HILLROCKNATIONALPUBLICSCHOOL

VISHWESHWARAIAH LAYOUT BENGALURU– 91

GRADE IX: SUBJECT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

Lesson-3 The Little Girl
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Short Answer Type Questions
1. Why did Kezia avoid her father?
Kezia avoided her father because according to her, her father was an
emotionless person. He never spoke to Kezia lovingly and calmly. He scolded
Kezia and reprimanded her for making mistakes. Kezia stammered in front of
her father since he was a very huge and giant-like figure far away from the
warmth of a father.
2. What would Kezia’s mother ask her to do when her father returned
from office?
When the father returned home from the office, the mother would tell Kezia to
come downstairs and take off her father’s shoes. She would also be told to take
the shoes outside. Further, she was ordered by Father to put his teacup back on
the table.
3. What did Kezia make as a birthday gift for her father? How did she
prepare it?
Kezia made a pin cushion as a birthday gift for her father. In order to prepare it,
she laboriously stitched its three sides with double cotton and stuffed it with
papers that she took from the bed-table in her mother’s room. Finally, she
sewed up the fourth side and the gift was ready.
4. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very
much. How did this happen?
On the grandmother’s suggestion, Kezia decided to make a pin cushion as a
birthday gift for her father, hoping that it would please her. But instead, he was
furious because she had inadvertently torn the papers of his Port Authority
speech and used them as a stuffing in the pin-cushion.
5. When and how does Kezia’s view of her father undergo a change?
Kezia’s view of her father underwent a change for the better when her father
came to her rescue when she had a nightmare. He carried her to his room,
carefully tucked her up, and slept beside her. Kezia felt reassured and safe and
snuggled up to him. That is when she realized that her father was not a cruel
giant but a large-hearted, hard-working man who got extremely tired by the end
of the day.
6. Relate in your own words the pin-cushion incident.
The little girl wanted to gift a pin cushion to her father on his birthday. She took
a piece of yellow silk and stitched its three sides. She left the fourth side for
filling. But she did not know what to fill it with. She found some sheets of
paper. She tore them into pieces. She stuffed the cushion with them. She then
stitched the fourth side also. Unfortunately, those papers contained a very
important speech. It was written by her father. When he came to know that
Kezia had torn the papers, he was very angry. He took a ruler and hit Kezia on
her hands.

Long Answer Type Questions

7. How did Kezia once earn her father’s wrath? What punishment did she
get for her mistake? Was it justified? What light does this incident throw
on her father’s character?
Kezia once earned her father’s wrath for tearing his speech for the Port
Authority to stuff a pin cushion she was making for him as a birthday present.
When he discovered that Kezia was the culprit, he punished her by beating her
little pink palms with a ruler to teach her not to touch what did not belong to
her.
I think it was a very harsh punishment for an innocent mistake of a fond little
daughter. It is true that the papers were extremely important for him and their
loss must have caused him a lot of inconvenience but he should have
understood and appreciated the fact that Kezia was making a birthday present
for him. Gentle but firm words would have sufficed to teach the sensitive Kezia
that she should not touch things that do not belong to her. But Father instead
chose to beat her little pink palms with a ruler. That was much too cruel on his
part.
This incident shows that he was a very cruel and insensitive father who
demanded a very high standard of discipline from his daughter and could not
tolerate any disobedience.
In contrast, her own father was often in an angry mood and remained much too
busy in his work. She dreaded him and avoided his company as much as she
could. Whenever she was with him, he would get upset because out of fear she
would stammer and fumble and look silly. His strict discipline and his
domineering nature would often make Kezia wonder what God made fathers
for.
8. 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?
Mr. Macdonald, Kezia’s next-door neighbour, had five children and Kezia
would often see them playing in their garden. One day, when Kezia looked
through the gap in the fence, she saw the MacDonalds playing the game ‘tag’. It
was evening, and Mr. Macdonald had just returned from work but unlike her
father, he looked happy and energetic. He was having a good time with the hose
on him and he tried to catch them laughing two girls time with his children –
baby Mao was on his shoulders, was hanging on to his coat pockets and the
party ran around the flower beds, shaking with laughter. Mr. Macdonald’s sons
turned This happy scene made Kezia conclude that there were different sorts of
fathers. Mr. Macdonald was so different from her own father. He was not at all
strict, was always happy, and thoroughly enjoyed the company of his children.
In contrast, her own father was often in an angry mood and remained much too
busy in his work. She dreaded him and avoided his company as much as she
could. Whenever she was with him, he would get upset because out of fear she
would stammer and fumble and look silly. His strict discipline and his
domineering nature would often make Kezia wonder what God made fathers
for.
9. Every father has a love for his child whether he expresses his love or not.
Comment on the basis of the story “The Little Girl”.
Fathers are not alike. Some play with their children while others love and care
for them. They show their love to them by working hard and giving them all the
facilities as well as for instructions. Though they never express their love they
have a deep love for their child. Kezia’s father belongs to the second type. He
did not believe in showing off his affection for his daughter. He believed in
showing his love by making her future more secure. When she tore his papers
unknowingly, he beat her harshly. But in the end, we find him a very loving and
caring father. Thus, it is true that every father loves his child but the way of love
is different from one person to another. Most of the fathers live their dreams
with their children. Their strictness is also a kind of love
10. That night there was a hue and cry in the house.” Why did her father
get agitated?
One day, when Kezia was kept indoors due to the cold, her grandmother
suggested that she make a pin cushion for her father. She stitched three sides of
the cushion and went to her mother’s bedroom to look for scraps with which she
could fill the cushion. On the bed table, she discovered a great many sheets of
fine paper, gathered them up, tore them into tiny pieces and stuffed her case,
and then sewed up the fourth side. That night there was a huge hue and cry in
the house because those papers were very important. It was a great speech for
the Port Authority. So, her parents were in search of those sheets. This was the
reason that her father got agitated and punished her with a ruler
11. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her
sympathy?
 One night Kezia had a nightmare which made her too terrified. She was crying
out of fear. When she woke up, she found her father beside her bed with a
candle in his hand. He asked her what the matter was. When he came to know
about her nightmare, he blew out the candle, bent down, and caught up the child
in his arms. He carried her to the big bedroom. He laid her on the bed and
pulled the covers up around her.
Apart from this, he lay down beside her. After some time, still half asleep, she
crept close to him, snuggled her head under his arm, and held tightly to his shirt.
Now she felt comfortable. Her father told her to rub her feet against his legs and
get them warm. Now, Kezia realized that her father was not as harsh as she
thought. She realized that her father had to work all day long and got so tired
that he could not play with her. She realized that her father wanted her to
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Leeson-4 A Truly Beautiful Mind
Answer the following questions. (Short Answer Type)
1. During his childhood, Einstein did not show any traces of becoming a
genius one day. How?
As a child, Einstein had a large head and did not start to speak till he was two-
and-a-half years old. Finally, when he did speak, he used to utter everything
twice. He could not interact freely with his playmates either. All this showed the
absence of any traces in him of becoming a genius one day.
2. Why did Einstein’s playmates call him “Brother Boring”?
Einstein did not know what to do with other children. His shy and introvert
nature made his company boring to his playmates. So, they teased him as
“Brother Boring” and did not include him in their games. Therefore, he played
all alone when he was a child.
3. What was the opinion of the school headmaster about Einstein?
The school headmaster considered Einstein to be a good-for-nothing boy. He
was of the opinion that Einstein would never succeed in any profession.
Therefore, the choice of profession would not make any difference in the results
of his efforts.
4. Why did Einstein leave school in Munich?
Einstein left the school in Munich because of the stifling environment that
suppressed his scientifically curious mind. The excessively stern discipline and
rigid rules in that school led to frequent clashes with his teachers. He thus began
to feel that such a place was inappropriate for a liberal person like him.
5. Einstein’s new personal chapter coincided with his rise to world fame”.
What new personal chapter in Einstein’s life is the author talking about
here?
The new personal chapter in Einstein’s life was his marriage to his cousin Elsa
in the year 1919 immediately after his divorce from Mileva. This chapter
coincided with his rise to world fame when his paper on General Theory of
Relativity, published in 1915, was found to be accurate due to the proof that
came through the eclipse of the sun in 1919.
6. When and for what did Einstein gain international fame?
Einstein gained international fame when his paper on the General Theory of
Relativity was found to be accurate in 1919. As per this theory, the calculations
made by Einstein in advance about the deflection of light in the solar
gravitational field during the eclipse were proven true. This theory was treated
as “a scientific revolution.
7. How was Einstein honoured for his achievements?
Honours came pouring in for Einstein after his theories proved him to be a
scientist with exceptional abilities. He was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize
for Physics in 1921. Honours and invitations were conferred on him from all
over the world. The newspapers too applauded his genius.
8. Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt?
Einstein wrote to the American president, Roosevelt, because he wanted to
forewarn him regarding the massive destructive power of the atomic bomb
which the Germans were expected to build after the discovery of nuclear
fission. If dropped on a port, the bomb could destroy the whole port as well as
the area around it.
9. How did Einstein react to the bombing of the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki by America?
Einstein was completely shaken by the immense destruction caused due to the
bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by America. As a
reaction to this tragic event, he wrote a letter to the United Nations proposing
the establishment of a world government that could counter such fierce enmity
among nations
10. Why does the world remember Einstein as a “world citizen”?
The world remembers Einstein as a world citizen because, towards the later
part of his life, he strived for the peace and well-being of the entire world and
not just his own country. He -was no longer solely a scientific genius but a
visionary as well, who felt that the solution to enmity between countries was a
world government.
Long Answer Type Questions.
1. Write a short note on Einstein’s education from school to university.
As a young boy, Einstein did not show any symptoms of an intellectual genius.
His headmaster had a very poor opinion about him and he even declared that
Einstein would fail in any career that he chose. However, as he grew up and
joined a school in Munich, he showed appreciable progress in his studies
scoring good marks in almost all the subjects. But the strict discipline of the
school was not in accordance with the free spirit of Einstein. As a result, he
frequently had scuffles with his teachers. Being a person of liberal ideas, he felt
so suffocated that he ultimately left that school for good. He chose to complete
his studies in a school in Switzerland where the environment was more liberal
as compared to Munich. Highly gifted in mathematics and having a great
interest in Physics, Einstein joined the university in Zurich after completing
school, and from where he graduated in 1900.
2. What researches and theories proved that Einstein was a true genius?
How was he rewarded for his scientific achievements?
Einstein proved to be an intellectual and scientific genius after the completion
of his university education. Although he was jobless for some time and gave
private tuitions, he finally got a job of a technical expert in a patent office in
Bern. Here, along with the job, he kept developing secretly his own ideas and
came out with the publication of his famous research paper on the ‘Special
Theory of Relativity’, according to which time and distance are not absolute.
His theory about the relationship between mass and energy was developed into
the world-famous formula E = mc2, and this equation made him a renowned
scientist. Einstein earned international acclaim with the publication of his
General Theory of Relativity which enabled him to calculate in advance the
extent of the deflection of light from fixed stars as it passed through the
gravitational field of the sun. The theory was declared as “a scientific
revolution” by the newspapers. For his contribution to the development of
science, Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. After this, a
number of honours were bestowed upon him and he was invited by different
countries in the world. Newspapers too hailed his scientific genius.
3. Einstein was an unusual child with no indication of his potential
greatness. Comment.
Einstein’s head was larger than the usual head. He was called “Brother Boring”
because he never mixed up with his classmates. He left school because he was
not happy with the strict regimentation. He loved mechanical toys and thought
his sister to be a toy. The headmaster thought him to be stupid and good for
nothing and that he would never succeed in life. He also told Einstein’s father
that whatever profession he chose would not matter, because “he will never
make a success at anything”. This proves that Einstein was an unusual child
with no indication of his potential greatness.