CBSE Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady Notes 2026-27 |Nextoper Notes
These Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady notes cover the summary and characters. They also cover themes and NCERT answers. They follow the 2026-27 Hornbill reprint. Use them for a first reading or for last-night revision.
What is The Portrait of a Lady about?
The Portrait of a Lady is an autobiographical prose piece by Khushwant Singh. It is the first chapter of the Class 11 English book Hornbill. It describes the author’s changing bond with his grandmother, from village childhood to university years. It ends with her calm death and the silent mourning of sparrows.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Chapter | The Portrait of a Lady (Chapter 1) |
| Author | Khushwant Singh (2 February 1915 – 20 March 2014), Indian writer and journalist |
| Book | Hornbill, Class 11 English, NCERT (2026-27 reprint) |
| Board and session | CBSE, 2026-27 |
| Form | Prose, an autobiographical account |
| Narrator | The author, looking back on his grandmother |
| Places | Village, city house, university, abroad |
| Time covered | His childhood to his return from five years abroad |
| Next in the book | The poem “A Photograph” by Shirley Toulson |
NCERT places the poem A Photograph right after this story. The reason is the thematic link between the two. Both look back at a loved woman who is gone.
What is the summary of Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady?
In The Portrait of a Lady, the narrator remembers his old, prayerful grandmother. They are close friends in the village. The friendship weakens in the city and breaks at university. After five years abroad, he returns. She sings with neighbours, falls ill and dies praying. Thousands of sparrows mourn her in silence.
The three phases at a glance
| Phase | Place | What they share | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Village | Village home and temple school | Mornings, school walks, feeding dogs | Nothing yet. They are constant companions. |
| 2. City | City house | One room | He goes to an English school by motor bus. She stops coming along. |
| 3. University | University years | Little beyond a home | He gets a room of his own. The common link is snapped. |
Save Free Notes PDF – Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady Notes | Click Here to Save
The opening portrait
The narrator begins with a plain claim. His grandmother, like everybody’s grandmother, was an old woman. She looked old and wrinkled for all the twenty years he had known her.
He could not picture her young and pretty. Her stories of childhood games sounded absurd to him. His grandfather’s portrait, with a big turban and long white beard, made the idea harder.
Yet he calls her beautiful. She wears spotless white, with silver hair and a rosary. He likens her to a winter landscape in the mountains, full of peace.
Phase 1: village days
His parents move to the city and leave him with her. They are constantly together. She wakes him, bathes him and says her morning prayer in a sing-song voice.
She ties his wooden slate, earthen ink-pot and red pen in a bundle. After a breakfast of stale chapatti with butter and sugar, they walk to school. The school is attached to the temple. The priest teaches the alphabet while she reads scriptures inside.
On the way home, the village dogs meet them at the temple door. They follow the pair and fight over the stale chapattis she carried for them.
Phase 2: the city and the turning-point
The parents send for them once they are settled. NCERT’s text calls this a turning-point in the friendship. They share a room, but she stops going to school with him.
He now rides a motor bus to an English school. The streets have no dogs, so she feeds sparrows in the courtyard.
When he tells her about gravity and Archimedes’ Principle, she is unhappy. She cannot help with lessons. She is also distressed that nobody teaches about God and the scriptures. Music lessons disturb her most. Her silence shows her disapproval.
Phase 3: university
At university he gets a room of his own. The common link of friendship is snapped. She accepts her seclusion with resignation.
She sits at her spinning-wheel from sunrise to sunset, reciting prayers. In the afternoon she feeds hundreds of sparrows. Some perch on her legs, shoulders and head. It is the happiest half-hour of her day.
Abroad and the return
He decides to study abroad for five years. He expects her to be upset. She shows no emotion. At the railway station her lips move in prayer. She kisses his forehead silently.
He treasures that kiss as perhaps their last physical contact. He is wrong. After five years she meets him at the station, looking no older. She hugs him while still reciting prayers.
That evening she does not pray. She gathers the neighbourhood women, takes an old drum and sings of warriors coming home. The family persuades her to stop so she will not overstrain herself.
Her death and the sparrows
Next morning she has a mild fever. The doctor says it will pass. She says her end is near. She will not waste time talking, because she skipped prayer the evening before.
She lies praying until the rosary falls from her lifeless fingers. The family lays her on the ground under a red shroud. At sunset they bring a stretcher.
Thousands of sparrows sit silently across the verandah and her room. The narrator’s mother scatters bread crumbs, as the grandmother used to. The birds ignore them. They fly away quietly when the body is carried off. The next morning, the sweeper sweeps the crumbs into the dustbin.
Why this line matters
Some phrases carry the whole story. Learn these and you can explain the chapter in any answer.
| Phrase from the text | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| “the thought was almost revolting” | A child cannot imagine an old person as young. It sets up the gap between narrator and grandmother. |
| “always beautiful” | Her beauty is calm and spiritual. It is not about looks. |
| “a turning-point” | The city move marks the start of distance between them. |
| “snapped” | At university the shared daily routine ends completely. |
| “her mind was lost in prayer” | At the station, love shows through a kiss, not words. |
| “the last chapter of her life” | She treats death as a closing chapter, so prayer must not stop. |
| “into the dustbin” | Daily life moves on, but the sparrows’ silence stays with the reader. |
Who are the main characters in The Portrait of a Lady?
The main characters are the grandmother, the narrator and the sparrows. The narrator is Khushwant Singh as a boy and young man. His mother, the temple priest and the grandfather’s portrait appear briefly. The grandmother is the heart of the story. Everyone else helps us see her more clearly.
| Character | Role | Proof from the text |
|---|---|---|
| Grandmother | Central figure | Tells her rosary, feeds dogs and sparrows, dies praying |
| Narrator | Grandson and storyteller | Goes from village school to English school, university and abroad |
| Sparrows | Silent mourners | Sit scattered and silent; ignore the bread |
| Narrator’s mother | Family member | Fetches bread and crumbs it the way the grandmother did |
| Temple priest | Village teacher | Teaches the alphabet and the morning prayer |
| Grandfather | Seen only in a portrait | Big turban, long white beard, looks a hundred years old |
Character sketch of the grandmother
Appearance. She is short, fat and slightly bent. Her face is a criss-cross of wrinkles. She hobbles about in spotless white. One hand rests on her waist. The other tells her rosary.
Faith. Her lips are always moving in inaudible prayer. She reads scriptures in the temple and prays at her spinning-wheel. Even her last words are about prayer.
Care. She wakes, bathes and feeds the boy in the village. She carries chapattis for dogs. In the city she feeds sparrows. Her kindness reaches every living creature.
Firmness. She does not accept science without God, or music in school. She says nothing, but her silence is clear. She keeps her beliefs through every change.
Calm. She shows no emotion when he leaves for five years. She accepts seclusion without complaint. She meets death without fear.
Character sketch of the narrator
He is observant and honest. As a child he loves her voice but never learns her prayer. As a student he repeats his lessons to her, though they upset her. As a grown man he treasures her kiss and remembers her warmly. He never mocks her faith.
The sparrows as a character
The sparrows act like family. They gather round her each afternoon. They sit still when she dies. They ignore the bread and leave quietly. Their silence says what the family cannot.
What are the themes of The Portrait of a Lady?
The main themes are changing relationships, faith and tradition versus modern education. Others are dignity in old age, love without words and death. Khushwant Singh shows each one through small details. Think of the rosary, the English school and the sparrows. The table below links each theme to proof.
| Theme | Where you see it |
|---|---|
| Changing relationships | Village friends become city strangers under one roof, then separate at university. |
| Faith and prayer | The rosary, the temple, the spinning-wheel prayers and the final prayers. |
| Tradition versus modern education | She dislikes gravity, English and music. She misses teaching about God. |
| Dignity in old age | She accepts seclusion calmly and never complains. |
| Love without words | A silent kiss at the station. A hug while praying on his return. |
| Death and loss | She predicts her end. The sparrows mourn in silence. |
Why the theme of change matters most
The story is about a bond that changes shape. It does not break. The narrator moves through schools and countries. The grandmother stays rooted. Her love changes its form, from daily care to silent blessing.
NCERT’s own notes say the tasks help readers see the universality of such feelings. You have likely known an elder like her too.
Faith as a way of living
Her prayers are not a show. They shape each hour of her day. That is why her one missed evening prayer feels so big to her. She treats it as a sign that her time is nearly over.
What do the difficult words and phrases in The Portrait of a Lady mean?
Class 11 English Chapter 1, The Portrait of a Lady, flags seven expressions to notice. Each is explained below in simple language. They come from the “Notice these expressions” box on page 3. Learn them first, then the extra words that follow. They also help you write richer answers.
| Word or phrase | Simple meaning | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| the thought was almost revolting | The idea felt unpleasant and hard to accept | Grandmother as young and pretty |
| an expanse of pure white serenity | A wide, white, peaceful sight | Her look, like a mountain winter |
| a turning-point | A moment when things start to change | The move to the city |
| accepted her seclusion with resignation | Quietly accepted being alone, without complaint | After he gets his own room |
| a veritable bedlam of chirrupings | A real uproar of chirping birds | Hundreds of sparrows at feeding time |
| frivolous rebukes | Light, playful scolding | How she talks to the sparrows |
| the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum | The loose coverings of a worn-out drum | The evening she sings |
| hobbled | Walked with difficulty because of weak legs and feet | Her walk in the house |
| monotonous | Dull, in one repeated tone | Her sing-song morning prayer |
| inaudible | Too soft to be heard | Her constant prayer |
| puckered | Wrinkled and folded | Her pale face |
| lewd | Indecent | Her view of music |
| shroud | A cloth that covers a dead body | The red cloth over her |
| pallor | Unusual paleness | Her face at death |
What are the NCERT questions and answers for Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady?
Class 11 English Chapter 1, The Portrait of a Lady, ends with six task groups. They are Understanding the text, Talking about the text and Thinking about language. The rest are Working with words, Noticing form and Things to do. Each question below has a model answer in our own words.
Understanding the text
1. Mention the three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.
In the village they were close friends. She woke him, prepared him for school and sat in the temple while he studied. In the city, a turning-point came with his English school. She no longer went with him. At university he got his own room, and the common link of friendship was snapped.
2. Mention three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.
First, she could not help him with his lessons. Second, she did not believe in the western science and learning he described. Third, she was distressed that nobody taught about God and the scriptures. The music lessons then upset her further, as she linked music with beggars and harlots.
3. Mention three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.
She sat at her spinning-wheel and spun. She recited prayers from sunrise to sunset. In the afternoon she fed the sparrows in the verandah.
4. Mention the odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.
On the evening of his return, she did not pray. She gathered the neighbourhood women and thumped an old drum. For hours she sang of the home-coming of warriors. It was the first time he had known her to skip prayer.
5. Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
Thousands of sparrows sat scattered on the floor of the verandah and her room. They did not chirrup. They ignored the bread crumbs the narrator’s mother threw. They flew away quietly when the body was carried out.
Talking about the text
1. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?
We see her telling the beads of her rosary and moving her lips in prayer. She says a morning prayer while dressing him. She reads scriptures in the temple and prays at her wheel. She is upset by a school without religious teaching. She prays even at the station and on her deathbed.
2. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?
They begin as close friends and daily companions. Distance grows with his English school and ends their shared routine at university. Her care stays the same but turns silent. His affection stays too. He treasures her kiss and remembers her with deep respect.
3. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.
Yes. She shows no emotion when he leaves for five years. She accepts seclusion without complaint. She holds firm to her beliefs about music and education. At the end she ignores the family’s protests and faces death calmly, praying.
4. Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother? Do you feel the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and lost?
This is a personal answer. Name the person and your relation. Give two habits that made them special. Describe one small memory. End with how you feel now. Use the story’s tone: calm, specific and warm.
Thinking about language
1. Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?
The text does not name it. Many readers infer Punjabi, as the author came from a Punjabi family. Treat this as an inference and say so in your answer.
2. Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family?
This is personal. Name your home language and say why it feels natural with elders.
3. How would you say ‘a dilapidated drum’ in your language?
Look for the word that means old, worn and falling apart. In Hindi, you might say “पुराना, फटा हुआ ढोल”. Write the phrase from your own language.
4. Can you think of a song or a poem in your language that talks of homecoming?
Pick a welcome-home folk song or poem you know. Say what it celebrates. Link it to the grandmother’s song of warriors returning.
Working with words
I. Match the four senses of ‘tell’ to the four uses.
| Use in the text | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1. telling the beads of her rosary | count while reciting |
| 2. tell her English words | give information to somebody |
| 3. one could never tell | be sure |
| 4. She told us that her end was near | make something known in spoken or written words |
II. ‘Take’ phrases. Find “took to feeding the sparrows” and “taken ill”. The first means began a habit. The second means suddenly became ill.
III. Tick the words that refer to a manner of walking.
Shuffle, stride, waddle, swagger, trudge and slog all describe ways of walking. Haggle, ride and wriggle do not. Paddle can mean walking in shallow water, so check your teacher’s key for it.
Noticing form
The italicised verbs are in the past perfect. Examples are had been, had known, had finished, had taught and had lit. The form is “had” plus the past participle. We use it for something that happened before another past moment.
Try two of your own. “She had fed the sparrows before he woke.” “He had left before she realised it.”
Things to do
Write a short description of an elder you loved. Start with how they looked. Add one daily habit and one memory. Close with what you miss. Keep it under 120 words.
Can you solve 10 MCQs on The Portrait of a Lady?
Here are ten MCQs on Class 11 English Chapter 1, The Portrait of a Lady. Each has four options, the correct answer and a one-line reason from the story. Try them first without the notes. Then check your score against the answers.
Q1. The village school was attached to a…
(a) post office (b) temple (c) market (d) library
Answer: (b). The priest taught the alphabet and the morning prayer there.
Q2. What did the grandmother carry for the village dogs?
(a) fresh rotis (b) biscuits (c) stale chapattis (d) rice
Answer: (c). She carried several stale chapattis for them.
Q3. How did the narrator reach his English school in the city?
(a) by tonga (b) on foot (c) by motor bus (d) by train
Answer: (c). The text says he went in a motor bus.
Q4. Why did music disturb the grandmother?
(a) It was too loud (b) She linked it with beggars and harlots (c) It wasted study time (d) She had a headache
Answer: (b). To her, music was not meant for gentlefolk.
Q5. After he went to university, what filled her days?
(a) cooking (b) travelling (c) teaching (d) spinning and prayer
Answer: (d). She sat by her wheel, spinning and reciting prayers.
Q6. How long was the narrator away abroad?
(a) five years (b) two years (c) ten years (d) one year
Answer: (a). He expected to be away for five years.
Q7. What did she sing about on the evening he returned?
(a) the monsoon (b) the harvest (c) saints (d) the home-coming of warriors
Answer: (d). She sang while thumping an old drum.
Q8. What covered the grandmother’s body?
(a) a white sheet (b) a red shroud (c) a yellow shawl (d) a blanket
Answer: (b). The family covered her with a red shroud, as is customary.
Q9. How did the sparrows react to the bread crumbs?
(a) ate quickly (b) fought over them (c) took no notice (d) carried them away
Answer: (c). They ignored the bread and flew off quietly.
Q10. The narrator compares her to a…
(a) summer garden (b) winter landscape in the mountains (c) calm river (d) burning lamp
Answer: (b). It shows her white, peaceful, serene look.
How can you revise The Portrait of a Lady in ten minutes?
You can revise The Portrait of a Lady in ten minutes. Use the phase table, the sparrow timeline and the two memory tricks below. Together they cover plot, character and ending. Read them twice, then close the page and recall.
Quick revision box: Class 11 English, Hornbill Chapter 1
- Author: Khushwant Singh. Form: autobiographical prose.
- Three phases: village, city, university.
- Village: temple school, stale chapattis, dogs.
- City: motor bus, English school, sparrows in the courtyard.
- University: own room, spinning-wheel, prayers.
- Abroad: five years. Silent kiss at the station.
- Return: she sings with a drum, skips prayer once.
- Death: mild fever, rosary falls, red shroud.
- Sparrows: silent, ignore bread, fly away quietly.
Trick 1: V-C-U. Village = together. City = bus and distance. University = own room.
Trick 2: D-F-P-S. Drum, Fever, Prayer, Sparrows. This is the order of her last day.
The sparrow timeline
| Stage | What the sparrows do | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| City courtyard | She starts feeding them, since the dogs are gone | Her care adapts to new surroundings |
| University years | Hundreds sit on her legs, shoulders and head | Her happiest half-hour |
| Return day | She feeds them longer, with frivolous rebukes | Her joy is playful, not sad |
| Her death | Thousands sit silent and ignore the bread | The birds share the family’s grief |
Which practice questions should you try for The Portrait of a Lady?
These are our own practice questions for The Portrait of a Lady, Class 11 English. They are not previous-year board questions. We could not verify past papers for this chapter, so we claim none. Use them to test short and long answers.
Short answers (30–40 words)
- Why did the narrator find it hard to imagine his grandmother as young? Hint: the portrait, her unchanged look, her absurd game stories.
- How did the grandmother help him in the village? Hint: waking, slate, school walk.
- What did she do on the evening of his return? Hint: no prayer, women, drum, song.
- Why did she refuse to talk in her last hours? Hint: she wanted every minute for prayer.
Long answers (120–150 words)
- Write a character sketch of the grandmother. Hint: look, faith, kindness, firmness, calm, death.
- “The sparrows’ silence says more than the family’s tears.” Discuss. Hint: crumbs, stillness, quiet exit.
- What does the story suggest about how we treat our elders? Hint: this is your reading, so support it with two events.
What mistakes should you avoid in The Portrait of a Lady answers?
Students often add facts that the story never gives. In The Portrait of a Lady, Class 11 English, such slips can cost marks. The table below lists common errors against the NCERT text. Check each statement before you write it in an exam answer.
| Statement students write | Verdict | What the text says |
|---|---|---|
| He went to England. | Not in the text | It says only that he went abroad for five years. |
| She was covered with a red shawl. | Wrong | It is a red shroud. |
| She gave him a reed pen. | Wrong | It is a red pen, with a wooden slate and earthen ink-pot. |
| The village school taught multiplication tables. | Not in the text | The priest taught the alphabet and the morning prayer. |
| The drumming made her ill. | Not stated | The next morning she had a mild fever. No cause is given. |
| She stopped eating before she died. | Not in the text | She stopped talking and kept praying. |
| The sparrows ate the crumbs and left. | Wrong | They took no notice of the bread. |
| She never missed a prayer in her life. | Almost | The evening of his return was the first time he knew her to skip prayer. |
What is the short answer for The Portrait of a Lady?
The Portrait of a Lady is Khushwant Singh’s memory of his grandmother. In the village she is his daily companion. In the city she grows distant from his English schooling. At university the friendship fades. After he returns from abroad, she sings with neighbours, falls ill and dies praying. Thousands of sparrows sit silently beside her. Her quiet faith makes her unforgettable.
Frequently asked questions about The Portrait of a Lady
Here are five questions students ask about The Portrait of a Lady, Class 11 English. Each answer is short and stands on its own. Copy the key points into your own notes. You can also use them as quick oral practice.
What is the summary of The Portrait of a Lady Class 11?
Khushwant Singh recalls his old, devout grandmother. In the village they are close friends. In the city she grows distant from his English schooling, and at university the friendship fades. After five years abroad he returns. She sings with neighbours, falls ill and dies praying. Thousands of sparrows sit silently around her.
Why is the story called The Portrait of a Lady?
The title suggests a word-picture. Khushwant Singh paints his grandmother through her looks, daily habits and silences. He first describes her husband’s portrait, then shows her at every stage of life. By the end, you have seen a complete picture of one remarkable woman.
What are the three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother?
First, in the village, they are close friends and walk to the temple school together. Second, in the city, a turning-point arrives with his English school, and she feeds sparrows. Third, at university he gets his own room and the common link of friendship is snapped. Her affection stays steady throughout.
What is the significance of the sparrows in The Portrait of a Lady?
The sparrows show the grandmother’s love for living creatures. She feeds them daily, and they gather on her legs, shoulders and head. After her death, thousands sit silent and ignore the bread. Their quiet grief shows how deeply she touched even the birds around her.
What is the character sketch of the grandmother in The Portrait of a Lady?
The grandmother is short, plump and bent, with silver hair and spotless white clothes. She is deeply religious, always telling her rosary. She is loving, firm in her beliefs and calm in the face of change. She dies peacefully while praying, exactly as she lived.
Keep these Class 11 English Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady notes by your Hornbill book. Read the story once, then the summary table, then the questions. Cover the answers and say them aloud. That is the fastest way to make the chapter yours.
Related notes
About the author and reviewer
How we prepared this: These notes are based on NCERT Hornbill, Chapter 1 (2026-27 reprint). We checked the facts against the chapter text and updated the page on 20 October 2026.
Sources
