Follow That Dream: CBSE Class 9 English practice questions
Practise 50 questions on Follow That Dream, free, with an explanation for each answer.
Sample questions
The unit opens with a thought from Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: a dream is not what you see in sleep, but something that does not let you sleep. What does he mean?
- Dreams we see while sleeping always come true.
- People should sleep less so that they can dream more.
- A real dream is a goal you care about so deeply that it keeps you restless until you work for it.
- Dreams are meant only for famous people, not for ordinary students.
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C. A real dream is a goal you care about so deeply that it keeps you restless until you work for it.
Dr Kalam contrasts a sleeping dream with a life goal. A true dream is an aim that fills you with purpose, so you cannot rest until you act on it. He is not telling people to sleep less, and the unit's whole message is that anyone, not only the famous, can pursue a dream.
Ming's mother begins her letter with 'By all means follow that dream.' What had Ming most probably written to her mother about?
- She had shared a dream she wished to pursue and wanted her mother's view on it.
- She had complained that her mother never wrote to her.
- She had decided to give up all her dreams for a safe job.
- She had asked her mother to publish a book for her.
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A. She had shared a dream she wished to pursue and wanted her mother's view on it.
'By all means' means 'certainly, go ahead'. The mother is replying to a letter in which Ming must have spoken of a dream and asked whether she should follow it. The rest of the letter, which weighs effort, cost and sacrifice, is advice for exactly such a plan. Nothing suggests a complaint, or a plan to give up dreams.
Antithesis puts opposite ideas side by side in a similar sentence pattern, as in 'a small step for a man, but a giant leap for mankind.' Which lines of the poem show antithesis?
- Will it pull you forward / Or push you back in fear?
- Step up to the challenge / There is no crowd to see,
- The first step is the hardest / There is no turning back,
- You just need to believe in yourself / For your future to be on track.
Show the answer
A. Will it pull you forward / Or push you back in fear?
'Pull you forward' and 'push you back' set opposite actions (pull/push) and opposite directions (forward/back) in the same grammatical pattern, which is antithesis. The contrast shows the two ways the future can affect us: it can move us on, or fear can hold us back. The other pairs give advice or describe a situation but do not set opposites side by side.
Topics covered
- Reflect and Respond: what a dream is
- Inference: Ming's letter
- How a dream grows into action
- Counting the cost
- The support network
- Why dreams remain dreams
- Sacrifice for the family
- Encouragement with caution
- Dreams change with life
- Check your understanding
- Critical reflection: analogy
- Word in context: plunge
- Critical reflection: a challenging journey
- Vocabulary: expressions from the letter
- Vocabulary: glossary words
- Vocabulary: words with -scape
- Grammar: first conditional with an imperative
- Grammar: functions of 'could'
- Grammar: could have + past participle
- Grammar: polite requests with 'could'
- Grammar: verb forms in a passage
- Speaking: role play
- Writing: email format
- Writing: parts of a formal email
- Writing: formal register
- Learning beyond the text: vision board
- Learning beyond the text: inspired by parents
- Poem: comfort and the status quo
- Poem: the first step
- Poem: symbolism of the future
- Poem: rhyme scheme
- Poem: central idea of each stanza
- Poem: the speaker
- Poem: imagery
- Poem: symbolism
- Poem: metaphor
- Poem: antithesis
- Vocabulary: rhetorical questions
- Poem: tone
- Vocabulary: Latin expressions in English
- Speaking: sayings and proverbs
- Writing: a speech for the assembly
- Learning beyond the text: challenges into opportunities
- Learning beyond the text: Dr Kalam
- Poem: Always Believe in Yourself