Homesickness — ICSE Class 7 (Gulmohar) | Clear Q&A & Exam Tips

Homesickness — ICSE Class 7 (Gulmohar) — Q&A & Revision Notes

Complete Q&A • Short & long answers • Important lines • Revision notes • Ideal for quick exam preparation

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Quick Revision

This page converts the original ICSE Class 7 Q&A on Homesickness into short, memorable answers with keywords you can use in exams. Use the Print or Copy buttons to save notes.

Keywords: homesickness, appendicitis, Dr Dunbar, matron, nanny, boarding school

Exam tip: Use short direct answers + one example line for full marks.

More notes

1. Why did the speaker think that he may sound silly? How did he argue that he was not silly?

Short answer: He feared sounding silly because pretending to have appendicitis at nine seemed childish. He argued he wasn’t silly because he had watched his sister’s real illness and could imitate her symptoms (pain on lower right abdomen, vomiting, fever) convincingly.

Exam line: "I had seen my sister with real appendicitis — the pain, the sickness and the fever — so I could copy the symptoms."

2. How did the speaker and his sisters react to the event of an operation inside their home?

Short answer: They were excited and curious; the children lurked outside the nursery, listened to the medical murmurs, smelled ether and pictured the operation.

Exam line: "We stood outside the nursery, fascinated by the smells and sounds of the operation."

3. Who are the adults in this story? How did the speaker, as a child, feel towards them? Why?

Short answer: Adults include the mother, nanny, matron, school doctor and Dr. Dunbar. The speaker resented his mother for sending him away but still loved her; he idolised the nanny and trusted her; he thought the matron and doctor were fooled by lies; he respected Dr. Dunbar for his wisdom.

Use a one-line reason: "He loved his mother but blamed her; he trusted the nanny because she answered everything; Dr Dunbar earned respect by seeing through the lie."

4. Dr Dunbar taught the speaker a lesson but he also helped him. How did he do that?

Short answer: Dr Dunbar confronted the speaker gently: he exposed the lie, explained that life can be hard, advised him to face problems rather than escape, but allowed him time at home so the plan wasn't a total failure.

"Dr Dunbar was kind yet firm — he taught courage and gave him a short home visit."

5a. Why did the speaker get nervous on finding a toothbrush bristle on his tongue? 5b. What does this show about his attitude to his nanny?

Short answers:

• 5a: His nanny had told him that loose toothbrush bristles could block the appendix and cause appendicitis, so finding one made him afraid of developing the disease.
• 5b: He trusted his nanny completely — he believed her warnings and thought she was wiser than Solomon.

Exam tip: Quote the phrase that shows trust: "Nanny... filled with more wisdom than Solomon."

6a. Which room is being referred to when he entered clutching his stomach? 6b. Why was he clutching his stomach? 6c. Why was he staggering?

Short answers:

1. The Matron's room at the school.
2. He was pretending to have appendicitis and held the lower right side where the pain would be.
3. He was acting very ill — staggering to make the act believable.

Quick exam phrase: "He pretended to be in severe pain on the lower right of his abdomen."

7a. What was the 'clincher'? 7b. What does 'clincher' mean here?

Short answers:

• 7a: The clincher was the boy's false statement to the Matron that he'd been sick all morning.
• 7b: 'Clincher' means the final statement that convinced the Matron — the decisive proof or argument.

Exam line: "The boy's claim of being sick all morning was the final proof that made the Matron believe him."

8. Why did Dr Dunbar say "Life is tough..."? Would the speaker face such situations differently later?

Short answer: Dr Dunbar said this because he realised the boy lied to avoid homesickness; he wanted to teach resilience. Yes — the speaker would likely handle homesickness more bravely afterward and avoid faking illness.

Personal touch (write in exam): "Dr Dunbar taught him to face difficulties instead of escaping; the lesson would help him control homesickness later."

9a. Who is "he" in the sentence about fixing the speaker with a penetrating eye? 9b. Why did he look that way? 9c. What did he ask and how did the speaker react?

Short answers:

1. "He" is Dr Dunbar.
2. He looked penetratingly because he suspected the speaker was faking appendicitis.
3. He asked if the speaker was pretending. The speaker could not deny it and asked how Dr Dunbar knew.

Exam phrase: "Dr Dunbar suspected a fake and asked the boy directly; the boy was caught and could only ask how he was found out."

How to use this page in exams:

1. Write short direct answers (1–2 sentences).
2. Add one example line or quote from the text for 3–4 marks answers.
3. Use keywords from the "Quick Revision" box to show understanding.

© 2025 JST Institute — ICSE Class 7 notes. Adapted for clear revision. Want this as a printable PDF or Hindi version? Click "Copy all Q&A" and paste into Google Docs to save as PDF.