NCERT Class 9 English Chapter 3- The Little Girl Question and Answer 

Question 1:

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.

1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father?

ANSWER: Kezia was afraid of her father because he was an authoritative person who never clearly expressed his love for her. Besides, his appearance, with his big hands, neck and mouth, made him even more scary to the little girl.

2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family?

ANSWER: Kezia’s family consisted of her mother, father, grandmother and herself.

3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine

(i) before going to his office?

ANSWER: Before going to his office, Kezia’s father usually went into her room to give her a casual kiss.

(ii) after coming back from his office?

ANSWER: After coming back from his office, he ordered for tea to brought into the drawing room. He also asked his mother to bring him the newspaper and his slippers, and Kezia to pull off his boots.

(iii) on Sundays?

ANSWER: 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 cushions and sleep soundly. 

4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?

ANSWER: 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 pin cushion out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk as a gift for her father’s birthday.

Question 2:

Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.

1. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?

ANSWER: As suggested by her grandmother, Kezia decided to make a pin cushion out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk for her father's birthday. 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.

 

2. 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?

ANSWER: Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers” after secretly watching her next-door neighbour Mr Macdonald play with his children.

Mr. Macdonald had five children. He was a doting and indulgent father who used to spend a great deal of merry time with his children. One day, Kezia saw them playing 'tag', while the baby, Mao, was seated on his shoulders and the two girls hung to his coat pockets and happily ran around the flower beds. Another day, she watched the boys turn the hose on Mr Macdonald and the way he playfully tried to catch them.

Kezia's father, on the other hand,  hardly spent any time with her. Everyday, he came back home tired after his day's work and busied himself with the newspaper sipping his evening tea. Even on Sundays, he spent his time sleeping on the sofa.

 

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

ANSWER: 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'.