Our NCERT solutions for class IX English will help you score good marks in your English exam. Here you will find questions and answers from the chapter Rain on the Roof.

1. What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss in class.

(i) Humid shadows

The expression humid shadows refers to the dark clouds that bring rain. The clouds are likened to shadows because they are dark. Also, they are humid because they carry water.

(ii) Starry spheres

Starry spheres refers to the sky at night.

(iii) What a bliss

This expression indicates the happiness of the poet. When it rains, the poet had the habit of retiring to his cottage chamber and lying on the bed listening to the patter of rain drops on the roof. This was a blissful experience for him.

(iv) A thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start

These relate to the things that the poet imagine as he listens to the tinkle of the rain on the shingles.

(v) A thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof

These are the fond memories that spring to the poet’s mind as he listens to the rain.

2. What does the poet like to do when it rains?

When it rains, the poet likes to retire to his cottage chamber bed and lie on the bed pressing the pillow and listening to the pitter-patter of rain drops on the roof.

3. What is the single major memory that comes to the poet? Who are the darling dreamers he refers to?

The single major memory that comes to the poet is that of his mother. The darling dreamers are the poet and his siblings.

4. Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?

No, the poet is no longer a child. His mother is not alive either.

II. 1. When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poet’s did?

Yes, when I was a child, my mother used to tuck me in. She would stay in my bed telling me some bedtime stories until I fell asleep.

2. Do you like rain? What do you do when it rains steadily or heavily as described in the poem?

I absolutely love rain. When it rains, I love watching it from my balcony. What I particularly like is the sound of the rain drops falling on the tiled roof of my house. Rain is also an opportunity for me to spend some quality time indoors with my family.

3. Does everybody have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains? Look around you and describe how different kinds of people or animals spend time, seek shelter etc. during rain.

Not everybody is lucky enough to have a cosy shelter to spend time in during rains. In India, for example, there are still lots of homeless people. When it rains, they often have to rush to waiting sheds to protect themselves from the rain. Likewise, many animals have no shelter from rains. The rainy season is a time of immense misery for these poor creatures as people often shoe them away when they seek shelter under buildings or trees.