- Whose absence was not noticed? Where was the person absent? Why Peggy and Maddie should have noticed her absence?
Ans. Wanda Petronki’s absence was not noticed.
Wanda was absent in the school.
Maddie and Peggy were the classmates of Wanda Petronski who used to tease her everyday about her dresses.
- 2. In room no. 13, who sit at the back bench and what do they usually do?
Ans. In room no. 13, Wanda Petronski used to sit at the back bench.
She was very quiet and rarely said anything. Nobody had ever heard her laugh out loud. Sometimes, she twisted her mouth into a crooked sort of smile.
- 3.Why did Wanda sit at the last bench?
Ans. Wanda used to sit in the last bench as she came from Boggins Heights and her feet were caked with dry mud.
- 4. When would all the girls notice about Wanda and why?
Ans. When Peggy and Maddie used to return back, they would stop Wanda and ask her about the number of dresses. That had turned out Maddie regular routine. But Wanda was absent on Monday and Tuesday. No one noticed at the beginning. Later, they noticed that she was absent.
- 5. Tell us about Peggy and Maddie. Why did they get late for the school?
Ans. Peggy was the most popular girl in the school. She was rich enough as a result of which she had many pretty clothes. She was quite good at drawing. Maddie, on the other hand, was poor as Wanda. She was the companion of Peggy and considered her to be the best friend. She along with Peggy used to tease Wanda. But Maddie never liked the idea of teasing Wanda for her dresses as she herself used to wear somebody’s hand-me-down clothes.
They got late for school everyday as they used to tease Wanda about her dresses.
- 6. How was the name of Wanda Petronski a different one?
Ans.The name, Wanda Petronski, was a different one. Everyone in the school had easy names such as Thomas, Smith, or Allen. In this aspect the name Wanda was a different one.
- 7.Tell us about Wanda’s friends and her blue dress.
Ans. Wanda had no friends at school. She went to school alone and returned home alone.
She had a faded blue dress which she used to wear everyday. It didn’t hang right but was clean. It seemed as if the dress was never being ironed properly.
- 8. How did the girls bully her? What would the young girls go then?
Ans. She had no friends but a lot of girls talked to her. They used to tease her by asking her about the number of dresses she had.
The other girls surrounded her in the school yard as she used to watch them playing hopscotch on the worn hard ground.
- 8. How would Wanda react when the girls would bully her?
Ans. Wanda never showed any expressions. But she must have been hurt by their words. She was poor and that wasn’t her fault. Despite being bullied, she never opposed them. She kept quiet.
9. What would make all the girls go incredulous about Wanda’s bragging of dresses and other things?
Ans. When Wanda was asked about the number of dresses, she used to say that she had a hundred dresses. She used to wear the same dress everyday as a result of which no one believed in her. Again when she was asked about the number of shoes, she would say that she had sixty pairs of shoes. She added that every pair was of different colour and design. The other girls couldn’t help bursting into shrieks and pearls of laughter.
10. How would Peggy act when children are bullied? What would she do when animals were mistreated?
Ans. Peggy was not really cruel. She protected small children from bullies.
She even cried for hours is she saw an animal mistreated.
11. What logic did Peggy give when anyone asks her if she was cruel on Wanda?
Ans. Peggy said that there was no reason for Wanda to lie about her hundred dresses. Anyone would get to know that she was lying. Moreover, she told that Wanda wasn’t just an ordinary person. Most importantly, this didn’t make Wanda cry, so this was not at all a cruel act.
12. How did Maddie feel about bullying Wanda every day in the same manner?
Ans. Maddie didn’t feel good when Wanda was bullied everyday. She was also from a poor family and wore somebody’s hand-me-down clothes. She didn’t like the idea of teasing Wanda regarding her dresses.
13. When Peggy and other girls would be busy in bullying Wanda, what would Maddie do then?
Ans. When Peggy and other girls were busy bullying Wanda, Maddie felt embarrassed and studied the marbles in the palm of her hand. She rolled them around and said to herself.
14. What same fear did Maddie have about the bullying and herself?
Ans. Maddie feared that Peggy and the other girls would make her the next target and would make fun of her. She was wearing an old dress of Peggy and she might ask her that from where she got the dress. It would an embarrassing situation for her.
15. While solving Arithmetic problems, what did Maddie think? What note did she start writing?
Ans. While solving Arithmetic problems, Maddie thought that she would tell Peggy not to tease Wanda for her dress everyday.
She started to write a not to Peggy telling her not to bully Wanda for her dresses any more. But she paused and thought that the girls might make her the next target as she wore a dress that was of someone else.
16. What thought forced Maddie to stop writing the note and tear it into pieces?
Ans. Maddie got afraid that she might be the next target after Wanda and would make fun of her. She was wearing an old dress of Peggy and she might ask her that from where she got the dress. It would an embarrassing situation for her. Moreover, Peggy was the best friend of Maddie as well as the most popular girl in the school. So she could not do anything wrong. And this forced Maddie to stop writing the not and torn it into pieces.
17. What was a hand-down dress? How was the dress of Maddie a headache for her? What did Maddie’s mother do with the dress? How could this lead to Maddie’s bully?
Ans. Hand-me-down dress was the dress that was previously used by someone and later was passed to another person who needs it.
Maddie’s dress was the old dress of Peggy and she might recognise it. After recognising, she might also ask her from where she got it. This made her afraid that Peggy would get to know about everything and she might turn out to be the next target.
Maddie’s mother had tried to disguise with new trimmings.
Peggy might recognise the dress ad might make her the next target. They would start bullying her regarding her dresses too.
18. Where did Wanda live? Why did Maddie consider her not staying in Boggins Heights and not having a funny name was a good thing?
Ans. Wanda lived far way at the Boggins Heights.
Maddie was poor herself and she wore someone else’s old dresses, so she understood Wanda’s problems. She found that it was not at all funny about her staying in Boggins Heights and the name ‘Petronski’ wasn’t funny too. Perhaps it was a bit different from the rest of the students but there was nothing so funny in it.
- 19. Tell us about those two dresses that Wanda had shared with others.
Ans. Wanda shared that she was having a pale blue with coloured trimmings dress and another was a brilliant jungle green with a red sash.
- 20. What was the drawing and colouring contest for boys and girls?
Ans. The drawing and colouring contest was held in the school. For the girls, this contest consisted of designing dresses and for the boys, of designing motorboats.
- 21. How good was Peggy as a painter? How were her chances of winning the contest?
Ans. Peggy was quite good in painting. She drew better than anyone else in the classroom. She could copy a picture in a magazine or some film star’s head exactly.
So, there was enough chances for Peggy to win the drawing contest.
- 21. Why didn’t Peggy and Maddie wait for Wanda the next day?
Ans. The next day as it was drizzling, so Peggy and Maddie didn’t wait for Wanda. They hurried to school under the same umbrella.
- 22. In what way were they surprised when they entered the classroom? How were the students reacting?
Ans.When they entered the classroom, they found drawings all over the room, on every ledge and windowsill, dazzling colours and brilliant, lavish designs, were drawn on hundred great sheets of raping paper. The students were surprised to see all those paintings.
Everybody in the room stopped and whistled or murmured admiringly.
- 23. Who won the boy’s competition and for what?
Ans. Jack Beggles had won the boy’s competition for his design of an outboard motor. The painting was exhibited in Room number Twelve.
- 24. How were Wanda’s drawing exceptional and unique?
Ans. Wanda drew a hundred of designs and each one of them was beautiful and unique with different colours and designs. Any one of them was worthy of winning the competition.
- 25. How did the boys and others react to Wanda’s painting?
Ans. Everybody in the classroom burst into applause after seeing those amazing and unique designs made by Wanda. The boys were glad to have a chance to stamp on the floor and put their fingers in their mouths and whistle. But they were not interested in those dresses.
- 26. How did Peggy and Maddie react to Wanda’s painting?
Ans. Peggy and Wanda were amazed to see those exquisite designs. Both of them admired Wanda’s hard work.
Extra Question (5 marks)
- How lives of immigrants are fixed with hindrances and troubles in correlation with hundred dresses?
Ans. The story “The Hundred Dresses” was written by Eleanor Estes. Wanda Petronski was a poor girl who was bullied all the time in the school due to her name. Everyone regarded it to be funny as it was different from the others. She faced lots of troubles. She was the prime target of the girls. She used to wear the same faded blue dress everyday. She was asked the same questions everyday about the number of dresses she had. In reply, she used to tell that she had a hundred of them. The girls made fun of her. But she didn’t show any emotions. She kept quiet and made a hundred of designs of dresses of different colours and proved herself by winning the drawing contest. By this way, the lives of immigrants are fixed with hindrances and troubles.
- 2. Was Wanda Petronski a character different than others?
Ans. Yes, the character of Wanda Petronki was quite different from others. Wanda Petrosnki was a girl from a poor family who gets teased everyday in the school for her dresses. She used to wear the same dress faded blue dress in the school. She was asked about the number of dresses she had. She used to tell that she had a hundred of them, all lined up. When she was asked about the number of dresses, she would reply that she had sixty pairs of them. She was very quiet and rarely said anything. Nobody had ever heard her laugh out loud. Sometimes, she twisted her mouth into a crooked sort of smile. The other girls bullied her so much but still she never protested. She even didn’t cry. This shows how much strong she was at that tender age. A drawing contest was being conducted in the school. There Wanda had drawn a hundred of designs of dresses, each one of which was of different colours and designs. The teachers announced that each of them had the capacity of winning the contest. Everyone in the classroom appreciated her efforts.
- 3. How bullying was a fun to some and indignation for others? -Discuss.
Ans. In the story “The Hundred Dresses” by Eleanor Estes, bullying was fun to Peggy and her team but it was indignation for Wanda. Wanda was bullied regularly. She had no friends as a result of which she was lonely at the school. She kept quiet and rarely said anything. The girls used to stop her and ask her about the number of dresses she had. She always told that she had a hundred of dresses of different colours and designs and sixty pairs of shoes. Everybody laughed at her as she used to wear the same faded blue dress. But she never protested nor did she show any sorts of emotions. But she must have felt bad. Not only dress, but everyone made fun with her name too. They regarded it to be funny and as she came from quite a long distance, her feet were generally covered with mud. They teased her all these without even thinking what Wanda might have felt.
- 4. How does the story deal with dresses connecting emotion, desire and status?
Ans. The story “The Hundred Dresses” by Eleanor Estes deals with dresses connecting emotion, desire and status. The story revolves around three girls; Wanda, Peggy and Maddie. Wanda was the poor girl who used to wear the same faded blue dress. But she was brilliant in drawing. She drew a hundred designs each of which was equally wonderful. Peggy was the rich girl who used to make fun of Wanda. Maddie was the companion of Peggy who didn’t like the idea of teasing Wanda for her name and dresses but she couldn’t oppose Peggy as she was afraid of losing her friendship with Wanda. Maddie herself was poor and used to wear somebody’s hand-me-down clothes. She was afraid that if she would oppose the girls, they would make her their new target. Peggy might ask her about her dresses. Wanda made some exquisite designs which were loved by the whole class. Everyone appreciated her hard work and she was made the winner of the contest.