NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Chapter 4 Why the Novel Matters

This worksheet provides NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Chapter Why the Novel Matters. The chapter explains the importance of novels and how they present the complete experience of human life. It explores ideas about human nature, individuality, and the connection between emotions, thoughts, and instincts. The chapter helps students understand how literature reflects real life and why novels are considered powerful forms of expression. This worksheet contains complete and accurate NCERT Solutions that help students understand the concepts clearly and prepare effectively for exams.

Chapter summary: stories, poems & themes

The chapter focuses on an essay that discusses the importance of novels in understanding human life. It explains how novels present the full experience of living, including emotions, instincts, thoughts, and personal identity. The author highlights the idea that human beings are living wholes and cannot be divided into separate parts such as mind, body, or soul. Through discussion-based questions, analysis activities, vocabulary work, and grammar tasks, students explore the deeper meaning of literature and the role of novels in expressing human experience. The chapter mainly focuses on comprehension, analysis, and language development activities.

What this NCERT chapter covers?

• Understanding the concept of human life as a living and changing whole 
• The role of novels in representing the complete human experience 
• Differences between living and non-living things 
• Discussion and analysis of ideas presented in the essay 
• Vocabulary development through expressions and Latin roots 
• Grammar practice related to verb classes, intransitive verbs, and copulas 
• Pronunciation and spelling patterns in English words 

How to use these NCERT solutions?

Students should first read the chapter carefully and try to answer the questions independently. After completing the questions in the worksheet, they can use these NCERT Solutions to verify their answers and understand the correct explanations. The solutions follow the same order and structure used in the worksheet so that students can easily match each question with its answer. Parents and teachers can use these solutions to guide students, explain important ideas from the chapter, and support revision during exam preparation.

Student tips & learning tricks

Students should read the essay slowly and focus on understanding the author’s ideas rather than memorizing lines. It is important to notice how the author explains the connection between life and literature. When answering questions, students should write clear explanations based on the ideas presented in the chapter. Paying attention to vocabulary, grammar, and language work sections will help improve overall language skills. Students should also practice identifying verbs and sentence structures carefully to avoid mistakes.

Why NCERT solutions are important?

NCERT Solutions help students understand the exact expectations of NCERT-based assessments. They provide clear and accurate answers aligned with the chapter content. Using NCERT Solutions helps students develop strong conceptual understanding and improve their ability to answer comprehension and analysis questions. These solutions also build confidence and support effective revision for school tests and board examinations.

Complete answer key – NCERT solutions

Stop and Think

Explanation: These questions help students reflect on important ideas discussed in the essay. They encourage thinking about the difference between living beings and non-living things and about the author's view of life.

1. Animate things are marked by life, movement, consciousness, growth, and the ability to feel and respond. Inanimate things do not possess life, awareness, or the ability to respond to the environment.

2. The simple truth is that life exists only in living beings. Philosophers and scientists often ignore the living wholeness of human beings and instead divide humans into parts such as mind, soul, or body.

Stop and Think

Explanation: This question asks students to understand how the author connects human inconsistency with inner integrity and individuality.

1. Lawrence explains that human beings naturally change with time and circumstances. Though a person's actions and feelings may appear inconsistent, their inner identity and integrity remain intact because they continue to live and grow as whole beings.

Understanding the Text

Explanation: These questions check students’ comprehension of the essay. They focus on the author’s central ideas about the importance of novels and the meaning of life.

1. The novel reflects the wholeness of a human being because it presents life in its totality. It shows emotions, thoughts, instincts, and experiences together, allowing readers to see a complete picture of human existence.

2. The author considers the novel superior because philosophy, science, and poetry focus only on particular aspects of life such as ideas, facts, or emotions. A novel, however, portrays the entire living experience of a human being.

3. “Tremulations on ether” refers to vibrations or messages carried through words. Books are simply vibrations of ideas expressed through language, but the novel is a powerful vibration that can affect the whole living being of the reader.

4. The author argues that spiritual thinkers often deny the importance of the body by focusing only on the soul or spirit. He believes that the body is also alive and essential, and life cannot be separated into isolated spiritual parts.

Talking about the Text

Explanation: This section encourages discussion and deeper thinking about the ideas presented in the essay. Students analyze the role of characters in novels and the difference between life and books.

1. Characters in novels become interesting when they remain true to their inner selves rather than simply behaving consistently according to social expectations. Human beings change with circumstances, and this natural change makes characters realistic and meaningful.

2. “The novel is the one bright book of life” means that novels present the richness and complexity of real life. “Books are not life” means that written texts are only representations of life. However, the novel comes closest to expressing the fullness of human living.

Appreciation

Explanation: These questions help students analyse the style and literary techniques used by the author to strengthen his argument.

1. Recurrent phrases include:
• man alive 
• whole man alive 
• tremulations on the ether 
• the novel is the book of life 

These phrases repeatedly highlight the author’s main idea that life must be understood in its living wholeness and that novels best represent this vitality.

2. Rhetorical devices used include:
• repetition 
• metaphors 
• comparisons 
• rhetorical questions 
• vivid imagery 

These devices strengthen the argument and make the author’s ideas more persuasive and engaging for the reader.

Language Work

A. Vocabulary

1. There are a few non-English expressions in the essay. Identify them and mention the language they belong to. Can you guess the meaning of the expressions from the context?

Expressions and languages:

• Mens sana in corpore sano — Latin — a healthy mind in a healthy body 
• C’est la vie — French — that is life 

2. Given below are a few roots from Latin. Make a list of the words that can be derived from them

mens (mind)

• mental 
• mentality 
• mention 
• mentor 

corpus (body)

• corporal 
• corpse 
• corporation 
• corpuscle 

sanare (to heal)

• sane 
• sanity 
• sanitary 
• sanitation 

Grammar: Some Verb Classes

Explanation: This task helps students identify different kinds of verbs in sentences, especially intransitive verbs and linking verbs (copulas), and recognise the type of complements used with them.

Task

1. Identify the intransitive verbs and the copulas in the examples below, from the text in this unit. Say what the category of the complement is. You can work in pairs or groups and discuss the reasons for your analysis.

1. I am a thief and a murderer. 
Verb: am (copula) 
Complement: noun phrase 

2. Right and wrong is an instinct. 
Verb: is (copula) 
Complement: noun phrase 

3. The flower fades. 
Verb: fades (intransitive verb) 
Complement: none 

4. I am a very curious assembly of incongruous parts. 
Verb: am (copula) 
Complement: noun phrase 

5. The bud opens. 
Verb: opens (intransitive verb) 
Complement: none 

6. The Word shall stand forever. 
Verb: stand (intransitive verb) 
Complement: adverbial phrase 

7. It is a funny sort of superstition. 
Verb: is (copula) 
Complement: noun phrase 

8. You’re a philosopher. 
Verb: are (copula) 
Complement: noun phrase 

9. Nothing is important. 
Verb: is (copula) 
Complement: adjective phrase 

10. The whole is greater than the part. 
Verb: is (copula) 
Complement: adjective phrase 

11. I am a man, and alive. 
Verb: am (copula) 
Complement: noun phrase and adjective phrase 

12. I am greater than anything that is merely a part of me. 
Verb: am (copula) 
Complement: adjective phrase 

13. The novel is the book of life. 
Verb: is (copula) 
Complement: noun phrase 

2. Identify other sentences from the text with intransitive verbs and copulas.

• My hand is alive. 
• The grass withers. 
• The chameleon creeps from a brown rock onto a green leaf. 
• It seems important. 
• The Word becomes more and more boring. 

C. Spelling and Pronunciation

Explanation: This section helps students understand how certain letter combinations such as “ch” and “gh” produce different sounds in English words.

ch

• chair 
• chemistry 
• choir 
• chocolate 
• mechanic 

gh

• light 
• night 
• laugh 
• though 
• through 

Suggested Reading

‘Two Blue Birds’ by D.H. Lawrence 
Rhetoric as Idea by D.H. Lawrence.

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