NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 4 - In the Kingdom of Fools

Q1. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools?

Ans: The guru and his disciple noticed two unusual things in the Kingdom of Fools:

• People slept during the daytime and carried out their work and daily activities at night.
• All items were sold at the same price—one duddu (or one rupee), regardless of whether it was rice or bananas.

Q2. Why does the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Is it a good idea?

Ans: The disciple wanted to stay in the Kingdom of Fools because everything was cheap. He liked the idea of eating tasty food at a low price.

But this was not a good idea. The guru had warned him that the people of the kingdom were foolish and no one could guess what they might do. He said such a place would not stay safe for long.

Q3. Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.

Ans: The king’s court put the merchant, the bricklayer, the dancing girl, and the goldsmith on trial. This happened because a thief died when the wall of the merchant’s house fell. The merchant was blamed for having a weak wall. The bricklayer was blamed for not building the wall properly. The dancing girl was blamed for distracting the bricklayer. The goldsmith was blamed because he made the dancing girl keep walking to his house many times.

Q4. Who is the real culprit, according to the king? Why does he escape punishment?

Ans: The king said that the merchant’s dead father was at fault for building a weak wall. But he also believed that the rich merchant was truly guilty, as he had received both his father's wealth and his mistakes. However, the merchant was not punished because he was too thin to be tied to the stake.

Q5. What are the Guru’s words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember them?

Ans: The Guru had warned, "This is a city of fools. You never know what they might do next."

The disciple remembered these words when he was ordered to be executed, even though he had done nothing wrong. He was chosen for execution just because he was fat enough to fit on the stake.

Q6. How does the guru manage to save his disciple’s life?

Ans: The Guru reached just in time to save his disciple and played a clever trick. He told the king that the stake was special and that the person who died first would be reborn as the next king. The one who died second would become the minister. The king didn’t want to miss this chance. So, he let the Guru and his disciple go. In this way, the Guru saved his disciple’s life.