Class-9 Chapter-8 Part-I Reach for the top- NCERT Solution

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS

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Thinking about the Text

I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each. (The paragraph numbers within brackets provide clues to the answers.)

1. Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised?

Ans. the holy man blessed Santosh’s mother with a son. But Santosh’s grandmother was standing nearby. She said that they did not want a son but a daughter. It surprised the holy man.

2. Give an example to show that even as a young girl Santosh was not ready to accept unreasonable terms.
Ans. Santosh began to live life on her own terms from the start. At that time other girls wore traditional Indian dresses but she preferred to wear shorts. She found nothing wrong in it.

3. Why was Santosh sent to the local school?

Ans. Santosh’s parents were affluent landowners. They could afford to sendtheirchi ldren to the best schools. But they sent Santosh to the local village school. They did so to follow the prevailing custom in the family.

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4. When did she leave home for Delhi, and why?

Ans. When she became sixteen, her parents put pressure on her to get married. But she wanted to study. So she left tome and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.

5. Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling in Delhi? What mental qualities of Santosh are brought into light by this incident?

Ans. Santosh’s parents had refused to pay for her education in Delhi. Santosh politely informed them of her plans to earn money by working part-time to pay for her school fees. Then they agreed to pay for her schooling. This incident shows that Santosh was a girl of iron determination.

II   Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words)

1. How did Santosh begin to climb mountains?

Ans. After passing high school in Delhi, Santosh joined Maharani college in Jaipur. She got a room in Kasturba Hostel which faces the Aravalli Hills. She used to watch people going up the hills. She met those people and asked them to make her a member of their group. After this, she began to climb mountains.

2. What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?

Ans. During the 1992 Everest expedition, Santosh provided special care to a climber who lay dying there. But she could not save him. But she managed to save another climber, Mohan Singh. by sharing her oxygen with him.

3. What shows her concern for the environment?

Ans. Santosh has great concern for the environment. She collected and brought down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas.

Go to the Extra Questions and Notes of “ Reach For the Top Part II”

4. How does she describe her feelings at the summit of the Everest?

Ans. She felt herself at the top of the world. It was for her a spiritual moment. She unfurled the tricolour. She held it aloft on the roof of the world. She was full of proud

5. Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she scaled Mt Everest. What were the reasons for this?

Ans. When Santosh conquered Mt Everest the first time, she was the youngest woman to conquer Mt Everest. When she conquered Mt Everest the second time, she was the only women to do it twice.

III. Complete the following statements.

(a) From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to  ___________________________ .

(b) When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because _______________________ .

(c) During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her______________while __________ endeared her to fellow climbers.

 Ans.

(a)________watch villagers going up the hill and suddenly vanishing. _

(b)________ she had got herself enrolled at Uttarkashi without his permission.

(c) ________concern for others while climbing the mountains_____.

IV. Pick out words from the text that means the same as the following words or expressions, (Look In the paragraphs indicated.)

1.took to be true without proof (I) :______
2.based on reason, sensible, reasonable (2) : ______
3.the usual way of doing things (3) : ______
4.a strong desire arising from within (5) : ______
5.to power to endure, without falling ill (7) : ______

Ans :

1.assumed, 2. rational, 3. prevailing, 4. urge 5. endurance.

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