Extra Questions for The Hundred Dresses-II Class 10 first Flight
Important Questions1
A deep silence met the reading of this letter. Miss Mason took off her glasses, blew on them and wiped them on her soft white handkerchief. Then she put them on again and looked at the glass. When she spoke, her voice was very low.
âI am sure that none of the boys and girls in room thirteen would purposely and deliberately hurt anyoneâs feelings because his name happened to be a long, unfamiliar one. I prefer to think that what was said was said in thoughtlessness. I know that all of you feel the way I do, that this is a very unfortunate thing to have happened âunfortunate and sad, both. And I want you all to think about it.â
(a) Which letter is referred to here?
(b) Whose long and unfamiliar name is referred to here?
(c) Why was Miss Mason sad after reading the letter?
(d) Is Miss Mason angry with the class, or is she unhappy and upset?
Answer
(a) The letter was written by Wandaâs father.
(b) Wanda Petronski.
(c) This was because she felt sorry for Wanda and her father.
(d) Miss Mason is upset and unhappy but definitely not angry with the class.
2
She had stood silently, and that was just as bad as what Peggy had done. She was a coward. At least Peggy hadnât considered they were being mean but she, Maddie, had thought they were doing wrong. She could put herself in Wandaâs shoes.
(a) Why did Maddie think that she was a coward?
(b) In what respect Maddie was worse than Peggy in treating Wanda?
(c) What does the expression â âput herself in Wandaâs shoesâ imply?
(d) Maddie thought her silence was as bad as Peggyâs teasing. Was she right?
Answer
(a) Because she could not gather the courage to stop Peggy teasing Wanda.
(b) Peggy had not considered they were being mean but she knew they were wrong, still did not stop her teasing Wanda.
(c) This implies to put herself in the same position as Wanda.
 (d) She was absolutely right because by keeping silence she was indirectly supporting Peggy in her teasing activity. She used to feel bad.
3
Peggy knocked firmly on the door, but there was no answer. She and Maddie went around to the backyard and knocked there. Still, there was no answer. There was no doubt about it. The Petronskis were gone. How could they ever make amends?
(a) Whose door did they wear knocking at?
(b) What showed that the Petronskis had left the house?
(c) Why did Peggy and Maddie want to make amends?
(d) Do you think Wanda really thought the girls were teasing her?
Answer
(a) Wanda Petronskiâs.
(b) There was no sign of life around the house.
(c) This was because they were responsible for hurting her.
(d) Wanda did not really think the girls were teasing her because if she would have thought so she would not have sent the gift of drawings to them.
4
âWell, anyway,â said Peggy, âsheâs gone now, so what can we do? Besides, when I was asking her about all her dresses, she probably was getting good ideas for her drawings. She might not even win the contest, otherwise.â
(a) How did Wanda get ideas for her drawings, according to Peggy?
(b) Which trait of Peggyâs character is revealed in her statement?
(c) For what Peggy seemed to get credit?
Answer
(a) When Peggy was asking her about her dresses.
(b) She craved for getting credit.
(c) Peggy seemed to get credit for indirectly helping Wanda to win the competition.
(d) Peggy consoled herself by saying that by asking her about all her dresses she was probably giving ideas for her drawings and she might not even have won to contest otherwise.
5
She was never going to stand by and say nothing again. If she ever heard anybody picking on someone because they were funny looking or because they had strange names, sheâd speak up. Even if it meant losing Peggyâs friendship.
(a) Which important decision did Maddie take?
(b) What was she ready to sacrifice?
(c) What wrong had she done?
(d) Who do you think was more sensitive and emotional Peggy or Maddie?
Answer
(a) Never to stand by and say nothing if anybody mistreated or made fun of someone.
(b) Her friendship with Peggy.
(c) She had been a party in mistreating Wanda since she did not object to Peggyâs teasing Wanda.
(d) I think Maddie was much more sensitive and emotional than Peggy. Peggy was rather practical.
1
Answer
The letter said that Wanda would come no more to that school because students made fun of her strange name.2
Answer
Jan Petronski wrote a letter to Miss Mason, Wandaâs 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 Wandaâs name and call her âPollackâ because there would be many funny names and foreigners like her in a big city.3
Answer
Maddie and Peggy went to Wandaâs house at Boginâs 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.4
Answer
Wanda wrote in the letter that she would like Peggy to have the drawing of the green dress with the red trimming.5
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.6
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.1
Answer
When Maddie and Peggy did not find Wanda at Boginâs 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 Peggyâs friendship on that point.2
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 drawingsâa green dress with red ash to Peggy and a blue dress with 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.
3
Answer
Wanda was a Polish girl. She had an unfamiliar name and different looks. Other students made fun of her name and called her Pollackâ. 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 the 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 wonder struck. 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.
4
Answer
Wandaâs family could no longer tolerate the mockery she was subjected to other students made fun of her name and called her âPollackâ. Peggy and other girls often teased her by asking her about her hundred dresses which she said she had âall lined up in her closetâ but wore the same faded blue dress that was too long and hung loosely on her body.
Fed up by this teasing Wandaâs family shifted to a big city where there were a lot of foreigners with unfamiliar names.
One cannot be certain whether the life of Wandaâs family was going to be different in the city. But one thing seems certain that no one would have made fun of Wandaâs name or looks.
5
Answer
In his letter, Wandaâs father had informed Miss Mason that Wanda would not come to the school any more. 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 anyoneâs 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 Peggyâs asking Wanda about her dresses. She felt that she was a coward.6
Answer
Peggy and Maddie found Wandaâs house in Boggins Heights. The house looked shabby but clean. It reminded Maddie of Wandaâs 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 Peggyâs friendship. She had no way of making things right with Wanda, but now she would never make anybody unhappy.7
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 Peggyâs house. She told Peggy that Wanda had drawn the drawing for her. Then they saw her drawing also. There was Peggyâs 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 Maddieâs eyes every time, she thought of Wanda Petronski.