Bhagya

Without further ado, let’s immerse ourselves in the heartwarming world of “The Last Leaf Extra Questions and Answers Class 9” and explore the profound life lessons it imparts. As we witness the transformation of characters and the impact of selfless acts, we invite you to join us on this insightful expedition. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 English with Answers.

Online Education for The Last Leaf Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Moments

The Last Leaf Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Where did Sue and Johnsy stay? What was their profession?
Answer:
They lived in a small flat on the fourth storey of an old house. They were both artists.

Question 2.
Why was Sue worried when Johnsy fell ill?
Answer:
Sue was worried because Johnsy would lie on her bed without moving, and would just gaze out of her window all day. Even though the doctor came every day, there was no change in her condition.

Question 3.
What illness did Johnsy have? Who looked after her?
Answer:
Johnsy was suffering from pneumonia. Her friend Sue looked after her.

Question 4.
What worried the doctor?
Answer:
The doctor was worried because there was no improvement in Johnsy’s condition. He felt that Johnsy was not responding to treatment because she had made up her mind not to do so. He felt she had lost her will to live and hence the medicines were not going to be useful to her.

Question 5.
How did Sue try to revive Johnsy’s interest in life?
Answer:
Sue talked to her about clothes and fashions. Then she brought her drawing board into Johnsy’s room and started painting. She also whistled while painting, hoping to distracting Johnsy’s mind from her illness.

Question 6.
Why was Johnsy counting the leaves on the creeper outside her window?
Answer:
Johnsy had made up her mind that the day the last leaf fell off the creeper, she would die. So she was counting the leaves as they fell off the creeper.

Question 7.
Why did Sue go to Behrman?
Answer:
Sue went to Behrman because she had to paint an old miner and she wanted him as the model for the painting.

Question 8.
Who was Behrman?
Answer:
Behrman was a sixty year old painter whose only ambition was to paint a masterpiece. He lived in the same building as Sue and Johnsy, and sometimes acted as a model for their paintings.

Question 9.
What did Sue confide in Behrman?
Answer:
She told him about her worries about Johnsy, who refused to recover from her illness because of her belief that she was going to die the day the last leaf fell off the creeper outside her window.

Question 10.
What did Sue feel when she saw the last leaf on the creeper? Who was at the window with her?
Answer:
Sue felt extremely worried that the lead would fall off by the next morning, and if Johnsy saw that, she would not survive. Behrman, an old painter and her neighbour, was at the window with her.

Question 11.
Why was Sue nervous to draw back the window curtains?
Answer:
She was worried that the last leaf on the creeper might have fallen off in the wind and snow the previous night, and that her friend Johnsy would consider it as a warning that she was also going to die soon.

Question 12.
How did the sight of the last leaf affect Johnsy?
Answer:
The sight of the last leaf clinging on to the creeper inspite of the wind and snow revived Johnsy and gave her the faith that she would survive. She realised how much she had troubled Sue by her gloom and depression, and also thought of the fact that it was a sin to want to die. ‘

Question 13.
How did the doctor react to Johnsy’s recovery? What news did he give Sue?
Answer:
He declared that as Johnsy’s will to live had been revived, she would recover soon. He informed Sue that their neighbour Behrman had fallen ill with pneumonia and that he did not expect him to survive.

Question 14.
How did Behrman die?
Answer:
He died of pneumonia. He had been out in the stormy night, painting a leaf on the creeper outside Johnsy’s window. He came home soaked in the rain and fell ill there. The janitor found him there in the morning.

Question 15.
What did the presence of the paints and brushes near Behrman’s bed signify?
Answer:
They signified that he had been out painting in the middle of the snowy, windy night.

Question 16.
Why had Behrman felt the need to paint the leaf on the creeper?
Answer:
Johnsy, his neighbour who had been suffering from pneumonia, had developed a strong belief that she would die the day the last leaf of the creeper outside her window fell. Behrman felt that he had to paint the leaf that night in order to save her life, as all the leaves had fallen off in the storm.

Question 17.
What impression do you get of Behrman?
Answer:
Behrman appears to be a selfless, caring man, who was fond of his neighbours, and put their welfare before his own. He is a great painter, because the leaf he paints is so realistic that no one can distinguish it from a real one.

Question 18.
What was Behrman’s masterpiece? Why was it called so?
Answer:
The leaf that he painted on the creeper was his masterpiece, because it was realistic that Johnsy did not realise that it had been painted. As a result, she recovered from her illness. Even though it was not a famous painting, it was one that saved a life, and thus, it was a masterpiece.

Question 19.
Do you think Johnsy was a good friend? Give reasons for your answer?
Answer:
Either Yes or No is acceptable, as long as it is supported by sufficient arguments No, I don’t think she was a good friend, because she did not respond to the love and care showered on her by Sue. She did not respond to the doctor’s treatment just because she had decided in her head that she would die the day the last leaf on the creeper fell, and she ignored any attempts by her friend to help her. Yes, she was a good friend, as she did finally realise and appreciate all that Sue had done for her. She apologised and made an effort to recover, thereby showing that she cared about Sue’s friendship.

Question 20.
What was Johnsy’s illness? What ultimately cured her: medicine, or her will to live?
Answer:
Johnsy was suffering from pneumonia. She was not responding to medicines, because she had no will to live. When she finally made up her mind to get better, she recovered from her illness.

Question 21.
Do you think the feeling of depression Johnsy had is common among teenagers? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Yes, feelings of depression can be common among teenagers. They are usually sheltered and protected from the ups and downs of life by their parents as children, and often find it difficult to deal with obstacles and challenges as they grow up.

Question 22.
Behrman has a dream. What is it? Does it come true?
Answer:
Behrman had a dream of painting a masterpiece. It did come true when he painted the leaf on the wall on which the creeper was growing. The painting was so realistic that it helped revive Johnsy who had been waiting for the last leaf on the creeper to fall.

Question 23.
What was Behrman’s masterpiece? What makes Sue say so?
Answer:
His masterpiece was the leaf that he painted on the wall next to the creeper. Sue called it his masterpiece because it was so realistic that no one realised that it had been painted.

Question 24.
How long had Behrman been ill? Why did he die so quickly?
Answer:
Behrman had been ill for two days. He died very quickly, because he had gone out in the storm and remained . in his wet clothes even after he returned to his flat. He was about sixty years old, and caught a chill very quickly. Further, he was found to be ill by the janitor, as he lived alone, which also suggests that he did not really have anyone to take care of him.

Question 25.
Johnsy calls herself ‘wicked’. Do you agree with her?
Answer:
Johnsy can be called wicked, because she not only lost her will to live, she also ignored all the attempts by her friend Sue to help her. Even though Sue was going to great efforts to take care of her, Johnsy did not respond. In fact, it was because of her stubborn nature that Behrman ultimately lost his life.

The Last Leaf Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Do you think Behrman was a great artist or a great human being? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
In my opinion, Behrman was a great human being. No doubt he was a talented artist, which is evident from his painting of the leaf on the wall. The painting was so realistic that everyone thought it was a real leaf, which saved Johnsy’s life. Johnsy had made up her mind that she would die of her illness the day the last leaf fell off the creeper.

However, Behrman decided to help Sue, her friend, who was worried about the effect the falling of the last leaf would have on Johnsy. This shows how caring, selfless and concerned he was. He went out in the stormy and cold night to paint the leaf, and came back soaked to the skin, in no condition to even remove his wet clothes and shoes. He made the supreme sacrifice of his life to save the life of another human being.

Question 2.
Compare and contrast the characters of Sue and Johnsy?
Answer:
Sue and Johnsy were both artists and good friends. They shared a small flat in an old building. Sue was a very loyal and caring friend. She did everything she could to take care of Johnsy when she fell ill with pneumonia. She not only took care of Johnsy physically, but also helped by earning money by selling her paintings. She cooked and ensured that Johnsy received the best treatment.

Johnsy on the other hand appears to have been a depressed and gloomy person, who is very self-absorbed. She did not have the will to fight against her illness, and did not respond to the doctor or to Sue’s care and concern. She was highly imaginative and superstitious, as she came to believe that her life was linked to the number of leaves on the creeper outside her window. She believed that she would die the day the last leaf of the creeper fell.

It was because of this stubborn belief that Behrman, an older artist, lost his life when he went out in the storm to paint a leaf onto the creeper so that Johnsy would not realise that the last leaf had actually fallen.

Question 3.
This story shows the power of the mind. Discuss.
Answer:
Yes, the story reveals the power of one’s thoughts and the mind in making us believe in something. In this story, we see that one of the characters, Johnsy, is suffering from pneumonia. She believes that she will not survive, and as a result even medicines have no effect on her. Even her doctor was worried about her chances of recovery. Later, we see the power of the mind once again when she recovers.

At this point, her belief was that she would only live as long as the last leaf stayed on the creeper. When she sees that the leaf does not fall off despite the wind and stormy conditions, it makes her believe that even she might be able to survive. Even though it is not a real leaf, and was just painted by Behrman, Johnsy draws inspiration from it, and slowly gains the will to live. Therefore, the story clearly expresses the power of the mind in changing the course of our lives.

Question 4.
Why has the story been called ‘The Last Leaf? Do you think it is appropriate? Give reasons for your answer?
Answer:
As the title suggests, the story revolves around the importance of a single leaf on a tree. The leaf is particularly important in saving the life of a girl, who had convinced herself that she would die the moment the last leaf fell off the tree. However, the leaf miraculously stays on the tree, giving the girl hope to survive. The title also refers to the fact that the leaf is the last artwork made by an out of work painter, which also becomes his masterpiece.

Question 5.
What is the theme and message of the story?
Answer:
The story explores the idea of the impact of true art, and what makes a painting a true masterpiece. It also highlights the themes of selflessness and the supreme sacrifice of self to save the life of another human being. It also explores the loyalties of a true friendship, and the levels to which we can go to help a friend. The story shares a message of the power of love and friendship. It reminds us that selflessness is the highest virtue one can attain.

Prepare to be enchanted by the heartwarming tale of “The Happy Prince Extra Questions and Answers Class 9,” a timeless story that celebrates compassion, selflessness, and the true meaning of happiness. In this blog post, we will dive into the poignant narrative of the Happy Prince and the lessons it imparts to readers of all ages. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 English with Answers.

The Happy Prince Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Moments

The Happy Prince Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Describe the statue of the Happy Prince.
Answer:
The statue stood high above the city on a tall column. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold with two bright sapphires for eyes. A large red ruby glowed on his sword hilt.

Question 2.
Did the swallow belong to the city? How can you tell? Where was it going?
Answer:
No, the swallow did not belong to the city, as it is written that it flew over the city on its way to Egypt.

Question 3.
Where did the bird decide to stay for the night? Why?
Answer:
The bird decided to stay near the statue of the prince, because it was located on a tall column and the bird felt he would get plenty of fresh air there.

Question 4.
Why did the bird think he had a ‘golden bedroom’?
Answer:
The bird alighted near the feel of the statue of the Happy Prince, which was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold. That is why he felt that he had got a ‘golden bedroom’ to sleep in.

Question 5.
Why was the bird not able to sleep peacefully that first night?
Answer:
Just as the bird was about to sleep, he was disturbed by three tear drops that fell from the eyes of the statue. When he saw the tears running down the cheeks of the statue, he looked so beautiful in the moonlight that the bird was filled with pity and could not sleep.

Question 6.
Why was the statue of the Happy Prince weeping?
Answer:
The statue of the Happy Prince was weeping because when he had been alive, he had not known any sorrow. But after his statue had been erected, he was able to see all the ugliness and misery of the city, and even though he now had a heart of lead, he could still feel the pain, which made him cry.

Question7.
Who does the Prince ask the swallow to deliver the red ruby to?
Answer:
The Prince asked the swallow to deliver the ruby to a poor seamstress whose son was very ill. The child was asking his mother for oranges, but she had nothing to give him but water. Since the statue’s feet were fixed to the pedestal, he could not deliver it himself, so he asked the swallow to do so.

Question 8.
Why did the swallow agree to deliver the ruby even though he wanted to join his friends in Egypt?
Answer:
The Prince looked so sad that the little swallow felt sorry for him and agreed to stay one night and be his messenger.

Question 9.
What were the things that the swallow saw on his journey to deliver the ruby?
Answer:
He saw the cathedral tower, the palace, the river, and the ships before coming to the poor woman’s house.

Question 10.
What made the sick boy fall into a deep, restful sleep?
Answer:
When the bird delivered the ruby, he flew gently around the bed of the sick boy, fanning the boy’s forehead with his wings. This soothed the boy and he fell into a deep, restful sleep.

Question 11.
Though it was cold, the bird felt warm. Why did this happen?
Answer:
This happened because he had done a good deed by delivering the ruby to the seamstress’ house, which made him feel warm and happy from inside.

Question 12.
Why did the swallow delay his departure for the second time?
Answer:
He delayed his departure for the second time because the Prince asked him to deliver one of his sapphire eyes to a poor young man in a garret who was trying to finish a play for the Director of the theatre, but who was too hungry and cold to write anymore.

Question 13.
What did the Prince expect the young playwright to do with the sapphire? Did the swallow willingly agree to the Prince’s request?
Answer:
The Prince expected him to sell it to the jeweller and buy firewood so he could complete writing his play. No, the swallow protested at first, as he wanted to continue on his journey. However, he finally agreed to help the Prince again.

Question 14.
Where did the playwright find the sapphire, and where did he think it had come from?
Answer:
He found it lying on the withered violets, and thought it must have been left there by an admirer.

Question 15.
Where did the swallow go after dropping the sapphire at the playwright’s?
Answer:
He flew down to the harbour where he sat on the mast of a large ship and watched the sailors working.

Question 16.
Why did the swallow want to fly to Egypt?
Answer:
He wanted to do so because it was a warm country where the sum shone on green palm trees and crocodiles lay in the mud. Moreover, all his friends had already gone there to escape the cold weather.

Question 17.
Why was the match girl crying?
Answer:
She was crying because her matches had fallen into the gutter and were all spoilt. Now her father would beat her for not bringing home any money.

Question 18.
How does the Happy Prince help the match girl, and why?
Answer:
He asks the swallow to pluck out his remaining sapphire eye and give it to her. He does this to save her from her father’s beating.

Question 19.
After helping the Prince, when he had the freedom to fly to Egypt, why did the swallow change his mind? What does it reveal about his character?
Answer:
He decided to stay with the statue as it had become blind now. This shows that the bird was very loyal and caring.

Question 20.
Why did the Prince ask the swallow to fly over his city?
Answer:
The Prince said that the suffering of men and women was the greatest misery of all, and asked the swallow to fly over the city so that he could come back and tell him about all that he saw there.

Question 21.
What did the swallow see in the city?
Answer:
He saw the rich making merry in their beautiful homes, while the beggars sat at their gates. He saw the starving children and two little boys hugging each other to keep warm. They were hungry as well, and were forced out into the rain by a watchman.

Question 22.
How did the Prince react to the bird’s report on all that he had seen in the city?
Answer:
He asked the swallow to remove all the gold covering his body, leaf by leaf, and give it to the poor people.

Question 23.
How did the swallow make the poor starving children happy?
Answer:
He did so by dropping the gold from the statue among the poor, who used it to buy bread and drive away their hunger.

Question 24.
How did the coming of the cold weather affect the swallow?
Answer:
He grew colder by the day, but did not leave the statue of the Happy Prince, which he had come to love dearly. He ate the crumbs he found outside the baker’s door and tried to keep warm by flapping his wings.

Question 25.
Why did the heart of the statue snap into two?
Answer:
The moment the swallow died at the feet of the statue, there was a curious crack inside the statue, as if something had broken. It was the leaden heart of the statue, which had broken as soon as its friend died.

The Happy Prince Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Why is the frost called a ‘dreadfully hard frost’?
Answer:
The frost has been called hard because the snow had hardened due to the cold. Further, it also refers to the swallow had wanted to migrate to a wanner climate in Egypt, he had stayed back, at first unwillingly, to help the poor people by delivering the ruby, sapphire and gold leaf that had covered the statue of the Prince. Later, once the Prince was left without eyes to see, he decided to stay to keep him company. In the process, he succumbed to the cold weather and lost his life. On finding his friend dead, the statue broke, revealing his leaden heart. Thus, the death of these two selfless heroes cast a gloomy atmosphere.

Question 2.
What are the two most precious things that the Angels find in the city?
Answer:
The two most precious things that the Angels pick up from the city are the dead swallow and the lead heart of the Happy Prince. They picked these two because both the bird and the statue had gone beyond their selfish interest and lost their lives serving the poor and down-trodden. The bird had cancelled his plans to migrate to warmer climes for the winter, staying back to help deliver valuables as directed by the statue, to those who were in dire need.

After the statue gave away his sapphire eyes and became blind, he did not have the heart to fly away from his friend. Instead, he died in his attempt to keep him company. Similarly, the statue had selflessly given away all the valuables that covered his body to help the poor and hungry people in the city. It made him extremely sad to see their misery, so he chose to give them everything he had. When at last his friend the swallow died, he was completely broken, and his heart cracked into two. The angels valued their sacrifice and charitable acts, and chose them as the most precious things.

Question 3.
Why did the courtiers call the prince the ‘Happy Prince’? Was he really happy? What does he see all around him?
Answer:
The prince had been called a Happy Prince when he had been alive. At that time, he lived a sheltered and privileged life, with no inkling of the suffering faced by the common people. After his death, when his statue was placed on a high column overlooking the city, he was able to see the misery and unhappiness of the people. The poverty and ugliness all around made him extremely unhappy. Therefore, with the help of the swallow, he tried to compensate for the neglect which he had shown his subjects while he had been alive. Thus, he was not happy looking at the misery of the people, but by giving away all his valuables and helping the poor people, his sadness would have been somewhat abated.

Question 4.
Comment on the title of the story. Was the prince really happy?
Answer:
The title is an ironical one, as it suggests that the story is about a Prince who is happy. However, the readers soon realise that the Prince is not a human, but a statue. The prince had been called a Happy Prince when he had been alive. At that time, he lived a sheltered and privileged life, with no inkling of the suffering faced by the common people. After his death, his statue was placed on a high column overlooking the city. Since the statue was placed at a high point, he could see all the misery and sadness in the city, which made him sad.

Question 5.
How do the councillors and Mayor react on seeing the broken statue?
Answer:
The councillors and Mayor called the statue shabby because all the gold and precious stones no longer decorated it. They felt that without these embellishments, the statue looked like that of a beggar. Moreover, they felt that the dead swallow at its feet added to the shabby condition of the statue. Thus, since the statue was no longer beautiful or useful, it should be pulled down and melted in the furnace. However, its lead heart did not melt, which was finally thrown onto the garbage heap with the dead swallow’s body.

Question 6.
Men melt down the statue, yet the Angels proclaim it one of the most precious things in the city. Comment on the divergent viewpoints of the Angels and humans with reference to the story The Happy Prince.
Answer:
Humans are attracted to material things, and tend to appreciate only outer beauty. Thus, the statue was considered beautiful when it was covered with gold leaf and precious stones like rubies and sapphires. However, when it was stripped of the gold and jewels, they declared that it was shabby and should be pulled down. On the other hand, the Angels looked into the mind and heart of all creatures, and valued qualities like charity, selflessness and kindness above any external materials.

In this story, we have two very noble characters—the swallow and the statue—who together help out several poor people in the city quietly, without expecting praise or acclaim. The statue gives every valuable part that can help someone, even though it makes him look shabby and he goes blind. The swallow also risks his life by staying on in the cold weather instead of flying to warmer climes like its friends. Instead, it stays back and helps the prince alleviate the suffering of several people in the city. Thus, their actions make them the most precious things in the city.

Do you aspire to conquer new heights and achieve greatness in every endeavor you pursue? “Reach for the Top” is not just a mere phrase but a mantra that inspires us to push our boundaries and strive for excellence. In this article, we’ll explane the Reach for the Top Class 9 Extra Questions with Answers. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 English with Answers.

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What made Santosh Yadav achieve fame and greatness?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav is the only woman in the world who has scaled Mt Everest twice. Santosh Yadav scaled Mt Everest when she was barely twenty years of age, becoming the youngest woman in the world to achieve the feat. Within twelve months, Santosh scaled the Everest a second time as a member of an Indo-Nepalese Women’s Expedition. She thus set a record as the only woman to have scaled the Everest twice.

Question 2.
Why was the ‘holy man’, who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings, surprised?
Answer:
The holy man expected that like all other families in the villages, the family would also wish for the birth of a son. However, when he was told by Santosh’s grandmother that they wanted to have a daughter, he was surprised.

Question 3.
What kind of society was Santosh born in?
Answer:
Santosh was born in Joniyawas, a small village in the Rewari District in Haryana. The society in this region was very conservative and orthodox. People were rigidly patriarchal and gender-biased. The birth of a girl was generally unwelcome and people strictly adhered to conservative traditions.

Question 4.
The grandmother wished her daughter-in-law give birth to a daughter. What light does this throw on her character?
Answer:
Despite being the member of a conservative family, the grandmother wished to be blessed with a granddaughter. This was because there were already five boys in the family. Hence, the family now wished for a daughter. This also shows her as a woman of progressive views.

Question 5.
What do you know about Santosh’s family?
Answer:
Santosh was born into an affluent family of landlords in a village, Joniyawas, in the Rewari district of Haryana. She was the sixth child in a conservative family, the only sister to five brothers. Though financially well-off, her family was orthodox and conservative in matters related to the education and upbringing of girls.

Question 6.
Why was Santosh sent to the local school?
Answer:
Santosh’s parents were affluent and could afford to send Santosh to a school in Delhi. But they sent her to the local village school because they strictly followed tradition and it was customary in their society to send girls to the local school only.

Question 7.
How was Santosh different from the other girls of her village?
Answer:
Unlike other girls of her village, Santosh was not content with the traditional way of life. She used to wear shorts and went on to study further at Delhi. She did not get married at sixteen as most of the girls of her village did.

Question 8.
Why was Santosh Yadav not content with a traditional way of life? What path did she choose and why?
Answer:
Right from childhood, Santosh was not content with a traditional way of life and felt that if she chose a correct and a rational path, the others around her had to change, not she. She wanted to chart her own course in life, rather than following the age-old customs and traditions. She wore shorts instead of traditional attire, went to study in Delhi when girls in her village got married. When her parents refused to pay for her education, she got them to agree by informing them of her plans to earn money by working part time to pay. her school fees. She chose the path of excellence through education, rational thinking and hard work and achieved unparalleled success as a woman mountaineer.

Question 9.
When did Santosh leave home for Delhi, and why?
Answer:
Santosh left home for Delhi when she turned sixteen because her parents had begun to pressurize her to get married in keeping with the traditional practice in their community. She decided that it was the right moment to rebel and she quietly got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi to continue her studies.

Question 10.
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?
Answer:
At the age of sixteen, Santosh got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. When her parents refused to pay for her schooling in Delhi, she politely informed them that she planned to work part time in order to pay her fees. Her parents realized that their daughter was independent, had a strong will-power and firm self-belief. She could take her decisions and also stand by them. They saw her strong sense of conviction and her passion for education. So, they agreed to pay for her schooling in Delhi.

Question 11.
In what ways did Santosh show her dissatisfaction with the traditional life in the family?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav always opposed traditional ways. She wore shorts rather than wearing traditional dresses. She refused to give up her studies and get married at the age of sixteen. Though her parents put great pressure on her, she left her home and came to Delhi for high school, informing her parents she would earn her own money by working part-time if they refused to pay her fees.

Question 12.
How did Santosh develop a liking for mountain climbing?
Answer:
From the window of her room in the Kasturba Hostel, Jaipur, Santosh used to watch the villagers going up the hills and then suddenly vanishing after a while. It inspired her to explore the hills. One day when she decided to check it out herself, she met a group of mountaineers. The mountaineers allowed her to join them and encouraged her to take up climbing. Thus, she developed liking for climbing.

Question 13.
Why did Santosh decide to take up mountaineering?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav began to climb mountains when she met some mountaineers in the Aravalli Hills, who not only let her join them but also motivated her to take up mountaineering.

Question 14.
What did Santosh do after being motivated by the mountaineers to take to climbing?
Answer:
Santosh saved money and enrolled herself in a course at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and after completion of her semester in the college, headed straight for the Institute to be able to reach for her training in time.

Question 15.
Why did Santosh write a letter of apology to her father?
Answer:
Santosh had got herself enrolled in the Uttarkashi Nehru Institute of Mountaineering without seeking her father’s permission. She had thought of talking to her family about this during her holidays. But because her college term was extended by a few days, there was hardly any time between the end of the semester and her reporting date at the Institute. Due to her inability to go home, she wrote a letter of apology to her father.

Question 16.
What is the secret of Santosh’s success as a mountaineer?
Answer:
Santosh had a strong will power, great physical endurance and an amazing mental toughness. The single- minded determination and dedication helped her overcome all hurdles to emerge as a winner. She possessed a remarkable resistance to cold and high altitude. Her climbing skills and hard working nature made it easy for her.

Question 17.
When did Santosh get an opportunity to scale Mt. Everest?
Answer:
Santosh got an opportunity to scale Mt. Everest in 1992, just four years after she had met the mountaineers climbing the Aravalli Hills. She was hardly twenty years of age at that time when she became the youngest woman in the world to scale the highest peak.

Question 18.
How did Santosh’s seniors and fellow climbers appreciate her?
Answer:
Santosh’s her climbing skills, physical fitness, and mental strength impressed her seniors, while her concern for others and desire to work together with them found her a special place in the hearts of fellow climbers.

Question 19.
What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?
Answer:
During the 1992 Everest expedition, one of her team-mates lay dying at the South Col. Santosh made all efforts to look after him. Unfortunately, the climber could not be saved. However, she did succeed in saving the life of another fellow-climber, Mohan Singh. Santosh shared her oxygen with him and saved his life. These incidents show her concern for her team mates.

Question 20.
When did Santosh scale the Mt. Everest for a second time?
Answer:
Santosh was invited by an Indo-Nepalese Women’s expedition to scale Mt. Everest within a year of her first expedition in 1992. Santosh joined them to climb the Everest for the second time. Thus, she scaled the Everest twice setting a record as the only woman to have scaled the Everest two times.

Question 21.
Why is Santosh Yadav’s name recorded twice for climbing Mount Everest?
Answer:
When she scaled the Mount Everest for the first time in 1992, Santosh Yadav, at the age of twenty, earned the credit for being the youngest woman in the world to climb the peak. She then scaled the Everest a second time just a year later, thus setting a record as the only woman to have scaled the Everest twice.

Question 22.
How did the government of India honour Santosh Yadav?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav, by the age of twenty-two had climbed Mt Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world twice, the only woman in the world to have done so. In recognition of her achievements, the Indian government bestowed upon her one of the nation’s top honours, the Padmashri.

Question 23.
What shows Santosh’s concern for the environment?
Answer:
As a fervent environmentalist, Santosh showed her concern for the environment by collecting and bringing down as much as 500kg of refuse that littered the mountains.

Question 24.
How did Santosh feel when she found herself on the ‘top of the world’ at the summit of the Everest?
Answer:
While standing on the “top of the world,” Santosh Yadav was overwhelmed with emotions of patriotism and bliss. She felt proud as an Indian when she unfurled the tricolour on Mount Everest. She was so happy that she experienced a kind of spiritual bliss. She found it hard to articulate her feelings and termed them as “indescribable”.

Question 25.
How did Santosh Yadav get into the record books?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav got into the record books for the first time when she scaled Mt. Everest at the age of twenty. She became the youngest woman in the world to climb Mt. Everest. She scaled the Everest for the second time next year, thus becoming the only woman in the world to do so.

Question 26.
How did Santosh Yadav set records both the times when scaled Mount Everest?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav set records both the times when scaled Mount Everest. When she scaled the peak for the first time she was the youngest woman to scale the Everest and when she climbed it the second time she was the only woman to scale it twice.

Question 27.
Describe Santosh’s fight against the system?
Answer:
Santosh came from a family that was conservative and orthodox. The society was patriarchal and the birth of a daughter, though not considered a curse, was not generally welcome. Girls were educated at the local school, and married off at the age of sixteen. Right from the beginning Santosh had to fight the system to assert for her right to equality and education. She never lost her spirit and determination. She defied all the customs and traditions which limit the girls within the spheres of family, marriage and children. She ventured into a man’s domain to become a role model for others.

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Briefly write what you learn about Santosh Yadav’s parents.
Answer:
Santosh Yadav’s parents were affluent but conservative people. Her father was a wealthy landlord from Joniyawas village of Rewari District in Haryana. Though they lived according to the prevailing customs in the village, their love for their daughter made them often give in to her wishes. They yielded to their daughter’s demands because they loved her dearly, and knew that she was sensible enough to have chosen a correct and a rational path. Thus, Santosh got full support from her parents, which in the long run helped her reach to the top.

Question 2.
Write a brief note on Santosh’s journey from her local village school to the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi.
Answer:
Born in an affluent but traditional and conservative landowners’ family in a small village of Rewari district in Haryana, Santosh was a rebel from early childhood. The local village school, but when her parents insisted she get married at the age of sixteen, she refused as she wanted to get a proper education first.

She got admission in Delhi school, despite her parents’ reluctance to send her there and informed them politely that she would earn by working part time. Santosh persuaded her parents to send her to Jaipur for higher studies after finishing high school. She got admission in Maharani College, Jaipur. She got a room in Kasturba Hostel which faced the Aravalli hills. She used to see the villagers going up the hill and disappearing.

This aroused her curiosity about the mountains. One day, when Santosh went near the hills, she met some climbers. They encouraged her to take to climbing. This whetted her interest in climbing and she saved money and took admission in Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi.

Question 3.
“If I chose a correct and a rational path, the others around me had to change, not me”, said Santosh Yadav. How does her life justify her words?
Answer:
Born to conservative parents, Santosh did not want to let the norms of the patriarchal, gender-biased and rigidly conventional society dictate her life. Though her name means contentment, Santosh was not always content with her place in a traditional way of life and wanted to live life on her own terms. In fact, she believed that if she chose a correct and a rational path, others would have to change and align themselves to her choices, not her.

She wore shorts instead of traditional dresses as a child. Santosh resisted the pressure to get married at the young age of sixteen, declaring that she would not marry at all if denied proper education. Defying tradition, she got enrolled in a school in Delhi.

When her parents refused to pay for her schooling, she informed them that she would work part-time to manage her school fees. Seeing their daughter’s determination, her parents had to give in. Taking up mountaineering as her career was also an independent decision. However, she tried her best not to hurt her parents and wrote a letter of apology to her father for not having sought his permission before joining the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi. Thus, despite all odds, Santosh chose for herself a path which was absolutely unthinkable and unheard of for girls in an orthodox society.

Question 4.
Santosh “decided to fight the system in her own quiet way when the right moment arrived”. Elaborate.
Answer:
Santosh was a very rational and progressive girl, who wished to shape her life herself. She says, “From the very beginning I was quite determined that if I chose a correct and a rational path, the others around me had to change, not me.” Though it was not easy for a girl who came from a rigid patriarchal and traditional environment, she decided to fight the system in her own quiet way when the right moment arrived. And the right moment came when she turned sixteen. At sixteen, most of the girls in her village used to get married.

Santosh, too, was under pressure from her parents to do the same. Instead of giving in, she opposed her parents’ decision to marry her off at the early age of sixteen and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. When her parents refused to pay for her education in the city, she told them politely that she would earn money for her fees by working part-time. She politely but firmly made it clear that she was determined to overcome all obstacles.

Finally, her parents had to surrender. Her decision to take up mountaineering as a career was also handled very boldly by her. She took admission in Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering without seeking the permission of her parents leaving them with no choice but to accept her decision. Thus, Santosh rebelled against the orthodox, conservative system in a quiet but firm way.

Question 5.
Santosh had all the qualities of a good mountaineer. Comment.
Answer:
Mountaineering is a challenging career which demands great physical and mental strength. It requires boldness, fearlessness, sturdiness and faith in one’s abilities. Equipped with an iron will, physical endurance and an amazing mental toughness, Santosh Yadav was, in fact, made for mountaineering. Just within a span of four years of her training in mountain climbing, Santosh successfully scaled Mt. Everest” setting a record for being the youngest woman to climb Mt Everest.

She repeated this feat in less than a year’s time again and became the only woman in the world to have scaled the Everest twice. All this was made possible with her climbing skills, physical fitness and mental strength. Her resistance to cold and altitude proved to be added advantages. All these qualities, coupled with her team-spirit and her concern for her fellow climbers made her not only a good mountaineer but also a very popular one among her superiors and her fellow climbers.

Question 6.
Santosh is not only a good mountaineer but also a genuinely good human being. Discuss.
Answer:
Santosh Yadav proved her mountaineering skills quite early in her career. She displayed an unflinching will and a fearless mind that fought a rigid, orthodox society to rise to the top. But the iron will and mental toughness did not overshadow her qualities of co-operation and concern for others. That Santosh is endowed with a caring heart is obvious from the fact that she took great care of a climber who lay dying at the South Col. Though, the climber could not be saved, Santosh’s concern for him was really commendable.

In another incident, she saved the life of a fellow climber, Mohan Singh, by sharing her own oxygen with him. This sense of sacrifice and team-spirit won for her the esteem of her team-mates. Moreover, Santosh’s heart overflowed with patriotism when she unfurled the national flag on the top of Mt. Everest. Her concern for the purity of the environment also proves that she is a good human being. Such is her love for nature that she brought down five hundred kilograms of rubbish from the Everest. Thus, Santosh is blessed with the human qualities of both head and heart.

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
The only woman in the world who has scaled Mt Everest twice was born in a society where the birth of a son was regarded as a blessing, and a daughter, though not considered a curse, was not generally welcome. When her mother was expecting Santosh, a travelling ‘holy man ’, giving her his blessing, assumed that she wanted a son. But, to everyone’s surprise, the unborn child’s grandmother, who was standing close by, told him that they did not want a son.

(a) Name the only woman in the world who has climbed Mt Everest twice.
Answer:
The only woman to climb Mt Everest twice is Santosh Yadav.

(b) What blessing did the holy man give her mother when she was expecting Santosh?
Answer:
The holy man blessed her mother that she give birth to a son.

(c) Why was the holy man, who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings, surprised?
Answer:
The holy man was surprised when the grandmother requested blessing for a girl.

(d) What does this show about her grandmother?
Answer:
Santosh’s grandmother was a progressive person who did not believe in conservative views.

Question 2.
The girl was given the name ‘Santosh ’, which means contentment. But Santosh was not always content with her place in a traditional way of life. She began living life on her own terms from the start.

(a) What was the girl named? How was she different from her name?
Answer:
The girl was named Santosh, which means contentment. She was not content with a traditional way of life.

(b) What kind of society was Santosh born in?
Answer:
Santosh was born in a society where the birth of a son was regarded as a blessing, and that of a daughter was not generally welcome.

(c) How did she began living her life from the beginning?
Answer:
Santosh lived her life on her own terms from the beginning.

(d) Give an instance of her unconventional behaviour from her childhood?
Answer:
While other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.

Question 3.
“From the very beginning I was quite determined that if I chose a correct and a rational path, the others around me had to change, not me. ”

(a) Who speaks these words?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav, the mountaineer from Haryana, speaks these words.

(b) What kind of choices did the speaker make?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav always chose the correct and rational path.

(c) How was the speaker able to change those around her?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav was able to change those around her by making them yield to her firm decision through logic and rational argument.

(d) What light do these words throw on the speaker?
Answer:
These words show that right from her childhood, Santosh did not wish to follow conventions and tradition blindly, but had a logical and rational approach.

Question 4.
Santosh’s parents were affluent landowners who could afford to send their children to the best schools, even to the country’s capital, New Delhi, which was quite close by. But, in line with the prevailing custom in the family, Santosh had to make do with the local village school.

(a) What was Santosh’s family background?
Answer:
Santosh belonged to a wealthy landowning family of Haryana.

(b) Where did Santosh’s parents send their daughter to study? Why?
Answer:
Santosh’s parents sent their daughter to the local village school to study as it was customary to do so.

(c) What light does this throw on Santosh’s family?
Answer:
Santosh’s family members were conservative in their thought.

(d) At what age did Santosh begin to fight the prevailing customs?
Answer:
Santosh began to fight the system at the age of sixteen.

Question 5.
So, she decided to fight the system in her own quiet way when the right moment arrived. And the right moment came when she turned sixteen.

(a) Who is ‘she’ in this extract and which system did she decide to fight?
Answer:
‘She’ in the extract refers to Santosh Yadav, the famous mountaineer. She decided to fight the system of conservative traditions which blocked the progress of a person, especially a girl.

(b) How and why did she decide to fight the system?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav decided to fight the system in her quiet but firm way because she did not want to insult those who supported the traditions nor did she want to give in to the system.

(c) What was ‘the right moment’?
Answer:
The right moment was when she turned sixteen and was under pressure from her parents to get married like other girls of her village.

(d) What did’ she’ do at this moment?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav did not wish to get married at such a young age, so she threatened her parents that she would never marry if she was denied proper education.

Question 6.
A marriage as early as that was the last thing on her mind. She threatened her parents that she would never marry if she did not get a proper education. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.

(a) What is meant by “a marriage as early as that”?
Answer:
In Santosh’s village girls were married off at the age of sixteen.

(b) What did her parents want Santosh to do?
Answer:
Santosh’s parents wanted her to get married at the age of sixteen.

(c) What did Santosh do the escape parental pressure?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.

(d) What light does this throw on Santosh’s character?
Answer:
Santosh was a person with a progressive way of thought and strong determination.

Question 7.
When her parents refused to pay for her education, she politely informed them of her plans to earn money by working part time to pay her school fees.

(a) Where did Santosh go for her education?
Answer:
Santosh decided to go to Delhi for her education.

(b) Why did her parents refuse to pay for her education?
Answer:
Her parents refused to pay for her education because Santosh did not follow the family tradition of getting married early and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi against their wishes.

(c) What does this tell you about her parents?
Answer:
They were conservative and traditional in their thought and tried to pressurise their daughter into following the same path.

(d) How did she react to her parents’ decision?
Answer:
Santosh refused to give up her studies and told her parents that she would manage to pay her school expenses by working part time.

Question 8.
“I used to watch villagers from my room, going up the hill and suddenly vanishing after a while. One day I decided to check it out myself. I found nobody except a few mountaineers. I asked if I could join them. To my pleasant surprise, they answered in the affirmative and motivated me to take to climbing. ”

(a) From where did the speaker see people going up the hill?
Answer:
The speaker saw people going up the hill from her room in Kasturba Hostel, Jaipur.

(b) Where did she see the villagers going?
Answer:
She saw the villagers going up the hill.

(c) What did she decide to do one day?
Answer:
One day she decided check out climbing the hill for herself.

(d) How did this prove a turning point in her life?
Answer:
This climb up the hill with some mountaineers motivated her to take to mountaineering.

Question 9.
Then there was no looking back for this determined young girl. She saved money and enrolled in a course at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.

(a) What does the word ‘then’ imply?
Answer:
The word ‘then’ implies the point of time from when she took the decision to take up mountaineering.

(b) Why did she enrol herself at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering?
Answer:
She enrolled herself at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering to train for mountaineering.

(c) How did she pay for the course?
Answer:
She saved money and paid for the course.

(d) What light does this throw on Santosh’s character?
Answer:
This shows her strong determination and strength of purpose in her desire to pursue her goals.

Question 10.
I had to write a letter of apology to my father without whose permission I had got myself enrolled at Uttarkashi.

(a) Why did Santosh have to write a letter of apology to her father?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had got herself enrolled for a mountaineering course without seeking his permission. Moreover, she did not have time to visit her parents as her course started immediately after her semester exams.

(b) Where had she enrolled herself and why?
Answer:
She had enrolled herself at the Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in order to get proper training to pursue her interest in mountain climbing.

(c) Why didn’t Santosh seek her father’s permission before getting enrolled in the Institute?
Answer:
Santosh knew that her father would not allow her to pursue a career in mountaineering, so she decided to let her parents know about it after joining the institute.

(d) What light does this extract reflect on the speaker’s character?
Answer:
The extract shows that Santosh was adamant and determined to live life according to her choices. She did not mean to insult her parents in any way but at the same time did not wish to let go of her dreams and ambition.

Question 11.
Thereafter, Santosh went on an expedition every year. Her climbing skills matured rapidly. Also, she developed a remarkable resistance to cold and the altitude. Equipped with an iron will, physical endurance and an amazing mental toughness, she proved herself repeatedly.

(a) On what expedition did Santosh go every year?
Answer:
Santosh went on a mountaineering expedition every year.

(b) What skills did Santosh develop during her time at the Institute?
Answer:
At the Institute Santosh’s climbing skills matured rapidly. Also, she developed a remarkable resistance to cold and the altitude.

(c) What inherent skills did Santosh helped that helped her achieve success in mountaineering?
Answer:
Santosh possessed an iron will, an immense capacity for physical endurance and an amazing mental toughness that helped her achieve success in mountaineering.

(d) At what age did she climb Mt Everest for the first time?
Answer:
Santosh climbed Mt Everest in 1992, at barely twenty years of age, becoming the youngest woman in the world to do so.

Question 12.
If her climbing skills, physical fitness, and mental strength impressed her seniors, her concern for others and desire to work together with them found her a special place in the hearts of fellow climbers.

(a) Why were her seniors impressed with Santosh?
Answer:
Santosh’s seniors were impressed with her because of her climbing skills, physical fitness, and mental strength.

(b) What endeared her to her fellow climbers?
Answer:
Her team-spirit and her concern for her fellow climbers endeared her to them.

(c) Give an example of Santosh’s concern for others.
Answer:
Santosh Yadav tried her best to save the lives of two fellow climbers. She succeeded in saving the life of one, Mohan Singh, by sharing her oxygen with him.

(d) What great honour was given to Santosh by the Indian government in recognition of her achievements?
Answer:
In recognition of her achievements the Indian government bestowed upon her one of the nation’s top honours, the Padmashri.

Maria Sharapova

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Briefly describe Maria Sharapova.
Answer:
Maria Sharapova, the famous woman tennis player, won the women’s singles at Wimbledon in 2004 and attained the world number one position in women’s tennis in 2005. Though Russian by birth, she got tennis training in United States of America. She loves singing, dancing, reading novels and is very hardworking and dedicated.

Question 2.
How is Maria’s personality a mix of contrasts?
Answer:
The maturity, balanced mind and inner strength of Maria does not appear to be in accordance with her glamorous dress or her charming manner and ready smile. There seems to be some mismatch between her sophisticated outer appearance and her balanced inner-self.

Question 3.
Maria possesses some contradictory characteristics. What are they?
Answer:
Maria appears to be highly fashionable as far as her appearance is considered, but she possesses a charming nature that proves her to be friendly and simple. She appears to be sophisticated and yet warm and approachable. Her love for junk foods like pancakes with chocolate spread and orange drinks appears at odds with her fondness for evening gowns.

Question 4.
Explain: “all this happened in almost no time”.
Answer:
The phrase “all this happened in almost no time” means that Maria’s rose to the top in the world of tennis was very quickly and within a very short span of four years as a professional player she became the world number one in her chosen sport.

Question 5.
What does Maria declare to be her ‘mantra for success’?
Answer:
Maria works really hard to fulfill her dreams. She does not shy away from making any sacrifice. She does not allow herself to be emotional and sentimental. She is very competitive and works hard to be the best in whatever she does. She is driven by her hunger to succeed and the dream of becoming the world number one in women’s tennis. This is her mantra for success.

Question 6.
How was Maria different from other children?
Answer:
Maria was calmer and more composed, more confident and tolerant than the other children of her age. She also had inner strength that enabled her to make sacrifices – staying away from her mother, getting bullied by senior players in the hostel – that few children could think of making. Unlike most children, she did not buckle under hardships and adverse circumstances, but toiled hard to achieve success.

Question 7.
Why was Maria brought to Florida in the USA by her father? Why didn’t her mother go with her? How did Maria respond to this separation?
Answer:
Maria was brought to Florida, USA, by her father, Yuri, to get trained as a professional tennis player and reach great heights of success and stardom in this sport. Her mother, Yelena, did not go with her because of visa restrictions. This two-year separation was very painful for the young girl. But Maria endured this sacrifice to pursue her dreams.

Question 8.
How does Maria describe her journey from Siberia to United States?
Answer:
Maria was just nine years old when she had to leave her home, mother and her country to go to the United States. She had to make many sacrifices in a foreign land where she did not even speak the language. She was bullied by senior players and had to face a lot of humiliation and insults. But she did not give in. Her competitive nature and hard work helped her become the world number one in women’s tennis.

Question 9.
What important lesson did Maria learn during the first two years of her stay in the USA, away from her mother?
Answer:
During her first two years in USA, when she was living away from her mother Maria learnt that excellence comes at a price. Since she wished to reach the top in the field of tennis, she would have to make sacrifices and struggle hard. She endured the heart-wrenching separation from her mother for two years to attain her goal. Moreover, she also learnt how to put up patiently with adverse circumstances.

Question 10.
Maria’s father accompanied her to USA but why could he also not see her during her stay there?
Answer:
Maria’s father, Yuri, had brought his nine-year-old daughter to the USA to get her trained in tennis. U Unfortunately, he too could not see her frequently as he had to work very hard to earn to pay for her training.

Question 11.
How did some of the other pupils at the tennis academy trouble her? How did Maria cope with this?
Answer:
The other pupils at the tennis academy were much older than Maria and would return to the room around 11 pm when Maria was already asleep. They would wake her up and make her clean and tidy up the room. Maria coped with this trouble by not allowing it to depress her. Instead this strengthened her determination and mental toughness.

Question 12.
Why did Maria not retaliate against the humiliation at the hands of the other pupils?
Answer:
Maria was working hard to attain the world number one position in women’s tennis. She had no time to retaliate against others and their humiliation. She also had no time for sentiments. So, instead of retaliating against the humiliation at the hands of the other pupils, she took it as a challenge and worked harder to achieve success.

Question 13.
Despite being harassed by her seniors, why didn’t Maria think of quitting?
Answer:
Instead of letting the harassment by her seniors depress her and get her to quit, she became more quietly determined and mentally tough. She learnt how to take care of herself and never thought of quitting because she knew what she wanted. Her hunger for success and determination to achieve prompted her to put up with the humiliation and insults in order to steadfastly pursue her dream.

Question 14.
Describe Maria’s struggle to reach at the top of the world in the field of the women tennis.
Answer:
Maria started working to achieve her goal at a very young age, making any sacrifices required. She had to face separation from her mother and stay in completely unfamiliar and hostile surroundings for years. She also faced humiliation but never let it affect negatively. She took it as a challenge and with her mental toughness and competitive nature, she succeeded in achieving her goal.

Question 15.
What mental qualities of Maria are revealed by her decision not to quit and pack up on being harassed by her fellow-trainees?
Answer:
The torment and humiliation inflicted on Maria by her fellow trainees failed to demoralise her. This reveals that she had a firm determination and strong-will. She was much more mature than other girls of her age and knew the art of survival.

Question 16.
What makes Maria very hungry and determined?
Answer:
Maria came from a middle class background, where she had known deprivation. She didn’t want to miss any opportunity to succeed. She bore unfavourable and painful situations with forbearance. She lived apart from her mother, suffered bullying by older players, but never took it to heart. She said that if you came from nothing and you had nothing, it made you very hungry and determined.

Question 17.
What motivates Maria to keep moving ahead?
Answer:
Maria is motivated by her spirit of competitiveness to keep moving ahead. She works very hard once she has decided to achieve something. She considers it her job to excel despite severe hardships and demands.

Question 18.
Despite staying in America for years, Maria is a Russian at the core of her heart. Justify.
Answer:
Maria moved to Florida, USA, from Siberia at the young age of nine. Since then she has spent most part of her life here. Yet, she has remained a Russian through and through. She is proud of her Russian blood and Russian citizenship. She adds that she would play for Russia in the Olympics if given an opportunity.

Question 19.
Why does Maria call the US a big part of her life?
Answer:
Maria was trained for tennis in the US and attained the number one position in women’s tennis in the game as a result of the training. It was in the USA that she developed confidence, self-control, strength of will and endurance – qualities that are pre-requisites for a person to reach the top in any field. Since she gained all this in the US, she calls it a big part of her life.

Question 20.
In addition to tennis, what else is Maria fond of?
Answer:
Maria’s first love is tennis. Apart from this sport, she is fond of fashion, singing and dancing like any other young girl of her age. She also likes to read Arthur Canon Doyle’s novels, is fond of sophisticated evening gowns and enjoys pancakes with chocolate-spread and fizzy orange drinks.

Question 21.
What has lifted Maria Sharapova to the top of the world?
Answer:
Maria’s talent, her unwavering determination, her hunger for success, her willingness to work hard, her readiness to endure challenges, and her sacrifices have lifted her to the top of the world. In addition, monetary gains have motivated her to reach the top.

Question 22.
Why do her fans not grudge Maria her riches?
Answer:
Maria’s fans are aware of the immense hard work that has gone into making her attain the number one position in women’s tennis. The unparalleled sacrifices she made were investments that she is reaping the dividends of. Her earnest efforts and hard work have resulted in financial rewards that are well earned and well deserved. Therefore, nobody feels jealous of or grudges Maria her riches.

Question 23.
Why does Maria call tennis a business and a sport?
Answer:
Tennis is a competitive sport like any other and requires the player display stamina, nerve, determination, planning and strategizing. It is also a business because it is played professionally for money. Tennis tournaments involve millions of pounds being spent on sponsorship and prize money. Tennis generates a lot of business for media, drinks, clothes and sports companies too.

Question 24.
What makes How are Maria’s achievements significant?
Answer:
Maria exemplifies the success achieved through hard work and dedication. Her patience, determination, iron will and persistence and her hunger for success make her an ideal role model for the girls all over the world. Her winning Wimbledon and then becoming world’s number one woman tennis player also makes her achievement significant.

Question 25.
“Maria’s parents played an important role in her success? How? What other things motivated her?
Answer:
When Maria was only nine years old her training started. She moved to USA with her father, Yuri, leaving her mother, Yelena, behind in Russia as she had visa problems. In USA, her father had to work very hard to keep Maria’s tennis training going. Her mother stayed alone in Siberia without her husband and daughter to give her daughter the chance to succeed.

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you know about Maria Sharapova’s parents?
Answer:
Maria’s parents, Yuri and Yelena Sharapova, Maria Sharapova’s father and mother contributed to her success by identifing their daughter’s potential at a very young age and going all out to get her the best tennis training that could be had in the USA. They knew well that it was going to be expensive and difficult, still they extended their full support to their talented daughter.

Yuri worked very hard to pay for Maria’s training and Yelena tolerated the heart-wrenching separation from her dearly loved child for two years. As parents, they displayed unflinching faith in their child’s abilities which gave Maria the boost to keep going ahead and to overcome the challenges that came her way.

Question 2.
What problems did Maria face as a child while she trained at the tennis academy in Florida? What sustained her?
Answer:
As a young child Maria had to make many sacrifices and endure loneliness in her struggle to reach the top. She came to the U.S. at the young age of nine years without her mother, who could not accompany Maria and her father due to some visa restrictions. During the first two years of their heart-wrenching separation she missed her mother terribly.

Though her father had accompanied her to the USA, he too could not frequently visit her as he had to spend a lot of time to earn money to pay for Maria’s tennis training. Apart from it, the other trainees at the tennis academy in Florida bullied, tormented and humiliated her. They were inconsiderate to Maria who was much younger and woke her up late at night and made her tidy up and clean the room.

Yet, Maria never let these problems get the better of her. Her eyes firmly fixed on achieving her goal of becoming the number one player in women’s tennis, Maria endured the hardships without thinking of quitting. In fact, the problems she faced strengthened her will-power and made her even more determined to succeed.

Question 3.
One has to sacrifice something to achieve something good in life. Do you agree? Justify with reference to Maria Sharapova.
Answer:
Yes, I agree without sacrifice one can never achieve good things in life. Maria Sharapova is an example of the truth of this statement. Maria Sharapova had to sacrifice her childhood pleasures in order to become a tennis star. She left her home at a tender age to achieve her goal in life.

At the age of nine, she came to USA with her father. Her mother could not accompany her as she had some visa restrictions. Her father, who had accompanied her to USA, had to work very hard to pay for her tennis training. She was not able to meet him often. At the hostel, she was bullied by the older players, who woke her up late at night to clean and tidy up the room. If she had not sacrificed her childhood, she would not have become a star.

Question 4.
The lives of Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova have much in common to prove that determined and consistent hard work paves the way to success. Identify the points of comparison and contrast in the lives of these two great players.
Answer:
Santosh Yadav, the legendary mountaineer from India, and Maria Sharapova, Russia’s tennis sensation who trained in the USA, are living examples that single-minded determination and dedication and consistent hard work are the way to success. Both young women had to struggle against odds to reach the top. Santosh belonged to a small village in the Rewari district of Haryana while Maria came from the frozen plains of Siberia where she did not have adequate training facilities.

Although both girls were supported by their respective parents, Santosh, at times, had to struggle to make her conservative family agree to her decisions, while Maria’s parents were willing to make any sacrifice to help Maria succeed. However, both the young girls had to sacrifice the loving and protective environment of their homes in order to train for their passion.

Both the women had unwavering determination, physical and mental strength, and undivided focus on their goals. They both rose to the number one position in their respective areas within a short span of four years. While Sharapova moved from the frozen Siberia to the plains of Florida, Yadav moved from the plains of Rewari to the frozen Mount Everest. But both of them are devout patriots and their love for their country remains constant.

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
There is something disarming about Maria Sharapova, something at odds with her ready smile and glamorous attire. And that something in her lifted her on Monday, 22 August 2005 to the world number one position in women’s tennis. All this happened in almost no time.

(a) What contrast does Maria present?
Answer:
Maria Sharapova has a charming manner and is quick to smile. This spontaneous behaviour is at odds with her glamorous attire.

(b) What position did Maria achieve in 2005?
Answer:
She became world number one in women’s tennis.

(c) How long had it taken her to reach this position?
Answer:
It had taken her merely four years to reach this position.

(d) Where had Maria come from? How old was she then?
Answer:
Maria had come to USA from Siberia at the age of nine.

Question 2.
However, the rapid ascent in a fiercely competitive world began nine years before with a level of sacrifice few children would be prepared to endure.

(a) What does the phrase “rapid ascent” refer to?
Answer:
The phrase “rapid ascent” refers to the short period of time in which Maria Sharapova achieved so much success.

(b) What had happened nine years ago?
Answer:
Nine years ago Maria had come to USA from Siberia to receive training in tennis.

(c) What sacrifice did Maria have to make?
Answer:
Maria came to USA with her father while her mother had to stay back in Russia.

(d) What lesson did this teach the young Maria?
Answer:
Maria learnt that that tennis excellence would only come at a price, and she would need to pay that price.

Question 3.
Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States. That trip to Florida with her father Yuri launched her on the path to success and stardom. But it also required a heart-wrenching two-year separation from her mother Yelena.

(a) How old was Maria when she came to the United States?
Answer:
Maria Sharapova came to the United States when she was just nine years old.

(b) From where did she make the journey to Florida and why?
Answer:
She came to Florida from the frozen plains in Russia with the purpose of taking training in tennis.

(c) What was the ‘heart-wrenching’ thing about the journey?
Answer:
The ‘heart-wrenching’ thing was that she had to part from her mother for two years.

(d) Why could her mother not accompany her?
Answer:
Her mother could not accompany her because of visa restrictions.

Question 4.
“I used to be so lonely, ” Maria Sharapova recalls. “I missed my mother terribly. My father was working as much as he could to keep my tennis-training going. So, he couldn’t see me either. ”

(a) What does the word ‘recalls’ in the passage imply?
Answer:
The word ‘recalls’ implies that Maria is sharing her memories with someone.

(b) Why was Maria lonely at the time?
Answer:
Maria was staying at the tennis academy at the time. She was only nine years old and did not speak English so could not communicate with the others. That is why she felt very lonely.

(c) Why did Maria’s father have to work so hard?
Answer:
‘ Maria’s father worked hard to earn enough money for paying the fees at the tennis training academy at Florida. ‘

(d) Where was Maria’s mother at the time? How long did it take for her to arrive in USA?
Answer:
Maria’s mother was still in Russia at the time due to visa restrictions. She joined her husband and Maria after two years.

Question 5.
Instead of letting that depress me, I became more quietly determined and mentally tough.

(a) Where was the speaker at the time?
Answer:
The speaker, Maria Sharapova, was at the tennis academy at Florida.

(b) What was ‘that’ which could not depress her?
Answer:
The senior trainees in the tennis training academy at Florida bullied and tormented Maria. They would wake her up late at night and order her to tidy up the room and clean it.

(c) What was the impact of ‘that’ on her?
Answer:
‘That’ – or – the bullying of her seniors made her more determined and mentally strong.

(d) What does the extract reveal about the speaker’s character?
Answer:
The extract reveals that the speaker had the ability to face difficult situations boldly and not yield to adverse circumstances.

Question 6.
The straight looks and the answers she gives when asked about her ambition make it amply clear that she considers the sacrifices were worth it. “I am very, very competitive. I work hard at what I do. It’s my job. ” This is her mantra for success.

(a) How does Maria show she is not a sentimental person?
Answer:
Maria shows she is not sentimental by not talking too much on her struggle and sacrifice.

(b) What does the writer mean by “straight looks”?
Answer:
The writer means that as she talks about herself, Maria looks boldly and steadily, and does not show much emotion or sentimentality.

(c) What helped Maria win the women’s singles crown at Wimbledon in 2004?
Answer:
Her ambition and desire to succeed, her toughness and her competitive spirit helped Maria win the women’s singles crown at Wimbledon in 2004.

(d) Why does the writer say there is no room for sentiment in her life?
Answer:
Sentiment would make her softer and less competitive.

Question 7.
“I’m Russian. It’s true that the U.S. is a big part of my life. But I have Russian citizenship. My blood is totally Russian. I will play the Olympics for Russia if they want me. ”

(a) What light does this statement throw on Maria’s character?
Answer:
Maria Sharapova takes immense pride in her nationality.

(b) What does she say about the US?
Answer:
Maria acknowledges the contribution of the USA where she took training in tennis and became the world number one tennis player.

(c) Why does the speaker say, ‘My blood is totally Russian’?
Answer:
Maria claims this because she was born to Russian parents in Russia. She did spend a large part of her life in the USA, but she proudly declares her Russian identity.

(d) Given a chance, what will Maria like to do for Russia?
Answer:
Being a Russian, and proud of her nationality, Maria would like to represent Russia in the Olympics and make them proud, if given an opportunity.

Question 8.
Few would grudge her the riches she is now reaping.

(a) How is she ‘reaping’ the ‘riches’?
Answer:
Maria has been declared the number one in women’s tennis. She earns a good deal of money from her game.

(b) Why would few grudge her the riches?
Answer:
Everybody is aware of the fact that Maria has reached the top by making a lot of sacrifices and by working extremely hard. Hence, the riches that she is earning from her game are well deserved and everybody readily agrees on this.

(c) Why has the word ‘reaping’ been used for riches?
Answer:
The word ‘reaping’ has been used metaphorically. Just as reaping the harvest is the reward for the hard work of the farmer, similarly earning money is the reward for Maria Sharapova’s labour and sacrifice.

(d) What according to her is the biggest motivation for her to do well?
Answer:
The biggest motivation for Maria to do well is to become the World number one in tennis.

Question 9.
Tennis is a business and a sport, but the most important thing is to become number one in the world.

(a) Why does Maria call tennis “a business”?
Answer:
For Maria, playing tennis as a professional game requires following rules and regulations and hard work just as running a business does. Also, as in business, tennis too brings profits in terms of name, fame and money.

(b) According to Maria, why is tennis also a ‘sport’ in addition to being a business?
Answer:
Maria calls tennis a sport, in addition to being a business, as it gives excitement and thrill just like other sporting events do. Every match is filled with expectations and anxiety both among the players and the spectators.

(c) What light does the extract throw on Maria’s personality?
Answer:
The extract shows that Maria is very practical and pragmatic in her views. She does not deny that winning at tennis is monetarily rewarding.

(d) Why did Maria wish to become number one in the world?
Answer:
Maria’s childhood dream was to become the number one tennis player in the world. She worked very hard and made a lot of sacrifices to train herself for this feat.

Question 10.
Like any number of teenaged sensations, Maria Sharapova lists fashion, singing and dancing as her hobbies. She loves reading the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle. Her fondness for sophisticated evening gowns appears at odds with her love of pancakes with chocolate spread and fizzy orange drinks.

(a) What are Maria’s hobbies?
Answer:
Maria’s hobbies include fashion, singing and dancing.

(b) What does Maria like to read?
Answer:
Maria likes to read the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle.

(c) What contrast does Maria present in her tastes?
Answer:
While Maria lists fashion as her hobby and likes to wear sophisticated evening gowns, she is also fond of junk food like pancakes with chocolate spread and fizzy orange drinks.

(d) What light does this throw on Maria’s character?
Answer:
She combines the sophistication of a fashionista with the simplicity of a teenager.

Have you ever wondered how a seemingly simple tale can hold profound insights? Let’s embark on a captivating journey into the realm of “The Snake and the Mirror Class 9 Extra Questions with Answers.” As we unravel the layers of this thought-provoking story, we’ll explore its underlying themes and hidden symbolism that make it an enduring piece of literature. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 English with Answers.

The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Who narrated his encounter with a snake? To whom? Why did he narrate the incident?
Answer:
The narrator of the incident was a homeopathic doctor. One day, when the narrator and some others were discussing snakes, the doctor was reminded of his own encounter with a snake and he narrated the incident.

Question 2.
When and where did the incident with the snake take place?
Answer:
The incident took place in the narrator’s room after he had taken his meal in a restaurant and had returned to his room at about ten o’clock in the night.

Question 3.
Why did the narrator have to light the kerosene lamp on reaching his room?
Answer:
The narrator had to light the kerosene lamp because it was ten o’clock and it was very dark. The room did not have electricity and the narrator had limited money and could not afford a better place.

Question 4.
Describe the narrator’s room?
Answer:
The narrator lived in a small, poorly furnished rented room infested with rats. It was an outer room, its one wall facing the open yard. The room had two windows and its tiles were supported by gables that rested on the beam over the wall. There was no ceiling. The room was not electrified. Outside the room there was a veranda. The room was meagrely furnished; among the few pieces of furniture, there was his bed, a chair, a table with his medical books, usual accessories, a kerosene lamp and a mirror on it.

Question 5.
What circumstances prompted the doctor to live in a small, poor house?
Answer:
The doctor had just started his practice and his earnings were meagre. Therefore, he lived in a small, poor house because he could not afford to rent a better and more comfortable accommodation. Besides, he was not married at that time so he could manage in a small rented room until the time he got married.

Question 6.
The doctor was not a man with many material possessions. Elaborate.
Answer:
The doctor had just started his practice. Therefore, his earnings were meagre. He lived in a small rented room, which was not electrified. He had only sixty rupees in his bag. Apart from a few shirts and dhotis, he had one solitary black coat. His room was full of rats.

Question 7.
Why was the narrator awake despite the lateness of the hour?
Answer:
It was about ten o’clock on a hot summer night when the narrator reached his room. He made his bed and lay down on it, but he could not sleep due to the heat. He got up and went out to the veranda for a little air, but there was no wind. So, he went back into the room and sat down on the chair.

Question 8.
What did the doctor do after coming back inside?
Answer:
The doctor sat on the chair and, opening the box beneath the table, took out a book, the Materia Medica. He opened the book at the table on which stood the lamp and a large mirror. At once he was tempted to look into the mirror and he set about making himself look handsome.

Question 9.
“The sound was a familiar one.” What sound did the narrator hear? What did he think it was? How many times did he hear it? When and why did the sounds stop?
Answer:
The narrator heard the familiar sound of movement of some animals on the beam. He thought that the sound was in fear being made by the scampering of rats as always. He heard the sound thrice. After the third time, the sound stopped. This was probably because of the appearance of the snake and the disappearance of the rats

Question 10.
What were the narrator’s feelings as he looked into the mirror?
Answer:
At that time the narrator, who was unmarried and a doctor, was a great admirer of beauty and he believed in making himself look handsome. He felt he had to make his presence felt by improving his appearance. He began to comb his hair, adjusting the parting so that it looked straight and neat in order to appear more handsome.

Question 11.
As he looked at himself in the mirror, which two ‘important’ and ‘earth-shaking’ decisions did the doctor make?
Answer:
The doctor made two important decisions while looking at himself in the mirror. The first decision, an ‘important’ one, was that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome. The second decision the doctor made was an ‘earth-shaking’ one. It was that he had an attractive smile and that he should keep that attractive smile on his face to look more handsome.

Question 12.
What kind of a woman did the doctor decide to marry? Why?
Answer:
The doctor, who had just started his medical practice, decided to marry a doctor with a lot of money and great medical practice. He also wanted her to be fat, so that in case he made a silly mistake and needed to run away she should not be able to run after him and catch him.

Question 13.
How did the snake land on the doctor’s chair?
Answer:
The snake fell from the roof of the house with a thud. In no time it wriggled over the back of the narrator’s chair and landed on him. The snake slithered along his shoulder and coiled around his left arm above the elbow. To make matters worse, the snake spread its hood out and its head was hardly three or four inches from his face.

Question 14.
What was the narrator’s reaction to the sight of the snake?
Answer:
The narrator was frightened at the sight of the snake slithering down his shoulder and coiling itself around his arm. He could not breathe for a while. He was frightened, yet he didn’t jump, didn’t tremble, didn’t cry out as he did not wish to make any sudden movement that would provoke the snake.

Question 15.
How did the narrator show presence of mind when he faced with the snake?
Answer:
When the doctor found a snake on his shoulder, he did not jump, tremble or cry out. He held his breath and became as still as a stone. He knew that the snake would get provoked and strike him if he made any movement since the hood of the snake was only four inches away from his face.

Question 16.
How did the doctor feel when the snake coiled itself around his arm?
Answer:
When the snake coiled itself around the arm of the doctor, he felt some pain as if his arm was being crushed strongly with a rod made of molten fire. His arm lost all strength and felt very weak.

Question 17.
What did the writer think of when the snake was coiled around his arm?
Answer:
The doctor felt like a foolish and weak person when the snake was coiled around his arm. There was a distinct possibility of the snake biting him and the doctor thought of the various medicines he had in his room and cast his mind about to think if any medicine was good enough to save him if the snake did bite him. He felt that God had punished him for being so proud and arrogant. The vanity and pride he had moments ago had vanished. He felt helpless and frightened and smiled feebly at his stupidity and ill-luck.

Question 18.
What made the doctor say “Death lurked four inches away”?
Answer:
The snake was coiled around the doctor’s left arm and its hood was spread and just three or four inches from the doctor’s head. He sat motionless as a statue, his body inactive but his mind thinking of a way out anxiously. He knew very well that the snake would get provoked and bite him at the slightest movement and that the bite would well be fatal. This is what made him utter these words,

Question 19.
How did the snake change the writer’s opinion about himself?
Answer:
The writer was proud of being a doctor and a handsome one at that. To boot, he was a bachelor. He was rather vain and arrogant. Coming face-to-face with the snake made him humble. He thought he was only a poor and stupid doctor who should not be proud of his profession.

Question 20.
What thoughts crossed the doctor’s mind when he saw the snake looking into the mirror?
Answer:
When the doctor saw the snake looking into the mirror, he thought that perhaps it too was admiring its beauty or was trying to make some important, actually frivolous decisions like growing a moustache, or, if it were a female snake, using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead.

Question 21.
Why did the snake leave the doctor’s arm?
Answer:
The snake left the doctor’s arm because it saw its reflection in the mirror and was fascinated by it. Perhaps it wanted to enjoy its own reflection by having a closer look.

Question 22.
How was the doctor freed of the hold of the snake?
Answer:
The snake happened to look at its reflection in the mirror on the table. It uncoiled itself from the arm of the doctor, slipped into his lap and then crawled towards the mirror. Perhaps, it too got fascinated by its looks like the doctor had a while ago.

Question 23.
What did the doctor do as the snake sat in front of the mirror?
Answer:
When the snake slithered from the narrator’s arm into his lap, crept onto the table and then moved towards the mirror, the narrator at once availed of the opportunity. He changed from a man cut in granite to a man of flesh and blood. Still holding his breath, so as not to disturb the snake, he got up from the chair and quietly went out through the door into the veranda. From there he leapt into the yard and ran for all he was worth to his friend’s house to save his life.

Question 24.
What did the doctor do when the snake was absorbed in looking at the mirror?
Answer:
As the snake was absorbed in looking at the mirror, the doctor and holding his breath, rose from the chair and quietly slipped out of the room. From there he passed through the veranda and the yard and ran as fast as he could to the house of a friend.

Question 25.
What did the doctor do as soon as he reached his friend’s house? Why?
Answer:
Immediately after reaching his friend’s house, the doctor applied oil to his entire body, took a- bath and put on fresh clothes. He did so because the snake had slithered over his back, shoulder and arm. He wanted to get rid of his creepy feeling and any possible ill-effects of a snake’s touch.

Question 26.
Why does the doctor remark that the snake was “taken with its own beauty”?
Answer:
The doctor remarks that the snake was “taken with its own beauty” because it kept looking-into the mirror just like the doctor had done earlier, the snake sat in front of the mirror looking into it. This led him to conclude that the snake was admiring itself as he had done.

Question 27.
What was the similarity between the doctor and the snake?
Answer:
There was a similarity between the doctor and the snake. Both of them admired of their own beauty. The doctor sat on the chair to read his book but forgot everything as he looked into the mirror and admired himself. He was oblivious to his surroundings and realised the presence of the snake too late. The snake too spotted the mirror, and slithered off to look at its reflection. He, too, was so enamoured with its own looks that it forgot reason why it was there, probably hungry and chasing some rats.

Question 28.
Why did the doctor decide to leave the room?
Answer:
The doctor was already unhappy with the poor condition of his room that did not have electricity and was infested with rats. On top of it all his encounter with the snake, that could have nearly killed him, made him decide to leave the room.

Question 29.
What did the doctor and his friends find when they went to remove things from the room?
Answer:
The doctor and his friends found that there was nothing in the room except for a dirty vest. All the other things had been stolen away by some thief.

Question 30.
Did the doctor marry a fat woman as he had wished?
Answer:
No, the doctor did not marry a fat woman. On the contrary, his wife was a thin and lean person who could run very fast like a sprinter.

Question 31.
What did the thief leave behind? What does the narrator feel about it?
Answer:
The thief had left behind his dirty vest. The vest was so dirty that even the thief did not feel like taking it. The narrator found it insulting because it appeared as the thief wanted to tell the narrator that he had a better sense of cleanliness than the doctor himself.

The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
What kind of room was the doctor living in and why did he decide to leave that room?
Answer:
The doctor was living in was a small, uncomfortable room that was actually an outer room with one wall facing the open yard and two windows. The room was not electrified and he had to depend on a kerosene lamp for lighting. The roof was tiled and had long supporting gables which rested on a beam over the wall. The room did not have any ceiling and it was infested with rats that kept squeaking all the time.

Since his medical practice was yet not well-established, the doctor did not earn much and could not afford a better place. He was not happy with this poor accommodation but it was all he could afford on his meagre earnings. However, it was only after his encounter with the snake that he decided to leave it. The frightening experience left him shaken and he decided not to live in the room any longer.

Question 2.
What kind of a person was the doctor? What kind of a person did he want to be?
Answer:
The doctor had just started his practice. His earnings were, therefore, meagre. He lived in a small rented room, which was not electrified. He had only sixty rupees in his bag. Apart from a few shirts and dhotis, he had one solitary black coat. He lived alone in a house that was full of rats.

On the other hand, the doctor laid great emphasis on the fact that he was unmarried and a doctor. He was a great admirer of beauty and he believed in making himself handsome. He was pleased with his appearance. He decided to shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome. He also decided to smile more as it improved his appearance.

Question 3.
What kind of woman did the doctor want to marry? Whom did he get married to?
Answer:
The doctor took pride in his handsome looks and the fact that he was a doctor and a bachelor. He had just started his practice and had very little money, wanted to marry a woman doctor who had plenty of money and . a good medical practice. He wanted a fat wife so that whenever he would make a silly mistake and run away from his wife, she would not be able to run behind him or catch him. The woman he married was quite unlike the one he wanted to marry. She was a thin and slender person who could run like a sprinter.

Question 4.
Describe the doctor’s feelings when the snake coiled round his arm.
Answer:
The doctor was petrified when the snake landed on his shoulder. He didn’t jump, tremble or cry out. He sat there holding his breath, turned to stone. He thought his end was near, so he remembered the Almighty and prayed to God for his safety. However, he retained his presence of mind as well as his sense of humour. He forgot his danger and smiled feebly at himself. From admiring himself and vainly thinking of ways of making himself appear more handsome and arrogantly declaring he was a doctor and a bachelor, the doctor thought of himself as “a poor, foolish and stupid doctor.”

He did not have even the medicine to save himself in case he was bitten by the snake. As he sat there, with Death lurking four inches away, the narrator did not panic. With great patience he sat still, on the lookout for an opportunity to escape and as soon as the snake unwound itself from his arm, the doctor got up from the chair and went out quietly, and ran away to his friend’s house.

Question 5.
“I was but a poor, foolish and stupid doctor.” Justify.
Answer:
Initially, the doctor had a very high opinion of himself regarding both his appearance and profession. He laid great emphasis on the fact that he was unmarried and a doctor. As an admirer of beauty, he was conscious of his looks and wanted to look even more handsome. He admired himself in the mirror and combed his hair this way and that and decided to grow a moustache and smile more to look more attractive.

But an encounter with a snake – a cobra – cured him of his pride. When the snake wriggled over his shoulder and coiled itself around his arm, the doctor lost all arrogance and was reminded of the existence of God. Face to face with death, he realised what a weak and foolish man he had been. When he recalled that there were no medicines in his room to cure him of a snake-bite, he regarded himself to be a stupid and helpless person. Thus, the encounter with the snake transformed the doctor from a vain and foolish person into a humble and God-fearing man.

Question 6.
What are the similarities between the behaviour of the doctor and of the snake?
Answer:
Both the doctor and the snake display narcissistic tendencies. Both of them were enamoured by their reflections in the mirror and stared at them as if enamoured. When he looked in the mirror, the doctor was full of appreciation for his good looks. He was a great admirer of beauty and believed in making himself look handsome. He took a close look at his face and decided that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look even more handsome. Then, he looked into the mirror and smiled. He decided to keep smiling as he considered his smile very attractive. As he gazed at himself in the mirror, he was oblivious of his surroundings. He heard the noise of the rats cease, he heard the snake drop to the ground with a dull thud, but he paid no heed and found himself face to face with death.

In the same manner, the snake gazed in the mirror, oblivious of his surroundings. This makes the doctor think , that perhaps it, too, was admiring its beauty or was trying to make some ‘important’ decisions just like him. Perhaps it was a male snake thinking about growing a moustache or a female one deciding to use eye shadow and mascara or wear a vermilion spot on its forehead. Just like the doctor’s obsession with his looks landed him in trouble, the snake too seemed to be “taken with its beauty.” It released its victim to have a better look at itself in the mirror.

Question 7.
This story about a frightening incident is narrated in a humorous way. What makes it humorous?
Answer:
The story presents a contrast between dreams and reality. This contrast has been depicted in a humorous manner. The doctor had meagre earnings as he had just started his practice. He lived in a small rented room, which was not electrified. He had only sixty rupees in his bag, a few shirts and dhotis, and one solitary black coat. His house was full of rats. However, his dreams and ambitions were in contrast to this. He was a great admirer of beauty and he believed in making himself handsome. He laid great emphasis on the fact that he was unmarried and a doctor. Pleased with his appearance, he decided to improve his appearance by shaving daily, growing a thin moustache and always keep smiling.The doctor had thought about the kind of person he would want to marry.

He wanted to marry a woman doctor who had plenty of money and a good medical practice because he did not have any of those. He wanted a fat wife so that whenever he made a silly mistake, he could escape his wife by running away from her. However, the woman he married was thin and could run like a sprinter. When the doctor looked into the mirror, he was full of appreciation for his good looks. He also arrogantly declared that he was a doctor and a bachelor.

However, later when the snake was coiled around his arm, he turned into a stone. He realized that if the snake struck him, then he did not even have any medicines in his room for the same. That was when he thought that he was a poor, foolish, and stupid doctor. This contrast between reality and dreams lends humour to the story.

Question 8.
“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 he smiles first and then later? In what way do his thoughts change in between, and why?
Answer:
The doctor rated his looks quite high and smiled at his image when he looked at himself in the large mirror on his table. He was narcissistic and the first time he looked in the mirror and smiled, his opinion about himself was marked by self-adulation. He arrogantly declared he was a doctor and a bachelor. He was vain enough to believe that he was handsome and needed to stay well-groomed. He decided to shave daily, grow a moustache and smile more often.

However, these thoughts changed by the second time he smiles at himself in the mirror. This time the smile was feeble as he smiled at himself. On this occasion, his opinion about himself was marked by humility. By then he had realised that he had been vain, foolish and stupid. His encounter with the deadly snake had exposed his shortcomings to him. In spite of being a doctor he did not have any medicines in his room even for an emergency like a snake-bite. His good looks became immaterial when he came face to face with death and the only thoughts that came to his mind then were about God. The feeble smile indicated his acceptance of the folly and vanity that had so far governed his life.

The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
I had my meal at the restaurant and returned to my room. I heard a noise from above as I opened the door. The sound was a familiar one.

(a) Who does ‘I’ refer to in this extract?
Answer:
In this extract, ‘I’ refers to the homeopathic doctor who narrates his encounter with a snake.

(b) At what time did ‘I’ return to his room? Where did he return from?
Answer:
The doctor returned to his room at ten o’clock at night after having a meal at a restaurant.

(c) When did ‘I’ hear a noise?
Answer:
The doctor heard a noise when he entered his room.

(d) What type of noise was it?
Answer:
It was a familiar noise like that made by the rats that lived in his room as they moved about.

Question 2.
The sound was a familiar one. One could say that the rats and I shared the room. I took out my box of matches and lighted the kerosene lamp on the table.

(a) What sound did the narrator hear as he entered the room?
Answer:
The narrator heard a sound as if of the scampering of rats as he entered the room.

(b) Why does the narrator say that it was a familiar sound?
Answer:
The narrator says that it was a familiar sound because there were many rats in his room and their constant squeaking or scampering about had become familiar.

(c) How many times did he hear it?
Answer:
He heard the sound thrice. (He heard it as he opened the door, he heard it again as he sat combing his hair this way and that, and he heard it for the third time when he decided to smile more.)

(d) When and why did the noise stop?
Answer:
The sound stopped suddenly as the narrator after pacing about the room, sat down in his chair. Probably, the rats had seen the snake.

Question 3.
It had a tiled roof with long supporting gables that rested on the beam over the wall. There was no ceiling. There was a regular traffic of rats to and off.

(a) What did the narrator do after entering the room?
Answer:
The narrator lit the kerosene lamp and then made his bed.

(b) Why could the narrator not sleep?
Answer:
The narrator could not sleep because there was a regular traffic of rats to and from the beam and the gables. Moreover, it was warm in the room.

(c) Where did he go and why?
Answer:
He went out to the veranda for a little air.

(d) Why did he return to his room?
Answer:
There was no wind blowing outside too.

Question 4.
I went back into the room and sat down on the chair. I opened the box beneath the table and took out a book, the Materia Medica. I opened it at the table on which stood the lamp and a large mirror; a small comb lay beside the mirror.

(a) Where was he before going back into the room? Why had he gone out of the room?
Answer:
The narrator had gone out to the veranda before coming back into the room. He had gone out for some fresh air.

(b) Why did he take out a book from the box?
Answer:
The narrator could not sleep because it was hot and still, and there was no electricity in his room. So, he took out the book to pass some time reading it.

(c) What objects stood on the table?
Answer:
A kerosene lamp and a large mirror stood on the table. A small comb lay beside the mirror.

(d) What did the speaker do after this?
Answer:
After this, the speaker looked into the mirror that stood on the table and contemplated his looks.

Question 5.
One feels tempted to look into a mirror when it is near one. I took a look. In those days I was a great admirer of beauty and I believed in making myself look handsome. I was unmarried and I was a doctor. I felt I had to make my presence felt. I picked up the comb and ran it through my hair and adjusted the parting so that it looked straight and neat.

(a) Why did the narrator look into the mirror?
Answer:
The narrator was tempted to look into the mirror because it was there in front of him.

(b) Why did he want to make himself look handsome?
Answer:
The narrator, who admired beauty in everyone, wanted to make himself look handsome.

(c) What did the narrator do to make his presence felt?
Answer:
He combed his hair and adjusted the parting.

(d) What two important decisions did the narrator take to improve his appearance?
Answer:
The narrator decided to improve his appearance by shaving daily and growing a thin moustache. He also decided to smile his attractive smile more often.

Question 6.
I was unmarried and I was a doctor. I felt I had to make my presence felt. I picked up the comb and ran it through my hair and adjusted the parting so that it looked straight and neat. .

(a) Explain “I had to make my presence felt.”
Answer:
The narrator decided that he had to create an impact on people by improving upon his appearance or personality.

(b) Why did the narrator feel he had to make his presence felt?
Answer:
The narrator felt he was a doctor, a profession that is much respected in society, and was a bachelor. Therefore, he had to make an impact on society.

(c) What did the narrator do to make his presence felt?
Answer:
In order to make his presence felt, he combed his hair carefully and adjusted the parting.

(d) What do you learn about the narrator from this extract?
Answer:
The narrator was arrogant because of his profession and vain about his looks.

Question 7.
I made an important decision—I would shave, daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor! I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile. I made another earth- shaking decision.

(a) Where is the narrator? What is he doing?
Answer:
The narrator is in his room admiring himself in the mirror.

(b) What discovery did he make about himself?
Answer:
The narrator discovered that he was handsome and had an attractive smile.

(c) What two important decisions did he take? Why?
Answer:
He decided to shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome and to smile his attractive smile more often. He took these decisions to improve his presence.

(d) What is the narrator’s tone in these lines?
Answer:
The narrator’s tone is vain, but he is also laughing at himself, as he calls the decisions “earth-shaking”.

Question 8.
I got up, paced up and down the room. Then another lovely thought struck me. I would marry.

(a) Where did the narrator get up from? Why?
Answer:
The narrator, the homeopathic doctor, got up from his chair in his room. He wanted to think about improving his presence in society.

(b) Which lovely thought struck him?
Answer:
The lovely thought that struck him was that he should get married.

(c) What sort of lady did he wish to marry?
Answer:
He wished to marry a rich, fat lady-doctor.

(d) What prompted him to make this choice?
Answer:
He would get married to a woman doctor who had plenty of money and a good medical practice as he did not have much money. She had to be fat so that if he made a silly mistake and needed to run away she should not be able to run after him and catch him.

Question 9.
There was no time to do any such thing. The snake slithered along my shoulder and coiled around my left arm above the elbow.

(a) What alerted the narrator to the snake’s presence?
Answer:
The narrator was alerted to the snake’s presence by the sudden silence from the rats above. Also he heard a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground.

(b) What does “any such thing” refer to?
Answer:
The speaker did not have time to save himself from the snake by jumping away or crying out as it had coiled around his left arm above the elbow.

(c) What did the snake do after crawling over the narrator’s shoulder?
Answer:
The snake coiled itself tightly around the narrator’s left arm and spread its hood close to his face.

(d) How did the narrator react to the snake’s presence?
Answer:
The narrator sat motionless as if turned to stone. He could not move or cry out when the snake coiled itself around his arm.

Question 10.
I didn ’t jump. I didn ‘t tremble. I didn ’t cry out. There was no time to do any such thing. The snake slithered along my shoulder and coiled around my left arm above the elbow. The hood was spread out and its head was hardly three or four inches from my face!
It would not be correct to say merely that I sat there holding my breath I was turned to stone.

(a) Why did the author not jump, tremble and cry?
Answer:
The author did not jump, tremble and cry because a snake had fallen on his shoulders. He was both too frightened to move and didn’t want to do anything to provoke the snake.

(b) What did the narrator do as the snake coiled itself round his arm?
Answer:
As the narrator coiled itself around his arm, the narrator sat still, turned to stone.

(c) Did the snake bite the speaker? What distracted it?
Answer:
No, the snake did not bite the speaker. A sight of its reflection in the mirror distracted the snake.

(d) What were the narrator’s thoughts as he looked at the snake?
Answer:
In this moment of fear of death, (he realized the presence of God. God had punished him for being too proud and arrogant.

Question 11.
At my slightest movement the snake would strike me! Death lurked four inches away. Suppose it struck, what was the medicine I had to take? There were no medicines in the room. I was but a poor, foolish and stupid doctor. I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself

(a) What does Death lurked four inches away imply?
Answer:
The snake was three or four inches away from the writer’s head with its hood spread out. Since it was a – cobra, its bite would be fatal.

(b) Why did the doctor call himself a poor and stupid doctor?
Answer:
The doctor felt poor because he was facing death and stupid because he realised that though he was a doctor, still he did not have medicines for an emergency like this.

(c) What danger does he refer to?
Answer:
The doctor refers to the danger posed by a deadly snake that had wrapped itself on his arm and was slowly crushing it with force.

(d) Why did he smile feebly at himself?
Answer:
The doctor smiled feebly at himself because smiles at his foolishness and helplessness because just a short while ago he had been arrogantly boasting of being a doctor and a bachelor, but now he was helplessly staring at death.

Question 12.
The snake unwound itself from my arm and slowly slithered into my lap. From there it crept onto the table and moved towards the mirror. Perhaps it wanted to enjoy its reflection at closer quarters.

(a) Where was the narrator at the time?
Answer:
The narrator was sitting in his room, admiring his looks and thinking of ways of improving his looks.

(b) What did the snake do as it landed on the narrator’s chair?
Answer:
It slithered down his shoulder, coiled itself around his arm and spread its hood few inches from his face.

(c) Where did the snake do after uncoiling from the writer’s arm?
Answer:
The snake slid across the narrator’s lap on to the table.

(d) Why did the snake move towards the mirror?
Answer:
The snake moved towards the mirror to have a closer look at itself.

Question 13.
I felt then the great presence of the creator of this world and this universe. God was there. Suppose I said something and he did not like it.

(a) When did the narrator feel the presence of the creator?
Answer:
The narrator felt the presence of the creator when he was faced with death in the form of the snake.

(b) Why does the narrator feel he may have displeased God?
Answer:
He felt God may have punished him for being too proud and arrogant. He realized that he was but a mere human, a poor man, nothing to boast about.

(c) What did the narrator do then?
Answer:
He prayed to God – in his imagination he tried to write words, ‘O God’ in bright letters outside his heart.

(d) What was the result of his realisation?
Answer:
The moment he accepted his true worth God appeared pleased and the snake of its own free will left him and sat on the table in front of the mirror.

Question 14.
There was some pain in my left arm. It was as if a thick leaden rod—no, a rod made of molten fire—was slowly but powerfully crushing my arm. The arm was beginning to be drained of all strength. What could Ido?

(a) Why did the narrator feel a pain in his arm?
Answer:
The snake was coiled around his arm and was crushing his arm.

(b) Where had the snake come from?
Answer:
The snake had fallen from the ceiling of the house.

(c) What had alerted the narrator to the snake’s presence at first? What had been his first reaction?
Answer:
The narrator was first alerted to the snake’s presence by a dull thud. He had disregarded it at first as it being nothing to worry about.

(d) Why did the narrator sit still on the chair?
Answer:
The narrator sat still on the chair because at his slightest movement the snake would have struck him.

Question 15.
It seemed as if God appreciated that. The snake turned its head. It looked into the mirror and saw its reflection. I do not claim that it was the first snake that had ever looked into a mirror. But it was certain that the snake was looking into the mirror. Was it admiring its own beauty? 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?

(a) What was it that God appreciated?
Answer:
God appreciated the narrator getting the realisation that he had been arrogant and vain and his sincere remembering of God.

(b) What did the snake do as it landed on the narrator’s chair?
Answer:
The snake wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on his shoulders. It coiled round his left arm above the elbow and spread out its hood, hardly three inches from his face.

(c) Where did the snake move its head?
Answer:
The snake moved its head towards the mirror.

(d) Why did the narrator call it the “first snake”?
Answer:
The narrator calls it the “first snake” because this was the first snake he had seen which enjoyed looking into the mirror.

Question 16.
I was no mere image cut in granite. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood. Still holding my breath I got up from the chair. I quietly went through the veranda. From there 1 leapt into the yard and ran for all I was worth.

(a) What does the narrator mean when he says “I was no mere image cut in granite”?
Answer:
The narrator no longer sat completely still, unable to move as if he were an image that had been carved in stone.

(b) Why had he been sitting turned to stone?
Answer:
A snake had coiled itself around his arm and had spread its hood near his face.

(c) Where had the snake gone?
Answer:
The snake had slithered over to sit in front of the mirror.

(d) What did the narrator do?
Answer:
He left his room and ran off as fast as could.

Question 17.
I was no mere image cut in granite. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood. Still holding my breath I got up from the chair. I quietly went through the veranda. From there 1 leapt into the yard and ran for all I was worth.

(a) When had the narrator felt like an “image cut in granite”?
Answer:
He felt that he was an ‘image cut in granite’ when he found the snake coiled strongly round his forearm with its hood spread out barely three or four inches away from his face. He was gripped in fear and he could neither move nor breathe properly.

(b) What is the meaning of ‘a man of flesh and blood’?
Answer:
‘A man of flesh and blood’ means a living person with human feelings, and with the strength to move.

(c) What made the narrator suddenly turn into ‘a man of flesh and blood’?
Answer:
When the snake let go its hold on his arm, the doctor came out of the state of shock which had made him numb like a stone. He regained his senses and faculties.

(d) What did the narrator do as soon as he turned into ‘a man of flesh and blood’?
Answer:
When the doctor got over his numbing shock, he got up from his chair, quietly went through the veranda, leapt into the yard and ran as fast as he could.

Question 18.
The doctor replied, “I ran and ran till I reached a friend’s house. Immediately I smeared oil all over myself and took a bath. I changed into fresh clothes.

(a) Why did the doctor run?
Answer:
The doctor ran because the snake that landed on his shoulder had slithered off and he wanted to escape the snake.

(b) Where did the narrator spend the night?
Answer:
The narrator spent the night with his friend at his house.

(c) Why did the doctor smear oil all over his body?
Answer:
The doctor smeared oil all over his body because wanted to erase the venom of the Snake that had landed on his shoulder.

(d) What did he do the next morning?
The next morning he took his friends and went back to his room to check whether the snake was still there.

Question 19.
The next morning at about eight-thirty I took my friend and one or two others to my room to move my things from there. But we found we had little to carry.

(a) What does the narrator mean by the phrase “the next morning”?
Answer:
The narrator is referring to the morning after the evening when he had the frightening experience with the snake that coiled itself around his arm.

(b) Which friend is being referred to?
Answer:
The friend with whom the narrator had spent the night after escaping his house and the snake there.

(c) Why did narrator want to remove his things?
Answer:
The narrator wanted to remove his things as he wanted to leave his house because of the fear of the snake.

(d) Why was there little to carry?
Answer:
There was little to carry because thieves had stolen most of his things in the night.

Question 20.
“No, ” the doctor said. “God willed otherwise. My life companion is a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter. ”
(a) Explain “God willed it otherwise”.
Answer:
It was God’s will that the narrator’s wishes would not be fulfilled.

(b) What qualities had the narrator wanted in his wife?
Answer:
The narrator wanted to get married to a woman doctor who was rich and fat.

(c) Why had he wanted those qualities?
Answer:
The narrator had a meagre practice so he wanted a rich wife with a good practice. He wanted a fat wife as he felt that if he made a silly mistake and needed to run away she should not be able to run after him and catch him..

(d) What kind of a person did he marry?
Answer:
The woman he married was a thin and slender person who could run like a sprinter.

Step into the extraordinary realm of “In the Kingdom of Fools Extra Questions and Answers Class 9,” a captivating story that blends the elements of fantasy, wisdom, and satire. In this blog post, we will unravel the enchanting narrative of this thought-provoking tale and delve into the profound themes and insights it offers. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 English with Answers.

In the Kingdom of Fools Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Moments

In the Kingdom of Fools Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the kingdom of fools?
Answer:
Firstly, they find that the whole town, including the animals, slept by day and stayed awake through the night running their businesses. Secondly, everything costs the same, whether it was a measure of rice or a bunch of bananas—they all cost a duddu.

Question 2.
Why was the kingdom called the Kingdom of Fools?
Answer:
It was called so because the Kind and the minister were idiots. They decided to change night into day and day into night, and ordered everyone to wake at night to till their fields, and sleep during the day.

Question 3.
Why did the people follow the orders of the foolish King?
Answer:
They were forced to do so because they knew that if they disobeyed his orders, they would be punished with death.

Question 4.
What astonished the guru and disciple at the grocer’s shop?
Answer:
They were astonished that everything at the shop whether a measure of rice or a bunch of bananas cost the same, i.e., a duddu.

Question 5.
Compare and contrast the feelings of the guru and the disciple about the kingdom they found themselves in.
Answer:
The guru felt that it would not be a great idea to stay in the kingdom, and they should leave the place. On the -other hand, the disciple refused to leave, because he felt that everything was so cheap and good, that he could eat to his heart’s content.

Question 6.
Why did the guru leave the disciple and go away from the Kingdom of Fools?
Answer:
Since the disciple refused to listen to his guru’s wisdom and insisted on staying there, the guru gave up and left.

Question 7.
What made the disciple grow fat?
Answer:
The disciple ate his fill of bananas, ghee, rice, and wheat, which cost only one duddu. As a result, he grew fatter and fatter.

Question 8.
Why does the writer say that ‘one bright day a thief broke into a rich merchant’s house’? What is strange about this statement?
Answer:
The strange thing is that the theft took place during the daylight hours. In any other place, theft would typically take place during the dark of night. However, the people in the Kingdom of Fools slept during the day and woke at night.

Question 9.
Why did the thief s brother run to the King?
Answer:
He ran to the King to complain about the fact that his brother had been killed because the wall of the house he had gone to rob had fallen on him.”

Question 10.
Do you think the plea made by the thief s brother was strange? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Yes, it was strange, because instead of hiding the fact that his brother was a thief, and had died trying to rob the merchant’s house, he went to the King without any fear and demanded justice.

Question 11.
Do you think it was normal for the King to have demanded an explanation from the merchant for the death of the thief? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
No, because the thief had been doing something illegal, and yet the man he had tried to rob was being put on trial. Even though the thief died because of the wall collapsing, the merchant was not responsible for the death.

Question 12.
How does the merchant try to save his life?
Answer:
He tries to do so by blaming the brick-layer for building a wall that was so weak that it collapsed on the thief, killing him.

Question 13.
Who does the brick-layer blame for the weak wall that he had built?
Answer:
The brick-layer blames the dancing girl for distracting him by walking up and down the road in front of him with her anklets jingling.

Question 14.
Who does the dancing girl blame for her going up and down the road in front of the brick-layer?
Answer:
The dancing girl blames the goldsmith, who had to make some jewellery for her, but had not made it in time. Because of this, she had to visit him several times, thereby walking up and down the street in front of the brick-layer, disturbing him.

Question 15.
How does the goldsmith save himself from the wrath of the King?
Answer:
The goldsmith blamed a rich merchant for pressurising him to make some jewellery for him, thereby not leaving him with any time to complete the dancing girl’s jewellery. Therefore, he blames the rich merchant for being indirectly responsible for the thief’s death.

Question 16.
How does the blame come back to the rich merchant who had been accused in the first place?
Answer:
On investigating the identity of the rich merchant who had asked the goldsmith to make jewellery for him, it was found to be the father of the merchant who had been blamed for the thief’s death in the first place. However, as the father was now dead and the son had inherited his riches, the King decided that the son would also be responsible for taking his punishment.

Question 17.
Why did the King not decide to execute the merchant even though he found him responsible for the death of the thief?
Answer:
He decided not to execute the merchant because he felt he was too thin to be properly executed on the stake. He felt they needed someone fatter to fit the stake.

Question 18.
How did the guru divine that his disciple was in trouble? What did he do?
Answer:
The guru had magical powers. He could see far into the future, the past and the present. When the disciple prayed to him in his heart, he heard him and appeared before him to help him.

Question 19.
Why did the guru pretend to fight with his disciple?
Answer:
He did this to confuse the King about the reason for his eagerness to die instead of the disciple. He knew that the King was stupid and could be fooled into taking his own life.

Question 20.
What reason does the guru give for his eagerness to die?
Answer:
The guru said that if he was the first person to die at the new stake, he would be reborn as the next King of the kingdom.

Question 21.
Why did the King and the minister decide to take the place of the guru and the disciple?
Answer:
The King was not keen to lose his kingdom to someone else, even in the next life. Thus, he decided to die instead of the guru. He then made his minister agree to go along with him so he could continue to be his minister in the next life as well.

Question 22.
Why did the King and minister disguise themselves as the guru and disciple?
Answer:
They did this so that the executioner would mistake them for the condemned and kill them at the stake.

Question 23.
Why did the people of the kingdom panic at the sight of the bodies of the two executed men?
Answer:
They panicked because they realised that the two who had been executed were the King and the minister, and not the two who had been condemned to death.

Question 24.
Why did the people approach the guru and his disciple?
Answer:
The people realised that they needed a new King and a minister for the kingdom, and approached the guru and his disciple because they had proved to be smarter than the previous King.

Question 25.
On what conditions did the guru and disciple agree to rule the kingdom?
Answer:
They agreed to become the King and minister on the condition that they could change all the old laws. They also insisted that night would be night, day would be day, and one could no longer get everything for one duddu.

In the Kingdom of Fools Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Why did the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Was this a good idea? What does it reveal about his character?
Answer:
The disciple decided to stay in the kingdom because he was tempted by the fact that the place had good and cheap food, and he could eat his fill every day. This was not a good idea, because he grew So fat with all the food he ate that he almost lost his life when the King decided to put him on the stake because he was the right size for it. This shows that the disciple was immature and his greed had overcome his good sense. It also shows that he placed his body’s craving for food above his loyalty and obedience to his guru.

Question 2.
Name all the people who are tried in the King’s court, and give reasons for each of their trials.
Answer:
A large number of people are tried in the King’s court, starting with the rich merchant. It was his house that the thief tried to enter, but died when a wall collapsed on him. He was called for trial when the thief’s brother blamed him for the thief’s death.

The next person to be tried was the brick-layer, who had built the house. He was put on trial for having built such a weak wall that had collapsed. After that, a dancing girl was put on trial, because the brick-layer accused her of distracting him by walking up and down the street with her anklets jingling while he was building the wall. The girl, however, blamed the goldsmith for not having made her ornaments on time, which caused her to go up and down the street.

The goldsmith was then put on trial, but blamed a rich merchant for pressurising him to make ornaments, because of which he could not complete the dancing girl’s jewellery. This rich merchant turned out to be the father of the merchant whose house had been broken into.

Question 3.
Who is the real culprit according to the King? Why does he escape punishment?
Answer:
According to the King, the real culprit was the rich merchant’s father, who had ordered the goldsmith to make jewellery. However, since he was dead, his son would have to be punished in his place. He escaped punishment because when the stake for impaling the criminal was sharpened and ready, the minister felt that the merchant was somehow too thin to be properly executed on the stake. He appealed to the King, who agreed with this observation. They thus decided that they needed to find a man fat enough to fit the stake.

Question 4.
What were the guru’s words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember them?
Answer:
The guru’s wise words were: ‘This is a city of fools. You don’t know what they will do next.The disciple remembers these words when he is imprisoned just because he was fat enough to fit the stake which had been prepared as a punishment for a crime he had no knowledge about.

Question 5.
How did the guru manage to save his disciple’s life? What does it reveal about the King and his minister?
Answer:
The guru appeared at his disciple’s prayers, and took control of the situation. He asked the’king to put him in the stake before his disciple, because he was the guru and therefore greater than the disciple. The disciple jumped into the fray and started arguing that he should be put on the stake first. The king was puzzled by their behaviour and asked the guru why he wanted to die instead of his disciple. The guru refused to answer, and continued to ask that he be executed first. The King insisted on being told the reason, until at last the guru took him aside and told him that the stake was actually the stake of justice, and whoever died on it first would be reborn as the king of that country, and the next person to die on it would become the minister.

The king was troubled as he didn’t want to lose the kingdom even in the next life. Therefore, he postponed the execution and decided that he and his minister would take the place of the guru and the disciple. This shows how foolish and gullible the king and his minister were, and how easily they were fooled by the guru. It also shows the intelligence of the guru, who not only saved his disciple’s life, but also improved the lot of the kingdom.

Are you ready to embark on a journey of efficient organization and smart travel planning? Packing, a seemingly mun  dane aspect of any trip, can make all the difference between a smooth, hassle-free adventure and a chaotic experience. In this article, we’ll Explain Packing Class 9 Extra Questions with Answers. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 English with Answers.

Packing Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
How many characters are there in the narrative? Name them.
Answer:
Jerome, George and Harris are the three human characters in the narrative. Jerome is the narrator of the story. Their pet dog, Montmorency too is an important character, who participates as enthusiastically in the packing as his masters.

Question 2.
Why did the narrator have to pack for the journey?
Answer:
As soon as the narrator offered to pack for the journey, his two friends, George and Harris accepted the offer with readiness and sat back to let him do it all. He had expected his friends would work under his guidance and directions rather than doing the task himself.

Question 3.
Why did the narrator volunteer to do the packing?
Answer:
Jerome, the narrator, prided himself in his packing skills. He wanted to show off his skills to his friends so he volunteered to do the packing. However, he had expected that his friends would work under his guidance and directions. He expected that under his guidance even poor packers like Harris and George could accomplish this task with great efficiency.

Question 4.
The narrator took pride in his packing skills. Comment.
Answer:
The narrator felt that packing was one of those things that he felt he knew more about than any other person living. This made him develop a sense of superiority about his ability as the best packer and he took pride in his packing skills. However, he was disorganised and bungling. First, he forgot to pack the boots and had to reopen the bag. Then, his frantic search for his toothbrush resulted in a complete mess. Later, he had to reopen the bag to take out his spectacles.

Question 5.
How did George and Harris react to Jerome’s offer to do the packing? Did Jerome like their reaction?
Answer:
George and Harris, who were rather lazy, agreed readily to Jerome’s offer to do the packing because both – took it as an opportunity to sit back and relax while someone else did the work. George sprawled over the easy-chair while Harris cocked his legs on the table. Jerome did not at all like this reaction because he had actually wanted to supervise and instruct them on how to do the packing instead of doing it himself.

Question 6.
What did Harris and George do while Jerome was packing the bag? How did Jerome react to their behaviour?
Answer:
When Jerome told George and Harris to leave the job of packing to him, they accepted his suggestion at once. They settled themselves comfortably, George on the easy-chair and Harris with his legs on the table and watched Jerome packing the bag all by himself. As they watched, they smoked and found faults with Jerome’s packing and also made fun of him. They made him reopen the packing by inquiring about items he had forgotten to pack. All this irritated Jerome.

Question 7.
When he offered to pack Jerome’s real intention was not to do the packing himself. Elaborate.
Answer:
Jerome’s real intention was not to pack himself but to make his friends George and Harris work under his directions and supervision. He would guide and direct and, pushing them aside every now and then, showing them the right way of packing things in – really teaching them, as you might say.

Question 8.
What kind of a man did the narrator once live with?
Answer:
The narrator lived with a man once who used to annoy him. He would loll on the sofa and watch the narrator doing things by the hour together. He said it did him real good to look on at the narrator, messing about.

Question 9.
“I lived with a man once who used to make me mad that way.” How did he do that?
Answer:
The man, with whom the narrator once stayed drove him mad by lolling on the sofa and watching him constantly as he went about messing the tasks at hand. The man said he really enjoyed that sight and felt good.

Question 10.
‘Now, I’m not like that.’ What does the narrator intend to convey by this statement?
Answer:
By this statement, the narrator intends to convey his dislike for sitting idle and watching someone else work hard, like the man he lived with did. He prefers to walk around and supervise work in his natural energetic way. However, this actually means that he, too, was not interested in toiling but liked to boss over others.

Question 11.
What did Harris ask the narrator after the bag was shut and strapped? Why do you think he waited till then to ask?
Answer:
After the bag had been shut and strapped by the narrator, Harris asked him whether he wasn’t going to pack the boots. He waited till the completion of packing to say this because he either thought the narrator knew about them and would pack them as he wanted to, or more likely, he wanted to irritate the narrator and have fun at his expense.

Question 12.
What “horrible idea” occurred to Jerome a little later?
Answer:
After packing everything in the bag for the second time, the horrible idea that occurred to Jerome was that he had packed his toothbrush in the bag. He realised that he would need his toothbrush the next morning. So, he reopened his bag and turned everything out but he could not find it.

Question 13.
Where did Jerome finally find the toothbrush?
Answer:
Jerome finally found the toothbrush inside a boot that he had packed in the bag. He found it after having taken out all the items he had packed and searching thoroughly for the toothbrush leading to a terrible mess.

Question 14.
Why does the narrator say that the packing of his toothbrush drives him to a point of madness?
Answer:
The narrator says that the packing of his toothbrush drives him to a point of madness because he either packs it even before he has brushed his teeth or doesn’t pack it at all. In both the cases, he has to unpack everything to locate his brush. It drove him to a point of madness because he always had to undo his packing to check if he had packed it and then unpack once again, to use it. It was always left out and he had to search for it at the last moment and carry it wrapped up in his pocket-handkerchief.

Question 15.
Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag again and again?
Answer:
Jerome had to reopen the packed bag because he kept forgetting things. First, he forgot to pack his boots and then couldn’t remember having packed his toothbrush. After having spent a lot of time unpacking and packing, he packed his spectacles and spectacles in by mistake and had to reopen the bag yet again.

Question 16.
How many times did the narrator have to reopen the bag? Why?
Answer:
The narrator had to reopen his bag at least three times. First, he forgot to pack his boots. Then he was not sure if he had packed his toothbrush and had to reopen the bag to take it out as he needed it in the morning. Then he had to open it once again to take out his spectacles.

Question 17.
Why did it take the narrator longer than he had expected to pack the bag?
Answer:
It took the narrator much longer to pack the bag than he had expected because he was disorganised anf forgetful. First, he forgot to pack the boots and had to reopen the bag. Then, in his frantic search for his toothbrush he had to turn everything out and then repack the bag. Later, he had to reopen the bag to take out his spectacles. Thus, the packing of the bag took longer than expected.

Question 18.
Why did George and Harris offer to pack the hamper?
Answer:
George and Harris offered to pack the hamper because Jerome had already taken a lot of time packing the bag. It was late night and they were now left with less than twelve hours to leave.

Question 19.
Do you think George and Harris were experts at packing? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
No, George and Harris do not seem to have been experts, because they started by breaking a cup, and continued by squashing a tomato under the bottle of jam. They packed the pies at the bottom and thus squashed them, spilt salt over everything and as for the butter, they stepped on it, sat on it and put it all over themselves and the room.

Question 20.
Why did George and Harris have to pick out the tomato with a teaspoon?
Answer:
While packing the hamper, Harris packed a strawberry jam on top of a tomato and squashed it. So, they had to pick out the tomato with a teaspoon which was a messy and time-consuming task.

Question 21.
Who was better at packing – Jerome or George and Harris? Give reasons for your choice.
Answer:
George and Harris were, in fact, much worse than Jerome as they set about packing. They fumbled and blundered many times while packing the hamper. They broke a cup at the outset and then squashed a tomato which had to be scrapped off with a spoon and stepped on the butter. They jumbled up the items to be packed and crushed softer things like pies under heavy objects.

Question 22.
Who was Montmorency and how did he contribute to the packing?
Answer:
Montmorency was the pet dog of the narrator and his two friends. He made a complete nuisance of himself. He sat down on things which had to be packed, pushed his nose into Harris or George’s hand whenever they reached out for anything, put his leg into the jam, played with a teaspoon and pretended the lemons were rats. He chased the lemons inside the hamper till he ‘killed’ three of them, before he was hit by Harris with a frying pan.

Question 23.
What was the ‘highest aim and object’ of Montmorency, according to the narrator?
Answer:
According to the narrator, Montmorency’s highest aim and object was to get in people’s way and make them stumble over him. He aspired to get cursed by everyone and liked things to be thrown at him for his unbearable interference.

Question 24.
How did Harris and George fare at packing the hamper?
Answer:
Harris and George fared miserably at packing, the hamper. Salt flew all over while they packed. They put the things to be packed in the most disorganised manner. They damaged a lot of items by breaking, crushing or stepping on them.

Question 25.
The narrator says he was better than Harris and George in packing? Do you agree with him? Why/ why not?
Answer:
According to the narrator, he was the best packer in the world while George and Harris were the worst. I agree with him when he says he is better in packing as he packs the bag neatly and seriously while his friends pack the hampers carelessly while laughing, playing, fighting and breaking things.

Question 26.
Why did Harris tell Jerome that he encouraged the antics of Montmorency? What was Jerome’s defence?
Answer:
Harris blamed Jerome for encouraging Montmorency because Jerome did not prove effective in shooing away the dog. Jerome’s defence was that an ill-trained dog like Montmorency did not need any encouragement to misbehave. Indiscipline came naturally to him.

Question 27.
‘I never saw two men do more with one-and two pence worth of butter…’. Why did the narrator say so?
Answer:
Harris and George had a tough time packing the butter. First, George trod on it and it stuck to his slipper and had to be scrapped off. Then they tried to keep it in the kettle where it wouldn’t go in, and what was in wouldn’t come out. After they scraped it out at last, they put it down on a chair, and Harris sat on it, and it stuck to him, and they went looking for it all over the room. They searched for it for a long time and then they kept it in the teapot.

Question 28.
Why did the narrator place a bathtub beside George while he was sleeping?
Answer:
George went off to sleep when the narrator and Harris were still arguing over the time they wanted him to wake them up in the morning. To ensure that he would wake up fully, they placed the bath where he could tumble into on getting out in the morning.

Packing Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Who offered to pick the bag for the trip? Was he happy at his own offer
Answer:
The author and his friends decided to go on a holiday. The author, who saw himself as an expert in packing. “I rather pride myself on my packing. Packing is one of those many things that I feel I know more about than any other person living.” He told his friends, George and Harris that he would do the packing.

They readily agreed to his suggestion. George sat in an easy chair, while Harris put his legs on a table. The author had not intended this. He was unhappy with himself for having offered to pack. He had thought that Harris and George would pack and he would supervise them, teaching them how to do things better. When he worked and his friends relaxed, he was greatly irritated.

Question 2.
Briefly describe Jerome’s attempt at packing.
Answer:
Right in the beginning Jerome volunteered to pack, because, according to him, he was especially good at it and George and Harris agreed readily. What Jerome of course had meant was that he would supervise the packing while they packed. They of course meant he’d pack while they watched from lounging positions. Jerome packed all their personal belongings, from boots to toothbrushes. When he had finished, Harris pointed out whether he wanted to leave the boots out.

Once the boots were packed, Jerome realised he needed his toothbrush out for the morning, so the entire bag had to be unpacked and the toothbrush searched. It was found in a boot. The bag was again repacked when Jerome discovered he had packed his spectacles in. Once again, the bag was unpacked to take out the spectacles and then repacked. After going through several unpleasant rounds of unpack, repack, unpack, repack, the job was done, with only the soap (possibly) having been forgotten.

Question 3.
How did George and Harris fare with the packing of the hamper?
Answer:
After Jerome’s display of expert packing, George and Harris thought that, they’d better pack the foods and supplies. They had the “big hamper” to pack with these items. They started by breaking a cup, then squashing tomatoes with the jam. Then they packed the pies and “smashed the pies in” with heavy things on top. They spilled salt everywhere then, in turns, stepped on the butter, tried to cram it into the kettle, sat on the butter, hunted for the now missing butter (until George got a back view of Harris), and finally shoved it into the teapot.

Montmorency played his role during the packing incident by assuming his cold nose was what Harris’s and George’s hands were reaching for. He sat on the very item that was to be packed next, upset the spoons, put his leg into the jam and attacked the lemons in the hamper. Once the hamper was packed and closed, Harris sat on the lid of the hamper, and said he hoped nothing . “would be found broken,” to which George replied that “if anything was broken it was broken.”

Question 4.
Of the three, Jerome, George and Harris, who do you think is the best or the worst packer? Support your answer with details from the text.
Answer:
According to me, Jerome is the best in packing. Although Jerome, George and Harris are equally disorganised as packers, Jerome is not as clumsy as his two friends, Harris and George. While Jerome takes a lot of time to pack the bag, George and Harris damage a lot of things while packing the hamper. Jerome, who considers himself a skilled packer, is able to arrange the items to be packed in the bag neatly and in order.

However, there is a lot of delay because he first forgets to pack his boots and then forgets having packed his toothbrush. After unpacking twice, he again packs in his spectacles absentmindedly. On the other hand, both Harris and George messed up everything. They began by breaking a cup.

Then, Harris packed the strawberry jam on top of a tomato and squashed it. George stepped on the butter, then Harris sat on it. They spread salt all over the place. Of course, Montmorency constantly got in their way and made things worse. Once the hamper was packed and closed, Harris sat on the lid of the hamper, and said he hoped nothing “would be found broken,” to which George replied that “if anything was broken it was broken.” Thus, we can easily conclude that though Jerome and George and Harris bungled equally. However, Jerome did not cause as much breakage or chaos as George and Harris.

Question 5.
How did the butter episode in the story cause nuisance?
Answer:
The butter episode in the story caused a lot of nuisance as it brought out the bungling clumsiness of George and Harris. First of all, George stepped on the butter and it stuck to his slipper. After George had got it off his slipper, he and Harris tried to put it in the kettle. It wouldn’t go in, and what was in wouldn’t come out. They d narrator id scrape it out at last, and put it down on a chair. Then Harris sat on it, and it stuck to him, and they went looking for it all over the room.

“I’ll take my oath I put it down on that chair,” said George, staring at the empty seat. George finally noticed it behind Harris’s back from where it was removed and put inside the teapot. Hence, the butter episode created a lot of nuisance and became the funniest episode in the story.

Question 6.
Do you find this story funny? What are the humorous elements in it?
Answer:
The story is very funny with dry and slapstick humour. The chaos and confusion created by all the characters is very amusing. The gap between the self-assessment of Jerome, George and Harris and their actual capabilities is highly entertaining. Montmorency’s contribution to humour is no less significant.

Jerome’s sense of pride about his packing skills and the manner in which he packs the bag is very funny. He claims, “I rather pride myself on my packing. Packing is one of those many things that I feel I know more about than any other person living.” While Jerome expected to use the opportunity for bossing over his friends, of “pushing them aside every now and then with, “Oh, you!” “Here, let me do it.” “There you are, simple enough!” — really teaching them, as you might say.” They make him toil instead, lounging about and offering helpful suggestions. Jerome’s forgetfulness and the subsequent unpacking of the bag many times over is quite amusing.

The butter episode, in particular, generates a lot of laughter. First of all, George stepps on the butter and it sticks to his slipper. After George has got it off his slipper, he and Harris try to unsuccessfully put it in the kettle. They put it down on a chair and then Harris sits on it, and it sticks to him, and they go looking for it all over the room. George finally noticed it behind Harris’s back from where it is removed. Montmorency, the dog, too adds to the humour with his habit of getting in the way of things. His indiscipline and inquisitiveness earns him curses but he still manages to put his leg in the jam and chase lemons like rats till he is hit by Harris with a frying pan. All these instances lend humour to the story.

Question 7.
When did the “horrible idea” occur to Jerome? Why was it a “horrible idea”?
Answer:
The “horrible idea” that occurred to Jerome as soon as he had finished packing in his boots was whether he had packed in his toothbrush or not. He often forgot to pack his toothbrush, or, would pack it at night before using it in the morning. This would haunt him so much that at night he would dream that he had not packed the toothbrush. He would wake up in a cold sweat, get out of bed and hunt for it and pack it without using it in the morning, which meant that he would have to unpack it again.

And whenever he was looking for it, it would be the last thing to come out of the bag. After using it he would again forget to pack it and at the last moment would have to rush upstairs to fetch it. As a result he would carry it to the railway station, wrapped up in his pocket-handkerchief. Thus, the toothbrush was a constant source of horrible nightmares for Jerome.

Packing Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
I rather pride myself on my packing. Packing is one of those many things that I feel I know more about than any other person living. (It surprises me myself sometimes, how many such things there are.)

(a) Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker is the narrator, Jerome.

(b) How many characters are there in the narrative?
Answer:
There are four characters in this narrative – the narrator, Jerome, his two friends, George and Harris, and their dog, Montmorency.

(c) Why was “I” going to pack?
Answer:
The narrator and his friends, George and Harris were going on a trip on the Thames. They needed to pack for it.

(d) What do you learn about the speaker from the above lines.
Answer:
The speaker is rather boastful and arrogant.

Question 2.
Their taking it in the way they did irritated me. There is nothing does irritate me more than seeing other _people sitting about doing nothing when I’m working.

(a) Who is the speaker here and whom is he talking about?
Answer:
The speaker here is Jerome, the narrator of the story. He is talking about his friends, George and Harris.

(b) What does the speaker mean by ‘it’?
Answer:
By ‘it’, the speaker means the response of his friends to his suggestion for packing. Both of them at once left the entire task to him and stretched themselves comfortably while he struggled alone.

(c) What is it that most irritates the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker is irritated the most when other people sit idle while he is working.

(d) What work did the speaker have to do?
Answer:
The speaker, Jerome, had to pack the bag for the trip that the three friends had to go on the next morning.

Question 3.
Now, I’m not like that. I can’t sit still and see another man slaving and working. I want to get up and superintend, and walk round with my hands in my pockets, and tell him what to do. It is my energetic nature. I can’t help it.

(a) What does the narrator refer to when he says ‘that’?
Answer:
The narrator had lived with a man who I lived with a man once who would loll on the sofa and watch him doing things by the hour together.

(b) How is the narrator do when he sees someone working?
Answer:
The narrator likes to superintend the one who is working and tell the person what to do.

(c) What does this tell you about the narrator?
Answer:
The narrator considers himself an expert and would much rather supervise work, offering helpful suggestions rather than work himself.

(d) What is the narrator’s tone in the extract?
Answer:
The narrator’s tone is dry and ridiculing about himself.

Question 4.
However, I did not say anything but started the packing. It seemed a longer job than I had thought it was going to be.

(a) Why did the narrator (Jerome) volunteer to do the packing?
Answer:
The narrator, Jerome, thought that he was the best packer in the world. He was proud of his ability and wanted to show it. So, he volunteered to do the packing for his friends.

(b) What had been his intention?
Answer:
The speaker had expected his friends – George and Harris – would do the packing under his supervision and direction.

(c) How did George and Harris react to this? Did Jerome like their reaction?
Answer:
Jerome offered to pack with an intention to superintend his friends. But George and Harris thought that Jerome would do the entire job while they sat idle. It irritated the narrator.

(d) Why did the job take longer than he had expected?
Answer:
The job took longer than expected as Jerome had to pack the bag for all three of them. In addition, he had to unpack and repack it over and over again to put in things he had left out or he thought he might not have packed.

Question 5.
“Ain ’tyou going to put the boots in? ” said Harris. And I looked round, andfound I had forgotten them.
That’s just like Harris. He couldn’t have said a word until I’d got the bag shut and strapped, of course. And George laughed-one of those irritating, senseless laughs of his. They do make me so wild.

(a) What made narrator “so wild”?
Answer:
Harris did not tell him about the boots till he had shut the bag and strapped it. George laughed at the narrator as he had forgotten to pack his boots before strapping the bag.

(b) When did Harris tell the narrator about the boots?
Answer:
Harris told the narrator about the boots after he had finished packing the bag and strapped it.

(c) Why did George laugh? How did it affect the narrator?
Answer:
George laughed at the narrator who had boasted about his skill in packing but had forgotten to pack the boots and would have to open the bag again. George’s laugh annoyed the narrator.

(d) What did the narrator have to do then?
Answer:
He would need to unpack the bag and fit his boots in.

Question 6.
My toothbrush is a thing that haunts me when I’m travelling, and makes’my life a misery. I dream that I haven’t packed it, and wake up in a cold perspiration, and get out of bed and hunt for it. And, in the morning, I pack it before I have used it, and have to unpack again to get it, and it is always the last thing I turn out of the bag; and then I repack andforget it, and have to rush upstairs for it at the last moment and carry it to the railway station, wrapped up in my pocket-handkerchief.

(a) Why does the narrator’s toothbrush haunt him when he is travelling?
Answer:
He is haunted by the idea that he has forgotten to pack his toothbrush.

(b) What does the narrator dream of? Why does he hunt for it?
Answer:
The narrator dreams he hasn’t packed his toothbrush. He gets up to look for it and pack it.

(c) Why does he have to unpack in the morning?
Answer:
He has to unpack it in the morning to use it.

(d) How does he end up carrying his toothbrush?
Answer:
He ends up forgetting to repack it, and then at the last minute carrying it wrapped in his pocket handkerchief.

Question 7.
Of course, I had to turn every mortal thing out now, and, of course, I could not find it. I rummaged the things up into much the same state that they must have been before the world was created, and when chaos reigned. Of course, Ifound George’s and Harris’s eighteen times over, but I couldn ’t find my own. I put the things back one by one, and held everything up and shook it. Then I found it inside a boot. I repacked once more.

(a) What was the author looking for?
Answer:
The author was looking for his toothbrush.

(b) Why was the author looking for ‘it’?
Answer:
The author did not want to pack his toothbrush in the bag just then but in the morning after he had used it.

(c) What did the author do as he searched for ‘it’?
Answer:
He reopened his bag to search for his toothbrush. He had to get everything out but did not find his toothbrush.

(d) Where did he find ‘it’?
Answer:
He found his toothbrush in one of his boots.

Question 8.
When I had finished, George asked if the soap was in. I said I didn ’t care a hang whether the soap was in or whether it wasn’t; and I slammed the bag shut and strapped it, andfound that I had packed my spectacles in it, and had to re-open it. It got shut up finally at 10.05 p.m., and then there remained the hampers to do.

(a) What had the narrator finished?
Answer:
The narrator had finished packing the bag finally.

(b) What two things that the narrator pack in the bag which he wanted out to use before leaving?
Answer:
The narrator wanted to use his spectacles and toothbrush before he left, but he found he had packed them and had to reopen his bag.

(c) When was the bag finally packed?
Answer:
The bag was finally packed by 10:05 pm.

(d) What did George and Harris start on then?
Answer:
George and Harris started packing the hampers.

Question 9.
Harris said that we should be wanting to start in less than twelve hours ’ time and thought that he and George had better do the rest; and I agreed and sat down, and they had a go.

(a) What was ‘the rest’ that Harris and George offered to do?
Answer:
‘The rest’ refers to the packing that remained after the bag had been packed. Jerome had packed the bag and now the hampers were left.

(b) Why did Harris and George offer to do ‘the rest’?
Answer:
Harris and George had seen Jerome’s clumsiness while packing the bag. So, they offered to take care of the rest of the packing, lest the task too long and their departure got delayed. ‘

(c) Why did Harris particularly mention that they had less than twelve hours’ time to start?
Answer:
Harris mentioned ‘less than twelve hours’ time as he felt that Jerome had taken so much time to pack the bag and that twelve hours might not be sufficient for him to complete rest of the packing.

(d) Why did the narrator agree to the proposal?
Answer:
He agreed to the proposal as he knew well how incompetent his friends were. He wanted to see them fumble as they went about packing the hamper.

Question10.
I made no comment; I only waited. With the exception of George, Harris is the worst packer in this world; and I looked at the piles ofplates and cups, and kettles, and bottles, and jars, and pies, and stoves, and cakes, and tomatoes, etc., and felt that the thing would soon become exciting.

(a) What was the narrator waiting for?
Answer:
The narrator was waiting for his friends to fumble and falter while packing the hamper.

(b) How does the narrator show there was an unending collection of articles to be packed?
Answer:
By using the word ‘and’ eight times in the passage the narrator wants to impress upon the reader that there was a never-ending collection of articles that had to be packed in the hampers.

(c) What does the word ‘thing’ here refer to? How would it become exciting for the speaker?
Answer:
The ‘thing’ here means the simple task of packing the hampers. The task would become exciting for the speaker due to the clumsiness of his friends George and Harris.

(d) What was the first accident George and Harris had as they started packing?
Answer:
The first accident George and Harris had as they started packing was that they broke a cup.

Question 11.
They did scrape it out at last, and put it down on a chair, and Harris sat on it, and it stuck to him, and they went looking for it all over the room.

(a) What does ‘it’ refer to?
Answer:
‘It’ refers to the butter.

(b) What had happened to ‘it’ earlier?
Answer:
George had trodden on it and the butter had stuck to his slipper.

(c) Why did they have to scrape ‘it’?
Answer:
They had to scrape the butter because they were neither able put it into the kettle nor pull it out. Left with no alternative they had to scrape it.

(d) Why did they go about looking for ‘it’ all over the room?
Answer:
When Harris sat on the butter, it had stuck to his back. However, both of them were unaware of this, and they looked for it all over.

Question 12.
If he can squirm in anywhere where he particularly is not wanted, and be a perfect nuisance, and make people mad, and have things thrown at his head, then he feels his day has not been wasted.

(a) Whom does ‘he’ stand for in these lines?
Answer:
In these lines, ‘he’ stands for Montmorency, the pet dog of the three friends George, Harris and Jerome.

(b) In what ways did he become a perfect nuisance?
Answer:
Montmorency became a perfect nuisance by finding his way to the spot where he would not be wanted at all.

(c) How would ‘he’ annoy people?
Answer:
Montmorency would irritate everyone immensely so much so that his activities would make people lose their heads and they would hurl things at his head to shoo him away.

(d) When did ‘he’ feel that his day was not wasted?
Answer:
Montmorency felt that his day was not wasted when he was allowed to irritate people and make them lose their temper by his annoying actions.

Question 13.
He came and sat down on things, just when they wanted to be packed; and he laboured under the fixed belief that, whenever Harris or George reached out their hand for anything, it was his cold damp nose that they wanted. He put his leg into the jam, and he worried the teaspoons, and he pretended that the lemons were rats, and got into the hamper and killed three of them before Harris could land him with the frying-pan.

(a) What is Montmorency’s ambition in life according to the author?
Answer:
According to the author, Montmorency’s ambition is to interfere with others and then get abused by them.

(b) What were the things ‘he’ sat on?
Answer:
He sat on the things George and Harris were packing in the hampers.

(c) Where did he put his leg?
Answer:
He put his leg in the jam.

(d) How did he play with the lemons?
Answer:
He pretended the lemons were rats and destroyed three of them.

Question 14.
Harris said I encouraged him. I didn ’t encourage him. A dog like that doesn ’t want any encouragement.

(a) What sort of encouragement is Harris referring to?
Answer:
Harris believes that Jerome encourages Montmorency to get in people’s way and be a perfect nuisance. He feels that it is Jerome who is responsible for the dog’s irritating behaviour.

(b) How did he annoy the packers?
Answer:
He sat on things, stepped into the jam, chased the lemons and whenever Harris or George reached out their hand for anything, he put his cold damp nose into their hand.

(c) What does the phrase “a dog like that” mean?
Answer:
A dog like that means a dog who has habits that are bound to annoy people.

(d) What impression do you form about ‘him’ from this extract?
Answer:
This extract suggests that Montmorency was a dog that had an inborn urge to trouble the people and make them lose their temper. He didn’t need anybody’s support to behave in such an annoying manner.

Dive into the gripping and inspiring true story of “Weathering the Storm in Ersama Extra Questions and Answers Class 9,” a tale of resilience, courage, and the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity. In this blog post, we will unravel the harrowing narrative of survival and strength, and explore the profound insights it offers. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 English with Answers.

Online Education for Weathering the Storm in Ersama Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Moments

Weathering the Storm in Ersama Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Why had Prashant gone to Ersama? What happened there?
Answer:
He had gone to Ersama to spend a day with a friend. He was caught in a terrible cyclonic storm, the likes of which he had never been a witness to.

Question 2.
Describe the storm that hit Ersama on the 27th of October, 1999?
Answer:
It was a dark and menacing storm which had a terrific wind velocity of 350kms/hr. It was accompanied by heavy and incessant rain flooding the whole area.

Question 3.
How long did the cyclone last? How did Prashant and his friend’s family spend the stormy night?
Answer:
The cyclone continued for almost thirty six hours. They spent the night sitting on the roof of the house in the open, because water had filled into the house.

Question 4.
How was his friend’s family luckier than the rest of the villagers?
Answer:
His friend’s family had a strong house made of brick and mortar which was able to withstand the fury of the wind, even though coconut trees had fallen onto the roof, damaging it. However, these trees provided the family with food till they were rescued.

Question 5.
Describe the scene that met Prashant’s horrified eyes in the morning at Ersama?
Answer:
It was a devastating sight. A raging, deadly brown sheet of water covered everything as far as the eye could see. Only a few fractured cement houses still stood. Bloated human corpses and animal carcasses floated in every direction.

Question 6.
How long did Prashant stay at his friend’s house? What were the thoughts that kept disturbing him?
Answer:
He stayed at his friend’s house for two more days. The only thought that kept disturbing him was whether his family had survived the calamity or if he was going to lose his loved ones once again.

Question 7.
Why did the two days seem like two years to Prashant?
Answer:
As he sat on the rooftop of his friend’s damaged house, unable to venture back home through the rain and flooded roads, he felt helpless and worried about his family back in his village. He was so keen to return to them that the two days seemed like two years to him.

Question 8.
What made Prashant venture out from the safety of his friend’s house in the dangerous situation?
Answer:
Prashant was worried that his family may have been swept away in his village, and he was determined to find out what had happened to them without any further delay.

Question 9.
How did Prashant prepare himself for the long trek home?
Answer:
He took a sturdy stick and then started on his eighteen kilometre long expedition back to his village, wading through the swollen flood waters.

Question 10.
What were the dangers faced by Prashant on his way back to his village? How did he face them?
Answer:
The whole path back to his village was under water. He used his stick to determine the shallow parts that he could walk on. At places, he had to wade through waist deep water.

Question 11.
What did Prashant see on his way back home?
Answer:
He saw a number of dead bodies of humans and animals floating in the flood water. He also saw that several villages had been entirely destroyed, where not even a single house remained standing.

Question 12.
Why did Prashant’s heart sink on reaching his village?
Answer:
His heart sank on seeing the extent of damage that his village had sustained. He saw only the remains of the roof of his house in place of the house. Some of the family belongings were caught in the nearby branches of trees. His family was nowhere to be seen.

Question 13.
Where did Prashant go to look for his family? Who did he spot first?
Answer:
Prashant went to the Red Cross shelter to look for his family. He spotted his grandmother first.

Question 14.
Why did his grandmother rush towards Prashant?
Answer:
She rushed towards him out of joy at seeing him alive. She considered it a miracle that he was safe and sound and had been restored to the family.

Question 15.
Who were the family members that Prashant found at the shelter?
Answer:
He found his grandmother, his brother, sister, his uncles and aunts at the shelter.

Question 16.
What was the extent of damage caused by the storm in Prashant’s village?
Answer:
Eighty six lives had been lost in the village, and ninety six houses had been washed away in the village.

Question 17.
Why did Prashant decide to step in and lead the villagers?
Answer:
Prashant realised that the people at the shelter were being engulfed by a deathly grief and there wasn’t enough food for the survivors. He also realised that someone had to show the people a way out of the situation and gain control over their feelings and emotions.

Question 18.
What was the first successful mission organised by the group of villagers under Prashant’s leadership?
Answer:
The first mission was to pressurise the village merchant to part with his rice so that the hungry villagers could be fed.

Question 19.
After feeding the survivors, what was the next task organised and fulfilled by Prashant?
Answer:
He organised a team of volunteers to clean the shelter of filth, urine, vomit and floating carcasses, and to take care of the wounds nad fractures of the many who had been injured.

Question 20.
What was the event that took place on the fourth day at the camp?
Answer:
On this day, a military helicopter flew over the shelter and dropped some food parcels on the ground close to the shelter.

Question 21.
Why did Prashant ask the children to lie on the sand with utensils on their stomachs?
Answer:
He did this so that the helicopter pilots would see them and drop down the food packets for them.

Question 22.
How did Prashant help the orphaned children?
Answer:
He brought them together and put up a polythene sheet shelter for them. Women were mobilised to look after them while the men got food and materials to build the shelter.

Question 23.
How did Prashant help the women to overcome their grief?
Answer:
He did this by persuading them to start working in the food-for-work programme started by an NGO.

Question 24.
Why was Prashant not keen to send the orphans and widows to government institutions?
Answer:
He was against this idea as he felt that in such institutions, children would grow up without love, and widows would suffer from stigma and loneliness.

Question 25.
How did Prashant’s wounded spirit heal?
Answer:
It healed because he was so busy making sure that the victims were taken care of by various government agencies and NGOs that he had no time to worry about his own loss and pain.

Weathering the Storm in Ersama Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
What havoc had the super cyclone wrecked in the lives of the people of Orissa?
Answer:
The super cyclone caused great damage and destruction, leaving hundreds of men, women, children and animals dead or injured. It blew away houses, brought down trees and wiped out entire villages. The whole area was submerged in water. Family members were separated and it left behind many orphans and widows. In addition, people had to go without food for days together.

Question 2.
How has Prashant, a teenager, been able to help the people of his village?
Answer:
Prashant took over the responsibility of leading the village. He was instrumental in organising the survivors into groups to cook, clean, and rebuild the village from scratch. He supervised the building of shelters and made sure that people who were wounded and injured received adequate medical help.

He also made sure that the orphans and widows were not packed off to impersonal foster care at government institutions, but resettled them in their own community, in new foster families made up of widows taking care of the orphans. He also organised cricket matches and other sports events to bring some joy into the lives of the children and persuaded the women to work in the food-for-work programme started by an NGO.

Question 3.
How did the people of the community help one another? What role did the women of Kalikuda play during these days?
Answer:
First of all, they worked as a team under the leadership of Prashant. They helped him in pressurising the local merchant to part with rice to feed the survivors. They cooked food by collecting branches from fallen trees. They cleaned the shelter of filth, urine, vomit and floating carcasses and took care of the people with wounds and injuries. They also helped to create new foster families made up of childless widows and children without adult care. The women also worked with an NGO in their food-for-work programme.

Question 4.
Why did Prashant and the other volunteers resist the plan to set up institutions for orphans and widows? What alternatives did they consider?
Answer:
Prashant and the other volunteers were aware of the stigma attached to being sent to the government institutions, and the loneliness that the widows would have to suffer there. Similarly, the orphans would have to live a life away from their roots, at the mercy of people who would not be sensitive to their emotional needs. To solve this problem, they came up with the brilliant idea of creating foster families where the childless widows would care for the orphaned children, thereby fulfilling their mutual emotional needs.

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:
Undoubtedly, Prashant is a born leader, which he proves by helping the people of Kalikuda village. He helps them to literally rise from the debris of a super cyclonic storm that had almost wiped out the whole village. He leads by example, selflessly identifying the most urgent needs and working to fulfil them. In the process, he puts aside his own grief and suffering, in trying to find relief and help for the other survivors.

He gauges the falling spirits of the village people and gets them to work manually to remove the debris, rebuild structures, and ensure that the people get something to eat. In a bid to help his people, he even forgets about his own loss, pain and grief. He finds a brilliant solution for the care of those left widowed or orphaned, by creating foster families with childless widows looking after orphaned children. From his example, we can see that it is possible for young people to work together and make a huge difference to the entire community in situations like natural calamities.

Love, an emotion that transcends boundaries and unites hearts, holds the power to forge unbreakable bonds between individuals. “The Bond of Love Class 9 Extra Questions with Answers” delves into the profound and tender connection between a human and an animal, showcasing the depth of compassion and loyalty that can exist between species. In this article, we will explore the touching narrative of this heartwarming story, examining the timeless themes of love, empathy, and the enduring ties that bind us all. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 English with Answers.

The Bond of Love Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
How did the author get the baby sloth bear?
Answer:
The author got the baby sloth bear in a freak accident. Once the author and his friends were passing through the sugarcane fields near Mysore, Bruno’s mother was wantonly shot dead by one of his companions. The cub was found moving on the body of his mother. It was in great shock and tried to flee but the author managed to capture it, and bring it home.

Question 2.
Why did the author not kill the sloth bear when she appeared suddenly?
Answer:
Being kind-hearted, the author did not kill any animals without any motive or provocation. As the sloth bear had not provoked or attacked him, he did not kill it. That is why he describes his companions shooting of her a wanton act.

Question 3.
Why did one of the author’s companions kill the bear?
Answer:
One of the author’s companions killed the bear wantonly, in a moment of impulsive rush of blood. He may have though the bear would attack them and he may have shot it as an impulsive act born of self-preservation.

Question 4.
How did the author capture the bear cub?
Answer:
When the bear cub’s mother was shot, it ran around its prostrate parent making a pitiful noise. The author ran up to it to attempt a capture. It scooted into the sugarcane field. Following it with his companions, the author was at last able to grab it by the scruff of its neck and put it in a gunny bag.

Question 5.
How did the author’s wife receive the baby sloth bear?
Answer:
The author’s wife was extremely happy to get the baby sloth bear as a pet. She put a coloured ribbon around his neck and named him Bruno.

Question 6.
How was Bruno, the baby bear, fed initially? What followed within a few days?
Answer:
Initially, the little Bmno was given milk from a bottle. But soon he started eating all kinds of food and drank all kinds of drinks. He ate a variety of dishes like porridge, vegetables, nuts, fruits, meat, eggs, chocolates etc., and drank milk, tea, coffee, lime-juice, buttermilk, even beer and alcoholic liquor.

Question 7.
“One day an accident befell him”. What accident befell Bruno?
Answer:
One day Bmno ate the rat poison (barium carbonate) kept in the library to kill rats. The poison affected his nervous and muscular system and left him paralysed. He rapidly became weak, panted heavily, vomited, and was unable to move.

Question 8.
How was Bruno cured of paralysis?
Answer:
Bruno had mistakenly consumed poison and had got paralysed. However, he managed to crawl to the author’s wife on his stumps. He was taken to the veterinary doctor who and injected 10 cc of the antidote into him. The first dose had no effect. Then another dose was injected which cured Bruno absolutely. After ten minutes of the dose, his breathing became normal and he could move his arms and legs.

Question 9.
Why did Bruno drink the engine oil? What was the result?
Answer:
Once the narrator had drained the old engine oil from the sump of his car and kept it to treat termites. Bruno, who would drink anything that came his way, drank about one gallon of this oil too. However, it did not have any effect on him.

Question 10.
What used to be Bruno’s activities at the author’s home?
Answer:
In the beginning, Bruno was left free. He spent his time in playing, running into the kitchen and going to sleep in our beds. As he grew older, he became more mischievous and playful. He learnt to do a few tricks, too. At the command, ‘Baba, wrestle’, or ‘Baba, box,’ he vigorously tackled anyone who came forward for a rough and tumble. If someone said ‘Baba, hold gun’, he would point the stick at the person. If he was asked, ‘Baba, where’s baby?’ he immediately produced and cradled affectionately a stump of wood which he had carefully concealed in his straw bed.

Question 11.
How did Bruno become attached to the family of the author?
Answer:
Bruno got lot of love in the family of the author and he grew very fond of them. It slowly got attached even to the two Alsatian dogs and to all the children of the tenants. But, above all, he loved the author’s wife and she loved him dearly too.

Question 12.
How did Bruno come to be called ‘Baba’?
Answer:
Bruno came to be called ‘Baba’ which in Hindustani means a ‘young boy’ after the narrator’s wife developed a special bond of affection for him. She loved him as she loved her son and started calling him ‘Baba’.

Question 13.
What kind of tricks did Bruno, the pet bear, do?
Answer:
Bruno was mischievous and played a lot of tricks. When he was called to wrestle, he would vigorously tackle anyone who came forward. When asked to hold the gun, he pointed a stick at the person. On being asked where the baby was, he brought out a stump of wood and cradled it as if it were a baby.

Question 14.
Why had Bruno to be kept in chains most of the time?
Answer:
Bruno had grown up very fast. Therefore, it was felt that it could be dangerous to let him move about freely around the children of the tenants. Therefore, it was decided to keep Bruno in chains.

Question 15.
Who advised the author’s wife to send Bruno to a zoo and why? What was her reaction?
Answer:
The narrator, his son and even some friends advised the author’s wife to send Bruno to a zoo because he was now too big to be kept at home. They felt he may become a danger to children. But she loved the pet bear so deeply that she could not accept the proposal readily. It took her three weeks to make up her mind and give her consent.

Question 16.
Bruno was a loving and playful pet. Why, then, did he have to be sent away?
Answer:
Bruno was certainly a loving and playful pet. He had developed affection for everyone around him and was particularly attached to the author’s wife. However, he had to be sent away to the zoo because he had grown too big to be kept at home. He could be a threat to the people in the neighbourhood, especially children.

Question 17.
How was the problem of what to do with Bruno solved?
Answer:
As he grew up and became larger in size, the author, his son and some friends felt that Bruno could no longer be kept at home. The problem of what to do with Bruno was solved when the narrator’s wife, though reluctantly, gave her consent to send Bruno to the zoo in Mysore. A letter was written to the curator of the zoo who replied in the positive. Bruno was put in a cage and sent away in a lorry that had been sent by the zoo authorities.

Question 18.
How did the narrator’s wife react when Baba was sent to Mysore zoo?
Answer:
When Baba was sent to Mysore zoo, the narrator’s wife felt so miserable that she could not be consoled. She wept and kept worrying about the bear. She refused to eat anything for some days. She wrote letters to the curator of the zoo to inquire about Baba’s well being.

Question 19.
What did the letters from the curator and the friends who visited the zoo report about Baba?
Answer:
The letters from the curator of the zoo reported that though Baba was well, he was sad and upset, and refused to eat. The friends who visited the zoo gave similar reports telling that he had grown very thin and kept fretting all the time.

Question 20.
When did the author take his wife to the Mysore zoo? Why?
Answer:
The author’s wife was deeply disturbed to hear reports of her dear Bruno was sad and refused to eat. She wanted to go to mysore and see him for herself. Though the author had managed to prevent her from going to the Mysore zoo for three months, one day she put her foot down and told him that if he was not ready to take her to the zoo by car, she would go by bus or train. So, the narrator took her to the zoo by car to see her Baba.

Question 21.
What had the author thought would happen when he took his wife to see Bruno?
Answer:
The author and his friends had conjectured that the bear would not recognise his wife to see him as three months had elapsed since Bruno had been sent to the zoo. However, contrary to their expectations, Bruno had not forgotten her. He was delighted to see her.

Question 22.
How did Baba behave when he saw the narrator’s wife in the zoo?
Answer:
Baba was overjoyed to see the narrator’s wife. He recognised her from a distance of some yards and howled with happiness. To express his pleasure at meeting her again, he stood on his head.

Question 23.
How did the author’s wife do when she met her ‘Baba’ at the zoo?
Answer:
At the zoo, the author’s wife rushed to the cage where Baba was been kept. She showed her love by stroking him affectionately through the bars and sat near the cage for three hours. She fed him tea, lemonade, cakes, ice-cream and what not.

Question 24.
Describe the scene at the time of the closing of the zoo when Bruno and the narrator’s wife had to separate again.
Answer:
As the closing time at the zoo drew near, the author’s wife was desolate. She cried bitterly at the thought of being parted from her Baba. He, too, cried bitterly. This touching scene saddened the curator and the keepers of the zoo.

Question 25.
What request did the narrator’s wife make to the curator? Did the curator grant the request?
Answer:
The narrator’s wife requested the curator of the zoo to allow her to take her pet sloth bear, Baba, back home. He refused initially, saying that Baba was a government property and he could not be given away. But afterwards, seeing how unhappy both she and Bruno were at being parted, he suggested that they should contact the Superintendent in Bangalore for permission to take Baba home.

Question 26.
How did Baba reach back home?
Answer:
At the request of the narrator’s wife, the Superintendent of the zoo agreed to permit her to have Baba back home. He wrote a letter to the curator and asked him to lend a cage so that the bear could be brought home safely. The cage was carefully put on the top of the car and Baba travelled back to his home in Bangalore.

Question 27.
What kind of a place was prepared for Baba at the narrator’s home and why?
Answer:
To prevent Baba from ever becoming a threat to the children of the tenants, an island measuring twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide was created in the compound by digging a six feet wide and seven feet deep moat around it. This island became Baba’s home.

Question 28.
Describe the house on the island in which Baba would sleep at night.
Answer:
A wooden box that was once used to keep the fowls was put on the island for Baba to sleep at night. Straw was placed inside to keep it warm and Bruno’s toys—his ‘baby’, the gnarled stump, and his ‘gun’, the piece of bamboo—were also placed there for him to play with.

Question 29.
How would the narrator’s wife reach the island where Baba was kept?
Answer:
The narrator had tied a rope to the overhanging branch of a mango tree with a loop at its end. To reach the island, his wife would put one foot in the loop and kick off with the other to cross the six-foot wide pit around the island. She would then spend hours sitting on a chair with Baba in her lap.

Question 30.
How does the story illustrate that animals love human beings just as humans love them?
Answer:
Bruno’s is a story of emotional bonding between a woman and a bear. The author’s wife loved her pet bear, Bruno deeply. In turn, Bruno performed many playful tricks which amused the lady. They enjoyed each other’s company. When Bruno was sent to a zoo, the parting was as painful for the author’s wife as it was for Bruno. Seeing their plight, Bruno was brought home again. The entire episode shows the mutual love between the two.

The Bond of Love Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
How was Bruno brought to the author’s home? How did he become it member of the family?
Answer:
The baby bear was brought to the author’s home by chance. Once, when the author and his companions, were going to Mysore, they were passing through the sugarcane fields when they saw people driving away the wild pigs from the fields by shooting at them. Some of the animals were shot and some escaped. When the author thought that everything was over, suddenly a black sloth bear came out panting in the hot sun, and one of the author’s companions wantonly killed the bear.

The cub who was riding the back of his mother ran around its prostrate parent making a pitiful noise. Filled with pity, the author chased him and captured him. He brought the baby bear home and gifted it to his wife as a pet. The author’s wife accepted him with love and named him Bruno to mark that he was no longer a homeless, wild animal. Soon there developed a bond of love between Bruno and the author’s wife and Bruno came to be called ‘Baba’ which means a ‘small boy’. He had now become a true family member who enjoyed complete freedom and deep affection.

Question 2.
On two occasions Bruno ate/drank something that should not be eaten or drunk. What happened to him on these occasions?
Answer:
Bruno, the bear cub, was an inquisitive and playful one. Moreover, he enjoyed a variety of dishes and drinks in the author’s home. On the one hand, he was curious about things around him and on the other he had become very fond of eating and drinking. Once the narrator had kept some barium carbonate for killing rats in the library.

Bruno went there as he usually did and, seeing the poison that had been kept there, he consumed it. The poison had an immediate effect on him and, as paralysis set in, he could not stand on his feet. However, he managed to drag himself on his stumps to reach the author’s wife who at once called him.

Bruno began weakening rapidly, he was vomiting and breathing heavily, as his flanks heaved and mouth gaped. The author rushed to the veterinary doctor who, after consulting his book, gave Bruno an injection of 10 cc of the antidote for barium chloride. Since the first injection did not improve his condition, another injection of the same potency was given. After ten minutes, Bruno’s heavy breathing became normal.

After thirty minutes, he stood on his feet and ate a good meal.On another occasion, Bruno drank engine oil. It so happened that the author had emptied the sump of his car and about one gallon of the engine oil had been collected. The narrauthor had kept it to kill the termites. Bruno drank the whole of it. However, the engine oil did not have any effect on him.

Question 3.
Why was Bruno sent to the Mysore zoo and why was he ultimately brought back home?
Answer:
As months passed, Bruno, the cub bear, grew big in size. The author and his son felt it was not advisable to keep a fully grown wild animal at home, especially with the children of the tenants around. So, they felt Bruno should be sent to the zoo in Mysore. Their friends, too, offered the same advice. Although the author’s wife opposed the proposal for some time, she ultimately gave her consent after three weeks.

After her approval, they wrote a letter to the curator of the zooasking if he wanted a tame bear for his collection. Once they received a positive response from the curator of the zoo, Baba was sent to the Mysore zoo. However, the separation was unbearable both for the author’s wife and Baba.

Both were inconsolable and would not eat properly. Bruno, especially, grew very weak and fretted. After three months of separation, the narrator’s wife put her foot down and had to be taken to the zoo in a car. On seeing each other after so long, both the narrator’s wife and Baba expressed their joy and pleasure. He recognized her from a distance, howled with .delight and stood on his head in happiness.

She patted him through the bars of his cage and fed him a variety of food and drinks that she had brought. When it was closing time at the zoo both the narrator’s wife and Baba cried so bitterly that even the curator was moved. She requested the curator to send Baba back and he suggested to seek the Superintendent’s permission. The Superintendent, who was a kind fellow, agreed and at his recommendation, the curator had the bear sent back home to Bangalore.

Question 4.
How was Bruno transported back to Bangalore from the Mysore zoo? What special arrangements were made to keep him at home?
Answer:
Bruno, the pet bear, was transported back to Bangalore in a cage lent by the Mysore zoo authorities. The cage containing Bruno was hoisted on top of the car and tied securely. The vehicle was driven slowly and carefully, lest he was hurt. At the writer’s home in Bangalore, special arrangements were made to keep Bruno at a safe distance from the tenants’ children.

An island was made for Baba that was twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide, and was surrounded by a dry pit, or moat, six feet wide and seven feet deep. A wooden box that once housed fowls was brought and put on the island for Baba to sleep in at night. Straw was placed inside to keep him warm, his toys – the gnarled stump, his ‘baby’, and the piece of bamboo, which was his ‘gun’ – both of which had been sentimentally preserved by the author’s wife were put back for him to play with. After that the coolies hoisted the cage on to the island and Baba was released.

Question 5.
The author ends the story “The Bond of Love” with the rhetorical question: “But who can say now that a sloth bear has no sense of affection, no memory and no individual characteristics?” Discuss this statement in the light of Bruno’s character.
Answer:
The Bond of Love revolves around the mutual, sincere and selfless love of the narrator’s wife and her pet bear, Bruno. The young bear loved and brought up like a child by the author’s wife, proves that he richly deserves this love because he himself is capable of showing equally deep and faithful love.

He is treated like a member of the family and he himself proves that he is as much bound by loyal love to the members of the family as they are to him. The deep emotions of Bruno come to the fore when he is sent to the Mysore zoo. He is so pained by the separation from his mistress that he frets terribly and refuses to eat anything. He grows very lean and thin.

Even three months is not long enough a period for him to reconcile himself to the separation from the author’s wife. When she goes to see him, he recognizes her at once, even from a distance of some yards, and expresses his delight by howling and standing on his head. At the closing time of the zoo he cries bitterly at the thought of parting again from his mistress. His emotions move the hearts of the zoo curator and the keepers who agree to give Bruno back to the author’s family. This proves that animals too feel love and affection.

The Bond of Love Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
I got him for her by accident.

(a) Who says this?
Answer:
The author Kenneth Anderson says this.

(b) Who do ‘him’ and ‘her’ refer to?
Answer:
‘Him’ refers to the young sloth bear cub that the author had captured in the sugarcane fields in Mysore. ‘Her’ refers to the author’s wife.

(c) Why did the speaker take ‘him’ to ‘her’?
Answer:
The bear’s cub mother had been shot and wantonly killed by one of author’s companions.

(d) What did ‘she’ name ‘him’?
Answer:
She named him Bruno.

Question 2.
Some were shot and some escaped. We thought that everything was over when suddenly a black sloth bear came out panting in the hot sun

(a) Who does ‘we’ refer to in the above extract? Where were they at the time?
Answer:
We refers to the author of the story and his companions. They were near the sugarcane fields in Mysore.

(b) Who were shot at and why?
Answer:
The wild pigs who had entered the fields and were destroying the crops, were shot at to kill them or to make them run away.

(c) What does the author mean by his remark, “Everything was over”?
Answer:
The author means that the shooting had stopped and the animals had either been driven away or killed.

(d) What happened suddenly?
Answer:
Suddenly, a black sloth bear appeared on the scene panting in the hot sun.

Question 3.
As we watched the fallen animal we were surprised to see that the black fur on its back moved and left the prostrate body.

(a) Where was the ‘fallen animal’? Why had it fallen?
Answer:
The fallen animal was in some sugarcane fields near Mysore at the time. It had fallen after being wantonly shot dead by one of the author’s companions.

(b) What was the ‘black fur’ that moved on the animal’s back?
Answer:
The ‘black fur’ that moved on the animal’s back was its cub that had been riding her back at the time.

(c) What did the author do when he saw the little creature?
Answer:
The author ran up to the little creature to attempt a capture.

(d) What did the little creature do to the author when he grabbed it?
Answer:
As the author grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, it snapped and tried to scratch the author with its long, hooked claws.

Question 4.
The little creature ran around its prostrate parent making a pitiful noise.

(a) Who is the Tittle creature’ referred to in the above line?
Answer:
The little creature referred to is the young cub of the sloth bear who had been shot dead.

(b) Who lay prostrate and why?
Answer:
The little creature’s mother lay prostrate because she had been shot dead by one of the author’s companions.

(c) What did the little creature do?
Answer:
The little creature ran around the body of his mother which lay flat on the ground, making a pitiful noise.

(d) What did the speaker decide to do with the creature?
Answer:
The speaker decided to take the little creature home and give it to his wife to take care of.

Question 5.
She was delighted! She at once put a coloured ribbon around its neck, and after discovering the cub was a ‘boy ’ she christened it Bruno.

(a) Who is ‘she’?
Answer:
She is the author’s wife.

(b) Why was ‘she’ delighted?
Answer:
She was delighted because her husband presented her a young sloth bear cub as a pet.

(c) What does this extract reveal about her character?
Answer:
This extract reveals that she had a tender and affectionate heart that was full of love for animals.

(d) How did she take care of Bruno?
Answer:
Bruno was a little bear cub. The author’s wife fed him milk from a bottle and looked after him.

Question 6.
Bruno soon took to drinking milk from a bottle. It was but a step further and within a very few days he started eating and drinking everything else.

(a) How was Bruno fed in the beginning?
Answer:
In the beginning, Bruno was fed milk from a bottle.

(b) What did he start eating within a very few days?
Answer:
Within the next few days Bruno was eating everything including vegetables, fruit, nuts, meat (especially pork), curry and rice regardless of spices and chillies, bread, eggs, chocolates, sweets, pudding, ice . cream, etc.

(c) What did Bruno drink?
Answer:
Bruno drank all kinds of liquids including drink: milk, tea, coffee, lime-juice, aerated water, buttermilk, beer, alcoholic liquor.

(d) On two occasions Bruno ate/drank something that should not be eaten/drunk. What was it?
Answer:
Once Bruno ate the rat poison which was kept to get rid of rats from the library. On another occasion, Bruno drank the discarded engine oil which was kept in the garage.

Question 7.
Paralysis set in to the extent that he could not stand on his feet. But he dragged himself on his stumps to my wife, who called me. I guessed what had happened.

(a) Why did paralysis strike him?
Answer:
Paralysis struck him because he had consumed the rat-poison, barium carbonate kept in the library.

(b) What other symptoms did he suffer?
Answer:
He was paralysed and unable to move and soon he was breathing heavily and vomiting.

(c) How did ‘he’ manage to reach the author’s wife in spite of the paralysis?
Answer:
In spite of the paralysis, he dragged himself on his stumps to the author’s wife who then called the author.

(d) What light does this throw on his character?
Answer:
He was an inquisitive and playful creature. He entered the library and finding the rat-poison kept there, he ate it.

Question 8.
He promptly drank the lot. But it had no ill effects whatever.

(a) What was ‘it’ that ‘he’ drank?
Answer:
He drank the engine oil which the author had drained out from the sump of his car.

(b) What had the author kept ‘it’ for?
Answer:
The author had kept the engine oil to use against the termites if they attacked.

(c) What was its effect?
Answer:
It had no effect at all on Bruno, the pet bear.

(d) What similar incident had happened to him earlier?
Answer:
Earlier, he had found rat-poison lying in the library and had consumed that.

Question 9.
The months rolled on and Bruno had grown many times the size he was when he came. He had equalled the Alsatians in height and had even outgrown them.

(a) What happened to Bruno over the next few months?
Answer:
Over the next few months, Bruno grew large. In fact, he became bigger than the two dogs the author had.

(b) Which other pet did the author and his family have?
Answer:
The author and his family had Alsatian dogs as pets.

(c) What qualities did Bruno share with the other pets?
Answer:
Bruno was just as sweet, just as mischievous, just as playful as the Alsatians.

(d)
What new name did the author’s wife give Bruno?
Answer:
The author’s wife started calling Bruno Baba, a Hindustani word meaning little boy.

Question 10.
But was just as sweet, just as mischievous, just as playful. And he was very fond of us all. Above all, he loved my wife, and she loved him too! She had changed his name from Bruno, to Baba, a Hindustani word signifying ‘small boy ’.

(a) Who is Bruno being compared with here?
Answer:
Bruno is being compared with the two Alsatian dogs in the author’s home.

(b) Which of his traits are being compared to ‘theirs’?
Answer:
He is being compared to them for traits like sweet nature, playful temperament and mischievous behaviour.

(c) What kind of relationship was there between the author’s wife and Bruno?
Answer:
The author’s wife and the pet bear Bruno had a deep love for each other.

(d) Why did the author’s wife change his name from Bruno to Baba?
Answer:
In Hindustani language, ‘Baba’ is a name of endearment for a small boy in the family. For the author’s wife, Bruno was nothing less than a dear son. Therefore, she changed his name from Bruno to Baba.

Question 11.
After some weeks of such advice she at last consented. Hastily, and before she could change her mind, a letter was written to the curator of the zoo.

(a) What advice was given to her? By whom?
Answer:
She was advised that Bruno, the pet sloth bear should be sent to a zoo. This advice was given by the author, their son, and their friends.

(b) Why was she being advised to follow that course?
Answer:
She was being advised to follow that course because Bruno had become too big to be kept at home.

(c) Did ‘she’ readily agree to the advice? Why/Why not?
Answer:
No, the author’s wife did not readily agree to the advice. She was so affectionately attached to the bear that she could not think of parting from him. It took them weeks to convince her to give her consent.

(d) Why was the letter to the curator of the zoo written hastily?
Answer:
The author did not want to wait as he was afraid that his wife could change her mind about sending the bear to the zoo. Therefore, he hastily wrote a letter to the curator.

Question 12.
We all missed him greatly; but in a sense we were relieved.

(a) Who do ‘we all’ stand for?
Answer:
‘We all’ stands to the author, his wife, his son and the children of the tenants.

(b) Who did they miss? Why?
Answer:
They missed Baba, the bear who had been sent away to the zoo in Mysore.

(c) Why did they feel relieved?
Answer:
They felt relieved because Baba had grown very big and it could have been dangerous to keep him at home with the tenants’ children around him.

(d) How did the author’s wife react to his absence?
Answer:
When Bruno was gone, the author’s wife was inconsolable. She wept and fretted. For the first few days she would not eat a thing.

Question 13.
After that, friends visiting Mysore were begged to make a point of going to the zoo and seeing how Baba was getting along. They reported that he was well but looked very thin and sad. All the keepers at the zoo said he was fretting.

(a) What does the author mean by the phrase “after that”?
Answer:
By “after that” the author means after Bruno had been sent to the Mysore zoo.

(b) Who begged their friends to go to Mysore zoo? Why?
Answer:
The author, his wife and family begged their friends visiting Mysore to go to the zoo because they wanted news of Bruno and how he was faring at the zoo.

(c) What news did the friends bring?
Answer:
Their friends told the author and his wife that Bruno was well but looked very thin and sad. All the keepers at the zoo said he was fretting because he missed the author’s family.

(d) What lesson do you learn from this?
Answer:
We learn that even animals understand the language of love. They respond to love in equal measure and also feel the pangs of separation.

Question 14.
Friends had conjectured that the bear would not recognise her. I had thought so too. But while she was yet some yards from his cage Baba saw her and recognised her.

(a) What had the author and his friends thought about Bruno?
Answer:
They had thought Bruno would not recognise the author’s wife because of the passage of time.

(b) What did Bruno do to show he had recognised her?
Answer:
As soon as Bruno saw her he howled with happiness and he stood on his head in delight.

(c) What did the author’s wife do?
Answer:
She patted Bruno on the head. Then she sat down and fed him tea, lemonade, cakes, ice-cream and what not.

(d) What happened when it was time for the author and his wife to leave the zoo??
Answer:
When it was time for them to leave, the author’s wife and Bruno cried bitterly and even the hardened curator and the keepers at the zoo felt depressed. The author realised he would have to take Bruno back home.

Question 15.
“I cannot give away Government property. But if my boss, the superintendent at Bangalore agrees, certainly you may have him back. ”

(a) Who says these words? To whom?
Answer:
These words are spoken by the curator of the Mysore zoo to the author, Kenneth Anderson.

(b) Who is Government property? How had he become Government property?
Answer:
Bruno was Government property. He had become Government property when the author and his family had given him to the zoo three months ago.

(c) Who wanted him back? Why?
Answer:
The author and his wife wanted Bruno back because both had been desolate and fretting without each other and both had given up eating.

(d) Where was the Superintendent’s office? What did he say?
Answer:
The Superintendent’s office was in Bangalore. He readily agreed to let Bruno go.

Question 16.
Once home, a squad of coolies were engagedfor special work in our compound.

(a) Who returned home? From where?
Answer:
The author and his wife returned home after meeting Bruno at the Mysore zoo.

(b) Where had they gone? Why?
Answer:
They had gone to the Mysore zoo to see Bruno as they had heard reports that he was missing the author’s wife and was fretting and not eating.

(c) What was the “special work” that the coolies were engaged for?
Answer:
A squad of coolies was hired to make an island for Baba. The island was made for Baba.

(d) Why was the special work being done?
Answer:
The author wanted to keep Bruno at a distance from the children of the tenants as he was by now a folly- grown bear.

Question 17.
In a few days the coolies hoisted the cage on to the island and Baba was released. He was delighted; standing on his hind legs, he pointed his ‘gun’ and cradled his ‘baby

(a) What ‘island’ does the author talk about?
Answer:
The island was a piece of land in the author’s compound which was surrounded by a dry moat. This place was prepared to keep the bear, Bruno.

(b) Why was a separate island required to house Baba?
Answer:
Baba was quite grown up and could be dangerous for the children of tenants. Therefore, it was necessary that he should be kept on a separate island.

(c) Why was Baba delighted?
Answer:
Baba was delighted because he had come back home after three months in the zoo where he had terribly missed the family, particularly the author’s wife.

(d) What were Baba’s ‘gun’ and ‘baby’?
Answer:
Baba’s ‘gun’ was a piece of bamboo which he playfully used as a gun and the ‘baby’ was a piece of bamboo that he would cradle affectionately.

In brief, “The Road Not Taken Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive” by Robert Frost is a thought-provoking poem that delves into the complexities of decision-making and its consequences. The poet, faced with two divergent paths, contemplates the choice he must make and reflects on how that choice shapes his life. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 English with Answers.

Online Education for The Road Not Taken Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive

The Road Not Taken Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is the setting of the poem?
Answer:
The setting of the poem is a wood where the poet, Robert Frost, has gone for a walk. He comes to a fork in the woods and does not know which path to take. Both the roads are equally attractive and inviting. While one of the roads is the more frequented and easy, the other is less travelled and full of challenges. The poet decides to take the less frequented road.

Question 2.
What is a wood? What did the narrator see in the wood? Were the paths similar?
Answer:
Wood means a forest. He saw two paths diverging from a fork in the road and disappearing in the undergrowth. The roads were not similar as one was less used and so had more grass and seemed less used than the other.

Question 3.
Which of the two roads did the narrator take? Why?
Answer:
The narrator took the road that not many people had taken. It was a grassy road and so more inviting as not many people had walked on it. Also, the poet was more adventurous and wanted to take a route not many had taken. He wanted the challenge of the unknown.

Question 4.
What did the narrator hope that he would do one day? Was he sure of doing so?
Answer:
The narrator hoped to come back and try the other path someday. No, he did not think he would do so because he knew that one path would lead to another and it would be difficult for him to come back.

Question 5.
Does one road seem to be more appealing than the other? Use examples from the poem to support your answer.
Answer:
When the narrator comes to a fork in the road, he is not able to decide which path to take. One of the roads looks more frequented by people while the second road appears to be less travelled on. Though he is tempted to walk on both, he decides to take the second path with the intention of walking on the other one sometime in the future.

Question 6.
Why did the poet leave the first path?
Answer:
The poet left the first path because it was well-trodden. Many people had walked on that path. He wanted the excitement and adventure of choosing to walk a path that was not frequented by too many people. It would offer him challenges to face.

Question 7.
What does the poet mean when he says, ‘worn them really about the same’?
Answer:
The poet means to relay to the readers that both the roads that diverged in a yellow wood seemed similar and both of them looked as if they people had walked on them, though one was less frequented. However, on that particular autumn morning, they were covered with fallen leaves and appeared as if they were not been used for a while.

Question 8.
If you were the speaker/poet, which road would you choose? Why would you do so?
Answer:
If I were the speaker/ poet I would choose the road that seemed relatively unused because I am an adventurous person and like challenges.
OR
I would choose that one that seemed to be more trodden upon because I prefer safety to adventure. A road used by more people indicates the certainty of it leading somewhere.

Question 9.
Do you think the narrator regrets his decision later? What makes you think so?
OR
Do you think the speaker is happy with his choice or not? Why?
Answer:
The speaker of this poem is not unhappy with his choice, and wonders where the other path, the road he did not take, would have led him. He thinks about a future time when he will look back at his decision with a sigh of regret as he thinks of the opportunities he may have lost by not taking the other road.
OR
The speaker of this poem is happy with his choice, though he knows he will not be able to return to take the more frequented path. He thinks about a future time when he will look back at his decision with a sigh of contentment and he will think of all that he has achieved by taking this road that is not normally taken.

Question 10.
Discuss the imagery in the poem.
Answer:
A very important, element in this poem is its use of natural imagery. The poem is about someone alone in the woods, on an autumn morning. The season is autumn, when the trees are beginning to shed their yellowing leaves, which cover the ground.

Question 11.
What do you think the differences between the two roads in this poem are, if any?
Answer:
One day while walking in a wooded area full of trees with yellow leaves, the poet comes to a fork in the place and he has to decide which road he should take. While both the roads are about the same and equally – inviting with fallen leaves on both look pretty fresh, one of the roads is less frequented and so more grassy.

Question 12.
What does the title of the poem suggest about how the speaker feels about his decision?
Answer:
The speaker makes a choice of taking the path that is less walked on after much deliberation, and leaves the well-trodden path for another day. But he wants to walk down the other road at a later date though he knows that he will never be able to return to take the other path. He knows that sometime in the future he will regret, or at the very least he will wonder, about the opportunities he may have lost by not taking the other road.

Question 13.
How sure do you think the speaker is that he will never come back to try the other road?
Answer:
The speaker chooses one of the paths in the wood which is less travelled and so more grassy, telling himself that he will take the other another day. Yet he knows it is unlikely that he will have the opportunity to do so because of the manner in which one path leads on to the other, taking the traveller far away from the other path.

Question 14.
What season do you think this poem takes place in? Why?
Answer:
The speaker tells us the woods are yellow, so we can infer that it’s autumn. The leaves have freshly fallen covering both paths – the one that is much travelled and worn and the road less taken and grassy.

Question 15.
Bring out the relevance of the poem The Road Not Taken.
Answer:
The Road Not Taken is a poem relevant for all times as it is a poem that deals with facing dilemmas in life.
At times the decisions we have to take may not be easy, at other times we may take a wrong decision. The poet, however, suggest that once we have taken a decision, we must move on and leave all second thoughts and regrets behind.

Question 16.
Why does the last stanza of the poem start with a sigh?
Answer:
The last stanza of the poem begins with a sigh of regret. The title, too, suggests the poem is about the road the poet did not travel on. The poet had left the road more frequented for another day. However, as one path led to another, he was not able to come back and walk on the other road.
OR
The poet’s sigh is one of relief and satisfaction. He is satisfied with all that he has achieved in life. His decision of taking the path not frequented by many has brought to him success and glory not many have known. He breathes a sigh of relief that on that day he took the road less travelled and that has made all the difference to his life.

Question 17.
What is the theme of the poem The Road Not Taken?
Answer:
The poet suggests that we may face dilemmas in life, but one should be ready for challenges. We must take risks and take the more difficult path. Walking on a path not many have taken is more challenging, but it may lead to better results.

Question 18.
Robert Frost did not feel dejected or disappointed in taking the road that was less tavelled. Justify.
Answer:
Robert Frost says he took the road less travelled because to him it appeared more inviting. The poet’s sigh of pride with his decision that has made all the difference to his life and his repition of the pronoun “I” shows his pride in exercising his individualism.

Question 19.
What do you learn about the poet from his decision to take the road he chose?
Answer:
The poet is an individualist. He likes to make his own choices and is not guided by others in doing so. He is adventurous and accepts challenges. He is a risk-taker and takes difficult decisions easily. He wants to stand out in a crowd.

Question 20.
Why did the poet doubt he would ever reach the same intersection again?
Answer:
The poet is pragmatic enough to know he may not be able to retrace his steps as one way leads to another. The path he has chosen will probably take him so far from the trodden path that he may find it difficult to return.

The Road Not Taken Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Discuss the title of the poem “The Road Not Taken”. Is it appropriate for the poem?
Answer:
The poem has an apt title. ‘The road’ is the symbol of the choices made by us in life. Many times, we regret the choice made by us but what is done once cannot be undone. Or, we may be happy for having taken the decisions we did. Even as the speaker makes a choice of taking the path that is less walked on, and leaves the well-trodden path for another day, the speaker knows that he will never be able to return to take the other path.

He knows that sometime in the future he will regret, or at the very least he will wonder, at the other path that is irrevocably lost. He realises that there is no Right Path—just the chosen path and the other path. Ages hence, he will sigh over the decisions taken. Hence, the poet has given his poem the title “The Road Not Taken”.

Question 2.
Why does the poet say he shall tell people “this with a sigh”? Why do you think the final stanza starts with a sigh?
Answer:
The poet comes to a fork in the road and decides to walk on the path that looks less walked on. He is however wishful of walking on the other road on some other day. He is not sure if his choice has been the right one and feels that if someone asks him to justify his choice he would probably answer him with a sigh. The sigh could signify two things. Either it is a sigh of happiness and contentment at having achieved success in life because of the right choices made at the right time or it could be interpreted to mean that the sigh is one of regret and sorrow at having made the wrong choice and lost out on a golden opportunity.

Question 3.
Bring out the symbolism in the poem “The Road Not Taken”.
Answer:
The poem is about something more than the choice of paths in a wood. We can interpret the narrator’s choice of a road as a symbol for any choice in life between alternatives that appear almost equally attractive. It is only after the passage of years, that we can really evaluate the decisions and choices that we make based on the result of these choices. If we find success, the choice is the right one but if the result is failure and pain then the choice has obviously not been the right one.

Question 4.
What do you think the fork in the road could represent in the speaker’s life?
Answer:
The fork could represent a time in the speaker’s life when he has reached a point in his life when he is facing a big dilemma; the road he’s walking on, and the life he’s leading, is forking into two separate roads up ahead. He has to decide on the future course of his life.

The decision he’s up against could be something like changing careers or moving to a different place. However, he knows that the choices he makes at this time would be final. It would probably too late to go back and change his mind after he makes big decisions; he knows that he probably will never have time. Whatever the decision is, it must be major, because he knows that he’ll still be talking about it far in the future, saying that it made a big difference in his life.

Question 5.
Debate the topic ‘The speaker is purposefully ambiguous about whether or not he’s -happy with his choice.’
Answer:
“The Road Not Taken” is a poem about the other road or the choices one makes. When he has to make a choice, the speaker takes the road that many people have avoided, or the road less taken. The other road is the road the speaker did not take. He does want to return to the road at some point, but knows he will not be able to come back to take that road. There is something about his decision of not taking the other road that causes the speaker to sigh in remembrance of not leaving it. The sigh seems to be a sad sigh, simply because he could not take both roads.

The speaker feels his decision has made all the difference. In a sense, the speaker is trying to convince himself that he took the right road. However, the fact that the speaker is still thinking about the other road is an indication that he will forever have a doubt. Truly, this poem is about the other road, the road the speaker did not take. Seeing as how “way leads on to way,” the speaker doubts that he shall ever go back. Therefore, he visits the idea of taking the other road only in his memory.

The Road Not Taken Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
‘‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; ”

(a) What does the narrator mean by “a yellow wood”?
Answer:
By “yellow wood” the poet means a forest where the trees have yellowing and falling leaves.

(b) What choice did the narrator have to make?
Answer:
The narrator had to choose between the two roads.

(c) Which road did the narrator take?
Answer:
He took the road that was less travelled upon.

(d) What does the narrator regret?
Answer:
The narrator regrets the fact that he cannot travel on both the paths. He also regrets the fact that he cannot come back to the start once he makes a choice.

Question 2.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry, I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far I could;
To where it bent in the undergrowth, ”

(a) What did the narrator see in the wood?
Answer:
The narrator saw two paths diverging in the forest.

(b) Why did the narrator stand there for “long”?
Answer:
The narrator stood there for long because he could not make up his mind which path to take.

(c) How were the two roads different?
Answer:
While one of the roads was frequently taken, the second road appeared to be less travelled

(d) The poet here is using “roads” as symbols of:
Answer:
Choices one makes in life.

Question 3.
“Then took the other, as just as fair, ‘
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, ”

(a) What does “other” refer to in the above lines?
Answer:
In the above lines “other” refers to the road that was grassy and less travelled upon.

(b) Which road did the narrator choose?
Answer:
The narrator chose the one that was grassy and less travelled upon.

(c) Explain “grassy and wanted wear”?
Answer:
The road was covered with grass as not many people had walked this road so it was more inviting.

(d) What did the narrator decide about the road he did not take?
Answer:
He decided to walk down that road another day.

Question 4.
‘And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way;
I doubted if I should ever come back. ”

(a) What does “both” refer to?
Answer:
In the given lines “both” refers to the two roads that forked out in different directions.

(b) Explain the line “In leaves no step had trodden back”.
Answer:
The given line means a path not commonly used so the dried leaves that lay on the ground and had not been trampled upon.

(c) Why did the narrator wish to come back?
Answer:
He wanted to walk down the road he had left.

(d) What made the narrator doubt whether he “should ever come back”?
Answer:
The fact that one road generally leads to another made the narrator doubt that he should ever come back.

Question 5.
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference ”

(a) Where was the narrator walking one day?
Answer:
He was walking in the woods

(b) Which road did the narrator leave?
Answer:
The narrator left the road on which most people travelled.

(c) When will the narrator look back on his life?
Answer:
The narrator will look back on his life after a very long time – when he is an old man.

(d) Why do you think the narrator says this “with a sigh”?
Answer:
The narrator is regretful; he could not return and take the road he had left behind to travel on another day. OR He is content as the road he took him led him on to glory and a better life (Choose either)

Question 6.
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference ”

(a) Where is the narrator standing?
Answer:
The narrator is standing at a place where the road forked into two.

(b) Why was the narrator sorry?
Answer:
The narrator was sorry because he could not travel both roads.

(c) Which road did the narrator finally decide to take and why?
Answer:
Encourage the students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.
The narrator finally decided to take the road that not many people had walked on because it seemed more adventurous than the route everyone seemed to take.

(d) Whom will he tell this with a sigh?
Answer:
The narrator will tell this to the people with whom he is sharing the story of his life.

Question 7.
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference. ”

(a) What will the narrator tell “with a sigh”?
Answer:
The narrator will tell about the fork that he had come to in the woods and the choice he had to make; the fact that he had taken the road less frequented by people.

(b) Why does the narrator say, “And that has made all the difference”?
Answer:
The narrator said that later in life he shall be retrospectively telling people how his life has been different due to the choices he had made long ago.

(c) What did the narrator wish to do when he takes the road that he has not been able to do?
Answer:
The narrator wanted to come back and take the other road.

(d) What difference did the road he took make to his life?
Answer:
The road he took him led him on to glory and a better life.

Question 8.
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference “

(a) What is the theme of the poem?
Answer:
The theme of the poem is the various problems we face in life and the choices we make.

(b) Which poetic device defines the roads in the wood?
Answer:
A metaphor has been used to define the two roads in the wood.

(c) What is the tone of the narrator in the last stanza?
Answer:
The narrator adopts a reflective tone in the last stanza.

(d) Where is the narrator when he makes the choice?
Answer:
While out for a walk in the woods, the narrator comes to a fork in the road and has to decide which path to take.

Welcome to an insightful journey into the world of poetry, specifically focusing on the poem “Wind” from the Class 9 English Beehive textbook. If you find yourself captivated by the beauty of nature and the emotions it evokes, then this article is tailor-made for you! Here, we present a compilation of Wind Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive that will unravel the essence of this evocative poem. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 English with Answers.

Wind Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive

Wind Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Why does the poet ask wind to blow softly?
Answer:
The poet asks wind to blow softly because he knows that a strong wind will causes a lot of damage to structures that are not very strong. It will break the shutters of windows, throw the books from the shelves, and tear their pages and bring rain.

Question 2.
What damage does wind cause in the poet’s room?
Answer:
Wind breaks the shutters of the windows, it scatters the poet’s papers. It even throws down his books and tears the pages. Then it brings rain and disturbs everything.

Question 3.
What is winnowing? What, according to the poet, does the wind god winnow?
Answer:
Winnowing refers to blowing away or removing the chaff from grain before it can be used as food. It thus implies segregating people or things by judging their quality. The poet says that the wind god separates the weak from the strong like the chaff from grain.

Question 4.
How does wind make fun of weaklings?
Answer:
Wind makes fun of the weaklings by separating them from the strong and then crushing them by its force. Wind who is very strong does not behave in a friendly way with the weak. It destroys the weak things.

Question 5.
What harm does wind do when it blows hard?
Answer:
When a strong wind blows, it destroys everything. It breaks the shutters of the windows, scatters the papers, throws the books off the shelves, and tears the pages of the books.

Question 6.
What kinds of houses should we build to withstand the power of wind?
Answer:
We should make strong houses with doors that have firm joints as wind will not be able to crumble those.

Question 7.
What does ‘crumbling’ suggests in the poem ‘Wind’?
Answer:
The word ‘crumbling’ in the poem ‘Wind’ suggests fragile or frail. He feels that wind separates the frail
or
derelict houses, doors, rafters, wood, and weak bodies, lives, and hearts from those that are strong and crushes them all.

Question 8.
Explain what the poet means by ‘Make the heart steadfast’.
Answer:
The poet advises that while facing difficulties and challenges in life, one should have strong determination and courage. Wind causes weak structures to crumble and puts out a weak fire, but has no effect on a strong structure, in fact, it causes a strong fire to bum more intensely. Similarly, a resolute heart can face all adversities.

Question 9.
What should we do to make friends with the winds?
Answer:
The wind makes fun of weak things. Thus, wind teaches us to be strong and determined, as a time friend should. We should make ourselves physically and mentally strong to overcome the troubles and turmoil we may face in life.

Question 10.
‘He won’t do what you tell him’. Who is ‘he’? Why does he not obey others?
Answer:
In this line, ‘he’ stands for the wind god. The wind god does not obey man because it is so powerful that it cannot be controlled.

Question 11.
Explain the meaning of ‘We praise him every day’.
Answer:
Here ‘him’ stands for the wind god. We praise the wind every day because it provides us strength and life. As long as wind is our friend, it helps us flourish. Therefore, we must sing his praises.

Question 12.
What does the wind symbolise?
Answer:
In the first stanza, wind represents destruction. Wind destroys the weak by throwing books down from the shelves, tearing pages from books and by bringing rain. Wind, especially strong and gusty wind symbolizes the difficulties and turmoils we face in life. Strong people face difficulties bravely while weak people are broken.

Question 13.
How does the poet describe the wind in the poem ‘Wind’?
Answer:
The poet describes wind in two forms. One is fierce and violent wind that destroys everything. It is not friendly with the weak structures or characters. It makes them crumble. The second form of wind is the nurturing one. It brings comfort and happiness to the strong. It makes the strong fire to bum brighter.

Question 14.
What is the central idea of the poem ‘Wind’?
Answer:
In Wind Subramania Bharati advises us to face challenges and obstacles in life with grit and determination. For this we must be strong in mind and body. Only then will wind be our friend. Wind represents the difficulties and challenges we encounter in life. We should encounter them boldly.

Question 15.
What kind of people are disturbed by wind?
Answer:
Wind disturbs only those people who are weak and vulnerable. People who are determined and self-confident are able to overcome the hardships caused by wind. The wind is not able to disturb their equanimity or peace of mind. The wind blows out weak fires and makes strong fires roar and flourish.

Wind Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
What challenges are posed by wind in the life of the poet and the common man?
Answer:
According to the poet, wind disrupts our everyday life. Wind, and accompanying rain, are forces of nature that are perceived as the tempest forces which create impediments in a man’s life. Just as our problems which can arise from nowhere, wind can hit us at any time of our life It mocks the weak and the frail. For frail people, literally and metaphorically, wind creates barriers. Winds do not let a frail body or a frail mind survive but on the other hand If you are strong, you have the power and the will to survive and fight back, wind can never be a threat to your being.

Question 2.
What advice does the poet offer the people? Write your answer in the context of the poem, ‘Wind’.
Answer:
According to the poet, the wind is very powerful. It can break the shutters of the windows, scatter the papers, throw the books down from the shelves and tear their pages. When it blows violently, it brings the clouds. It mocks at the weak and destroys their homes. But the poet is not dismayed. He realises thinks that when the people build strong houses, they can challenge the wind. The poet suggests that we should face the challenges and hardships with courage, grit and firm determination. The wind is a symbol of problems and obstacles which are to be dealt without fear.

Wind Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
Wind, come softly.
Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.

(a) Who is the poet addressing in the above lines?
Answer:
The poet is addressing the wind in the above lines.

(b) How does the poet want the wind to blow?
Answer:
The poet wants the wind to blow gently without causing destruction

(c) What has the wind done to the books?
Answer:
Wind has thrown the books down from the shelves/tom their pages.

(d) Name the poetic device used in the above lines.
Answer:
Apostrophe: Wind, come softly.
Anaphora: Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.

Question 2.
There, look what you did – you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.

(a) What is the poet’s tone in the above lines?
Answer:
The poet remonstrates with the wind. He accuses the wind of making a mess.

(b) What has the wind done?
Answer:
Wind has thrown down his books from the shelves and has tom them.

(c) What has wind brought with it?
Answer:
Wind has brought rain with it.

(d) Name a poetic device used in the lines above.
Answer:
Personification: The poet addresses the wind like a mischief maker.

Question 3.
There, look what you did-you threw them all down
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
You are very clever at poking fun at weaklings

(a) Whom are these lines addressed to? What is the figure of speech?
Answer:
These lines are addressed to the wind; personification

(b) What kind of destruction does wind cause when it blows hard?
Answer:
When wind blows hard, it destroys everything. It breaks the shutters, scatters the papers, throws the books, and tears the pages of the books.

(c) What word is repeated and why?
Answer:
You is repeated as the poet accuses the wind of wreaking chaos

(d) What does the wind symbolise?
Answer:
Wind symbolises the challenges and hardships we face in life.

Question 4.
You ’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.
Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
Crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives,
Crumbling hearts—
the wind god winnows and crushes them all.

(a) Who is very clever? What is it clever at?
Answer:
The wind is very clever. It makes fun of weaklings.

(b) How does wind make fun of weaklings?
Answer:
Wind makes fun of the weak by making them crumble.

(c) What does the wind god do to the weak?
Answer:
The wind god separates the weak from the strong and crushes them.

(d) What should we do to make friends with the wind?
Answer:
To make friends with wind we need to build strong homes with firm doors. We should also make ourselves physically and mentally strong by building strong, firm bodies and having steadfast hearts.

Question 5.
He won’t do what you tell him.
So, come, let’s build strong homes,
Let’s joint the doors firmly.
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.

(a) Who is referred to as ‘He’ in the above lines?
Answer:
He in the above lines refers to the wind.

(b) What is he being told to do?
Answer:
He is being told to blow softly and not break the shutters of the windows, scatter the papers or throw down the books from the shelves.

(c) What advice does the poet give the reader?
Answer:
The poet asks people to build strong houses and firm doors and keep our bodies and hearts strong unyielding.

(d) What does wind do to the strong?
Answer:
Wind befriends those who are strong.

Question 6.
He won’t do what you tell him.
So, come, let’s build strong homes,
Let’s joint the doors firmly.
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.

(a) Who is the ‘you’ in the above lines?
Answer:
You refers to the listener/reader/mankind in general.

(b) What does the poet imply when he says ‘He won’t do what you tell him’?
Answer:
The poet implies that difficulties and troubles do not listen to entreaties; they have to be faced boldly.

(c) Why should we make the heart steadfast?
Answer:
The poet says that the wind makes fun of the weaklings only. Therefore, it is necessary for us to be strong.

(d) What does the poet mean by ‘make the heart steadfast’?
Answer:
We must be determined and resolute.

Question 7.
He won 7 do what you tell him.
So, come, let’s build strong homes,
Let’s joint the doors firmly.
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.

(a) Who does the poet advise?
Answer:
The poet advises the listener/reader/mankind in general.

(b) What advice does he offer?
Answer:
The poet advises to build strong houses, join doors firmly and to make ourselves firm and strong in body and mind.

(c) What quality of ‘his’ character is revealed in these lines?
Answer:
He, the wind, does not listen to anyone’s pleadings or entreaties. He does what he wants to do.

(d) Write any two destructive actions of the wind?
Answer:
Scatters papers/ throws books down from the shelf/breaks the shutters of the windows/tears pages from books.

Question 8.
Do this, and the wind will be friends with us.
The wind blows out weak fires.
He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
His friendship is good.
We praise him every day.

(a) What does the poet mean when he says ‘do this’?
Answer:
By saying do this the poet says we must build strong houses and have firm doors. We must be strong in mind and body.

(b) How does wind affect fires?
Answer:
Wind blows out weak fires, but it makes strong fires bum more fiercely.

(c) Who is referred to as ‘He’? Why does the poet say ‘his friendship is good’?
Answer:
He refers to wind. The poet says so because its friendship gives us strength and makes us flourish.

(d) What message do we get from the poem?
Answer:
We grow stronger when we face challenges in life with courage and confidence.

Embark on a fascinating journey through the intricate process of constitutional design, exploring the principles and challenges involved in shaping a nation’s fundamental governance framework. Have you ever wondered about the key components of a constitution, the principles that guide its formation, and the significance of constitutional design in ensuring a just and democratic society? In this article, we present you with a Constitutional Design Class 9 Extra Questions with Answers. Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 Social Science with Answers.

Constitutional Design Class 9 Extra Questions with Answers

Question 1.
Mention the number of states in the Union of India.
Answer:
Twenty eight (2006).

Question 2.
Mention the number of union territories in India.
Answer:
Seven (2006).

Question 3.
Give the dafe when the Constitution of India was Enforced.
Answer:
January 26, 1950, also called the Republic Day.

Question 4.
Who was elected as the President of the Constituent Assembly ?
Answer:
Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

Question 5.
Name the chairman of the drafting committee who drafted the constitution.
Answer:
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

Question 6.
Name the three states which Originated in 2001..
Answer:

1. Chattisgarh,
2. Uttranchal,
3. Jharkhand.

Question 7.
What is meant by the union territory?
Answer:
Union territory is the region where the government is under the direct control of the Centre.

Question 8.
For how many days did the Constituent Assembly meet?
Answer:
114 days.

Question 9.
What time was taken in the making of the constitution?
Answer:
2 years 11 months and 18 days.

Question 10.
Why tire Constitution is called a living document?
Answer:
The Constitution is called a living document because it has the scope of continuous development according to the needs, aspirations and the expectations of the people.

Question 11.
Name the countries from where the Constitution had incorporated some of the salient features.
Answer:

• England,
• Ireland,
• France.
• U.S.A
• Australia.

Question 12.
Who set out the underlying philosophy of the Constitution?
Answer:
Jawaharlal Nehru.

Question 13.
What is highlighted by the Preamble?
Answer:
The Preamble highlights the fundamental and noblest values and guiding principles on which the Indian Constitution is based.

Question 14.
How many items are there in the Concurrent List ?
Answer:
47.

Question 15.
How many items are there in the State List?
Answer:
66.

Question 16.
Which one of the three lists has Tnaximum of the items?
Answer:
The Union List.

Question 17.
How many subjects are there in the Union List ?
Answer:
97.

Question 18.
Which kind of citizenship has been provided in India?
Answer:
Single citizenship.

Question 19.
What are the provisions made by the, Indian Constitution to cope with a situation which is not normal?
Answer:
Emergency provisions.

Question 20.
By whom the residuary powers are enjoyed?
Answer:
By the Central Government.

Question 21.
In which of the lists the subjects like criminal and civil procedure are included?
Answer:
In the Concurrent List.

Question 22.
Name some of the subjects included in the Union List.
Answer:

• Banking,
• Telegraph,
• Defence,
• Foreign affairs,
• Atomic Energy etc.

Question 23.
Name some of the subjects included in the State List.
Answer:

• Police,
• Local government,
• Agriculture,
• Trade and commerce etc.

Question 24.
At the time of emergency which one of the governments has been more powers?
Answer:
The Central Government.

Question 25.
How were the number of seats allocated to the states?
Answer:
Each of the states was allocated the number of seats in such a manner that the ratio between the number of seats and the population remain practical.

Question 26.
What is Constitution?
Answer:
Constitution is a set of rules according to which the government of a country runs. The constitution also defines the composition and powers of the three organs of the government- the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary.

The constitution also explains the relations between the government are the citizens. The constitution defines the powers of the government so clearly that in order to make sure the government does not misuse its powers. The constitution protects the right of the citizens. In fact, every independent country prepares a constitution of its own as it signifies independence.

Question 27.
Explain in your own words the difference you find between the political maps of India, in 1947 and in 2002.
Answer:
The political map of India in 1947:
In 1947, when India got its freedom; it had provinces and several princely states. Many of its parts were still: under the foreign possession like Pondicherry, Yanam, Mahe, and Chandernagore were under the French rule while Goa, Daman and Diu were under the rule of Portugal, This also shows nearly 562 princely states independence. Hie political map of India in 2002: This map shows the present political condition of India. having 28 states and 7 union territories. In the present map of India, there is no foreign territory.

Question 28.
Why the Constituent Assembly is called the miniature India?
Answer:
The Constituent Assembly is called the miniature India because the members of the Constituent Assembly were from all of the parts and communities of the country. In fact, the Constituent Assembly did not only have the members from different communities and regions but also had the members representing different political parties. Hence, it was a miniature India in a very true sense.

Question 29.
Give a brief description of the Constituent Assembly.
Answer:
The Constituent Assembly had the great leaders like Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Ballabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Dr.Shyama Prasad Mukerji, Sardar Baldev Singh. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the President of the Constituent Assembly. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee.

In fact, the Constituent Assembly had its members from different regions and sections of India. More than 30 members were from scheduled castes. The Anglo Indian community was being represented by Frank Anthony while H. P. Modi was representing the Parsi community.

Question 30.
Make a table of the languages which have been included in the Constitution.
Answer:
Assemse Bengali Gujarati’ Hindi Dogri Kannada Kashmiri Konkani Malayalam
Manipuri Marathi Nepali Orissa Santhali
Punjabi Sanskrit Sindhi Tamil Maithali
Telugu Urdu Bodo

Question 31.
Name the states which were carved out of in view of the popular demand much after 1956.
Answer:
In 1956 the states of India were reorganized for the first. But several states were carved out in view of the popular demands.

These states are

• Gujarat,
• Nagaland,
• Haryana,
• Mizoram,
• Himachal Pradesh,
• Manipur,
• Meghalaya,
• Arunachal Pradesh,
• Tripura,
• Goa,
• Chhattisgarh,
• Jharkhand,
• Uttaranchal.

Question 32.
How many members were there in the Indian constituent Assembly in December 1947?
Answer:
In December 1947 the Constituent Assembly of India had 299 members. 229 members among them were from the Indian states while 70 members were from the princely states.

Question 33.
Why has Hindi been adopted as the official language of the Union government?
Answer:
After the independence, the need of adopting an Indian language to replace English was felt.

The Constituent Assembly choose Hindi to replace English because of the following reasons:

• Of all the Ind.ian languages, Hindi is spoken by a large number of the people. ‘
• Hindi is understood by a large number of people.
• Even the persons whose mother tongue is not Hindi can understand Hindi.

“Because of these plus points, Hindi has been adopted as the official language of the Union government.
However, an assurance was also given that so long as it is found necessary the non- Hindi speaking states have been given the liberty to use English along with Hindi.

Question 34.
What was the need of reorganization of the states after the independence?
Answer:
Soon after the independence, most of the princely states and the states were joined together so that the unity and the integration of the country would be maintained. But after some time the need was felt to reorganise the states because of the expectations and aspirations of the people and also because of their demands.

Question 35.
Why is Preamble very important?
Answer:
The Preamble contains the ideals and basic principles of the Indian constitution. The Preamble is riot a part of the constitution. The Preamble is neither enforceable in a court of law. No one has the right to go to the court and say that the. Preamble has not been enforced by the government.

Yet the Preamble is, very important as it serves as the guiding light of the constitution. The Preamble of the Indian constitution makes it absolutely clear that the Indian constitution stands for justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

Question 36.
What do you know about the Universal Adult Franchise? Why the constitution of India has adopted it?
Answer:
The term Universal Adult Franchise is meant by the voting right of the citizen. In India, every citizen who has completed the age of 18 years is able to participate in the election procedure.

This right has been extended to all the citizens irrespective of. their caste, creed, colour, religion, sex or status. Our Constitution has adopted this system to make India a real democracy. In a very true sense, this feature has made India the largest democracy in the world.

Question 37.
Write down the four ideals on what the Preamble of the of India emphasises. *
Answer:
The preamble of our constitution emphasises on the following four elements-

1. Justice-According to the Preamble every citizen must get justice in every sector including social, economic and political sectors.
2. Liberty-Each Indian must have the liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.
3. Equality-The Preamble ensures equality of status and opportunity for all the citizens.
4. Fraternity-It assures the dignity of the individuals and the unity and integrity of the Nation.

Question 38.
Explain clearly the meaning given to secularism.
Answer:
Secularism in India acquired a meaning different from the way it is. understood in the West. It means respect for all religious beliefs and practices, regardless of who and what number follow a particular religion. It also means that individual has complete freedom of faith and worship.

Question 39.
Explain as to how the European countries and India got their democratic rights.
Answer:
In Europe, people won democratic rights through long struggles against, the privileges of aristocrats and powers of monarchs. Sometimes, these struggles were highly violent. For example, during the French Revolution, hundreds of supporters of monarchy were killed.

In India, the struggle for democracy was carried on against the British colonial rule. It retrained by and large peaceful. With the adoption of the Constitution, all basic democratic political rights along with universal adult suffrage were introduced in India at one stroke.

Question 40.
What is the basic structure of the T Constitution?
Answer:
The Constitution of India does not describe as what is the basic structure of the Constitution. But the Supreme Court has done it.

The basic structure of the constitution is as follows:
“every provision of the Constitution is essential; otherwise it would not have been put in the Constitution. This is true. But this does not place every provision of the Constitution in the same position. The true position is that every provision of the Constitution can be amended provided the basic foundation and structure of the Constitution remains the same.

The basic structure may be said to consist of the following features:

• Supremacy of the Constitution;
• Republican and Democratic form of Government;
• Secular character of the Constitution;
• Separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary;
• Federal character of the Constitution.”

“The above structure is built on the basic foundation, i.e., the dignity and freedom of the individual. This is of supreme importance. This cannot, by any form of amendment, be destroyed,” The Supreme Court said this in its judgement on the Kesavananda Bharati case.

Question 41.
Explain terms such as “sovereign’, ‘democratic’, and republic.
Answer:
The Constitution proclaimed India to be a sovereign democratic republic. This three words-sovereign, democratic and republic are significant. Sovereignty means supreme power. It means the right of people to take decisions on internal matters as well as policies determining our relations with other countries. As the authority of the government rests upon the support of the people, people are sovereign. Democracy means people enjoy equal political rights.

They include right to form associations, right to criticise and oppose policies of government, right to contest elections and hold public offices. People have a right to elect a government through periodical, free and fair elections. Government is responsible to people and exercises powers only as defined in the Constitution.

No government can continue in power without the support of majority of people’s representatives in the legislature. People can change the government in elections. Republic means that the head of the State (President) is an elected person. He/ she wields power for a fixed term. India is a Union of States.

Question 42.
Compare the grant of the democratic rights as it came in the European countries and in India.
Answer:
European countries had developed industrially before they became full-fledged democracies. But in India democracy came before any such substantial industrial development. At the time of its Independence, India was predominantly an agrarian economy. Illiteracy was widespread. Poverty was rampant. This was an unusual experiment in establishing democracy in conditions of mass poverty. European countries had become strong nations by the time they became democratic.

The situation was different in. our country. The task of building the nation in real sense started after we became a democracy. In Europe and America expansion of democracy took place by limiting the powers of government. People there believed that freedom is possible if there is no unnecessary interference of government in private affairs of the individual.

So they fought for freedoms against absolutist governments. But in India, government was assigned a larger role from the beginning: We wanted the state to bring about all-around development. So the expansion of democracy in India has been bound with the expansion of government.

Thus in the history of the Western nations, expansion of democracy was associated with industrialisation, emergence of strong nations, militant struggles for voting rights and limiting the governmental powers. Those countries went through these stages one after the other, over a period of nearly 200 years. But in India democracy had to address these issues all at the same time.

The country has to industrially develop, build a nation and national government, transform social relations, and meet the basic needs of the people. The Indian state had to simultaneously pursue these, goals in a democratic framework.

Question 43.
Write a brief note on the Directive Principles of State Policy.
Answer:
The Constitution prescribed certain guidelines for governments in making policies. These are called “Directive Policies of State Policy”. Their objective is to secure a social order, which promotes the welfare of the people. For example, the State should take steps for securing an adequate means of livelihood to all citizens.

The ownership and control of the material resources of the nation are to be distributed in such a way as to secure the common good. The economic system of the county is to be operated in a maimer so as to prevent concentration of wealth.

Men and women shall receive equal pay for equal work. Free and compulsory education, shall be provided to all children. Child labour shall be eliminated. The principles of socialism and. Gandhian ideals are incorporated in these Directive Principles.

Question 44.
Who proposed the Objectives Resolution? For what did it stand?
Answer:
The Objectives Resolution was proposed by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru on 13th December 1946. It was passed on 22 January 1947. Objective Resolution was in fact a document which contained the main objectives of the framing of the new constitution for India.

The Objectives Resolution stood for the. following objectives-

• The Objectives Resolution dealt with fundamentals which were commonly held and had been accepted by the people.
• The Resolution states that it is our firm and solemn resolve to have a sovereign republic.
• It stands for a free India that can be nothing but a republic.
• It declared that the Union would be an “independent Sovereign Republic” and it would be comprised of the autonomic units of the British and the princely states with residuary powers.
• It ensures that the ideas of social, political and economic democracy would be guaranteed to all the sections of the people.
• It also ensures that an adequate safeguard would be provided for minorities and the backward communities and the areas.
• It also guaranteed that the people of India would be given the freedom of thought, vocation, association, expression, belief, faith, worship and in law and morality.

Objective Type Questions

1. Fill up the following blanks with suitable words-

(i) The Constitution of our country has taken ……………………… years ……………………… months……………………… days in its making.
Answer:
2, 11,18.

(ii) In the Constituent Assembly, the Parsi community was being represented by ……………………… .
Answer:
H. P. Modi

(iii) In the Constituent Assembly, the total number of the members from the states of the British India were ……………………… .
Answer:
296

(iv) The Objective Resolution was proposed by ……………………… .
Answer:
Pt. Jawhar Lai Nehru.

2. Put (✓) before the correct sentences and (✗) before incorrect ones.

(i) The Constituent Assembly was not directly elected by the people.
Answer:
(✓)

(ii) Shyama Prasad Mukerjee was not among the leaders who guided the discussion in the constituent Assembly.
Answer:
(✗)

(iii) Constitution is a fundamental legal document.
Answer:
(✓)

(iv) British India was an independent, Sovereign and Republic.
Answer:
(✗)

(v) The underlying philosophy of the constitution was set out by Jawaharlal Nehru in his Objective Resolution.
Answer:
(✓)

(vi) Yanam was possessed by France.
Answer:
(✓)

(vii) The Drafting committee was known as the miniature of India.
Answer:
(✗)

3. Choose the correct answer from the alternatives given here:

(i) The following was the President of the Constituent Assembly:
(a) Dr. Ambedkar
(b) Dr. Rajendra Prasad
(c) Gandhiji
(d) Nehru
Answer:
(b) Dr. Rajendra Prasad

(ii) The following was the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee:
(a) Dr. Ambedkar
(b) Dr. Rajdendra Prasad
(c) Gandhiji
(d) Nehru
Answer:
(a) Dr. Ambedkar.

(iii) India had enacted its Constitution on:
(a) 26th January 1930
(b) 26th November 1949
(c) 15th August 1947
(d) 26th January 1950.
Answer:
(d) 26th January 1950.

(iv) India’s Constitution is:
(a) Flexible
(b) Rigid
(c) Partly flexible, partly rigid
(d) Neither flexible nor rigid.
Answer:
(c) Partly flexible, partly rigid

(v) India’s federating units are:
(a) 25
(b) 26
(c) 27
(d) 28
Answer:
(d) 28.