Author name: Prasanna

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English

Children at Work NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 2

Children at Work NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Children at Work Comprehension check

Question 1.
Velu stood on the platform but he felt “as if he was still on a moving train Why?
Answer:
Velu’s legs were wobbly because of walking from his village to Kanur. Also, he was in a daze to see so many people at the station. Everyone was moving past him hurriedly, and he did not feel at ease. He was trying to take it all in, and was also quite tired from his journey. He must also have been very nervous as he was just eleven years old and had run away from his home.

Question 2.
What made him feel miserable?
Answer:
Velu was exhausted and had not eaten much since the past two days. With nowhere to go in a completely new place, he felt miserable. At the same time, the noise around him made him feel even more anxious and unhappy.

Question 3.
i. Velu travelled without a ticket. Why?
Answer:
Velu had run away from home, and had no money with him. So, he travelled without a ticket.

ii. How did he escape the ticket collector’s attention?
Answer:
Velu slept in the unreserved compartment and fortunately, the ticket collector never came to check the tickets there. This is how Velu escaped the ticket collector’s attention.

Question 4.
Why had Velu run away from home?
Answer:
Velu ran away from home to escape from his father who had a habit of beating him up. His father would snatch away all the money Velu and his sisters earned and spend it on drinks. Velu did not like this, and decided to run away.

Question 5.
Why did he decide to follow the ‘strange ’girl?
Answer:
He decided to follow the ‘strange’ girl because he was hungry and the girl had told him that she could arrange for some food for him. Besides, he had no idea what else to do than follow her.

Children at Work Comprehension check

Question 1.
Can Velu read Tamil and English? How do you know?
Answer:
Velu can read Tamil, but not English. We know this because he is able to read the sign ‘Central Jail’ in Tamil, but is not able to read the huge signboards in the city that are in English.

Question 2.
If you are not careful, you will soon be counting bars there, ” the girl said.
i. What is she referring to?
Answer:
She is referring to the bars of a prison cell in the Central Jail.

ii.  What does she mean when she says “If you are not careful… ”? (She says something a little later which means the same. Find that sentence.)
Answer:
She means that Velu will have to go unnoticed and not attract any attention towards him. Another sentence that has a similar meaning is: “Just don’t get caught, that’s all.”

Question 3.
i. Where did the girl lead Velu to?
Answer:
The girl led Velu in front of a big building where a wedding was taking place.

ii. What did they get to eat?
Answer:
Velu got to eat a vada and a squashy banana, while Jaya ate a banana.

Question 4.
What work did she do? Think of a one-word answer.
Answer:
She collected plastic bottles and cups. She was a rag picker.

Children at Work Comprehension check

Question 1.
i. What material are the ‘strange ’ huts made out of?
Answer:
The ‘strange’ huts are made out of all sorts of things—metal sheets, tyres, bricks, wood and plastic. They stood crookedly and looked as if they would fall any moment.

ii. Why does Velu find them strange?
Answer:
Velu found them strange because in his village, the huts were made of mud and palm leaves.

Question 2.
What sort of things did Jaya and children like her collect and what did they do with those things?
Answer:
Jaya and children like her collected rubbish such as paper, plastic and glass from the streets. They sold it to a man called Jam Bazaar Jaggu, who sold it to the factories.

Question 3.
Is Velu happy or unhappy to find work? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer:
Velu was unhappy to find work because he had never done this kind of work. In his village, the only work he had ever done was on the landowner’s farm, weeding and taking cows out to graze.He thought that he hadn’t run away and come to this new place to dig through garbage bins. He stood lost in thought when Jaya poked him with a stick. It was with a sigh that he accepted this job. He then decided that he will do this job till he found a new one.

Children at Work Exercise Questions and Answers

Discuss the following questions in small groups. Write their answers afterwards.

Encourage the students to discuss the given questions in groups.

Question 1.
Is Velu a smart boy? Which instances in the text show that he is or isn’t?
Answer:
Yes, Velu is a smart boy. He takes a stand against his father and runs away from home instead of getting beaten every day. He travels in a train without a ticket and knows that the ticket collector would not check tickets in the unreserved compartment. He travels from his village to a city for two days, and is able to reach safely. He also carries some essentials with him. When he reaches the new place, he manages to befriend Jaya, who not only helps him find food but also a job. Instead of going back to his father, he decides to become a rag picker, and keep doing this till he finds a new job.

Question 2.
Do you think Jaya is brave and sensitive child with a sense of humour? Find instances of her courage, kind nature and humour in the text?
Answer:
Yes, Jaya is a brave and sensitive child. She finds a complete stranger on the platform, and helps him find a steady ground in a new city. She is a typical city child who knows how the world works. She guesses that Velu has run away from home, and helps him find food. She does not give him any false hopes that food will be served on a platter. She makes him walk

for an hour and then leads him to a wedding venue. When Velu asks her if this is where they will get food, she jokingly shakes her thumb under her nose to tell him not to hope for something like that.

She knows the city in and out. She is brave enough to navigate a city that has enough traffic to scare any other child. She shares her experience of living in the city with Velu. She tells him that he needs to be very careful if he does not want to end up counting bars in a prison cell. She is kind enough to help Velu find a job in the city and does everything she can to help him settle down on his own.

Question 3.
What one throws away as waste may be valuable to others. Do you find this sentence meaningful in the context of this story? How?
Answer:
Yes, it is true that what one throws away as waste may be valuable to others. The story is about a child who works as a rag picker. She goes around the city collecting waste such as plastic cups, glass and paper. She makes her living in this way. The story takes us through a day in the life of a rag picker, showing us that the waste we throw away helps sustain many.

For instance, Jaya goes to a wedding venue and looks for food in the dustbin. She finds a banana there and eats it. In our country, there is no proper way to dispose of huge amounts of food waste. Unfortunately, the truth is that many people do not think twice before wasting food, especially during weddings. The same can be used to feed the poor. This is the point that the story is trying to make.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English

A Truly Beautiful Mind NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 4

A Truly Beautiful Mind NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

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) each title against the heading. The first one is done for you.
(i) Einstein’s equation
(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) 9
(ii) 7
(iii) 3
(iv) 10
(v) 15
(vi) 8
(vii) 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) Einstein’s playmates thought that he was boring.
(ii) Einstein’s headmaster thought that he was stupid and would never succeed at anything in life.
(iii) Einstein’s mother thought that he was a freak.

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:
(i) Einstein left the school in Munich for good because he hated the school’s regimentation.
(ii) Einstein wanted to study in Switzerland rather than in Munich because it was a more liberal city.
(iii) Einstein found in Mileva an ally because she disapproved of the “philistines” or the people who did not like art, literature or music.
(iv) These told about Einstein that he loved freedom. He was liberal and cultured person.

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 used to store his secretly developed ideas in the drawer.

Question 5.
Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt?
Answer:
Einstein wrote a letter to Franklin Roosevelt to warn about bomb effect and also wanted to encourage them to make a bomb to utilize its destruction potential.

Question 6.
How did Einstein react to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
Answer:
Einstein was deeply shaken by the disaster in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He wrote a public missive to the United Nations. He proposed the formation of a world government to stop the nuclear weapons.

Question 7.
Why does the world remember Einstein as a “world citizen”?
Answer:
Einstein is remembered as a “world citizen” as much as a genius scientist because of his efforts towards world peace and democracy, and for his crusade against the use of arms.

Question 8.
Here are some facts from Einstein’s life. Arrange them in chronological order.
(1) Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity.
(2) He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.
(3) Einstein writes a letter to US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and warns against Germany’s building of an atomic bomb.
(4) Einstein attends a high school in Munich. %
(5) Einstein’s family moves to Milan.
(6) Einstein is born in the German city of Ulm.
(7) Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva.
(8) Einstein dies.
(9) He provides a new interpretation of gravity.
(10) Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein withdraws from school.
(11) He works in a patent office as a technical expert.
(12) When Hitler comes to power, Einstein leaves Germany for the United States.
Answer:
(1) Einstein is born in the German city of Ulm.
(2) Einstein attends a high school in Munich.
(3) Einstein’s family moves to Milan.
(4) Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein withdraws from school.
(5) Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva.
(6) He works in a patent office as a technical expert.
(7) Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity.
(8) He provides a new interpretation of gravity.
(9) He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.
(10) When Hitler comes to power, Einstein leaves Germany for the United States.
(11) Einstein writes a letter to US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and warns against Germany’s building of an atomic bomb.
(12) Einstein dies.

A Truly Beautiful Mind Thinking about Language

I. Here are some sentences from the story. Choose the word from 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)
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 buildup (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. became weak
2. in disagreement
3. declared
4. campaigning
5. permanently
6. in a state of commotion
7. interested

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 withing 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.

Question 1.
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 ontinually.)
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 slone steps…………………… needed to be replaced. (They were worn down).
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 fire fighters finally put out the fire.
2. She watched the sunset above the mountain, noticing the colours blending softly into one another.
3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly, neighing continually.
4. Having taken the wrong train, I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras.
5. Having not bathed for two days, I was desperate to get to the bathroom.
6. The stone steps, being worn down, needed to be replaced.
7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans, asking him to send them his photograph.

A Truly Beautiful Mind NCERT Workbook Questions

Question 1.
Read the paragraphs mentioned against each explanation and find out the words in that paragraph which best match the explanation given. Refer to the chapter ‘A TVuly Beautiful Mind’ given in your textbook, Beehive.
(a) A word used disapprovingly to talk about a person who is unusual and doesn’t behave like others. ………… (paragraph 1)
(b) Taking part in an activity for pleasure, not as a job………….. (paragraph3)
(c) Respecting and allowing many different types of beliefs or behaviour…………… (paragraph 5)
(d) A person who is lacking in or hostile or smugly indifferent to cultural values, intellectual pursuits, etc. …………(paragraph 7)
(e) Relating to work that needs special training or education. (paragraph 8)
Answer:
(a) Freak
(b) Amateur
(c) Liberal
(d) Ally
(e) Expert

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English

The Proposal NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 10

The Proposal NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Proposal Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son?” Find reasons for your answer from the play.
Answer:
Chubukov suspected that Lomov has come for borrowing money from him. No, he was not sincere because he was relaxed only to know that he had got a son-in-law. He had always wanted to see his daughter Natalya get married to Lomov. So he, at once changed his tactics.

Question 2.
Natalya: “ as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad she’s like a lovesick cat ” Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Yes, Natalya is in love with Lomov. Because when she comes to know that Lomov has come to propose her, she realises her mistake and requests her father to call Lomov back. She becomes restless and wants to accept the proposal of Lomov.

The Proposal Extra Questions and Answers

The Proposal Reference-to-Context Questions

Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
“Now, you know, you should not forget all about your neighbours, my darling. My dear fellow, why are you so formal in your get-up! Evening dress, gloves, and so on. Can you be going anywhere, my treasure?”

(a) Chubukov asked Lomov why he was so in his get-up.
Answer:
formal

(b) Lomov should not forget all about his
Answer:
neighbours

(c) Lomov was Chubukov’s most valuable treasure. (True/False)
Answer:
True

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘official’ in the extract.
Answer:
Formal

Question 2.
“I’ve been hoping for it for a long time. It’s been my continual desire, [sheds a tear] and I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son.”

(a) Chubukov has been hoping for Lomov’s marriage for his daughter Natalya.
Answer:
proposal

(b) Chubukov loved Lomov like his own
Answer:
son

(c) Chubukov’s continual desire was to get his daughter married with Ivan Lomov. (True/False)
Answer:
True

(d) Find the antonym of ‘devil’ in the extract.
Answer:
angel

Question 3.
‘And it’s impossible for me not to marry. In the first place, I’m already 35—a critical age, so to speak. In the second place, I ought to lead a quiet and regular life.’

(a) Lomov is years old.
Answer:
35

(b) Lomov thinks that it is impossible for him to marry because he has reached a ………… age.
Answer:
critical

(c) Lomov ought to lead a quiet and regular life. (True/False)
Answer:
True.

(d) Find the antonym of ‘possible’ in the extract.
Answer:
impossible

Question 4.
“But you can see from the documents, honoured Natalya Stepanovna. Oxen Meadows, it’s true, were once the subject of dispute, but now everybody knows that they are mine. There’s nothing to argue about.”

(a) Oxen Meadows were once the subject of …………..
Answer:
dispute

(b) Lomov told Natalya that everybody know about the of Oxen Meadows.
Answer:
ownership

(c) According to Lomov, the documents say that Natalya cannot be the owner of the Oxen Meadows. (True/False)
Answer:
True

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘to plead’ in the extract.
Answer:
to argue.

Question 5.
“I can make you a present of them myself, because they’re mine! your behaviour, Ivan Vassilevitch, is strange, to say the least!”

(a) Natalya can make a present of to the Lomovs.
Answer:
Oxen Meadows

(b) Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov’s behaviour is
Answer:
strange

(c) Natalya claims that Oxen Meadows are hers. (True/False)
Answer:
True

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘peculiar’ in the extract.
Answer:
strange.

Question 6.
“If it wasn’t, madam, for this awful excruciating palpitation, if my whole inside wasn’t upset, I’d talk to you in a different way! [Yells] Oxen Meadows are mine.”

(a) Lomov told Natalya that his whole inside was ……………..
Answer:
upset

(b) Lomov had an awful, …………….. palpitation.
Answer:
excruciating.

(c) Lomov yelled that Oxen Meadows were not his. [True/False]
Answer:
False

(d) Find the antonym of ‘pleasant’ in the extract.
Answer:
Awful.

Question 7.
‘But, please, Stephen Stepanovitch, how can they be yours? Do be a reasonable man! My aunt’s grandmother gave the Meadows for the temporary and free use of your grandmother’s peasants. The peasants used the land for forty years and got accustomed to it as if it was their own, when it happened that

(a) Lomov’s aunt’s grandmother gave the ……………… for the temporary and free use of Chubukov’s grandfather’s peasants.
Answer:
Meadows

(b) The peasants had used the land for years.
Answer:
40

(c) Lomov wanted Stephen Stepanovitch Chubukov to be a reasonable man. (True/False)
Answer:
True.

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘used to’ in the extracts.
Answer:
accustomed to.

Question 8.
Chubukov : And that blind hen, yes, that turnip-ghost has the confounded cheek to make a proposal, and so on! What? A proposal!
Natalya : What proposal?
Chubukov : Why, he came here to propose to you.

(a) Lomov was called the ……….. hen.
Answer:
blind

(b) Lomov made a ………….. to Chubukov for marrying his daughter Natalya.
Answer:
proposal

(c) Lomov was called the blind dog. (True/False)
Answer:
False.

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘confused’ in the extract.
Answer:
confounded

Question 9.
Chubukov : (Yells) He’s coming. I tell you. ‘Oh, what a burden, Lord, to be the father of a grown-up daughter! I’ll cut my throat I will, indeed! We cursed him, abused him, drove him out; and it’s all you…. you!

(a) Chubukov ……………… when he saw Lomov come to his house.
Answer:
yelled

(b) As a father of a grown-up daughter, his duty is to find a ………… match.
Answer:
perfect

(c) Chubukov was right to drive Lomov out of the house. (True/False)
Answer:
False

(d) Find the antonym of ‘praised’ in the extract.
Answer:
abused

Question 10.
Natalya – Papa gave 85 roubles for his Squeezer, and Squeezer is heaps better than Guess!
Lomov – Squeezer better than Guess? What an idea! [laughs] Squeezer better than Guess!
Natalya – Of course he’s better! Of course, Squeezer is young, he may develop a bit, but on
points and pedigree he’s better than anything that even Volchanetsky has got.

(a) Natalya and Guess are fighting over the of their dogs.
Answer:
supremacy.

(b) Natalya thought that her dog, Squeezer was better than Lomov’s dog
Answer:
Guess

(c) Squeezer costs 85 roubles. (True/False)
Answer:
True.

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘ancestry’ in the extract.
Answer:
pedigree.

Question 11.
“Natalya – There’s some demon of contradiction in you today, Ivan Vassilevitch. First you, pretend that the Meadows are yours; now, that Guess is better than Squeezer. I don’t like people who don’t say what they mean becuase you know perfectly well that Squeezer is a hundred times better than your silly Guess.”

(a) Ivan Vassilevitch is …………..
Answer:
Lomov

(b) Natalya says that her dog Squeezer is a better than Guess.
Answer:
hundred times

(c) There is some demon of contradiction in Lomov. (True/False)
Answer:
True.

(d) Find the same meaning of “opposing ideas.”
Answer:
demon of contradiction

Question 12.
Lomov : Excuse me, my heart…. Let’s take the facts. You will remember that on the Marusinsky hunt my Guess ran neck-and-neck with the count’s dog, while your Squeezer was left a whole verst behind.
Chubukov : He got left behind because the Count’s whipper-in hit him with his whip.

(a) On the Marusinsky hunt, Lomov’s Guess ran with the count’s dog.
Answer:
neck-and-neck.

(b) ‘Marusinsky hunt’ is a famous dog ……………. in Russia.
Answer:
race

(c) Chubukov’s dog Squeezer got behind becuase count’s whipper-in hit him with an iron rod. (True/False)
Answer:
False.

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘equal’ in the extract.
Answer:
neck-and-neck.

Question 13.
Chubukov : Yes really, what sort of a hunter are you, anyway? You ought to sit at home with your palpitation, and not go tracking animals. You could go hunting, but you only go to argue with people and interfere with their dogs and so on. Let’s change the subject in case I lose my temper. You’re not a hunter at all, anyway!

(a) Lomov’s habit was to …………. with people and interfere with their dogs.
Answer:
argue

(b) Chubukov wanted to change the subject of his discussion as he was getting ……….. with Lomov.
Answer:
irritated

(c) Lomov was very brave as he was a good hunter. ( True/False)
Answer:
False.

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘heart beating’ in the extract.
Answer:
palpitation

Question 14.
“Chubukov : Who’s dead? [Looks at Lomov] So he is! My word! Water! A doctor! [Lifts a tumbler to Lomov’s mouth] Drink this! No, he doesn’t drink. It means he’s dead, and all that. I’m the most unhappy of men! Why don’t I put a bullet into my brain?

(a) Lomov ……….. to be dead.
Answer:
pretends

(b) Chubukov feels that he is the most of men as his would-be-son-in-law Lomov was found unconscious.
Answer:
unhappy

(c) A doctor was called for to examine Lomov whether he was dead. (True/False)
Answer:
True.

(d) Find the antonym of ‘happy’ in the extract.
Answer:
unhappy.

Question 15.
Chubukov : Kiss each other!
Lomov : Eh? Kiss whom? [They kiss] Very nice, too. Excuse me, what’s it all about? Oh,
now I understand my heart stars I’m happy. Natalya Stepanovna…. [Kisses
her hand] My foot’s gone to sleep.

(a) Chubukov feels that Lomov is the right for his daughter.
Answer:
choice

(b) Lomov was happy, as he wanted to marry
Answer:
Natalya

(c) Natalya was not happy to marry Lomov as she did not love him deeply. (True/False)
Ans.
False

(d) Find the antonym of ‘misunderstand’ in the extract.
Answer:
understand

The Proposal Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
Who is Lomov? Why does he visit Chubukov?
Answer:
Value Points

• Lomov is a wealthy youngman.
• Visits Chubukov to seek the hand of his wealthy daughter.

Question 2.
What makes Chubukov misunderstand the purpose of Lomov’s visit?
Answer:

• Chubukov – misunderstands that Lomov had come to borrow money
• Lomov – had come to trouble him with a request for help
  – he didn’t reveal his purpose of coming directly.

Question 3.
Why does Natalya quarrel with Lomov? What is the result?
Answer:
Lomov fought with Natalya for a piece of land. Both of them wanted to have a claim for the same piece of land, i.e., Oxen Meadows. The second time they fought for their dogs to establish the supe-riority of one over the other. Lomov and Natalya are not able to decide whose dog is superior as Natalya is proud of her dog, Squeezer who is young and belongs to a pedigree, whereas Lomov considers it to be uppershot and boasts of his pet ‘Guess’ who he thinks is a first rate dog. But Natalya considers ‘Guess’ to be old and as ugly as a worn out cab horse.
Or
Value Points

• Chubukov’s strange remarks
• His behaviour towards Lomov
• His reaction at the dress of Lomov
• His eccentric behaviour
• Sudden change in the behaviour

Question 4.
Why is Chubukov surprised at Lomov’s wearing of a formal evening dress when Lomov comes to meet him?
Answer:
Chubukov is surprised at Lomov’s wearing of a formal evening dress as there was no formal occasion known to him. He asked Lomov if he was going somewhere in such a nice dress. Lomov told him that he had come to his house to propose Natalya.

Question 5.
Chubukov says to Lomov, “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son.” Is he sincere in saying so? Give reasons.
Answer:
Chubukov says to Lomov, “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son.” No, he is not sincere in saying so. He didn’t have a good opinion about him. He thought that he had come there to ask for some money. He changed his stand only when he came to know that Lomov wanted to marry Natalya, his daughter. It was something that Chubukov always wanted.

Question 6.
What was Lomov’s opinion about Squeezer?
Answer:
Lomov’s opinion about Squeezer was not positive. He considered Squeezer a bad hunter. Lomov was sure that dog’s lower jaw was shorter than the upper one. He thought it to be of inferior quality.

Question 7.
With what request does Lomov come to Chubukov? What is his state of mind at that time?
Answer:
Lomov came to Chubukov to request him to allow him to propose to his daughter Natalya. At that time he was suffering from weakness. His limbs became numb. Whenever he was excited, his heart started palpitating. His foot often became numb and he was unable to bear the shock in life.

Question 8.
Why did Chubukov thank Lomov for proposing to his daughter?
Answer:
Chubukov was overjoyed to know that Lomov wanted to propose to his daughter Natalya. He thanked him for taking this decision. He was happy as Natalya had passed the marriage age.

Question 9.
Why was Chubukov sure that Natalya would give her consent for the proposal?
Answer:
Chubukov was sure that Natalya would give her consent for the proposal because Natalya was in love with Lomov. Therefore, she would give her consent for the marriage proposal. Moreover, she wanted to get married.

Question 10.
What is the ailment that Lomov is suffering from?
Answer:
Lomov is suffering from weakness or depression. His limbs become numb. Whenever he is excited his heart starts palpitating. His foot often becomes numb and he is unable to bear the shock in life.

Question 11.
Whose dog turns out to be superior? How?
Answer:
Lomov and Natalya are not able to decide whose dog is superior as Natalya is proud of her dog, Squeezer who is young and belongs to a pedigree, whereas Lomov considers it to be uppershot and boasts of his pet ‘Guess’ who he thinks is a first-rate dog. But Natalya considers ‘Guess’ to be old and as ugly as a worn out cab horse.

Question 12.
How does Chubukov appreciate ‘Squeezer’?
Answer:
In order to quieten the boastful arguments of Lomov regarding his pet dog ‘Guess’. Chubukov appreciates Squeezer saying that he is pure-breed, firm on his feet and has well sprung ribs.

The Proposal Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Chubukov was thinking of refusing Lomov’s proposal without even knowing of later’s intentions.When he came to know that Lomov had come to ask for the hand of his daughter, he showered love and blessings on Lomov. Was he really sincere or was it just an example of his dual personality? Do you like such kind of people? Give your opinion in 120-150 words.
Answer:
Chubukov is a very diplomatic person. Thinking that Lomov had come to borrow some money, he posed himself to be very sweet and wanted to refuse him somehow. But when Lomov disclosed his real intention of marrying his daughter, he changed colours and started showing exaggerated love.

He was not sincere. In fact he possesses a dual personality. I don’t like such selfish persons. They can do anything to fulfil their interests. In fact, we can say that they are opportunists. These persons can even go to the extent of harming others in their self-interest. Most often they become successful in deceiving others but they end up being hated by all.

Question 2.
Natalya and her father both accused Lomov of telling a lie regarding the Oxen-Meadows but when Natalya came to know that Lomov had come to propose her, she at once wanted him back. This shows her selfishness. What traits of Natalya’s character are revealed here? Do you like her?
Answer:
Both Chubukov and her daughter Natalya have a dual personality. Natalya welcomed him warmly and talked with him pleasantly. But when Lomov referred to the Oxen Meadows, a disputed piece of land, as ‘My Oxen Meadows, she objected strongly saying that the land belonged to them. The argument went on for some time. When she came to know that Lomov wanted to marry her, she at once changed her tactics and hysterically told her father to bring Lomov back.

Like her father, she also turned out to be very selfish. As she was about to pass the marriage age, she was desperate to get married. In spite of the differences in their thought and opinions, she agreed to marry him. I don’t like Natalya as she is too self-centered, short tempered and eccentric. Just to settle down in her life, she agreed to marry Lomov, with whom she had much differences. One should always be honest in one’s behaviour. Never compromise on your values.

Question 3.
Throughout the play, the characters tried to overpower each other by insulting and abusing. They were angered very easily. Do you think it is very necessary to learn how to manage our anger? What are the harms of being too ill-tempered? Suggest some ways to keep your calm in even the worst of the situations.
Answer:
Throughout the play, the characters are seen arguing and hurling abuses at each other over petty issues. They are angered very easily and never hesitate to blame the other person for nothing. The important thing to learn here is how to control our anger. Some people get easily excited and lose control. But anger has many ill-effects too. The person who gets angry easily is prone to many diseases like high blood pressure, nervous breakdown, heart attack, etc. So it is of utmost importance to maintain one’s calm even in the worst of the situation.
Follow these simple rules to manage your anger.

• Take deep breaths to keep stress at bay.
• Count till 10 to minimise your angry feelings.
• Have a glass of cold water to calm your nerves.
• More importantly, avoid retaliating at once.

Question 4.
Forgiveness is the foundation of cordial relationship. Do you agree? How is this message conveyed in the play The Proposal? How can forgiveness be inculcated in the students in the schools?
Answer:
Yes it is true that forgiveness is the foundation of all the cordial relationships in our society. Most of the time enmity is developed due to communication gap or misunderstanding. Lack of tolerance and mismanagement of anger lead to enmity. Whenever there is any disagreement or difference of opinion, one must sit together and sort out the issue amicably. One must forgive another. We make fences and spoil relationships. Anton Chekov has conveyed this message in the play ‘The Proposal’. Lomov and Chubukov are neighbours. They have a controversy on the issue of ownership of the Oxen Meadows.

They also have a difference of opinion on the superiority of the breed of their dogs. Lomov wants to resolve the issue and visits Chubukov with a purpose to propose Natalya. On the other hand, when Chukubov sees Lomov, he suspects that he must have come for borrowing money. It is only the lack of forgiveness that creates unnecessary misunderstandings and leads to quarrel on petty issues. The matter is not sorted out until they forgive each other. Forgiveness should be inculcated amongst the students in our schools through examples from real life and literature.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English

The Bond of Love NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 9

The Bond of Love NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

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 – para 3
Bruno’s food-chart – para 6
An accidental Case of Poisoning – para 8
Playful baba – para 12
Pain of separation – para 14
Joy of reunion – para 16
A request to the zoo – para 18
An island in the courtyard – para 21

II. Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
“I got him for her by accident. ”
(i) Who says this?
Answer:
narrator said this.

(ii) Who do ‘him’ and ‘her’ refer to?
Answer:
Here, ‘him’ refers to the sloth bear and ‘her’ refers to the narrator’s wife.

(iii) What is the incident referred to here?
Answer:
About two years ago the narrator and his companions were passing through the sugar cane fields near Mysore. Suddenly, they saw a black sloth bear. One of the narrator’s companions shot it on the spot. As they saw the fallen animal, they were surprised to see that the black fur on its back moved. Then they saw that it was a baby bear that had been riding on its mother’s back. The narrator ran up to it and attempted to capture it. He finally succeeded in grabbing it and gifted it to his wife. This incident is referred to in the above statement

Question 2.
“He stood on his head in delight. ”

(i) Who does ‘he’ refer to?
Ans.
‘He’ refers to the bear, Bruno.

(ii) Why was he delighted?
Answer:
Bruno was delighted to see the narrator’s wife after three months of separation.

Question 3.
“We all missed him greatly: but in a sense we were relieved. ”
(i) Who does Sve all’ stand for?
Answer:
‘We all’ stands for the narrator, his wife and his son.

(ii) Who did they miss?
Answer:
They missed Bruno (Baba).

(iii) Why did they nevertheless feel relieved?
Answer:
They felt relieved because Baba was getting too big to be kept at home. That is why they had sent him off to a zoo.

III. Answer the following questions in 30 to 40 words each.

Question 1.
On two occasions Bruno ate/drank somethingThat should not be eaten/ drunk. What happened to him on these occasions?
Answer:
On the first occasion, Bruno ate barium carbonate which was kept in the kitchen to kill rats. He was paralysed and had to be taken to a vet. On the second occasion, he drank engine oil. However, the engine oil did not have any 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. He entertained everyone by his tricks. But he had grown in size and was getting too big to be kept at home. He could be dangerous for children. He was always kept in chains. So it was decided that he should be sent to the zoo.

Question 3.
How was the problem of what to do with Bruno finally solved?
Answer:
Bruno had grown in size. It was too difficult to keep him in the house. So it was decided that Bruno would be sent away to the zoo at Mysore. A letter was written to the curator who agreed to the proposal. Thus, Bruno was finally sent to Mysore.

The Bond of Love Thinking About Language

Question 1.
1. Find these words in the lesson. They all have ie or ei in them.

Answer:
field, ingredients, height, mischievous, friends, eighty-seven, relieved, piece

Question 2.
Now here are some more words. Complete them with ei or Consult a dictionary if necessary.

(There is a popular rule of spelling: ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c\ Check if this rule is true by looking at the words above.)
Answer:
believe, receive, weird, leisure, seize, weight, reign, feign, 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.


Answer:

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. Ten minutes later: condition unchanged! Another 10 c.c injected! Ten minutes later: breathing less stertorous — Bruno can move his arms 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.
Answer:
The vet and I made a dash back to the car. Bruno was still floundering about on his stumps, but clearly he was weakening rapidly. There was some vomiting and heavy breathing. His flanks were heaving and his mouth was gaping. Everybody was asked to hold him. The hypodermic medicine went into Bruno, who Squealed. 10 c.c. of anecdote entered his system without a drop being wasted. Even ten minutes later, the condition was unchanged. Another 10 c.c. was injected into him. Ten minutes later, his breathing became less stertorous. Bruno could move his arms 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.

(ii) In the paragraphs above from the story the verbs are in the present tense (e.g. 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:
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 want only 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.

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:
(a) timely
(b) heavily
(c) properly
(d) faithfully

(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)
I was ………………… in need of support after my poor performance, (badly,
occasionally, sometimes)
(c) Rita met with an accident. The doctor examined her ……………… seriously, immediately)
Answer:
(a) never
(b) badly
(c) 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.
Answer:
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?”
or
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, “When did you get the corn? I am dying of hunger.” “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.”