CBSE Class 9 Hindi - Sparsh Chapter 14 नए इलाके में / खुशबू रचते हैं हाथ — अरुण कमल — 20 MCQs with Answers

Before diving into poetic themes, it is essential to know who Arun Kamal is and why these two poems appear together in Sparsh. Arun Kamal is a modern Hindi poet known for his empathy toward ordinary people and his critique of urbanization's darker sides. He writes in accessible language yet layers his verses with social consciousness. 'नए इलाके में' reflects on new residential colonies sprouting across Indian cities in the 1980s-90s, while 'खुशबू रचते हैं हाथ' was written to honor the unseen artisans and labourers whose work sustains urban life. These poems are not abstract; they document real lives, real struggles, and real beauty hidden in plain sight. The CBSE syllabus includes them to develop your awareness of social inequality and to teach you that Hindi literature is a mirror to contemporary India. The MCQs in this section test your grasp of these foundational facts — poet's name, publication context, and the paired structure of the chapter.

One of the central themes in 'नए इलाके में' is the paradox of modernity: cities grow, new colonies emerge, infrastructure expands — yet the people who physically build all this remain unseen and unnamed. The poem invites you to notice the construction workers, the labourers carrying bricks on their heads, the migrants living in temporary shelters at the building site. Modernity in India often means glass facades and air-conditioned malls, but it is constructed on the sweat and struggle of thousands of invisible hands. Arun Kamal does not romanticize poverty; instead, he demands recognition and respect. The CBSE board expects you to articulate this theme clearly, and MCQs often test whether you can identify the 'invisible worker' as the true protagonist of the poem. The questions below probe your understanding of how the poet uses imagery and setting to critique urban development that marginalizes its own builders.

The poem 'खुशबू रचते हैं हाथ' elevates manual labour to the level of artistry. The title itself — 'hands that create fragrance' — suggests that a worker's output is not merely functional but beautiful, worthy of appreciation. Whether a potter shaping clay, a weaver at the loom, or a cook preparing a meal, each person's hands bring skill, care, and creativity to their work. Arun Kamal argues that dignity does not come from social status or wealth; it comes from the quality and sincerity of one's craft. This is a counter-narrative to mainstream ideas that label some jobs as 'menial' or 'lowly'. The CBSE syllabus includes this theme to foster respect for all professions and to challenge caste and class prejudices. MCQs in this section test whether you can identify examples of dignified labour in the poem, recognize the metaphor of 'fragrance', and apply the theme to real-world contexts.

While these poems are thematically rich, they also employ specific poetic devices that enhance their impact. Arun Kamal uses simple, conversational Hindi — no heavy Sanskrit tatsam words — making the poems accessible to ordinary readers. Yet within this simplicity lie powerful metaphors (खुशबू for beauty, हाथ for labour), vivid imagery (new colonies, construction sites), and subtle irony (celebrating development while exposing its human cost). The CBSE marking scheme awards marks for identifying poetic devices and explaining their effect. For instance, the repetition of 'नए' (new) in 'नए इलाके में' emphasizes both novelty and displacement. The personification of hands in 'खुशबू रचते हैं हाथ' gives agency and dignity to body parts, symbolizing the whole worker. MCQs in this section check whether you can spot a metaphor, simile, or symbol and link it back to the poem's theme.

Beyond literary analysis, these poems carry urgent social and moral messages. They ask you, the reader, to acknowledge the people whose labour sustains your comfort — the construction worker who built your school, the cleaner who maintains it, the cook who prepares mid-day meals. They challenge caste and class prejudices that demean certain kinds of work. They also raise questions about fairness: if workers create so much value, why are they paid so little and respected even less? The CBSE Class 9 syllabus includes literature not just for language skills but for character building and social awareness. Expect MCQs that ask you to infer the poet's message, apply the theme to a real situation, or identify the moral lesson. These are often framed as 'What does the poet want us to learn?' or 'How should we treat workers in our society?' questions.

Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) questions require you to apply themes to new contexts, compare perspectives, or evaluate arguments. For instance, you might be asked to connect the poem to a current event (e.g. migrant worker crisis during COVID-19), compare Arun Kamal's view with another poet's, or judge whether modern development is fair to workers. These MCQs go beyond 'What did the poet say?' to 'What does this mean in today's India?' and 'Do you agree, and why?'. The CBSE 2025 pattern increasingly includes such questions to test comprehension at a deeper level. To excel, you must not only memorize the text but also think critically about its relevance, limitations, and connections to the real world. The final three MCQs below are designed at this higher difficulty level.

While this page gives you 20 focused MCQs, real mastery comes from continuous practice, doubt-clearing, and personalized feedback. CBSETUTOR.ai offers exactly that — a 24×7 AI tutor for every CBSE student in Classes 6 to 12, all for a flat ₹999 per month (3-day free trial available). Imagine you are stuck on a tricky assertion-reason question from this chapter at 11 PM the night before your exam. Simply snap a photo of the question using the CBSETUTOR.ai app, upload it, and within seconds you receive a step-by-step explanation in Hindi or English, tailored to NCERT and CBSE guidelines. The AI tutor does not just give you the answer; it explains why the other options are wrong, links the question back to the poem's theme, and suggests similar questions for practice. For Hindi literature, where interpretation and language nuances matter, this kind of instant, personalized support is invaluable. Whether you need help with MCQs, short answers, or long-answer poetry analysis, CBSETUTOR.ai adapts to your pace and learning style. The platform also tracks your progress, identifies weak areas (say, poetic devices or thematic questions), and recommends focused practice. Thousands of CBSE students across India — from metro cities to Tier-2 towns where coaching is scarce — are already using CBSETUTOR.ai to boost their confidence and scores. One subscription covers all subjects for your class, making it an affordable, comprehensive alternative to expensive tuition. Try the 3-day free trial, upload a question from this chapter, and experience the difference a responsive, always-available tutor can make.

MCQs in CBSE Class 9 Hindi papers are deceptively simple — each question carries just one mark, but careless mistakes add up quickly. Here is a battle-tested strategy used by toppers. First, read the question stem carefully, underlining keywords like 'NOT', 'EXCEPT', or 'सही कथन' versus 'गलत कथन'. Many students lose marks by missing a single negative word. Second, before looking at the options, try to answer the question in your mind based on your NCERT reading. This prevents you from being misled by plausible-sounding wrong options. Third, use the elimination method: cross out obviously incorrect answers first. Often you can narrow it down to two options, then choose based on NCERT language or theme. Fourth, in assertion-reason (A-R) questions, evaluate the assertion and reason separately before deciding if R explains A. Do not assume that if both are true, R automatically explains A. Fifth, watch your OMR bubbling: one mis-shaded circle can cost you multiple marks if you shift rows. After finishing all MCQs, if time permits, cross-check your OMR against your question-paper markings. Sixth, manage time ruthlessly — spend no more than 30 seconds per MCQ. If you are unsure, make an educated guess (CBSE rarely penalizes wrong MCQs with negative marking in Class 9, but confirm from your school) and move on; you can revisit if time remains. Finally, during revision, maintain an error log: note every MCQ you get wrong, write the correct answer and reason, and review this log before the exam. This targeted revision is far more effective than re-reading the entire chapter. Apply these strategies to the 20 MCQs on this page, time yourself (10 minutes for 20 questions), and track your accuracy. Consistent practice with a strategic approach will ensure you score full marks in the MCQ section of your Hindi Sparsh paper.