NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Main Course Book Chapter 6
Unit-2 : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 34
Q1 : I saw individual stars, but I could not distinguish the 
they belonged to. Then dawn came and put out all my stars.
Therefore constellation means___________________.
Answer :
Therefore constellation means a group of stars
Clue: Opposite of individual
Q2 : Indeed there had been a
distant for some time, although I had paid no
attention to it. Now I started listening and I thought it sounded like the characteristic noise of jet airplanes constantly landing and taking off.
Therefore rumbling means ____________________________.
Answer :
Therefore rumbling means a deep thundering sound
Clue: It sounds like a jet plane constantly taking off and landing
Q3 : It was a 
wave with steep, very slowly falling crests. Never in my life had I seen such an enormous wave. It seemed to be touching the sky.
Therefore gigantic means ____________________________.
Answer :
Therefore gigantic means huge in proportion
Clue: “An enormous wave…touching the sky”
Q4 : The wave did not break over me as I assumed it would. An force dragged me
up its steep slope, right to the very foot of the falling crest.
Therefore irresistible means ________________________.
Answer :
Therefore irresistible means what cannot be avoided
Clue: A force that drags one up
Q5 : For a moment I found myself in the air under the crest, as if in a cave.
Then, my body was in
the current of water; the inner power of the wave
turned me head over heels several times, twisting me in all directions before it tired.
Therefore swirling means__________________________________.
Answer :
Therefore swirling means and moving around quickly in circle
Clue: “twisting in all directions”
Q6 : Around me I could see random currents of water, splashes of foam and
spray all swirling about…. I left a trail of luminous water and my body glittered like some princess’s ball gown.
Therefore phosphorescent means ________________________.
Answer :
Therefore phosphorescent means a dim light
Clue: “a trail of luminous water and my body glittered”
Q7 : How long do you think you can stay alive in the water?
Answer :
A person can stay alive if he/she does not catch hypothermia. One must try to stay awake and not let fatigue overpower them. One can stay alive for a day or two at least if enormous waves do not swirl him/her into the depths of the sea.
Q8 : How will you know which way to swim?
Answer :
One must keep in mind the position of the sun during day and pole star during night to know east and west and north respectively. Thus, one has to remember the direction in which they had to sail to reach the destination and swim accordingly.
Q9 : What dangers will you face?
Answer :
One can face several dangers in the blue. There can be huge water waves that might force drown the person. If the water will be too cold then the person can catch hypothermia. There is danger of sharks and other marine creatures. Thus, there are several risks involved and it is really difficult to escape such a situation. However, there have been cases in which people have been lucky enough.
Q10 : Below are some incomplete sentences about the story. Complete each sentence appropriately, according to the story.
1. Slava Kurilov was in the water because he…
Evidence for this is…
2. His biggest mistake was when he…
3. He decided to die because…
4. He was carried towards the lagoon when he decided to…
Answer :
1. Slava Kurilov was in the water because he… Although nothing much has been provided in the story of how Salva fell in the water, we can assume that he must have slipped off from the liner he was travelling in.
Evidence for this is… No concrete evidence has been provided. However, we can assume so as it has been said that Salva saw hat the liner had vanished over the horizon.
2. His biggest mistake was when he decided to change the course and headed for the south-west before the second night.
3. He decided to die because the third night had already begun and he had no hope of surviving till the dawn,
4. He was carried towards the lagoon when he decided to keep his body horizontally on the crest of the waves.
Q11 Below is a map of the area in which Slava Kurilov faced his ordeal. You will also see the major events in the story, in mixed order, each accompanied by a symbol. After you have read ‘Ordeal in the Ocean’, draw the appropriate symbol against each x mark. (One is already drawn for you.) Draw the symbols or number the symbols, and transfer them to the map.)
Answer :
From Russia
Route of the liner
Salva leaves the ship
Hears thunder of waves
First night in the water-guided by star
Current carries him in wrong direction
Sees land for first time
Siargao Island
Near land- sees birds and fish
Island
Decides to die
Can stand for first time
Q12 : The author uses many vivid and colourful expressions to describe the ocean, clouds, sky, waves and his own feelings. List the expressions that you like the most.
- Ocean
1)
2)
- Clouds and sky
1) The sun looked out for the last time as if it were saying goodbye to me.
2)
- Waves
1)
2)
Find at least two expressions under each heading.
Answer :
- Ocean
1) The ocean around me was full of life; large fish often leapt out of the water and big birds flew right above my head.
2) My third night in the ocean crept up unnoticed. This third night in the ocean was very dark, much darker than the two previous ones.
- Clouds and sky
1) The sun looked out for the last time as if it were saying goodbye to me.
2) The sky was grey at first, then blue-violet shades appeared. In a few minutes, the colours became brighter, with dark red strips cutting across the sky!
- Waves
1) It was a gigantic wave with steep, very slowly falling crests. Never in my life had I seen such an enormous wave- it even seemed to be touching the sky. It moved very slowly and was fantastically beautiful.
2) Then my body was in a swirling current of water; the inner power of the wave turned me head over heels several times, twisting me in all directions before it tired.
Q13 : Another technique adopted by the writer is to use figures of speech such as a simile. A simile is used to express similarity between two things. e.g. He is as fast as lightning. The rain fell heavily on the metal roof like a machine-gun. Similes usually start with ‘like’ or ‘as’.
Find two similes in the last section of the story.
Answer :
Below are given two similes from the last section of the story.
1) I found myself in the air under the crest as if in a cave.
2) My body glittered like some princess’s ball-gown.
Q14 : Now try to build your own similes for the following:
1. The rock stood…
2. The waves leapt…
3. the sea shone…
4. the sun set…
5. the rain fell…
6. the bird soared…
7. dawn broke…
8. the stars…
9. the wind shook the trees…
Answer :
Sample answers has been provided for students’ reference.
It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
1. The rock stood like some proud emperor.
2. The waves leapt as if the whole sea was rising.
3. The sea shone like a waving sheet of gold.
4. The sun set like a sighing lover.
5. The rain fell like the whole heaven was crying.
6. The bird soared as if it were born to conquer the sky.
7. Dawn broke like a new born baby.
8. The stars shimmered like diamonds.
9. The wind shook the trees like a human is flabbergasted.
Q15 : Now that you have seen some techniques for creating vivid images with language, try to compose a poem or write a short descriptive paragraph using similes and colourful expressions. Work in pairs if you prefer. Then read it out to the class.
Choose one of these themes: waves, stars and moon, rocks, sunset or sunrise.
Consider the following for your chosen theme:
- What does it look like?
- What does it feel like?
- What does it sound like?
- How does it move?
- Where do we see it?
- When do we see it?
Answer :
A sample answer has been provided for students’ reference.
It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
They all have come tonight again
Their charm is not to wither away
The studs from the crown of princes so proud
The twinkle of her eyes in merry or pain
They stretch so far above the heaven
They come like a hope in the darkness so deep
And move with the light that descends to fade
Them in the gloomy night emblazoned
These creatures who do not talk but little
Do they know the silence we hear?
The distance they mourn, oh! how they wish
To adorn this world, they do jostle