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CLASS 11 · WOVEN WORDS · CHAPTER 5

Pappachi’s Moth

Original, student-friendly answers to the textbook activities on Arundhati Roy's extract.

12 worked answersOriginal sample responses
Open the official NCERT chapter ↗← All chapters

12 worked answers · short steps first, explanations when you need them

Understanding the Text

Textbook pages Understanding the Text

Question Understanding the Text 1

What kind of relationship do Mammachi and Pappachi share?

Steps only

Contrast Mammachi's work and resilience with Pappachi's jealousy and abuse.

Answer

Pappachi is jealous and controlling; Mammachi continues her work despite his violence and silence.

Question Understanding the Text 2

How does Mammachi stand out as an independent and resilient woman?

Steps only

Give examples of her business success, management, and persistence.

Answer

Mammachi runs a successful pickle business, supervises it despite poor eyesight, and shows determination in her work.

Question Understanding the Text 3

Why does John Ipe (Pappachi) see retirement as a dishonour?

Steps only

Connect his former status to his fear of losing importance after retirement.

Answer

He ties his identity to his official rank and feels diminished when retirement removes that status.

Question Understanding the Text 4

What lies beneath Pappachi's disgust with the world?

Steps only

Mention the lost scientific recognition, retirement, and jealousy of Mammachi.

Answer

His wounded pride over the moth's credit, retirement, and jealousy of Mammachi fuel his bitterness.

Talking about the Text

Textbook pages Talking about the Text

Question Talking about the Text 1

Discuss Chacko's firmness when he confronts his father's behaviour.

Steps only

Explain how Chacko stops the beating and what remains unresolved.

Answer

Chacko stops the violence, but Pappachi's silence and resentment continue.

Question Talking about the Text 2

How does the story contrast Pappachi's outward elegance with his private behaviour?

Steps only

Contrast the neat suit and car with his abusive treatment of Mammachi.

Answer

His polished appearance contrasts with his jealous, controlling, and violent private behaviour.

Question Talking about the Text 3

How does approval from outsiders differ from approval within the family in the story?

Steps only

Contrast Pappachi's public image with the family's experience of him.

Answer

Outsiders see his status and polished image; his family experiences his jealousy, violence, and silence.

Appreciation

Textbook pages Appreciation

Question Appreciation 1

How does the author raise social issues through suggestion rather than direct criticism?

Steps only

Use specific details to show how the reader infers the social criticism.

Answer

Daily events and objects reveal sexism, domestic violence, and status anxiety without direct lecturing.

Question Appreciation 2

How does the concise writing portray the important events in John Ipe and Mammachi's lives?

Steps only

Show how selected incidents and objects suggest a longer family history.

Answer

A few important events and objects reveal years of ambition, abuse, jealousy, and resilience.

Question Appreciation 3

Identify examples of irony in the story.

Steps only

Give examples involving public appearance, the moth's naming, and the false blame placed on it.

Answer

Pappachi looks respectable but is cruel; his discovery is credited to another, and the moth is blamed for anger that existed earlier.

Language Work

Textbook pages Language Work

Question Language Work 1

Match each scientist with the field studied: ornithologist, gerontologist, ergonomist, dermatologist, cytologist.

Steps only

Match each scientist to birds, ageing, equipment design, skin, or cells.

Answer

Ornithologist: birds; gerontologist: ageing; ergonomist: equipment design; dermatologist: skin; cytologist: cells.

Question Language Work 2

Where would you find a citation, an epitaph, a glossary, an abstract, and a postscript?

Steps only

Match each term to its common location or purpose.

Answer

Citation: scholarly work; epitaph: memorial; glossary: book; abstract: research paper; postscript: end of letter.

Questions and activities were checked against the official NCERT chapter PDF ↗. Answers are written in original wording; no literary passage or illustration is reproduced.

Learnivelle is not affiliated with NCERT.

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