CBSE Class 9 Communicative English Syllabus 2023-24

COMMUNICATIVE ENGLISH
(Code No. 101)
2023-24 TVTRC

I. Introduction:
Acquiring a language means, above all, acquiring a means to communicate confidently and naturally. In other
words, in order to communicate effectively in real life, students need more than mere knowledge about the
language. In addition, they must be able to use the language effectively, with confidence and fluency.
Therefore, the course in Communicative English has been designed to develop the practical language
communication skills needed for academic study and subsequent adult life.
The course brings together a number of ideas about the nature of language and language learning.
Knowledge and Skill
One of the tenets of the communicative approach is the idea that Language is a skill to be acquired, not
merely a body of knowledge to be learnt. Acquiring a language has been compared to learning to drive. It is
not enough to have only a theoretical knowledge of how an engine works: you must know how to use the
gears and (crucially) how to interact with other road users. Similarly, simply knowing parts of speech or how
to convert the active into the passive voice does not mean you are proficient in a language. You must be able
to put knowledge into practice in everyday language use. Of course, we do not expect a novice driver to move
off without preparation: the driver has rules of the highway which he/she must learn by rote. But there is no
substitute for learning by doing, albeit in the artificial conditions of a deserted road at slow speeds. Equally in
language learning there are some ‘rules to be learnt’ but there is no substitute for learning by doing. In good
teaching, this experience is supported by carefully-graded, contextualized exercises.
Structure and Function
Language can be described in different ways. Obviously we can label an utterance according to its
grammatical structure. Another approach is to decide what function it performs. Consider the following:
a) “Can I open the window?”
b) “Can I carry that case?”
we could say that a) and b) have the same grammatical structure: they are both interrogative sentences. We
should also recognize that they perform different functions: a) is a ‘request’ b) is an ‘offer’.
The course aims to recognize the use to which language is put and encourages pupils to be aware of the
relationship between structure and function.
The overall aims of the course are to:
(a) enable the learner to communicate effectively and appropriately in real-life situations;
(b) use English effectively for study purposes across the curriculum;
(c) develop and integrate the use of the four language skills, i.e., listening, speaking, reading and writing;
(d) develop interest in and appreciation of literature;
(e) revise and reinforce structures already learnt.

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To develop creativity, students should be encouraged to think on their own and express their ideas using their
experience, knowledge and imagination, rather than being text or teacher dependent. Students should be
encouraged to monitor their progress, space out their learning, so they should be encouraged to see language
not just as a functional tool, but as an important part of personal development and inculcation of values.

II. Objectives
READING
By the end of the course, students should be able to: TVTRC
1. read silently at varying speeds depending on the purpose of reading;
2. adopt different strategies for different types of text, both literary and non-literary;
3. recognise the organization of a text;
4. identify the main points of a text;
5. understand relations between different parts of a text through lexical and grammatical cohesive
devices;
6. anticipate and predict what will come next in a text;*
7. deduce the meaning of unfamiliar lexical items in a given context;
8. consult a dictionary to obtain information on the meaning and use of lexical items;*
9. analyse, interpret, infer (and evaluate) the ideas in the text;
10. select and extract, from a text, information required for a specific purpose (and record it in note form);
11. transcode information from verbal to diagrammatic form;
12. retrieve and synthesize information from a range of reference materials using study skills such as
skimming and scanning;
13. interpret texts by relating them to other material on the same theme (and to their own
experience and knowledge);
14. read extensively on their own.
WRITING
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. express ideas in clear and grammatically correct English, using appropriate punctuation and cohesive
devices;
2. write in a style appropriate for communicative purposes;
3. plan, organise and present ideas coherently by introducing, developing and concluding a topic;
4. write a clear description (e.g., of a place, a person, an object or a system);
5. write a clear account of events (e.g., a process, a narrative, a trend or a cause-effect relationship);
6. compare and contrast ideas and arrive at conclusions;
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7. present an argument, supporting it with appropriate examples;
8. use an appropriate style and format to write letters (formal and informal), biographical sketches,
dialogues, speeches, reports, articles, e-mails and diary entries;
9. monitor, check and revise written work;
10. expand notes into a piece of writing;
11. summarise or make notes from a given text; and
12. decode information from one text type to another (e.g., diary entry to letter, advertisement to report,
diagram to verbal form).
(* Objectives which will not be tested in a formal examination)
LISTENING
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. adopt different strategies according to the purpose of listening (e.g., for pleasure, for general interest,
for specific information);
2. use linguistic and non-linguistic features of the context as clues to understanding and interpreting what
is heard (e.g., cohesive devices, key words, intonation, gesture, background noises);
3. listen to a talk or conversation and understand the topic and main points;
4. listen for information required for a specific purpose, e.g., in radio broadcast, commentaries, airport and
railway station announcements;
5. distinguish main points from supporting details, and relevant from irrelevant information;
6. understand and interpret messages conveyed in person or on telephone;
7. understand and respond appropriately to directive language, e.g., instruction, advice, requests and
warning;
8. understand and interpret spontaneous spoken discourse in familiar social situations.
SPEAKING
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. speak intelligibly using appropriate word stress, sentence stress and intonation patterns;
2. adopt different strategies to convey ideas effectively according to purpose, topic and audience
(including the appropriate use of polite expressions);
3. narrate incidents and events, real or imaginary in a logical sequence;
4. present oral reports or summaries; make announcements clearly and confidently;
5. express and argue a point of view clearly and effectively;
6. take active part in group discussions, showing ability to express agreement or disagreement, to
summarise ideas, to elicit the views of others, and to present own ideas;
7. express and respond to personal feelings, opinions and attitudes;

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8. convey messages effectively in person or on telephone;
9. frame questions so as to elicit the desired response, and respond appropriately to questions;
10. participate in spontaneous spoken discourse in familiar social situations.
GRAMMAR
By the end of the course, students should be able to use the following accurately and appropriately in context:
1. Verbs :-

 present/past forms
 simple/continuous forms
 perfect forms
 future time reference TVTRC
 modals
 active and passive voice
 subject-verb concord
 non-finite verb forms (infinitives and participles)
2. Sentence Structure :-

 connectors
 types of sentences
 affirmative/interrogative sentences/ negation
 exclamations
 types of phrases and clauses
- finite and non-finite subordinate clauses
- noun clauses and phrases
- adjective clauses and phrases
- adverb clauses and phrases
- indirect speech
- comparison
- nominalization
3. Other Areas :-

 determiners
 pronouns
 prepositions
LITERATURE
By the end of the course, students should be able to comprehend, interpret, analyse, infer and evaluate the
following features in a literary text:
1 Character as revealed through

 appearance and distinguishing features

 socio-economic background
 action/events
 expression of feelings
 speech and dialogues

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2 Plot/Story/Theme emerging through main events

 progression of events and links between them

 sequence of events denoting theme
3 Setting, as seen through time and place, socio-economic and cultural background, people beliefs and
attitudes.
4 Form

 rhyme
 rhythm
 simile
 metaphor
 pun
 repetition
III. Role of the Teacher
Unlike a teacher-centered classroom, where the teacher plays a dominant role, speaks most of the time, and
interacts with the class as a whole, for the success of this course teachers will need to adopt a variety of
roles. Teachers may note that the number of periods given in this document is suggestive , as overlapping
of skills may happen during classroom-transaction.
Littlewood1 sets out the roles as follows:
• As a general overseer of his/ her students’ learning, the teacher must aim to coordinate the activities so
that they form a coherent progression, leading towards greater communicative ability.
• As a classroom manager, he/ she is responsible for grouping activities into ‘lessons’ and for ensuring that
these are satisfactorily organized at a practical level.
• In many activities, he/ she may perform the familiar role of language instructor: he/ she will present new
language, exercise direct control over the learner’s performance, evaluate and correct it, and so on.
• In others, he/ she will not intervene after initiating the proceedings, but will let learning take place through
independent activity or pair and group work.
• When such an activity is in progress s/he may act as a consultant or adviser, helping where necessary.
He/ She may also move about the classroom in order to monitor the strengths and weaknesses of the
learners, as a basis for planning future learning activities.
• He /She will sometimes wish to participate in an activity as co-communicator with the learners. In this role,
he/ she can simulate and present new language without taking the main initiative for learning away from
the learners themselves.
IV. Classroom Procedures
The main types of classroom organization recommended are individual work, pair work, small group work
and whole class work. It has been the experience of teachers that students adapt themselves very quickly to
the new classroom arrangements, and the interesting nature of the activities themselves produce discipline.
The following sections give practical advice on organization of different types of classroom activities.
1
Littlewood, W. (1981). Communicative language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Individual Work
When an activity is designed for individual work, students will be working mainly on their own. First, ask
students to read the instructions (or read them aloud to the students). Make sure that students understand
what they are expected to do, if necessary by giving an example or (preferably) asking one of the students to
give an example. Then set them to do the activity.
While students do the activity, the teacher can move around the classroom, making sure that everything is
going smoothly and giving individual help where it is needed. Do not interfere too much; remember that too
much interruption and correction may discourage students.
Students will work at different speeds, so they will not all finish at the same time. The easiest solutions to this
is to ask students who have finished to compare their answers with their neighbours’. Call the class together
again when the majority of them have finished the activity, even if some are still working on it. The activity
can then be checked by asking students to give their answers. The teacher needn’t act as the ‘judge’, but
instead can ask other students whether they agree. This checking procedure keeps all students involved, and
gives the slower ones a chance to catch up.

Pair Work
As with individual work, you first need to make sure that students understand the instructions. Once the
activity is clear, you will then have to arrange the class in pairs. Usually it is easiest if a student pairs up with
the person sitting at the same desk. (You may have to move one or two if they are on their own.)

Sometimes it will be necessary to have three working together, but this should not seriously affect their work.

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If your class is very crowded, with most students sitting three to a desk, one row may turn to face those
behind to form three pairs.

Once students have settled down to work, circulate round the classroom, observing and listening to them,
and giving help to those who need it. As with individual work, resist the temptation to interfere too much!
You may find it useful to set a time limit for pair work activity. This can help to focus the students’ attention
and provide a challenge, as well as simplify management of the class. If you wish to do this, tell them the time
limit before they begin, and be prepared to extend or reduce if you find you have misjudged the time required.
In many pair work tasks, checking can be carried out in the same way as for individual work by the teacher
eliciting answers from the students. Sometimes, though, it may be better for one or more pairs of students to

report back their conclusions to the rest of the class, possibly with a class discussion.
Group work
Usually, group work, involves four students but at times it may extend to five or six or even more. Four,
however, is a more convenient number for most classroom situations.
The general procedure for group work is the same as for pair work, that is:
- instructions for the whole class
- organization of the groups
- group activity while the teacher circulates
- feedback and checking for the whole class

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The major difference is that the organization of the groups needs more care. It is fairly simple to form groups
of four by asking students to turn and face those behind.

However, you may feel that some changes are required to achieve a balance in some of the groups. In this
case, move only a few students from one group to another. When the groups move over to the feedback and
checking stage, you may make it more interesting by asking a student to chair the inter-group discussion.
Whole Class Work
Whole class work, of course, is necessary for maters such as formal instruction (e.g. the format of formal and
informal letters), for “warm-up” activities, for class discussion, for “class review” sessions at the close of pair
work or group work. During the whole class work, the teacher is in her traditional role.

V. Handling Pair Work and Small Group Work (PW/SGW)

Introducing and Demonstrating
After a brief explanation of what is to be done, always demonstrate the activity. You have these options:
- The teacher takes both (for all) parts.
- The teacher takes one part, while one or more students take the other parts.
- Two or more students take different parts.
In selecting students to help demonstrate an activity, always select those who will demonstrate it well. Also,
choose students from different parts of the classroom (particularly from the back), so that they will have to
speak loudly in order to be heard. (Don’t choose students sitting side-by-side, or they will speak so softly to
each other that nobody else will hear!) Don’t allow this phase to take too much time – two or three minutes is
usually enough.
Organising
This has largely been covered in the Section B.3.above. A few additional points:
- There is no need to move chairs and desks, and only a very few students will need to move places. For
the most part, students simply face in a different direction in order to form pairs and small groups.

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- The teacher is responsible for deciding who is to work with whom. (Don’t leave it to students to decide, or
the result will be confusion.)
- You may also prefer to allocate roles yourself, e.g. “When pairs, the one nearest the window is A, the
other is B.”
- If you have not used PW/SGW before, expect a little, noise and excitement at first! But students quickly
get used to the new procedures and soon settle down with minimum noise and fuss.
Managing
While students are actually doing the PW/SGW activity, the teacher has an important role to play. It is vital to
move round the class, listening in on PW / SGW and helping / advising where necessary. Be careful, of
course, not to “take over” the activity by intervening too strongly. (Students need the English language
practice, not you!) Sometimes it is advisable to just ‘hover’ at a distance while moving round the class, simply
checking that students are actually doing the activity. Make sure that you distribute your attention evenly over
the course of a term; and give particular help and attention to weaker students.
Concluding
At the close of a PW/SGW activity, bring the whole class together. You may wish to ask a pair or group to
demonstrate what they have done at the front of the class. (Ask weaker pairs or groups to demonstrate, too.
This can be a powerful confidence-builder). Alternatively, you may find a brief class discussion profitable, in
which students exchange experiences that have arisen from the activity itself, e.g. a problem they have
encountered, a good idea someone came up with, something they did not understand. Be careful not to allow
this conclusion phase to take too much time – 5 minute is plenty.
Many teachers view with alarm the prospect of pair work and small group work with a large number of
students. The following are concerns commonly expressed together with the responses of experienced
teachers:
VI. Some questions and answers about Pair Work and Small Group Work
For many teachers, the prospect of PW/SGW with large numbers of students in a class is viewed with alarm.
To help such teachers, the following are concerns expressed, followed by responses that have been given
by other teachers.
Teachers’ concerns about PW/SGW
- It is difficult for the teacher to check whether all students are doing the activity, and (if so) whether they are
producing correct and suitable English.
- More proficient pupils take over weaker pupils.
- Noise levels are high.
- It is not right for the teacher to withdraw from a position of “central control”
- PW/SGW will be rejected by other teachers, parents and by the students themselves as a waste of time
and frivolous.
Responses to these Concerns
- In traditional teacher-led classes, often individual students are not actively participating, but the teacher
remains unaware of this, if a sufficient students seem to be ‘following the lesson’.

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- Noise is a necessary element of good language learning – as it is in a Music lesson. It is not so much
noise itself that some teachers are concerned about, but the amount of noise. There is no easy answer
to this question, since a lot depends on the individual teacher’s relationship with the class. Certainly a
clear introduction to and demonstration of the task will ensure that PW/SGW gets off to a good start, with
no fuss and confusion. And the challenge of the task itself should ensure that students are busily engaged
in the English class. It is for the teacher to make it clear to the class what amount of noise is acceptable,
and to make sure that noise is kept to that level. If noise levels do get too high for comfort, the “noisy
approach” (i.e. the teacher shouting to get less noise) is unlikely to work for any more than a short while.
Instead, try the “quiet approach”, i.e. train your students to recognize that when your hand is raised, they
must raise theirs and be more quiet. On occasions, you may have to speak to particularly noisy and
excited groups. Please do not let the prospect of some degree of noise put you off PW/SGW. If students
are to learn to use English, then they must communicate with each other, not just you. And if they are to
communicate, then there will be a certain amount of positive, beneficial noise. Welcome it as a sign
that your students are growing in confidence and fluency in English.
- It is perfectly true that in PW/SGW the teacher cannot judge whether all students are producing correct
and suitable English. (Of course, this is equally true of a teacher-led classroom where one student is
speaking (to you), and all the others are silent.) But we need to accept that making mistakes in language
is not only normal, but is actually necessary if a learner is to make progress. Advice on what to do about
students’ mistakes when speaking in PW/SGW is given in Section C.6.
- P/SGW encourages all students, even the shy ones, to participate actively. Because they feel they are
not “on show” in front of the whole class, they feel free to experiment with the language, trying out newly-
acquired forms.
- Much research in psycholinguistics in recent years has indicated that peer interaction of this kind in
language classes is frequently highly successful. Not all students, even those in the same class, have
precisely the same stock of knowledge and understanding of the language. Students can pool ideas and
often perform a task better together than they can alone. As they become more familiar with PW/SGW,
they learn to handle activities in a mature manner, sensitively correcting each other’s work. In fact, research
shows that appropriate error correction in well graded activities is just as likely to occur between students
as by the teacher in a teacher-led mode.
- If a good student is paired with a less able one, the former is likely to assume the role of a ‘teacher’. This
experience is often fruitful for both. The less able student has a ‘personal tutor’, and the good student also
improves: having to explain something in simple terms is often an excellent learning experience in itself.
- If a task is well-constructed and the students appropriately prepared, the activity often creates ‘peer
pressure’ to induce reluctant group members to participate.
- PW/SGW is an attempt to encourage students to accept some of the responsibility for learning
themselves. The only truly successful students are the ones who can do this. If the technique is handled
well, it will soon become evident that the teacher is working just as hard as she/he does in a teacher-led
mode. PW/SGW is one of a number of different techniques which a teacher can employ to accommodate
students with different learning styles and for activities with different goals.

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 COMMUNICATIVE ENGLISH (Code NO. 101)
CLASS – IX
2023-24
SECTION-WISE WEIGHTAGE

Section Title Total Weightage

A Reading Skills 20

B Writing Skills 24

C Grammar 10

D Literature Textbook 26
TOTAL 80

SECTION A: READING SKILLS (10+10=20 Marks) 40 Periods

• The section will have two unseen passages with the maximum word limit of 600 words. The passages can
be of any two types out of the following: literary / factual / discursive. Please refer to the Main Course Book.

 Objective Type Questions (including Multiple Choice Questions), and Very Short Answer type Questions
will be asked to test inference, evaluation, analysis and vocabulary in context.

SECTION B: WRITING SKILLS 24 Marks 50 Periods

This section will have a variety of short and long writing tasks.
• Notice Writing for school assembly/ Resident Welfare Association/ School Events/ Classroom information
etc. (maximum 50 words) 4 Marks
• Dialogue Writing, (maximum 100 words) 5 Marks
• Informal Letter (maximum 120 words) 7 Marks
• Paragraph on one out of two themes from the Main Course Book, based on verbal or visual cues (maximum
150 words) 8 Marks
SECTION C: GRAMMAR 10 Marks 20 Periods
Grammar items will be taught and assessed over a period of time.
1. Tenses
2. Modals
1. Subject – verb concord
2. Reported Speech
(i) Commands and Requests

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 (ii) Statements
(iii) Questions
3. Clauses:
(i) Noun clauses
(ii) Adverb clauses
(iii) Relative clauses
4. Determiners
The above items may be tested through test types as given below:
• Gap filling 3 marks
• Editing or Omission 4 marks
• Sentences Reordering or Sentence Transformation in context. 3 marks
SECTION D: LITERATURE TEXTBOOK 26 Marks 50 Periods
• Two out of three extracts from prose/poetry for reference to the context. Very Short Answer Questions and
Short Answer Questions will be asked to assess local and global comprehension, interpretation and
analysis. 8 marks (4+4)

• Six Short Answer Questions out of seven, from the Literature Reader, to test local and global comprehension
of theme and ideas, analysis and evaluation (30-40 words each) 2x6 = 12 Marks

• One out of two Long Answer type Questions to assess how the values inherent in the text have been brought
out. Creativity, imagination and extrapolation beyond the text and across the texts will be assessed. This
can also be a passage-based question taken from a situation/plot from the texts. (120 words).
6 marks
Prescribed Books: Interact in English Series by CBSE (Available on www.cbseacademic.nic.in)
• Main Course Book (Revised Edition)
• Literature Reader (Revised Edition)
• Workbook (Revised Edition)
NOTE: Teachers are advised to:
i. encourage classroom interaction among peers, students and teachers through activities such as role play,
group work etc.,
ii. reduce teacher-talk time and keep it to a minimum,
iii. take up questions for discussion to encourage pupils to participate and to marshal their ideas and express
and defend their views.
Assessment of Listening and Speaking Skills: 50 Periods
Guidelines for the Assessment of Listening and Speaking Skills are given at Annexure I.

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 Question Paper Design
Communicative English
(CODE NO. 101)
2023-24

CLASS IX
TIME: 3 Hours Max. Marks: 80
S.No Competencies % Weightage
1 Demonstrative Knowledge + Understanding
(Knowledge based simple recall questions, to know
specific facts, terms, concepts, principles or theories,
identify, define, or recite, information, comprehension – Up to 30%
to be familiar with meaning and to understand
conceptually, interpret, compare,
contrast, explain, paraphrase information)
2 Conceptual Application (Use abstract information in
concrete situation, to apply knowledge to new situations;
use given content to interpret a situation, provide an Up to 35%
example or solve a problem)

3 Analysis, Evaluation and Creativity Analysis &

Synthesis- classify, compare, contrast, or differentiate
between different pieces of information;organize and/or Up to 35%
integrate unique pieces of information
from a variety of sources.
Total 100%

For the details of Internal Assessment of 20 marks, please refer to circular no.

Acad-11/2019, dated March 06,2019.

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 CBSE Class 9 English Language and Literature Syllabus
2023-24

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Code No. 184
2023-24
1. Background

At the secondary stage of English language learning the textual materials and other resources
should represent a wide range of learning experience. Literature has always played a significant
role in learning language. However, it is felt that pupils should be apprised with contemporary
issues, read authentic literature and experiences of people to reflect and build their personality
traits.

While there is a trend for inclusion of a wider range of contemporary and authentic texts,
accessible and culturally appropriate pieces of literature should play a pivotal role at the
secondary stage of education. The English class is meant for reading literature from different
perspectives and to engage in activities for developing communicative competence, creativity
and enrichment of language skills It should not be seen as a place merely to read poems and
stories in, but an area of activities to develop the learner’s imagination as a major aim of language
study, and to equip the learner with communicative skills to perform various language functions
through speech and writing.
2. Objectives:
Objectives of the course are to enable learners to:
• build greater confidence and proficiency in oral and written communication
• develop the ability and knowledge required in order to engage in independent
reflection and inquiry
• make appropriate usage of English language
• to communicate in various social settings
• equip learners with essential language skills to question and to articulate their point of view
• build competence in the different aspects of the Language
• develop sensitivity to, and appreciation of world literature representing varieties of
English and cultures embedded in lt.
• enable the learner to access knowledge and information through reference
skills (consulting a dictionary / thesaurus, library, internet, etc.)
• develop curiosity and creativity through extensive reading
• facilitate self-learning to enable them to become independent learners
• review, organise and edit their own work and work done by peers
• integrate listening and speaking skills in the curriculum.
• give a brief oral description of events / incidents of topical interest
• retell the contents of authentic audio texts (weather reports, public announcements,
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 simple advertisements, short interviews, etc.)
• participate in conversations, discussions, etc., on topics of mutual interest in non-classroom
situations
• narrate a story which has been depicted pictorially or in any other non-verbal mode
• respond, in writing, to business letters, official communications email etc.
• read and identify the main points / significant details of texts like scripts of
audio-video interviews, discussions, debates, etc.
• write without prior preparation on a given topic and be able to defend or explain the
stand taken / views expressed in the form of article, speech, or a debate
• write a summary of short lectures on familiar topics by making / taking notes
• write an assessment of different points of views expressed in a discussion / debate
• read poems effectively (with proper rhythm and intonation)
• transcode information from a graph / chart to a description / report and write a
dialogue, short story or report
• Develop appreciation for Indian languages(multilingualism), translations and Indian
Literature.

3. Language Items
In addition to consolidating the grammatical items practised earlier, the courses at the
secondary level seek to reinforce the following explicitly:
• sequence of tenses
• reported speech in extended texts
• modal auxiliaries (those not covered at upper primary)
• non-finites (infinitives, gerunds, participles)
• conditional clauses
• complex and compound sentences
• phrasal verbs and prepositional phrases
• cohesive devices
• punctuation (semicolon, colon, dash, hyphen, parenthesis or use of
brackets and exclamation mark)

4. Methods and Techniques

The methodology is based on a multi-skill, activity-based, learner-centered approach. Care is
taken to fulfill the functional (communicative), literary (aesthetic) and cultural (sociological)
needs of the learner. In this situation, the teacher is the facilitator of learning, She/he presents
language items, create situations which motivates the child to use English for the purposes of
communication and expression. Aural-oral teaching and testing is an integral feature of the
teaching-learning process. The electronic and print media could be used extensively. A few
suggested activities are:
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 • Role play
• Simulating real life situations
• Dramatising and miming
• Problem solving and decision making
• Interpreting information given in tabular form and schedule
• Using newspaper clippings as a resource for comprehending and analysing issues.
• Borrowing situations and registers from the world around the learners, from
books and from other disciplines
• Using language games, riddles, puzzles and jokes
• Interpreting pictures / sketches / cartoons
• Debating and discussing
• Narrating and discussing stories, anecdotes, etc.
• Reciting poems
• Working in pairs and groups
• Using media inputs - computer, television, video cassettes, tapes, software packages

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (Code No. 184)

SYLLABUS CLASS – IX
2023-24

Sections Weightage
A Reading Skills (40 periods)* 20 Marks
B Writing Skills and Grammar (40 periods)* 20 Marks
Language through Literature (50 periods)* 40 Marks
C
*This is a suggestive number.

Section A

Reading Skills

I. Reading Comprehension through Unseen Passage 20 Marks

1. Discursive passage of 400-450 words. (10 marks)

2. Case-based factual passage (with visual input- statistical data/chart etc.) of 200-250 words.
(10 marks)
(Total length of two passages to be 600-700 words)

Multiple Choice Questions / Objective Type Questions/Very Short Answer Questions will be
asked to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation and
vocabulary.
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 Section B
Writing Skills and Grammar
II Grammar 10 Marks

 Determiners
 Tenses
 Modals
 Subject – verb concord
 Reported speech
o Commands and requests
o Statements
o Questions

3. The courses at the secondary level seek to cement high professional grasp of grammatical
items and levels of accuracy. Accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar will be
assessed through Gap Filling/ Editing/Transformation exercises. Ten out of twelve questions
will be attempted.

III Writing Skills 10 marks

4. Writing a Descriptive Paragraph (word limit 100-120 words), describing a person / event
/ situation, based on visual or verbal cue/s. One out of two questions to be answered.
5 marks

5. Writing a Story (on a given cue/title)/Diary Entry, in 100-120 words. One out of two
questions is to be answered. 5 marks
Section C
Language through Literature 40 Marks
IV. Reference to the Context (5+5 = 10 Marks)

6. One extract out of two, from Drama / Prose.

7. One extract out of two, from poetry.

Multiple Choice Questions / Objective Type Questions will be asked to assess interpretation,
analysis, inference, evaluation, appreciation and vocabulary.

V. Short & Long Answer Questions

8. Four out of Five Short Answer Type Questions to be answered in 40-50 words from
the book BEEHIVE to assess interpretation, analysis, inference and evaluation.
4x3=12 marks
9. Two out of Three Short Answer Type Questions to be answered in 40-50 words from the

Page 4 of 14
 book MOMENTS to assess interpretation, analysis, inference and evaluation.
3x2=6 marks
10. One out of two Long Answer Type Questions from BEEHIVE to be answered in about
100-120 words to assess creativity, imagination and extrapolation beyond the text and
across the text. This can also be a passage-based question taken from a situation/plot
from the text. 6 marks
11. One out of two Long Answer Type Questions from MOMENTS, on theme or plot involving
interpretation, extrapolation beyond the text and inference or character sketch to be
answered in about 100-120 words. 6 marks

Prescribed Books: Published by NCERT, New Delhi

Beehive

Prose

a. The Fun They Had

b. The Sound of Music
c. The Little Girl
d. A Truly Beautiful Mind
e. The Snake and the Mirror
f. My Childhood
g. Reach For The Top
h. Kathmandu
i. If I were You

Poems-

1. The Road Not taken

2. Wind
3. Rain on The Roof
4. The Lake Isle of Innisfree
5. A Legend of The Northland
6. No Men Are Foreign
7. On killing a tree
8. A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

Moments

1. The Lost Child

2. The adventures of Toto
3. Iswaran the Storyteller
4. In the kingdom of fools
Page 5 of 14
 5. The Happy Prince
6. The Last Leaf
7. A House is not a Home
8. The Beggar

3. WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS – I (WORKBOOK FOR CLASS IX) – Units 1 to 6 and Units 8,
10 & 11
 NOTE: Teachers are advised to:

(i) encourage classroom interaction among peers, students and teachers through
activities such as role play, group work etc.
(ii) reduce teacher-talk time and keep it to the minimum,

(iii) take up questions for discussion to encourage pupils to participate and to marshal
their ideas and express and defend their views.

Besides measuring learning outcome, texts serve the dual purpose of diagnosing mistakes
and areas of non-learning. To make evaluation a true index of learners’ knowledge, each
language skill is to be assessed through a judicious mixture of different types of questions.

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
30 Periods
Listening and Speaking Competencies

Assessment of Listening and Speaking Skills will be for 05 marks.

It is recommended that listening and speaking skills should be regularly practiced.

Art-integrated projects based on activities like Role Play, Skit, Dramatization etc. must be used.
Please refer to the Circular no. Acad-33/2020 dated 14th May 2020 at the
cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/Circulars/2020/33_Circular_2020.pdf for details.

Guidelines for the Assessment of Listening and Speaking Skills are given at Annexure I.

Page 6 of 14
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (Code No. 184)
2023-24

CLASS – IX Marks-80

Sections Competencies Total

marks
Reading Conceptual understanding, decoding,
Comprehension
analyzing, inferring, interpreting and 20
vocabulary
Writing Skills Creative expression of an opinion,
and Grammar
reasoning, justifying, illustrating,
appropriacy of style and tone, using 20
appropriate format and fluency.
Applying conventions, using integrated
structures
with accuracy and fluency
Language through Recalling, reasoning, appreciating, applying
Literature literary conventions illustrating and justifying
etc. Extract relevant information, identifying 40
the central theme and sub-theme,
understanding the writers’ message and
writing fluently.

Total 80

For the details of Internal Assessment of 20 marks, please refer to the

circular no.

Acad-11/2019, dated March 06, 2019.

Page 7 of 14
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 1
The Fun They Had

The Fun They Had

Thinking about the Text

I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
Question 1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Answer: Margie is eleven and Tommy is thirteen years old.
Question 2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer: Margie wrote in her diary “Today Tommy found a real book!”
Question 3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Answer: No, Margie had never seen a book before.
Question 4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Answer: The things about the book that she found strange were the following:
i) The pages of the book were yellow and crinkly.
ii) The words stood still instead of moving.
iii) When they turned back to the previous page, it still had the same words on it that it had when they first
read it.
Question 5. What do you think a telebook is?
Answer: I think the telebook must be a book that gets displayed on the screen of the television.
Question 6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Answer: Margie’s school was next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates.
Question 7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Answer: Margie and Tommy learnt Geography, History and Arithmetic.
II. Answer the following with reference to the story.
Question 1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
(i) Who says these words?
(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Answer: (i) Tommy says these words.
(ii) “It” refers to the books.
(iii) The paperback book is being compared with the telebooks by the speaker.
Question 2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 1
The Fun They Had

(iii) What is it contrasted with?

Answer: (i) “They” refers to the students centuries ago.
(ii) “Regular” means the usual for the people in 2157. Here, regular teacher means the mechanical teacher.
(iii) The mechanical teacher is contrasted with humans as teachers of earlier times.
III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
Question 1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Answer: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. The mechanical teachers had big screens on which
all the lessons were shown and questions were asked. The children were taught through computer and
television screens. They did not have humans as teachers.
Question 2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer: Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because the mechanical teacher of Margie was not
functioning properly. It kept giving Margie Geography tests and Margie was performing worse every time.
Margie’s mother was concerned and thus sent for the County Inspector.
Question 3. What did he do?
Answer: The County Inspector smiled at Margie and gave her an apple. He took the mechanical teacher
away from her. Then he fixed the mechanical teacher. He told Margie’s mother that the geography sector of
the mechanical teacher was geared a little too quick and that he has slowed it up to an average ten-year
level.
Question 4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Answer: Margie was doing badly in geography because the questions that were displayed on the screen of
the mechanical teacher were too quick for her age.
The County Inspector slowed its speed to an average ten-year level so that Margie would be able to perform
satisfactorily.
Question 5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Answer: Tommy’s teacher had to be taken away altogether for a month as the history sector had blanked
out completely.
Question 6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Answer: Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school because Margie’s mother believed that little
girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.
Question 7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Answer: Tommy says that the old kind of school had special buildings. All the kids went to that building for
studying.
Question 8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Answer: He tells Margie that the old kind of teachers were humans instead of machines. The human
teacher would educate the boys and girls and give them homework and ask questions.
IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100 –150 words).
Question 1: What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and
Tommy have in the story?
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 1
The Fun They Had

Answer: The main features of the mechanical teachers that Margie and Tommy have are as follows:
The mechanical teachers have big black screens on which lessons are displayed and questions are asked.
The students need to put their homework and test papers in a slot that is present in the mechanical teacher.
The students write answers in punch code and the mechanical teacher calculates the results right away.
The main features of the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have are given below:
In the story, the schools are there in the homes. For instance, Margie’s school was right next to her
bedroom. The students do not have classmates. They study subjects like arithmetic, history, geography, etc.
The mechanical teacher would turn on at the same time every day except on the weekends.
Question 2: Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?

Answer: Margie hated school because she felt it boring. The mechanical teacher started the class at the
same time regularly. Margie’s mechanical teacher was giving her test after test on Geography and she was
performing badly.
Margie also did not like inserting homework and test papers in the slot on the mechanical teacher.
She thought that the old kind of school must have been fun because it would have had kids from various
places of the neighbourhood. It would have been so interesting to sit together in the classroom and leave the
school together at the end of the day. All the kids learned the same things so they could help each other in
studies and homework.
Question 3: Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give
reasons for your answer.

Answer: Yes, I agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story. In the story,
the schools are in the students’ homes. This gives no space for interaction between students. Studying from
screen and taking up tests sounds boring. Inserting homework and test papers in a slot on a mechanical
teacher every day is monotonous. Writing answers in punch codes is even more draining.
Learning together in a class gives students a wider view of the people. Students also get familiar with others
and learn how to interact and socialize. Getting taught by human teachers is way more dynamic than being
taught by a machine. If there is any issue with any lesson or concept, the student can ask the human
teacher then and there. But, mechanical teachers are programmed with a certain lesson and concept for a
particular day. When the student solves homework, he/she can get help from classmates. That’s how the
schools today are more fun than the school in the story.
Thinking about Language
I. Adverbs
Read this sentence taken from the story:
They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out
completely.
The word complete is an adjective. When you add –ly to it, it becomes an adverb.
Question 1. Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.
awfully sorrowfully completely loftily carefully differently quickly nonchalantly
Answer:
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 1
The Fun They Had

awfully:
They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still
instead of moving the way they were supposed to — on a screen, you know.
sorrowfully:
The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and
worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.
completely:
They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out
completely.
loftily:
He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago”.
carefully:
He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago”.
differently:
“But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that
each kid has to be taught differently.”
quickly:
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly. She wanted to read about those funny schools.
nonchalantly:
“Maybe,” he said nonchalantly.
Question 2. Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
(i) The report must be read ________ so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions _________, shrugging his shoulders.
(iii) We all behave _________ when we are tired or hungry.
(iv) The teacher shook her head ________ when Ravi lied to her.
(v) I ________ forgot about it.
(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled ________ and turned away.
(vii) The President of the Company is ________ busy and will not be able to meet you.
(viii) I finished my work ________ so that I could go out to play.
Answer:
(i) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions loftily, shrugging his shoulders.
(iii) We all behave differently when we are tired or hungry.
(iv) The teacher shook her head sorrowfully when Ravi lied to her.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 1
The Fun They Had

(v) I completely forgot about it.

(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled nonchalantly and turned away.
(vii) The President of the Company is awfully busy and will not be able to meet you.
(viii) I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.
Question 3. Make adverbs from these adjectives.
(i) angry (ii) happy
(iii) merry (iv) sleepy
(v) easy (vi) noisy
(vii) tidy (viii) gloomy
Answer:
(i) angry – angrily (ii) happy – happily
(iii) merry – merrily (iv) sleepy – sleepily
(v) easy – easily (vi) noisy – noisily
(vii) tidy – tidily (viii) gloomy – gloomily
II. If Not and Unless
Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.
1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, _________.
2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, __________.
3. Unless you promise to write back, I __________.
4. If she doesn’t play any games, ___________.
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat _________.
Answer:
1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will get irritated.
2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, you will miss your meal.
3. Unless you promise to write back, I will not write you another letter.
4. If she doesn’t play any games, she will become lazy.
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will pounce on it and kill it.
Writing
Question: A new revised volume of Issac Asimov’s short stories has just been released.
Order one set. Write a letter to the publisher, Mindfame Private Limited, 1632 Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi,
requesting that a set be sent to you by Value Payable Post (VPP), and giving your address. Your letter will
have the following parts.
• Addresses of the sender and receiver
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 1
The Fun They Had

• The salutation
• The body of the letter
• The closing phrases and signature
Answer:
416, Sector 18
Nagpur, Maharashtra
04/08/2020
Mindfame Private Limited, 1632
Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi
Dear Sir/Madam,
I recently came to know that a new revised volume of Issac Asimov’s short stories has been released. This
is to request you to send me a set of the same by Value Payable Post (VPP) on my mailing address given
above. I shall be highly obliged if you could send me the book at the earliest.
Yours sincerely,
Adwait Tiwari
Speaking
In groups of four discuss the following topic.
‘The Schools of the Future Will Have No Books and No Teachers!’
Your group can decide to speak for or against the motion. After this, each group will select a speaker to
present its views to the entire class.
You may find the following phrases useful to present your argument in the debate.
• In my opinion . . .
• I/we fail to understand why . . .
• I wholeheartedly support/oppose the view that . . .
• At the outset let me say . . .
• I’d/we’d like to raise the issue of/argue against . . .
• I should like to draw attention to . . .
• My/our worthy opponent has submitted that . . .
• On the contrary . . .
• I firmly reject . . .
Answer:
For the motion
I would like to put forth my views in favour of the motion “The Schools of the Future Will Have No Books and
No Teachers!”
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 1
The Fun They Had

The emergence of digital technologies like computers, laptops, mobile phones, etc. has brought about a lot
of changes in the way education is imparted and received. Now itself, we can see how important the
electronic gadgets and internet have become. We learn so many things through Google, YouTube and other
platforms. The concept of online classes is getting more acknowledgement than ever. The internet speed is
improving with time and usage. More and more people are being drawn towards the limitless possibilities of
learning online. Gradually, we might see the schools teaching the students online with soft copies of books.
When the robots become a part of our lives, we shall see the time when the schools will have no real books
and no human teachers. Instead, we will have online books and robots as teachers!
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 1 Poem
The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken

Thinking about the Poem
I.
Question 1. Where does the traveler find himself? What problem does he face?
Answer: The traveler finds himself at a point in the woods where two roads diverge. The problem is that he
cannot travel both the roads and thus he has to choose one between them.
Question 2. Discuss what these phrases mean to you.
(i) a yellow wood
(ii) it was grassy and wanted wear
(iii) the passing there
(iv) leaves no step had trodden black
(v) how way leads on to way
Answer:
(i) The phrase “a yellow wood” indicates a forest during the autumn season.
(ii) The phrase “it was grassy and wanted wear” means that the road was full of grass as it has been less
travelled. As people haven’t walked on it, it is yet to wear out.
(iii) The phrase “the passing there” refers to people walking on that road.
(iv) “Leaves no step had trodden black” indicates that the fallen leaves had not been crushed under the feet
of the travelers.
(v) The phrase “how way leads on to way” means that one road leads to another. So once the poet has
made a choice between the two roads, he wonders if he will ever be able return to the same spot and
choose the other road.
Question 3. Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them:
(i) in stanzas two and three?
(ii) in the last two lines of the poem?
Answer:
(i) No, there is no difference between the two roads as the poet describes them in stanzas two and three as
he says “the passing there had worn them really about the same” and that “equally lay in leaves no step had
trodden black…”
(ii) In the last two lines of the poem, the poet indicates a difference between the two roads as he says that
he took the road that was less travelled by and that has made a huge difference in his journey.
Question 4. What do you think the last two lines of the poem mean? (Looking back, does the poet regret his
choice or accept it?)
Answer: The last two lines of the poem talk about taking a decision and accepting its consequences- good
or bad. The poet chose the road that was less travelled by, which indicates he took a decision that people
would not take generally.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 1 Poem
The Road Not Taken

He says in the last line of the poem that his choice of taking the road less travelled by has made all the
difference. He does not seem to regret his choice.
II.
Question 1. Have you ever had to make a difficult choice (or do you think you will have difficult choices to
make)? How will you make the choice (for what reasons)?
Answer: We all make choices on a daily basis. But I have not had to make a difficult choice till date.
I will have to face challenges in the years to come as I grow up. Then, I will have to make difficult choices. I
will have to choose my profession, my area of interest, etc.
I think when such a situation comes, I will not just follow the herd. I will think it through and just like the poet,
if required, I will take up the unexplored paths.
Question 2. After you have made a choice do you always think about what might have been, or do you
accept the reality?
Answer: There is no point in regretting or thinking about what might have been. Such thoughts will always
keep us in the hold of the past and never let us see the benefits of the choices we made. Accepting reality is
the best way to overcome any situation.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 1
The Lost Child

The Lost Child

Think about it
Question 1. What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?
Answer: The child sees toys, a flowering mustard field, dragonflies, butterflies, doves, a huge crowd of
people entering the fair, sweet shops, garlands of gulmohar, rainbow-coloured balloons, a snake charmer
and a roundabout swing.
He lags behind because he is fascinated by the things he sees on his way to the fair. His parents constantly
call him so that he does not get lost in the crowd. He would stop at the shops with a wish to buy them and
sometimes would be amazed at the beauty of nature. That’s why he lags behind.
Question 2. At the fair, he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an
answer?
Answer: The things that he wants at the fair are as follows:

• Balloons
• Toys
• Garlands of gulmohar
• Sweets from the sweet shop
• Watching the snake dancing to the tune of the snake charmer
• Taking a ride in the roundabout swing
Question 3. When does he realize that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and insecurity been
described?
Answer: When he saw the roundabout in a full swing, he made a bold request to his parents to take a ride
on it. But, there was no reply. When he turned to look at his parents, there was no one. That is when he
realized that he had lost his way.
His anxiety and insecurity have been described in a very heart-warming way. When he realizes that he has
lost his way, a deep cry rises within his dry throat and with a sudden jerk of his body, he runs from where he
stood. His face is convulsed with fear, and his eyes are full of hot and fierce tears. He runs in search of his
parents in all directions crying, “Mother, Father”.
Question 4. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?
Answer: The lost child loses interest in the things that he had wanted earlier because the only thing that he
wants at that moment is his parents. He is panic-stricken and he just wants to be united with them again.
Question 5. What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?
Answer: I think the child would have found his parents in the end.
While he was lost, his parents would also have searched for him when they would have realized that he is
not with them. The gentleman who was trying to console the child would have also asked for the description
of his parents and would have looked around for them. Finally, the child would have been united with his
parents with everyone’s collective effort.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 2
The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music

Thinking about the Text
I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
Question 1. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
Answer: Evelyn was sixteen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music.
Question 2. When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Answer: Her deafness was first noticed when she was just eight years old. It was confirmed by the time she
was eleven.
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (30–40 words).
Question 1. Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
Answer: Ron Forbes who was a percussionist, helped her to continue with music. He asked Evelyn not to
listen through ears but to try to sense it some other way.
Question 2. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
Answer: Apart from the regular concerts, Evelyn performs in prisons and hospitals. She also takes classes
for young musicians.
III. Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words).
Question 1. How does Evelyn hear music?
Answer: Evelyn hears music through different parts of her body. Ron Forbes asked her to try to sense the
music some other way instead of ears. He started by tuning two big drums to varied notes.
Evelyn realized that she could feel the higher drum from her waist up and the lower drum from her waist
down. Forbes kept repeating the same exercise, and then Evelyn realized that she could sense certain
notes in different parts of her body.
She says that when she plays the xylophone, she can feel the music passing up the stick into her fingertips.
When she leans against the drums, she could sense the resonances flowing into her body. When she
performs on a wooden platform, she removes her footwear so that the vibrations pass through her bare feet
and up her legs.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 2
The Sound of Music

Part II
The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan
I. Tick the right answer.
1. The (shehnai, pungi ) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’
2. (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
3. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).
4. Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).
5. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).
Answer:
1. The pungi was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’
2. A barber transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
3. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were professional musicians.
4. Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from Ali Bux.
5. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to Afghanistan.
II. Find the words in the text which show Ustad Bismillah Khan’s feelings about the items listed below. Then
mark a tick in the correct column. Discuss your answers in class.

Bismillah Khan’s feelings about Positive Negative Neutral

1. teaching children music

2. the film world

3. migrating to the U.S.A.

4. playing at temples

5. getting the Bharat Ratna

6. the banks of the Ganga

 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 2
The Sound of Music

7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon

Answer:

Bismillah Khan’s feelings about Positive Negative Neutral

1. teaching children music ✓

2. the film world ✓

3. migrating to the U.S.A. ✓

4. playing at temples ✓

5. getting the Bharat Ratna ✓

6. the banks of the Ganga ✓

7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon ✓

III. Answer these questions in 30–40 words.

Question 1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Answer: Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi because of the shrill unpleasant sound of the
instrument.
Question 2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?
Answer: A shehnai’s stem is hollow, longer and broader than that of a pungi. Shehnai has holes in its body.
Question 3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?
Answer: Traditionally, shehnai was a part of the naubat or traditional ensemble of nine instruments found at
royal courts. It was played in temples and at marriages.
Bismillah Khan took it onto the classical stage.
Question 4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 2
The Sound of Music

Answer: Bismillah Khan got his big break with the opening of All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938. He
became an often-heard shehnai player on radio.
Question 5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Answer: Bismillah Khan played the shehnai from the Red Fort on 15th August 1947. He was the first Indian
to greet the nation with his Shehnai. The event was historic because that is the day when India got
independence. Bismillah Khan played Raag Kafi to an audience that included Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Question 6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
Answer: Bismillah Khan refused to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A because he did not want to leave his
country. He felt an unbreakable bond with his towns – Dumraon and Benaras, and with River Ganga.
Question 7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and
Benaras.
Answer: Two instances in the text which tell us that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras are given
below:

 He says that whenever he is in a foreign country, he keeps yearning to see Hindustan.

 He also says that when he is in Mumbai, he thinks of only Benaras and the holy Ganga.
Thinking about Language
I. Look at these sentences.
• Evelyn was determined to live a normal life.
• Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from friends and teachers.
The italicised parts answer the questions: “What was Evelyn determined to do?” and “What did Evelyn
manage to do?” They begin with a to-verb (to live, to conceal).
Complete the following sentences.
Beginning with a to-verb, try to answer the questions in brackets.
1. The school sports team hopes (What does it hope to do?)
2. We all want (What do we all want to do?)
3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother (What did they advise her to do?)
4. The authorities permitted us to (What did the authorities permit us to do?)
5. A musician decided to (What did the musician decide to do?)
Answer:
1. The school sports team hopes to win the competition.
2. We all want to succeed in our lives.
3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother to take care of the child.
4. The authorities permitted us to perform the dance in the stadium.
5. A musician decided to play the music in front of an audience.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 2
The Sound of Music

II. From the text on Bismillah Khan, find the words and phrases that match these definitions and write them
down. The number of the paragraph where you will find the words/phrases has been given for you in
brackets.
1. the home of royal people (1) ________
2. the state of being alone (5) ________
3. a part which is absolutely necessary (2) ________
4. to do something not done before (5) ________
5. without much effort (13) ________
6. quickly and in large quantities (9) ________ and ________
Answer:
1. the home of royal people (1) royal residence
2. the state of being alone (5) solitude
3. a part which is absolutely necessary (2) indispensable
4. to do something not done before (5) invent
5. without much effort (13) effortlessly
6. quickly and in large quantities (9) thick and fast
III. Tick the right answer.
1. When something is revived, it (remains dead/lives again).
2. When a government bans something, it wants it (stopped/started).
3. When something is considered auspicious, (welcome it/avoid it).
4. When we take to something, we find it (boring/interesting).
5. When you appreciate something, you (find it good and useful/find it of no use).
6. When you replicate something, you do it (for the first time/for the second time).
7. When we come to terms with something, it is (still upsetting/no longer upsetting).
Answer:
1. When something is revived, it lives again.
2. When a government bans something, it wants it stopped.
3. When something is considered auspicious, welcome it.
4. When we take to something, we find it interesting.
5. When you appreciate something, you find it good and useful.
6. When you replicate something, you do it for the second time.
7. When we come to terms with something, it is no longer upsetting.
IV. Dictionary work
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 2
The Sound of Music

• The sound of the shehnai is auspicious.

• The auspicious sound of the shehnai is usually heard at marriages.
The adjective auspicious can occur after the verb be as in the first sentence, or before a noun as in the
second. But there are some adjectives which can be used after the verb be and not before a noun. For
example:
• Ustad Faiyaz Khan was overjoyed.
We cannot say: *the overjoyed man.
Consult your dictionary and complete the following table. The first one has been done for you.

adjective Only before noun Not before noun Both before and after the verb ‘be’

Indispensable ✓

Impressed

Afraid

Outdoor

Paternal

Countless

Priceless

Answer:

adjective Only before noun Not before noun Both before and after the verb ‘be’

Indispensable ✓
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 2
The Sound of Music

Impressed ✓ ✓

Afraid ✓ ✓

Outdoor ✓

Paternal ✓

Countless ✓

Priceless ✓ ✓

Indispensable: Electronic gadgets have become indispensable to modern life.

Impressed: He was impressed by his friend’s speech.
Afraid: Raghav is afraid of dark.
Outdoor: Outdoor games are necessary for keeping yourself healthy.
Paternal: My paternal uncle lives in Mumbai.
Countless: There are countless stars in the sky.
Priceless: Children’s smiles are priceless.
Speaking
I. Imagine the famous singer Kishori Amonkar is going to visit your school. You have been asked to
introduce her to the audience before her performance. How would you introduce her?
Answer: Do it yourself.
II. Use your notes on Kishori Amonkar to introduce her to an imaginary audience.
You may use one of the following phrases to introduce a guest:
I am honoured to introduce…/I feel privileged to introduce…/We welcome you…
Answer: I am honoured to introduce you to the finest female vocalist of her generation, Kishori Amonkar.
She is a Padma Bhushan awardee who was born in 1931 to another great artist Smt. Mogubai Kurdikar. She
is a singer besotted by the mysterious world of the ragas. She dissects them until the most subtle of shades
emerge and re-emerge. She is highly inspired by the teachings of the Vedic sages. She has been bestowed
with several significant awards – Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985), the Padma Bhushan (1987), and
one of the most prestigious awards in Indian Classical Music- Sangeet Samradhini Award (1997).
Writing
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 2
The Sound of Music

I. “If you work hard and know where you’re going, you’ll get there,” says Evelyn Glennie.
You have now read about two musicians, Evelyn Glennie and Ustad Bismillah Khan. Do you think that they
both worked hard? Where did they want to ‘go’?
Answer these questions in two paragraphs, one on each of the two musicians.
Answer:
Yes, they both worked extremely hard. They wanted to pursue music as their career and achieve heights.
Evelyn Glennie is an inspiration to everyone. She became profoundly deaf by the time she was eleven years
old. But, she did not let the disability become a hurdle in pursuing her career in music. She auditioned at the
Royal Academy of Music in London when she was not even seventeen years old and scored one of the
highest marks in the history of the academy. In a field like music that’s entirely linked to listening, she began
to sense music through different parts of her body. She brought percussion to the front of the orchestra. She
was awarded with the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Soloist of the Year Award in the year 1991. She inspires
people with her life and optimism.
Ustad Bismillah Khan belonged to a family of professional musicians. Shehnai was being used in temples
and at marriages, but the credit of bringing the shehnai onto the classical stage goes to Ustad Bismillah
Khan. He took to music in the early years of his life. At the age of three, he was quite fascinated watching
his uncles play the shehnai. On the day of India’s independence, he was the first Indian to greet the nation
with his shehnai. He was strongly bonded to Benaras and the holy Ganga. He was awarded India’s highest
civilian award – the Bharat Ratna.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 2 Poem
Wind

Wind
Thinking about the Poem
I.
Question 1. What are the things the wind does in the first stanza?
Answer: The wind breaks the shutters of the windows, scatters the papers, throws down the books on the
shelf, tears the pages of the books and brings the rain.
Question 2. Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field? What is the word in your
language for winnowing? What do people use for winnowing? (Give the words in your language, if you know
them.)
Answer: Yes, I have seen my grandmother winnowing grain at home. “Fatakna” is the word in my language
Hindi for ‘winnowing’. A winnowing basket is used for winnowing.
Question 3. What does the poet say the wind god winnows?
Answer: The poet says that the wind god winnows crumbling houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, lives
and hearts and then crushes them all.
Question 4. What should we do to make friends with the wind?
Answer: To make friends with the wind, we should build strong homes and doors. We should strengthen our
bodies and make the heart steadfast.
Question 5. What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you?
Answer: The last four lines give a very powerful message. They say that the wind that blows weak fires is
the same wind that makes strong fires flourish.
This implies that the weak people are broken by forces but the people who are strong are strengthened by
those forces. So, the friendship with the wind or a strong force is good. We have to just stay strong mentally
as well as physically.
Question 6. How does the poet speak to the wind — in anger or with humor? You must also have seen or
heard of the wind “crumbling lives”. What is your response to this? Is it like the poet’s?
Answer: The poet speaks to the wind with humor. He says that the wind destroys houses, doors, rafters,
wood, bodies and lives. He says that it breaks the shutters of the windows and scatters the papers. But at
the same time, he also points out that the wind brings rain. He tells the readers that we must become
powerful and build strong houses because the wind only damages weak things.
Yes, I too have seen the wind crumbling lives on the news channels. Winds bring massive destruction
sometimes. It uproots weak trees and even claims the lives of people. But as the poet says, we must try to
be more powerful and build powerful structures.
II. The poem you have just read is originally in Tamil. Do you know any such poems in your language?
Answer: Yes, I have read such a poem in my language Hindi by the name “Toofan”.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 2
The Adventures of Toto

The Adventures of Toto

Think about it
Question 1. How does Toto come to grandfather’s private zoo?
Answer: Toto was owned by a tonga-driver who used to keep him tied to a feeding-trough. Grandfather felt
that the monkey was out of place there. So, he decided to add the little monkey to his private zoo. He bought
Toto from the tonga-driver for five rupees.
Question 2. “Toto was a pretty monkey.” In what sense is Toto pretty?
Answer: Toto had bright eyes with mischief beneath deep-set eyebrows. His pearly white teeth were very
often displayed in a smile that frightened the life out of elderly Anglo-Indian ladies. His hands looked dried
up. His fingers were quick and wicked. His tail added to his good looks and also served as a third hand. He
could use his tail to hang from a branch and to scoop up any delicacy that might be out of reach of his
hands.
Question 3. Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how? Why does the ticket collector insist
on calling Toto a dog?
Answer: Grandfather takes Toto to Saharanpur because he would not allow his companions to sleep at
night. Grandfather had to leave Dehra Dun the next day to collect his pension in Saharanpur. So, he decided
to take Toto along. He took him in a bag by train.
The ticket collector insisted on calling Toto a dog because he did not have any fixed fare for a monkey. The
monkey could not be charged as a human being. So, he decided to categorize it as a dog and charge
accordingly.
Question 4. How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learnt to do this? How does Toto almost boil himself
alive?
Answer: Toto took a bath by first checking the temperature of the water with his hand. Then he would put
one foot in the water, then the other until he was in the water up to his neck. He would take the soap in his
hands or feet and rub himself all over.
One day when a large kitchen kettle had been left on the fire to boil for tea, Toto decided to remove the lid.
He found that water was just warm enough for a bath, and he got in with his head sticking out from the open
kettle. The water began to boil. He continued hopping up and down for some time until grandmother arrived
and hauled him out of the kettle. That’s how he almost boiled himself alive.
Question 5. Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?
Answer: Toto was a very mischievous monkey. He would tear things into pieces. When one of author’s
aunts would come near him, he would try and tear a hole in her dress. One day, Toto was found stuffing
himself with pullao. When the author’s grandmother screamed, Toto threw a plate at her. He then picked up
the dish of pullao and made his exit through a window. In order to spite grandmother, who had screamed at
him, he threw the dish down from the tree and chattered with delight when it broke into a hundred pieces.
The author’s family was not a well-to-do one. They could not afford the frequent loss of dishes, clothes,
curtains and wallpaper. That is why the author says, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 3
The Little Girl

The Little Girl

Thinking about the Text
I. Given below are some emotions that Kezia felt. Match the emotions in Column A with the items in Column
B.

A B

1. fear or terror (i) father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss
2. glad sense of relief (ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter
3. a “funny” feeling, perhaps of understanding (iii) father comes home
(iv) speaking to father
(v) going to bed when alone at home
(vi) father comforts her and falls asleep
(vii) father stretched out on the sofa, snoring
Answer:

A B

1. fear or terror (iv) speaking to father

2. glad sense of relief (iii) father comes home
3. a “funny” feeling, perhaps of understanding (v) going to bed when alone at home
(vii) father stretched out on the sofa, snoring
(i) father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss
(ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter
(vi) father comforts her and falls asleep
II. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.
Question 1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Answer: Kezia was afraid of her father because he was extremely strict and commanding. He never played
with her. He used to give her a terrifying look over his spectacles.
Question 2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family?
Answer: Kezia’s family comprised her father, mother and grandmother and herself.
Question 3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine?
(i) before going to his office?
(ii) after coming back from his office?
(iii) on Sundays?
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 3
The Little Girl

Answer: i) Before going to office, Kezia’s father would come to Kezia’s room and give her a goodbye kiss.
ii) After coming back from his office, he would order his tea to be brought to the drawing room and would ask
his mother to get his papers and slippers. He would then order Kezia to take off his boots.
iii) On Sundays, he would stretch out on the sofa with his handkerchief on his face, his feet on one of the
best cushions, sleep and snore.
Question 4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?
Answer: Kezia’s grandmother would encourage her to know her father better by asking her to go down to
the drawing room and have a nice talk with her father. She also asked Kezia to stitch a pin-cushion out of a
beautiful yellow silk piece and give it to her father as a birthday present.
II. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or
three paragraphs each.
Question 1. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this
happen?
Answer: Kezia stitched three sides of the pin-cushion. She was confused about what to fill the cushion with.
Grandmother was not around. So, Kezia went to her parents’ room to ask her mother for some scrap. But,
her mother wasn’t there in the room.
Kezia then saw some sheets of papers on the bed table. She collected them all, tore them into small pieces
and stuffed the cushion with those pieces.
Her efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much when at night her father searched for
those sheets of paper on the bed table. The sheets of paper had the speech for Port Authority. Her father
scolded and beat her with a ruler for touching things that did not belong to her.
Question 2. Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald,
and how was he different from Kezia’s father?
Answer: Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. Mr Macdonald was a loving father. He was
very gentle and forgiving. He used to play and laugh with his children. He was friendly with them. He was
quite different from Kezia’s father. Her father was very strict and unfriendly.
Question 3. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
Answer: One day, when her mother and grandmother were at the hospital, Kezia was left at home with
Alice, their cook. At night, she had a nightmare. Shivering with fear, she called for her grandmother but saw
her father near her bed. He took her in his arms and carefully tucked her on his bed. He then lay down
beside her. Half asleep, she went close to him, snuggled her head under his arm and held onto his shirt
tightly.
She saw her father go off to sleep before her. She understood that he had to work so hard every day which
made him too tired to behave like Mr Macdonald. She told his father that he had a big heart.
Thinking about Language
I. Look at the following sentence.
There was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter…
Here, glad means happy about something.
Glad, happy, pleased, delighted, thrilled and overjoyed are synonyms (words or expressions that have the
same or nearly the same meaning.) However, they express happiness in certain ways.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 3
The Little Girl

Read the sentences below.

• She was glad when the meeting was over.
• The chief guest was pleased to announce the name of the winner.
Question 1. Use an appropriate word from the synonyms given above in the following sentences. Clues are
given in brackets.
(i) She was __________ by the news of her brother’s wedding. (very pleased)
(ii) I was __________ to be invited to the party. (extremely pleased and excited about)
(iii) She was __________ at the birth of her granddaughter. (extremely happy)
(iv) The coach was __________ with his performance. (satisfied about)
(v) She was very __________ with her results. (happy about something that has happened)
Answer:
(i) She was thrilled by the news of her brother’s wedding. (very pleased)
(ii) I was delighted to be invited to the party. (extremely pleased and excited about)
(iii) She was overjoyed at the birth of her granddaughter. (extremely happy)
(iv) The coach was pleased with his performance. (satisfied about)
(v) She was very happy with her results. (happy about something that has happened)
Question 2. Study the use of the word big in the following sentence.
He was so big — his hands and his neck, especially his mouth…
Here, big means large in size.
Now, consult a dictionary and find out the meaning of big in the following sentences. The first one has been
done for you.
(i) You are a big girl now. older
(ii) Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career. __________
(iii) Their project is full of big ideas. __________
(iv) Cricket is a big game in our country. __________
(v) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeshkar. __________
(vi) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater. __________
(vii) What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear. __________
Answer:
(i) You are a big girl now. older
(ii) Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career. most crucial
(iii) Their project is full of big ideas. amazing
(iv) Cricket is a big game in our country. popular
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 3
The Little Girl

(v) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeskar. great

(vi) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater. glutton
(vii) What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear. magnanimous
II. Verbs of Reporting
Study the following sentences.
• “What!” screamed Mother.
• “N-n-no”, she whispered.
• “Sit up,” he ordered.
The italicised words are verbs of reporting. We quote or report what someone has said or thought by using a
reporting verb. Every reporting clause contains a reporting verb. For example:
• He promised to help in my project.
• “How are you doing?” Seema asked.
We use verbs of reporting to advise, order, report statements, thoughts, intentions, questions, requests,
apologies, manner of speaking and so on.
Question 1. Underline the verbs of reporting in the following sentences.
(i) He says he will enjoy the ride.
(ii) Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.
(iii) No one told us that the shop was closed.
(iv) He answered that the price would go up.
(v) I wondered why he was screaming.
(vi) Ben told her to wake him up.
(vii) Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.
Answer:
(i) He says he will enjoy the ride.
(ii) Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.
(iii) No one told us that the shop was closed.
(iv) He answered that the price would go up.
(v) I wondered why he was screaming.
(vi) Ben told her to wake him up.
(vii) Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.
Question 2: Some verbs of reporting are given in the box. Choose the appropriate verbs and fill in the
blanks in the following sentences.
were complaining, shouted, replied, remarked, ordered, suggested
(i) “I am not afraid,” __________ the woman.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 3
The Little Girl

(ii) “Leave me alone,” __________ my mother .

(iii) The children __________ that the roads were crowded and noisy.
(iv) “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all,” __________ the master.
(v) “Let’s go and look at the school ground,” __________ the sports teacher.
(vi) The traffic police __________ all the passers-by to keep off the road.
Answer:
(i) “I am not afraid,” declared the woman.
(ii) “Leave me alone,” shouted my mother .
(iii) The children complained that the roads were crowded and noisy.
(iv) “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all,” remarked the master.
(v) “Let’s go and look at the school ground,” suggested the sports teacher.
(vi) The traffic police ordered all the passers-by to keep off the road.
Speaking
Form pairs or groups and discuss the following questions.
Question 1. This story is not an Indian story. But do you think there are fathers, mothers and grandmothers
like the ones portrayed in the story in our own country?
Answer: Yes, there are fathers, mothers and grandmothers like the ones portrayed in the story in our own
country. In their efforts to make their children disciplined, parents sometimes forget that their children need
their love and care too. They forget that their child is yet to learn and accept their environment. Giving the
kid time, compassion and care is very necessary so that the kid grows up having good bond with their
parents. Punishing and creating an extremely strict image of oneself only makes children slip away from
their parents’ hands emotionally.
Question 2: Was Kezia’s father right to punish her? What kind of a person was he?
You might find some of these words useful in describing him:
Undemonstrative, loving, strict, hard-working, responsible, unkind, disciplinarian, short-tempered,
affectionate, caring, indifferent
Answer: No, Kezia’s father was not right to punish her. He should have understood that Kezia is a child and
that it is okay for her to make mistakes. He could have explained her how important those papers were to
him and that she should never do such a thing again.
He is a father who is undemonstrative, strict and short-tempered. He also has a loving and affectionate heart
but he lets his disciplinarian behaviour get the better of him. He does unkind actions like beating her with a
ruler, but then he is also a caring dad who pacifies her when she wakes up from a bad dream.
Writing
Has your life been different from or similar to that of Kezia when you were a child? Has your perception
about your parents changed now? Do you find any change in your parents’ behaviour vis-à-vis yours? Who
has become more understanding? What steps would you like to take to build a relationship based on
understanding? Write three or four paragraphs (150–200 words) discussing these issues from your own
experience.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 3
The Little Girl

Answer: Do it yourself.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 3 Poem
Rain on the Roof

Rain on the Roof

Thinking about the Poem
I.
Question 1. What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss in class.
(i) humid shadows
(ii) starry spheres
(iii) what a bliss
(iv) a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start
(v) a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof
Answer:
(i) humid shadows: humid shadows refer to the dark clouds that cover the sky and bring rain
(ii) starry spheres: it refers to the sky that is usually full of stars
(iii) what a bliss: bliss means happiness. Here the poet says that it is such a happy moment when one
listens to the patter of the rain overhead.
(iv) a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start: It refers to the several thoughts and fantasies that
surround the poet when he listens to the patter of the rain.
(v) a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof- it means that poet feels as if his old memories
are being woven in front of him.
Question 2. What does the poet like to do when it rains?
Answer: The poet likes to press his head into the pillow of his cottage chamber bed and listen to the patter
of the soft rain overhead.
Question 3. What is the single major memory that comes to the poet? Who are the “darling dreamers” he
refers to?
Answer: The single major memory that comes to the poet is of his mother and her fond look on the poet.
Darling dreamers that the poet refers to are the poet and his siblings who were sent to sleep by the poet’s
mother every day.
Question 4. Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?
Answer: No, the poet is now a grown up man. His mother is not alive anymore.
II.
Question 1. When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poet’s did?
Answer: Yes, when I was a young child, my mother tucked me in. She would sing me lullabies and send me
to sleep.
Question 2. Do you like rain? What do you do when it rains steadily or heavily as described in the poem?
Answer: Yes, I like when it rains. When it rains heavily, I like to listen to the patter of the rain on the roof
overhead and to look at the drops falling on the leaves of the plants.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 3 Poem
Rain on the Roof

Question 3. Does everybody have a cozy bed to lie in when it rains? Look around you and describe how
different kinds of people or animals spend time, seek shelter etc. during rain.
Answer: No, not everyone is fortunate enough to have a cozy bed to lie in when it rains. Poor people who
do not have a shelter to protect themselves from the rain. They wander here and there to find a place where
they can stand under the tin roofs or trees. People who were out of their homes try to rush back towards
their homes as soon as possible. Animals try to find places to save themselves from getting wet during rain.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 3
Iswaran The Storyteller

Iswaran The Storyteller

Think about it
Question 1. In what way is Iswaran an asset to Mahendra?
Answer: Iswaran was the cook of Mahendra. He would follow him uncomplainingly wherever he was
posted. He would cook for him, wash his clothes and chat away with him. He could weave out endless
stories and anecdotes on varied subjects. That is how he was an asset to Mahendra.
Question 2. How does Iswaran describe the uprooted tree on the highway? What effect does he want to
create in his listeners?
Answer: Iswaran described the uprooted tree on the highway with his hands held out in a dramatic gesture.
He said, “The road was deserted and I was all alone. Suddenly I spotted something that looked like an
enormous bushy beast lying sprawled across the road. I was half inclined to turn and go back. But as I came
closer I saw that it was a fallen tree, with its dry branches spread out.”
He wants to create suspense in his listeners.
Question 3. How does he narrate the story of the tusker? Does it appear to be plausible?
Answer: He narrates the story of the tusker in an exaggerated way. He tells that a tusker escaped from the
timber yard and began to roam about, tearing up wild creepers, stamping on bushes and breaking branches
at will. It came into the main road and smashed the small shops selling fruits, mud pots and clothes. It then
entered a school ground. It grunted and wandered about, tearing down the volleyball net, kicking and
flattening the drum kept for water, and uprooting the shrubs. Teachers had climbed up to the terrace of the
school building and helplessly watched the depredations of the elephant.
Iswaran tells that he was in junior class back then and was watching the drama from the rooftop. He hit the
elephant’s toenail with a stick. The elephant shivered from head to foot, and then it collapsed.
It does not appear to be plausible because it is close to impossible for a child to control a mad elephant
when even the adults were trying to save themselves! Also, getting beaten by a stick on the toenail would
not make a huge mammal shiver and collapse.
Question 4. Why does the author say that Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV
in Mahendra’s living quarters?
Answer: The author says that Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV in
Mahendra’s living quarters because not a day would pass without Iswaran telling some story packed with
adventure, horror and suspense. Whether the story was credible or not, Mahendra enjoyed listening to it
because of the inimitable way in which it was told.
Question 5. Mahendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of the imagination. What happens to him on a full-
moon night?
Answer: Mahendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of the imagination when Iswaran tells that he has seen a
female ghost holding a foetus in its arms.
One full-moon night, Mahendra was woken up from his sleep by a low moan close to his window. He first
thought it to be a cat prowling around for a mouse. He was tempted to find the source of the sound.
Lowering himself to the level of the windowsill, he looked out at the white sheet of moonlight outside. Not too
far away, there was a dark cloudy form clutching a bundle. Mahendra broke into a cold sweat and fell back
on the pillow, panting.
Question 6. Can you think of some other ending for the story?
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 3
Iswaran The Storyteller

Answer: In the given story, the climax is that Mahendra is acutely frightened by the possibility of the ghost
actually entering his room the previous night. He resolves to leave the haunted place the very next day.
In another climax, the story could have ended up with Mahendra being more courageous and trying to find
out the reality instead of running away from it. He would have found that the entire story was cooked-up by
Iswaran and he was the one holding the bundle in the night to scare Mahendra and make him believe his
story.
Think about it
Question: Is Iswaran a fascinating storyteller? Discuss with your friends the qualities of a good storyteller.
Try to use these qualities and tell a story.
Answer: Yes, Iswaran is a fascinating storyteller. He has mastered the art of storytelling. He builds up the
required amount of suspense and thrills his listeners.
Qualities of a good storyteller are:

• Sound oratory skills

• Understanding of gestures to be used
• Understanding of facial expressions to be used
• Good imagination and creativity
• In-depth understanding of tone and pitch to be used
• Decent acting skills so as to keep listeners engaged
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 4
A Truly Beautiful Mind

A Truly Beautiful Mind

Thinking about the Text
Question 1. Here are some headings for paragraphs in the text. Write the number(s) of the paragraph(s) for
each title against the heading. The first one is done for you.
(i) Einstein’s equation – 9
(ii) Einstein meets his future wife
(iii) The making of a violinist
(iv) Mileva and Einstein’s mother
(v) A letter that launched the arms race
(vi) A desk drawer full of ideas
(vii) Marriage and divorce
Answer:
(i) Einstein’s equation – 9
(ii) Einstein meets his future wife – 7
(iii) The making of a violinist – 3
(iv) Mileva and Einstein’s mother – 10
(v) A letter that launched the arms race – 15
(vi) A desk drawer full of ideas – 8
(vii) Marriage and divorce – 11
Question 2. Who had these opinions about Einstein?
(i) He was boring.
(ii) He was stupid and would never succeed in life.
(iii) He was a freak.
Answer:
(i) He was boring – Einstein’s playmates
(ii) He was stupid and would never succeed in life – Einstein’s headmaster
(iii) He was a freak – Einstein’s mother
Question 3. Explain what the reasons for the following are.
(i) Einstein leaving the school in Munich for good.
(ii) Einstein wanting to study in Switzerland rather than in Munich.
(iii) Einstein seeing in Mileva an ally.
(iv) What do these tell you about Einstein?
Answer:
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 4
A Truly Beautiful Mind

(i) Einstein left the school in Munich for good because he disliked the school’s regimentation and often had
arguments with his school teachers.
(ii) Einstein wanted to study in Switzerland rather than in Munich because Switzerland was a city that was
much more liberal than Munich.
(iii) Einstein saw an ally in Mileva because just like him, she too was against ‘Philistines’, i.e., the people in
Einstein’s family and at the university with whom he was constantly at odds.
(iv) The above things tell us that Einstein was a very liberal person who liked freedom. He was a person who
had his own views about life.
Question 4. What did Einstein call his desk drawer at the patent office? Why?
Answer: Einstein called his desk drawer at the patent office the ‘bureau of theoretical physics’. He called it
so because he was secretly developing his own ideas and inventions related to physics.
Question 5. Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt?
Answer: Einstein wrote a letter to Franklin Roosevelt because he wanted to warn America that Germany
had the ability to build and use an atomic bomb, which if exploded in a port, would destroy the entire port as
well as some of the surrounding territory.
Question 6. How did Einstein react to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
Answer: He was deeply shaken by the extent of destruction due to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
He wrote a public missive to the United Nations and proposed the formation of a world government.
Question 7. Why does the world remember Einstein as a “world citizen”?
Answer: The world remembers Einstein as a “world citizen” because he agitated for an end to the arms
buildup and campaigned for peace and democracy in the world.
Question 8. Here are some facts from Einstein’s life. Arrange them in chronological order.
[ ] Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity. [ ] He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. [ ] Einstein
writes a letter to U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and warns against Germany’s building of an atomic
bomb. [ ] Einstein attends a high school in Munich. [ ] Einstein’s family moves to Milan. [ ] Einstein is born in
the German city of Ulm. [ ] Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva. [ ] Einstein dies. [ ]
He provides a new interpretation of gravity. [ ] Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein withdraws from
school. [ ] He works in a patent office as a technical expert. [ ] When Hitler comes to power, Einstein leaves
Germany for the United States.
Answer:
[7] Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity. [9] He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. [11]
Einstein writes a letter to U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and warns against Germany’s building of an
atomic bomb. [2] Einstein attends a high school in Munich. [3] Einstein’s family moves to Milan. [1] Einstein
is born in the German city of Ulm. [5] Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva. [12]
Einstein dies. [8] He provides a new interpretation of gravity. [4] Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein
withdraws from school. [6] He works in a patent office as a technical expert. [10] When Hitler comes to
power, Einstein leaves Germany for the United States.
Thinking about Language
I. Here are some sentences from the story. Choose the word from the brackets which can be substituted for
the italicised words in the sentences.
1. A few years later, the marriage faltered. (failed, broke, became weak).
2. Einstein was constantly at odds with people at the university. (on bad terms, in disagreement, unhappy)
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 4
A Truly Beautiful Mind

3. The newspapers proclaimed his work as “a scientific revolution.” (declared, praised, showed)
4. Einstein got ever more involved in politics, agitating for an end to the arms build-up. (campaigning,
fighting, supporting)
5. At the age of 15, Einstein felt so stifled that he left the school for good. (permanently, for his benefit, for a
short time)
6. Five years later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had American physicists in an uproar. (in a state
of commotion, full of criticism, in a desperate state)
7. Science wasn’t the only thing that appealed to the dashing young man with the walrus moustache.
(interested, challenged, worried)
Answer:
1. A few years later, the marriage became weak. (failed, broke, became weak).
2. Einstein was constantly in disagreement with people at the university. (on bad terms, in disagreement,
unhappy)
3. The newspapers declared his work as “a scientific revolution.” (declared, praised, showed)
4. Einstein got ever more involved in politics, campaigning for an end to the arms build-up. (campaigning,
fighting, supporting)
5. At the age of 15, Einstein felt so stifled that he left the school permanently. (permanently, for his benefit,
for a short time)
6. Five years later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had American physicists in a state of
commotion. (in a state of commotion, full of criticism, in a desperate state)
7. Science wasn’t the only thing that interested to the dashing young man with the walrus moustache.
(interested, challenged, worried)
II. Study the following sentences.
• Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist, maintaining this skill throughout his life.
• Letters survive in which they put their affection into words, mixing science with tenderness.
The parts in italics in the above sentences begin with –ing verbs, and are called participial phrases.
Participial phrases say something more about the person or thing talked about or the idea expressed by the
sentence as a whole. For example:
– Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist. He maintained this skill throughout his life.
Complete the sentences below by filling in the blanks with suitable participial clauses. The information that
has to be used in the phrases is provided as a sentence in brackets.
1. __________, the firefighters finally put out the fire. (They worked round the clock.)
2. She watched the sunset above the mountain, __________ (She noticed the colours blending softly into
one another.)
3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly, __________ (While it neighed continually.)
4. __________, I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras. (I had taken the wrong train.)
5. __________, I was desperate to get to the bathroom. (I had not bathed for two days)
6. The stone steps, __________ needed to be replaced. (They were worn down).
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 4
A Truly Beautiful Mind

7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans, __________ (They asked him to send them his
photograph.)
Answer:
1. Working round the clock, the firefighters finally put out the fire. (They worked round the clock.)
2. She watched the sunset above the mountain, noticing the colours blending softly into one another. (She
noticed the colours blending softly into one another.)
3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly, neighing continually. (While it neighed continually.)
4. Having taken the wrong train, I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras. (I had taken the wrong
train.)
5. Having not bathed for two days, I was desperate to get to the bathroom. (I had not bathed for two days)
6. The stone steps, being worn down, needed to be replaced. (They were worn down).
7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans, asking him to send them his photograph. (They
asked him to send them his photograph.)
Writing Newspaper Reports
Here are some notes which you could use to write a report.
21 August 2005 — original handwritten manuscript of Albert Einstein unearthed — by student Rowdy
Boeynik in the University of the Netherlands — Boeynik researching papers — papers belonging to an old
friend of Einstein — fingerprints of Einstein on these papers — 16-page document dated 1924 — Einstein’s
work on this last theory — behaviour of atoms at low temperature — now known as the Bose-Einstein
condensation — the manuscript to be kept at Leyden University where Einstein got the Nobel Prize.
Write a report which has four paragraphs, one each on:
• What was unearthed.
• Who unearthed it and when.
• What the document contained.
• Where it will be kept.
Your report could begin like this:
Student Unearths Einstein Manuscript
21 AUGUST 2005. An original handwritten Albert Einstein manuscript has been unearthed at a university in
the Netherlands…
Answer:
Student Unearths Einstein Manuscript
21 AUGUST 2005. An original handwritten Albert Einstein manuscript has been unearthed at a university in
the Netherlands.
It was unearthed by a student Rowdy Boeynik while researching papers belonging to an old friend of
Einstein.
The 16-page document dated 1924 contained fingerprints of Albert Einstein. It has Einstein’s work on this
last theory, i.e., the behaviour of atoms at low temperature which is now known as the Bose-Einstein
condensation.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 4
A Truly Beautiful Mind

The manuscript will be kept at Leyden University where Einstein got the Nobel Prize.
Dictation
Your teacher will dictate these paragraphs to you. Write down the paragraphs with correct punctuation
marks.
Answer: Do it yourself.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 4 Poem
The Lake Isle of Innisfree

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

Thinking about the Poem
I.
Question 1. What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:
(i) the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);
(ii) what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);
(iii) what he hears in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza III).
Answer: Innisfree is a beautiful place where poet has spent a lot of time as a boy.
(i) The three things the poet wants to do when he goes back to Innisfree are:
– he wants to build a small cabin of clay and wattles.
– he wants to have nine bean-rows there
– he wants to have a hive for the honeybee
(ii) He hears the cricket sing and sees the midnight glimmer with beauty. He sees the sky glowing purple at
noon. He watches the evenings full of the linnet’s wings.
All of these have a positive effect on him and he feels very peaceful.
(iii) He hears the lake water lapping by the shore at low sounds in his “heart’s core” even when he is far
away from Innisfree.
Question 2. By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty and
peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands? (Read stanza III.)
Answer: The poet contrasts the natural beauty of Innisfree with the roadways and grey pavements of the
city he now lives in. “Grey” pavements show the lack of colours and liveliness of the place.
Question 3. Do you think Innisfree is only a place, or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place
of his boyhood days?
Answer: Yes, I think Innisfree is a place in reality. The poet actually misses the place of his boyhood days
spent in the natural beauty of Innisfree. He gets reminded of the low sounds of the lake water lapping by the
shore. He misses both the place and the peace and contentment the place used to give him.
II.
Question 1. Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he sees and hears at Innisfree
(i) bee-loud glade
(ii) evenings full of the linnet’s wings
(iii) lake water lapping with low sounds
What pictures do these words create in your mind?
Answer: (i) bee-loud glade creates a picture of a place in a forest that is filled with the soft buzzing sound of
honeybees.
(ii) evenings full of the linnet’s wings creates an image of a red-orange sky that is full of linnets. Linnets are
beautiful birds that add up to the scenic beauty of a place when they flutter their wings and fly.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 4 Poem
The Lake Isle of Innisfree

(iii) lake water lapping with low sounds lets us take a dive into the peaceful scenario where the water of the
lake is flowing and producing soothing sound.
Question 2. Look at these words;
… peace comes dropping slow
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings
What do these words mean to you? What do you think “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the
morning”? What does “to where the cricket sings” mean?
Answer: These words mean that one can attain peace slowly and gradually.
Peace is what comes dropping slow from the veils of the morning.
The poet says that peace and serenity spread gradually from the rising morning sky to the ground where the
cricket sings.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 4
In the Kingdom of Fools

In The Kingdom of Fools

Think about it
Question 1. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools?
Answer: The two strange things the guru and his disciple found in the Kingdom of Fools are the following:

• Everyone sleeps during the day and does work and other regular chores at night.
• Everything costs the same- one duddu, i.e. one rupee; whether one buys a measure of rice or a
bunch of bananas, it cost a duddu.
Question 2. Why does the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Is it a good idea?
Answer: The disciple decides to stay in the Kingdom of Fools because everything was cheap in that
kingdom. He wanted to have good, cheap food.
No, it was not a good idea. The guru even warned the disciple that it was the Kingdom of Fools and it
wouldn’t last very long. He said that one can’t tell what the people of this kingdom would do next.
Question 3. Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.
Answer: The people who are tried in the king’s court are: the merchant, the bricklayer, the dancing girl, the
goldsmith and the merchant (second time).
The merchant was tried because the burglar died when the wall of the merchant’s house fell on him.
The bricklayer was tried because he was the one who built the wall so weak that it fell upon and killed the
burglar.
The dancing girl was tried because she distracted the bricklayer by walking up and down the road with
jingling anklets while he was building the wall.
The goldsmith was tried because he did not complete the jewellery orders given by the dancing girl, and
that’s why she had to go numerous times to check if the order was ready.
The merchant was tried again because the goldsmith could not work on the dancing girl’s orders as he was
completely occupied with the jewellery order of the merchant’s father. As the merchant’s father was dead,
the merchant was the one to be punished.
Question 4. Who is the real culprit according to the king? Why does he escape punishment?
Answer: The real culprit according to the king was the merchant himself. Although the merchant’s father
was the one to be blamed, the person to be held punishable was the merchant, as the merchant’s father
was already dead, and someone had to be punished for the crime.
He escapes punishment because he is too thin to be executed on the stake.
Question 5. What are the Guru’s words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember them?
Answer: The Guru’s words of wisdom were: “This is a city of fools. You don’t know what they will do next.”
The disciple remembers them when he is ordered to be executed without committing any crime. He was to
be executed on the stake, the reason being that he was fat enough to be executed on the stake.
Question 6. How does the guru manage to save his disciple’s life?
Answer: The guru tells the king that he wants to get executed first. Surprised at the wish of getting
executed, the king expresses his desire to know the reason.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 4
In the Kingdom of Fools

The guru responds that the stake belongs to the God of justice. It’s new, and it has never had a criminal on
it. So, whoever dies on it first will be reborn as the king of this country. And whoever goes next will be the
future minister of this country.
The foolish king wants to avail this opportunity. He tells his minister that they should not let their kingdom go
into hands of others in the next life. They decide to go on the stake themselves thinking that they would be
reborn as the king and the minister of the kingdom. They release the guru and the disciple. That’s how the
guru manages to save his disciple’s life.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 5
The Snake and the Mirror

The Snake and the Mirror

Thinking about the Text
I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30–40 words).
Question 1. “The sound was a familiar one.” What sound did the doctor hear? What did he think it was?
How many times did he hear it? (Find the places in the text.) When and why did the sounds stop?
Answer: The doctor heard some noise from above when he opened the door. He thought that the sound
was of rats. He heard it four times, including the sound he heard when he opened the door:
“Again I heard that sound from above.”
“Again came that noise from above.”
“Suddenly there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground…”
The sounds stopped when the snake appeared in front of the doctor.
Question 2. What two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking
into the mirror?
Answer: The two important and earth-shaking decisions that the doctor took while he was looking into the
mirror are the following:
i. He would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome.
ii. He would always keep that attractive smile on his face.
Question 3. “I looked into the mirror and smiled,” says the doctor. A little later he says, “I forgot my danger
and smiled feebly at myself.”
What is the doctor’s opinion about himself when: (i) he first smiles, and (ii) he smiles again? In what way do
his thoughts change in between, and why?
Answer: (i) When the doctor smiled first, he was thinking that his smile was very attractive.
(ii) When he smiled again, he was thinking that he was a poor and stupid doctor.
His thoughts changed from being a handsome doctor to being a stupid doctor between the two situations.
His thoughts changed because his life was now in danger.
II. This story about a frightening incident is narrated in a humorous way. What makes it humorous? (Think of
the contrasts it presents between dreams and reality. Some of them are listed below.)
Question 1. (i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions)
(ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)
Answer: (i) The doctor is a person whose earnings were meagre. His house was a small rented room. He
only had 60 rupees, some shirts, dhotis and a black coat.
(ii) He believes in making himself look handsome. He decides that he would shave daily and grow a thin
moustache.
Question 2. (i) The person he wants to marry
(ii) The person he actually marries
Answer: (i) He wants to marry a fat woman doctor who had plenty of money.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 5
The Snake and the Mirror

(ii) He marries a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter.

Question 3. (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror
(ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm
Write short paragraphs on each of these to get your answer.
Answer: (i) When he looks into the mirror, he thinks that he has a very attractive smile. He decides to keep
that smile on his face always and to shave daily. He seems contented when he looks into the mirror.
(ii) When the snake is coiled around his arm, he keeps sitting there holding his breath. He thinks that he is a
poor and stupid doctor. He is terrified by the snake’s presence.
Thinking about Language
I. Here are some sentences from the text. Say which of them tell you that the author: (a) was afraid of the
snake, (b) was proud of his appearance, (c) had a sense of humour, (d) was no longer afraid of the snake.
1. I was turned to stone.
2. I was no mere image cut in granite.
3. The arm was beginning to be drained of strength.
4. I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’.
5. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.
6. I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile.
7. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.
8. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it!
9. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness…! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it
with soap and water.
10. Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and
mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead.
Answer:
(a) Was afraid of the snake: Sentences 1, 3, 4, 5.
(b) Was proud of his appearance: Sentences 6, 8.
(c) Had a sense of humour: Sentences 9, 10.
(d) Was no longer afraid of the snake: Sentence 2, 7.
II. Expressions used to show fear
Can you find the expressions in the story that tell you that the author was frightened? Read the story and
complete the following sentences.
1. I was turned ________________.
2. I sat there holding ________________.
3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like ________________.
Answer:
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 5
The Snake and the Mirror

1. I was turned to stone.

2. I sat there holding my breath.
3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone image in the flesh.
III. In the sentences given below some words and expressions are italicised. They variously mean that one
• is very frightened.
• is too scared to move.
• is frightened by something that happens suddenly.
• makes another feel frightened.
Match the meanings with the words/expressions in italics, and write the appropriate meaning next to the
sentence. The first one has been done for you.
1. I knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits. (very frightened)
2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was to the cliff edge.
3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him.
4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that.
5. Wait until I tell his story — it will make your hair stand on end.
6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors.
7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle.
Answer:
1. I knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits. (very frightened)
2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was to the cliff edge. (very frightened)
3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him. (to be suddenly surprised or
frightened by something)
4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that. (too scared/ frightened)
5. Wait until I tell his story — it will make your hair stand on end. (feel shocked or scared)
6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors. (too horrified to move)
7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle. (too frightened to move)
IV. Reported questions
Report these questions using if/whether or why/when/where/how/which/what.
Remember the italicised verbs change into the past tense.
1. Meena asked her friend, “Do you think your teacher will come today?”
2. David asked his colleague, “Where will you go this summer?”
3. He asked the little boy, “Why are you studying English?”
4. She asked me, “When are we going to leave?”
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 5
The Snake and the Mirror

5. Pran asked me, “Have you finished reading the newspaper?”

6. Seema asked her, “How long have you lived here?”
7. Sheila asked the children, “Are you ready to do the work?”
Answer:
1. Meena asked her friend if he/she thought his/her teacher would come that day.
2. David asked his colleague where he would go that summer.
3. He asked the little boy why he was studying English.
4. She asked me when we were going to leave.
5. Pran asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.
6. Seema asked her how long she had lived there.
7. Sheila asked the children if they were ready to do the work.
Speaking
Using some of the expressions given above in exercise III, talk about an incident when you were very
scared. You may have a competition to decide whose story was the most frightening.
Answer: Students are advised to try answering this question themselves.
Dictation
The following paragraph is about the Indian cobra. Read it twice and close your book. Your teacher will then
dictate the paragraph to you. Write it down with appropriate punctuation marks.
The Indian cobra is the common name for members of the family of venomous snakes, known for their
intimidating looks and deadly bite. Cobras are recognised by the hoods that they flare when angry or
disturbed; the hoods are created by the extension of the ribs behind the cobras’ heads. Obviously the best
prevention is to avoid getting bitten. This is facilitated by the fact that humans are not the natural prey of any
venomous snake. We are a bit large for them to swallow whole and they have no means of chopping us up
into bite-size pieces. Nearly all snakebites in humans are the result of a snake defending itself when it feels
threatened. In general snakes are shy and will simply leave if you give them a chance.
Answer: Do it yourself.
Writing
Question 1: Try to rewrite the story without its humour, merely as a frightening incident. What details or
parts of the story would you leave out?
Answer: Do it yourself.
Question 2: Read the description given alongside this sketch from a photograph in a newspaper (Times of
India, 4 September 1999). Make up a story about what the monkey is thinking, or why it is looking into a
mirror. Write a paragraph about it.
Answer: THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL
On a bright day, a monkey was having fun climbing and jumping across trees. Suddenly he saw a shining
piece of mirror on the ground. He jumped down and had a close look at the mirror. At first, he could not
understand what it was. After some time, he realised that the thing in his hand showed him his reflection. He
looked at his face in the mirror. He removed twigs and dust that were stuck on his face. He made several
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 5
The Snake and the Mirror

faces and kept looking at his reflection. He touched his head and rubbed his hair. He preened himself for
long. Then he threw the mirror back on the ground and took a leap onto the next tree.
Translation
Question 1: The text you read is a translation of a story by a well-known Malayalam writer, Vaikom
Muhammad Basheer.
In translating a story from one language to another, a translator must keep the content intact. However, the
language and the style differ in different translations of the same text.
Here are two translations of the opening paragraphs of a novel by the Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami.
Read them and answer the questions given below.

A B

When the phone rang I was in the kitchen, I’m in the kitchen cooking spaghetti when the
boiling a potful of spaghetti and whistling along woman calls. Another moment until the
with an FM broadcast of the overture to spaghetti is done; there I am, whistling the
Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie, which has to be prelude to Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra along with
the perfect music for cooking pasta. the FM radio. Perfect spaghetti-cooking music!
I hear the telephone ring but tell myself, Ignore
I wanted to ignore the phone, not only because it. Let the spaghetti finish cooking. It’s almost
the spaghetti was nearly done, but because done, and besides, Claudio Abbado and the
Claudio Abbado was bringing the London London Symphony Orchestra are coming to a
Symphony to its musical climax. crescendo.

Compare the two translations on the basis of the following points.

• the tense of narration (past and present tense)
• short, incomplete sentences
• sentence length
Which of these translations do you like? Give reasons for your choice.
Answer:
Tense of narration:
In translation A, the narration is in past tense.
In translation B, the narration is in simple present tense.
Short, incomplete sentences:
Sentences in translation A are long and there are no incomplete sentences.
Sentences in translation B are short and we find some incomplete sentences too.
Sentence Length:
Sentence length is more in translation A as compared to the translation B.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 5
The Snake and the Mirror

I like translation B more in comparison to translation A. This is because translation B is in the present tense
and thus gives a sense of immediacy. It also gives a clearer understanding to the reader. Sentences are
crisp and short.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 5 Poem
A Legend of the Northland

A Legend of the Northland

Thinking about the Poem
I.
Question 1. Which country or countries do you think “the Northland” refers to?
Answer: The “Northland” may refer to any of the countries among Greenland, Norway, Russia, Canada, etc.
Question 2. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady’s reaction?
Answer: Saint Peter asked the old lady for a piece of cake. She was very selfish and kept reducing the size
of the cake as to her it seemed too big to give away.
Question 3. How did he punish her?
Answer: He cursed her and changed her into a woodpecker as a punishment for being so selfish.
Question 4. How does the woodpecker get her food?
Answer: The woodpecker needs to bore all day in the hard, dry wood to get itself some food.
Question 5. Do you think that the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint
Peter really was? What would she have done then?
Answer: I don’t think the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really
was. She would have given him as large a piece of cake so that she could please him in order to get
rewarded.
Question 6. Is this a true story? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most important?
Answer: No, this is not a true story. It is a legend.
The part of the poem that, according to me, is the most important is:
And he said, “You are far too selfish
To dwell in a human form,
To have both food and shelter,
And fire to keep you warm.
This shows that we must do go things for humanity as we are capable of doing so in our human form. We
should have gratitude for having food, shelter and fire. We should be generous to people.
Question 7. What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?
Answer: A legend is a folklore that is believed to be true by tellers and listeners but it has not been proven
to have happened. It usually imparts some morals or a message.
This poem is called a legend because it also imparts the message of generosity.
Question 8. Write the story of ‘A Legend of the Northland’ in about ten sentences.
Answer: A Legend of the Northland
Once, Saint Peter was feeling very hungry and he asked for alms from an old lady. He asked if she could
give him a piece of cake to eat. The lady was very selfish. She kept reducing the size of the cake as she felt
that the size of the cake was too big to be given away as alms. At last she did not give him any cake.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 5 Poem
A Legend of the Northland

Saint Peter grew angry and cursed her to become a woodpecker. He said that from now on, she will have to
bore dry, hard wood in order to get food. All her clothes got burnt in the chimney and till this day,
woodpeckers bore all day long for food and water.
II.
Question 1. Let’s look at the words at the end of the second and fourth lines, viz., ‘snows’ and ‘clothes’,
‘true’ and ‘you’, ‘below’ and ‘know.’ We find that ‘snows’ rhymes with ‘clothes’, ‘true’ rhymes with ‘you’ and
‘below’ rhymes with ‘know’.
Find more such rhyming words.
Answer: Here are more such rhyming words from the poem:
earth-hearth, done-one, lay-away, flat-that, myself-shelf, faint-saint, form-warm, food-wood, word-bird and
same-flame.
Question 2. Go to the local library or talk to older persons in your locality and find legends in your own
language. Tell the class these legends.
Answer: Do it yourself.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 5
The Happy Prince

The Happy Prince

Think about it
Question 1. Why do the courtiers call the prince ‘the Happy Prince’? Is he really happy? What does he see
all around him?
Answer: The courtiers used to call the prince ‘the Happy Prince’ because when he was alive, he did not
know what tears were, for he lived in the Palace, where sorrow was not allowed to enter.
No, he was not happy anymore. When he died, he was made into a statue and placed at a height from
where he could see the ugliness and poverty in the city.
Question 2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress? What does the swallow do in the
seamstress’ house?
Answer: The Happy Prince sends a ruby for the seamstress because she was poor and her son was ill with
fever. Her son asks her to give him oranges but all she has is river water.
The swallow was requested by the Happy Prince to visit and give the ruby to the seamstress. When the
swallow reached her house, she was asleep and the little boy was tossing feverishly. The swallow kept the
ruby on the table beside her thimble. He then gently went around the boy’s bed, fanning the boy’s forehead
with his wings. The boy felt better and went into a deep sleep.
Question 3. For whom does the prince send the sapphires and why?
Answer: The prince sends the two sapphires of his eyes for a young writer and a matchgirl each.
The young writer was trying to finish a play for the Director of the Theatre, but he was too cold to write any
more. There was no fire in the grate, and hunger had made him faint.
The Happy Prince sent one of the sapphires of his eyes to him so that he could sell it to the jeweler, buy
firewood and finish his play.
The matchgirl’s matches fell in the gutter and got spoiled. She was crying as her father would beat her for
this mistake.
The Happy Prince sent the other sapphire to her so that she would not get beaten up when her father sees
the gem she has got.
Question 4. What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?
Answer: When the swallow flies over the city, it sees the sharp difference between the lives of the rich and
the poor. He sees the rich making merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the
gates. He flies into dark lanes and sees the white faces of starving children looking out listlessly at the black
streets.
Question 5. Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt?
Answer: The swallow did not leave the prince and go to Egypt. The prince had become blind after giving
away his sapphires to the needy. The swallow decided to stay with the prince as he was so touched by his
kindness.
Question 6. What are the precious things mentioned in the story? Why are they precious?
Answer: The precious things mentioned in the story are: the leaden heart of the Happy Prince and the dead
bird.
They are precious because they are generous and kind. The Happy Prince sacrificed the ruby of his sword
so that the poor seamstress could get her son’s fever treated. He even went on to sacrifice his sapphire
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 5
The Happy Prince

eyes and became blind. He kept giving away the gold leaves of his statue to be helpful to the poor and
needy.
The bird sacrificed his wish of going to Egypt with his friends and stayed with the Happy Prince instead. He
ultimately sacrificed his life to stay with the prince and help people.
Thus, when God asked one of his angels to bring two most precious things, the angel brought the leaden
heart of the Happy Prince and the dead bird.
The God said that the angel had rightly chosen them, as in his garden of Paradise, the little bird shall sing
for ever and in his city of gold, the Happy Prince shall praise him.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6
My Childhood

My Childhood
Thinking about the Text
I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each.
Question 1. Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?
Answer: Abdul Kalam’s house was on Mosque Street in Rameswaram.
Question 2. What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer: I think Dinamani is the name of a newspaper because Kalam says that when his brother-in-law
would tell his stories of the War, he would later try to trace it in the ‘headlines’ of Dinamani. This implies that
Dinamani would have been a newspaper.
Question 3. Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?
Answer: Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan were Abdul Kalam’s school friends.
Ramanadha Sastry took over the priesthood of the Rameswaram temple from his father. Aravindan went
into the business of arranging transport for visiting pilgrims. Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for
Southern Railways.
Question 4. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?
Answer: Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by catching bundles of newspapers thrown out from the
moving train on the Rameswaram Road between Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi and distributing them.
Question 5. Had he earned any money before that? In what way?
Answer: Yes, he had earned money before that too. He used to collect tamarind seeds and sell them to a
provision shop on Mosque Street. A day’s collection would let him earn one anna.
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words)
Question 1. How does the author describe: (i) his father (ii) his mother (iii) himself?
Answer: i) The author describes his father as honest and self-disciplined. His father used to avoid
inessential comforts and luxuries. The author tells that his father never had a formal education or much
wealth, but he possessed great wisdom and was very generous.
ii) The author describes his mother as an ideal helpmate to his father. She used to feed a lot of outsiders
along with her family members.
iii) The author describes himself as a short boy with undistinguished looks born to tall and handsome
parents.
Question 2. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?
Answer: He says that he inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father; and faith in goodness and
deep kindness from his mother.
III. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher, and then write down your answers in two or three
paragraphs each.
Question 1: “On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of
different social groups,” says the author.
(i) Which social groups does he mention? Were these groups easily identifiable (for example, by the way
they dressed)?
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6
My Childhood

(ii) Were they aware only of their differences or did they also naturally share friendships and experiences?
(Think of the bedtime stories in Kalam’s house; of who his friends were; and of what used to take place in
the pond near his house.)
(iii) The author speaks both of people who were very aware of the differences among them and those who
tried to bridge these differences. Can you identify such people in the text?
(iv) Narrate two incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be resolved.
How can people change their attitudes?
Answer:
(i) The social groups that he mentions are Hindus and Muslims. Yes, these groups were easily identifiable
by their dressing, tradition, culture, etc. For instance, Kalam used to wear a cap on his head which identified
him as a Muslim. Ramanadha Sastry wore a sacred thread.
(ii) They were not aware only of their differences. They also naturally share friendships and experiences.
Kalam’s mother and grandmother would tell events from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet as
bedtime stories. All his friends belonged to orthodox Hindu families. During the annual Sita Rama Kalyanam
Ceremony, his family would arrange boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the
temple to the marriage site situated in the middle of the pond called Rama Tirtha, which was near his house.
(iii) The author speaks both of people who were very aware of the differences among them and those who
tried to bridge these differences. Yes, we can identify such people in the text.
The new school teacher and Sivasubramania Iyer’s wife were very aware of the differences among the
social groups, but Sivasubramania Iyer and Lakshamana Sastry tried to bridge these differences.
(iv) Two incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be resolved are
explained below:
When Lakshamana Sastry got to know about the way the new school teacher had made Kalam sit on the
back bench because he was a Muslim, he asked the teacher to apologize or quit the school. The new
teacher not only regretted his behaviour but also was reformed by Lakshamana Sastry’s strong sense of
conviction.
Kalam’s science teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer, asked Kalam to his home for a meal. His wife was horrified
at the idea of a Muslim boy being invited to her pure kitchen. Sivasubramania Iyer served Kalam food with
his own hands and sat down beside him to eat his meal.
The next time he invited Kalam to his home, Sivasubramania Iyer’s wife served him food with her own hands
inside the kitchen.
Question 2: (i) Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?
(ii) What did his father say to this?
(iii) What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?
Answer: (i) Abdul Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram because he wanted to study at the district
headquarters in Ramanathapuram.
(ii) His father said, ““Abul ! I know you have to go away to grow. Does the seagull not fly across the sun,
alone and without a nest?”
(iii) His words meant he understood that Kalam had to leave his house and get a good higher education to
grow. He spoke these words because he knew the harsh reality of life that the children needed to move
away from their home and parents to make a career and earn.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6
My Childhood

Thinking about Language

I. Find the sentences in the text where these words occur:
Erupt, surge, trace, undistinguished, casualty
Look these words up in a dictionary which gives examples of how they are used.
Now answer the following questions.
Answer: Sentences in the text where these words occur are:
Erupt: “For reasons I have never been able to understand, a sudden demand for tamarind seeds erupted in
the market.”
Surge: “Half a century later, I can still feel the surge of pride in earning my own money for the first time.”
Trace: “My brother-in-law Jallaluddin would tell me stories about the War which I would later attempt to trace
in the headlines in Dinamani.”
Undistinguished: “I was one of many children — a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall
and handsome parents.”
Casualty: “The first casualty came in the form of the suspension of the train halt at Rameswaram station.”
Question 1: What are the things that can erupt? Use examples to explain the various meanings of erupt.
Now do the same for the word surge. What things can surge?
Answer: Things that can erupt are: volcanoes, emotions, anger.
– A volcano erupted in the Mauna Kea last night.
– Ranjan’s anger erupted as a result of Ashima’s continuous nagging.
Things that can surge are: prices, wave, crowd, storm, etc.
Question 2: What are the meanings of the word trace and which of the meanings is closest to the word in
the text?
Answer: The meanings of the word ‘trace’ are:
– to draw an outline
– to copy
– to find out
The meaning that is closest to the word in the text is ‘finding out’.
Question 3: Can you find the word undistinguished in your dictionary? (If not, look up the word distinguished
and say what undistinguished must mean.)
Answer: No, I cannot find the word undistinguished in my dictionary.
The meaning of the word distinguished as given in the dictionary is specific, distinct.
Thus, undistinguished must mean ‘not specific’, ‘not distinct’.
II.
Question 1. Match the phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6
My Childhood

A B

(i) broke out (a) an attitude of kindness, a readiness to give freely

(ii) in accordance with (b) was not able to tolerate

(iii) a helping hand (c) began suddenly in a violent way

(iv) could not stomach (d) assistance

(v) generosity of spirit (e) persons with power to make decisions

(vi) figures of authority (f) according to a particular rule, principle, or system

Answer:

A B

(i) broke out (c) began suddenly in a violent way

(ii) in accordance with (f) according to a particular rule, principle, or system

(iii) a helping hand (d) assistance

(iv) could not stomach (b) was not able to tolerate

(v) generosity of spirit (a) an attitude of kindness, a readiness to give freely

(vi) figures of authority (e) persons with power to make decisions

 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6
My Childhood

Question 2: Study the words in italics in the sentences below. They are formed by prefixing un – or in – to
their antonyms (words opposite in meaning).
• I was a short boy with rather undistinguished looks. (un + distinguished)
• My austere father used to avoid all inessential comforts.(in + essential)
• The area was completely unaffected by the war.(un + affected)
• He should not spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance. (in + equality, in +
tolerance)
Now form the opposites of the words below by prefixing un- or in-. The prefix in-can also have the forms il-,
ir-, or im- (for example: illiterate–il + literate, impractical –im + practical, irrational –ir + rational). You may
consult a dictionary if you wish.

__adequate __acceptable __regular __tolerant

__demanding __active __true __permanent

__patriotic __disputed __accessible __coherent

__logical __legal __responsible __possible

Answer:

inadequate unacceptable irregular intolerant

undemanding inactive untrue impermanent

unpatriotic undisputed inaccessible incoherent

illogical illegal irresponsible impossible

III. Passive Voice

Study these sentences:
• My parents were regarded as an ideal couple.
• I was asked to go and sit on the back bench.
• Such problems have to be confronted.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6
My Childhood

The italicised verbs in these sentences are made up of a form of the verb be and a past participle. (For
example: were + regarded, was + asked, be + confronted)
These sentences focus on what happens, rather than who does what. Notice that the doer of the action is
not included in the sentences.
If necessary, we can mention the doer of the action in a by-phrase. For example:
• The tree was struck by lightning.
• The flag was unfurled by the Chief Guest.
IV. Rewrite the sentences below, changing the verbs in brackets into the passive form.
1. In yesterday’s competition the prizes (give away) by the Principal.
2. In spite of financial difficulties, the labourers (pay) on time.
3. On Republic Day, vehicles (not allow) beyond this point.
4. Second-hand books (buy and sell) on the pavement every Saturday.
5. Elections to the Lok Sabha (hold) every five years.
6. Our National Anthem (compose) Rabindranath Tagore.
Answer:
1. In yesterday’s competition the prizes were given away by the Principal.
2. In spite of financial difficulties, the labourers were paid on time.
3. On Republic Day, vehicles were not allowed beyond this point.
4. Second-hand books were bought and sold on the pavement every Saturday.
5. Elections to the Lok Sabha are held every five years.
6. Our National Anthem was composed by Rabindranath Tagore.
V. Rewrite the paragraphs below, using the correct form of the verb given in brackets.
Question 1. How Helmets Came To Be Used in Cricket
Nari Contractor was the Captain and an opening batsman for India in the 1960s. The Indian cricket team
went on a tour to the West Indies in 1962. In a match against Barbados in Bridgetown, Nari Contractor
(seriously injure and collapse). In those days helmets (not wear). Contractor (hit) on the head by a bouncer
from Charlie Griffith. Contractor’s skull (fracture). The entire team (deeply concern). The West Indies players
(worry). Contractor (rush) to hospital. He (accompany) by Frank Worrell, the Captain of the West Indies
Team. Blood (donate) by the West Indies players. Thanks to the timely help, Contractor (save). Nowadays
helmets (routinely use) against bowlers.
Answer:
How Helmets Came To Be Used in Cricket
Nari Contractor was the Captain and an opening batsman for India in the 1960s. The Indian cricket team
went on a tour to the West Indies in 1962. In a match against Barbados in Bridgetown, Nari Contractor was
seriously injured and collapsed. In those days helmets were not worn. Contractor was hit on the head by a
bouncer from Charlie Griffith. Contractor’s skull was fractured. The entire team was deeply concerned. The
West Indies players were worried. Contractor was rushed to hospital. He was accompanied by Frank
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6
My Childhood

Worrell, the Captain of the West Indies Team. Blood was donated by the West Indies players. Thanks to the
timely help, Contractor was saved. Nowadays helmets are routinely used against bowlers.
Question 2. Oil from Seeds
Vegetable oils (make) from seeds and fruits of many plants growing all over the world, from tiny sesame
seeds to big, juicy coconuts. Oil (produce) from cotton seeds, groundnuts, soya beans and sunflower seeds.
Olive oil (use) for cooking, salad dressing etc. Olives (shake) from the trees and (gather) up, usually by
hand. The olives (ground) to a thick paste which is spread onto special mats. Then the mats (layer) up on
the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil.
Answer:
Oil from Seeds
Vegetable oils are made from seeds and fruits of many plants growing all over the world, from tiny sesame
seeds to big, juicy coconuts. Oil is produced from cotton seeds, groundnuts, soya beans and sunflower
seeds. Olive oil is used for cooking, salad dressing etc. Olives are shaken from the trees and gathered up,
usually by hand. The olives are ground to a thick paste which is spread onto special mats. Then the mats
are layered up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil.
Dictation
Let the class divide itself into three groups. Let each group take down one passage that the teacher dictates.
Then put the passages together in the right order.
To Sir, with Love
1. From Rameswaram to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, it’s been a long journey. Talking to Nona Walia on the eve
of Teacher’s Day, President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam talks about life’s toughest lessons learnt and his mission
— being a teacher to the Indian youth. “A proper education would help nurture a sense of dignity and self-
respect among our youth,” says President Kalam.
There’s still a child in him though, and he’s still curious about learning new things. Life’s a mission for
President Kalam.
2. Nonetheless, he remembers his first lesson in life and how it changed his destiny. “I was studying in
Standard V, and must have been all of 10. My teacher, Sri Sivasubramania Iyer was telling us how birds fly.
He drew a diagram of a bird on the blackboard, depicting the wings, tail and the body with the head and then
explained how birds soar to the sky. At the end of the class, I said I didn’t understand. Then he asked the
other students if they had understood, but nobody had understood how birds fly,” he recalls.
3. “That evening, the entire class was taken to Rameswarm shore,” the President continues. “My teacher
showed us sea birds. We saw marvellous formations of them flying and how their wings flapped. Then my
teacher asked us, ‘Where is the birds’ engine and how is it powered?’ I knew then that birds are powered by
their own life and motivation. I understood all about birds’ dynamics. This was real teaching — a theoretical
lesson coupled with a live practical example. Sri Siva Subramania Iyer was a great teacher.”
That day, my future was decided. My destiny was changed. I knew my future had to be about flight and flight
systems.
Answer:
To Sir, with Love
From Rameswaram to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, it’s been a long journey. Talking to Nona Walia on the eve of
Teacher’s Day, President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam talks about life’s toughest lessons learnt and his mission —
being a teacher to the Indian youth. “A proper education would help nurture a sense of dignity and self-
respect among our youth,” says President Kalam.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6
My Childhood

There’s still a child in him though, and he’s still curious about learning new things. Life’s a mission for
President Kalam.
Nonetheless, he remembers his first lesson in life and how it changed his destiny. “I was studying in
Standard V, and must have been all of 10. My teacher, Sri Sivasubramania Iyer was telling us how birds fly.
He drew a diagram of a bird on the blackboard, depicting the wings, tail and the body with the head and then
explained how birds soar to the sky. At the end of the class, I said I didn’t understand. Then he asked the
other students if they had understood, but nobody had understood how birds fly,” he recalls.
“That evening, the entire class was taken to Rameswaram shore,” the President continues. “My teacher
showed us sea birds. We saw marvellous formations of them flying and how their wings flapped. Then my
teacher asked us, ‘Where is the birds’ engine and how is it powered?’ I knew then that birds are powered by
their own life and motivation. I understood all about birds’ dynamics. This was real teaching — a theoretical
lesson coupled with a live practical example. Sri Siva Subramania Iyer was a great teacher.”
That day, my future was decided. My destiny was changed. I knew my future had to be about flight and flight
systems.
Speaking
Here is a topic for you to
1. think about;
2. give your opinion on.
Find out what other people think about it. Ask your friends/seniors/parents to give you their opinion.
‘Career Building Is the Only Goal of Education.’
or
‘Getting a Good Job Is More Important than Being a Good Human Being.’
You can use the following phrases
(i) while giving your opinion:
• I think that…
• In my opinion…
• It seems to me that…
• I am of the view that…
• As far as I know…
• If you ask me…
(ii) saying what other people think:
• According to some…
• Quite a few think…
• Some others favour…
• Thirty per cent of the people disagree…
• Fifty per cent of them strongly feel…
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6
My Childhood

(iii) asking for others’ opinions:

• What do you think about…
• What do you think of…
• What is your opinion about…
• Do you agree…
• Does this make you believe…
Answer: Do it yourself.
Writing
Question 1: Think and write a short account of what life in Rameswaram in the 1940s must have been like.
(Were people rich or poor? Hard working or lazy? Hopeful of change, or resistant to it?).
Answer: I think that life in Rameswaram in the 1940s must have been very different from how it must be
today. People were orthodox and did not accept changes in their way of living. They would have been hard
working and poor. Some people at Rameswaram used to differentiate among various social groups. They
were more religious.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6 Poem
No Men Are Foreign

No Men Are Foreign

Thinking about the Poem

Question 1. (i) “Beneath all uniforms…” What uniforms do you think the poet is speaking about?
(ii) How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?
Answer: (i) The poet is speaking about the various kinds of dresses and outfits people wear.
(ii) The poet says that the uniforms (outfits) must be different but there is a human body beneath those
uniforms and all of us will lie in the same earth when we die.
Question 2. In stanza 1, find five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.
Answer: The poet points out five ways in which we are all alike. Here are the words from the poem:
– no men are strange
– no countries foreign
– a single body breathes
– the land our brothers walk upon (the same planet)
– (the same earth) in which we all shall lie
Question 3. How many common features can you find in stanza 2? Pick out the words.
Answer: Following are the common features which we can find in stanza 2:
– aware of sun and air and water – which means all humans have the need and awareness of the sun, water
and air)
– fed by peaceful harvests – all humans are fed by peacefully harvested food and grains
– Their hands are ours, – they too have hands similar to ours
– in their lines we read a labour not different from our own – their hands also show the hard work and labor
they perform
Question 4. “…whenever we are told to hate our brothers…” When do you think this happens? Why? Who
‘tells’ us? Should we do as we are told at such times? What does the poet say?
Answer: We are told to hate other humans from different countries, religions or social groups during wars
and fights. These are told by selfish people who want wars and revenge instead of peace. They instil bad
thoughts and feelings for other humans for their own benefit and cause riots. No, we should not do as told at
such times. We should try to make the world more peaceful.
The poet says that we should always remember that the people we are told to fight against are also human
beings like us. We are all the same. There is no foreign land and there are no ‘foreign’ men.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 6
Weathering the Storm in Ersama

Weathering the Storm in Ersama

Think about it
Question 1. What havoc has the super cyclone wreaked in the life of the people of Orissa?
Answer: The super cyclone uprooted and crashed ancient trees to the earth. People and houses were
swiftly washed away. A raging, deadly, brown sheet of water covered everything as far as the eye could see;
only fractured cement houses still stood in a few places. Bloated animal carcasses and human corpses
floated in every direction. All around, even huge old trees had fallen.
Question 2. How has Prashant, a teenager, been able to help the people of his village?
Answer: Prashant, who was just nineteen years old, decided to lead the people of his village. He organized
a group of youths and elders to jointly pressure the merchant once again to part with his rice. This task was
done successfully. For the first time in four days, the survivors at the cyclone shelter were able to fill their
bellies.
Then he organized a team of youth volunteers and cleaned the shelter of filth, urine, vomit and floating
carcasses, and tended to the wounds and fractures of the people who had been injured by the cyclone.
He brought the children who were orphaned together and put up a polythene sheet shelter for them.
Question 3. How have the people of the community helped one another? What role do the women of
Kalikuda play during these days?
Answer: The people of the community helped one another by grouping under the leadership of Prashant.
They convinced the merchant to help them with the available rice. The youth task force made children lie in
the sand left by the waters around the shelter with these utensils on their stomachs to communicate to the
passing helicopters that they were hungry. The message got through, and they began receiving food and
other basic needs at regular intervals.
Women of Kalikuda were mobilized to look after the orphaned children while the men secured food and
materials for the shelter. The women began to work in the food-for-work programme started by an NGO.
Question 4. Why do Prashant and other volunteers resist the plan to set up institutions for orphans and
widows? What alternatives do they consider?
Answer: Prashant and other volunteers resisted the plan to set up institutions for orphans and widows
because they felt that in such institutions, children would grow up without love and widows would suffer from
stigma and loneliness.
They considered the alternative of resettling the orphans in their own community itself, possibly in new foster
families made up of childless widows and children without adult care.
Question 5. Do you think Prashant is a good leader? Do you think young people can get together to help
people during natural calamities?
Answer: Yes, Prashant is a great leader. Even though he himself was grief-stricken, he decided to lead the
people of his village. He organised a group of youths and elders to help others in tough times. He took
several initiatives and made it possible for people to put their lives back on track.
Yes, I think young people can get together to help people during natural calamities. Young people are full of
energy and strength. They can come up with new and useful ideas to reduce the devastating effects of
calamities by helping more and more people.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7
Packing

Packing
Thinking about the Text
I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30–40 words).
Question 1. How many characters are there in the narrative? Name them. (Don’t forget the dog!).
Answer: There are four characters in the narrative. They are Jerome (the narrator), George, Harris and
Montmorency (the dog).
Question 2. Why did the narrator (Jerome) volunteer to do the packing?
Answer: Jerome volunteered to do the packing because he felt that he knew about more about packing
than any other living being. He thought that he would get a chance to boss over the job.
Question 3. How did George and Harris react to this? Did Jerome like their reaction?
Answer: George and Harris reacted very differently from what the author had wanted them to. When
Jerome said that he would do the packing, they readily accepted the suggestion. George spread himself
over the easy-chair and Harris plonked his legs on the table.
No, Jerome was irritated at their reaction.
Question 4. What was Jerome’s real intention when he offered to pack?
Answer: Jerome’s real intention was to boss over the job and George and Harris to follow his orders.
Question 5. What did Harris say after the bag was shut and strapped? Why do you think he waited till then
to ask?
Answer: After the bag was shut and strapped, Harris said, “Ain’t you going to put the boots in?”
He waited till then to ask the question so as to irritate Jerome.
Question 6. What “horrible idea” occurred to Jerome a little later?
Answer: The horrible idea that occurred to Jerome a little later was if he had packed the toothbrush. The
narrator says that he doesn’t know why he would always forget whether he had packed his toothbrush or
not.
Question 7. Where did Jerome finally find the toothbrush?
Answer: Jerome unpacked everything and began to put the things back one by one. He held everything up
and shook it. Then he finally found the toothbrush inside a boot.
Question 8. Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag?
Answer: Jerome had to reopen the bag because he realised that he had packed his spectacles in it and had
to re-open it.
Question 9. What did George and Harris offer to pack and why?
Answer: George and Harris offered to pack the hamper. George said that he and Harris would better do the
rest of the packing and let Jerome take some rest.
Question 10. While packing the hamper, George and Harris did a number of foolish and funny things. Tick
the statements that are true.
(i) They started with breaking a cup.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7
Packing

(ii) They also broke a plate.

(iii) They squashed a tomato.
(iv) They trod on the butter.
(v) They stepped on a banana.
(vi) They put things behind them, and couldn’t find them.
(vii) They stepped on things.
(viii) They packed the pictures at the bottom and put heavy things on top.
(ix) They upset almost everything.
(x) They were very good at packing.
Answer:
The statements that are true are:
(i) They started with breaking a cup.
(iii) They squashed a tomato.
(iv) They trod on the butter.
(vi) They put things behind them, and couldn’t find them.
(vii) They stepped on things.
II. What does Jerome say was Montmorency’s ambition in life? What do you think of Montmorency and why?
Answer: Jerome says that Montmorency’s ambition in life was to get in the way and get scolded. The poet
says that Montmorency would feel that his day was not wasted if he could squirm in anywhere where he was
not wanted and make people mad at him. The narrator continues to say that Montmorency’s highest aim and
objective was to get somebody stumble over him and curse him for an hour.
I think that Montmorency is just another dog who seeks love and attention of the people around him. He
wants to irritate people so as to make his presence felt.
III. Discuss in groups and answer the following questions in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words)
Question 1: Of the three, Jerome, George and Harris, who do you think is the best or worst packer?
Support your answer with details from the text.
Answer: Of the three, Jerome is the best packer as he knows how to arrange things properly. He is not a
flawless packer as he forgets things outside. Later, he searches for spectacles and finds out that he packed
them too in the bag. Also, he has an odd habit of forgetting if he had packed his toothbrush.
George and Harris are equally worse in packing. They stepped on things. They put things behind them and
then couldn’t find them when they wanted them. They packed the pies at the bottom, and put heavy things
on top and smashed the pies in. They upset salt over everything and created a chaos in the room.
Question 2: How did Montmorency ‘contribute’ to the packing?
Answer: Montmorency’s ambition in life was to get in the way and get scolded. The poet says that
Montmorency would feel that his day was not wasted if he could squirm in anywhere where he was not
wanted and make people mad at him.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7
Packing

Montmorency came and sat down on things, just when they had to be packed. He labored under the fixed
belief that whenever George or Harris reached out their hand for anything, it was his cold damp nose they
wanted!
He put his leg into the jam and disturbed the teaspoons. He pretended that the lemons were rats. So, he got
into the hamper and killed three of them before Harris could beat him with the frying pan. In this way, he
contributed to the packing.
Question 3: Do you find this story funny? What are the humorous elements in it? (Pick out at least three,
think about what happens, as well as how it is described.)
Answer: Yes, the story is very funny. All the characters in the story and the way the events are described
are humorous. Here are three such elements:
– When Jerome proposes to do the packing, George and Harris readily accept the suggestion. They sit
comfortably leaving the entire job to Jerome.
The real intention behind Jerome’s suggestion was that he would boss over the job while George and Harris
would follow his orders.
– George trod on the butter. He got it off his slipper and tried to put it in the kettle. Then they put it on a
chair. Harris sat on it and it stuck to him. They went looking for it in the entire room. Finally, George saw it
stuck on Harris’ back.
– Montmorency’s ambition in life was to get in the way and get scolded. He laboured under the fixed belief
that whenever George or Harris reached out their hand for anything, it was his cold damp nose they wanted!
He pretended that the lemons were rats. So, he got into the hamper and killed three of them.
Thinking about Language
I. Match the words/phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B.

A B

Slaving (i) a quarrel or an argument

Chaos (ii) remove something from inside another thing using a sharp tool

Rummage (iii) strange, mysterious, difficult to explain

Scrape out (iv) finish successfully, achieve

Stumble over, tumble (v) search for something by moving things around hurriedly or
into carelessly
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7
Packing

Accomplish (vi) complete confusion and disorder

Uncanny (vii) fall, or step awkwardly while walking

(to have or get into) a (viii) working hard

row

Answer:

A B

Slaving (viii) working hard

Chaos (vi) complete confusion and disorder

Rummage (v) search for something by moving things around hurriedly or

carelessly

Scrape out (ii) remove something from inside another thing using a sharp tool

Stumble over, tumble (vii) fall, or step awkwardly while walking

into

Accomplish (iv) finish successfully, achieve

Uncanny (iii) strange, mysterious, difficult to explain

(to have or get into) a (i) a quarrel or an argument

row

II. Use suitable words or phrases from Column A above to complete the paragraph given below.
A Traffic Jam
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7
Packing

During power cuts, when traffic lights go off, there is utter _________ at crossroads. Drivers add to the
confusion by _________ over their right of way, and nearly come to blows. Sometimes passers-by, seeing a
few policemen _________ at regulating traffic, step in to help. This gives them a feeling of having
_________ something.
Answer:
During power cuts, when traffic lights go off, there is utter chaos at crossroads. Drivers add to the confusion
by getting into a row over their right of way, and nearly come to blows. Sometimes passers-by, seeing a few
policemen slaving at regulating traffic, step in to help. This gives them a feeling of having accomplished
something.
III. Look at the sentences below. Notice that the verbs (italicised) are all in their bare form.
• Simple commands:
– Stand up!
– Put it here!
• Directions: (to reach your home)
Board Bus No.121 and get down at Sagar Restaurant. From there turn right and walk till you reach a book
shop. My home is just behind the shop.
• Dos and don’ts:
– Always get up for your elders.
– Don’t shout in class.
• Instructions for making a fruit salad:
Ingredients
Oranges – 2
Pineapple – one large piece
Cherries – 250 grams
Bananas – 2
Any other fruit you like
Wash the fruit. Cut them into small pieces. Mix them well. Add a few drops of lime juice. Add sugar to taste.
Now add some cream (or ice cream if you wish to make fruit salad with ice cream.)
Question 1: Now work in pairs. Give
(i) two commands to your partner.
(ii) two dos and don’ts to a new student in your class.
(iii) directions to get to each other’s houses.
(iv) instructions for moving the body in an exercise or a dance, or for cooking something.
Answer:
(i) Commands: Sit properly.
Respect your elders.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7
Packing

(ii) Dos: Do your homework regularly.

Stand whenever a teacher enters the class.
Don’ts: Don’t leave your lunch unfinished.
Don’t fight in the school.
(iii) From the Globe Chowk, take right turn to arrive onto street 21. Take the first left. You will find a park on
the right. Keep walking till you find the end corner of the park on the same road. Take a right turn to arrive
onto street 36. Look for the house with two palm trees and that is my house.
(iv) Sit with your spine straight. Take a deep breath. Place both your palms near your head. Put your
forefingers above the eyebrows. Place your middle and ring fingers on your eyelids. Place your little finger
under your eyes. Make a humming sound while keeping your mouth closed. This is called Bhramari
Pranayam.
Question 2: The table below has some proverbs telling you what to do and what not to do. Fill in the blanks
and add a few more such proverbs to the table.

Positive Negative

(i) Save for a rainy day. (i) Don’t cry over spilt milk.

(ii) Make hay while the sun shines. (ii) Don’t put the cart before the horse.

(iii) ________ before you leap. (iii) ________ a mountain out of a mole hill.

(iv) ________ and let live. (iv) ________ all your eggs in one basket.

Answer:

Positive Negative

(i) Save for a rainy day. (i) Don’t cry over spilt milk.

(ii) Make hay while the sun shines. (ii) Don’t put the cart before the horse.

(iii) Look before you leap. (iii) Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7
Packing

(iv) Live and let live. (iv) Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

(v) Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open. (v) Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

(vi) Cross the stream where it is shallowest. (vi) Don’t blow your own trumpet.

(vii) Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. (vii) Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Writing
You have seen how Jerome, George and Harris mess up their packing, especially of the hamper. From their
mistakes you must have thought of some dos and don’ts for packing. Can you give some tips for packing by
completing the paragraph below?
First pack all the heavy items, especially the ones you don’t need right away.
Then . . .
Here are some words and phrases you can use to begin your sentences with:
• Then
• Next
• Now
• Remember
• Don’t forget
• At last/Finally
Answer: Do it yourself.
Speaking
Look at this sentence.
“I told George and Harris that they had better leave the whole matter entirely to me.”
The words had better are used
• in an advice or suggestion:
You had better take your umbrella, it looks like it will rain.
• in an order
You had better complete your homework before you go out to play.
• as a threat
You had better leave or I’ll have you arrested for trespass!
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7
Packing

When we speak, we say you’d/I’d/he’d better, instead of you had better, etc.
Work in pairs to give each other advice, orders or suggestions, or even to threaten each other. Imagine
situations like the following: Your partner
1. hasn’t returned a book to the library.
2. has forgotten to bring lunch.
3. hasn’t got enough change for bus fare.
4. has found out a secret about you.
5. has misplaced your English textbook.
Answer:
1. You had better return the book to the library.
2. You had better bring lunch.
3. You had better get enough change for bus fare.
4. You had better tell me the secret you found out about me.
5. You had better not misplace your English textbook.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7 Poem
The Duck and the Kangaroo

The Duck and the Kangaroo

I
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,
“Good gracious! how you hop!
Over the fields and the water too,
As if you never would stop!
My life is a bore in this nasty pond,
And I long to go out in the world beyond!
I wish I could hop like you!”
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
II
“Please give me a ride on your back!”
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
“I would sit quite still, and say nothing but ‘Quack’,
The whole of the long day through!
And we’d go to the Dee, and the Jelly Bo Lee,
Over the land, and over the sea;
Please take me a ride! O do!”
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
III
Said the Kangaroo to the Duck,
“This requires some little reflection;
Perhaps on the whole it might bring me luck,
And there seems but one objection,
Which is, if you’ll let me speak so bold,
Your feet are unpleasantly wet and cold,
And would probably give me the roo-
Matiz!” said the Kangaroo.
IV
Said the Duck, “As I sat on the rocks,
I have thought over that completely,
And I bought four pairs of worsted socks
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7 Poem
The Duck and the Kangaroo

Which fit my web-feet neatly.

And to keep out the cold I’ve bought a cloak,
And every day a cigar I’ll smoke,
All to follow my own dear true
Love of a Kangaroo!”
V
Said the Kangaroo, “I’m ready!
All in the moonlight pale;
But to balance me well, dear Duck, sit steady!
And quite at the end of my tail!”
So away they went with a hop and a bound,
And they hopped the whole world three times round;
And who so happy — O who,
As the Duck and the Kangaroo?
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 7
The Last Leaf

The Last Leaf

Think about it
Question 1. What is Johnsy’s illness? What can cure her, the medicine or the willingness to live?
Answer: Johnsy is suffering from pneumonia. Her willingness to live can cure her. Her doctor says that it
seems as if she has made up her mind that she is not going to get well. He says that medicines won’t work if
she does not want to live.
Question 2. Do you think the feeling of depression Johnsy has is common among teenagers?
Answer: Yes, I think the feeling of depression Johnsy has is common among teenagers these days.
Teenagers today are in a constant run to make the most of their lives. They live a lifestyle that is burdened
by pressure to be the best in every aspect. They tend to care more about their professional lives and give
less attention to their personal nourishment.
Question 3. Behrman has a dream. What is it? Does it come true?
Answer: Behrman is a sixty-year-old painter. His lifelong dream was to paint a masterpiece. Yes, it
ultimately comes true when he paints the last leaf on an ivy creeper and that painted last leaf seems to be a
real one.
Question 4. What is Behrman’s masterpiece? What makes Sue say so?
Answer: Johnsy had said that she would die when the last leaf on the ivy creeper fell. When Behrman heard
this from Sue, he secretly painted a leaf on the creeper when the last leaf had fallen.
Unaware that the leaf that Johnsy was looking at was a painting, Johnsy felt motivated to see that the last
leaf was still clinging to the creeper. She felt energetic and developed a willingness to live.
Thus, the last leaf painted by Behrman was a masterpiece. It rekindled Johnsy’s willingness to fight her
illness and live. That is the reason why Sue says that the last leaf is Behrman’s masterpiece.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 8
Reach for the Top

Reach for the Top

Thinking about the Text
I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each. (The paragraph numbers within brackets provide
clues to the answers.)
Question 1. Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised? (1)
Answer: The ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings was surprised because Santosh’s
grandmother sought that Santosh’s mother be blessed with a daughter. This was quite astonishing for the
holy man because people mostly seek blessings for having a son.
Question 2. Give an example to show that even as a young girl, Santosh was not ready to accept anything
unreasonable. (2)
Answer: Even as a young girl, Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable. She was not
content with her place in the traditional way of life and began living life on her own terms from the start.
While other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh used to wear shorts.
Question 3. Why was Santosh sent to the local school? (3)
Answer: Although Santosh’s parents were rich landowners and could have sent her to the best schools,
Santosh was sent to the local school because of the prevailing custom in the family.
Question 4. When did she leave home for Delhi, and why? (4)
Answer: She left home for Delhi when she was sixteen because she wanted to get a proper education.
Question 5. Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling in Delhi? What mental qualities of
Santosh are brought to light by this incident? (4)
Answer: Santosh’s parents agreed to pay for her schooling in Delhi when she informed them about her
plans to earn money by working part-time to pay for her education.
Through this incident, we get to know that Santosh had a very clear goal of getting properly educated no
matter what.
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words)
Question 1. How did Santosh begin to climb mountains?
Answer: Kasturba Hostel, where Santosh used to stay during her college days, faced Aravalli Hills. She
used to watch the villagers go up the hill and vanish after a while. She decided to check out the mountains
herself. She asked the villagers if she could join them, to which they agreed. This is how Santosh began to
climb mountains.
Question 2. What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?
Answer: During the Everest expedition in 1992, Santosh provided special care to a climber who was dying
at the South Col. She could not save him, but she managed to save another climber, Mohan Singh, by
sharing her oxygen with him.
Question 3. What shows her concern for the environment?
Answer: Santosh collected and brought down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas on her way
back from the 1992 Everest expedition. This shows her concern for the environment.
Question 4. How does she describe her feelings at the summit of Everest?
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 8
Reach for the Top

Answer: She says that it took her some time for the enormity of the moment to sink in. She unfurled the
Indian tricolor and held it aloft on the roof of the world.
She tells that the feeling is indescribable to watch the Indian flag flying on top of the world. She felt proud as
an Indian.
Question 5. Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she scaled Mt Everest. What were the
reasons for this?
Answer: Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she scaled Mt Everest. The first time she
climbed Mt Everest, she got the record of the youngest woman in the world to achieve the feat. The second
time she climbed Mt Everest, she became the only woman to climb Everest twice.
III. Complete the following statements.
1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to _________________.
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because
_________________.
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her _________________ while
_________________ endeared her to fellow climbers.
Answer:
1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch villagers from her room, going up the hill and
suddenly vanishing after a while.
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had got
herself enrolled at Uttarkashi without his permission.
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her climbing skills, physical fitness and
mental strength, while her concern for others and desire to work together with them endeared her to fellow
climbers.
IV. Pick out words from the text that mean the same as the following words or expressions. (Look in the
paragraphs indicated.)
1. took to be true without proof (1):
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable (2):
3. the usual way of doing things (3):
4. a strong desire arising from within (5):
5. the power to endure, without falling ill (7):
Answer:
1. took to be true without proof: assumed
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable: rational
3. the usual way of doing things: custom
4. a strong desire arising from within: urge
5. the power to endure, without falling ill: resistance
Part II
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 8
Reach for the Top

Maria Sharapova
Thinking about the Text
Working in small groups of 4–5 students, go back over the two passages on Santosh Yadav and Maria
Sharapova and complete the table given below with relevant phrases or sentences.

Points of Comparison/Contrast Santosh Yadav Maria Sharapova

1. Their humble beginning

2. Their parents’ approach

3. Their will power and strong desire to succeed

4. Evidence of their mental toughness

5. Their patriotism

Answer:

Points of Santosh Yadav Maria Sharapova

Comparison/Contrast

1. Their humble beginning She was born in the small village of “My father was working as
Joniyawas of Rewari District in Haryana. much as he could to keep
my tennis training going.”

2. Their parents’ approach But, in line with the prevailing custom in “My father was working as
the family, Santosh had to make do with much as he could to keep
the local village school. my tennis training going.”

3. Their will power and “And I was supposed to be in Uttarkashi “When you come from
strong desire to succeed on the twenty-first. So, I did not go back nothing and you have
home; instead, I headed straight for the nothing, then it makes you
training.” very hungry and
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 8
Reach for the Top

determined…”

4. Evidence of their Equipped with an iron will, physical “Instead of letting that
mental toughness endurance and an amazing mental depress me, I became
toughness, she proved herself more quietly determined
repeatedly. and mentally tough.”

5. Their patriotism “Then I unfurled the Indian tricolour and “My blood is totally
held it aloft on the roof of the world. The Russian. I will play the
feeling is indescribable. The Indian flag Olympics for Russia if
was flying on top of the world. It was they want me.”
truly a spiritual moment. I felt proud as
an Indian.”

Thinking about Language

Look at the following sentences. They each have two clauses, or two parts each with their own subject and
verb or verb phrase. Often, one part (italicised) tells us when or why something happened.
• I reached the market when most of the shops had closed. (Tells us when I reached.)
• When Rahul Dravid walked back towards the pavilion, everyone stood up. (Tells us when everyone stood
up.)
• The telephone rang and Ganga picked it up. (Tells us what happened next.)
• Gunjan has been with us ever since the school began. (Tells us for how long he has been with us.)
I. Identify the two parts in the sentences below by underlining the part that gives us the information in
brackets, as shown above.
1. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts. (Contrasts her dress with that
of others)
2. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. (Tells us what happened after the first action.)
3. She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived. (Tells us when she was going to fight the
system.)
4. Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United
States. (Tells us when Maria was sent to the U.S.)
Answer:
1. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts. (Contrasts her dress with that
of others)
2. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. (Tells us what happened after the first action.)
3. She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived. (Tells us when she was going to fight the
system.)
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 8
Reach for the Top

4. Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United
States. (Tells us when Maria was sent to the U.S.)
II. Now rewrite the pairs of sentences given below as one sentence.
1. Grandfather told me about the old days. All books were printed on paper then.
2. What do you do after you finish the book? Perhaps you just throw it away.
3. He gave the little girl an apple. He took the computer apart.
4. You have nothing. That makes you very determined.
5. I never thought of quitting. I knew what I wanted.
Answer:
1. Grandfather told me about the old days when all books were printed on paper.
2. After you finish the book, perhaps you just throw it away.
3. He gave the little girl an apple and took the computer apart.
4. When you have nothing, that makes you very determined.
5. I never thought of quitting as I knew what I wanted.
Dictation
Read the passage once. Then close your books. Your teacher will dictate the story to you. Write it down with
the correct punctuation and paragraphing.
The Raincoat
After four years of drought in a small town in the Northeast, the Vicar gathered everyone together for a
pilgrimage to the mountain, where they would pray together and ask for the rain to return.
The priest noticed a boy in the group wearing a raincoat.
“Have you gone mad?” he asked. “It hasn’t rained in this region for five years, the heat will kill you climbing
the mountain.”
“I have a cold, father. If we are going to ask God for rain, can you imagine the way back from the mountain?
It’s going to be such a downpour that I need to be prepared.”
At that moment a great crash was heard in the sky and the first drops began to fall. A boy’s faith was enough
to bring about a miracle that not even those most prepared truly believed in.
(translated by JAMES MULHOLLAND)
Answer: Do it yourself.
Speaking
Imagine that you are Santosh Yadav, or Maria Sharapova. You have been invited to speak at an All India
Girls’ Athletic Meet, as chief guest. Prepare a short speech to motivate the girls to think and dream big and
make an effort to fulfil their dreams, not allowing difficulties or defeat to discourage them. The following
words and phrases may help you.
• self confident/confidence/sure of yourself
• self assured/assurance/belief in yourself
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 8
Reach for the Top

• morale/boost morale/raise morale

• giving somebody a boost/fillip/lift
• demoralising/unsure of yourself/insecure/lack confidence
Answer:
Good Morning Girls!
It is an honor to address you all from this stage. You definitely have sheer will and determination. That is
what has brought you this far. As you proceed with the same passion, I want to iterate that everything you
have and all that you will achieve in life will solely depend on your confidence. Believe in yourself and your
dreams. Do whatever it takes to accomplish your goals. Never ever doubt your skills. Never let the
difficulties discourage you. Never lose trust in yourself just because you had to face a defeat. Whenever you
fail, remember to rise and chase your passion.
Thank you.
Writing
Working in pairs, go through the table below that gives you information about the top women tennis players
since 1975. Write a short article for your school magazine comparing and contrasting the players in terms of
their duration at the top. Mention some qualities that you think may be responsible for their brief or long stay
at the top spot.
Top-Ranked Women Players
I. The roll of honour of women who enjoyed life at the summit since everybody’s favourite player, Chris
Evert, took her place in 1975.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 8
Reach for the Top

Answer:
Do it yourself.
II. Which of these words would you use to describe Santosh Yadav? Find reasons in the text to support your
choices, and write a couple of paragraphs describing Santosh’s character.
contented, determined, resourceful, polite, adventurous, considerate, weak-willed, fearful, independent,
pessimistic, patient, persevering
Answer: Santosh Yadav is determined and polite. She is adventurous as she gets fascinated by the
mountaineers climbing Everest and approaches them to ask if she could join them. She is a considerate
person who helps her fellow climbers in their journey. She has determination and a strong will to achieve her
goals. She is a patriot and says that the feeling of watching the Indian flag on top of the world is an
indescribable feeling.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 8 Poem
On Killing aTree

On Killing a Tree
Thinking about the Poem
Question 1. Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?
Answer: No, a simple jab of the knife cannot kill a tree because the tree grows with a lot of nutrients and
resources. Even if one cuts it, it will sprout again.
Question 2. How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.
Answer: The tree has grown to its full size by consuming the earth, feeding upon its crust, absorbing years
of sunlight, air and water.
The words suggestive of its life and activity are: absorbing, feeding, rising, consuming and sprouting.
Question 3. What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?
Answer: The “bleeding bark” indicates the idea that the tree has been cut. Just like humans bleed blood
when they get wounded, trees release a liquid at the place where they are cut. So, the tree bleeds.
Question 4. The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?
Answer: The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. It emphasizes that only cutting or chopping
the tree will not cease its existence.
Question 5. What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?
Answer: The “anchoring earth” means that the earth works as an anchor to protect the tree and saves it
from getting uprooted.
“Earth cave” implies the depth of the mother earth where the tree spreads its roots and gets nurtured.
Question 6. What does he mean by “the strength of the tree exposed”?
Answer: He means to say that when one tries to pull out the tree along with its roots which are spread deep
inside the earth, one will understand the strength of the tree.
Question 7. What finally kills the tree?
Answer: When the tree is pulled out along with its roots and separated from mother earth, one has to
subject it to the scorching sun and let it wither. This will finally kill the tree.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 8
A House Is Not a Home

A House Is Not a Home

Think about it
Question 1. What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon? What is his mother’s reaction? What does
she do?
Answer: One Sunday afternoon, the author smelled something strange, and then he noticed smoke pouring
in through the seams of the ceiling. The smoke began to fill the room quickly. The author and his mother ran
out of the house.
The author ran to the neighbours to call the fire department, while his mother ran back into the house. She
then ran out of the house carrying a small metal box full of important documents. She dropped the case on
the lawn and ran back into the house to bring the pictures of the author’s dead father, which was the only
thing that she had to remember him by.
Question 2. Why does he break down in tears after the fire?
Answer: After five hours, when the fire was finally out, the author realized that his cat was nowhere to be
found. He broke into tears when he got reminded of the new school he had to join, the fire in his house and
his cat, who might have died in the fire. He had suffered big losses.
Question 3. Why is the author deeply embarrassed the next day in school? Which words show his fear and
insecurity?
Answer: The next day in school, the author is embarrassed because the clothes he was wearing looked
weird, he had no books or homework, and his backpack was gone. He felt insecure and frustrated.
The words that show his fear and insecurity are: “I didn’t want to grow up, change or have to handle life if it
was going to be this way. I just wanted to curl up and die.”
Question 4. The cat and the author are very fond of each other. How has this been shown in the story?
Where was the cat after the fire? Who brings it back and how?
Answer: The bond between the cat and the author is shown in multiple instances in the story. For example,
the author says, “She was never far from me. I had rescued her when she was a kitten, and somehow she
knew that I was the one responsible for giving her ‘the good life’.
When the author realises that his cat is missing, he says, “Then all at once it hit me— the new school, the
fire, my cat— I broke down in tears and cried and cried. I was suffering loss, big time.”
The cat had been so freaked by the fire that she ran over a mile away. Her collar had our phone number on
it, but the author’s phone had been destroyed and disconnected. A stranger woman took her in and worked
hard to find out whose cat it was. She brought the cat back to the author.
Question 5. What actions of the schoolmates change the author’s understanding of life and people, and
comfort him emotionally? How does his loneliness vanish and how does he start participating in life?
Answer: The author’s schoolmates showed genuine concern towards him. On the second day of his new
school, people insisted that he hurry up and go to the gym. The author reached the gym. There was a big
table set up with all kinds of stuff on it, just for me. They had taken up a collection and bought me school
supplies, notebooks, and all kinds of different clothes—jeans, tops, sweatsuits. People who had never
spoken to him before came up to him to introduce themselves. He got all kinds of invitations to their houses.
This incident changed the author’s understanding of life and people.
That was the day when he made friends at school. That’s how his loneliness vanished, and he started
participating in life.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 8
A House Is Not a Home

Question 6. What is the meaning of “My cat was back, and so was I”? Had the author gone anywhere? Why
does he say that he is also back?
Answer: The author had not gone anywhere. He says the given statement because he was finally able to
get things sorted in his life.
He had faced big losses. He missed his friends and teachers from the old school, his home was burnt to
ashes, and his cat was missing.
Gradually, he made new friends in the new school and saw his house getting rebuilt. When a stranger
woman gave him his cat back, he says, “My cat was back, and so was I”. He means that now his life was
complete again- friends, house and his cat- he now had all that he had lost.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9
The Bond of Love

The Bond of Love

Thinking about the Text
I.
Given in the box are some headings. Find the relevant paragraphs in the text to match the headings.
An Orphaned Cub; Bruno’s Food-chart; An Accidental Case of Poisoning; Playful Baba; Pain of Separation;
Joy of Reunion; A Request to the Zoo; An Island in the Courtyard
Answer: An Orphaned Cub- 3;
Bruno’s Food-chart- 6;
An Accidental Case of Poisoning- 8;
Playful Baba- 12;
Pain of Separation- 14;
Joy of Reunion- 16;
A Request to the Zoo- 18;
An Island in the Courtyard- 21
II. Answer the following questions
Question 1. “I got him for her by accident.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Who do ‘him’ and ‘her’ refer to?
(iii) What is the incident referred to here?
Answer: “I got him for her by accident.”
(i) The narrator says the statement.
(ii) ‘Him’ refers to the baby sloth bear and ‘her’ refers to the narrator’s wife.
(iii) The incident is about how the narrator got the baby sloth bear to his house.
Question 2. “He stood on his head in delight.”
(i) Who does ‘he’ refer to?
(ii) Why was he delighted?
Answer: “He stood on his head in delight.”
(i) ‘He’ refers to Bruno, the sloth bear.
(ii) Bruno was sent to the zoo. He was delighted to see the narrator’s wife after a long time.
Question 3. “We all missed him greatly: but in a sense we were relieved.”
(i) Who does ‘we all’ stand for?
(ii) Who did they miss?
(iii) Why did they nevertheless feel relieved?
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9
The Bond of Love

Answer: “We all missed him greatly: but in a sense we were relieved.”
(i) ‘We all’ stands for the narrator and his family members – wife and son.
(ii) They missed the bear.
(iii) They felt relieved because it was becoming difficult to keep the bear at home due to his growing size.
III. Answer the following questions in 30 to 40 words each.
Question 1: On two occasions, Bruno ate/drank something that should not be eaten/drunk. What happened
to him on these occasions?
Answer: The first time when Bruno ate something that should not be eaten was the poison that the narrator
had kept to kill the rats and mice in his library. Bruno entered the library and ate some of the poison. He was
paralyzed and could not stand on his feet. He was taken to the vet’s residence.
The second time he found nearly one gallon of old engine oil, which the narrator had drained from the sump
of the Studebaker and was keeping as a weapon against the termites. He promptly drank the lot, but there
was no ill effect on him.
Question 2: Was Bruno a loving and playful pet? Why, then, did he have to be sent away?
Answer: Yes, Bruno was a loving and playful pet. The bear became very attached to the narrator’s two
Alsatian dogs and to all the children of the tenants living in the bungalow. He was left quite free in his
younger days and spent his time playing and running into the kitchen.
He had to be sent away because he had grown many times the size he was when he came. It was
becoming difficult to keep him in the house.
Question 3: How was the problem of what to do with Bruno finally solved?
Answer: Bruno was sent to a zoo because he could not be kept in the house anymore due to his growth.
But in the zoo, he was fretting and was not eating food. He was becoming weak. Then the narrator drove his
wife to the zoo, and she fed Bruno a lot of food and drink. She understood that Bruno would not be alright in
the zoo and requested the zoo authority to give him back to her.
The narrator and his wife got Bruno back and created a special island for him.
Thinking about Language
I.
Question 1: Find these words in the lesson. They all have ie or ei in them.
f__ld; ingred__nts; h__ght; misch__vous; fr__nds; __ghty-seven; rel__ved; p__ce
Answer: field; ingredients; height; mischievous; friends; eighty-seven; relieved; piece
Question 2: Now, here are some more words. Complete them with ei or ie. Consult a dictionary if
necessary.
bel__ve; rec__ve; w__rd; l__sure; s__ze; w__ght; r__gn; for__gn; gr__f; p__rce
Answer: believe; receive; weird; leisure; seize; weight; reign; foreign; grief; pierce
II: Here are some words with silent letters. Learn their spelling. Your teacher will dictate these words to you.
Write them down and underline the silent letters.
knock wrestle walk wrong
knee half honest daughter
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9
The Bond of Love

hours return hornet calm

could sign island button
Answer:
knock wrestle walk wrong
knee half honest daughter
hours return hornet calm
could sign island button
III. How to look at an Index
An index is a list of names or topics that are to be found in a book. It is a list arranged in alphabetical order
at the end of a book.
The following paragraph shows that the doctor is consulting the index of a medical book to find out which
injection is appropriate for Bruno.
“Out came his medical books, and a feverish reference to index began:
What poison did you say, sir?” “Barium carbonate”. “Ah yes—B—Ba— Barium Salts—Ah! Barium carbonate!
Symptoms—paralysis— treatment—injections of … Just a minute, sir. I’ll bring my syringe and the
medicine.”
1. You have read about the French Revolution and you want to know more about the Third Estate in the
context of the French Revolution. You can refer to the index of the book Living World History by T. Walter
Wallbank and Arnold Schrier:

On which pages in this book will you find information about the French Revolution and the Third Estate?
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9
The Bond of Love

Answer: The French Revolution: 393, 404-405, 408, 427, 489

Third Estate: 404, 405
Question 2: To know what ‘Food Security’ and ‘Minimum Support Price’ mean in the context of the
economic growth of a country you can go to the subject index given below from Poverty and Famines — An
Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation by Amartya Sen. Under which heading in the index are you likely to
find these topics?

Answer: The heading under which we are likely to find these topics is Famine Relief. Famine relief: 43, 57,
87-8, 96-8, 116-17, 131-2
Question 3: Given below is a portion of an index page from the book, French’s Index of Differential
Diagnosis, edited by F. Dudley Hart M.D., F.R.C.P.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9
The Bond of Love

Study the entries and find out whether the following topics are discussed in the book.
(i) bronchitis due to cigarette smoking
(ii) heart failure due to bronchitis
(iii) bronchitis in children
Answer:
(i) bronchitis due to cigarette smoking- Yes, it is discussed in the book on page 223.
(ii) heart failure due to bronchitis- Yes, it is discussed in the book on page 82.
(iii) bronchitis in children- Yes, it is discussed in the book on page 178.
IV.
Question 1: The Narrative Present
Notice the incomplete sentences in the following paragraphs. Here the writer is using incomplete sentences
in the narration to make the incident more dramatic or immediate. Can you rewrite the paragraph in
complete sentences?
(You can begin: The vet and I made a dash back to the car. Bruno was still floundering…)
(i) A dash back to the car. Bruno still floundering about on his stumps, but clearly weakening rapidly; some
vomiting, heavy breathing, with heaving flanks and gaping mouth.
Hold him, everybody! In goes the hypodermic—Bruno squeals — 10 c.c. of the antidote enters his system
without a drop being wasted.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9
The Bond of Love

Ten minutes later: condition unchanged! Another 10 c.c injected! Ten minutes later: breathing less
stertorous — Bruno can move his arm and legs a little although he cannot stand yet. Thirty minutes later:
Bruno gets up and has a great feed! He looks at us disdainfully, as much as to say, ‘What’s barium
carbonate to a big black bear like me?’
Bruno is still eating.
(ii) In the paragraphs above from the story the verbs are in the present tense (eg. hold, goes, etc.). This
gives the reader an impression of immediacy. The present tense is often used when we give a commentary
on a game (cricket, football, etc.), or tell a story as if it is happening now. It is, therefore, called the narrative
present.
You will read more about the present tense in Unit 10.
Answer: The vet doc and I made a dash back to the car. Bruno was still floundering about on his stumps,
but clearly weakening rapidly. He was vomiting. He was breathing heavily. His flank was gaping and he was
gaping open his mouth.
The vet ordered his assistants, “Hold him, everybody!” Bruno squealed when he was injected with a
hypodermic. 10 c.c. of the antidote was injected into his system without a drop being wasted.
Ten minutes later, the condition was still unchanged!
Bruno was then injected with another 10 c.c. of the antidote. After ten minutes, his breathing became less
stertorous. Bruno was now able to move his arm and legs a little, although he could not stand yet. Thirty
minutes later, Bruno got up and had a great feed! He looked at us disdainfully, as much as to say, ‘What’s
barium carbonate to a big black bear like me?’ Bruno was still eating.
Question 2: Adverbs
Find the adverbs in the passage below. (You’ve read about adverbs in Unit 1.)
We thought that everything was over when suddenly a black sloth bear came out panting in the hot sun.
Now I will not shoot a sloth bear wantonly but, unfortunately for the poor beast, one of my companions did
not feel that way about it, and promptly shot the bear on the spot.
(i) Complete the following sentences, using a suitable adverb ending in –ly.
(a) Rana does her homework ____________.
(b) It rains ____________ in Mumbai in June.
(c) He does his work ____________.
(d) The dog serves his master ____________.
Answer:
We thought that everything was over when suddenly a black sloth bear came out panting in the hot sun.
Now I will not shoot a sloth bear wantonly but, unfortunately for the poor beast, one of my companions did
not feel that way about it, and promptly shot the bear on the spot.
(i)
(a) Rana does her homework neatly.
(b) It rains heavily in Mumbai in June.
(c) He does his work diligently.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9
The Bond of Love

(d) The dog serves his master obediently.

(ii) Choose the most suitable adverbs or adverbial phrases and complete the following sentences.
(a) We should ____________ get down from a moving train. (never, sometimes, often)
(b) I was ____________ in need of support after my poor performance. (badly, occasionally, sometimes)
(c) Rita met with an accident. The doctor examined her ____________. (suddenly, seriously, immediately)
Answer:
(a) We should never get down from a moving train. (never, sometimes, often)
(b) I was badly in need of support after my poor performance. (badly, occasionally, sometimes)
(c) Rita met with an accident. The doctor examined her immediately. (suddenly, seriously, immediately)
Question 3: Take down the following scrambled version of a story that your teacher will dictate to you, with
appropriate punctuation marks. Then, read the scrambled story carefully and try to rewrite it rearranging the
incidents.
A grasshopper, who was very hungry, saw her and said, “When did you get the corn? I am dying of hunger.”
She wanted to dry them. It was a cold winter’s day, and an ant was bringing out some grains of corn from
her home. She had gathered the corn in summer.
“I was singing all day,” answered the grasshopper.
“If you sang all summer,” said the ant, “you can dance all winter.”
“What were you doing?” asked the ant again.
The grasshopper replied, “I was too busy.”
“I collected it in summer,” said the ant. “What were you doing in summer?
Why did you not store some corn?”
Answer: It was a cold winter’s day, and an ant was bringing out some grains of corn from her home. She
had gathered the corn in summer. She wanted to dry them.
A grasshopper, who was very hungry, saw her and said, “I am dying of hunger. When did you get the corn?”
“I collected it in summer,” said the ant. “What were you doing in summer? Why did you not store some
corn?”
The grasshopper replied, “I was too busy.”
“What were you doing?” asked the ant again.
“I was singing all day,” answered the grasshopper.
“If you sang all summer,” said the ant, “you can dance all winter.”
Speaking
‘Animals also feel the pleasure of love and the pain of separation’.
Make a presentation by giving examples from your own experience.
Answer: Do it yourself.
Writing
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9
The Bond of Love

Pets have unique care and handling requirements and should only be kept by those with the commitment to
understand and meet their needs. Give your argument in support of or against this statement.
or
There is an ongoing debate on whether snake charmers should continue in their profession. You can get
some idea about the debate from the newspaper clipping (The Hindu, 16 June 2004) given below. Read it,
discuss in pairs or groups, and write either for or against the profession of snake charmers.
Report comes in support of snake charmers
By Our Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15. Over 30 years after the introduction of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) that banned
the catching of snakes in India, a small community of snake charmers continues to practise the trade
catching over 400,000 snakes every year — which ultimately die — in defiance of the law.
A report based on new research by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), however, has strongly recommended
that the traditional knowledge of the snake charmers and skills be now utilised for education and medicine
by setting up sapera centres. This is mainly because the community has virtually no access to land,
education or employment opportunities. They are dependent on snake charming to earn a livelihood. They
trade around as vendors of traditional medicine, snake catchers and musicians. Ignorance about the law is
quite common.
The report entitled ‘Biodiversity, Livelihoods and the Law: The Case of the Jogi-Nath Snake Charmers of
India’ based on path-breaking research was formally released by the Inspector General of Forests, V.K.
Bahuguna, along with a presentation by members of the sapera community in the Capital on Monday.
“Despite thirty years of the law being in existence, over 70 per cent of the Jogi-Naths are still dependent on
snake charming to earn a livelihood. Ignorance about the law was quite common. None of them own land,
even though they would like to,’’ said Bahar Dutt, who led this research. Notably, most of those practising
the trade in the current generation are all under 35 years of age.
Trapping occurs throughout the year and during their travels, though this activity increases during the
monsoons. According to the data, each family on an average collects at least seven snakes.
Most snakes were force-fed and snake husbandry methods and health were found to be poor. “The snake
charmers community council imposes a heavy fine on a person if the snake dies in his custody as it is
considered an extremely bad omen. As a result, the snakes are released when the charmers realise that
their condition is deteriorating,’’ said Dutt. Their ambition to showcase the reptiles and earn money was not
fulfilled, as they flouted four WPA provisions, for illegally possessing the animals, not feeding them properly,
causing injuries by extracting teeth unscientifically and killing snakes for the valuable snake parts and
bones. Their offence generally invites imprisonment for three to seven years and a fine up to Rs 25,000 in
each case.
“On the positive side researchers found that the snake charmers possess a unique ability to handle
venomous snakes with a tremendous knowledge of the different species and their behaviour. They are also
called by local farmers to retrieve snakes, who would otherwise just kill them, from agricultural fields or
human inhabited areas,’’ she said.
Answer: To be attempted by the student.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9 Poem
The Snake Trying

The Snake Trying

Thinking about the Poem

Question 1. What is the snake trying to escape from?
Answer: The snake is trying to escape from the pursuing stick. Humans try to kill snakes, presuming that all
of them are poisonous.
Question 2. Is it a harmful snake? What is its colour?
Answer: No, it is not a harmful snake. It is green in colour.
Question 3. The poet finds the snake beautiful. Find the words he uses to convey its beauty.
Answer: The poet finds the snake beautiful. The words that he uses to convey its beauty are: beautiful,
graceful, glides, small and green.
Question 4. What does the poet wish for the snake?
Answer: The poet wishes that the human behind it with the stick should let it go. The snake should not be
killed.
Question 5. Where was the snake before anyone saw it and chased it away? Where does the snake
disappear?
Answer: Before anyone saw it, the snake was lying along the sand. It vanishes in the ripples among the
green slim reeds when it was chased away.
II.
Question 1. Find out as much as you can about different kinds of snakes (from books in the library, or from
the Internet). Are they all poisonous? Find out the names of some poisonous snakes.
Answer: Not all snakes are poisonous. Some of the poisonous snakes are: Cobra, Krait, Russell’s viper,
Saw Scaled Viper and King Cobra.
Question 2. Look for information on how to find out whether a snake is harmful.
Answer: Do it yourself.
Question 3. As you know from the previous lesson you have just read, there are people in our country who
have traditional knowledge about snakes, who even catch poisonous snakes with practically bare hands.
Can you find out something more about them?
Answer: Do it yourself.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 9
The Accidental Tourist

The Accidental Tourist

Think about it
Question 1. Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused.” What examples has he given to justify this?
Answer: Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused.” He gives some examples to justify the said
statement. He would go looking for the lavatory in a cinema, for instance, and end up standing in an alley on
the wrong side of a self-locking door. He tells that his particular specialty was returning to hotel desks two or
three times a day and asking what his room number was.
Question 2. What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way?
Answer: The side of the bag flew open and everything within was extravagantly ejected over – newspaper
cuttings and other loose papers, a 14- ounce tin of pipe tobacco, magazines, passport, English money, and
film. His documents came falling down, coins bounced onto the floor and his fingers began to bleed as he
had gashed his finger on the zip.
Question 3. Why is his finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?
Answer: His finger is bleeding because he had gashed his finger on the zip. His wife did not show anger or
exasperation. Instead, she looked at him with an expression of wonder and said that she could not believe
that he did that for a living.
Question 4. How does Bill Bryson end up in a “crash position” in the aircraft?
Answer: Once, on an airplane, the author leaned over to tie a shoelace. At the same moment, someone in
the seat ahead of him threw his seat back into full recline. That is when the author found himself pinned
helplessly in the crash position. It was only by clawing the leg of the man sitting next to him that he managed
to get himself freed.
Question 5. Why are his teeth and gums navy blue?
Answer: On a plane, the author was writing important thoughts in his notebook while sucking thoughtfully on
the end of his pen. The pen had leaked. The author’s mouth, chin, tongue, teeth and gums were now
coloured navy blue.
Question 6. Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Is he successful in his mission? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.
Answer: No, he is not successful in his mission to be suave. He does a lot of things in unsuave ways. He
would rise from dinner tables looking as if he has just experienced an extremely localized seismic event, get
in a car and close the door leaving 14 inches of coat outside, wear light-coloured trousers discovering at the
end of the day that he has sat various times on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil.
Question 7. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off the food for Daddy”?
Answer: Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off the food for Daddy,” because she is afraid
that if Bill takes off the lids, he might create another awkward situation. She knew that such situations kept
happening with her husband quite often, especially when he travelled.
Question 8. What is the significance of the title?
Answer: The title ‘The Accidental Tourist’ is very precise and significant. The author, in his entire story,
gives numerous instances which prove him to be an accidental tourist. He is a tourist who keeps facing
humourous accidents and troubles. He travels a lot and yet makes undeliberate mistakes while doing things
that others do without any evident difficulty.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 10
Kathmandu

Kathmandu
Thinking about the Text
Activity
1. On the following map mark out the route, which the author thought of but did not take, to Delhi.

Answer: The route which the author thought of but did not take to Delhi was:
Bihar (Patna)- U.P. (Benaras – Allahabad-Agra)-Delhi

2. Find out the possible routes (by rail, road or air) from Kathmandu to New Delhi/Mumbai/Kolkata/Chennai.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 10
Kathmandu

Answer: Do it yourself.
I. Answer these questions in one or two words or in short phrases.
Question 1. Name the two temples the author visited in Kathmandu.
Answer: Pashupatinath temple and Baudhnath temple are the two temples that the author visited in
Kathmandu.
Question 2. The writer says, “All this I wash down with Coca-Cola.” What does ‘all this’ refer to?
Answer: All this refers to a bar of marzipan, a corn on- the-cob roasted in a charcoal brazier on the
pavement (rubbed with salt, chilli powder and lemon); a couple of love story comics, and even a Reader’s
Digest.
Question 3. What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine?
Answer: Vikram Seth sees a flute seller with a pole in his hands with an attachment at the top from which
fifty or sixty bansuris protrude in all directions. He compares it to the quills of a porcupine.
Question 4. Name five kinds of flutes.
Answer: The five kinds of flutes are:

• the reed neh

• the Japanese shakuhachi
• the deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music
• the clear or breathy flutes of South America
• the high-pitched Chinese flutes
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph
Question 1. What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers?
Answer: The author says that, unlike other hawkers, the flute seller plays slowly without excessive display.
He does not shout out his wares. Occasionally he makes a sale, but in a curiously offhanded way as if this
were incidental to his enterprise.
Question 2. What is the belief at Pashupatinath about the end of Kaliyug?
Answer: A small shrine half protrudes from the stone platform on the river Bagmati’s bank. It is believed that
when it emerges fully, the goddess inside will escape, and the evil period of the Kaliyug will end on earth.
Question 3. The author has drawn powerful images and pictures. Pick out three examples each of:
(i) the atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’ outside the temple of Pashupatinath (for example: some people
trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside…)
(ii) the things he sees
(iii) the sounds he hears
Answer: The author has drawn powerful images and pictures.
(i) the atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’ outside the temple of Pashupatinath: Priests, hawkers, devotees,
tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs roam through the grounds. We offer a few flowers. A party of
saffron-clad Westerners struggle for permission to enter the temple as the gate says that only Hindus are
allowed in the temple.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 10
Kathmandu

(ii) the things he sees: Kathmandu is vivid, mercenary, religious, with small shrines to flower-adorned deities
along the narrowest and busiest streets; with fruit sellers, flute sellers, hawkers of postcards; shops selling
Western cosmetics, film rolls and chocolate; or copper utensils and Nepalese antiques.
(iii) the sounds he hears: Film songs blare out from the radios, car horns sound, bicycle bells ring, stray
cows low questioningly at motorcycles, vendors shout out their wares.
III. Answer the following questions in not more than 100–150 words each.
Question 1: Compare and contrast the atmosphere in and around the Baudhnath shrine with the
Pashupatinath temple.
Answer: The author says that the atmosphere in Pashupatinath temple was an atmosphere of ‘febrile
confusion’. He says that priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs can be
seen roaming through the grounds. There are so many worshippers that people are elbowed aside by others
pushing their way to the front.
At Baudhnath temple, the Buddhist shrine, there was a sense of stillness. There is no crowd. It is a safe
place of quietness in the busy streets around.
Question 2: How does the author describe Kathmandu’s busiest streets?
Answer: The author describes Kathmandu’s busiest streets as vivid, mercenary and religious, with small
shrines to flower-adorned deities along the narrowest and busiest streets. The streets are full of fruit sellers,
flute sellers, hawkers of postcards; shops selling Western cosmetics, film rolls and chocolate; or copper
utensils and Nepalese antiques.
Film songs blare out from the radios, car horns sound, bicycle bells ring, stray cows look questioningly at
motorcycles, vendors shout out their wares.
Question 3: “To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.” Why does the author say
this?
Answer: “To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.”
The poet says this when he talks about five types of flutes- – the reed neh, the Japanese shakuhachi, the
deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music, the clear or breathy flutes of South America and the high-pitched
Chinese flutes. He says that a flute is at once the most universal and most particular of sounds. It is found in
every culture. He says that flute links to our common characteristics. Just like every human being, the
motive force is living breath. It too, needs to pause and breathe before it can go on.
Thinking about Language
I. Read the following sentences carefully to understand the meaning of the italicised phrases. Then match
the phrasal verbs in Column A with their meanings in Column B.
1. A communal war broke out when the princess was abducted by the neighbouring prince.
2. The cockpit broke off from the plane during the plane crash.
3. The car broke down on the way and we were left stranded in the jungle.
4. The dacoit broke away from the police as they took him to court.
5. The brothers broke up after the death of the father.
6. The thief broke into our house when we were away.
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Kathmandu

A B

(i) break out (a) to come apart due to force

(ii) break off (b) end a relationship

(iii) break down (c) break and enter illegally; unlawful trespassing

(iv) break away (from someone) (d) to start suddenly, (usually a fight, a war or a disease)

(v) break up (e) to escape from someone’s grip

(vi) break into (f) stop working

Answer:

A B

(i) break out (d) to start suddenly, (usually a fight, a war or a disease)

(ii) break off (a) to come apart due to force

(iii) break down (f) stop working

(iv) break away (from someone) (e) to escape from someone’s grip

(v) break up (b) end a relationship

(vi) break into (c) break and enter illegally; unlawful trespassing
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 10
Kathmandu

II. Question 1: Use the suffixes -ion or -tion to form nouns from the following verbs. Make the necessary
changes in the spellings of the words.
Example: proclaim – proclamation
cremate ___________ act ___________ exhaust ___________
invent ___________ tempt ___________ immigrate ___________
direct ___________ meditate ___________ imagine ___________
dislocate ___________ associate ___________ dedicate ___________
Answer:
cremate cremation; act action; exhaust exhaustion
invent invention; tempt temptation; immigrate immigration
direct direction; meditate meditation; imagine imagination
dislocate dislocation; associate association; dedicate dedication
Question 2: Now fill in the blanks with suitable words from the ones that you have formed.
(i) Mass literacy was possible only after the ___________ of the printing machine.
(ii) Ramesh is unable to tackle the situation as he lacks ___________.
(iii) I could not resist the ___________ to open the letter.
(iv) Hardwork and ___________ are the main keys to success.
(v) The children were almost fainting with ____________after being made to stand in the sun.
Answer:
(i) Mass literacy was possible only after the invention of the printing machine.
(ii) Ramesh is unable to tackle the situation as he lacks imagination.
(iii) I could not resist the temptation to open the letter.
(iv) Hardwork and dedication are the main keys to success.
(v) The children were almost fainting with exhaustion after being made to stand in the sun.
III. Punctuation
Use capital letters, full stops, question marks, commas and inverted commas wherever necessary in the
following paragraph.
an arrogant lion was wandering through the jungle one day he asked the tiger who is stronger than you you
O lion replied the tiger who is more fierce than a leopard asked the lion you sir replied the leopard he
marched upto an elephant and asked the same question the elephant picked him up in his trunk swung him
in the air and threw him down look said the lion there is no need to get mad just because you don’t know the
answer
Answer:
An arrogant lion was wandering through the jungle one day. He asked the tiger, “Who is stronger than you?”
“You, O! Lion,” replied the tiger. “Who is fiercer than a leopard?” asked the lion. “You, sir,” replied the
leopard. He marched up to an elephant and asked the same question. The elephant picked him up in his
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 10
Kathmandu

trunk, swung him in the air and threw him down. “Look”, said the lion, “there is no need to get mad just
because you don’t know the answer.”
IV: Simple Present Tense
Study these sentences from the lesson.
• A fight breaks out between two monkeys.
• Film songs blare out from the radios.
• I wash it down with Coca-Cola.
The italicised verbs are in the simple present tense. The writer is here describing what he saw and heard but
he uses the present tense instead of the past tense.
A narration or a story can be made more dramatic or immediate by using the present tense in this way.
Now look at the following sentences.
• A small shrine half protrudes from the stone platform on the riverbank.
• Small shops stand on the outer edge of the Stupa.
We use the simple present tense to speak about what is usually or generally true. The sentences above
describe facts. We also use the simple present tense in sentences depicting ‘universal truths’. For example:
• The sun rises in the east.
• The earth revolves round the sun.
We can also refer to habitual actions using the simple present tense.
• He usually takes a train instead of a bus to work.
• We often get fine drizzles in winter.
In these sentences words like every day, often, seldom, never, every month, generally, usually, etc. may be
used.
1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
(i) The heart is a pump that __________ (send) the blood circulating through our body. The pumping action
__________ (take place) when the left ventricle of the heart __________ (contract). This __________
(force) the blood out into the arteries, which __________ (expand) to receive the oncoming blood.
(ii) The African lungfish can live without water for up to four years. During a drought it __________ (dig) a pit
and __________ (enclose) itself in a capsule of slime and earth, leaving a tiny opening for air. The capsule
__________ (dry) and __________ (harden), but when rain __________ (come), the mud __________
(dissolve) and the lungfish __________ (swim) away.
(iii) MAHESH : We have to organise a class party for our teacher.
__________ (Do) anyone play an instrument?
VIPUL : Rohit __________ (play) the flute.
MAHESH : __________ (Do) he also act?
VIPUL : No, he __________ (compose) music.
MAHESH : That’s wonderful!
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Kathmandu

Answer: (i) The heart is a pump that sends (send) the blood circulating through our body. The pumping
action takes place (take place) when the left ventricle of the heart contracts (contract). This forces (force) the
blood out into the arteries, which expand (expand) to receive the oncoming blood.
(ii) The African lungfish can live without water for up to four years. During a drought it digs (dig) a pit and
encloses (enclose) itself in a capsule of slime and earth, leaving a tiny opening for air. The capsule dries
(dry) and hardens (harden), but when rain comes (come), the mud dissolves (dissolve) and the lungfish
swims (swim) away.
(iii) MAHESH : We have to organise a class party for our teacher.
Does (Do) anyone play an instrument?
VIPUL : Rohit plays (play) the flute.
MAHESH : Does (Do) he also act?
VIPUL : No, he composes (compose) music.
MAHESH : That’s wonderful!
Speaking
Question 1. Discuss in class the shrines you have visited or know about. Speak about one of them.
Answer: Do it yourself.
Question 2. Imagine you are giving an eyewitness account or a running commentary of one of the following:
(i) a game of football, cricket or hockey, or some sports event
(ii) a parade (e.g. Republic Day) or some other national event
Speak a few sentences narrating what you see and hear. Use the simple present and the present
continuous tenses. For example:
• He passes the ball but Ben gets in the way…
• These brave soldiers guard our frontiers. They display their skills here…
Answer: Do it yourself.
Writing
Diary entry for a travelogue
I. The text you read is a travelogue where the author, Vikram Seth, talks about his visit to two sacred places
in Kathmandu.
Imagine that you were with Vikram Seth on his visit to Pashupatinath temple, and you were noting down all
that you saw and did there, so that you could write a travelogue later.
Record in point form
• what you see when you reach the Pashupatinath temple
• what you see happening inside the temple
• what you do when inside the temple
• what you see outside the temple
• what your impressions are about the place.
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Kathmandu

Answer:
21-August-20xx
Dear Diary,
Today was a fabulous day. I went to the holy Pashupatinath temple with Vikram Seth. There was a huge
crowd at the temple. I saw priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs roaming
in the ground. We both offered flowers and coconuts to God. We saw people getting elbowed by others
pushing their way to the front.
At the gate of the temple, we saw saffron-clad westerners who were struggling for permission to enter the
temple as only Hindus were allowed.
I felt peace and satisfaction by visiting the Pashupatinath temple.
Reyansh
II. Here is your diary entry when you visited Agra. Read the points and try to write a travelogue describing
your visit to Agra and the Taj Mahal. You may add more details.
January 2003 — rise before dawn — take the Shatabdi Express at 6.15 a.m. from Delhi — meet a newly-
married couple on train — talk about Himachal Pradesh — get off the train — enter the once-grand city,
Agra — twisted alleys — traffic dense — rickshaws, cars, people — vendors selling religious artifacts, plastic
toys, spices and sweets — go to the Taj Mahal — constructed entirely of white marble — magical quality —
colour changes with varying of light and shadow — marble with gemstones inside — reflection of the Taj
Mahal in the pond — school-children, tourists — tourist guides following people.
Answer: On January 2003, I woke up before dawn. I took the Shatabdi Express at 6.15 a.m. from Delhi. I
met a newly-married couple on the train. We spoke about Himachal Pradesh. I got off the train and entered
the once-grand city of Agra. I saw twisted alleys with dense traffic, rickshaws, cars, and people. There were
vendors selling religious artefacts, plastic toys, spices and sweets. I went to the Taj Mahal. It is constructed
entirely of white marble, which has a magical quality. The colour of the marble changes with varying light
and shadow. The Taj Mahal has marble with gemstones engraved inside it. I saw the reflection of the Taj
Mahal in the pond. There were many school-children, tourists and tourist guides.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 10
A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

Thinking about the Poem
Question 1. “A slumber did my spirit seal,” says the poet. That is, a deep sleep ‘closed off’ his soul (or
mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel bitter grief? Or does he feel a great
peace?
Answer: “A slumber did my spirit seal” says the poet. It is a little difficult to decide if the poet felt bitter grief
or peace. He says that his soul has been sealed due to his loved one’s death and that he does not have any
human fears. He talks about how his loved one seemed now- motionless and beyond the passage of time.
Question 2. The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say this?
Answer: The lines of the poem that say this are:
“She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.”
Question 3. How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a
very happy state (a ‘heaven’)? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In which lines of the poem do
you find your answer?
Answer: The poet imagines her to be immersed in the earth. He feels that she has become a part of the
earth’s daily course and rolled along with the rocks, stones and trees.
The lines of the poem that we find our answer in are:
“Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course
With rocks and stones and trees.”
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 10
The Beggar

The Beggar
Think about it
Question 1. Has Lushkoff become a beggar by circumstance or by choice?
Answer: Lushkoff has become a beggar by choice. Formerly, he used to sing in a Russian choir and was
sent away for drunkenness. Instead of searching for another job, Lushkoff decided to become a beggar.
Question 2. What reasons does he give Sergei for telling lies?
Answer: Lushkoff says that he was sent away from the Russian choir because of his being an alcoholic. He
tells lies because if he told this truth, no one would ever help him or give him money.
Question 3. Is Lushkoff a willing worker? Why, then, does he agree to chop wood for Sergei?
Answer: No, he is not a willing worker. Alcohol has undermined his strength, and he has no inclination to do
any work. He agrees to chop wood for Sergei not because he is hungry or wants to work but because he is
ashamed and trapped by his own words.
Question 4. Sergei says, “I am happy that my words have taken effect.” Why does he say so? Is he right in
saying this?
Answer: Sergei says, “I am happy that my words have taken effect.” He says so because he thinks that he
is the reason why Lushkoff became a notary from being a beggar. This is partly true, but Sergei is not the
only one who made Lushkoff become who he is now.
Lushkoff says that although he is obliged to Sergei for showing him the right path and letting him do the work
of chopping wood at his home, his transformation is a result of Sergei’s cook, Olga. She was the one who
chopped wood and not Lushkoff.
Question 5. Lushkoff is earning thirty-five roubles a month. How is he obliged to Sergei for this?
Answer: Lushkoff is earning thirty-five roubles a month. He is obliged to Sergei because if he hadn’t come
to Sergei, then he still might have been a beggar telling the same old lies of being a teacher or a student.
But Sergei helped him get out of the pit by giving him work.
Question 6. During their conversation, Lushkoff reveals that Sergei’s cook, Olga, is responsible for the
positive change in him. How has Olga saved Lushkoff?
Answer: Sergei took Lushkoff to his home and gave him the task of chopping wood. He asked Olga, his
cook, to take Lushkoff to the wood shed and to let him chop wood.
When Lushkoff becomes a notary and accidentally meets Sergei, he tells him that all that while, Olga was
the one who chopped wood. She felt pity for Lushkoff and did the chopping herself instead of letting Lushkoff
do it.
Lushkoff says that her kindness changed him to be a better person and to earn his living.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 11
If I Were You

If I Were You
The following words and phrases occur in the play. Do you know their meanings? Match them with the
meanings given, to find out.

cultured an informal expression for a fashionable vehicle

count on unnecessary and usually harmful

engaged exaggerated

melodramatic sophisticated; well mannered

to be smart here, a tone of voice

inflection Avoid

wise guy an unexpected opportunity for success

a dandy bus trap

tradespeople a Christian religious teacher who teaches on Sundays in Church

gratuitous (American English) a person who pretends to know a lot

dodge depend on; rely on

lucky break (American English) an informal way of saying that one is being too clever
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 11
If I Were You

Sunday-school teacher occupied; busy

frame merchants

Answer:

cultured sophisticated; well mannered

count on depend on; rely on

engaged occupied; busy

melodramatic exaggerated

to be smart (American English) a person who pretends to know a lot

inflection here, a tone of voice

wise guy (American English) an informal way of saying that one is being too clever

a dandy bus an informal expression for a fashionable vehicle

tradespeople merchants

gratuitous unnecessary and usually harmful

dodge Avoid

lucky break an unexpected opportunity for success

 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 11
If I Were You

Sunday-school teacher a Christian religious teacher who teaches on Sundays in Church

frame trap

Thinking about the Text

I. Answer these questions.
Question 1. “At last, a sympathetic audience.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does he say it?
(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?
Answer:
(i) Gerrard says the given statement.
(ii) He says it when the intruder asks him to talk about himself.
(iii) He is sarcastic.
Question 2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?
Answer: The intruder chooses Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on because Gerrard is a
mystery man who phones his orders and sometimes goes away suddenly and comes back just the same.
Question 3. “I said it with bullets.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) What does it mean?
(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?
Answer:
(i) Gerrard says the given statement.
(ii) It means that when he was in trouble, he shot someone to escape.
(iii) No, it is not the truth. Gerrard says this to manipulate the intruder so that he does not kill him.
Question 4. What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.
Answer: Gerrard’s profession is that of a dramatist.
The parts of the play that support that implication are:
“In most melodramas, the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated”.
“Sorry I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal…”
“I think I’ll put it in my next play.”
“At last, a sympathetic audience!”
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 11
If I Were You

Question 5. “You’ll soon stop being smart.”

(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?
Answer:
(i) The intruder says the given statement.
(ii) The intruder says this to scare Gerrard and know more about him.
(iii) The speaker intends to kill Gerrard. According to the speaker, when Gerrard gets to know that he came
to Gerrard to kill him and steal his identity, he would become scared and stop being smart.
Question 6. “They can’t hang me twice.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
Answer:
(i) The intruder says the given statement.
(ii) The speaker says this because he had already murdered someone. So, it is not a big deal for him to kill
another man. He can’t be hanged twice.
Question 7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?
Answer: The mystery that the speaker, Gerrard, proposes to explain is why he himself is a mystery man. He
explains to the intruder that he himself is a criminal who is on the run. That is the reason why he does not
meet tradespeople. He says that he murdered someone and got away with it. But now he was in a trouble
and that’s why his bag was all packed to escape again.
Question 8. “This is your big surprise.”
(i) Where has this been said in the play?
(ii) What is the surprise?
Answer:
(i) This statement is said twice in the play.
Once when the intruder is trying to scare Gerrard and the second time when Gerrard is explaining to him why
he won’t kill him for a good reason.
(ii) The surprise in the first utterance of the statement is that the intruder expresses his intention to kill
Gerrard.
The surprise in the second utterance of the statement is that Gerrard explains to him that he himself is a
criminal on the run, which is why it won’t do any good to the intruder to kill him and steal his identity.
Thinking about Language
I. Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.
1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 11
If I Were You

2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.

3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.
4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.
5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).
6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of science fiction and mystery.
7. Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.
8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before using the contents.
Answer:
1. The site of the accident was ghastly.
2. Our college principal is very strict.
3. I studied continuously for eight hours.
4. The fog had an adverse effect on the traffic.
5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant artist.
6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary collage of science fiction and mystery.
7. Our school will host an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.
8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and shake well before using the contents.
II. Irony is when we say one thing but mean another, usually the opposite of what we say. When someone
makes a mistake and you say, “Oh! that was clever!”, that is irony. You’re saying ‘clever‘ to mean ‘not clever’.
Expressions we often use in an ironic fashion are:
• Oh, wasn’t that clever!/Oh that was clever!
• You have been a great help, I must say!
• You’ve got yourself into a lovely mess, haven’t you?
• Oh, very funny!/ How funny!
We use a slightly different tone of voice when we use these words ironically.
Read the play carefully and find the words and expressions Gerrard uses in an ironic way. Then say what
these expressions really mean. Two examples have been given below. Write down three more such
expressions along with what they really mean.

What the author says What he means

Why, this is a surprise, He pretends that the intruder is a social visitor whom he is welcoming.
Mr—er—
In this way he hides his fear.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 11
If I Were You

At last a sympathetic He pretends that the intruder wants to listen to him, whereas actually the
audience! intruder wants to find out information for his own use.
Answer:

What the author says What he means

You have been so Gerrard says this to express how immodest the intruder has been by
modest. not talking about himself at all.

At last a sympathetic Gerrard says this sarcastically as the intruder is asking about Gerrard
audience! while holding a gun.

You won’t kill me for a Gerrard says this as if he has some ‘very good reason’ to be spared by
very good reason. the intruder. He says this so as to create a doubt in the intruder about
killing him.

Dictionary Use
A word can mean different things in different contexts. Look at these three sentences:
• The students are taught to respect different cultures.
• The school is organising a cultural show.
• His voice is cultured.
In the first sentence, ‘culture’ (noun) means way of life; in the second, ‘cultural’ (adjective) means connected
with art, literature and music; and in the third, ‘cultured’ (verb) means sophisticated, well mannered. Usually
a dictionary helps you identify the right meaning by giving you signposts.
Look at the dictionary entry on ‘culture’ from Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2005.
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 11
If I Were You

(Noun, verb, adjective, adverb, synonyms, etc. are signposts which help you locate the right meaning and
usage, and give information about the part of speech that the word is.)
Look up the dictionary entries for the words sympathy, familiarity, comfort, care, and surprise. Use the
information given in the dictionary and complete the table.

Noun Adjective Adverb Verb Meaning

Sympathy

Familiarity

Comfort

Care

Surprise

Answer:
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 11
If I Were You

Noun Adjective Adverb Verb Meaning

Sympathy sympathetic sympathetically sympathize To feel pity for someone

Familiarity familiar familiarly familiarize To know someone/ something

Comfort comfortable comfortably comfort To make someone feel relaxed

Care caring carefully care To be concerned about someone

Surprise surprising surprisingly surprise To amaze someone

Speaking
Question 1. Imagine you are Gerrard. Tell your friend what happened when the Intruder broke into your
house. [Clues : Describe (i) the intruder — his appearance, the way he spoke, his plan, his movements, etc.,
(ii) how you outwitted him.]
Answer: Last night, while I was on the phone, an intruder broke into my cottage. He had a gun in his hand.
He was a criminal on the run. He was planning to kill me and steal my identity. He kept threatening me with
the gun and asked me to tell him everything about myself. I did not reveal my true profession and instead
gave him a dodge. I told him that just like him, I too am a criminal and that is why killing me will not do any
good to him. I told him that I was in trouble myself and had to escape. While trying to come out of the
cottage, I locked him up in the cupboard and called the police. That’s how I was able to outwit him and save
myself.
Question 2. Enact the play in the class. Pay special attention to words given in italics before a dialogue.
These words will tell you whether the dialogue has to be said in a happy, sarcastic or ironic tone and how the
characters move and what they do as they speak. Read these carefully before you enact the play.
Answer: Do it yourself.
Writing
I. Which of the words below describe Gerrard and which describe the Intruder?
Smart; humorous; clever
Beautiful; cool; confident
Flashy; witty; nonchalant
Write a paragraph each about Gerrard and the Intruder to show what qualities they have. (You can use some
of the words given above.)
Answer:
 NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Chapter 11
If I Were You

Gerrard:
Gerrard is a smart and humorous person. He is clever and confident. Even in a life-threatening situation, he
is cool and handles the situation in an amazing way. Instead of losing his mind and getting killed by the
intruder, he quickly cooks up a story of being an on-the-run criminal. He is a witty person who saves himself
and gets the intruder behind bars.
Intruder:
The intruder is a flashy person who tries to be very smart from the very beginning. He believes the cooked-
up story of Gerrard and agrees to get out of the cottage with Gerrard. We see that the intruder is then locked
up by Gerrard and the intruder even loses his gun to Gerrard.
II. Convert the play into a story (150–200 words). Your story should be as exciting and as witty as the play.
Provide a suitable title to it.
Answer: Do it yourself.