CBSE GRADE 9 LESSON 2 (KAVERI) 2026-27 ENGLISH
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Kaveri · Grade 9 · Chapter 2
The Pot Maker
10 Passage-Based Comprehensions · Competency-Based Questions · CBSE / NCERT Pattern
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1
Sentila's Dream and Secret Visits
Paragraphs I–II · Reading for Meaning
📜 Read the passage
Ever since Sentila became old enough to accompany her mother to the fields and forests, she began to dream of becoming a pot maker like her mother and grandmother. However Arenla, her mother, wanted her to become a weaver. On days when she managed to stay at home while her parents went to the fields, Sentila approached expert potters to learn the skill. They were at first amused by the little girl's insistence as they thought that she would soon outgrow her childish passion for the craft.
Sentila did not disclose her fascination with pot making at home as she had overheard a conversation between her parents one night. Her mother was complaining about Sentila's indifference to weaving.
Sentila did not disclose her fascination with pot making at home as she had overheard a conversation between her parents one night. Her mother was complaining about Sentila's indifference to weaving.
📝 Answer the Questions
i
Why were the expert potters initially amused by Sentila?
MCQ
ii
Fill in the blank with the correct word from the passage.
Sentila did not reveal her interest in pot making at home because she had __________ a conversation between her parents. Fill
Sentila did not reveal her interest in pot making at home because she had __________ a conversation between her parents. Fill
iii
What does the word 'indifference' mean as used in the passage?
Vocab
iv
What does Sentila's act of visiting expert potters secretly tell us about her character?
Short Answer
v
Identify the correct Assertion-Reason combination.
A-R
Assertion (A): Sentila kept her love of pot making a secret from her parents.
Reason (R): She feared that her mother would stop her visits to the potters if she found out.
Reason (R): She feared that her mother would stop her visits to the potters if she found out.
2
The Hardships of Pot Making
Arenla's Complaint · Reading for Meaning
📜 Read the passage
Her mother was complaining about Sentila's indifference to weaving. She said, "I shall not teach her pot making as it has brought no joy to me and only a pittance for my troubles. The riverbank, where the grey and red clay required for making pots is found, is sixteen kilometres from here. I need to climb down a sheer drop to the riverbank and my back aches from carrying the heavy load uphill all the way to the village. Pounding the stubborn clay inside bamboo cylinders to soften it, is also tedious. So many times, I've dropped the mould out of sheer exhaustion and have had to start all over again. It takes months to bring out a batch of pots after so much labour. And the reward? A few rupees."
📝 Answer the Questions
i
Choose the correct reason for the given assertion.
A: The effort in making pots is far greater than the financial returns. MCQ
A: The effort in making pots is far greater than the financial returns. MCQ
ii
The riverbank where clay is found is __________ kilometres from the village.
Fill
iii
What does the word 'pittance' mean?
Vocab
iv
"And the reward? A few rupees." — What is the author's purpose of using a question mark here?
Short Answer
v
Which of the following is NOT one of the hardships of pot making mentioned by Arenla?
MCQ
3
Weaving vs Pot Making
Arenla's Comparison · Reading for Meaning
📜 Read the passage
"But if Sentila learns weaving, she can make much more money besides providing enough cloth for the family. Weaving is not messy like pot making and can be done indoors in all seasons. Also, the time spent on weaving one shawl is much less and the return is handsome."
Sentila continued her visits to watch the potters at work. She saw how the clay was mixed with water and pounded, how careful they were when they pushed their left hand into a lump of the softened clay and how deftly they rotated the lump as they started giving shape to the rotating clay with a spatula held in the right hand.
Sentila continued her visits to watch the potters at work. She saw how the clay was mixed with water and pounded, how careful they were when they pushed their left hand into a lump of the softened clay and how deftly they rotated the lump as they started giving shape to the rotating clay with a spatula held in the right hand.
📝 Answer the Questions
i
Choose the sentence that uses the word 'handsome' in the same way as in the passage.
Vocab
ii
State one advantage that weaving has over pot making, as mentioned by Arenla.
Short Answer
iii
The word 'deftly' as used in the passage means:
Vocab
iv
Fill in the blank: The tool used by a potter to shape a pot is called a __________.
Fill
v
Identify the correct Assertion-Reason combination.
A-R
Assertion (A): Arenla wanted Sentila to learn weaving rather than pot making.
Reason (R): Weaving was less physically demanding, could be done indoors, and gave better financial returns.
Reason (R): Weaving was less physically demanding, could be done indoors, and gave better financial returns.
4
The Pot-Making Process
Sentila Observes · Reading for Meaning
📜 Read the passage
The regular tap, tap of the spatula on the clay was music to her ears as she watched in fascination the pot emerging out of a shapeless lump right in front of her eyes. After two or three days, the pots would be given a final touch up to retain the required shape and to test the consistency. Only then would the pots be taken out to dry in the sun before being loaded on to a kiln in a uniform pattern on a bed of hay and dried bamboo and covered with another layer of the same materials, and then the kiln would be fired. One had to tend the fire carefully as over firing or under firing would ruin the entire batch.
📝 Answer the Questions
i
Why did the pots have to be given a "final touch up" after two or three days?
MCQ
ii
Fill in the blank: The pots were loaded on a kiln placed on a bed of hay and __________ bamboo.
Fill
iii
What would happen if the kiln fire was not properly managed?
Short Answer
iv
The word 'tend' as used in the passage means:
Vocab
v
The phrase "tap, tap of the spatula was music to her ears" uses which literary device?
Literary Device
5
The Village Council Intervenes
Community Responsibility · Section I End
📜 Read the passage
One day, Sentila's father, Mesoba was summoned by the village council and asked to explain why Arenla was refusing to pass on the skill to her daughter. He replied in a humble tone, "Uncles and elder brothers, Arenla has never said that she will not teach our daughter pot making; it is only that we wanted her to grow stronger after her illness." After listening to Mesoba's explanation, the elders cautioned him to remind Arenla that it was her duty to teach her daughter the skill that was handed down from generation to generation. They also told him that skills such as pot making, which not only catered to the needs of the people but also symbolised the tradition and history of the people, did not 'belong' to any individual. And experts were obliged to pass on their skills not only to their own children but also to anyone who wished to learn.
📝 Answer the Questions
i
Why was Mesoba summoned by the village council?
MCQ
ii
Fill in the blank: The village elders told Mesoba that skills like pot making belonged not to any __________ but to the entire community.
Fill
iii
What was Mesoba's excuse to the village elders?
Short Answer
iv
The statement "skills did not 'belong' to any individual" symbolises:
MCQ
v
Identify the correct Assertion-Reason combination.
A-R
Assertion (A): The village council intervened in Sentila's family matter.
Reason (R): The council was concerned that traditional pot-making skills might be lost if not taught to the next generation.
Reason (R): The council was concerned that traditional pot-making skills might be lost if not taught to the next generation.
6
Arenla Begins Teaching Sentila
Section II · The Riverbank Lesson
📜 Read the passage
The following year, Arenla took Sentila to the riverbank where the grey and red clay was found. She taught Sentila how to dig the clay with a dao, load it on to her carrying basket and soak it in the trough in the work shed before stuffing it into the bamboo cylinder in the right proportion to pound it. Sentila was a quick learner and turned the clay into malleable dough. But when she tried her hand at the shaping of the lump into a pot, she could not even hold the lump of dough properly. The mother simply sat in a corner and watched the girl try again and again. While Sentila hung her head in shame and frustration, Arenla took over the job, and transformed the lump into a beautiful pot.
📝 Answer the Questions
i
What is a dao?
MCQ
ii
The word 'malleable' as used in the passage means:
Vocab
iii
Fill in the blank: Though Sentila was good at preparing the clay, she struggled with __________ the lump into a pot.
Fill
iv
Why do you think Arenla sat quietly and watched instead of helping Sentila immediately?
Short Answer
v
What does Sentila's quick mastery of clay preparation but failure at shaping suggest?
MCQ
7
Onula's Timely Help
The Dormitory · A Turning Point
📜 Read the passage
One evening, when everyone except Sentila went to attend a musical evening, Onula saw her taking out some clay and the implements from her basket quietly. She watched Sentila's clumsy efforts to make a pot and noticed that Sentila was too tense. As a result, the clay seemed unable or unwilling to yield the right shape. When Sentila wearily let the misshapen lump fall flat on the ground, Onula went to her and said, "Don't worry, little one, I shall teach you how to make a perfect pot." Sentila watched in amazement as Onula fashioned a beautiful pot and asked her to try again. Sentila took another lump of clay and with a confidence she had never felt before, started the process all over again. She created a beautiful pot!
📝 Answer the Questions
i
Why was Sentila's pot making clumsy according to Onula?
MCQ
ii
Complete the sentence: Onula feels Sentila's effort at making a pot is clumsy because __________.
Fill
iii
"Don't worry, little one, I shall teach you how to make a perfect pot." — This shows that Onula was:
MCQ
iv
The word 'wearily' as used in the passage means:
Vocab
v
How might Sentila have felt when she saw the misshapen lump fall flat on the ground?
Short Answer
8
Sentila Learns the Secret of the Rim
Observation and Skill · Section II
📜 Read the passage
During the next pot making session, Sentila observed how her mother held the left hand and the spatula, how she slackened the rhythm when fashioning the mouth of the pots and how a strip of elongated dough was added to the mouth to make the rim. Then, on a bright sunny day, Arenla told Sentila that they should try to make as many pots as they could, otherwise they would not have enough days of sunshine to dry them. As usual, Arenla completed a batch quickly and asked Sentila to take over. Complaining that she had a headache and a backache, she went out telling Sentila to try and make as many pots as she could. Sentila was surprised and reluctantly began to beat the dough in perfect coordination with her left hand.
📝 Answer the Questions
i
What technique did Sentila observe her mother use when making the mouth of the pot?
MCQ
ii
Fill in the blank: Arenla said they needed many pots as they might not have enough __________ to dry them.
Fill
iii
The word 'slackened' as used in the passage means:
Vocab
iv
Do you think Arenla's "headache and backache" were genuine? Why or why not?
Short Answer
v
Identify the correct Assertion-Reason combination.
A-R
Assertion (A): Sentila began her pot-making session reluctantly.
Reason (R): She lacked confidence because she had always failed before when her mother was watching.
Reason (R): She lacked confidence because she had always failed before when her mother was watching.
9
Sentila's Breakthrough
Momentum and Mastery · Section II
📜 Read the passage
Before long, she realised that the pot was ready. She started on the next one, and like a sprinter who had suddenly found momentum, she continued making pot after pot with the same speed and dexterity that she had noticed in her mother's hands. Finally, when she looked at her row of pots, she saw that she had made just one short of her mother's tally.
Exhausted from the labour, she decided to go into the house and join her mother for lunch. When she reached the threshold, she found her mother lying on the floor. She was not breathing. Sentila ran towards the common area in the village for help.
Exhausted from the labour, she decided to go into the house and join her mother for lunch. When she reached the threshold, she found her mother lying on the floor. She was not breathing. Sentila ran towards the common area in the village for help.
📝 Answer the Questions
i
The phrase "like a sprinter who had suddenly found momentum" uses which literary device?
MCQ
ii
The word 'dexterity' as used in the passage means:
Vocab
iii
Fill in the blank: Sentila made just __________ pot less than her mother's total count.
Fill
iv
When Sentila reached the threshold and found her mother not breathing, what does her immediate action tell us about her?
Short Answer
v
The word 'threshold' as used in the passage means:
Vocab
10
A New Pot Maker is Born
The Climax and Resolution · End of Story
📜 Read the passage
When Arenla's body was being carried out of the house the next morning, Sentila ran after it, shouting, "Mother, I did not wish it to happen this way; it simply came to me. Please forgive me." Onula noticed that the door to the work shed was slightly ajar. Out of curiosity, she stepped inside and abruptly stopped in her tracks; two neat rows of newly-made pots stood side by side. She could find nothing to tell one batch from the other. She was sure that it was not the handiwork of one person alone. Onula stood there for a long time as if trying to absorb a new phenomenon. Slowly she walked away from this place of wonder, because she believed that she had just witnessed a profound revelation in the two batches of still moist pots, standing side by side in perfect symmetry inside the shed.
A new pot maker was born.
A new pot maker was born.
📝 Answer the Questions
i
What did Sentila mean when she cried, "it simply came to me"?
MCQ
ii
Fill in the blank: Onula was sure the two rows of pots were not the work of __________ person alone.
Fill
iii
The word 'phenomenon' as used in the passage means:
Vocab
iv
What is the significance of the concluding line — "A new pot maker was born"?
Short Answer
v
Identify the correct Assertion-Reason combination.
A-R
Assertion (A): Onula could not tell one batch of pots from the other in the work shed.
Reason (R): Sentila had finally mastered pot making to the same level of excellence as her mother, Arenla.
Reason (R): Sentila had finally mastered pot making to the same level of excellence as her mother, Arenla.
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