Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, notes, extras, PDF and guide of Class 9 English textbook, chapter 7 Tom Loses a Tooth by Mark Twain which is part of the syllabus of students studying under West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE). These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.
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Summary
The chapter from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain describes Tom’s attempt to avoid going to school. Feeling miserable about the start of another school week, Tom tries to convince himself that he is sick. He inspects his body for symptoms but finds none convincing enough. He then discovers a loose tooth and considers using it as an excuse. However, fearing Aunt Polly would pull it out and cause pain, he decides not to mention it immediately.
Tom then remembers hearing about an ailment that could confine someone to bed. He examines his sore toe and begins to groan loudly, pretending to be in pain. His brother Sid does not wake until Tom shakes him. Alarmed by Tom’s dramatic groaning, Sid rushes to get help, believing Tom to be gravely ill. Aunt Polly and Mary come upstairs, worried by Sid’s claims that Tom is dying.
When Aunt Polly demands to know what is wrong, Tom complains about pain in his toe. She quickly realises it is a trick when Tom changes his complaint to a toothache. Aunt Polly scolds Tom for his antics and prepares to extract the loose tooth. She uses a silk thread tied to a bedpost to pull it out. The tooth is successfully removed, leaving Tom with a gap in his teeth.
Video tutorial
Textbook solutions
Exercise 1
Tick the correct answer from the given alternatives:
1. Tom felt miserable on the mornings of
A. Sunday
B. Monday
C. Thursday
D. Saturday
Answer: B. Monday
2. If Aunt Polly was to know that Tom had a loose tooth, she would
A. call a doctor
B. bring him some medicines
C. surely pull it out
D. tell him to rest
Answer: C. surely pull it out
3. Tom drew his sore toe from under the
A. sheet
B. blanket
C. pillow
D. mosquito-net
Answer: A. sheet
4. Sid flew down the stairs to call
A. the doctor
B. Mary
C. the nurse
D. Aunt Polly
Answer: D. Aunt Polly
5. The thread that Mary got Aunt Polly was made of
A. cotton
B. jute
C. silk
D. wool
Answer: C. silk
Exercise 2
Answer the following questions within fifteen words:
1. Which one of Tom’s tooth had come loose?
Answer: One of his upper front teeth had come loose.
2. How are Sid and Mary related to Tom?
Answer: Sid is Tom’s brother, and Mary is Tom’s cousin.
3. Why did Tom ask Sid not to stir him?
Answer: Tom asked Sid not to stir him because it would kill him.
4. Why did Tom pretend his toe was paining?
Answer: Tom pretended his toe was paining to avoid going to school.
Exercise 3
Answer the following questions within twenty five words:
1. What did Tom remember hearing from a doctor?
Answer: A certain ailment could lay up a patient for three days and make him lose a finger.
2. How did Aunt Polly react to the news that Tom was dying?
Answer: Aunt Polly’s face grew pale, and her lips trembled. She gasped, laughed a little, cried a little, and felt both shocked and relieved.
3. How was Tom’s loose tooth taken out?
Answer: Aunt Polly tied one end of a silk thread to Tom’s tooth and the other to the bedpost, then pulled it out, leaving the tooth dangling.
Exercise 4
Do as directed:
1. Rafique was running fast. (Change into an interrogative sentence)
Answer: Was Rafique running fast?
2. The boy would never forget the exciting incident. (Change into an affirmative sentence)
Answer: The boy would always remember the exciting incident.
3. We had a wonderful time last evening. (Change into an exclamatory sentence)
Answer: What a wonderful time we had last evening!
Exercise 5
Replace the underlined words with suitable phrasal verbs from the list given below. Change the form of verbs where necessary. There is one extra phrasal verb in the list:
1. The enemy surrendered without a fight.
Answer: The enemy gave in without a fight.
2. The child was cured in a month.
Answer: The child came round in a month.
3. The police investigated the case.
Answer: The police looked into the case.
4. Puja could understand what her sister said.
Answer: Puja could make out what her sister said.
5. The old man could not remember his childhood experiences.
Answer: The old man could not call up his childhood experiences.
Write a report within 100 words for an English daily using the given information:
Incident: Severe cyclone (80 km/hr)
Date: 11 June 2013
Time: 6:45 P.M.
Place: Coastal areas of West Bengal
Cause: Depression in Bay of Bengal
Result: 60 people died, many homeless, train services disrupted
Relief: State government provided immediate relief
Answer:
Cyclone Hits Coastal West Bengal
By a Staff Reporter
Kolkata, June 12, 2013: A severe cyclone with a speed of 80 km/hr struck the coastal areas of West Bengal on June 11, 2013, at around 6:45 P.M., caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal. The cyclone caused extensive damage, claiming 60 lives and rendering many homeless. Train services were disrupted, leaving numerous passengers stranded. The state government acted promptly, providing relief and evacuating over 5,000 people to temporary shelters. The Chief Minister assured all possible assistance to those affected by this disaster.
Exercise 6
Write a newspaper report on a road accident within 100 words. Use the following hints:
Brake failure of a bus—collided with a truck—5 injured including a child and a woman—injured sent to hospital—released with first aid—traffic disrupted—police intervened—normalcy restored
Answer:
Bus Accident Causes Traffic Disruption
By a Staff Reporter
Kolkata, December 27, 2024: A major road accident occurred yesterday when a bus suffered a brake failure and collided with a truck. The accident injured five people, including a child and a woman. The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital and were released after receiving first aid. The collision caused significant traffic disruption in the area, with vehicles stranded for hours. Police quickly intervened to manage the situation and restore normalcy. The incident has raised concerns over the maintenance of public transport vehicles. An investigation into the accident is underway.
Extras
Additional MCQs
1. On which day did Tom feel miserable about going to school?
A. Sunday
B. Monday
C. Thursday
D. Saturday
Answer: B. Monday
15. What did Tom do after Aunt Polly pulled his tooth?
A. Complained about more pain
B. Smiled in a new way
C. Ran off to school
D. Cried loudly
Answer: B. Smiled in a new way
Additional questions and answers
1. What did Tom find miserable?
Answer: Monday mornings.
33. How did Tom feel after his tooth was pulled?
Answer: After his tooth was pulled, Tom felt a little foolish for his failed attempt to avoid school. However, he was also pleased with the gap in his teeth, which allowed him to smile in a unique and admirable way, giving him a sense of satisfaction despite the ordeal.
Ron’e Dutta is a journalist, teacher, aspiring novelist, and blogger who manages Online Free Notes. An avid reader of Victorian literature, his favourite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. He dreams of travelling the world. You can connect with him on social media. He does personal writing on ronism.
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