EN हिं

NCERT Solutions for Class 9th English Chapter 7 Words (poem by Charles Swain) — Vocabulary in Context

Book page 226 Updated on2026-09-08

Q1.
I. The poet has used some figurative phrases. Match the phrases in Column 1 with their correct meanings in Column 2. Use each phrase in a sentence of your own. Column 1: 1. satisfy the heart 2. depart and leave but empty air 3. hosts of words 4. never touch the heart 5. wins its sunny way 6. plants that cannot grow fruit Column 2: (i) many words (ii) cheers up a person (iii) there is no outcome (iv) makes one happy (v) does not appeal to our emotions (vi) makes no impact
Answer
Column 1MatchColumn 2Why
1. satisfy the heart(iv)makes one happyTo satisfy is to meet a need completely; the heart being the seat of feeling, its satisfaction is contentment. “If words could satisfy the heart, / The heart might find less care.”
2. depart and leave but empty air(vi)makes no impactThe words go, nothing remains behind — no trace, no mark on the listener
3. hosts of words(i)many wordsHost here is the old sense: a multitude, an army. Nothing to do with hospitality
4. never touch the heart(v)does not appeal to our emotionsThe words “reach the head” — they are understood — but they do not move the feelings
5. wins its sunny way(ii)cheers up a personSunny = bright and warm; the voice makes its way into “A lonely home to cheer”
6. plants that cannot grow fruit(iii)there is no outcomeFlower without fruit — display that produces nothing usable
Beware the two look-alike pairs. Items 2, 4 and 6 all mean ‘it did not work’, so separate them by how it failed:
  • 2 → no impact: the words vanish; nothing at all is left. (About the words themselves.)
  • 4 → no emotional appeal: the words are received, but only by the head. (About the listener.)
  • 6 → no outcome: there was plenty of show, but nothing grew from it. (About the result.)
Similarly 1 and 5 both mean ‘happiness’, but 1 is about being filled and 5 is about being lifted — satisfaction versus cheer.

Used in sentences of my own:

  • satisfy the heart — A perfect score did not satisfy the heart of a boy who had wanted to be picked for the team.
  • depart and leave but empty air — His promises always depart and leave but empty air — by Monday nobody remembers a word of them.
  • hosts of words — The minister answered our question with hosts of words and not a single figure.
  • never touch the heart — A speech read out from a printed page may be correct, but it will never touch the heart.
  • wins its sunny way — Even in the crowded ward, the nurse’s voice wins its sunny way to every bed.
  • plants that cannot grow fruit — Committees that meet every week and decide nothing are plants that cannot grow fruit.
Q2.
II. Create a ‘Word Map’ for each of the words from the poem given in the box. [Box: depart · pilgrim · cheer · word · sunny · satisfy · heart] To complete the word map include: · Meaning (in your own words) · Synonyms of the word · Antonyms of the word · Sentence using the word · A quick sketch or symbol that represents the word One example has been done for you. [Example given in the book — Word: cheer / Meaning: to give a loud shout of approval or encouragement / Synonym: comfort / Antonym: sadden / Sentence: The audience cheered her for great performance. / Sketch: Picture of sunshine, sunflower, or a smiling face]
Answer

A word map is not a dictionary entry copied out. The five fields are chosen so that you meet the word from five directions — what it means, what it is near, what it is against, how it behaves in a sentence, and what it looks like. Do all five for each of the seven words; the sketch is yours to draw.

WordMeaning (in your own words)SynonymsAntonymsSentenceSketch idea
departto go away from a place, especially at a fixed timeleave, set off, exit, withdrawarrive, reach, stay, remainThe last bus to Chohtan departs before sundown.A train pulling out of a platform; footprints leading away
pilgrima person who travels a long, hard way to a holy placetraveller, wayfarer, devotee, wandererresident, dweller, settler, nativeEvery year thousands of pilgrims walk to Pandharpur in the rain.A figure with a staff and a small bundle on a long road
cheerto make someone feel happier; also, a shout of encouragementcomfort, gladden, encourage, hearten, applaudsadden, dishearten, depress, discourageThe audience cheered her for a great performance. (the book’s example)Sunshine, a sunflower, or a smiling face
wordthe smallest unit of language that carries a meaning on its own; also, a promise (‘he gave his word’)term, expression; (as promise) pledge, assurancesilence; (as promise) denial, betrayalHe kept his word and reached the village before the rains.A speech bubble; a letter coming out of an envelope
sunnyfull of sunlight; and, of a person, bright and cheerfulbright, radiant, cheerful, warm, genialgloomy, dull, overcast, sullenShe has a sunny temper that survives even an examination week.A sun with rays; a window with light falling through
satisfyto give somebody enough of what they need, so that nothing is wantingfulfil, content, gratify, meet (a need), quenchdisappoint, frustrate, dissatisfy, depriveOne glass of water will not satisfy a man who has walked twenty kilometres.A glass filled to the brim; a full plate
heartthe organ that pumps blood; and, in poetry, the seat of feeling, courage and love(feeling) soul, core, spirit, feelings; (courage) nerve, spirit(as ‘head’) mind, reason, intellect; (of a place) edge, surfaceHis words reached my head, but they never touched my heart.A heart shape with a small road running through it — the pilgrim of the poem
Two things to get right, or the map is wasted.
  • Antonyms need a sense, not just a word. Heart has no single opposite; it has one opposite as an organ (none), another as feeling (head, reason), another as the centre of something (edge). Write the sense beside the antonym, as in the table.
  • The sentence must show the meaning you wrote. “I have a heart” proves nothing. “His words reached my head, but never touched my heart” forces the reader to use your definition to understand the sentence — that is the test of a good word-map sentence.
Tip: five of these seven words carry the poem’s argument — words depart, the heart is a pilgrim, the sunny voice cheers, and nothing satisfies. Making the maps is really a way of re-reading the poem one word at a time.
Was this helpful? Report an error