CBSE Class 9 Chapters: Beehive and Moments
The NCERT Class 9 English course uses two readers, Beehive for the main course and Moments as the supplementary reader. Every prose chapter and play from both is covered here in the order a student meets it. The classics that are out of copyright, The Little Girl, The Happy Prince, The Last Leaf and The Beggar, are explained in full with the ending and quotations. The modern chapters are summarised and analysed without quotation, with the themes an examiner expects and the question types that come up.
Packing and The Bond of Love were dropped from Beehive in the rationalised 2023 edition and are kept here for students on older editions. Work through the list in order, then try writing your own story in the same shape.
- The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov (Beehive, Chapter 1): The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov, Class 9 Beehive: summary with the ending, Margie and Tommy, the mechanical teacher, themes of technology and school, exam answers.
- The Little Girl by Katherine Mansfield (Beehive, Chapter 3): The Little Girl by Katherine Mansfield: complete summary with the ending, characters, themes of fear and fatherhood, and the craft of a child's point of view.
- A Truly Beautiful Mind (Class 9 Beehive, on Albert Einstein) (Beehive, Chapter 4, prose): A Truly Beautiful Mind, Class 9 Beehive: summary of the Einstein chapter, from Ulm to relativity, the Nobel Prize and the letter to Roosevelt, themes and exam answers.
- The Snake and the Mirror by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (Beehive, Chapter 5): The Snake and the Mirror by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Class 9 Beehive: summary with the ending, the doctor's vanity, the thief, themes of ego and humour, exam answers.
- My Childhood by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (Beehive, Chapter 6, prose): My Childhood by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Class 9 Beehive: summary of the Wings of Fire excerpt, Rameswaram, the new teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer, themes and exam answers.
- Packing by Jerome K. Jerome (Beehive, editions up to 2022): Packing by Jerome K. Jerome, Class 9 Beehive: summary of the Three Men in a Boat chapter, the toothbrush, the butter, Montmorency, humour analysis and exam answers.
- The Bond of Love by Kenneth Anderson (Beehive, editions up to 2022): The Bond of Love by Kenneth Anderson, Class 9 Beehive: summary with the ending, Bruno the sloth bear, the zoo separation, love between people and animals, exam answers.
- If I Were You by Douglas James (Beehive, the closing play): If I Were You by Douglas James, Class 9 Beehive: summary of the one-act play with the ending, Gerrard and the Intruder, the cupboard trick, themes and exam answers.
- The Lost Child by Mulk Raj Anand (Moments, Chapter 1): The Lost Child by Mulk Raj Anand, Class 9 Moments: full summary with the open ending, the child and the stranger, themes, craft notes and exam answers.
- The Adventures of Toto by Ruskin Bond (Moments, Chapter 2): The Adventures of Toto by Ruskin Bond, Class 9 Moments: summary with the ending, Toto and Grandfather, the ticket collector scene, themes and exam answers.
- Iswaran the Storyteller by R.K. Laxman (Moments, Chapter 3): Iswaran the Storyteller by R.K. Laxman, Class 9 Moments: summary with the ending, Mahendra and Iswaran, the elephant and the ghost, themes and exam answers.
- In the Kingdom of Fools by A.K. Ramanujan (Moments, Chapter 4): In the Kingdom of Fools, a Kannada folktale retold by A.K. Ramanujan, Class 9 Moments: full summary with the ending, the chain of blame, themes and exam answers.
- The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde (Moments, Chapter 5): The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde: full summary with the ending, the statue and the swallow explained, themes of charity and sacrifice, and the craft behind the tale.
- Weathering the Storm in Ersama by Harsh Mander (Moments, Chapter 6): Weathering the Storm in Ersama by Harsh Mander, Class 9 Moments: summary of Prashant's story after the 1999 Odisha super cyclone, themes, and exam answers.
- The Last Leaf by O. Henry (Moments, Chapter 7): The Last Leaf by O. Henry: complete summary with the ending, Behrman's masterpiece explained, characters, themes of hope and sacrifice, and the story's craft.
- A House Is Not a Home by Zan Gaudioso (Moments, Chapter 8): A House Is Not a Home by Zan Gaudioso, Class 9 Moments: summary with the ending, the fire and the lost cat, themes of loss and belonging, and exam answers.
- The Beggar by Anton Chekhov (Moments, the last chapter): The Beggar by Anton Chekhov: full summary with the twist ending, Skvortsov, Lushkov and the cook Olga, themes of true charity, and the craft of the displaced hero.
By the Writory editorial team, reviewed by working writers. Updated September 2026.
All classic short stories. Enter the short story contest and have your own story read and scored.