If you are preparing for Class 9 CBSE English, this chapter is important for understanding the value of education and independence. How I Taught My Grandmother to Read shows how learning can change a person’s life at any age.
Students often find long answers and value-based questions difficult. This page provides complete NCERT solutions to help you understand answers clearly and improve your writing.
All sections are covered, including Reflect and Respond, Check Your Understanding, Critical Reflection, Vocabulary and Structures in Context, and Writing Task.
Reflect and Respond
I Complete the given word web. Why is it important to learn how to read and write?
Answer: It is important to learn how to read and write because it helps us become independent, gain knowledge, communicate clearly, and manage daily life confidently.
II Read the questions given below and share your answers with your classmates and teacher.
- Which language(s) do your grandparents or elderly relatives speak?
Answer: My grandparents speak Kannada and Hindi. - How do they spend their time? How do you spend time with them?
Answer: They spend their time praying, reading, gardening, and talking to family members. I spend time with them by listening to their stories, helping them, and sitting with them in the evening. - What is your favourite experience with them?
Answer: My favourite experience is listening to their childhood stories and learning old songs and customs from them. - What is something that the elderly in your family cannot do easily but enjoy watching you do?
Answer: They cannot use digital devices easily, but they enjoy watching me use a phone or computer.
III Read the following passage. Match the highlighted words with their meanings given in the box below.
Answer:
(i) protagonist — 7. main character
(ii) debate — 4. discussion
(iii) episode — 5. a part of a story
(iv) community — 3. people living in one particular area
(v) concentration — 6. focus
(vi) eagerly — 1. excitedly
(vii) convincing — 2. believable
(viii) guided — 8. directed
Check Your Understanding – Part I
I Complete the cause and effect table given below based on Part I of the story.
- Cause:
Answer: The transport system was not very good in the village.
Effect: (i) The morning papers arrived late in the day and weekly magazines would come one day late. - Cause: The grandmother, Krishtakka, never went to school.
Effect: (ii)
Answer: She could not read. - Cause: (iii)
Answer: The narrator read the serial Kashi Yatre to her every Wednesday, and the grandmother identified herself with the protagonist.
Effect: She was deeply interested in the story and discussed it with her friends. - Cause: The narrator went to a wedding for a week.
Effect: (iv)
Answer: The grandmother could not read the next episode and felt helpless and upset. - Cause: (v)
Answer: In those days, girls’ education was not considered necessary, and the grandmother was married very young.
Effect: The grandmother never went to school. - Cause: The grandmother regretted not going to school.
Effect: (vi)
Answer: She decided to learn the Kannada alphabet and become independent.
II Do you think the narrator expected to see her grandmother in tears when she returned to the village? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Answer: No, the narrator did not expect to see her grandmother in tears because she had never seen her cry even in very difficult situations.
III How might the narrator help her grandmother to fulfil her desire to learn to read and write?
Answer: The narrator could help her grandmother by teaching her the Kannada alphabet every day, giving her reading and writing practice, and encouraging her with patience and affection.
Check Your Understanding – Part II
I State whether the following sentences are true or false.
- The grandmother wanted to learn the Kannada alphabet to gain independence.
Answer: True - The grandmother asked someone in the village to read Kashi Yatre to her while the narrator was away.
Answer: False - The narrator was the grandmother’s first teacher and taught her how to read Kannada.
Answer: True - The grandmother believed that there was no age limit for learning.
Answer: True - The grandmother touched the narrator’s feet as a mark of respect for her as a teacher.
Answer: True - The narrator was disappointed with the progress her grandmother made in learning to read.
Answer: False
Critical Reflection
I Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
- (i) Complete the following sentence with the appropriate option.
The phrase ‘never seen her cry in the most difficult situations’ tells us that the grandmother was ____________.
A. strong-willed
B. understanding
C. considerate
D. bold
Answer: A. strong-willed
(ii) Complete the following with the correct option from those given in the brackets.
Grandmother did not reply when the narrator asked if she was alright because she might have been too ____________ (emotional/tired) to respond.
Answer: emotional
(iii) Identify the clue from the extract that indicates a rural setting with traditional customs.
Answer: The use of the word “Avva” and the family sleeping on the open terrace on a summer night suggest a rural setting and traditional way of life.
(iv) Which lines of the extract establish a tender atmosphere?
Answer: “Avva came and sat next to me. Her affectionate hands touched my forehead.”
(v) Which of the following aspects is NOT emphasised in the given extract?
A. The emotional turmoil of the grandmother
B. the affectionate bond between the narrator and her grandmother
C. the grandmother’s regret over her lack of education
D. the narrator’s concern for her grandmother
Answer: C. the grandmother’s regret over her lack of education - (i) What does the grandmother’s statement, “I want to be independent,” reveal about her character?
A. She wanted to be literate.
B. She desires self-sufficiency.
C. She wants to prove her intelligence to others.
D. She feels pressured by society to learn.
Answer: B. She desires self-sufficiency.
(ii) Fill in the blank with the appropriate option from those given in brackets.
The grandmother’s determination shows that learning has no _______. (age limit/gender bias/cultural barriers)
Answer: age limit
(iii) Complete the following with a suitable reason.
The narrator laughs at her grandmother’s decision to learn the alphabet at the age of sixty-two because _______.
Answer: The narrator thinks that sixty-two is too old an age to begin learning and assumes that old age is a barrier.
(iv) List any two qualities displayed by the grandmother.
Answer: Determination and self-respect.
(v) How can we say that the narrator is making assumptions about her grandmother?
Answer: The narrator judges her grandmother by her age, grey hair, wrinkled hands, and spectacles, and assumes that she cannot learn at that age.
II Answer the following questions.
- Why do you think the grandmother felt embarrassed to ask someone else to read to her while the narrator was away?
Answer: The grandmother felt embarrassed because she was old and illiterate, and asking someone else to read for her would have made her feel dependent and helpless. - Why does the narrator initially laugh at her grandmother’s determination to learn at the age of sixty-two?
Answer: The narrator laughs because she thinks learning at that age is unusual and difficult, and she childishly assumes that old people cannot start learning anew. - What significance does the story of Kashi Yatre have in both the grandmother’s life and the story?
Answer: Kashi Yatre is important because the grandmother strongly identifies with its old protagonist and eagerly waits for each episode. It also becomes the reason she decides to learn to read. - What does the grandmother’s desire to learn the Kannada alphabet reflect about her?
Answer: It reflects her determination, self-respect, courage, and desire for independence. - What lessons can we infer from the grandmother’s action of touching the narrator’s feet?
Answer: We learn that a teacher deserves respect regardless of age, and that humility and gratitude are noble qualities. - What does the following line tell us about the broader theme of the story?
‘For a good cause, if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle.’
Answer: This line expresses the central theme of the story: strong determination can help a person overcome age, circumstances, and social limitations. - How effectively does the story highlight the value of education in supporting personal independence?
Answer: The story highlights this very effectively. The grandmother’s inability to read makes her feel helpless, but learning to read gives her confidence, dignity, and independence.
Vocabulary and Structures in Context
I match the binomials in Column 1 with their meanings in Column 2.
Answer:
sink or swim — (vii) succeed or fail without help
on and off — (v) sometimes, occasionally
mix and match — (i) put different things together to get a range of possibilities
all or nothing — (viii) something to be done completely or not at all
part and parcel — (ii) complete part of or belong to
pick and choose — (iii) choose only the best
sooner or later — (iv) at some time in the future
leaps and bounds — (vi) increase or develop very quickly
Now, use any five of the above binomials in sentences of your own.
Answer:
In this competition, we must sink or swim on our own.
It rains on and off during the monsoon.
We can mix and match colours for the poster.
Teamwork is part and parcel of every project.
Her confidence grew by leaps and bounds.
II Now, make words by adding the suitable prefixes given in the box to the words from the text in Column 1.
Answer:
popular — unpopular
belief — disbelief
important — unimportant
respect — disrespect
correct — incorrect
continue — discontinue
understand — misunderstand
ordinary — extraordinary
interesting — uninteresting
possible — impossible
III Identify any five words with prefixes from the story and make sentences using each.
Answer:
unhappy — The child looked unhappy after losing her notebook.
unusual — It was unusual to see the park empty.
unfortunately — Unfortunately, the bus arrived late.
independent — Every student should learn to be independent.
irrespective — All players were treated equally irrespective of age.
IV Now, match the idioms related to ‘learning’ given in Column 1 with their meanings in Column 2.
Answer:
to hit the books — (iii) to study seriously
to draw a blank — (v) to be unable to remember
to learn the ropes — (vi) to understand how to do an activity
to rack one’s brain — (ii) to think very hard
to learn by heart — (i) to memorise something
burn the midnight oil — (iv) to study or work late into the night
Now, use these idioms in sentences of your own.
Answer:
I had to hit the books before the exam.
I drew a blank when the teacher asked me the answer.
It took me a week to learn the ropes in my new school.
She racked her brain to solve the puzzle.
We learned the poem by heart.
He burned the midnight oil to finish his project.
V (i) Fill in the blanks with simple past and past perfect tense form of the verbs given in brackets.
Answer:
A. When the delegates arrived at the conference, the keynote speaker had already begun the session.
B. After the students had learned how to identify fake news online, they started verifying information before sharing it.
C. Before Kiran started using digital payment platforms, she had ensured her understanding of online fraud prevention.
D. By the time Varun recognised the importance of budgeting, he had exhausted most of his savings.
E. When Raghu logged in to the cybersecurity webinar, the instructor had already discussed the importance of strong passwords.
(ii) Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs given in brackets.
Answer:
A. took
B. reviewed
C. had spent
D. had discussed
E. opened
F. set
G. had already introduced
H. hurried
I. had completed
J. enjoyed
Listen and Respond
These answers are based on the transcript printed in the textbook appendix.
- Literacy these days includes the ability to use _.
Answer: digital tools - Digital literacy is also about protecting _.
Answer: personal data - Digital literacy enables the elderly to __.
Answer: stay connected - Digital literacy encourages using the internet safely by helping us recognise __ and ___.
Answer: misinformation, scams and cyber threats - The National Digital Literacy Mission helps people across the country by imparting __.
Answer: IT training
Writing Task
Write a letter to the Editor of a local newspaper emphasising the importance of student participation in adult literacy camps conducted by various organisations.
Answer:
12, Lake View Colony
Mysuru
10 March 2026
Subject: Importance of Student Participation in Adult Literacy Camps
Sir/Madam,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw attention to the importance of student participation in adult literacy camps conducted by various organisations.
A large number of adults, especially elderly people, still remain unable to read and write. This affects their confidence and independence in daily life. Students can make a meaningful contribution by volunteering in literacy camps and teaching basic reading and writing skills. Such initiatives not only help adults become self-reliant but also develop empathy, responsibility, and social awareness among students.
Schools and local organisations should spread awareness through campaigns, notices, community meetings, and social media. Students may also be encouraged by giving them certificates and opportunities for community service. This noble effort can help build a more educated and compassionate society.
I hope this letter will be published in your newspaper so that more people become aware of the value of such programmes.
Here are the solved questions for “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read”Yours truly,
ABC
Class IX
How to Use These NCERT Solutions
Read the story carefully to understand the sequence of events and the emotions of the characters.
Try answering the questions on your own first. Then check the answers to improve your structure and clarity.
Focus on themes like education, independence, and determination because these are often asked in exams.
Why This Chapter is Important
This chapter highlights the importance of education in achieving independence.
It shows that learning has no age limit and that determination can overcome any obstacle.
Questions from this chapter often test comprehension, values, and character understanding.
Who Should Use This
This content is useful for:
- Class 9 CBSE students
- Students preparing for English exams
- Learners are improving their answer writing
- Students focusing on value-based questions