NCERT Solutions Class 9 English (Beehive (Prose))
The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 9 English (Beehive (Prose)) Chapter – 3 The Little Girl has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise.
Chapter – 3 (The Little Girl)
Thinking about the Text
I. Given below are some emotions that Kezia felt. Match the emotions in Column A with the items in Column B.
| A | B |
| 1. fear or terror
2. glad sense of relief 3. a “funny” feeling, perhaps of understanding |
(i) father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss
(ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter (iii) father comes home (iv) speaking to father (v) going to bed when alone at home (vi) father comforts her and falls asleep (vii) father stretched out on the sofa, snoring |
Answer –
| A | B |
| 1. fear or terror
|
(iii) father comes home
(iv) speaking to father (v) going to bed when alone at home (vii) father stretched out on the sofa, snoring |
| 2. glad sense of relief | (i) father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss
(ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter |
| 3. a “funny” feeling, perhaps of understanding | (vi) father comforts her and falls asleep |
II. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.
1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Answer – Kezia was afraid of her father because he was extremely strict and commanding. He never played with her. He used to give her a terrifying look over his spectacles.
2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family?
Answer – Kezia’s family consisted of her mother, father, grandmother and herself.
3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine?
(i) before going to his office?
(ii) after coming back from his office?
(iii) on Sundays?
Answer –
(i) Before going to office, Kezia’s father would come to Kezia’s room and give her a goodbye kiss.
(ii) After coming back from his office, he would order his tea to be brought to the drawing room and would ask his mother to get his papers and slippers. He would then order Kezia to take off his boots.
(iii) On Sundays, he would stretch out on the sofa with his handkerchief on his face, his feet on one of the best cushions, sleep and snore.
4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?
Answer – Kezia’s grandmother encouraged her to get to know her father better by sending her to the drawing room to talk to her parents on Sundays. She also suggested Kezia to make a pin cushion out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk as a gift for her father’s birthday.
II. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.
1. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?
Answer – Kezia was always afraid of her father. She always stuttered before him. She tried to please her father on various occasions but her efforts resulted in displeasing him very much. When he asked her to take off his shoes, he would ask her if she had been a good girl. The moment she stuttered, her father got irritated and called her ‘a little brown owl’. Kezia wanted to please her father by making a pin-cushion. She did so but she used her father’s important papers as scrap to fill in the pin-cushion. It displeased her father and she was punished for it.
2. Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?
Answer – Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. Mr Macdonald was a loving father. He was very gentle and forgiving. He used to play and laugh with his children. He was friendly with them. He was quite different from Kezia’s father. Her father was very strict and unfriendly.
3. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
Answer – One night, Kezia was alone in the house. She had a nightmare and started crying. She saw a butcher with a knife and a rope. Her father heard her crying. He took her to his bedroom and made her comfortable. This changed her feelings for him. She realised that her father was not so cruel as she thought. She understood how he got tired after day’s work. She began to see him as a human being who needed her sympathy.
Thinking about Language
I. Look at the following sentence.
There was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter…
Here, glad means happy about something.
Glad, happy, pleased, delighted, thrilled and overjoyed are synonyms (words or expressions that have the same or nearly the same meaning.) However, they express happiness in certain ways.
Read the sentences below.
- She was glad when the meeting was over.
- The chief guest was pleased to announce the name of the winner.
1. Use an appropriate word from the synonyms given above in the following sentences. Clues are given in brackets.
(i) She was __________ by the news of her brother’s wedding. (very pleased)
(ii) I was __________ to be invited to the party. (extremely pleased and excited about)
(iii) She was __________ at the birth of her granddaughter. (extremely happy)
(iv) The coach was __________ with his performance. (satisfied about)
(v) She was very __________ with her results. (happy about something that has happened)
Answer –
(i) She was thrilled by the news of her brother’s wedding. (very pleased)
(ii) I was delighted to be invited to the party. (extremely pleased and excited about)
(iii) She was overjoyed at the birth of her granddaughter. (extremely happy)
(iv) The coach was pleased with his performance. (satisfied about)
(v) She was very happy with her results. (happy about something that has happened)
2. Study the use of the word big in the following sentence.
He was so big — his hands and his neck, especially his mouth…
Here, big means large in size.
Now, consult a dictionary and find out the meaning of big in the following sentences. The first one has been done for you.
(i) You are a big girl now. older
(ii) Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career. __________
(iii) Their project is full of big ideas. __________
(iv) Cricket is a big game in our country. __________
(v) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeshkar. __________
(vi) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater. __________
(vii) What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear. __________
Answer –
(i) You are a big girl now. older
(ii) Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career. most crucial
(iii) Their project is full of big ideas. amazing
(iv) Cricket is a big game in our country. popular
(v) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeskar. great
(vi) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater. glutton
(vii) What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear. magnanimous
II. Verbs of Reporting
Study the following sentences.
- “What!” screamed Mother.
- “N-n-no”, she whispered.
- “Sit up,” he ordered.
The italicised words are verbs of reporting. We quote or report what someone has said or thought by using a reporting verb. Every reporting clause contains a reporting verb. For example:
- He promised to help in my project.
- “How are you doing?” Seema asked.
We use verbs of reporting to advise, order, report statements, thoughts, intentions, questions, requests, apologies, manner of speaking and so on.
1. Underline the verbs of reporting in the following sentences.
(i) He says he will enjoy the ride.
(ii) Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.
(iii) No one told us that the shop was closed.
(iv) He answered that the price would go up.
(v) I wondered why he was screaming.
(vi) Ben told her to wake him up.
(vii) Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.
Answer –
(i) He says he will enjoy the ride.
(ii) Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.
(iii) No one told us that the shop was closed.
(iv) He answered that the price would go up.
(v) I wondered why he was screaming.
(vi) Ben told her to wake him up.
(vii) Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.
2: Some verbs of reporting are given in the box. Choose the appropriate verbs and fill in the blanks in the following sentences.
| were complaining, shouted, replied, remarked, ordered, suggested |
(i) “I am not afraid,” __________ the woman.
(ii) “Leave me alone,” __________ my mother .
(iii) The children __________ that the roads were crowded and noisy.
(iv) “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all,” __________ the master.
(v) “Let’s go and look at the school ground,” __________ the sports teacher.
(vi) The traffic police __________ all the passers-by to keep off the road.
Answer –
(i) “I am not afraid,” declared the woman.
(ii) “Leave me alone,” shouted my mother .
(iii) The children complained that the roads were crowded and noisy.
(iv) “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all,” remarked the master.
(v) “Let’s go and look at the school ground,” suggested the sports teacher.
(vi) The traffic police ordered all the passers-by to keep off the road.
