NCERT Solutions for Class 9th English Chapter 8 Follow That Dream (letter by Irene Chua) — Listen and Respond

Book page 241 Updated on2026-09-08

Q1.

I. You will listen to an announcement regarding vocational courses starting in school. As you listen, fill in the blanks with one to three exact words that you hear. (Transcript for teacher on page 275) 1. Vocational courses will begin in the month of _____.

Answer

April

From the transcript (Appendix, Unit 8, printed page 275): “Interested students from Grades 9 to 12 may collect the registration form from the school office starting Monday, 04 April. The last date to submit completed forms is Friday, 08 April.”

How to arrive at it while listening. The announcement never says the words “the courses will begin in April”. It gives you two dates, and both fall in the same month — registration opens on 4 April and closes on 8 April — so the courses start in April. April is also the only month named anywhere in the announcement, which is your confirmation. In a gap-fill of this kind, the answer is sometimes the one word every relevant sentence has in common, not a phrase lifted whole.

Listening tip: dates and numbers are the easiest details to lose and the easiest to note. Before the recording starts, read the six blanks and put a small symbol beside each — a calendar for a date, a list for course names, a person for ‘who’. You will then be waiting for the right kind of word instead of trying to catch everything.

Q2.

I. 2. The objective of the courses is to prepare you with ______ for future studies and jobs.

Answer

practical skills

From the transcript: “These courses aim to equip you with practical skills that will be useful in both higher education and future careers.”

Match the paraphrases. The question rewrites the sentence, and every part of it has a partner in the recording: objective ← “aim”; prepare you with ← “equip you with”; future studies and jobs ← “higher education and future careers”. Only the words in the blank are left unchanged — the phrase that has NOT been paraphrased is almost always the answer. That is the standard design of this question type, and knowing it tells you exactly what to listen for.

Q3.

I. 3. Offered courses include Graphic Design, ______,Web Application, and Entrepreneurship Skills, etc.

Answer

Basic Coding

From the transcript: “The available options include Graphic Design, Basic Coding, Web Application, Artificial Intelligence, Multimedia, Data Science, and Entrepreneurship Skills.”

Use the position, not the meaning. The recording lists seven courses; the question keeps only four of them and puts the blank between Graphic Design and Web Application. So the answer is whatever the speaker said in that exact slot — Basic Coding. You do not have to remember the whole list; you have to catch the two names on either side of the gap and take what falls between them. The words “etc.” at the end of the printed item confirms that other courses were named and are not wanted.

Q4.

I. 4. Classes will be conducted by ______ at school.

Answer

trained professionals

From the transcript: “Each course will be conducted by trained professionals.”

Two words, exactly as heard. The instruction says “one to three exact words that you hear”, so write trained professionals — not teachers, not experts, not professional trainers. A correct meaning in the wrong words scores nothing in this task, because it is the listening that is being tested.

Q5.

I. 5. The application forms will be available at the ______.

Answer

school office

From the transcript: “Interested students from Grades 9 to 12 may collect the registration form from the school office starting Monday, 04 April.”

Notice the vocabulary swap. The printed question says application forms; the speaker says registration form. The words differ, the thing is the same. A listener who is waiting to hear the phrase “application form” may miss the sentence entirely — listen for the idea and the place, not for the exact wording of the question.

Q6.

I. 6. Choice of course will be given to ______ applicants.

Answer

early

From the transcript: “Note: Each student can choose only one course, and seats will be allotted to early applicants.”

Why the announcement flags this with the word “Note”. It is the one condition that changes what a listener should do — the seats go by order of application, not by merit or by class. The speaker signals it (“Note:”) precisely because it is the sentence students must not miss. In an announcement, listen hardest immediately after a signposting word — note, please remember, importantly, the last date is. That is where the examinable detail almost always sits.

Two other details in the announcement worth catching, though not asked: it is open to Grades 9 to 12, and each student may choose only one course.

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