Searching for Bihar Board class 9 English Prose chapter 5 solutions? Here we have presented our free expert written guide. It provides you written answers for all the questions asked in chapter 5 – “Echo and Narcissus”.
Chapter 5 of the Bihar Board Class 9 English book, titled “Echo and Narcissus,” brings to life a famous Greek myth. Adapted by Moira Kerr and John Bennett, this story introduces two intriguing characters: Echo, a nymph who can only repeat the last words spoken to her, and Narcissus, a handsome young man who falls in love with his own reflection. The chapter explores themes of love, vanity, and the consequences of one’s actions.
Bihar Board Class 9 English Prose Chapter 5 Solutions
| Subject | English |
| Class | 9th |
| Chapter | 5. Echo and Narcissus |
| Author | |
| Board | Bihar Board |
A. Work in small groups and discuss the following
Q1. How much do you love yourself?
Ans. As a teenager, it’s natural to be more aware of your appearance and self-image. This is a time of physical and emotional growth, where you start to develop your own identity. It’s normal to care about how you look and to want to express yourself through fashion or personal style. While it’s okay to appreciate your own qualities, it’s important to remember that true self-love goes beyond just physical appearance. It also involves accepting yourself, developing your talents, and treating yourself with kindness.
Q2. Is loving oneself good or bad?
Ans. Loving oneself is generally good, but it needs to be balanced. Healthy self-love involves recognizing your own worth, taking care of your physical and mental health, and pursuing your interests and goals. It can boost your confidence and help you form better relationships with others. However, excessive self-love can lead to selfishness or narcissism. The key is to love and respect yourself while also being considerate of others. Self-love should motivate you to improve yourself and contribute positively to your community, not just focus on your own needs and wants.
B.1.1 Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements
Ans.
- Narcissus was very young and handsome. – (T)
- Narcissus went fishing. – (F)
- Echo had detained goddess Hera. – (T)
- Hera cursed Echo. – (T)
- Echo did not want to speak to Narcissus. – (F)
B.1.2. Study the lesson carefully and complete these sentences
Ans.
- The nymph was so embarrassed
- Her youth and beauty withered away.
- Narcissus had scorned many women.
- Narcissus was tired and thirsty
- Narcissus could not tear himself away from his own image.
B.1.3. Answer the following questions very briefly
Q1. Who was Narcissus?
Ans. Narcissus was the most handsome young man in Greece. He was so fair that almost everyone who saw him fell in love with him at that moment.
Q2. Who was the Echo?
Ans. Echo was a nymph was once a great chatterer but now under the curse of the goddess. Hera she could only repeat the last few words spoken to her.
Q3. What did the Echo do with any passer-by?
Ans. Echo was ready to talk to any passerby on any subject at any time.
Q4. Who was detained by the Echo?
Ans. The Goddess Hera was detained by Echo.
Q5. Whom did Echo follow?
Ans. Echo followed Narcissus.
Q6. What was.the reaction of Narcissus when he saw Echo?
Ans. When Narcissus saw Echo, he pushed her away and ran, away saying that he would die before he would have her near him.
Q7. Why did Echo hide in a dark cave?
Ans. Echo hid in a dark cave, as she was embarrassed and ashamed.
Q8. Who had cursed Narcissus?
Ans. One of the women who had been treated.brutally by Narcissus cursed him.
Q9. Who did Narcissus fall in love with?
Ans. Narcissus fell in love with his own image.
Q10. At last, what happened with Narcissus?
Ans. At last Narcissus’s body withered away and became the stem of a flower. His head turned into the lovely gold and white blossom which still looks into the quiet pools, and is called Narcissus.
C. Long Answer Questions
Q1. Who was Narcissus? What was special about him?
Ans. Narcissus was a handsome young man from Greek mythology. He was exceptionally beautiful, more so than most men or even gods. His beauty was so striking that almost everyone who saw him instantly fell in love with him.
Q2. Who was the Echo? Who cursed him and why? What was the curse?
Ans. Echo was a talkative nymph who loved to chat. She often distracted goddess Hera with long conversations, unknowingly helping Zeus hide his affairs. Annoyed by this, Hera cursed Echo. The curse made Echo only able to repeat the last few words she heard, taking away her ability to start conversations.
Q3. Why did Echo follow Narcissus? Why was she eager to talk to him?
Ans. Echo followed Narcissus because she was captivated by his beauty. She longed to get closer to him and admire his face. Echo was eager to talk to Narcissus because she felt drawn to him and couldn’t take her eyes off his handsome features.
Q4. Describe what happened during the meeting of Echo and Narcissus?
Ans. When Narcissus saw Echo, he was initially curious about the mysterious voice. However, once he realized it was Echo, he rudely pushed her away. Narcissus shouted that he would rather die than be near her, rejecting Echo harshly.
Q5. Why was the nymph embarrassed and ashamed? What was the result of it?
Ans. Echo felt embarrassed and ashamed because Narcissus rejected her so cruelly. She was also afraid he would mock her inability to speak normally due to the curse. As a result, Echo hid in a dark cave, never coming out into the sunlight again.
Q6. Who prayed to gods against Narcissus? What did she pray? Was it granted?
Ans. One of the women Narcissus had scorned prayed to the gods for revenge. She asked that Narcissus would someday experience the pain of unrequited love, just as he had caused others to feel. The gods heard this prayer and granted it.
Q7. What happened to Narcissus when he went to the pool to quench his thirst?
Ans. When Narcissus went to drink from a clear pool, he saw his own reflection and fell in love with it, not realizing it was his own image. He stayed by the pool, gazing at his reflection and speaking words of love to it. Eventually, his body withered away, and he turned into the narcissus flower, which still grows near quiet pools.
Q8. What feeling do you have when you see your reflection in a mirror?
Ans. When I see my reflection in a mirror, I have mixed feelings. Sometimes I feel proud of how I look, while other times I notice flaws or signs of aging that make me uncomfortable. I try to remember that mirrors show the truth, both good and bad. It’s important to accept what I see while also focusing on inner qualities that aren’t reflected in a mirror.
Comprehension Based Questions with Answers.
1. Not many men, or even gods, were as handsome as young Narcissus. So far was he that almost everyone who saw him fell in love with him at that moment. One day, as Narcissus roamed the forests with his hunting companions, he was spied by the watchful nymph Echo. She had once been a great chatterer, ready to talk to any passerby on any subject at any time, and on several occasions, she had detained goddess Hera with hours of casual talks, just as Hera was on the point of stumbling upon Zeus with one of his illicit loves”. Eventually, Hera grew so annoyed that she put a curse on the Echo, and from that time on the unfortunate nymph could say nothing but the last few words that she heard. Trembling, Echo followed Narcissus through the trees. She longed to go closer to him to gaze upon the beauty of his face, but she feared that he would laugh at her silly speech. Before long. Narcissus wandered away from his companions, and when he realised he was lost, he called in a panic. “Is there anybody here?”
Q1. Name the story and its writer?
Ans. The name of the story is ECHO AND NARCISSUS and writer is Moira Kerr and John Benoit
Q2. Who was Narcissus?
Ans. Narcissus was a very handsome youth. Not many men or even gods were as handsome as young Narcissus. So far was he that almost everyone who saw him fell in love with him at that moment.
Q3. Who was the Echo?
Ans. Echo was a nymph. She had been once a great chatterer ready to talk to any passer-by on any subject at any time.
Q4. Who did curse Echo and why?
Ans. Goddess Hera cursed Echo, for she grew so annoyed with Echo, only due to her chattering, she put a curse on the Echo.
Q5. Why did Echo follow Narcissus in the forest?
Ans. Echo followed Narcissus through the trees. She longed to go closer to him to gaze upon the beauty of his face in the forest.
q6. Why did Narcissus in panic?
Ans. Narcissus wandered away from his hunting companions in the forest, and when he realised that he was lost, lie called upon in panic. “Is there anybody here?”
2. “Here!” called Echo.
Mystified by this reply, Narcissus shouted. “Come!” “Come!” shouted Echo.
Narcissus was convinced that someone was playing a trick on him.
“Why are you avoiding me?” he called. The only answer he heard was his own question repeated from the woods. “Come here, and let us meet!” pleaded Narcissus.
“Let us meet!” Echo answered, delighted.
She overcame her shyness and crept from her hiding place to approach Narcissus. But he, satisfied now that he had sol.ved the mystery of the voice, roughly pushed her away and ran.
“I would die before I would have you near me!” he shouted mockingly over his shoulder.
Helpless, Echo had to call after him, “I would have you near me!”
Q1. Who began to talk with Narcissus?
Ans. Echo began to talk with Narcissus.
Q2. What answer did he hear from the woods?
Ans. The only answer he heard was bis own question repeated from the woods.
Q3. Who came forward to meet Narcissus?
Ans. Echo came forward to meet Narcissus.
Q4. Find the word from the passage which means, ‘Mockingly’.
Ans. Making fun.
3. The nymph was so embarrassed and ashamed that she hid in a dark cave, and never came into the air and sun-light again. Her youth and beauty withered away, and her body became so shrunken and tiny that eventually, she vanished altogether. All that was left was the pathetic voice that still roams the world, anxious to talk, yet able only to repeat what others say. Poor Echo was not the only one to be treated brutally by Narcissus. He had played with many hearts, and at last one of those, he had scorned prayed to the gods that Narcissus would someday find himself scorned by one he loved. The prayer was heard and granted.
Q1. What happened when nymph saw Narcissus?
Ans. Nymph Echo was so embarrassed and ashamed that she hid in a dark cave, and never came into air and sunlight again.
Q2. How did she vanish altogether?
Ans. When Echo or Nymph hid in a dark cave, her youth and beauty withered away and her body became so shrunken and tiny that eventually, she vanished altogether.
Q3. What was left?
Ans. All that was left was the pathetic voice that still roams the world anxious to talk, yet able to repeat what others say.
Q4. Why did one pray to god against Narcissus?
Ans. One prayed to the gods that Narcissus would someday find himself scorned by one he loved. The prayer was heard and granted.
Q5. Find the word from the pas-age which means. ‘Shrunken’.
Ans. Became smaller.
4. Tired and thirsty from hunting, Narcissus threw himself down beside a still, clear pool to drink. As he leaned over the shining surface, he saw the reflection of the most beautiful face he had ever seen. His heart trembled at the sight, and he could not tear himself away from it his own image. For a long time, Narcissus remained there beside the pool, never raising his eyes from the surface, and from time to time murmuring words of love. At last, his body withered away and became the stem of a flower, and his head the lovely gold and white blossom which still looks into quiet pools, and is called Narcissus.
Q1. Why did Narcissus go near the pool?
Ans. Tired and thirsty from his hunting, Narcissus went near the pool.
Q2. What did he see in the pool and what did he do then?
Ans. When he leaned over the shining surface of the pool he saw the reflection of the most handsome face he had ever seen. It was his own image.
Q3. What did Narcissus turn into?
Ans. Narcissus turned into a flowering plant with beautiful gold and white flower on it.
Q4. Find the word from the passage which means “Low quiet Voice”.
Ans. Murmuring.
