A House is not a Home, Class 9 English, Moments Supplementary Book
Detailed explanation of “A House is not a Home”, including definitions of difficult words. In addition, the explanation is followed by a lesson summary. Also, NCERT Question and Answers are also provided to help students understand this Chapter and do well in their exams.
Introduction
The story ‘A house is not a home’ depicts the importance of love, care and affection in one’s life. The author, a high school student feels strange in his new school. Situation became worse when his house catches fire and his cat is lost. Then it was his school mates’ love and care, that supported him. His feelings of loneliness and loss disappeared with them slowly and the author came back to normal life again.
Summary
The author after leaving junior high school had shifted to the new high school. He felt lonely among new teachers and students. His new school was twice bigger than the old school. His old friends were sent to another high school. He missed his old teachers and he often went to meet them. They encouraged him to get involved in new school activities. The author’s old teachers also told him to come and meet whenever he wanted.
One Sunday afternoon, the author was sitting on his dining room table and doing his homework while his favourite red cat was lying on top of all his papers. It was cold and the fire was burning in the fireplace. The author’s mother was stoking (adding fuel to) the fire to keep the house warm.
Suddenly, the author noticed that the room was filled with smoke as the roof had caught fire. As the smoke increased, the author and his mother ran out into the front yard. Soon, the fire spread into the whole house.
When the author ran to neighbours to call the fire department, he saw that his mother ran back into the house. She wanted to save some important documents. Soon, she came out with a small metal box which was full of important documents.
The author’s mother again ran into the house to get some pictures and letters of her husband. As her husband was died and she did not want to let his pictures and letters burnt in the fire. The author was also about to ran after his mother but he was caught by a fireman. After the arrival of firemen, one of them went inside the burning house and saved the author’s mother. He took author’s mother to the truck and put an oxygen mask on her mouth. The author was also wrapped in a blanket and seated down in the car.
After five hours, the fire was put out but the author’s house was completely burned down. Suddenly, the author remembered his cat. It was not found anywhere. The author started crying while thinking that his cat was also burnt in the fire. The author and his mother went to the author’s grandparents house to spend the night.
Next day, the author went to the school. He was wearing an old dress. He had no shoes, no books, no backpack. He had borrowed some tennis shoes from his aunt. In this condition, he did not want to grow up and wanted to die. In school, he felt strange and embarrassed. One day, while the author was returning from school, he saw his burnt house. He was shocked to see the damage. He also cried for his missing cat.
The author and his mother had to start their life again. They borrowed money from author’s grandparents. After a week, the rubble (remains) of the house was cleared. The author used to think about his cat how she would climb up his robe and came into his pocket to sleep.
Next day, when people in the author’s new school got to know about his situation, they all started behaving more friendly. They took the author to the gym and gifted him different things that he would require in his daily life like notebooks, school supplies, jeans, tops, sweatsuits etc.
People who had never spoken to the author came to him to introduce themselves and invited him to their house. His schoolmate’s concerns made him realise that everything would go back to normal again.
A month later when he visited his house, it was being rebuilt. His two new friends also visited with him. The fire had changed the life of the author. He stopped focussing on his feeling of insecurity and started to mix up with the people around him.
When the author was talking to his friends, a lady came up with a cat. The author immediately recognised that it was his cat. The author took the cat in his hands arid feels very happy.
The author realised that his cat had run away during the fire. Their phone number was written on the collar of the cat but people could not contact them as their phones were destroyed in the fire. The lady who bought the cat searched for the author and finally found him. Now the author was happy again and he was getting back to his normal life again.
Extra Questions
(1) Why did the author feel isolated? What did his teachers advice him when he went to them?
(2) How did his old teachers encourage the author?
(3) I smelled something strange? Why does the author say no?
(4) Why did the author’s mother run into the burning house twice?
(5) How did the author feel after the cat had been returned to him?
(6) What another loss did the author realize after five hours? How did he react?
(7) How did the fire fighters help the narrator and his mother when their house caught fire?
(8) How did the author go to school the next day?
(9) What were the things that were gifted to the author by his school mates?
(10) What happened to the author’s mother ? How did the firemen tackle her?
(11) What happened one Sunday afternoon? How did the author and his mother behave?
(12) Describe author’s love for cat?
(13) Describe the role of author’s friend in rebuilding his life?
(14) Why was author’s first year of high school awkward?
(15) What were the author and his cat doing when the fire broke out?
(16) I just wanted to curl up and die. When and why did the author say these words?
(17) Why did the author get attention in his new school?
(18) Why did the author often visit his old school? How did they try to encourage him?
(19) Describe the author’s pet cat? When was she rescued?
(20) Whom all did the author feel gratitude to after getting his cat?
(21) Compare and contrast author’s life before and after the fire incident?
(22) Describe the hardship faced by the author and his family in the story?
(23) Justify the title ” A house is not a home”?
Word Meaning |
|
| freshman | a student in the first year of college |
| tabby | a domestic cat with a striped and mottled coat |
| swat | to hit someone with quick motion |
| stoke | to stir or add fuel to something that is burning |
| seam | a line where two pieces of wood, metal etc. are joined |
| engulfed | to flow over and enclose |
| crazed | insane |
| tow | accompanying someone |
| dazed | make someone unable to think or react properly |
| outcast | a person who has been rejected by the society |
| geek | a person who is socially awkward and unpopular |
| surreal | very unusual |
| ripped | torn or destroyed |
| grieve | feel intense sorrow |
| ache | feel intense sadness or compassion |
| rubble | waste or rough fragments of stone or brick |
| plight | a difficult situation |
| milling | to move in a confused or disorderly manner |
| shove | push someone or something roughly |
| outpouring | an outburst of strong emotion |
| sigh | make a long deep audible breath |
| leapt | move quickly and suddenly |
| freaked | terrified |
| sorely | to a very high degree or level of intensity |
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