Here we are providing How I Taught My Grandmother to Read Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Literature Reader, Extra Questions for Class 9 English was designed by subject expert teachers.
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Literature
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type
Answer the following questions briefly.
Question 1.
Why did the narrator and the other people in the village wait eagerly for the bus?
Answer:
The narrator and the other people waited eagerly because it brought the papers, the weekly magazine, and post.
Question 2.
How do we know that her grandparents’ village was very remote?
Answer:
The morning paper was received in the afternoon, the weekly magazine came a day late, and the transport system was not good.
Question 3.
Who speaks the line: “The happiness Kashi” (para 3). What does the line show about the lady’s
character?
Answer:
These lines are spoken by the old lady in the novel Kashi Yatre. It shows how wise, magnanimous, and compassionate the lady was. She sacrifices her deepest desire to go to Kashi for the happiness of an orphan girl. This act of hers expresses her selflessness and her humane quality which is that the highest ideal of love does not expect anything in return.
Question 4.
Why had the grandmother not gone to school?
Answer:
The grandmother had lost her mother as a young girl and her father had married her off at a very young age. Very soon, she had children and there had been no time to go to school. Also, girls were rarely sent to school in those days.
Question 5.
Why was the grandmother so upset when her granddaughter went away to attend a wedding?
Answer:
The grandmother felt frustrated and was upset because she could not read the next episode of her favourite story that was serialized in the magazine, thus, she had to wait for her granddaughter to return and read it out.
Question 6.
How do we know that the grandmother was determined to read?
Answer:
We know that the grandmother was determined to read as it was her who approached her granddaughter to teach her, keeping her embarrassment aside. She also set a deadline by which she would learn to read, and started the process from the very next day.
Question 7.
How did the granddaughter react to her grandmother’s request to teach her to read?
Answer:
At first, she made fun of her but seeing her grandmother’s determination to overcome all obstacles, she started teaching her in earnest.
Question 8.
What were the gifts exchanged by the granddaughter and grandmother?
Answer:
The grandmother gifted the narrator frock material while the granddaughter gifted her the novel “Kashi Yatre” which had been published in the form of a book.
Question 9.
Why did the grandmother touch the feet of her granddaughter?
Answer:
The grandmother wanted to show her respect for her granddaughter who had acted as her teacher and taught ‘ her to read and write.
Question 10.
Explain the statement “student had passed with flying colours”.
Answer:
When the grandmother read the title of the book effortlessly, it proved that she had succeeded in her quest to learn to read and write thus proving she had passed with flying colours.
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type
Question 1.
You are the grandmother from the story. Write a diary entry expressing your feelings on the day that you finally learn to read and write.
Answer:
8th January, 20xx, Wednesday
Today I am very happy as I have finally learnt to read and write. All the credit for this goes to my darling granddaughter. What a loving and thoughtful girl she is! She is only twelve but so wise! She taught me with so much love and affection that within a short time, I achieved my goal.
Today I have been able to read “Kashi Yatre” myself. I just can’t believe it. I, an old lady of 62, am finally independent! I can read whatever I wapt, and never feel embarrassed about being uneducated.
Over the last few weeks, as I practiced reading and writing under the guidance of my granddaughter, I often recalled my childhood. If only I had been able to go to school then, I would not have lost so many valuable years of reading. Even though I have been happy and busy all these years, with my marriage and children and household duties, the happiness and satisfaction that I have experienced during the last few weeks and especially today, are unmatched. Today I have received wealth that is duly invaluable—thanks to my little teacher!
Question 2.
You are a neighbour of the grandmother from the story. You have just witnessed the touching ceremony where the grandmother touched her young teacher’s feet, and have decided to write to your friend in another village, sharing what happened and how you feel about it.
Answer:
12 March 20xx
XYZ
Dear Krisna
How are you? Hope you are fine with your family. We are all fine here too.
I have written to give you a startling piece of news. Do you remember my neighbour Krishtakka? Well she has recently learnt how to read and write! it seems her granddaughter who is hardly 12 years old taught her how to read and write in these last three months. They had a very moving ceremony on Saraswati Puja during Dasara.The grandmother touched the feet of the granddaughter and gave her a gift! We were all shocked but later on we realised that it was an appropriate gesture as the girl had become her teacher and to show respect to your teacher is the right thing to do! I wish I had the same determination and the enthusiasm, she has been encouraging all of us to study as well.
According to her, it is never too late and she says, “for a good cause, if you are determined you can overcome any obstacle!” I have decided to join the classes that the grandmother and granddaughter are holding for anyone in the village who wants to study. What do you think? Do write and let me know.
Your friend always,
Janaki
Question 3.
Describe the character of the grandmother.
Answer:
The grandmother was a very cheerful woman and totally involved in bringing up her children and grandchildren. Though she had not been educated herself, she knew the value of education and made sure that all her children were well-educated. She was also very determined. She wanted to learn how to read and write. She did not feel embarrassed to approach her granddaughter and ask her to teach her.
She was very hard-working as we see that she worked very hard to learn how to read and write, often redoing her work to learn within the deadline that she had set for herself. We also see that she was not self-conscious and did not feel any embarrassment in touching her granddaughter’s feet as she had assumed the role of her teacher. She was very wise and understood the value of education thus she said, “We are well off, but what use is money when I cannot be independent.”
Question 4.
After reading the story, what do you think is the role of a teacher and what do you think is the duty of a student?
(Encourage students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.)
Answer:
In the story, we find that each person has a role and a duty to accomplish. A teacher’s goal is to educate his students and impart his knowledge whereas the duty the students hold is to acquire the skills and knowledge imparted. We learn from the story that the narrator has taken up the responsibility of teaching her grandmother. Although she finds it amusing in the beginning, she begins to see her grandmother’s determination.
Thus, her sole responsibility became imparting her knowledge of alphabets to her grandmother while showing compassion to understand her student’s problem. The duty of the student is however best described in the act the grandmother displays. She bends down to wash the feet of her granddaughter. Not only was she a humble student, she was diligent and determined.
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
“Her style was easy to, read and very convincing. Her stories usually dealt with complex psychological problems in the lives of ordinary people and were always interesting. ”
(a) Whom does “her” in the above lines refers to
Answer:
Triveni, the popular writer.
(b) What does the narrator mean when she says, ‘Her style’? What is she referring to?
Answer:
The narrator is talking about the style of writing that the writer Triveni uses. Triveni wrote stories that were convincing, easy to read and talked about complex psychological problems in the lives of ordinary people.
(c) Find a word from the extract that means to make someone believe in something.
Answer:
Convincing
Question 2.
“My grandmother too never went to Kashi, and she identified herself with the novel’s protagonist. So more than anybody else she was the one most interested in knowing what happened next in the story and used to insist that I read the serial out to her. ”
(a) In what way did the grandmother relate to the central character of the story “Kashi Yatre”?
Answer:
The grandmother could relate to the central character of the story “Kashi Yatre” because they both had a – strong desire to visit Kashi.
(b) Why did the grandmother not read the serial herself?
Answer:
The grandmother could not read the serial by herself as she could not read or write; grandmother was illiterate.
(c) The leading character in a drama, film or novel is called a
Answer:
Protagonist.
Question 3.
“After hearing what happened next in Kashi Yatre, she wouldjoin her friends at the temple courtyard where we children would also gather to play hide and seek. She would discuss the latest episode with her friends. At that time, I never understood why there was so much of debate about the story. ”
(a) What is “Kashi Yatre”?
Answer:
“Kashi Yatre” is a novel written by the Kannada writer, Triveni, which appeared as a serial in the Kannada weekly, Karmaveera.
(b) Why did the women at the temple discuss the latest episode of “Kashi Yatre”?
Answer:
The women at the temple would discuss the latest episode of “Kashi Yatre” as they could relate with the protagonist of the serial.
(c) Can you give different words that have the same meaning as ‘debate’
Answer:
discussion, argument.
Question 4.
“When I came back to my village, I saw my grandmother in tears. I was surprised, for I had never seen her cry even in the most difficult situations. What had happened? I was worried. ”
(a) Where had the narrator gone?
Answer:
The narrator had gone for a wedding to the neighbouring village.
(b) Why did the granddaughter find her grandmother in tears on her return?
Answer:
The granddaughter found her grandmother in tears on her return as the grandmother had been unable to read the story “Kashi Yatre” on her own.
(c) What kinds of emotion were expressed in this extract? What is the word/phrase used to describe sadness?
Answer:
Sadness, surprise/shock, anxiety were expressed in this extract. The phrase ‘in tears’ and the word ‘cry’ describes sadness.
Question 5.
“My grandmother never went to school, so she could not read. ”
(a) How did the grandmother know the details of the story published in her favourite magazine?
Answer:
The grandmother got to know the details of the story published in the favourite magazine as her granddaughter used to read it out to her.
(b) Why had the grandmother not gone to school?
Answer:
The grandmother had not gone to school because in her times people did not think it was important to educate girls.
(c) Can you think of a Word that has the same meaning as ‘not being able to read’?
Answer:
illiterate.
Question 6.
“Awa came and sat next to me. Her affectionate hands touched my forehead. I realised she wanted to speak. ”
(a) What does the term Avva mean? What did Awa tell the narrator?
Answer:
The term Awa means mother. Awa told her about her childhood, why she never went to school and asked her to teach her how to read and write.
(b) What kind of relationship did Awa and the narrator share?
Answer:
The relationship between the narrator and her grandmother was very close, warm, and loving.”
(c) Can you explain the phrase “affectionate hands”?
Answer:
The phrase affectionate hands means that the grandmother was showing her affection and care with her hands as she gently touched her granddaughter’s head.
Question 7.
“She was a good looking lady who was usually smiling. Even today I cannot forget the worried expression on her face. ”
(a) Why was “she” upset?
Answer:
The grandmother was upset because she realised that she was helpless and dependent on others to read and write.
(b) What quality in “her” character is brought out by this episode?
Answer:
Her determination becomes evident through this episode.
(c) What does the word ‘expression’ mean in this context?
Answer:
In this context, the word expression means ‘a look on someone’s face’
Question 8.
“For a good cause if you are determined you can overcome any obstacle. ”
(a) What is the “good cause” mentioned here?
Answer:
The good cause mentioned here is learning how to read and write.
(b) What light does this remark throw on the character of the speaker?
Answer:
This remark brings out the fact that she is determined and hardworking.
(c) Can you find a word that means a ‘hindrance’ or ‘hurdle’ in the extract?
Answer:
Obstacle
Question 9.
“Then she did something unusual. She bent down and touched my feet. I was surprised and taken aback”
(a) What was unusual about the gesture?
Answer:
It was unusual that a grandmother was touching the feet of a granddaughter, as the custom is that the younger ones touch the feet of the elders as a mark of respect.
(b) Why did she behave in this manner?
Answer:
This gesture on her part was to honour and thank the person who had taught her to read and”write.
(c) What does the narrator mean when she said she was taken aback?
Answer:
When the narrator said she was taken aback, she meant that she was startled.
Question 10.
“Now I am independent. It is my duty to respect a teacher. ”
(a) Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker of the extract is the grandmother.
(b) How had she become independent?
Answer:
The grandmother had become independent as she no longer had to depend on others to read or write.
(c) How did she show her respect for her teacher?
Answer:
The grandmother expressed her respect for her teacher by touching her feet.
Question 11.
“Secretly I bought Kashi Yatre which had been published as a novel by that time. ”
(a) What was Kashi Yatre?
Answer:
“Kashi Yatre” was a novel.
(b) Why had the narrator bought it “secretly”?
Answer:
The narrator bought it “secretly” as she wanted it to be a surprise.
(c) Why did she buy “Kashi Yatre” for her?
Answer:
The narrator bought “Kashi Yatre” for her grandmother as her grandmother loved the story and she wanted to give her a gift for completing her studies.
Question 12.
“It is a great tradition but today the reverse has happened. ”
(a) What does the term “great tradition” refer to?
Answer:
The “great tradition” refers to the tradition of touching the feet of elders.
(b) What does the narrator mean by “reverse”?
Answer:
In the given extract the narrator meant that the opposite had happened as the grandmother touched the feet of the granddaughter.
(c) Why had this happened?
Answer:
The “reverse” had happened as the granddaughter had taught her grandmother to read and write.