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Important Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 5 Prose

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An Overview of Important Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 5 Prose

Stories help us see real problems in society, and in Important Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 5 Prose, you discover family struggles, pride, and how people cope with change. This chapter, “Pappachi’s Moth,” takes you into the world of relationships, hurt feelings, and dreams that don’t always come true.

If you sometimes get confused about long stories, don’t worry! The important questions and answers here make things much clearer. They focus on the main ideas, help you understand characters, and show what the examiners really expect. You can also check the Class 11 English Syllabus for a complete guide to what's coming up in your CBSE course.

With Vedantu’s free PDF, you can study all key questions, practice writing better answers, and feel ready for your test. For even more practice, find more on the Class 11 English Important Questions page and sharpen your revision anytime!


Study Important questions For Class 11 English Chapter 5 – Pappachi’s Moth

1 Mark Questions

Very Short Answer Questions                                                                                        

1. Word-Meaning

(i) Ignominy

Ans:  A public embarrassment.

(ii) Splintered

Ans: Break into small sharp segments or force it to break into small sharp parts.

(iii) Bout

Ans: A brief burst of high-intensity action

(iv) Pernicious

Ans: Possessing a significant negative impact.


2.  Fill in the Blanks

(i) He _______ Around the Compound in His _______ Tailored Suits.

Ans: Slouched, immaculately

(ii) Human Beings Were the ________ of Habit and it Was ________ the Kind of Things They Could Get Used To. 

Ans: Creatures, amazing 


3. True – False. 

(i) One Night, Pappachi Broke the String of Mammachi’s Guitar and Threw it in the River. 

Ans:  False

(ii) Pappachi Wore a Well-Pressed Two-Piece Suit and a Diamond Ring on His Finger.

Ans: False

(iii) You only had to look around you to see those beatings with brass vases.

Ans: True

(iv) It Fell Into His Drink One Evening While He Was Sitting in His House.

Ans: True


4. What Did Pappachi Do Every Night? 

Ans: Pappachi would beat his wife Mammachi with a brass flower vase every night, and the frequencies were increasing.


5. What Was the Greatest Setback for Pappachi?

Ans: Pappachi's greatest regret was that the moth he discovered was not named after him.


2 Marks Question

Short Answer Questions                                                                                                  

1. Who Was Mammachi and What Did She Decide?

Ans:  Mammachi was nearly blind due to his conical corneas. Pappachi made mango pickles and banana jams, and she was his wife. She decided to keep making pickles and jams because she was so happy with her achievement.


2. Who was Chacko?

Ans: Pappachi and Mammachi's son was Chacko. He was a huge man who was studying at Oxford. He'd rowed for Balliol and was in good shape.


3. Pappachi’s Moth Was Responsible for What?

Ans: Pappachi's moth was blamed for his depressed moods and erratic behaviour. He and his children were both tortured by it.


4. What Was the Reason for Pappachi’s Death?

Ans: Pappachi was taken to the hospital after experiencing chest issues. He died in the Kottayam General Hospital after suffering a major heart attack.


5. Why Mammachi Was Crying Even More at Pappachi’s Funeral?

Ans: Mammachi sobbed even harder at his death because she was more used to him than she was in love with him; she was used to his slouching around the pickle factory.


3 Marks Question

Short Answer Questions                                                                                                  

1. What Happened at the Fair?

Ans: In the fair held by the Kottayam Bible Society, Mammachi was asked to make her famed mango pickles and banana jams. She received more orders than she could handle because they sold so quickly.


2. What Chacko Did With His Father Pappachi?

Ans: Chacko returned home from Oxford for the summer. He spotted Pappachi in the study, beating Mammachi, a week after his arrival. Pappachi's vase-hand was trapped and coiled around Chacko's back as he walked into the room.


3. What Pappachi Did Before His Retirement?

Ans: At the Pusa Institute, Pappachi worked as an Imperial Entomologist. His title was changed from Imperial Entomologist to Joint Director, Entomology after the British left after the American Revolution. He had climbed to the equivalent of Director status the year before he retired.


4. What Was Pappachi’s Revenge?

Ans: Pappachi's retaliation was the Plymouth. In Munnar, he purchased a sky blue Plymouth from a retired Englishman. In Ayemenem, he became a common sight, cruising down the narrow road in his large automobile, appearing elegant on the outside but sweating profusely inside his woollen clothing. He wouldn't even let Mammachi or anybody else in the family sit in it.


5. Why the Lessons of Mammachi Were Discontinued?

Ans: Mammachi had her first violin lessons while residing in Vienna for a few months. When Mammachi's teacher, Launsky-Tieffenthal, made the error of telling Pappachi that his wife was highly brilliant and, in his judgement, potentially concert class material, the lessons were abruptly ended.


5 Marks Question

Long Answer Questions                                                                                                

1. Why Pappachi Did Not Help His Wife? Was He Jealous of Her and Why?

Ans: Pappachi was seventeen years older than his wife Mammachi, and he realised, to his surprise, that he was old while his wife was still young. Pappachi refused to assist her with the pickling because he did not believe it was a fitting profession for a high-ranking ex-government official. He was envious of the sudden attention that his wife was receiving from everyone. He sat about the compound, watching Mammachi supervise the purchasing, weighing, salting, and drying of limes and tender mangoes.


2. What Were the Changes in the Behaviour of Pappachi After What Chacko Did With Him?

Ans: Pappachi's behaviour altered when Chacko requested him not to beat Mammachi again. Pappachi sat on the verandah, staring stonily out at the lovely garden and oblivious to the food dishes. He walked into his study at night and sat in his favourite mahogany rocking chair. He broke it into a million pieces in the middle of the driveway. He left it there, a mess of lacquered wicker and splintered wood, in the moonlight. He didn't touch Mammachi after that. But he never spoke to her for the rest of his life. Kochu Marta or Baby Kochamma were his go-to people when he needed something.


3. What Did Pappachi Notice One Evening Unknowingly?

Ans: Pappachi was sitting on the balcony of a rest home one evening after a long day in the field when the moth landed into his drink. Its particularly dense dorsal tufts caught his eye as he picked it out. He examined it more carefully. He installed it and measured it as the excitement grew. Place it in the sun for a few hours the next morning to evaporate the alcohol. He returned to Delhi on the earliest train available. He was finally told that his moth was an odd race of well-known species belonging to the tropical family Lymantriidae, after an excruciating six months of tension.


4. What Came After Twelve Years? 

Ans: After twelve years, the real bow arrived. Lepidopterists determined that Pappachi's moth was a new species and genus, previously unknown to science, as a result of a drastic taxonomic rearrangement. Pappachi had already retired and relocated to Ayemenem by that time. He couldn't claim that finding because it was too late. Pappachi had always despised the Acting Director of the Department of Entomology, a junior official.


5. What Was the Routine of Pappachi Till He Died?

Ans: Pappachi wore a well-pressed three-piece suit and his gold pocket watch every day until the day he died, even in the scorching Ayemenem heat. He kept a photograph of himself as a young man, with his hair slicked back, on his dressing table, next to his cologne and silver hairbrush, taken in a photographer's studio in Vienna, where he had completed the six-month diploma course that qualified him to apply for the position of Imperial Entomologist. This was their daily routine for the few months they were in Vienna.


Related Study Materials for Class 11 English (Woven Words) Chapter 5 - Prose

S.No

Important Other Links for Class 11 English (Woven Words) Chapter 5 Prose

1.

CBSE Class 11 Pappachi’s Moth Notes

2.

CBSE Class 11 Pappachi’s Moth Solutions



CBSE Class 11 English (Woven Words) Important Questions for All Chapters

CBSE Class 11 English Important Questions and Answers include topics from Woven Words, helping with thorough preparation and easier revision.








Additional Study Materials for Class 11 English

S.No

Study Materials for English

1

CBSE Class 11 English NCERT Solutions

2

CBSE Class 11 English Revision Notes

3

CBSE Class 11 English NCERT Book

4

CBSE Class 11 English Sample Papers

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FAQs on Important Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 5 Prose

1. What was Pappachi’s greatest regret as described in CBSE Class 11 English Chapter 5 Important Questions?

Pappachi’s greatest regret was that the moth specimen he discovered was not named after him. Despite his efforts as an entomologist, he felt deeply slighted by the scientific community, and this disappointment haunted him throughout his later life. (Important for 2–3 mark CBSE exams, 2025–26 pattern)

2. How did Pappachi’s moth discovery affect his relationship with his family? [HOTS, CBSE Important Questions]

The discovery and subsequent rejection of Pappachi’s moth resulted in persistent bitterness and resentment. His personal disappointment often manifested as erratic and harsh behaviour towards his wife and children, impacting the family’s emotional well-being. (Exam insight—Frequently asked as a high-order thinking question.)

3. Why did Mammachi continue making pickles and jams, and how was this significant in the story? (CBSE Class 11 English)

  • Mammachi continued her business to seek recognition and independence, especially after receiving positive feedback from the community.
  • This choice symbolized her resilience and the beginnings of female empowerment within the traditional family structure, a common marking point in 3–5 mark ‘important questions’ (CBSE 2025–26).

4. What ‘revenge’ did Pappachi take and what does it reveal about his character? (Frequently asked in board exams)

Pappachi’s ‘revenge’ was buying a Plymouth car and refusing to allow his family to ride in it, using it as a symbol of status from which he excluded them. This reveals his insecurity, ego, and tendency to assert control due to his own disappointments. (CBSE marking scheme: Connect character actions to thematic insight.)

5. What major change occurred in Pappachi’s behaviour after Chacko intervened during a family conflict? [Expected for HOTS/CBSE term questions]

After Chacko physically stopped Pappachi from beating Mammachi, Pappachi never touched her again. However, he totally withdrew emotionally and communicatively from Mammachi, severing all direct interaction for the rest of his life.

6. Explain how jealousy contributed to the tension between Pappachi and Mammachi. (CBSE Class 11 Important Questions)

Pappachi’s jealousy stemmed from Mammachi’s growing success and public praise as a pickle-maker. He felt threatened and diminished by her skills, which was unusual for his status and upbringing. This envy led him to suppress her prospects and denigrate her achievements, fueling repeated household conflicts. (Relevant for 3-mark and application-oriented questions.)

7. Why did Pappachi’s colleagues later acknowledge his moth specimen, and how did this impact him? (CBSE HOTS Important Question 2025–26)

Years after Pappachi’s retirement, lepidopterists recognized his moth as a new genus and species. However, by then, it was too late for him to receive credit. This deepened his lifelong sense of injustice, intensifying his bitterness and isolation within the family.

8. How is Pappachi’s moth used as a symbol in the chapter and what does it represent? (Frequently used for conceptual/factual integration in CBSE)

Pappachi’s moth acts as a symbol of unfulfilled ambition, bitterness, and the destructive cycle of disappointment. It represents not only Pappachi’s personal failures but also the suppression and emotional turmoil suffered by his family as a consequence. (Ideal for 5-mark long answer format, CBSE 2025–26)

9. What is the significance of Mammachi’s violin lessons, and why were they discontinued? (Frequently Expected, Board Exam)

  • Mammachi’s lessons signified her hidden talents and aspiration for artistic growth.
  • They stopped abruptly after her teacher praised her talent in front of Pappachi, which bruised his ego.
  • This incident highlights Pappachi’s insecurity and aversion to sharing the spotlight, a key character trait for important CBSE questions.

10. How does ‘habit’ play a role in the characters’ reactions to violence in the story? (Higher-order question, trend in PAA/PASF)

The story notes that people adapt to repeated violence and humiliation over time, treating it as normal. This ‘habit of habit’ dulls sensitivity and enables the continuity of toxic traditions, making habit a powerful yet subtle theme underscored in examination schemas.

11. In what ways do power dynamics influence decision-making within Pappachi’s family? (CBSE HOTS, Class 11 English Important Questions)

  • Patriarchy and seniority dominate decision-making, often silencing Mammachi’s opinions.
  • Pappachi’s authority is rarely challenged, except by Chacko, whose intervention marks a turning point in family dynamics.
Focus on examples and evidence from the chapter for 5-mark answers.

12. Why is Pappachi’s constant wearing of a three-piece suit significant in the context of the chapter? (Exam insight - Expected application)

Pappachi wearing a full suit in the oppressive heat reflects his desperate need to maintain status and dignity, even to the point of discomfort. It symbolizes his inability to adapt and his fixation on past glory. This detail is often tested as a symbol/application-type question (2025–26 pattern).

13. Describe one CBSE Class 11 expected exam trap or misconception students should avoid when answering important questions about Pappachi’s Moth.

Common exam trap: Students often misstate that Pappachi’s moth was always unrecognized. In fact, it was eventually acknowledged as a new species, but only after his retirement.
Tip: Always mention this timeline accurately in long-answer or HOTS questions as per the CBSE 2025–26 syllabus.

14. Mention two likely 3-mark question themes from ‘Pappachi’s Moth’ for CBSE 2025–26 important questions.

  • Describe the effect of Pappachi’s temperament on his family life.
  • Explain how social status and recognition are highlighted in the chapter.
These are contextually relevant as high-yield short answers in recent board patterns.

15. What does Chacko’s intervention reveal about generational change in ‘Pappachi’s Moth’? (Frequent FUQ/CBSE mark-weighted)

Chacko’s decision to stop Pappachi from beating Mammachi signals a generational shift—one less tolerant of patriarchal authority and injustice, indicating evolving family values. This insight is often rewarded in CBSE HOTS and comparative analysis questions.