Class 9 English How I taught my Grandmother to read summary and NCERT Solutions

AMEND EDUCATION ACADEMY

“HOW I TAUGHT MY GRANDMOTHER TO READ” QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CBSE-CLASS IX-ENGLISH LITERATURE READER - UNIT-I

How I taught my grandmother to Read

The summary
   
 How I Taught My Grandmother by Sudha Murty is a story about a twelve years old girl, the narrator and her sixty-two years old grandmother, Avva, as she addresses herself. In the first person narrative, the story portrays emphatically the character of an old lady of sixty two who decides and learns the Kannada alphabet. If a person is strong willed, he/she can move mountains. The importance of being literate is described in the story. How a person despite having all worldly facilities, money, a nice home and a family, feels incomplete and remains dependent and helpless. The money is of no use when you do not know how to count the numbers. The grandmother proves in the story that age is no bar for education.

Avva, an illiterate woman has her life full with a blessed home and a lovely granddaughter. She enjoys cooking and feeding. She feels the jolt when following a series of episodes appearing in a weekly magazine she was not able to read one of the episodes on her own for her granddaughter had gone off to a neighbouring village to attend a marriage. She realises the importance of the skill she was not delivered duly in her childhood, for at that time education was not essential for girls. She realises that the greatest treasure one can ever possess, which makes a person truly independent is education. The power to read and write is the greatest skill. She feels dependent and helpless due to her inability to read or write. All the money was of no use as she is not independent.

She makes sure that her children and grand children are well educated. However, she feels miserable for her inability to read. When the author returns, her Avva cries and explains her grief to the young girl. She expresses her wish to learn the Kannada alphabet and tells her granddaughter that she wishes to learn it by Saraswati Pooja. The granddaughter first feels funny about why her grandmother at such an age of sixty-two wishes to learn the alphabet. However, she sees the determination in Avva and begins to teach her from the next day onwards. A great student, as the grandmother is, she learns with great zeal and does an amazing amount of homework. She accomplishes her mission by Saraswati Pooja and receives Kashi Yatre, the novel, as a gift from her granddaughter.

 

 Q.5: Answer the following questions briefly

(a) What made Triveni a popular writer?

Ans: - Anusua Sankar, popularly known as Triveni, though died prematurely, was a versatile genius. In her short span of 35 years,she made a mark in the heart of the common readers, because her writings had the enchanting effect on the readers. She had been the fondness of the others, for her writings dealt with psychological problems of the common people and her writings revealed peoples emotional life and their self realization.

“Kashi Yatre” a novel by Anusua Sankar, has nicely been woven by Sudha Murthi in the story. Though the story covers a very trifling part of the text, it must be said as the perfect embodiment of social, cultural and religions representation.The old lady’s vehement desire to have pilgrimage to kasha to attain ultimate punya; is an embodiment of religious side. Giving away of all savings of the old lady for the sake of love and mirth of the orphan girl is an example of social and cultural side. We witness perfect synchronization of Religious,Social and cultural sides in the story Kashi Yatre.”

(b) Why did the grandmother depend on her granddaughter to know the story?

Ans:- As a blind person is fully dependent on his/her shaft, the grandmother an ignorant person in terms of education is fully reliant on her granddaughter for the updates of the serial Kashi Yatre. Dependency of the grandmother on the grand daughter in specific and the story in ample way is an inevitable supporter of education. As the grandmother was an in erudite person so reading ‘Kashi Yatre’ on her own was impossible, so she was depended on her granddaughter, the lettered one.

(c) Pick out two sentences which state that the grandmother was desperate to know what happened in the story.

Ans:- The two sentences are –

 1) “Many times, I rubbed my hands over the pages wishing they could understand what was writer.”

     We find the grandmother to be (i) determined. At the age of superannuation she takes up the challenge of learning Alphabet. In spite of all hindrances we find the grandmother to learn alphabets. This is an example of grandmother’s determination.

2) “If only I was educated enough.”

Grandmother was emotional too. This shows her innocuous character and reflects her willingness to learn. Expressing emotion in the form of tears and being indifferent at the time of fun making the by the granddaughter shows her subtle ability and strength to face the ordeals of life.

(d) Could the grandmother succeed in accomplishing her desire to read? How?

Ans:- Yes, the grandmother was triumphant in her expedition i.e. accomplishing her desire to read.

“For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle”. This very remark of the grandmother shows her mental strength and indomitable spirit to reach her goal. Besides being an intelligent woman she was hard working and focused. These positivities helped her to learn the Kannada alphabet before the deadline.

Which of the following traits would be relevant to the character of the narrator's grandmother?

(i) determined

(ii) selfish

(iii) emotional

(iv) mean

Give reasons for your choice

Ans-

(i) determined-

The narrator's grandmother realized that she couldn't read her favourite novel without her granddaughter's help. She decided to learn the Kannada alphabet even though she was sixty-two years old. She was so determined to succeed, that she started tuition with her granddaughter. She worked hard and achieved her goal by the deadline she set for herself. On the Dassara day, she was able to confidently read the title and the publisher's name of Kashi Yatre, which was presented to her by her granddaughter.

(iii) emotional -

Once when the narrator left her village for a week and returned she found her grandmother in tears. When she questioned her grandmother about it she did not reply but that night she went to the narrator's bed and touched her forehead affectionately and told her the reason for her sadness. It was because she had never got a chance to be educated. As she spoke she was unhappy, her eyes were filled with tears and she was very emotional.