A House is Not a Home
1: What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon? What is his mother’s reaction? What does she do?
Ans: On Sunday afternoon, while the author was on her dining table doing her homework, she noticed that there was smoke emerging in the room, and it kept on getting denser. Soon they realized that fire had broken into their house. Her mother panicked but still succeeded in bringing everyone safely out. She even went back into the house again and saved all their important belongings too in a heroic way.
2. Why does he break down in tears after the fire?
Ans: After the fire, for some time he was thinking just about his mother. But when his mother was okay and the fire was finally out, he thought about his new school and lovely cat. His books had burned and he could not find his cat anywhere. So he breaks down in tears.
3. Why is the author deeply embarrassed the next day in school? Which words show his fear and insecurity?
Ans: The next day the author is deeply embarrassed in school because his backpack had burnt in the fire and it was his life. The words 'Everything felt surreal and I wasn't sure what was going to happen' show his fear and insecurity.
4: The cat and the author are very fond of each other. How has this been shown in the story? Where was the cat after the fire? Who brings it back and how?
Ans: The cat and the author were very fond of each other. The author said that the cat was never far from him. He had rescued it when it was a kitten and he felt that it knew that he was the one responsible for giving it ‘the good life’. The cat had been so freaked by the fire that it ran over a mile away. A woman took it in and worked hard to find out whose cat it was. The cat’s collar had their phone number on it. However, their phones had been destroyed and disconnected due to the fire. The woman somehow knew that the cat was loved and missed. She eventually managed to bring it back to the author.
5: What actions of the schoolmates change the author’s understanding of life and people, and comfort him emotionally? How does his loneliness vanish and how does he start participating in life?
Ans: Everybody in the new school develop empathy with the author’s plight. His schoolmates pooled resources to buy a set of everything he needed in the school. This act of help creates a sense of solidarity among them. Now the author is realizing that the new school is full of friends and well-wishers. This gives him motivation to start his life afresh and to forget his past trauma.
6. What is the meaning of “My cat was back and so was I”? Had the author gone anywhere? Why does he say that he is also back?
Ans: Here the author wants to point out that life without affection is useless. He was depressed
after a great loss in all fields. His old school and teachers were always in his mind. The fire
had reduced his house to ashes. His cat was also not with him. In such circumstances he considered himself dead and had no interest in life.
In the end as soon as the conditions took the turn he felt relieved. Now he had all the things
with him. The author had not gone anywhere. It was his state of mind. He recovered from this gloomy state and started enjoying life when he got his cat back.
