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NCERT Solutions Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter 9 Roles and Responsibilities — THINK ABOUT IT

Book page 142 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Why does Tenzing’s father consult his wife for special expenses?
Answer

Because in that family money decisions belong to both parents, not to one. Tenzing says it in the story: “When any special expenses come up, I have often seen that they discuss them together.”

Three good reasons lie behind the habit.

ReasonWhat it shows
Both of them earnThe father runs a small grocery store; the mother works in a local handicraft cooperative. The money is the family’s, so the decision is the family’s
Two people see more than oneA special expense is a large one. Talking it over means fewer mistakes and no regrets afterwards
They are saving for the unexpectedTenzing’s mother says “we should always try to save some money for any unexpected needs that may arise in the future”. Any big spending affects that saving, so both must agree
Why the book puts this in a THINK ABOUT IT box: it is an example of equal respect inside a family. Consulting is not a formality — it treats the other person as an equal partner. This is the same value the chapter calls cooperation, ‘working together’, applied to money.
Q2.
How do you feel about his participation in household chores?
Answer

It is admirable, and it is simply fair. When Tenzing’s mother became busy in the handicraft cooperative, his father “joined in cleaning the house, taking care of our small vegetable garden and other household chores”, and often helps the grandmother prepare food — while still running his grocery store.

What he didWhy it deserves respect
Took over chores when his wife’s work grewThe work of the house did not fall on one person just because her paid work increased
Cooks with the grandmotherHe treats housework as everyone’s work, not as one gender’s work
Did it without being askedThis is the “cooperation and interdependence” of page 139 in practice
Tenzing notices and says it with prideChildren learn roles by watching. The next generation of that house will find shared chores normal
Why this is worth saying out loud: cooking, cleaning and caring take real time and real skill, and in many homes they are still left almost entirely to women and girls — often on top of a paid job. Tenzing’s father shows that there is no work in a house that a man cannot do. My own view: I feel respect for him, and I think this should be ordinary rather than remarkable.
Try this: list the household jobs done in your home in one week and who did each. Then pick one job you could take over from this month, and do it without being reminded.
Q3.
What roles do the grandparents fulfil?
Answer

Both grandparents are working members of the household — one inside the house, one inside the neighbourhood.

GrandmotherGrandfather
Prepares food for the whole family, with the father helping herHelps Tenzing with his homework
Tells Tenzing “all sorts of interesting stories … with humour and wisdom”Takes him to the school bus stop
Understands people better than anyone — “no one seems to understand people better than her!”Is “actively involved in social work in our colony” and always offers help to others
In short: the family’s cook, storyteller and teacher of lifeRegistered a complaint at the nearby office during a power failure; collected money from the whole neighbourhood when the neighbours’ house was damaged in a storm

So the grandmother’s roles are care, culture and companionship; the grandfather’s are education, daily help and community service. Together they free the parents for their work, and they are the bridge between this family and the community around it — which is exactly where the chapter goes next.

Notice: the grandfather’s storm collection is a small halma. One family’s damaged house became the whole neighbourhood’s problem to solve — the same instinct the Bhil community shows on page 144, only smaller.
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