07: The Little Match Girl By Hans Christian Andersen : Icse-x-english

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07: The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen

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Answers from The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
Read the extract and answer the following questions:

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Section : I
She had been wearing slippers, it is true, when she left home, but what good were they? They had been her mother's, so you can imagine how big they were. The little girl had lost them as she ran across the street to escape from two carriages that were being driven terribly fast. One slipper could not be found, and a boy had run off with the other, saying that it would come in very handy as a cradle some day when he had children of his own.

Qstn #1
What type of weather has been described in this extract?
Ans : The weather was extremely cold and it was completely dark. As it was the last evening of the year, the snow was falling heavily and everything seemed to be freezing. The sky was covered with dark clouds. There was a chill in the atmosphere and shivering cold had restricted people to move out of their homes. Only a few people were seen on the roads. It was a gloomy and fearful atmosphere.

Qstn #2
In what condition was the little child moving in the streets?
Ans : The little child was moving in the streets through the biting wind and driving snow. The snowfall of the last day of the year was excessively heavy and as the evening approached, it became almost dark as compared to the other evenings. From her appearance, it seemed as if she belonged to a very poor family otherwise no one would have dared to come out of their house in such harsh weather.

Qstn #3
How could you make out that the girl belonged to a poor family?
Ans : The little girl was out of her house without enough warm clothes to protect her from chilly winter evening. She had nothing to cover her head or her feet. She had lost her slippers also and so she had to walk on her naked feet which ultimately became red and blue with cold.

Qstn #4
Why was the poor child walking barefoot and bareheaded in the streets in such harsh weather?
Ans : The little girl was among the few people who were seen on the roads in the biting cold weather. There must be some genuine reason for which she was out in the streets and it was clear from seeing her tattered clothes. She was wearing an old apron in which she carried several packages of matches. She held a box of them in her hand for selling but no one had bought any box from her since morning. As she did not get a single cent, she did not dare to go back home.

Qstn #5
What has happened to her slippers? Why were they of no use for her?
Ans : The poor little girl was walking in the streets barefoot. It was obvious that when she had left her house in the morning, she might be wearing them but they were not too much of use for her as they were her mother's and too big for her. Also, she had lost one while crossing the road where two carriages had rattled by speedily. She had not been able to find the slipper and other was taken away by one boy who told that he would use it as a cradle in future for his children. And so she walked on her naked feet.

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Section : II
Lights were shining in every window, and there was a glorious smell of roast goose in the street, for this was New Year's Eve, and she could not think of anything else. She huddled down in a heap in a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected further out into the street than the other, but though she tucked her little legs up under her she felt colder and colder. She did not dare to go home, for she had sold no matches and earned not a single penny.

Qstn #1
How has the atmosphere been set up in the given passage?
Ans : The passage presents the picture of the miserable child. She is walking very slowly on the road due to extreme cold and hunger. She had beautiful long hair which hung in pretty curls over her neck and was covered with snowflakes. It was getting dark so the houses were lit up. In all the windows of the houses, the light was shining and wonderful smell of roast goose was coming out as it was New Year's Eve. The poor little creature was perishing with cold and in the picture of misery.

Qstn #2
Why did the writer say that 'she did not think of her appearance now'?
Ans : The little girl crept along the streets, shivering and hungry with a hope of selling at least a few packs of matchsticks. But nobody had bought any from her. She was presented as the picture of misery. She kept on trying despite the extremely cold weather. The snowflakes fell on her long golden hair which curled so prettily about her neck but she did not think of her appearance now. The only thing that captured her mind was to sell the matchboxes anyhow.

Qstn #3
What did the little girl do to keep herself warm? Did it help her?
Ans : On the New Year's Eve, a few days after Christmas when everyone was in a festive mood and cuddled in their houses, the miserable child was on the streets. When she could not stand the cold any more, she found a place in a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected further out into the street than the other. She tucked her little legs up under her to feel warm but it did no good and still, she felt colder and colder.

Qstn #4
Why could the little girl not go home in spite of extremely bad weather?
Ans : The little poor child was out in the streets barefoot and bareheaded to sell the matchboxes which she carried in her old apron. She had been trying to sell those boxes since morning but didn't succeed till evening. In spite of the harsh weather, she could not go home because of the fear of her father's beating. She knew that as she had not sold a single matchbox as a result of which she had not earned a single cent, her father would surely scold and beat her. So she found a corner formed by two houses and sat down there drawing up her little feet under her.

Qstn #5
Apart from her father's wrath, she did not want to go home. Why?
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What was the other reason for which she did not want to go home?
Ans : The poor child was out from her house since very morning to sell out the matchboxes. Although evening had approached and it became dark early due to chilling weather and snowfall, she did not dare to go home because she was not able to sell even a single matchbox. She feared her father's wrath so found it better to spend time there in the street. So she sought shelter in a corner formed by two houses, one of which was projected farther out into the street than the other. But there was other reason too for which she didn't want to go home as it was not comfortable there. In the name of the house, they had a roof through which the wind passes and the cracks had been stuffed with straw and rags.

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Section : III
She pulled one out-scr-r-ratch!-how it spluttered and burnt! It had a warm, bright flame like a tiny candle when she held her hand over it-but what a strange light! It seemed to the little girl as if she were sitting in front of a great iron stove with polished brass knobs and brass ornaments. The fire burnt so beautifully and gave out such a lovely warmth. Oh, how wonderful that was!

Qstn #1
What did the poor child do to warm herself up?
Ans : The extraordinary chill had created numbness in the hands of the little girl. Although she had the whole bundle of matchboxes in her hand, still she thought how much warmth she could get from them. She then thought of lighting a single match by rubbing it against the wall she was sitting near, to warm up her hands. She drew one matchstick from the box and burnt it. It gave a strange and wonderful light. For her, it was like as if a drowning man has caught hold of a straw. It seemed to her that she was sitting in front of an iron stove and felt comfortable.