GOING PLACES - A.R.BARTON

Important Question- Answers

1. Where was it most likely that Sophie and Jansie would find work after school?

Answer : They were most likely to find work in a biscuit factory. They had already been earmarked for it. It was also possible that they could get work in some shop.

2. How does Sophie's father react when he learns of Sophie's meeting with Danny Casey? Does he believe her story?

Answer : Her father was very angry to learn that Sophie had met Danny. He didn't believed it to be true. He expressed his displeasure by looking at Sophie in disdain. Later he said  , " This is another of your wild stories. "

3. How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?

Answer : Sophie is a very ambitious and outgoing girl. In her fantasy, she imagines herself riding behind her brother on his bike. Her brother is wearing new, shining leathers and she is wearing a yellow dress. Her cape is flying out behind. She also imagines people rising to greet them and applauding.

4. Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What differences between them do you find in the story?

Answer : Jansie was a down to earth girl. She had no false dreams. She very well knew her limitations and those of Sophie also. But Sophie on the other hand was a very ambitious kind of a girl. She lived in a world of dreams and had plans that could hardly come true.

5. How can you say that Sophie's dreams and disappointments are all in her mind?

Answer : Sophie is a young girl who belongs to a poor family. She is yet at school. But she dreams of having the best boutique in town forgetting the fact that she has no money for it. Then all her wild story about Danny Casey shows that her dreams and disappointments are all in her mind.

6. What idea do you form of Sophie's friend, Jansie, from the story?

Answer : Jansie is Sophie's classmate. They are friends who go to school together. In a short while, they are going to leave school. Both of them have been earmarked for the biscuit factory. Jansie is a practical girl. She is quite wise and sensible and has no false dreams. She tries to make Sophie give up her false ambitions. When Sophie talks about her plan to buy a boutique, Jansie tells her that it will take her long to save that much money. Sophie says she will become a manager to begin with. But Jansie knows that no one will take her as a manager straight off.

Jansie also knows that Sophie's story about Danny Casey is also one of her dreams. When Sophie says that she has met Danny, Jansie says bluntly, "You never did. "Thus we can see that there is a huge difference between the two friends. But Jansie is a true friend. She starts believing when Sophie insists with her story. Sophie says that it is meant to be a secret. At that time, like a true friend, Jansie says, " You can trust me, Soaf, you know that. "

7. Describe the character and temperament of Sophie's father.

Answer : Sophie's father belongs to the labour class. He seems to be a careless and carefree kind of a person. He has only an old bicycle but he often goes to the pub to enjoy himself. He is very fond of watching football matches and does not worry much about his children. The way he eats the pie shows that he has rough eating manners.

However, he very well understands the nature of his daughter, Sophie. He knows that his daughter makes up wild stories in her head to impress others. When he is told that Sophie has met Danny Casey, he looks at her in disdain. He ignores her completely and continues watching the television.

8. What estimate do you form of Geoff's character?
Answer: Geoff is Sophie's brother. He is an apprentice mechanic.He travels to his work each day to the far side of the city. He is the only one with whom Sophie seems to be intimate. But he does not take her seriously and does not believe many of her stories.

When Sophie tells him that she has met Danny Casey, he at once says, "It is never true.'' However, he loves her as a sister and even takes her side when their father gets angry with her. Geoff does not talk much and likes being with himself only. He does not talk to anyone about his whereabouts. Sophie is envious of her brother's silence. She wants to talk to him and share her secrets. She also wants him to take her out on his motorcycle and show her the places she has never seen. But Geoff never opens up to her.

9. What socio - economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family's financial status?

Answer : Sophie belongs to a lower middle-class family. They live in a small house that is very smoky and  untidy. There is a heap of dirty washing in  a corner. They do not have any servant. The mother has to do all the household work. The father has only an old bicycle. He seems to be quite rough in his manners. He doesn't care much about his children and often goes to the pub.

Geoff is only an apprentice mechanic. He travels daily to his work at the far end of the city. Sophie seems to be a good for nothing kind of a girl. She does not even have a penny but dreams of having a boutique. She has never met Danny Casey, but always claims to have met him and dreams of remaining with him. So, all these are the indicators of the socio-economic background of Sophie's family.