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NCERT Solutions for Class 9th English Chapter 3 Winds of Change (prose) — Writing Task

Book page 80 Updated on2026-09-08

Q1.
I. Describe an artefact you have made in your craft class or learnt from someone. Begin with collection and organisation of the facts with the help of the pointers given above. Do not include your opinion in the factual description. [Pointers given on page 81: • Name of the object and its physical characteristics — appearance, shape, size, colour, etc. • What is it made up of? • Which region does it belong to? How has it been used traditionally? • Is there an origin story associated with it? How has it evolved over time? • How can it be used effectively and safely in today’s time?]
Answer

The instruction that carries the marks is the last one: “Do not include your opinion in the factual description.” This is a factual description, not a personal essay.

Method — collect, then organise, then write:
  1. Collect. Put the object in front of you and write down measurements, colours, materials and the number of parts. Ask whoever taught you where the craft comes from and how it used to be used. Do not write a sentence yet.
  2. Organise. Sort your notes under the five pointers, in the order given — identity and appearance, material, region and traditional use, origin and evolution, present-day use and safety. That order is your paragraph plan.
  3. Write four or five short paragraphs, one per pointer, about 150–200 words in all.
Keeping opinion out — the practical test: strike out every word that a reader could disagree with. Beautiful, lovely, amazing, my favourite, I felt proud, the best — all out. Replace each with something measurable. Not “a beautiful bright fan” but “a fan 22 cm across, dyed pink and green”. Use the passive and the present tense for processes — “the strips are soaked for two hours”, “the ends are trimmed” — which is the register the chapter itself uses: “These are made by engraving brass and have a long handle.”

Sample answer: A moonj-grass coaster set

Name and physical characteristics. The artefact is a set of four round table coasters. Each coaster is 10 centimetres in diameter and about 6 millimetres thick. The surface is flat and coiled in a spiral from the centre outwards. Three of the coils are left in the natural straw colour of the grass; the fourth and the outermost coil are dyed magenta and green.

Material. The coasters are made of moonj grass wound over a core of kaisa grass. Nothing else is used except cotton thread at the finishing edge. No glue, nails or plastic are involved.

Region and traditional use. The craft belongs to the Prayagraj region of Uttar Pradesh, where the grass grows on the river banks. Traditionally, moonj is plaited into baskets, grain bins, mats, boxes given to a bride at her wedding, and the square hand fans mentioned in this chapter.

Origin and evolution. The craft has been practised in the region for several generations and was taught in households rather than in workshops. It was earlier done only for domestic use. Today it is made for sale, and the range has been extended from baskets and fans to coasters, trays, lampshades and wall panels.

Use and safety today. The coasters are used under hot cups and glasses. They must be kept dry, because damp grass darkens and grows mould; a wet coaster should be dried in the shade and not in direct sun, which makes the grass brittle. Loose ends should be trimmed with scissors rather than pulled.

Why the pointers are in this order: the sequence moves from what a reader can see to what a reader must be told — appearance, then material, then history, then care. A description that begins with history loses the reader, because there is nothing yet in the mind’s eye to attach it to. Look back at the chapter and you will find it uses the same order for each state’s pankha.
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