CBSE Class 9 English: Reach for the Top NCERT Solutions

Solution:

1. The 'holy man' was surprised because Santosh's grandmother informed him that they did not want a son. This was contrary to his assumption that her mother desired a son, as was common in their society.
2. Even as a young girl, Santosh demonstrated her unwillingness to accept unreasonable norms by preferring to wear shorts instead of the traditional Indian dresses worn by other girls. She lived life on her own terms.
3. Santosh was sent to the local village school primarily due to the prevailing custom within her family, even though her parents could afford to send her to better institutions.
4. When Santosh turned sixteen, she faced pressure to get married. To avoid this and pursue her education, she threatened her parents that she would never marry if she didn't receive proper schooling. Consequently, she left home and enrolled herself in a school in Delhi.
5. Santosh's parents agreed to pay for her schooling in Delhi when she informed them about her plan to work part-time to support her education. This incident highlights Santosh's strong-willed nature, her determination to achieve her goals, and her clear vision for her future.

Solution:

1. Santosh began climbing mountains out of curiosity. She accompanied some mountaineers on an expedition up the Aravali hills to find out where the villagers vanished after a while.
2. During the Everest mission, Santosh showed great concern for her team-mates. She made efforts to save one climber and successfully revived another using artificial respiration.
3. Santosh's deep concern for the environment is evident from the fact that she collected approximately 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas and brought it down with her.
4. At the summit of Everest, Santosh described her feelings as 'indescribable'. Unfurling the Indian flag was a spiritual moment, filling her with immense pride as an Indian.
5. Santosh Yadav became the youngest woman in the world to scale Mt Everest on her first attempt. On her second ascent, she became the only woman to have scaled it twice, setting two records.

Solution:

1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch villagers going up the hill and suddenly vanish after a while.
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had got herself enrolled at Uttarkashi's Nehru Institute of Mountaineering without his permission.
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her climbing skills, physical fitness and mental strength while her concern for others and desire to work together with them endeared her to fellow climbers.

Solution:

1. took to be true without proof (1): Assumed
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable (2): Rational
3. the usual way of doing things (3): Custom
4. a strong desire arising from within (5): Urge
5. the power to endure, without falling ill (7): Resistance