Maharashtra Board Class 9 English Unit 2 Poem Somebodys Mother 2.3 Solutions

Class 9 English Chapter 2.3 Question Answer Maharashtra Board

Somebody's Mother Poem 9th Std Question Answer

Warming Up :

Question 1. Read the following proverb that has a biblical reference. 'Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.' Now find at least 5 other proverbs/axioms/quotations which convey the same message. Search the internet/dictionary of proverbs.
Answer:1. They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind.
2. Life is an echo - what you send out comes back.
3. As you sow, so shall you reap.
4. Love begets love.
5. Love your neighbour like yourself.
In simple words: This question asks for proverbs or sayings that mean the same as "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you," which is about treating people the way you want to be treated.

🎯 Exam Tip: When asked for examples of proverbs, try to recall common sayings that share a similar moral or message to the given one for full marks.

2. Study the following sets of words :
Set A - pleased, happy, joyful, ecstatic
Set B - letter, word, sentence, paragraph
Note: The words in these sets are arranged in an ascending order, each word showing a higher degree than the previous one. Now rearrange the following groups of words in the ascending order.

Question 1. Arrange the following groups of words in the ascending order : (The answer is given directly.)
Answer:
(a) (1) infant
(2) youth
(3) adult
(4) aged
(b) (1) cool
(2) chill
(3) cold
(4) freezing
(c) (1) bright
(2) intelligent
(3) brilliant
(4) genius
(d) (1) mound
(2) hill
(3) mountain
(4) peak/summit.
In simple words: This question requires you to reorder given sets of words based on an ascending scale of degree, from lesser to greater intensity or maturity.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay close attention to the nuanced meanings of words to correctly identify their ascending order of intensity or development.

Question 2. Prepare similar word chains using the following ideas : (The answer is given directly and underlined.)
Answer:
• rain - (1) drizzle (2) shower (3) downpour (4) deluge
• wind - (1) breeze (2) draught (3) gale (4) hurricane
• sunshine - (1) warm (2) balmy (3) sultry (4) hot
• waterbody - (1) pool (2) pond (3) lake (4) sea
• size - (1) big (2) large (3) huge (4) immense
• size - (1) small (2) little (3) tiny (4) minute
In simple words: The task is to create word chains that show an increasing scale or progression of related terms for concepts like rain, wind, sunshine, waterbody, and size.

🎯 Exam Tip: Understanding synonyms and degrees of meaning for a given concept is key to building accurate and ascending word chains.

English Workshop:

Question 1. Pick out lines from the poem that help create images of the following in our mind and write them in the table.
Answer:

🎯 Exam Tip: When identifying descriptive lines, look for sensory details and actions that paint a clear picture in the reader's mind, focusing on character, setting, and mood.

Question 2. Write at least 5 rhymes from the poem.
Answer:Rhymes: troop - group, low - go, arm - harm, along - strong, went - content.
Rhymes: gray - day, snow - slow, long - throng, by - eye, shout - out.
In simple words: The task is to identify pairs of words from the poem that have similar-sounding endings, creating a rhyming effect.

🎯 Exam Tip: To find rhymes, look for words at the end of lines that share the same vowel and consonant sounds after the last stressed syllable.

Question 3. Give, in your own words, TWO reasons for each of the following :

Question a. The woman was reluctant to cross the street by herself.
Answer: The woman was reluctant to cross the street by herself because ...
1. the road was slippery because of the snow.
2. there was heavy traffic of horse carriages on the road.
In simple words: The old woman was hesitant to cross the snowy, busy street alone due to the risk of slipping and heavy traffic.

🎯 Exam Tip: When providing reasons, ensure they are distinct, directly answer the 'why' of the statement, and are supported by details from the text.

Question b. The school boys were in a happy mood.
Answer: The school boys were in a happy mood because ...
1. school was over for the day.
2. the snow was piled high on the road.
In simple words: The school boys were joyful because school had ended for the day and the high snow offered opportunities for play.

🎯 Exam Tip: Connect the characters' emotions directly to the events or conditions described in the poem to explain their mood effectively.

Question c. One of the schoolboys helped the old woman cross the street.
Answer: One of the schoolboys helped the old woman cross the street because ...
1. she was old and afraid to cross on her own
2. he hoped someone, sometime, may lend a hand to his own mother when he was not around.
In simple words: A boy helped the old woman because she was frail and scared to cross alone, and he wished the same kindness for his own mother in the future.

🎯 Exam Tip: When explaining character motivations, consider both immediate needs (the old woman's fear) and underlying values or hopes (the boy's empathy and future wish for his mother).

Question d. We must help those who are in need.
Answer: We must help those who are in need because ...
1. we too may need help one day.
2. we must show compassion to those in need.
In simple words: We should help others in need because it is a compassionate act, and we might require similar assistance ourselves in the future.

🎯 Exam Tip: Frame your reasons with a focus on universal human values and the principle of reciprocity when discussing the importance of helping others.

Question 4. Think and write In 5-6 lines, why most of the people on a road/street Ignore those In need of help. What about you? Write about your feelings after you have helped! not helped, when needed.
Answer:People, especially in the larger cities and towns, are always in a hurry to reach their place of work or their home. Hence they don't have time to spare to help strangers. Some people may be purely selfish and don't have compassion for others. I always try to help people who genuinely need help. Once I lent a hand to an old man to get onto a bus. He was very grateful and thanked me. I felt very good about it. I did not help a woman who had slipped and fallen down on the footpath during the monsoon. I just walked past her, ignoring her. I felt very guilty about it later. I wondered how I would feel if I had been in her place and had not got any help.
In simple words: Many people ignore those in need due to busy schedules or lack of empathy, but helping others brings positive feelings, while failing to help can lead to guilt and regret.

🎯 Exam Tip: Structure your answer by first explaining general societal reasons for inaction, then sharing personal experiences (both positive and negative) and their emotional impact, ensuring clarity and conciseness.

Question 5. Read the poem: 'Home they brought her warrior dead' by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Answer:In simple words: This is an instruction for students to read the specified poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

🎯 Exam Tip: For reading tasks, focus on understanding the poem's theme, characters, and literary devices to prepare for potential analysis questions.

English Kumarbharati 9th Digest Chapter 2.3 Somebody's Mother Additional Important Questions and Answers

Simple Factual Activity :

Question 1. Write whether the following statements are True or False :
Answer:1. The woman's feet were slow because of the snow. False
2. The people around her did not bother about her. True
3. The schoolboys were happy. True
4. A boy came immediately to help the old woman. False
In simple words: This question tests your factual recall of the poem's events to determine the truthfulness of statements regarding the old woman, the crowd, and the schoolboys.

🎯 Exam Tip: Read each statement carefully and cross-reference it with the poem's narrative to accurately determine if it is true or false.

Guess the following, using references from the poem :

Question 1. The setting-the region, the locality.
Answer: The setting is a busy street, covered with a layer of fresh snow. The area is very crowded and there is a school nearby.
In simple words: The poem is set on a crowded, snowy street near a school.

🎯 Exam Tip: When describing the setting, combine elements like weather, location, and atmosphere as presented in the poem.

Question 2. The time - the time of the year and the day.
Answer: It is winter. The time of the day is probably late afternoon or early evening.
In simple words: The story takes place in winter, likely during the late afternoon or early evening.

🎯 Exam Tip: Look for clues in the poem, such as "chill of a winter's day" or references to children coming from school, to infer the time and season.

Activities based on Poetic Devices :

Question 1. From the extract, pick out and explain an example of:

i. Simile -
Answer: 'Came happy boys, like a flock of sheep.' The happy boys have been directly compared to a flock of sheep.
In simple words: Simile is a figure of speech where two different things are compared using 'like' or 'as', such as comparing the boys to a flock of sheep.

🎯 Exam Tip: To identify a simile, look for explicit comparisons using "like" or "as" between two dissimilar things to create a vivid image.

ii. Alliteration -
Answer: 'Should trample her down in the slippery street.' Repetition of the sound of 's' at the beginning of the words.
In simple words: Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in words close to each other, like the 's' sound in "slippery street."

🎯 Exam Tip: Focus on the beginning sounds of words in a phrase to spot alliteration, which often creates a musical effect or emphasizes certain words.

Simple Factual Activity :

Choose the correct alternative for each statement:

Question 1. The person who helped the old lady was :
(i) hurt and harmed
(ii) kind and compassionate
(iii) slow and proud
(iv) dear and Jar away
Answer: (ii) kind and compassionate
In simple words: The boy who helped the old woman demonstrated kindness and compassion through his actions.

🎯 Exam Tip: For character trait questions, analyze the character's actions and dialogue to infer their personality and motivations.

Question 2. The old lady crossed the road :
(i) but fell down on the way
(ii) all by herself
(iii) with a merry troop
(iv) without hurt or harm
Answer: (iv) without hurt or harm
In simple words: Thanks to the boy's help, the old lady managed to cross the busy road safely and without injury.

🎯 Exam Tip: Recall the specific outcome of the event from the poem to select the accurate option that describes how the old lady crossed the road.

Question 3. The old lady was helped by :
(i) a group of young boys
(ii) a proud and nobleman
(iii) a strong and young boy
(iv) somebody's mother
Answer: (iii) a strong and young boy
In simple words: A single strong and young boy came forward to assist the old woman in crossing the street.

🎯 Exam Tip: Distinguish between the collective group (schoolboys) and the individual who took action when identifying the helper in the poem.

Question 4. The old lady at night :
(i) asked for blessings for the young boy
(ii) asked for a mother for the young boy
(iii) helped the young boy's mother
(iv) helped somebody's mother
Answer: (i) asked for blessings for the young boy
In simple words: That night, the grateful old lady prayed to God for blessings upon the kind young boy who had helped her.

🎯 Exam Tip: Focus on the old woman's actions and thoughts after being helped to correctly identify what she did that night.

Answer the following :

Question 1. Was the old lady grateful to the young boy who had helped her? How do you know?
Answer: Yes, the old lady was grateful to the young boy who had helped her. We know this because that night, in her home, she prayed to God to be kind to him.
In simple words: The old lady was indeed grateful, as evidenced by her prayer for the boy's well-being later that night.

🎯 Exam Tip: To prove gratitude, cite specific actions or thoughts from the character, such as prayer or expressions of thanks.

Activities based on Poetic Devices :

Question 1. From the extract, pick out and explain an example of:

i. Alliteration -
Answer: 'His young heart happy and well-content.' Repetition of the sound of 'h' at the beginning of the words.
In simple words: Alliteration is shown here by the repeated 'h' sound at the start of words, creating a smooth, rhythmic effect.

🎯 Exam Tip: When explaining alliteration, clearly state the repeating sound and provide the specific phrase from the text as an example.

ii. Inversion -
Answer: 'Then back again to his friends he went.' The correct prose order is : He then went back again to his friends.
In simple words: Inversion is when the normal word order of a sentence is changed for poetic effect, as seen in the phrase "back again to his friends he went" instead of "he went back again to his friends."

🎯 Exam Tip: To identify inversion, compare the poetic line to its natural, everyday prose structure and note how the word order has been altered for rhythm or emphasis.

Paragraph Format:

The poem 'Somebody's Mother' is by Mary Dow Brine. The Rhyme Scheme of stanzas 3 and 6 is aabbcc. All the other stanzas have the rhyme scheme aabb. A Figure of Speech is Inversion: 'At the crowded crossing she waited long.' The correct prose order is She waited long at the crowded crossing. Other figures of speech are Simile and Alliteration.

The poem describes an incident in which a young boy helps a frightened old lady to cross the street when she was being ignored by everyone else. He tells his young friends that he hopes that when his own mother is old and needs help, someone will help her too if he is not at hand.

Maharashtra State Board Class 9 English Solutions

9th Std English Questions And Answers: