AHSEC Class 12 Going Places: Imp. Questions Answers 2025 [HS 2nd Year English Chapter: 4 Solution]

Get AHSEC Class 12 Going Places Question answers prepared as per academic session 2025. HS 2nd Year Going Places Solution with most important questions can be a great resource for your preparation.

About Class 12 English Going Places

“Going Places” is a short story by A. R. Barton that explores the themes of adolescence, dreams, and social class. The story centers around Sophie, a teenage girl who dreams of a life beyond her working-class background. She finds solace in her fantasies, imagining herself as a successful boutique owner or a famous actress. The story portrays the contrast between Sophie’s aspirations and the harsh realities of her circumstances.

Brief Summary of Going Places by A.R.Barton AHSEC Class 12

“Going Places” tells the story of Sophie, a teenager with big dreams and a working-class reality. Sophie aspires to own a boutique and live a glamorous life, far from her factory job. Her friend Jansie is more practical, but Sophie escapes into fantasies of meeting her idol, footballer Danny Casey. The story explores the conflict between dreams and reality, and the yearning for a life beyond limitations.

Assam Board Class 12 English Notes for 2025 Exam

CHAPTER 1: GOING PLACES

AHSEC Class 12 Going Places: Very Short Questions Answer 1 Marks

1.What does Sophie want to have when she grows up? (HS 2017)

ANS: Sophie wanted to have a boutique of her own.

2. How was Geoff employed? (HS 2013, 2016)

ANS: Geoff was working as an apprentice mechanic. 

3. Who is the writer of ‘Going Places’? (HS 2014) 

ANS: A. R. Barton is the wirter of ‘Going Places’.

4. Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey? (HS 2015)

ANS: Sophie didn’t really meet Danny Casey but only imagined meeting him.

5. Where was it most likely that Sophie and her friend would find work after school? (HS 2015)

ANS: The two girls would find work in the biscuit factory after 

school.

6. For whom does Sophie ask Danny Casey an autograph ?(HS 2016)

ANS: Sophie asked Danny Casey an autograph for Derek.

7. Who is Geoff? [AHSEC 2017,2024]

ANS: Geoff was Sophie’s elder brother.

8. Which is the only occasion that Sophie gets to see Casey in person? (HS 2017)

ANS: The only occasion that Sophie gets to see Danny Casey is in the field when they watch the match every Saturday. 

9. Which country does Danny Casey play for? (HS 2018) 

ANS: Ireland.

10. Who are the two friends in the story, ‘Going Places’? 

ANS: Sophie and Jansie are the two friends in the story. 

11. Who is Derek? (2019)

ANS: Derek was the younger brother of Sophie.

12. Who is Danny Casey?

ANS: Danny Casey was an Irish football player. 

13. Does Sophie really meet Danny Casey? Casey but only

ANS: Sophie doesn’t really meet Danny imagines meeting him.

14. Does her father believe her story? 

ANS: Sophie’s father does not believe her story and he warns her that her “wild stories” might land her into trouble. 

15. Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny? (2019)

ANS: Sophie didn’t want Jansie to know about her encounter with Danny because she feared that Jansie would spread her story to the whole neighbourhoods.

16. For whom did Sophie want to get Danny Casey’s autograph?

ANS:- Sophie requested Danny for an autograph for her brother, Derek. [AHSEC 2024]

AHSEC Class 12 Going Places: Short Answer Questions – 2 Marks

1. What job is Geoff engaged in? Does he entertain wild and impractical dreams like his sister? (HS 2012, 2017, 2018) 

ANS: Geoff was engaged as an apprentice mechanic. He has to travel to his work place each day to the far side of the city. He speaks little but listens to his sister’s ‘wild stories”. But he is not a day dreamer like her. He knows the financial limitations of the family. He cautions Sophie against entertaining dreams for a celebrity like Danny Casey. 

2. What are the other dreams Sophie had besides owing boutique?(HS 2013, 2015)

Or

What are the other options that Sophie dreams of besides owing a boutique? (HS 2017)

ANS: (Besides owning a boutique, Sophie also dreams of becoming an actress or a fashion designer. She visualises herself as the English fashion designer Mayr Quant with the best shop in the city. She wanted to do something that she thought was sophisticated.

3. What theme does the story, ‘Going Places’ explore?(HS 2014)

ANS: The story ‘Going Places’ explores the theme of adolescent fantacising and hero worshipping. Sophie, a young girl fantacizes her meeting with the Irish prodigy footballer Danny Casey and becomes responsible for her own sadness and disappointment.

4. What is incongruous_about the ‘delicate bow which fastened the apron strings of Sophie’s, mother? (HS 2016) 

ANS: Sophie’s mother was wearing an apron and its strings were fastened with a dilicate bow which displayed the status of their family and the busy mother in managing the household. This also explains the character of Sophie, why she likes to lead a sophisticated life.

5. What kind of a person is Geoff? (HS 2018)

ANS: Geoff was as quiet boy and kept his views to himself. He spoke little and did not share his views with others. He was the first person with whom Sophie shared all her secrets. She was jealous of his silence and for her it seemed that when he was quiet he was in those places where she had never been.

6. What are the other dreams of Sophie in addition to having a boutique?

ANS: The greatest dream of Sophie is to have a boutique. She wants to be a bit sophisticated and rise above her lower-middle class status. Her other dream is of being an actress as “there’s real money in that Moreover, actresses don’t work full time. She can look after her first love i.e. boutique as a side business. She has another option. She can be a fashion designer, and do something sophisticated.

7. Why does Jansie say: “Soaf you really should be sensible”?

ANS: Jansie knows Sophie’s family background and financial position. She knows that both of them are earmarked for that biscuit factory. Sophie dreams of big and beautiful things like having a boutique or becoming an actress or a fashion designer. All these things need a lot of money and experience. Sophie has neither of them. So Jansie advises her to be sensible and stop having wild dreams.

8. Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie? 

ANS: Sophie and Jansie are classmates and friends but they are poles apart in thinking and temperament. Sophie is an incurable dreamer and escapist. She dreams of big and beautiful things, which are beyond her reach. On the other hand, Jansie is realistic and practical. She knows that they are poor and have to work in the biscuit factory after leaving school. She is well aware that big things require big money and experience, which they don’t have.

9. Why is Sophie ‘jealous of his (Geoff’s) silence’?

ANS: Geoff was almost grown up now. He spoke little. Sophie was jealous of his silence. She knew that when he was not speaking, he was away somewhere. He was out in the surrounding country in those places she had never been. She wanted to share her brother’s affection.

10. What does Sophie tell Geoff about her meeting with Danny Casey? How does Geoff react to it?

ANS: Sophie tells Geoff that she met Danny Casey. Geoff is surprised. He looks round abruptly and asks ‘where?’ Sophie replies that she met him in the arcade. Geoff can’t believe, her. He says, “It’s never true.” He asks her, “What does he look like?” She replies that he has green eyes and is not very tall. Geoff is still not convinced.

11. How did Sophie’s father react when Geoff told him about her meeting with Danny Casey? [AHSEC 2024]

ANS:- Sophie’s father knew his daughter very well. He knew that his daughter had habit of seeing unrealistic dreams. So when Geoff told him about Sophie’s meeting with Daney Casey, he didn’t get excited whatsoever. Instead he stared at Sophie with disdain.

AHSEC Class 12 Going Places: Long Question Answer – 5 Marks

1. What impression do you form of Sophie on reading the story ‘Going Places’?

ANS: Sophie is a young school girl. She dreams of big and beautiful things. Some of these are beyond her reach. Her ambitions have no relation with the harsh realities of life. She thinks of having a boutique. She wants to have the most amazing shop this city has ever seen. Then she entertains the idea of being an actress ‘There’s real money in that.’ Actresses do now work full time. So she would run the boutique as a side business. If need be, she can be a fashion designer. She doesn’t realize that her family is not rich enough and her dreams can’t be fulfilled. Sophie develops a romantic fascination for Danny Casey. He is a young Irish football player and the hero of her dreams. She indulges in hero worship. She tells a story that she met Casey. Her father calls it another of her “wild stories”. Even Geoff does not believe her. She has seen Casey only once, but all the time she thinks of him. She sits alone and waits for his arrival. She becomes sad and despondent when Casey does not come. She suffers because of her dreams. These dreams and disappointments are all the creations of her mind

2. What do you learn about the socio-economic status of Sophie’s family?

ANS: Sophie belonged to a middle class socio-economic background. There are many indicators that point towards that Jansie and Sophie longed for a good life but Jansie knew they were earmarked for the biscuit factory. As Sophie enters her house she sees her father’s face still grubby and sweaty after the day’s hardwork. Again she observes her mother stooping over the sink and the dirty washing piled in the corner. Geoff was an apprentice mechanic and they traveled by bus to watch United play. On her way back home she passed her father’s bicycle outside the pub propped against the wall.

3.What opinion do you form of Sophie’s father? (2019)

ANS: Sophie’s father was a hardworking man. He is described as having a plump face and a heavy breathing man in a vest. His face was grubby and sweaty after the day’s work. When he was informed about Sophie’s meeting with Casey by Geoff he said nothing but looked at her with disain, knowing it to be untrue. When Sophie said that Casey was going to buy a shop, he said with a grimace that it was one of her wild stories. He was a sports lover watching United each Saturday. He also went to the pub to celebrate the victory. 

4…… And it is a hard burden to carry, this sadness.’ Why is Sophie sad?

ANS: Sophie is a day dreamer and an escapist. She wants to rise from the situation in which she finds herself. She is an incurable dreamer and floats in a dreamy world of her own. She has dreamed of a hero, the Irish footballer Danny Casey and develops a fascination for him. She sees him in person only when he scored the second goal for the United. She imagines him coming to meet her and tells her brother about the meeting. She goes on waiting for him on the next date but he does not turn up. She becomes sad and carries the burden of sadness all the times.

5. How does Jansie come to know of the story of meeting with Casey? How does she react? Sophie’s

ANS: Jansie is ‘nosy’. She takes keen interest in learning new things about others. If she comes to know about a secret about anyone she would spead the story in the whole neighbourhood. Sophie had told Geoff about her meeting with Danny Casey and asked him to promise that he would tell no one. It was a secret between the two-something special just between them. Geofff did not keep his promise. He told Jansie’s brother Frank about it. Frank told it to his sister. Jansie was quite surprised that Sophie did not share her secret with her and after hearing shout Sohpie’s meeting with Casey she was excited and wished that she too was present there.

6. Jansie is just as old as Sophie but she is very different from her. Bring out the contrast between the two friends citing relevant instances from the story, ‘Going Places’. [AHSEC 2024]

ANS: Sophie lives in a world of dreams and fantasy. She is an incurable escapist, unwilling to face reality. Her aspirations are big and beautiful, including opening a boutique like Mary Quant. Sophie entertains ideas of becoming an actress and then a fashion designer, without considering the practicalities. Despite her family’s financial limitations, she clings to her extravagant dreams.On the other hand,Jansie is grounded in reality. She is practical and sensible. Jansie knows that their lower-middle-class background limits their options. She reminds Sophie that they are both earmarked for the biscuit factory. Jansie advises Sophie to be practical and not indulge in expensive dreams. She understands the limitations imposed by their socio-economic status. While Sophie dreams big, Jansie emphasizes practicality and the need to face life’s challenges head-on.These contrasting attitudes make Sophie and Jansie distinct and memorable characters in the story. Their interactions highlight the clash between dreams and practicality, creating a thought-provoking narrative .

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Last Words

We hope you find these Important Question Answers, prepared by our team on AHSEC Class 12 English, ‘Going Places,’ helpful. We’ve included previous year questions with answers, along with additional ones for upcoming examinations. Our aim is to provide you with the best possible resources to help you score well. Still if you have any questions or suggestion feel free to comment below.