NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter 4 Telephone Conversation

This worksheet provides complete and accurate NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter Telephone Conversation from the Woven Words book. This chapter is a poem that highlights the issue of racial discrimination through a simple yet meaningful telephone conversation between a speaker and a landlady. It is important for students because it builds awareness about social issues while also improving interpretation and analytical skills. This worksheet helps students understand the poem clearly and offers reliable answers strictly based on NCERT standards.

Chapter summary: stories, poems & themes

This chapter is a poem that focuses on a telephone conversation between an African speaker and a landlady. The main theme of the poem is racial discrimination and how people judge others based on skin colour. The poem uses humour, irony, and imagery to highlight prejudice in a subtle but powerful way. Students also learn how language and tone can reflect emotions such as hesitation, shock, and bias. The chapter includes understanding-based questions and activity-based tasks that help students think critically and creatively.

What this NCERT chapter covers?

• Understanding the theme of racial discrimination 
• Vocabulary development through expressions related to colour and tone 
• Reading and interpretation skills 
• Understanding tone, silence, and character reactions 
• Creative thinking through activity-based tasks 
• Observation and imagination skills through visual and dialogue-based activities 

How to use these NCERT solutions?

Students should first read the poem carefully and try to answer the questions on their own before checking the solutions. This helps in better understanding and self-assessment. Parents and teachers can use this worksheet to guide students and explain difficult parts of the poem. The solutions follow the exact NCERT order and structure, making it easy for students to revise and learn effectively. Regular practice with these solutions improves clarity and confidence.

Student tips & learning tricks

• Focus on understanding the theme rather than memorising answers 
• Pay attention to tone, silence, and word choices in the poem 
• Carefully read each question to understand what is being asked 
• Avoid missing key details related to colour and imagery 
• Practice writing answers clearly and to the point as per NCERT expectations 
• For activity-based questions, use imagination while staying connected to the poem 

Why NCERT solutions are important?

NCERT Solutions help students build a strong foundation by providing accurate and structured answers. They ensure that students understand concepts as per the official NCERT curriculum. These solutions improve confidence, help in exam preparation, and make revision easier. Following NCERT-based answers also ensures better performance in school assessments.

Complete answer key – NCERT solutions

Understanding the poem

1. The central issue in the poem is racial discrimination. The speaker faces prejudice from a landlady who wants to know how dark his skin colour is before renting her house to him.

2. The intervals of silence occur because the landlady is shocked and unsure how to react after learning that the caller is African. The silence also reflects her hesitation and prejudice before asking about his skin colour.

3. Colour is highlighted in the poem to emphasize racial discrimination and the absurd way the landlady judges the speaker based on skin colour. Words suggesting colour in the poem include: red, dark, light, plain, milk chocolate, West African sepia, brunette, peroxide blonde, and raven black.

4. “Palm of my hand, soles of my feet 
Are a peroxide blonde. Friction, caused— 
Foolishly madam—by sitting down, has turned 
My bottom raven black.” 
These lines stand out because the speaker uses humour and exaggeration to mock the landlady’s obsession with skin colour.

5. Certain words in the poem are written in capital letters to show the loud, sharp, and intrusive tone of the landlady when she asks about the speaker’s skin colour. It also highlights the importance and tension of those questions.

6. The title “Telephone Conversation” is appropriate because the entire incident takes place during a phone call between the speaker and the landlady. The poem shows how racial prejudice appears even in a simple conversation. Another possible title could be “Racial Prejudice” or “Colour Question”.

7. The poem uses suggestion and understatement to show racism in a subtle but powerful way. Instead of directly accusing the landlady, the poet presents the conversation and uses humour, irony, and imagery to expose the absurdity and cruelty of racial discrimination.

8. ‘Hide-and-speak’ suggests a situation where people speak indirectly or anonymously without revealing their true identity, similar to hiding while speaking over the telephone.

Try this out

1. Student-generated activity

2. a. The place from which the call was made – Students describe a public telephone booth on a street with traffic, a red pillar-box, and buses moving on wet tar roads. 
b. The lady at the other end – Students imagine the landlady as a formal, well-mannered but prejudiced woman speaking in a cold and distant tone. 
c. The speaker in the poem – Students describe the speaker as an African man who responds intelligently and humorously to expose the landlady’s racism.

3. Student-generated activity

4. Student-generated activity

Get accurate NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter Telephone Conversation and improve your understanding with structured explanations designed for better learning outcomes. 
Book a free trial!