Std 9 English chapters › Unit 1 · Question Answers ↓ · Take the lesson test ↓
In short: A small child asks the father to walk a little slower, because the child follows every step the father takes and will one day become just like him.
(एक लहान मूल वडिलांना थोडे हळू चालायला सांगते, कारण ते मूल वडिलांच्या प्रत्येक पावलावर पाऊल ठेवून चालते आणि मोठे झाल्यावर अगदी त्यांच्यासारखेच होणार आहे.)
- Type: Poem
- Poet: Author unknown
- Speaker: A little child, talking to the father
- Unit: 1
Summary in English
A little child speaks to the father. The child says that it is following in the father's footsteps and does not want to fall. Sometimes the father's steps are too fast, and sometimes they are hard to see, so the child asks him to walk a little slower.
The child adds that one day, when it is grown up, it wants to be just like the father. Then it too will have a little child who will follow it. The child wants to lead that child in the right way and be true, so it asks the father once again to walk slower, because it must follow him.
The 'walk' and the 'footsteps' are not only about walking on a road. They stand for the way the father lives, behaves and makes decisions, which the child copies.
मराठीत सारांश (Summary in Marathi)
एक लहान मूल वडिलांशी बोलते. ते म्हणते की मी तुमच्या पावलावर पाऊल ठेवून चालत आहे आणि मला पडायचे नाही. कधी तुमची पावले खूप वेगात पडतात, तर कधी ती दिसतही नाहीत; म्हणून थोडे हळू चाला.
मूल पुढे म्हणते की मोठे झाल्यावर मला अगदी तुमच्यासारखे व्हायचे आहे. तेव्हा माझेही एक लहान मूल असेल आणि ते माझ्या मागे चालेल. त्याला योग्य मार्ग दाखवता यावा आणि मी प्रामाणिक असावे, म्हणून मूल पुन्हा वडिलांना हळू चालायला सांगते.
येथे 'चालणे' आणि 'पावले' म्हणजे फक्त रस्त्यावर चालणे नव्हे; वडिलांचे वागणे, जगणे आणि निर्णय घेणे यांचे ते प्रतीक आहे, ज्याचे मूल अनुकरण करते.
Theme and Message (मध्यवर्ती कल्पना)
Children learn by copying their parents, so parents must set a good example and be patient enough for their children to follow.
मुले आई-वडिलांचे अनुकरण करून शिकतात; म्हणून पालकांनी चांगला आदर्श ठेवावा आणि मुलांना समजून घेऊन त्यांच्या गतीने मार्ग दाखवावा.
Figures of Speech (अलंकार)
- Repetition (पुनरावृत्ती): the request 'walk a little slower, Daddy' comes again and again to stress the child's wish.
- Metaphor (रूपक): 'footsteps' stands for the father's actions and example in life.
Useful Words (शब्दार्थ)
| Word | मराठी अर्थ | Use it in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| footsteps | पावलांचे ठसे; (येथे) आदर्श | She wants to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a doctor. |
| lead | मार्ग दाखवणे, नेतृत्व करणे | A good captain leads the team. |
| follow | अनुसरण करणे | Little children follow their elders. |
| grown up | मोठे झालेले, प्रौढ | When I am grown up, I will help my parents. |
| true | प्रामाणिक, खरा | A true friend never lies to you. |
For the Exam (परीक्षेसाठी)
- Rhyme scheme of each stanza: abcb (small/fall, see/me). Main figures of speech: repetition and metaphor.
- The poem uses the continuous tense (‘I’m following’, ‘you are leading’) and the future (‘who’ll want to follow me’). Revise Present Tense and Future Tense.
1.1 Walk a little slower: English Workshop Question Answers
Every English Workshop activity for this poem, as games you can play. Tap, match and build sentences: your score and stars update as you go. Finish all of them and challenge a friend on WhatsApp! (खेळा, गुण मिळवा आणि मित्रांना आव्हान द्या!)
🎬 Warm-up: Put the poem in order
What does the child say, stanza by stanza?
- Please walk slower, Daddy, I don’t want to fall.
- Your steps are sometimes too fast and hard to see.
- When I grow up, I want to be just like you.
- I want to lead my own child the right way, so walk slower now.
🤔 Think as you read
What would happen if the child tried to walk fast?
Answer: A small child’s steps are short, so it cannot keep up with an adult. It would lose balance and fall. In life too, a child pushed to grow up too fast may go wrong.
Does ‘walk’ mean only the act of walking?
Answer: ‘Walk’ stands for the father’s whole way of life. The child copies how he lives, not just how he walks.
The father’s ‘footsteps’ refer to his ___.
Answer: actions, habits and values. The child watches them and follows them. (पावले = वडिलांचे वागणे, सवयी आणि मूल्ये.)
Q1. Fill in the blanks with father / child
👉 Tap the correct pair of words. (योग्य शब्द-जोडीवर टॅप करा.)
(a) The ___ is talking to its ___.
Answer: The child is talking to its father. The whole poem is the child’s request.
(b) The ___ is leading and the ___ is following.
Answer: The father is leading and the child is following in his footsteps.
(c) Someday the ___ will become a ___.
Answer: Someday the child will become a father with a little child of his own.
(d) The ___ does not wish to fall while following its ___.
Answer: The child does not wish to fall while following its father.
Q2. Rhyming words game
🎯 Tap two words that rhyme. Fewer mistakes = more points! (यमक जुळणारे शब्द निवडा.)
Rhyming pairs from the ends of lines
Answer key
small – fall | see – me | be – me | true – you
Q3. Related words game
🎯 Like father – child and follow – lead, tap two words that go together.
Find the five related pairs
Answer key
teacher – student | doctor – patient | give – take | buy – sell | question – answer. Also correct: parent – child, speak – listen, shopkeeper – customer.
Q4. What is implied? Match each line to its meaning
🧩 Choose the hidden meaning for each line, then tap Check. (प्रत्येक ओळीचा गर्भितार्थ निवडा.)
Match the line to what it really means
Full answers to write in your notebook
- The father sometimes acts or decides too quickly; the child cannot understand or keep up and needs time to learn.
- Some of the father’s actions are not clear to the child, so they are hard to copy correctly.
- When the child becomes a parent, he wants to set a good example and guide his own child in the right way.
- The child wants to be sure he was honest and sincere, and that the path he showed was the right one.
Q5 & Q6. Continuous or future? Sort the sentences
🗂️ Choose Continuous or Future for each sentence. (चालू काळ की भविष्यकाळ?)
Sort each sentence
🧱 Sentence builder: tap the words to make a sentence showing continuous action.
Build: continuous action
- My
- mother
- is
- cooking
- dinner
- for
- us.
🧱 Sentence builder: now a sentence about the future.
Build: future action
- One
- day
- I
- will
- start
- a
- library.
✍️ Now write three of your own of each kind, then compare
Continuous: The farmers are sowing seeds. / My brother is reading the newspaper. / It was raining when we left school.
Future: I will become a doctor one day. / We are going to visit Raigad next month. / She’ll help her mother tomorrow.
टीप: is/am/are/was/were + verb-ing = चालू क्रिया. will / shall / going to + verb = भविष्यकाळ.
Q7. Keep it or change it? Old ways and new ways
⚖️ Should we keep each custom from our elders, or change it? (ही प्रथा ठेवावी की बदलावी?)
Decide for each one
Discussion summary in bullet points (for your notebook)
(a) How ideas and customs pass from one generation to the next:
- Children watch and copy parents and elders.
- Grandparents share stories, songs and proverbs.
- Families celebrate festivals and rituals together.
- Skills are taught by doing them together.
- Schools, books and the internet carry knowledge forward.
(b) Should children follow their forefathers?
- Yes, for good values: honesty, respect, hard work.
- It keeps our culture and identity alive.
- But times change: science and new ideas bring better ways.
- Harmful or unfair customs, like superstitions, must be dropped.
- Keep the good, question the harmful, change with reason.
Q8. Role model: qualities game
🎯 Match each quality to what it means. Then write about your own role model.
Qualities of a role model
✍️ Write about your role model, then compare
My role model is Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. He came from a poor family but became a great scientist and the President of India. I admire his hard work, his simple life and his love for students. Even after great success he stayed humble. He taught us to dream big and work hard to make our dreams come true.
Q9. My family was right: put the story in order
📖 First arrange this sample answer in order. It shows you how to plan your own 5-8 lines.
Build the paragraph
- Last year, my parents did not allow me to use a mobile phone during my exams.
- I was upset, because all my friends had phones.
- During the exams, my friends spent hours chatting and watching videos.
- I studied without distractions and scored my best marks ever.
- That day I realised my parents were right, and I thanked them.
✍️ Now write your own. Use this plan
- What happened: the decision your family took.
- How you felt: angry, sad, upset.
- What happened later: the result.
- What you learnt: why they were right.
टीप: घटना भूतकाळात लिहा (was, did, realised).
Q10. Using ‘a little’: quick-fire round ⏱️
⚡ Tap fast! Which phrase fits best?
Please wait ___ longer. The bus is coming.
Answer: a little longer = for some more time.
Add ___ sugar to the tea, not too much.
Answer: a little sugar. Use ‘a little’ with things we cannot count (sugar, water, time); ‘a few’ with things we can count (a few books).
I can hear you, but please speak ___ louder.
Answer: a little louder = slightly louder. (थोडे मोठ्याने.)
✍️ Your turn: write as many ‘a little’ phrases as you can in 2 minutes, then compare
- a little later
- a little higher
- Move a little to the left.
- I am a little tired today.
- Just a little more effort and you will win.
- Walk a little slower, please.
Think and Write (विचार करा, लिहा)
- Who is your role model? Which of their qualities would you like to follow?
- Why should elders 'walk a little slower' for children? Give two examples from daily life.
- Write about a time when you understood later that your parents were right.
Online test · 15 questions
1.1 Walk a little slower: Lesson Test
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शिक्षकांसाठी: धडा शिकवून झाल्यावर ही test वर्गाला पाठवा. प्रत्येक विद्यार्थ्याचे गुण तुम्हाला आपोआप मिळतील.
These are original study notes by englishresources.in to help you revise. Read the lesson in your Balbharati textbook first: these notes do not replace it and do not reproduce its text.