CBSE Class 9

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem Chapter 5 A Legend of the Northland are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem Chapter 5 A Legend of the Northland.

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

I. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow each :

1. Away, away in the Northland,
Where the hours of the day are few,
And the nights are so long in winter
That they cannot sleep them through; (Page 65)

Questions

(a) What is the scene of the story ? What kind of place is it ?
(b) Why are the hours of the day ‘few’ and the nights so long in the Northland ?
(c) Why can’t the people sleep through the long nights ?
(d) Explain : Away, away

Answers

(a) The scene of the legend is the Northland. It is a far off place in the north. In winter it is always snowing. Here days are short and nights are quite long.
(b) In the polar region, like the Northland, the nights are longer. The days are shorter. Therefore, they have ‘few’ hours of the day.
(c) In the Northland, the nights are very long. The people of Northland can’t sleep for such long hours during the wintry nights.
(d) Remote region in the north.

2. Where they harness the swift reindeer To the sledges, when it snows ;
And the children look like bear’s cubs
In their funny, furry clothes : (Page 65)

Questions

(a) Where do they harness the swift reindeer and why ?
(b) What is a sledge ? Where is it generally used ?
(c) How do the children of the Northland look like and why ?
(d) Explain the phrase : like bear’s cubs.

Answers

(a) The people of the Northland harness the swift reindeer to the sledges. In these areas, reindeer is used to pull the wheel-less carts. It also pulls the sledges on the snow.
(b) A sledge is a wheel-less cart. It is used in the polar region like the Northland. It is generally pulled by reindeers on the snow.
(c) The children of the Northland look like the bear’s cubs. They look so because they wear funny, furry dresses.
(d) in funny furry dresses children look like bear-cubs.

3. They tell them a curious story—
I don’t believe ’tis true ;
And yet you may learn a lesson
If I tell the tale to you. (Page 65)

Questions

(a) Why does the poet call it a ‘curious story’ ?
(b) Do you believe that the story is true ? Give one reason.
(c) What lesson does the tale give to you ?
(d) Find a word from the passage which mean the following: strange.

Answers

(a) The poet calls it a curious or a strange story. The poem is a legend of an old lady. She made St. Peter angry to curse her to be a bird. The story is a popular ballad. It may not be true. But the change of the lady to a bird is quite strange.
(b) The poem is a popular legend. No, it is not based on true facts. The line ‘I don’t believe ’tis true’ clears this point.
(c) The tale conveys an important lesson or message. Greed is a great vice. It kills human values in us. Greedy persons like the old lady are always punished in the end.
(d) curious.

4. Once, when the good Saint Peter
Lived in the world below,
And walked about it, preaching,
Just as he did, you know, (Page 65)

Questions

(a) Is St. Peter alive today ? Which lines answer the question ?
(b) Who was St. Peter and what did he use to do ?
(c) Explain or interpret in detail :
‘And walked about it, preaching’.
(d) Find a word from the passage which mean : sermonising.

Answers

(a) No, St. Peter is not alive today. He is in heaven. ‘Once, when the good St. Peter/ Lived in the world below’. The above mentioned lines clearly tell us that St. Peter is not ‘in the world below’ or alive today.
(b) St. Peter was an apostle of Christ. His mission was to preach the teachings of Christ among the people. For this purpose he travelled far and wide.
(c) St. Peter was a missionary. He walked about different places and preached the teachings of Christ.
(d) preaching.

5. He came to the door of a cottage,
In travelling round the earth,
Where a little woman was making cakes,
And baking them on the hearth ; (Page 65)

Questions

(a) Why did St. Peter travel round the earth ?
(b) Where did he come at the end of the day ?
(c) What did St. Peter see when he came to the door of a cottage ?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means ‘oven’.

Answers

(a) St. Peter was an apostle of Christ. His mission was to preach the teachings of Christ to the people. For this mission he had to ‘travel round the earth’.
(b) At the end of the day he came to the door of a cottage.
(c) He saw a little woman baking cakes.
(d) It is ‘hearth’.

6. And being faint with fasting,
For the day was almost done,
He asked her, from her store of cakes,
To give him a single one. (Page 65)

Questions

(a) What part of the day was it when St. Peter reached the door of the cottage ?
(b) Describe St. Peter’s condition when he arrived at the cottage.
(c) What did St. Peter ask for and why ?
(d) Explain the phrase : the day was almost done.

Answers

(a) It was almost the time for the sun-set. The day had almost ended.
(b) St. Peter was fasting. Travelling and fasting had made him weak, tired and hungry,
(c) St. Peter asked for a single cake from her store of cakes because he was hungry.
(d) the day was about to end.

7. So she made a very little cake,
But as it baking lay,
She looked at it, and thought it seemed
Too large to give away. (Page 66) (Imp.)

Questions

(a) Why did she make a very ‘little’ cake ? Why not a big one ?
(b) How did the ‘little’ cake appear to her ?
(c) Why didn’t the old lady give that ‘little’ cake to St. Peter ?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means : ‘appeared’.

Answers

(a) The little woman was very greedy. She didn’t make a big cake. Knowingly, to save some dough, she made a ‘small’ and not a “bigger’ cake.
(b) Even that small cake seemed very big to her. She didn’t want to give it away.
(c) The little lady was a greedy creature. Knowingly, she made a “very little’ cake for St. Peter. But even it appeared too big to her. She didn’t want to give it away.
(d) seemed’.

8. Therefore she kneaded another,
And still a smaller one ;
But it looked, when she turned it over,
As large as the first had done. (Page 66) (V. Imp.)

Questions

(a) Why did she knead another ?
(b) What was the size of the second cake ?
(c) Why didn’t she give the second cake to St. Peter ?
(d) Explain the following: kneaded another.

Answers

(a) The little old lady was very greedy. She couldn’t afford to give a big cake to St. Peter. She wanted to save some more flour. So she kneaded the flour again and again to make a smaller cake.
(b) The second cake was smaller in size than the first one.
(c) Even the second cake appeared to be too big to be given away. So she didn’t give it to St. Peter.
(d) The old lady kneaded the flour to make another cake.

9. Then she took a tiny scrap of dough,
And rolled and rolled it flat;
And baked it thin as a wafer —
But she couldn’t part with that. (Page 66) (M. Imp.)

Questions

(a) Why did the old lady take a tiny scrap of dough ?
(b) Why was the dough rolled flat ?
(c) Why did she bake the cake thin as a wafer ?
(d) Explain the following: thin as a wafer.

Answers

(a) The greedy lady wanted to make still a smaller cake for St. Peter. She wanted to save some flour.
(b) The dough was rolled flat to make a specially thin and small cake.
(c) She did so as she wanted to save some dough.
(d) made the cake thin like a wafer to save more dough.

10. For she said, “My cakes that seem too small
When I eat of them myself
Are yet too large to give away.”
So she put them on the shelf. (Page 66) (Imp.)

Questions

(a) Why did her cakes look too small when she ate them herself ?
(b) Why did they look too large to give them away ?
(c) Why did she put them on the shelf ?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means: ‘flat space made in the wall or cupboard’.

Answers

(a) The old lady was very greedy. Her greed made her think so. The cakes she ate looked too small to her.
(b) The cakes appeared too large to be given away. It reflects the greed of the lady. She couldn’t part with anything. She couldn’t sacrifice even a wafer-like cake for anyone.
(c) At last, she decided not to give away any cake to St. Peter. So she placed all her cakes on the shelf.
(d) ‘shelf’

11. Then good Saint Peter grew angry,
For he was hungry and faint;
And surely such a woman
Was enough to provoke a saint. (Page 66) (CBSE)

Questions

(a) Why did a good saint like St. Peter grow angry ?
(b) Was such a woman enough to provoke a saint ? How ?
(c) What do these lines show about : (i) the old lady (ii) St. Peter
(d) Find a word from the passage which means : ‘incite’.

Answers

(a) Even a ‘good’ saint like St. Peter lost his temper. He had become weak with travelling and fasting. He just asked for a single cake. The lady did not oblige him. It made St. Peter angry.
(b) The old lady lacked honesty and decency. She didn’t want to oblige even a saint. She couldn’t part even with a wafer-like cake. Surely her greed and her insulting behaviour provoked a noble saint like St. Peter.
(c) (i) her greedy nature, (ii) his human nature—he could also be provoked like other men.
(d) It is ‘provoke’.

12. And he said, “You are far too selfish
To dwell in a human form,
To have both food and shelter,
And fire to keep you warm. (Page 66) (M. Imp.)

Questions

(a) Why was St. Peter provoked ?
(b) What did he say to the ‘greedy woman’ ?
(c) Do you agree with the words of St. Peter ? If yes, why ?
(d) Explain : ‘dwell in human form’,

Answers

(a) St. Peter was provoked by the insulting behaviour and greed of the old lady.
(b) He told the lady that she was too selfish. She didn’t deserve to he a woman and a human being. She did not deserve food, shelter and other comforts of human life.
(c) Yes, I agree with the words of St. Peter. The old woman was a disgrace to womanhood.
(d) She didn’t deserve to be a human being. She was a disgrace to womanhood.

13. Now, you shall build as the birds do,
And shall get your scanty food
By boring, and boring, and boring,
All day in the hard, dry wood.” (Page 66) (V. Imp.)

Questions

(a) How does St. Peter curse the old woman ?
(b) What will the old lady build for her living ?
(c) What will the old lady have to do to get her scanty food ?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means : ‘making holes in hard wood’.

Answers

(a) St. Peter curses the woman to be a bird. She will have to build a nest as the birds do. She will get her scanty food by boring hard wood all the day.
(b) The old lady has been changed to a woodpecker. So she will have to build a nest for her dwelling like a woodpecker.
(c) The old lady will get scanty food even after boring the hard wood all day.
(d) ‘boring’.

14. Then up she went through the chimney,
Never speaking a word,
And opt of the top flew a woodpecker,
For she was changed to a bird. (Page 66)

Questions

(a) What was the effect of St. Peter’s curse on the little lady ?
(b) What did the old lady do after she had been changed to a bird ?
(c) What particular bird was she changed to ?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means: ‘space in the roof for the smoke to come out’.

Answers

(a) St. Peter’s curse had its immediate effect. She was changed to a bird.
(b) She went up through the chimney. She never uttered a word and flew away.
(c) She was changed to a woodpecker.
(d) It is ‘chimney’.

15. She had a scarlet cap on her head,
And that was left the same ;
But all the rest of her clothes were burned
Black as a coal in the flame. (Page 67)

Questions

(a) Which’part of her dress was left the same even when the old lady was changed to a woodpecker ?
(b) What happened to the clothes the old lady was wearing ?
(c) What light do these lines throw on St. Peter ?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means : Visible part of a fire’.

Answers

(a) The old lady’s scarlet cap was left untouched. She was changed to a woodpecker. But the colour of her cap (head) remained the same.
(b) All her clothes were burnt in the fire. They were changed to black. It means the wood-pecker’s body became black in colour.
(c) St. Peter was a noble saint. Generally, saints are not easily provoked. But St. Peter also suffered from this little human weakness. He became angry when the greedy lady didn’t oblige him by giving a cake.
(d) It is ‘flame’.

16. And every country schoolboy
Has seen her in the wood,
Where she fives in the trees till this very day,
Boring and boring for food. (Page 67) (Imp)

Questions

(a) The poem is a legend of an old and greedy lady. How ?
(b) How has her story become a part of the folklore of the Northland ?
(c) What does every country schoolboy see in the wood even today ?
(d) Give the rhyme scheme in this stanza.

Answers

(a) The poem is a legend of an old and greedy lady. She was cursed by St. Peter. It is an old story. The people of the Northland have been narrating it down the ages, since St. Peter’s times.
(b) The story of the greedy old woman has become a part of the folklore of the Northland. Every country school boy knows it. The story has been passed on orally from St. Peter’s times to the coming generations.
(c) Every country schoolboy claims that he has seen the old lady. She lives in the trees of the forest till this very day.
(d) It is ab ab.

II. TEXTUAL QUESTIONS
(Page 67)

Thinking About the Poem

I. 1. Which Country or countries do you think “the Northland” refers to ?
2. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for ? What was the lady’s reaction ?
3. How did he punish her ?
4. How does the woodpecker get her food ?
5. Do you think that the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was ? What would she have done then ?
6. 7s this a true story ? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most important ?
7. What is a legend ? Why is this poem called a legend ?
8. Write the story of‘A Legend of the Northland’ in about ten sentences.

Answers

1. It is a country in the extreme north. Days are short and nights are very long there.
2. St. Peter asked the old lady for a single cake. She made a very little cake. But it looked bigger. So she reduced its size again.
3. He punished her by changing her into a woodpecker.
4. The woodpecker goes on boring into the dry hard wood. Only then it gets little food.
5. It is very difficult to say with certainty. Perhaps she would have given him very very thin cake if she had known St. Peter.
6. The story is not true. It is a legend. Even the poet says, ‘I don’t believe ’tis true’. Stanza three is the most important. It describes what it is.
7. A legend is an old story handed down from the past. It is generally of doubtful nature. The title of the poem is a ‘legend’. It is an old story of the Northland. The poet himself says, “I don’t believe ’tis true’.
8. Story of ‘A Legend of the Northland’.
The poem is a legend of an old woman. She had angered St. Peter because of her greed. In the Northland lived an old lady. Once St. Peter came to the door of her cottage. He had become weak with fasting and travelling. The old lady was baking cakes on the hearth. St. Peter asked her for a single cake. The greedy lady made a very little cake. But even that looked too big to be given away. She went on reducing the size of the cake. At last, she baked a thin cake. It looked like a wafer. But still she thought it too big to be given away. She gave nothing to St. Peter. She put all the cakes on the shelf. St. Peter was provoked. He found her too selfish to be a woman. She didn’t deserve food, shelter and fire to keep her warm. So out of anger he changed her to a woodpecker. She went up through the chimney and flew away. She was often seen in the wood living in the trees. She continued boring into hard wood for her little food. It was the result of St. Peter’s curse.

II. 1. Let’s look at words at the end of the second and fourth lines, viz., ‘snows’ and ‘clothes’, ‘true’ and ‘you’, ‘below’ and ‘know’. We find that ‘snows’ rhymes with ‘clothes’, ‘true’ rhymes with ‘you’ and ‘below’ rhymes with ‘know’.

Find more such rhyming words.

2. Go to the local library or talk to older persons in your locality and find legends in your own language. Tell the class these legends.

Answers

1. Rhyming words are : (i) ‘earth’ and “hearth’; ‘done’ and ‘one’; ‘lay’ and ‘away’; ‘flat’ and ‘that’; ‘faint’ and ‘saint’; ‘food’ and “wood’; ‘same’ and ‘flame’.

2. Students may read many books about such legends. If they talk to the older persons they shay know more about these legends.

Our culture is full of such legends. Their grandmothers or grandfathers may tell them of the legends. There are the legends of Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna, Meerabai. In fact, our literature is full of these. Students may enjoy reading them in various books.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem Chapter 5 A Legend of the Northland help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem Chapter 5 A Legend of the Northland, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 10 The Beggar are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 10 The Beggar.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 10 The Beggar

TEXTUAL EXERCISES
(Page 67)

Think About It

Question 1.
Has Lushkoff become a beggar by circumstance or by choice ?
Answer:
Lushkoff has become a beggar not by circumstance but by choice. This is clear in his talk with Sergei. To him he pretends that he can’t get any work.

Question 2.
What reasons does he give to Sergei for his telling lies ? (CBSE)
Answer:
Lushkoff gives out the reasons that he can’t get along without lying. No one will give him anything when he tells the truth. So he tells that he can’t do anything except telling lies.

Question 3.
Is Lushkoff a willing worker ? Why, then, does he agree to chop wood for Sergei?
Answer:
Lushkoff is not a willing worker. He agrees to chop wood for Sergei. It is because he fears that if he doesn’t, Sergei would report to the police.

Question 4.
Serggi says, “I am happy that my words have taken effect.” Why does he say so ? Is he right in saying this ?
Or
‘Sergei looked satisfied with the performance of the beggar. He was happy that his words had a positive effect on him.’ How effective were his words ? (CBSE 2016)
Answer:
Sergei says so because his words are morally good for Lushkoff. They change him into a good human being. Lushkoff becomes a worker from a beggar. So Sergei helps to change Lushkoff into a responsible human being.

Question 5.
Lushkoff is earning thirty five roubles a month. How is he obliged to Sergei for this?
Answer:
Earlier Sergei did not earn his livelihood honestly. He begs but he can work. So begging is morally wrong on his part. Now he earns his livelihood by hard work. He can raise his head in self-respect. This all is due to Sergei. So he feels obliged to Sergei for this.

Question 6.
During their conversation Lushkoff reveals that Sergei’s cook, Olga, is responsible for the positive change in him. How has Olga saved Lushkoff ?
Answer:
Olga knew that Lushkoff won’t work. So she felt pity for him like a sincere mother and worked for him. She sat down opposite to him. She rebuked him when he didn’t work. Very soon this changed his heart. And he started working. He stopped drinking and became a good man.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 10 The Beggar help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 10 The Beggar, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist

TEXTUAL EXERCISES
(Page 60)

Think About It

Question 1.
Bill Bryson says, 7 am, in short, easily confused’. What examples has he given to justify this ?
Answer:
Bill Bryson gives many examples to prove this. He can’t find out the lavatory in a cinema. He goes to look for it. But he ends standing in a small street. Then he forgets his room number in a hotel. He asks the reception about it. So he is confused.

Question 2.
What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way ?
Answer:
The contents of the bag came out. These were a tin of pipe tobacco, magazines, passport, English money, film etc. They spread over an area. It was about the size of a tennis court. Hundreds of documents came flying. The author was surprised.

Question 3.
Why is his finger bleeding ? What is his wife’s reaction ?
Answer:
His finger bled because he got it injured. He pulled the zip forcefully and got a deep wound. Blood came out in plenty. His wife looked at him in wonder and anger. She said that she couldn’t believe he did that for a living.

Question 4.
How does Bill Bryson end up in a ‘crash position’ in the aircraft ? (CBSE)
Answer:
Once on an aeroplane Bill Bryson leaned to tie his shoelace. But then someone threw his seat back. He was knocked and pinned in a crash position. He had to catch the leg of the man sitting next to him. Then he managed to free himself.

Question 5.
Why are his teeth and gums navy blue ?
Answer:
Once the author was flying. He was writing his thoughts. The end tip of his pen was in his mouth. He was sucking it. He started talking to a lady. She was sitting on the next seat. The pen leaked. It had covered his mouth, chin, tongue, teeth and gums with navy blue ink.

Question 6.
Bill Bryson ‘ached to be suave’. Is he successful in his mission ? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.
Answer:
Bill Bryson wanted to be suave. But he couldn’t. He would rise from a dinner table shaking greatly. He would get in a car leaving his coat hanging outside. He would sit on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup or motor oil.

Question 7.
Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, ‘Take the lids off the food for Daddy’ ?
Answer:
Bill Bryson’s wife would say this to the children because he won’t do things nicely. If he cut the meat, it would fly off onto the lap of somebody. He won’t open the lids of the food in the aeroplane. It would also fly off to trouble other passengers.

Question 8.
What is the significance of the title ?
Answer:
The title is significant. It has ‘Accidental’ in it. It means ‘full of accidents’ or ‘by chance’. The author causes many ‘accidents’ while flying in the aeroplanes. There are many ‘accidents’ given in the story. So the title is significant. It is because it is related to this subject matter.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 11 If I Were You are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 11 If I Were You.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 11 If I Were You

TEXTBOOK EXERCISES
(Pages 138, 144)

BEFORE YOU READ

• Gerrard lives alone in a lonely cottage. An intruder, who is a criminal, enters his cottage. He intends to murder Gerrard and take on his identity. Does he succeed ?

Answer
He doesn’t succeed. Gerrard understands his intention. Through a trick he puts him in a cupboard and locks it. Then he calls the police to get him arrested. Thus he outsmarts him and saves himself in the end.

• The following words and phrases occur in the play. Do you know their meanings ?
  Match them with the meanings given, to find out.
  

Answers

THINKING ABOUT THE TEXT
I. Answer these questions.
1. “At last a sympathetic audience.”

1. Who says this ?
2. Why does he say it ?
3. Is he sarcastic or serious ?

2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on ?
3. “I said it with bullets.”

1. Who says this ?
2. What does it mean ?
3. Is it the truth ? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this ?

4. What is Gerrard’s profession ? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.
5. “You’ll soon stop being smart.”

1. Who says this ?
2. Why does the speaker say it ?
3. What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart ?

6. “They can’t hang me twice.”

1. Who says this ?
2. Why does the speaker say it ?

7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain ?
8. “This is your big surprise.”

1. Where has this been said in the play ?
2. What is the surprise ?

Answers
1.

1. Gerrard says this.
2. He says it because the Intruder shows some sympathy towards him.
3. He is sarcastic.

2. The Intruder chooses Gerrard. It is because he finds him closely similar to him. If he wears clothes like Gerrard does, no one will know that they are two persons.
3.

1. Gerrard says this.
2. It means that he is a very dangerous person.
3. It is not the truth. He says so to make the Intruder change his mind.

4. Gerrard is a playwright by profession. The supporting words are : ‘Sorry I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal…
5.

1. The Intruder says this.
2. The speaker says it because Gerrard hasn’t felt any fear so far though he has a gun in his hand.
3. According to the Intruder, Gerrard would stop being smart after being hit by one of his bullets.

6.

1. The Intruder says this.
2. He says it because he has already committed a murder. The penalty of death can’t be given to him twice.

7. Gerrard says this. The mystery is about Gerrard’s calling his orders. Then he would be suddenly disappearing, but again coming back. The Intruder wants to do very things like Gerrard does.
8.

1. This has been said in the play when Gerrard tells the Intruder not to shoot him. If he shoots him he’d hang if not as himself, then as Vincent Charles Gerrard.
2. The big surprise is that the Intruder won’t kill him. Gerrard is right in saying this.

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
I. Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.

1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).
2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.
3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.
4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.
5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).
6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of science fiction and mystery.
7. Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.
8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before using the contents.

Answers

1. site, ghastly
2. principal
3. continuously
4. effect
5. artist
6. collage
7. host
8. shake

II. Irony is when we say one thing but mean another, usually the opposite of what we say. When someone makes a mistake and you say, “Oh ! that was clever !” that is irony. You’re saying ‘clever’ to mean ‘not clever’.
Expressions we often use in an ironic fashion are :

• Oh, wasn’t that clever ! /Oh that was clever !
• You have been a great help, I must say !
• You’ve got yourself into a lovely mess, haven’t you ?
• Oh, very funny ! /How funny !

We use a slightly different tone of voice when we use these words ironically.

Read the play carefully and find the words and expressions Gerrard uses in an ironic way. Then say what these expressions really mean. Two examples have been given below. Write down three more such expressions along with what they really mean.

Answers

DICTIONARY USE
A word can mean different things in different contexts. Look at these three sentences :

1. The students are taught to respect different cultures.
2. The school is organising a cultural show.
3. His voice is cultured.

In the first sentence, ‘culture’ (noun) means way of life ; in the second, ‘cultural’ (adjective) means connected with art, literature and music ; and in the third, ‘cultured’ (verb) means sophisticated, well-mannered. Usually a dictionary helps you identify the right meaning by giving you signposts.

Look up the dictionary entries for the words sympathy, familiarity, comfort, care, and surprise. Use the information given in the dictionary and complete the table.

 Answers

WRITING
I. Which of the words below describe Gerrard and which describe the Intruder ?

1. smart
2. humorous
3. clever
4. beautiful
5. cool
6. confident
7. flashy
8. witty
9. nonchalant

Write a paragraph each about Gerrard and the Intruder to show what qualities they have. (You can use some of the words given above.)

II. Convert the play into a story (150-200 words). Your story should be as exciting and as witty as the play. Provide a suitable title to it.

Answers
I. The words that describe Gerrard are : cool, confident, witty, clever, nonchalant, humorous.
The words that describe the Intruder are : smart, beautiful, flashy, clever, confident.

How Gerrard Outwits the Intruder

Gerrard resides in his cottage all alone. It is situated in a lonely place. He is a young man of cool and confident nature. He is a playwright. He doesn’t meet many people. By nature he is a witty and humorous person. He takes things humorously. But he handles them with a cool mind. He is not easy to be outwitted. He doesn’t get nervous easily. He remains confident till the end. That’s why, he outsmarts the Intruder with success.

The Intruder is a smart and handsome young man. He wears flashy clothes. In his dress he looks like a detective. He is very clever and confident. He has the ability to pretend what he is not. He is greatly intelligent to create fear in Gerrard by his gun. He understands things. He tries to put them to his advantage. But he is helpless before Gerrard. Gerrard outsmarts him in his false story of being himself a murderer. Gerrard at last puts him in a cupboard. Then he gets him arrested.

II. Gerrard is a cultured playwright. He lives in a small cottage. He does meet many people. He is to go out soon. But before he does so, an Intruder enters his cottage. He has a gun in his hand. He bumps accidentally against the table. Gerrard welcomes him with confidence.

The Intruder opens up. He asks Gerrard many questions. These are about his life, his cottage, how many people come there etc. Gerrard is cool and confident. He under-stands the Intruder’s design. He answers his questions with humour, wit and irony. He says that the Intruder didn’t ‘require a great brain’ to break into his little cottage. He . even asked him about his ‘speciality’.

At last Gerrard understood. The Intruder wanted to murder him and live as Gerrard because he looked like him. Gerrard at once understood everything. He told the Intruder that he was also a murderer. Therefore, the police were after him.

Gerrard explained that unfortunately one of his men had been caught. He was expecting trouble that night because of that. He was to be off that night. He then made [ the Intruder understand that it was good for him if he went with him. He also told him that if it was a frame, he could shoot him in the car.
The Intruder agreed. But when he was about to cross the door, Gerrard pushed him into the nearby cupboard in a split second. He then slammed it. Thereafter, he telephoned the police for his arrest.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 11 If I Were You help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 11 If I Were You, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 7 Packing are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 7 Packing.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 7 Packing

TEXTBOOK EXERCISES
(Page 89)

THINKING ABOUT THE TEXT
I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30-40 words).
1. How many characters are there in the narrative ? Name them. (Don’t forget the dog !).
2. Why did the narrator (Jerome) volunteer to do the packing ?
Or
Why did the narrator offer that he would pack ? (CBSE)
3. How did George and Harris react to this ? Did Jerome like their reaction ?
4. What was Jerome’s real intention when he offered to pack ?
Or
What was the author’s intention when he offered that he would pack everything for them ? (CBSE)
5. What did Harris say after the hag was shut and strapped ? Why do you think he waited till then to ask ?
6. What “horrible idea” occurred to Jerome a little later ?
7. Where did Jerome finally find the toothbrush ?
8. Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag ? (CBSE)
9. What did George and Harris offer to pack and why ?
10. While packing the hamper, George and Harris do a number of foolish and funny things. Tick the statements that are true.
(i) They started with breaking a cup.
(ii) They also broke a plate.
(iii) They squashed a tomato.
(iv) They trod on,the butter.
(v) They stepped on a banana.
(vi) They put things behind them, and couldn’t find them.
(vii) They stepped on things.
(viii) They packed the pictures at the bottom and put heavy things on top.
(ix) They upset almost everything.
(x) They were very good at packing.

Answers
1. There are four characters in the narrative. They are one, Jerome, the narrator himself, two, George, three, Harris. The fourth is the dog named Montmorency.

2. The narrator thought that George and Harris would not let him do the packing out of formality. Therefore, he volunteered to do the packing as a formality. Then he would boss over the job. But it didn’t happen.

3. George and Harris at once agreed to the narrator’s suggestion to do the packing. Jerome did not like it.

4. His real intention was to boss the job while George and Harris did the packing. But their agreeing to his packing irritated him.

5. The bag was shut and strapped. Then Harris asked Jerome if he had put the boots in. It was Harris’s habit not to say a word until the job was finished.

6. Jerome opened the bag. As he was going to close it, a horrible idea came to him. It was if he had packed his toothbrush. He had had problems always with his tooth-brush.

7. Jerome found his toothbrush inside a boot. Then he repacked the things once more.

8. Jerome had packed his tobacco-pouch in the bag. So he had to reopen the packed bag. He reopened it to get the pouch. When he had finished packing, George had asked him if the soap was in. But he didn’t care for that.

9. George and Harris offered to pack because the hampers were yet not packed. They thought that they had better do the rest. But they started breaking the things.

10. The true statements are given below :
(i)
(iii)
(iv)
(vi)
(vii)
(ix)

II. What does Jerome say was Montmorency’s ambition in life ? What do you think of Montmorency and why ?

Answer
Jerome says that Montmorency’s ambition in life is to get in the way and be sworn at. He wants to be a perfect nuisance and make people mad. It is his habit to enjoy things being thrown at him. He then feels his day has not been wasted. He wants to get somebody to stumble over him and curse him for an hour. It is his highest aim and object in life.

Harris and George were packing. Montmorency came and sat on the things. He felt that George and Harris were going to touch his wet nose. He thought the lemons were rats and ‘killed’ three of them.

It is the natural, original sin that is born in him. It makes him do things like that.

III. Discuss in groups and answer the following questions in two or three paragraphs (100-150 words).
1. Of the three, Jerome, George and Harris, who do you think is the best or worst packer ? Support your answer with details from the text.
2. How did Montmorency ‘contribute’ to the packing ?
3. Do you find this story funny ? What are the humorous elements in it ? (Pick out at least three, think about what happens, as well as how it is described.)

Answers
1. Both George and Harris are worse packers than Jerome. The difference is of degrees only. As regards packing in a general way, the three of them create confusion and confusion only. First, take Jerome. He packs but forgets what he has packed, how and where. He packs his tobacco-pouch in the bag but forgets it. Then he remembers his toothbrush and opens the bag. He finds it in the boot.

Take the case of George and Harris, the author himself says that Harris is “the worst packer in this world”. Both start packing. There are piles of plates, cups, kettles, bottles, jars, pies, stoves, cakes, tomatoes etc. They break cups. Harris packs the strawberry jam on top of a tomato and squashes it. He packs the pies at the bottom. Then he puts heavy things on top and smashes the pies in. George treads on the butter. He gets it offhis slipper. He puts it in the kettle. But it doesn’t go in. It is put down on a chair. Harris sits on it. It sticks to him. Then they search for it.

It is disorder everywhere as things after things get broken.

2. Montmorency ‘contributed’ to the packing in a tunny way. It was his ‘ambition’ in life to get in the way and be sworn at. He would put himself in everybody’s way where he was not wanted. He wanted to be a perfect nuisance. He wanted people to go mad and have things thrown at his head. Then he would feel his day had not been wasted. He longed to get somebody to stumble over him and curse him for long.

Montmorency came and sat down on things which were to be packed. Harris and George reached out for things to pack. He felt that they touched his cold damp nose. He put his leg into the jam and worried the teaspoons. He pretended the lemons were rats. He got into the hamper and “killed’ three of them. But Harris landed him with the frying-pan.

3. The story is really funny. It is created by Jerome, Harris and George in creating ‘fun’ while packing. The dog Montmorency also contributes to this fun greatly.

Thefe are many humorous elements in it. The butter incident is one such element. George treads on it. It sticks to his slipper. Then it is put on the chair and forgotten. But Harris sits on it. It sticks to his bottom. The second element is that of the squashing of strawberry and tomatoes. Harris packs the strawberry jam on top of a tomato and squashes it. The third humorous element is caused by the dog Montmorency. Montmorency causes fun by his fixed belief. Harris or George reach for things to pack. They touch his cold damp nose everytime. Then he thinks the lemons as rats. He “kills’ three of them by getting into the hamper.

The description of all these elements is also humorous. We can visualise the fun in reading it. It creates lots of fun and laughter to see Harris’s bottom stuck with butter.

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
I. Match the words/phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B.

Answer

II. Use suitable words or phrases from column A above to complete the paragraph given below.

A Traffic Jam

During power cuts, when traffic lights go off, there is utter ….. at crossroads. Drivers add to the confusion by …… over their right of way, and nearly come to blows. Sometimes passers-by, seeing a few policemen ……… at regulating traffic, step in to help. This gives them a feeling of having …… something.

Answer
chaos
getting into a row
slaving
accomplished.

1. Now work in pairs. Give
(i) two commands to your partner.
(ii) two do’s and don’ts to a new student in your class.
(iii) directions to get to each other’s houses.
(iv) instructions for moving the body in an exercise or a dance, or for cooking something.

Answers
(i) Don’t waste time. Don’t spit here.
(ii) Do’s
(a) Respect your teachers.
(b) Behave properly.
Don’ts
Don’t make a noise
Don’t come late to the class.
(iii) Go straight on M.G. Road. Walk for 10 minutes. Look to the left. There is a park nearby. Across the park, there is my house. It looks like a bungalow with a Holy Cross structure.
(iv) One instance. Sit cross-legged. Raise your palm. Put the thumb on one nostril. Breathe into the air. Then close the open nostril with the tip of the first finger. Remove the thumb from the first nostril. Breathe out the air through the first nostril. This is the yoga called ‘Lom Vilom’.

2. The table below has some proverbs telling you what to do and what not to do. Fill in the blanks and add a few more such proverbs to the table.

 Answers

WRITING
You have seen how Jerome, George and Harris mess up their packing, especially of the hamper. From their mistakes you must have thought of some dos and don’ts for packing. Can you give some tips for packing by completing the paragraph below ?
First pack all the heavy items, especially the ones you don’t need right away. Then … Here are some words and phrases you can use to begin your sentences with :

• Then
• Remember
• Next
• Don’t forget
• Now
• At last/Finally

Answer
Then put less heavy things on them. Now pick out small things. Put them in one comer or the other. Remember to put those things in the outer pockets. You may need these while travelling. These are toothbrush, soap, comb etc. Don’t forget to put all the things that are necessary and will be needed. At last, zip the bag. Also lock it at appropriate places.

ACTIVITY
Collect some examples of instructions, directions, etc. from notice boards and pamphlets. Bring them to class and display them, or read them out. (You can collect examples in English as well as other languages, Indian or foreign.)

Answer
For Self-attempt.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 7 Packing help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 7 Packing, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.