NCERT Solutions Kaveri Chapter 5 Nine Gold Medals — Critical Reflection

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions The eight other runners pulled up on their heels The ones who had trained for so long to compete One by one they all turned round and went back to help him And brought the young boy to his feet. (i) Select the correct option to complete the sentence. The phrase ‘pulled up on their heels’ means that the runners _______. A. moved aside B. stopped running C. tried to run faster D. jumped ahead (ii) Mention one character trait common to all the eight other runners. (iii) What is the tone of the poet in these lines? (iv) How might the young athlete have felt on being helped by the others? (v) Would you consider this incident as a turning point in the poem? If yes, why? If no, why not?

That’s how the race ended, with nine gold medals They came to the finish line holding hands still And a standing ovation and nine beaming faces Said more than these words ever will. (i) How did the nine contestants feel when they reached the finishing line together? (ii) Why do you think all the nine contestants were given gold medals? (iii) Complete the sentence appropriately. The holding of hands signifies a feeling of _____________________. (iv) Choose the correct option to complete the sentence. The spectators giving a ‘standing ovation’ indicates that they were ___________. A. amazed B. speechless C. distracted D. thoughtful (v) Explain the last line of the extract.

Answer the following questions. Describe how the setting established in the first two stanzas of the poem create a vivid atmosphere for the events that follow.

How do you think the youngest athlete might have felt when he fell?

Why were the athletes eager to begin the race?

What does the transformation of the hundred-yard dash to a walk symbolise?

How might the poem be different if the focus was solely on individual achievement rather than collective support?

How does the poet’s use of language and tone enhance the reader’s engagement with the poem?

What might be the poet’s purpose of writing this poem?