Going places summary in English and question answers AHSEC class 12 flamingo book is written here. You can also get going places NCERT solutions with important questions, extra questionsand answers, previous year questions which is helpful for both SEBA and CBSE. This chapter is written by A.R Barton. Class 12 English Question papers ahsec notes.

TOPIC:
1. Going Places Summary
2. Textbook Answers
     2.1. Think as you read page no. 79
     2.2. Think as you read page no. 81
     2.3. Think as you read page no. 85
     2.4. Understanding the Text
3. Previous Year Questions (2012-20)
Going Places Notes

Going places class 12 summary in English

The chapter tells the pitiable story of a young schoolgirl named Sophie. She comes from a very poor family and though she is yet in school she has high dreams and aspirations of her life. She makes numerous plans for her future, and all of them happen to be far fetched; whereas, in reality, she has no money to invest in her wishes.

Sophie is returning home from school with her friend Jansie, they are about to pass out from school, only a few days are left. Hence, their talks went towards their future plans. Sophie begins with her unrealistic aspirations, she says she will open a boutique after school when Jansie says it needs a lot of money she says she would manage to collect money and Jansie says that to save money for a boutique will be a long affair. Then Sophie says, in the beginning, she would be a manager at some office. Jansie says that no one would keep her as a manager straight off. Sophie promptly says that she would prove her natural talent from the beginning which would enable her to be a manager at once. Next is her dream to have a very nice shop in the city when she would have saved enough money. She would take the most beautiful and costly shop in the entire locality. Jansie tries to tell Sophie that those dreams wouldn't materialize and never come true.

Sophie goes on, though. Next, she talks about becoming an actress and earn a lot of money and run her amazing shop side by side because actresses don't have to work full time. Again, she knows nothing about fashion but she says she would become a fashion designer. Jansie is not like Sophie, she leads a realistic life. She knows that in her present life she cannot think about far-fetched things, she has learned to be satisfied with her fate in the biscuit factory. She tries to warn Sophie that she should not be occupied with false dreams, but Sophie hardly pays attention to her.

Sophie reaches home and finds that her father has returned from the day's work and is eating some pie. He has heard Sophie talking about earning money and buying a boutique. So, he is seen in sweat, he looks serious with his plump face. Derek says, "he thinks money grows on trees.” Derek is Sophie's little brother. Sophie's elder brother is Geoff with whom she shares all secrets, she feels that he would never let her down and would help her in her dreams. But Geoff thinks she is too young to go out in the town and see the outside world, their father too does not allow her to go out, he is not a very easy person.

One day Sophie shares with her elder brother a secret while she is sitting in his room. She says she had a chance meeting with a young football player Danny Casey, he is an Irishman and a famous player. She tells Geoff that while she was standing in front of the window of a shop someone came and stood near her. She looked around and was amazed to see that it was the famous football player Danny Casey. She then describes the player's looks -  “He has green, gentle eyes…”

But that time their father comes in, he looks clean and tidy now. He switches on the television and sits down on a chair to watch in comfort. Geoff then tells his father about Sophie’s meeting with Casey. The father turned back in anger. Sophie had a strong fear for her father, so she trembled to see her father’s face. The father says that Danny was not so good as a player, Tom Finney was the best. Geoff says that someday Casey might also be successful. Sophie praises Casey saying he was the best. The father defies the arguments of the children when Sophie says that Casey would buy a shop for her. The father asks her who said her so. She says that he has promised her when they met in the market. The father says aggressively, “This another of your wild stories?... One of these days you're going to talk yourself into a load of trouble.”

Sophie then tries to take a promise from Geoff that he will not disclose her further secrets to anyone, especially their father who opposes her Geoff has been three years out of school and now works as an apprentice mechanic. He is a quiet bay and talks very little. He promises her to say that he has none to share anything with. Sophie goes on to say that she has had very intimate talks with Danny and he has a fancy for her, he has also promised to meet her in loneliness. Geoff does not believe her and gets a little irritated to hear such useless talks. He says, "It's the unlikeliest thing I ever heard.

All the members of Sophie’s family were football fans. Her father, particularly was a great fan of Danny Casey. Geoff and little Derek too liked him. Sophie was mad after him and he was her personal hero. On Saturday they made their ‘weekly pilgrimage’ to watch Danny Casey in person. Casey played for United. United won by two-nill and Casey scored the second goal. Sophie’s father cried in joy. Sophie glowed in pride.

Sophie's stories about the so-called meeting with Danny Casey go about and spreads fast in the locality. One day Jansie asks Sophie about her talks about Danny. Sophie gets angry to know that her brother has disclosed her secret, but Jansie says she will not spread it to anyone else.

In her imagination, Sophie forgets about her reality and starts mixing her reality with her fanciful thoughts. He starts to think that Danny will actually come to meet her. She goes alone to a lonely spot and sits on a bench near a canal. She keeps waiting for him though in her heart she knows that he will not come. But she enjoys to deceive herself. Finally, she gets sad and leaves the place with a heavy mind. Besides, she is afraid to think that she will become a laughing stock in her locality. This is the first and ultimate suffering Sophie faces as a result of her unrealistic and false dreams. It is better if she learns from this and gets out deceptions to a realizable and true world.


Going Places Textual Questions Answers

Think as you read page no. 79

1. Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school? (AHSEC 2015)

Ans: It was most likely that the two girls Sophie and Jansie would find work in the biscuit factory after passing out from school. It was also possible that they might get some works in a shop.

2. What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her form having such dreams? (AHSEC 2019)

Ans: Sophie, a day-dreamer was dreaming of opening up a boutique and wanted to have the most amazing shop the city had ever seen. She would initially, work as a manager of a boutique to gather the required funds for the boutique. The other option was to be an actress and keep her boutique as her side business. She even wanted to become a fashion designer.

 Jansie, practical and realistic by nature, knew well that both of them are meant for the biscuit factory. That is why, Jansie discourages Sophie for having such dreams and wanted to be sensible and drop all the utopian plans.

Think as you read page no. 81

1. Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?

Ans: When Geoff told their father that Sophie had met Danny Casey, a famous Irish footballer, Sophie wriggled. It was because she was well aware of the fact that her father would not believe her saying. Moreover, he was always critical of Sophie’s habit of day-dreaming. Her father’s expression of disdain was a justification that Sophie had anticipated.

2. Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?

Ans: No, Geoff does not believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey even if he is interested in it. He calls it ‘the unlikeliest thing’ he has ever heard.

3. Does her father believe her story?

Ans: No, Sophie’s father doesn’t believe her story of meeting with Danny Casey. Rather, he looks at her with disdain and ignores her totally. He calls it another of her ‘wild stories’.

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

Ans: Sophie was conscious of a vast world expectantly waiting for her arrival. She imagined herself riding behind her brother Geoff to the world of fantasy. Her brother was in new, shining black leather whereas Sophie had a yellow dress with a kind of cape that flew out behind. She even sensed the sound of applause as the world rose to greet her and Geoff. In this way, Sophie includes her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future.

5. Which country did Danny Casey play for? (AHSEC 2018)

Ans: Danny Casey played for Ireland.

Think as you read page no. 85

1. Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny? (ASHEC 2019)

Ans: Sophie knew well that Janise was a stupid girl and would spread her story with Danny Casey across the entire locality. Since Sophie wanted to keep her imaginative story ‘secret’. She didn’t want Jansie to know about it.

2. Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey? (AHSEC 2015)

Ans: No, Sophie did not really meet Danny Casey. It was nothing but a creation of her fantasy as she was so much fascinated by the young Irish footballer. Moreover, she was always lost in a dreamy world where she imagined for something like that to happen in her life.

3. Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person? (AHSEC 2017)

Ans: Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person on only one occasion. It was when she along with her family went to watch United’s match on a Saturday evening. She watched how United won the match by a margin of two-nil. Sophie’s idol Danny Casey play for United and scored the second goal of the match.

Understanding the Text

1. Sophie and Jansie were class-mates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?

Ans: Though Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends, they were poles apart in nature and temperament.

Sophie was a day-dreamer and loved to live in a world of fantasy. She dreamt to open a boutique. She aspired to be a manager of a boutique, an actress or even a fashion designer. Her dreams were far away from her reality of life. On the contrary, Jansie was practical and she kept her feet firmly planted on land. She was well aware that both Sophie and herself were destined to work in the biscuit factory.

Secondly, unlike Jansie, Sophie had a great fascination for things unknown. But Jansie felt contented with whatever she had.

Thirdly, Sophie was self-respecting & self-confident as against ‘gawky’ and ‘stupid’ Jansie. Sophie is in a sense somewhat introverted as she wanted to keep the story of her meeting with Danny Casey ‘secret’. But Jansie was an extrovert as she was in the habit of spreading any news or story across the entire locality.

2. How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father? (AHSEC 2019)

Ans: In the story ‘Going Places’ A.R Barton portrays a ‘sketchy’ picture of the character and temperament of Sophie’s father. He is a man of plumpy face looking grimy and sweaty. He seems to be not a man of a very refined and sophisticated nature. It is evident from his manner of eating ‘Shepherd’s pie’, sitting down to watch television and tossing Derek’s shoes onto the sofa. Sophie's father, a man of aggressive manliness is a crazy football fan and goes to watch the match on every week. Later, he goes to a pub to celebrate the victory of United.

Sophie’s father knows his daughter very well. He is always critical of Sophie’s nature of day-dreaming. Eventually, he does not believe in her ‘wild stories’. When Geoff told him about Sophie's meeting with Danny Casey, he looks at her with disdain and ignores her totally. He even warns Sophie aggressively that one day she would herself in big trouble for such imaginative stories.

3. Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolize?

Ans: Sophie liked her brother Geoff more than any other person. It was because Geoff was the only person who listened to her ‘wild stories’ with patience. Moreover, she could share all her secrets with him and Sophie believed that Geoff could be trusted to keep all her secrets to himself.

Sophie, a day-dreamer, attached more value to things of her imagination than those of realities. To Sophie, Geoff became a symbol of her imaginative world, an unknown world which had a special attraction for her. Geoff’s silent nature made her suspicious of his areas of life about which she knew nothing. She further imagined that these ‘areas of his life’ might have more exotic and interesting people and Sophie longed to know about them. She dreamt of riding with her brother to that world of fantasy and even sensed the sound of applause as the world rose to greet him.

4. What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s status?

Ans: We can make a general assessment of socio-economic background of Sophie and her family. They belong to a lower-middle-class family. Jansie and Sophie are classmates and friends. Sophie is an escapist. She dreams of things that she can’t get in real life. She dreams of opening a boutique and becoming a fashion designer. Jansie knows that they are both earmarked for the biscuit factory. Sophie’s wild dreams need a lot of money. Little Derek understands his unrealistic sister well. He asks: “She thinks money grows on trees…Dad?”

Her socio-economic background is reflected by her brother Geoff’s occupation. He is an apprentice mechanic. He travels to his work each day to the far side of the city. His jacket is shapeless. Her father lacks sophistication. He grunts and tosses one of little Derek’s shoes from his chair onto the sofa. The family doesn’t own a servant or a car. All these confirm that they belong to a lower-income group.

Going Places Previous Years Questions for AHSEC

1. What does Sophie want to have when she grows up? (2012)
Ans: When Sophie grows up she wanted to open up a boutique. The other option was to be an actress and keep her boutique as her side business. She even wanted to become a fashion designer.

2. Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school? (AHSEC 2015)
Ans: See (Think as you read page no. 79 Q. no. 1)

3. Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey? (AHSEC 2015)
Ans: See (Think as you read page no. 85 Q. no. 2)

4. Which country did Danny Casey play for? (AHSEC 2018)
Ans: See (Think as you read page no. 81 Q. no. 5)

5. What job is Geoff engaged in? Does he entertain wild and impractical dreams like his sister? (2012, 18, 20)
Ans: Geoff was engaged as an apprentice mechanic. He does not entertain wild and impractical dreams like his sister Sophie.

6. How was Geoff employed? (2013, 16)
Ans: Geoff was engaged as an apprentice mechanic.

7. What other dreams Sophie had besides having a boutique? (2013, 15, 17)
Ans: The other dreams Sophie had besides having a boutique was to be an actress and fashion designer.

8. Who is the writer of "Going Places"? (2014)
Ans: The writer of "Going Places" is A.R. Barton.

9. What theme does the story 'Going Places' explore? (2014)
Ans: The story, 'Going Places' explores the theme of adolescent hero-worship and fantasizing. In the story, Sophie fantasizes meeting with the great football star of Ireland, Dany Casey. 

10. For whom does Sophie ask Danny Casey an autograph? (2016,20)
Ans: Sophie asked Danny Casey an autograph for her younger brother Derek.

11. What is incongruous about the 'delicate bow that fastened the apron strings of Sophie's mother? (2016)
Ans: The delicate bow that fastened the apron strings to Sophie's mother was incongruous with her crooked back.

12. Who is Geoff? (2017)
Ans: Geoff is Sophie's elder brother.

13. Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person? (AHSEC 2017)
Ans: See (Think as you read page no. 85 Q. no. 3)

14. What kind of a person is Geoff? (2018)
Ans: Geoff was a quiet young man. He talked very little. He did not make friends easily. In his silence, he always seemed to be lost in his own thought.

15. Who is Derek? (2019)
Ans: Derek is Sophie's younger brother

16. Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny? (ASHEC 2019)
Ans: See (Think as you read page no. 85 Q. no. 1)

17. What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her form having such dreams? (AHSEC 2019)
Ans: See (Think as you read page no. 79 Q. no. 2)

18. How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father? (AHSEC 2019)
Ans: See(Understanding the Text Q. no. 2)

19. What does Geoff do? (2020)
Ans: Geoff was an apprentice mechanic.

20. Why was Sophie fascinated by Danny Casey? Was it a one-sided affair? (2020)
Ans: Danny Casey was a young, tall and handsome football icon. Sophie had seen on T.V and also once in the field. Naturally, she was fascinated by him.

Yes, it was a one-sided affair. 

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