This article covers the complete question-answer guide for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 3 – “The Little Girl” by Katherine Mansfield, prepared for students of ASSEB (Assam State Board of Secondary Education). The chapter tells the touching story of a young girl named Kezia and her gradual understanding of her father’s love. This guide includes the chapter summary, all textbook exercises from Thinking about the Text and Thinking about Language, additional questions, and multiple choice questions.
Summary of The Little Girl
Summary (in English): “The Little Girl” is a short story by the New Zealand author Katherine Mansfield. The central character is Kezia, a young girl who lives with her father, mother, and grandmother. Kezia is deeply afraid of her father. He appears large, stern, and intimidating to her. Every morning before leaving for the office, he comes to her room for a goodbye kiss, and every evening on returning he demands his tea, his papers, and asks Kezia to take off his boots. On Sundays, he sleeps on the sofa, snoring, with a handkerchief over his face — making him look frightening to Kezia.
One day, Kezia’s grandmother encourages her to make a birthday gift for her father — a pin-cushion of yellow silk. Kezia searches for something to stuff it with and innocently tears up papers she finds on the bedside table. Unfortunately, those papers turn out to be an important speech her father had prepared for the Port Authority. When her father discovers what has happened, he is furious and punishes her by striking her palms with a ruler. The incident deepens Kezia’s fear and hatred for her father.
Looking through the fence at the neighbouring family, the MacDonalds, Kezia notices how Mr. Macdonald plays freely with his children — laughing, running, and showing open affection. She wonders why her own father is so different. One night, when both her mother and grandmother fall ill and are taken to the hospital, Kezia is left alone at home with only the cook Alice for company. She has a terrifying nightmare and screams out. Her father comes to her room, picks her up, and takes her to his own bed, where he holds her close and comforts her until she falls asleep. Lying against his chest, Kezia feels his warmth and realises that he has “a big heart.” She begins to understand that her father is not cruel — he is simply exhausted by the pressures of work, and that his love for her is real, even if it rarely shows on the surface.
The story beautifully explores the theme of childhood misunderstanding and the gap between parental authority and parental love. It shows how fear can be replaced by empathy once we try to see things from another person’s perspective.
Thinking about the Text
Exercise I – Match Emotions with Situations
| Column A (Emotions) | Column B (Situations) |
|---|---|
| Fear / Terror | When her father speaks to her harshly or she has to speak to him; when she hears his footsteps and the carriage arrives home. |
| Relief | When she hears the noise of the carriage growing fainter as her father goes to work; when she is sent to bed and the tension is gone. |
| Understanding / Sympathy | When her father comforts her after her nightmare and she lies in his bed, realising he works very hard and has a big heart. |
Exercise II – Short Answer Questions
Q1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Answer: Kezia was afraid of her father because he was a strict and stern man. He spoke to her harshly and always seemed to find fault with her. He had a big, heavy build with large hands, and he would look at her over his spectacles in a way that terrified her. He never played with her or showed her affection openly.
Q2. Who were the members of Kezia’s family?
Answer: Kezia’s family consisted of four members — her father, her mother, her grandmother, and Kezia herself. Her grandmother was warm and affectionate toward her, and her mother was gentle. Her father, however, was strict and distant, which made Kezia fear him greatly.
Q3. What was Kezia’s father’s daily routine?
Answer: Every morning before leaving for the office, he would come to Kezia’s room for a goodbye kiss. In the evening, he would ask for his newspaper and slippers, request tea, and ask Kezia to pull off his boots. On Sundays, he would lie stretched out on the sofa, snoring, with a handkerchief over his face.
Q4. In what way did the grandmother encourage Kezia to understand her father better?
Answer: Kezia’s grandmother sent Kezia to her father’s room on Sunday afternoons so that she could spend time with him. She also suggested that Kezia make a pin-cushion of yellow silk as a birthday present for her father, hoping that the act of giving a handmade gift would bring them closer.
Exercise III – Longer Answer Questions
Q1. Kezia’s efforts to please her father led to an unhappy incident. Describe what happened and how it affected Kezia.
Answer: Following her grandmother’s suggestion, Kezia decided to make a pin-cushion as a birthday gift for her father. She stitched together a beautiful yellow silk cover for it, but she needed something to stuff it with. She found some papers on the bedside table in her parents’ room and, not understanding their importance, tore them up and used them as stuffing. Those papers, unfortunately, turned out to be an important speech that her father had carefully prepared for a Port Authority meeting.
When her father discovered what Kezia had done, he was furious. He called her downstairs and, in spite of her tearful explanations, punished her by striking her palms several times with a ruler. Kezia was left heartbroken. She had intended to please him, but her innocent mistake brought the opposite result. The incident deepened her fear and convinced her further that her father was a harsh and cruel man.
Q2. Kezia compared her father with the neighbour Mr. Macdonald. What did she notice? What does this comparison reveal?
Answer: One evening, Kezia watched the Macdonald family through the fence. Mr. Macdonald was playing a game of tag with his children in the garden — laughing loudly, running around, tossing them in the air, and rolling on the grass with them. The whole family was full of joy and warmth. Kezia felt a deep longing as she observed this scene and wondered why her own father never played with her like that.
This comparison reveals the gap between what Kezia experienced at home and what she saw in other families. It shows her longing for a loving, playful relationship with her father and highlights how a father’s emotional unavailability can make a child feel unloved and fearful.
Q3. How did Kezia’s perception of her father change by the end of the story?
Answer: At the beginning of the story, Kezia sees her father as a frightening, harsh figure who only brings fear and pain. By the end, her perception changes completely. When her mother and grandmother are taken to hospital and Kezia has a terrible nightmare, her father comes to comfort her. He picks her up gently, carries her to his own bed, and holds her close until she feels safe. As Kezia nestles against his chest, she realises that her father works hard and has a “big heart.” She understands he loves her in his own way, even if he rarely shows it.
Thinking about Language
Exercise I – Synonyms for “Glad”
- Thrilled
- Delighted
- Overjoyed
- Pleased
- Happy
Exercise II – The Word “Big” in Different Contexts
| Phrase | Meaning in Context |
|---|---|
| “a big girl now” | Older; more grown-up |
| “the biggest decision” | The most important decision |
| “big ideas” | Grand or great ideas; ambitious plans |
| “the big game” | The most important or popular game/match |
| “a big fan of hers” | A great admirer; very enthusiastic supporter |
| “a big heart” | Very kind, generous, and loving |
| “a big eater” | Someone who eats a lot; a glutton |
Additional Questions and Answers
Short Answer Questions
Q1. Who is the author of “The Little Girl”? What is the story about?
Answer: “The Little Girl” is written by Katherine Mansfield, a celebrated New Zealand short-story writer. The story is about a young girl named Kezia who is afraid of her strict father. Through a series of incidents, Kezia gradually comes to understand that her father loves her deeply, even if he struggles to express it openly.
Q2. What does Kezia see when she peeps through the fence at the MacDonalds?
Answer: When Kezia peeps through the fence, she sees Mr. Macdonald playing a lively game of tag with his five children in the garden. He is laughing, running, rolling on the grass, and tossing the children into the air. The scene is full of warmth, noise, and joy — a striking contrast to the cold, silent atmosphere in Kezia’s own home.
Q3. What papers did Kezia accidentally destroy? Why were they important?
Answer: Kezia destroyed a set of papers she found on the bedside table — an important speech that her father had carefully prepared for a Port Authority meeting. Since she could not read or understand their significance, she tore them up and used them as stuffing for the pin-cushion. Their destruction cost her father a great deal of effort and caused him serious inconvenience.
Q4. What did Kezia say to her father at the end of the story?
Answer: At the end of the story, lying in her father’s bed and feeling safe in his arms, Kezia said: “What a big heart you’ve got, father dear.” This tender remark shows her new understanding — that beneath his stern exterior lay a generous, loving heart exhausted by the burdens of work and responsibility.
Q5. What is the significance of the title “The Little Girl”?
Answer: The title refers to Kezia, the young protagonist. It draws attention to her innocence, vulnerability, and limited understanding of the adult world. The title emphasises that the story is told from a child’s perspective — shaped by fear and misunderstanding but eventually growing into empathy. It reminds the reader that Kezia’s judgement of her father is that of a little girl who does not yet fully see the pressures adults carry.
Long Answer Questions
Q1. Write a character sketch of Kezia’s father as seen through Kezia’s eyes at the beginning and at the end of the story.
Answer: At the beginning, Kezia’s father appears as a towering, intimidating figure — a man with large hands, a heavy face, and a habit of peering coldly over his spectacles. He speaks harshly, finds fault easily, and shows no tenderness. He punishes Kezia with a ruler when she accidentally destroys his papers, never stopping to consider her innocent intentions. To Kezia, he is someone to be avoided — a figure of authority and fear rather than love.
By the end of the story, the same father is seen very differently. After Kezia’s nightmare, he comes to her without hesitation, scoops her up gently, and carries her to his own warm bed. He wraps her in his arms and stays with her until she falls asleep. Kezia sees not a tyrant but a tired man who works hard every day to provide for his family. He emerges as a complex, fully human character — not cruel, but overworked and emotionally guarded.
Q2. What are the main themes of “The Little Girl”?
Answer: “The Little Girl” explores several important themes. Fear and Misunderstanding: Kezia’s fear of her father stems from a misunderstanding of his character — she interprets his strictness as cruelty. Parental Love and Expression: The story raises the question of how love is expressed within families — Kezia’s father loves her but cannot show it openly. Childhood Innocence and Guilt: The pin-cushion incident illustrates how innocent actions can lead to unintended harm. Empathy and Growth: By the end, Kezia learns to see her father as a human being burdened by work and responsibility, completing her journey from fear to understanding. The Generation Gap: The communication barrier between parent and child deepens the distance between them.
Q3. Describe the nightmare Kezia had and its aftermath. What role does this episode play in the story?
Answer: With her mother and grandmother away at the hospital, Kezia is alone and vulnerable. She falls into a terrifying dream in which a butcher — a huge figure with a knife — chases her. She screams in her sleep, and her father hears her and responds. He comes to her room, picks her up gently, and carries her to his own bed. He lies beside her, wrapping her in the warmth of his arms. For the first time, Kezia feels not fear but safety in his presence.
This episode plays a crucial role because it strips away all the layers of distance and routine that had kept father and daughter apart. In a moment of pure vulnerability, Kezia sees her father not as a frightening authority figure, but as a protector. It is this night that allows her to say, “What a big heart you’ve got, father dear” — completing her emotional journey from fear to love.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Q1. Who is the author of “The Little Girl”?
Answer: (b) Katherine Mansfield
Q2. What is the name of the little girl in the story?
Answer: (a) Kezia
Q3. What gift did Kezia plan to make for her father’s birthday?
Answer: (b) A yellow silk pin-cushion
Q4. What did Kezia use to stuff the pin-cushion?
Answer: (c) Torn pieces of her father’s important papers
Q5. How did Kezia’s father punish her for tearing his papers?
Answer: (b) He beat her palms with a ruler
Q6. Who is Mr. Macdonald?
Answer: (c) The neighbour whose family Kezia watches through the fence
Q7. Why was Kezia left alone at home one night?
Answer: (b) Her mother and grandmother were taken to hospital
Q8. What did Kezia dream about that terrified her?
Answer: (c) A butcher chasing her with a knife
Q9. What did Kezia say to her father at the end of the story?
Answer: (c) “What a big heart you’ve got, father dear.”
Q10. What does the story “The Little Girl” primarily explore?
Answer: (b) A child’s fear of her father that turns into understanding and love