Winds of Change Class 9 | Kaveri Summary and Answers
A hand fan can cool a room’s occupant, decorate a wall or carry the memory of a craft learnt over generations. In Winds of Change Class 9, the NCERT Kaveri chapter follows the Indian pankha from its historical uses to its place in modern craft markets. A simple question runs through the text: when an object’s everyday use declines, what helps the people and skills behind it survive?
The chapter moves across India through the materials its artisans use. Rajasthan’s fabric, gold thread and engraved brass give its fans different finishes. Gujarat’s mirror work, beads and leather stitching show what local techniques can bring to the same object. In Bengal, white sola and palm leaf produce very different fans. The variety matters because it gives communities ways to preserve what they know while adapting to changing tastes. This guide takes you through the passage, the textbook activities and the present perfect, then offers model answers and 25 original MCQs for revision.
Lesson at a Glance
Particular | Detail |
|---|---|
Textbook | NCERT Kaveri, CBSE Class 9 English, Unit 3 |
Pages | Main reading, pp. 70–73. Activities begin on p. 69. Listening transcript, pp. 263–264. |
Source credit | The textbook acknowledgements credit Gaatha.com. |
Genre | Informational prose on a traditional craft |
Central idea | The regional craft of pankha-making can stay viable through appreciation, training and new markets. |
Reading skills | Fact and opinion, inference, evidence, title analysis and cause and effect |
Language focus | Word pairs, fixed expressions, collocations and the present perfect |
Table of Contents
Winds of Change Class 9 Detailed Summary
Origins and early uses
Pankha or punkha comes from pankh, a bird’s feather. The chapter distinguishes the general word pankha from pankhi, a small plumed fan used in ancient India. It cites Buddhist wall paintings at Ajanta as evidence of the pankhi and mentions embroidery, sculpture and carving as other sources of representation. In temples, attendants used fans to fan deities. In royal courts, fans were used for kings. Their sizes ranged from very small pieces to large fans requiring considerable arm strength.
One object, many regional designs
Trade routes carried fans beyond their places of origin. Towns and villages retained distinct designs and drew on such materials as bamboo, cane, palm leaf, silk, brass, leather and silver. Rajasthan offers appliqué, zardozi and engraved brass examples. Gujarat’s mirror-work, beaded and leather fans illustrate different skills, including the embroidery of home-based women workers. Bengal has white sola fans and the portable palm-leaf Tal Patar Pankha. Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar and several tribal communities contribute other forms.
From everyday use to a living craft
The reading describes a modern shift towards decoration as technology reduces the role of hand fans in daily cooling. Making fans for sale gives artisans a source of income. Variety can renew demand, while exhibitions and workshops help people understand the skill behind the object. The closing argument connects preserving techniques with giving present-day makers a way to earn a living.
Paragraph-by-Paragraph Explanation
Passage | Explanation and reading clue |
|---|---|
Origin and historical evidence, p. 70 | The writer starts with a word family and then moves to visual evidence. The reference to Ajanta is evidence of depiction and use. The temple and royal-court examples show the fan’s ceremonial and practical roles. |
Trade and materials, pp. 70–71 | Trade helped the fan circulate, while makers in different places developed recognisable designs. The common use of fans across India coexisted with regional variation. Materials and ornament reflect local availability, practice and tastes. |
Modern role and Rajasthan, p. 71 | The discussion turns to decorative use before giving regional examples. In appliqué, shaped pieces of fabric are stitched onto a base. Zardozi uses ornate gold thread. The temple fan uses engraved brass and a long handle. Painted cardboard fans are also mentioned in connection with offerings. |
Gujarat and Kutch, pp. 71–72 | The cotton and mirror-work fan, the beaded fan with a silver handle, and Kutch’s hand-stitched leather fan illustrate distinct methods. The writer identifies home-based women workers and acknowledges their sustained labour. |
Bengal, p. 72 | Sola’s milky-white pith gives one type its appearance. The palm-leaf fan is a separate example, portable and familiar in Bengali households. |
Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar, p. 72 | Phadh fans are described through rich embellishment. Odisha’s large palm-leaf fans and Bihar’s colourful bamboo fans show how scale, strength and material distinguish regional traditions. |
Tribal designs, p. 72 | Different communities use combinations of bamboo, cane, grass, palm leaves and other materials. Geometrical patterns and red-and-white contrasts add visual identity. The passage describes multiple versions. |
Technology and commerce, pp. 72–73 | As modern alternatives gain ground, the fan risks losing its everyday presence. Commercial demand can nevertheless support incomes. New versions give buyers more reasons to value a familiar craft. |
Preservation and livelihood, p. 73 | Celebration, demonstrations, exhibitions and workshops make skills visible. A commercial platform helps makers turn public interest into income. The conclusion proposes a practical response to the problem introduced earlier. |
Vocabulary and Regional Pankhas
Word or phrase | Meaning in context |
|---|---|
Pankh / pankha / pankhi | Feather / the general term for a fan / a small plumed fan |
Indigenous | Originating in or belonging to a particular place |
Artefact | An object made by people, often showing cultural or historical skill |
Innovative / industrious | Introducing a new approach / hardworking |
Intricate | Elaborate and made up of many small details |
Exotic | Seen as unusual or unfamiliar from someone’s point of view |
Commonality | A feature shared across different places or groups |
Appliqué | Shaped material sewn onto a base fabric to make a design |
Zardozi | Ornate embroidery traditionally associated with metallic thread |
Encrusted | Covered or decorated with a layer of ornament |
Embellished / engraved | Decorated with additions / marked with designs cut into a surface |
Dainty | Delicate and attractively made |
Seam | The line where two pieces of material are joined |
Sola | A plant with soft, milky-white pith used here to make delicate fans |
Zari | Decorative metallic thread used in textile work |
Antiquity | Great age or the distant past |
Advent | Arrival or beginning |
Livelihood | A means of earning a living |
Sustainable livelihood | A means of earning that can continue over time |
Regional identification guide
Region | What the passage describes |
|---|---|
Rajasthan | Appliqué fabric, gold-thread zardozi and engraved brass temple fans |
Gujarat and Kutch | Mirror work on cotton, colourful beads with a silver handle, and hand-stitched leather with decorated seams |
Bengal | Milky-white sola fans and portable palm-leaf Tal Patar Pankha |
Uttar Pradesh | Phadh fans embellished with gold, silver zari, silk and satin frills |
Odisha | Large palm-leaf fans |
Bihar | Colourful, sturdy bamboo fans |
Tribal communities discussed in the passage | Different materials, geometric patterns and, in some examples, a red ground with white ink |
Themes, Title and Writing Style
Regional identity and dignity of craft
A fan’s materials, stitching and ornament offer evidence of its place of origin. The textile techniques associated with Rajasthan and Gujarat and the use of sola in Bengal give the reader concrete ways to compare regional craft. The chapter also names the people who make the work possible, especially Gujarat’s home-based women workers. For a related treatment of expertise and vocation, read Gifts of Grace — Honouring Our Vocations.
Adaptation and preservation
The hand fan’s changing function puts pressure on its everyday relevance. The chapter proposes innovation through varied designs and preservation through workshops and recognition. These approaches can support each other when makers retain meaningful techniques, explain them to buyers and adapt the form to new uses. The Pot Maker offers a companion study of what skilled handwork means to a maker.
Title and organisation
Winds of Change refers literally to the breeze a fan creates and figuratively to technological, social and commercial change. The prose moves from history to regional examples, then to a problem and possible responses. The regional catalogue makes the argument concrete. Contrasts between personal use and commercial sale, or everyday use and decoration, clarify what has changed.
How the chapter develops
1. Trace the origins
Follow the words and historical depictions.
2. Compare the designs
Match regions with materials and techniques.
3. Identify the pressure
Explain how technology changes daily use.
4. Evaluate responses
Connect workshops and demand to livelihood.
NCERT Textbook Questions and Answers
Reflect and Respond, pp. 69–70
I. Personal response. In a Bengali household, a palm-leaf hand fan may be called Tal Patar Pankha. Students can substitute the name, material and use familiar in their own families.
II. Picture-based answers. Assam: circular, with woven bamboo or cane as a reasonable identification from the illustration. Kerala: rounded, pleated or fan-shaped, made of palm leaf. Uttar Pradesh: rectangular, made of moonj grass. The first material is an identification from the illustration, and the shapes are descriptions of the pictures.
III. Matching. 1–(iv) indigenous, local. 2–(v) innovative, new and original. 3–(i) industrious, hardworking. 4–(vi) intricate, elaborate. 5–(iii) invoked, brought out or evoked. 6–(ii) initiatives, actions to improve a situation.
Check Your Understanding, pp. 73–74
State and type | Material or technique |
|---|---|
Rajasthan — appliqué fan | Pieces of fabric stitched onto a base cloth |
Rajasthan — zardozi fan | Gold thread |
Rajasthan — temple fan | Engraved brass |
Gujarat — mirror-work fan | Cotton with mirror work |
Gujarat — beaded fan | Colourful beads, with a silver handle in the passage |
Gujarat / Kutch — hand-stitched leather fan | Leather with thread and wool at the seams |
West Bengal — sola fan | White spongy sola pith |
Uttar Pradesh — Phadh fan | Gold, silver zari, silk and satin frills |
Bihar — bamboo fan | Bamboo |
Critical Reflection, Extract 1, pp. 74–75
Popularity claim. False. The passage describes fans as significant trade goods without ranking them among the most popular items.
Traditional. Their designs and making techniques are rooted in local practice and carried forward over time.
Opinion. Whether something appears exotic or stylish depends on the observer’s taste and perspective.
Common use. Many communities needed an accessible way to create air movement in warm conditions.
Assertion. A. Regional materials and designs explain why one type could be distinguished from another.
Critical Reflection, Extract 2, p. 75
Negative impact. Modern cooling options reduce the need for traditional hand fans and can weaken demand for the craft.
Culture. The fan embodies local materials, practices, stories and knowledge passed between makers.
Text reference. Select the sentence beginning “Once made for personal use,” which contrasts household use with commercial production.
Artisan benefit. Higher demand can lead to more sales and a steadier income.
Commercialisation. B. Economic demand.
Critical Reflection, Long Questions, pp. 75–76
Why does the title fit? The breeze of a hand fan gives the title its literal sense. The movement from daily use to decoration and commerce gives it a figurative sense. It captures both the pressure of technology and the craft’s ability to adapt.
How do fans express local identity? Rajasthani appliqué uses fabric shapes attached with ornamental needlework. Gujarati cotton fans use mirror work. In both examples, the making method helps identify where the fan comes from.
How can preservation and innovation coexist? Makers can keep recognisable skills such as stitching, weaving or engraving while introducing useful sizes, contemporary patterns or new ways to display fans. Buyers then have a reason to use or collect the work, and the underlying knowledge continues to be practised.
How can workshops help? Learners can see the order of work and try skills with guidance. Makers gain recognition and opportunities to sell or teach. A workshop connects the finished object to the people who make it.
What does celebrating pankhas achieve? Exhibitions and demonstrations bring attention to makers, invite buyers to appreciate the labour involved and provide opportunities for sales. They also give local designs a public place in cultural memory.
What does decorative use show? It shows that the fan’s cultural value has survived even where its practical role has declined. The fan now also functions as a display object and a marker of regional skill.
Listen and Respond, p. 79
Best-fit selection: 1, 2, 3 and 6. Statements 3 and 6 follow the dialogue directly. Statements 1 and 2 paraphrase the discussion of some weight, sturdiness and portability. In the transcript, Rohan mentions Grandma’s evening veranda habit and her wish to keep special objects close. Priya proposes two options. Rohan suggests asking Mom. See pp. 263–264.
Grammar and Writing Practice
Vocabulary and Structures in Context, pp. 76–78
Category | Pairs from the exercise |
|---|---|
Appearance | exotic and stylish, ornate and encrusted |
Place | villages and towns, within and outside |
Material | thread and wool, silk and brass |
Fixed expressions. 1. High and dry — stranded or left without help. 2. Cut and run — make a quick escape. 3. Facts and figures — accurate, detailed information. 4. All and sundry — everyone. 5. Wear and tear — damage from normal use. 6. Time and again — repeatedly. 7. Thick and thin — through difficulties as well as good times. 8. Hard and fast — fixed or strict, as in hard-and-fast rules. The meanings list prints seven options for these eight expressions.
Collocations. (i) take the exam, (ii) take a seat, (iii) ran into a car, (iv) take responsibility, (v) improve my grammar.
Present perfect, pp. 78–79
The form is has or have + past participle. It connects an earlier action or development to the present. Use has with a singular third-person subject and have with plural subjects, I and you. Use the simple past when an action is tied to a finished past time, as in The artisan displayed her fans yesterday.
Verb phrases in the four textbook sentences. 1. have become. 2. have worked. 3. have adopted. 4. has transformed.
Puppetry exercise. (i) have created, (ii) have mastered, (iii) has evolved, (iv) have passed, (v) have performed.
Speaking, factual writing and project work, pp. 80–81
Speaking model — a hand fan. “I am a light palm-leaf hand fan with a woven blade and a short handle. You can carry me easily and use me without electricity. I give one person a breeze, and I depend on someone moving me. My simple materials and weaving pattern are part of my design.”
Factual description model — a folded paper fan. The fan is made from a rectangular sheet of coloured paper and two flat wooden sticks. The sheet is folded into equal pleats along its length. The lower ends are fastened to form a narrow base. The sticks reinforce the two outer folds. When the upper edges are spread, the pleats form a semicircle. The fan opens and closes along the fold lines and can be stored flat.
Craft presentation model. Present a Bengali palm-leaf fan. Identify its plant material, describe the blade and handle, show the weaving pattern, and explain its household use. Give the source for any origin story you include.
Group project. Mark evenly spaced folds, pleat the paper, secure one end and reinforce the sides with smooth sticks. Open the fan and describe the process to the class. Use teacher-approved materials and tools.
Supplementary reading. In O. Henry’s The Last Leaf, art serves another purpose: a painted leaf gives Johnsy hope. The link opens the Paul Academy companion study page.
Exam-Style Questions and Model Answers
A. Very short answers
What does pankh mean?
A bird’s feather.
What was a pankhi?
A small plumed fan used in ancient India.
Where does the chapter locate wall paintings showing a pankhi?
Ajanta.
Who were fanned in ancient temples?
Deities.
What technique joins shaped pieces of fabric to a base cloth?
Appliqué.
What material forms the body of Gujarat’s mirror-work fans?
Cotton.
What decorates the seams of Kutch’s leather fans?
Thread and wool.
What is the local name for Bengal’s palm-leaf fan?
Tal Patar Pankha.
Which state is associated with large palm-leaf fans in the passage?
Odisha.
What material characterises Bihar’s sturdy fans?
Bamboo.
B. Short answers
Why does the author begin with the name of the fan?
The word family gives readers a familiar starting point. It also helps distinguish a general term for a fan from an ancient, specific form.
What do the temple and court examples establish?
They show that fans served in different public settings. Their use had ceremonial significance as well as practical value.
Why is size mentioned in the first paragraph?
The range from tiny pieces to large, demanding fans establishes early variety. It prepares the reader for the diversity of later regional examples.
How do trade and local identity operate together?
Trade allows fans to move across regions. Their materials, designs and workmanship can still indicate where they were made.
How do the Rajasthan examples illustrate three approaches to design?
Appliqué builds a pattern from fabric pieces, zardozi uses ornate gold-thread embroidery, and a temple fan is decorated by engraving brass.
Why does the author mention home-based women workers in Gujarat?
The reference identifies the labour behind the products. It recognises that skills such as mirror work and cross-stitch can be sustained through work done at home.
Compare Bengal’s two named types.
The sola fan is associated with delicate, white plant pith. The Tal Patar Pankha is made from palm leaf and valued for portability and household use.
What is the effect of citing red and white geometrical designs?
The details help readers picture the work and support the claim that makers use distinct visual traditions.
Why does the passage mention a slight rise in demand?
It qualifies the danger of decline. Demand for varied designs gives artisans a possible route to income, even after the object’s role changes.
How can a workshop support a commercial platform?
It helps visitors see what the work requires and gives makers opportunities to explain, teach and sell their products.
C. Long analytical answers
How does the author show that pankha-making belongs to many local traditions?
The author presents the pankha as a familiar object with distinctly regional designs. Rajasthan’s appliqué, zardozi and brass fans show several techniques even within one state. Gujarati examples use cotton, mirrors, beads or stitched leather. Bengal’s use of sola and palm leaf supplies a different comparison. The examples let readers see how material, method and cultural use work together. A common object can therefore carry local identity as it circulates through trade.
Explain the shift from functional object to decoration and source of income.
The fan historically created air movement and served in temples, courts and households. Technology reduced its everyday practical role in many settings. Its intricate designs still make it valuable as a craft object and decoration. Makers now produce fans for sale and have opportunities to reach buyers through exhibitions. The change creates a risk to regular use and a chance to sustain work through new forms of demand.
How do makers benefit when preservation includes teaching and sales?
Teaching allows skilled makers to pass on methods and show why their work has value. Demonstrations help learners recognise decisions about material, construction and decoration. Sales provide an incentive and income for those practising the skill. When education and markets are linked, the craft has a better chance of continuing as a source of work.
How does the prose structure support the preservation argument?
The chapter establishes the fan’s history, then uses regional examples to give the reader a sense of the craft’s range. After showing what could be lost, it explains the pressure created by technology and the opportunity offered by trade. The conclusion identifies exhibitions and workshops as possible responses. This progression makes the case for preservation through evidence and practical proposals.
How should artisans balance heritage and new design?
A design can change in size, colour or use while retaining skills that make it recognisable, such as stitching or engraving. Artisans can explain those methods to new buyers and adapt products to contemporary needs. Retaining knowledge matters because it allows future makers to understand the design choices behind the object. Thoughtful change can therefore expand demand while protecting expertise.
D. Extract-style practice
These are original question sets keyed to the indicated textbook passages.
Set 1. Origins and historical use, p. 70
Questions. (i) Which word means feather? (ii) What evidence does the author name at Ajanta? (iii) Name the two ceremonial settings. (iv) Why is the size range useful to the reader?
Answers. (i) Pankh. (ii) Buddhist wall paintings. (iii) Temples and royal courts. (iv) It establishes that fans had several forms and could require very different amounts of effort to use.
Set 2. Trade and regional differences, pp. 70–71
Questions. (i) How did fans circulate? (ii) What was common across regions? (iii) What made the types distinguishable? (iv) Why is calling a fan stylish an opinion?
Answers. (i) They travelled along trade routes. (ii) The use of fans. (iii) Materials and designs varied across communities. (iv) Judgements about style depend on people’s tastes.
Set 3. Gujarat and Bengal, pp. 71–72
Questions. (i) What embellishes Gujarati cotton fans? (ii) Who contributes to Gujarat’s embroidery work? (iii) Which Bengali fan is easy to carry? (iv) What general point can be inferred?
Answers. (i) Mirror work. (ii) Home-based women workers. (iii) The palm-leaf Tal Patar Pankha. (iv) Makers’ techniques and local materials help create distinct regional designs.
Set 4. Technology and commercial demand, pp. 72–73
Questions. (i) What creates a risk for the craft? (ii) How has its market role changed? (iii) What contributes to demand? (iv) How might artisans benefit?
Answers. (i) Technology and newer alternatives can reduce traditional use. (ii) What people once made for personal use has become a commercial product. (iii) A variety of fan designs. (iv) Sales can give makers income.
Set 5. Preservation initiatives, p. 73
Questions. (i) What can makers do at exhibitions? (ii) How can workshops help learners? (iii) What does sustainable livelihood mean here? (iv) What tone does the conclusion adopt?
Answers. (i) Demonstrate and share their craft. (ii) Learners can observe the work and develop interest or skills. (iii) A source of income that can continue. (iv) Hopeful and practical, because the author proposes achievable steps.
E. Higher-order thinking questions
Would one standardised design help preserve pankha-making?
It might make production easier, but reducing variety could erase the regional materials and methods that give the craft its cultural value.
Why can a fan still matter when it is rarely used for cooling?
It can preserve material knowledge, show a region’s artistic choices and support the people who make it. These uses emerge when its function changes.
How could an exhibition help audiences understand price?
Seeing a maker measure, weave or stitch can reveal the time and expertise involved. Visitors can then connect the price to the work behind it.
What might happen if a new design copied a regional pattern while abandoning the technique?
The pattern may still be recognised, but the skills once used to make it could become less visible. Preserving appearance and preserving a method are different goals.
What evidence would help you judge whether a preservation programme is working?
Look for artisans earning income, learners who can reproduce a technique and continued demand for distinctive designs. Attendance alone measures only immediate interest.
25 Practice MCQs
Choose one answer for each question. The explanatory key follows Question 25.
1. What is the chapter chiefly about?
(a) The history of electric cooling in India
(b) The effects of weather on trade routes
(c) The regional craft of hand fans and its changing role
(d) The technical parts of modern ceiling fans
2. What does the word pankhi denote in the passage?
(a) A small plumed fan
(b) A long brass handle
(c) A bamboo weaving tool
(d) A palm-leaf basket
3. Which evidence does the writer use to introduce ancient fans?
(a) Mirror-work cotton preserved in a workshop
(b) Descriptions of modern exhibitions
(c) Photographs of domestic fans
(d) Buddhist wall paintings at Ajanta
4. Which statement about trade is supported?
(a) It made every fan look the same
(b) It carried fans beyond their places of origin
(c) It ended the use of fans in temples
(d) It restricted fans to one region
5. Which technique is used for Rajasthan’s temple fans?
(a) Cross-stitching cotton
(b) Engraving brass
(c) Weaving bamboo strips
(d) Beading a silver blade
6. What distinguishes zardozi in the Rajasthan example?
(a) White sola pith
(b) Painted cardboard
(c) Sturdy moonj grass
(d) Ornate gold threadwork
7. Which pair is correctly matched?
(a) Kutch — hand-stitched leather
(b) Bihar — engraved silver
(c) Gujarat — plain paper folds
(d) Odisha — gold-thread zardozi
8. Why does the passage mention home-based women workers?
(a) To explain how temple rituals changed
(b) To compare the shape of two Odisha fans
(c) To acknowledge their sustained role in Gujarati fan-making
(d) To describe the ancient trade routes
9. Which of these is a defensible fact rather than an opinion?
(a) Beaded fans are the most attractive
(b) Hand fans look better than electric fans
(c) Brass fans are the most stylish of all
(d) Bengal’s Tal Patar Pankha is made from palm leaf
10. Which two materials distinguish the Bengal examples?
(a) Sola pith and palm leaf
(b) Satin and bamboo
(c) Brass and cotton
(d) Leather and cardboard
11. What does advent mean in the chapter?
(a) Decline
(b) Arrival
(c) Resistance
(d) Trade
12. Which detail belongs to the Phadh fans of Uttar Pradesh?
(a) Wool around leather seams
(b) White ink on a red ground
(c) Silver zari and satin frills
(d) A silver handle with colourful beads
13. Why are indigenous materials important to the author’s argument?
(a) They help connect a design to the place that produces it
(b) They make the same design compulsory everywhere
(c) They show that fans were never traded
(d) They establish that appearance has little value
14. What effect does technology chiefly have in the modern part of the passage?
(a) It makes hand fans heavier
(b) It stops all artisans from working
(c) It increases ceremonial use in temples
(d) It reduces the practical need for traditional fans
15. Which interpretation best explains the title?
(a) It describes only seasonal winds
(b) It refers to fans made for travellers
(c) It links the breeze made by a fan with changes in the craft
(d) It explains how the weather affects bamboo crops
16. What does livelihood mean here?
(a) A festival display
(b) A means of earning a living
(c) A tool for embroidery
(d) A design passed down in a family
17. What does the writer identify as a reason for the modest renewal in demand?
(a) Uniform fan designs
(b) A return to court ceremonies
(c) Restrictions on decorative use
(d) The variety of versions being made
18. Which sentence uses the present perfect correctly?
(a) The artisan have displayed her fans
(b) The artisans have displayed their fans
(c) The artisan has display her fans
(d) The artisans has displayed their fans
19. Which expression means damage from ordinary use?
(a) Cut and run
(b) High and dry
(c) Wear and tear
(d) All and sundry
20. Which action best combines preservation and innovation?
(a) Using a traditional weaving technique to make a fan in a new size
(b) Replacing all local materials with one imported material
(c) Producing one design without crediting its origins
(d) Displaying only photographs of finished fans
21. Which region is associated with large palm-leaf fans?
(a) Bihar
(b) Odisha
(c) Uttar Pradesh
(d) Rajasthan
22. Which verb completes the standard collocation: “___ responsibility”?
(a) Hold
(b) Own
(c) Carry
(d) Take
23. What is the role of the final paragraph?
(a) It gives the earliest date of the Ajanta paintings
(b) It describes a competition between regions
(c) It proposes practical ways to support the craft and artisans
(d) It introduces the meaning of the word pankh
24. Which conclusion follows from the shift towards decoration?
(a) The craft can retain cultural value as its everyday function changes
(b) Decoration proves the fans were never useful
(c) Artisans need no market if a craft has a long history
(d) Technology ensures that traditional skills will be passed on
25. What would best show that a workshop helps preserve the craft?
(a) Visitors can name the venue after attending
(b) Only finished products are photographed
(c) Learners can explain and practise a method shown by an artisan
(d) The workshop repeats the same advertisement every year
MCQ Answer Key and Explanations
(c) The regional craft of hand fans and its changing role. The passage traces regional fans and considers how their craft can survive.
(a) A small plumed fan. The chapter distinguishes pankhi from the general term pankha.
(d) Buddhist wall paintings at Ajanta. The text names Ajanta as visual evidence of the pankhi.
(b) It carried fans beyond their places of origin. Pankhas circulated along trade routes while designs retained local features.
(b) Engraving brass. The chapter describes long-handled temple fans made of engraved brass.
(d) Ornate gold threadwork. The example draws attention to glittering decorative thread.
(a) Kutch — hand-stitched leather. Kutch is recognised for leather fans with decorated seams.
(c) To acknowledge their sustained role in Gujarati fan-making. The writer identifies the workers behind regional embroidery and mirror work.
(d) Bengal’s Tal Patar Pankha is made from palm leaf. The material is a verifiable detail given in the passage.
(a) Sola pith and palm leaf. The passage describes sola fans and palm-leaf fans separately.
(b) Arrival. It refers to the arrival of technology and new inventions.
(c) Silver zari and satin frills. The chapter lists these among the fan’s embellishments.
(a) They help connect a design to the place that produces it. Regional materials help identify and distinguish local designs.
(d) It reduces the practical need for traditional fans. Newer alternatives can displace traditional hand fans in everyday cooling.
(c) It links the breeze made by a fan with changes in the craft. The title uses wind literally and change figuratively.
(b) A means of earning a living. Sales and other craft work can provide income.
(d) The variety of versions being made. The passage links diverse designs with renewed interest.
(b) The artisans have displayed their fans. Plural artisans takes have, followed by the past participle displayed.
(c) Wear and tear. Wear and tear refers to deterioration through normal use.
(a) Using a traditional weaving technique to make a fan in a new size. The skill remains in use while the product adapts.
(b) Odisha. The passage specifically associates this type with Odisha.
(d) Take. Take responsibility is the conventional expression in this exercise.
(c) It proposes practical ways to support the craft and artisans. The conclusion proposes exhibitions, workshops and recognition.
(a) The craft can retain cultural value as its everyday function changes. The chapter distinguishes a change in use from the loss of cultural significance.
(c) Learners can explain and practise a method shown by an artisan. The ability to understand and practise a method shows knowledge has been passed on.
Ready Reckoner and Exam Tips
Revision point | What to remember |
|---|---|
Origin | Pankh means feather. A pankhi is a small plumed fan. |
Historical use | The reading cites Ajanta depictions and describes temple and royal-court use. |
Regional evidence | Rajasthan: appliqué, zardozi and brass. Gujarat: mirrors, beads and leather. Bengal: sola and palm leaf. |
Change | Technology reduces everyday use. Decoration and sales create a different role. |
Preservation | Appreciation, exhibitions and workshops can support skills and incomes. |
Title | A breeze in the literal sense. Change in culture and use in the figurative sense. |
Grammar | Present perfect = has or have + past participle. |
Last-minute examination tips
Support a comparison with two named regions and describe the method or material of each.
In a title question, explain both the breeze and the change in the fan’s role.
When asked to infer, name the clue and explain the conclusion you draw from it.
Separate an author’s claim about cultural value from a reader’s judgement about style.
For a preservation question, connect each suggestion to a concrete outcome for artisans or learners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is credited for Winds of Change Class 9?
The acknowledgements of NCERT’s Kaveri credit Gaatha.com for the reading.
What is the difference between pankha and pankhi?
Pankha is the general word for a fan. In this passage, pankhi names a small plumed fan used in ancient India.
Are zardozi and appliqué the same technique?
Appliqué attaches cut-out shapes to a base fabric. Zardozi uses ornate embroidery, commonly associated with metallic thread.
Are all Bengal fans made of palm leaf?
The passage names two types. Tal Patar Pankha is the palm-leaf fan, while another type is made from sola pith.
What is the difference between the two Uttar Pradesh examples?
The introductory picture task lists moonj grass for its pictured fan. The reading later describes a Phadh fan decorated with gold, silver zari, silk and satin frills.
Is the chapter a story?
It is informational prose. It explains the origins, regional variations and changing role of a craft through examples.
Why is the craft called both traditional and commercial?
The methods and designs carry inherited knowledge. Selling the fans today gives that traditional work an economic role.
Related Reading and Conclusion
The chapter follows a familiar object through changes in use, design and demand. To revise the argument, choose one fan and connect its material, technique, region and potential market in four sentences.
Source: NCERT, Kaveri, Class 9 English, Unit 3, pp. 69–81 and 263–264. The model answers and practice questions are original teaching material.
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