NCERT Solutions Class 9 Beehive Prose: Chapter 3 – The Little Girl
The Little Girl by Katherine Mansfield is in Chapter 3 of the NCERT Class 9 English Beehive book. It's about Kezia, who thinks her dad is cold and stern. The story shows things from Kezia's point of view, telling about being a kid, feeling scared, family stuff, and wanting love and freedom.
Get a deeper understanding of the chapter, The Little Girl, with our expert-crafted NCERT Solutions. We follow the latest CBSE syllabus and NCERT guidelines to create simple, easy-to-follow answers that help you master the material. By clarifying the story's key themes and literary techniques, these solutions not only help you score high on your tests but also give you a lasting appreciation for the text.
1.0Download NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Beehive [Prose] Chapter 3 – The Little Girl: Free PDF
Grab the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 3 as a free PDF, and check out this sweet story about a kid's feelings and his family:
2.0Class 9 English Chapter 3 – The Little Girl: Brief Explanation
The story The Little Girl is about Kezia, a kid who's shy and scared of her strict dad. Their interactions show how big the gap can be between adults and kids who just want to be loved. The story shows how innocent kids are and how much they want warmth, especially when things are tough at home.
Here's what to keep in mind:
- Kids are Innocent: Kezia shows how fragile kids can be. She's innocent, lonely, and scared to love her dad.
- Parent and Child Stuff: The story gets into how families are difficult and how they affect kids. You see this with the strict dad and the kid who's scared of him.
- Feeling Distant and Wanting More: Kezia really wants attention and love, but her dad doesn't show much emotion and seems really stern.
- What Things Mean: Little things that happen in the story point to deeper feelings. Kezia hesitates, and her dad is very firm.
- Easy-to-Understand Language: The story uses simple language to show big emotions in an unassuming way.
3.0NCERT Class 9 English Chapter 3: Detailed Solutions
1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Ans. Kazia was afraid of her father because he was very strict and always used to give commands to everybody in the house. Kezia was a little sensitive girl. But her father was very aggressive. He always spoke loudly. He never showed affection to her. He never played with her. He had big hands and heavy face; especially his mouth when he yawned was big and she was terrified with the manner in which he stared at her over his spectacles.
2. Who were the people in Kezia's family?
Ans. Kezia's family consisted of her Father, Mother, Grandmother, herself and cook.
3. What was Kezia's father's routine (i) before going to his office? (ii) after coming back from his office? (iii) on Sundays?
Ans. (i) Before going to his office, Kezia's father usually went into her room to give her a casual kiss and asked her to say goodbye.
(ii) After coming back from his office, he ordered for tea to be brought into the drawing room. He also asked his mother to bring him the newspaper and his slippers.
(iii) On Sunday, Kezia's father would stretch out on the sofa. He would cover his face with his handkerchief, put his feet on one of the best cushions and sleep soundly.
4. In what ways did Kezia's grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?
Ans. Kezia's grandmother encouraged her to get to know her father better by sending her to the drawing room to talk to her parents on Sundays. She also suggested Kezia to make a pincushion out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk as a gift for her father's birthday.
Discuss these questions in class with your teacher, and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.
5. Kezia's efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?
Ans. Kezia's efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him. On every Sunday, her grandmother sent her down to the drawing room to have a nice talk with father and mother. But her presence always irritated the father. He used to call her 'little brown owl'. One day her grandmother told her that her father's birthday would be next week and suggested that she should make him a pin-cushion for beautiful gift. After stitching three sides of the cushion with double cotton with great care and effort, Kezia was stuck as to what to fill the cushion with. Since her grandmother was busy in the garden, she searched her Mother's bedroom for scraps. Finally, she discovered sheets of paper on the bed table. She gathered these, tore them up and filled the cushion with the torn pieces. Unfortunately, her efforts to please her father not only went in vain but also had an unanticipated consequence. This was because the sheets she had torn were her father's speech for the Port Authority. Her father scolded her for touching things that did not belong to her and punished her by hitting her palm with a ruler.
6. Kezia decides that there are 'different kinds of fathers'. What kind of father was Mr. Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia's father?
Ans. Kezia compared her father with Mr. Macdonald, her next door neighbour. He was a loving, gentle and forgiving father. He was always smiling and playing with his children. He treated his children in a friendly manner. He was just opposite to the Kezia's father. Unlike Kezia's father he never punished his children. He played with them whenever he was free. Kezia's father was very harsh and a strict disciplinarian.
7. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
Ans. With her mother and grandmother at the hospital, Kezia is left at home in the care of Alice, the cook. At night, after she is put to bed by the cook, she has a nightmare. She calls for her grandmother but, to her surprise, she finds her father standing near her bed. He takes her in his arms and makes her sleep next to him. Half asleep, she creeps close to him, snuggles her head under his arm, and holds tightly to his shirt. Her father asks her to rub her feet against his legs for warmth. Her father goes off to sleep before her. This makes her understand that he has to work hard every day and this leaves him too tired to be like Mr. Macdonald. She expresses her altered feelings for her father by telling him that he has a 'big heart'.
4.0Key Features and Benefits of Class 9 English Chapter 3 The Little Girl
- Follows the CBSE exam pattern and the latest NCERT syllabus.
- The Solutions are written in simple language so it is easy to learn.
- Clearly explains themes, characters, and how the story is told.
- Helps you get better at understanding, analyzing, and interpreting so you can do well on tests.
- Gives students confidence to answer questions clearly and thoughtfully about the literature.