What is the story 'The First Step' about?

It is about a poor ten-year-old girl, Ammu, who longs to study but is denied schooling because she is a girl. A kind lady, Mrs. Mohan, a retired headmistress, offers to teach her, and Ammu takes her first step towards education.

Who is Mrs. Mohan in 'The First Step'?

Mrs. Mohan is the kind new owner of the big house, a widow and a retired headmistress. She understands Ammu's longing to study and offers to teach her herself every day.

Why did Ammu's father not want to send her to school?

Chellappa believed that education was of no use to a girl, as she would get married early. He wanted to spend money on educating his son Chinni instead.

What is the theme of 'The First Step'?

The story supports girls' education and equality, showing that a girl's wish to learn should never be crushed and that one kind person can change a child's life.

Non-Detailed 3: The First Step

Q: What was Ammu's first step towards her goal?

Learning the alphabet from Mrs. Mohan was Ammu's first step towards her goal of becoming educated.

Non-Detailed Text · A story on girls' education

English · Odisha Board Class 9 · Summary + Textbook Q&A + 25 Quiz

📖 Non-Detailed Text 3 — The First Step: A warm, inspiring story about girls' education. Ammu, a poor ten-year-old girl, longs to go to school, but her father believes education is useless for a girl. A kind new employer, Mrs. Mohan — a retired headmistress — decides to help her, and Ammu takes her ‘first step’ towards her goal. Everything you need — summary, theme, word-meanings and all textbook answers — is here.

The First Step

📝 About the Story

‘The First Step’ highlights the writer's strong views on girls' education. It shows how a poor girl, Ammu, is denied schooling simply because she is a girl, while her little brother is sent to study. A kind-hearted lady, Mrs. Mohan, understands Ammu's longing and helps her begin to learn — taking the first step that may change her whole life.

👥 Characters

Ammu — a poor, motherless ten-year-old girl who deeply longs to study.
Chellappa — Ammu's father, the watchman of the big house; he thinks education is of no use to a girl.
Chinni (Chini) — Ammu's little (five-year-old) brother, who is sent to school.
Mrs. Mohan — the kind new owner of the big house; a widow and a retired headmistress who offers to teach Ammu.

📚 Summary

Section I: Ten-year-old Ammu, a motherless girl, is woken early to make tea and do housework. Her father Chellappa, the watchman of the big house, tells her she must work as a maid for the new owner so that he can earn money to send her brother Chinni to school. When Ammu says she too wants to go to school, her father harshly says she is ‘only a girl’ and education is useless for her. Ammu hides her tears and misses her dead mother.

Section II: The new owner, Mrs. Mohan — a slim, grey-haired widow in a spotless white saree — arrives. The next morning Ammu goes to work and, while dusting, is drawn like a magnet to the bookcase, lovingly touching the books. Mrs. Mohan gently asks about her family; Ammu says her brother will go to school, but ‘Appa’ says education is of no use to her as she is a girl.

Section III: Mrs. Mohan decides to help. She offers to pay Ammu's fees, but Ammu says her father will never agree and worries about the housework. So Mrs. Mohan, a retired headmistress, offers to teach Ammu herself every day after her chores. Ammu joyfully agrees, and Mrs. Mohan begins with the alphabet. Ammu goes home in a happy daze, having taken the first step towards her goal.

💡 Theme / Message

The story strongly supports girls' education and the equality of boys and girls. It shows that a girl's wish to learn should never be crushed, and that one kind, understanding person can change a child's life. Education is the ‘first step’ towards a better future for every child, boy or girl.

🏷️ Why ‘The First Step’?

When Mrs. Mohan teaches Ammu the alphabet, Ammu — long denied schooling because she is a girl — at last begins to learn. This is her first step towards her goal of getting educated, so the hopeful title fits the story perfectly.

📖 Glossary (Word Meanings)

Word	Meaning
yawn	to open the mouth wide and breathe in deeply due to tiredness
maid	a female servant
curiously	eagerly (to know something)
retort	to make a sharp or immediate reply
pretend	to make it seem that something is the case when in fact it is not
muse	to think carefully
curtly	rudely; shortly
chores	a routine or boring (household) task
daze	a state of being unable to think clearly due to confusion (here, of joy)
tremor	a slight shaking (here, in the voice)
Appa	father (in Tamil)
headmistress	a woman who is the head of a school

Section I — Answer the following questions

1Who are the characters in this part of the story?

The characters are Ammu (a ten-year-old girl), her father Chellappa, and her little brother Chinni. Her mother is dead.

2Describe Ammu's house and family.

Ammu's home was a single room in the servant's quarters of the big house on the hill. Her father Chellappa was the watchman there; her mother was dead; and she had a little brother, Chinni. They were a poor family.

3Who was Chellappa? What did he tell Ammu?

Chellappa was Ammu's father, the watchman at the big house on the hill. He told Ammu that the new owner was coming, that he had suggested her name as a reliable maid, and that she should go and clean the big house at 9 o'clock to give a good impression. He said the money would be useful to send her brother Chinni to school.

4Did Ammu want to go to school? How did her father react to Ammu's wish to go to school?

Yes, Ammu wanted to go to school too. But her father reacted harshly and unkindly, saying she was ‘only a girl’ and education would be of no use to her, as she would be married even before finishing the third grade. He said only Chinni needed education, to get a good job.

5Do you think Ammu's father would send her to school?

From his harsh words, it seems unlikely that Ammu's father would send her to school on his own, as he strongly believed education was useless for a girl. But the kind Mrs. Mohan may be able to change things for her.

Section II — Answer the following questions

1Who was the new owner of the house? What was she like?

The new owner was Mrs. Mohan, a slim, grey-haired lady dressed in a spotless white saree. She was a widow (and a retired headmistress) whose married daughter lived in Bombay. She was kind, gentle and understanding.

2What did Ammu do at Mrs. Mohan's house the next morning?

The next morning Mrs. Mohan gave Ammu tea first. Then Ammu washed the few vessels in the sink, took up the duster, and went to the drawing-room to dust the house.

3What drew Ammu like a magnet? What did she do then? Why?

The bookcase drew Ammu like a magnet. She fingered the books lovingly and gazed at the pictures in a book. She did this because she deeply longed to study and loved books, even though she could not read.

4Mrs. Mohan asked Ammu if she wanted to go to school. Did she say anything about her brother?

Yes. Ammu told Mrs. Mohan that her younger brother Chinni (five years old) was being sent to school by their father from next week.

5What did Ammu say to Mrs. Mohan?

Ammu said, ‘Appa says it will be of no use to me as I am a girl. If Chinni is educated, it will help him to get a job.’ She said this without emotion, and then asked whether she should go and wash the clothes.

6Will Mrs. Mohan help her to go to school?

Mrs. Mohan was clearly moved by Ammu's longing, so there is strong hope that she will help Ammu — which, in the next part, she does by offering to teach her herself.

Section III — Answer the following questions

1What important event took place in the last part of the story?

The important event is that Mrs. Mohan decided to help Ammu study. She offered to pay Ammu's fees, and when that was not possible, she — a retired headmistress — offered to teach Ammu herself. She taught Ammu the alphabet, and Ammu took her first step towards education.

2What did Mrs. Mohan plan to help Ammu?

She first thought of starting a small school for unfortunate girls like Ammu. Then she offered to pay Ammu's school fees. Finally, being a retired headmistress, she offered to teach Ammu herself every day after Ammu finished her chores.

3Why was Ammu not ready to accept Mrs. Mohan's help to begin with?

Because she feared her father would never agree to send her, a girl, to school. She also worried about who would do the housework and cook for her father and brother if she went away to study.

4What was the next plan that Mrs. Mohan had?

Since Ammu could not go to a regular school, Mrs. Mohan — a retired headmistress — planned to teach Ammu herself every day, at home, after Ammu finished her chores, for as long as Ammu wanted.

5What made Ammu happy at the end?

Mrs. Mohan began teaching her the alphabet that very day. Ammu was happy because she had at last begun to learn — she went home ‘in a happy daze’, having taken the first step towards her goal of getting educated.

6What was Ammu's first step towards her goal?

Learning the alphabet from Mrs. Mohan was Ammu's first step towards her goal of becoming educated. It was the beginning of her dream of going to school coming true.

E. Activities & extra practice — useful for exams.

1Activity E.I — Arrange the jumbled sentences in proper order to get the story.

The correct order is 3 → 7 → 6 → 1 → 2 → 4 → 5: 1. Ammu, a ten-year-old motherless girl, lived with her father and little brother, Chini. 2. Chellappa, her father, wanted her to work as a maid in the new owner's house to get money for Chini's study. 3. Ammu was very eager to go to school like her brother. 4. Mrs Mohan, the new owner, knew about Ammu's desire to study. 5. Mrs Mohan realized the cause of Ammu's unhappiness and thought of starting a small school for unfortunate girls. 6. Mrs Mohan told Ammu that she will help Ammu go to school. 7. In the end Mrs. Mohan taught her the alphabet and Ammu went home happily.

2Activity E.II — Order the statements (Column A) and match them with the speaker (Column B).

Order as they appear in the story, with speaker: 1. (f) ‘I want to talk to you.’ — Chellappa 2. (c) ‘The money will be useful.’ — Chellappa 3. (g) ‘I will be busy all day at the big house.’ — Chellappa 4. (b) ‘I do not need your help today.’ — Mrs. Mohan 5. (a) ‘I have a younger brother.’ — Ammu 6. (h) ‘It will help him to get a job.’ — Ammu 7. (d) ‘My father will never agree.’ — Ammu 8. (e) ‘I shall teach you everyday.’ — Mrs. Mohan

3(Value-based / HOTS) What message does the story give about girls' education?

The story gives a strong message that girls have the same right to education as boys. Denying a girl schooling only because she is a girl is unfair and wrong. Every girl who wishes to learn should be encouraged and helped. Education is the first step to a better life, and society should ensure that no child is left behind for being a girl.

4(HOTS) How is Mrs. Mohan different from Chellappa in her attitude to Ammu?

Chellappa is harsh and narrow-minded — he thinks education is useless for a girl and wants Ammu only to work and do chores, while spending money on his son. Mrs. Mohan is kind, broad-minded and encouraging — she treats Ammu with love, sees her longing to learn, and goes out of her way to teach her. Her attitude shows the value of kindness and the importance of educating girls.