Going Places

Here is a summary of the chapter “Going Places” and the answers to the questions from the sources, presented with ease to understand and emojis.

Summary of “Going Places”

The chapter “Going Places” is a story by A. R. Barton that explores the theme of adolescent fantasising and hero worship. It focuses on a young school-leaver named Sophie.

Sophie comes from a socio-economic background of apparent hardship, with indicators like living in a crowded, small room with crumbling walls and wobbly doors, and her family being earmarked for the biscuit factory. Despite this reality, Sophie harbours unrealistic dreams. She tells her friend Jansie that when she leaves school, she wants to open a boutique, be a manager to save money, or be like fashion icon Mary Quant, having the most amazing shop. Jansie, who is more realistic and aware that they are likely headed for the biscuit factory, discourages Sophie’s fantasies, noting that such dreams require money.

Sophie also idealises her older brother, Geoff, who works as an apprentice mechanic. She imagines his life, believing he knows “exotic, interesting people” and goes to places unknown to her, longing to be admitted into his confidence and accompany him.

The story introduces Danny Casey, a young Irish football prodigy whom Sophie hero-worships. Sophie claims to have met Danny Casey in an arcade. She describes details about him, like his green eyes and shyness. Her father and brother are initially dismissive or disbelieving. Sophie insists the meeting was real and even claims Casey agreed to meet her again for an autograph.

The climax involves Sophie going to a bench by the canal, a place she often played in as a child, to wait for Danny Casey, as she imagined he would come. She sits there alone, waiting, imagining his arrival, but as time passes, she feels “pangs of doubt” and eventually realises he will not come. The episode ends with her still clinging to the fantasy, reliving her imagined encounter and his performance on the field. The story highlights the difference between Sophie’s fantastical inner world and her mundane reality.

Answers to Questions

Here are the answers to the questions from the provided source material related to “Going Places”:

Questions from Page 78 (Understanding the text):

1. Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school? 🤔🏭 It was most likely that the two girls, Sophie and Jansie, would find work at the biscuit factory after school. Jansie knew they were both “earmarked for the biscuit factory”.
2. What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams? ✨🛍️👩‍🏫❓ Sophie was dreaming of having a boutique, being a manager to start with to save money, or being like Mary Quant, a natural in the fashion world. Jansie discourages her because she is more realistic and knows that dreams like opening a boutique take money, which they do not have, and saving that much money would take a long time. She also points out they wouldn’t make Sophie manager straight away.

Questions from Page 80 (Understanding the text):

1. Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey? 😬🤫 Sophie wriggled when Geoff told her father because she knew her claim of meeting Danny Casey was a fantasy or a lie, and she was likely embarrassed or anxious about her father’s reaction or the possibility of her story being disbelieved or causing trouble. Her father’s expression was one of “disdain”.
2. Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey? 🤔❌ No, Geoff does not believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey. He tells Sophie, “He don’t believe you - though he’d like to”, and later calls it “the unlikeliest thing I ever heard”.
3. Does her father believe her story? 😒❌ No, her father does not believe her story. His expression is one of “disdain”, and he comments dismissively, “He don’t believe you”. He seems more interested in reminiscing about someone he knew who knew Tom Finney.
4. How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future? ✨🏍️👫 In her fantasy of her future, Sophie imagines being with Geoff, riding behind him on his motorcycle. She pictures them riding together into the “vast world out there waiting for her,” with Geoff wearing new, shining black leathers and herself in a yellow dress, and even imagines the world rising to greet them with applause.
5. Which country did Danny Casey play for? 🇮🇪⚽ Danny Casey played for Ireland.

Questions from Page 84 (Understanding the text):

1. Sophie and Jansie were class-mates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story? 👯‍♀️ contrasts The main differences between Sophie and Jansie that show up are:
   • Dreams vs. Reality: Sophie is a dreamer with unrealistic fantasies about her future (boutique owner, manager, meeting celebrities). Jansie is realistic and practical, accepting their likely future working in the biscuit factory and discouraging Sophie’s fanciful ideas.
   • Privacy: Sophie is secretive and creates an inner world of fantasy. Jansie is described as “nosey”, showing a lack of discretion about other people’s affairs.
   • Temperament: Sophie is prone to fantasising and somewhat detached from her immediate reality. Jansie seems more grounded and concerned with practicalities.
2. How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father? 👨‍👧‍👦😠 Sophie’s father is portrayed as a grimy, sweat-marked man after work. He is shown eating heartily and watching television. His temperament appears to be irritable and dismissive of Sophie’s dreams and claims. He reacts with “disdain” to her story about Danny Casey and warns her aggressively that she will talk herself into trouble. He seems more interested in football history than his daughter’s life.
3. Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise? 👦✨🗝️ Sophie liked her brother Geoff because he was quiet and she suspected he had areas of his life she knew nothing about. She was jealous of his silence and felt that when he wasn’t speaking, he was “away somewhere, out there in the world” in places she had never been. From her perspective, he symbolised a vast, unknown world of possibilities, adventure, and freedom that was out of her reach but which she longed to enter.
4. What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status? 🏠👨‍👩‍👧‍👦💸 Sophie belonged to a working-class socio-economic background. Indicators of her family’s financial status include:
   • They were earmarked for the biscuit factory, implying limited educational and career prospects.
   • Their home is described as a small room that is steamy from the stove and cluttered, with crumbling walls, wobbly doors, and no windows.
   • The father is described as a labourer.
   • The idea that money “grows on trees” is presented as a naive thought, suggesting money is a scarce resource.
   • Jansie points out the cost associated with Sophie’s dream of opening a boutique.
5. Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny? 🤔🤐 Sophie didn’t want Jansie to know about her story with Danny Casey, particularly the part about the proposed meeting, because she knew Jansie was “nosey” and couldn’t be trusted to keep a secret. She feared if the full story got out, especially to her father, it would lead to a “row” and trouble. She wanted some parts of her fantasy world to remain private.
6. Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey? 🤔❌ Based on the narrative, Sophie did not really meet Danny Casey in the way she described and waited for him. The text shows her imagining the encounter in detail while waiting alone by the canal. Her family and Jansie’s disbelief also point to the meeting being a fantasy.

Question from Page 84 (Talking about the text):

Note: These are discussion prompts, not questions requiring factual answers directly from the text. I will comment on them briefly based on the themes in the text.

1. Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. Yes, the text strongly suggests that Sophie’s dreams of success and her “meeting” with Danny Casey, leading to the disappointment of him not showing up, primarily exist within her own imagination and internal world. The story contrasts her inner fantasies with her external reality.
2. It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasising? The text presents adolescent fantasising as a means of escape from a mundane or difficult reality, as seen in Sophie’s situation. It provides a sense of hope and excitement. However, a disadvantage highlighted is the potential for disappointment when fantasies collide with reality, and it can lead to trouble or conflict with others who are more grounded.

Questions from Page 85 (Working with words):

Note: Explaining the meaning of idiomatic expressions.

1. Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of a ground. This means it was very difficult to get Geoff to talk. Like digging stones from the ground requires effort, getting him to say anything required persistent coaxing or effort.
2. Sophie felt a tightening in her throat. This expression indicates Sophie was feeling a strong emotion like anxiety, fear, or embarrassment. It suggests she was close to crying or felt a physical manifestation of distress.
3. If he keeps his head on his shoulders. This means if he remains sensible, calm, and doesn’t get carried away or make foolish decisions, especially due to distractions.
4. On Saturday they made their weekly pilgrimage to the United. This is a metaphorical use. It means they went to watch the Manchester United football match as a regular, almost ritualistic journey, like a religious pilgrimage. It shows the importance of watching the match in their lives.
5. She saw… him ghost past the lumbering defenders. This means she saw him move past the defenders very quickly, smoothly, and effortlessly, as if he were a ghost or spirit. “Lumbering” implies the defenders were moving slowly and awkwardly in comparison.

Questions from Pages 85-86 (Noticing form):

Note: Identifying sentences with present participles used to indicate simultaneous action.

The highlighted words ending in “-ing” in the provided examples are present participles. They describe an action happening at the same time as the main verb.

• 1. “When I leave,’ Sophie said, coming home from school…”: Sophie “said” this while she was “coming home”.
• 2. Jansie, linking arms with her along the street, looked doubtful.: Jansie “looked doubtful” while she was “linking arms” with Sophie.
• 3. “I’ll find it,” Sophie said, staring far down the street.: Sophie “said” this while she was “staring”.
• 4. Jansie, knowing they were both earmarked for the biscuit factory, became melancholy.: Jansie “became melancholy” because she was “knowing” or aware of this fact.
• 5. And she turned in through the open street door leaving Jansie standing in the rain.: She “turned in” at the same time as she was “leaving” Jansie.

Pick out five other sentences from the story in which present participles are used in this sense. Here are five more examples from the text where a present participle is used to show simultaneous action with the main verb:

1. He sat frowning at the oily component…: He “sat” while he was “frowning”.
2. …hanging on the back of his father’s chair.: Derek was “hanging” while the father was eating/sitting.
3. She stopped at the door of one such house, bangs a wobbly iron door with his foot, and pushes it open. We enter a half-built shack. In one part of it, thatched with dead grass, is a firewood stove over which sits a large vessel of sizzling spinach leaves. On the ground, in large aluminium platters, are more chopped vegetables. A frail young woman is cooking the evening meal for the whole family. Through eyes filled with smoke she smiles. She is the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother. Not much older in years, she has begun to command respect as the bahu, the daughter-in-law of the house, already in charge of three men — her husband, Mukesh and their father. When the older man enters, she gently withdraws behind the broken wall and brings her veil closer to her face. As custom demands, daughters-in-law must veil their faces before male elders. In this case the elder is an impoverished bangle maker. Despite long years of hard labour, first as a tailor, then a bangle maker, he has failed to renovate a house, send his two sons to school. All he has managed to do is teach them what he knows — the art of making bangles. (This passage is actually from “Lost Spring”. Let me find examples from “Going Places” instead).
   • Correction: I need to make sure I’m using sentences from “Going Places”. Here are five examples from “Going Places”:
   1. …Sophie said, staring far down the street. (Already given as example 3, finding others).
   2. Their father was scooping shepherd’s pie into his mouth as hard as he could go, his plump face still grimy and sweat — marked from the day. (No participle used for simultaneity here).
   3. He was kneeling on the floor in the next room tinkering with a part of his motorcycle over some newspaper spread on the carpet. (No participle used for simultaneity here).
   4. Waiting, she imagined his coming.: She “imagined” while she was “waiting”.
   5. Here I sit, she said to herself, wishing Danny would come…: She “said” while she was “wishing”.
   6. Holding on to the desk, my heart beating, and not daring to look up. (From “The Last Lesson”)
   7. …seeing him come out of the shadows, imagining her own consequent excitement.: She was waiting while she was “seeing” and “imagining”. (Two participles used simultaneously)
   8. Coming through the arcade she pictured him again outside Royce’s.: She “pictured” while she was “coming”.
   9. He turns, reddening slightly.: He “turns” while he is “reddening”.
   10. …and when he smiles he does so shyly, exposing teeth with gaps between.: He “smiles” while he is “exposing” his teeth.

Okay, let’s pick five distinct ones used to show simultaneity:

1. Waiting, she imagined his coming.
2. Here I sit, she said to herself, wishing Danny would come.
3. …seeing him come out of the shadows, imagining her own consequent excitement. (Let’s count these as two distinct actions happening simultaneously while she waits/sits)
4. Coming through the arcade she pictured him again outside Royce’s.
5. …and when he smiles he does so shyly, exposing teeth with gaps between.

These sentences use the present participle (waiting, wishing, seeing, imagining, Coming, exposing) to describe an action occurring at the same time as the main verb (imagined, said, pictured, does so).

Question from Page 86 (Thinking about language):

Note: Identifying colloquial words and suggesting others.

• Notice these words in the story.
  • “chuffed”, meaning delighted or very pleased
  • “nosey”, meaning inquisitive
  • “gawky”, meaning awkward, ungainly These are words used in an informal way in colloquial speech.

Make a list of ten other words of this kind. Note: The source asks me to make this list as an activity, not based on the text itself. I will mention this is an activity suggested by the source. This is an activity prompted by the source. The source suggests identifying other colloquial words outside of the provided examples. Examples of other words used informally in colloquial speech (not from the source text): ‘bloke’, ‘mate’, ’loo’, ‘argy-bargy’, ‘gobsmacked’, ‘sorted’, ’naff’, ‘fiver’, ’tenner’, ‘quid’.

Questions from Page 86 (Writing & Things to do):

Note: These sections provide writing prompts and activities rather than questions requiring answers drawn from the text.

• Writing: Prompts are given for writing a piece about a role model and questions for interviewing them, or writing a humourous piece about interesting characters.
• Things to do: Prompts are given for finding stories or movies about hero worship and fantasising.

These sections outline suggested activities for the reader to engage with the themes and style of the story. They are not questions that can be answered by summarising information already present in the source text.