KSEEB Class 9 · English (1st language) · KTBS Revised 2024-25
The Collectors
Chapter summary, hard words and model exam answers for Karnataka Board Class 9 English.
Free online summary and notes (Karnataka Board Class 9 English). Read it here, no PDF download needed.
About the author
Jan Mark (1943–2006) was a British children's writer who won the Carnegie Medal. "The Collectors" is a subtle story about two children who stumble upon an abandoned egg collection and learn that collecting can be both passion and obsession. Mark writes with quiet realism about memory and the lives hidden inside ordinary objects.
Summary
Two children explore a house that seems deserted. Drawers, shelves, and corners hold traces of someone who lived differently from them.
Two children explore a house that seems deserted. Drawers, shelves, and corners hold traces of someone who lived differently from them.
They discover a cabinet filled with carefully labelled eggs - speckled, pale, rare. Each egg sits in its own place like a jewel.
They discover a cabinet filled with carefully labelled eggs - speckled, pale, rare. Each egg sits in its own place like a jewel.
The children imagine the collector's patience and knowledge. Who was this person? Why eggs? Why leave them behind?
The children imagine the collector's patience and knowledge. Who was this person? Why eggs? Why leave them behind?
Labels, dates, and perfect order suggest a life organised around one pursuit. Collecting gave meaning but may also have narrowed life.
Labels, dates, and perfect order suggest a life organised around one pursuit. Collecting gave meaning but may also have narrowed life.
The beauty of the collection is mixed with sadness. Someone's devotion survives in objects after the person is gone.
The beauty of the collection is mixed with sadness. Someone's devotion survives in objects after the person is gone.
The children leave changed, aware that ordinary rooms can hold extraordinary stories. Memory lives in things carefully kept.
The children leave changed, aware that ordinary rooms can hold extraordinary stories. Memory lives in things carefully kept.
Hard words & meanings
| collection | objects kept and arranged by a collector |
| specimen | an individual example kept for scientific or personal interest |
| obsession | an idea or activity dominating someone's mind |
| labelled | marked with written information |
| abandoned | deserted; no longer cared for by owners |
| preserve | to maintain something carefully over time |
| devotion | strong love and commitment to a pursuit |
| clue | a detail that helps explain a mystery |
| realism | fiction that shows everyday life truthfully |
Model exam answers, grammar & audio
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