Class 9 Exam  >  Class 9 Notes  >  English Class 9  >  Short & Long Type Answer Question - A House is not a Home

Class 9 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - Moments

Very Short Answer Type Important Questions

Q1: How was the author’s first year in High School?
Ans: The author's first year in high school was marked by an awkward transition.

Q2: What did the author notice one Sunday afternoon?
Ans: One Sunday afternoon, the author noticed smoke seeping in through the ceiling seams.

Q3: What did the author’s mother carry out of the house first of all?
Ans:  In the midst of the chaos, the author's mother rushed out of the house with a small metal box containing important documents.

Q4: What had happened to the author’s father?
Ans:  The author's father had passed away when he was young.

Q5: Why did the author’s mother run into the house for the second time?
Ans: The author's mother went back inside the burning house to retrieve her husband's letters and pictures.

Q6: Who stopped the author to run into the house?
Ans: The author was prevented from entering the house by a firefighter.

Q7: What was the author worried about after the fire tragedy?
Ans: After the fire tragedy, the author's greatest concern was the whereabouts of his missing cat.

Q8: Where did the author and his mother spend their night after the fire tragedy? 
Ans: The author and his mother spent the night after the fire at his grandparents' house.

Q9: Why did they have to borrow money?
Ans: They had to borrow money since their credit cards, cash, and identification were destroyed in the fire.

Q10: How did the students help the author at school?
Ans: The author's classmates showed support by collecting money to help him purchase school supplies, clothing, and other necessities.

Short Answer Questions

Q1: Why did Zan feel awkward and isolated during his first year of high school?
Ans: Zan’s position during his first year of high school as the junior most class made him feel awkward. The big size of the new school and the separation from his closest friends made him feel isolated.

Q2: Why did the author miss his old teachers?
Ans: The author missed his old teachers because they would encourage him to get involved in school activities so that he could meet new people. They also assured him that he would soon adjust to his new school. Their affection, warmth, and cooperation in making him feel special made the author miss them.

Q3: What kind of day it was when a fire broke out in the author’s house? What were the author and his cat doing at that time?
Ans: It was a Sunday afternoon of a cold and windy winter when the fire broke out. The author was at the dining-room table doing homework with the fire burning in the fireplace. His red tabby cat was lying over his papers, purring loudly and sometimes swatting at his pen.

Q4: What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon? What is his mother’s reaction? What does she do? 
Ans: One Sunday afternoon, the author smelled something strange and noticed smoke pouring in through the seams of the ceiling of his house. His mother reacted promptly and the two of them ran out into the front yard. However, she ran back into the house and brought out a small metal box full of important documents.

Q5: What happened to the narrator’s mother when she had run into the burning house?
Ans: The author’s mother inhaled a little smoke when she ran into the burning house. She was rescued by the firemen who put an oxygen mask on her after bringing her out. However, she was fine soon.

Q6: How did Zan’s mother save important documents from the burning house?
Ans: Zan’s mother saved important documents from the burning house by courageously rushing inside the house on fire and bringing out a small metal box that contained those documents. She thus risked her life but eventually succeeded in her mission.

Class 9 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - Moments
Q7: Why did Zan try to run after his mother and why did the fireman hold him back?
Ans: Zan tried to run after his mother because he was afraid of losing her. He was afraid that she might get burnt in the fire. The fireman held him back because Zan’s act was very rash and illogical. the lie could not have saved his mother and would have risked his life as well.

Q8: When did the author realise that his cat was missing?
Ans: After five hours of a raging fire that burnt down the author’s house almost completely, he realised that his cat was missing. He had not seen her all this while and realised to his horror that she was nowhere to be found.

Q9: Why does the narrator say, “I was suffering loss, big time”?
Ans: The author feels that he was suffering loss, big time because he had lost his old dear school and teachers, he had lost his house to the fire, and now he had lost his dear cat whom he loved dearly.

Q10: In what condition does the author go to school after the fire incident?
Ans: After the fire incident, the author goes to school wearing the dress that he had worn to church on Sunday morning and the tennis shoes that he had borrowed from his aunt. His shoes, clothes, books, homework, and backpack had been destroyed in the fire.

Q11: Why is the author deeply embarrassed the next day in school? Which words show his fear and insecurity?
Ans: The author is embarrassed because he feels that his appearance is weird without uniform, books and a backpack. His fear and insecurity are shown by the words: “Was I destined to be an outcast and geek all my life?”.

Q12: Why did the author dislike growing up?
Ans: The author disliked growing up because he felt that growing up had brought so many losses with it. He had lost his old school, his friends, his house and most of all his dear pet cat.

Q13: What is surreal? Why does the author feel that everything was surreal?
Ans: Surreal means something strange or unreal. The author felt that everything was surreal because too many unfortunate things had happened to him – his house was burnt down, his cat was lost, his mother was left with no money and he had no books, shoes, clothes and school uniform. His secure zone had been ripped away suddenly and the changes were too much and too many for him to handle.

Q14: What was the extent of the damage caused by the fire?
Ans: All belongings except photo albums, documents and some personal items had got burnt in the fire. Whatever remained had been destroyed by the water and chemicals that had been used to put out the fire.

Q15: Why did Zan’s mother have to borrow money from his grandparents?
Ans: Zan’s mother had to borrow money from his grandparents because her credit cards, cash and even identification that was needed to draw money from the bank had gotten burnt up in the fire. She had to rent a new place, buy new clothes for Zan and resettle quickly. She did not have time to wait for the recovery of her lost documents till then.

Q16: Why did the narrator go over to his burnt house even though they had rented an apartment nearby?
Ans: The narrator went over to his burnt house even though they had rented an apartment nearby because he hoped that his cat would be found somewhere. He would watch the clearing away of the debris expecting to see his cat.

Q17: How and why were people acting stranger than usual at Zan’s school?
Ans: When Zan was getting ready for gym class at his locker, people were gathering around him asking him to hurry up. This was stranger than usual as they almost seemed to shove him into the gym. They behaved so because they had put up a surprise collection of school supplies and clothes etc for Zan in the gym.

Q18: Why was the author overcome by emotions when he got help from his schoolmates?
Ans: The author was overcome by emotions when he got help from his schoolmates because they had gone out of their way to bring him the things he needed. He was touched by their genuine outpouring of concern.

Q19: When does the author say “It was like Christmas”? Why?
Ans: The author says this when he gets inside the gym to see the surprise load of school supplies and different clothes on the big table only for him. This seemed like Christmas because these assorted gifts were similar to the surprise gifts that one gets from loved ones on Christmas.

Q20: Why was it different for Zan to see his house getting rebuilt? How did the fire help him?
Ans: It was different to see his house getting rebuilt because Zan wasn’t alone this time. Two of his new friends from school were with him. The fire had helped him by diverting his mind away from his feelings of insecurity. He now opened up to the wonderful people around.

Q21: How did the author’s feelings of loss and tragedy seem to diminish?
Ans:  The author felt gratitude for life, his new friends, the kindness of the woman who had rescued his cat, and certainly for the life of his beautiful cat. This gratitude diminished his feelings of loss and tragedy.

Q22: Why is the author deeply embarrassed the next day in school? Which words show his fear and insecurity?
Ans: The author was full of remorse as he was left with nothing. He didn’t have proper dress and study material. He had no backpack. He had a feeling of insecurity. All things appeared strange to him. He was shocked deeply and seemed frustrated. The words uttered by him “Was I destined to be an outcast and a geek all my life? I didn’t want to grow up, change or have to handle life, if it was going to be this way. I just wanted to curl up and die”. These words reveal his fear and insecurity.

Q23: What was the author’s mother doing on a Sunday afternoon?
Ans: It was blowing cold on that Sunday afternoon. And the author was doing homework at the dining table. His mother was fuelling the fire at the fireplace to keep the room warm.

Class 9 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - Moments Q24: Which three things made the author’s house a home?
Ans: The fire tragedy changed the author’s life. He was so depressed that he did not want to grow up and wanted to die. But his reunion with his cat, his new friends in the school and his new house made his house ‘a home’ where he could live.

Q25: Why did the author, Zan, love his cat so much?
Ans: He had a pet cat which was his constant companion and source of entertainment. He was fond of her and could never think of living away from her. He had a special bond with her because he had rescued her when she was a small kitten.

Long Answer Questions

Q1: The cat and the author are very fond of each other. How has this been shown in the story?
Ans: The red tabby cat had been rescued by the author when she was a helpless kitten. She would never be far from him and knew that he was the one responsible for giving her a good life. He would get up early in the morning and teasingly disturb her. She would then tag along after him, climb up his robe and crawl into his pocket to fall asleep. Zan loved her so much that he would allow the cat to sit over his papers and swat at his pen while he did his homework. He missed her terribly after losing her and would go over to watch the clearing of debris with the hope to find her somewhere. When she was restored back to Zan, the cat purred as happily as the author felt elated to get her back. Even the woman who rescued the cat knew that she was loved and sorely missed.

Q2: What actions of the schoolmates change the author’s understanding of life and people, and comfort him emotionally? How does his loneliness vanish and how does he start participating in life?
Or
What role did Zan’s school play in normalising his life after the fire accident?
Ans: After the loss of all his belongings in the fire that ravaged his house, Zan, the narrator, started feeling depressed and embarrassed. At this time, the friendly and helpful actions of his schoolmates changed his understanding of life and people and comforted him emotionally. His schoolmates took up a collection and bought him school supplies, notebooks, and all kinds of clothes – jeans, tops, and sweats. Those who had never spoken to him before came up to him and introduced themselves. Many invited him to their houses. Their genuine concern touched Zan. He felt relieved and began to believe that everything would be okay. He stopped focussing on his feelings of insecurity and opened up to all the wonderful people around him. The company of his new friends and sharing joys with them made his loneliness vanish and reconnected him to live.

Q3: What is the meaning of “My cat was back and so was I”? Had the author gone anywhere? Why does he say that he is also back? 
Ans: Zan’s cat was brought back home after more than a month of absence. She had run away due to fear of fire and could not be brought back early as her collar had those phone numbers that had got disconnected due to the fire. Zan too was back to his normal cheerful life. His absence was emotional unlike the physical absence of his cat. Zan says that he is also back since he wants to point out the return of his faith in the goodness of life. He had drifted away from joys of friendship and comfort of familiarity on moving to a new school. By the time his cat returned, his gratitude for life had also returned in the company of new friends.

Q4: Describe the fire tragedy that struck Zan’s house?
Ans:  What was stoked to keep the house nice and warm, triggered a major fire break out that turned Zan’s house to cinders and left him and his mother devastated.
At first, Zan only smelled something strange but soon noticed smoke pouring in through the seams of the ceiling. The smoke filled the room quickly and Zan and his mother could barely see. Somehow, they groped their way to the front door and ran out into the front yard.
No sooner had they made their way outside than the whole roof was engulfed in flames, and the fire spread quickly. Zan ran to his neighbours to call the fire department and his mother ran back into the house and soon came out carrying a small metal box full of important documents. She rushed back into the house to retrieve his husband’s pictures and letters – the only things she had to remember him by.
Zan tried to run after her but was stopped by a fireman. The fire truck had already arrived and was busy dousing the fire. Some firefighters ran into the house and safely brought out Zan’s mother and gave her an oxygen mask because she had inhaled smoke.
It took five hours to finally put out the fire but the house was almost completely burnt and there was the sign of Zan’s pet cat. Zan feared that she was burnt alive.

Q5: What values in Zan’s mother endeared him to her? Zan’s mother was his sole support after the death of his father. She carried out her responsibilities as a single parent with complete devotion. Zan loved her a lot and obeyed all that she
Ans:  asked him to do because he respected her for her value of devotion towards him. He willingly changed school and tried to adjust to the new environment because he knew his mother was doing everything for his good. She valued memories and knew the significance of the letters and pictures of her late husband. She risked her life to recover these things and thus displayed the value of courage. Her son, Zan, acknowledged this value when he evaluated the few things that could be saved from the fire, all because of his mother’s courage. She possessed the value of emotional strength and hence quickly brought back normalcy to Zan’s life by sending him to school the next day after the fire incident. Zan admired her because of her positive values both as a mother and as a human being. That is why he rushed after her to save her from the fire, without worrying about his own safety, because he did not want to lose her at any cost.

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Q6: Describe the author’s experience at school after the fire tragedy.
Ans: The author had just joined a new school. He was facing a big problem to make himself fit in the new school. Just after a couple of days in his house caught fire. His school bag and shoes had burnt in a fire.
The next day he went to school. He was around school like a wanderer. Everything appeared to him strange. He did not know what was going to happen him. He returned home with a broken heart. He was experiencing terrible developments in his life.
The next day when he went to school; he found a strange atmosphere all around. People were getting together all around him. They had collected money for him and arranged school supplies and clothing for him. This changed his vision for life once again.

Q7: How is a Home different from a House? Explain with reference to the lesson ‘A House Is Not a Home’.
Ans: Life without love is not life. Human relationship is based on love. The title itself indicates it clearly that a house is not a home without love. The author had to face adverse circumstances in his life. He was a fatherless boy. He led a satisfactory life with his old friends and teachers. But when he changed his schools, he could not adjust to the new environment. He felt alienated. Later, his house caught fire and he lost all the things including his cat. He started feeling dejected and isolated. Life had no interest in him anymore. He started building a new house. But it was not home, as a house is a home only when there is love and happiness. The author did not have any attachment to the new house. His reunion with his cat, his new friends, and the new house made his house a home.

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FAQs on Class 9 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - Moments

1. What is the difference between a house and a home?
Ans. A house is a physical structure, while a home is a place filled with love, warmth, and memories that make it special and unique to the individuals living there.
2. How can one transform a house into a home?
Ans. By adding personal touches such as family photos, favorite colors, meaningful decor, and creating a welcoming atmosphere through shared experiences and bonding with loved ones.
3. Can a house feel empty even when it is filled with belongings?
Ans. Yes, a house can feel empty if it lacks emotional connection, personalization, and a sense of belonging that turns it into a comfortable and secure space called a home.
4. What role does family play in making a house feel like a home?
Ans. Family plays a crucial role in creating a sense of togetherness, support, and love that fills a house with warmth, happiness, and a feeling of belonging.
5. How important is the emotional aspect in making a house feel like a home?
Ans. The emotional aspect is essential in making a house feel like a home as it involves love, care, shared memories, and personal connections that create a sense of belonging and comfort in the living space.
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