The Little Girl Class 9 English reading material, the young lady is a part about a young lady named Kezia. The focal topic of the story spins around the dad and girl relationship. With this part, you will get to realize that the creator Katherine Mansfield attempted to grandstand the guardians’ bond with their kids.

The Little Girl Class 9 Summary

The section young lady Class 9 has a title that says a ton regarding the story that the perusers will peruse. The name of the young lady is Kezia, and the principal story rotates around her as it were. With this story, the author believes us should feel the power of profound devotion that youngsters have with their folks.

In the story, we get to be aware of Keiza, who lives with her dad, mother, and grandma. The young lady was youthful, and she feared her dad, and generally speaking, she searched for a method for keeping away from him. Besides, she feels a feeling of solace as her dad leaves for the workplace.

She thinks her dad has all the earmarks of being impolite, brutal, and basic when he is before her. Then again, her grandma is familiar with the trepidation, however she accepts her granddaughter needs to face her apprehension, and the guardians aren’t that cruel on her. She requests that Kezia go to the attracting room and converse with her folks. All things considered, Kezia views her folks as cold towards her.

On her dad’s birthday, Kezia contemplated setting up a pin pad to cause him to feel extraordinary and giving that pad as a present. She join the packaging of the pad, however to finish it, she wants to fill the pad with something. That is the point at which she goes to her parent’s room and tracks down the sheets of fine paper. Without perusing any of the archives, she destroyed them and stuffed them into the pad.

The papers she used to stuff her pad have the port power discourse, which her dad has written down in the wake of working hours. She acknowledged her slip-up and attempted to make sense of, however her dad was too irate to even think about paying attention to her. He rebuffed her with a ruler in her palm.

The Little Girl Class 9 Notes

INTRODUCTION

To the little girl he was a figure to fear and avoided

a figure to be feared: a person to be feared

And who is the figure to be feared here – Kezia’s father. So he refers to Kezia’s Father and the little girl is Kezia. So, the opening line of the story is indicating the fear that Kezia has for her Father. And as she is fearful of her father, she tries to avoid him and she tries to remain away from him.

Every morning before going to work he came into her room and gave her a casual kiss, to which she responded with “Goodbye,

Father”.

AUTHOR

Kathleen Mansfield Murry was a New Zealand writer, essayist and journalist, widely considered one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement. Her works are celebrated across the world, and have been published in 25 languages.

EXPLANATION (STORY) AND WORD MEANINGS

Every morning before going to work Kezia’s father would visit her in her room and give her a casual kiss. And in reply Kezia would say “Goodbye, Father”. So, this action of Kezia’s father shows his love for Kezia.

And oh, there was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long road!

Glad sense of relief: feeling relaxed
Fainter and fainter: to lessen or reduce

Carriages like horse carts were means of conveyance used in olden times. So here we can make out the fear that Kezia has for her father. The writer says that when Kezia heard that her father’s carriage was going away from home and he was leaving home and the sound became fainter and fainter that means the sound reduced, Kezia would have a sense of relaxation. She would feel relieved that her father had left. Now why did she feel relieved? Because she feared her father, she was afraid of him and so she was relieved when he left home.

In the evening when he came home she stood near the staircase and heard his loud voice in the hall.

In the evenings, when Kezia’s father would return home she would hear his loud voice. And this loud voice against made her afraid of him.

“Bring my tea into the drawing-room… Hasn’t the paper come yet? Mother, go and see if my paper’s out there — and bring me my slippers.”

So as Kezia’s father returned home, he would start ordering all different things. He would order that tea be served to him in the drawing room,  he wanted the newspaper, he would asked his mother to go and see if the newspaper was there outside the house and he would asked her to get him his slipper also.

“Kezia,” Mother would call to her, “if you’re a good girl you can come down and take off father’s boots.”

Kezia’s mother would call out to her and ask her to remove her father’s boots. In order to make her obey, she would say that if she was a good girl then surely she would obey her command.

Slowly the girl would slip down the stairs, more slowly still across the hall, and push open the drawing-room door.

slip down: come down quietly and unwillingly

So again we see Kezia’s fear for her father that is why she would come down the stairs quietly and unwillingly. Unwillingly because she did not want to face her father. She feared him.

By that time he had his spectacles on and looked at her over them in a way that was terrifying to the little girl.

Now just imagine – Kezia’s father sitting in the drawing room on a sofa, wearing his spectacles and he is looking at Kezia over the spectacles. And now the way he look at her, terrified her. She was horrified because maybe it seemed to her that he was staring at her.

“Well, Kezia, hurry up and pull off these boots and take them outside. Have you been a good girl today?”

Kezia was reluctant in her work. She was slow in her motion. And so, her father would tell her to hurry up and remove his boots and keep them out of the room. And then he would asked her if she had been a good girl that day.

“I d-d-don’t know, Father.”

And Kezia replied that she did not know. So why was she stammering because she was not confident. A person is not confident when he has any feeling of fear.

“You d-d-don’t know? If you stutter like that Mother will have to take you to the doctor.”

Stutter: to stammer, to speak with pauses

So here Kezia’s father is copying her. And he also stammers like she did. He says to her that if she stuttered like that, then her Mother would have to take her to the doctor for a checkup.

She never stuttered with other people — had quite given it up — but only with Father, because then she was trying so hard to say the words properly.

given it up: stopped doing it
Trying so hard: making a lot of efforts

So here the writer tells us that Kezia never stammered while she spoke to other people. It was only when she talked to her father that she lacked confidence and that is why she tried very hard to speak properly and she stammered.

“What’s the matter? What are you looking so wretched about? Mother, I wish you taught this child not to appear on the brink of suicide…Here, Kezia, carry my teacup back to the table carefully.”

Wretched: unhappy, sad

on the brink of suicide: about to commit suicide
suicide: kill oneself

Now kezia’s father looks at her, he feels that something is wrong with her. And he asked her why she is so unhappy. And then he tells the mother that she should teach Kezia to behave in a better way and she should not appear as if she is so unhappy that she is about to end her life. So, he wants to say that Kezia seems to be so unhappy with her life that she did not want to live any longer. He hands her his teacup and asks her to place it back on the table.

He was so big — his hands and his neck, especially his mouth when he yawned. Thinking about him alone was like thinking about a giant.

Here this is the feeling, this is the vision that Kezia has for her father. She feels that her father was so big, he was just like a giant. And the writer says that Kezia felt that his hand and his neck and his mouth were all so huge especially when he yawned. It seemed as if he was a huge monster. And whenever Kezia thought about her father she felt that she was thinking about a giant.

On Sunday afternoons Grandmother sent her down to the drawing-room to have a “nice talk with Father and Mother”.

So, every Sunday, during the afternoon Kezia’s Grandmother sent her downstairs to the drawing-room in order to spend time with her parents. So Kezia was supposed to behave in a nice and decent way in front of her parents and they had a formal get-together.

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.

Snoring: the sound produced by some people when there are asleep.

So here we feel that Kezia felt a bit neglected. Every Sunday afternoon when she went to her parents to meet them in the drawing-room and have a nice talk with them, they were busy doing their own things. Her mother was busy reading and her father was busy sleeping and snoring. So Kezia had this image of her parents in her mind. They did not talk with her, they didn’t spend time with her.On the other hand, they were busy doing their own things.

She sat on a stool, gravely watched him until he woke and stretched, and asked the time — then looked at her.

Gravely: seriously.

So all the while Kezia’s father was asleep, she would just sit on a stool and watch him carefully till the time he would wake up and stretch his body and then would ask the time and look at her.

“Don’t stare so, Kezia. You look like a little brown owl.”

Kezia’s father would compare Kezia to a little brown owl. He would say that Kezia was staring at him just like an owl does.

One day, when she was kept indoors with a cold, her grandmother told her that father’s birthday was next week and suggested she should make him a pin-cushion for a gift out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk.

Now Kezia was not well, she had a cold, so she was supposed to stay at home. So, her grandmother suggested that as she was at home and her father’s birthday was approaching, she could make a birthday gift for him. She asked Keziato make a pin cushion for him and she also gave her a yellow colored fabric of silk to make the cushion.

Laboriously, with double cotton, the little girl stitched three sides.

Laboriously: with lot of effort or difficulty.

Kezia put in lot of effort to make the birthday gift. She used double cotton (refers to a thread) and she stitched three sides of the cushion.

But what to fill it with? That was the question.

Now Kezia had prepared the bag. The bag shape of the cushion.She had to stitch the fourth side and before that, she had to fill the cushion with something and she did not know what to fill the cushion with.

The grandmother was out in the garden, and she wandered into Mother’s bedroom to look for scraps.

Wandered into: went into, by chance

Scraps: small pieces of cloth or paper etc that are not needed.

So Kezia was confused that what should she use to fill the cushion with.As her grandmother was out in the garden and she was just looking for something, she reached her mother’s bedroom. She was looking for bits of paper or cloth to stuff in to the cushion.

On the bed-table, she discovered a great many sheets of fine paper, gathered them up, tore them into tiny pieces, and stuffed her case, then sewed up the fourth side.

The Little Girl Class 9 Pdf Download

The Little Girl Class 9 Question and Answers

I. Given below are some emotions that Kezia felt. Match the emotions in Column A with the items in Column B.

Answers:
1. — (iii)
2. — (ii)
3. — (vi)

READ MORE:

Thinking about language
(Page 38)

I. Look at the following sentence.

There was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter…

Here, glad means happy about something. Glad, happy, pleased, delighted, thrilled and overjoyed are synonyms (words or expressions that have the same or nearly the same meaning.) However, they express happiness in certain ways.

Read the sentences below:

• She was glad when the meeting was over.
• The chief guest was pleased to announce the name of the winner.

Question 1.
Use an appropriate word from the synonyms given above in the following sentences. Clues are given in brackets.

1. She was ………. by the news of her brother’s wedding, (very pleased)
2. I was ………. to be invited to the party. (extremely pleased and excited about)
3. She was ………. at the birth of her granddaughter, (extremely happy)
4. The coach was ……….. with his performance, (satisfied about)
5. She was very …………. with her results. (happy about something that has happened)

Answer:

1. thrilled
2. delighted
3. overjoyed
4. pleased
5. happy.

Question 2.
Study the use of the word big in the following sentence:
He was so big—his hands and his
neck, especially his mouth…
Here, big means large in size.

Now, consult a dictionary and find out the meaning of big in the following sentences. The first one has been done for you.

1. You are a big girl now. older
2. Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career …….
3. Their project is full of big ideas …….
4. Cricket is a big game in our country……..
5. I am a big fan of Lata Mangeshkar……..
6. You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater ……..
7. What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear ……..

Answers:

1. most important
2. great
3. very popular
4. great
5. great
6. very affectionate/large-hearted.

II. Verbs of Reporting

Study the following sentences.

• “What! ” screamed Mother.
• “N-n-no”, she whispered.
• “Sit up”, he ordered.

The italicised words are verbs of reporting. We quote or report what someone has said or thought by using a reporting verb. Every reporting clause contains a reporting verb. For example:

• He promised to help in my project.
• “How are you doing?” Seema asked. We use verbs of reporting to advise, order, report statements, thoughts, intentions, questions, requests, apologise, manner of speaking and so on.

Question 1.
Underline the verbs of reporting in the following sentences.

1. He says he will enjoy the ride.
2. Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.
3. No one told us that the shop was closed.
4. He answered that the price would go up.
5. I wondered why he was screaming,
6. Ben told her to wake him up.
7. Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.

Answers:

1. says
2. mentioned
3. told
4. answered
5. wondered
6. told
7. apologised

Question 2.
Some verbs of reporting are given in the box. Choose the appropriate verbs and fill in the blanks in the following sentences:

1. “I am not afraid” ………. , the woman.
2. “Leave me alone,” my mother
3. The children ……….. that the roads were crowded and noisy.
4. “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all” ……….., the master.
5. “Let’s go and look at the school ground”……….., the sports teacher.
6. The traffic police ……….. all the passers- by to keep off the road.

Answers:

1. remarked
2. shouted
3. were complaining
4. replied
5. suggested
6. ordered.

Speaking
(Page 40)

Form pairs or groups and discuss the following questions:

Question 1.
This story is not an Indian story. But do you think there are fathers, mothers and grandmothers like the ones portrayed in the story in our own country?
Answer:
There is no doubt that the Indian families too have such fathers, mothers and grandmothers. In this world of cut-throat competition everyone aspires for success. So, the parents (father and mother) get employed to provide the children with all the worldly comforts. But they fail to comprehend the psychology of the tiny tots and make them feel isolated. Children need parents’ time and love. They want that then- parents should interact with them humbly and without hurting their feelings.

Question 2.
Was Kezia’s father right to punish her?
What kind of a person was he? You might find some of these words useful in describing him:

Answer:
Kezia’s father was not right to punish her. He should have understood that she was only a child and a child tends to make mistakes. A child’s mistake should always be mended.

On the one hand, he was strict, unkind and short tempered. On the other hand, he was hard-working, responsible and caring to his family. He worked hard all day long and got tired. So, he was compelled not to give any time to Kezia. At heart he cared and loved Kezia very much. When she got frightened due to a nightmare, he immediately came to her with a candle to know what had happened to her. It shows that he cared her very much.

Writing
(Page 40)

Has your life been different from or similar to that of Kezia when you were a child? Has your perception about your parents changed now? Do you find any change in your parents ’ behaviour vis-a-vis yours? Who has become more understanding? What steps would you like to take to build a relationship based on understanding? Write three or four paragraphs (150-200 words) discussing these issues from your own experience.
Answer:
For self-attempt.

Extract Based Questions  (3 marks, each)

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1:
To the little girl he was a figure to be feared and avoided. Every morning before going to work he came into her room and gave her a casual kiss, to which she responded with ‘Good Bye Father’. And oh, there Was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long road! ,

1. What was the daily routine of the father ?
2. ‘When did the daughter feel relief ?
3. Trace a word from the passage which means “answered”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-015)

Answer:

1.  The daily routine of Kezia’s father was to visit her daughter’s room, meet her and give her a kiss before leaving for work.
2. The daughter felt relief when the carriage went away from the house.
3. Responded.

Question 2:
But the same old nightmare came the butcher with a knife and a rope who came nearer and nearer, with that dreadful smile, while she could not move, only stand still, crying out “Grandma!”. She woke shivering to see father beside her bed, a candle in his hand. “What is the matter ?” he said.

1. Why did she get the nightmare ?
2. Where was the butcher ?
3. Find a word from the passage that means “shake in fear and cold”.
   (Board Tenn 1,2012, ELI-018)

Answer:

1. She got the nightmare as she was alone with her father at home and her mother and granny were in the hospital.
2. The butcher was in her dream.
3. Shivering.

Question 3:
“But it was for your b-b- birth day.” Down came the ruler on her little, pink palms. Hours later, when grandmother had wrapped her in a shawl and rocked her in the rocking-chair, the child clung to her soft body. “What did God make fathers for ?” she sobbed.

1. Who is responding in the first line and before whom ?
2. How did the father react ?
3. Find a word from the passage that means “wept”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-019)

Answer:

1. Kezia is responding before her father.
2. The father became angry and beat her pink palms with a ruler.
3. Sobbed.

Question 4:
On Sunday afternoon, Grandmother sent her down to file 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 flee, his feet on one of file best cushion, sleeping soundly and snoring.

1. Who was ‘she’ and why did the grandmother send her down ?
2. What did she notice about her parents ?
3. Trace a word that means “undisturbed”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-020)

Answer:

1. “She” is Kezia. Grandmother sent her down to have a nice talk with her parents.
2. She noticed that her father was sleeping and snoring and mother was reading.
3. Soundly.

Question 5:
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. Who is Kezia watching gravely ?
2. Why was she sitting there waiting for him to wake up ? ;
3. Trace the word in the extract which means “seriously”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-026)

Answer:

1. Kezia was watching her father gravely.
2. On a Sunday afternoon, her grandmother sent her to have a nice talk with father and mother. But Kezia always found her father sleeping on the sofa.
3. Gravely.

Short Answer Type Questions (2 marks each)
(About 30-40 words each)

Question 1:
What orders were passed to Kezia in the evening when father returned home from office ?(SA-1, DDE-2014) (Board Term 1, Sept, 2012, E21-017)
Answer:
When Kezia’s father returned home from office she was supposed to come down, take off father’s shoes and put them outside. She was also to put her father’s teacup on file tea table.

Question 2:
Why did Kezia avoid her father ? (Board Term, Sept, 1,2013, K2G41GH)
Answer:
Kezia avoided her father because according to her, her father was an emotionless person. He never spoke to Kezia lovingly and calmly. He scolded Kezia and reprimanded her for making mistakes. Kezia stammered in front of her father since he was a very huge and giant like figure far away from the warmth of a father.

Question 3:
Why did Kezia stammer in front of her father ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-013)
Or
Why did Kezia stutter only with her father ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-043)
Answer:
Kezia father always scolded her never spoke to her in a loving manner. So, Kezia stammered in front of her father because she was afraid of him and found it difficult to speak in front of him.

Question 4:
Why was Kezia afraid of her father ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-022)
Answer:
Kezia was a little sensitive girl. Her father was aggressive and always spoke loudly. He always scolded her. He used to beat her. Even when she accepted her mistakes. He never played with her. This made her afraid of her father.

Question 5:
What made Kezia’s father punish her ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-025)
Answer:
She tore important papers of her father to stuff in the pin cushion because she was making a gift to present to her father. Since the papers had her father’s speech written on it, she was punished for tearing it.

Question 6:
“Father’s great speech for the Port Authority had been lost.” What had happened to father’s speech ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-031)
Answer:
Father’s speech had been tom to pieces by Kezia, the little girl. She was making a pin cushion as a gift to her father, for his birthday. As she was not able to find anything to stuff it with, she tore the speech and stuffed it in her cushion.

Question 7:
Why did Kezia’s grandmother send her to the drawing room every Sunday afternoon?
(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-034)
Answer:
Kezia’s grandmother knew that she was afraid of her father and she felt that if she spoke to him more often, she would gq£ rid of that fear. So, every Sunday afternoon she used to send her to the drawing room to have a nice talk with her father.

Question 8:
What kind of a person was Kezia’s father? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-039)
Answer:
Kezia’s father was a hard working man but short tempered. He was a strict disciplinarian too. When Kezia’s mother was hospitalized, Kezia realized that her father loved her but didn’t have the art of expressing his love.

Question 9:
What did Kezia find whenever on Sunday afternoons her grandmother sent her down to have a talk with her parents ?
(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-044)
Answer:
Whenever Kezia was sent by her grandmother to talk to her parents on Sunday afternoons, she always found her mother reading and her father stretched out on the sofa, sleeping soundly and snoring.

Question 10:
How was Kezia’s father different from Mr. McDonalds ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-050)
Answer:
Mr. McDonalds played with his children. The girls would hang on to his coat, they would laugh together. Kezia’s father had no time for such things. He really worked very hard for the family.

Question 11:
How did the father comfort the little girl, Kezia, when she got scared in her sleep ?
(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-051)
Answer:
The father came to Kezia’s room with a candle, lifted her up in his strong arms, lay beside her and made her stay close to him. She held his shirt and snuggled herself close to her father. This comforted Kezia when she got scared in her sleep.

Long Answer Type Questions (4 marks each)
(About 80-100 words each)

Question 1:
How did Kezia’s negative attitude towards her father change ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-015)
Or
What were the circumstances that forced Kezia to change her opinion about her father?
(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-021)
Answer:
When her mother was hospitalized, her grandmother went to stay with her. Kezia used to sleep alone at night. She was so scared that she started shouting at night. She had nightmares and trembled a lot with fear. Then her father came to her room and took her into his aims to comfort her. She felt secured with her father near her. Then she realized that her father was busy with work and had no time to play. She even realized that her father loved her but didn’t have the art of expressing it. Thus, her attitude towards her father changed towards positive.

Question 2:
How did Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him veiy much ? Elaborate.(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-027)
Answer:
Kezia was very scared of her father and stuttered while talking to him. This annoyed him a lot. When she waited and stared at him to have a nice long chat, he did not like it. She unknowingly destroyed some of his important papers while stuffing a cushion which die wanted to present to . him on his birthday. This made him very angry and he beat her up badly. Therefore, Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much.

Question 3:
Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr. McDonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father ? (Board Term 1,2012fcELl-028)
Or
How is Kezia’s father different from Mr. McDonald ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-037)
Answer:
Mr. McDonald was their next door neighbour. Once Kezia saw her neighbours playing “tag” together in the evening. Mr. McDonald with the baby Mao, on his shoulders and the two little girls ‘ hanging on to his coat pockets. They ran round and round shaking with laughter. On the other hand, her own father was very disciplined and strict. He never played with her and neither interact much. He even beat her up for her little mistakes.

Question 4:
Why was Kezia scared of her father and how did she get over her fear ?
(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-031)
Answer:
Kezia’s father was big like a giant and was very strict. He punished Kezia when she tore his important speech. One day, when Kezia’s mother fell ill, her mother and grandmother were in the hospital. Kezia was left alone with her father at home. She had a nightmare and screamed with fright. Her father then carried Kezia in his lap to comfort and soothen her. That closeness with her father during those days made her forget all fears.

Question 5:
How did Kezia feel in present* of her father ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-035)
Answer:
Kezia was scared of her father as he looked like a giant. Every morning he used to give her a good bye kiss. She used to feel uncomfortable till her father was at home. She even stammered while answering him. He scolded her one day and even beat her for tearing some of his important papers.
But when Kezia used to cry during the night, he would carry her to his room. She then realized that her father was actually tender and affectionate and this changed her perception towards him.

Value Based Questions (4 marks each)
(About 80-100 words each)

Question 1:
Kezia in the story “The Little Girl” was afraid of her father because he never communicated with her. Imagine you are parenting councellor, based on your reading of the story write a paragraph advising the parents to make communication with their children priority. (SA-1,2014-15)
Answer:
In the story, Kezia is always scared of her father. Her father was a strict disciplinarian who was always strict towards her. He never spoke to her softly and in a loving manner. He always scolded her and even beat her up for small mistakes. Parents should not let their stress and workload interfere in their family life. Parents should always spend quality time with their children. Bonding and understanding should always be there so that the children can open up their feelings and problems with their parents. Their should be no communication gap between the parents and theif children.

Question 2:
‘ The relation between a parent and child should be distant and formal or should it be close and warm.
Answer:
In today’s modem context parents and children should be more like friends. The relationship between them should be warm and close. This would be very helpful in developing the overall personality of the child. It also helps in boosting the confidence of the child and making him more strong in his relation. Therefore, it is necessary that children share a close relation with their parents and there should be no fear but only respect and love.

The Little Girl Class 9 Conclusion

In the chapter – The Little Girl teaches us how a loving and caring relationship between parents and children can help in strengthening the bond and attachment in the family. We should try to understand each other instead of finding faults in others. Here’s a simple attempt from our end to guide students in understanding the chapter thoroughly from this CBSE Class 9 English Beehive Prose Summary of The Little Girl

Read More : Kathmandu Class 9 Summary, Notes, Question And Answers, Pdf (studyequation.com)