CLASS 9 · KAVERI · CHAPTER 1

How I Taught My Grandmother to Read

Simple, original answers about Krishtakka's wish to read, the poem celebrating India, and the chapter's language and writing tasks.

39 worked answersOriginal sample responses

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39 worked answers · short steps first, explanations when you need them

Before Reading

Textbook pages

Question Reflect and Respond I

List ways reading and writing can help a person in daily life.

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Think of learning, communication, and everyday independence.

Answer

Reading and writing help us learn, communicate, understand information, and manage daily tasks independently.

Question Reflect and Respond II

Give sample responses about the languages, activities, and experiences you share with an older family member.

Steps only

Name a language, a shared activity, and one favourite memory.

Answer

Sample: My grandparents speak Hindi, enjoy gardening, and like watching me play music. Answers will differ.

Question Before Reading III

Match the highlighted story words with their meanings.

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Use the context of a play and its rehearsals.

Answer

protagonist—main character; debate—discussion; episode—story part; community—local people; concentration—focus; eagerly—excitedly; convincing—believable; guided—directed.

How I Taught My Grandmother to Read

Textbook pages

Question Check Your Understanding I

Complete the cause-and-effect relationships from the story.

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Pair each event with the result it causes in the story.

Answer

Late papers made the family wait; no schooling meant Krishtakka could not read; the narrator's reading made her love the story; the narrator's absence upset her; regret about school led her to value education for her family.

Question Check Your Understanding II

Did the narrator expect to find her grandmother crying when she returned? Explain.

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Use the narrator's surprise and the grandmother's reading difficulty.

Answer

No. The narrator is surprised; her grandmother is upset because she cannot read independently.

Question Check Your Understanding III

How can the narrator help her grandmother learn to read and write?

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Teach letters, practise simple reading and writing, and encourage her.

Answer

Teach the alphabet, practise daily with simple words, and support her patiently.

Question Check Your Understanding IV

Mark the statements about Krishtakka's learning as true or false.

Steps only

Check who taught Krishtakka and how she responded to the lessons.

Answer

1 T; 2 F; 3 T; 4 T; 5 T; 6 F.

Question Critical Reflection I.1

Answer the questions about the grandmother's determination to learn at age sixty-two.

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Focus on her wish for independence and the narrator's mistaken assumptions.

Answer

1 B; 2 age limit; 3 the narrator thinks she is too old; 4 determined and hardworking; 5 she wrongly judges her ability by age and appearance.

Question Critical Reflection II.1

Why does Krishtakka feel embarrassed to ask someone else to read for her?

Steps only

Connect her lack of reading skills with her feeling of dependence.

Answer

She feels dependent because she cannot read the magazine on her own.

Question Critical Reflection II.2

Why does the narrator first laugh when her grandmother says she will learn?

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Explain the child's limited understanding of adult learning.

Answer

She thinks her grandmother is too old and busy to learn, and does not yet understand her determination.

Question Critical Reflection II.3

Why is the novel Kashi Yatre important to Krishtakka and to the main story?

Steps only

Show how the serial first creates interest and later becomes a test of independence.

Answer

The serial matters to Krishtakka, and learning to read lets her finally read it by herself.

Question Critical Reflection II.4

What does Krishtakka's wish to learn the alphabet tell us about her?

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Use her goal and hard work to describe her.

Answer

She is determined and hardworking, and wants to become independent.

Question Critical Reflection II.5

What does Krishtakka show when she touches her granddaughter's feet after learning?

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Connect the gesture with gratitude for the teacher.

Answer

She thanks and respects her granddaughter as the person who taught her.

Question Critical Reflection II.6

What does the story teach about determination and obstacles?

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State the obstacle, her effort, and the result.

Answer

Krishtakka overcomes missed schooling through determination and regular practice.

Question Critical Reflection II.7

How does the story show that education can help a person become independent?

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Explain how reading changes her from dependent to self-reliant.

Answer

Literacy lets Krishtakka read by herself instead of waiting for someone else.

Question Vocabulary and Structures I

Match each binomial with its meaning and use some in your own sentences.

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Match the phrases, then use any five naturally.

Answer

sink or swim—manage alone; on and off—sometimes; mix and match—combine choices; all or nothing—complete commitment; part and parcel—essential part; pick and choose—select; sooner or later—eventually; leaps and bounds—rapidly.

Question Vocabulary and Structures II–III

Add the correct prefix to each word and make sentences with five prefixed words.

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Add a prefix that creates the correct opposite or changed meaning.

Answer

unpopular; disbelief; unimportant; disrespect; incorrect; discontinue; misunderstand; extraordinary; uninteresting; impossible.

Question Vocabulary and Structures IV

Match the learning idioms with their meanings and use them in sentences.

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Match the idioms and show their meaning in a sentence.

Answer

hit the books—study; draw a blank—forget; learn the ropes—learn how; rack one's brain—think hard; learn by heart—memorise; burn the midnight oil—work late.

Question Vocabulary and Structures V

Complete the sentences with simple past and past perfect forms.

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Use had + past participle for the action that happened earlier.

Answer

I: arrived/had begun; had learned/started; started/had ensured; recognised/had exhausted; logged in/had discussed. II: took, reviewed, had spent, discussed, opened, set, had introduced, hurried, had completed, enjoyed.

Question Listen and Respond

Complete the digital-literacy statements from the teacher's listening passage.

Steps only

Use the teacher's transcript to record the exact phrases.

Answer

Listen for tools, personal information, staying connected, online risks, and digital-skills training.

Question Speaking Activity

Give sample arguments for and against the idea that people can learn only when they are young.

Steps only

Give a fair point on each side and use Krishtakka as evidence.

Answer

For: children get regular practice. Against: adults can learn with effort; Krishtakka proves learning has no age limit.

Question Writing Task

Write a letter to a newspaper editor encouraging students to volunteer at adult-literacy camps.

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Use a formal format and include the issue, benefits, and suggestions.

Answer

Write a formal letter explaining why adult literacy matters, how students can help, and how schools can organise volunteers.

Question Learning Beyond the Text I

Give a sample set of family words in five Indian languages.

Steps only

Use a dictionary or fluent speaker to check family terms.

Answer

Sample: Hindi—daadi, daada, maa, pita, behen, bhai; Kannada—ajji, ajja, amma, appa, akka, anna. Check other language forms with speakers.

Question Learning Beyond the Text III

What can you do to choose a book or magazine as a gift for a grandparent?

Steps only

Ask about their interests and choose a book they will enjoy.

Answer

Find out what they like to read and give them a suitable book or magazine.

Bharat Our Land

Textbook pages

Question Before Reading I–II

Name the regions, mountain ranges, and rivers referred to in the National Anthem, and explain “Jaya he.”

Steps only

List the geographic names and give the phrase's meaning.

Answer

Regions: Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, Maratha, Dravida, Utkala, Banga; mountains: Vindhya, Himalaya; rivers: Ganga, Yamuna. “Jaya he” means “victory to you.”

Question Before Reading III

Choose the word that does not match the meaning of each highlighted word.

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Pick the option that is not a synonym.

Answer

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

Question Check Your Understanding I

Complete the summary of the poem using the words in the word box.

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Use the word box in the order of the summary.

Answer

historical greatness; Himavant; Ganga; Upanishads; warriors; sages; Brahma-knowledge; Buddha; peerless; praise.

Question Check Your Understanding II

Describe the poem's mood, tone, rhyme scheme, and personification.

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Name the reader's feeling, the poet's attitude, the rhyme, and a human-like image.

Answer

Mood: proud; tone: admiring; rhyme: mainly AABB; personification: India is presented as a woman.

Question Check Your Understanding III–IV

Explain the repeated praise and the image of India as a golden land.

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Explain what repetition emphasises and what gold suggests.

Answer

The refrain reinforces pride; golden suggests richness, beauty, and value.

Question Check Your Understanding V–VI

Match the poem's symbols with their meanings and give two examples of imagery.

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Connect each place or tradition to the quality it represents.

Answer

1 v; 2 iii; 3 ii; 4 vi; 5 i; 6 iv. Imagery: the high mountain range and the flowing river.

Question Check Your Understanding VII–IX

Explain the effect of hyphens, hyperbole, and the poem's ode-like praise.

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Punctuation creates pauses; exaggeration and praise show admiration.

Answer

Hyphen effects: 1, 3, 5. Hyperbole: an extreme claim about unmatched features. It is an ode because it praises India.

Question Check Your Understanding X

Identify the poem's references to Indian scripture, spiritual knowledge, and Buddhist teaching.

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Match the cultural reference to the description.

Answer

Upanishads; Brahma-knowledge; Buddha's Dhamma.

Question Critical Reflection I

Answer the questions about the descriptions of the mountain, river, and sacred texts.

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Use each adjective's meaning and the rhetorical question's purpose.

Answer

1. strength and size; 2 ii; 3 it provides water and supports life; 4 smooth flowing movement; 5 unmatched.

Question Critical Reflection II

How does the poem connect India's landscape, history, and spiritual heritage with national pride?

Steps only

Mention landscape, people, and traditions as sources of shared pride.

Answer

The poem praises India's natural features, historical people, and spiritual traditions, creating national pride.

Question Vocabulary in Context I–II

Find the words formed with the listed suffixes and make new words with the other suffixes.

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Find the suffix in each poem word, then form a new word.

Answer

auspicious; antiquity; divinest; peerless. Examples: celebration, creative, movement, praised.

Question Listen and Respond

Match the speakers with the travel statements using the teacher's listening passage.

Steps only

Use the recording to match each travel reason to a speaker.

Answer

Check the teacher's audio transcript; it contains the speaker numbers and picture details.

Question Speaking Activity

Give a sample short talk about something valuable in your town or city.

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Choose one local asset and explain why it matters.

Answer

Sample: I value my city for its historic places, local traditions, and friendly community.

Question Writing Task

Write a paragraph about a place you visited and remember well.

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Include why you went, who came, preparation, stay, and activities.

Answer

Sample: I visited Jaipur with my family, explored historic places and markets, and enjoyed learning about its crafts.

Question Learning Beyond the Text II

Give a sample outline for a project comparing India's major geographical features.

Steps only

Include one example of each landform, its importance, and regional languages.

Answer

Compare the Himalayas, Ganga, Thar Desert, Kangra Valley, Andaman Islands, and Deccan Plateau; note their locations and how people live there.