Gulmohor Class 6 – Meeting Cezanne By Michael Morpurgo: Questions and Answers
Answer the following questions from the text Meeting Cezanne.
B1. Who was going to visit the inn? Was he someone important? How do you know? (Meeting Cézanne: Questions, Answers)
A famous painter named Pablo Picasso was going to visit the inn, as he lived in a nearby chateau.
Pablo Picasso was a world-renowned painter, sculptor, and ceramicist. He is also the co-founder of Cubism and the collage technique in painting.
Amandine withholds the identity of the famous person in the beginning of the story. The title, however, hinted at a famous painter named Cezanne, referring to the world-renowned French painter who was a significant influence on many artists of the 20th century. The ending, however, reveals the painter to be Pablo Picasso and not Cézanne when he signs the painting of four sailboats for the protagonist as Picasso.
B2. Why did Amandine try to remove the burning tablecloth from the fire in the story Meeting Cezanne?
Amandine was distraught seeing the paper tablecloth thrown into the fire by the speaker, as it contained a drawing done by the most famous painter in the world as a tip for her father, Mr Bruno. She desperately tried to pull the remnants of the burning paper tablecloth out of the fire. But it was already too late.
B3. “I thought she was going to lie?” Who is the speaker talking about? Why did he think she was going to lie?
The speaker is talking about his cousin sister Amandine.
In the extracted passage from the story “Meeting Cezanne“, the speaker is young Yannick. Yannick had come to visit his uncle and aunt, who lived in the Provence region of France. Yannick mistakenly destroys a precious painting left by a master painter living in the locality while visiting his aunt’s house. The painter would paint on the tablecloth for the owner if he was content with the food served. Yannick, not aware of the importance of the tablecloth, threw it into the fire as usual.
Amandine felt miserable over the burnt painting and feared her father’s disapproval of her action. She tried to solely blame Yannick for throwing the painting into the fire while ignoring her part in the error. When confronted by her father regarding whether or not she informed Yannick about the tablecloth beforehand, she at first seemed reluctant to admit it. Yannick panicked for a moment, believing that she might lie about the situation. However, she did not lie at the end and admitted her fault.
B4. “I had worked out exactly what to do and how to do it.” What did the speaker decide to do, and why?
Yannick was determined to correct the situation regarding the destroyed painting. He resolved to speak to the painter himself to console his cousin, who was miserable over the situation. It was his way of saying sorry to his cousin, Amandine.
B5. How has the last image of the painter been contrasted against Yannick’s first impression of him in the story Meeting Cezanne?
Yannick met the famous person for the first time when he visited the inn. The man did not appear to be anyone special. He seemed like an ordinary old man with thin hair. But Yannick was glad to see the man enjoy his crème brûlée. The second time, Yannick visited the man at his chateau in the daylight. This time the man appeared quite old, but he had a youthful light in his eyes and was very generous and witty in his communication with the young man. Those bright, youthful eyes were a mirror to his observant, passionate artistic soul.
Yannick’s initial reaction to the old man’s appearance prepares us for the surprising revelation of the painter’s original identity.
