NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9 If I Were You

This worksheet provides complete and accurate NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9 If I Were You from the Beehive textbook. This chapter is a play that revolves around Gerrard, a clever playwright, and an intruder who plans to kill him and take his identity. The story highlights intelligence, presence of mind, and the power of calm thinking in dangerous situations. This worksheet strictly follows the NCERT pattern and provides well-structured answers exactly as per the chapter requirements. It helps students clearly understand the characters, themes, and important questions from NCERT Chapter If I Were You.

Chapter summary: stories, poems & themes

If I Were You is a play based on a dramatic and suspenseful situation. An armed intruder enters Gerrard’s cottage with the intention of killing him and assuming his identity. However, instead of panicking, Gerrard uses wit, intelligence, and clever conversation to outsmart the intruder. The main theme of the chapter is presence of mind and the importance of staying calm in difficult situations. The chapter is dialogue-based and performance-oriented, helping students improve speaking skills, expression, and understanding of dramatic elements.

What this NCERT chapter covers?

• Understanding a play and dramatic dialogue  
• Vocabulary development through word meanings and matching exercises  
• Reading comprehension and character analysis  
• Identifying irony and tone in conversations  
• Dictionary usage and word forms  
• Speaking and performance-based activities  
• Creative writing through story conversion  

How to use these NCERT solutions?

Students should first read the chapter carefully and attempt all questions on their own. After completing the answers, they can use these NCERT Solutions to check accuracy and improve understanding. Parents and teachers can use this worksheet to guide revision and ensure answers follow the NCERT structure and sequence. Since the solutions are arranged exactly as per the NCERT order, they make revision easier and help students prepare confidently for school assessments.

Student tips & learning tricks

• Read the dialogues carefully to understand tone and sarcasm.  
• Notice how Gerrard uses calm and clever language to confuse the intruder.  
• While answering, mention who speaks the line and why.  
• Do not ignore small details like tone, intention, and irony.  
• For speaking and writing tasks, use expressive language as shown in the worksheet.  
• In dictionary exercises, check the part of speech carefully before choosing the meaning.  

Why NCERT solutions are important?

NCERT Solutions help students understand concepts exactly as prescribed in the NCERT textbook. They strengthen foundational learning and ensure answers match school expectations. Using accurate NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English builds confidence, improves writing structure, and prepares students effectively for exams and classroom discussions.

Complete answer key – NCERT solutions

Before you read

The following words and phrases occur in the play. Do you know their meanings? Match them with the meanings given, to find out.

cultured – sophisticated; well mannered  
count on – depend on; rely on  
engaged – occupied; busy  
melodramatic – exaggerated  
to be smart – (American English) an informal way of saying that one is being too clever  
inflection – here, a tone of voice  
wise guy – (American English) a person who pretends to know a lot  
a dandy bus – an informal expression for a fashionable vehicle  
tradespeople – merchants  
gratuitous – unnecessary and usually harmful  
dodge – avoid  
lucky break – an unexpected opportunity for success  
Sunday-school teacher – a Christian religious teacher  
frame – trap  

Thinking about the text

I. Answer these questions.

1  (i) Gerrard says this.  
(ii) He says this because the intruder becomes sympathetic towards him.  
(iii) He is, no doubt, sarcastic.  

2  The intruder chose Gerrard because he closely resembled him. As a murderer being chased by the police, he planned to kill Gerrard and take his identity so that he could escape safely.  

3 (i) Gerrard has said this.  
(ii) He shot someone with his gun because things were going wrong, and he wanted to escape.  
(iii) This is not true. Gerrard said this only to save himself from the shot of the intruder.  

4  Gerrard’s profession is that of a playwright.  
The parts of the play that support this are:  
• “This is all very melodramatic, not very original, perhaps…”  
• “In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated.”  
• “That’s a disguise outfit; false moustaches and what not.”  
• “Sorry I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal… I think I’ll put it in my next play.”  

5  (i) The line is said by the intruder.  
(ii) He says this to frighten Gerrard and stop him from speaking cleverly and confidently.  
(iii) The intruder believes that when Gerrard realizes that he is going to be killed and his identity taken, he will stop acting smart.  

6  (i) The line is spoken by the intruder.  
(ii) The intruder says this because he has already committed a murder and is being hunted by the police. He feels that killing Gerrard will not make any difference, as he cannot be hanged twice for two murders.  

7  The mystery is about Gerrard’s strange lifestyle. He explains that he lives secretly because he himself is a criminal who once killed a man and is hiding from the police. He says he is here today and gone tomorrow to avoid being caught. He tells this story to confuse the intruder and save his life.  

8  (i) This line is spoken twice in the play. The first time, the intruder says it while revealing his plan to kill Gerrard and take his identity. The second time, Gerrard says it when he reveals his false story about being a criminal to confuse the intruder.  
(ii) The surprise is the intruder’s plan to murder Gerrard and live under his identity to escape the police. Later, Gerrard creates another surprise by pretending that he himself is a criminal, which saves him from being killed.  

Thinking about the language

I. Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets  

1. site, ghastly  
2. principal  
3. continuously  
4. effect  
5. artist  
6. collage  
7. host  
8. Shake  

II. Irony  

You’re not particularly decorative.  
Gerrard says this sarcastically. He actually means that the intruder is not very smart or impressive and wants to insult him.  

I’m glad you’re pleased to see me.  
Gerrard pretends that the intruder is happy to meet him, while in reality the intruder has come to kill him.  

You have been so modest.  
Gerrard uses irony here. He really means that the intruder is overconfident and thinks too highly of himself.  

Dictionary use

Adjective – Adverb – Verb – Meaning  

sympathetic – sympathetically – sympathize – Feeling of pity and understanding for someone’s suffering  
familiar – familiarly – familiarize – Knowledge of something because of previous experience  
comfortable – comfortably – comfort – A state of ease and freedom from pain or worry  
careful – carefully – care – The act of looking after someone or something  
surprised / surprising – surprisingly – surprise – A feeling caused by something unexpected  

Speaking

Sample answer (student-generated activity):

One day, while I was packing my bag in my cottage, a man suddenly broke into my house. He was a criminal and was carrying a gun. He looked rough and spoke in a threatening voice. He told me that he wanted to kill me and take my identity because he was wanted by the police and thought he looked like me.

At first, I was shocked, but I did not lose my calm. I spoke confidently and cleverly. I told him that I too was a criminal and that killing me would not help him because the police were already searching for me. I confused him by talking smartly and made him believe my story. Finally, I tricked him into going inside a cupboard, pretending it was the garage. Then I locked him inside and called the police. In this way, I outwitted him using my presence of mind.

Writing

I. Which of the words below describe Gerrard and which describe the Intruder?

Gerrard:  
smart, humorous, clever, cool, confident, witty, nonchalant  

Intruder:  
flashy, clever, confident  

Note: ‘beautiful’ does not describe either of the character.  

II. Convert the play into a story (150–200 words). Provide a suitable title to it.

Title: Presence of Mind  

Gerrard, a playwright, lived alone in a quiet cottage. One day, while he was packing his bag, an armed intruder suddenly entered his house. The man was a criminal who looked very much like Gerrard. He planned to kill him and assume his identity to escape from the police.

Although the situation was dangerous, Gerrard did not panic. He remained calm and began to talk cleverly. He told the intruder that he himself was a criminal and that killing him would only create more trouble, as the police were already searching for him. The intruder was confused by Gerrard’s confidence and unusual behaviour.

Using his wit and presence of mind, Gerrard tricked the intruder into stepping into a cupboard, pretending it was the garage. Once the intruder went inside, Gerrard quickly locked him in and called the police.

Thus, through intelligence and courage, Gerrard proved that a cool mind is stronger than violence.

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