Do intentions justify actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do something wrong if you thought your ends justified the means? Do you think that there are situations in which it is excusable to act less than honestly?

Do you think Horace Danby was unfairly punished, or that he deserved what he got?

Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why?

“Horace Danby was good and respectable − but not completely honest”. Why do you think this description is apt for Horace?

What are the subtle ways in which the lady manages to deceive Horace Danby into thinking she is the lady of the house?

Did you begin to suspect, before the end of the story, that the lady was not the person Horace Danby took her to be? If so, at what point did you realise this, and how?

Who is the real culprit in the story?

Who is speaking to Horace Danby?

Why does he steal every year?

What does Horace Danby like to collect?

Can you find other examples of poets taking liberties with language, either in English or in your own language? Can you find examples of humorous poems in your own language(s)?

Look at the line ‘A novice might nonplus.” How would you write this ‘correctly’? Why is the poet’s ‘incorrect’ line better in the poem?

Do you know what a ‘bearhug’ is? It’s a friendly and strong hug-such as bears are thought to give, as they attack you! Again, hyenas are thought to laugh and crocodiles to weep (‘crocodile tears’) as they swallow their victims. Are there similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals in your own language(s)?

Do you think the words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ in the third stanza are spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?

Does ‘Dyin’ really rhyme with ‘lion’ ? Can you say it in such a way that it does?

We have seen that some contracted forms can stand for two different full forms : I’d = I had or I would Find in the text the contracted forms that stand for two different full forms, and say what these are.

Make a list of the contracted forms in the text. Rewrite them as full forms of two words. For example : I’ve = I have

You have read the expression ‘not to lose heart’ in this text. Now find out the meanings of the following expressions using the word ‘heart’. Use each of them in a sentence of your own.

Here are a few more idiomatic expressions that occur in the text. Try to use them in sentences of your own. (i)caught my eye (ii)he’d had enough (iii)laugh ourselves silly (iv)can’t bring myself to

Here are a few sentences from the text which have idiomatic expressions. Can you say what each means? (You might want to consult a dictionary first.)

Now find the sentences in the lesson that have the phrasal verbs given below. Match them with their meanings. Are their meanings the same as that of their parts? (Note that two parts of a phrasal verb may occur separated in the text.)

Match the compound words under ‘A’ with their meanings under ‘B’. Use each in a sentence.

What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person? (i) We don’t seem to be able to get any closer and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other.

Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr. Keesing unpredictable?

What does Anne write in her first essay?

How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs. Kuperus and Mr. Keesing? What do these tell you about her?

Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?

There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s diary different?

Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a 13 year old girl?

What made Mr. Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?

Do you think Mr. Keesing was a strict teacher?

How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?

Why was Mr. Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?

What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?

Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?

Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?

Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?