English:class-9|Kaveri|Projects: Activities|Vocabulary -complete guide

EnglishWithMRK · Model Answer Bank

Kaveri Grade 9 — Complete Model Answers

All 8 Units · Activities · Speaking · Writing · Projects · NCF 2023 Aligned

CBSE 2025–26Competency-Based NEP 2020Teacher Reference

UNIT 1 · PROSE + POEM

How I Taught My Grandmother to Read

🪷 Poem: Bharat Our Land  |  Author: Sudha Murty

Literacy · Lifelong Learning · Intergenerational Respect · National Pride

MODEL ANSWER

Completed Cause-Effect Table

• 1. Cause: The morning papers arrived late and magazines came one day late. → Effect: Everyone in the village waited eagerly for the afternoon bus that brought papers, magazines, and post.
• 2. Cause: The grandmother, Krishtakka, never went to school. → Effect: She could not read the Kannada serial Kashi Yatre on her own and depended on the narrator to read it for her.
• 3. Cause: She identified with the protagonist of Kashi Yatre and was deeply interested. → Effect: The grandmother discussed every episode with her friends at the temple courtyard and insisted the narrator read the serial to her every Wednesday.
• 4. Cause: The narrator went to a wedding and stayed for a week. → Effect: The grandmother missed the latest episode of Kashi Yatre; she could not read it herself and felt helpless and dependent.
• 5. Cause (implied): In those days people never considered education essential for girls. → Effect: The grandmother never went to school and remained unable to read throughout her life.
• 6. Cause: The grandmother regretted not going to school. → Effect: She made sure all her children and grandchildren studied well, and ultimately decided to learn the Kannada alphabet herself.

Use this table on the board first. Ask students to fill it in pairs, then compare with the model. Marks allocated are 1 each.

MODEL ANSWERS

Extract 1: "When I came back to my village, I saw my grandmother in tears…"

• (i) The phrase 'never seen her cry in the most difficult situations' tells us that the grandmother was A. strong-willed
• (ii) Grandmother did not reply because she might have been too emotional to respond.
• (iii) Clue indicating rural setting: They were "sleeping in the open terrace" in summer — a traditional rural custom of sleeping outdoors during hot nights.
• (iv) Lines that establish a tender atmosphere: "Her affectionate hands touched my forehead" — the physical gesture of tenderness combined with the moonlit summer night creates an intimate, emotional tone.
• (v) The aspect NOT emphasised: C. The grandmother's regret over her lack of education (this comes in the next section; the extract focuses on emotional turmoil, bond, and concern).

Extract 2: "I have decided I want to learn the Kannada alphabet…"

• (i) "I want to be independent" reveals: B. She desires self-sufficiency. The grandmother wants to be able to read on her own, independent of others' help.
• (ii) Learning has no age limit.
• (iii) The narrator laughs because she considers learning to read at sixty-two impossible or impractical — she notices the grandmother's grey hair, wrinkled hands, and spectacles and assumes old age is a barrier to learning.
• (iv) Two qualities of the grandmother: Determination (she sets a deadline — Saraswati Puja) and Self-belief ("For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle").
• (v) The narrator is making assumptions: She assumes that physical signs of age (grey hair, wrinkles, spectacles) automatically prevent learning, without considering the grandmother's mental sharpness or willpower.

Answer the following questions (Long Answers):

• 1. Why was the grandmother embarrassed? The grandmother came from a well-off family and was accustomed to dignity and self-reliance. Asking someone outside the family to read to her would have meant admitting her inability to read — something she found deeply humiliating, as it would expose what she saw as a personal failing in a public setting.
• 2. Why does the narrator initially laugh? The narrator, being only twelve, thought learning was a young person's activity. Seeing her aged grandmother — with grey hair and wrinkled hands — wanting to learn the alphabet seemed comically impossible to her young mind. She lacked the wisdom to understand that determination transcends age.
• 3. Significance of Kashi Yatre: Kashi Yatre mirrors the grandmother's own life — an old lady who sacrifices her personal desire (going to Kashi) for someone else's happiness. Just as the novel's protagonist is generous and self-giving, so is Krishtakka. The novel also becomes the trigger for her decision to become literate — it is both the inspiration and the first book she reads independently.
• 5. Lesson from the grandmother touching the narrator's feet: The act teaches us that knowledge and the role of a teacher are sacred regardless of age or relationship. The grandmother honours the teacher in her granddaughter, reinforcing the Indian tradition of Guru-Shishya — that the guru deserves respect irrespective of gender or youth.

MODEL ANSWERS

Binomials — Column Match

• 1. sink or swim → (vii) succeed or fail without help
• 2. on and off → (v) sometimes, occasionally
• 3. mix and match → (i) put different things together to get a range of possibilities
• 4. all or nothing → (viii) something to be done completely or not at all
• 5. part and parcel → (ii) complete part of or belong to
• 6. pick and choose → (iii) choose only the best
• 7. sooner or later → (iv) at sometime in the future
• 8. leaps and bounds → (vi) increase or develop very quickly

Prefix Activity — Sample Answers

• 2. dis + belief = disbelief
• 3. un + important = unimportant
• 4. dis + respect = disrespect
• 5. in + correct = incorrect
• 6. dis + continue = discontinue
• 7. mis + understand = misunderstand
• 8. extra + ordinary = extraordinary
• 9. un + interesting = uninteresting
• 10. im + possible = impossible

Idiom Match — Learning-Related

• 1. to hit the books → (iii) to study seriously
• 2. to draw a blank → (v) to be unable to remember
• 3. to learn the ropes → (vi) to understand how to do a job
• 4. to rack one's brain → (ii) to think very hard
• 5. to learn by heart → (i) to memorise something
• 6. burn the midnight oil → (iv) to study or work late into the night

MODEL SCRIPT — Topic 2: "Learning can happen only when you are young"

FOR (1 minute): "To begin with, I would like to speak for the topic — Learning can happen only when you are young. My first argument in favour of this is that the young brain is remarkably adaptable. Scientists call this neuroplasticity — the ability of the brain to form new connections rapidly. Children learn languages, music, and mathematics effortlessly because their minds are like sponges. Moreover, I feel that school and college years provide the structured environment — with teachers, peers, and resources — that is essential for effective learning. Most importantly, I want to mention that habits of thinking, creativity, and curiosity are best formed in childhood. The values, languages, and skills we absorb in youth stay with us for life. There's no doubt that early learning has a quality and depth that later learning rarely matches." AGAINST (1 minute — after teacher's signal): "On the contrary, I now argue against the very topic I just defended. There are two sides to this question, and on the other hand, the story of Krishtakka herself proves that learning has no age limit. If I could make a point here — she learnt to read Kannada at sixty-two, driven purely by determination and love. Well, I am not sure whether you can really say the brain stops learning after youth. Research in adult education shows that older learners are more motivated, more focused, and bring real-life experience to their learning. I am pretty sure that the grandmother who practised her alphabet every night — reading, repeating, reciting — was learning more passionately than many young students. So, to put it in a few words — learning is not a privilege of youth. It is a lifelong human right."

Evaluate students on: smooth transition between FOR and AGAINST, use of sentence prompts, confidence, and clarity. Award 2 marks for content and 3 for delivery.

MODEL LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Arjun Sharma, Student (Grade IX) DAV Centenary Public School Ukkunagaram, Visakhapatnam — 530032 11 April 2026 The Editor, The Visakhapatnam Tribune Visakhapatnam Subject: Students Can Transform Adult Literacy in India Sir/Madam, This is with reference to the growing concern about adult illiteracy in our country. As a concerned student citizen, I would like to draw your attention to the powerful role that school students can play in bridging this gap through adult literacy camps. India still has millions of adults who cannot read or write. This is not merely a personal disadvantage — it affects their ability to access healthcare information, government schemes, banking services, and civic rights. The National Literacy Mission Authority (NLMA) has made commendable efforts, but ground-level impact is often limited by reach and resources. This is precisely where young volunteers can make a difference. Students who participate in such camps not only help the community but also develop empathy, communication skills, and a sense of social responsibility — qualities that no classroom exercise can fully replicate. A possible solution is for schools to partner with the Directorate of Adult Education (DAE) and organise monthly literacy camps in nearby communities. Students can be assigned in pairs to teach one adult to read basic sentences in three months. Schools could also organise awareness drives, design bilingual teaching cards, and involve parents. Such initiatives would nurture a sense of national service — fulfilling our fundamental duty as citizens. I am hopeful that necessary steps will be taken by educational authorities to encourage student volunteerism. I trust this matter will be considered seriously for the benefit of all. Yours truly, Arjun Sharma

Assess: correct format (8 marks), content and argument (7 marks), language and expression (5 marks). Total: 20 marks as per CBSE criteria.

MODEL PROJECT REPORT

"A Life Unlived in Letters" — Interview with My Grandfather

By Priya Reddy, Grade IX-B, DAV Centenary Public School, Visakhapatnam

I interviewed my grandfather, Venkata Rao (72), who grew up in a small village in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh. He studied only until Class V before dropping out to help on the family farm. In Telugu, he asked me once, "నీకు అక్షరాలు వస్తాయని అదృష్టం." ("It is your fortune that you know letters.") That sentence stayed with me.

When I asked him what he wished he could read, he said without hesitation: "The newspaper — to know what is happening in my own country." He relied on the radio and neighbours for news for over fifty years. He also mentioned that when he went to the bank or hospital, he always needed someone to fill in forms for him — a dependence he found deeply humbling.

Yet my grandfather was not uneducated in the deepest sense. He knew the names and uses of thirty-seven medicinal plants. He could calculate crop yields in his head faster than I can on a calculator. He knew oral poetry — entire Vemana satakams — by memory.

Reflection: This interview taught me that literacy and intelligence are not the same thing. My grandfather's inability to read was society's failure, not his. It has made me resolve to volunteer in an adult literacy drive this summer. Every person deserves the dignity of reading their own name.

• Format: Interview questions + reflective narrative
• Word count: ~280 words (Target: 200–300)
• Multilingual element: Telugu quote included
• IKS element: Oral knowledge tradition acknowledged

UNIT 2 · PROSE + POEM

The Pot Maker

🪔 Poem: Gifts of Grace — Honouring Our Vocations

Traditional Crafts · Perseverance · Vocation Identity · Cultural Heritage

MODEL ANSWERS

Extract 1: "Pounding the stubborn clay inside bamboo cylinders…"

• (i) Correct Reason: A. The process of pot making is quite tiresome and long, and one hardly earns much. (Assertion is correct — effort far exceeds reward.)
• (ii) Why does Arenla want Sentila to learn weaving? Weaving is more profitable (a handsome return for a shawl), less physically exhausting, can be done indoors in all seasons, and takes less time than pot making. Arenla wants a better economic future for her daughter.
• (iii) One advantage weaving has over pot making: Weaving can be done indoors in all seasons, unlike pot making which is weather-dependent and done outdoors.
• (iv) 'Handsome' used as in the extract: B. "They will make a handsome profit selling this property." (Here 'handsome' means considerable/generous, not physically attractive.)
• (v) Purpose of the question mark in "And the reward?": The rhetorical question conveys irony and bitter resignation — it implies the reward is pitifully small for such enormous labour. It draws the reader's attention to the injustice of undervalued craft work.

Extract 2: "Onula saw her taking out some clay…"

• (i) Onula feels Sentila's effort is clumsy because Sentila is too tense — her anxiety prevents her from working the clay freely, so it cannot yield the right shape.
• (ii) This shows Onula was: C. thoughtful and generous. She notices Sentila's struggle (thoughtful) and immediately offers to teach her without being asked (generous).
• (iii) Which is the effect? A. "As a result, the clay seemed unable or unwilling to yield the right shape." (This is the effect of Sentila's tension.)
• (iv) 'Fashioned' means: created
• (v) Sentila might have felt: devastated, ashamed, and defeated — a year of trying, and still the pot crumbles. She may have questioned whether she had any talent at all, especially knowing her mother wanted her to learn weaving instead.

Long Answer Questions

• 5. "The tradition and history of the people did not belong to any individual": This line means that traditional crafts like pottery are a collective heritage — passed down through generations, belonging to the whole community. No individual can claim sole ownership of a tradition; it is a living legacy shared by all. Sentila's decision to learn is an act of preserving this shared heritage for the next generation.
• 6. Significance of "A new pot maker was born": This line is the emotional climax. It signifies the continuation of a dying tradition — through Sentila's perseverance, what was nearly lost is saved. It also signals a personal triumph: Sentila has discovered her true vocation. The word 'born' suggests renewal and hope — the craft lives on.

MODEL ROLE-PLAY DIALOGUE

Sentila: I watched you today, Onula. The way the clay moved in your hands — like it was listening to you. How do I make it listen to me? Onula: I felt/felt that way once too, little one. When I first started, I was so tense that I would grip the clay too hard. I felt frustrated because the pot always collapsed. I wished I could stop and give up. Sentila: Then why didn't you? Onula: Because when you said/did — when my own teacher showed me once without speaking a word — it made me feel something I cannot describe. As if my hands suddenly understood what my mind was fighting. The clay is not your enemy. It is your partner. Sentila: But my mother wants me to learn weaving. She says pottery is too hard and earns too little. Onula: I know what she means. But I wish she could see what I see. I felt it the first time I completed a perfect pot — a feeling no money could buy. Sentila, the pot carries the memory of our people. If you walk away from this clay, a little of who we are walks away too. Sentila: When you said/did you stood there watching me, not laughing — it made me feel that maybe I have not failed yet. Onula: You have not. You have only just begun. Now — put your tension down. Pick up the clay.

Assess pairs on: use of sentence prompt structure, character authenticity, emotional tone, and fluency. Total: 10 marks.

MODEL REFLECTIVE WRITING (5 Steps)

My Passion: The Art of Drawing — Finding My Identity in Lines By Kavya Naidu, Grade IX Introduction (Step 1): For as long as I can remember, I have been a person who draws. Not because I was told to, but because a blank page has always felt like a conversation waiting to happen. My passion is visual art — specifically pencil sketching and portrait drawing. It feels meaningful because through lines and shadows, I can say what words often cannot. Describing My Skills (Step 2): Every weekend, I spend at least two hours sketching. I attend online drawing workshops and study the works of artists like Raja Ravi Varma and M.F. Husain. I have been practising cross-hatching, perspective, and shading techniques. I also participate in school art competitions and maintain a sketchbook that now has over 200 pages. Passion into Profession (Step 3): I believe sketching can become a profession in several ways — as a graphic designer, an illustrator for children's books, an animation artist, or a visual communicator in advertising. In India, the growth of digital media, EdTech, and publishing means that skilled visual artists are increasingly in demand. Examples and Reflection (Step 4): When I drew a portrait of my grandmother last Diwali, she wept — not because it was perfect, but because she felt truly seen. That moment told me that art is not decoration; it is connection. My skills in observation (developed through drawing) also help me notice details in my academic subjects, especially in biology diagrams. Conclusion (Step 5): Through this reflection, I have realised that my passion is not just a hobby — it is how I process and communicate my world. My ambition is to study Fine Arts and eventually illustrate children's books that reflect Indian stories and traditions. My pencil, I believe, has a purpose.

MODEL ARTISAN PROFILE ARTICLE

"The Man Who Speaks in Clay" — A Profile of Sri Raju Kummari, Potter, Vizag

By Sai Kiran, Grade IX, DAV Centenary Public School

At the edge of our neighbourhood, there is a small workshop that smells of wet earth and wood smoke. Inside, Sri Raju Kummari (58) works the wheel with a quiet, unhurried grace. He has been making pots since he was twelve — the same age I am now.

"This wheel has been in my family for four generations," he told me. "My great-grandfather made pots for the village temple. I make them for weddings and festivals. Every pot has a story."

When I asked him about his daily earnings, his face became thoughtful. "Some days, good. Some days, not so good. The plastic buckets and stainless steel pots have taken away much of our business." But he has not given up. He now makes decorative terracotta items — diyas, wall hangings, and garden pots — that sell online through a local NGO's platform.

The process he described — soaking clay, wedging it, centering it on the wheel, pulling up the walls, drying in shade, firing in the kiln — took me back to Sentila's story. Every step requires patience that our generation, raised on instant results, often forgets.

His message to students: "Learn a skill with your hands. There is a dignity in making something from nothing."

Reflection: This interview changed how I see the ordinary pots in my kitchen. They are not just containers — they are a craftsperson's identity, effort, and livelihood.

UNIT 3 · PROSE + POEM

Winds of Change

🌿 Poem: Canvas of Soil

Nature · Art · Seasons · Environmental Stewardship · Metaphor

MODEL ANSWERS

Extract 1: "Brushstrokes of seeds, planted true, / Awaiting spring's vibrant hue."

• (i) Metaphor usage: B. "She has a heart of gold." — This uses an implied metaphor (comparing heart to gold) without using 'like' or 'as,' exactly as "Brushstrokes of seeds" compares seeds to paint strokes.
• (ii) 'Planted true' is significant because: It implies that the seeds are planted with intention, precision, and care — just as an artist makes deliberate, purposeful brush strokes. It suggests sincerity and craftsmanship in gardening.
• (iii) Why 'hue' instead of 'colours'? 'Hue' is a painter's technical term — it fits the extended metaphor of gardening as painting. Using 'hue' makes the comparison between garden and canvas more precise and artistic.
• (iv) Analogy: Summer: hot :: Spring : vibrant (as described in the poem — spring is full of colour and life)
• (v) Assertion-Reason: B. Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A). Gardeners wait for spring because plants grow — not specifically to create paintings, even though the garden looks beautiful.

Extract 2: "Each plot, a canvas wide, / Where art and life coincide."

• (i) 'Each plot' refers to: A section of land in a garden allocated for growing plants — a garden bed or patch.
• (ii) Rhyme scheme imitation: A. "beautiful and clear / laughter and cheer" — AABB rhyme scheme, same as 'wide/coincide' → end rhyme.
• (iv) The plot is likened to a canvas suggesting that gardening is a form of artistic creation — the gardener is an artist who designs, arranges, and colours nature just as a painter does on canvas.

Analytical Questions

• Justify the title 'Canvas of Soil': The poem uses the metaphor of a painting throughout — seeds are brushstrokes, earth is a palette, the garden is a canvas. The title perfectly encapsulates this central idea: the soil itself becomes the surface on which the gardener paints a living artwork. 'Canvas of Soil' merges two worlds — art and agriculture — and suggests that both are acts of creation requiring skill, vision, and patience.

MODEL SPEAKING — Preference for Vegetable Garden

"I prefer a vegetable garden to a flower garden because for me, it is a necessity instead of a luxury. If I had a choice I'd rather have vegetables than flowers — as vegetables provide food for the family, saving money on groceries and ensuring fresh, pesticide-free produce on the table. I would prefer growing vegetables rather than flowers since a vegetable garden teaches practical life skills — you learn patience, observation, and responsibility. Every morning, checking whether the tomatoes have ripened or the chillies have turned red gives a sense of purposeful work that a flower garden cannot quite match. Moreover, a vegetable patch connects us to our food — something urban children like us are increasingly disconnected from. When you grow your own okra or spinach, you appreciate food more and waste less. That said, I would leave one corner for marigolds — because in Andhra Pradesh, no garden feels complete without the warm orange of a marigold."

MODEL DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

The Garden at Grandmother's House The garden at my grandmother's house in Rajahmundry exists in my memory as a painting that refuses to fade. It is a small square of earth, no larger than a classroom, yet it holds the whole spectrum of colour. The dominant greens are extraordinary in their variety — the deep, waxy green of the banana leaves, the pale jade of the curry leaf plant, the bright, almost electric green of the jasmine creeper climbing the boundary wall. In the morning, sunlight filters through these layers, creating patches of gold and shadow that shift with the breeze. At the border of the plot, a row of marigolds blazes in deep orange and yellow — colours so saturated they seem to hum. Beside them, a cluster of red hibiscus droops slightly with its own weight, velvet-petalled and dramatic against the quieter greens. The textures are as vivid as the colours. The jasmine petals are impossibly soft — like paper that has not been fully pressed. The curry leaf plant crinkles at the edges; when you rub a leaf between your fingers, the air around you changes instantly. The earth itself, when freshly watered, is dark and rich, with a smell that is the closest thing I know to the word 'home.' This garden is not designed; it has simply grown — and that, perhaps, is what makes it art. It is the canvas my grandmother paints every morning with a watering can.

Mark: sensory imagery (4), use of colour adjectives (3), paragraph structure (3), vocabulary (4), conclusion (3+3) = 20 marks

MODEL PROJECT REPORT — Five Famous Indian Gardens

India's Living Canvases: Famous Gardens

Group Project — Grade IX-A | Canvas of Soil Unit 3

• 1. Amrit Udyan, New Delhi (formerly Mughal Garden): Located inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Designed in Mughal style — formal symmetry, water channels, and terraced lawns. Famous for 159 varieties of roses. Open to public in spring. Cultural significance: Symbol of India's sovereign residence.
• 2. Brindavan Gardens, Mysuru, Karnataka: Terraced garden designed in 1932 alongside the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam. Famous for its illuminated fountains, symmetrical pathways, and topiary art. A masterpiece of landscape design — blending formal English garden style with Indian aesthetic.
• 3. Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar, J&K: Built by Emperor Jahangir in 1619. A UNESCO-recognised Mughal garden with three terraces, chinar trees, and cascading water channels. Represents the Persian concept of paradise garden (charbagh). One of India's finest examples of Mughal garden design.
• 4. Rock Garden, Chandigarh: Created by Nek Chand using industrial waste and broken crockery. A unique art-garden — sculptures made from recycled materials. Covers 40 acres. Represents folk art and sustainable creativity — a garden that is simultaneously sculpture and statement.
• 5. Pukur, Shantiniketan, West Bengal: The garden-pond-grove landscape created by Rabindranath Tagore at Shantiniketan. Reflects the idea that nature is the classroom — open-air learning spaces surrounded by trees and water. Cultural significance: Birthplace of India's open-school tradition.

Conclusion: India's gardens range from imperial grandeur to folk creativity — each a canvas shaped by history, culture, and climate. They remind us that gardening is always, at some level, an act of love for the earth.

UNIT 4 · PROSE + POEM

Vitamin-M  |  I Cannot Remember My Mother

🕯️ Poem by Rabindranath Tagore · Prose: Vitamin-M

Elderly Care · Memory · Empathy · Family Bonds · Sensory Imagery

MODEL ANSWERS

Extract 1: "Grandpa hated the noise and bustle of city life…"

• (i) Emotion displayed by Grandfather: C. nostalgic — He speaks longingly of his small brick house, the mango tree, the quiet — all things of the past that he misses deeply.
• (ii) Grandpa hated the busy and noisy city life because he was accustomed to the peaceful rhythm of his own house in a small town, where he lived independently and enjoyed quietude — hearing even a leaf fall at dusk.
• (iii) Why Grandpa came to the city despite his dislike: He had become too old to live safely on his own. He had been admitted to hospital for a double dose of medicine and got lost on a walk — forcing his daughter to insist he move in with the family.
• (iv) Expression similar to "you can even hear a leaf fall": D. pin drop silence
• (v) One advantage: His own house offered him independence and peace — he had managed cooking, shopping, and housekeeping by himself for years.
  One disadvantage: Living alone in old age was dangerous — he fell in the garden at night and lay outside till morning with no one to help him.

Long Answer Questions

• 1. Two evidences that Grandpa's memory is NOT failing: First, Grandpa deliberately and coolly tells Ravi's mother that Ravi "just disappeared instead of staying to look after him" — this is a carefully constructed lie, proving he was aware of exactly what Ravi was doing (following him). Second, he surprises Ravi with a gift — having planned it in advance — showing fully organised thought and intention.
• 7. Who needs Vitamin-M? Ironically, it is Ravi's mother — not Grandpa — who needs Vitamin-M (memory). She assumes Grandpa is forgetful without truly paying attention to him. Her dismissive attitude ("I doubt whether Grandpa can hear me") shows her own lack of mindfulness about the people in front of her.

MODEL ANSWERS

Extract 1: "I cannot remember my mother / only sometimes in the midst of my play / a tune seems to hover over my playthings…"

• (i) The poet is reminded of his mother during his play
• (ii) Primary emotion of 'a tune seems to hover': C. It activates memories of the mother. The hovering tune is a subconscious trigger — it brings up the mother's memory without the child consciously seeking it.
• (iii) The hovering tune plays the role of an involuntary sensory memory — a song the mother used to hum while rocking the cradle that resurfaces as a ghost of the past, haunting the ordinary moments of play.

Extract 2: "I feel that the stillness of my mother's gaze on my face / has spread all over the sky."

• (i) The sky is: B. a symbolic extension of the mother's presence — the vastness of the sky represents the infinite and all-encompassing nature of a mother's love.
• (ii) Emotion of 'stillness': D. a sense of serenity — the stillness is calm, peaceful, protective — the quality of a mother's loving gaze.
• (iv) Purpose of likening mother's gaze to sky: The sky is the largest thing a child can see — infinite, encompassing, always present. Comparing the mother's gaze to it suggests that although the mother is gone, her love is omnipresent, as vast and surrounding as the sky itself.

Long Answers

• Role of nature in memory: Tagore uses three natural elements — sound (a tune during play), scent (shiuli flowers in autumn), and sight (the blue of the sky) — as carriers of the mother's memory. Nature becomes a bridge between the living child and the absent mother. Each seasonal element acts as a sensory portal to a pre-memory — something felt rather than consciously remembered.

MODEL ARTICLE

Our Inspiring Elderly By Rohan Mehta | Grade IX | The DAV Tribune In a world that races breathlessly towards the future, we often forget to look sideways — at the quiet, steady wisdom walking beside us. Our elderly are not merely people with failing memories and aching joints; they are living libraries of experience, resilience, and purpose. The story of Grandpa in 'Vitamin-M' captures this beautifully. Despite his family's assumptions about his memory, he was the one orchestrating surprises, planning gifts, and demonstrating sharp awareness of everything around him. His apparent weakness was, in truth, a lesson in disguise. Similarly, across India, our grandparents and great-grandparents hold within them histories that no textbook records — the partition stories, the freedom struggle years, the droughts survived, the families rebuilt. They overcame extraordinary challenges with a dignity that the comfort of modern life rarely demands of us. My own grandfather walked ten kilometres to school daily, studying by oil lamp at night. He retired as a school headmaster, having taught for forty years. Every challenge he faced — financial scarcity, displacement, self-doubt — he met with a patient endurance that I find both humbling and inspiring. The elderly remind us that life is longer than our impatience allows for. They show us that persistence matters more than perfection, that love is built through small, daily acts, and that it is never too late to learn, to change, or to grow. Our greatest honour to them is not a comfortable chair in the corner — it is a listening ear and an open heart.

MODEL DIARY ENTRY

Saturday, 8 March 2026 10:45 PM Dear Diary, I had promised myself I would write tonight, no matter how tired I was. And tired I am — but the good kind, the kind that comes from being entirely alive. Today, our class visited the Borra Caves in the Eastern Ghats, about 90 kilometres from Visakhapatnam. I had seen photographs, of course. But nothing prepares you for the smell first — cool, damp, ancient air that fills your lungs like time itself. As we descended into the cavern, my eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the low lights they had installed, and then — the stalactites appeared, hanging from the ceiling like frozen waterfalls, some the colour of honey, some nearly white. The sound was extraordinary: a constant low drip of water, echoing from surfaces I could not see. Somewhere deeper inside, a small underground stream ran — I could hear it but never found it. My friend Aditi said it sounded like whispering. She was right. I stood at the deepest accessible point of the cave and looked up. For a moment, I felt something shift in me — a sudden, sharp awareness of how much older the earth is than any of us, and how small our individual worries must seem to these rocks that formed over millions of years. I do not know what I was looking for when I went in. But I think I found something anyway — a kind of stillness. Tagore wrote that his mother's gaze had spread over the sky. Today, I felt something similar: the cave's silence spread over me like a benediction. I will carry this day for a long time. — Rohan

UNIT 5 · PROSE + POEM

The World of Limitless Possibilities

🏅 Poem: Nine Gold Medals  |  Subject: Dr. Deepa Malik, Paralympian

Inclusion · Resilience · Para-Athletics · Overcoming Stereotypes

MODEL ANSWERS

Extract 1: "I had two choices—squander my life in remorse or transform it…"

• (i) Caterpillar metaphor — reason: Just as a caterpillar appears to be a limited, earth-bound creature before its transformation into a butterfly, Dr. Malik's accident left her physically confined. But instead of surrendering to that limitation, she transformed — breaking free into a world of achievement, visibility, and inspiration that exceeded her pre-accident life. Both represent radical metamorphosis through inner strength.
• (ii) Why could she switch to para-athletics comfortably? She loved sports and had previously been a swimmer — so she already had athletic discipline, competitive drive, and body awareness. Para-athletics became a natural extension of her existing passion for sport.
• (iii) 'Breakthrough moment': The 2016 Rio Paralympic Games were a breakthrough because Dr. Malik secured India's first Paralympic silver medal in the shot-put, changing how the world saw para-athletes from India — and how she saw herself.
• (iv) 'In hindsight' indicates: B. reflective — she is looking back at the event with the benefit of time and understanding its deeper significance.

Long Answer Questions

• 3. Rationalise the title: "The World of Limitless Possibilities" is perfectly appropriate because Dr. Deepa Malik's entire journey is an argument against the idea of limitation. She was told by her disability that her world had contracted — instead, she expanded it. She won medals, received national awards, became an international inspiration, and worked as an advocate for inclusion. The title is not just aspirational — it is biographical.
• 7. What you learned and how to implement it: The interview taught me that attitude is the most fundamental ability. Dr. Malik's choice to "transform" rather than "remorse" is a daily decision anyone can make. I plan to implement this by changing how I respond to failure in academics — instead of seeing a poor result as a verdict, I will see it as data. I can also contribute to inclusion in my school by advocating for accessible seating arrangements and representation of differently-abled figures in our school events.

MODEL FORMAL INTERVIEW — Sports Coach

Student (Interviewer): Good morning, Sir. It is my privilege to get this opportunity to have this interaction with you. Could you please tell me how your journey in coaching sports began? Coach: Good morning. Thank you for having me. I began my journey as an athlete myself — I competed in the 400m hurdles at the state level for six years. When an injury ended my competing career at 28, I realised my knowledge and passion could still serve the sport — through coaching. Student: Could you share something about the challenges you faced and how you overcame them? Coach: The transition from athlete to coach was harder than I expected. Athletes know how to win; coaches must learn how to help others win. I had to learn patience — and I had to unlearn the instinct to do things myself. I attended the Sports Authority of India's coaching certification programme in Bangalore, which completely changed my approach. Student: You've received several accolades. What do these accomplishments mean to you? Coach: They mean more when a student succeeds than when I am recognised personally. When our school team won the district championships last year — that was more satisfying than any individual award I ever received. Student: What advice do you have for aspiring athletes? Coach: Learn to lose gracefully. It is not the silver medal or the defeat that defines you — it is what you choose to do the morning after. Student: Thank you, Sir, for your time and insight. This has been truly inspiring.

MODEL NOTICE

DAV CENTENARY PUBLIC SCHOOL, VISAKHAPATNAM

NOTICE

11 April 2026

INTER-SCHOOL ATHLETIC MEET — REGISTRATIONS OPEN

The Sports Club is organising an Inter-school Athletic Meet on 25 April 2026. Interested students (Classes VIII–X) are requested to register for events (100m, 400m, long jump, shot put, relay) with the Physical Education teacher by 18 April. Selection trials on 20 April.

Priya Sharma
Sports Captain, Grade IX

Word count: 49 words (within 50-word limit ✓) · All format elements included ✓

MODEL PRESENTATION OUTLINE — 7 Slides

Presentation: Two Indian Paralympians Who Changed History

• Slide 1 — Title: "Beyond the Body: Two Indian Paralympians Who Changed History" | Names of group members | Grade IX
• Slide 2 — Origin of Paralympics: 1948: Sir Ludwig Guttmann's Stoke Mandeville Games for injured war veterans | Rome 1960: First official Paralympic Games | 1968: India's debut
• Slide 3 — Growth of Paralympics: From 400 athletes in 1960 to 4,400+ in 2020 | Now held in same city as Olympics | Paralympic symbol: Agitos ("I move")
• Slide 4 — Paralympian 1: Dr. Deepa Malik | Born 1970 | Spinal cord injury at 36 | Shot put — Silver at Rio 2016 | Khel Ratna, Padma Shri | First Indian woman to win Paralympic medal | Quote: "Ability beyond disability."
• Slide 5 — Deepa Malik: Impact | Advocacy for para-sports in India | Changed perception of women in disability sports | Inspiration for thousands of young para-athletes
• Slide 6 — Paralympian 2: Avani Lekhara | Born 2001 | Spinal cord injury in car accident at 11 | Shooting — Gold at Tokyo 2020 (10m Air Rifle) | First Indian woman to win Paralympic gold | "I felt I could do whatever I set my mind to."
• Slide 7 — Conclusion: These athletes prove that limitations are often in our perceptions, not in our possibilities. The Paralympic stage has given India new heroes — and a new definition of strength.

UNIT 6 · PROSE + POEM

Twin Melodies

🎵 Poem: A Friend Found in Music

Music · Culture · Friendship · Oral Expression · Heritage

MODEL ANSWERS

Discussion Questions on the Poem "A Friend Found in Music"

• How can music be a "friend"? A friend is someone who is present without judgment, who understands our moods without words, who provides comfort in difficulty and joy in celebration. Music does all of this. Unlike people, music never leaves, never misunderstands, and never demands anything in return. When we are lonely, a song holds us; when we are joyful, it amplifies the feeling. The poem suggests that this emotional reliability is precisely what makes music not merely an art form, but a companion.
• Identify sensory imagery used to describe music in the poem: The poem uses auditory imagery (the sound of notes), tactile imagery (the feel of strings vibrating), and emotional imagery (the warmth or comfort music brings). By engaging multiple senses, the poem makes music feel physically present — not just heard, but felt and seen in the mind's eye.
• How does shared passion build friendship? In "Twin Melodies," the two characters are drawn together not by circumstance or family — but by a shared love of music. This shared passion creates a language between them that transcends age, background, and difference. When two people love the same thing deeply, they share a worldview — and that shared perception is the foundation of real friendship.

MODEL POEM — "A Friend Found in Books"

A Friend Found in Books By Ananya, Grade IX When the world grows loud and the hours long, I find my friend between covers worn, In pages yellowed and paragraphs strong, In stories of lives not yet forlorn. She does not speak but she always hears, She holds no grudge for the nights I stayed away, She returns to me, patient through the years, And finds a way to understand what I could not say. Every character is a face I know, Every plot a conversation we have shared, She takes me to places I cannot go, And makes me feel, at every turn, that someone cared. So when they ask who my truest friend is — I'll say: the one who waits on my nightstand always, She has no name but she is wholly his Who opens her up and loses himself in the maze.

Model demonstrates: consistent rhyme scheme (ABAB), extended metaphor (book as friend), imagery, personal voice. Assess on: poetic devices (5), theme expression (5), language (5), originality (5).

MODEL PRESENTATION — Carnatic Music of South India

Carnatic Music: A Living Heritage of South India

• Origin: One of the two main subgenres of Indian classical music. Developed primarily in South India (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala). Rooted in the Sama Veda tradition — among the oldest organised musical systems in the world.
• Structure: Based on ragas (melodic frameworks) and talas (rhythmic cycles). A single performance (called a 'concert' or 'kutcheri') includes compositions, improvisations, and devotional pieces. The alapana (melodic improvisation) precedes the main composition.
• Key Instruments: Veena (plucked string) — the primary instrument | Mridangam (double-headed drum) — primary percussion | Violin (adopted from Western tradition) | Flute, Nadaswaram, Kanjira, Ghatam
• The Trinity: Three composer-saints who defined Carnatic music — Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri (all 18th–19th century, Telugu and Tamil saints).
• Key Exponents: MS Subbulakshmi (Bharat Ratna, 1998), L. Subramaniam, Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Ranjani-Gayatri Sisters
• Telugu Connection: Many Carnatic compositions are in Telugu — especially Tyagaraja's kritis (Visakhapatnam is a major centre of Carnatic learning). December Music Season in Chennai is a UNESCO-recognised cultural event.
• Conclusion: Carnatic music is not a relic — it is a living conversation between composer, performer, and audience, renewed in every concert.

UNIT 7 · PROSE + POEM

Carrier of Words

✍️ Poem: Words

Language · Identity · Power of Words · Storytelling · Communication

MODEL ANSWERS

How does the poet use language and tone to celebrate words?

• The poet uses a celebratory, reverent tone — treating words not as tools but as living entities with power, beauty, and responsibility. The language is itself lyrical and carefully chosen, demonstrating what the poem argues: that words, when arranged with care, can create worlds. The poet's tone is neither nostalgic nor critical — it is an act of gratitude for language itself.

What is the poet's likely purpose in writing this poem?

• The poem seems written for language learners, writers, and readers — reminding them that every word carries weight. By celebrating words, the poet encourages mindful, purposeful use of language. In the context of the Kaveri textbook (an English textbook), the poem also serves as a meta-statement: it is about the very activity the student is engaged in.

How does mother tongue influence identity?

• Language is not merely a communication tool — it is the primary carrier of culture, memory, and self. Our mother tongue shapes how we experience emotions, name relationships, and understand the world. For Telugu speakers, for instance, certain concepts (like 'Amma,' 'illu,' 'priya') carry emotional resonances that translations can approximate but never fully capture. To lose a language is to lose a way of seeing.

MODEL DIARY ENTRY — Samuel Pepys Style (Factual, No "Dear Diary")

Saturday, 5 April 2026. Morning — 6:15 a.m. The bus departed at six sharp, carrying thirty-two of us into a misty morning, the highway still quiet. By nine we had reached Araku Valley — the hill station our geography teacher Mr. Murthy had promised was unlike anywhere else in Andhra Pradesh. He was right. The coffee plantations arrived first — long, orderly rows of waist-high plants stretching up the hillside. I pressed a coffee leaf between my fingers and smelled something sharp and green that I have no other word for. Farther up, the air cooled noticeably and smelled of wet rock and pine. At the tribal museum, a curator named Sunita showed us tools, jewellery, and instruments of the Kondh and Bagata tribes. She spoke in a mix of Telugu and English and sometimes laughed at our questions in a kind way. A bamboo flute she played — three notes, repeated — filled the room and stayed in my head for hours. Lunch was at a homestay: bamboo chicken, gathered wild mushrooms, millet roti. Simple food, and I ate more than I have eaten in weeks. On the return journey, I tried to write down the colour of the light at 4 p.m. I settled on 'gold that knows it will not last.' I think that is the most accurate thing I wrote all day.

MODEL MEMOIR ENTRY

"The Smell of Newsprint" — A Childhood Memory

By Meghana, Grade IX

Every Sunday morning of my childhood smelled the same: newsprint and filter coffee. My father read the Telugu newspaper first — the Eenadu — before switching to the English one. The Eenadu was his; the English paper was somehow for the household, more official, less intimate.

I used to climb onto the arm of his chair and look at the words on the Telugu page, trying to match the curves of the letters to the sounds he muttered as he read. I couldn't read Telugu then — I was five — but the sounds felt like something I already knew from somewhere older than memory.

He would sometimes read a headline aloud and then look at me: "Do you know what this means?" And I would shake my head, and he would explain — not in simple words but in real words, as if I were already older. He never talked down to language.

I learned to read Telugu properly only in Class IV. But that knowledge — that words carry weight, that the right sentence can change how someone feels — I learned it much earlier. On the arm of that chair. Beside that newspaper. In the smell of newsprint and filter coffee.

[Illustrated with a pencil sketch of a rocking chair, a folded newspaper, and a coffee cup]

UNIT 8 · PROSE + POEM

Follow That Dream

💫 Poem: Believe in Yourself

Dreams · Determination · Self-Belief · Future Aspirations · Goal-Setting

MODEL ANSWERS

1. How do Dr. Malik's achievements challenge societal perceptions?

• Society often perceives disability as a limitation — a narrowing of possibility. Dr. Malik's achievements systematically dismantle this perception. She competed internationally, won medals, received the nation's highest sporting honour, and became a global spokesperson for para-sport — all activities society typically associates only with the able-bodied. By succeeding at this level, she forces a reexamination: the limitation was never in her body, but in the assumption about what a disabled body could do.

2. "Every setback is an opportunity to prove your strength" — As a life lesson:

• This principle applies universally. For a student, a failed exam is not a verdict on intelligence — it is information about where to focus. For an entrepreneur, a rejected idea reveals what the market needs. The key shift is from seeing a setback as an ending to seeing it as data — something that tells us more about ourselves and our path than success sometimes does. Dr. Malik's accident was, by any measure, a catastrophic setback. But her choice — to transform rather than regret — turned it into a foundation.

On the Poem "Believe in Yourself":

• Which line speaks to you most? The line (modelled on the poem's spirit): "You were not born to fit in — you were born to stand out." This resonates because so much of adolescence is about conforming — dressing the same, thinking the same, wanting the same things. The poem reminds us that our distinctiveness is not a flaw. It is our primary asset.
• Poet's purpose: The poem is written for someone at a crossroads — someone who doubts their ability or right to pursue a dream. Its purpose is not to provide information but to restore courage. In an educational context, it is profoundly timely: Grade IX students often face their first major decisions about academic direction, and many carry self-doubt. The poem serves as a mirror, reflecting their capacity back to them.

MODEL POEM — "A Letter to Myself"

A Letter to Myself By Aditya, Grade IX Dear self, I know you're tired tonight, Of the distance left between you and the dream, Of the hundred steps that aren't yet in sight, Of the way things are — not how they could seem. But look at how far you have already come From the child who was afraid to raise his hand, Who sat in the back row, pretending to be numb, Who did not know, back then, where he would stand. You will stumble — that is not a flaw, The tree does not stop growing when it bends. You will feel the weight of every rule and law But no rule was ever written that never ends. So dream the dream that scares you — that's the one, Not the safe dream, not the easy prize. The only race worth running is the one Where victory looks like opening your eyes.

MODEL TED-STYLE TALK — 3 Minutes

Talk: "APJ Abdul Kalam — The Boy Who Looked Up" I want to tell you about a boy who was born in a small island town called Rameswaram, in Tamil Nadu, in 1931. He was the son of a boat owner — not a scientist, not a minister, not a person of privilege. But this boy had a habit that changed India: he looked up at the sky. Abdul Kalam wanted to fly. When that dream was not immediately possible, he became an aerospace engineer. When that was not enough, he worked on India's first satellite launch vehicle. When that succeeded, he helped develop India's missile programme. And when that was celebrated, he became President of India. But what I want you to notice is not the destination — it is the direction. Every step Kalam took, he took towards the sky. He didn't wait for the perfect opportunity. He studied at night using kerosene lamps. He cycled to school. He saved money by delivering newspapers at dawn — in the very hours when most dreamers are still asleep. In his own words: "Dream is not what you see in sleep. Dream is the thing which does not let you sleep." What moves me about Kalam is not that he was extraordinary. It is that he was ordinary — in circumstance, but never in effort. He proves that the gap between who we are and who we could be is filled not by talent, but by relentless direction. So my question for you today is: What is your sky? And are you looking up? Thank you.

Assess: Hook and opening (2), factual accuracy (4), personal engagement (2), delivery and time (2) = 10 marks. Peer-assessed using class-designed rubric.

MODEL YEAR-END GROWTH STATEMENT

"Who I Was in April. Who I Am in March." — Portfolio Growth Statement

Riya Sharma | Grade IX-B | DAV Centenary Public School

When I look at the letter I wrote to the Editor in Unit 1 — about adult literacy — I remember feeling nervous about writing formally. The format felt like a maze. I wrote three drafts and was still unsure. Reading it now, I can see it is structured, clear, and genuine. I did not know, in April, that I could write like that.

My biggest discovery this year was Unit 4: Vitamin-M. The character of Grandpa — dismissed as forgetful, but in reality the sharpest observer in the room — made me rethink how I listen to people around me. I interviewed my grandmother for the Intergenerational Interview project and found that the woman I thought I knew completely had a life full of choices, sacrifices, and stories I had never asked about.

As a speaker, I grew most in Unit 5 — the formal interview format. I was terrified of speaking formally to an adult. Practising with my partner (who played the Sports Coach) helped me slow down, structure my questions, and listen instead of just waiting for my turn to speak.

The one thing I want to carry from this year into the next: Dr. Deepa Malik's phrase — "ability beyond disability." I want to apply it to the parts of myself I have been treating as limitations. This year taught me they are starting points, not endings.

Best writing piece (attached): Descriptive writing — "The Garden at Grandmother's House" (Unit 3)
Best project: Intergenerational Interview — "A Life Unlived in Letters"

Prepared by EnglishWithMRK · DAV Centenary Public School, Ukkunagaram, Visakhapatnam
NCERT Kaveri Class IX · 2026–27 · NCF-SE 2023 & NEP 2020 Aligned · Teacher Reference Only