AHSEC (ASSEB) Class 11 English Supplementary Reader Snapshots – Chapter 2 Solutions – The Address | Assam Eduverse
Chapter Overview:
Assam Eduverse presents the summary and solution of Class 11 English (AHSEC/ASSEB) – Snapshots (Supplementary Reader), Chapter 2: The Address by Marga Minco, along with key insights for all textbook questions. This chapter from the Class 11 Snapshots Supplementary Reader highlights the themes of loss, alienation, memory, and post-war trauma, making it an important piece for exam preparation.
The story of The Address narrates the journey of a young woman who, after the war, visits the house of Mrs. Dorling, an acquaintance of her mother who had taken away her family’s belongings for safekeeping. When she arrives at the house, she is met with cold indifference from Mrs. Dorling and later her daughter. Inside, she finds her mother’s cherished possessions, but instead of comfort, they look strange and out of place in this unfamiliar setting. The sight of these objects, once filled with warmth and memory, now brings only sadness and a sense of disconnection.
Chapter 2: The Address conveys the futility of clinging to the past. It motivates Class 11 students to reflect on how war changes human relationships and memories, making it a significant chapter in Snapshots (Supplementary Reader).
AHSEC (ASSEB) Class 11 English Supplementary Reader Snapshots – Chapter 2: The Address Solutions & Question Answers
📖 Summary of The Address
Chapter 2 – Class 11 Snapshots (Supplementary Reader)
After the war, a young woman sets out in search of her past and goes to the house of Mrs. Dorling, a woman who had taken her mother’s valuable possessions for safekeeping. Hoping to reconnect with her memories, she visits the address given by her late mother. However, when she arrives, Mrs. Dorling treats her with cold indifference and denies her warmth or welcome. Later, the narrator meets Mrs. Dorling’s daughter, who lets her inside.
There, the young woman sees her mother’s beloved furniture, crockery, and household objects scattered around in an alien setting. Instead of bringing comfort, these objects feel lifeless and strange, stripped of the emotions they once held. The narrator realizes that her mother’s world is gone, and the possessions cannot bring it back. She decides to leave and never return, letting go of the painful memories tied to the address.
Conclusion: The chapter shows the themes of loss, dislocation, and memory, stressing that the past cannot truly be reclaimed.
— From the book Snapshots (Supplementary Reader)
READING WITH INSIGHT
Q1. ‘Have you come back?’ said the woman. ‘I thought that no one had come back.’ Does this statement give some clue about the story? If yes, what is it?
Answer: Yes, this statement gives a major clue about the story. It immediately suggests that the narrator and her family are survivors of the war. The woman’s shock implies that many people who left during the conflict did not return, likely because they were victims of the war. This exchange sets a somber, post-conflict tone and hints at the personal loss and trauma the narrator has endured.
Q2. The story is divided into pre-War and post-War times. What hardships do you think the girl underwent during these times?
Answer: During the pre-War period, the girl experienced the anxiety of her mother entrusting their valuable belongings to Mrs. Dorling. The act itself symbolized the looming threat of danger and the possibility of losing everything.
During the post-War period, the narrator faced significant hardships. She was forced to live in a small, rented room. She felt disconnected from her past and was afraid of confronting the memories tied to her old life. Her visit to Mrs. Dorling’s house was emotionally distressing, as she saw her mother’s things in a tasteless and alien environment, making her feel that her memories had been desecrated.
Q3. Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?
Answer: The narrator wanted to forget the address because the sight of her mother’s belongings in strange surroundings made them lose their value. The objects, which were linked to her “familiar life of former times,” no longer provided comfort or nostalgia. Instead, they were “severed” from their original context, becoming mere “things” that oppressed her. She realized that reclaiming these items would not bring back her past, and she had to move on to rebuild her life without them.
Q4. ‘The Address’ is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.
Answer: “The Address” is a powerful commentary on the human predicament that follows war, particularly the emotional and psychological aftermath. The story shows how people struggle to rebuild their lives and cope with the loss of their homes, loved ones, and identities. The narrator’s attempt to reclaim her mother’s possessions is an effort to reconnect with her past, but she finds that physical objects cannot restore what was lost. The war has not only destroyed homes but also the sense of belonging and the familiar world that once existed. The narrator’s final decision to forget the address symbolizes the painful necessity of letting go of the past to embrace a new, albeit fragile, future.
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