KSEEB Class 9 · English (2nd language) · KTBS Revised 2024-25
The Noble Bishop
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
Victor Hugo, from Les Misérables (1862), retold. Hugo's novel opens with Bishop Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel of Digne, whose mercy transforms convict Jean Valjean.
Summary
Jean Valjean leaves prison hardened and rejected everywhere because his yellow passport marks him a convict. No inn will shelter him.
Jean Valjean leaves prison hardened and rejected everywhere because his yellow passport marks him a convict. No inn will shelter him.
Bishop Myriel of Digne receives him with trust, offers supper and a bed - rare kindness Valjean barely understands.
Bishop Myriel of Digne receives him with trust, offers supper and a bed - rare kindness Valjean barely understands.
Temptation wins; Valjean steals the Bishop's silver and flees. Soldiers catch him and bring him back.
Temptation wins; Valjean steals the Bishop's silver and flees. Soldiers catch him and bring him back.
The Bishop tells the guards he gave Valjean the silver - then asks why he left the candlesticks, placing them in Valjean's bag.
The Bishop tells the guards he gave Valjean the silver - then asks why he left the candlesticks, placing them in Valjean's bag.
Alone, the Bishop tells Valjean the silver belongs to him but he must use it to become an honest man - he has bought Valjean's soul for God.
Alone, the Bishop tells Valjean the silver belongs to him but he must use it to become an honest man - he has bought Valjean's soul for God.
Valjean weeps and reforms; Hugo shows one act of radical mercy can break the cycle of crime better than punishment alone.
Valjean weeps and reforms; Hugo shows one act of radical mercy can break the cycle of crime better than punishment alone.
Hard words & meanings
| convict | a person found guilty of a crime |
| mercy | kindness shown to someone who could be punished |
| candlesticks | ornamental holders for church or home candles |
| temptation | desire to sin or steal |
| reform | to improve morally and behaviourally |
| passport | papers proving who a person is |
| radical | very different from the usual |
| conscience | sense of right and wrong within |
| redemption | moral recovery and new life |
Model exam answers, grammar & audio
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