Jharkhand Board Class 9TH English Notes | A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME
JAC Board Solution For Class 9TH English S Reader Chapter 8
Long Answer Type Quesions
■ Answer these questions in about 80-100 words each :―
Q. 1. What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon?
What is his mother's reaction? What does she do?
Ans. The narrator was sitting at his dinning table. He was
doing his homework. It was the afternoon of Sunday. It was very
cold outside so his mother was tending the fire to keep them warm
and nice. Suddenly the author noticed smoke coming out from the
roof. He smelled it and in no time the room was full of smoke. They
had to find their way to come outside. By that time the flames had
spread throughout the house. He ran to the neighbours for fire
brigade. The narrator's mother ran back into the house. She returned
with a small box full of important papers. She dropped the box and
ran again to collect the pictures and letters of her husband who
had died. These were her sweet memories. The narrator screamed
to return but she had gone to fetch them.
Q.2. Why is the author deeply embarrassed the next day in
school? Which words show his fear and insecurity?
Ans. Next day the author went to school. He was improperly
dressed. He was devoid of books and homework as well. His
backpack was gone. He was troubled at heart and felt unlucky to
be an outcast. He realised that he had not wanted to grow up. He
wanted to just curl up and die. He walked around school like a dull
and an apathetic person. Everything was looking strange before
his eyes. He was indefinite what would happen. He was troubled at
the idea that all his security from school, friends, house and cat
had been ripped away. The damage put him in a deep shock. The
following words indicate his fear and insecurity- "Was I destined
to be an outcast and a geek all my life? I just wanted to curl up and
die. All the security I had known from my old school, friends and
my cat had all been ripped away."
Q. 3. What is the meaning of 'My cat was back and so was
I'? Had the author gone anywhere? Why does he say that he is
also back?
Ans. The author felt very miserable when misfortunes overtook
him in one go. He lost his
house and his cat to fire. He missed his
close friends and loving teachers at the new school. But his stars
turned favourable soon. His house was rebuilt. He got of friends.
He also recovered his lost dear pet. He felt happy that his cat was
back and so also his interest in life. Everything became normal.
Q. 4. What had happened to the author's cat? How did he
react to her absence? How was it restored to him?
Ans. The author's house was on fire one Sunday afternoon.
His cat ran away during it. He also had forgotten about her. But
after sometime he thought about it. Thinking about it he started
weeping. He cried and cried. He also went to the burned house to
find it. But he could not find it. A month later the author was
watching his house being rebuilt. He had got his new friends then.
He sat there with his friends. Then a woman came to him with a cat.
She asked him if that cat was his. The author could not believe his
eyes. Actually, the eat's collar had his telephone number. That
woman was kind. She felt that the cat was being missed by its
owner. So she returned it to the author.
Q.5. Write a note on the little 'A House is Not a Home'. How
far is it an appropriate title?
Ans. 'House is Not a Home' means there is a difference between
a 'house' and a 'home'. A "house' means simply the building made
of bricks, cement, wood etc. But a 'home' means a building plus all
the human warmth, love and affection. The author felt 'lonely'
without his friends at the new school. He had a 'house' then. But it
was destroyed by the fire. In place of it was born a 'home' when it
was rebuilt. It had his cat and all his friends. He also had got back
his cat. Even the people who did not meet him earlier, visited him.
He made new friends due to the fire. What the people did for him
after the fire was real love and affection for him. The author felt
gratitude for all this. That's why, he felt that his 'cat was back and
so was I'. Thus the title is appropriate.
Short Answer Type Quesions
■ Answer these questions in about 30-40 words each :―
Q.1. Why does he break down in tears after the fire?
Ans. The author has seen before his eyes the dead loss.
everything has burnt to cinders. They could attain nothing even
the fire fighters had to work for more than five hours. His house
was almost completely burned down. His cat was nowhere to be
found. He considered himself responsible and he broke down in
tears and cried and cried. He was suffering loss, big time. They
could not go back into the house that night because it was suffering
loss, big time. They could not go back into the house that night
because it was full of danger. They piled, themselves and made a
way to their grandparents house to spend the night.
Q. 2. The cat and the author are very fond of each other.
How has this been shown in the story? Where was the cat after
the fire? Who brings it back and how?
Ans. The author was very fond of his red cat. He had rescued
her when she was a kitten. He gave her a good life. So she was
never far from him. When the house caught fire, the cat also fled
for life. She was gone almost a mile. Luckily she had the writer's
phone number on the collar. She was picked up by a lady who
took pain to know who the master was. She brought and delivered
the pet to him.
Q.3. How did the old teachers try to encourage the author?
Ans. His old teachers tried to encourage the author in every
way. They advised him to participate in school activities so that
he could meet new people there. It would help him in making
friends and learning the new ways. They even permitted him to see
from time to time. They told that he would adjust in the new
atmosphere with the passage of time.
Q.4. What happened on one Sunday afternoon?
Ans. One Sunday afternoon, the author was doing his
homework. It was very cold outside. His mother was keeping the
fire ready for warmth. Suddenly the author smelled something
strange. He noticed smoke pouring in through the seams of the
ceiling. Soon the room was completely engulfed in flames.
Q. 5. How did the firemen help the author and his mother in
controlling the fire?
Ans. The firemen ran after the author and wrapped a blanket
around him. They sat him in the car. Some another fireman came
from the house with the mother having an oxygen mask on her
face. He told that she had inhaled a little smoke and would be
okay very soon. Their house was completely burnt and it took five
hours to control the fire. It was a big loss and the author broke
down in tears.
Q.6. When the author went to his school the next day, how
did he feel?.
Ans. When the author went to his school the next day, he was
totally embarrassed. He was not in school uniform. He looked
weird in his clothes. He had neither books nor backpack. He wanted
to curl up and die. He walked around school like a zombie. He felt
that all his security had been ripped away.
Q. 7. What did the author think about his cat when the rubble
was being cleaned?
Ans. The author missed his cat badly. He continued thinking
about her. He searched her in the debris. He thought how the cat
would tag after him and climb up his robe. Then it would enter his
pocket and fall asleep.
Q. 8. How did the author feel after the cat had been returned
to him?
Ans. The author felt greatly relieved from the loss and tragedy
due to the fire. He had now new friends. He felt gratified to the lady
who returned the cat to him. He felt relief due to the loud purr of
his cat.
Q.9. What did the author's mother do when the house was
on fire?
Ans. The house was on fire. The author's mother ran out with
a small metal box. It had the important documents. She ran back
into the house to get the pictures and other things.
Q. 10. How did the author go to school the next day?
Ans. The author went to school the next day in his old dress.
He had no shoes. He had no books and no backpack. He felt that he
would be an outcast.
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