AMITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, NOIDA

The Little Girl, Class IX, 2022-23

Instructions for students:

● This handout is a help, meant for you to complete your assignment in your registers.
● The questions have been supported with relevant hints and value points for your help, so that you may structure your
answers appropriately in the registers.
● Please maintain the order of questions, as per the handout, while doing your work in the register and draw a line after every
question.

Chapter at a Glance

1. Kezia is a little girl, who was growing up in the loving care of her grandmother. She had a formal relationship
with her mother and father. She is afraid of her strict father, so she stammered while talking to him. She
thought him to be giant-sized.
2. On Sundays, Grandmother would send her to spend time with her parents, but her father would be relaxing
on the sofa to and her mother, busy reading.
3. On grandmother’s suggestions, she prepared a beautiful yellow pincushion for her father’ birthday.
4. To stuff the pincushion, she tore up some papers lying in her father’s room. The papers were important and
were actually her father’s speech for the Port Authority.
5. Kezia was punished and her father hit on her hand with a ruler. She cried bitterly and clung to her
grandmother who consoled her.
6. Kezia often watched her next door neighbor Mr. Macdonald playing with his five children in the evening. She
concluded that there were different kinds of fathers.
7. One day, Kezia’s mother fell ill and she and grandmother went to the hospital leaving Kezia alone at home
with Alice the cook.
8. Kezia’s Old nightmare haunted her – a butcher with a knife and a rope came closer and closer to her.
9. Normally her grandmother comforted her but this time, her father came to her room and carried Kezia to his
room to comfort her. She realized that he was not so bad and was perhaps too busy to express his love for
her. That night, she felt her father had a big heart.

Reference to context (Please ensure that you answer all parts of the question)

RTC-1
“On Sunday afternoons Grandmother sent her down to the drawing-room to have a ‘nice talk with father and
mother’. But the little girl always found mother reading and father stretched out on the sofa, his handkerchief on
his face, his feet on one of the best cushions, sleeping soundly and snoring.
She sat on a stool, gravely watched him until he woke and stretched, and asked the time - then looked at her.
‘Don’t stare so, Kezia. You look like a little brown owl.”

1. The grandmother would send the little girl to the drawing-room so that
a. she could watch what her parents did on a Sunday afternoon
b. she could develop a connection with her parents
c. her parents could sympathize with her and develop affection for her
d. her grandmother could spend some time alone

2. How do you think the little girl feels?

a. excited, unmindful, elated b. honoured, overwhelmed, perturbed
b. overwhelmed, apprehensive, honoured d. apprehensive, timid, perturbed

3. Choose the correct option to complete the given blanks. grave: grievous :: _____: ______
a. malignant: harmless b. naive: innocent c. outspoken: reserved d. careful: suspicious

4. Choose the image that best depicts the phrase, “a little brown owl”.
 (a) (b) (c) (d)

a) Option (a) b) Option (b) c) Option (c) d) Option (d)

RTC-2
The Macdonalds lived next door. They had five children. Looking through a gap in the fence the little girl saw them
playing ‘tag’ in the evening. The father with the baby, Mao, on his shoulders, two little girls hanging on to his coat
pockets ran round and round the flowerbeds, shaking with laughter. Once she saw the boys turn the hose on
him—and he tried to catch them laughing all the time.
1. The author uses to term “hanging on” to describe the two Mac Donald Girls playing with their father. Choose
the option which does not indicate a valid phrasal verb?
a. hanging around b. hanging about c. hanging through d. hanging out

2. The extract suggests that Mr. Macdonald is

a. how all fathers should be b. a loving father as opposed to Kezia’s cruel father
b. was not a strict father and so children took him for granted
c. a friendly father who believed in spending time with his children

3. Pick the option that matches the expressions with ‘through’ correctly.

Expression Meaning

1. halfway through A. a quality or characteristic that is visible in one’s actions

2. be through with B. to show that someone is full of that quality

someone

3. through and through C. when someone has finished using something

4. shine through D. something happens in the middle of an activity

E. ending one’s relationship with someone

a. 1-C, 2-E, 3-A, 4-D b. 1-D, 2-C, 3-A, 4-B c. 1-D, 2-E, 3-B, 4-A d. 1-C, 2-E, 3-D, 4-A

4. What happens when Kezia watches the Macdonalds play?

a. She wonders why God makes fathers b. She has a strong desire to play with the Macdonalds
c. she prays for her father to be like Mr. Macdonalds d. She realizes that not all fathers are the sameQq

Short Answer questions (answer in 40-50 words)

1. Why did Kezia stutter in the presence of Father?

2. Why was there a hue and cry in Kezia’s house the night before her father’s birthday?
3. Who were Kezia’s neighbours? What did she observe about them?

HOTS- Long answer question (100-120 words)

1. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs sympathy?
 Suggestive Answers

RTC-1
1. b. she could develop a connection with her parents
2. d. apprehensive, timid, perturbed
3. b. naive: innocent
4. a. Option (a)

RTC-2

1. c. hanging through
2. d. a friendly father who believed in spending time with his children
3. c. 1-D, 2-E, 3-B, 4-A
4. d. she realizes that not all fathers are the same

SAQ (VP)
1. Kezia was afraid of her father’s strictness and terrifying angry looks. Instead of tender love and affection, she
would get harsh words of scolding and physical punishment from him. Even his giant like size would terrify
her.Kezia’s father’s domineering personality and frequent scolding shook her self-confidence. She felt under
pressure to please him, so she would search hard for appropriate words in her mind while talking to him. This
pressure made her stutter in his presence.

2.-Kezia’s father’s papers were missing - the paper had an important speech - nobody knew Kezia had taken it - she
stuffed papers in the pincushion –
3. Macdonalds were her neighbours - Mr. Macdonald played with his children - laughed and ran with them - different
from her father

HOTS-LAQ (Value Points)

Para 1
Kezia’a father-strict- did not believe in expressing himself too much – focussed on disciplining her – Kezia used to fear
him
- When mother and grandmother are both in the hospital and she is left alone with her father and the cook, Alice –
sees a nightmare – father rushes to comfort her - Takes her to her room – she snuggles next to him – soothed –
- Para 2
- Understand that her father is not as harsh – understands that he was busy all day long and was too tired to play –
realizes what a big heart he has – that he is a good person at heart.

ADHERE to the WORD LIMIT. All answers must be in grammatically in correct English using appropriate VPs.