NCERT Solutions for Chapter 3 The Little Girl Class 9 English Beehive
The Little Girl was written by Katharine Mansfield. In this story a girl Kezia had a wrong perspective about her father, she thought her father did not love and care for her. She afraid of her father because of her father's harsh behaviour towards her daughter but eventually she realized that her father was not a bad person and he also loves and care for her but he did not show the love to Kezia because of his weariness by workload.
Chapter Name | The Little Girl NCERT Solutions |
Class | CBSE Class 9 |
Textbook Name | Beehive |
Related Readings |
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Part I - 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.
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Column I |
Column II |
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1. Fear or terror |
(i) Father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss. |
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2. Glad sense of relief |
(ii) Noise of a carriage grows fainter. |
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3. A “funny” feeling. Perhaps of understanding |
(iii) Father comes home. |
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(iv) Speaking to father. |
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(v) Going to bed when alone at home. |
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(vi) Father comforts her and falls asleep. |
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(vii) Father stretched out on the sofa, snoring. |
Answer
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Column I |
Column II |
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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. |
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2. Glad sense of relief |
(i) Father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss. (ii) Noise of a carriage grows fainter. |
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3. A “funny” feeling. Perhaps of understanding |
(vi) Father comforts her and falls asleep. |
II. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.
Question 1: Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Answer
A little girl named Kezia was frightened of her father because of his following behavior:
1. Her father's nature was authoritative and dominating.
2. Kezia was afraid by his massive physical appearance and his noisy voice.
Question 2: Who were the people in Kezia's family?
Answer
Mother, Father, Grandmother, Alice the cook, and Kezia were the five members in Kezia's family.
Question 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) Her father used to give her a friendly kiss before leaving her room before going to his office.
(ii) He asked for the newspaper and tea after coming back from his office.
(iii) He relaxed on the sofa on Sunday afternoons, snoring and sleeping deeply with a handkerchief on his face.
Question 4: In what ways did Kezia's grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?
Answer
Her grandmother used to send her down to the drawing room to talk with her father and mother on Sunday afternoons. She also gave Kezia the brilliant idea of surprising her father with a pin cushion made out of yellow silk on his birthday to make him feel special.
III. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.
Question 1: Kezia's efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?
Answer
Kezia was afraid of his father because of his dominating nature and he talked to her rudely. During a cold spell, her grandmother told her about her father's birthday next week and advised she make a pincushion using yellow silk.
Although the little girl worked actively stitching the three sides with double cotton, she did not know what the cushion would be filled with. Her grandmother was out in the garden at the time, so she went to her mother's room to look for scraps. On the bed table, she found a few sheets of paper, so she gathered them and tore them into tiny pieces, before stuffing them into the cushion and sewing up the fourth side.
The papers Kezia tore were father's great speech for the Port Authority, so it resulted bitter and unpleasant. After knowing the truth, he lost his temper immediately. He scolded her for touching things that were not hers and punished her by hitting her palm with a ruler. Thus her efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much.
Question 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 decided there were different kinds of fathers when she watched Mr. Macdonald playing with his five children who lived next door,
Kezia's father was very strict and short-tempered. Kezia was always scared of him and his presence because of his dominating nature and harsh behaviour towards her,
On the other hand Kezia considered Mr. Macdonald to be a very soft-hearted and loving father. As a father, he was very gentle in his approach and had a healthy relationship with his children. Thus, Mr. Macdonald was different from her father.
Question 3: How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
Answer
One night Kezia had an old nightmare of a butcher with a sharp knife and a rope. Her father was beside her bed as she awoke screaming "grandma grandma". She was immediately carried into the big bedroom by her father who laid beside her, holding her in his arms.
Her mind still focused on the butcher, she crawled closer to her father, snuggled under his arm and held onto his shirt tightly. When Kezia rubbed her feet against the father's legs to keep them warm, he fell asleep with her.
Seeing the extent of her father's effort, Kezia realized that her father was not as harsh as she thought. She realized that her father had to work hard and got tired to be Mr. Macdonald. She told her father what a big heart he had, expressing her transformed feelings.
Part II - Thinking about Language
I. Look at the following sentences.
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 overjoyed by the news of her brother's wedding.
(ii) I was delighted to be invited to the party.
(iii) She was glad at the birth of her granddaughter.
(iv) The coach was pleased with his performance.
(v) She was very happy with her results.
2. Study the use of 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
(ii) Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career. Consequential
(iii) Their project is full of big ideas. Extraordinary
(iv) Cricket is a big game in our country. Popular
(v) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeshkar. Great admirer
(vi) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater. Gourmet
(vii) What a big heart you've got, Father dear. Compassionate
II. Verbs of Reporting:
Study the following sentences.
- "What!" screamed Mother.
- "N-n-no", she whispered.
- "Sit up," he ordered.
The Italicized 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 on.
(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.
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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," replied the woman.
(ii) "Leave me alone," my mother shouted.
(iii) The children were complaining that the roads were crowded and noisy.
(iv) "Perhaps he isn't a bad sort of 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.
Part III - Writing
Question 1: Has your life been different from or similar to that of Kezia when you were a child? Has your perception about your parents changed now? Do you find any change in your parent's behavior vis-a-vis yours? Who has become more understanding? What steps would you like to take to build a relationship based on understanding? Write three or four paragraphs (about 150-200 words) discussing these issues from your own experience.
Answer
My life has been different from to that of Kezia. As a member of a joint family, my parents, grandparents, uncle and aunt as well as the other members of my family have always shown me the utmost love, care and concern in every field. I had a very different childhood and life experience than Kezia.
I often felt bad as a child when I was repeatedly scolded or corrected for certain things. As Kezia was scolded for tearing the important pages written by her father, I was also found fault for my bad habits and wrong actions. It was definitely a pinch at that time. Over the years, I have gradually noticed a change in my parents' attitude towards me as I have grown up. In every stage of my life, they have allowed me to explore myself freely.
As a child and into adolescence, I witnessed many freedoms while also understanding all the things I was rectified repeatedly or told not to do. As I have grown older, I have become more mature and understanding. It is very important to correct and teach children the right things at a young age, even though they might feel bad about certain things. At a young age, it is much easier to correct and teach them the right things.
It is these experiences of my life that have taught me some very important lessons that I will carry forward throughout my life, and most importantly, the difference between the right and the wrong, and the good and the bad.
NOTE-Students can share their own experience. The above answer is just an example.