Chapter 6 – Tara (Act – 1) Solutions

Content Structure

  • 1. About the author – Mahesh Dattani
  • 2. Summary of the Tara
  • 3. Word meanings
  • 4. Exercises solutions
  • 5. Additional Questions and Answers
    • 5A. Multiple choice questions and answers (MCQs)

1. About the author – Mahesh Dattani

Mahesh Dattani was a famous Indian playwright, actor and director who wrote family dramas in English. He was born on 7th August 1958 in Bangalore. In 1998 he became the first Indian playwright writing in English to receive the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book Final Solutions and other plays. In his writing he focused on real-life issues such as gender, discrimination, family problems and identity. His most famous plays include Tara, Final Solutions, Dance Like a Man and Bravely Fought the Queen. His works are often studied in schools and colleges because he presents important social topics in a simple and powerful way.

2. Summary of the Tara

Mahesh Dattani, one of the most well-known modern Indian playwrights, is known for writing about serious problems that people often don’t talk about openly. In his play Tara he tells the story of a middle-class Indian family going through emotional, social and personal struggles. The play talks about important issues like unfair treatment of girls, emotional pain, confusion about identity and the pressure of following old family rules. The story is about twins named Tara and Chandan who were born joined together and had to be separated through surgery. The decision to give Chandan a better chance was made unfairly by their mother Bharati and their grandfather, showing clear gender bias. Tara is smart, happy and strong but she is not given the same chances as her brother, which causes her both physical pain and emotional sadness when she realizes that even her own family treats her differently just because she is a girl. The play moves between the past and the present, where Chandan lives in London and calls himself Dan. He tries to escape his painful memories and forget Tara, but her absence continues to haunt him. Chandan begins to write a play called Twinkle Tara, hoping that this will help him reconnect with the past and understand his own identity. The story shows how deeply connected Tara and Chandan were as children, always sharing jokes, supporting each other and being the best of friends. Tara receives a lot of love from her mother, but this affection is mixed with guilt because Bharati knows that her earlier decisions brought pain to her daughter. Bharati wants to donate her kidney to Tara to make up for the past, but her husband Patel refuses, believing that she is only doing it to ease her own guilt. Patel, who stays emotionally distant, focuses mainly on Chandan’s future and pays little attention to Tara, which leads to constant arguments with Bharati and a marriage filled with blame and sadness. Roopa, a neighbor who acts friendly on the surface, secretly mocks Tara, revealing how society often treats people cruelly for being different. As more events unfold, hidden truths about Tara’s operation and health begin to surface, bringing old wounds back into the open. When Tara suddenly falls ill due to low blood sugar, Bharati is too shocked to move, but Patel acts quickly to save her, showing how weak the family has become under emotional pressure. Bharati’s mental health slowly worsens, and the weight of guilt and the family’s painful secrets begin to take over. In the end, Dan finishes writing the play while listening to Brahms’ First Concerto, a piece of music that reflects the deep emotional bond and sorrow shared by the twins. Dan uses Tara’s story not just to accept the past and understand himself better, but also to create a powerful and emotional play that connects personal sadness with larger social problems, making the audience think deeply about real issues in the world and how they affect our lives.

3. Word meanings

WordMeaning
DynamicsThe way people or things behave and affect each other
FragmentedBroken into pieces
FantasizingDreaming
ConfrontationalSomeone who often wants to fight or argue
ManipulatedControlled
ClashFight
EntitiesThings
RediscoverTo find or understand something again after forgetting it
ContemporaryModern
TurbulentMessy or stormy
MasticateChew
AnguishVery strong emotional or physical pain
Intellectual’sSmart person’s
ImmigrantNew person in a country
InseparableAlways together
ShovingPushing someone roughly
ShrivelledDry and small
FormaldehydeA strong chemical used in science to keep dead things from rotting
ConflictProblem or fight
ConceptionsThe way someone thinks about something
ConjoinmentJoining together
ConjunctionTwo or more things happening at the same time
SturdyStrong
InstinctsNatural feelings
TitteredA small, shy laugh
BitchesBad word for women
KannadigasPeople who live in or come from the Indian state of Karnataka
InfluentialCan change how people think or what they do
ElectrocardiogramsA medical test that checks how the heart is working
PelvicLower belly area
TapestryColorful story mix
DowryMarriage gift from bride’s family
KnittingMaking clothes or things using wool
FeedingGiving someone food to eat
SlumpsDrops down

4. Exercises solutions

Choose the correct answer from the alternatives given :

1. What is the relationship between Chandan and Tara?
a) Close friends
b) Distant cousins
c) Conjoined twins (separated after birth)
d) Employer and employee

Ans: c) Conjoined twins (separated after birth)

2. What detail from Act I suggests that Tara might have been more intelligent than Chandan?
a) Chandan is praised for his academic achievements.
b) Tara is shown to be more physically active.
c) Tara is the one who suggests a way to communicate with the doctor.
d) Chandan is the one who remembers their childhood memories more vividly.

Ans: c) Tara is the one who suggests a way to communicate with the doctor.

3. What is a source of conflict between Chandan and his parents in Act I?
a) Chandan’s rebellious behavior
b) Chandan’s struggles to adjust to life after separation
c) Chandan’s choice of career path
d) Chandan’s lack of interest in marriage

Ans: c) Chandan’s choice of career path

4. What is the significance of the photograph shown in Act I?
a) It foreshadows a future romantic relationship for Chandan.
b) It serves as a constant reminder of Tara’s absence.
c) It represents a happy memory from Chandan’s childhood.
d) It introduces a new character who will play a major role in the story.

Ans: b) It serves as a constant reminder of Tara’s absence.

5. What is the overall mood or atmosphere created in Act I?
a) Lighthearted and comedic
b) Suspenseful and mysterious
c) Melancholy and filled with a sense of loss
d) Optimistic and hopeful for the future

Ans: c) Melancholy and filled with a sense of loss

5. Additional Questions and answers

5A. Multiple choice questions and answers (MCQs)

1. Where was Tara first performed?
(a) Mumbai 
(b) Chandigarh 
(c) Bangalore 
(d) Delhi

Ans: (c) Bangalore

2. Who is shown like a god in the play?
(a) Tara 
(b) Mr. Patel 
(c) Dr. Thakkar 
(d) Roopa

Ans: (c) Dr. Thakkar

3. Who are Tara and Chandan?
(a) Friends 
(b) Conjoined twins 
(c) Cousins 
(d) Neighbours

Ans: (b) Conjoined twins

4. How does Chandan feel about Tara?
(a) He loves her 
(b) He is jealous 
(c) He is irritated 
(d) He ignores her

Ans: (a) He loves her

5. What type of girl is Roopa?
(a) Nosy and cunning 
(b) Kind and smart 
(c) None 
(d) Honest and simple

Ans: (a) Nosy and cunning

6. What does Mr. Patel think about Tara?
(a) Brave and happy 
(b) Shy and scared 
(c) None 
(d) Quiet and dull

Ans: (a) Brave and happy

7. How is the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Patel?
(a) Loving 
(b) Fighting and unhappy 
(c) None 
(d) Peaceful and calm

Ans: (b) Fighting and unhappy

8. Why did Mr. Patel want Tara to help her mother with knitting?
(a) It’s a woman’s work 
(b) It’s tiring 
(c) None 
(d) It’s a hobby

Ans: (a) It’s a woman’s work

9. How is the language of the play?
(a) Simple 
(b) Hard 
(c) None 
(d) Long and boring

Ans: (a) Simple

10. What feelings does Chandan fight with?
(a) Guilt about Tara’s pain and death 
(b) His love for Tara 
(c) None 
(d) His anger for Patel

Ans: (a) Guilt about Tara’s pain and death

11.  Who is Roopa in Tara?
(a) Chandan’s girlfriend 
(b) Tara’s sister 
(c) Bharti’s daughter 
(d) Tara’s friend

Ans: (d) Tara’s friend

12.  What does Dan call “the crux of life”?
(a) Love 
(b) Conflict 
(c) Family 
(d) Friendship

Ans: (b) Conflict

13.  “Hospitals depress me.” Who said this?
(a) Roopa 
(b) Tara 
(c) Chandan 
(d) Patel

Ans: (a) Roopa

14.  The third leg of the twins truly belonged to —
(a) Chandan 
(b) Tara 
(c) Roopa 
(d) Mr. Patel

Ans: (b) Tara

15.  What is the structure of the play?
(a) Straight story 
(b) Story with flashbacks 
(c) Monologues only 
(d) History style

Ans: (b) Story with flashbacks

16.  How does Tara react to unfair treatment?
(a) She stays silent 
(b) She fights back 
(c) She blames Chandan 
(d) She leaves

Ans: (a) She stays silent

17.  What does Chandan do to escape his guilt?
(a) Goes to London 
(b) Lives alone 
(c) Writes a play 
(d) Fights parents

Ans: (a) Goes to London

18.  What does the bond between Tara and Chandan show?
(a) Sibling fight 
(b) Pain from family bias 
(c) Perfect love 
(d) Chandan’s power

Ans: (b) Pain from family bias

19.  What technique does Dattani use to show thoughts?
(a) Flashbacks and soliloquies 
(b) Normal talks 
(c) Talks to audience 
(d) Symbols

Ans: (a) Flashbacks and soliloquies

20.  How does the play show patriarchy (male dominance)?
(a) Chandan gets preference 
(b) Tara’s talent ignored 
(c) Bharti also suffers 
(d) All of these

Ans: (d) All of these

21.  Which literary tools are used in Tara?
(a) Flashbacks, symbols 
(b) Irony, hints 
(c) Monologues 
(d) All of these

Ans: (d) All of these

22.  What does Tara’s wasted talent show?
(a) Barriers for women 
(b) Family choices affect life 
(c) Need for fairness 
(d) All of these

Ans: (d) All of these

23.  The third leg was given to Chandan because —
(a) Culture favored boys 
(b) It was his 
(c) Mother loved him more 
(d) None

Ans: (a) Culture favored boys

24.  In the play, parents give more love to —
(a) Tara 
(b) Chandan 
(c) Both 
(d) None

Ans: (b) Chandan

25. Tara and Chandan were operated and separated in —
(a) Mumbai 
(b) London 
(c) New Delhi 
(d) Pune

Ans: (c) New Delhi

26. What issue is mainly explored in the play Tara?
(a) Pollution and environment
(b) Gender discrimination within a family
(c) Freedom struggle
(d) Indian politics

Ans: (b) Gender discrimination within a family

27. What is the title Dan gives to the play he is trying to write?
(a) Tara – A Twin Story
(b) Random Raj
(c) A Room in London
(d) Twinkle Tara

Ans: (d) Twinkle Tara

28. What does Tara say about the “men in the house”?
(a) They are resting
(b) They are thinking of going hunting
(c) They are cooking dinner
(d) They are watching TV

Ans: (b) They are thinking of going hunting

29. What kind of story does Roopa want to hear from Chandan?
(a) A adventure story
(b) A fairy tale
(c) A monster story
(d) A true story

Ans: (c) A monster story

30. How does Tara describe her visit to physiotherapy?
(a) Painful but helpful
(b) Great doctor but rude nurse
(c) Friendly and supportive
(d) Boring and useless

Ans: (b) Great doctor but rude nurse

31. What does Tara say “runs in the family”?
(a) Cooking skills
(b) Dancing ability
(c) Their leg condition
(d) Writing talent

Ans: (c) Their leg condition

32. What standard has Roopa completed?
(a) Tenth
(b) Ninth
(c) Eleventh
(d) Eighth 

Ans: (b) Ninth

33. What language does Roopa use to greet Bharati?
(a) Hindi
(b) Tamil
(c) Kannada
(d)English

Ans: (c) Kannada

34. Who is the donor for Tara’s kidney transplant?
(a) Her friend
(b) Her father
(c) Roopa
(d)Her mother

Ans: (d) Her mother

35. Which movie does Roopa want to watch?
(a) E.T.
(b) Fatal Attraction
(c) Snow White
(d) Titanic

Ans: (b) Fatal Attraction

36. What is Bharati’s tone when she first speaks to Roopa about friendship?
(a) Warm and friendly
(b) Forceful but polite
(c) Humorous and casual
(d) Nervous and pushy

Ans: (b) Forceful but polite

37. Who did Patel speak with on the phone about Tara’s condition?
(a) Dr. Ramesh
(b) Dr. Thakkar
(c) Dr. Kapoor
(d)Dr. Gokhale

Ans: (c) Dr. Kapoor

38. Who mentions the poem “The Lady of Shallot”?
(a) Tara
(b) Roopa
(c) Dan
(d) Chandan

Ans: (d) Chandan

39. Who actually makes the coffee Roopa compliments?
(a) Chandan
(b) Bharati
(c) Ida
(d) Tara 

Ans: (c) Ida

40. What emotion does Patel display most during this scene?
(a) Sad and quiet
(b) Joyful and relaxed
(c) Controlling and aggressive
(d) Calm and wise

Ans: (c) Controlling and aggressive

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