Class 9 English Solutions| Chapter 8: Reach for the Top

 

Chapter 8: Reach for the Top

Class 9 English Beehive — Complete Exercises & Solutions

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Summary (Assamese / সাৰাংশ)

'Reach for the Top' গল্পটো দুগৰাকী প্ৰভাৱশালী আৰু সফল মহিলা— সন্তোষ যাদৱ (Santosh Yadav) আৰু মাৰিয়া শ্বাৰাপোভা (Maria Sharapova) ৰ জীৱন সংগ্ৰাম আৰু সফলতাৰ ওপৰত আধাৰিত।

প্ৰথম অংশ (Santosh Yadav): সন্তোষ যাদৱৰ জন্ম হৈছিল হাৰিয়ানাৰ এক পৰম্পৰাগত পৰিয়ালত, য'ত ছোৱালীতকৈ ল'ৰাক বেছি প্ৰাধান্য দিয়া হৈছিল। কিন্তু সন্তোষে সৰুৰে পৰাই সমাজৰ অযৌক্তিক নীতিবোৰ মানি লবলৈ অস্বীকাৰ কৰিছিল। পৰিয়ালৰ ইচ্ছাৰ বিৰুদ্ধে গৈ তেওঁ দিল্লীত উচ্চ শিক্ষা গ্ৰহণ কৰে আৰু পিছলৈ উত্তৰকাশীৰ নেহৰু ইনষ্টিটিউট অৱ মাউণ্টেনিয়াৰঙত নাম ভৰ্তি কৰে। তেওঁৰ অপৰিসীম সাহস আৰু মানসিক দৃঢ়তাৰ বলত মাত্ৰ ২০ বছৰ বয়সতে মাউণ্ট এভাৰেষ্ট আৰোহণ কৰা বিশ্বৰ আটাইতকৈ কনিষ্ঠ মহিলা হিচাপে অভিলেখ গঢ়ে। ইয়াৰ উপৰিও তেওঁ ইতিহাসৰ একমাত্ৰ মহিলা যিয়ে দুবাৰকৈ এভাৰেষ্ট শিখৰত উপনীত হৈছে।

দ্বিতীয় অংশ (Maria Sharapova): এই অংশত ৰাছিয়ান টেনিছ তাৰকা মাৰিয়া শ্বাৰাপোভাৰ যাত্ৰা দেখুওৱা হৈছে। মাত্ৰ ৯ বছৰ বয়সতে মাৰিয়াই নিজৰ দেশ আৰু মাকক এৰি টেনিছৰ প্ৰশিক্ষণ ল'বলৈ আমেৰিকালৈ যাবলগীয়া হৈছিল। তাত তেওঁ অকলশৰীয়া অনুভৱ কৰিছিল আৰু জ্যেষ্ঠ খেলুৱৈসকলৰ পৰা উৎপীড়নৰ সন্মুখীন হৈছিল। কিন্তু তেওঁ হাৰ মনা নাছিল। তেওঁৰ কঠোৰ পৰিশ্ৰম, মানসিক শক্তি আৰু একাগ্ৰতাৰ ফলত ২০০৫ চনৰ ২২ আগষ্টত তেওঁ বিশ্বৰ ১ নম্বৰ মহিলা টেনিছ খেলুৱৈৰ স্থান লাভ কৰে।

Word Meaning (English → Assamese)

English Word	Assamese Meaning (অৰ্থ)
Blessing	আশীৰ্বাদ
Unreasonable	অযৌক্তিক / যুক্তিহীন
Tradition	পৰম্পৰা / ৰীতি-নীতি
Enrolled	নাম ভৰ্তি কৰা
Afford	খৰচ বহন কৰিব পৰা সামৰ্থ্য
Expedition	অভিযান / যাত্ৰা
Summit	শৃংগ / শিখৰ
Endurance	সহনশীলতা / ধৈৰ্য্য
Patriotism	দেশপ্ৰেম
Determination	দৃঢ় সংকল্প

Exact NCERT Textbook Questions & Answers

Part-1 (Santosh Yadav) — Thinking about the Text

I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each.

1. Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised?

Ans: The holy man was surprised because Santosh’s grandmother requested a blessing for a daughter. In that society, people usually prayed for sons, so a demand for a daughter was unexpected.

2. Give an example to show that even as a young girl Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable.

Ans. While other girls in her village wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh refused to do so and preferred wearing shorts. This showed she was not ready to accept unreasonable traditions.

3. Why was Santosh sent to the local school?

Ans. Even though her parents were rich landowners who could afford to send her to top schools in Delhi, Santosh was sent to the local village school due to the prevailing family custom.

4. When did she leave home for Delhi, and why?

Ans. She left home for Delhi at the age of sixteen because her parents were pressuring her to get married, but she wanted to get a proper education first.

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?

Ans. When her parents initially refused to pay, Santosh calmly informed them that she would work part-time to fund her education. Realizing her iron determination, they relented and agreed to pay. This incident highlights her self-reliance, strong will-power, and clear clarity of purpose.

II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

1. How did Santosh begin to climb mountains?

Ans. From her room in Jaipur's Kasturba Hostel, she used to watch villagers walking up the Aravalli Hills and disappearing. One day, she went to check it out herself, met some mountaineers who encouraged her, and thus began her climbing journey.

2. What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?

Ans. During the 1992 Everest expedition, Santosh provided special care to a dying climber at the South Col. Although she could not save him, she successfully saved another climber, Mohan Singh, by sharing her own oxygen cylinder with him.

3. What shows her concern for the environment?

Ans. Santosh was a true environmentalist. Deeply concerned about the pollution in the eco-system of the Himalayas, she collected and brought down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Everest slopes.

4. How does she describe her feelings at the summit of the Everest?

Ans. She stated that it took some time for the massive scale of the achievement to sink in. Unfurling the Indian tricolour flag at the top of the world was a spiritual and proud moment that she described as indescribable.

5. Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she scaled Mt Everest. What were the reasons for this?

Ans. The first time she climbed Mt Everest, she became the youngest woman in the world to achieve the feat. The second time she scaled it, she became the only woman in history to have successfully climbed Everest twice.

III. Complete the following statements.

1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch villagers going up the Aravalli Hills and suddenly vanishing 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 the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, 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 endeared her to fellow climbers.

IV. Pick out words from the text that mean the same as the following words or expressions.

1. took to be true without proof (Para 1): Assumed
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable (Para 2): Rational
3. the usual way of doing things (Para 3): Custom
4. a strong desire arising from within (Para 5): Urge
5. the power to endure, without falling ill (Para 7): Resistance / Endurance

Part-2 (Maria Sharapova) — Thinking about the Text

Complete the table given below with relevant phrases or sentences.

Points of Comparison/Contrast	Santosh Yadav	Maria Sharapova
1. Their humble beginning	Born in a small village of Joniyawas in the Rewari District of Haryana.	Born in the cold, remote region of Nyagan, Siberia, Russia.
2. Their parents’ approach	Followed local customs strictly initially; opposed her Delhi education but relented later.	Supported her dreams completely; her father worked excessively hard to fund her training.
3. Their will power & strong desire to succeed	Fought traditional systems; worked hard to fund her mountaineering courses.	Endured deep loneliness and bullying in the US to achieve her goals.
4. Evidence of their mental toughness	Stood firm against early marriage; climbed challenging terrains without giving up.	Instead of getting depressed by bullying, she became tougher and more determined.
5. Their patriotism	Described unfurling the Indian tricolour flag at Everest as a proud Indian moment.	Proudly states she has Russian citizenship and would play the Olympics for Russia.

Thinking about Language

I. Identify the two parts in the sentences below by underlining/highlighting the part that gives us the information in brackets.

1. While 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.)

II. Now rewrite the pairs of sentences given below as one sentence.

Questions & Combined Answers:

1. Grandfather told me about the old days when all books were printed on paper.

2. After you finish the book, perhaps you just throw it away.

3. He gave the little girl an apple and took the computer apart.

4. Having nothing makes you very determined.

5. I never thought of quitting because I knew what I wanted.

Magazine Article Writing & Character Analysis

I. Top-Ranked Women Tennis Players Article

The Battle for the Summit: Women's Tennis

A look at the roll of honor of top women tennis players since 1975 shows a striking contrast in the durations of their reigns at the summit. Players like Steffi Graf (377 weeks), Chris Evert (362 weeks), and Martina Navratilova (331 weeks) demonstrated extraordinary consistency, staying at the top for years. Their prolonged success can be attributed to their unshakeable mental toughness, extreme physical fitness, and an unmatched drive to survive intense competition.

On the other hand, players like Maria Sharapova (1 week) and Amelie Mauresmo (5 weeks) had brief stays at the number one spot. These shorter reigns often highlight how volatile the top spot is, where minor injuries, loss of form, or the rapid rise of fierce competitors can instantly alter rankings. Ultimately, reaching the top requires talent, but staying there requires monumental endurance.

II. Character Description of Santosh Yadav

Based on the text, Santosh Yadav can be best described as determined, resourceful, adventurous, considerate, independent, and persevering.

Santosh proved her independent nature and determination early in life when she rejected traditional clothing and resisted an early marriage. Her resourcefulness shone through when she managed her education expenses by offering to work part-time, forcing her parents to support her choice. Her adventurous spirit naturally led her to mountaineering, where her relentless perseverance helped her conquer Mt. Everest twice.

Furthermore, she was immensely considerate towards her team members, risking her own life to share oxygen with a fellow climber. Her environmental concern of clearing 500 kg of trash shows she was a deeply responsible citizen, far from being weak-willed or fearful.