How I Taught My Grandmother To Read - Class 9, English Literature Reader - Solutions of NCERT (CBSE) Textbook Exercise

CBSE Board, Class IX, English (Communicative)

Ncert Solutions for Interact in English Literature Reader

F.1. How I Taught My Grandmother To Read by Sudha Murty

NCERT Textbook Chapter Exercise (Important Questions – Answers)

Q.4: Now that you have enjoyed reading the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct option:

(a) The grandmother could relate to the central character of the story ‘Kashi Yatre’ as ________

(i) both were old and uneducated.

(ii) both had granddaughters who read to them.

(iii) both had a strong desire to visit Kashi.

(iv) both were determined to learn to read

(b) Why did the women at the temple discuss the latest episode of ‘Kashi Yatre’?

(i) to pass their time.

(ii) the writer, Triveni, was very popular.

(iii) they could relate with the protagonist of the serial.

(iv) women have a habit of discussing serials.

(c) The granddaughter found her grandmother in tears on her return as _________.

(i) the grandmother had been unable to read the story ‘Kashi Yatre’ on her own.

(ii) the grandmother had felt lonely.

(iii) the grandmother wanted to accompany her granddaughter.

(iv) she was sad she could not visit Kashi.

(d) Why did the grandmother touch her granddaughter’s feet?

(i) as a mark of respect to her teacher

(ii) it was a custom in their family.

(iii) girls should be respected

(iv) she had read the story of ‘Kashi Ytare’ to her. 

Answer: (a) iii. (b) iii. (c) i. (d) i.

Q.5: Answer the following questions briefly.

(a) What made Triveni a popular writer?

(b) Why did the grandmother depend on her granddaughter to know the story?

(c) Pick out two sentences which state that the grandmother was desperate to know what happened in the story.

(d) Could the grandmother succeed in accomplishing her desire to read? How?

(e) Which of the following trials would be relevant to the character of the narrator’s grandmother? Give reasons for your choice.

Answer:

(a) Triveni was a popular writer because of her style of writing was very easy-to-understand and also convincing. Moreover, she used to write on the complex psychological problems in the lives of common people which was another reason of her popularity.

(b) The grandmother could not read the story that appeared in the magazine as she had never been to school. So she used to depend on her granddaughter who read the story to her.  

(c) The following two sentences spoken by the grandmother tell us how desperate was she to know what happened in the story:

1. “Many times, I rubbed my hands over the pages wishing I could understand what was written.”

2. “I even thought of going to the village and asking you to read for me.”

(d) Yes, the grandmother succeeded in accomplishing her desire to read. To accomplish this she worked hard with some target. She made the ‘Saraswati Pooja’ day as the deadline. And by this day she was able to read a book independently.

(e) The grandmother had a strong determination and also emotional.

She was determined to learn to read. She worked hard with strong determination in order to achieve her target before the deadline she had set to herself.

After she had accomplished her desire, she expressed her gratitude to her granddaughter. She touched the little girl’s feet because she felt it was her duty to respect her teacher irrespective of the gender and age. The grandmother was seemed to be very emotional when she told the story of her life to her granddaughter.            

Q.8: After having read the story, you realize the anguish of the illiterate adults. You want to make your friends aware of it and contribute something in bringing about a change in the lives of the illiterate adults. Deliver a speech in the morning assembly at your school about the Importance of Adult Education and ways to implement it.

Read the following to make your speech more effective: The introduction of a speech is like the nose of an airplane. The nose sets the course and leads the plane off in a specific direction. A good introduction sets the direction of your speech by –

• getting the attention of your audience 
• introducing your topic 
• stating your central idea or purpose 
• briefly identifying the main points 
• making your audience eager to hear what you have to say.

Answer: Try to do it yourself or let us know if more help/hint needed.

Q.9: You are the grandmother. How did you feel when your granddaughter gave you the novel ahsi Yatre’? Write your feelings in your diary.  

Answer:

14^th February 2012, Tuesday

8.30 p.m.

Today I am very happy as I touched a milestone in my life. I had decided to learn reading only few months ago and also set Saraswati Pooja as deadline for it. Today is Saraswati Pooja and I have achieved my goal within the deadline. I celebrated my accomplishments today as I can read a book now. It was my pleasure to call Sudha to the Pooja place to express my gratitude and honour her as she has been my teacher. To my surprise, she had also brought a gift for me. It was the novel ‘Kashi Yatre’. I felt really elated to accept the book from her because I value it more than the highest degree from a university. It was not a mere gift for me rather I felt as if being awarded a certificate from my teacher for having passed the test with flying colours.        

How I Taught My Grandmother To Read – further study

• Class 9, NCERTEnglish Literature Reader - How I Taught My Grandmother To Read - CBSE Hot Questions with Solutions 
• English Literature Reader MCQs - Class IX, How I Taught My Grandmother To Read - Ncert Cbse English (Communicative)