Chapter 3: The Little Girl

English
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Chapter 3 – The Little Girl

Class: IX

Exercise number - 1

Question 1 

Given below are some emotions that Kezia felt. Match the emotions in the Column A with the items in Column B.

Answer 1

Question 2 

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.

1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family?
3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine

(i) before going to his office?

(ii) after coming back from his office?

(iii) on Sundays?

4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?

Answer 2

1.Kezia looked at her father as someone who scolded her and advised her to do things in a proper manner. Hence she was afraid of her father.

2. Kezia’s family consisted of 3 members. They are her father, mother and grandmother.

3. (i)Kezia’s father always goes to her room to give her a causal kiss before leaving to his work.

(ii) He asks for a cup to tea, newspaper and his slippers to his mother in a loud voice, once he returns back home from his office.

(iii)Kezia found her father having a sound sleep on Sunday afternoons. He usually sleeps stretching his body over the sofa with a handkerchief covering his face.

4.Kezia’s grandmother encouraged her by sending her to the drawing room to have a conversation with her parents on Sundays and also to make a gift for her father’s birthday.

Question 3

Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.

1. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?
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?
3. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?

Answer 3

1.Kezia has tried many times to please her father but have never succeeded. Her words stuttered a lot in fear and she always found it hard to say words properly while talking to him and this made her to get scoldings.

Once Keiza’s grandmother reminded her that her father’s birthday was nearing and she also suggested to make pin-cushion as a gift for her father’s birthday. Kezia was excited and started making the cushion. When she stitched three sides she was not sure on what she should use to fill the cushion with. She found many sheets of fine papers on the bed table as she wandered to her mother’s bedroom. She was excited seeing many papers gathered them and tore it to tiny pieces and stuffed into the cushion. Unfortunately, the sheets she had torn were her father’s speech for the Port Authority. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much because he was extremely angry with her when he got to know about it.

2.On seeing Mr. Macdonald, who lived next door she realised that there were different kinds of fathers. One evening she peeped through a gap in the fence and she saw Macdonalds playing ‘tag’ together. The father had the little baby on his shoulders, while his two little girls were hanging on to his coat pockets. They were laughing out loud and ran round and round the flowerbeds. On seeing them happy she thought there were different sorts of fathers as her father had never played or laughed with her. Mr. Macdonald was quite a contrast to Kezia’s father because Kezia’s father was afraid to go near him as he often scolds her and told her to do things in the right way.

3.Kezia was left alone at home with the cook Alice, when her mother and grandmother were in the hospital. When Kezia went to her bed at night, she wondered what she would do if she had a her nightmare. She was missing her grandmother as she tucks her in her bed whenever Kezia fears the nightmare.

Suddenly Kezia screamed her grandmother’s name as she had the same nightmare again. When she woke up, she saw her father beside her bed and he carried her into his room then carefully tucked her next to him. In half sleep, she crept close to him, snuggling her head under his arm and held his shirt tightly. She was asked to rub her feet against his legs to feel the warmth. Her father was very tired that he slept before she did. Only then she realised that there was no one to look after him. She understood her father is not like Mr. Macdonald and he had to work al day. She began to see him in a new light. She felt bad that she had torn up his speech and she told he had a big heart and expressed her feelings towards her father.

Question 1 

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.

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)

2. Study the use of the 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 Mangeskar. _________

(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 1

1. (i) She was delighted by the news of her brother’s wedding.

(ii) I was thrilled to be invited to the party.

(iii) She was overjoyed at the birth of her granddaughter.

(iv) The coach was pleased with his performance.

(v) She was very happy with her results.

2. (i) Older

(ii) Most important

(iii) Excellent ideas

(iv) Huge in popularity

(v) Greatest

(vi) Eats a lot (in quantity)

(vii) A good and kind heart

Question 2

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.

2. Some verbs of reporting are given in the box. Choose the appropriate verbs and fill in the blanks in the following sentences. 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 2

1. (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 apologized for coming late to the party.

2. (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 a chap after all," remarked the man.

(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.