NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English (First Flight) Chapter 4: From the Diary of Anne Frank (NCERT 2026–27)
Complete solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 4 – “From the Diary of Anne Frank”: an original summary, theme and message, word meanings and every textbook exercise answered in full. The questions below – Oral Comprehension Check, Thinking about the Text and Thinking about Language – are reproduced exactly as in the NCERT book, and each one is answered in clear, exam-ready language.
Class: 10Subject: EnglishBook: First FlightType: Prose (Chapter 4)Author: Anne FrankSession: 2026–27
Anneliese Marie ‘Anne’ Frank (12 June 1929 – February/March 1945) was a German-born Jewish girl whose diary became one of the most widely read books in the world. After the Nazis came to power, her family emigrated from Frankfurt to Amsterdam, but were trapped when the German occupation extended into the Netherlands. As persecution of Jews increased, the Franks went into hiding in July 1942 in concealed rooms in her father Otto Frank’s office building. After two years the group was betrayed and sent to the concentration camps, where Anne died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen. Her father Otto, the only survivor, found her diary preserved and had it published as The Diary of a Young Girl. Written between 1942 and 1944, it offers an intimate, mature record of daily life under Nazi occupation.
Summary
This extract is the opening of Anne Frank’s famous diary. Anne begins by confessing that writing in a diary feels strange to her, because she has never written before and doubts that anyone – even herself – will ever be interested in the “musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl.” Yet she feels a strong urge to write and to unburden her thoughts. She recalls the saying “Paper has more patience than people,” and decides the diary will be the patient, faithful friend she has always lacked.
Although Anne has loving parents, a sixteen-year-old sister Margot and about thirty people she can call friends, she feels she has no true friend in whom she can confide. To make her diary feel like a real companion, she names it ‘Kitty’ and writes to it as a person. She then sketches her family background: her father married late, the family moved from Germany to Holland in the 1930s, and she shares warm memories of her late grandmother, whom she still misses deeply.
In her entry of Saturday, 20 June 1942, Anne describes the anxious atmosphere in class before the teachers decide who will be promoted. She is fairly confident, except in maths. She then tells the amusing story of Mr Keesing, her maths teacher, who was annoyed by her constant talking and punished her with essays on ‘A Chatterbox’, ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’ and finally ‘Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox’. Helped by her friend Sanne, Anne wrote the last essay in clever verse about a mother duck and a father swan. Mr Keesing took the joke well, read it aloud, and from then on allowed Anne to talk freely – turning a punishment into a friendship built on good humour.
Theme & message
The chapter explores the universal need for a true friend and an outlet for one’s innermost feelings. Anne shows that even someone surrounded by family and friends can feel deeply lonely, and that writing can be a healing, trustworthy companion. The extract also celebrates wit, humour and resilience – Anne’s clever handling of Mr Keesing reveals her sharp mind and sense of fun. Above all, written during the dark days of Nazi persecution, the diary reminds us of the value of self-expression, honesty and hope.
Word meanings
Word
Meaning
musings
thoughts; reflections
listless
with no energy or interest
brooding
thinking deeply and unhappily
confide
to tell personal things privately to someone you trust
liable
likely to
enhance
to improve or increase
emigrated
left one’s own country to settle in another
plunked down
put down in a casual way
heartbreaking
causing great sadness
solemn
serious and dignified
dedication
(here) the act of formally beginning the diary
quaking in its boots
shaking with fear and nervousness
old fogey
an old-fashioned person
ramble on
to talk or write aimlessly for long
convincing argument
a statement made so that people believe it
inherited traits
qualities one gets from one’s parents
incorrigible
(of a bad quality) that cannot be corrected
ingenuity
cleverness, originality and inventiveness
exhausted
(here) used up completely
ridiculous
silly; deserving to be laughed at
Oral Comprehension Check
(Set 1 – after ‘…call this friend Kitty.’)
1. What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?
ANSWERWriting in a diary feels strange to Anne for two reasons: she has never written anything before, and she believes that later on neither she nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl.
2. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?
ANSWERAnne wants to keep a diary because she feels a strong urge to write and to get all kinds of things off her chest. Above all, she has no true friend in whom she can confide, so she wants the diary to be that long-awaited friend.
3. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?
ANSWERAnne believed “paper has more patience than people.” A diary would never grow bored, interrupt or judge her, and she had no real friend with whom she could share her deepest thoughts. So she felt she could confide in the diary far more freely than in people.
(Set 2 – after ‘…solemn dedication of my diary.’)
1. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?
ANSWERAnne treats her diary, ‘Kitty’, as a new friend who knows nothing about her. So that ‘Kitty’ will understand her stories, she gives a brief sketch of her life and family before plunging into her daily experiences.
2. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?
ANSWERAnne writes that no one knows how often she thinks of her grandmother and still loves her. On her birthday in 1942, after her grandmother had died, the grandmother’s candle was lit along with the rest. This loving remembrance shows how deeply Anne cared for her.
(Set 3 – after the entry of Saturday, 20 June 1942)
1. Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?
ANSWERMr Keesing, the maths teacher, was annoyed with Anne because she talked too much in class. As punishment, he gave her extra homework – an essay on the subject ‘A Chatterbox’.
2. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?
ANSWERIn her essay Anne argued that talking is a student’s natural trait and that she would try her best to keep it under control, but could never fully cure herself of the habit. She explained that her mother talked as much as she did, if not more, and that there is little one can do about inherited traits.
3. Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?
ANSWERYes, Mr Keesing was a strict teacher who disliked talking in class and punished Anne with repeated essays. However, he was also fair and good-humoured – he enjoyed Anne’s clever arguments, took her joke in the right spirit and later allowed her to talk freely, showing he was strict but not unkind.
4. What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?
ANSWERAs a final punishment, Mr Keesing asked Anne to write an essay titled ‘Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox’. With her friend Sanne’s help, Anne wrote a clever and funny poem about a mother duck and a father swan. Mr Keesing took the joke the right way, read the poem aloud to the class, and from then on allowed Anne to talk and stopped giving her extra homework.
Thinking about the Text
1. Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?
ANSWERNo, Anne was completely wrong. Her diary became one of the most widely read books in the world, translated into many languages and adapted into films, plays and even an opera. Far from being uninteresting, her honest, mature record of life under Nazi occupation has moved millions of readers across generations.
2. There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s diary different?
ANSWERThe diary was originally written in Dutch. The sample entries in ‘Before You Read’ are brief and factual – they simply record events, times or happenings. Anne’s diary, by contrast, is far more personal and reflective. She does not merely jot down facts; she pours out her feelings, thoughts and loneliness, and even addresses the diary as a living friend named ‘Kitty’. This emotional, conversational quality makes her diary unique.
3. Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?
ANSWERAnne treats ‘Kitty’ as a new friend who knows nothing about her life. Just as we explain our background to a new friend, Anne gives a brief sketch of her family so that Kitty can follow her stories. By doing so she treats Kitty as an insider – a close confidante – rather than a distant outsider.
4. How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?
ANSWERAnne calls her father “the most adorable father” she has ever seen; she remembers her grandmother with deep love; she parted from Mrs Kuperus, her headmistress, in tears; and she regards Mr Keesing with affectionate good humour despite his punishments. These feelings show that Anne was a loving, warm-hearted and sensitive girl who valued relationships and saw the good in people.
5. What does Anne write in her first essay?
ANSWERIn her first essay, ‘A Chatterbox’, Anne argued that talking is a student’s trait and that, although she would try to control it, she could never completely cure herself of the habit because her mother talked just as much – and inherited traits cannot easily be changed.
6. Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?
ANSWERYes, Mr Keesing is unpredictable. He kept punishing Anne with one essay after another, growing stricter each time. Yet when she handed in her witty poem, instead of getting angry he laughed, took the joke in the right spirit, read it aloud to the class and other classes, and afterwards allowed her to talk freely. His sudden change from a strict to a good-humoured teacher shows his unpredictability.
7. What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?
ANSWER(i) “We don’t seem to be able to get any closer… Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other.” – She is honest and self-critical, willing to blame herself rather than others for her lack of close friendship.(ii) “I don’t want to jot down the facts… but I want the diary to be my friend.” – She is imaginative and emotional, longing for true companionship rather than dry record-keeping.(iii) “Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot.” – She has a playful sense of humour and can describe even serious events lightly.(iv) “…there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth.” – She is bold, observant and opinionated, unafraid to express her frank views.(v) “Anyone could ramble on… but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments…” – She is intelligent and a clever thinker, who values reasoning over empty words.
Thinking about Language
I. Compound words (match A with B; use each in a sentence)
Compound word (A)
Meaning (B)
1. Heartbreaking
producing great sadness
2. Homesick
missing home and family very much
3. Blockhead
an informal word which means a very stupid person
4. Law-abiding
obeying and respecting the law
5. Overdo
do something to an excessive degree
6. Daydream
think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present
7. Breakdown
an occasion when vehicles/machines stop working
8. Output
something produced by a person, machine or organisation
SAMPLE SENTENCES1. Saying goodbye to her best friend was a heartbreaking moment.2. The new student felt homesick during her first week at the hostel.3. Stop behaving like a blockhead and read the instructions carefully.4. He is a law-abiding citizen who always follows the rules.5. Do not overdo the exercise or you will hurt yourself.6. She tends to daydream during the boring afternoon classes.7. Our car had a breakdown on the highway last night.8. The factory’s output doubled after the new machines were installed.
II. Phrasal Verbs
1. Look up the following in a dictionary for their meanings: (i) plunge (right) in, (ii) kept back, (iii) ramble on, (iv) get along with.
ANSWER(i) plunge (right) in – to begin doing something suddenly and without preparation; to go straight into the topic.(ii) kept back – made to stay back / not promoted to the next class.(iii) ramble on – to talk or write for a long time in an unfocused, aimless way.(iv) get along with – to have a good, friendly relationship with someone.
2. Now find the sentences in the lesson that have the phrasal verbs given below. Match them with their meanings.
ANSWER (phrasal verb – meaning)(i) plunge in – go straight to the topic(ii) kept back – not promoted(iii) move up – go to the next grade(iv) ramble on – speak or write without focus(v) get along with – have a good relationship with(vi) calm down – make (them) remain quiet(vii) stay in – stay indoors(viii) make up for – compensate(ix) hand in – give an assignment (homework) to a person in authority (the teacher)Are their meanings the same as their parts? No. In most cases the meaning of the phrasal verb is idiomatic and different from the literal meanings of the verb and the particle put together.
III. Idioms
1. Here are a few sentences from the text which have idiomatic expressions. Can you say what each means?
ANSWER(i) “Our entire class is quaking in its boots.” – The whole class is trembling/shaking with fear and nervousness.(ii) “…we keep telling each other not to lose heart.” – Not to lose hope or become discouraged.(iii) “Mr Keesing was annoyed with me for ages…” – for a very long time.(iv) “…but I’d make sure the joke was on him.” – to turn the joke around so that he, not she, would be the one laughed at.
2. Here are a few more idiomatic expressions that occur in the text. Try to use them in sentences of your own: (i) caught my eye, (ii) he’d had enough, (iii) laugh ourselves silly, (iv) can’t bring myself to.
SAMPLE SENTENCES(i) caught my eye: A bright red dress in the shop window caught my eye.(ii) he’d had enough: After hours of noise, the teacher said he’d had enough and demanded silence.(iii) laugh ourselves silly: We laughed ourselves silly at the comedian’s jokes.(iv) can’t bring myself to: I can’t bring myself to tell her the sad news.
IV. Expressions using the word ‘heart’. Find out the meanings and use each in a sentence.
ANSWER (meaning & sentence)1. break somebody’s heart – to make someone very sad. It would break my mother’s heart if I failed the exam.2. close/dear to heart – very important and personal to someone. Helping street animals is a cause close to her heart.3. from the (bottom of your) heart – very sincerely. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness.4. have a heart – to be kind and sympathetic. Have a heart and let the tired workers rest.5. have a heart of stone – to be cruel and without pity. Only a person with a heart of stone could ignore such suffering.6. your heart goes out to somebody – you feel great sympathy for someone. My heart goes out to the families affected by the flood.
V. Contracted Forms
1. Make a list of the contracted forms in the text. Rewrite them as full forms of two words.
ANSWERI’ve = I have doesn’t = does not I’m = I am don’t = do notthat’s = that is they’re = they are can’t = cannot didn’t = did notwho’ll = who will you’re = you are he’d = he had / he would I’d = I had / I wouldwon’t = will not there’s = there is it’s = it is she’s = she is
2. We have seen that some contracted forms can stand for two different full forms (I’d = I had or I would). Find in the text the contracted forms that stand for two different full forms, and say what these are.
ANSWERI’d = I had or I would.he’d = he had or he would.(Both can also be written out as the relevant full form depending on the sentence; for example, “I’d worry about that later” = I would, while “after I’d finished the rest of my homework” = I had.)
Extra questions
Short answer
1. Why does Anne name her diary ‘Kitty’?
ANSWERAnne wants her diary to be the true friend she lacks. To make this imaginary friend feel real, she addresses the diary as a person and gives it the name ‘Kitty’.
2. What is the meaning of the saying ‘Paper has more patience than people’?
ANSWERIt means that paper (a diary) will silently accept whatever one writes without getting bored, interrupting or judging – unlike people, who often lack patience.
3. Why was Anne not very worried about being promoted, and which subject worried her?
ANSWERAnne was fairly confident that she and her girlfriends would be promoted, as she got along well with her teachers. The only subject she was unsure about was maths.
4. Who was Mrs Kuperus, and how did Anne feel about her?
ANSWERMrs Kuperus was the headmistress and Anne’s teacher in the sixth form. At the end of the year they bid a heartbreaking farewell, both in tears, which shows the deep bond between them.
5. What was the topic of Anne’s final punishment essay, and how did she handle it?
ANSWERThe topic was ‘Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox’. With her friend Sanne’s help, Anne turned the joke around by writing it as a witty poem about a mother duck and a father swan, which made Mr Keesing laugh.
Long answer
6. ‘Anne Frank was a sensitive, intelligent and witty girl.’ Discuss with reference to the extract.
ANSWERThe extract reveals Anne as a remarkably mature young writer. She is sensitive: despite having loving parents, a sister and many friends, she feels a deep loneliness and longs for one true friend, pouring out her feelings to her diary. She is honest and self-aware, willing to admit that the lack of closeness with friends may be her own fault. She is intelligent, valuing convincing arguments over empty chatter, and she writes with a warmth and depth far beyond her years. Above all she is witty – her playful description of being ‘plunked down’ as a birthday present, and her clever verse essay that turns Mr Keesing’s punishment into a joke, show a sparkling sense of humour. Together these qualities explain why her diary has touched readers worldwide.
7. Describe the episode of Mr Keesing and the essays. What does it tell us about Anne and her teacher?
ANSWERMr Keesing, the maths teacher, was irritated by Anne’s endless talking and punished her with an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. Anne cleverly argued that talking was a student’s trait and an inherited habit she could not fully cure. Amused but unsatisfied, he set a second essay, ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’, and finally a mocking one, ‘Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox’. With Sanne’s help, Anne wrote it as a humorous poem about a duck family, completely turning the joke around. Mr Keesing took it in good spirit, read it aloud and afterwards let Anne talk freely. The episode shows Anne’s wit, courage and creativity, and reveals Mr Keesing as a teacher who, though strict, had a sense of humour and fairness.
MCQs & Assertion–Reason
1. On what occasion was the diary given to Anne Frank?
(a) Her tenth birthday (b) Her thirteenth birthday (c) New Year (d) Christmas
2. In which city was Anne Frank born?
(a) Amsterdam (b) Aachen (c) Frankfurt (d) Berlin
3. What saying does Anne recall while deciding to keep a diary?
(a) Honesty is the best policy (b) Paper has more patience than people (c) A friend in need is a friend indeed (d) Time and tide wait for none
Assertion–Reason – choose: (a) A and R true, R explains A; (b) A and R true, R does not explain A; (c) A true, R false; (d) A false, R true.
1. Assertion (A): Anne decided to keep a diary.
Reason (R): She felt she had no true friend in whom she could confide.
2. Assertion (A): Anne thought the world would not be interested in her musings.
Reason (R): Her diary later became one of the most widely read books in the world.
3. Assertion (A): Anne gives a brief sketch of her family in the diary.
Reason (R): She treats ‘Kitty’ as a new friend who knows nothing about her.
4. Assertion (A): Mr Keesing finally allowed Anne to talk in class.
Reason (R): Anne was the best student in maths.
5. Assertion (A): Anne felt lonely despite having parents, a sister and many friends.
Reason (R): She had no one with whom she could share her deepest thoughts.
Answer key: 1-(a) Both true, R explains A. 2-(b) Both true, but R does not explain A. 3-(a) Both true, R explains A. 4-(c) A true, R false (he allowed her because she took his joke well with a witty poem, not because of maths). 5-(a) Both true, R explains A.
Exam tips
How to score full marks
Remember key facts for one-mark questions: diary given on her 13th birthday, named ‘Kitty’, written originally in Dutch, sister Margot, maths teacher Mr Keesing.
For “character of Anne” questions, support every trait (sensitive, honest, witty, intelligent) with a short example from the text.
Quote the saying “Paper has more patience than people” when explaining why Anne kept a diary.
In long answers, write in clear paragraphs with a brief introduction and conclusion, and stay within the word limit.
FAQs
Who was Anne Frank?
Anne Frank was a German-born Jewish girl who kept a diary while hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II. Her diary was later published as The Diary of a Young Girl.
Why did Anne Frank call her diary ‘Kitty’?
She wanted the diary to be the true friend she lacked, so she imagined it as a person and addressed it by the name ‘Kitty’.
Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne, and how did she win him over?
He was annoyed because Anne talked too much in class. She won him over by writing a clever, humorous poem for her punishment essay, which he enjoyed so much that he let her talk freely afterwards.
Questions are reproduced verbatim from the NCERT First Flight textbook; the summary and all answers are written originally by ClearStudy.
