CBSE Class 9
The Happy Prince — Class 9 CBSE (Complete 10‑Lesson Plan)
Paraphrased sections, 10 short questions per section, vocabulary, grammar focus, and answer key. (No copyrighted text reproduced.)
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Lesson 1 — The Golden Statue on the Column
Summary: In the city centre stood a magnificent statue of the Happy Prince, covered with fine gold leaves, with sapphire eyes and a ruby on his sword. People admired its splendour.
10 Short Questions:
- Where was the statue placed?
- Which metal covered the statue?
- What were the eyes made of?
- Where was the ruby fixed?
- Why did townspeople admire the statue?
- How did the Mayor react to its beauty?
- What did schoolboys call the statue?
- What effect did the gold leaves create?
- What does the statue’s beauty symbolise?
- Why is the title ‘Happy Prince’ ironic now?
Vocabulary:
- gilded – covered with a thin layer of gold
- column – tall pillar
- ruby – precious red stone
- sapphire – precious blue stone
- admire – look at with respect or pleasure
Grammar Focus:
- Adjectives of description (golden, tall, beautiful)
- Simple Past Tense review
Lesson 2 — The Little Swallow Arrives
Summary: A swallow, on the way to Egypt, rested between the statue’s feet. A drop fell on him—it was the statue’s tears. The bird was puzzled and moved.
10 Short Questions:
- Why was the swallow travelling to Egypt?
- Where did he rest?
- What disturbed his sleep?
- Why seemed rain unlikely in summer?
- What did he see on looking up?
- Why was the statue crying?
- What does the swallow’s response show?
- What emotion do the tears represent?
- What might the ‘drop of water’ symbolise?
- What is unusual about a statue weeping?
Vocabulary:
- weeping – shedding tears
- perplexed – puzzled
- shelter – protective cover
- compassion – sympathy for suffering
Grammar Focus:
- Present Continuous (is/are + -ing)
- Question forms (auxiliary + subject)
Lesson 3 — The Prince’s Sad Story
Summary: The Prince had lived in a palace where sorrow never entered. From his high pedestal now he saw the city’s misery and felt deep pity.
10 Short Questions:
- Why was he called ‘Happy’ in life?
- What was life like in the palace?
- What changed after becoming a statue?
- What does he regret now?
- What suffering does he see?
- How does his perspective shift?
- Why does he feel pity?
- What contrast appears between wealth and poverty?
- What message about privilege is implied?
- How is the moral core revealed?
Vocabulary:
- pedestal – base of a statue
- misery – great suffering
- privilege – special advantage
- palace – royal residence
Grammar Focus:
- Past Perfect (had + V3)
- Contrast connectors (however, whereas)
Lesson 4 — The Seamstress and the Child
Summary: The Prince noticed a poor seamstress with a sick child and sent the ruby via the swallow so she could buy medicine.
10 Short Questions:
- Who was helped first?
- What was wrong with the child?
- What did the swallow deliver?
- How did the swallow feel?
- Why did he obey?
- Which value is shown?
- How did the mother react?
- How did the ruby help?
- Which virtue does the Prince embody?
- How is selflessness shown?
Vocabulary:
- seamstress – woman who sews for a living
- charity – giving to the needy
- ill – sick, unwell
Grammar Focus:
- Imperatives (Give/Take/Go)
- Prepositions of place (in, on, at)
Lesson 5 — The Playwright
Summary: A hungry playwright, freezing in an attic, could not work. The Prince gave one sapphire eye; the swallow delivered it, rescuing his art and hope.
10 Short Questions:
- What difficulty did the playwright face?
- How did poverty affect his creativity?
- What did the Prince sacrifice?
- What might the sapphire symbolise?
- How did the swallow feel after plucking the eye?
- Why value people over appearance?
- How does this show empathy for artists?
- How are basic needs linked to creativity?
- Which theme deepens here?
- How did the Prince’s look change?
Vocabulary:
- attic – room under a roof
- playwright – person who writes plays
- sacrifice – giving up something valuable
Grammar Focus:
- Modals of obligation (must/should)
- Compound sentences (and/but/so)
Lesson 6 — The Match Girl
Summary: A match girl had dropped her matches and feared punishment. The Prince gave his other sapphire eye; the swallow obeyed with tears.
10 Short Questions:
- Who is helped next?
- Why was she in distress?
- What did the Prince give her?
- What does the act show about compassion?
- Why did the swallow hesitate?
- How did the girl react?
- What new limitation did the Prince face?
- Which recurring theme appears?
- What emotion dominates the scene?
- What lesson about kindness is reinforced?
Vocabulary:
- gutter – water channel beside the road
- obeyed – followed an order
- blind – unable to see
Grammar Focus:
- Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
- Direct & Indirect Speech: basics
Lesson 7 — The Swallow’s Decision
Summary: Blind now, the Prince asked the swallow to describe the city. The bird kept postponing Egypt, choosing duty and friendship over migration.
10 Short Questions:
- Why couldn’t the Prince see?
- What made the swallow stay?
- What conditions did he observe?
- How does loyalty grow?
- Why does the Prince rely on him?
- What shows true friendship?
- What inner conflict is shown?
- Duty vs desire—what’s implied?
- How does the tone shift?
- What foreshadowing appears?
Vocabulary:
- loyalty – firm support
- postpone – delay
- companion – close associate
Grammar Focus:
- Future‑in‑the‑past (would + V1)
- Clauses of reason (because, since)
Lesson 8 — Charity Continues
Summary: The swallow delivered the statue’s gold leaves to the poor. The statue turned dull and grey, but the Prince felt a deeper happiness in giving.
10 Short Questions:
- What did the swallow distribute?
- How did the poor react?
- What change happened to the statue?
- Why did giving bring joy?
- What social message is conveyed?
- How is inner beauty contrasted with outward looks?
- What lesson about generosity stands out?
- How did the swallow’s role evolve?
- What do the gold leaves represent?
- Why is the Prince happier now?
Vocabulary:
- dull – lacking brightness
- generosity – willingness to give
- grey – colourless, lifeless
Grammar Focus:
- Passive Voice overview
- Synonyms & Antonyms
Lesson 9 — The Swallow’s Death
Summary: Winter arrived. The swallow, weak with cold, kissed the Prince and died at his feet. The statue’s lead heart broke in two.
10 Short Questions:
- Why didn’t the swallow fly to Egypt?
- What caused his death?
- How does the breaking heart symbolise love?
- What does the loyalty teach?
- How is pathos created?
- What is the Prince’s emotional state?
- What does winter symbolise?
- What is shown about sacrifice?
- Why is this the climax?
- What moral insight is gained?
Vocabulary:
- pathos – quality evoking pity
- faithful – loyal and true
- fragile – easily broken
Grammar Focus:
- Figures of speech: metaphor & personification
Lesson 10 — Ending and Moral
Summary: The Mayor called the grey statue ugly and ordered it removed. The metal was melted, but the broken lead heart did not melt. An angel carried the heart and the swallow to God, who called them the city’s most precious things.
10 Short Questions:
- How did the townspeople treat the statue after it lost beauty?
- What order did the Mayor give?
- Why didn’t the lead heart melt?
- What did the angel do?
- How was true goodness rewarded?
- What moral lesson is taught?
- What irony appears in the townspeople’s attitude?
- What does ‘inner beauty’ mean here?
- How does the ending resolve the theme?
- What is the final message about love and sacrifice?
Vocabulary:
- melted – turned to liquid by heat
- precious – of great value
- irony – contrast between appearance and reality
Grammar Focus:
- Reported Speech (said that…)
- Noun formation (good → goodness)
Overall Difficult Words (Quick List)
- gilded – thin layer of gold
- sapphire – precious blue gemstone
- ruby – precious red gemstone
- pedestal – base of a statue
- seamstress – woman who sews
- compassion – sympathy for suffering
- sacrifice – giving up something valuable
- attic – room under a roof
- obeyed – followed an order
- generosity – willingness to give
- pathos – quality that evokes pity
- precious – of great value
- irony – appearance vs reality
- privilege – special advantage
- fragile – easily broken
Answer Key (Concise)
Lesson 1:
- Centre of the city / on a high column
- Gold leaf
- Sapphires
- On the sword’s hilt
- Its beauty and splendour
- He praised its importance
- They admired and nicknamed it
- Brilliant shine
- Outer splendour/wealth
- Called ‘happy’ though sorrow is hidden
Lesson 2:
- Migration to Egypt
- Between the statue’s feet
- A drop (tears) fell on him
- Summer showers seemed unlikely
- The statue was weeping
- He saw suffering
- Kindness/concern
- Sorrow/compassion
- Symbol of sorrow
- Human emotion in a statue
Lesson 3:
- He never knew sorrow
- Protected and carefree
- From pedestal he sees misery
- Not helping earlier
- Hunger, illness, poverty
- Ignorance → awareness
- Human empathy
- Luxury vs need
- Privilege blinds to pain
- Compassion is central
Lesson 4:
- A poor seamstress
- The child was ill
- The ruby
- Moved yet determined
- Respect for goodness
- Charity/selflessness
- Gratitude/relief
- Enabled medicine/food
- Altruism
- Giving up valuables
Lesson 5:
- Cold, hunger, creative block
- Hunger blocked work
- A sapphire eye
- Value/clarity for art
- Sad yet obedient
- People over looks
- Empathy for creators
- Needs enable creativity
- Sacrifice & compassion
- Lost one bright eye
Lesson 6:
- The match girl
- Feared punishment
- The other sapphire eye
- Deep compassion
- He feared blinding the Prince
- Joy and relief
- He became blind
- Repeated sacrifice
- Tender sorrow
- Kindness saves the vulnerable
Lesson 7:
- Both eyes were gone
- Affection and duty
- Poverty, hunger, cold
- Chooses duty over comfort
- The swallow is his eyes
- Loyal companionship
- Migration vs compassion
- Duty can outweigh desire
- From decorative to sacrificial
- Hints of tragedy
Lesson 8:
- Gold leaves
- Gratitude and survival
- Golden → dull grey
- Joy in giving
- Share wealth with the needy
- Inner good > outward beauty
- True generosity is selfless
- Messenger/helper
- Material wealth
- Giving fulfils a higher purpose
Lesson 9:
- Devotion to the Prince
- Cold and weakness
- Love and compassion
- Loyalty till death
- Strong pathos
- Sorrowful yet loving
- Harsh end of life
- Supreme sacrifice
- Emotional peak
- Love demands sacrifice
Lesson 10:
- They despised the grey statue
- Remove and melt it
- Too pure (symbolically) to melt
- Angel carried heart and bird
- Called them “most precious”
- Inner goodness is supreme
- Looks over virtue = irony
- Goodness and compassion within
- Affirms inner good over appearance
- Love & sacrifice are divine
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