NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8

The NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8 – “Reach for the Top” provides comprehensive answers to all the questions in the chapter. This chapter is divided into two parts: the first part is about the inspiring journey of Santosh Yadav, the first woman to climb Mount Everest twice, and the second part focuses on Maria Sharapova, the tennis champion. The solutions highlight the themes of determination, perseverance, and the challenges faced by these women in achieving success. These solutions are crafted to help students understand the narratives, improve their critical thinking, and prepare effectively for their exams as per the latest NCERT guidelines.

Here Are The NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8 – Kathmandu

Thinking about the Text

1. On the following map mark out the route, which the author thought of but did not take, to Delhi.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8

Answer: The author thought of taking the following route:

From Kathmandu to Patna by bus or train, then Benaras followed by Allahabad and Agra, and finally from there to Delhi.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8 – Kathmandu

I. Answer these questions in one or two words or in short phrases.

1. Name the two temples the author visited in Kathmandu.

Answer: Pashupatinath temple and Boudhanath stupa.

2. The writer says, “All this I wash down with Coca-Cola.” What does ‘all this’ refer to?

Answer: Here, ‘all this’ refers to a bar of marzipan, a corn-on-the-cob rubbed with salt, chili, and lemon roasted in a charcoal stove and reading a few love story comics and a reader’s digest.

3. What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine?

Answer: Vikram Seth compares a flute seller to the quills of a porcupine. The flute seller was holding a long pole that had around fifty to sixty flutes at its top.

4. Name five kinds of flutes.

Answer: The following are the five kinds of flutes:

The reed neh
The Japanese Shakuhachi
The deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music
The clear or breathy flutes of South America
The high pitched Chinese flutes

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8 – Kathmandu

II. Answer each question in a short paragraph.

1. What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers?

Answer: The author observes that while other vendors shouted to attract clients, the flute seller frequently chose one of his flutes and played it gently and meditatively. He also made the occasional sale. This is the distinction that the author draws between the flute salesman and the other hawkers.

2. What is the belief at Pashupatinath about the end of Kaliyug?

Answer: At Pashupatinath, a modest shrine protrudes from the stone platform on the bank of the Bagmati River. It is believed that when it fully emerges, the goddess within will emerge, bringing the wicked kalyug period to an end.

3. The author has drawn powerful images and pictures. Pick out three examples each of

1. The atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion outside the temple of Pashupatinath (for example some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside…)

Answer: The author’s depictions of ‘febrile confusion outside the temple of Pashupatinath’ include two monkeys fighting, a royal Nepalese princess for whom everyone makes way, and a group of saffron-clad westerners struggling to enter the temple, which only Hindus were permitted to enter.

2. The things he sees

Answer: The author has created compelling and stunning illustrations of what he observes. Some of the things he observes at the Pashupatinath temple and Boudhanath stupa include hawkers selling flutes, fruits, postcards, and various shops offering western cosmetics, chocolate, Nepalese antiquities, and copper utensils, among others.

3. The sounds he hears

Ans: The sounds he hears are, the sound of various hawkers and vendors shouting out their wares, the sound of movie songs coming out of the radio, the sounds of car horns and bicycle bell rings, etc.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8 – Kathmandu

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8

III. Answer the following questions in not more than 100 − 150 words each.

1. Compare and contrast the atmosphere in and around the Baudhnath shrine with the Pashupathinath temple.

Answer: The fundamental difference between the atmospheres of the Baudhnath shrine and the Pashupatinath temple is that the Pashupatinath temple was raucous and chaotic, whereas the Baudhnath shrine was rather serene.

There were other events taking place at the Pashupatinath temple at the same time, adding to the confusion. For example, the monkeys were fighting, and people were battling to get into the temple. People were pushing each other to the front and trying to obtain the priest’s attention.Washerwomen were washing their clothing on the banks of the Bagmati River as a corpse was burned.

On the contrary, the Baudhnath temple was extremely peaceful.There was no crowd.In the midst of the bustling streets, the author found it to be a haven of peace.

2. How does the author describe Kathmandu’s busiest streets?

Answer: The author explains Kathmandu’s busiest streets based on what he sees and hears. The author recalls various modest temples and flower-adorned deities that could be seen along Kathmandu’s major streets. There were also many hawkers selling fruits, flutes, postcards, copper kitchenware, film rolls, chocolates, and Nepalese antiques, all of which were loudly advertised.

He also hears certain sounds on these streets, such as movie music booming from a radio, car horns, and bicycle bells.

The author also depicts a beautiful image of the flute seller not shouting but instead generating quiet music with his flutes, which could be heard above the honking of vehicles and the shouting of other vendors.

3. “To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.” Why does the author say this?

Answer: The author believes that flute music is “the most universal and particular” of all music. The flute is common in all civilizations. There are different types of flutes used around the world, be it the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music, the clear or breathy flutes of South America, the high-pitched Chinese flutes.

Even though these many flutes have distinct fingering and compass, the author argues that, despite their variances, all flutes generate music using human breath. As a result, an author believes that “to hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind” since, like flutes, humans share the same living breath, regardless of caste, culture, religion, area, and so on. The author believes that all people are the same.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8 – Kathmandu

Thinking About Language

I. Read the following sentences carefully to understand the meaning of the italicised phrases. Then match the phrasal verbs in Column A with their meanings in Column B.

A communal war broke out when the princess was abducted by the neighboring prince.
The cockpit broke off from the plane during the plane crash.
The car broke down on the way and we were left stranded in the jungle.
The dacoit broke away from the police as they took him to court.
The brothers broke up after the death of the father.
The thief broke into our house when we were away.

A	B
i. Break out	a. To come apart due to force
ii. Break off	b. End a relationship
iii. Break down	c. Break and enter illegally, unlawful trespassing
iv. Break away	d. Of start suddenly, (usually a fight, a war or a disease)
v. Break up	e. To escape from someone’s grip
vi. Break into	f. Stop working

Answer:

A	B
i. Break out	d. Of start suddenly, (usually a fight, a war or a disease)
ii. Break off	a. to come apart due to force
iii. Break down	f. Stop working
iv. Break away	e. To escape from someone’s grip
v. Break up	b. end a relationship
vi. Break into	c. break and enter illegally; unlawful trespassing

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8 – Kathmandu

II.

1. Use the suffixes −ion or −tion to form nouns from the following verbs. Make the necessary changes in the spellings of the words.

Example: proclaim − proclamation

Cremate___	Act___	Exhaust___
Invent___	Tempt___	Immigrate___
Direct___	Meditate___	Imagine___
Dislocate___	Associate___	Dedicate___

Answer:

Cremate- cremation	Act-action	Exhaust-exhaustion
Invent- invention	Tempt- temptation	Immigrate-immigration
Direct- direction	Meditate- meditation	Imagine- imagination
Dislocate- dislocation	Associate- association	Dedicate- dedication

2. Now fill in the blanks with suitable words from the ones that you have formed.

I. Mass literacy was possible only after the ___ of the printing machine.

II. Ramesh is unable to tackle the situation as he lacks ___.

III. I could not resist the ___ to open the letter.

IV. Hard work and ___are the main keys to success.

V. The children were almost fainting with ___after being made to stand in the sun.

Answer:

I. invention

II. direction

III. temptation

IV. dedication

V. exhaustion

III. Punctuation

Use capital letters, full stops, question marks, commas, and inverted commas wherever necessary in the following paragraph.

an arrogant lion was wandering through the jungle one day he asked the tiger who is stronger than you O lion replied the tiger who is more fierce than a leopard asked the lion you sir replied the leopard he marched up to an elephant and asked the same question the elephant picked him up in his trunk swung him in the air and threw him down look said the lion there is no need to get mad just because you don’t know the answer.

Answer: An arrogant lion was wandering through the jungle. One day, he asked the tiger, “Who is stronger than you?” “You, O lion!” replied the tiger. “Who is more fierce than a leopard?” asked the lion. “You sir,” replied the leopard. He marched up to an elephant and asked the same question. The elephant picked him up in his trunk, swung him in the air, and threw him down. “Look,” said the lion, “there is no need to get mad just because you don’t know the answer.”

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8 – Kathmandu

IV. Simple Present Tense

In these sentences words like everyday, often, seldom, never, every

month, generally, usually, etc. may be used.

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

I. The heart is a pump that ___(send) the blood circulating through our body. The pumping action ___(take place) when the left ventricle of the heart ___(contract). This ___(force) the blood out into the arteries, which ___(expand) to receive the oncoming blood.

Answer: sends, takes place, contracts, forces, expands

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 8 – Kathmandu

II. The African lungfish can live without water for up to four years. During drought, it ___(dig) a pit and ___(enclose) itself in a capsule of slime and earth, leaving a tiny opening for air. The capsule ___(dry) and ___(harden), but when rain ___(come), the mud ___(dissolve) and the lungfish ___(swim) away.

Answer: digs, encloses, dries, hardens, comes, dissolves, swims