Nine Gold Medals Questions & Answers | Class 9 English | CBSE NCERT

(b) all over the country

(c) many weeks and months

(b) all their training would be decided by this one event SQ 1. What were the athletes hoping to win at these games? They were running for the gold, silver and bronze medals. SQ 2. What does the idiom 'coming down to' mean in this stanza? It means that all their weeks and months of training finally depended on, or culminated in, these games. SQ 3. What kind of athletes does the first stanza present — casual or serious? Give a reason. Serious athletes; they had come from all over the country and had trained for many weeks and months for these games.

(c) the spectators

(b) the final event of the day

(b) men–begin SQ 1. Why had the spectators gathered around the old field? They had gathered to cheer on all the young women and men participating in the events. SQ 2. Why was excitement high among everyone? The final event of the day was approaching, and both athletes and spectators were eager for it to begin. SQ 3. What is a 'spectator'? What does their presence add to the scene? A spectator is a person who watches an event. Their cheers and eagerness build a lively, exciting atmosphere at the field.

(b) the hundred-yard dash

(b) resolved

(b) ready and waiting for the starting signal SQ 1. Why were the blocks lined up 'for those who would use them'? The starting blocks were kept ready for those athletes who wished to use them to begin the hundred-yard dash. SQ 2. What does the word 'resolved' tell us about the nine athletes? It shows they were determined and firmly focused on running the race well after their long training. SQ 3. How many athletes stood at the starting line, and for what were they waiting? Nine resolved athletes stood in the back of the starting line, waiting for the sound of the starting gun.

(b) the runners charged ahead

(c) the smallest among the runners

(b) the asphalt SQ 1. What does 'he stumbled and staggered' tell us about how the athlete fell? He lost his balance, moved unsteadily for a few moments, and then fell to the ground instead of running ahead. SQ 2. Identify the poetic device in 'he stumbled and staggered'. Alliteration — the repetition of the same initial consonant sound 'st' in 'stumbled' and 'staggered'. SQ 3. What is 'asphalt'? Asphalt is a hard black substance used to make roads and paths; the race track was made of it.

(b) his dreams and efforts seemed destroyed

(b) destroyed

(b) something surprising happened next SQ 1. What does 'anguish' mean? 'Anguish' means extreme pain or suffering — here, the boy's deep distress at falling during the race. SQ 2. What does the poet mean by 'as sure as I'm standing here telling this story'? The poet assures the reader that he is faithfully narrating a true account, and that what happened next was equally true and remarkable. SQ 3. Identify the poetic device in 'His dreams and his efforts dashed in the dirt'. Alliteration — the repetition of the 'd' sound in 'dreams', 'dashed' and 'dirt'.

(b) stopped running

(b) eight

(b) sacrificed their own chances of winning to help a fallen competitor SQ 1. Who were 'the ones who had trained for so long to compete'? They were the eight other runners who had also prepared for weeks and months to run this race. SQ 2. What did the eight runners do, one by one? They all turned round, went back to help the smallest athlete, and brought the young boy to his feet. SQ 3. Which character trait do the eight runners show through this act? Compassion and selflessness — they placed a fallen companion's distress above their own dreams of winning a medal.

(b) a walk

(b) Special Olympics

(b) exactly appropriate SQ 1. What does the joining of hands by the nine runners symbolise? It symbolises unity, togetherness, brotherhood and equality — they would finish the race as one. SQ 2. Why was the race 'reduced to a walk'? The runners slowed down so that the once-fallen youngest athlete could also complete the race with them, together. SQ 3. What does the phrase 'on the mark' mean? It means exactly right or perfectly appropriate — the banner's message matched what the athletes truly displayed.

(b) with nine gold medals

(a) a standing ovation

(b) joyful and proud SQ 1. What is a 'standing ovation'? It is an applause given by the audience while standing up, to show deep appreciation and admiration. SQ 2. Why does the poet say the faces 'said more than these words ever will'? The joy, pride and admiration of that moment were so profound that no words could express them better than the silent scene itself. SQ 3. Identify the rhyming words and rhyme scheme of this stanza. 'still' and 'will' rhyme; the pattern is x-a-x-a (second and fourth lines rhyme).

They were nine resolved athletes who had come from all over the country to run the hundred-yard dash, the final event of the day, at the Special Olympics — hoping to win the gold, silver or bronze medal.

The athletes had trained for many weeks and months, and all their effort had come down to this one final event. Excitement was high as they stood poised at the starting line awaiting the signal.

When the pistol exploded, the runners charged ahead, but the smallest among them stumbled and staggered and fell to the asphalt. He gave out a cry of frustration and anguish, his dreams and efforts dashed in the dirt.

He must have felt devastated — months of training and dreams of a medal were dashed in an instant. His cry of frustration and anguish reveals disappointment, helplessness and perhaps embarrassment before the watching spectators.

The banner's message matched perfectly what the athletes actually displayed: the true 'special' spirit of these Games — inclusion, empathy, togetherness and shared joy — rather than mere competition for medals. The runners proved the banner right.

The phrase means destroyed or ruined. The smallest athlete's dreams of winning a medal and his months of effort seemed to be shattered in an instant when he stumbled, staggered and fell to the asphalt.

'Resolved' means determined and firm of purpose. The nine athletes were resolved because they had trained for many weeks and months and had set their hearts on winning the gold, silver or bronze at these games.

The blocks were lined up because some athletes required them to crouch and start the hundred-yard dash. It shows the race was about to begin, with nine resolved athletes poised behind the starting line.

They pulled up on their heels and stopped running. One by one they all turned round, went back to help him, and brought the young boy to his feet, forgetting the race they had trained for.

It is remarkable because these eight runners had trained for weeks and months to compete, and had long dreamed of a medal. They sacrificed their own chances of winning to help a fallen competitor.

All the nine runners joined hands and continued together. The hundred-yard dash was reduced to a walk, and they came to the finish line still holding hands, where they received nine gold medals.

Because each displayed the true spirit of the Special Olympics — the eight who sacrificed victory to help a fallen athlete, and the youngest who showed courage by completing the race. Shared humanity made all of them winners.

A standing ovation is an applause given by the audience while standing, to show deep appreciation. The spectators stood to honour the nine runners whose compassion and togetherness had transformed a race into a shared victory.

The nine beaming faces show the runners' joy, pride and fulfilment. Each athlete felt the happiness of belonging and shared achievement — a collective victory far greater than any individual medal won alone.

The runners' beaming faces and the spectators' standing ovation expressed emotions — joy, pride and admiration — so profound that no words could capture them. The silent scene communicated more than the poet's words can say.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound. Examples from the poem are: 'he stumbled and staggered' and 'his dreams and his efforts dashed in the dirt'. The sounds 'st' and 'd' are repeated.

The poem's visual imagery lets us 'see' the action: the runners charging ahead as the smallest falls to the asphalt; the eight turning back to bring him to his feet; and the nine crossing the finish line holding hands.

Auditory imagery appeals to the sense of hearing. The clearest example is 'He gave out a cry of frustration and anguish' — the sound of the fallen athlete's anguished cry. The exploding pistol is another example.

The tone begins with excitement and anticipation as the race is about to begin; it turns sorrowful at the boy's fall; then it grows warm and admiring as the runners help him, ending in celebration and quiet wonder.

The poem conveys that empathy, cooperation and human kindness matter more than winning. All nine athletes earned gold medals through shared humanity, proving that helping others and togetherness are greater than individual competition and coming first.

The race slowing to a walk symbolises the triumph of humanity over competition. The runners abandon the pursuit of individual glory and choose collective support for their fallen companion. It shows that empathy, cooperation and shared victory matter far more than finishing first.

The first two stanzas paint a charged, expectant scene: athletes who have trained for weeks and months have gathered from all over the country; spectators crowd around the old field cheering the young women and men; and the final event is approaching. This build-up makes the sudden fall dramatic.

When the signal was given, the pistol exploded and all the runners charged ahead. But the smallest among them stumbled and staggered, and fell to the asphalt instead of running on. He gave out a cry of frustration and anguish.

True sportsmanship means valuing fairness and human kindness above personal victory. The eight runners, who had trained for months to compete, pulled up on their heels, turned round one by one, and helped the fallen boy to his feet — placing a companion's distress above their own dreams.

The stanza ends the boy's cry of 'frustration and anguish' with the poet's words, 'But as sure as I'm standing here telling this story / The same goes for what next occurred.' This unfinished hint makes the reader curious about the surprising events that follow the fall.

The poem shows athletes with intellectual disabilities displaying the finest human values — empathy, inclusion, cooperation and shared joy. The banner 'Special Olympics' proves 'more on the mark' because the runners redefine victory as togetherness, making the Games truly special in spirit.

In an ordinary race one athlete finishes first and takes the gold, while the others lose. Here, all nine runners joined hands, walked to the finish line together, and each received a gold medal, celebrated by a standing ovation from the spectators.

The poem highlights empathy, compassion, cooperation, selflessness and mutual respect. The eight runners sacrifice their own chances of winning to help a fallen companion, while the youngest shows courage by completing the race. Together they demonstrate inclusion, dignity and the joy of shared achievement.

The title surprises us because a single race normally awards one gold medal, not nine. Yet it is fitting: each of the nine athletes deserved gold — eight for their selflessness in helping, and one for his courage in rising and finishing the race.

The poem defines true victory not as crossing the finish line first, but as winning through kindness. The eight runners 'won' by helping a fallen companion; the youngest 'won' by showing courage. The standing ovation shows the crowd recognised this deeper, shared victory.

If the poem celebrated only individual achievement, it would follow the familiar pattern of a conventional sports story: the gunshot, the charge, one winner breaking the tape, others defeated. The fall of the smallest runner would be a mere accident, and the poem would end with one gold medal and eight heartbreaks. The emotional core — the eight runners 'pulling up on their heels' and turning back — would disappear, and with it the poem's message of empathy. There would be no joined hands, no shared walk, no nine gold medals, and no standing ovation born of admiration for kindness. The poem would lose its universality; it would tell us who won a race instead of reminding humanity that compassion is the greater victory, and its title would have to change from 'Nine Gold Medals' to 'One Gold Medal'.

David Roth employs simple, direct narrative language in rhyming quatrains that make the poem read like a story told aloud — the poet says, 'as sure as I'm standing here telling this story'. This conversational tone draws the reader in as a witness. Vivid visual imagery (the fall to the asphalt, the joined hands, the beaming faces) and auditory imagery (the exploding pistol, the cry of anguish) make each moment immediate. The tone shifts strategically — from excitement to sorrow to warmth to celebration — carrying the reader's emotions along. Devices like alliteration ('stumbled and staggered') add music, while the understated closing line, 'Said more than these words ever will', invites the reader to feel what lies beyond language. Together, language and tone transform a small incident into a universal lesson on kindness.

The poet's purpose is to celebrate and spread the ethos of the Special Olympics — inclusion, empathy and shared humanity. By recounting how eight competitors sacrificed their own chances of victory to help a fallen rival, Roth shows that true sportsmanship lies in compassion, not conquest. The poem challenges the win-at-all-costs mindset of modern competition and redefines victory: all nine runners receive gold medals because all displayed courage and kindness. The poem also honours athletes with intellectual disabilities, presenting them not as objects of pity but as exemplars of the finest human values, capable of teaching the world the meaning of togetherness. Ultimately, it is a gentle moral lesson for readers of every age — helping hands matter more than finishing first, and a race can be won by everyone when it is run together.

The ending teaches that real winning is not about crossing the finish line first, but about the spirit in which we run. The youngest athlete 'won' by finding courage to rise and finish; the other eight 'won' by choosing a fallen friend's need over their own medals. When all nine crossed the line hand in hand, each had gained something a solo victory could never give — the joy of belonging, the pride of shared achievement and the love of the crowd. The standing ovation shows that the spectators recognised this deeper victory. In life too, the richest successes are those we lift others into — a classmate helped, a team carried, a friend supported. Medals tarnish and records break, but kindness remembered shines forever; that is the real meaning of winning.

The poem begins with athletes from all over the country who have trained for weeks and months to run for gold, silver and bronze. Spectators gather around the old field as the final event, the hundred-yard dash, approaches. Nine resolved athletes line up, poised for the gun. When the pistol explodes, the runners charge ahead, but the smallest stumbles, staggers and falls, crying out in anguish. The eight other runners pull up, turn back one by one, and bring him to his feet. Then all nine join hands and walk to the finish line together. Each receives a gold medal amid the spectators' standing ovation, and their nine beaming faces say more than words ever will — a race transformed into a celebration of humanity.

Though set at a sporting event, the poem is essentially about human values. The competition element — the training, the race, the medals — merely provides the stage for a deeper drama. The moment the smallest athlete falls, the athletes cease to be rivals: the eight abandon the race they had trained months for, and lift their companion. The hundred-yard dash is 'reduced to a walk' because reaching the finish together now matters more than beating anyone. The nine gold medals and the standing ovation are not rewards for speed but recognition of empathy, courage and togetherness. The banner 'Special Olympics' being 'more on the mark' confirms that the poem's true subject is the special spirit of humanity — inclusion and compassion — which shines brighter than any medal.

Both texts celebrate the triumph of the human spirit over limitation. In the prose, Dr. Deepa Malik refuses to let paralysis define her, transforms her tragedy into a world of limitless possibilities, and proves that ability lies beyond disability. In the poem, nine athletes at the Special Olympics turn a competitive race into an act of shared humanity, winning nine gold medals through empathy and courage. Both texts challenge society's underestimation of persons with disabilities: Dr. Malik battles preconceived notions through achievement and advocacy, while the runners dissolve rivalry through compassion. Together they teach that true success is measured not by the absence of difficulty, but by determination, dignity, inclusion and kindness — qualities that turn setbacks into victories and strangers into companions.

(c) Special Olympics (the banner above read 'Special Olympics') B5-Q2. The final event of the day described in the poem was:

(c) the hundred-yard dash B5-Q3. How many athletes were poised at the starting line?

(b) nine B5-Q4. State whether the following is True or False: The smallest runner fell because he was pushed by another athlete. False. He stumbled and staggered on his own and fell to the asphalt. B5-Q5. The medals described in the poem were:

(c) nine gold medals B5-Q6. Match the words/phrases with their meanings: (5 × 1 = 5 marks) B5-Q7. Identify the gist of each stanza by writing the correct stanza number: (8 marks)

Both texts celebrate ability beyond disability and the power of the human spirit. Dr. Malik proves that physical limitations do not define potential when one chooses resilience over remorse; the nine runners prove that empathy and togetherness are greater than individual victory. Together they teach that true success lies in determination, dignity, inclusion and lifting others as we rise. MARKING SCHEME (SUMMARY) General marking principles (CBSE): MCQ/fill-in-the-blank/one-word answers: full mark for the correct answer; no partial marks. Short answers (2 marks): 1 mark for content, 1 mark for expression; deduct up to ½ mark for spelling/grammar errors. Short answers (3 marks): 2 marks for content, 1 mark for expression and organisation. Long answers (5 marks): 3 marks for content, 1 mark for organisation, 1 mark for expression; credit any well-reasoned, text-supported response since several questions are open-ended. Value-based questions (A.4 Q7, B.4 Q4): accept varied personal responses if logically reasoned and connected to the text. Prepared from NCERT Kaveri Grade 9 English, Unit 5 — 'The World of Limitless Possibilities' and 'Nine Gold Medals' (David Roth).