English Medium कक्षा ९ - CBSE Question Bank Solutions for English - Communicative

Look at the following pair of sentences. Underline the modals and discuss why each one is used in that sentence.

e.g.
I must not take those pills. (I’m not allowed.)
I need not take those pills. (It is not compulsory but I may if I wish.)

2. (a) I can swim a length of the pool.
(b) I can swim in the pool on Saturdays.

3. (a) You ought to get a nice present for her.
(b) You have to get a nice present for her.

4. (a) Can I go to the toilet?
(b) May I be excused?

5. (a) I may come tomorrow if I have the time.
(b) I might come tomorrow but it’s going to be difficult.

Did you know?
Modals are a small group of verbs that are used to express possibility,
probability, capability, capacity, ability, obligation and predictions.
Some of the modals you learnt in this unit are
can
may
shall
could
might
should
Need, dare, had better are also modals.

Understanding Modals:
Modal Auxiliaries
A modal verb or auxiliary verb is a verb, which modifies another verb, so that
the modified verb has more intention in its expression. In essence the modal
verb expresses modality, the way in which something is being said.
The main modals are
Can: could; may: might; shall: should; will: would: must; ought to; need to;
have to.
The negative modals are
Couldn't; wouldn't; shouldn't; mustn't; needn't; oughtn't/ ought not to

What would you do if you became invisible? Would you use your invisibility to play tricks on people or for the good of people?
Write a short paragraph on 'If I was invisible'. 

Read the English folktale given below and fill up the blank spaces with suitable words.

There were once three tortoises – a father, a mother (a) ________. a baby (b) ________ one fine morning during Spring, they decided (c) ________ picnic. They picked the place (d) ________ they would go; a nice wood at some distance, (e) ________ they began to put their things together. They got tins of cheese, vegetables, meat and fruit preserves. In about three months, they were ready. They set out carrying their baskets (f) ________ eighteen months, they sat down for a rest. They knew (g) ________ they were already half way to the picnic place.

In three years they reached there. They unpacked (h) ________ spread out the canned food. Then, mother began to search inside the basket. She turned it upside down and shook it (i) ________ something important was missing.

“We’ve forgotten the tin-opener. Baby, you’ll have to go back. We can’t start without a tin-opener. We’ll wait for you”. .

“Do you promise (j) ________ you won’t touch a thing (k) ________ I come back?”
“Yes, we promise faithfully,” Mother and father said together.
Soon after, he was lost among the bushes.

So, they waited and waited. A year went by and they were getting hungry. They had promised (l) ________ they waited. They began to feel really hungry (m) ________ the sixth year was about to end.

Mother tortoise said, “He’d never know the difference.” “No,” said the father tortoise.

Mother tortoise said, “He ought to be back by now. Let’s just have one sandwich (n) ________ we are waiting.”

They picked up the sandwiches, (o) ________ as they were going to eat them, a little voice said, “Aha! I knew you’d cheat! It’s a good thing I didn’t start for that tin opener,” baby Tortoise said.

Working in groups of four, create your own mystery story. You may use the following chart to plan your story. 

Based on your reading of the passage, complete the statements using given connectors.

(a) The mother, father ______ thought ______ (and)
(b) They planned to walk to the woods ______ (which)
(c) They reached the place ______ in eighteen months (which)
(d) They eagerly unpacked their picnic basket ______ (but)
(e) It was ______, when the three tortoises arrived at the picnic place, (after)
(f) The mother tortoise ordered the baby to go home for the opener, saying ______ (that).
(g) ______ (but) was not willing at first.
(h) The mother and father promised to wait ______ (until)
(i) ______ they began to get very hungry, (after)

WRITING A MYSTERY STORY 
Mysteries can be divided into several categories. There are puzzling stories, detective I crime stories, and suspense stories. They all give the reader a chance to become involved in the solution of the story through clues and character descriptions. 

Characters 
Before you start to write, think about the characters you might put in your story. 
• What will each character do? 
• Why is he or she important to the story? 
• In what ways are your characters alike? 
• How are they different? 
• What can your characters learn from each other? 
• One last thing to remember: your characters don't always have to be human. If an animal plays a part in the story, that animal is a character, too 
Setting 
A story has to happen in a place. 
• The setting might be a place you are familiar with. 
• It might even be another planet! 
• A setting doesn't even have to be a real place. 
Details 
• Use your Imagination. 
• Details help readers understand how something looks, how it feels, how it sounds - even how something smells or tastes! 
Plot 
• Your characters have to DO something! 
• What they do is the Plot of your story. 
• To make the plot exciting add Situations. 
Ending 
• The Ending of a story is the solution to the conflict. 
• Solve the problem, dilemma or conflict faced by the main character. 
• Show that your main character has changed or grown in some way. 
• Tie up all the loose ends. Readers shouldn't have to choose between several hinted endings. 

Notice how ideas are connected in the story.

Write what the following words you just used in 1.1 imply by choosing suitable options from the box.

• and:
• but:
• where:
• while:
• after:
• until:
• so :

connects similar actions, objects
denotes contrast
denotes time.

The words given above are called connectors. Connectors do not simply join sentences together; they also show how ideas are related.
There are many different ways of classifying connectors according to their meaning. We shall start with the ones you are already familiar with.

Classification

Look at the table below, showing the different meanings of connectors. Put words from the box into the correct categories. Some have been done for you as examples.

Read the comic strip based on. H.G. Wells' novells. 

Answer the questions by ticking the correct option. 

(a) The strange-looking man wanted .... 
(i) the best room at the inn. 
(ii} a room with a fire and a good lock. 
(iii} a room with a good view. 
(iv) a room where he could work quietly. 
(b) Jimson was suspicious of the stranger because ... 
(i} he did not answer Jimson's questions. 
(ii} he did not want to talk about the weather. 
(iii} he kept his back turned towards Jimson at all times. 
(iv) he shouted atJimson when he entered his room. 
(c) The people of the town gossiped about the stranger as ... 
(i} he did not go out or talk to anyone in the town. 
(ii} he had met with an accident and his face was bandaged. 
(iii} he was new to the town and behaved rudely. 
(iv) he stayed in his room and did not show his face to anyone. 
(d) 'There was a rush of burglaries in the town. This means that ________
(i} there were many robberies in the town. 
(ii) a few people in the town had seen a rob her. 
(iii} the burglaries in the town were done in a rush. 
(iv) the burglar was a rash and careless man. 
(e) Although Jimson and Dr Cuss are suspicious of the strange guest, Mrs Hall tolerates him because .... 
(i} she is not superstitious or ignorant. 
(ii) she is sorry for the stranger who is bandaged. 
(iii} the stranger is paying her a good amount of money for the room. 
(iv} the stranger is polite and kind to Mrs Hall at all times. 
(f) The stranger who was staying at the inn can be described as being .... 
(I} violent 
(ii} upright 
(iii} dishonest 
(iv) sensible 

More complex Connectors

Read through the following text. Pay special attention to the underlined words. These help the reader to understand the relationship between sentences, or the parts of sentences, clearly.

Select as many appropriate words as possible from the list given below to replace the underlined words. Be careful not to change the basic meaning too much.

Martin’s Picture

Margin wasn’t a very bright boy. Normally, he never came more than second from the bottom in any test. But, that morning in the art lesson, he had drawn a beautiful picture of a scarecrow in a field of yellow corn. To his astonishment, the drawing was the only one given full marks – ten out of ten – which made him for the first time in his life the best in the class! He had proudly pinned the picture up on the wall behind his desk, where it could be admired by all. It seemed though, that not everyone admired it. Some unknown member of the class had, in fact, taken a violent dislike to it.

During the lunch break, when the classroom had been deserted, the picture had been torn off the wall. Moreover, it had been trodden or stamped on. As if that wasn’t enough, the words ‘ROTTEN RUBBISH’ had been written on the back in big round letters. And finally, the paper was so creased that it looked as though it had been screwed up into a tight ball and perhaps thrown about the room.

“Who could have done it?” Martin wondered.
Now rewrite the text.

Martin’s picture

Martin wasn’t a very bright boy.
Usually,
Generally
As a rule, He never came more than second from the bottom in any test.
However,…. ______________________

Look at the picture below and list some phrases and words that come to your mind when you look at it. 

Can you make some guesses about the dead man? Give reasons for your answers. 
a) Did the man die a natural death or was he murdered? 
b) Was the dead man rich or poor? 
c) Who is the man bending over him? 

What comes next

Connectors are indicators or markers of what comes next in a text.

Look at these extracts from longer texts. Decide which marker/connector could be used in the blanks to indicate what comes next. e.g.

There are many good players in the cricket team: for instance, Tendulkar and Dhoni.

1. There are two main types of elephant in the world: ___________ , the Indian and the African.
2. He is good at swimming, tennis and hockey. ___________, he has also represented the school in cricket.
3. Many environmentalists strongly object to the mill being built at Srutipur, ___________ the unemployed are very happy at the proposal.
4. Her performance in the Olympics did not match our expectations. ___________, she hasn’t improved much in the recent past.
5. In the field of research the computer, has proved immensely useful. ___________, it has become an indispensable tool for all kinds of scientific endeavour
6. The import of petrol has been banned in the Midlands. ___________, the price of it has gone up.

Here are a police constable's notes or his investigation or the murder at Manor House. After reading the notes, discuss where the murder could have taken place. What was the motive behind the evil act? How was the act committed? 

Look at the text below. The sentences have been jumbled up. Write them in order out to produce a complete paragraph. The first sentence has been given to help you.

(a) To conclude, like many things in life it is up to the individual to use TV wisely, or to abuse it and become its slave.
(b) By contrast, those who attack TV state that it makes people lazy by doing everything for them.
(c) Television is here to stay.
(d) In other words, it stifles rather than stimulates the imagination.
(e) Defenders of TV say that it is a wonderful source of information about things we can never hope to see or do in person.
(f) Moreover, they say it makes topics interesting which would otherwise be boring and difficult in books. .
(g) However, is it a boon or a curse?

(h) In fact, it has become an indispensable part of our lives.

(a) Television is here to stay. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(b) What helped you to put the sentence back in the correct order?

Understanding the Connectors.

                        Connectors are joining words. They join any of the following:

Dr. Wood, the capable general practitioner, has been requested to solve this case. He gathers information about the murder from the inmates or the house. The information is presented in two parts. 

Parts A: Background story by Arthur Conan Doyle 
Parts B: Conversation between Dr. Wood and Cecil Barker 
                                         Part A 
                                 Background Story 

The village of Birlstone is a small and very ancient cluster of half-timbered cottages on the northern border of the county of Sussex. For centuries it had remained unchanged but its picturesque appearance has attracted well-to-do residents. A number of small shops have come into being to meet the wants of the increased population. 

About half a mile from the town, standing in an old park famous for its huge beech trees, was the ancient Manor House, with its many gables and its small diamond paned windows. The only approach to the house was over a drawbridge, the chains and windlass of which had been rusted and broken. The family consisted of only two individuals - John Douglas and his wife. Douglas was cheery and genial to all and had acquired great popularity among the villagers. He appeared to have plenty of money. Thus, it came about that John Douglas had, within five years, won himself quite a reputation in Birlstone. His wife was a beautiful woman, tall, dark and slender, younger than her husband; a disparity which seemed in no way to mar the contentment of their family life. It was remarked sometimes, that the confidence between the two did not appear to be complete. There were signs sometimes of some nerve strain upon the part of Mrs. Douglas. 
Cecil Barker, was a frequent and welcome visitor at Manor House, Barker was an easy going, free handed gentleman. 
It was on Jan 6th at 11:45 that the alarm reached the small local police station that John Douglas had been murdered. Dr. Wood seemed to be unnerved and troubled. 

                                       Part B 
Conversation between Dr. Wood and Cecil Barker

Dr. Wood : We will touch nothing until my superiors arrive. {He spoke in a hushed voice, stating at the dreadful head) 
C.Barker : Nothing has been touched untilnow. 
Dr. Wood : When did this happen? 
C.Barker : It was just half-past eleven. I was sitting by the fire in my bedroom when I heard the gun shot. In thirty seconds I was in the room. 
Dr. Wood : Wasthedooropen? 
C.Barker : Yes, it was open. Poor Douglas was lying as you see him. 
Dr. Wood : Did you see anyone? 
C. Barker : No, I heard Mrs. Douglas coming down the stains behind me, and I rushed out 1 to prevent her from seeing this dreadful sight. 
Dr. Wood : But I have heard that the drawbridge is kept up all night. 
C. Barker : Yee,it was up until l lowered it. 
Dr. Wood : Then how could any murderer have got away? It ls out of question! Mr Douglas must have shot himself. 
C. Barker : That was our first idea. But see! The diamond paned window is open to its full extent. 
Dr. Wood : I think someone stood there while trying to get out. 
C. Barker : You mean that someone waded across the moat? 
Dr. Wood : Exactly!
C. Barker : I agree with you. 
Dr. Wood : But what I ask you ls, how did he even get into the house at all if the bridge was up? 
C. Barker : Ah, that's the question. 
Dr. Wood : At what time was the bridge raised? 
C. Barker : It was nearly 6 O'clock. 
Dr. Wood : Then it comes to this, if anyone came from outside -if they did-they must have got in across the bridge before six and had been in hiding ever since. The man was waiting. He shot him, when he got the chance. 

Study the following sentences. Select the one underlined word which is incorrect. Write the incorrect answer in the boxes provided. One has been done as an example.

e.g. The National Gallery of Art at Washington D.C., is one of the world’s greatest museums.

(a) Millions of people had entered its doors to see the paintings by some of the world’s finest artists

(b) But if, those priceless masterpieces are to be preserved, the gallery must protected them carefully.

(c) The 150 guards have successively prevented damage and theft.

(d) But, protecting the paintings from nature was a greater problem.

Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences. The first one is done for you as an example. Write the answers in your answer sheet.

are / the / dreams scenarios/picture perfect houses/not a speck of dust/and no cobwebs ever/with a wrinkle-free bedcover/on the shelves
Picture perfect houses with a wrinkle-free bedcover, not a speck of dust on the shelves and no cobwebs ever are the dream scenarios.

(a) of its residents/becomes a/it reflects/a house/the personality/home when
(a) _______________________________________

(b) has to look/no rules/how our/there are/as to/home
(b) _______________________________________

(c) thing is/ inhabiting them/should enjoy/the important/that we
(c) _______________________________________

(d) about/houses are/our lives/personal statements
(d) _______________________________________

(e) the confidence/in ourselves/they reflect/we have
(e) _______________________________________

(f) we have/will be/the more/ individualistic/confidence/the more/our homes 00
(f) _______________________________________

Answer the following question by ticking the correct option. 

The only change in Birlstone in years has been _________