NCERT Solutions for Class 9th English Chapter 7 Carrier of Words
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
Carrier of Words (prose, printed pages 203–219) is a factual feature, not a story: it follows one named man, Khetaram , “the sole postman of Somarad Branch Post Office”, whose “left shoulder slumped from years of carrying a mailbag”. The writing works by piling up measured facts — 120 km beyond the last railhead at Barmer, 50 km beyond the last phone, 10 km beyond where the road “crumbles into sand”, a 28-kilo regulation load, 20 km for a single delivery, 330 km from Jodhpur in under 24 hours. The chapter’s sharpest fact is a small one: on days when the heat crosses 50°C it “is recorded as 49.9 degrees celsius, since 50 degrees celsius would mean a state holiday.” One decimal point decides whether a man walks into a furnace. That single sentence carries the whole argument about who bears t
- Carrier of Words (prose)
- Words (poem by Charles Swain)
Quick revision
| Word or phrase | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | Used in a fresh sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gramin Dak Sewak (GDS) | a rural postal servant of India Post; the post was created in 2001 out of the older ‘delivery agent’ posts. GDS work five hours a day, may serve till 65, and must have another means of livelihood | “Khetaram is a Gramin Dak Sewak.” (page 204); “India’s three lakh plus delivery agents like Khetaram were accepted as Gramin Dak Sewaks (GDS)” (page 206) | The Gramin Dak Sewak reached our dhaani only after the sand had cooled. |
| dak | post, mail (Hindi) | “to relay company dak between administrative centres” (page 207); “when I distribute their dak” (page 209) | The evening dak had not yet been sorted. |
| dhaani | a far-flung hamlet or small settlement in the Thar desert | “the far-flung hamlets, or dhaanis, of this remote area” (page 205) | Four families live in that dhaani, and no road reaches it. |
| sole | only (book’s gloss, page 204) | “the sole link between the oases of humanity” (page 204) | She is the sole earner in a household of six. |
| hamlets | settlements (book’s gloss, page 205) | “he reaches the far-flung hamlets” (page 205) | Three hamlets share one water tank. |
| ply | move (book’s gloss, page 205) | “sand so soft that even bicycles can’t ply” (page 205) | No bus plies on this route after dark. |
| hefted | lifted (book’s gloss, page 205) | “before being hefted onto his shoulders” (page 205) | He hefted the sack of bajra onto the cart. |
| stipulate | specify (book’s gloss, page 205) | “Regulations stipulate that his load cannot exceed 28 kilos.” (page 205) | The rules stipulate that entries close on 30 June. |
| mojri | traditional footwear of Rajasthan (book’s gloss, page 205) | “when the sands sizzle under his mojri-clad feet” (page 205) | He bought a pair of embroidered mojris at the Pushkar fair. |
| riverine | situated on a river bank (book’s gloss, page 206) | “the riverine communities of the northeast” (page 206) | The riverine villages of Majuli are reached only by ferry. |
| inaccessible | unreachable (book’s gloss, page 206) | “areas that are often inaccessible by any means besides foot” (page 206) | The upper camp is inaccessible once the snow sets in. |
| ambit | range (book’s gloss, page 207) | “to bring the entire population within the mailing ambit” (page 207) | The new scheme brings landless workers within its ambit. |
| akaal | famine; a year in which the rains fail | “Akaal or famine is a way of life here.” (page 208) | Two years of akaal emptied half the village. |
| remitted | the book glosses this as ‘sent as gift’ (page 208); in normal use it means sent, especially money sent home | “survival is partly dependent on money orders remitted by a relative” (page 208) | He remitted two thousand rupees to his mother every month. |
| scrap | remove; do away with (book’s gloss, page 208) | “a scheme to scrap the GDS … was proposed and summarily rejected” (page 208) | The department scrapped the old form and printed a simpler one. |
| dwell | to stay on for some time (book’s gloss, page 208) | “He can dwell on any threshold” (page 208) | The guest dwelt in the courtyard till the rain stopped. |
| threshold | entrance to a home (book’s gloss, page 208) | “He can dwell on any threshold” (page 208) | She waited at the threshold, unwilling to step in. |
| missive | letter (book’s gloss, page 209) | “the missive bears news of death” (page 209) | A single missive changed the whole family’s plans. |
| Ashubh Samachar | inauspicious news — news of a death | “Ashubh Samachar cannot be carried into the house,” says Khetaram. (page 209) | By custom, Ashubh Samachar is announced from outside the door. |
| entail | involve (book’s gloss, page 210) | “his duty will entail carrying a cell phone and the post” (page 210) | The post entails a good deal of travelling. |
| striding | walking with long steps (book’s gloss, page 210) | “before striding off with his sack on his shoulder” (page 210) | He came striding across the field, waving the letter. |
| philately | the study of postage stamps and postal history; a philatelist need not own a single stamp | ‘Did you know?’, Learning Beyond the Text, page 218 | Philately taught him more history than his textbook did. |
| pilgrim | a traveller who journeys a long, hard way to a sacred place | “The heart, a pilgrim upon earth,” (poem, stanza 2) | Like a pilgrim, she carried nothing she did not need. |
| hosts of words | great numbers of words — a crowd, an army of them | “Than hosts of words, which reach the head,” (poem, stanza 3) | He answered my one question with hosts of words and no facts. |
| oft | often (archaic, poetic) | “Hath oft the fewest words to say;” and “Oft satisfy the least!” (poem, stanzas 4 and 5) | The quietest player oft turns out to be the steadiest. |
| gaudy | showy in a cheap, tasteless way — bright but worth little | “Like plants that make a gaudy show,” (poem, stanza 6) | The shop front was gaudy with plastic flowers. |
| particle | the tiniest possible piece of something | “One particle of fruit!” (poem, stanza 6) | There was not a particle of doubt in her voice. |
| common metre | a stanza of four lines with 8, 6, 8 and 6 syllables, rhyming abab — the metre of most ballads and hymns | the metrical form of Words (see Check Your Understanding IV, page 224) | ‘Amazing Grace’ and this poem share the same common metre. |
| hyperbole | deliberate exaggeration, not meant to be believed, used for effect | “If words could satisfy the chest, / The world might hold a feast.” (Check Your Understanding III, page 223) | ‘I have told you a thousand times’ is plain hyperbole. |
Exercises
- Carrier of Words (prose) — Reflect and Respond Page 203–204
- Carrier of Words (prose) — Check Your Understanding Page 207
- Carrier of Words (prose) — Check Your Understanding Page 210
- Carrier of Words (prose) — Critical Reflection Page 210–212
- Carrier of Words (prose) — Vocabulary and Structures in Context Page 212–215
- Carrier of Words (prose) — Listen and Respond Page 215–216
- Carrier of Words (prose) — Speaking Activity Page 216–217
- Carrier of Words (prose) — Writing Task Page 217–218
- Carrier of Words (prose) — Learning Beyond the Text Page 218–219
- Words (poem by Charles Swain) — Reflect and Respond Page 220–221
- Words (poem by Charles Swain) — Check Your Understanding Page 222–224
- Words (poem by Charles Swain) — Critical Reflection Page 224–225
- Words (poem by Charles Swain) — Vocabulary in Context Page 226
- Words (poem by Charles Swain) — Listen and Respond Page 227
- Words (poem by Charles Swain) — Speaking Activity Page 227–228
- Words (poem by Charles Swain) — Writing Task Page 228–229
- Words (poem by Charles Swain) — Learning Beyond the Text Page 229–230