Gujarat Board GSEB Class 9 English Textbook Solutions Beehive Chapter 3 The Little Girl Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.
Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 3 The Little Girl
GSEB Class 9 English The Little Girl Text Book Questions and Answers
Thinking about the Text
I. Given below are some emotions that Kezia felt. Match the emotions in column ‘A’ with the items in column ‘B’:
| Column ‘A’ | Column ‘B’ |
| 1. fear or terror
2. glad sense of relief 3. a ‘funny’ feeling, perhaps of understanding |
a. father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss
b. noise of the carriage grows fainter c. father comes home d. speaking to father e. going to bed when alone at home f. father comforts her and falls asleep g. father stretched out on the sofa, snoring |
Answer:
(1 – c, d, e, g); (2 – a, b); (3 – f).
II. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences:
Question 1.
Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Answer:
Kezia was afraid of her father because he was strict who always used to give commands to everybody in the house. He never played with her. He was very big. His hands and neck were also big. Especially, when he yawned, his mouth also looked big. She was especially terrified with the manner in which he looked at her over his spectacles.
Question 2.
Who were the people in Kezia’s family ?
Answer:
Kezia’s family had her mother, father, grandmother and herself.
Question 3.
What was Kezia’s father’s routine …………..
(a) before going to his office ?
(b) after coming back from his office ?
(c) on Sundays ?
Answer:
(a) Before going to his office, Kezia’s father usually went into her room to give her a casual kiss.
(b) After coming back from his office, he ordered for tea to be brought into the drawing room. He also asked Kezia’s mother to bring him the newspaper and his slippers, and Kezia to pull off his boots.
(c) On Sunday, Kezia’s father would stretch out on the sofa. He would cover his face with his handkerchief, put his feet on one of the cushions and sleep peacefully.
Question 4.
In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better ?
Answer:
Kezia’s grandmother encouraged her to get to know her father better by sending her to the drawing room to talk to her parents on Sundays. She also suggested Kezia to make a pincushion out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk as a gift for her father’s birthday.
III. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each:
Question 1.
Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen ?
Answer:
Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him. On every Sunday, her grandmother sent her down to the drawing room to have a nice talk with father and mother. But her presence always irritated the father. He used to call her ‘little brown owl’. One day her grandmother told her that her father’s birthday would be next week and suggested that she should make him a pincushion for beautiful gift.
After stitching three sides of the cushion with double cotton with great care and effort, Kezia was stuck as to what to fill the cushion with. Since her grandmother was busy in the garden, she searched her Mother’s bedroom for scraps. Finally, she discovered sheets of paper on the bed-table.
She gathered these, tore them up and filled the cushion with the torn pieces. Unfortunately, her efforts to please her father not only went in vain but also had an unanticipated consequence. This was because the sheets she had torn were her father’s speech for the Port Authority. Her father scolded her for touching things that did not belong to her and punished her by hitting her palm with a ruler.
Question 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 ?
Answer:
Kezia compared her father with Mr Macdonald, her next-door neighbour. He was a loving, gentle and forgiving father. He was always smiling and playing with his children. He treated his children in a friendly manner. He was just opposite of Kezia’s father. Unlike Kezia’s father he never punished his children. He played with them whenever he was free. Kezia’s father was very harsh and a strict disciplinarian.
Question 3.
How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy ?
Answer:
With her mother and grandmother at the hospital, Kezia is left at home in the care of Alice, the cook. At night, after she is put to bed by the cook, she has a nightmare. She calls for her grandmother but, to her surprise, she finds her father standing near her bed. He takes her in his arms and makes her sleep next to him. Half asleep, she creeps close to him, snuggles her head under his arm, and holds tightly to his shirt. Her father asks her to rub her feet against his legs for warmth.
Her father goes off to sleep before her. This makes her understand that he has to work hard every day and this leaves him too tired to be like Mr MacDonald. She expresses her altered feelings for her father by telling him that he has a ‘big heart’.
Thinking about Language
I. Look at the following sentence:
There was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter………….
Here, glad means happy about something.
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.
Read the sentences below:
- She was glad when the meeting was over.
- The chief guest was pleased to announce the name of the winner.
Question 1.
Use an appropriate word from the synonyms given above in the following sentences : (Clues are given in the brackets.)
(1) She was …………….. by the news of her brother’s wedding, (very pleased)
(2) I was …………… to be invited to the party, (extremely pleased and excited about)
(3) She was …………….. at the birth of her granddaughter, (extremely happy)
(4) The coach was ……………. with his performance, (satisfied about)
(5) She was very ……………. with her results. (happy about something that has happened)
Answer:
(1) delighted
(2) thrilled
(3) overjoyed
(4) pleased
(5) happy
Question 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.)
(1)You are a big girl now………………..
(2) Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career ……………..
(3) Their project is full of big ideas. …………….. .
(4) Cricket is a big game in our country. …………….
(5) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeshkar. ………………..
(6) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater ………………
(7) What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear ………………
Answer:
(1) older
(2) most important
(3) innovative
(4) popular
(5) great
(6) glutton
(7) generous/kind
II. Verbs of Reporting:
Study the following sentences:
- “What!” screamed Mother.
- “N-n-no,” she whispered.
- “Sit up,” he ordered.
The italicised words are verbs of reporting. We quote or report what someone has said or thought by using a reporting verb. Every reporting clause contains a reporting verb.
For example:
- He promised to help in my project.
- “How are you doing ?” Seema asked.
We use verbs of reporting to advise, order, report statements, thoughts, intentions, questions, requests, apologies, manner of speaking and so on.
(1) Underline the verbs of reporting in the following sentences:
(1) He says he will enjoy the ride.
(2) Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.
(3) No one told us that the shop was closed.
(4) He answered that the price would go up.
(5) I wondered why he was screaming.
(6) Ben told her to wake him up.
(7) 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:
(1) “I am not afraid,” …………… the woman.
(2) “Leave me alone,” my mother …………… .
(3) The children …………… that the roads were crowded and noisy.
(4) “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all,” …………… the master.
(5) “Let’s go and look at the school ground,” …………….the sports teacher.
(6) The traffic police ……………….. all the passers-by to keep off the road.
Answer:
(1) replied
(2) shouted
(3) were complaining
(4) remarked
(5) suggested
(6 ) ordered
Writing
Has your life been different from or similar to that of Kezia when you were a child ? Has your perception about your parents changed now ? Do you find any change in your parents’ behaviour vis-a-vis yours ? Who has become more understanding ? What steps would you like to take to build a relationship based on understanding ? Write three or four paragraphs (150-200 words) discussing these issues from your own experience.
Answer:
My life had been completely different from that of Kezia when I was a child. Yes, my father was strict but he never treated me the way Kezia’s father treated her. He never stared at me with killing, piercing eyes. He never ignored me as Kezia’s father did. He never called me with insulting words nor did he humiliate me saying that I looked like a little brown owl. If I did mistake or by chance damaged something, he did rebuke me but never went for physical punishment the way Kezia’s father struck her little, pink palms with a ruler. Very often he took me up in his arms, kissed me, put me on his shoulder and took out for a stroll in a light mood.
My perspective for my parents has not changed much. Now I realise that whenever they happened to scold me in the past, it was for my good. They wanted to make me more disciplined. They wanted me to grow up as a responsible boy or man on whom they can take pride. They are still loving and caring to me.
Yes, as the years passed, there is a little change in their behaviour towards me. They don’t treat me as a kid now. I am allowed to take my own decisions regarding my studies, making friends, selecting wears and other accessories for me and so on. Sometimes they intervene exercising their experience, which in a way helps me to do better, durable and unwasteful selections.
As far as my view is concerned, both of us, i.e.,my parents and I (myself) have become more understanding. As far as my understanding goes, now I never let them have any opportunity to rebuke me. Very often I seek their advice to do something important or take some vital decision. I talk with them open-heartedly and they, too opine me what is good for me quite frankly. Since they are open-minded and cooperative, I love, obey and respect them. I do everything that is admissible to them and I never feel at any point that I am compelled to obey them. I personally feel that love and respect on mutual understanding can bring happiness and integrity.
GSEB Class 9 English The Little Girl Additional Important Questions and Answers
Reading Comprehension
Read the following passages and select the most appropriate answers for the questions given below them:
Question 1.
On Sunday afternoons, Grandmother sent her down to the drawing room to have a ‘nice talk with Father and Mother’. But the little girl always found Mother reading and Father stretched out on the sofa, his handkerchief on his face, his feet on one of the best cushions, sleeping soundly and snoring.
She sat on a stool, gravely watched him. until he woke and stretched, and asked the time – then looked at her.
“Don’t stare so, Kezia you look like a little brown owl.”
Questions:
1. ‘Kezia was sent down to the drawing room by Grandmother.’ What was the grandmother’s motive behind it ?
A. That she could help her father in his work.
B. That she could discuss her future plans with her father.
C. That she could have a nice talk with her parents.
D. That the quarrel between them could be patched up.
Answer:
C. That she could have a nice talk with her parents.
2. Kezia’s presence in the drawing room was ignored as …………………..
A. her mother kept on reading something.
B. her father kept on sleeping soundly on the sofa.
C. her grandmother kept on talking with someone else.
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
3. While sleeping on the sofa, Kezia’s father…………………
A. hid his face with a handkerchief.
B. rested his feet on a cushion.
C. snored.
D. All of these three
Answer:
D. All of these three
4. How did Kezia’s father made his waking feel to Kezia ?
A. He asked about the time.
B. He snored.
C. He scolded Kezia.
D. He called Kezia’s mother.
Answer:
A. He asked about the time.
Question 2.
“But it was for your b – b – birthday.” Down came the ruler on her little, pink palms.
Hours later, when grandmother had wrapped her in a shawl and rocked her in the rocking- chair, the child clung to her soft body.
“What did God make fathers for ?” She sobbed.
“Here’s a clean hanky, darling. Blow your nose. Go to sleep, pet; you’ll forget all about it in the morning. I tried to explain to Father but he was too upset to listen tonight.”
Questions:
1. What do the broken words in the first line suggest ?
A. Disgust
B. Fear
C. Anger
D. Hatred
Answer:
B. Fear
2. How did Kezia’s hands turn pink?
A. As she blushed.
B. As she dipped her hand into pink colour.
C. As her father hit on her palm with a ruler.
D. None of . these three
Answer:
C. As her father hit on her palm with a ruler.
3. The question ‘What did God make fathers for?’ suggests…
A. Kezia’s love for her father.
B. Kezia’s hatred for her father.
C. Kezia’s respect for her father.
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘C’
Answer:
B. Kezia’s hatred for her father.
4. What effort did the Grandmother do bridge up between Kezia and her father ?
A. She made Kezia sleep.
B. She asked Kezia to forget everything.
C. She tried to explain the things to Kezia’s father that Kezia had not done anything deliberately.
D. She scolded Kezia’s father – her son – for treating Kezia so harshly.
Answer:
C. She tried to explain the things to Kezia’s father that Kezia had not done anything deliberately.
Question 3.
The Macdonalds lived next door. They had five children. Looking through a gap in the fence the little girl saw them playing ‘tag’ in the evening. The father with the baby, Mao, on his shoulders, two little girls hanging on to his coat pockets ran round and round the flower beds, shaking with laughter. Once she saw the boys turn the hose on him – and he tried to catch them laughing all the time.
Then it was she decided there were different sorts of fathers.
Questions:
1. Mr Macdonald was ………………..
A. a sports teacher
B. a sportsman
C. Kezia’s neighbour
D. All of these three
Answer:
C. Kezia’s neighbour
2. The extract shows that Mr Macdonald was a …………….. father.
A. kind
B. loving
C. strict
D. Both ‘A’and ‘B’
Answer:
D. Both ‘A’and ‘B’
3. Mr Macdonald make the evening for …………… his children.
A. pleasant
B. boring
C. miserable
D. stressful
Answer:
A. pleasant
4. After watching Mr Macdonald playing cheerfully with his children, Kezia derived that …………….
A. some fathers are cruel.
B. some fathers are active.
C. all fathers are not the same.
D. no father is strict.
Answer:
C. all fathers are not the same.
Answer the following questions in three to four sentences each:
Question 1.
What orders were passed to Kezia in the evening when father returned home from office ?
Answer:
When Kezia’s father returned home from office she was supposed to come down, take off father’s shoes and put them outside. She was also to put her father’s teacup back on the table carefully.
Question 2.
Why did Kezia avoid her father?
Answer:
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.
Question 3.
Why did Kezia stammer in front of her father?
OR
Why did Kezia stutter only with her father ?
Answer:
Kezia’s father always scolded her and never spoke to her in a loving manner. So, Kezia stammered in front of her father because she was afraid of him and found it difficult to speak in front of him.
Question 4.
Why was Kezia afraid of her father ?
Answer:
Kezia was a little sensitive girl. Her father was aggressive and always spoke loudly. He always scolded her. He used to beat her, even when she accepted her mistakes. He never played with her. This made Kezia afraid of her father.
Question 5.
What made Kezia’s father punish her ?
Answer:
She tore important papers of her father
to stuff in the pincushion because she was making a gift to present to her father. Since the papers had her father’s speech written on it, she was punished for tearing it.
Question 6.
“Father’s great speech for the Port Authority had been lost.” What had happened to father’s speech ?
Answer:
Father’s speech had been torn to pieces by Kezia, the little girl. She was making a pin¬cushion as a gift to her father, for his birthday. As she was not able to find anything to stuff it with, she tore the papers of her father’s speech and stuffed it in the pincushion.
Question 7.
Why did Kezia’s grandmother send her to the drawing room every Sunday afternoon ?
Answer:
Kezia’s grandmother knew that she was afraid of her father and she felt that if she spoke to him more often, she would get rid of that fear. So, every Sunday afternoon she used to send her to the drawing room to have a nice talk with her father.
Question 8.
What kind of a person was Kezia’s father ?
Answer:
Kezia’s father was a hard-working man but short tempered. He was a strict disciplinarian too. When Kezia’s mother was hospitalized, Kezia realized that her father loved her but didn’t have the art of expressing his love.
Question 9.
What did Kezia find whenever on Sunday afternoons her grandmother sent her down to have a talk with her parents ?
Answer:
Whenever Kezia was sent by her grandmother to talk to her parents on Sunday afternoons, she always found her mother reading and her father stretched out on the sofa, sleeping soundly and snoring.
Question 10.
How was Kezia’s father different from Mr Macdonald ?
Answer:
Mr Macdonald played with his children. The girls would hang on to his coat pockets, they would laugh together. Kezia’s father had no time for such things. He really worked very hard for the family.
Question 11.
How did the father comfort the little girl, Kezia, when she got scared in her sleep ?
Answer:
The father came to Kezia’s room with a candle, lifted her up in his strong arms, lay beside her and made her stay close to him. She held his shirt and snuggled herself close to her father. This comforted Kezia when she got scared in her sleep.
Answer the following questions in five to six sentences each:
Question 1.
How did Kezia’s negative attitude towards her father change ?
OR
What were the circumstances that forced Kezia to change her opinion about her father ?
Answer:
When her mother was hospitalized, her grandmother went to stay with her. Kezia used to sleep alone at night. She was so scared that she started shouting at night. She had nightmares and trembled a lot with fear. Then her father came to her room and took her into his arms to comfort her. She felt secure with her father near her. Then she realized that her father was busy with work and had no time to play- She even realized that her father loved her but didn’t have the art of expressing it. Thus, her negative attitude towards her father changed.
Question 2.
How did Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very ‘ much ? Elaborate.
Answer:
Kezia was very scared of her father and stuttered while talking to him. This annoyed , him a lot. When she waited and stared at him to have a nice long chat, he did not like it. She unknowingly destroyed some of his important ‘ papers while stuffing a pincushion which she wanted to present to him on his birthday. This made him very angry and he beat her up ‘ badly. Therefore, Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much.
Question 3.
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?
OR
How is Kezia’s father different from Mr Macdonald?
Answer:
Mr Macdonald was their next-door neighbour. Once Kezia saw her neighbours playing “tag” together in the evening. Mr Macdonald with the baby Mao, on his shoulders and the two little girls hanging on to his coat pockets. They ran round and round shaking with laughter. On the other hand, her own father was very disciplined and strict. He never played with her and neither interacted much. He even beat her up for her little mistakes.
Question 4.
Why was Kezia scared of her father and how did she get over her fear?
Answer:
Kezia’s father was big like a giant and was very strict. He punished Kezia when she tore his important speech. One day, when Kezia’s mother fell ill, her mother and grandmother were in the hospital. Kezia was left alone with her father at home. She had a nightmare and screamed with fright. Her father then carried Kezia in his arms to comfort and soothen her. That closeness with her father during those days made her forget all her fears.
Question 5.
How did Kezia feel in presence of her father?
Answer:
Kezia was scared of her father as he looked like a giant. Every morning he used to give her a good bye kiss. She used to feel uncomfortable till her father was at home. She even stammered while answering him. He scolded her one day and even beat her for tearing some of his important papers.
But when Kezia used to cry during the night, he would carry her to his room. She then realized that her father was actually tender and affectionate and this changed her perception towards him.
Vocabulary And Grammar
Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks choosing the correct words given in the brackets:
(1) (boots, take off, would, down)
“Kezia,” Mother …………a………… call to her. “If you’re a good girl, you can come …………b………… and …………c……….. father’s ………..d ………….. .”
Answer:
a. would
b. down
c. take off
d. boots
(2) (looking, taught, matter, wretched)
“What’s the …………….a…………. ? What are you …………b……….. so …………..c………….. about? Mother , I wish you ………….d…………. this child not to appear on the brink of suicide.”
Answer:
a. matter
b. looking-
c. wretched
d. taught
Grammar
Rectify the errors in the passage:
(1)
Answer:
With the little girl he was a figure to fear and avoided. Every morning after going to work he came into her room but gave her a casual kiss, to which she response with “Goodbye, Father.” And oh, there was a glad sence of relief.
| Errors | Corrections |
| (a) With | To |
| (b) to fear | to be feared |
| (c) after | before |
| (d) but | and |
| (e) response | responded |
| (f) sence | sense |
(2)
Answer:
She sat on a stool, graveness watched him unless she woke and stretched, and asked the time-than looked at her. “Don’t stare ‘ so, Kezia. You looked like a little brown owl.” One day, where she was kept indoors with a cold, her grandmother asked her that father’s birthday was next week.
| Errors | Corrections |
| (a) graveness | gravely |
| (b) unless | until |
| (c) than | then |
| (d) looked | look |
| (e) where | when |
| (f) asked | told |
(3)
Answer:
“There’s a clean hanky, darling. Blow your nose. Going to sleep, pet; you will forget all about it in the morning. I tried to explaining to Father but he was to upset to listen tonight. But the child always forgot. Next time she saw him she quick put both hands behind her back.
| Errors | Corrections |
| (a) “There’s | Here’s |
| (b) Going | Go |
| (c) explaining | explain |
| (d) to | too |
| (e) always | never |
| (f) quick | quickly |
Fill in the blanks using article(s), conjunctions(s) and preposition(s) at the correct places:
(1) Tired …………..a…………… , he slept …………..b…………… the little girl, ………….c………… funny feeling came ………….d…………. her. Poor Father, not ………….e………. big, …………..f………… – and with no one to look after him.
Answer:
a. out
b. before
c. A
d. over
e. so
f. after all
(2) But …………..a………….. same old nightmare came – the butcher …………..b…………. a knife …………c………… a rope, ……………d…………. came nearer and nearer, smiling ………….e…………. dreadful smile, ………….f…………… she could not move.
Answer:
a. the
b. with
c. and
d. who
e. that
f. while
Punctuate the following passage:
Question 1.
Kezia mother would call to her, if youre a good girl you can come down and take off fathers boots
Answer:
“Kezia,” Mother would call to her, “if you’re a good girl, you can come down and take off father’s boots.”
Convert the following into Indirect Speech:
Question 1.
“Kezia, I suppose you didn’t see some papers on a table in our room?”
“Oh yes,” she said, “I tore them up for my surprise.”
“What!” screamed Mother. “Come straight
down to the dining-room this instant.”
Answer:
Mother assumed and asked Kezia if she had not seen some papers on a table in their room. Kezia accepted that she had seen some papers on a table in their room. Then she explained that she had torn them up for her surprise. Mother screamed fearfully and ordered her to go straight down to the dining-room that instant.
Rewrite as directed:
(1) If you stutter like that, Mother will have to take you to the doctor. (Use ‘Unless’.)
(2) Thinking about him was like thinking about a giant. (Turn into Negative.)
(3) Rooms were searched. (Change the Voice.)
(4) Crying too much to explain, she lay in . the shadowed room. (Turn into Compound.)
(5) Father was too upset to listen to her that night. (Remove ‘too’.)
(6) He was harder than grandmother. (Change the Degree.)
(7) What a big heart you’ve got! (Turn into Assertive.)
Answer:
(1) Unless you stutter like that, Mother will not have to take you to the doctor.
(2) Thinking about him was not different from thinking about a giant.
(3 ) They searched rooms.
(4) She cried too much to explain and then lay in the shadowed room.
(5) Father was so upset that he did not listen to her that night.
(6) Grandmother was not so hard as he.
(7) You’ve really got a very big heart.
The Little Girl Summary in English
The Little Girl Introduction:
Katherine Mansfield Murry Beauchamp (14 October, 1888-9 January, 1923) was a prominent modernist short story writer from New Zealand. She is widely known by her pen name Katherine Mansfield.
The Little Girl Summary:
Kezia’s father was a busy man. He was so much lost in his business that he had no time for his family. Being an over disciplined man, he was strict with Kezia as well. He never had those soft feelings for his little daughter nor did he pet her for a while. All he did was giving her a perfunctory kiss rather than a loving one. His presence at home frightened Kezia and she felt relieved when he was gone.
Kezia was able to speak without stuttering but in her father’s presence she stuttered and had all those speech problems. In an attempt to speak normally in her formidable father’s presence, she stuttered. In spite of all, Kezia’s father had a loving heart.
The Macdonalds who lived next door made an exuberant, lively, playful family. Looking through the vegetable garden-wall, Kezia saw the five children playing with their father, turning a hose at him and the father tickling the children. When compared with her scary father who never played with her, Kezia saw the height of love between father and children next door and she loved the Macdonald family.