NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 1 How I Taught My Grandmother to Read (PDF) – 2027

Sample answers for the four boxes:

1. To be independent — to read letters, forms, signboards and medicine labels without asking anyone for help.
2. To gain knowledge — books, newspapers and the internet open up only to a person who can read.
3. To build self-respect and confidence — a reader need not feel embarrassed or helpless.
4. To earn a living and stay safe — jobs, bank work and digital payments need reading, and a reader is not easily cheated.

My grandparents speak Awadhi at home and standard Hindi with visitors. My grandmother grew up in a village near Barabanki, where Awadhi is the everyday speech, so her proverbs and songs are all in it. My grandfather learnt some English at work in the railways, and he still uses railway words — “platform”, “signal” — in the middle of Hindi sentences. I understand Awadhi completely but reply in Hindi, which my grandmother teases me about.

My grandfather walks to the park at six, reads the newspaper cover to cover, and spends the afternoon with his radio. My grandmother cooks, keeps the terrace garden and watches a serial at eight. I spend the evening hour with them — I read out the sports page for my grandfather because the print is small for him now, and I help my grandmother water the pots. On Sundays we play carrom, and she wins more often than anyone believes.

During last year’s power cut my grandmother took us to the terrace and told us the story of the flood in her village in 1978 — how her father carried the family’s brass vessels to the roof and how they ate parched rice for four days. She remembered the name of every neighbour. I had known her only as the person who cooks; that night I understood that she had lived a whole life before I existed. It is my favourite memory because it changed how I see her, not just how I feel about her.

My grandfather cannot climb the stairs to the terrace any more because of his knee, but he sits at the window and watches me fly a kite every Makar Sankranti. He calls out instructions the whole time — loosen the string, let it drift left — because he was the best kite-flier in his lane as a boy. My grandmother cannot use a smartphone easily, but she loves watching me video-call my cousin in Pune; she waves at the screen and asks him to turn the camera towards the window.

(i) protagonist — 7. main character; (ii) debate — 4. discussion; (iii) episode — 5. a part of a story; (iv) community — 3. people living in one particular area; (v) concentration — 6. focus; (vi) eagerly — 1. excitedly; (vii) convincing — 2. believable; (viii) guided — 8. directed

No, she did not expect it. She says, “I was surprised, for I had never seen her cry even in the most difficult situations.” She had been away enjoying a wedding and knew her grandmother as a strong woman who was “usually always smiling”, so she had no reason to think anything was wrong.

She could become her grandmother’s teacher. She could teach her the Kannada alphabet first, then words and sentences; give her a lesson and homework every day so that she reads, repeats, writes and recites; and help her aim at a target — reading a novel on her own by a chosen day. This is exactly what happens in Part II: “The next day onwards I started my tuition.”

(i) A. strong-willed — she had not cried even in the most difficult situations.

(ii) emotional — she could only nod, not speak; she was not tired, because she came to talk that very night.

(iii) The narrator calls her grandmother Avva, a word of the Kannada spoken in north Karnataka, and the family sleeps on the open terrace on a summer night.

(iv) “Avva came and sat next to me. Her affectionate hands touched my forehead.” — on a quiet summer night with a full moon.

(v) C. the grandmother’s regret over her lack of education — it is not mentioned in this extract.

(i) B. She desires self-sufficiency.

(ii) age limit — “For learning there is no age bar.”

(iii) …because she thinks her grandmother is too old to learn: her hair is grey, her hands are wrinkled, she wears spectacles and she is busy in the kitchen all day.

(iv) Determination and patience (hard work and self-respect are also correct).

(v) The narrator judges only by outward signs — grey hair, wrinkled hands, spectacles, kitchen work — and assumes an old, busy woman cannot learn, without giving her a chance. She even ignores the determination she sees on her face: “Yet I laughed at her.”

Because asking would have made her illiteracy public. She was a respected elder of a well-off family, and asking a neighbour to read for her would have shown that she could not read. Being read to by her own granddaughter felt like affection; asking someone else felt like begging for help. She says, “I was too embarrassed to do so. I felt very dependent and helpless.”

Because, at twelve, she believes learning is only for the young. She judges her grandmother by her age and looks — “All your hair is grey, your hands are wrinkled, you wear spectacles” — and by her busy kitchen work, so the idea of a sixty-two-year-old learning the alphabet seems funny to her. Later she admits it was childish: “Childishly I made fun of the old lady.”

In the grandmother’s life: Kashi Yatre is about an old lady who longs to go to Kashi but gives away her savings for an orphan girl’s wedding. Krishtakka too never went to Kashi, so she identified herself with the heroine — she listened with great concentration, learnt the text by heart and discussed it with her friends.

In the story: it creates the weekly reading ritual; it causes the crisis, because she cannot read the episode when the narrator is away; and it ends the story, when she proves she can read by reading the title Kashi Yatre on the narrator’s gift.

It reflects her self-respect and her wish to be independent. It also shows her courage (she begins at sixty-two and is laughed at), her determination and discipline (she sets a deadline and does “amazing” homework), and her humility (she accepts her twelve-year-old granddaughter as her teacher).

Lessons:

• A teacher deserves respect whatever the teacher’s age or gender — “I am touching the feet of a teacher, not my granddaughter.”
• Knowledge and learning deserve honour.
• Gratitude should be shown openly, not only felt.
• A true learner stays humble even after success.

It states the main theme of the story: determination, joined to a worthwhile goal, can overcome any difficulty. The grandmother faces many obstacles — her age, weak eyes, a full day of kitchen work, no schooling and a granddaughter who laughs at her. Yet by working hard towards a fixed deadline, she learns to read a novel by Dassara. The story also shows that learning has no age bar.

Very effectively. The grandmother is well-off, yet she feels “dependent and helpless” because she cannot read — so the story shows that money cannot buy independence, but education can. Her helplessness is shown in a vivid image: she rubs her hands over the pages she cannot read. After learning, she says, “Now I am independent,” and proves it by reading the title of the novel herself.

1 – (vii), 2 – (v), 3 – (i), 4 – (viii), 5 – (ii), 6 – (iii), 7 – (iv), 8 – (vi)

Five sentences of my own:

1. The coach gave us no instructions before the final — it was sink or swim.
2. My grandfather still plays the harmonium on and off, usually on Sunday mornings.
3. With four kurtas and three dupattas she could mix and match an outfit for every day of the week.
4. Missing the bus is part and parcel of living at the far end of the route.
5. Since the new library opened, his reading has improved by leaps and bounds.

(i) unpopular (given), (ii) disbelief, (iii) unimportant, (iv) disrespect, (v) incorrect, (vi) discontinue, (vii) misunderstand, (viii) extraordinary, (ix) uninteresting, (x) impossible

1. Secretly, I bought Kashi Yatre which had been published as a novel by that time.

2. I knew, then, that my student had passed with flying colours.

1. When the delegates arrived at the conference, the keynote speaker had already begun the session.
2. After the students had learnt how to identify fake news online, they started verifying information before sharing it.
3. Before Kiran started using digital payment platforms, she had ensured her understanding of online fraud prevention.
4. By the time Varun recognised the importance of budgeting, he had exhausted most of his savings.
5. When Raghu logged in to the cybersecurity webinar, the instructor had already discussed the importance of strong passwords.

The completed passage, with the two tenses marked:

digital tools — the speaker says of literacy, “Now, it includes the ability to use digital tools effectively and responsibly.”

personal data

Transcript, page 259: “It’s not just about using gadgets but also understanding digital platforms, identifying reliable sources, and protecting personal data.” The listed items build to this one, and “protecting” in the question matches the speaker’s word exactly, so the blank takes the two words that follow it.

stay connected

Transcript, page 259: “it empowers individuals—students learn to research critically, professionals handle digital transactions, and senior citizens stay connected.” The book’s sentence replaces the speaker’s “senior citizens” with “the elderly”, so you must listen past that phrase for the two words that describe what they are enabled to do.

misinformation and scams

Transcript, page 259: “Second, it promotes safe internet use by helping us recognise misinformation, scams, and cyber threats.” The speaker names three dangers; the book leaves only two blanks, so take them in the order spoken — misinformation first, scams second. (If your teacher accepts the last pair instead, scams and cyber threats is defensible, but the first two follow the sentence order exactly.)

IT training

Transcript, page 259: “This is the reason the Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (DISHA) or National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM) Scheme has been formulated to impart IT training to people across the country.” The book turns the speaker’s “to impart” into “by imparting”, so only the object of the verb goes in the blank.

Sample answer — ‘For’: To begin with, I would like to speak ‘for’ the topic. A new language opens a second door to the world. My first argument in favour of it is opportunity — more books, more jobs and more friends. Moreover, in a country as varied as India, a Kannada speaker who learns Hindi or Tamil is not losing a culture; she is gaining a neighbour. I strongly feel every student should learn one.

Sample answer — ‘Against’: On the contrary, there are two sides to this topic. A child who half-learns three languages may write none of them well, and it is the mother tongue that carries our thinking and our grandparents’ stories. If I could make a point here, school time is limited. So, to put it in a few words — learn a new language by choice, not by force.

Sample answer — ‘For’: To begin with, I would like to speak ‘for’ the topic. There is no doubt that childhood is built for learning. My first argument is that a young mind picks up languages, accents and habits quickly. Moreover, a child has time, teachers and few responsibilities, while an adult must learn between work and family. I strongly feel school years are our best chance to learn.

Sample answer — ‘Against’: On the other hand, our own textbook proves this topic false. Krishtakka was sixty-two, grey-haired and busy in the kitchen, yet she learnt to read a novel by Saraswati Puja day. As she said, “For learning there is no age bar.” Adults also learn well because they know why they are learning. So, to put it in a few words, youth makes learning easier, not exclusive.

Below is one completed version. Fill your own from the languages actually spoken in your class — the point of the activity is the conversation, not the copying.

This box is not asking you to memorise four names. It is widening the word literacy — the same word the whole chapter turns on — and the note that follows shows how.

Sample answer (a short report after doing the task): My grandfather said he had not read Chandamama since 1974 but still remembered the Vikram–Betaal stories. I found a reprint collection at the book fair for ₹180 and gave it to him on his birthday. He read two stories aloud to my younger cousin the same evening. What surprised me was that the gift was not really the book — it was that somebody had asked him what he liked.

The names come from the second line of the anthem — Punjab, Sindhu, Gujarat, Maratha, Dravid, Utkal, Banga — and from the third — Vindhya, Himachal, Yamuna, Ganga.

‘Jaya he’ means “Victory to you!” or “Hail to you!” It is addressed to the dispenser of India’s destiny. The words convey victory, glory and good wishes for the nation, deep reverence, and a joyful unity as the whole country sings them together.

1. valuable   2. applauded   3. fantastic   4. recent past

1. Mood: proud, joyful and patriotic — the reader feels uplifted.
2. Tone: reverential, admiring and confident.
3. Rhyme scheme: there is no regular rhyme scheme; the poem is in free verse. Repetition (“is ours”, the refrain) gives it rhythm instead.
4. Personification: the Ganga is “generous” and has “her grace”; India is “she” — “she’s peerless, let’s praise her!”

The refrain sums up the poet’s message — India has no equal — and fixes it in the reader’s mind. Coming at the end of the first and the last stanza, it binds the poem together and gives it a song-like, chant-like rhythm. “Let’s praise her” also invites the reader to join the poet, so personal admiration becomes shared national pride.

…suggesting that it is bright and full of life, rich with golden harvests, and as precious as gold.

1 – (v), 2 – (iii), 3 – (ii), 4 – (vi), 5 – (i), 6 – (iv)

1. “The mighty Himavant is ours— / there’s no equal anywhere on earth.” — visual imagery: we see the huge, towering mountains.
2. “The divinest music has been heard here” — auditory imagery: it appeals to the sense of hearing.

(Also: “This sunny golden land” — visual imagery of light and golden fields.)

True: 1, 3 and 5. False: 2 and 4. The hyphens create pauses of pride, give a chant-like rhythm, and separate what India has (before the hyphen) from the claim that it is unequalled (after it). Nothing in the poem suggests weakness or doubt.

Examples of hyperbole: “there’s no equal anywhere on earth” (the Himavant); “which other river can match her grace?”; “what scriptures else to name with them?”; “The divinest music”; “she’s peerless”.

Effect: the exaggeration shows the depth of the poet’s love and pride and makes India’s greatness sound extraordinary. It is not meant to be taken literally.

• Ancient Indian scriptures → “The sacred Upanishads are ours”
• Spiritual knowledge of self-realisation and ultimate truth → “Here Brahma-knowledge has taken root”
• Gautama Buddha’s teachings → “and the Buddha preached his dhamma here”

1. The word ‘mighty’ refers to the immense strength and majesty (size and power) of the Himavant.

2. (ii) emphasise a point — they are rhetorical questions that expect no answer.

3. Because the Ganga gives freely to everyone — water for fields, drinking and livelihood — and asks nothing in return.

4. Because the river flows smoothly, gently and steadily in long curves, like a graceful person moving.

5. unmatched

By repeating “is ours”, the poet claims India’s mountains, river, scriptures, warriors, sages, music and teachers as a shared inheritance. He joins nature (Himavant, Ganga) with thought and faith (the Upanishads, Brahma-knowledge, the Buddha’s dhamma), and the word “here” roots all of them in the same land. The reader feels that this heritage belongs to him or her.

The poet’s attitude is deep love, devotion and pride. “She” shows that he sees India as a revered mother; “peerless” places her beyond comparison; “let’s” invites everyone to join his praise. Because the phrase is repeated, his admiration is shown to be firm and lasting, not a passing feeling.

It suggests that India’s spiritual heritage is very old and rich, built by many sages over a long time. Their lives of prayer, meditation and teaching have made the land itself holy, and that holiness still remains (“has sanctified”).

He places them side by side: “Gallant warriors have lived here” and “The divinest music has been heard here”. Warriors stand for the courage and strength that protect the nation; music stands for its art and spiritual beauty. Together — with the sages between them — they show that India is great in bravery, wisdom and culture alike.

The poem names things every Indian loves — the Himalaya, the Ganga, the Upanishads, the Buddha — and claims them as “ours”. It presents each as unequalled and invites everyone to join in praise (“let’s praise her!”). The chant-like refrain makes readers feel proud of a heritage they share.

1. generous   2. antiquity   3. divinest   4. peerless

1. Speaker No. 4    2. Speaker No. 2

Picture 1 shows a traveller filming herself with a phone on a stick — Speaker 4 is a travel vlogger. Picture 2 shows a climber on a rock face — Speaker 2 loves adventure in the mountains.

1 – Speaker 4   3 – Speaker 1   4 – Speaker 2   6 – Speaker 3
Statements 2 and 5 are not needed.

One thing that I find truly wonderful about my town, Srirangapatna, is that history lives in its streets — the old town still sits inside the walls of the fort that Tipu Sultan defended. If I had to describe my town in one word, it would be layered: an ancient temple, a fort and busy markets, all close together. When it comes to the scenery, my town truly shines at dusk, when the Kaveri turns copper and birds fill the sky over Ranganathittu. I feel a deep sense of pride when I think about my town, because people have lived here for over a thousand years.

The place I remember best is Majuli, the river island in the Brahmaputra in Assam. We went there last December because my father wanted to see its famous satras. I travelled with my parents and my younger sister. We prepared a week ahead: we booked a bamboo cottage, packed warm clothes and checked the ferry timings from Nimati Ghat. The ferry took more than an hour, on a wooden boat crowded with people, motorcycles and baskets of vegetables. We stayed in a cottage on stilts at Garamur that looked out on paddy fields. We cycled to Kamalabari satra, watched monks rehearse a bhaona, saw masks being made at Samaguri and walked to the wetlands at dawn to watch migratory birds. What has stayed with me is the silence of the island at night, with only the river moving in the dark.

Sample answer (a two-minute presentation): I chose Kuvempu’s Kannada song Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate, Karnataka’s state song. The title means “Victory to you, daughter of Mother India” — Karnataka is called a daughter of India, which is the song’s central idea. It praises the land’s rivers and forests, then the poets and saints of Kannada, and every verse returns to “Jaya he Karnataka maate”. Its main device is personification: Karnataka is a daughter and India a mother, so loving one means loving the other — just as Bharati calls India “she”.

How to divide the work: six features, six students — one each. Every member answers the same three questions in the same order, so the six pages read as one project rather than six essays. Agree the format before anyone starts researching.