Carrier of Words Questions and Answers | Class 9 Kaveri

1. They belong to the postal profession — they are postmen (mail carriers).
2. Yes. They walk or cycle long distances in scorching heat, rain and cold, carry heavy mailbags, cross difficult terrain like deserts, hills and rivers, and try to maintain delivery despite difficult conditions.
3. They touch people’s lives deeply — bringing letters from loved ones, money orders, exam results and official documents. For remote villages they can provide a vital link with the outside world, and the joy or comfort they deliver makes them trusted and beloved figures.

1. Words can be carried in written form — letters, postcards and parcels of books (historically, telegrams also carried written messages) — and in spoken form, as messages passed from person to person.
2. A postman, a messenger, a courier — and in older times, pigeons and royal runners; today, even satellites and cables ‘carry’ our words.
3. Letters and the postal system, telephone and mobile calls, SMS, e-mail, video calls and social media.

1. signals  2. dunes  3. hamlets  4. defying  5. slumped  6. devoid

Do not invent an identity number or postal code. The 24-hour journey begins with dispatch from Jodhpur and includes train and bus transport before his final walk.

(i) One crop of bajra makes a little difference for people like Khetaram because ______.
…it is far too little to feed a family of five for the whole year — without another income they would starve.

(ii) Why did Khetaram term famine as ‘a way of life’?
Because in the Thar’s arid land famine and scarcity are recurring hardships in his experience. The passage does not give an exact annual frequency.

(iii) Give one reason why Khetaram had to take up a job to help his family survive.
Farming alone could never sustain them — even in a good year his single crop of bajra could not feed five people, so the GDS job’s assured income was a necessity.

(iv) Complete the analogy: Other families : Money orders :: Khetaram : ______
(this) job — as other families survive on money orders, Khetaram’s family survives on his GDS job.

(v) What would ‘a good year’ signify?
A year with enough rainfall for the desert land to yield at least one crop of bajra.

(i) Who could have torn the right corner of the envelope?
B. Sender of the letter — the torn corner is the sender’s customary signal that the letter carries news of death.

(ii) The most likely reason for Khetaram reading the letter twice is because ______.
A likely inference is that repeating the message helps the family understand it before the letter is destroyed under the custom described. The narrator does not explicitly state his reason for reading it twice.

(iii) What was Khetaram’s philosophy regarding bad news, and how did he act upon it?
His philosophy was that “bad news must be destroyed” — inauspicious words should not linger in a home. Accordingly, he stands outside the threshold, reads the letter aloud twice, and then tears it to bits.

(iv) True or False: Khetaram’s action of tearing the letter differed from his beliefs.
False — his action followed his belief exactly.

(v) Mention one aspect of Khetaram’s temperament revealed through this extract.
His compassion and sensitivity — he respects the villagers’ customs and feelings, handling the cruellest news with gentleness and philosophical calm.

1. Justify the Postmaster-General’s statement that the role of GDS is ‘invaluable’.
The article describes GDS reaching difficult, remote settlements and carrying letters, money and news to people who depend on them. It cites regions such as Ladakh, Lakshadweep and the northeast as well as the Thar. This does not mean that every place in those regions is accessible only on foot. Their practical service and the trust they earn make their role invaluable.

2. How was the purpose of India Post different from that of the British postal system?
The British system was set up to relay company dak between administrative centres — it served the rulers. After independence, India Post’s mandate was to bring the entire population within the mailing ambit — to serve every citizen. The growth from 25,000 post offices in 1947 to more than a lakh and a half at the time described shows that change of purpose.

3. People trusted Gramin Dak Sewaks. Support this with two instances from the text.
First, villagers welcome Khetaram on any threshold and freely ask him to read their private letters and draft their replies — an intimacy granted only to the most trusted. Second, rural depositors entrust their monthly savings to the post office, and when a scheme proposed transferring the GDS’s job to patwaris, it was summarily rejected — “We knew they would not be able to do the job,” said the village elder.

4. Infer the most likely reason that Khetaram was grateful to continue as GDS even after the age of 60.
With farming income too limited to support his family adequately, the job’s assured income remains his family’s lifeline even in old age. Equally, the work gives him respect, purpose and the joy of serving his people — so the rule allowing GDS to serve till 65 feels to him like a blessing.

5. Explain why the author pays tribute to people like Khetaram.
Because they are the invisible threads of our social fabric: for modest pay they defy deserts, storms and 50-degree heat to keep the nation’s remotest homes connected — carrying not just letters but savings, celebrations, condolences and trust. Such selfless, uncelebrated service deserves the salute the author offers.

1. crumbles into sand — (iii) disappears in the desert  |  2. give a new lease of life — (i) get a chance to continue living  |  3. turn into a trickle before drying out — (iv) lessen gradually and then finally stop  |  4. bearing words across this desolate geography — (ii) carrying letters to less populated areas

Sentences: Beyond the village, the road crumbles into sand. • The new well gave a new lease of life to the parched hamlet. • In summer the stream turns into a trickle before drying out. • For decades the old postman kept bearing words across this desolate geography.

Alliteration: “scorching summer winds and swirling sandstorms” (repetition of the ‘s’ sound).
Metaphor: Khetaram turned into “a walking sandman“.

1. arid — (iii) farmland without much yield  |  2. concessional — (i) interest rate for the farmers  |  3. gaunt — (v) farmer waiting for the rains  |  4. remote — (ii) corner of the world  |  5. desolate — (iv) desert stretching far and wide

Sentences: Little grows on this arid land. • The bank offered farmers a concessional loan. • The gaunt farmer scanned the sky for clouds. • He serves a remote corner near the border. • The desolate dunes stretch to the horizon.

1. I have just got a collection of postage stamps from my grandfather. He 2. has collected these stamps over a period of 20 years. I 3. have studied most of the stamps in his collection and loved all of them. I 4. have begun my own collection of postage stamps. Grandfather 5. has truly inspired me.

To begin with, a lot of stamina will be needed for this job. Next, reading clearly A. should be practised, as you B. will be expected to read out the letters by some of the villagers. Words C. should be written neatly as you D. will be asked to draft replies by some villagers. Full-sleeved shirts and trousers E. should be worn to protect yourself from the heat.

The speaker concluded her talk with a request (“I request all the students to actively participate and make this event a grand success”).

1. The occasion — (iii) Indian Postal Day (10 October in the listening transcript; answer according to that recording).
2. India Post has the most extensive network — (ii) in the world.
3. Letter writing is being revived as the art form has been — (iii) forgotten.
4. Part of the letter writing carnival — (i) calligraphy and graphology.
5. The postal department will add — (i) interactive demonstrations.

Postcard: It seems to me that I am useful for short, inexpensive messages. My limitation is that anyone handling me can see what is written.

Inland letter: I would like to point out that I provide more writing space and can be folded and sealed for greater privacy.

Envelope: That is one way to look at it, but I can also hold separate sheets, photographs or documents. The contents and weight affect the cost.

Money order form: I agree that words matter, but my purpose is to help send money. For a family waiting for financial support, that service can be especially important.

Conclusion: The best choice depends on the purpose, privacy, space and enclosures. Check current India Post availability and rates rather than treating this historical comparison as a tariff guide.

A Ministry of Culture release dated 4 December 2022 describes Daakroom at Gandhi Darshan, Rajghat, New Delhi. Letter-writing activities, competitions and workshops encouraged audiences to reconnect with handwritten communication. Use the release as a dated example, not an announcement of an upcoming event.

From left to right in the textbook:

Look closely at names, portraits and motifs rather than guessing from colour alone. The Konark issue is listed in the India Post stamp catalogue.

Philately is the study of postage stamps and postal history. Make five sections: personalities, celebrations, centenaries, nature and heritage. For each chosen stamp, record the subject, issue date, source and significance. For a centenary, identify the hundredth anniversary being marked; an old portrait stamp is not automatically a centenary issue. Use the five pictured stamps as examples where suitable, then research a verified centenary issue. A stamp’s face value is not necessarily its present collector value.

Telegrams were priced by word count, so messages were concise. Treat the pictured form as a historical exercise. Sample greeting: Congratulations on your success. Best wishes—Asha. Sample condolence: Deeply saddened by your loss. Our heartfelt sympathy—Ravi. Fill recipient and sender fields using fictional classroom details, not private contact information.