Class 9 English — Model Question Paper (Set 1)

Model Paper · full syllabus · CBSE 2026-27 pattern

CBSE Class 9 · Mathematics (NCERT ‘Ganita Manjari’) · Max Marks 80 · Time 3 hrs · Exam-level hard

CBSE Class 9 English — Model Question Paper (Set 1) · Max Marks 80 · Time 3 hrs

NCERT ‘Kaveri’ (2026-27) · English Language & Literature · board-level hard. Answers & marking scheme in the ✍️ Answers tab.

General Instructions: (i) The paper has three sections — A: Reading (20), B: Grammar & Writing (20), C: Literature (40). (ii) All questions are compulsory; internal choices are provided in some questions. (iii) Answer within the word limits indicated. (iv) Write neatly and number the answers correctly.

SECTION A — READING [20]

Q1. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. [10]

1. Grit is the quiet engine behind almost every great achievement. Psychologists define it as a blend of passion and perseverance — the willingness to keep working towards a distant goal long after the first excitement has faded. Talent may open a door, but it is grit that walks a person through the long corridor of practice, failure and repair that lies beyond it.

2. Studies of high achievers in sport, science and the arts reveal a common pattern: they rarely rise in a single leap. Instead they improve in small, deliberate steps, treating each setback as information rather than defeat. A violinist re-plays the bar she keeps missing; a scientist re-designs the experiment that failed; a runner shaves a second off her time over months of unglamorous training. None of this is dramatic, yet the quiet accumulation of effort is exactly what separates those who merely dream from those who arrive.

3. Grit, however, is not stubbornness. The gritty person knows when a method is not working and is willing to change the route while keeping the destination fixed. Nor is grit a lonely virtue: almost every achiever is supported by mentors, family and friends who steady them when stamina runs low. Encouragement, it turns out, is fuel.

4. The good news is that grit can be grown. Choosing an interest worth committing to, practising with focus, reflecting honestly on mistakes and surrounding oneself with supportive people — these habits strengthen perseverance the way exercise strengthens a muscle. Dreams, in the end, are realised not by those who feel the most passion, but by those who turn that passion into patient, repeated action.

(i) According to paragraph 1, what two qualities combine to form ‘grit’?

(ii) How do high achievers treat their setbacks, as stated in paragraph 2?

(iii) State one way in which grit is different from stubbornness.

(iv) Why does the writer call encouragement ‘fuel’?

(v) List any two habits mentioned in paragraph 4 that help grow grit.

(vi) The author says achievers ‘rarely rise in a single leap’. What does this suggest about success?

(vii) Find a word in paragraph 2 that means ‘done on purpose / carefully planned’.

(viii) Find a word in paragraph 3 that means ‘a person who guides or advises’.

Q2. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. [10]

1. Even in the age of instant messaging, India Post remains one of the largest postal networks in the world, with more than 1.5 lakh post offices. More than 90 per cent of these are in rural areas, reaching villages that lie beyond the last road and railway line. In India’s remotest corners — desert hamlets, Himalayan valleys and river islands — a Gramin Dak Sewak may still be the only reliable link between a family and the world outside.

2. These field workers do far more than carry letters. They deliver money orders on which many families depend, help villagers open small savings accounts, and often read and write letters for those who cannot. For such communities, the post office is not merely a building; it is a bridge of trust.

Year	Post offices (approx.)
1947	25,000
Today	over 1,50,000

(i) How many post offices does India Post have today, approximately?

(ii) What proportion of post offices are in rural areas?

(iii) Name any two services, besides carrying letters, that field postal workers provide.

(iv) Why does the writer call the post office ‘a bridge of trust’?

(v) Using the table, by about how many times has the number of post offices grown since 1947?

(vi) Who is often the ‘only reliable link’ in India’s remotest corners?

(vii) Find a word in paragraph 1 meaning ‘small settlements’.

(viii) State whether true or false: ‘Most Indian post offices are in cities.’

SECTION B — GRAMMAR & WRITING [20]

Q3. Complete the following tasks. [10]

(i) Report the sentence: Mother said to Ming, “Follow that dream.”

(ii) Fill in with the correct modal: Khetaram ____ (can/could) walk 20 km a day when he was younger.

(iii) Fill in the present-perfect form: India Post ____ (grow) enormously since 1947.

(iv) Fill in the preposition: The grandmother learned to read ____ Saraswati Puja.

(v) Change to passive: The postman delivers the mail at the border.

(vi) Edit the error: ‘She don’t want to disappoint her father.’

(vii) Fill in the correct determiner: ‘The council said ____ (each/every) craft must be passed on.’ (both acceptable — give one with reason.)

(viii) Complete the conditional: ‘If the burning conviction is still there, ____.’ (use an imperative)

(ix) Supply the phrasal verb meaning ‘to overcome a difficult time’: ‘Music helps me ____.’

(x) Change to reported speech: Avinash exclaimed, “You are a sensation now!”

Q4. You are Rohan/Riya of Class 9. Write a formal letter (100–120 words) to the Editor of a newspaper on the importance of preserving traditional crafts such as the handmade pankha. [5]

Q5. Write an article (100–120 words) for your school magazine on the topic ‘There is No Age Bar for Learning’, drawing on the example of the grandmother who learned to read at 62. (OR) Write a short speech on ‘Turning Challenges into Opportunities.’ [5]

SECTION C — LITERATURE [40]

Q6. Read the extract and answer. [5]

“I’ll have you know, Vidya, my dear… that I’ve been looking after myself for the better part of my seventy-five years… and then you think you have the right to forbid me to go out on my own!”

(i) Who is the speaker and to whom is he speaking?

(ii) Why is the speaker upset?

(iii) The tone of the speaker is (a) apologetic (b) firm (c) fearful (d) joyful.

(iv) Name the lesson and its author.

(v) Find a word in the extract that means ‘prohibit’.

Q7. Read the poem extract and answer. [5]

The first step is the hardest / There is no turning back, / You just need to believe in yourself / For your future to be on track.

(i) Name the poem and the poet.

(ii) Why is ‘the first step’ said to be the hardest?

(iii) Identify the figure of speech in ‘The first step is the hardest.’

(iv) What keeps one’s future ‘on track’, according to the poet?

(v) State the rhyme scheme of the stanza.

Q8. Answer any six of the following in 30–40 words each. [6 × 3 = 18]

• Why did the grandmother in Sudha Murty’s story decide to learn to read, and what does it reveal about her?

• How did Onula help Sentila in ‘The Pot Maker’, and why was the village council concerned?

• In ‘Winds of Change’, how do regional pankhas reflect the culture of their region? Give two examples.

• How does ‘Nine Gold Medals’ redefine the meaning of winning?

• What changed Nabin Sharma’s mind about fusion music in ‘Twin Melodies’?

• Why does Khetaram dread the letter with its right corner torn off, and how does he handle it?

• In ‘A Friend Found in Music’, why does the poet call music a ‘needed friend’?

Q9. Answer any two in 100–120 words each. [2 × 6 = 12]

• ‘Vitamin-M’ gently challenges the way society treats the elderly. Discuss with reference to Grandpa and Ravi.

• ‘Carrier of Words’ is a tribute to an unsung hero. What makes Khetaram heroic, and what larger idea does his work stand for?

• ‘Follow That Dream’ balances encouragement with caution. How does Irene Chua advise her daughter to pursue a dream wisely?

Answers & Marking Scheme (Set 1)

Value points and keys. In the board exam, reward content, expression and correct format as per the scheme.

Q1Section A — Reading, Passage 1 (grit).

(i) Passion and perseverance. (ii) They treat each setback as information, not defeat, improving in small deliberate steps. (iii) Grit is not stubbornness — the gritty person changes the method when it isn’t working while keeping the goal fixed. (iv) Because encouragement from mentors, family and friends steadies achievers and keeps them going when stamina runs low. (v) Any two: choosing an interest worth committing to; practising with focus; reflecting honestly on mistakes; surrounding oneself with supportive people. (vi) Success is gradual — built by the quiet accumulation of effort, not sudden. (vii) deliberate. (viii) mentor.

Q2Section A — Reading, Passage 2 (India Post).

(i) Over 1.5 lakh (1,50,000). (ii) More than 90 per cent. (iii) Any two: delivering money orders; helping open savings accounts; reading/writing letters for villagers. (iv) Because for remote communities it is the only trusted link to the outside world, carrying money and news people depend on. (v) About six times (25,000 → over 1,50,000). (vi) The Gramin Dak Sewak. (vii) hamlets. (viii) False (most are rural).

Q3Section B — Grammar (marking scheme: 1 mark each).

(i) Mother told Ming to follow that dream. (ii) could. (iii) has grown. (iv) by. (v) The mail is delivered by the postman at the border. (vi) ‘She doesn’t want to disappoint her father.’ (vii) each / every (e.g. ‘every craft must be passed on’ — referring to all of them). (viii) e.g. ‘…then go ahead and do something about it.’ (ix) pull through. (x) Avinash exclaimed (with wonder) that she was a great sensation then.

Q4Section B — Formal letter (value points, 5 marks).

Format (1): sender’s address, date, receiver (The Editor…), subject, salutation, complimentary close. Content (2): traditional crafts like the handmade pankha carry regional identity and give artisans a livelihood; they risk vanishing with machine-made goods; suggest workshops, exhibitions, buying handmade. Expression/Fluency (2): formal tone, organised paragraphs, accurate language.

Q5Section B — Article / Speech (value points, 5 marks).

Article ‘No Age Bar for Learning’: title + name; the 62-year-old grandmother who learned to read by Saraswati Puja shows determination defeats age; learning brings dignity and independence; encourage lifelong learning. OR Speech: greeting + hook; challenges build skills, resilience and confidence; give an example; end with an inspiring call. (Format 1 + Content 2 + Expression 2.)

Q6Section C — Prose extract (Vitamin-M).

(i) Grandpa, speaking to his daughter Vidya (Ravi’s mother). (ii) He is upset because she forbids him to go out alone and treats him like a child. (iii) (b) firm. (iv) ‘Vitamin-M’ by Asha Nehemiah. (v) forbid.

Q7Section C — Poem extract (Believe in Yourself).

(i) ‘Believe in Yourself’ by Robert Langley. (ii) Because beginning any new challenge is the most difficult part — it means overcoming fear and inertia. (iii) Metaphor. (iv) Self-belief / believing in yourself. (v) ABCB.

Q8Section C — Short answers (3 marks each; value points).

• Grandmother: felt helpless at being unable to read her favourite serial; chose independence — shows determination, self-respect, ‘no age bar’. • Onula: the last expert potter secretly taught Sentila; the council feared the pottery tradition would die out with Onula. • Pankhas: Rajasthan’s zardozi gold-thread fans (royal heritage); Gujarat’s mirror-work fans (its mirror craft) — structure reflects regional culture. • Nine Gold Medals: the eight runners help the fallen boy and all finish together — compassion, not speed, wins. • Nabin: watching the group rehearse and recalling that he too defied his vocalist family to play the violin. • Khetaram: a torn right corner means news of death; he reads it outside, twice, then tears it up (‘bad news must be destroyed’). • Music: it comforts the poet and lifts her spirits ‘when no one seems to care’ — a faithful friend.

Q9Section C — Long answers (6 marks each; value points).

• Vitamin-M: Grandpa, thought forgetful, proves sharp and independent; Ravi learns to respect him — the story argues the elderly deserve dignity and trust, not to be ‘treated like a child’; the real forgetful one is the busy daughter (irony). • Carrier of Words: Khetaram walks a 50°C desert with a 28 kg mailbag for over 15 years, reading and writing letters for villagers; his quiet, selfless service stands for India Post’s mission to connect every citizen. • Follow That Dream: Irene Chua says ‘by all means follow that dream’, but ‘count the cost’ — ten years of effort, sacrifice and support; she neither crushes nor flatters, giving loving, realistic advice.

Section	Area	Marks
A	Reading (2 passages)	20
B	Grammar (10) + Writing (10)	20
C	Literature — Kaveri (extracts + SA + LA)	40
Total		80