 2026-27: Q9(A) (6 marks)
- 2026
Set 301/1/1: Q12(A) (5 marks)
Set 301/5/1: Q9(a) (6 marks)
- For 2025
Sample paper 2024-25: Q12(B) (5 marks)
Practice questions on Going Places
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
Which footballer does Sophie claim to have met?
(a) Tom Finney (b) Danny Casey (c) Frank (d) RoyceHint
Young Irish prodigy.
Answer
(b) Danny Casey
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Where did Sophie say she met Danny Casey?
Hint
Clothes shop window.
Answer
In the arcade, in front of Royce's window.
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father she had met Danny Casey? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Father's reaction.
Answer
She was uneasy because her father always dismissed her stories with disdain and might scold her. She also had not meant the secret to be shared beyond Geoff, and she feared being exposed or questioned about a meeting that was largely imaginary.
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does Sophie include Geoff in her fantasy of the future? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Motorcycle.
Answer
She imagines riding behind Geoff on his motorcycle into the wider world, he in shining black leathers and she in a yellow dress with a cape flying behind, while the world applauds and rises to greet them. Geoff stands for adventure and freedom.
Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
What socio-economic background does Sophie belong to? What are the indicators? Answer in 120-150 words.
Hint
Home, jobs, father's words.
Answer
Sophie belongs to a poor, working-class family in an English city. The girls are 'earmarked for the biscuit factory', which shows the limited jobs open to them. Her father is a labourer who comes home grimy and sweat-marked and eats shepherd's pie in his vest. Her mother's back is stooped from hard work, and the small room is steamy, cluttered and full of dirty washing.
When Sophie talks of a boutique, her father says that if she ever has money she should buy the family a decent house, showing that they live in poor housing. Little Derek remarks that she thinks money grows on trees. Geoff is an apprentice mechanic who travels across the city to work.
The family's pleasures are simple: watching United on Saturday and the father's trips to the pub. These details make Sophie's dreams of fame and fashion seem all the more distant.
Q6 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How would you describe Sophie's father? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Disdain, football, pub.
Answer
He is a tired, rough-mannered labourer who treats Sophie's dreams with scorn and calls her stories wild. He is passionate about football and United, reveres great players, and celebrates wins at the pub. He shows little warmth or understanding towards his daughter.
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 'Going Places'?Show answer
A.R. Barton.
2.What shop did Sophie want?Show answer
A boutique.
3.What is Geoff's job?Show answer
Apprentice mechanic.
4.Who is Tom Finney in the story?Show answer
A great footballer of the past; Sophie's father once knew a man who had known him.
5.What was the score in the United match?Show answer
United won two-nil; Casey scored the second goal.
6.Where did Sophie wait for Danny?Show answer
On a bench under a solitary elm by the canal.
7.What colour are Danny's eyes in Sophie's imagination?Show answer
Green.
8.What is NCERT's theme for the story?Show answer
Adolescent hero worship and fantasising; sub-theme: family and friends.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you list Sophie's dreams and Jansie's objections?
- Can you describe Sophie's home and family background?
- Can you explain Sophie's feelings for Geoff?
- Can you say whether Geoff and her father believe her?
- Can you describe the canal scene and Sophie's emotions?
- Can you prove that the meeting was imaginary?
- Can you write 120-150 words on fantasising?
Going Places: frequently asked questions
What is the theme of Going Places?
Adolescent hero worship and fantasising, with family and friendship as the sub-theme.
Why is the story called Going Places?
Sophie dreams of 'going places', of success and a world beyond her poor home, but her dreams do not take her anywhere in reality.
Who is Danny Casey?
A young Irish football prodigy who plays for United, the team Sophie's family supports.
Why does Sophie admire Geoff?
His silence and his life outside home seem mysterious; he symbolises the wider world she longs to enter.
Based on: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus 2026-27; NCERT Flamingo, Textbook in English for Class XII (Reprint 2026-27)