Class 9 English Half Yearly Question Paper 2025 Answer Key

Class 9 English Half Yearly Question Paper 2025 Answer Key (NCERT Based)

SECTION – A (Reading Skills)

1. Read the passage and answer the following questions : (10 Marks)
Once a lady was driving a car. She saw a man walking along the road. She sounded the horn from a distance. On hearing it, the man was so confused that he turned to the wrong side. The lady tried to stop the car. But it was running at top speed, so she turned it aside and the car struck against a tree. The engine burst and the body of the car was broken to pieces. The Lady was also wounded. She filed a suit against the man. This man is responsible for the accident,” argued she, “as he was walking carelessly,” “No, my lord” replied the men, “this lady is to blame. She does not know how to drive a Car”. “But I have been driving my car for the last twelve years,” argued the lady, “and there has never been an accident.” “And I have been walking for the last forty years,” replied the man, “and there has never been any mishap.” The judge burst into laughter and dismissed the case against the man.
Questions :
(i) How did the man react on hearing the horn?
Answer – He was so confused that he turned to the wrong side of the road.

(ii) What was the damage caused?
Answer – The car’s engine burst and the body of the car was broken to pieces.

(iii) How did the car strike against a tree?
Answer – The lady tried to stop the car, but as it was running at top speed, she turned it aside, and it crashed into the tree.

(iv) What did the man tell the Judge?
Answer – He told the Judge that the lady was to blame because she did not know how to drive a car.

(v) How was the lady injured?
Answer – The lady was wounded when the car crashed into the tree.

(vi) How did the man react on hearing the horn?
(a) Angry
(b) Attentively
(c) Confused
(d) Ran away
Answer – (c) Confused

(vii) Who was driving the car?
(a) The old man
(b) A lady
(c) Lady’s Driver
(d) A young man
Answer – (b) A lady

(viii) Who filed a suit?
(a) The lady
(b) The old man
(c) The Insurance company
(d) No-one
Answer – (a) The lady

(ix) Find the same word for the word ‘accuse’ from the passage.
(a) Blame
(b) Suit
(c) Wrong
(d) Argue
Answer – (a) Blame

(x) How was the car running?
(a) Slowly
(b) Under
(c) Briskly
(d) At top speed
Answer – (d) At top speed

SECTION – B (Grammar)

2. Choose the correct Answer from the following options. Do any five. (5 Marks)
(i) ………….. Sun shines brightly. (Article)
(a) The
(b) An
(c) A
(d) No Article
Answer – (a) The

(ii) He gave me ………….. gift. (Article)
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) no article
Answer – (A) a

(iii) he was poor hungry and sad (Punctuate)
(a) He was poor hungry and sad.
(b) He was “poor hungry and Sad.
(c) He was poor, hungry and sad.
(d) He was poor, hungry and Sad.
Answer – (c) He was poor, hungry and sad.

(iv) Every boy and girl in the class ………… today. (Tense)
(a) Are present
(b) Have present
(c) has presented
(d) is present
Answer – (d) is present

(v) Sia said, “I may leave tomorrow!” (Narration)
(a) Sia said that she might leave the next day.
(b) Sia said that she might leave tomorrow
(c) Sia asked if she might leave the next day.
(d) Sia informed me to leave tomorrow.
Answer – (a) Sia said that she might leave the next day.

(vi) The culprit was …………… fined and punished. (Conjunction)
(a) Also
(b) And
(c) But
(d) Both
Answer – (d) Both

SECTION – C (Writing skill)

3. You are Sulekha from Class 9C. You were found in the playground during the 4th period, and as a result, you were fined Rs 500/-. Write an application to the Principal of your school requesting the remission of your fine. (5 Marks)
Answer –

OR

Write a paragraph on “How I Celebrated My Birthday”.
Answer –

SECTION – D (Literature)

4. Read the passage and answer the following questions : (5 Marks)
To The Little girl, he was a figure to be feared and avoided. Every morning before going to work he came into her room and gave her a casual kiss, to which she responded with Goodbye father! And oh, there we glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the car growing fainter and fainter down the long road.
Questions :
(i) Name the writer of this lesson.
Answer – Katherine Mansfield

(ii) Who was a figure to be feared?
Answer – Her father

(iii) How did she bid farewell to her father?
Answer – She said, “Goodbye, father!”

(iv) What was the name of the little girl?
Answer – Kezia

(v) What was her father’s daily routine?
Answer – Every morning, he came into her room, gave her a casual kiss, and then left for work in his car.

OR

Read the stanza and answer the following questions :
When the humid shadows
Hover over all the starry spheres
And the melancholy darkness
Gently weeps in rainy tears.
Questions :
(i) Name the poem.
Answer – Rain on the Roof

(ii) Name the poet.
Answer – Coates Kinney

(iii) Who does the phrase ‘humid shadows’ refer to?
Answer – The clouds in the sky

(iv) What do the rain drops resemble?
Answer – Tears

(v) The darkness in the poem has been called …………
Answer – Melancholy darkness

5. When was Evelyn’s deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed? (3 Marks)
Answer – Evelyn’s deafness was first noticed when she was eight years old, when her mother realized something was wrong as Evelyn did not respond to her name during a piano performance. It was confirmed at the age of eleven, after her poor academic performance led her parents to consult a specialist, who found that her hearing was severely impaired due to gradual nerve damage.

6. Where was the child lost and how? (The Lost Child) (6 Marks)
Answer – In the story “The Lost Child” by Mulk Raj Anand, the child gets lost during a village fair. The story begins with him accompanying his parents to the fair. He is thrilled by the sights and sounds, including stalls, toys, sweetmeats, garlands of flowers, balloons, and a roundabout swing. Throughout the walk, the child expresses a desire for various things like toys and sweets, but his parents either distract him or gently refuse, knowing he will forget about them soon.
The child is especially fascinated by a roundabout swing and turns to ask his parents for permission, only to realize that they are nowhere to be seen. Panic sets in immediately. He frantically searches for them, calling out, “Mother, Father!” but receives no response. The joy and excitement of the fair quickly turn into fear and distress. He runs in different directions among the crowd, desperately trying to find his parents. A kind man notices the child’s distress and offers him items like balloons, sweets, and toys, but the child refuses everything, repeating only, “I want my mother, I want my father!”
The story poignantly shows the child’s vulnerability and the deep bond he has with his parents, which is stronger than all his earlier desires at the fair.

7. What kind of a place is Innisfree? (The Lake Isle of Innisfree) (3 Marks)
Answer – Innisfree is a beautiful and peaceful natural place where the poet longs to live in harmony with nature. He wants to build a small hut of clay and wattles and plant nine rows of beans. He also wishes to keep a hive for the honeybees and enjoy the simple, quiet life surrounded by the sounds and beauty of nature. Innisfree represents a place of solitude, calm, and natural charm, away from the noise and stress of the city.

8. Why was Toto sold back to the owner? (The Adventures of Toto) (3 Marks)
Answer – In the short story “The Adventures of Toto” by Ruskin Bond, grandfather sold Toto back to the tonga-driver because the little monkey was very naughty and mischievous. Toto constantly troubled the entire family and created chaos around the house. He caused a lot of damage to dishes, clothes, curtains, wallpaper, and other household items. Despite the family’s affection for him, his mischievous behavior became too difficult to manage, so grandfather decided it was best to return him to his original owner.