Read here Unseen Passage for Class 9, Prepared for NCERT and CBSE students. These passages enhance reading comprehension and critical thinking skills of the readers.
Table of Contents
Unseen Passage For Class 9 – Passage 1
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
It once occurred to a certain king, that if he always knew the right time to begin everything; if he knew who were the right people to listen to and whom to avoid; and, above all, if he always knew what was the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything he might undertake.
And this thought having occurred to him, he had it proclaimed throughout his kingdom that he would give a great reward to anyone who would teach him what was the right time for every action, and who were the most necessary people, and how he might know what was the most important thing to do. Learned men came to the King, but they all answered his questions differently.
In reply to the first question, some said that to know the right time for every action one must draw up in advance a table of days, months, and years, and must live strictly according to it. Only thus, said they, could everything be done at its proper time. Others declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend to all that was going on and then do what was most needful.
Others, again, said that however attentive the King might be to what was going on, it was impossible for one man to decide correctly the right time for every action, but that he should have a Council of wise men who would help him to fix the proper time for everything.
Please read the questions carefully asked from the Reading Comprehension for class 9 and answer them.
1. What three factors did the king believe would prevent him from failing in his undertakings?
2. How did the king express his desire to acquire knowledge about the right time, people, and important tasks?
3. What was the varied response of the learned men who came to the king in response to his questions?
4. According to some, what was the suggested method for determining the right time for every action?
5. What was the alternative viewpoint presented by some individuals regarding deciding the right time for actions, and how did they propose to approach it?
6. Find the similar word from the passage which means, “proclaimed”
7. Find the opposite word from the passage “possible”
Answers:-1 The right time to begin everything, knowing the right people to listen to and whom to avoid, and always knowing the most important thing to do.
2 He proclaimed throughout his kingdom that he would give a great reward to anyone who could teach him the right time for every action, who were the most necessary people, and how to know the most important thing to do.
3 They all answered his questions differently.
4 Drawing up in advance a table of days, months, and years, and living strictly according to it.
5 It was impossible to decide beforehand, but one should stay attentive to all that was going on and then do what was most needed.
6. “Announce”
7. “Impossible”
Unseen Passage For Class 9 – Passage 2
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
Once upon a time there lived a king in central India. He was handsome but very vain. He looked at himself constantly, in mirrors, in pools of water, even in other people’s eyes when they spoke to him. “I am the handsomest King on Earth.” he said to his courtiers. He paid less attention to ruling his kingdom than he did to having his hair styled and his body massaged. As a result, his people grew poorer and unhappier.
But the king did not care. “Why!” He boasted one day in court, “I am probably more handsome than all the gods.” Unfortunately for the king, a particularly bad-tempered god happened to be flying by and was incensed at what he heard. “Something will have to be done about this king.” He searched in his mind for an appropriate punishment.
Then his eyes fell upon a bull. “Horns!” The god clapped his hand with malicious glee. “I’ll see how his handsomeness likes himself with horns.”When the king awoke the next morning, he followed his normal routine. First, he drew his mirror out from under his pillow and gazed into it.
Suddenly the guards outside the king’s chamber heard a loud shriek. They came rushing in to find the king sitting upright in bed with a large pillow on his head. “Out… out…” he waved a trembling finger at them. As they backed away, he shouted after them, “Send for the royal barber immediately.”
Please read the questions carefully asked from the Reading Comprehension for class 9 and answer them.
1. Describe the king’s personality and his attitude towards his appearance.
2. How did the king’s vanity affect the well-being of his kingdom and its people?
3. What boast did the king make in court that angered a god?
4. How did the god decide to punish the king for his arrogance?
5. What was the king’s reaction when he discovered the punishment imposed by the god?
6. What did the king ask the guards to do after he woke up with the pillow on his head, and why did he want to summon the royal barber?
7. Find a similar word from the passage which means, “arrogant”
8. Find the opposite word from the passage “steady”
Answers:-1. The king was handsome but very vain. He constantly admired himself in mirrors, pools of water, and even in other people’s eyes.
2. The king’s vanity led to neglect of his duties, causing his people to become poorer and unhappier.
3. The king boasted in court that he was probably more handsome than all the gods.
4. The god decided to punish the king by giving him horns, transforming his appearance.
5. When the king woke up and discovered the punishment, he shrieked loudly and immediately sought the help of the royal barber.
6. The king asked the guards to send for the royal barber because he wanted to address the unexpected and unwanted change in his appearance caused by the god’s punishment.
7. Pride
8. steady
Unseen Passage For Class 9 – Passage 3
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
The postmaster took up his duties first in the village of Ulapur. Though the village was small, there was an indigo factory near it, and the proprietor, an Englishman, had managed to get a post office established.
Our postmaster belonged to Calcutta. He felt like a fish out of water in this remote village. His office and livingroom were in a dark thatched shed, not far from a green, slimy pond, surrounded on all sides by a dense growth.
The men employed in the indigo factory had no leisure; moreover, they were hardly desirable companions for decent folk. Nor is a Calcutta boy an adept in the art of associating with others. Among strangers he appears either proud or ill at ease. At any rate, the postmaster had but little company; nor had he much work to do. At times he tried his hand at writing verse.
That the movement of the leaves and the clouds of the sky were enough to fill life with joy-such were the sentiments to which he sought to give expression. But God knows that the poor fellow would have felt it as the gift of a new life, if some genie of the Arabian Nights had in one night swept away the trees, leaves and all, and substituted for them a macadamised road, and had hidden the clouds from view with rows of tall houses.
Please read the questions carefully asked from the Reading Comprehension for class 9 and answer them.
1. Where did the postmaster take up his duties first, and what was the notable establishment near the village?
2. Why did the postmaster feel like a fish out of water in the remote village of Ulapur?
3. Where were the postmaster’s office and living room located, and what was the surrounding environment like?
4. Why did the men employed in the indigo factory not make desirable companions for decent folk?
5. How did the Calcutta boy, the postmaster, appear when associating with strangers, and what sentiments did he express in his writing?
6. What change would the postmaster have welcomed as the gift of a new life, according to his sentiments expressed in the passage?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means, “rhyme.”
8. Find the opposite word from the passage “visible”
Answers:-
1. The postmaster took up his duties first in the village of Ulapur, near an indigo factory established by an Englishman.
2. The postmaster felt like a fish out of water in the remote village of Ulapur because he belonged to Calcutta.
3. The postmaster’s office and living-room were in a dark thatched shed near a green, slimy pond surrounded by dense growth.
4. The men employed in the indigo factory had no leisure and were hardly desirable companions for decent folk.
5. The Calcutta boy, the postmaster, appeared either proud or ill at ease when associating with strangers. He expressed sentiments about the joy in nature.
6. The postmaster would have welcomed the replacement of trees with a macadamised road and the hiding of clouds with tall houses.
7. Verse
8. hidden
Unseen Passage For Class 9 – Passage 4
Directions: Read the following Reading Comprehension for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the Reading Comprehension:-
The village Somal, nestling away in the forest tracts of Mempi, had a population of less than three hundred. It was in every way a village to make the heart of a rural reformer sink. Its tank, a small expanse of water, right in the middle of the village, served for drinking, bathing, and washing the cattle, and it bred malaria, typhoid, and heaven knew what else.
The cottages sprawled anyhow and the lanes twisted and wriggled up and down and strangled each other. The population used the highway as the refuse ground and in the backyard of every house drain water stagnated in green puddles. Such was the village. It is likely that the people of the village were insensitive, but it is more than likely that they never noticed their surroundings because they lived in a kind of perpetual enchantment.
The enchanter was Ragu Kaka the storyteller. He was a man of about sixty or seventy. Or was he eighty or one hundred and eighty? Who could say? In a place so much cut off as Somal (the nearest bus stop was ten miles away). reckoning could hardly be in the familiar measures of time. If anyone asked Ragu Kaka what his age was, he referred to an ancient famine or an invasion or the building of a bridge and indicated how high he had stood from the ground at the time.
He was illiterate, in the sense that the written word was a mystery to him; but he could make up a story, in his head, at the rate of one a month; each story took nearly ten days to narrate.
Please read the questions carefully asked from the unseen passage for class 9 and answer them.
1. How does the description of the village of Somal paint a picture of its living conditions?
2. What role does the village storyteller, Ragu Kaka, play in the community?
3. How does Ragu Kaka measure his age when asked?
4. Despite the challenging conditions of the village, why might the people be described as living in a state of enchantment?
5. What is Ragu Kaka’s literacy level, and how does he compensate for it?
6. How long does it take Ragu Kaka to narrate a story, and how frequently does he create them?
7. Find a similar word from the passage that means, “stretch .”
8. Find the opposite word from the passage “sensitive”
Answers:-1. The village of Somal has poor sanitation and living conditions, with Ragu Kaka the storyteller captivating its inhabitants.
2. Ragu Kaka serves as the village storyteller, weaving tales despite being illiterate, engaging the community in enchantment.
3. Ragu Kaka measures his age by referencing historical events or milestones, rather than in traditional years.
4. Despite harsh conditions, villagers are enchanted by Ragu Kaka’s storytelling, perhaps oblivious to surroundings due to perpetual fascination.
5. Ragu Kaka is illiterate but adept at storytelling, crafting one story per month, each taking around ten days to narrate.
6. Ragu Kaka takes ten days to narrate a story, creating one per month, despite his illiteracy, captivating the village with tales.
7.expanse
8.insensitive
Unseen Passage For Class 9 – Passage 5
Directions: Read the following unseen passage for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the unseen passage:-
Deep in the hearts of the Indian people, one name is held ever dear – the name of Vikramaditya, who became King of Malwa, it is said, in the year 57 before Christ.
He was so strong and true and gentle that the men of his own day almost worshiped him, and those of all after times were obliged to give him the first place, though they had never looked in his face, nor appealed to his great and tender heart-simply because they could see that there had never been a king loved like this king. But one thing we do know about Vikramaditya. It is said that he was the greatest judge in history.
Never was he deceived. Never did he punish the wrong man. The guilty trembled when they came before him, for they knew that his eyes would look straight into their guilt. And those who had difficult questions to ask, and wanted to know the truth, were thankful to be allowed to come, for they knew that their King would never rest till he understood the matter, and that then he could give an answer that would convince all.
Please read the questions carefully asked from the unseen passage for class 9 and answer them.
1. Who is held dear in the hearts of the Indian people?
2. In what year is it said that Vikramaditya became King of Malwa?
3. How is Vikramaditya described by those of his own day?
4. What is one thing known about Vikramaditya according to the passage?
5. How were the guilty affected when they came before Vikramaditya?
6. What did people know about Vikramaditya’s ability to understand difficult questions and provide answers?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means “powerful”
8. Find the opposite of “innocent”
Answers:-1. Vikramaditya is held dear in the hearts of the Indian people.
2. 57 BC is the year Vikramaditya became King of Malwa.
3. Vikramaditya is described by those of his own day as strong, true, gentle, almost worshiped by his contemporaries.
4. Vikramaditya was the greatest judge in history.
5. The guilty trembled before Vikramaditya, knowing his eyes would see their guilt.
6. People knew Vikramaditya would provide convincing answers after understanding difficult questions.
7. Strong
8. Guilty
Unseen Passage For Class 9 – Passage 6
Directions: Read the following unseen passage for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the unseen passage:-
The principal spread his hands in a helpless gesture. He looked at Mr Sastri, a small thin man in his slightly yellowed dhoti and his coat of a nondescript colour and his black cap. Outwardly he looked the same as he had for the last fifteen years that the principal had known him. A solid teacher, a mature and rational man, suitably diplo- matic in his dealings with those in authority, a good man to work with. The principal, heartened by his scrutiny of his colleague, continued with more hope-‘But the boy has already been punished for this misconduct,’ he said. ‘Why take it all up again?’
‘When More hurt that boy yesterday-the glass cut his cheek, and a small piece of it had to be removed from the wound at the government dispensary-I decided that he had to be stopped before he did any further damage. The boy who was hurt comes from a poor family. His parents are not in a position to do anything about More.’
‘I am sure Veerendra did not mean this particular boy any harm.’ ‘Most certainly he did not. He merely wanted to break a windowpane and disrupt my class. If in the process someone got hurt that was an added bonus.’
Question
1. How does the principal describe Mr. Sastri’s appearance?
2. What qualities does the principal attribute to Mr. Sastri?
3. Why does the principal feel heartened by Mr. Sastri’s scrutiny?
4. Why does the principal question the need to take up the issue again?
5. What incident prompted the principal to take action against More?
6. What is the principal’s assessment of Veerendra’s intentions?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means “capable”
8. Find the opposite of “Lethargic”
Answers:-1. The principal describes Mr. Sastri as a small, thin man in a slightly yellowed dhoti and a coat of nondescript color, wearing a black cap.
2. The principal attributes qualities such as being a solid teacher, mature, rational, suitably diplomatic, and a good colleague to Mr. Sastri.
3. The principal feels heartened by Mr. Sastri’s scrutiny because he finds him to be a trustworthy and competent colleague.
4. The principal questions the need to take up the issue again because he believes the boy has already been punished for his misconduct.
5. The incident that prompted the principal to take action against More was when More hurt another boy, causing a cut on his cheek that required medical attention.
6. The principal believes that Veerendra did not mean any harm to the specific boy who was hurt but merely intended to disrupt the class by breaking a windowpane.
7. Competent
8. Energetic
Unseen Passage For Class 9 – Passage 7
Directions: Read the following unseen passage for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the unseen passage:-
Sir Kanti Lal looked at himself in the mirror of a first class waiting room at the railway station. The mirror was obviously made in India. The red oxide at its back had come off at several places and long lines of translucent glass cut across its surface. Sir Kanti lal smiled at the mirror with an air of pity and patronage.
The mirror smiled back at Sir Kanti lal. “You are a bit of all right, old chap,’ it said. ‘Distinguished, efficient,even handsome. That neatly trimmed mustache- the suit from Saville Row with the carnation in the button-hole-the aroma of eau de cologne, talcum powder, and scented soap all about you! Yes, old fellow, you are a bit of all right.’ Sir Kanti lal threw out his chest, smoothed his Balliol tie for the umpteenth time and waved a goodbye to the mirror.
Outside the waiting room Sir Kanti Lal’s luggage lay piled along the wall. On a small grey steel trunk Lachmi, Lady Kanti Lal, sat chewing a betel leaf and fanning herself with a newspaper. She was short and fat and in her middle forties. She wore a white sari with a red border. On one side of her nose glistened a diamond nose-ring and she had several gold bangles on her arms. She had been talking to the bearer until Sir Kanti Lal had summoned him inside. As soon as he had gone, she hailed a passing railway coolie.
Questions:-
1. What is Sir Kanti lal’s reaction upon seeing himself in the mirror?
2. Describe the condition of the mirror at the railway station.
3. How does the mirror respond to Sir Kanti lal’s appearance?
4. How is Lady Kanti Lal described physically?
5. What was Lady Kanti Lal doing before Sir Kanti Lal summoned the bearer inside?
6. How does Lady Kanti Lal signal for assistance after the bearer leaves?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means “Baggage”
8. Find the opposite of “Untalented”
Answers:-1. Sir Kanti lal smiles at the mirror with an air of pity and patronage.
2. The mirror’s red oxide at the back has come off in several places, and long lines of translucent glass cut across its surface.
3. The mirror compliments Sir Kanti lal, describing him as distinguished, efficient, and even handsome.
4. Lady Kanti Lal is described as short, fat, in her middle forties, wearing a white sari with a red border, and adorned with a diamond nose-ring and several gold bangles.
5. Lady Kanti Lal was chewing a betel leaf and fanning herself with a newspaper.
6. Lady Kanti Lal hails a passing railway coolie for assistance after the bearer leaves.
7. Luggage
8. talented
Unseen Passage For Class 9 – Passage 8
Directions: Read the following unseen passage for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the unseen passage:-
There was once a young man who was strong and healthy and enjoyed his work. In every way he felt on top of life, and had no sympathy for the uninteresting folk who seemed to form such a large proportion of the population.
One day he got an attack of influenza. He had had it before and paid little attention to it but this time he developed pneumonia and was dangerously ill. When he recovered he could only move slowly. He was easily tired and life became difficult for him. When he was well enough to go to work he found the journey home very tiring. He looked at the strong young men sitting comfortably in the train or bus, and then, feeling tired himself, noticed how tired some of the older people who were standing beside him.
Gradually he got strong again, but when he was in a train or bus he now looked round to see if there was any older person in need of a seat, and if there was he gave up his. “I’ve got my strength back now,” he said to himself; “these older people will never have their strength again.”
1. Describe the young man before his illness. How did he view others?
2. What happened to the young man after he fell ill with pneumonia?
3. How did the young man’s perspective change after his recovery?
4. Why did the young man find life difficult after recovering from his illness?
5. What did the young man notice about older people while traveling on public transport?
6. How did the young man’s behavior change towards older people after regaining his strength?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means “people”
8. Find the opposite of “weak”
Answers:-1. Before his illness, the young man was strong, healthy, and enjoyed his work. He viewed others as uninteresting.
2. After falling ill with pneumonia, the young man became dangerously ill and could only move slowly.
3. After recovery, the young man noticed the difficulties of life and felt empathy towards older people.
4. The young man found life difficult after recovery because he easily tired and the journey to work was exhausting.
5. While traveling, the young man noticed how tired some older people were, especially when standing.
6. After regaining his strength, the young man looked for older people in need of a seat on public transport and offered his seat to them, realizing they might never regain their strength.
7. Folk
8. Strong
Unseen Passage For Class 9 – Passage 9
Directions: Read the following unseen passage for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the unseen passage:-
There was once a young man who was strong and healthy and enjoyed his work. In every way he felt on top of life, and had no sympathy for the uninteresting folk who seemed to form such a large proportion of the population. One day he got an attack of influenza. He had had it before and paid little attention to it but this time he developed pneumonia and was dangerously ill.
When he recovered he could only move slowly. He was easily tired and life became difficult for him. When he was well enough to go to work he found the journey home very tiring. He looked at the strong young men sitting comfortably in the train or bus, and then, feeling tired himself, noticed how tired some of the older people who were standing beside him.
Gradually he got strong again, but when he was in a train or bus he now looked round to see if there was any older person in need of a seat, and if there was he gave up his. “I’ve got my strength back now,” he said to himself; “these older people will never have their strength again.’
1. What was the young man’s attitude towards life before he fell ill?
2. How did the young man’s perception change after he recovered from his illness?
3. What did the young man notice about the older people on public transport?
4. How did the young man’s actions reflect his change in attitude towards others?
5. What realization did the young man have about his own strength compared to the older people?
6. How did the young man’s experience with illness change his perspective on life?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means “tiredness”
8. Find the opposite of “ill”
Answers:-1. Before falling ill, the young man felt strong, healthy, and enjoyed his work. He had no sympathy for what he perceived as uninteresting people.
2. After recovering from illness, the young man felt weak and easily tired. He became empathetic towards older people and their fatigue.
3. The young man noticed that some older people standing beside him on public transport appeared tired.
4. The young man started giving up his seat to older people in need, showing compassion and consideration for their fatigue.
5. The young man realized that although he had regained his strength, older people might never regain the same level of energy.
6. The young man’s experience with illness made him more empathetic and considerate towards others, especially older people, realizing the importance of compassion and kindness in life.
7. Fatigue
8. Healthy
Unseen Passage For Class 9 – Passage 10
Directions: Read the following unseen passage for class 9 carefully and answer the questions given below the unseen passage:-
Sometimes people ask very tiresome questions and we like to make a joke about it. “Are you a boy Scout?” said a lady to a boy wearing shorts, a jersey with badges, a Scout’s hat, and carrying a Boy Scout pole. “No.” said the little fellow. “I’m two eggs on toast.” The lady only meant, however, ‘How nice you look in your uniform; that is the Scout uniform, isn’t it?’ and there was really nothing silly in her remark.
It is only stupid people who take remarks too literally, as we say; that is, who do not look for the real meaning in the statements people make. Thus, when a friend says, “You will not be going past the post office, will you?” he may mean, “I should be grateful if you would post a letter for me if it is not too much trouble.” If you say “No” to the question because you are not going past the post office, it means to your friend that you are not willing to go out of your way even a little to oblige him.
1. What did the lady ask the boy wearing Scout attire, and how did the boy respond?
2. What does the passage suggest about interpreting remarks too literally?
3. Explain the intended meaning behind the lady’s question to the boy.
4. How does the passage illustrate the importance of understanding the real meaning behind statements?
5. What might a friend imply when asking if you’re going past the post office?
6. Why does the passage advise against taking remarks too literally?
7. Find the similar word from the passage which means “Outfit”
8. Find the opposite of “Intelligent”
1. The lady asked if the boy was a Boy Scout. The boy humorously replied, “No, I’m two eggs on toast.”
2. The passage suggests that interpreting remarks too literally is characteristic of stupid people who fail to grasp the underlying meaning.
3. The lady’s question was a polite inquiry about the boy’s Scout uniform, but the boy’s response was a humorous play on words.
4. The passage illustrates that people often convey meanings beyond the literal interpretation of their words, emphasizing the importance of understanding context and intentions.
5. When asking if you’re going past the post office, a friend may be politely requesting you to post a letter for them.
6. The passage advises against taking remarks too literally because doing so may lead to misunderstandings or missed opportunities to help others.
7. Uniform
8. Stupid
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