NCERT Solutions – Class 9 English Chapter 9: The Bond of Love

Thinking About the Text

I. Match Headings with Paragraphs

Heading	Paragraph Number
An Orphaned Cub	3
Bruno’s Food-chart	6
An Accidental Case of Poisoning	8
Playful Baba	12
Pain of Separation	14
Joy of Reunion	16
A Request to the Zoo	18
An Island in the Courtyard	21

II. Short Questions

1. “I got him for her by accident.”

Who says this? The narrator
Who do ‘him’ and ‘her’ refer to? ‘Him’ is the baby sloth bear; ‘her’ is the narrator’s wife
What is the incident referred to? How the narrator accidentally brought the baby bear home

2. “He stood on his head in delight.”

Who does ‘he’ refer to? Bruno, the sloth bear
Why was he delighted? Bruno was sent to the zoo and was happy to see the narrator’s wife

3. “We all missed him greatly: but in a sense we were relieved.”

Who does ‘we all’ stand for? The narrator and his family – wife and son
Who did they miss? Bruno, the bear
Why did they feel relieved? Because it was becoming difficult to keep the bear at home due to his growing size

III. Long Questions (30–40 words)

1. On two occasions, Bruno ate/drank something harmful. What happened?

The first time, Bruno ate rat poison in the library and became paralyzed. He was taken to the vet. The second time, he drank nearly one gallon of old engine oil but suffered no ill effects.

2. Was Bruno loving and playful? Why was he sent away?

Bruno was a loving and playful pet, attached to the family and the Alsatian dogs. He had to be sent away because he grew too big to be kept at home.

3. How was the problem of what to do with Bruno finally solved?

Bruno was sent to a zoo but became weak and unhappy. The narrator’s wife fed him and requested the zoo to return him. They got Bruno back and created a special island for him.

Thinking About Language

I. Words with ie/ei

field; ingredients; height; mischievous; friends; eighty-seven; relieved; piece
believe; receive; weird; leisure; seize; weight; reign; foreign; grief; pierce

II. Words with Silent Letters

knock, wrestle, walk, wrong
knee, half, honest, daughter
hours, return, hornet, calm
could, sign, island, button

III. How to Look at an Index

French Revolution: 393, 404–405, 408, 427, 489
Third Estate: 404, 405
Food Security & Minimum Support Price: under “Famine Relief” – pages 43, 57, 87–88, 96–98, 116–117, 131–132
Bronchitis due to cigarette smoking: 223
Heart failure due to bronchitis: 82
Bronchitis in children: 178

IV. Narrative Present

Rewrite the passage in complete sentences:

The vet and I made a dash back to the car. Bruno was still floundering about on his stumps, but clearly weakening rapidly. He was vomiting and breathing heavily. His flanks were heaving, and his mouth was gaping.
The vet ordered, “Hold him, everybody!” Bruno squealed when 10 c.c. of the antidote was injected into his system without wasting a drop.
Ten minutes later, his condition was unchanged. Another 10 c.c. was injected. Ten minutes later, his breathing became less stertorous. Bruno could move his arms and legs, though he could not stand yet. Thirty minutes later, Bruno got up and had a great feed! He looked disdainfully, as if to say, “What’s barium carbonate to a big black bear like me?” Bruno was still eating.

V. Adverbs

1. Fill in adverbs ending in –ly:

(a) Rana does her homework neatly.
(b) It rains heavily in Mumbai in June.
(c) He does his work diligently.
(d) The dog serves his master obediently.

2. Choose suitable adverbs:

(a) We should never get down from a moving train.
(b) I was badly in need of support after my poor performance.
(c) Rita met with an accident. The doctor examined her immediately.

VI. Scrambled Story – The Ant and the Grasshopper

It was a cold winter’s day, and an ant was bringing out grains of corn she had gathered in summer. She wanted to dry them.
A hungry grasshopper saw her and said, “I am dying of hunger. When did you get the corn?”
The ant said, “I collected it in summer. What were you doing in summer? Why did you not store some corn?”
The grasshopper replied, “I was too busy.”
The ant asked again, “What were you doing?”
“I was singing all day,” answered the grasshopper.
The ant said, “If you sang all summer, you can dance all winter.”

Speaking Exercise

Topic: “Animals also feel the pleasure of love and the pain of separation.”
Students should prepare a presentation with examples from personal experience.

Writing Exercise

Topic 1: Pets have unique care and should be kept only by those who understand their needs. Argue for or against.
Topic 2: Debate on whether snake charmers should continue their profession, using information from research reports.

Poem: The Snake Trying

1. What is the snake trying to escape from?

The snake is trying to escape from the pursuing stick.

2. Is it harmful? Colour?

It is not harmful. The snake is green.

3. Words describing beauty:

beautiful, graceful, glides, small, green

4. Poet’s wish for the snake:

That humans should let it go and not kill it.

5. Where was the snake and where does it disappear?

Initially lying along the sand; disappears into ripples among green reeds.

6. Poisonous snakes (examples):

Cobra, Krait, Russell’s Viper, Saw Scaled Viper, King Cobra

7. How to know if a snake is harmful:

Research activity for students

8. Traditional snake handlers in India:

Research activity for students

Chapter Summary: The Bond of Love

Shows the strong bond between a family and a sloth bear, Bruno.
Highlights accidental adoption, playful antics, separation, and reunion.
Teaches love, responsibility, and empathy toward animals.

Poem Summary: The Snake Trying

Describes a harmless snake escaping danger.
Emphasizes respect for life and natural instincts.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9 – The Bond of Love & The Snake Trying