NCERT Solutions Kaveri Chapter 1 How I Taught My Grandmother to Read — Critical Reflection

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions When I came back to my village, I saw my grandmother in tears. I was surprised, for I had never seen her cry even in the most difÏcult situations. What had happened? I was worried. ‘Avva, is everything all right? Are you okay?’ I used to call her Avva, which means mother in the Kannada spoken in north Karnataka. She nodded but did not reply. I did not understand and forgot about it. 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. (i) Complete the following sentence with the appropriate option. The phrase ‘never seen her cry in the most difÏcult situations’ tells us that the grandmother was ________________________. A. strong-willed B. understanding C. considerate D. bold (ii) Complete the following with the correct option from those given in the brackets. Grandmother did not reply when the narrator asked if she was alright because she might have been too ________________________ (emotional/tired) to respond. (iii) Identify the clue from the extract that indicates a rural setting with traditional customs. (iv) Which lines of the extract establish a tender atmosphere? (v) Which of the following aspect is NOT emphasised in the given extract? A. the emotional turmoil of the grandmother B. the affectionate bond between the narrator and her grandmother C. the grandmother’s regret over her lack of education D. the narrator’s concern for her grandmother

‘I have decided I want to learn the Kannada alphabet from tomorrow onwards. I will work very hard. I will keep Saraswati Puja day during Dassara as the deadline. That day I should be able to read a novel on my own. I want to be independent.’ ‘For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle. I will work harder than anybody but I will do it. For learning there is no age bar.’ (i) What does the grandmother’s statement, “I want to be independent,” reveal about her character? A. She wanted to be literate. B. She desires self-sufÏciency. C. She wants to prove her intelligence to others. D. She feels pressured by society to learn. (ii) Fill in the blank with the appropriate option from those given in brackets. The grandmother’s determination that learning has no ___________________. (age limit/gender bias/cultural barriers) (iii) Complete the following with a suitable reason. The narrator laughs at her grandmother’s decision to learn the alphabet at the age of sixty-two because ___________________. (iv) List any two qualities displayed by the grandmother. (v) How can we say that the narrator is making assumptions about her grandmother?

Answer the following questions. Why do you think the grandmother embarrassed to ask someone else to read to her while the narrator was away?

Why does the narrator initially laugh at her grandmother’s determination to learn at the age of sixty-two?

What significance does the story of Kashi Yatre have in both the grandmother’s life and the story?

What does the grandmother’s desire to learn the Kannada alphabet reflect about her?

What lessons can we infer from the grandmother’s action of touching the narrator’s feet?

What does the following line tell us about the broader theme of the story? ‘For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle.’

How effectively does the story highlight the value of education in supporting personal independence?