How I Taught My Grandmother to Read Class 9: Summary and Questions
Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read by Sudha Murty, Unit 1 of Kaveri, tells how a sixty-two-year-old grandmother, ashamed that she cannot read her favourite serial, learns the Kannada alphabet from her twelve-year-old granddaughter and reads a novel by Dassara. Its message: learning has no age bar.
What How I Taught My Grandmother to Read is about
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read is a true-life story by Sudha Murty, the first prose piece in Kaveri, the new Class 9 English textbook (2026-27). The narrator remembers a summer in a north Karnataka village when she was about twelve. Her grandmother, Krishtakka, whom she calls Avva, could not read, and depended on her to read the serial *Kashi Yatre* aloud every week. When the girl goes away for a week, Avva cannot read the new episode and feels helpless. She decides to learn the Kannada alphabet at sixty-two, with her granddaughter as her teacher.
In the Class 9 paper (R1), Literature carries 30 marks. A prose extract from this story can come as Q10 (5 marks, one of two extracts). It can also be asked as a 2-mark short answer of 40-50 words (Q12), or a 5-mark long answer of about 120-150 words (Q13 on extrapolation, Q14 on theme, plot or character). The unit also practises the past perfect tense and the letter to the editor, both of which appear in Section B.
Weightage: Class 9 English is a school examination of 80 marks, but CBSE prescribes the paper design. Section C (Literature, 30 marks) in R1: one prose/drama extract and one poetry extract (5 marks each), five of six short answers (40-50 words, 2 marks each) and two long answers (about 120-150 words, 5 marks each). R2 has three extracts, five of seven short answers and one long answer.Source: CBSE English Language syllabus, Class IX 2026-27, Question Paper Design R1 and R2
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read: summary
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
Part I: the weekly serial. The narrator recalls living with her grandparents in a village in north Karnataka when she was about twelve. Newspapers came late, and the weekly magazine *Karmaveera* came by bus a day late. It carried *Kashi Yatre*, a serial by the popular Kannada writer Triveni. The story is about an old lady who longs to go to Kashi, but in the end gives all her savings for the wedding of a poor orphan girl. The narrator's grandmother, Krishtakka, had never gone to school and could not read. Every Wednesday the girl read the new episode aloud, and Avva listened with full concentration, could repeat it by heart and then discussed it with her friends at the temple courtyard. She felt close to the old lady in the story because she too had never been to Kashi.
The tears. The narrator went to a wedding in a nearby village and stayed a week. When she returned, she found Avva in tears, which surprised her, as she had never seen her cry. That night, on the open terrace under a full moon, Avva told her life story: she lost her mother young, her busy father remarried, girls were not sent to school, and she married young. She had always regretted not studying.
Part II: the decision. Avva explained that while the girl was away, *Karmaveera* came, but she could not read a word. She rubbed her hands over the pages, felt too embarrassed to ask anyone else, and felt dependent and helpless. Money was of no use if she could not be independent. She decided to learn the Kannada alphabet from the next day, with Saraswati Puja during Dassara as her deadline. The narrator laughed at the idea of learning at sixty-two, but Avva replied that determination can overcome any obstacle and that learning has no age bar.
The lessons and the gift. Avva proved a wonderful student who read, repeated, wrote and recited. On Saraswati Puja day she gave the narrator frock material and then touched her feet, saying she was honouring her teacher, not her granddaughter. The narrator touched her feet in return and gave her a gift: the novel *Kashi Yatre*. Avva at once read its title, author and publisher. The narrator knew her first student had passed with flying colours. She adds that she later became a Computer Science teacher with hundreds of students.
Central idea: Education gives dignity and independence, and it is never too late to learn. Determination matters more than age, and a teacher deserves respect whatever their age.
Themes and message
Learning has no age bar
Avva begins to learn the alphabet at sixty-two, an age when most people think learning is over. The narrator herself laughs at the idea, pointing to her grey hair, wrinkled hands and spectacles. Avva proves her wrong within a few months. The story suggests that age is a limit only if we accept it as one.
From the text: 'For learning there is no age bar.' and 'Avva, at this age of sixty-two you want to learn the alphabet?'
Literacy as independence and dignity
Avva's family is well-off, yet she feels dependent and helpless when she cannot read one page. She is too embarrassed to ask anyone in the village. Literacy for her is not a skill for a job: it is about self-respect and not having to depend on others. Her repeated wish 'I want to be independent' shows what the story values most in education.
From the text: 'I felt very dependent and helpless.' and 'what use is money when I cannot be independent?'
Determination and hard work
Avva sets herself a clear goal (to read a novel on her own) and a deadline (Saraswati Puja during Dassara). She works harder than anybody, doing an amazing amount of homework. Her success comes from planning and effort, not luck. The story turns her decision into a lesson in goal-setting.
From the text: 'For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle.' and 'She would read, repeat, write, and recite.'
Respect for the teacher
On Saraswati Puja day, Avva touches her granddaughter's feet. Elders do not normally touch the feet of youngsters, but she explains that she is honouring a teacher. By saying a teacher must be respected 'irrespective of the gender and age', she shows that respect is earned by the role, not by age. The narrator returns the gesture, showing respect flows both ways.
From the text: 'I am touching the feet of a teacher, not my granddaughter' and 'a teacher should be respected, irrespective of the gender and age'
Bond between generations
The story is full of tenderness between a twelve-year-old and her grandmother: reading aloud every Wednesday, Avva's 'affectionate hands' on the girl's forehead, the hand-holding on the terrace. The young teach the old here, which reverses the usual pattern. The story suggests that each generation has something to give the other.
From the text: 'Her affectionate hands touched my forehead.' and 'I knew I loved her immensely'
Characters
Avva (Krishtakka, the grandmother)
The narrator's sixty-two-year-old grandmother who never went to school and learns to read in a few months.
- Eager listener and lover of stories: she listens with 'the greatest concentration' and repeats the serial by heart
- Strong yet sensitive: the narrator had never seen her cry, but her helplessness brings her to tears
- Self-respecting: she is too embarrassed to ask others to read for her
- Determined and hard-working: she sets a deadline and works harder than anybody
- Humble and wise: she touches her teacher's feet and believes a teacher should be respected regardless of age
'I felt very dependent and helpless.'; 'I will work harder than anybody but I will do it.'; 'I am touching the feet of a teacher, not my granddaughter'.
The narrator (Sudha Murty as a girl)
A twelve-year-old girl who reads the serial to her grandmother and becomes her first teacher.
- Loving and caring: she holds Avva's hand and asks how she can help
- Childish at first: she laughs at the idea of learning at sixty-two
- Patient teacher: she gives daily tuition until Avva can read a novel
- Thoughtful: she secretly buys the novel Kashi Yatre as a gift
- Honest in looking back: she admits she 'made fun of the old lady'
'Can I help you in any way?'; 'Childishly I made fun of the old lady.'; 'Secretly I bought Kashi Yatre'.
How it is written
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| First-person narration (memoir) | 'When I was a girl of about twelve...' | The adult writer looks back on her childhood. This lets her admit her own mistake (laughing at Avva) and judge it with an adult's understanding. |
| Story within a story | The serial Kashi Yatre, in which an old lady gives up her trip to Kashi for an orphan girl's wedding | The old lady in the serial mirrors Avva: both are elderly women who never reached Kashi. It explains why Avva is so attached to the story, and the serial becomes the reason she learns to read. |
| Contrast | 'We are well-off, but what use is money when I cannot be independent?' | Wealth is set against helplessness. The contrast shows that independence comes from knowledge, not money. |
| Reversal of roles | The grandmother bends down and touches the granddaughter's feet | The elder becomes the student and the child becomes the teacher. The surprise of the gesture drives home the theme of respect for learning. |
| Idiom | 'my student had passed with flying colours' | The idiom means an outstanding performance. Calling her grandmother 'my student' ends the story with gentle pride and humour. |
| Setting and imagery | 'It was a summer night and there was a full moon.' | The calm, moonlit terrace creates a tender, private mood for Avva's confession. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
We are well-off, but what use is money when I cannot be independent?
Avva: She explains to the narrator why she cried when she could not read the magazine.
It sums up the story's view of literacy: money cannot buy independence, but education can.
I felt very dependent and helpless.
Avva: Describing the week the narrator was away and the magazine arrived.
Shows her pain at depending on others for something as simple as reading.
For learning there is no age bar.
Avva: Her reply when the narrator laughs at her plan to learn at sixty-two.
The central message of the story.
For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle.
Avva: Same reply, answering the narrator's teasing.
Shows her determination and the story's belief in effort over circumstances.
I am touching the feet of a teacher, not my granddaughter
Avva: On Saraswati Puja day, after she has learnt to read.
Shows her humility and her respect for the role of a teacher.
my student had passed with flying colours
The narrator: The last line, when Avva reads the title, author and publisher of Kashi Yatre.
Ends the story with pride: the test of reading a real book is passed.
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Literacy as independence
Suppose your neighbour, a sixty-year-old shopkeeper, always asks his son to read bank messages and medicine labels for him, and you notice he looks embarrassed each time.
Using Avva's experience, explain why learning to read would matter to him even though his business earns well. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Money did not stop Avva feeling helpless.
- Depending on others hurts self-respect.
- Reading would let him check messages and labels himself.
Answer: Like Avva, he is well-off but still depends on others, which hurts his self-respect. As Avva asked, 'what use is money when I cannot be independent?' Reading would let him check his bank messages and medicine labels himself, safely and with dignity.
Memory hook: Money buys things; reading buys freedom.
Learning has no age bar
Imagine your grandfather says he is 'too old' to join a free computer class at the community centre, though he wants to email his grandson abroad.
What would you tell him, using Avva's words and example? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Avva started at sixty-two.
- 'For learning there is no age bar.'
- Set a small goal and a date, as Avva did.
Answer: I would tell him about Avva, who began learning the alphabet at sixty-two and read a novel by Dassara. She said, 'For learning there is no age bar.' He could set a goal too: sending his first email to my cousin by Diwali.
Memory hook: Grey hair is no stop sign for learning.
Respect for the teacher, whatever the age
Suppose your younger cousin, aged ten, teaches you a difficult video-editing trick for a school project, and your friends tease you for learning from a 'kid'.
How would Avva's attitude help you respond? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Avva touched a twelve-year-old's feet as her teacher.
- Respect follows knowledge, not age.
- Thank the cousin openly.
Answer: Avva touched her twelve-year-old granddaughter's feet because she was her teacher. A teacher should be respected 'irrespective of the gender and age'. So I would thank my cousin openly and tell my friends that whoever teaches us something deserves respect.
Memory hook: Whoever teaches you is your teacher.
Determination with a deadline
Imagine you want to read one English novel by the end of the term, but you keep postponing it.
What can you borrow from Avva's method? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Avva fixed Saraswati Puja day as her deadline.
- She practised daily: read, repeat, write, recite.
- Break the goal into daily pages.
Answer: Avva fixed a clear deadline, Saraswati Puja day, and practised daily. I should fix a date, divide the novel into a few pages a day and keep at it every evening. A clear goal and steady effort helped her and would help me too.
Memory hook: A goal with a date gets done.
Topics in this chapter
How the school exam asks How I Taught My Grandmother to Read
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Prose extract (Q10 in R1, 5 marks) | An extract of 120-180 words with five parts: an MCQ on a trait or tone, a fill-in with options in brackets, 'identify the clue/lines that show...', and one or two parts asking you to infer or explain. The textbook's own Critical Reflection extracts follow this pattern. | Read the whole extract before the parts. For trait questions, choose the option the extract proves (for example 'strong-willed' from 'never seen her cry'). For 'identify the lines' parts, copy the exact words. For inference parts, give one clear point with a phrase from the extract. |
| Short answer (Q12, 2 marks, 40-50 words) | Why Avva cried, why she was embarrassed to ask others, why the narrator laughed, what Kashi Yatre means to Avva, or why Avva touched the narrator's feet. | Answer in the first sentence, then give one or two reasons from the story. Stay within 50 words; a 2-mark answer needs two clear points. |
| Long answer on theme or character (Q14, 5 marks, 120-150 words) | A character sketch of Avva or the narrator, or how the story shows that learning has no age bar or that education brings independence. | Plan four points in order: Avva's situation, the trigger (the week she could not read), her decision and hard work, the Saraswati Puja scene. Support each with a short quotation and end with the message. |
| Extrapolation beyond and across texts (Q13, 5 marks, 120-150 words) | 'Suppose' or opinion questions: adult literacy in your area, how you would teach an elderly relative to use a phone, or comparing Avva's determination with a character from another Kaveri unit. | Take a clear stand, link it to one or two details from the story, then add your own example or plan. Keep the story at the centre; do not write a general essay. |
| Grammar from the unit (Section B) | The unit practises simple past with past perfect ('I knew then that my student had passed...'). Exam items on sequence of tenses or reported speech may use sentences like Avva's words. | Use the past perfect for the earlier of two past actions. In reported speech, move the tense back and change pronouns and time words. |
| Writing task linked to the unit (Section B, 5 marks) | A letter to the editor (120-150 words) on student participation in adult literacy camps, as in the unit's Writing Task. | Follow the format: sender's address, date, editor's address, subject, Sir/Madam, three paragraphs (issue, analysis, suggestions), Yours truly, name. Use a formal tone. |
Tricks to remember How I Taught My Grandmother to Read
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
W-T-D-L-G: the story in five beats
Wednesday serial (reading aloud), Tears (after the wedding week), Decision (learn by Dassara), Lessons (read, repeat, write, recite), Gift (feet touched, novel given).
Use it when: Recall the sequence before an extract or a long answer.
Avva's four verbs
R-R-W-R: read, repeat, write, recite.
Use it when: Quote it when asked how Avva studied or why she was 'a wonderful student'.
Two numbers
12 and 62: the teacher was twelve, the student sixty-two.
Use it when: Use the contrast in theme answers on age and learning.
Names to keep straight
Triveni (writer), Kashi Yatre (novel), Karmaveera (weekly), Krishtakka (Avva), Sudha Murty (author).
Use it when: Avoid mixing up the writer of the serial and the author of the story.
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read: extract-based questions
Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.
Extract 1: Avva's decision
I will keep Saraswati Puja day during Dassara as the deadline. That day I should be able to read a novel on my own. I want to be independent.’
I saw the determination on her face. Yet I laughed at her.
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
By setting Saraswati Puja day as her deadline, Avva shows that she is:
(a) impatient and anxious
(b) organised and goal-oriented
(c) worried about festivals
(d) unsure of herself(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Fill in the blank with the correct option: Avva's main reason for learning is to become ________ (rich / independent / famous).
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Which word in the extract shows the narrator noticed how serious Avva was?
(4) · 1 mark · MCQ
The word 'Yet' in 'Yet I laughed at her' shows:
(a) that the narrator agreed with Avva
(b) a contrast between what she saw and how she reacted
(c) that the narrator was angry
(d) that time had passed(5) · 1 mark · Short answer
Why do you think the narrator laughed even though she saw Avva's determination? Answer in one or two sentences.
Show the answersAnswers
- (b) organised and goal-oriented
- independent
- 'determination'
- (b) a contrast between what she saw and how she reacted
- As a child, she thought learning was only for the young; at sixty-two, with grey hair and spectacles, Avva seemed too old to begin.
Extract 2: The teacher is honoured
Now I am independent. It is my duty to respect a teacher. Is it not written in our scriptures that a teacher should be respected, irrespective of the gender and age?’
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
The speaker of these lines is:
(a) the narrator
(b) Triveni
(c) Avva
(d) the narrator's mother(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Which phrase shows that Avva's goal has been achieved?
(3) · 1 mark · Assertion-reason
Just before this, Avva says she is touching the feet of a teacher, not of her granddaughter: a teacher who taught her so well, with such affection, that she can now read any novel. Assertion (A): Avva touches her granddaughter's feet.
Reason (R): She believes a teacher must be respected whatever the teacher's age.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.(4) · 1 mark · MCQ
The question at the end of the extract is used to:
(a) express doubt
(b) ask for information
(c) strengthen her point with tradition
(d) change the topic(5) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Name two qualities of Avva that this extract reveals.
Show the answersAnswers
- (c) Avva
- 'Now I am independent.'
- (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
- (c) strengthen her point with tradition
- Humility and gratitude (also respect for learning).
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read: exam-level solved questions
Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: Why Avva did not ask anyone else · 2 marks · Short answerExam level
Why did Avva not ask someone else in the village to read Kashi Yatre to her? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- She says she was 'too embarrassed' to ask.
- Admitting she could not read hurt her self-respect.
- She felt dependent and helpless, which made her decide to learn.
Answer: Avva was 'too embarrassed' to ask anyone else, because it meant admitting in front of the village that she could not read. Her self-respect was hurt. She felt dependent and helpless, and this painful feeling made her decide to learn to read herself.
Example 2: Kashi Yatre in two lives · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
What is the significance of the serial Kashi Yatre in Avva's life and in the story? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Avva identified with the old lady who never reached Kashi.
- Missing an episode made her feel helpless and led to her decision.
- The novel is the narrator's gift and the final test Avva passes.
Answer: Avva identified with the serial's old lady, who never reached Kashi, so she longed to follow every episode. Being unable to read it pushed her to learn. In the end, the novel becomes the narrator's gift, and reading its title proves Avva has learnt.
Example 3: Why the narrator laughed · 2 marks · Short answerExam level
Why does the narrator laugh at her grandmother's decision at first? What does this tell us about her? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- She thought sixty-two was too old to learn.
- She pointed to grey hair, wrinkled hands, spectacles, kitchen work.
- It shows childish thinking, which she later admits.
Answer: The narrator laughed because she believed that at sixty-two, with grey hair, wrinkled hands and spectacles, Avva was too old to learn the alphabet. It shows her childish idea that learning is only for the young. Looking back, she admits she 'made fun of the old lady'.
Example 4: Character sketch of Avva · 5 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a character sketch of Avva in about 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Background: lost her mother young, no schooling, married young.
- Love of stories: listens with great concentration, repeats by heart.
- Self-respect: too embarrassed to ask others; wants to be independent.
- Determination: sets a Dassara deadline, works harder than anybody.
- Humility: touches her teacher's feet; respects learning.
- Conclusion: an inspiring example that learning has no age bar.
Answer: Avva, or Krishtakka, is the heart of Sudha Murty's story. She lost her mother young and was never sent to school, yet she loves stories and listens to the serial Kashi Yatre with 'the greatest concentration'. She is strong; her granddaughter has never seen her cry. But when she cannot read a single episode, she feels 'dependent and helpless' and is too proud to ask anyone else for help. Instead of giving up, she sets herself a deadline, Saraswati Puja during Dassara, and works harder than anybody, reading, writing and reciting. When she succeeds, she humbly touches her young teacher's feet, believing a teacher deserves respect irrespective of age. Avva is determined, self-respecting and wise, and she proves that for learning there is no age bar.
Example 5: Is money enough? · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
'We are well-off, but what use is money when I cannot be independent?' How does the story show that education gives something money cannot? Answer in about 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Avva's family is well-off, so money is not her problem.
- Without literacy she depends on a child to read to her.
- Her helplessness and tears show the cost of illiteracy.
- Learning gives her independence and confidence: 'Now I am independent.'
- Link: dignity and self-reliance cannot be bought; own view.
Answer: Avva's family is well-off, so she never lacks food, comfort or respect at home. Yet when the narrator goes away for a week, all that wealth cannot help her read one page of Karmaveera. She rubs her hands over the pages, feels 'dependent and helpless' and is too embarrassed to ask anyone. Her tears show that what she lacks is not money but independence. Once she learns the alphabet, she reads the title of Kashi Yatre on her own and says, 'Now I am independent.' The story suggests that education gives dignity, confidence and self-reliance, which cannot be bought. In my view this is still true: an adult who cannot read a bank form or a medicine label depends on others, however rich they are.
Example 6: A digital Avva · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Suppose your grandmother wants to learn to make video calls and pay bills on a smartphone, but feels she is 'too old'. Using Avva's example, explain how you would encourage and teach her. Answer in about 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Remind her of Avva: learning at sixty-two; 'no age bar'.
- Set a goal and a deadline, as Avva did with Dassara.
- Teach daily in small steps; let her practise and repeat.
- Be patient; do not laugh as the narrator first did.
- Celebrate success; independence as the reward.
Answer: I would first tell my grandmother about Avva, who began learning the Kannada alphabet at sixty-two and read a whole novel by Dassara. As Avva said, 'For learning there is no age bar.' Like her, we would set a clear goal and a deadline, perhaps a video call to my aunt on her birthday next month. Every evening I would teach one small step, such as unlocking the phone or opening the calling app, and let her repeat it, just as Avva would 'read, repeat, write, and recite'. I would never laugh at her mistakes, because the narrator herself regretted making fun of Avva. When she pays her first bill alone, we would celebrate. The real reward would be her independence: she would no longer have to wait for someone else.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
Why did Avva touch the narrator's feet on Saraswati Puja day? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: she honoured her teacher, not her granddaughter, because the girl had taught her to read; a teacher deserves respect irrespective of gender and age. | 1 |
| Expression and accuracy: clear, correct sentences within the word limit. | 1 |
Write a character sketch of Avva in about 120-150 words. (5 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: background and love of stories; helplessness and self-respect. | 1 |
| Content: determination (deadline, hard work); humility (touching the teacher's feet). | 1 |
| Content: supporting quotations or details and a concluding judgement. | 1 |
| Expression: organised paragraph with linked ideas. | 1 |
| Accuracy: spelling, grammar and exact quotations. | 1 |
Where students lose marks in How I Taught My Grandmother to Read
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Saying Sudha Murty wrote Kashi Yatre
Students mix up the two writers.
Wrong working
Avva wanted to read Sudha Murty's novel Kashi Yatre.
Right working
Avva wanted to read Kashi Yatre by the Kannada writer Triveni; Sudha Murty wrote this story.
Do this: Triveni wrote the serial; Sudha Murty wrote the memoir.
Usually costs: 1 mark in an extract or short answer.
Mistake: Saying Avva cried because she was poor or ill
Students guess instead of reading Part II.
Wrong working
Avva cried because her family had no money.
Right working
Avva cried because she could not read Kashi Yatre on her own and felt dependent and helpless.
Do this: Remember 'We are well-off'.
Usually costs: Up to 2 marks: the central point is wrong.
Mistake: Writing that Avva asked someone in the village to read for her
The textbook's own true/false exercise tests this.
Wrong working
A neighbour read the serial to Avva while the narrator was away.
Right working
Avva was too embarrassed to ask anyone in the village.
Do this: Note: 'I could have asked somebody in this village but I was too embarrassed to do so.'
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Retelling the whole story in a 2-mark answer
Students think more words mean more marks.
Wrong working
A 100-word summary for 'Why did the narrator laugh?'
Right working
Two points in 40-50 words: she thought sixty-two was too old; her childish idea that learning is for the young.
Do this: Answer first, then one or two reasons; stop at 50 words.
Usually costs: Expression marks and time.
Mistake: Misquoting the key line
Quoting from memory.
Wrong working
'There is no age for learning.'
Right working
'For learning there is no age bar.'
Do this: Learn four quotations exactly or paraphrase without quote marks.
Usually costs: Accuracy mark in long answers.
Practice questions on How I Taught My Grandmother to Read
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
What did Avva do when the narrator read the weekly episode of Kashi Yatre to her?
(a) She fell asleep.
(b) She listened with great concentration and could repeat it by heart.
(c) She asked the narrator to read faster.
(d) She wrote it down in a notebook.Hint
Look at the paragraph about Wednesday.
Answer
(b) She listened with great concentration and could repeat it by heart.
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerExam level
Why was the narrator surprised to see her grandmother in tears? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
What did she know about Avva before?
Answer
Value points: never seen her cry before, even in difficult situations; Avva was usually smiling and strong; so the tears meant something serious.
Model answer: The narrator had never seen Avva cry, even in the most difficult situations. Her grandmother was usually a smiling, strong woman. So the tears surprised and worried her, and she sensed that something serious had happened while she was away at the wedding.
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerExam level
How did Avva prove to be 'a wonderful student'? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Find the four verbs the narrator uses for her study routine.
Answer
Value points: amazing amount of homework; read, repeated, wrote and recited; worked harder than anybody; met her own Dassara deadline.
Model answer: Avva did an amazing amount of homework. She would read, repeat, write and recite her lessons, working harder than anybody as she had promised. Within a short period she could read a novel confidently, meeting her own deadline of Saraswati Puja during Dassara.
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
How does the story of the old lady in Kashi Yatre mirror Avva's own life? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Think of Kashi, and of what each woman gives up or gains.
Answer
Value points: both are old women who never went to Kashi; Avva identified with the protagonist; the old lady puts another's happiness first, Avva puts learning first; both show quiet strength.
Model answer: Like the old lady in the serial, Avva had never been to Kashi, so she 'identified herself' with the protagonist. Both women show quiet strength: the old lady gives her savings for an orphan's happiness, while Avva overcomes shame and age to gain her independence.
Q5 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level
Combine using the past perfect: 'Avva learnt to read. Then the narrator gave her the novel.' Begin: 'By the time the narrator gave her the novel, ...'
Hint
The earlier action takes 'had' + past participle.
Answer
By the time the narrator gave her the novel, Avva had learnt to read.
Q6 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level
Report in indirect speech: Avva said, 'I want to be independent.'
Hint
Change the pronoun and move the tense back.
Answer
Avva said that she wanted to be independent.
Q7 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
The narrator returns Avva's namaskara by touching her feet. What does this tell us about the relationship between them? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Respect here flows in two directions.
Answer
Value points: respect is mutual; Avva honours the teacher, the girl honours the elder; love and humility on both sides; the earlier teasing is replaced by admiration.
Model answer: It shows that their respect is mutual. Avva honours her granddaughter as a teacher, and the girl honours Avva as an elder and a successful student. The childish teasing of the past has turned into admiration, and their bond is now based on love and humility.
Q8 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
'Learning can happen only when you are young.' Do you agree? Answer with reference to How I Taught My Grandmother to Read in about 120-150 words.
Hint
Take a stand, use Avva as evidence, then add a real example.
Answer
Value points: clear stand (disagree); Avva at sixty-two; the narrator's mocking and Avva's reply 'no age bar'; determination and routine; success by Dassara; a real-life example; conclusion.
Model answer: I do not agree. Sudha Murty's story shows that the will to learn matters more than age. Avva is sixty-two, with grey hair, wrinkled hands and spectacles, and even her granddaughter laughs at her plan. Yet she replies, 'For learning there is no age bar,' and sets herself a deadline. She works harder than anybody, reading, writing and reciting every day, and by Saraswati Puja she can read the novel Kashi Yatre on her own. Young people may learn faster, but older learners bring patience and a strong purpose, as Avva does. Around us, many grandparents now learn smartphones and digital payments in their sixties. Learning stops only when a person decides to stop; age by itself is not the barrier.
Q9 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Writing task: You are Rohan/Riya of Green Park, Bengaluru. Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper (120-150 words) on why students should volunteer at adult literacy camps, giving benefits and suggestions.
Hint
Format first (addresses, date, subject, Sir/Madam), then three paragraphs: issue, benefits, suggestions.
Answer
Value points (format): sender's address, date, The Editor with newspaper address, subject line, salutation, complimentary close 'Yours truly', name. Content: paragraph 1, the issue (many adults cannot read and feel dependent, like Avva); paragraph 2, benefits for adults (independence, confidence) and students (empathy, teaching skills, social responsibility); paragraph 3, suggestions (weekend camps through schools, community service credit, awareness through posters and social media, training volunteers) and a request to publish. Language: formal, clear, short sentences.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Who is the author of the story?Show answer
Sudha Murty.
2.In which state did the narrator's grandparents live?Show answer
Karnataka (a village in north Karnataka).
3.Who wrote Kashi Yatre?Show answer
Triveni, a popular Kannada writer.
4.In which weekly did Kashi Yatre appear?Show answer
Karmaveera.
5.What is the grandmother's name?Show answer
Krishtakka; the narrator calls her Avva.
6.How old were the grandmother and the narrator?Show answer
Sixty-two and about twelve.
7.What deadline did Avva set?Show answer
Saraswati Puja day during Dassara.
8.What gift did Avva give the narrator?Show answer
Frock material.
9.What gift did the narrator give Avva?Show answer
The novel Kashi Yatre.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you explain, in two sentences, why Avva cried after the wedding week?
- Can you say why Avva identified with the old lady in Kashi Yatre?
- Can you quote Avva's two lines about determination and age exactly?
- Can you list the four verbs that show how Avva studied?
- Can you explain why Avva touched her granddaughter's feet?
- Can you write a five-point character sketch of Avva?
- Can you combine two past actions with the past perfect?
- Can you write the format of a letter to the editor from memory?
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read: frequently asked questions
Who wrote How I Taught My Grandmother to Read?
Sudha Murty. In Class 9 it is the first prose piece of Unit 1 in the NCERT textbook Kaveri. It is a true story from her childhood in a north Karnataka village.
Why did the grandmother cry?
While the narrator was away at a wedding, the magazine Karmaveera came with the next episode of Kashi Yatre, but Avva could not read it. She felt dependent and helpless and was too embarrassed to ask anyone else to read it for her.
What deadline did the grandmother set for herself?
She chose Saraswati Puja day during Dassara. By that day she wanted to be able to read a novel on her own.
Why did the grandmother touch the narrator's feet?
She was honouring her teacher, not her granddaughter. She believed the scriptures say a teacher should be respected irrespective of gender and age.
What is Kashi Yatre and why is it important in the story?
It is a novel by the Kannada writer Triveni, first serialised in the weekly Karmaveera. Its heroine, an old lady who never reaches Kashi, reminds Avva of herself. Her wish to read it makes her learn the alphabet, and the novel becomes the narrator's gift to her.
What is the message of the story?
Education brings independence and dignity, and it is never too late to learn. With determination and hard work, a person can overcome obstacles like age.
Based on: CBSE English Language syllabus, Class IX 2026-27 (R1 and R2); NCERT Kaveri, Textbook of English for Grade 9 (First Edition 2026), Unit 1: How I Taught My Grandmother to Read