NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Literature Chapter 1 How I Taught My Grandmother to Read

 

📘 Chapter 1: How I Taught My Grandmother to Read

✍️ Author: Sudha Murty

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🔹 Summary (Short Revision)

The story is about a young girl and her grandmother who lives in a village. The grandmother is very fond of a Kannada novel called Kashi Yatre, which is published in weekly installments. Since she cannot read, she depends on her granddaughter to read it aloud.

One day, the granddaughter goes away for a wedding, and the grandmother is left helpless. She realizes the importance of education and decides to learn how to read and write. With determination, she learns the Kannada alphabet and surprises her granddaughter by reading on her own during Saraswati Puja. The story highlights the importance of education and lifelong learning.

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📝 TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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🔸 Q1. Why did the grandmother depend on her granddaughter to know the story?

✅ Answer:

The grandmother was illiterate and could not read or write. She depended on her granddaughter to read the weekly episodes of the novel Kashi Yatre aloud to her. This was the only way she could follow the story.

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🔸 Q2. What made the grandmother realize the importance of learning to read?

✅ Answer:

When the granddaughter went away to attend a wedding, the grandmother could not read the latest episode of the story. She felt helpless and dependent on others. This made her realize the importance of learning to read and become independent.

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🔸 Q3. How did the granddaughter help her grandmother learn?

✅ Answer:

The granddaughter became her grandmother’s teacher. She taught her the Kannada alphabet and helped her practice reading daily. She showed patience and encouragement throughout the learning process.

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🔸 Q4. What was the grandmother’s greatest achievement?

✅ Answer:

The grandmother’s greatest achievement was learning to read and write at the age of 62. She was able to read the novel on her own, which made her feel independent and confident.

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🔸 Q5. Why did the grandmother touch her granddaughter’s feet?

✅ Answer:

The grandmother touched her granddaughter’s feet as a mark of respect. In Indian tradition, a teacher is considered equal to God. Since her granddaughter had become her teacher, she showed respect in this way.

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🔸 Q6. What message does the story convey?

✅ Answer:

The story conveys that:

• It is never too late to learn.
• Education gives independence and confidence.
• Determination and hard work can overcome any obstacle.

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📚 EXTRA IMPORTANT QUESTIONS (Exam-Oriented)

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🔹 Q1. Describe the character of the grandmother.

✅ Answer:

The grandmother was determined, loving, and eager to learn. Despite being old, she decided to become literate. She showed strong willpower and dedication by learning to read within a short time. She respected education and valued her teacher, even though it was her young granddaughter.

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🔹 Q2. How did the story Kashi Yatre influence the grandmother?

✅ Answer:

The story deeply influenced the grandmother as she became emotionally attached to its characters. When she missed an episode, she felt helpless. This emotional connection motivated her to learn reading so she could enjoy the story independently.

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🔹 Q3. Why is the title “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read” appropriate?

✅ Answer:

The title is appropriate because the story revolves around how the granddaughter teaches her grandmother to read and write. It highlights the role reversal where a child becomes a teacher and an elder becomes a student.

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🧠 MCQs (Practice Questions)

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1. Who is the author of the story?

a) Ruskin Bond
b) Sudha Murty
c) R.K. Narayan
d) Tagore

✅ Answer: b) Sudha Murty

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2. What was the name of the novel?

a) Ramayana
b) Mahabharata
c) Kashi Yatre
d) Gitanjali

✅ Answer: c) Kashi Yatre

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3. Why did the grandmother feel helpless?

a) She was sick
b) She couldn’t walk
c) She could not read
d) She was alone

✅ Answer: c) She could not read

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4. At what age did the grandmother learn to read?

a) 50
b) 62
c) 70
d) 45

✅ Answer: b) 62

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5. What festival was the learning completed on?

a) Diwali
b) Holi
c) Saraswati Puja
d) Eid

✅ Answer: c) Saraswati Puja

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✍️ Value-Based Question

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🔹 Q. What do you learn from this story?

✅ Answer:

This story teaches us that learning has no age limit. With determination and dedication, anyone can achieve their goals. Education is important for independence and self-respect.

🧠 MCQ Question Paper

🔹 Section A: Basic Understanding

1. Who is the author of the story?
   a) Ruskin Bond
   b) Sudha Murty
   c) R.K. Narayan
   d) Rabindranath Tagore
2. Who is the narrator of the story?
   a) Grandmother
   b) A teacher
   c) The granddaughter
   d) A neighbor
3. Where did the grandmother live?
   a) City
   b) Town
   c) Village
   d) Abroad
4. What was the grandmother fond of?
   a) Cooking
   b) Singing
   c) Listening to stories
   d) Gardening
5. What was the name of the novel?
   a) Ramayana
   b) Mahabharata
   c) Kashi Yatre
   d) Gitanjali
6. In which language was the novel written?
   a) Hindi
   b) English
   c) Kannada
   d) Tamil
7. Why couldn’t the grandmother read?
   a) She was blind
   b) She was illiterate
   c) She had no books
   d) She had no time
8. Who read the story to her?
   a) Her son
   b) Her granddaughter
   c) Her friend
   d) Her neighbor
9. How often was the story published?
   a) Daily
   b) Weekly
   c) Monthly
   d) Yearly
10. What type of story was Kashi Yatre?
    a) Adventure
    b) Religious/social
    c) Horror
    d) Comedy

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🔹 Section B: Reasoning & Understanding

11. Why did the grandmother depend on her granddaughter?
    a) She was busy
    b) She could not read
    c) She was tired
    d) She was sick
12. Why did the granddaughter go away?
    a) For studies
    b) For a wedding
    c) For a trip
    d) For work
13. What happened when the granddaughter was away?
    a) Grandmother forgot the story
    b) She stopped reading
    c) She couldn’t follow the story
    d) She slept
14. Why was the grandmother upset?
    a) She lost her book
    b) She couldn’t read
    c) She was alone
    d) She was ill
15. What realization did she have?
    a) Books are boring
    b) Education is important
    c) Stories are useless
    d) Reading is hard
16. Why did she decide to learn reading?
    a) To pass time
    b) To become independent
    c) To teach others
    d) To earn money
17. What feeling did she experience?
    a) Happiness
    b) Anger
    c) Helplessness
    d) Pride
18. What motivated her to learn?
    a) Fear
    b) Interest in story
    c) Pressure
    d) Competition
19. What does independence mean here?
    a) Living alone
    b) Reading without help
    c) Earning money
    d) Traveling
20. What does the story emphasize?
    a) Wealth
    b) Power
    c) Education
    d) Fame

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🔹 Section C: Character-Based

21. The grandmother was:
    a) Lazy
    b) Determined
    c) Careless
    d) Angry
22. The granddaughter was:
    a) Strict
    b) Kind and patient
    c) Rude
    d) Ignorant
23. The grandmother’s decision shows:
    a) Weakness
    b) Determination
    c) Fear
    d) Pride
24. How did the grandmother show respect?
    a) Gave money
    b) Touched feet
    c) Gave books
    d) Bowed head
25. The bond between them was:
    a) Formal
    b) Loving
    c) Distant
    d) Unfriendly
26. What role reversal is seen?
    a) Teacher becomes student
    b) Child becomes teacher
    c) Parent becomes child
    d) Stranger becomes friend
27. What does grandmother symbolize?
    a) Ignorance
    b) Determination
    c) Weakness
    d) Anger
28. The narrator reflects:
    a) Carelessness
    b) Responsibility
    c) Laziness
    d) Pride
29. Grandmother proved:
    a) Age matters
    b) Learning has no age
    c) Children cannot teach
    d) Books are useless
30. The story shows:
    a) Conflict
    b) Love and learning
    c) War
    d) Adventure

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🔹 Section D: Events

31. When did she decide to learn?
    a) Before story
    b) After missing episode
    c) During childhood
    d) After festival
32. Who taught her?
    a) Teacher
    b) Son
    c) Granddaughter
    d) Friend
33. What did she learn first?
    a) Numbers
    b) Alphabet
    c) Stories
    d) Poems
34. What did she practice daily?
    a) Writing
    b) Reading
    c) Singing
    d) Drawing
35. On which day did she read independently?
    a) Diwali
    b) Holi
    c) Saraswati Puja
    d) Eid
36. What did she read?
    a) Newspaper
    b) Letter
    c) Novel
    d) Poem
37. What gift did she give?
    a) Money
    b) Sweets
    c) Book
    d) Clothes
38. Why did she touch feet?
    a) Tradition
    b) Respect for teacher
    c) Fear
    d) Habit
39. Her biggest achievement was:
    a) Cooking
    b) Reading
    c) Singing
    d) Writing
40. She learned in:
    a) Few days
    b) Few weeks
    c) Few months
    d) Years

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🔹 Section E: Theme & Values

41. Central theme is:
    a) War
    b) Education
    c) Travel
    d) Fun
42. The story teaches:
    a) Age matters
    b) Never learn
    c) Never too late to learn
    d) Avoid books
43. Value highlighted:
    a) Honesty
    b) Determination
    c) Wealth
    d) Fame
44. Education gives:
    a) Money
    b) Power
    c) Independence
    d) Fame
45. Moral of story:
    a) Read daily
    b) Respect elders
    c) Learning is lifelong
    d) Play more

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✅ ANSWER KEY

1-b, 2-c, 3-c, 4-c, 5-c, 6-c, 7-b, 8-b, 9-b, 10-b
11-b, 12-b, 13-c, 14-b, 15-b, 16-b, 17-c, 18-b, 19-b, 20-c
21-b, 22-b, 23-b, 24-b, 25-b, 26-b, 27-b, 28-b, 29-b, 30-b
31-b, 32-c, 33-b, 34-b, 35-c, 36-c, 37-c, 38-b, 39-b, 40-c
41-b, 42-c, 43-b, 44-c, 45-c