Prasanna

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English

The Duck and the Kangaroo NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem 7

The Duck and the Kangaroo NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Duck and the Kangaroo Thinking About the poem

Question 1.
Why was Dad sure he wouldn’t fall?
Answer.
Dad thought that he was an expert climber So he was sure he wouldn’t fall.

Question 2.
Which phrase in the poem expresses Dad’s self-confidence best?
Answer.
The phrase “A climber like me” expresses his self-confidence best.

Question 3.
Describe Plan A and its consequences.
Answer.
The plan A was to climb on the tree with the help of a ladder Dad tried to do so. But the ladder slipped and Dad fell in the flower-bed.

Question 4.
Plan C was a success. What went wrong then?
Answer.
Plan C was a success because the cat had come down the tree. The thing that went wrong was (that) the Dad was stuck in the tree.

Question 5.
The cat was very happy to be on the ground. Pick out the phrase used to express this idea.
Answer.
The following phrases have been used to express the idea that the cat was happy.

• pleased as punch.
• smiling and smirking

Question 6.
Describe the Cat and Dad situation in the beginning and at the end of the poem.
Answer.
In the beginning of the poem, the cat was stuck in the tree. Dad was on the ground planning to bring the cat down. At the end of the poem. Dad was stuck in the tree and the cat was on the ground. However, the cat was very happy. It smiled and smirked.

Question 7.
Why and when did Dad say each of the following?
(i) Fall?
(ii) Never mind
(iii) Funny joke
(iv) Rubbish
Answer.
(i) Dad said, ‘Fall ?‘ when Mum said, ‘For goodness sake, don’t fall !“.
(ii) Dad said, ‘Never Mind’ when the ladder had slipped and Dad had fallen in the flower-bed.
(iii) Dad said, ‘Funny joke” when Mum warned him not to fall again.
(iv) Dad said “Rubbish” when Mum asked him to stop trying to rescue the cat. She warned that it might break his neck.

Question 8.
Do you find the poem humorous? Read aloud lines which make you laugh.
Answer.
Yes the poem is humorous. The following lines make us laugh. “So it’s smiling and smirking Smug as can be
But poor old Dad’s
Still
Up
The
Tree!”

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English

No Men are Foreign NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem 6

No Men are Foreign NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

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 different cultures and civilisations of the world. All men are similar in many ways. There are differences in dresses, religions, ways of living but all have one common entity of being humans. Beneath each uniform, is the same human being everywhere.

(ii) The poet suggests that all people on earth are the same. They breathe, eat, walk in the same way. They all are aware of the sun, the air and the water. They all love peace and hate war. They have similar eyes that wake or sleep. The line ‘No men are foreign and no countries strange’ express this fact.

Question 2.
In stanza 1, find five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.
Answer:

• No men are strange or foreign.
• No countries strange.
• Single body breathes like ours.
• Same land our brothers walk upon.
• Same earth we lie in.

Question 3.
How many common features can you find in stanza 2? Pick out the words.
Answer:

• Aware of sun and air and water.
• Fed by peaceful harvest.
• Starved by war.
• Similar labour (labour not different from our own).

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?
Answer:
This happens when some politicians having vested interest or the religious leaders incite the masses to serve their own interests. They provoke the innocent people to indulge in anti-social activities. No, we should not obey them. We should always remember that we all are alike. By developing hatred for others, we harm ourselves only. The poet also says that we all are brothers and sisters. We should do everything at our own discretion.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English

A Legend of the Northland NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem 5

A Legend of the Northland NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

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” could refer to any extremely cold country in the Earth’s north polar region, such as Greenland, the northern regions of Russia, Canada, Norway 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 one of her baked cakes to satisfy his hunger. The lady tried to bake a small cake for the saint.

Question 3.
How did he punish her?
Answer:
He punished the lady by changing her into a woodpecker that built “as birds do” and gathered scanty food by boring in the “hard, dry wood” all day long.

Question 4.
How does the woodpecker get her food?
Answer:
The woodpecker gets her food by boring holes into trees.

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:
Some of the people lack basic human values. Selflessness is a rare virtue. One does not want to help anybody without self-interest. They always want something in return. A person goes to a temple or a church or to a gurudwara just because they want something in return.

The lady in the poem belongs to the same category. No, the lady would have behaved differently. She was a greedy woman. If she had known about Saint Peter and his power, she would have offered him her entire stock of cakes. She would have asked for some favours from him in return.

Question 6.
Is this a true story? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most important?
Answer:
The poem is folklore. It passes on orally from one generation to the other. The main objectives of such poems or stories is to convey some values. Through some characters or incidents, some value are passed on from one generation to another. This method of spreading values is very effective. No, this is not a true story. The poet himself says, “I don’t believe ’is true.” It is a legend. The most important part of the poem is the one which conveys that one must not be greedy.

Question 7.
What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?
Answer:
A ‘legend’ is a popular story from the past which is believed by many but one cannot prove whether it is true or not. It usually contains a message or a moral and is narrated to children.
The poet himself says that he doesn’t believe this tale to be true. This poem, a ‘legend’, preaches generosity towards fellow beings.

Question 8.
Write the story of ‘A Legend of the Northland’ in about ten sentences.
Answer:
Once Saint Peter stopped by an old lady’s cottage because he was feeling hungry and weak after the day’s fasting. The lady was baking cakes on the hearth. Since he was weak with fasting, he asked her for a cake from her store of cakes. The selfish lady tried to bake small cakes but each time they seemed too big for her to give away. Finally, she baked one that was as thin as a wafer. Unable to part with it too, she put it on a shelf and did not give any cake to the Saint.

Saint Peter was very angry with her behaviour and said she was too selfish to live as a human and have food, shelter and a fire to keep her warm. He punished her by changing her into a woodpecker that would have to build a nest to live in, bore for food in the trunks of trees. Her clothes were burned and she was left with her scarlet cap on her head as she flew out through the chimney. Even today she still lives in the woods and is seen by all the country school boys.

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’.
Answer:
The rhyming words are:
‘Few’ and ‘through’
‘Earth’ and ‘hearth’
‘Done’ and ‘one’
‘Lay’ and ‘away’
‘One’ and ‘done’
‘Flat’ and ‘that’
Myself and ‘shelf’
‘Faint’ and ‘saint’
‘Form’ and ‘warm’
‘Food’ and ‘wood’
‘Word’ and ‘bird’
‘Same’ and ‘flame’
‘Wood’ and ‘food’

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:
Echo was a nymph who talked too much. She was very fond of having the last word. One day she spoke rudely to the great Juno, who said that for this offence Echo should never use her voice again, unless to repeat what she had just heard, but since she was so very fond of last words, she might repeat the last words of others. This was almost as bad as if Juno had changed her into a parrot. Echo was very much ashamed, and hid herself in the forest.

Narcissus, a young man who had hair as yellow as gold and eyes as blue as the sky, – a very rare thing in Greece, where most people were very dark, – used to hunt in the forest where Echo was hiding. As she was peeping out shyly from some cave or from behind a great tree, Echo often saw Narcissus, and she admired him very much.
One day Narcissus became separated from his friends, and hearing something rustle among the leaves, he called out, “Who’s here?”
“Here,” answered Echo.
“Here I am. Come!” said Narcissus.
“I am come,” said Echo; and, as she spoke, she came out from among the trees.
When Narcissus saw a stranger, instead of one of his friends as he had expected, he looked surprised and walked quickly away.

After this, Echo never came out and allowed herself to be seen again, and in time she faded away till she became only a voice.

This voice was heard for many, many years in forests and among mountains, particularly in caves. In their solitary walks, hunters often heard it. Sometimes it mocked the barking of their dogs; sometimes it repeated their own last words. It always had a weird and mournful sound, and seemed to make lonely places more lonely still.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English

The Lake Isle of Innisfree NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem 4

The Lake Isle of Innisfree NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

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:
(i)

• The poet wants to build a small cabin of clay and wattles.
• He wants to plant nine rows of beans.
• He wants to keep honey beehive.

(ii)

• He hears the cricket’s song.
• He holds linnets flying in the sky.
• He sees glimmering midnight and glowing rooms.

(iii) When the poet is far away from Innisfree he hears the sound of the lake water washing the shore in his “heart’s core”.

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 clay and wattle made cabin, bee-loud glade, morning with dews and cricket songs, midnight with glimmer, noon with purple glow, evenings with linnet’s wings, lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore etc.

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:
Innisfree represents poet’s state of mind. The poet wishes to escape to Innisfree as it is more peaceful than where he is now-the city. Innisfree is representative of what the poet considers an ideal place to live, which is devoid of the restless humdrum of his life. Yes, the poet actually misses the place of his boyhood days. Even when he is away from Innisfree, he recalls the sound of the lake water washing the shore.

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 picture do these words create in your mind?
Answer:
(i) These words bring to mind the image of buzzing bees.
(ii) These words bring up the image of linnets flying across an evening sky.
(iii) These words evoke not only the image but also the soft sound of a lake’s water washing the shore.

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:
The given lines indicate that peace of mind can be slowly acquired from the natural surroundings. It is peace that “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the morning”. The phrase “to where the cricket sings” indicates a peaceful place where one can hear the vibrant sounds of nature- sounds such as the songs of the cricket at the time of dawn.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English

The Road not taken NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem 1

The Road not taken NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Road not taken Thinking About the poem

I.
Question 1.
Where does the traveller find himself? What problem does he face?
Answer:
The traveller finds himself in the yellow woods at a point where the road forks into two. He faces the problem of choice. He cannot decide which road to take to continue his journey since it is not possible for him to travel both roads at the same time.

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) Yellow wood symbolises the autumn season. Symbolically it corresponds with old age.
(ii) It conveys that the road was full of grass and nobody had used that road. It was a smooth road which had not worn out. It was an unexplored opportunity.
(iii) The use of the path by a passer-by.
(iv) It represents a path which was never/seldom taken in life for the fear of uncertainty.
(v) This phrase means how certain decisions one makes in life could pave the way for many other decisions.

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) In stanza two the poet explains that the only difference between the two roads was that the road he took is a better claim because it was covered with grass and was never travelled before. Besides this difference, both roads had been equally worn down by the passersby travelling on them. In stanza three the poet says that both the roads were equally covered with leaves and that no person had stepped on them.

(ii) In the last two lines of the poem the poet says that there is a difference between the two roads because he took the road that was less taken by other people. It made all the difference to 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:
In the last two lines of the poem, the poet accepts the reality. The poet made a choice and -accepted the challenging path. He took the unexplored path in his life. He wanted to do something different in his life so he chose the less travelled road. No, he does not 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:
Everyone has to make a choice in one’s life. Life is full of opportunities and options. One can’t take up all of them. We have to make a choice out of them. No, I have never had to make a difficult choice till now. I am too young to make an independent decision. But after some time, I will also have to make a choice. When I face such a situation, I will weigh all the pros and cons of the choice and take a decision. I may even consult my parents and teachers for my decision.

Question 2.
After you have made a choice do you always think about what might have been, or do you accept the reality?
Answer:
It’s human nature to think what might have been if we had selected some other path. But it’s also a fact that once we choose a path and cover some distance, there is no going back. One should think before making a choice. One should weigh all the pros and cons of the choice. But once we make a choice we should be determined to move on. Regretting the choice does not help. Acceptance of reality motivates. I will definitely accept the reality.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English

Reach for the Top NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8

Reach for the Top NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Reach for the Top Thinking About the Text

Part I Santosh Yadov

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?
Answer:
One day a holy man visited Santosh’s house. He blessed her pregnant mother to have a son. But he was surprised when Santosh’s grandmother told him that she did not want to have a grandson.

Question 2.
Give an example to show that even as a young girl Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable.
Answer:
Right from the very beginning, Santosh lived life on her own terms. She was not content with the traditional way of life and was not ready to accept anything unreasonable. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts

Question 3.
Why was Santosh sent to the local school?
Answer:
Even though Santosh’s parents could afford to send their children to the best schools, she was sent to the local village school because of the customs in the family.

Question 4.
When did she leave home for Delhi, and why?
Answer:
When she turned sixteen and was under pressure to get married, Santosh threatened her parents
that she would never marry if she did not get a proper education. Therefore, she left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.

Question 5.
Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling in Delhi? What mental qualities of Santosh are brought into light by this incident?
Answer:
Santosh firmly told her parents that she would work part-time and earn money to pay her fee for her education. Seeing her firm determination and interest in studies, they agreed to pay for her schooling in Delhi.

II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

Question 1.
How did Santosh begin to climb mountains?
Answer:
Santosh was residing in Kasturba Hostel in Jaipur. It was located amidst the Aravalli Hills. She used to watch the villagers going up the hills. Out of curiosity she joined them and found that they were mountaineers. She joined them and they motivated her to take up climbing.

Question 2.
What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her teammates?
Answer:
During the 1992 Everest mission, she provided special care to a climber who was dying at the South, the lowest point on a mountain ridge. She saved the life of another climber Mohan Singh by sharing her oxygen with him.

Question 3.
What shows her concern for the environment?
Answer:
She brought down 500 kg of garbage from the Himalayas. This shows her concern for the environment.

Question 4.
How does she describe her feelings at the summit of the Everest?
Answer:
Santosh literally felt on the top of the world. She unfurled the Indian tricolour. She says that her feeling was indescribable. It was a spiritual moment for her. She felt proud of being 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. When she conquered Mt Everest for the first time at the age of 20, she became the youngest woman in the world to do so. When she climbed it for the second time, she became the only woman in the world to achieve this feat.

III. Complete the following statements.

Question 1.
From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to
Answer:
From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch villagers going up the hill and suddenly vanish after a while.

Question 2.
When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because
Answer:
When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had got herself enrolled at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering without his permission.

Question 3.
During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her while endeared her to fellow climbers.
Answer:
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. Assumed
2. Rational
3. Custom
4. Urge
5. Resistance

Part II Maria Sharapova

Question 1.
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.

Answer

Reach for the Top 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.

Question 1.
Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.
(Contrasts her dress with that of others)
Answer:
Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.

Question 2.
She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.
(Tells us what happened after the first action.)
Answer:
She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.

Question 3.
She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived.
(Tells us when she was going to fight the system.)
Answer:
She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived.

Question 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.A.)
Answer:
Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States.

II. Now rewrite the pairs of sentences given below as one sentence.

Question 1.
Grandfather told me about the old days. All books were printed on ………… paper then.
Answer:
Grandfather told me about the old days when all books were printed on paper.

Question 2.
What do you do after you finish the book? Perhaps you just throw it away.
Answer:
After finishing the book, perhaps you just throw it away.

Question 3.
He gave the little girl an apple. He took the computer apart.
Answer:
He gave the little girl an apple and took the computer apart.

Question 4.
You have nothing. That makes you very determined.
Answer:
Having nothing makes you very determined.

Question 5.
I never thought of quitting. I knew what I wanted.
Answer:
I never thought of quitting as I knew what I wanted.

Reach for the Top NCERT Workbook Questions

Question 1.
Suggest a word for each sentence/phrase correctly. Refer to the chapter ‘Reach for the Top, Part I’ given in your textbook, Beehive. The paragraph numbers where these words are used, are given in brackets. ,
(a) A state of happiness and satisfaction. ………. (2)
Answer:
contentment

(b) An action or way of behaving that is usual in tradition. ………. (3)
Answer:
custom

(c) A word or statement that expresses agreement or confirmation. …………. (5)
Answer:
affirmative

(d) The ability to withstand hardship or adversity………… (7)
Answer:
resistance

(e) Final stage of something you’ve been working towards. ………….(7)
Answer:
culmination