NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 6 My Childhood(part - 2)

The question on the previous page...        (Continue)

Answer:
In spite of financial difficulties, the laborers were paid on time.

Question 3.
On Republic Day, vehicles (not allowed) beyond this point.

Answer:
On Republic Day, vehicles were not allowed beyond this point.

Question 4.
Second-hand books (buy and sell) on the pavement every Saturday.

Answer:
Second-hand books are bought and sold on the pavement every Saturday.

Question 5.
Elections to the Lok Sabha (hold) every five years.

Answer:
Elections to the Lok Sabha are held every five years.

Question 6.
Our National Anthem (compose) Rabindranath Tagore.

Answer:
Our National Anthem has been composed by Rabindranath Tagore.

V. Rewrite the paragraphs below, using the correct form of the verb given in brackets.

Question 1.

How Helmets Came To Be Used in Cricket Nari Contractor was the Captain and an 

opening batsman for India in the 1960s. The Indian cricket team went on a tour to 

the West Indies in 1962. In a match against Barbados in Bridgetown, Nari 

Contractor (seriously injure and collapse). In those days helmets (not wear). 

Contractor (hit) on the head by a bouncer from Charlie Griffith. Contractor’s skull 

(fracture). The entire team (deeply concerned). The West Indies players (worry). 

Contractor (rush) to hospital. He (accompany) by Frank Worrell, the Captain of the 

West Indies Team. Blood (donate) by the West Indies players. Thanks to the timely 

help, Contractor (save). Nowadays helmets (routinely use) against fast bowlers.

Answer:

How Helmets Came To Be Used in Cricket

Nari Contractor was the Captain and an opening batsman for India in the 1960s. The Indian 
cricket team went on a tour to the West Indies in 1962. In a match against Barbados in 
Bridgetown Nari Contractor was seriously injured and collapsed. In those days helmets were 
not worn. Contractor was hit on the head by a bouncer from Charlie Griffith. Contractor’s skull 
was fractured. The entire team was deeply concerned. The West Indies players were worried. 
Contractor was rushed to hospital. He was accompanied by Frank Worrell, the Captain of the 
West Indies Team. Blood was donated by the West Indies players. Thanks to the timely help, 
Contractor was saved. Nowadays helmets are routinely used against fast bowlers.

Question 2.

Oil From Seeds Vegetable oils (make) from seeds and fruits of many plants growing 

all over the world, from tiny sesame seeds to big, juicy coconuts. Oil (produce) from 

cotton seeds, groundnuts, soya beans and sunflower seeds. Olive oil (use) for 

cooking, salad dressing, etc. Olives (shake) from file trees and (gather) up, usually 
by hand. The olives (ground) to a thick paste which is spread onto special mats. 
Then the mats (layer) up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them 
to produce olive oil.

Answer:

Oil From Seeds
Vegetable oils are made from seeds and fruits of many plants growing all over the 
world from tiny sesame seeds to big, juicy coconuts. Oil is produced from cotton 
seeds, groundnuts, soya beans, and sunflower seeds. Olive oil is used for cooking,
 salad dressing, etc. Olives are shaken from the trees and gathered up, usually by 
hand. The olives are grounded to a thick paste that is spread onto special mats. 
Then the mats are layered upon the pressing machine which will gently squeeze 
them to produce olive oil.

Dictation

(Page 77)

Let the class divide itself into three groups. Let each group take down one passage 
that the teacher dictates. Then put the passages together in the right order.

To Sir, with Love
1. From Rameswaram to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, it’s been a long journey. Talking to Nona 
Walia on the eve of Teacher’s Day, President Dr. A.PJ. Abdul Kalam talks about life’s toughest 
lessons learnt and his mission—being a teacher to the Indian Youth. “A proper education would
 help nurture a sense of dignity and self-respect among our youth”, says President Kalam. 
There’s still a child in him though, and he’s still curious about learning new things. Life’s a 
mission for President Kalam.
2. Nonetheless, he remembers his first lesson in life and how it changed his destiny. “I was 
studying in Standard V, and must have been all of 10. My teacher, Sri Sivasubramania Iyer was
 telling us how birds fly. He drew a diagram of a bird on the blackboard, depicting the wings, 
tail and the body with the head and then explained how birds soar to the sky. At the end of the 
class, I said I didn’t understand. Then he asked the other students if they had understood, but 
nobody had understood how birds fly,” he recalls.
3. “That evening, the entire class was taken to Rameswaram shore” the President continues. 
“My teacher showed us sea birds. We saw marvellous formations of them flying and how their 
wings flapped. Then my teacher asked us, ‘Where is the birds’ engine and how is it powered?’ 
I knew then that birds are powered by their own life and motivation. I understood all about birds’
 dynamics. This was real teaching—a theoretical lesson coupled with a live practical example. 
Sri Sivasubramania Iyer was a great teacher. ” That day, my future was decided. My destiny 
was changed. I knew my future had to be about flight and flight systems.

Answer:

For an attempt at class level. Paragraphs are put together as given below:

To Sir, With Love
From Rameswaram to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, it’s been a long journey. Talking to Nona Walia 
on the eve of Teacher’s Day, President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam talks about life’s toughest 
lessons learnt, and his mission—being a teacher to the Indian Youth. “A proper education 
would help nurture a sense of dignity and self-respect among our youth”, says President Kalam.
 There’s still a child in him though, he’s still curious about learning new things. Life’s a mission 
for President Kalam.
Nonetheless, he remembers his first lesson in life and how it changed his destiny. “I was 
studying in standard V, and must have been all of 10. My teacher, Sri Sivasubramania Iyer was
 telling us how birds fly. He drew a diagram of a bird on the blackboard, depicting the wings, tail
 and the body with the head and then explained how birds soar to the sky. At the end of the 
class, I said I did not understand. Then he asked the other students if they had understood, but
 nobody had understood how birds fly”, he recalls. “That evening, the entire class was taken to
 Rameswaram shore”, the President continues. “My teacher showed us sea birds. We saw 
marvelous formations of them flying and how their wings flapped. Then my teacher asked us, 
“Where is the bird’s engine and how is it powered?” I knew then that birds are powered by their
 own life and motivation. I understood all about birds’ dynamics. This was real teaching—a 
theoretical lesson coupled with a live practical example. Sri Sivasubramania Iyer was a great 
teacher. That day, my future was decided. My destiny was changed. I knew my future had to be
about flight and flight systems.

Speaking
(Page 78)

Here is a topic for you to

1. think about;
2. give your opinion on.

Find out what other people think about it. Ask your friends/seniors/parents to give you their 

opinion.

‘Career Building Is the Only Goal of Education.’

Or

‘Getting a Good Job Is More Important than Being a Good Human Being.’
You can use the following phrases.

(i) while giving your opinion:

• I think that…
• In my opinion …
• It seems to me that…
• I am of the view that…
• As far as I know …
• If you ask me …

(ii) saying what other people think:

• According to some …
• Quite a few think …
• Some others favor…
• Thirty percent of the people disagree …
• Fifty percent of them strongly feel…

(iii) asking for other’s opinions:

• What do you think about it…
• What do you think of…
• What is your opinion about…
• Do you agree …
• Does this make you believe …

Career Building is the Only Goal of Education

The eminent educationists aver that education does not make a child a bookworm. It sharpens the pupils’ intellect and inspires them to build their careers by getting 
themselves enrolled in professional courses. In my opinion, the fundamental goal of 
education is to help a learner in opting for a perfect stream and assist him in earning
 his livelihood.

Answer:

Class Activity.

Writing
(Page 79)

Question 1.
Think and write a short account of what life in Rameswaram in the 1940s must have been like.

 (Were people rich or poor? Hardworking or lazy? Hopeful of change, or resistant to it?).

Answer:

The people of Rameswaram in the 1940s were orthodox and tolerant. It is mentioned in 
the story that every child is born into a specific socio-economic and emotional 
environment and trained in certain ways by figures of authority. The people of 
Rameswaram was not ready to allow anybody to instigate their children on the 
basis of communal intolerance. They were all religious people and did not like to 

enjoy the luxuries of life. They had pucca houses made of limestone and brick.
They used to avoid all inessential comforts and were 
emotionally attached to the members of their family.

Extract Based Questions (3 marks each)

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1:

During the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony, our family used to arrange 
boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the 
marriage site, situated in the middle of the pond called Rama Tirtha which was near
 our house.

1. What was the annual event held in Rameshwaram?
2. Where did the boats carry the idols of the Lord?
3. Find a word from the passage that means “images of God”.(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-014)

Answers:

1. The annual event held in Rameshwaram was Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam Ceremony.
2. The boats carried the idols of the Lord in the middle of the pond on the site of the marriage (or ceremony or function).
3. Idols.

Question 2:

During the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam Ceremony, our family used to 

arrange boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to 

the marriage site, situated in the middle of the pond called Rama Tirtha which was near 

our house. Events from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet were the bedtime

stories my mother and grandmother would tell the children in our family.

1. How did the speaker’s family help in Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam Ceremony?
2. What light does the passage throw on the speaker’s family?
3. Find the word in the passage which means the same “the place where some             event takes place”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-016)

Answer:

1. The speaker’s family used to help in Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam Ceremony by arranging boats with a special platform for carrying idols.
2. The passage shows that the speaker’s family is a truly secular family which respected other religions also.
3. Site.

Question 3:

After school, we went home and told our respective parents about the incident. 
Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher, and in our presence, told the teacher 
that he should not spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance 
in the minds of innocent children. He bluntly asked the teacher to either apologize 
or quit the school and the island. Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour, but 
the a strong sense of conviction. Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed 
this young teacher.

1. What brought about a change in the teacher?
2. What kind of society did the speaker live in?
3. Find the word/phrase in the passage which means “strong opinion or belief”.(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-017)

Answers:

1. The strong sense of conviction that Lakshmana Sastry conveyed brought about a change in the teacher.
2. The speaker lived in a society that was truly secular.
3. Conviction.

Question 4:

His wife watched us from behind the kitchen door. I wondered whether she had 

observed any difference in the way I ate rice, drank water, or cleaned the floor after 

the meal. When I was leaving his house, Sivasubramaniam invited me to join him for

dinner the next weekend. Observing my habitation, he told me not to get upset, 

saying “Once you decide to change the system, such problems have to be 

confronted.” When I visited his house next week, Sivasubramaniam Iyer’s wife took

me inside her kitchen and served me food with her own hands.

1. Why did the teacher’s wife watched them from behind the kitchen door ?
2. Why was the narrator hesitant to eat food, with a Hindu family ?
3. Find the word from the passage that means “to deal with” (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-017)

Answer:

1. The teacher’s wife believed in the segregation of different people. She did not want APJ Kalam to enter her kitchen and serve food. She as a result hid behind kitchen door and saw everything.
2. The narrator felt hesitant to eat food with a Hindu family because he felt he was not welcomed in the family.
3. Confronted One day, he invited me to his home for a meal. His wife was horrified at the idea of a Muslim boy being invited to dine in her ritually pure kitchen. She refused to serve me in her kitchen.

Question 5:

Sivasubramaniam Iyer was not perturbed, nor did he get angry with his wife, but instead, 

served me’ with his own hands and sat down beside me to eat his meal.

1. Who is “he” and “me” in the first sentence ?
2. Why was his wife horrified ?
3. Find the word from the passage that means “agitated/upset”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-019)

Answer:

1. “He” is Sivasubramania Iyer, and “me” is Abdul Kalam.
2. His wife was horrified at the idea of serving food to a Muslim boy in her kitchen.
3. Perturbed.

Short Answer Type Questions (2 marks each)
(About 30-40 words each)

Question 1:

Why did A.P.J. Abdul Kalam call his childhood a secure childhood ?(Board Term 1,2012, 

ELI-015)

Or

“Kalam’s childhood was a secure one, both materially and emotionally”. Illustrate the fact.

(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-042)

Answer:

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam called his childhood a secure one because he had loving and caring 

parents.-He had all necessary things which included food, clothes, medicine, etc.

Question 2:

Do you think the new teacher deserved the treatment meted out to him ? Why/why not ?

(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-016)

Answer:

Yes, he deserved the treatment meted out to him. He was spreading the poison of communal 

intolerance among the young minds which was a serious crime. If a teacher indulges in such a 

mean act he deserves no sympathy.

Question 3:

What was the difference in the attitudes of the science teacher and his wife towards A.P.J. 

Abdul Kalam?(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-029)

Answer:

Though his science teacher was an orthodox Hindu, he broke the social barriers, and mixed 

with other religions and commjmities. He invited Abdul home and served him meals and even 

sat and ate with him. On the contrary, his wife was conservative and refused to serve Abdul.

Question 4:

How did Second World War give opportunity to Kalam to earn his first wages ?(Board Term 1,

2012, ELI-030)

Answer:

Kalam’s cousin was a news agent. Train halt at Rameshwaram station was suspended. So, the

 newspapers were bundled up and thrown out from a moving train. Kalam helped his cousin to 

catch the bundles. He was given money for it.

Question 5:
How does Abdul Kalam describe his mother?(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-035)

Answer:

Abdul Kalam describes his mother by saying that she was an ideal wife and a gentle lady. He 

learnt from his mother to be gentle and kind. She even used to feed a lot of outsiders every day.

Question 6:

What did Abdul Kalam’s family do during the annual Shri Sita Ram Kalayanam Ceremony ?

(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-038)

Answer:

Abdul Kalam’s family arranged for a boat with a special platform for carrying the idols of Lord 

Shri Sita Ram from the temple to the marriage sites situated in the middle of a pond called as 

Rama Tirtha. His parents even told him stories from the Ramayana.

Question 7:
What characteristics did Abdul Kalam inherit from his parents? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-043)

Answer:

Abdul Kalam inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father and faith in goodness and 

kindness from his mother. Like his parents even he respected all religions.

Long Answer Type Questions (4 marks each)
(About 80-100 words each)
Question 1:

What do you know about A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s family after reading the lesson “My childhood”? 

(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-013)

Answer:

A.PJ. Abdul Kalam tells us that his family was a Tamil middle-class family from Rameshwaram. 

His father Jainulabdeen was not much educated, wasn’t rich but was a generous, wise, simple 

man but very strict and severe. His mother Ashiamma was a generous lady and used to feed 

unlimited numbers of people in their home. Kalam’s family respected all religions. They took 

part in Hindu festivals. His mother and grandmother told him stories from Ramayana. They 

always showered their love on their children and never forced their thoughts on them.

Question 2:

What incident took place at the Rameshwaram Elementary School when a new teacher came 

to the class? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-023)

Answer:

Kalam used to wear a cap and Ramanandha Sastry wore a sacred thread which marked him to

 be a Brahmin. When the new teacher came he could not tolerate a Hindu priest’s son sitting 

with a Muslim boy. He ordered Kalam to go and sit on the back bench. This made Ramanandha

sad. Abdul started to sit in the last row but it left a bad impression on Abdul. Both the kids 

narrated the incident to their parents. As a result the teacher was rebuked and reprimanded for 

spreading communalism and hatred among children.

Question 3:
How did Abdul Kalam earn his “first wages” ? How did he feel at that time ?(Board Term 1,

2012, ELI-024)

Answer:

Kalam was only 8 years old when the second world war broke out in 1939. Then there was a 

great demand for tamarind seeds. Abdul used to collect those seeds and sell them in the 

market. His cousin Shamsuddin distributed newspapers. The train would not stop at 

Rameshwaram and the bundles of newspapers were thrown from the running train. Abdul was 

employed by his cousin to collect them. This way he earned his first wages. He felt very proud 

on earning his first wage.

Question 4:

“Once you decide to change the system, such problems have to be confronted.” What system 

is being referred to in the sentence from the chapter “My Childhood”? What are such problems?

(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-025)

Answer:

System means a system of discrimination on the basis of religion. The system includes 

narrow-mindedness and poison of social inequality and communal intolerance. The Brahmins 

did not allow Muslims to enter their kitchen. The science teacher – a rebel by nature, inviting 

Kalam to his home and proved that if one is determined to face problems and change the 

system, he will definitely succeed. Though, such indifferences come in everybody’s life a 

person should have a broader outlook and overcome the obstacles.

Question 5:

How was the Science teacher Siva Subramaniam Iyer, though an orthodox. Brahmin with a 

very conservative wife, a friend of Abdul Kalam. Give incidents to support your answer.(Board 

Term 1,2012, ELI-025)

Answer:

The Science teacher, Siva Subramaniam Iyer, wanted to break the social barriers between the 

Hindus and the Muslims. He wanted Kalam to be very highly educated as he recognized his 

intelligence. One day, he invited him over to a meal. His orthodox wife was totally horrified at 

the idea of a Muslim boy dining in her ritually pure kitchen. He did not mind anything said by 

his very conservative wife. He rather served the food to Abdul by his own hands. He also sat 

with him and dined together as well as invited him over again for another meal the coming 

weekend. Thus, this shows that he was a friend of Abdul Kalam even though Kalam was a 

Muslim and he himself was an orthodox Brahmin.

Value-Based Question (4 marks)

Question 1:

‘Childhood’ is the formative period of a child’s life. The lessons learnt here always stay with a 

person. Comment on it in the light of the lesson A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Answer:

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is one of the finest scientists in our country and was also our eleventh 

President. From his autobiography “Wings of Fire” it is amply clear that lessons learnt in our 

childhood not only shape our personality but also decide the kind of person we become. He 

learnt the lessons of religious tolerance, honesty, and self-discipline early in his life. These 

qualities stayed with him throughout his life and have helped to make him one of the finest 

President of our country with so many diverse cultures.