1.Where was the poet going and who was with her?
Answer:
The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. The poet’s mother had ‘come to see her off. She was sitting beside her. he was dozing with her mouth open. The words -living and ‘doze’ provide a contrast between ages of dynamic activity and static passivity respectively.

2.What was the poet’s childhood fear?
Answer:
The child is always in fear of being rated from his parents. In the same way, the poet’s fear as a child was that of losing her mother or her company.

3.What does the poet’s mother look like? What kind of images has the poet used to signify her ageing decay?
Answer:
The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. She is sitting beside the poet and dozing with her mouth open. This is a sign of old age. Usually, old people keep their mouths open to overcome breathing problems. Her face looked pale and faded like ash. Actually, she is an image of death as her ‘ashen’ face looks like that of a corpse.

4.What does the poet realise with pain? Why does the poet ‘put that thought away’ and look outside?
Answer:
The lifeless and faded face of the poet’s mother pains her heart. She looks lifeless like a corpse. She provides an image of passivity, decay and death. The old lady seems to be lost in her thoughts. The poet needs a distraction, a change. She puts that thought away and looks outside. There she gets a picture of life, happiness and activity.

5.Describe the world inside the car and compare it to the activities taking place outside.
Answer:
The pale and faded face of the poet’s mother looks lifeless like a corpse. Her dozing with mouth wide open suggests passivity, decay and death. Outside the car, the poet watches young trees speeding past them. They seem to be running fast or sprinting. Happy children are moving out of their homes cheerfully. They present an image of life, dynamism and activity.

6.Why does the poet look outside ? What does she see happening outside?
Answer:
The thought of the ageing mother ^at sixty-six and her pale and ‘ashen’ face looking like a corpse becomes too heavy for the poet to bear. She needs a distraction, a diversion and therefore she looks outside. She watches young trees. These trees speed past them and appear to be sprinting. Then she sees happy children moving out of their houses and making merry.

7.How has the poet contrasted the scene inside the car with the activities going on outside ?
Answer:
The poet has used beautiful images to highlight the stark contrast between the scene inside the car and the activities going on outside. The ‘ashen’ face of the poet’s mother is pale and lifeless. It looks like that of a corpse. She is dozing and lost to herself. The image of the ‘dozing’ mother is contrasted with the ‘spilling’ of children. The ‘ashen’ and ‘corpselike’ face is contrasted with the young trees seen sprinting outside the car’s window.

8.Why is the poet’s mother compared to the late winter’s moon?
Answer:
The poet’s mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon to bring out the similarity of ageing and decay. The late winter moon looks hazy and obscure. It lacks shine and strength.
The poet’s mother has an ‘ashen’ face resembling a corpse. She has lost her shine and strength of youth. The comparison reinforces the impact.

9.What is the poet’s familiar ache and why does it return?
Answer:
The poet is pained at the ageing and decaying of her mother. The fear is that with ageing comes decay and death. The sight of her old mother’s ‘ashen’ and corpse-like face arouses “that old familiar ache” in her heart. Her childhood fear returns. She is also pained and frightened by the idea that she may have to face all these things herself.

10.How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
Answer:
Kamala Das was in much trouble after seeing the lifeless and faded face of her mother. The old lady seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. The poetess turned away her attention from her mother and looked outside. The outside world was full of life and activity. The young trees seemed to be running fast. The children looked happy while moving out of their homes.

11.Why does the poet smile and what does she say while bidding goodbye to her mother ?
OR
With fear and ache inside her heart and words of assurance on lips and smile on the face, the poet presents two opposite and contrasting experiences. Why does the poet put on a smile?
Answer:
The ‘wan’, ‘pale’, face of the poet’s mother at sixty-six brings an image of decay and death. It brings that old familiar fear of separation back. She fears the ultimate fate of human beings. But she has to put on a brave face. She regains self control. She composes herself and tries to look normal. She utters the words of assurance tha they will meet again soon. She tries to hide hr ache and fear by smiling continuously.

12.What poetic devices have been us by Kamala Das in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’
Answer:
The poem ‘My Mother at Sixty- is rich in imagery. Kamala Das uses the dev of comparison and contrast. The use of similar very effective. The face of the poet’s old most described as ‘ashen’. This ashen face is ‘like that of a corpse’. The poet uses another simile. The ‘wan, pale face of the mother is compared to ‘a late winter’s moon’.
The poem excels in contrasts. The old ‘dozing’ lady inside is contrasted with the young trees ‘sprinting’ and merry children ‘spilling’ out of their homes.