Updated on 08/06/2026
8. Going Places (A R Barton)
Main Points of the chapter:
This story is about a young school girl Sophie and her fantasies.
On the other hand, there is her classmate Jansie who has no false dreams. She is a realistic, practical and grounded girl.
She knows their families are poor and that both of them are destined to work in the local biscuit factory after school.
Sophie belongs to a lower-middle-class family. But she has very high dreams about her future.
She dreams of having a boutique of her own as well as becoming an actress.
She dreams of becoming a fashion designer also.
Her father is a hard-working, rough-and-tough man who dislikes her wild fantasies.
Her elder brother, Geoff, is a quiet apprentice mechanic who speaks very little, making Sophie wish she could enter his silent world.
In her dreams, she meets Danny Casey, a young football player, who plays for the local club, United.
She tells her brother Geoff as well as to Jansie about her meeting with Danny Casey.
But he and her father both don’t believe her.
She claims she asked him for an autograph for her younger brother, Derek, but couldn't get it because neither of them had a pen.
She tells Geoff that Danny asked her to meet him next week.
Sophie actually walks to a lonely spot near the canal, sits under an elm tree, and waits for Danny Casey but he does not come.
And at last, she has to leave with a broken heart.
She imagines meeting with him and takes his autograph at the arcade.
Very Short Type Q-Ans.
1. Who is the writer of the story ‘Going Places’?
Ans. A. R. Barton
2. Who is Sophie?
Ans. A school young lower-middle-class school girl
3. What does Sophie want to work in, in the beginning?
Ans. She wants to open her own boutique or work as a manager
4. Where were Jansie and Sophie most likely to work after school?
Ans. In a local biscuit factory
5. What is Sophie’s brother, Geoff?
Ans. An apprentice mechanic
6. Who is Derek?
Ans. Sophie’s younger brother
7. Whom did Sophie meet in the arcade?
Ans. Danny Casey
8. For which country's national team did Danny Casey play?
Ans. Ireland.
9. Which local football club did Danny Casey play for in the story?
Ans. United.
10.What did Sophie ask for when she met Danny?
Ans. An autograph
11.Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?
Ans. No, she never met him
12. How did Sophie's little brother, Derek, comment on her fantasies?
Ans. He realistically said, "She thinks money grows on trees, don't she, Dad?"
13. What is the stark contrast between Sophie and Jansie's personalities in one word each?
Ans. Sophie is an 'Escapist' (कल्पनाओं में भागने वाली) while Jansie is a 'Realist' (यथार्थवादी).
Textual Questions
1. Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
Ans. The two girls are Sophie and Jansie. Sophie is a day dreamer. She dreams of starting a boutique after leaving school. But Jansie is a realist. She knows that they belong to poor families. She tells her that they are earmarked for the biscuit factory. It is also possible that they can get some work in a shop.
2. Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Ans. Sofie tells her brother Geoff that she met Danny Casey. Geoff does not believe her. He simply says, I can't believe it. To confirm that she met him, he asks, "What does he look like? He also tells this story to his father to see whether he believes it or not.
3. Does her father believe her story?
Ans. Sofie tells her brother Geoff that she met Danny Casey. Geoff does not believe her. He simply says, I can't believe it. She also tells this story to her father but he does not believe her. He ignores her story completely and talks about Tom Finny, a great footballer.
4. Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?
Ans. No, she did not really meet Danny Casey. She tells about her meeting with Danny Casey to her brother Geoff and her father. But they don't believe her.Because they know she is a day dreamer. She lives in the world of her fantasy.
5. What does Sophie imagine about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Ans. Danny Casey was a great football player. He played football for Ireland. Sophie is a great fan of his. So she often imagines that she has met him in the arcade. She asks him for an autograph. But neither of them had any pen or paper.
6. Why does Jansie say, ‘Soaf, you really should be sensible?
Ans. These two school girls are Sophie and Jansie. Sophie is a day dreamer. She tells Jansie that after leaving school, she will start a boutique. She also says that she will work as a manager and an actress. But Jansie is a realist. She knows that they belong to poor families. She tells her that they are earmarked for the biscuit factory. So she tells Sofie to be sensible.
Long Answer
1. Contrast Sophie's real world with her fantasies. Or
What impression do you form of Sophie's Character from the story 'Going Places'.
Ans. Sofie belongs to a middle class family. But she has big dreams. She lives in the world of dreams. She tells Jansie that when she leaves school, she will start a boutique. Then she dreams of becoming the manager of a film. She also dreams of becoming an actress. Like all teenagers, she too has her idols and role models. She is a fan of Danny Casey. Her role model is her brother Geoff. Both of them are part of her dreams. She dreams of meeting with Danny Casey. She even waits for him. But he does not come. She also wants to visit new places with her brother. Thus we see that Sophie's dreams and disappointments are only in her mind.
Important Spellings
A. R. Barton (लेखक का नाम)
Boutique (फैशनेबल कपड़ों की दुकान / बुटीक)
Adolescent (किशोरवय / युवावस्था)
Fantasizing (दिवास्वप्न देखना / कल्पना करना)
Escapism (यथार्थ से भागने की प्रवृत्ति)
Apprentice (शिक्षु / काम सीखने वाला नया कर्मचारी)
Melancholy (उदासी / निराशाजनक वातावरण)
Arcade (दुकानों से घिरा ढका हुआ मार्ग / गैलरी)
Pilgrimage (तीर्थयात्रा - यहाँ मैच देखने के संदर्भ में)
Prodigy (विलक्षण प्रतिभा संपन्न व्यक्ति - जैसे Danny Casey)
Skeptical (संदेहवादी / जिसे आसानी से विश्वास न हो)
Incongruity (असंगति / बेमेल होना)
Solitary (अकेला / सुनसान)
Ecstasy (परमानंद / अत्यधिक खुशी)
Component (हिस्सा / घटक)
Apprehensive (आशंकित / चिंतित)
Distraction (ध्यान भटकना)
Chutney (पाठ में घरेलू माहौल को दर्शाने के लिए उपयोग हुआ भारतीय शब्द)