NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 7
NCERT solutions for Class 9 English Chapter Reach for the Top – complete answers & explanations
This blog provides complete NCERT solutions for Class 9 English Chapter Reach for the Top. This chapter includes two inspiring biographical pieces on Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova, along with the poem On Killing a Tree. It highlights determination, sacrifice, courage, perseverance, and environmental awareness. This blog gives complete NCERT solutions strictly based on the provided worksheet and follows the exact order of questions and sections.
What this NCERT chapter covers?
1. Biographical reading passages about Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova.
2. Themes of determination, sacrifice, patriotism, and mental toughness.
3. Vocabulary development through word meanings and matching exercises.
4. Grammar practice with clauses and sentence combining.
5. Writing skills including speech writing and article writing.
6. Poem analysis of On Killing a Tree.
7. Character analysis and comparison skills.
How to use these NCERT solutions?
1. First read the chapter carefully and understand both biographies and the poem.
2. Attempt all questions in the worksheet on your own.
3. After completing, use these NCERT solutions to check your answers.
4. Make corrections wherever necessary.
5. Parents and teachers can guide students using these answers.
6. The solutions follow the worksheet order exactly for easy reference.
Important tips & tricks for students
1. Focus on important incidents from Santosh Yadav’s and Maria Sharapova’s lives.
2. Write answers clearly and in complete sentences.
3. Do not skip comparison-based questions.
4. In poem answers, refer to specific words from the text.
5. Follow the exact wording where required.
6. For open-ended and activity-based questions, write clearly and confidently.
NCERT solutions – complete answer key
Part I
Thinking about the text
I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each.
1. The ‘holy man’ was surprised because Santosh’s grandmother told him that they did not want a son.
2. Even as a young girl, Santosh preferred shorts instead of traditional dresses and believed that if she chose a correct and rational path, others had to change, not her.
3. Santosh was sent to the local school because of the prevailing custom in the family.
4. She left home at sixteen to get proper education and enrolled herself in a school in Delhi.
5. Her parents agreed to pay for her schooling when she informed them that she would earn money by working part time. This shows her determination and self-confidence.
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1. Santosh began to climb mountains after watching villagers go up the Aravalli Hills. She found mountaineers there and joined them. Later, she enrolled at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi.
2. During the Everest expedition, she provided special care to a dying climber and saved Mohan Singh by sharing her oxygen.
3. She collected and brought down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas.
4. She described the moment as spiritual and said she felt proud when she unfurled the Indian tricolour on the top of the world.
5. She became the youngest woman to scale Mt Everest at twenty and later became the only woman to scale it twice.
III. Complete the following statements.
1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch villagers going up the Aravalli Hills.
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had enrolled in the training course at Uttarkashi without his permission.
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her climbing skills, physical fitness and mental strength while her concern for others endeared her to fellow climbers.
IV. Pick out words from the text that mean the same as the following words or expressions.
1. assumed
2. rational
3. prevailing custom
4. urge
5. endurance
Part II
Thinking about the text
Working in small groups of 4–5 students, go back over the two passages on Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova and complete the table given below with relevant phrases or sentences.
Answers may vary.
Thinking about language
I. Identify the two parts in the sentences below by underlining the part that gives us the information in brackets.
Answers may vary.
II. Now rewrite the pairs of sentences given below as one sentence.
Answers may vary.
Dictation
Read the passage once. Then close your books. Your teacher will dictate the story to you. Write it down with the correct punctuation and paragraphing.
Speaking
Imagine that you are Santosh Yadav, or Maria Sharapova. You have been invited to speak at an All India Girls’ Athletic Meet, as chief guest. Prepare a short speech to motivate the girls to think and dream big and make an effort to fulfil their dreams, not allowing difficulties or defeat to discourage them.
Answers may vary.
Writing
I. Working in pairs, go through the table below that gives you information about the top women tennis players since 1975. Write a short article for your school magazine comparing and contrasting the players in terms of their duration at the top.
Answers may vary.
II. Which of these words would you use to describe Santosh Yadav? Find reasons in the text to support your choices, and write a couple of paragraphs describing Santosh’s character.
Answers may vary.
On Killing a Tree
Thinking about the poem
1. No, a simple jab of the knife cannot kill a tree because it has grown strong over many years.
2. The tree has grown slowly consuming the earth, rising out of it, feeding upon its crust, absorbing years of sunlight, air and water, and sprouting leaves.
3. “Bleeding bark” refers to the sap flowing when the bark is cut.
4. “No” means hacking and chopping alone will not kill the tree.
5. “Anchoring earth” means the earth holding the roots. “Earth cave” means the underground space where the roots grow.
6. It means exposing the root, which is the source of the tree’s life.
7. The tree finally dies after being uprooted, scorched and choked in the sun and air.
Why NCERT solutions help students?
NCERT solutions help students prepare exactly according to the syllabus. They improve answer-writing skills and strengthen understanding of key concepts. Using NCERT-aligned answers builds confidence and ensures better exam readiness for Class 9 English.
Help your child build strong English fundamentals with structured, NCERT-aligned learning support.