KSEEB Class 9 · English (1st language) · KTBS Revised 2024-25
The Goat and the Stars
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
Suniti Namjoshi (born 1941) is an Indian-born poet and fable writer living in Canada. Her work often adapts fable and myth with feminist wit. "The Goat and the Stars" uses simple animal characters to explore desire, envy, and the gap between dreams and reality.
Summary
The goat notices bright stars shimmering in water and believes they are near enough to touch.
The goat notices bright stars shimmering in water and believes they are near enough to touch.
It dreams of possessing stars, thinking they would bring glory beyond ordinary field life.
It dreams of possessing stars, thinking they would bring glory beyond ordinary field life.
Jumping at the well, the goat nearly falls; reflection breaks into ripples - stars were never there to hold.
Jumping at the well, the goat nearly falls; reflection breaks into ripples - stars were never there to hold.
Companions or narrator suggest stars belong to sky, not wells - desire misread distance.
Companions or narrator suggest stars belong to sky, not wells - desire misread distance.
Goat may return to grazing, accepting earthly food and safety over dangerous fantasy.
Goat may return to grazing, accepting earthly food and safety over dangerous fantasy.
Namjoshi leaves readers wondering whether ambition or acceptance is higher virtue - modern fable tone.
Namjoshi leaves readers wondering whether ambition or acceptance is higher virtue - modern fable tone.
Hard words & meanings
| reflection | image thrown back from a surface |
| illusion | something that looks real but is not |
| contentment | happiness with what one has |
| fable | story with animals teaching a lesson |
| ambition | drive to reach higher goals |
| ripple | disturbance on surface breaking the image |
| graze | to feed as livestock in a field |
| counsel | guidance toward wiser choice |
| ambiguous | not clearly one moral only |
Model exam answers, grammar & audio
You have read the summary. The board-ready model answers, grammar notes, one-touch audio and writing practice for this chapter are part of Lipi.
Sign in to unlockSee it, understand it, hear it read aloud, then write the exam answer with confidence, for a fraction of a tutor cost.