Chapter 4 – From the Diary of Anne Frank Solutions

Content structure

  • 1. About the Author – Anne Frank
  • 2. Theme of the From the Diary of Anne Frank
  • 3. Brief Summary of the From the Diary of Anne Frank
    • Part – I
    • Part – II
    • Part – III
  • 4. Word Meanings
  • 5. Oral Comprehension Check
    • Part – I
    • Part – II
    • Part – III
  • 6. Exercise questions and answers (NCERT)
    • Thinking about the text
    • Thinking about the language
    • Speaking
    • Writing
    • Listening

1. About the Author – Anne Frank

Anneliese Marie Frank was a Jewish girl born in Germany on June 12, 1929, and when the Nazis came to power, her family moved to Amsterdam hoping to escape persecution. However, when the Nazis occupied the Netherlands as well they were forced into hiding. In July 1942 Anne, her family and four others took shelter in a secret annex behind her father Otto Frank’s office for two years. Anne received a diary for her thirteenth birthday and it became her closest companion. Anne recorded her thoughts, emotions, and daily experiences in it while in hiding, and the last entry she wrote was on August 1, 1944. In 1945 Anne died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Her diary, published after the war, has become one of the most powerful and widely read personal accounts of the Holocaust. Praised for its honesty, depth, and insight, it offers a moving look into the life of a young girl growing up during one of history’s darkest times. It has since inspired films, plays, and an opera.

2. Theme of the From the Diary of Anne Frank

  • The diary shows that Anne sees it as her true friend. This means that although she has a loving family and many people around her, there is no one she can truly share her thoughts and feelings with.
  • She describes her family members briefly, helping the reader understand her relationships and daily life.
  • The diary shares her nervousness about school results and includes some light and funny classroom moments, showing her youthful spirit.

Anne’s writing helps readers connect with her emotions and experiences, giving a clear picture of her personality and inner world.

3. Summary of the chapter

Part – I

Anne Frank starts writing her diary to share her thoughts and feelings. Anne mentions that she had never written anything before, but even though she was only thirteen, she started writing without worrying about what others might think. She felt free to express all her emotions in the diary without fear. Anne wrote that she felt lonely, even though she had many loving family members and people around her. She also said that there was no close friend to truly talk to and share everything with. So, she decided to treat the diary as her real friend. She gave it the name “Kitty” and planned to share everything with it, not just daily events but also her true emotions and thoughts. The diary became a truly special friend for Anne, someone she could trust completely.

Part – II

Anne Frank shares her life in this diary so readers can easily understand her. She says her father was married at the age of 36 and her mother at 25. Margot her sister was born in 1926 and Anne was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1933, she moved to Holland with her family. Anne and Margot first stayed with their grandmother in Aachen before moving to Holland with family as well. Anne began her education in a Montessori nursery school and later moved on to the first form. She remembered all her teachers especially Mrs. Kuperus and wrote about how they both cried when they said goodbye. She deeply loved her grandmother who became ill in 1941 and passed away in 1942. On her birthday that year, Anne lit a candle in her memory. She closes the section by mentioning that her family is doing well and continues her diary with the entry dated June 20, 1942.

Part – III

On June 20th 1942, Anne writes about a nervous atmosphere in her class as the students wait for their results and try to find out who will be promoted to the next grade. Many students are worried, and some are even betting on their results. Anne is confident in all her subjects except math. She shares a funny story about her math teacher Mr. Keesing who used to get annoyed with her for talking too much in class. One day as punishment, he asked her to write an essay titled “A Chatterbox.” Anne cleverly argued in the essay that talking is a student’s trait and that she inherited it from her mother. Mr. Keesing found it amusing but still gave her more essays like “An Incorrigible Chatterbox” and “Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox.” Anne wrote a funny poem about a duck family for the third essay with help from her friend. Mr. Keesing enjoyed it so much that he shared it with other classes and stopped giving her extra homework. Instead he began joking with her showing a clear change in his attitude.

4. Word Meanings

WordMeanings
listlessTired, no energy
ConfideTell a secret
Plunked downSat or dropped quickly
Quaking in its bootsVery scared
Old fogeyOld and old-fashioned person
Ramble onTalk too much
Convincing argumentGood reason
Inherited traitsThings you get from parents
IncorrigibleCan’t be changed
IngenuitySmart and creative thinking
MusingsThoughts
BroodingThinking sadly
Plunge rightStart quickly
AdorableVery cute
IntendedPlanned
ForthcomingComing soon
UnpredictableCan’t be guessed
DummiesNot smart people (funny word)

5. Oral Comprehension Check

Part – I

1. What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?
Ans: Anne Frank finds writing in a diary strange because she has never written anything before and thinks no one will be interested in the thoughts of a thirteen-year-old girl.

2. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?
Ans: Anne wants to keep a diary because she feels lonely and doesn’t have a real friend with whom she can talk or share her true feelings.

3. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?
Ans: Anne felt she could share her secrets with her diary more easily than with people because she believed paper listens quietly and doesn’t judge her like people do.

Part – II

1. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?
Ans: Anne gives a short summary of her life so readers can understand her better before she starts writing about her daily thoughts and feelings.

2. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?
Ans: Anne writes that she often remembers her grandmother and loves her deeply. She even lit a candle on her birthday to show how much she missed and cared for her.

Part – III

1. Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?
Ans: Mr. Keesing was annoyed because Anne continued talking in class even after being warned. As punishment, he told her to write an essay called “A Chatterbox.”

2. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?
Ans: Anne wrote that talking was a student’s habit and she got it from her mother, so she could not help it. She said it was an inherited trait.

3. Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?
Ans: Mr. Keesing seemed strict at first because he gave Anne extra homework for talking too much in class, but later he became kinder and even started joking with the students.

4. What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?
Ans: Mr. Keesing allowed Anne to talk in class after reading her funny poem about a duck family. He enjoyed the joke, shared it with other classes, and stopped giving her extra homework.

6. Exercise questions and answers (NCERT)

Thinking about the text

1. Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?
Ans: No, Anne was not right because people all over the world loved her diary. Her thoughts were honest, full of feelings and helped others understand how hard life was for her and other Jews during the war.

2. 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?
Ans: Anne’s diary was originally written in Dutch. The other diary entries in the book are short and simple, but Anne’s writing is different. It feels like she’s talking to a real friend, sharing her true thoughts, feelings, and daily life in a warm and honest way.

3. Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?
Ans: Anne gives a short description of her family so readers can get to know her better and understand her life. She treats Kitty like an insider, as if it’s a real friend she can trust and share everything with.

4. How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?
Ans: Anne deeply loves and respects both her father and grandmother. She became emotional and cried when saying goodbye to her teacher Mrs. Kuperus. She also had a soft corner for Mr. Keesing, and even though he punished her for talking, she responded with humour and still liked him. This shows that Anne is loving, sensitive, respectful, and clever.

5. What does Anne write in her first essay?
Ans: In her first essay, titled “A Chatterbox,” Anne writes that talking is a habit inherited from her mother, so it’s hard for her to stop. She also explains that students naturally like to talk a lot.

6. Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?
Ans: Yes, Mr. Keesing is unpredictable. At first, he seems strict and gives Anne extra homework for talking too much in class. Later, he enjoys her funny poem, stops punishing her, and even starts joking with her during class.

7. 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.
(ii) I don’t want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would, but I want the diary to be my friend.
(iii) Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot.
(iv) If you ask me, there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth.
(v) Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking.
Ans:
(i) Anne is thoughtful and honest. She wants true friendship and blames herself for not opening up.
(ii) Anne is creative and emotional. She wants her diary to feel like a real friend.
(iii) Anne has a good sense of humour and a fun way of expressing herself.
(iv) Anne is smart, playful, and bold in sharing her opinions.
(v) Anne is intelligent and thoughtful. She understands how to express ideas clearly and wisely.

Thinking about the language

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

AB
1. Heartbreakingobeying and respecting the law
2. Homesickthink about pleasant things, forgetting about the
present.
3. Blockheadsomething produced by a person, machine or
organisation
4. Law-abidingproducing great sadness.
5. Overdoan occasion when vehicles/machines stop working
6. Daydreaman informal word which means a very stupid person
7. Breakdownmissing home and family very much
8. Outputdo something to an excessive degree

Ans:

AB
1. HeartbreakingProducing great sadness
2. HomesickMissing home and family very much
3. BlockheadAn informal word which means a very stupid person
4. Law-abidingObeying and respecting the law
5. OverdoDo something to an excessive degree
6. DaydreamThink about pleasant things, forgetting about the present
7. BreakdownAn occasion when vehicles/machines stop working
8. OutputSomething produced by a person, machine or organisation

II. Phrasal Verbs

1. The text you’ve just read has a number of phrasal verbs commonly used in English. Look up the following in a dictionary for their meanings (under the entry for the italicised word).

(i) plunge (right) in(iii) ramble on
(ii) kept back(iv) get along with

Ans:

(i) plunge (right) inTo start doing something eagerly and quickly, without hesitation.
(ii) kept backTo not allow someone to move to the next level or class.
(iii) ramble onTo talk or write for too long without making much sense.
(iv) get along withTo have a friendly relationship with someone.

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

(i) plunge inspeak or write without focus
(ii) kept backstay indoors
(iii) move upmake (them) remain quiet
(iv) ramble onhave a good relationship with
(v) get along withgive an assignment (homework) to a person in authority (the teacher)
(vi) calm downcompensate
(vii) stay ingo straight to the topic
(viii) make up forgo to the next grade
(ix) hand innot promoted

Ans:

Phrasal VerbSentence from the lessonMeaning
(i) plunge in“Since no one would understand a word of my stories to Kitty if I were to plunge right in…”go straight to the topic
(ii) kept back“The teachers decide who’ll move up to the next form and who’ll be kept back.”not promoted
(iii) move up“The teachers decide who’ll move up to the next form…”go to the next grade
(iv) ramble on“Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words…”speak or write without focus
(v) get along with“I get along pretty well with all my teachers.”have a good relationship with
(vi) calm down“…my angry outbursts can’t calm them down.”make (them) remain quiet
(vii) stay in“…wondering whether to stay in or go out.”stay indoors
(viii) make up for“This birthday celebration in 1942 was intended to make up for the other…”compensate
(ix) hand in“I handed it in, and Mr Keesing had nothing to complain about…”give an assignment to a person in authority

III. Idioms

1. 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.)

(i) Our entire class is quaking in its boots. Everyone in the class is very scared or nervous.
(ii) Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. We keep encouraging each other to stay hopeful and not give up.
(iii) Mr Keesing was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much. Mr Keesing stayed angry with me for a long time.
(iv) Mr Keesing was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him. Mr Keesing tried to make fun of me, but I planned to turn the joke back on him.

2. 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(iii) laugh ourselves silly
(ii) he’d had enough(iv) can’t bring myself to

Ans:

IdiomSentence
(i) caught my eyeThe bright red book on the shelf caught my eye, so I picked it up.
(ii) he’d had enoughAfter hearing the noise all day, he’d had enough and told everyone to be quiet.
(iii) laugh ourselves sillyWe laughed ourselves silly watching that funny cartoon last night.
(iv) can’t bring myself toI can’t bring myself to throw away my childhood toys.

IV. 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.

ExpressionMeaningSentence
1. break somebody’s heartTo make someone feel very sad or hurt emotionally.It broke my heart when my best friend moved away.
2. close/dear to heartSomething very special or important to someone.This old photo is very dear to my heart.
3. from the (bottom of your) heartWith true and deep feelings; sincerely.I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help.
4. have a heartTo show kindness or sympathy.Have a heart and forgive him for his mistake.
5. have a heart of stoneTo show kindness or sympathy.Have a heart and forgive him for his mistake.
6. your heart goes out to somebodyTo feel deep sympathy for someone.My heart goes out to the people who lost their homes in the storm.

V. Contracted Forms

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

Contracted FormFull Form
I’mI am
I’dI had
I’llI will
can’tcan not
doesn’tdoes not
don’tdo not
he’she is
she’sshe is
it’sit is
that’sthat is
there’sthere is
we’rewe are
we’llwe will
weren’twere not
isn’tis not
hasn’thas not
they’rethey are
wouldn’twould not
couldn’tcould not
who’llwho will

2. 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.

Contracted FormFull Form
I’dI had / I would
he’she is / he has
she’sshe is / she has
it’sit is / it has

Speaking

Here is an extract adapted from a one-act play. In this extract, angry neighbours who think Joe the Inventor’s new spinning machine will make them lose their jobs come to destroy Joe’s model of the machine.
You’ve just seen how contracted forms can make a written text sound like actual speech. Try to make this extract sound more like a real conversation by changing some of the verbs back into contracted forms. Then speak out the lines.
[The door is flung open, and several men tramp in. They carry sticks, and one of them, HOB, has a hammer.]
MOB : Now where is your husband, mistress?
MARY : In his bed. He is sick, and weary. You would not harm him! Reprint 2025-26
HOB : We are going to smash his evil work to pieces. Where is the machine?
SECOND : On the table yonder.
MAN
HOB : Then here is the end of it!
[HOB smashes the model. MARY screams.]
HOB : And now for your husband!
MARY : Neighbours, he is a sick man and almost a cripple. You would not hurt him!
HOB : He is planning to take away our daily bread… We will show him what we think of him and his ways!
MARY : You have broken his machine… You have done enough…

Ans:

  • MOB: Now where’s your husband, mistress?
  • MARY: In his bed. He’s sick and weary. You wouldn’t harm him!
  • HOB: We’re gonna smash his evil work to pieces. Where’s the machine?
  • SECOND MAN: On the table yonder.
  • HOB: Then here’s the end of it!
    [HOB smashes the model. MARY screams.]
  • HOB: And now for your husband!
  • MARY: Neighbours, he’s a sick man and almost a cripple. You wouldn’t hurt him!
  • HOB: He’s planning to take away our daily bread… We’ll show him what we think of him and his ways!
  • MARY: You’ve broken his machine… You’ve done enough…

Writing

Now you know what a diary is and how to keep one. Can you keep a diary for a week recording the events that occur? You may share your diary with your class if you wish to. Use the following hints to write your diary.
• Though your diary is very private, write as if you are writing for someone else.
• Present your thoughts in a convincing manner.
• Use words that convey your feelings, and words that ‘paint pictures’ for the reader. Be brief.
‘Diary language’ has some typical features such as subjectless sentences (Got up late in the morning), sentence fragments without subjects or verbs (…too bad, boring, not good), contracted forms (they’re, I’ve, can’t, didn’t, etc.), and everyday expressions which people use in speech. Remember not to use such language in more formal kinds of writing.

Ans:

Monday
Woke up late. Missed the bus.
Had to walk to school. So hot!
Math was hard. I felt sleepy.
Mom made rice and dal. Yummy!

Tuesday
It rained today. My shoes got wet.
The teacher said we have a quiz tomorrow. Oh no!
I talked to my best friend. Felt happy.

Wednesday
Quiz was hard. I forgot one answer.
Got a star in English! Yay!
Watched cartoons with my brother. We laughed a lot.

Thursday
Very boring day. Nothing fun in class.
Tried to study but felt lazy.
The teacher said a picnic is coming soon!

Friday
So happy! It’s the weekend!
Watched a funny movie with my family.
Ate popcorn and laughed. Nice day.

Saturday
Didn’t go anywhere. Just stayed home.
Played with toys. Drew a big house.
Mom said my drawing was good.

Sunday
Went to Grandma’s house. She gave me sweets.
Played in her garden. Saw butterflies.
Felt peaceful and happy.

Listening

Your teacher will read out an extract from The Diary of Samuel Pepys (given on the next page) about the great fire of London. As you listen complete this summary of the happenings.

Summary

This entry in the diary has been made on ______________ by ___________________. The person who told Pepys about the fire was called ____________________ she called at _________________ in the morning. Pepys went back to sleep because ________________ Pepys rose again at _______________ in the morning. By then about ________________ houses had been burned down. The fire had spread to ______________ by London Bridge. Pepys then walked. to the ________________ along with Sir J. Robinson’s ____________________.

Ans:
This entry in the diary has been made on 2nd September 1666.
The person who told Pepys about the fire was called Jane.
Pepys went back to sleep because he thought the fire was far away.
Pepys rose again at seven in the morning.
By then about 300 houses had been burned down.
The fire had spread to all Fish Street by London Bridge.
Jane called at three in the morning.
Pepys then walked to the Tower along with Sir J. Robinson’s little son.

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