Poem”Gifts of grace : Honouring our vocations” Q&A and Poem Analysis

Meta Description: Looking for complete answers for your textbook exercises? Explore our comprehensive guide covering the “Reflect and Respond” riddles, poem analysis, critical reflection, and vocabulary exercises for the poem celebrating Bharat’s varied vocations.

Welcome to your complete study guide! Whether you are a student preparing for exams or a teacher looking for discussion points, this post provides clear, step-by-step answers to all textbook exercises related to the poem celebrating India’s diverse vocations.

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Page 1 & 2: Reflect and Respond (Vocations and Riddles)

Let’s begin by identifying the essential workers who build and sustain our society through their traditional skills.

Part I: Riddle Time

Read the riddles below and identify the professions:

• Q: In furrows deep, secrets I sow, As time passes, I watch them grow. Who am I?Answer: A Farmer.
• Q: From wheel to kiln, my skill is born, Step by step, an art takes form. Who am I?Answer: A Potter.
• Q: I lay foundations, brick by brick, To build a house, it’s me you pick. Who am I?Answer: A Mason or Builder.
• Q: I work with pots, pans, and spice, Creating dishes that taste so nice. Who am I?Answer: A Cook or Chef.

Part II: The Role of Vocations

Q: How do these individuals contribute to society?

Answer: They provide essential goods and services that sustain our daily lives. Farmers grow our food, potters create utility vessels, masons build our infrastructure, and cooks prepare our nourishment.

Part III: Visual Identification and Comparisons

Based on textbook imagery depicting basket weaving, pottery making, and cloth weaving:

• Five additional vocations: Plumber, Electrician, Teacher, Doctor, and Tailor.
• Common theme in the pictures: They all depict individuals engaged in traditional, skill-based manual labor and crafts.
• Skill-based work is known as: Vocations.
• Handmade vs. Machine-made: Handmade products require human skill, take more time, and are unique. Machine-made products are mass-produced, uniform, and manufactured quickly.

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Page 4 & 5: Check Your Understanding (Poem Analysis)

True or False Statements

• The poem highlights the skilled work of craftspersons. -> True.
• The poet shares that musicians express emotions through their instruments. -> False. (Musicians are not mentioned in this way in the extract).
• The carpenters in the poem are admired for their logical work. -> False. (Carpenters are not explicitly mentioned).
• The electricians in the poem are recognised for their crucial role in lighting up lives. -> False. (Electricians are not mentioned in the extract).
• The poem pays homage to shoemakers who manufacture quality footwear. -> True.
• The poem celebrates the patriotism of the people of Bharat. -> False. (It primarily celebrates varied vocations).
• The poet feels that each vocation deserves to be respected. -> True.

Literary Devices and Appreciation

• Rhyme Scheme: The poem is written in free verse.
• Line Length Impact: Varying lengths create a flowing, conversational rhythm mimicking the diverse nature of vocations.
• Line Structure: Most lines introduce a worker and then describe the nature or quality of their work.
• Speaker: An observer listening to and celebrating the diverse voices across Bharat.
• Tone: Celebratory and reverential.
• Mood: Joyful.
• Visual Imagery Examples: “The boatmen gathering their nets from the shore” and “feet that walk, dance, run, jump”.
• Auditory Imagery: “singing while at work” and “delicious singing of the cook”.
• Metaphor: The “delicious singing” of the cook is a metaphor equating the pleasing quality of the song to the taste of great food.
• Personification Line: “The voice of their vocation is the voice of their identity.”
• Repetition Significance: Beginning and ending with the same line emphasizes the central theme of celebrating diverse skills.
• Alliteration Examples: “sailing, and singing” and “voice of their vocation”.
• Symbolism: Each vocation symbolizes the identity of the worker.

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Page 6 & 7: Critical Reflection

Extract-Based Questions

• Meaning of ‘affirm’: To declare with confidence.
• Role of quality shoes: They help the feet walk, dance, run, jump, and return home.
• Symbolism of ‘return home’: A sense of safety, comfort, and a reliable foundation.
• Phrase showing distinct contributions: “each celebrating what belongs to them and to none else”.
• Context of feet activities: Refers to the daily activities and journeys of life supported by the shoemaker’s craft.

Short Answer Questions

• Why say ‘I hear Bharat celebrating’? The poet views the diverse labor of the people as a joyful expression of national identity.
• Significance of ‘humming’: It suggests the worker finds personal joy in their vocation.
• Voice of vocation = voice of identity: This highlights that a person’s work is deeply intertwined with who they are culturally and personally.
• Importance of all vocations: A functional society relies on diverse skills. Farmers provide sustenance, while sanitation workers ensure safety, showing that every role holds unique value.
• Sensory imagery used: Rich descriptions like “boatmen sailing and singing” bring the everyday work to vibrant life.

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Page 7 & 8: Vocabulary in Context & Synonyms

Match the Vocation

Description	Vocation
Studies or grows garden plants	Horticulturist
Trained female community health worker	ASHA worker
Producer of raw silk	Sericulturist
Makes or sells sweets and chocolates	Confectioner
Works with precious metals	Goldsmith
Fuses materials together	Welder

Identify the Odd One Out (Not a Synonym)

• myriad: countable (Odd one out)
• hues: drawing (Odd one out)
• precision: calculation (Odd one out)
• varied: uniform (Odd one out)
• delicious: inedible (Odd one out)

(Note: The Listen and Respond section on Pages 8 and 9 requires an audio transcript and is done practically in the classroom).

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Page 10: Writing Task – Career Mela Poster

If you are organizing a school event to explore different vocations, here is how you can structure your poster:

• NAME OF THE ORGANISER: [Your School Name]
• Event: CAREER MELA
• Purpose: To spread awareness about various careers
• Date & Time: On 25 February from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Venue: At the School Grounds / Auditorium
• Highlights/Attractions: Information provided for all streams, Career Counsellors on-site, Interactive Sessions with professionals.
• Slogan: CHART YOUR FUTURE AT CAREER MELA
• Entry tickets: FREE
• Sponsors: [Local Businesses / Educational Partners]
• Issuing Authority: School Administration

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2026-27-NCERT-9-Kaveri-Full-Book-PDF.pdf

🟢 A. Tick the correct option:

1. The capacity to meet challenges and difficulties, adapt to them or overcome them is called:
   (a) Adaptation
   (b) Adoption
   ✅ (c) Resilience
   (d) Resistance
2. Which of the following places does not have snowfall?
   (a) Kashmir
   ✅ (b) Karnataka
   (c) Ladakh
   (d) Sikkim
3. The meeting point of two or more rivers is called:
   ✅ (a) Confluence
   (b) Estuary
   (c) Tributary
   (d) Meander
4. The mountain between Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim:
   (a) Mount Everest
   (b) Mt. Kilimanjaro
   (c) Mt. Aconcagua
   ✅ (d) Kanchenjunga
5. Trees that grow tall and cone-shaped, with thin pointed leaves:
   (a) Moss
   (b) Lichen
   ✅ (c) Conifer
   (d) Deodar

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🟡 B. State whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F):

1. Plains do not have any large hills or deep valleys. – ✅ True
2. Floodplains originate in mountain ranges. – ✅ True
3. Thousands of years ago, the first civilisation developed on the mountains. – ❌ False
4. All landforms have similar physical characteristics. – ❌ False
5. High population and pollution are affecting the Ganga plains. – ✅ True

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🔵 C. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:

1. Farming is a major economic occupation in plains.
2. The Hundru Falls on the Subarnarekha River in the Chhota Nagpur Plateau is spectacular.
3. On plateaus, mining is a major activity.
4. Bon is an ancient Tibetan religion.
5. Terrace farming is practised on mountain slopes.

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🟣 D. Match the items in Column A with those in Column B:

Column A	Column B
1. The meeting point of two or more rivers	(d) Confluence
2. One type of plains formed by rivers from mountains	(e) Floodplains
3. Sediments	(a) Silt and sand
4. Mountains and plateaus	(b) Mineral deposits
5. Goddess of the Sky	(c) Sagarmatha

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🟤 E. Very Short Answer Questions:

1. Where did the first civilisations develop thousands of years ago?
   → In the river plains.
2. What is the major occupation of people living in river plains?
   → Agriculture.
3. What is traditional agriculture?
   → It is the practice of farming using natural rainfall (rainfed farming) and traditional tools or methods.
4. How did people travel in earlier times before modern transportation?
   → People used boats, horses, camels, and bullock carts.
5. Name the desert of India.
   → Thar Desert

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🟠 F. Short Answer Questions:

1. How does a gentle slope of plains support economic activities?
   → Gentle slopes make plains ideal for farming, building roads, transportation, and settlement.
2. Rivers around the world have carried immense cultural value. How?
   → Rivers are considered sacred, and people conduct ceremonies and rituals at their source and confluence.
3. Name some popular tourist destinations in India and tell which landform they belong to:
   • Manali – Mountains (Himachal Pradesh)
   • Cherrapunji – Plateau (Meghalaya)
   • Varanasi – Plains (Uttar Pradesh)
4. Name two hot deserts and two cold deserts:
   • Hot: Sahara Desert (Africa), Thar Desert (India)
   • Cold: Gobi Desert (Asia), Antarctica
5. How can you say that humans have adapted to most deserts? Give one example.
   → People living in the Thar Desert have developed unique cultural practices like folk music, camel transport, and water conservation to survive.

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🔴 G. Long Answer Questions:

1. Why do people prefer to live in plains rather than higher lands?
   → Plains have fertile soil, gentle slopes, easy access to water, and are suitable for farming, transport, and dense settlement.
2. What are deserts? How are they different from other landforms?
   → Deserts are dry areas with low rainfall and sparse vegetation. They differ by having extreme temperatures, less water, and unique adaptations in people, plants, and animals.
3. How can you say that each landform offers different challenges as well as opportunities?
   →
   • Mountains: Cold climate, tourism, difficult transport.
   • Plateaus: Mining-rich, less fertile soil.
   • Plains: Fertile soil but face pollution and overpopulation.
     → Every landform has its own strengths and difficulties.
4. What are floodplains? How are they formed?
   → Floodplains are flat lands formed by rivers depositing sediments over time.
   → Rivers from mountains carry silt and sand, which get deposited in the plains, making the soil fertile.

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Let me know if you’d like this in a PDF format or as a worksheet with space for writing answers.

You said:

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H. Below is given a satellite view of the Ganga Plain. Observe and describe the image as per the following points:

1. Location of the Ganga Plain and its expansion.
   → The Ganga Plain is located in northern India, spreading across the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. It extends from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal.
2. What does the white expanse represent?
   → The white expanse represents the Himalayan snow-covered mountains and clouds visible from space.
3. Type of soil.
   → The soil of the Ganga Plain is alluvial soil, which is very fertile and ideal for agriculture.
4. Major occupation of the people living in the Ganga Plain.
   → The major occupation is agriculture, with crops like rice, wheat, sugarcane, and pulses commonly grown.
5. Cultural value of the Ganga and its rivers along with the confluence.
   → The Ganga River is considered sacred in Indian culture. Many religious ceremonies, rituals, and festivals are conducted at its source and confluence with other rivers (e.g., at Prayagraj where the Ganga meets the Yamuna and Saraswati). The river holds immense spiritual and cultural importance for millions of people.

A. Tick the correct option:

1. It has huge reserves of manganese, coal and iron:
   (a) The Cherrapunji Plateau
   (b) The Deccan Plateau
   (c) The African Plateau
   (d) The Chhota Nagpur Plateau ✅
2. The plateau which has been nicknamed the ‘Roof of the World’:
   (a) The Deccan Plateau
   (b) The East African Plateau
   (c) The Cherrapunji Plateau
   (d) The Tibetan Plateau ✅
3. Chomolungma is the name given to it by Tibetans. It is…..
   (a) Mount Everest ✅
   (b) Mount Kailash
   (c) Mount Aconcagua
   (d) Mount Kilimanjaro
4. A lower area between hills or mountains, often with a river or stream flowing through it:
   (a) Terrain
   (b) Plateau
   (c) Valley ✅
   (d) Plains
5. A sudden violent rainstorm is called:
   (a) Flash flood
   (b) Avalanche
   (c) Cloudburst ✅
   (d) Landslide

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B. State whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F):

1. Ganga is the largest river that originates from the Himalayas. – True ✅
2. The mountain terrain is so rugged and rough that no cultivation is practised there. – False ❌ (Terrace farming is practised.)
3. The Deccan Plateau is the youngest plateau in the world. – False ❌ (It is one of the oldest.)
4. The Jog Falls in the Chhota Nagpur Plateau is a famous fall. – False ❌ (Jog Falls is in the Western Ghats.)
5. Lava Plateau is formed through volcanic activity. – True ✅

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C. Fill in the blanks using appropriate words:

1. Nepalis call Mount Everest Sagarmatha.
2. Mining is a major activity on plateaus.
3. The sudden fall of snow, ice or rocks from a mountainside is known as an avalanche.
4. A piece or stretch of land, from the point of view of its physical features, is called terrain.
5. A plant-like organism that generally clings to rocks, walls or trees is called lichen.

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D. Match the following items in Column A with those in Column B:

Column A	Column B
1. The Aravalli Range	(c) Older hills
2. The Victoria Falls	(e) The Zambezi in southern Africa
3. The East African Plateau	(d) Gold and diamond mining
4. A small green plant without flowers	(a) Moss
5. The largest and highest plateau	(b) Tibetan Plateau

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E. Short Answer Questions:

1. Mountains are called ‘storehouses of minerals’. Give reason with an example.
   Mountains and plateaus are called storehouses of minerals because they are rich in mineral resources. For example, the Aravalli Range is rich in minerals and mining activities are common in these regions.
2. Why are the Aravalli Hills rounded at the top?
   The Aravalli Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. Over time, erosion by wind and water has made its peaks rounded.
3. Name the rivers which originate in the Himalayas.
   Rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra originate in the Himalayas.
4. How are plateaus similar to mountains?
   Both plateaus and mountains are elevated landforms, formed due to tectonic movements. They may contain mineral deposits and have rugged terrain.

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F. Long Answer Questions:

1. Mining is a major activity on plateaus. Why? Explain with some examples.
   Plateaus are rich in minerals, making mining a major activity. For example, the Chhota Nagpur Plateau has reserves of coal, iron, and manganese. The East African Plateau is known for gold and diamond mining. The availability of minerals near the surface allows easy access for mining.
2. How are mountains different from plateaus in terms of occupation, soil, environment, vegetation, and scenic beauty?
   • Occupation: In mountains, herding and tourism are common; in plateaus, mining is prevalent.
   • Soil: Mountain soil is thin and less fertile; plateau soil can vary but is often rocky. Lava plateaus may have fertile black soil.
   • Environment: Mountains have cold climates with high altitudes; plateaus have diverse climates.
   • Vegetation: Mountains have montane forests; plateaus have grasslands or sparse vegetation.
   • Scenic Beauty: Mountains are more scenic and attract more tourists due to their snow-capped peaks and valleys.

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G. Assertion and Reason Questions:

1. Assertion: Many plateaus have rocky soils.
   Reason: Less fertile plateaus are less favourable to farming.
   Answer: (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion.
2. Assertion: Tourism is often an important source of income for the people living in the mountains.
   Reason: The crisp mountain air and scenic beauty attract tourists.
   Answer: (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion.
3. Assertion: The mountain terrain is flat and smooth.
   Reason: In many mountainous regions of the world, agriculture is practised over herding.
   Answer: (d) Both Assertion and Reason are false.

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H. Case Study Questions:

1. What is an important source of income for the people living in the mountains?
   Tourism
2. Name some important mountain sports.
   Skiing, hiking, mountaineering, paragliding
3. Why did people travel to the mountains in the past?
   For pilgrimages to holy sites
4. Name the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest.
   Bachendri Pal
5. How can you say that mountain environment is under pressure?
   Due to excessive tourism, deforestation, construction, and pollution, which affect the natural balance.

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I. Exploration Corner:

1. Name the mountain which lies between Nepal and Sikkim.
   Mount Kanchenjunga
2. The highest peak of the Andes
   Mount Aconcagua
3. The highest mountain of the Alps
   Mont Blanc
4. Cone-shaped tall trees with thin pointed leaves
   Conifer trees
5. The poem ‘Kumārasambhava’ was written by
   Kalidasa