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NCERT Solutions for Class 9th English Chapter 5 Nine Gold Medals (poem) — Listen and Respond

Book page 163–164 Updated on2026-09-08

Q1.
I. You will listen to a radio-talk about Patrick Gomes, a coach of special athletes. As you listen, write true or false for the statements given. (Transcript for teacher on page 268) 1. Patrick Gomes began his career in sports with track events.
Answer

True.

The radio-talk says: “He is a talented special athlete whose journey began with his participation in various track events way back in 1991, in Chennai.” (Appendix, printed page 268)

Listen for ‘began’ and its synonyms. The statement uses began his career; the speaker says whose journey began. Both point to the same detail — 1991, Chennai, track events. Football comes later, in 1995, so a listener who catches only the word ‘football’ will mark this wrongly.
Q2.
I. 2. Patrick Gomes has been coaching special athletes for 10 years.
Answer

False.

The transcript says: “He has been coaching special athletes for over 15 years now in sports and related values.” (printed page 269)

Why this is a classic true/false trap: the statement is right in every particular except the number. It names the correct person, the correct activity (coaching special athletes) and the correct tense (has been coaching). Only ‘10 years’ is wrong. In a true/false task, one incorrect detail makes the whole statement false — so listen right to the end of the sentence before you decide.
Q3.
I. 3. Patrick Gomes does all the household work himself.
Answer

True.

The transcript says: “Despite his speech challenge, he is quite an independent and confident person. In fact, he lives all by himself, doing all the daily chores at home. He says it keeps him fit too.” (printed page 269)

‘Daily chores at home’ = household work. The listening test almost never repeats the exact words of the statement; it paraphrases. Train yourself to match meaning, not vocabulary — ‘daily chores’, ‘household work’ and ‘work around the house’ are the same slot.
Worth noticing for the discussion: the speaker mentions his independence as a plain fact, in the same breath as his two-hour daily jog. The talk describes what he does, not what he lacks — the same approach the chapter takes throughout.
Q4.
II. You will listen to the radio-talk once again. As you listen, choose the correct option for each question. 1. When the speaker uses the phrase ‘push your boundaries’, he wants listeners to _________. (i) challenge themselves (ii) meet new people (iii) be open-minded
Answer

Answer: (i) challenge themselves.

The phrase comes in the talk’s opening line: “If you’re feeling a bit low today, I’ve something to share that will inspire you to push your boundaries.” (printed page 268)

OptionWhy it is right or wrong
(i) challenge themselvesCorrect. A boundary is a personal limit; pushing it means going past what you thought you could do. The speaker offers Patrick Gomes as the example — a man who went from track events to a Special Olympics football squad to coaching, and jogs two hours a day.
(ii) meet new peopleNothing in the talk is about social contact. The whole talk is about one man’s own effort.
(iii) be open-mindedA reasonable general idea, but it is about attitudes to others. ‘Push your boundaries’ is about acting on yourself.
Cross-reference: Dr. Malik uses the same expression on page 141 — “Paralympics has given me a new lease of life and helped me push boundaries.” Both speakers mean exactly this: going beyond the limit you or others had assumed.
Q5.
II. 2. Patrick Gomes is a ___________ at present. (i) special athlete (ii) coach of special athletes (iii) value education teacher
Answer

Answer: (ii) coach of special athletes.

The question turns on the words ‘at present’. The talk gives his career as a sequence: he was a special athlete from 1991, competed in football at the Special Olympics World Summer Games at Connecticut and later for Special Olympics Bharat in Spain, and then — “Gradually, he trained as a coach. He has been coaching special athletes for over 15 years now.” (printed pages 268–269)

Why (i) is a trap: the talk introduces him as “a special athlete and coach”, so ‘special athlete’ is true of his past and of his identity, but the present continuous perfect — has been coaching… for over 15 years now — is what answers ‘at present’. Option (iii) never appears in the talk at all; he coaches “in sports and related values”, which is not the same as being a value education teacher.
Q6.
II. 3. Special Olympic Games held at Connecticut was a __________ for Patrick Gomes. (i) motivational year (ii) turning point (iii) gradual change
Answer

Answer: (ii) turning point.

The talk says: “in 1995… he was selected in football for the Special Olympics World Summer Games held at Connecticut, in the USA. That is how his journey of Special Olympics began. It became a milestone in his life, changing his life forever.” (printed pages 268–269)

OptionJudgement
(i) motivational yearWrong shape of answer — Connecticut was an event, not a year, and the talk calls it a milestone, not a period of motivation.
(ii) turning pointCorrect. ‘Milestone… changing his life forever’ is the definition of a turning point: one moment after which everything went differently.
(iii) gradual changeDirectly contradicted. ‘Gradually’ appears in the talk, but about something else — “Gradually, he trained as a coach.” Connecticut itself was sudden and decisive.
Listening tip: options in an MCQ often reuse a word from a different sentence of the audio, as ‘gradual’ does here. Match the word to the right sentence, not just to the right talk.
Q7.
II. 4. As a special athlete, Patrick Gomes mostly participated in ___________. (i) track events (ii) jogging (iii) football
Answer

Answer: (iii) football.

The key word is ‘mostly’. The talk traces his events in order: track events in 1991 to begin with; selection in football for Connecticut in 1995; and then — “He participated in several special games after that, primarily football.” (printed page 269) Primarily is the audio’s word for the question’s mostly.

Why the two wrong options are tempting: (i) track events is true, but only of his start — it answers ‘began with’, which was question I.1. (ii) jogging is mentioned in the talk (“he jogs for two hours every day”), but that is his personal fitness routine now, not an event he competed in. Both are real details placed in the wrong slot, which is the standard design of a listening MCQ.
Q8.
II. 5. Patrick Gomes believes that sports is essential because it encourages ___________ along with fitness. (i) a positive outlook (ii) a peaceful mind (iii) an active life
Answer

Answer: (i) a positive outlook.

The talk says: “He strongly believes that sports is important for everyone as it brings positivity, fitness, and discipline.” (printed page 269) The question already accounts for fitness (‘along with fitness’), so the blank must be filled by one of the other two qualities — and ‘positivity’ is what option (i) restates as ‘a positive outlook’.

Why not (ii) or (iii): ‘a peaceful mind’ is never mentioned; the talk’s third quality is discipline, which is not among the options. ‘An active life’ simply repeats fitness, and the question has excluded fitness by saying ‘along with’. Reading the stem carefully removes two options before the audio even begins.
Check it yourself: the whole radio-talk answers all eight questions in this section, and it is short. If your teacher plays it twice, use the first hearing for the true/false items (I.1–3), which come in the first half, and the second hearing for the MCQs (II.1–5), which are spread right across the talk.
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