The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English
The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Class 10 Extra Questions & Answers are available here. Class 10 English The Hundred Dresses Part 2 extra questions and answers are prepared by our expert teachers. All these questions are divided into two or three sections. They are short type questions answers, long type question answers and extract based questions. Learning these questions will help you to score excellent marks in the board exams.
The Hundred Dresses Part 2 Extra Questions and Answers
Very Short Answer Questions
1. What was the content of Mr Petronski’s letter?
Answer: The letter said that Wanda would come no more to that school because students made fun of her strange name.
2. Where was Wanda’s family moving?
Answer: Her family was moving to a big city.
3. Who read Mr Petronski’s letter to the class?
Answer: Miss Mason read Mr Petronski’s letter to the class.
4. What happened when Miss Mason read the letter?
Answer: There was a deep silence in the class.
5. What did Miss Mason say about the hurting of any one’s feeling?
Answer: She said that it was unfortunate and sad to hurt someone’s feelings.
6. Why did Maddie have a sick feeling at the bottom of her stomach?
Answer: Maddie felt it very bad of making fun of Wanda by Peggy for filer poverty.
7. Where did Peggy and Maddie go that evening after school hours?
Answer: They both went to the Boggins Heights to meet Wanda.
8. What did Wanda’s house remind Maddie of?
Answer: Wanda’s shabby but clean house reminded Maddie of her faded blue cotton dress.
9. Who did Maddie and Peggy write a letter to?
Answer: They wrote a letter to Wanda.
10. What gift did Wanda give to Peggy
Answer: She gave her the drawing of a dress with a green colour.
11. What gift did Wanda give to Maddie?
Answer: She gave her the drawing of a dress in blue colours.
12. What did Maddie find when she looked at the drawing intently?
Answer: She found that the head and face in the drawing resembled her own.
13. Which drawing did Wanda ask to give to Peggy?
Answer: Wanda wrote in the letter that she would like Peggy to have the drawing of the green dress with the red trimming.
14. What did Wanda do for the dresses?
Answer: Wanda gave away a hundred dresses to girls and blue as well as green to Maddie and Peggy respectively.
15. How was Room Thirteen decorated?
Answer: Room Thirteen was decorated with Christmas bells and a small tree.
Short Answer Type Questions
1. Why did Jan Petronski write a letter to the teacher? Give two reasons.
Or
Why has Wanda’s father written a letter to Mrs Mason?
Answer: Jan Petronski writte a letter to Miss Mason, Wanda’s teacher, to inform her that Wanda and Jake would not come to school anymore as they had shifted to a big city. He also made an indirect complaint. He wrote that no one would make fun of Wanda’s name and call her ‘Pollack’ because there would be many funny names and foreigners like her in a big city.
2. Why did Peggy and Maddie go to Bogin’s Height? What did Maddie want to tell Wanda?
Answer: Maddie and Peggy went to Wanda’s house at Bogin’s Height to find out whether Wanda was still there or left. If they found her there they would tell her that she had won the contest and that she was smart and a hundred dresses were beautiful. They would also apologize to her for teasing her.
3. Why did Maddie and Peggy go to Wanda Petronski’s home?
Answer: Maddie and Peggy wanted to go to Wanda Petronski’s house at Bogin’s Heights to apologize to her for teasing her. They wanted to tell her that she had won the drawing competition and that she was smart and a hundred drawings of dresses were beautiful.
4. What important decision did Maddie make when she found that the Petronskis were gone? Why did she have to think a lot to do so?
Answer: The important decision Maddie took was that if ever she heard anyone picking on someone because of his/her looks or funny names she would not. stand by silently, she would speak up. She would never make anyone unhappy.
5. Where had Maddie pinned Wanda drawing in her bedroom?
Answer: Maddie carried Wanda’s drawing carefully. She pinned her drawing over a torn place in the pink- flowered wallpaper in her bedroom. The shabby room came alive from the brilliance of the colours.
6. Mention the important conclusion of Maddie.
Answer: Maddie was deeply troubled. She took up an important decision. She found that if anyone speaks unkindly she would speak up. She would not make anybody unhappy again.
7. How did Peggy and Maddie find Wanda house at Boggins Heights?
Answer: They found that it was a little white house. Straws of old grass stuck up here and there along the pathway. The house and its little yard looked shabby but clean,
8.. What did Miss Mason receive from the Principal’s office? Why did she read it several times thoughtfully?
Answer: The Principal received a letter. It was sent to Miss Mason. It was a letter from Wanda Petronski’s father. The content of the matter was such that it affected Miss Mason deeply. She read it several times. She thought it deeply before disclosing it to the class.
9. Who sent that letter and why?
Answer: Wanda’s father Mr Jan Petronski wrote that letter to Miss Mason, the teacher. He disclosed that he had withdrawn his daughter Wanda from the school. He had moved to a big city. Constant teasing and making fun of Wanda for having a ‘funny’ name troubled her. Being discriminated in this way on the basis of colour and name led him to go to a big city. There were many such ‘funny’ names in the big city and nobody bothered about such things there.
10. Why did Miss Mason call it an `unfortunate and sad’ thing to happen?
Answer: Miss Mason was deeply pained to know the reason why Wanda’s father had gone to a big and new city. She hoped that none of the boys and girls in Room Thirteen would purposely and deliberately hurt anyone’s feelings because his or her name happened to be a long, unfamiliar one. It was really a sad and unfortunate thing that should not have happened. She wanted all of them to think about it.
11. Why did Maddie have a very sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach
Answer: Maddie was highly agitated when the teacher read Wanda’s father’s letter to the class. She could not put her mind on the work. She had a very sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach. She cursed herself that she remained silent when poor Wanda was being teased by Peggy. Her silence was as bad as what Peggy had done.
12. What did Maddie want to tell Wanda?
Answer: Maddie thought if she could do anything that might assuage Wanda Petronski. She wanted to tell her that she had not meant to hurt her feelings. She decided to go to Boggins Heights to meet Wanda. Perhaps she was still there. She would tell Wanda that she had won the contest and they thought she was smart. And her hundred dresses were beautiful.
13. How did Peggy try to defend herself by making excuses?
Answer: Wanda’s father’s letter had mentally upset Maddie. However, Peggy was not so much moved. On the other hand, she tried to defend herself. She told Maddie that she never called Wanda a foreigner. Nor did she make fun of her name. She didn’t think that Wanda had the sense to know that they were making fun of her. Her questioning about her dresses only gave her new ideas about dresses and helped her in winning the contest.
14. How did Peggy and Maddie know that the Petron skis were gone?
Answer: Peggy and Maddie reached Wanda’s house at Boggins Heights. There was no sign of life about the house. Peggy knocked firmly on the door, but there was no answer. She and Maddie went round to the backyard and knocked there. Still, there was no answer. There was no doubt about it that Petron skis were gone.
15. What did Wanda’s shabby but clean house remind Maddie?
Answer: The two girls reached Boggins Heights where Petronskis lived. They lived in a little white house. Wisps of old grass stuck up here and there along the pathway. The house and its little yard looked shabby but clean. It reminded Maddie of Wanda’s faded blue dress which also looked shabby but clean.
16. What was the hardest thinking that Maddie had done and what was the result?
Answer: Maddie was thinking sadly about Wanda and her hundred dresses. This was the hardest thinking that she had ever done. Then, she reached an important conclusion. She decided that she would never stand by and say nothing again. She would speak up if someone teased others because they were funny-looking or had strange names. Even if it meant losing Peggy’s friendship.
17. What did Wanda writes in her letter?
Answer: Wanda Petronski wrote a letter to her previous teacher Miss Mason. She requested her to tell the girls of Room Thirteen that they could keep those hundred dresses. She wished that Peggy would have the drawing of the green dress and Maddie of the blue one. She wrote that she missed her old school. Her new teacher couldn’t equalise Miss Mason.
18. How did Peggy and Maddie interpret and react to Wanda’s letter?
Answer: Peggy was excited. The letter showed that Wanda really liked them. Everything was all right. But Maddie was sad. She felt sad because she knew that she would never see that little Polish girl again. She knew that they would never really make things right between them.
19. Why tears blurred Maddie’s eyes when she studied intently the drawing of the green dress drawn by Wanda?
Answer: Maddie studied the drawing of the green dress intently. She thought of Wanda Petronski. Tears blurred her eyes. She noticed that the face and the head of the drawing looked like her. Maddie could hardly stop her tears when she imagined Wanda among the laughing girls telling about her hundred dresses.
20.How would you compare and contrast Peggy and Maddie?
Answer: Peggy and Maddie were closest friends. Peggy was the most popular girl in the class. She was pretty, had pretty dresses and could draw better than other girls. She was not really cruel but rather insensitive in teasing Wanda about her hundred dresses. Maddie was a poor girl who couldn’t speak up against her friend and benefactor, Peggy. She wore handed down old dresses given by Peggy. In the end, she decided to speak up against injustice even if it meant losing Peggy’s friendship.
21. What did Maddie and Peggy notice on the designs, prepared by Wanda?
Answer: When Maddie hanged the design in her bedroom, she became very surprised to I see her own picture in it. She looked at very carefully. She was very curious to tell Peggy. She told this to Peggy and she also found the same.
22. What did the girls know at last?
Answer: From Wanda’s designs, both the girls—Maddie and Peggy came to know that Wanda liked them very much. Wanda designed their faces on her dresses. Although they teased her, yet she loved them. Now they were deep down hurt for their behaviour.
23. why couldn’t Maddie sleep that night when she returned from Boggins Heights?
Answer: Maddie wanted to say sorry to Wanda. But when she could not find her at Boggins Heights, she thought that she had missed a chance to say sorry to her. That night she could not sleep. She thought about Wanda, her faded dress and her little house. She thought about her hundred dresses. She was restless.
24. How did the town look on Christmas Eve?
Answer: On Christmas Eve, the town looked very beautiful. There were celebrations all around. All the houses were being decorated. The Christmas trees were decorated at many public places. The colour papers were hanging everywhere. Each place was full of happiness.
25.What was Miss Mason’s reaction after getting Mr Petronski’s letter?
Answer: After getting Mr Petronski’s letter, Miss Mason was very unhappy and upset. She looked at the class and spoke in a low voice. She said that none of the students in that class would knowingly hurt anyone’s feelings because their name seemed funny. It was really
Long Answer Type Questions
1. The short except highlights the sensitive story of a poor polish girl who becomes the victim of discrimination. Peggy and Maddie did not want to befriend her because of her poor social status. How far do you agree to judge people on the basis of money, possessions and caste? What enduring values should we actually look for in a person before developing a friendship with that person? Write in 100-120 words.
Answer: (i) It is absolutely wrong to judge people on the basis of money, possessions and caste. Wanda was a polish girl at an American school. Her name sounded funny to the other students who made fun of her name. Peggy and other girls teased her about a hundred dresses which she claimed she had but wore the same faded blue dress. Fed up with her teasing Wanda left school and went to a big city.
(ii) Before leaving she took part in the art competition and submitted a hundred drawings of different designs. They were so beautiful that all her classmates were wonderstruck. Peggy and Maddie not only realised their mistake but were also impressed by her talent. They felt guilty about their behaviour. Hence, one should actually know a person’s behaviour, talent and nature before befriending him. One should not judge others with their status.
2. How did Maddie feel when she and Peggy could not find Wanda? What important conclusion did Maddie reach then?
Answer: When Maddie and Peggy did not find Wanda at Bogin’s Heights, Maddie felt much disturbed. The whole night she kept thinking about Wanda, the way they used to make fun of her, her drawings of a hundred dresses, her faded blue dress and the little house they lived in. She thought hard and made a resolution. From then onwards she would never stand by and remain silent if anyone made fun of or treated someone unkindly for her or his funny name or looks. She would speak up. She was ready to lose Peggy’s friendship on that point.
3.‘Though Peggy and Maddie made fun of Wanda, she gave them her special drawings.’ In the light of this statement write a character-sketch of Wanda Petronski.
Answer: Wanda Petronski was a Polish girl at an American school. Her name sounded unfamiliar to other students who made fun of her name. They also teased her by asking her about her hundred dresses which she claimed she had but wore the same faded blue dress every day. She never felt embarrassed or cried. She was cool-headed and tolerant. When others thought she was lying about having a hundred dresses, she knew that she was truthful as she did have a hundred dresses but only the drawings and not the real ones. And she proved that she was right when she submitted them for the contest.
Wanda had gifted two of her special drawings—a green dress with red ash to Peggy and a blue dress with the colourful trimming to Maddie with their faces on the respective drawings. This showed that she liked them in spite of their teasing her. Gifting those drawings to them was also her way of making them realise their mistake. She was a large-hearted, understanding, forgiving, talented and intelligent girl.
4. Which act of Wanda made the girls know that she liked them even though they had teased her? How did Peggy and Maddie realise this? Explain.
Answer: The letter of Wanda to Miss Mason showed that she loved room number thirteen. She had gifted her a hundred drawings to her class. She mentioned that she missed her school and friends and felt that her teacher was not equal to Miss Mason.
Wanda had gifted two of her special drawings—a green dress with a red rash to Peggy and a blue dress with colorful trimmings to Maddie. When they discovered that their faces were drawn on their respective dresses, they realised that they were drawn for them and that she liked them in spite of their teasing her In a subtle way Wanda made them realise their mistake.
5. Give the character-sketch of Peggy.
Answer: Peggy was a rich, pretty girl with curly hair. She was the most liked girl in her class. She had many beautiful dresses. She was intelligent, good in studies, scored good marks and sat in the front row. She could understand the hidden message of Wanda’s gifts that she liked her and Maddie and was not angry with them for teasing her. At times she seemed bossy and dominated Maddie who was her close friend. She loved fun and enjoyed teasing Wanda, playing the game of hundred dresses with her.
She was not crud as she would cry for hours if she saw any animal being mistreated. She was a self-righteous girl. She thought she did nothing wrong teasing Wanda. Anyhow, she never made fun of her name or called her a foreigner.
6. Give the character-sketch of Maddie.
Answer: Maddie was the classmate of Peggy and poor and Wanda. She was Peggy’s inseparable friend. Both were always seen together. She was wearing hand-me-down clothes, mostly of Peggy with a little innovation. She did not like Peggy’s making fun of Wanda. She used to feel uncomfortable; perhaps it reminded her of her own poverty.
She was not courageous. Once she wrote a note to Peggy asking her to stop teasing Wanda but tore it. She was afraid that Peggy and other girls would make her the next target. She had a high opinion about Peggy. She thought that the most liked girl could never do something really wrong. She also thought that Peggy would win the art contest. She was sensitive and emotional. Many nights before sleeping she would give imaginary speeches defending Wanda when others teased her.
7. How did Wanda win the hearts of her classmates at the end of the story?
Answer: Wanda was a Polish girl. She had an unfamiliar name and different looks. Other students made fun of her name and called her Pollack’. Peggy and other girls teased her about a hundred dresses which she claimed she had but wore the same faded blue dress. Fed up with her teasing she left school and went to a big city.
Before leaving she had taken part in the art competition and submitted a hundred drawings of different designs. They were so beautiful that all her classmates were wonderstruck. They could never guess that she could be so talented. Moreover, she had proved herself right that she possessed a hundred dresses. Her classmates not only realised their mistake but were also impressed by her creative talent. Wanda finally won their hearts when she gifted all her drawings to her class.
8. Why do you think Wanda’s family moved to a different city? Do you think life there was going to be different for the family?
Answer: Wanda’s family could no longer tolerate the mockery she was subjected to other students made fun of her name and called her ‘Pollack’. Peggy and other girls often teased her by asking her about her hundred dresses which she said she had ‘all lined up in her closet’ but wore the same faded blue dress that was too long and hung loosely on her body.
Fed up by this teasing Wanda’s family shifted to a big city where there were a lot of foreigners with unfamiliar names. One cannot be certain whether the life of Wanda’s family was going to be different in the city. But one thing seems certain that no one would have made fun of Wanda’s name or looks.
9. What did Wanda’s father write in his letter? How did Maddie feel after listening to that letter?
Answer: In his letter, Wanda’s father had informed Miss Mason that Wanda would not come to school anymore. They were moving to a big city. In that city, nobody would consider her name funny and laugh at her. The entire class became silent and felt bad about Wanda. Miss Mason understood their feelings. She told them that no one should hurt anyone’s feelings because his or her name was long or funny. She said that what had happened in the school about Wanda was bad. She asked them to third about that. Maddie listened to what Miss Mason said about Wanda. She could not concentrate on her studies. She had a sick feeling. It was the tree that she had never made fun of Wanda herself. But at the same time, she had not objected Peggy’s asking Wanda about her dresses. She felt that she was a coward.
10. What did Maddie decide to do after listening to the letter from Wanda’s father?
Answer: Maddie wondered if she could do anything. She wanted to meet Wanda and tell her that she had never meant to hurt her feelings. She made up her mind to go to her house and tell Wanda that she had won the contest and her hundred dresses were beautiful. She decided that she would find out Wanda Petronski. She and Peggy would go to her house to meet her. When school was over, Maddie told Peggy to go to Wanda’s house. They walked towards her colony. On the way, Peggy said that she had never called Wanda a foreigner. She always thought that Wanda was a dumb girl. She never imagined that Wanda could sense the girls had been making fun of her. Maddie said nothing. She just wanted to meet Wanda and tell her that they were sorry for their rude treatment. She would request her not to move away.
11. What happened when Maddie and Peggy reached Wanda’s house? What decision did Maddie make?
Answer: Peggy and Maddie found Wanda’s house in Boggins Heights. The house looked shabby but clean. It reminded Maddie of Wanda’s one dress. But there was no one in the house. Peggy knocked at the door. There was no response. Wanda and her family had already left the place. They came back. Peggy said that her asking Wanda about her dresses actually helped her. Otherwise, perhaps she might not have won the drawing contest. But Maddie was not satisfied. She could not sleep that night. She thought of Wanda, her drawings and her house. At last, she made a decision. She decided that she would not keep quiet if someone made fun of anybody before her. She would not mind even she had to lose Peggy’s friendship. She had no way of making things right with Wanda, but now she would never make anybody unhappy.
12. What did Pew, and Maddie write to Wanda? What happened on the last day of school before Christmas?
Answer: Peggy and Muddle wrote a letter to Wanda. They praised Wanda’s drawings. They wrote to her that she had won the contest. A number of days passed but there was no answer from Wanda. Peggy had begun to forget the whole incident. Maddie tried to sleep at night making speeches about Wanda. Then it was Christmas time. On the last day of school, Miss Mason received a letter from Wanda. She showed the letter to the class and read it. Wanda had written that the girls could keep those hundred dresses because in her new house she had a hundred new ones. She had gifted the green dress with the red trimmings to Peggy. She wrote that Maddie could have a blue dress. She wished Merry Christmas to all. They accepted the drawings. On the way home Peggy and Maddie held their drawings very carefully.
13. How did Maddie and Peggy realize that Wanda loved them?
Answer: Maddie was missing Wanda too much. There were tears in her eyes. She felt sad to think that she would never see Wanda again. She felt that Wanda had been nice to her. She gazed at the drawing for a long time. Suddenly, she noticed the face and head in the drawing. It looked like her own head and face. She was excited to find that Wanda had made that drawing especially for her. She ran to Peggy’s house. She told Peggy that Wanda had drawn the drawing for her. Then they saw her drawing also. There was Peggy’s face in the drawing. Peggy was also happy to see that the face and head of the drawing looked like her. Peggy told Maddie that Wanda really liked them. There were tears in Maddie’s eyes every time, she thought of Wanda Petronski.
14. Peggy was not really cruel but definitely insensitive to human feelings and a little arrogant too. Maddie, on the other hand, was very sensitive and delicate but timid and lacked the courage to stand up against injustice. Compare and contrast the two girls.
Answer: Peggy and Maddie were the closest friends and always lived together. Maddie was highly impressed by Peggy. Peggy was the most popular girl in the class. She was pretty and had many pretty dresses. Her hair was curly. She was a talented girl who could draw better than all others in the class. She was thought to be a favorite for the girls’ medal in the drawing and coloring competition. Maddie, on the other hand, was a poor girl. She received old dresses offered to her by Peggy. She thought Peggy to be her closest friend and benefactor. She was rather proud of her.
However, Maddie didn’t like Peggy when she asked teasing and embarrassing questions from Wanda Petronski about her hundred dresses. She became very sad when she came to know that Wanda had left the school and Boggins Heights. She knew that she would never see that little Polish girl, Wanda again in life. Tears blurred her eyes when she studied the drawing of the green dress gifted to her by Wanda Petronski. In the end, she resolved to speak up if anyone teased the other because of his or her funny face or name. She was prepared to lose even Peggy’s friendship in this regard.
15. Why did Wanda’s father Mr Jan Petronski write a letter to Miss Mason? What effect did it leave on the teacher, Peggy and Maddie?
Answer: Wanda’s father Mr Jan Petronski wrote a letter to Wanda’s teacher, Miss Mason. He made it clear that her daughter Wanda Petronski would not come to her previous school anymore. Nor would Jake. He was shocked at the treatment his daughter met at the hands of her classmates just because she looked funny and her name was long and unfamiliar. They had moved to a big city where plenty of people with funny names lived.
The letter of Wanda’s father disturbed Miss Mason mentally. She was very sad. She hoped that none of the boys and girls of her class would purposely and deliberately hurt anyone’s feelings. They wouldn’t do such a thing because his or her name happened to be a long, unfamiliar one. Peggy was not so sensitive as Maddie but still offered to go to see Wanda at Boggins Heights. Maddie was totally upset. She had a very sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach. She decided to go and meet Wanda and tell her that she had won the contest. She would also tell her that she was smart and her hundred dresses were beautiful.
16. How does Wanda Petronski’s letter to Miss Mason reveal Wanda’s real character?
Answer: Wanda Petronski’s letter written to her class teacher, Miss Mason, reveals many aspects of her noble character. First of all, it shows that Wanda is not vindictive. Though she had been a constant target and a stock of laughter for Peggy and other girls, she replied to their letter. There is no trace of in her letter. On the other hand, she shows her generosity and love towards the girls of Room Thirteen. She requests Miss Mason to tell the girls that they can keep those hundred dresses.
The other aspect of Wanda’s character is her large-heartedness. She is of obliging and forgiving nature. She shows her love even to Peggy who used to torment her by asking embarrassing and humiliating questions about her hundred dresses and shoes. She offers to give the drawing of the green dress to Peggy and of the blue one to Maddie. She is not ‘dumb’ but a highly sensitive girl. Her kind and forgiving nature never allowed even a trace of visible in her character.
17. How did Maddie and Peggy react when they received the sketches gifted by Wanda Petronski?
Or
Why did Peggy and Maddie feel that Wanda must have really liked them?
Answer: Wanda Petronski had offered the girls of Room Thirteen to keep those ‘hundred dresses, with them. She wrote that she would like Peggy to have the drawing of the green dress with red trimming and Maddie to have the blue one. On the way, Maddie and Peggy held their drawings very carefully. Peggy said, “This shows she really likes us.” She got their letter and answered it. Peggy thought that everything was all right. There was no issue now.
However, Maddie felt very sad. She knew that she would never see that little Polish girl again. She thought that they wouldn’t ever really make things right between them. When she looked at the drawing. Maddie became emotional. Tears blurred her eyes. She found the face and the head of the drawing, looked like her own self. She also showed that Peggy’s drawing too had the head and the face exactly like her. Peggy exclaimed “What did I say! She must have really liked us”. And certainly, Wanda Petronski did like even a girl like Peggy who always pestered her with her teasing and embarrassing questions. Maddie realised it more deeply than Peggy.
18. Give a brief character-sketch of Maddie highlighting her limitations and timidity to speak up against injustice meted out to Wanda Petronski by her closest friend, Peggy.
Answer: Maddie belongs to a poor family. Perhaps Wanda may be still poorer than her as she lived at Boggins Heights. Maddie feels lucky that she doesn’t live there. But she realises how poverty and being different from others can be a curse. She knows that she receives the old dresses discarded by her friend Peggy. Her mother tries to disguise them with new trimmings. This is done so that no one in Room Thirteen may recognise them.
Maddie is a very sensitive and emotional girl. She feels very sad when Wanda’s father disclosed that he has withdrawn his daughter from the school. She has a very sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach. She curses herself that she failed to stop Peggy from teasing Wanda. She realises that her silence and timidity is as bad as Peggy’s act. She resolves that she will speak up when someone tries to make fun of anyone simply because his or her name is difficult to pronounce or strange one. She will do so even if it means losing her friendship with Peggy. She can be the next target for Peggy and other girls. After all, Peggy can ask about the dresses she is putting on. So, Maddie can’t defy and speak up against her closest friend and benefactor. Maddie’s insistence on going to Wanda’s house at Boggins Heights and writing a letter to her shows her sensitiveness to human feelings.
19. Attempt a brief character-sketch of the teacher, Miss Mason, highlighting her understanding and sensitiveness to human issues, particularly related to her students.
Answer: Miss Mason appears to us as a very mature and understanding human being. She is an ideal teacher. She understands the pulse of her students. Her students love and respect her Even Wanda Petronski confesses in her letter that her new teacher in the big city can’t equalise Miss Mason.
Miss Mason is full of human kindness. She feels sad when Wanda Petronski, the winner of the contest, is not present to receive the honour. The letter Wanda’s father, Mr Jan Petronski, writes to her completely disturbs and upsets her mentally. She can’t imagine that any boy or girl in Room Thirteen can hurt anyone’s feelings purposely or deliberately. She leaves a profound effect on her students without using any threats or harsh measures.
Miss Mason shares happy moments with her students. She is very happy to announce Wanda as the winner of the girl’s medal. She asks the boys and girls to file around the room and look at Wanda’s beautiful drawings.
20. How did Peggy and Maddie realise Wanda’s feelings that she liked them?
Answer: Peggy and Maddie realised that Wanda liked them very much through her letter and drawings. Wanda replied to Maddie and Peggy and wished them all a Merry Christmas. In addition to that, she also wrote in the letter that Peggy should be given the drawing of the green dress and Maddie should be given the drawing of the blue dress. Maddie saw that Wanda had drawn her picture in the drawing of the blue dress and in the same way, the drawing of the green dress had been drawn for Peggy. Thus they came to know that Wanda liked them very much.
21. What did Maddie and Peggy decide to do after hearing the letter?
Answer: After hearing the letter, Maddie and Peggy were very sad. They wanted to say sorry to Wanda. They felt ashamed. Maddie immediately decided to go to Boggins Heights looking for Wanda. Peggy was also ready for it. After school, both of them started hurriedly towards Wanda’s house.
When they reached Boggins Heights, they saw a little white house. Small bundles of old grass were there on the path and its yard was looking shabby. It reminded Maddie of Wanda’s blue dress. They knocked at the door but did not get any reply. After this, they went to the backyard but they could not get an answer.