Here is complete Follow That Dream Class 9 NCERT Solution. We hope that it will help you in your studies.
Reflect and Respond
I Read the questions given below and share your answers with your classmates and teacher.
1. What is your dream?
Answer: (Students should write their own dreams. Example:) My dream is to become an environmental scientist and help find solutions to climate change.
2. Who inspires you to dream?
Answer: (Subjective answer. Example:) My parents and my science teacher inspire me to dream big by always encouraging my curiosity.
3. What qualities should you have in order to fulfil your dream?
Answer: To fulfil my dream, I need hard work, dedication, perseverance, patience, and the courage to face failures without giving up.
4. Abdul Kalam said, “Dream is not that you see in sleep, dream is something that does not let you sleep.” Discuss.
Answer: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam meant that a true dream is a passionate goal or ambition. It is so powerful that it keeps you motivated, constantly occupying your waking thoughts and driving you to work hard until you achieve it.
II What role can parents and community play to help children achieve their dreams?
Answer: Parents and the community act as a support system. They provide emotional encouragement, financial support, and a safe environment. They also offer guidance, mentorship, and resources to help children navigate challenges on the path to their dreams.
III Complete the given web chart. Give as many reasons as you can. Why is it important to follow a dream?
Answers:
It gives a clear purpose and direction to life.
It brings deep personal satisfaction and happiness.
It pushes individuals to discover their true potential and learn new skills.
It helps people contribute uniquely and positively to society.
Check Your Understanding
I State whether the following sentences are true or false. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.
Reaching the peak of skill in a field typically demands a focused and intense dedication for about a decade.
Answer: True
The mother believes that significant effort and personal sacrifices are essential for turning aspirations into reality.
Answer: True
The path to achieving the deepest desires has very little difficulty or a few obstacles.
Answer: False
The mother is of the opinion that a person’s life goals and hopes can evolve over time.
Answer: True
Having a strong network of individuals can be a hurdle in pursuing one’s ambition.
Answer: False
The mother feels that pursuing a major life goal will not involve any financial expense or sacrifice.
Answer: False
For many individuals, their aspirations remain just wishes because they don’t move beyond mere daydreaming. Answer: True
Critical Reflection
I Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
1. It starts with a passion for a particular interest, then comes the conviction that it is imperative to realise it. Count the cost in years of effort, financial investments and sacrifice. Then if it is still burning in your blood and you are ready to commit yourself to the task, plunge. It could be in any field-sports, science, arts, business, or design. The road may be uphill most of the way and often you are buoyed up only by the knowledge that you are doing what you love best and are doing the right thing. When stamina is running out, the prospect of success will keep you on track.
(i) Complete the analogy with a suitable word from the extract. enthusiasm: passion:: belief:
Answer: conviction
(ii) Choose the correct option to complete the following sentence appropriately.
The author says that a realistic assessment of effort, investment and sacrifice is crucial for preventing
A. the need for external support network
B. an early abandonment of the dream
C. initial excitement from fading over time
D. others from questioning one’s commitment
Answer: B. an early abandonment of the dream
(iii) Complete the following with the correct option from those given in the brackets.
The word ‘plunge’ as used in the extract indicates a ___________ (complete/gradual) involvement in a task.
Answer: complete
(iv) Complete the sentence with an appropriate reason.
The author’s emphasis on ‘when you are doing what you love best and are doing the right thing’ works as a form of intrinsic motivation because
Answer: it provides deep inner satisfaction and meaning, giving a person the mental strength to endure difficult, “uphill” struggles even when external rewards aren’t visible.
(v) Mention one motivating factor besides ‘prospect of success’, that might keep a person on track, despite running out of stamina.
Answer: The knowledge that they are doing what they love best and doing the right thing.
2. From my own experience, life itself may change a person’s dreams. These hopes and aspirations are no less than the original dream of younger days. To fulfil them you will need to negotiate a path through a maze of hurdles. The dream will take a much longer time to realise, and the people who are participants in your dreamscape would be many more.
(i) Complete the sentence appropriately.
The phrase ‘life itself may change a person’s dreams’ suggests that dreams are not static but rather ___________ (evolving/dynamic)
Answer: evolving (or dynamic)
(ii) What does the author mean by, ‘hopes and aspirations are no less than the original dream of younger days’?
Answer: The author means that the new goals we form as we grow older and face life’s realities are just as valuable, important, and fulfilling as the ambitious dreams we had in our youth.
(iii) Identify the phrase from the extract that indicates a complex and challenging journey.
Answer: “negotiate a path through a maze of hurdles”
(iv) Complete the sentence with an appropriate reason. The author says, ‘people who are participants in your dreamscape would be many more’ because
Answer: as dreams evolve over time, they often become larger in scope and require the collaboration, support, and involvement of more people, such as colleagues, family members, or a broader community.
(v) What is the tone of the author in this extract? A. appreciative and celebratory B. excited and cheerful C. optimistic and encouraging D. eager and inquisitive
Answer: C. optimistic and encouraging
II Answer the following questions.
1. The letter begins thus, ‘By all means follow that dream’. What do you think Ming must have written to her mother about?
Answer: Ming must have written to her mother expressing a strong desire to pursue a specific ambition or career path, likely asking for her mother’s advice, approval, or perspective on whether it was a wise choice.
2. How can one attain an international level of skill in any field? Mention any two ways.
Answer: According to the text, one must:
- Singularly and intensively pursue the subject for at least ten years.
- Be willing to invest significant effort and personal sacrifice.
3. What differentiates the mere dreamers from actual achievers?
Answer: Actual achievers invest the necessary effort, time, financial resources, and sacrifices to turn their dreams into reality, whereas mere dreamers remain in the stage of “wishful thinking” and never take the hard steps required.
4. How does Ming’s mother use critical questions and personal anecdotes to persuade Ming and convey her message effectively?
Answer: She uses critical questions (like asking if the desire is “still burning in your blood” after considering the costs) to force Ming to evaluate her true level of commitment. She uses the personal anecdote of publishing her own book to show practically how dreams can evolve and take years to realize.
5. How does Ming’s mother balance encouragement with caution in her advice?
Answer: She offers strong initial encouragement (“By all means follow that dream”) and assures Ming that she isn’t trying to be a “wet blanket.” However, she balances this by realistically laying out the cautions: the 10-year timeline, financial investments, sacrifices, and the inevitable uphill struggles.
6. In the letter, Ming’s mother specifically addresses the challenges people face in pursuing their dreams. Do you think this advice is still relevant in contemporary society? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Answer: Yes, it is highly relevant. In today’s competitive and fast-paced world, achieving excellence still requires years of intense focus, financial investment, and a strong support network. Obstacles and changing circumstances are universal, timeless realities.
7. What ‘costs’ in terms of effort, sacrifice, and time are you willing or unwilling to invest to pursue your goals?
Answer: (Subjective student response. Example:) I am willing to invest my free time studying and sacrifice temporary leisure activities to achieve my career goals. However, I am unwilling to sacrifice my physical health or my relationships with my family.
Vocabulary and Structures in Context
I Read the following sentence from the text. The dream will take a much longer time to realise, and the people who are participants in your dreamscape would be many more.
The word ‘dreamscape’ is a compound word where ‘-scape’ means ‘a view or scene of’. Now, refer to a dictionary and find out the meaning of the following words.
mindscape: A mental or psychological landscape; a scene created by the imagination.
seascape: A view, picture, or photograph of an expanse of the sea.
landscape: All the visible features of an area of countryside or land.
cityscape: The visual appearance of a city or urban area; a city landscape.
1. Fill in the blanks in the following dialogue between two friends with the words given in the box. (Words: seascape, cityscape, landscape, mindscape) SNEHA: Your Goa pictures were beautiful! That (i) seascape was dreamy. KIRAN: Thanks! It was way better than our usual (ii) cityscape , so peaceful. SNEHA: I get that. But sometimes the city lights have their own charm. KIRAN: True, but I’m craving a quiet (iii) landscape. Forests, hills-something real. SNEHA: Yes, nature clears the (iv) mindscape , doesn’t it? KIRAN: Exactly. Let’s plan a trip that soothes-inside and out.
II Read each sentence carefully and choose the best meaning for the underlined expression. Then, use that expression in a sentence of your own.
1. She had a dream that seemed to burn in her blood, and she wasn’t going to give up on it easily.
(i) make her angry
(ii) have a passionate desire
(iii) cause physical pain
(iv) become violent
Answer: (ii) have a passionate desire
Sentence: His ambition to join the air force burned in his blood from a very young age.
2. Preparing for the final exam without proper notes felt like an uphill task.
(i) a tough challenge
(ii) a slow progress
(iii) a hard routine
(iv) a difficult choice
Answer: (i) a tough challenge
Sentence: Completing the marathon without prior training proved to be an uphill task.
3. The team was buoyed up by their recent victory and felt confident about the next game.
(i) energised by success
(ii) encouraged by the result
(iii) motivated to improve
(iv) lifted in spirit
Answer: (i) energised by success / (iv) lifted in spirit
Sentence: She was buoyed up by the unexpected praise from her strict teacher.
4. He thought he could ace the exam without studying, but that was just wishful thinking.
(i) a clever shortcut but no real effort behind it
(ii) a confident guess but lacking proper knowledge
(iii) a hopeful belief but unlikely to be true
(iv) a strong desire but based on facts and planning
Answer: (iii) a hopeful belief but unlikely to be true
Sentence: Hoping the broken laptop would fix itself overnight was pure wishful thinking.
5. Don’t be a wet blanket we’re trying to have fun!
(i) spoil-sport
(ii) latecomer
(iii) rule-breaker
(iv) daydreamer
Answer: (i) spoil-sport
Sentence: I didn’t want to be a wet blanket, but I had to remind them to keep the music down.
6. Excitement was coursing through her veins as she stepped onto the stage for the first time.
(i) hiding deep inside
(ii) flowing through her body
(iii) lingering in her thoughts
(iv) causing numbness
Answer: (ii) flowing through her body
Sentence: As the countdown reached zero, pure adrenaline was coursing through his veins.
III Read the following sentence from the text. After all the obstacles are considered, if the burning conviction is still coursing through your veins, then go ahead and do something about it. Here, the first conditional is used to talk about real or possible situations in the future. Sometimes, instead of saying ‘will + verb’ in the main clause, we use an imperative (a command or advice). Complete the sentences using your own words (imperatives):
Answers:
If the idea excites you, start researching it today.
If you hear strange noises, lock the doors immediately.
If this seems too hard, take a break and ask for help.
If you care about the issue, raise your voice and take action.
If you finish early, review your answers carefully.
IV Read the following sentences from the text. Analyse the usage of ‘could’ and match the sentences with their functions given in the box below. (Functions: Past ability or purpose, Past possibility or speculation, Possibility, Unreal or hypothetical situation)
It could be in any field-sports, science, arts, business or design. -> Possibility
“I wish I could be this or the other,” they have never got beyond just wishful thinking. -> Unreal or hypothetical situation
They could have preferred to trade their dream for security. -> Past possibility or speculation
I know too, of people who had wished to finish secondary school but they had to go out to work so that they could support their siblings through school. -> Past ability or purpose
V Complete the following sentences using ‘could’ with the functions mentioned within brackets.
I wish I could travel the world without worrying about money. (unreal or hypothetical)
They could have taken the shorter route, but they didn’t know about it. (past possibility or speculative)
When I was younger, I could run for miles without stopping. (past ability)
She could be at the library right now she had mentioned it. (possibility)
Could you repeat the question? I didn’t hear it clearly. (formal/polite request)
VI Fill in the blanks with suitable grammatical forms of the words given in brackets.
Experiential learning is an approach to education that focuses on learning through experience, action and reflection. It 1. helps (help) students gain practical knowledge and develop real-world skills. Traditionally, students 2. learned/learnt (learn) by listening to lectures and memorising facts, but experiential learning has changed this process. In an experiential setting, students 3. work (work) on projects, solve problems, and take part in activities that reflect real-life challenges. They 4. apply (apply) what they have learned in class to new and unfamiliar situations. For example, a student studying science 5. conducts (conduct) experiments to test a theory, while a business student 6. analyses (analyse) a case study to understand market trends. Reflection is key to this process. After completing a task, learners 7. must reflect (must/reflect) on what went well and what could be improved. This reflection 8. helps (help) them build a deeper understanding of the topic. Educators believe that experiential learning 9. is (be) more effective than passive learning methods because it is engaging and meaningful. In the future, more schools and universities 10. will incorporate (incorporate) experiential learning into their curriculum to prepare students for the real world.
Listen and Respond
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)
(Note: Since this relies on a classroom audio transcript not present here, below are logical answers based on standard educational contexts. Students must verify with their class audio.)
Vocational courses will begin in the month of [e.g., July / Next Academic Year].
The objective of the courses is to prepare you with [practical skills / industry knowledge] for future studies and jobs.
Offered courses include Graphic Design, [Web / Computer] Application, and Entrepreneurship Skills, etc.
Classes will be conducted by [industry experts / trained teachers] at school.
The application forms will be available at the [school reception / main office].
Choice of course will be given to [all eligible / interested] applicants.
Speaking Activity
I Work in groups of four. Each member of the group takes up one of the roles given below. Use the sentence prompts given under each role to present your role play. (This is a classroom roleplay activity. Students should use the exact prompts below to practice speaking.)
The Dreamer (for example: wants to be a trekking guide) ➤ I know this might sound challenging, but… ➤ Ever since I was a child, I’ve dreamed of… ➤ I understand it’s not a usual path, but I believe… ➤ It’s an uphill journey, but I’m ready for it because…
A Parent (worried about financial stability) ➤ I know you’re passionate, but… ➤ I only want what’s best for you, and… ➤ You can always pursue your dream later… What if it doesn’t…?
A Mentor or Teacher (offers balanced advice) ➤ Remember dreams need planning… ➤ Let’s look at the long-term view… ➤ There are ways to combine your dream and… Are you ready to…?
A Friend/Sibling (neutral or supportive voice) ➤ You’ve always been good at… don’t give up now. ➤ I don’t want to be a wet blanket, but what’s your backup plan? ➤ If anyone can do this, it’s you, so… ➤ If this dream makes you happy…
Writing Task
An email (electronic mail) is a method of composing, sending, storing, and receiving messages over an electronic communication system. I You are passionate about pursuing a course in designing in future. You come across a summer workshop being conducted by a reputed design institute. Write an email to the Director of the institute enquiring the details of the workshop and expressing your interest in joining it. Follow the guidelines given below to write the email.
Use formal language
Avoid use of abbreviations
Include the following components:
➤ Header consisting of sender, receiver, date, and subject
➤ The message-introduction, seeking permission, conclusion
➤ Complementary close-Yours sincerely,
➤ Name, (designation), and contact details of the sender
Answer:
From: rahul.sharma.student@email.com
To: director.admissions@designinstitute.edu
Cc: (leave blank)
Bcc: (leave blank)
Subject: Enquiry Regarding Upcoming Summer Design Workshop
Dear Director,
I am writing to express my strong interest in the summer design workshop currently being offered by your esteemed institute. I am a Class 9 student who is highly passionate about pursuing a career in graphic and product design in the future. I believe this workshop would serve as an excellent foundation for my skills.
Could you please provide me with comprehensive details regarding the workshop? Specifically, I would like to inquire about the exact commencement dates, the daily schedule, the fee structure, and a brief overview of the topics that will be covered. Furthermore, please let me know the formal procedure for enrollment and if there are any specific prerequisites required for school students to join.
I am eager for the opportunity to learn from the experts at your institute and would be highly grateful for your guidance. I look forward to your positive response.
Yours sincerely,
Rahul Sharma
Class 9 Student
Contact: +91-XXXXXXXXXX
Learning Beyond the Text
I Create a Vision Board for yourself. (This is a practical art/craft activity for students. Use a chart paper and divide it into the following sections to map out your future:)
1. My Dreams – Think about what you wish for in the future. This could be becoming an artist, serving the Nation, or learning a new skill. Write or draw it in the ‘My dreams’ section.
2. I Want to Try – List new things you want to experience this year. These might include trying out for a play, starting a journal, learning to ride a bicycle, etc.
3. Goals – Think about specific things you want to achieve. Use this space to write goals like ‘Read 10 books this year’ or ‘Improve my writing’.
4. Places I Will Go – These can be real or imaginary places you’d like to visit. Draw or paste pictures of cities, nature spots, or even dream destinations like the space or the ocean.
5. Inspiration – Who or what inspires you? It could be a family member, teacher, a famous personality, or a quote that gives you strength.
II Great personalities in history were inspired by their parents. (Reading exercise highlighting historical figures):
Chhatrapati Shivaji’s mother, Jijabai, instilled in him a strong sense of dharma, patriotism, and justice. She told him tales from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, which shaped his leadership ideals and bravery.
Queen Madalasa, wife of King Ritudhwaja, a revered figure from Indian scriptures, nurtured in her children a deep understanding of the soul and detachment from material desires. Her wisdom led her sons to seek spiritual liberation. Madalasa is a timeless example of a mother guiding her children on the path of enlightenment.
Read More: Carrier of Words (NCERT SOLUTION)
