Chapter 4: I Cannot Remember My Mother (0903CH04)
Kaveri · 37 questions · 11 sections
Chapter code: 0903ch04 · Book: Kaveri · Class 9 English
Find complete NCERT solutions for Class 9 English, Kaveri Chapter 4. This page covers I Cannot Remember My Mother with clear answers for chapter code 0903CH04.
Reflect and Respond(3 questions)
Work in pairs. Discuss the memories from your early childhood that you still remember clearly. (30–40 words)
I remember playing with toys, listening to lullabies, and watching my grandmother cook. These small moments shaped my childhood, giving me comfort and joy, and they remain vivid even though many other memories have faded.
How do early childhood experiences with parents influence a child's emotions and personality? (30–40 words)
Early experiences with parents provide love, security, and guidance. They shape personality by instilling confidence, empathy, and values. Positive interactions help children grow emotionally strong, while neglect can cause insecurity and fear.
Match words with meanings.
hover → linger or remain near a place hum → sing a tune with your lips closed cradle → a small bed for a baby shiuli → a type of flower (coral jasmine) morning service → rituals conducted in a temple gaze → look steadily for a long time
Reading for Meaning(4 questions)
Fill in the blanks — Stanza 1.
The poet recalls his mother when he is playing. He remembers a soft tune but not her face. The sound of playthings reminds him of a song she used to sing. Setting: indoor
Fill in the blanks — Stanza 2.
The poet connects his mother with the autumn season. He remembers her through the smell of shiuli flowers. The smell in the temple reminds him of her scent. Setting: outdoor
Fill in the blanks — Stanza 3.
The poet feels his mother's gaze watching him from the sky. He imagines her gaze spreading across the blue sky. The sky reflects her love and presence. Setting: indoor
Identify the senses used in each stanza.
Stanza 1: "...the tune of some song that she used to hum while rocking my cradle." → Auditory Stanza 2: "...the smell of the shiuli flowers floats in the air." → Olfactory Stanza 3: "...my mother's gaze on my face has spread all over the sky." → Visual
Poetic Devices(8 questions)
Give two examples of alliteration.
"midst of my" and "some song."
Give an example of onomatopoeia.
"hum."
How does the poet use imagery? (30–40 words)
The poet uses vivid sensory images — the tune of a song, the fragrance of shiuli flowers, and the vast blue sky. These create clear pictures in the reader's mind, evoking emotions and memories of his mother.
Why is the poem enjoyable even without rhyme?
Because of its repetition, musical language, and emotional imagery.
What is the tone of the poet? Why do you say so?
Nostalgic and wistful — the poet gently longs for a mother he cannot picture, and only senses her through fleeting sounds, smells and the sky, giving the poem a tender, reflective tone.
What impact does the title of the poem have on the overall mood of the poem?
The title sets a mood of quiet loss and longing from the start. It prepares the reader for a reflective, bittersweet poem about sensing an absent mother through memory rather than sight.
The poet uses 'I cannot remember my mother' as a refrain because _______.
it emphasises his sense of loss and longing, while also linking the three stanzas together, each time followed by a sensory memory that lets him feel her presence despite not recalling her face.
Identify the symbols the poet uses to indicate the memory of his mother's presence.
The humming tune (symbol of her voice/love), the shiuli flowers and temple scent (symbol of her presence in nature), and the blue sky (symbol of her eternal, watchful gaze).
Critical Reflection: Extract 1(5 questions)
The poet is reminded of his mother during his ______.
play / playtime (“in the midst of my play”)
What is the primary emotion conveyed by the line 'a tune seems to hover over my playthings'?
C. It activates memories of the mother.
What role does the hovering tune play during the speaker's playtime?
It quietly triggers a memory of his mother, drifting into his play without disrupting it, gently reconnecting him to her presence through sound alone.
True or False: The poet experiences the tune lingering over playthings only occasionally during playtime.
True (“only sometimes in the midst of my play”).
How could the poet feel his mother's presence, even though she isn't there?
Through sensory memory — a half-remembered tune, the scent of flowers, and the sky's stillness let him feel her presence emotionally, even without a clear visual memory of her.
Critical Reflection: Extract 2(5 questions)
What does the poet suggest about the stillness of his mother's gaze spreading over the sky?
B. The sky is a symbolic extension of the mother's presence.
What emotion does the poet associate with the 'stillness' of his mother's gaze?
D. a sense of serenity.
True or False: The poet suggests that the mother's gaze has a tangible and visual effect on the sky.
False — it is a felt, imagined presence, not a literal, physical effect on the sky.
What is the purpose of likening the mother's gaze to the sky?
To show that her presence feels vast, boundless and ever-present — as wide and enduring as the sky itself, greater than any single image or memory could hold.
Complete the sentence: The tone of the poet in the given extract is ______ because ______.
serene and comforted, because imagining his mother's eternal, watchful presence in the sky gives him a sense of peace rather than sorrow.
Answer the Following(4 questions)
What is the emotional impact of the refrain, 'I cannot remember my mother'?
The refrain reinforces the poet’s quiet sense of loss and longing. Its repetition gives the poem a meditative rhythm, mirroring how he keeps returning, again and again, to search for a memory of her.
Interpret the connection between the poet's mother and (i) shiuli flowers (ii) humming tune.
(i) The autumn scent of shiuli flowers and temple rituals recalls the fragrance associated with her presence. (ii) The half-remembered tune she hummed while rocking his cradle represents her voice, love and nurturing care.
What role does nature play in the poet's description of the memory of his mother?
Nature — the tune-like breeze, flower scent, and sky — becomes the medium through which the poet senses his mother, standing in for the direct visual memory of her face that he lacks.
What can be inferred about the poet's perception of the mother–child relationship?
It is deep, tender and enduring. Even without conscious memory of her face, the bond survives through sensory and emotional connections, suggesting love that outlasts forgetting and absence.
Learning Beyond the Text(2 questions)
Gather more information on unique flowers of India — where found, appearance, fragrance, and historical significance (e.g., Kurinji/Neelakurinji).
Model: Neelakurinji blooms once in 12 years in the Western Ghats, covering hills in blue. Add roses of Kashmir, lotus of northern lakes, and palash of central India. Note where each grows, its colour and fragrance, and its cultural significance.
Collect poems and songs related to family, friends and reminiscences (in English and your own language) and share them.
Model: choose a lullaby and a poem on mothers and memories, e.g., Rabindranath Tagore's poems. Present the poet, theme and one memorable line, explaining why it is dear to you.
Listen and Respond(1 questions)
Listen to four short extracts of people expressing childhood memories. Match each statement 1–6 to a speaker (i)–(iv). (Two statements are not needed.)
1 (seaside memories not the same anymore) → Speaker (iv). 2 (grandfather's encouragement in difficulty) → Speaker (i). 4 (freedom and outdoor pleasures) → Speaker (ii). 5 (grandparents and funny tales) → Speaker (iii). Not needed: statements 3 and 6.
Speaking Activity — My Memory(1 questions)
Think of an object, song, or place that is memorable for you. Speak about it using the prompts (introduction, sensory details, specific memory, impact, summary).
Model: my grandmother's wooden cradle. It rocks softly and creaks gently, holding a quilt she stitched. I remember lying in it while she sang lullabies. It taught me love and patience. No treasure is dearer than that cradle of memories.
Vocabulary — Sensory Words(3 questions)
Classify the sensory words in the box (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile).
Visual: glowing, gigantic, minuscule, gloomy, vibrant, crimson Auditory: hiss, rustle, sizzle, deafening, squeaky, ear-splitting Olfactory: aroma, stale, scent, pungent, stinky, fragrant Tactile: sticky, rough, chilled, fluffy, smooth, slimy, hairy
Fill in the blanks with sensory words in the passage written by Sarojini Naidu (choose from the given list; two words are extra).
1. scarlet 2. sweetness 3. perfumes 4. shrill 5. scents 6. essence 7. flaming. (Extra, unused words: sizzle, smooth.)
Write numbers against each picture with the phrases that describe them with their sensorial associations. (Six listed phrases.)
Model: match each picture to the phrase and its sense, e.g., a rainbow picture → "red and gold" (visual); a night picture → "silence of the dark" (auditory).
Writing Task — Diary Entry(1 questions)
Imagine you went on a school trip to a scenic place that appealed to all your senses. Write a diary entry describing the place and why it was memorable.
Dear Diary, Today we visited Manali — snow peaks, chirping birds, the fragrance of pine, and the cool breeze on my face. We played in the snow and shared stories under the stars. Every sight, sound and smell was magical. I will never forget this day.