NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 7 Reach for the Top is given here. These Solutions contains answers to all questions provided in the textbook. Class 9 English Reach for the Top Had Questions and Answers are explained by the expert English teacher and as per NCERT (CBSE) guidelines.
Class 9 English Reach for the Top Had Questions and Answers
Part I
Santosh Yadav
Thinking about the Text
I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each. (The paragraph numbers within brackets provide clues to the answers.)
Question 1: Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised?
Answer: The ‘holy man’ was surprised because he had assumed that Santosh’s mother wanted a son. But grandmother told him that they did not want a son.
Question 2: Give an example to show that even as a young girl Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable.
Answer: Santosh always lived life on her own terms. Unlike the other girls in the village who wore traditional dresses, she liked to wear shorts. This shows her rebellious attitude.
Question 3: Why was Santosh sent to the local school?
Answer: Even though Santosh’s parents could afford to send their children to the best schools, she was sent to the local village school due to the prevailing custom in the family.
Question 4: When did she leave home for Delhi, and why?
Answer: When she turned sixteen and was under pressure to get married, Santosh threatened her parents that she would never marry if she did not get a proper education. Therefore, she left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.
Question 5: Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling in Delhi? What mental qualities of Santosh are brought into light by this incident?
Answer: When Santosh’s parents refused to pay for her schooling in Delhi, she informed them of her plans to do a part-time job and pay her school fees. Then, her parents agreed to pay for her schooling in Delhi.
This shows that Santosh was a mentally-strong girl. She was full of self-determination.
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
Question 1: How did Santosh begin to climb mountains?
Answer: From her room in Kasturba Hostel, she watched people going up the Aravalli Hills and vanishing after a while. On investigating, she found nobody except a few mountaineers, and she asked if she could join them. They agreed and even motivated her to take to climbing and so she later accompanied them on their climbing expedition. This was how she began climbing mountains.
Question 2: What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?
Answer: During her Everest expedition she showed immense concern for her team-mates. She shared her oxygen cylinder with her team-mates. Though she was unsuccessful in saving the life of one of them, another one could be saved because of her help.
Question 3: What shows her concern for the environment?
Answer: Santosh was a fervent environmentalist. Her concern for the environment is evident from the fact that she collected and brought down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas.
Question 4: How does she describe her feelings at the summit of the Everest?
Answer: She said that it took some time for the enormity of the moment to sink in. She was delighted at this moment and proudly unfurled the Indian tricolour.
Question 5: Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she scaled Mt Everest. What were the reasons for this?
Answer: When Santosh Yadav first scaled Mt Everest, she became the youngest woman in the world to achieve this goal. When she scaled the Everest the second time, she became the only woman to have scaled it twice.
III. Complete the following statements.
1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to _________
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because _________
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her _________ while _________endeared her to fellow climbers.
Answer:
1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch villagers going up the hill and suddenly vanish after a while.
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had got herself enrolled at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering without his permission.
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her climbing skills, physical fitness and mental strength while her concern for others and desire to work together with them endeared her to fellow climbers.
IV. Pick out words from the text that mean the same as the following words or expressions. (Look in the paragraphs indicated.)
1. took to be true without proof (1): _________
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable (2): _________
3. the usual way of doing things (3): _________
4. a strong desire arising from within (5): _________
5. the power to endure, without falling ill (7): _________
Answer:
1. took to be true without proof (1): Assumed
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable (2): Rational
3. the usual way of doing things (3): Custom
4. a strong desire arising from within (5): Urge
5. the power to endure, without falling ill (7): Resistance
Part II
Maria Sharapova
Thinking about the Text
Working in small groups of 4−5 students, go back over the two passages on Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova and complete the table given below with relevant phrases or sentences.
| Points of Comparison/Contrast | Santosh Yadav | Maria Sharapova |
| 1. Their humble beginning | ||
| 2. Their parents’ approach | ||
| 3. Their will power and strong desire to succeed | ||
| 4. Evidence of their mental toughness | ||
| 5. Their patriotism |
Answer:
| Points of Comparison/Contrast | Santosh Yadav | Maria Sharapova |
| 1. Their humble beginning | -“She was born in the small village of Joniyawas of Rewari District in Haryana.” | “the Siberian born teenager” |
| 2. Their parents’ approach | – “in line with theprevailing custom in the family, Santosh had to make do with the local village school.”- “At sixteen, most of the girls in her village used to get married. Santosh was also under pressure from her parents to do the same.”- “her parents refused to pay for her education”- “her father slowly getting used to her urge” | – “she was packed off to train in the United States.”- “trip to Florida with her father Yuri launched her on the path to success and stardom.”- “My father was working as much as he could to keep my tennis-training going.” |
| 3. Their will power and strong desire to succeed | -“Wishing always to study ‘a bit more’”-“her urge for more education”-“She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.”- “She saved money and enrolled in a course at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.”- “I headed straight for the training.” | – “Instead of letting that depress me, I became more quietly determined and mentally tough.”- “unwavering desire to succeed and readiness to sacrifice”- “I work hard at what I do.”- “the most important thing is to become number one in the world. That’s the dream that kept me going.” |
| 4. Evidence of their mental toughness | -“She began living life on her own terms from the start.”-“From the very beginning I was quite determined that if I chose a correct and a rational path, the others around me had to change, not me.”-“she politely informed them of her plans to earn money by working part-time to pay her school fees.”- “Santosh went on an expedition every year.”- “an amazing mental toughness”- “mental strength impressed her seniors” | -“I learnt how to take care of myself. I never thought of quitting because I knew what I wanted.”-“I would have put up with much more humiliation and insults than that to steadfastly pursue my dream.” |
| 5. Their patriotism | -“Then I unfurled the Indian tricolour and held it aloft on the roof of the world. The feeling is indescribable. The Indian flag was flying on top of the world. It was truly a spiritual moment. I felt proud as an Indian.” | “I’m Russian. It’s true that the U.S. is a big part of my life. But I have Russian citizenship. My blood is totally Russian. I will play the Olympics for Russia if they want me.” |
Thinking about the Language
I. Identify the two parts in the sentences below by underlining the part that gives us the information in brackets.
1. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.
(Contrasts her dress with that of others)
2. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. (Tells us what happened after the first action.)
3. She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived. (Tells us when she was going to fight the system.)
4. Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States. (Tells us when Maria was sent to the U.S.)
Answer:
1. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.
2. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.
3. She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived.
4. Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States.
II. Now rewrite the pairs of sentences given below as one sentence.
1. Grandfather told me about the old days. All books were printed on paper then.
2. What do you do after you finish the book? Perhaps you just throw it away.
3. He gave the little girl an apple. He took the computer apart.
4. You have nothing. That makes you very determined.
5. I never thought of quitting. I knew what I wanted.
Answer:
1. Grandfather told me about the old days when all books were printed on paper.
2. After finishing the book, perhaps you just throw it away.
3. After giving the little girl an apple, he took the computer apart.
4. Having nothing makes you very determined.
5. I never thought of quitting as I knew what I wanted.