Reading Comprehension For Class 9 with Answers
Table of Contents
Reading Comprehension For Class 9 – Passage 1
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
It once occurred to a certain king, that if he always knew the right time to begin everything; if he knew who were the right people to listen to and whom to avoid; and, above all, if he always knew what was the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything he might undertake.
And this thought having occurred to him, he had it proclaimed throughout his kingdom that he would give a great reward to anyone who would teach him what was the right time for every action, and who were the most necessary people, and how he might know what was the most important thing to do. Learned men came to the King, but they all answered his questions differently.
In reply to the first question, some said that to know the right time for every action one must draw up in advance a table of days, months, and years, and must live strictly according to it. Only thus, said they, could everything be done at its proper time. Others declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend to all that was going on and then do what was most needful. Others, again, said that however attentive the King might be to what was going on, it was impossible for one man to decide correctly the right time for every action, but that he should have a Council of wise men who would help him to fix the proper time for everything.
Please read the questions carefully asked from the Reading Comprehension for class 9 and answer them.
QUESTIONS:-
1. What three factors did the king believe would prevent him from failing in his undertakings?
2. How did the king express his desire to acquire knowledge about the right time, people, and important tasks?
3. What was the varied response of the learned men who came to the king in response to his questions?
4. According to some, what was the suggested method for determining the right time for every action?
5. What was the alternative viewpoint presented by some individuals regarding deciding the right time for actions, and how did they propose to approach it?
6. Find the similar word from the passage which means, “proclaimed”
7. Find the opposite word from the passage “possible”
Answers:
1 The right time to begin everything, knowing the right people to listen to and whom to avoid, and always knowing the most important thing to do.
2 He proclaimed throughout his kingdom that he would give a great reward to anyone who could teach him the right time for every action, who were the most necessary people, and how to know the most important thing to do.
3 They all answered his questions differently.
4 Drawing up in advance a table of days, months, and years, and living strictly according to it.
5 It was impossible to decide beforehand, but one should stay attentive to all that was going on and then do what was most needed.
6. “Announce”
7. “Impossible”
Reading Comprehension For Class 9 – Passage 2
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
The King turned round, and saw a bearded man come running out of the wood. The man held his hands pressed against his stomach, and blood was flowing from under them. When he reached the King, he fell fainting on the ground moaning feebly. The King and the hermit unfastened the man’s clothing. There was a large wound in his stomach. The King washed it as best he could, and bandaged it with his handkerchief and with a towel the hermit had.
But the blood would not stop flowing, and the King again and again removed the bandage soaked with warm blood, and washed and re-bandaged the wound. When at last the blood ceased flowing, the man revived and asked for something to drink. The King brought fresh water and gave it to him. Meanwhile the Sun had set, and it had become cool. So the King, with the hermit’s help, carried the wounded man into the hut and laid him on the bed.
Lying on the bed the man closed his eyes and was quiet; but the King was so tired with his walk and with the work he had done, that he crouched down on the threshold, and also fell asleep-so soundly that he slept all through the short summer night. When he awoke in the morning, it was long before he could remember where he was or who was the strange bearded man lying on the bed and gazing intently at him with shining eyes.
‘Forgive me!’ said the bearded man in a weak voice, when he saw that the King was awake and was looking at him.
“I do not know you and have nothing to forgive you for? said the King.
Please read the questions carefully asked from the Reading Comprehension for class 9 and answer them.
1. Describe the condition of the bearded man when he approached the King.
2. How did the King and the hermit attempt to address the bearded man’s injuries?
3. What challenges did the King face in trying to stop the flow of blood from the man’s wound?
4. What did the King do to help revive the wounded man after the bleeding finally stopped?
5. Explain the King’s reaction when he woke up in the morning and encountered the bearded man seeking forgiveness.
6. Find the similar word from the passage which means, “lose consciousness”
7. Find the opposite word from the passage “forget”
Answers:
1. The bearded man approached the King with his hands pressed against his stomach, and blood was flowing from under them. He fell fainting on the ground, moaning feebly.
2. The King and the hermit unfastened the man’s clothing, revealing a large wound in his stomach. The King washed and bandaged the wound using his handkerchief and a towel the hermit had.
3. The King faced challenges as the blood would not stop flowing despite his efforts. He repeatedly removed the blood-soaked bandage, washed the wound, and rebandaged it.
4. After the blood ceased flowing, the King brought fresh water and gave it to the wounded man, helping him revive.
5. When the King woke up in the morning, he had difficulty remembering where he was and who the bearded man on the bed was. The bearded man then apologized, but the King responded that he didn’t know him and had nothing to forgive him for.
6. Faint
7. remember
Reading Comprehension For Class 9 – Passage 3
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
Once upon a time there lived a king in central India. He was handsome but very vain. He looked at himself constantly, in mirrors, in pools of water, even in other people’s eyes when they spoke to him. “I am the handsomest King on Earth.” he said to his courtiers. He paid less attention to ruling his kingdom than he did to having his hair styled and his body massaged. As a result, his people grew poorer and unhappier. But the king did not care. “Why!” He boasted one day in court, “I am probably more handsome than all the gods.
” Unfortunately for the king, a particularly bad-tempered god happened to be flying by and was incensed at what he heard. “Something will have to be done about this king.” He searched in his mind for an appropriate punishment. Then his eyes fell upon a bull. “Horns!” The god clapped his hand with malicious glee. “I’ll see how his handsomeness likes himself with horns.”When the king awoke the next morning, he followed his normal routine.
First, he drew his mirror out from under his pillow and gazed into it. Suddenly the guards outside the king’s chamber heard a loud shriek. They came rushing in to find the king sitting upright in bed with a large pillow on his head. “Out… out…” he waved a trembling finger at them. As they backed away, he shouted after them, “Send for the royal barber immediately.”
Please read the questions carefully asked from the Reading Comprehension for class 9 and answer them.
1. Describe the king’s personality and his attitude towards his appearance.
2. How did the king’s vanity affect the well-being of his kingdom and its people?
3. What boast did the king make in court that angered a god?
4. How did the god decide to punish the king for his arrogance?
5. What was the king’s reaction when he discovered the punishment imposed by the god?
6. What did the king ask the guards to do after he woke up with the pillow on his head, and why did he want to summon the royal barber?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means, “arrogant”
8. Find the opposite word from the passage “steady”
Answers:
1. The king was handsome but very vain. He constantly admired himself in mirrors, pools of water, and even in other people’s eyes.
2. The king’s vanity led to neglect of his duties, causing his people to become poorer and unhappier.
3. The king boasted in court that he was probably more handsome than all the gods.
4. The god decided to punish the king by giving him horns, transforming his appearance.
5. When the king woke up and discovered the punishment, he shrieked loudly and immediately sought the help of the royal barber.
6. The king asked the guards to send for the royal barber because he wanted to address the unexpected and unwanted change in his appearance caused by the god’s punishment.
7. Pride
8. steady
Reading Comprehension For Class 9 – Passage 4
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
“I will die if I don’t tell someone,” the barber groaned. “My stomach is swelling with the secret.”
He saw a tamarind tree standing in the middle of the royal courtyard. He went up to it and whispered the secret to its trunk. That night there was a fierce storm and the Tamarind tree was blown down. The King was informed through the door, for he would not see anyone, and he commanded the tree to be given to the royal musician. “Let him make a drum from the trunk of the tamarind and play it outside my door.”
Soon the drum made of tamarind wood was ready.
The courtiers assembled outside the king’s door and the musician began to play. But instead of the thum-thum-thum that everyone expected, the Tamarind drum intoned, “The Raja has horns on his head. The Raja has horns on his head.” The court burst out laughing and the king cried with rage. “I won’t stay in the palace a moment longer”, he shouted, “I’ll go to the forest and live by myself.” He tore the nightcap off his head and ran out of the palace, seizing the Tamarind drum on his way out. The king lived for several years in the forest.
He learnt to care for creatures smaller than himself. He grew strong and wise and selfless. His only companion was the Tamarind drum and the drum, when he beat it, gave him all the advice and experience of the old tree. The king learnt to play the drum so beautifully that even the spirits of the trees were charmed and they went to meet the god who had given him the horns. “Forgive him”, they pleaded. “He has changed. Remove his horns and give him back his kingdom.”The god waved his hand and the horns disappeared.
Please read the questions carefully asked from the Reading Comprehension for class 9 and answer them.
1. Why did the barber feel compelled to share the secret, and how did he choose to reveal it?
2. What was the king’s reaction upon learning the secret, and what unusual decision did he make regarding the fallen tamarind tree?
3. How did the tamarind drum differ from the expectations of the courtiers when it was played by the royal musician?
4. How did the revelation about the king having horns affect the court, and what was the king’s response to the embarrassment?
5. What changes did the king undergo during his years in the forest, and who or what became his only companion?
6. How did the king’s relationship with the Tamarind drum lead to a plea for forgiveness from the spirits of the trees, and what was the god’s response to their request?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means, “get together”
8. Find the opposite word from the passage “appear”
Answers:
1. The barber felt the need to share the secret, claiming that his stomach was swelling with it. He chose to whisper the secret to the trunk of a tamarind tree in the royal courtyard.
2. The king, upon learning the secret, decided to use the fallen tamarind tree for a drum. He commanded the royal musician to make a drum from its trunk and play it outside his door.
3. The tamarind drum played the unexpected message, “The Raja has horns on his head,” instead of the anticipated thum-thum-thum.
4. The court burst out laughing, and the king, enraged and embarrassed, declared that he would leave the palace and live in the forest.
5. In the forest, the king became strong, wise, and selfless. His only companion was the Tamarind drum, which provided him with advice and the experience of the old tree.
6. The spirits of the trees pleaded with the god to forgive the king. The god waved his hand, and the horns disappeared, allowing the king to regain his kingdom.
7. Assembled
8. disappear
Reading Comprehension For Class 9 – Passage 5
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
The postmaster took up his duties first in the village of Ulapur. Though the village was small, there was an indigo factory near it, and the proprietor, an Englishman, had managed to get a post office established.
Our postmaster belonged to Calcutta. He felt like a fish out of water in this remote village. His office and livingroom were in a dark thatched shed, not far from a green, slimy pond, surrounded on all sides by a dense growth.
The men employed in the indigo factory had no leisure; moreover, they were hardly desirable companions for decent folk. Nor is a Calcutta boy an adept in the art of associating with others. Among strangers he appears either proud or ill at ease. At any rate, the postmaster had but little company; nor had he much work to do. At times he tried his hand at writing verse. That the movement of the leaves and the clouds of the sky were enough to fill life with joy-such were the sentiments to which he sought to give expression.
But God knows that the poor fellow would have felt it as the gift of a new life, if some genie of the Arabian Nights had in one night swept away the trees, leaves and all, and substituted for them a macadamised road, and had hidden the clouds from view with rows of tall houses.
Please read the questions carefully asked from the Reading Comprehension for class 9 and answer them.
1. Where did the postmaster take up his duties first, and what was the notable establishment near the village?
2. Why did the postmaster feel like a fish out of water in the remote village of Ulapur?
3. Where were the postmaster’s office and living room located, and what was the surrounding environment like?
4. Why did the men employed in the indigo factory not make desirable companions for decent folk?
5. How did the Calcutta boy, the postmaster, appear when associating with strangers, and what sentiments did he express in his writing?
6. What change would the postmaster have welcomed as the gift of a new life, according to his sentiments expressed in the passage?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means, “rhyme.”
8. Find the opposite word from the passage “visible”
Answers:-
1. The postmaster took up his duties first in the village of Ulapur, near an indigo factory established by an Englishman.
2. The postmaster felt like a fish out of water in the remote village of Ulapur because he belonged to Calcutta.
3. The postmaster’s office and living-room were in a dark thatched shed near a green, slimy pond surrounded by dense growth.
4. The men employed in the indigo factory had no leisure and were hardly desirable companions for decent folk.
5. The Calcutta boy, the postmaster, appeared either proud or ill at ease when associating with strangers. He expressed sentiments about the joy in nature.
6. The postmaster would have welcomed the replacement of trees with a macadamised road and the hiding of clouds with tall houses.
7. Verse
8. hidden
Reading Comprehension For Class 9 – Passage 6
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
At last Ratan would enter, with puffed-out cheeks, vigorously blowing into a flame a live coal to light the tobacco. This would give the postmaster an opportunity to chat with her. “Well, Ratan,” perhaps he would begin, “do you remember anything of your mother?” That was a fertile subject. Ratan partly remembered, and partly forgot. Her father had been fonder of her than her mother. She recollected more vividly.
He used to come home in the evening after his works, and one or two evenings stood out more clearly than others, like pictures in her memory. Ratan would sit on the floor near the postmaster’s feet as memories crowded in upon her. She called to mind a little brother that she had and how on some bygone cloudy day she had played at fish- ing with him on the edge of the pond, with a twig for a fishing-rod.
Such little incidents would drive out greater events from her mind. Thus, as they talked, it would often get very late, and the postmaster would feel too lazy to do any cooking at all. Ratan would then hastily light the fire, and toast some unleavened bread, which with the cold remnants of the morning meal, was enough for their supper.
On some evenings, seated at his desk in the corner of the big empty shed, the postmaster too would call up memories of his own home, of his mother and his sister, of those for whom in his exile his heart was sad, memories which were always haunting him, but which he could not reveal to the men of the factory, though he found himself naturally recalling them aloud in the presence of the simple little girl. And so it came about that the girl would allude to his people as mother, brother, and sister, as if she had known them all her life. Indeed, she had a complete picture of each one of them painted in her heart.
Please read the questions carefully asked from the Reading Comprehension for class 9 and answer them.
1. Who would light the tobacco for the postmaster, and how did she create an opportunity for conversation?
2. How did Ratan remember her mother, and what was her clearer recollection involving her father?
3. What vivid memories did Ratan recall while sitting at the postmaster’s feet, and what were some specific incidents?
4. What did the postmaster share about his own family during his evenings in the big empty shed?
5. How did Ratan refer to the postmaster’s family members, even though she had never met them?
6. What was the makeshift supper arrangement on evenings when the postmaster and Ratan got engrossed in conversation?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means, “energetically.”
8. Find the opposite word from the passage “forget”
ANSWERS:
1. Ratan would light the tobacco for the postmaster, creating an opportunity for conversation with him.
2. Ratan partly remembered her mother, but her father’s fondness for her made him more memorable in her recollections.
3. Ratan recalled sitting at the postmaster’s feet, remembering her little brother and playing at fishing with him on a cloudy day.
4. The postmaster recalled memories of his own home, his mother, and sister, sharing them aloud in the presence of Ratan.
5. Ratan referred to the postmaster’s family members as mother, brother, and sister, creating a complete picture of them in her heart.
6. On evenings of engrossing conversation, Ratan hastily cooked unleavened bread with the cold remnants of the morning meal for supper.
7. Vigorously
8. Remember
Reading Comprehension For Class 9 – Passage 7
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
One heavily clouded morning, the postmaster’s little pupil had been waiting long outside the door to be called, but as usual the summons did not come. She took up her dog-eared book, and slowly entered the room. She found her master lying on his bed, and thinking he was resting, she was about to retire on tiptoe, when she suddenly heard her name-‘Ratan!’ She turned at once and asked: ‘Were you asleep, Dada?” The postmaster in a weak voice replied: ‘I am not well. Feel my head; is it very hot?”
In the loneliness of his exile, and in the gloom of the rains, he needed a little tender nursing. He longed to call to mind the touch on his forehead of soft hands with tinkling bracelets, to imagine the presence of loving womanhood, the nearness of mother and sister. And the exile was not disappointed. Ratan ceased to be a little girl. She at once stepped into the post of mother, called in the village doctor, gave the patient his pills at the proper intervals, sat up all night by his pillow, cooked his gruel for him, and every now and then asked: ‘Are you feeling a little better Dada?
It was some time before the postmaster, though still weak, was able to leave his sick bed. ‘No more of this,’ said he with the decision, ‘I must apply for a transfer from this place. He wrote off at once to Calcutta an application for a transfer, on the ground of the unhealthiness of the spot.
Relieved from her duties as nurse, Ratan again took up her former place outside the door. But she no longer heard the same old call. She would sometimes furtively peep inside to find the postmaster sitting on his chair, or stretched on his bed, and gazing absently into the air.
While Ratan was awaiting her call, the postmaster was awaiting a reply to his application. The girl read her old lessons over and over again-her great fear was lost, when the call came, she might be found wanting in the double consonants. After a week’s waiting, one evening her summons came. With an over- flowing heart Ratan rushed into the room and cried, as she used to cry: ‘Did you call me, Dada?’ The postmaster said: I am going away tomorrow, Ratan.’
Please read the questions carefully asked from the Reading Comprehension for class 9 and answer them.
1. How does the passage depict the relationship between the postmaster and his pupil, Ratan?
2. What circumstances prompt Ratan to take on the role of caretaker for the postmaster?
3. How does the postmaster’s illness affect his perception of his surroundings and his desires?
4. What action does the postmaster take in response to his illness, and what is the outcome?
5. How does Ratan’s role change once the postmaster begins to recover?
6. Find the similar word from the passage which means, “banishment .”
7. Find the opposite word from the passage “healthiness”
ANSWERS:-
1. The passage depicts the relationship between the postmaster and his pupil, Ratan, as one of mutual care and dependency. Ratan takes on the role of nurse when the postmaster falls ill, showing her devotion and concern for him.
2. Ratan takes on the role of caretaker for the postmaster because he falls ill and needs tender nursing. She steps into the position of mother, providing care, calling in a doctor, administering medication, and attending to his needs.
3. The postmaster’s illness makes him feel lonely and long for the touch and presence of loved ones, such as his mother and sister. He desires comfort and companionship during his exile.
4. In response to his illness, the postmaster decides to apply for a transfer from the current place due to its unhealthiness. He writes to Calcutta to request the transfer.
5. Once the postmaster begins to recover, Ratan’s role changes as she is relieved from her duties as a nurse. She returns to her former place outside the door but no longer receives the same old call from.
6. Exile
7. Unhealthiness
Reading Comprehension For Class 9 – Passage 8
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
The village Somal, nestling away in the forest tracts of Mempi, had a population of less than three hundred. It was in every way a village to make the heart of a rural reformer sink. Its tank, a small expanse of water, right in the middle of the village, served for drinking, bathing, and washing the cattle, and it bred malaria, typhoid, and heaven knew what else. The cottages sprawled anyhow and the lanes twisted and wriggled up and down and strangled each other. The population used the highway as the refuse ground and in the backyard of every house drain water stagnated in green puddles.
Such was the village. It is likely that the people of the village were insensitive, but it is more than likely that they never noticed their surroundings because they lived in a kind of perpetual enchantment. The enchanter was Nambi the storyteller. He was a man of about sixty or seventy. Or was he eighty or one hundred and eighty?
Who could say? In a place so much cut off as Somal (the nearest bus-stop was ten miles away). reckoning could hardly be in the familiar measures of time. If anyone asked Nambi what his age was, he referred to an ancient famine or an invasion or the building of a bridge and indicated how high he had stood from the ground at the time.
He was illiterate, in the sense that the written word was a mystery to him; but he could make up a story, in his head, at the rate of one a month; each story took nearly ten days to narrate.
1. How does the description of the village of Somal paint a picture of its living conditions?
2. What role does the village storyteller, Nambi, play in the community?
3. How does Nambi measure his age when asked?
4. Despite the challenging conditions of the village, why might the people be described as living in a state of enchantment?
5. What is Nambi’s literacy level, and how does he compensate for it?
6. How long does it take Nambi to narrate a story, and how frequently does he create them?
1. The village of Somal has poor sanitation and living conditions, with Nambi the storyteller captivating its inhabitants.
2. Nambi serves as the village storyteller, weaving tales despite being illiterate, engaging the community in enchantment.
3. Nambi measures his age by referencing historical events or milestones, rather than in traditional years.
4. Despite harsh conditions, villagers are enchanted by Nambi’s storytelling, perhaps oblivious to surroundings due to perpetual fascination.
5. Nambi is illiterate but adept at storytelling, crafting one story per month, each taking around ten days to narrate.
6. Nambi takes ten days to narrate a story, creating one per month, despite his illiteracy, captivating the village with tales.
His home was the little temple which was at the very end of the village. No one could say how he had come to regard himself as the owner of the temple. The temple was a very small structure with red-striped walls, with a stone image of the Goddess Shakti in the sanctum. The front portion of the temple was Nambi’s home. For aught it mattered any place might be his home; for he was without possessions.
All that he possessed was a broom with which he swept the temple; and he had also a couple of dhoties and upper cloth. He spent most of the day in the shade of the banyan which spread out its branches in front of the temple. When he felt hungry he walked into any house that caught his fancy and joined the family at dinner. When he needed new clothes they were brought to him by the villagers. He hardly ever had to go out in search of company; for the banyan shade served as a clubhouse for the village folk.
All through the day people came seeking Nambi’s company and squatted under the tree. If he was in a mood for it he listened to their talk and entertained them with his own observations and anecdotes. When he was in no mood he looked at the visitors sourly and asked, ‘What do you think I am? Don’t blame me if you get no story at the next moon. Unless I meditate how can the Goddess give me a stray? Do you think stories float in the air?’ And he moved out to the edge of the forest and squatted there, contemplating the trees.
On Friday evenings the village turned up at the temple for worship, when Nambi lit a score of mud lamps and arranged them around the threshold of the sanctuary. He decorated the image with flowers, which grew wildly in the backyard of the temple. He acted as the priest and offered to the Goddess fruits and flowers brought in by the villagers.
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