CBSE Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 3: The Little Girl NCERT Solutions

Here is the correct matching of emotions from Column A with the situations in Column B:

1. Fear or terror matches with (iv) Going to bed when alone at home. Kezia felt intense fear when she was alone at night, imagining scary things.
2. Glad sense of relief matches with (ii) Noise of the carriage grows fainter. This indicates her father has left, and she feels relieved from his intimidating presence.
3. A "funny" feeling, perhaps of understanding matches with (vi) Father comforts her and falls asleep. This situation marks a turning point where Kezia begins to understand her father's softer side and his exhaustion.

The other matches are:

• (i) Father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss - This might evoke a mix of fear and duty, not necessarily relief or understanding.
• (iii) Speaking to father - This often induced fear and stuttering in Kezia.
• (v) Father stretched out on the sofa, snoring - This shows his exhaustion and a less intimidating side, but Kezia's understanding of this develops later.

1. Kezia was afraid of her father because he was a strict and imposing figure who often scolded her and expected her to behave perfectly, making her feel intimidated.
2. Kezia's immediate family consisted of her mother, her father, and her grandmother.
3. Before going to his office, Kezia's father would typically enter her room to give her a brief, formal kiss goodbye.
4. After returning from his office, Kezia's father would loudly ask his mother to bring him his tea, the newspaper, and his slippers.
5. On Sundays, Kezia's father usually slept soundly on the sofa in the drawing-room, often with a handkerchief covering his face.
6. Kezia's grandmother encouraged her to get to know her father by suggesting they spend time together in the drawing-room and by prompting Kezia to make a handmade gift for his birthday.

1. Kezia's attempts to please her father often backfired due to her fear and misunderstanding of his expectations. For instance, when her grandmother suggested she make a pin-cushion for her father's birthday, Kezia diligently stitched it. However, while looking for stuffing, she found fine paper in her mother's room and tore them into pieces to fill the cushion. Unbeknownst to her, these were drafts of her father's important speech for the Port Authority. When her father discovered his speech was ruined, he became extremely angry, turning Kezia's well-intentioned effort to please him into a major cause for his displeasure. Her fear also made her stutter when speaking to him, leading him to scold her for not being able to speak properly.
2. Kezia observed that Mr. Macdonald, her neighbour, was a very different kind of father compared to her own. Mr. Macdonald was playful and engaged directly with his children; he was seen playing with them, running, and even being chased by them in his yard. He seemed approachable and warm, unlike Kezia's father, who was stern, formal, and often intimidating. Kezia's father's interactions were characterized by commands and scolding, whereas Mr. Macdonald's interactions were filled with laughter and casual affection, highlighting a stark contrast in their parenting styles and their children's comfort levels.
3. Kezia begins to see her father as a human being needing sympathy after a particularly frightening nightmare. In her dream, she saw a butcher with a knife, and she woke up screaming. Her father rushed into her room, comforted her, and stayed with her until she fell asleep. This act of tenderness and protection, especially after she had been so afraid of him, made her realize that he too had a hard day at work, felt tired, and perhaps had his own worries. She saw his rough hands and understood that he was not just a scary figure but someone who also needed care and understanding, much like herself.