NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Kaveri Chapter 5 – The World of Limitless Possibilities

1. Observations: The picture shows Sheetal Devi, born without arms, drawing the bow with her foot and releasing the arrow with her shoulder and jaw — perfectly focused, calm and confident on the competition field.

2. Does this personality inspire you? Immensely. Sheetal turned what the world calls a ‘limitation’ into a unique technique, becoming one of the world’s finest armless archers as a teenager. She proves that determination, practice and self-belief can rewrite what is possible — if she can hit the bullseye with her feet, no excuse of mine deserves to survive.

3. Caption: “Aim Beyond Limits” (or: “No Arms, Perfect Aim — Ability Beyond Disability”).

Set (1): fact–opinion — (i) winning the silver medal at Rio 2016 is a verifiable fact; (ii) “I feel it was a moment of personal victory…” is her opinion.
Set (2): cause–effect — (i) the spinal tumour diagnosis is the cause; (ii) the surgery and lifelong wheelchair confinement is the effect.

(i) 2 (fact–opinion) — her membership of the Twelfth Five Year Plan Working Group is a fact; “it is believed that she contributed greatly…” is opinion.
(ii) 1 (cause–effect) — the Paralympics showcasing talent is the cause; the shift in global perception inspiring para-athletes is the effect.

(i) The speaker’s decision can be likened to a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly because… just as the caterpillar passes through a dark, confining stage before emerging with wings, Dr. Malik passed through the darkness of paralysis and emerged transformed — stronger, freer and more glorious than before, turning tragedy into a world of limitless possibilities.

(ii) Why could the speaker switch to para-athletics quite comfortably?
Because she had always loved sports and had been a swimmer earlier; an athlete’s discipline and spirit were already part of her.

(iii) The speaker calls the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games a ‘breakthrough moment’ because ______.
…she secured the silver medal in the shot-put event there — her first great Paralympic success, which she saw as a personal victory and a step forward in changing society’s perceptions about disability.

(iv) The phrase ‘in hindsight’ indicates the speaker is __________.
B. reflective

(v) List one likely perception the speaker might have changed.
The perception that persons with disabilities — especially women — cannot compete or win at the highest level of sport.

(i) Tone of the speaker: (a) A and D — appreciative and optimistic.

(ii) Complete the analogy: ability : potential :: preconceived notions : __________
stereotypes

(iii) True or False: Paralympics is a platform that not only showcases the remarkable abilities of para-athletes but also questions stereotypes.
True

(iv) What does ‘helped me push boundaries’ tell us about the speaker?
It shows her hunger for growth: she refuses to accept limits — whether set by her body or by society — and keeps extending what she can achieve, treating every boundary as a line to be crossed.

(v) Which phrase suggests that the speaker was able to transform her life?
“a new lease of life”

1. Explain how Dr. Malik’s achievements challenge societal perceptions.
Society assumed that a wheelchair-bound woman of thirty could achieve little; Dr. Malik answered with an Asian Games medal, a Paralympic silver, national honours and global recognition. Each ‘first’ she recorded proved that physical limitation does not define potential, forcing people to replace pity with respect and stereotypes with admiration.

2. What can be the long-term impact of involving youth in schools and colleges in advocacy with respect to disability?
Young minds are still forming their attitudes, so awareness sessions plant inclusivity early. Students who learn to see ‘ability beyond disability’ grow into employers, officials, neighbours and parents who build accessible, respectful spaces. As Dr. Malik says, youth is the voice of tomorrow — sensitised today, they create an inclusive society for generations.

3. Rationalise the appropriateness of the title with reference to Dr. Deepa Malik’s attitude and achievements.
The title comes from her own words: she chose to transform her tragedy “to a world of limitless possibilities”. Her life embodies that world — paralysed waist-down, she became a record-setting athlete, award-winner and global icon, then expanded into advocacy, adventure sports and mentorship. For her, no boundary is final; the title perfectly captures an attitude that converts every limit into a launching pad.

4. “Every setback is an opportunity to prove your strength.” How might this be a life lesson for every individual, not just sportspersons?
Setbacks — a failed exam, a lost job, an illness — visit every life. This belief turns them from full stops into commas: instead of asking “why me?”, we ask “what now?”. A student who fails learns to study smarter; a patient discovers reserves of patience; a business that collapses teaches resilience. The attitude does not deny pain; it refuses to let pain have the last word — exactly how Dr. Malik built triumph out of a wheelchair.

5. Examine how Dr. Malik’s recognition as one of the 10 most inspirational para-athletes globally contributes to the larger discourse on gender equality in sports.
Her recognition places an Indian woman — and a woman with disability — on the world’s sporting map, breaking two barriers at once. It tells girls everywhere that neither gender nor disability bars excellence, pressures institutions to invest equally in women’s para-sport, and gives the gender-equality debate a living, medal-winning argument rather than a slogan.

6. How might Dr. Malik’s thought, ‘ability beyond disability’, serve as a guideline for success for all future para-athletes?
The phrase shifts the focus from what is missing to what is present. A para-athlete guided by it trains the abilities they have to world standard rather than mourning the ones they lack; they measure themselves by performance, not by others’ pity. It also arms them against society’s low expectations — the first obstacle Dr. Malik herself had to defeat.

7. What have you learnt from this interview, and how can you implement these learnings in your life?
I have learnt that circumstances do not decide our future — our response does; that mental resilience matters as much as talent; and that true success includes lifting others. I can implement this by refusing to give up after poor marks or defeats, by treating classmates with disabilities as equals and teammates, and by turning my own setbacks into stepping stones, as Dr. Malik did.

1. defy the odds — (iii) succeed when most expect failure  |  2. a new lease of life — (v) an occasion when you become more energetic and active than earlier  |  3. in hindsight — (iv) ability to understand something after it has happened  |  4. breakthrough moment — (i) a time of significant development or discovery  |  5. turn obstacles into stepping stones — (ii) overcome challenges and achieve goals

Sentences: The young farmer defied the odds and topped the state exam. • The successful surgery gave grandfather a new lease of life. • In hindsight, losing that match taught me more than winning. • Cracking the trials was the breakthrough moment of her career. • True achievers turn obstacles into stepping stones.

crawl → creep → plod → saunter → amble → stroll → walk → jog → run → dart → sprint

1. could hear — (v) past ability  |  2. couldn’t be helped — (vi) impossibility  |  3. should give — (iv) obligation  |  4. would win — (iii) prediction. Extra functions: (i) promise and (ii) possibility.

could: It could rain this evening. (possibility) • If I had wings, I could fly to the stadium. (unreal ability) • Could you open the window, please? (request) • You could try swimming for fitness. (suggestion)
couldn’t: Despite trying hard, he couldn’t lift the weight. (inability)
should: She left an hour ago; she should be home by now. (probability) • You should practise every day. (advice)
would: Would you kindly share your notes? (request) • As a child, she would swim in the village pond every morning. (past habit)

The sentences given are in Direct Speech; they are declarative sentences.

Siya said that she 1. had watched a documentary on the para equestrian event on television the previous night. Tarun replied that he hadn’t known that Paralympics had equestrian events. Siya added that 2. it did, and that it had been very interesting to watch. Tarun remarked that it was wonderful and that para equestrians must be training for months for that. Siya replied that 3. they also had to find and develop their own style of communication with their horse. Tarun said that 4. he would watch that documentary the following weekend.

1. The venue for the special assembly is the school auditorium.
2. A presentation on inclusion will be made by the Interact Club.
3. The dance performance will focus on the themes of diversity and acceptance.
4. A panel discussion will be conducted by experts who support inclusion.
5. The celebration will end with a song to encourage team work.

Use the textbook’s parallel openers: informal — “Hello! I’m so glad you agreed to meet me… Tell me about yourself and your love for sports… Did you face any challenges?”; formal — “Good morning, it is my privilege… Could you tell me how your journey in sports began?… Could you share something about the challenges you faced and how you overcame them?… What advice do you have for aspiring athletes?” Note how the formal version uses polite modals (could/would), full forms and respectful address, while the informal one is friendly and direct. Swap roles for each interview.

The Paralympics began with Sir Ludwig Guttmann’s 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games in England for war veterans with spinal injuries; the first Olympic-style games for differently-abled athletes were held in Rome in 1960; the Games split into Summer and Winter editions alternating every two years; and since the late twentieth century they are hosted by the same city as the Olympics, shortly after them.

Slide 1: Topic — “Two Indian Paralympic Stars”. Slides 2–3: Origin and history of the Paralympics (Stoke Mandeville 1948 → Rome 1960 → India’s debut 1968, first medal 1972). Slides 4–8: Murlikant Petkar — India’s first Paralympic gold (swimming, 1972, Heidelberg), a war-wounded soldier; Avani Lekhara — first Indian woman to win Paralympic gold (shooting, Tokyo 2020), achievements and training. Slide 9: Conclusion — “Ability beyond disability.” Use balanced text-image slides and present in turns.

Q1. When did India debut in the Paralympics and win its first medal? (30–40 words)
India made its Paralympic debut in 1968, and its first medal was clinched in swimming in 1972. Since then, many Indian Paralympians have brought great honour to the country.

Q2. What two choices did Dr. Malik face after her surgery? (30–40 words)
She could either squander her life in remorse over her paralysis, or transform it into a world of limitless possibilities. She chose the second, switching from swimming to para-athletics and making history.

Q3. What was Dr. Malik’s biggest challenge and how did she overcome it? (30–40 words)
Her biggest challenge was societal perception — people underestimated her abilities. She overcame it with mental resilience as much as physical strength, embracing challenges as opportunities, supported by her family and her own fortitude.

Q4. Describe the text type of this chapter and its features. (30–40 words)
The chapter is an interview — a question-answer conversation with a real personality. Its features include a courteous opening, well-researched questions, first-person answers, follow-up questions and a closing expression of thanks.

Q5. “Dr. Deepa Malik’s life is the best commentary on her own advice.” Elaborate. (100–120 words)
Her advice — that every setback is an opportunity to prove your strength, and that disability is a unique strength waiting to be unleashed — is exactly the script of her own life. Paralysed at twenty-nine when most careers settle into routine, she rebuilt herself as a para-athlete, winning India’s first women’s Paralympic medal at Rio 2016 and a string of ‘firsts’ at the Asian level. The same setback that could have confined her to remorse became the engine of national honours like the Khel Ratna and Padma Shri, and of a second career in advocacy for inclusivity. She does not merely preach transformation; she is its living proof — which is why her words carry the weight of medals, not slogans.