NCERT Solutions Class 9 English (Beehive (Prose))
The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 9 English (Beehive (Prose)) Chapter – 8 Reach for the Top has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise.
Chapter – 8 (Reach for the Top)
Part I
Santosh Yadav
Thinking about the Text
I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each. (The paragraph numbers within brackets provide clues to the answers.)
1. Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised? (1)
Answer – The ‘holy man’ was surprised because he had assumed that Santosh’s mother wanted a son. However, the unborn child’s grandmother told him that they did not want a son.
2. Give an example to show that even as a young girl, Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable. (2)
Answer – Santosh began living life on her own terms from the start. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.
3. Why was Santosh sent to the local school? (3)
Answer – Even though Santosh’s parents could afford to send their children to the best schools, she was sent to the local village school due to the prevailing custom in the family.
4. When did she leave home for Delhi, and why? (4)
Answer – She left home for Delhi when she was sixteen because she wanted to get a proper education.
5. Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling in Delhi? What mental qualities of Santosh are brought to light by this incident? (4)
Answer – When Santosh informed her parents about her plan to do a part time job to support her education, they agreed to pay for her schooling in Delhi.
This incident shows that Santosh was a strong headed and determined girl who knew her way towards her goal.
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words)
1. How did Santosh begin to climb mountains?
Answer – In order to investigate as to how the villagers going up the Aravali hills “vanished after a while”, Santosh accompanied a few mountaineers in their climbing expedition. This was how she began to climb mountains.
2. What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?
Answer – During the Everest mission, Santosh showed immense concern for her fellow climbers. Though she was unsuccessful in saving the life of one of them, she did manage to save another climber through artificial respiration.
3. What shows her concern for the environment?
Answer – Santosh collected and brought down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas on her way back from the 1992 Everest expedition. This shows her concern for the environment.
4. How does she describe her feelings at the summit of Everest?
Answer – Santosh asserted that her feeling at the summit of the Everest was “indescribable”. Unfurling the Indian flag on the top of the world was a spiritual moment for her and she felt proud as an Indian.
5. Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she scaled Mt Everest. What were the reasons for this?
Answer – When Santosh Yadav first scaled Mt Everest, she became the youngest woman in the world to achieve the feat. When she scaled the Everest the second time, she became the only woman to have scaled it twice.
III. Complete the following statements.
1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to _________________.
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because _________________.
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her _________________ while _________________ endeared her to fellow climbers.
Answer –
1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch villagers from her room, going up the hill and suddenly vanishing after a while.
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had got herself enrolled at Uttarkashi without his permission.
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her climbing skills, physical fitness and mental strength, while her concern for others and desire to work together with them endeared her to fellow climbers.
IV. Pick out words from the text that mean the same as the following words or expressions. (Look in the paragraphs indicated.)
1. took to be true without proof (1) : ___________
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable (2) :___________
3. the usual way of doing things (3) :___________
4. a strong desire arising from within (5) :___________
5. the power to endure, without falling ill (7) :___________
Answer –
1. took to be true without proof: assumed
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable: rational
3. the usual way of doing things: custom
4. a strong desire arising from within: urge
5. the power to endure, without falling ill: resistance
Part II
Maria Sharapova
Thinking about the Text
Working in small groups of 4–5 students, go back over the two passages on Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova and complete the table given below with relevant phrases or sentences.
| Points of Comparison/Contrast | Santosh Yadav | Maria Sharapova |
| 1. Their humble beginning | ||
| 2. Their parents’ approach | ||
| 3. Their will power and strong desire to succeed | ||
| 4. Evidence of their mental toughness | ||
| 5. Their patriotism |
Answer –
| Points of Comparison/Contrast | Santosh Yadav | Maria Sharapova |
| 1. Their humble beginning | She was born in the small village of Joniyawas of Rewari District in Haryana. | “My father was working as much as he could to keep my tennis training going.” |
| 2. Their parents’ approach | But, in line with the prevailing custom in the family, Santosh had to make do with the local village school. | “My father was working as much as he could to keep my tennis training going.” |
| 3. Their will power and strong desire to succeed | “And I was supposed to be in Uttarkashi on the twenty-first. So, I did not go back home; instead, I headed straight for the training.” | “When you come from nothing and you have nothing, then it makes you very hungry and determined…” |
| 4. Evidence of their mental toughness | Equipped with an iron will, physical endurance and an amazing mental toughness, she proved herself repeatedly. | “Instead of letting that depress me, I became more quietly determined and mentally tough.” |
| 5. Their patriotism | “Then I unfurled the Indian tricolour and held it aloft on the roof of the world. The feeling is indescribable. The Indian flag was flying on top of the world. It was truly a spiritual moment. I felt proud as an Indian.” | “My blood is totally Russian. I will play the Olympics for Russia if they want me.” |
Thinking about Language
Look at the following sentences. They each have two clauses, or two parts each with their own subject and verb or verb phrase. Often, one part (italicised) tells us when or why something happened.
- I reached the market when most of the shops had closed. (Tells us when I reached.)
- When Rahul Dravid walked back towards the pavilion, everyone stood up. (Tells us when everyone stood up.)
- The telephone rang and Ganga picked it up. (Tells us what happened next.)
- Gunjan has been with us ever since the school began. (Tells us for how long he has been with us.)
I. Identify the two parts in the sentences below by underlining the part that gives us the information in brackets, as shown above.
1. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts. (Contrasts her dress with that of others)
2. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. (Tells us what happened after the first action.)
3. She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived. (Tells us when she was going to fight the system.)
4. Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States. (Tells us when Maria was sent to the U.S.)
Answer –
1. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts. (Contrasts her dress with that of others)
2. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. (Tells us what happened after the first action.)
3. She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived. (Tells us when she was going to fight the system.)
4. Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States. (Tells us when Maria was sent to the U.S.)
II. Now rewrite the pairs of sentences given below as one sentence.
1. Grandfather told me about the old days. All books were printed on paper then.
2. What do you do after you finish the book? Perhaps you just throw it away.
3. He gave the little girl an apple. He took the computer apart.
4. You have nothing. That makes you very determined.
5. I never thought of quitting. I knew what I wanted.
Answer –
1. Grandfather told me about the old days when all books were printed on paper.
2. After you finish the book, perhaps you just throw it away.
3. He gave the little girl an apple and took the computer apart.
4. When you have nothing, that makes you very determined.
5. I never thought of quitting as I knew what I wanted.
