NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Main Course Book Chapter 16

Unit-6 : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 114

Q1 : Below are the pictures of two children – Shravan Kumar and Narendra Kumar – both 13 years of age. (They are not related.) Working with a partner, look at their pictures and predict how each child lives. Write your answer in points.

Shravan Kumar	Narendra Kumar
_______________	_______________
_______________	_______________
_______________	_______________
_______________	_______________
_______________	_______________

Answer:

Shravan Kumar	Narendra Kumar
He probably works in a diner.	A young boy in a nice school uniform.
He is not handsomely paid.	Belongs to a well-o-do family.
At the age he is working, it is called child labour, which is against law.	He studies and hopefully goes to school regularly.
Probably his family conditions forced him to work so young.	He appears smart, confident and enthusiastic.
He is too poor to even afford a decent set of clothes to wear on.	He is educated and is well aware of his rights and responsibilities.

Q2 : Complete the table for the story you have read. By asking and answering questions, exchange information with your partner (for the story you have not read) and complete the other half of the table.

Name	Shravan	Narendra
Age
Parents
How he spends a typical day
Recreation/hobbies
Hopes/dreams/ambitions
Your assessment of his future

Answer :

Name	Shravan	Narendra
Age	13 years	13 years
Parents	He is an orphan. His father died of a stroke and his mother fell ill and died a couple of years ago.	Hisfather is a dedicated police officer. His parents are very supportive and encourage him to paint.
How he spends a typical day	His day begins when most other people’s ends. He starts working around seven in the evening. He prepares samosas, tea and coffee and carries these to several press offices. Then he does the dishes and collects the money from everywhere. Then around six in the morning, when all the newspapers are dispatched and all the press employees leave for their home he prepares his food and then takes bath and goes to sleep.	During afternoon after he reaches home from school, he likes to paint or play. Health conscious, he plays tennis and swims regularly in evening. He studies before dinner and goes to bed at 10 O’clock.
Recreation/hobbies	Cinema ishis favourite form of entertainment. He even wakes up early to watch the noon show. He misses the time when he used to play gully danda and marbles in his village.	He loves to paint. He recently received Soviet Land Nehru Award for drawing and painting. However, he does not intend to become an artist as he says, “Drawing and painting are just hobbies, which give me a great deal of pleasure.“
Hopes/dreams/ambitions	He wants to fulfil his mother’s dream to own a big shop. Also, he dreams of getting back the land his father mortgaged in his village. His brother and he have already paid back the loan of 8000, now only the interest is left to be paid.	He aspires to become a police officer, just like his father. He has been observing his father and other police men for a very long time. Very confidently he confirms that he possesses the qualities of a good police officer. He is physically fit and mentally alert. A member of a local sports club, he plays tennis in the evening and also swims regularly.
Your assessment of his future	Shravan isa young son of his deceased parents, trying to survive in the big city. He is trying to make a living out of the little he has. His future is lost in bewilderment. Although he is better than what he used to be; however, not good enough like other children at his age. At 13, he is working, serving samosas, tea and coffee, staying up late, working through the night. His childhood is burdened by debt and his dead mother’s dream to fulfil, of owning a shop of his own; he has to restore the land his father mortgaged in their village before he died. At the mercy of his fate, he survives and tries to make an identity of himself.	Narendra is aboy who is bestowed with a well to do family. He has received all the basic amenities and good education. Well focused, he is concerned about his future; he has a goal and a plan. Life is not that tough for him as compared to Shravan. He has loving and supportive parents. All this makes it quiet easier for him to accomplish his goals. He is not just good at sports and chases his hobbies, but also is serious about the career he wants to pursue. If all goes smoothly the way it is, if he stays focussed and passionate about his ambitions and dreams, he has a very bright future.

Q3 : Below is a list of other expressions. Decide what each expression means, by writing D for difference or S for similarity against each. Try to add more expressions to your list and make use of them in writing your article in B.6.

Expressions	D or S
X is different from Y in that…..
X and Y are alike in that….
X and Y have….. in common.
Whereas X ……………., Y …………..
Compared to X, Y…
X …. In contrast, Y….
X …. However, Y….
X and Y both

Answer :

Expressions	D or S
X is different from Y in that…..	D
X and Y are alike in that….	S
X and Y have….. in common.	S
Whereas X ……………., Y …………..	D
Compared to X, Y…	D
X …. In contrast, Y….	D
X …. However, Y….	D
X and Y both	S

Q4 : Write a magazine article about both the boys, in which you bring out the similarities and differences in their lives. Use the table you completed in B.3. Give your article a suitable title. Remember ‘CODER’.
Organise your article like this
Paragraph 1: Give their names and ages. Compare their families, parents and backgrounds.
Paragraph 2: Compare how each spends a typical day and their recreation / hobbies.
Paragraph 3: Compare their hopes / dreams / ambitions and your assessment of their future.
Answer :
We see so many people every day from different walks of life. Little time do we have to wonder about what makes them? This time we bring you two cases that have little in common. We juxtaposed their lives and now share with you what we found out. Shravan and Narendra are two boys at the age of 13, chasing their dreams and making the best out of their available resources. Their lives are so distinguished that one wonders of their worlds that are poles apart.
Shravan is an orphan boy who works all the night till early morning, serving eatables to press workers and goes to sleep around six in the mooring. He has little time for merry making and chases his dreams with the fate his parents delivered to him at their death. Whereas, Narendra is a boy that belongs to a well to do family, with his father a police officer. He is not just good at studies but in extracurricular activities as well. He recently received Soviet Land Nehru Award for drawing and painting. However, he does not intend to become an artist as he says, “Drawing and painting are just hobbies, which give me a great deal of pleasure.” Sharavan, on the other hand has no time to play games, gully danda and marbles with his friends back in his village. He sometime entertains himself with cinema, which remains his favourite form of entertainment; he even wakes up early to watch the noon show.
Shravan bears the burden of his mother’s dream that he will own his own shop like his father. He and his brother, Shatrughna, work had to restore the land his father mortgaged. They have paid the loan of 8000 already and now just the interest remains to be paid back. Whereas, Narendra is free of such pressures. Both his parents support him a lot. He aspires to become a police officer like his father and knows what it takes to become one. So, he is already working hard for it. He is mentally and physically fit. He plays tennis and swims regularly. Thus, while Shravan works hard to earn his living and to survive in the world and tries to carve a niche for him, Narendra hails from a sound background and parents that support him. Both the boys are diligent and know the importance of hard work in their respective lives. They know what they want and how they are going to achieve it.