How I Taught My Grandmother to Read ( Sudha Murty) — NCERT Solutions

The correct matches are:

1. to hit the books — (iii) to study seriously
2. to draw a blank — (v) to be unable to remember
3. to learn the ropes — (vi) to understand how to do an activity
4. to rack one's brain — (ii) to think very hard
5. to learn by heart — (i) to memorise something
6. burn the midnight oil — (iv) to study or work late into the night

The verbs are:

1. bought, had been published
2. knew, had passed

So the underlined verbs are bought / had been published in sentence 1 and knew / had passed in sentence 2.

Use simple past for the later action and past perfect for the earlier action.

A. When the delegates arrived at the conference, the keynote speaker had already begun the session.
B. After the students had learned how to identify fake news online, they started verifying information before sharing it.
C. Before Kiran started using digital payment platforms, she had ensured her understanding of online fraud prevention.
D. By the time Varun recognised the importance of budgeting, he had exhausted most of his savings.
E. When Raghu logged in to the cybersecurity webinar, the instructor had already discussed the importance of strong passwords.

The correct forms are:
A. took
B. reviewed
C. had spent
D. discussed
E. opened
F. set
G. had already introduced
H. hurried
I. had completed
J. enjoyed

Completed passage:
Last year, my parents and I took a financial planning course. When we reviewed our expenses, we realised we had spent too much on unnecessary purchases. After my parents discussed ways to save, I opened a savings account.
By the time we set our budget, the course had already introduced investment strategies. We hurried to take notes, but many participants had completed their financial plans. Despite that, we enjoyed learning how to manage money wisely.

The phrase “never seen her cry in the most difficult situations” shows that the grandmother is strong-willed and emotionally resilient. She does not break down easily.

Grandmother did not reply because she was likely too emotional after seeing that she could not read the magazine and felt helpless.

The clue is the mention of the open terrace, summer night, and full moon, along with the traditional family address Avva. This shows a rural, traditional setting.

The lines that establish a tender atmosphere are:

*“In the night, after dinner, we were sleeping in the open terrace of our house. It was a summer night and there was a full moon.
Avva came and sat next to me. Her affectionate hands touched my forehead.”*

These lines create a soft, loving, and intimate mood between the grandmother and the narrator.

The extract focuses on the grandmother’s tears, the narrator’s worry, and their affectionate bond. It does not yet directly emphasise her regret over lack of education.

Her words “I want to be independent” show that she wants self-sufficiency—to read on her own without depending on others.

The grandmother says, “For learning there is no age bar.” So the correct phrase is age limit.

The narrator laughs because she makes a childish assumption that learning the alphabet at sixty-two is impossible or unnecessary.

The grandmother shows determination by deciding to learn, and independence by wanting to read on her own. Any two suitable qualities are accepted.

The narrator is making assumptions because she laughs at her grandmother’s decision without considering her seriousness or ability. She judges her only by her age, grey hair, wrinkled hands, and spectacles, instead of recognising her determination and willingness to learn.

The extract shows the grandmother’s deep love for learning and independence. She feels unhappy because she cannot read the magazine on her own, and this makes her feel dependent and helpless. It also shows her determination: she decides to learn the Kannada alphabet from the next day and sets Saraswati Puja day as her deadline. The question mark at the end of the lines about the Upanishads is used to emphasise the poet’s claim that they are unmatched in wisdom.

The word 'mighty' refers to the strength of the Himavant.

The question mark is not showing doubt here. It is used to emphasise a point and make the poet’s admiration for the Upanishads stronger.

The river Ganga is called generous because it is shown as giving life, blessing, and support to the land and its people. The poet praises it as a river that graciously nurtures India, much like a kind and generous person.

The movement of the river has been described as graceful because the Ganga flows smoothly and beautifully. This makes its movement seem elegant and pleasant, adding to the poet’s admiration for the river.

The line is: The poet is implying that the Upanishads are unmatched in their wisdom and spiritual depth. So the correct word is unmatched.

The poem reflects a strong connection to India’s natural beauty, spiritual heritage, and history. It praises the Himalayas, Ganga, Upanishads, sages, warriors, music, Brahma-knowledge, and Buddha’s teachings. The repeated praise shows the poet’s deep love, pride, and reverence for the country. It presents India as a land of greatness, wisdom, and culture.

The binomial sink or swim means succeed or fail without help. So the correct match is (vii).

The words with prefixes in the box are:

• unhappy = un + happy
• unusual = un + usual
• unfortunately = un + fortunately
• irrespective = ir + respective
• independent = in + dependent

These prefixes change the words to express the opposite or a negative meaning.

Five words with prefixes from the story and sample sentences:

1. unhappy — The grandmother looked unhappy when she could not read the magazine.
2. unusual — It was unusual to see the grandmother in tears.
3. unfortunately — Unfortunately, the magazine arrived late.
4. independent — She wanted to be independent and read on her own.
5. irrespective — A teacher should be respected irrespective of age or gender.

The idiom passed with flying colours means outstanding performance. From the given idioms, the closest relevant learning-related expression is to hit the books, which means to study seriously. So the correct match is to study seriously.

The verbs in the sentences are:

1. had been published
2. knew, had passed

So the underlined verbs should be bought, had been published, knew, and had passed depending on the part being marked. In the given exercise, the key verbs are bought in sentence 1 and had passed in sentence 2.

Use simple past for the later action and past perfect for the earlier action.

A. When the delegates arrived at the conference, the keynote speaker had already begun the session.
B. After the students had learned how to identify fake news online, they started verifying information before sharing it.
C. Before Kiran started using digital payment platforms, she had ensured her understanding of online fraud prevention.
D. By the time Varun recognised the importance of budgeting, he had exhausted most of his savings.
E. When Raghu logged in to the cybersecurity webinar, the instructor had already discussed the importance of strong passwords.

The paragraph describes actions in the past. The earlier completed action takes past perfect, while the other completed actions take simple past.

• A took
• B reviewed
• C had spent
• D discussed
• E opened
• F set
• G had already introduced
• H hurried
• I had completed
• J enjoyed

To
The Editor,
The Daily News,
[City]

Date: [Date]

Subject: Need for Student Volunteers in Adult Literacy

Sir/Madam,

I wish to draw your attention to the urgent need for greater student participation in adult literacy camps organised by various institutions. Many adults in our society still cannot read or write, and this denies them confidence, independence, and better opportunities.

Students can play an important role in this noble cause. By teaching basic reading and writing skills, they not only help adults become literate but also develop patience, responsibility, and a spirit of service. Such camps build a more educated and aware society. They also help students understand the value of education more deeply.

I request the authorities and organisations to create awareness through schools, social media, posters, and special campaigns. Schools should encourage volunteer hours and include literacy service in social outreach programmes. If more students come forward, we can help many adults lead more independent lives.

I hope you will publish this letter to inspire others.

Yours truly,
[Name]

One place that has stayed in my memory is Mysuru. I visited it with my family during a school vacation. We prepared for the trip by packing clothes, food, and our camera. We stayed in a hotel near the city centre.

During the visit, we saw the Mysore Palace, the Brindavan Gardens, and the local markets. I enjoyed the colourful lights, the peaceful gardens, and the busy streets. The trip was special because I spent happy time with my family and learned about the city’s history and culture. I still remember the beauty and excitement of that visit.

Choose words from the poem that fit the suffix clues:

1. generous = generous is the word from the poem.
2. antiquity = from antiquity / hoary antiquity in the poem.
3. brightest = the superlative form from the poem’s description of the land as sunny golden; the textbook expects a superlative example.
4. peerless = means without equal.

From the poem, the relevant words are generous, antiquity, peerless and a superlative form like brightest for the suffix table.

Examples of words with different suffixes and sentences:

1. indication — The dark clouds were an indication that it would rain soon.
2. active — She is very active in class.
3. enjoyment — Reading gives me great enjoyment.
4. interested — The students were interested in the story.