The poem Father to Son by Elizabeth Jennings, included in the Hornbill book, is an important part of Class 11 English syllabus. It explores the emotional distance and communication gap between a father and his son, showing the pain of estrangement and the longing for reconciliation.
Below, we provide a complete set of Father to Son class 11 questions and answers that will help you understand the poem in detail and prepare effectively for exams.
Each question and answer from Father to Son poem is explained in simple language, covering extract-based, short, and long-answer types. These exam-oriented solutions will make your preparation easier and give you clarity about the poem’s meaning and central idea.
Father to Son Extract-based Questions
Below are the top extract-based questions and answers from Father to Son poem in Class 11th English syllabus:
Extract 1
I do not understand this child
Though we have lived together now
In the same house for years.
I know nothing of him,
So try to build up a relationship from how
He was when small.
Q1. Who is the speaker in these lines?
a) The son
b) The poet
c) The father
d) A stranger
Show Answer:
Answer: c) The father
Q2. What does the father confess here?
a) He has no house
b) He does not understand his son
c) He wants to leave home
d) He regrets his childhood
Show Answer:
Answer: b) He does not understand his son
Q3. What does the father want to rebuild?
a) His house
b) His career
c) His relationship with his son
d) His childhood memories
Show Answer:
Answer: c) His relationship with his son
Q4. What tone is reflected in these lines?
a) Anger
b) Joy
c) Regret and helplessness
d) Humor
Show Answer:
Answer: c) Regret and helplessness
Q5. What literary device is used in “I do not understand”?
a) Metaphor
b) Personification
c) Repetition
d) Simile
Show Answer:
Answer: c) Repetition
Extract 2
Yet have I killed
The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine?
We speak like strangers, there’s no sign
Of understanding in the air.
Q6. What metaphor does the father use here?
a) House as a seed
b) Son as a seed
c) Relationship as a seed
d) Love as a tree
Show Answer:
Answer: c) Relationship as a seed
Q7. What does the father doubt about himself?
a) His health
b) His success
c) His responsibility in the failed bond
d) His wealth
Show Answer:
Answer: c) His responsibility in the failed bond
Q8. What does “we speak like strangers” show?
a) Close friendship
b) Lack of understanding
c) Mutual respect
d) Family bonding
Show Answer:
Answer: b) Lack of understanding
Q9. What is the father searching for?
a) Signs of wealth
b) Signs of love
c) Signs of understanding
d) Signs of obedience
Show Answer:
Answer: c) Signs of understanding
Q10. Which theme of the poem is shown here?
a) Childhood innocence
b) Love for nature
c) Generation gap and estrangement
d) Social issues
Show Answer:
Answer: c) Generation gap and estrangement
Extract 3
This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share.
Silence surrounds us. I would have him
Prodigal, returning to his father’s house, the home he knew,
Rather than see him make and move
His world.
Q11. What does the father mean by “built to my design”?
a) His son looks like him
b) He designed a house
c) He is proud of his property
d) His son copies his choices
Show Answer:
Answer: a) His son looks like him
Q12. Why does the father feel distant from his son?
a) He is angry with him
b) He cannot relate to his son’s interests
c) The son does not live with him
d) He is away at work
Show Answer:
Answer: b) He cannot relate to his son’s interests
Q13. What does the reference to “prodigal” symbolize?
a) Success
b) Anger
c) Forgiveness and reconciliation
d) Punishment
Show Answer:
Answer: c) Forgiveness and reconciliation
Q14. What dominates their relationship according to the father?
a) Silence
b) Love
c) Respect
d) Obedience
Show Answer:
Answer: a) Silence
Q15. What does the father desire most here?
a) That his son builds a new world
b) That his son returns to him with love
c) That his son leaves forever
d) That his son obeys him blindly
Show Answer:
Answer: b) That his son returns to him with love
Father to Son Question Answers (Very Short)
Below are top 10 very short or MCQ-based questions and answers from Class 11 Father to Son poem:
Q1. Who wrote the poem Father to Son?
a) Markus Natten
b) Elizabeth Jennings
c) Walt Whitman
d) Ted Hughes
Show Answer:
Answer: b) Elizabeth Jennings
Q2. What is the central theme of the poem Father to Son?
a) Love for nature
b) Generation gap and estrangement
c) Childhood memories
d) Social injustice
Show Answer:
Answer: b) Generation gap and estrangement
Q3. What does the father regret in the poem?
a) His career choices
b) His poor health
c) His distant relationship with his son
d) His lack of wealth
Show Answer:
Answer: c) His distant relationship with his son
Q4. What dominates the father-son relationship in the poem?
a) Joy
b) Silence
c) Anger
d) Humor
Show Answer:
Answer: b) Silence
Q5. What does the father compare the relationship with his son to?
a) A broken wall
b) A lost song
c) A failed seed
d) A locked door
Show Answer:
Answer: c) A failed seed
Q6. What is symbolized by the reference to the “prodigal son”?
a) Anger
b) Forgiveness and reconciliation
c) Wealth and power
d) Obedience
Show Answer:
Answer: b) Forgiveness and reconciliation
Q7. What does the father mean by “built to my design”?
a) His son is his biological child
b) His son copies his hobbies
c) His son builds houses
d) His son obeys his every word
Show Answer:
Answer: a) His son is his biological child
Q8. What does the phrase “empty hand” symbolize?
a) Poverty
b) Longing for reconciliation
c) Authority
d) Anger
Show Answer:
Answer: b) Longing for reconciliation
Q9. What emotion grows from grief in the poem?
a) Anger
b) Joy
c) Pride
d) Humor
Show Answer:
Answer: a) Anger
Q10. How does the poem Father to Son end?
a) With separation
b) With forgiveness and reconciliation
c) With a fight
d) With silence forever
Show Answer:
Answer: b) With forgiveness and reconciliation
More Important Resources for CBSE Exam:
| CBSE Board: All details | CBSE Class 11 Commerce Subjects |
| CBSE Full Form | All about CBSE Class 11th |
| Class 11th Hornbill Syllabus |
Class 11 Father to Son Question Answers (Short)
Q1. What is the main conflict expressed in the poem Father to Son?
Ans: The main conflict is the emotional distance between father and son. Despite living together, they fail to understand each other, and silence dominates their relationship. The father regrets the lost bond and longs for reconciliation, showing the pain of the generation gap.
Q2. How does the father describe his knowledge of his son?
Ans: The father admits that he hardly knows his son. Though they have shared the same house for years, the father feels like a stranger to him. This lack of understanding and communication makes him realize the failure in their relationship.
Q3. What metaphor does the father use to describe the failed relationship?
Ans: The father uses the metaphor of a seed. He wonders if he has “killed the seed” or sown it in the wrong place. This symbolizes his regret that the relationship, though nurtured, did not grow into love and understanding.
Q4. Why does the father mention the “prodigal son”?
Ans: The “prodigal son” is a biblical reference symbolizing reconciliation and forgiveness. The father hopes that his son, like the prodigal son, will return to him with love, so they can rebuild their broken bond and restore their relationship.
Q5. How does the poem highlight the generation gap?
Ans: The poem highlights the generation gap through the father’s realization that his son has different interests, values, and choices. They cannot share common ground, which creates distance. The gap lies not only in age but also in their inability to understand each other.
Q6. How does the father feel about his own role in the estrangement?
Ans: The father feels guilty and questions if he is responsible for the broken bond. He wonders if he has failed as a parent or if his son has chosen his own path. This self-doubt shows his sorrow and helplessness.
Q7. What role does silence play in the poem?
Ans: Silence symbolizes the lack of communication between father and son. Instead of meaningful conversations, there is emptiness and distance. This silence deepens the emotional gap and becomes a barrier that prevents them from reconnecting.
Q8. How is reconciliation shown as possible in the poem?
Ans: Reconciliation is shown through the image of “empty hands.” Both father and son long to forgive each other and rebuild their bond. Despite the anger and grief, they share the desire to reconnect, which gives the poem a hopeful ending.
Q9. How does the poem show universal family experiences?
Ans: The poem represents a common issue faced by many families—lack of communication and understanding between generations. It reflects the sorrow, regret, and longing that parents and children often feel, making the poem relatable to all readers.
Q10. How does the poem end on a hopeful note?
Ans: The poem ends with both father and son acknowledging their grief and realizing the need for forgiveness. They stretch out empty hands, symbolizing the desire to reconcile and rebuild their relationship, offering hope that love can heal the emotional gap.
Find detailed questions and answers from all chapters of English Class 11 now:
Class 11 English Father to Son Question Answers (Long)
Q1. Describe the father’s feelings in the poem Father to Son.
Ans: The father feels helpless, lonely, and regretful as he realizes that he no longer understands his son. Though they live under the same roof, they are like strangers to each other. The father regrets that their conversations lack warmth and that silence dominates their relationship. He compares their broken bond to a seed that has not grown. He feels guilty and questions if he is responsible for this failure.
Despite the pain, the father longs for reconciliation. He wishes his son would return to him, like the prodigal son in the Bible, so they could rebuild their bond. In the end, he stretches out an “empty hand,” symbolizing his desire to forgive and reconnect.
Q2. What does the poem reveal about the generation gap between father and son?
Ans: The poem clearly shows the generation gap as the father and son are unable to relate to each other. The father admits that he cannot share his son’s interests or values, though the son is his own child. This difference in thinking and lifestyle creates distance between them.
The father feels left behind in his son’s world, while the son has moved forward, building a life of his own. Their inability to communicate makes the gap wider. However, the father is not angry but sad and regretful. He wishes to bridge the gap by forgiving and reconnecting. The poem highlights that the generation gap is not just about age but also about lack of communication and understanding.
Q3. Explain the metaphor of the seed used in the poem.
Ans: In the poem, the father compares his relationship with his son to a seed that he has sown but which has not grown into a healthy plant. He wonders whether he “killed the seed” or planted it in the wrong land, where it could not take root. This metaphor reflects the failure of nurturing their bond.
The father feels that despite his efforts, his relationship with his son has not developed into love and understanding. The seed is a symbol of the father’s care and responsibility, while its failure to grow represents the distance and estrangement between them. This metaphor beautifully captures the father’s guilt, helplessness, and regret over the lost closeness.
Q4. What role does silence play in the poem Father to Son?
Ans: Silence is a dominant symbol in the poem, representing the lack of communication between father and son. The father admits that silence surrounds them, leaving no space for understanding or emotional exchange. Instead of meaningful conversations, their bond is marked by emptiness and distance.
This silence has grown over the years and has created a wall between them. The father regrets this condition but feels unable to change it. At the same time, silence also reflects the unsaid emotions between them—grief, guilt, and longing for reconciliation. Toward the end, both father and son stretch out empty hands, breaking the silence with their unspoken desire for forgiveness. Thus, silence in the poem highlights both their estrangement and their hidden wish to reconnect.
Q5. Why does the father use the reference of the “prodigal son”?
Ans: The reference to the “prodigal son” comes from a biblical parable where a wayward son returns to his father, who welcomes him back with love and forgiveness. In the poem, the father uses this reference to express his hope that his son, despite their differences and distance, will one day return to him with love. He does not want to lose his son completely to a different world.
Instead, he desires reconciliation and a fresh beginning. The reference also symbolizes unconditional love and forgiveness. By using this image, the father highlights his willingness to let go of past mistakes and restore their bond. It shows that, beneath the pain of estrangement, there is still love and hope for rebuilding the relationship.
Q6. How does the poem reflect the father’s guilt and helplessness?
Ans: The father in the poem feels guilty that he has failed to understand his son. He wonders whether he is responsible for the broken bond, comparing it to a seed that did not grow. He feels helpless as he cannot share his son’s interests or thoughts, and they live like strangers.
Silence surrounds their relationship, leaving no room for communication. Despite this, the father’s tone is not angry but full of sorrow and regret. He longs to reconnect but does not know how to overcome the gap. His empty hand at the end symbolizes his helplessness but also his readiness to forgive and rebuild. The poem beautifully conveys the emotional turmoil of a father who realizes his shortcomings yet hopes for reconciliation.
Q7. How does Elizabeth Jennings present the theme of reconciliation in the poem?
Ans: Reconciliation is the central hope of the poem. Although the father laments the lost bond with his son, he does not give up on love. He openly expresses his willingness to forgive his son and begin again. The reference to the “prodigal son” shows his desire for his child to return home and restore their closeness.
At the end, both father and son stretch out “empty hands,” a powerful image that symbolizes their shared longing to reconnect. The father’s hand shows forgiveness, while the son’s hand reflects acceptance of it. Jennings ends the poem on a note of hope, suggesting that reconciliation, though difficult, is possible when both sides are willing. This makes the poem universal and relatable, as it portrays the desire to mend broken relationships.
Q8. How is the father-son relationship in the poem symbolic of universal family experiences?
Ans: The relationship between father and son in the poem is symbolic of many family experiences worldwide. Parents and children often live together but fail to understand each other. Differences in values, interests, and communication create emotional gaps. The father’s regret and longing reflect the pain many parents feel when their children drift away.
The son’s silence mirrors how young people often distance themselves in search of independence. Yet, the mutual longing for reconciliation is also universal. The image of “empty hands” stretched out for forgiveness symbolizes this shared human desire to heal broken bonds. Elizabeth Jennings captures a situation that goes beyond one family, making the poem timeless and relatable to all.
Q9. Write a critical appreciation of the poem Father to Son.
Ans: Elizabeth Jennings’ Father to Son is a poignant poem about the generation gap and strained family relationships. Written in free verse, the poem avoids rhyme or meter, reflecting the natural flow of thought. The father speaks throughout, expressing his regret, sorrow, and longing for reconciliation with his son.
Literary devices like metaphor (seed for relationship), symbolism (prodigal son, empty hand), and imagery (silence surrounds) enrich the poem. The tone is sorrowful but ends with hope, showing that love can rebuild broken bonds. Its universal theme of estrangement and reconciliation makes it relatable to every family. Jennings’ simple yet powerful language effectively captures the complexity of emotions, making the poem both touching and thought-provoking.
Q10. What message does the poem Father to Son convey?
Ans: The message of the poem is that communication and understanding are essential in relationships, especially between parents and children. The father regrets not knowing his son despite living with him and longs for reconciliation. Jennings shows that the generation gap is natural but can be overcome with love and forgiveness.
The biblical reference to the prodigal son and the final image of empty hands symbolize hope for reconciliation. The poem conveys that anger and grief often arise from lack of understanding, but forgiveness can heal emotional wounds. Ultimately, Jennings reminds us that love should triumph over pride, and relationships can be rebuilt if both sides are willing to try.
Read the chapter-wise summaries of Class 11 English here:
Father to Son Important Questions
- What is the main conflict expressed in the poem Father to Son?
- How does the poem highlight the generation gap between father and son?
- Explain the metaphor of the seed used in the poem.
- What role does silence play in the father-son relationship?
- Why does the father use the reference of the “prodigal son”?
- How does the poem reflect the father’s guilt and helplessness?
- How is reconciliation shown as possible in the poem?
- Write the central idea of the poem Father to Son.
- Give a critical appreciation of the poem.
- What universal message does Elizabeth Jennings convey through this poem?
About the Poem Father to Son
Father to Son by Elizabeth Jennings is a deeply emotional poem that highlights the strained relationship between a father and his son. The father, despite living with his child under the same roof for years, feels like a stranger to him. He regrets that their communication has broken down and that silence has replaced love and understanding.
The father compares their bond to a seed that did not grow as expected, symbolizing the failure of nurturing their relationship. He longs for reconciliation and forgiveness, expressing hope that his son will return to him like the biblical “prodigal son.”
The poem portrays the universal issue of the generation gap, where differences in thinking create emotional distance between parents and children. Yet, it ends on a hopeful note, as both father and son stretch out empty hands, longing to forgive and rebuild their bond.
Read the explanation and Summary of Father to Son poem.
Wrapping Up:
Father to Son by Elizabeth Jennings captures the pain of estrangement and the longing for reconciliation between generations. These questions and answers from Father to Son poem in Class 11 English provide a clear understanding of the poem’s meaning, themes, and literary devices, helping Class 11 students prepare effectively for exams and reflect on family bonds.
Check the latest CBSE Class 11 syllabus for all subjects below:
| Class 11th History Syllabus | Class 11th Chemistry Syllabus |
| Class 11th Legal Studies Syllabus | Class 11th Biology Syllabus |
| Class 11th Accountancy Syllabus | Class 11th Psychology Syllabus |
| Class 11th Entrepreneurship Syllabus | Class 11th Fine Arts Syllabus |
| Class 11th Business Studies Syllabus | Class 11th Sociology Syllabus |
| Class 11th Maths Syllabus | Class 11th Economics Syllabus |
| Class 11th Political Science Syllabus | Class 11th English Syllabus |
| Class 11th Physics Syllabus | Class 11th Hindi Syllabus |
| Class 11th Geography Syllabus | Class 11th Computer Science Syllabus |
| Class 11th Informatics Practices Syllabus | Class 11th Physical Education Syllabus |
| Class 11th Home Science Syllabus | Class 11th Sanskrit Syllabus |
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