A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME

1. Who is the author of the story “A House Is Not a Home”?
   Ans: Zan Gaudioso.

2. In which class did the narrator start his new school?
   Ans: In high school as a freshman.

3. Why did the narrator feel awkward in high school?
   Ans: Because he was starting over in a new and bigger school.

4. Where were his closest friends sent?
   Ans: To a different high school.

5. Why did he feel isolated?
   Ans: Because he had no close friends in the new school.

6. Whom did he visit after joining high school?
   Ans: His old teachers.

7. What did the old teachers advise him?
   Ans: To get involved in school activities and meet new people.

8. On which day did the fire break out?
   Ans: On a Sunday afternoon.

9. Where was the narrator sitting when the fire started?
   Ans: At the dining-room table.

10. What kind of day was it?
    Ans: A cold and windy fall day.

11. What pet did the narrator have?
    Ans: A cat.

12. What colour was the narrator’s cat?
    Ans: Red tabby (orange).

13. What was the cat doing on his papers?
    Ans: Lying on them and purring.

14. What did the narrator smell suddenly?
    Ans: Something strange (smoke).

15. From where did the smoke enter?
    Ans: Through the seams of the ceiling.

16. Where did the family run out?
    Ans: Into the front yard.

17. Who ran back into the house first?
    Ans: His mother.

18. What did the mother bring out first?
    Ans: A small metal box with important documents.

19. Why did the mother run back into the house again?
    Ans: To save his father’s pictures and letters.

20. Who stopped the narrator from going inside?
    Ans: A fireman.

21. What did the fireman wrap around the narrator?
    Ans: A blanket.

22. Where did the fireman make the narrator sit?
    Ans: In their car.

23. What did the fireman put on the mother’s face?
    Ans: An oxygen mask.

24. How long did it take to put out the fire?
    Ans: Five hours.

25. What did the narrator realise after the fire was out?
    Ans: His cat was missing.

26. Where did they spend the night?
    Ans: At his grandparents’ house.

27. Why was the narrator embarrassed to go to school on Monday?
    Ans: He had no proper clothes, books, or shoes.

28. Whose shoes did he borrow?
    Ans: His aunt’s tennis shoes.

29. What had happened to his backpack?
    Ans: It was destroyed in the fire.

30. What was saved from the burning house?
    Ans: Photo albums, documents, and some personal items.

31. Why did they borrow money from grandparents?
    Ans: Because all cash, cards, and identification were burned.

32. Where did they shift after the fire?
    Ans: To a rented apartment nearby.

33. Who were aware of his plight in school?
    Ans: Everyone, including teachers.

34. What did the classmates collect for him?
    Ans: Money and items to help him.

35. What did the narrator receive from the students?
    Ans: School supplies, clothes, notebooks, etc.

36. What did the narrator feel after seeing the gifts?
    Ans: Deeply touched and emotional.

37. When did he make new friends?
    Ans: The day he received help from classmates.

38. How far had the cat run away?
    Ans: Over a mile away.

39. How was the cat finally returned?
    Ans: A kind woman brought it back.

40. What was written on the cat’s collar?
    Ans: Their phone number.

41. Why couldn’t the woman call them?
    Ans: Their phones were destroyed and disconnected.

42. What did the narrator feel in the end?
    Ans: Gratitude and happiness.

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✅ SA (Short Answer) with Answers (3–4 marks)

1. Why did the narrator find his first year of high school difficult?
   Ans: The school was bigger than his old one, he was starting as a freshman, and his closest friends went to another school. So he felt lonely and insecure.

2. How did the narrator’s old teachers help him emotionally?
   Ans: They encouraged him to join school activities and meet new people. They told him he would adjust and later love the new school too.

3. Describe the situation in the house when the fire started.
   Ans: The narrator was doing homework at the dining table. It was cold outside and a fire was burning in the fireplace. Suddenly smoke poured through the ceiling and the house caught fire quickly.

4. What did the narrator’s mother do during the fire? Why was it risky?
   Ans: She ran into the burning house twice. First she saved documents, then she went again to save the father’s photos and letters. It was risky because she could have died.

5. Why did the narrator scream “Mom! No!”?
   Ans: He feared his mother would get trapped and die inside the burning house.

6. How did the fireman handle the narrator when he tried to run inside?
   Ans: The fireman held him tightly, wrapped a blanket around him and made him sit in the car to keep him safe.

7. What were the narrator’s feelings after he realised his cat was missing?
   Ans: He felt shocked, heartbroken and helpless. He cried because he had already lost his home and now he might lose his beloved cat too.

8. Why did the narrator go to school the next day even though he didn’t want to?
   Ans: His mother insisted. Though he felt embarrassed, he had no choice but to attend school.

9. What made the narrator feel like an outcast at school?
   Ans: He wore strange clothes, had no books or homework, his backpack was gone, and he had borrowed shoes. All this made him feel awkward and different.

10. What did the narrator see when he visited the burned house the next day?
    Ans: The house was destroyed. Whatever was not burned was damaged by water and chemicals used to stop the fire.

11. What important items were saved from the fire?
    Ans: The mother saved photo albums, important documents and some personal items.

12. Why did they need to borrow money from grandparents?
    Ans: Because all money, credit cards and identification were destroyed in the fire.

13. How did the narrator react when he found the cat was gone?
    Ans: He broke down in tears. He felt great loss and kept hoping the cat would return.

14. Why was the narrator embarrassed that everyone knew about the fire?
    Ans: He felt people were staring at him and he didn’t want attention. He felt as if he was responsible.

15. What surprise did the narrator get in the gym?
    Ans: Students and teachers collected items for him. They gave him clothes, notebooks and school supplies.

16. How did the classmates’ kindness change the narrator’s life?
    Ans: Their support made him feel accepted. He stopped feeling lonely and made new friends.

17. How did the fire become a turning point in the narrator’s life?
    Ans: The tragedy helped him open up. He realised people were kind and supportive. His life began to rebuild like his house.

18. Why did the narrator say, “My life was doing the same thing” while the house was being rebuilt?
    Ans: He meant his life was improving again. He was rebuilding emotionally with new friends and hope.

19. How did the cat survive and where was it found?
    Ans: The cat ran away in fear and went over a mile away. A kind woman found and kept it safe.

20. What role did the unknown woman play in the story?
    Ans: She rescued the cat and returned it. She showed kindness and care for a stranger.

21. What feelings did the narrator experience at the end of the story?
    Ans: He felt grateful, happy, and relieved because he got his cat back and gained new friends.

22. How does the story show that a house is not always a home?
    Ans: A house is only a building, but a home is made of love, family, memories, friends and care. Even after losing the house, the narrator found warmth through people and relationships.

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