9th English: Unit 7: “If” Online Test, Short Questions Notes

Malik TahirLast Updated: October 2, 2026

Sure — below are important MCQs, short questions, vocabulary, grammar points, and comprehension-based exam questions from Unit “If” by Rudyard Kipling for Punjab 9th class English. I’ve kept the questions board-style and exam-focused so students can revise properly.

If your teacher/edition uses a different unit number, don’t worry — these notes are for the poem “If”, which is the main exam topic you asked for.

Summary of the Poem

In the poem “If—”, the poet gives advice about the qualities of a successful and mature person. He says that a person should remain calm when others lose their self-control. One should trust oneself but should also respect the doubts of others.

The poet advises us to dream and think, but not to become slaves to our dreams. We should think about our aims but should not allow our thoughts to control us. We should treat success and failure equally because both are temporary and deceptive.

A person should remain patient when people tell lies about him. He should not answer lies with lies. He should be able to lose everything that he has achieved and start again without complaining. He should have enough courage and determination to continue even when he is physically and mentally exhausted.

The poet also teaches humility. A person should be able to mix with ordinary people without losing his good qualities and should walk among kings without becoming proud. Neither friends nor enemies should control his emotions. Finally, the poet says that the person who uses every moment properly and possesses all these qualities will become a complete human being.

9th English: Unit 7: “If” Online Test, Short Questions Notes

1. In the poem, “Man” refers to:

2. The tone of the poem is:

3. “Hold on” means:

4. While walking with kings, one should not lose the:

5. “Pitch-and-toss” is a game of:

6. The poem’s rhyme scheme is generally:

7. “Fill the unforgiving minute” means:

8. The word “If” is repeated because the poem presents:

9. The poet advises us to dream but not make dreams our:

10. We should not deal in:

11. The speaker advises us not to deal in:

12. The poem teaches us how to become a complete:

13. The person should rebuild his work with:

14. “Hold on” means:

15. In the poem, blaming others is presented as a test of one’s:

16. The final reward in the poem is:

17. The phrase “you’ll be a Man, my son” shows:

18. “If all men count with you, but none too much” means:

19. “If you can keep your head” means:

20. “Nor lose the common touch” means:

21. The repeated word “If” creates a:

22. If others lie about us, we should not:

23. The poem is addressed to the poet’s:

24. Dreams should not become our:

25. The third stanza emphasizes:

26. “Triumph” means:

27. “Never breathe a word about your loss” means:

28. Who wrote the poem “If—”?

29. If a person loses his work, he should:

30. The final result of possessing all these qualities is becoming:

31. “Keep your head” means:

32. “Pitch-and-toss” is a game of:

33. “Sixty seconds’ worth of distance run” suggests:

34. The poet advises us to think but not make thoughts our:

35. The “unforgiving minute” refers to:

36. The minute is called unforgiving because:

37. The poem “If—” is mainly a poem of:

38. “Fill the unforgiving minute” means:

39. The poem teaches confidence without:

40. The second stanza mainly teaches us to:

41. The people around the poet are losing their:

42. After losing his winnings, a person should:

43. The final reward promised in the poem is:

44. “Talk with crowds and keep your virtue” means:

45. Thoughts should not become our:

46. The poem “If” is addressed mainly to:

47. “Walk with kings” means to move among powerful people while remaining:

48. “Disaster” means:

49. A mature person treats triumph and disaster:

50. A person should trust himself when others:

51. Disaster means:

52. Neither foes nor loving friends should be allowed to:

53. “Keep your head” is used in a _____ sense.

54. A person should trust himself while allowing for the:

55. After losing everything, a person should:

56. The poet advises us to wait without being tired by:

57. The poem mainly teaches:

58. Neither foes nor loving friends should:

59. The quality of recovering after a loss is called:

60. Triumph and Disaster are called:

61. Who wrote the poem “If”?

62. The speaker in the poem is like a:

63. The poem gives advice about:

64. Triumph means:

65. Triumph and Disaster are called:

66. We should keep our head when others are:

67. “Make one heap of all your winnings” means:

68. The poet advises us to make allowance for others’:

69. “Keep your virtue” means:

70. A person should not breathe a word about his:

71. The first stanza mainly teaches:

72. The poet advises us to treat Triumph and Disaster:

73. “Walk with Kings” means:

74. “Worn-out tools” symbolize:

75. “None too much” means:

76. Rudyard Kipling was a famous _____ poet.

77. The central qualities in the poem include:

78. “Twisted by knaves” means that dishonest people:

79. A knave is a:

80. “Make one heap of all your winnings” means:

81. Triumph and Disaster are called impostors because they are:

82. We should not look too good or talk too:

83. The poem teaches that failure is:

84. “The will” represents:

85. We should not repay hatred with:


 

Most Important Short Questions with Answers

What is the central idea of the poem “If—”?
The central idea of the poem is that a person can become successful and mature by developing self-control, patience, courage, honesty, humility and determination. The poet teaches us to remain calm in difficulty, modest in success and brave after failure.
What kind of poem is “If—”?
“If—” is a didactic or moral poem. It gives advice about character-building and tells us which qualities are necessary for becoming a complete human being.
What does “keep your head” mean?
“Keep your head” means to remain calm, sensible and self-controlled during a difficult or confusing situation. It does not mean merely keeping one’s physical head steady.
What should a person do when people around him lose their heads?
He should remain calm and controlled even when other people are confused, frightened or angry. He should not follow their negative behaviour.
How should we react when people doubt us?
We should trust ourselves and continue working patiently. However, we should also respect the doubts of others and should not become proud or arrogant.
What does the poet mean by “trust yourself when all men doubt you”?
It means that we should have confidence in our abilities and decisions even when other people do not believe in us. At the same time, we should remain humble and carefully consider their opinions.
What should we do when people tell lies about us?
We should remain patient and should not answer their lies with more lies. We should continue to follow the truth and maintain our good character.
What does the poet mean by “not deal in lies”?
It means that we should not use falsehood or deception, even if other people lie about us. We should always remain honest.
What is the advice about dreams?
The poet advises us to dream and have ambitions, but we should not allow our dreams to control our lives. Dreams should guide us, not become our masters.
What is the advice about thoughts?
We should think carefully and make plans, but we should not become prisoners of our thoughts. We must control our thinking instead of allowing negative or unrealistic thoughts to control us.
Why are Triumph and Disaster called “two impostors”?
Triumph and Disaster are called “two impostors” because success and failure are temporary and deceptive. Success does not last forever, and failure is not permanent. A wise person treats both with balance.
What do “Triumph” and “Disaster” represent?
“Triumph” represents success, victory and achievement, while “Disaster” represents failure, loss and difficult circumstances.
How should a person treat success and failure?
A person should treat success and failure equally. He should not become proud in success or hopeless in failure. He should remain calm and continue his efforts in both situations.
What does “twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools” mean?
It means that dishonest people may distort the truth and use it to deceive innocent or foolish people. The poet advises us to remain patient and truthful instead of reacting foolishly.
What does “worn-out tools” symbolize?
“Worn-out tools” symbolize limited, weak or inadequate resources. The poet says that a brave person should try to rebuild his life even when he has very little help or few resources.
What does “make one heap of all your winnings” mean?
It means to risk all one’s achievements or possessions in a difficult venture. The phrase suggests courage and the willingness to take a risk for a greater purpose.
What should a person do after losing all his winnings?
He should begin again from the beginning without complaining. He should not become hopeless or waste time blaming others.
What is the meaning of “never breathe a word about your loss”?
It means that a person should not complain repeatedly about his loss. He should accept the situation bravely and make a fresh effort.
What does “hold on” mean in the poem?
“Hold on” means to continue struggling with courage and determination even when a person is tired, disappointed or facing serious difficulties.
What is the importance of willpower in the poem?
Willpower gives a person the strength to continue after failure and exhaustion. It helps him remain firm when everything else seems to be lost.
What does “talk with crowds and keep your virtue” mean?
It means that we should mix with ordinary people and take part in society without losing our good manners, honesty and moral values.
What does “walk with kings, nor lose the common touch” mean?
It means that we should remain humble even when we meet powerful or important people. We should not forget ordinary people or become proud because of our position.
What does “neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you” mean?
It means that we should not allow enemies to make us hateful or friends to make us dependent. We should remain emotionally balanced and independent.
Explain: “If all men count with you, but none too much.”
It means that we should respect and value everyone, but we should not depend excessively on any person. We must maintain our own judgment and self-respect.
What is meant by the “unforgiving minute”?
The “unforgiving minute” refers to time that continuously passes and never returns. Once a moment has been wasted, it cannot be recovered.
How can we fill the “unforgiving minute”?
We can fill it by using every moment productively, working hard and making continuous efforts instead of wasting time.
What is the final message of the poem?
The final message is that a person who remains calm, honest, patient, courageous, humble and determined in every situation can achieve true success and become a complete human being.
What does “you’ll be a Man, my son” mean?
It does not simply mean becoming physically adult or male. It means becoming morally strong, emotionally mature, responsible and complete as a human being.

Stanza-Wise Comprehension Preparation

Important questions

Q. What quality is shown by keeping one’s head when others lose theirs?
Answer: It shows self-control and emotional maturity.

Q. Should we blindly reject the doubts of others?
Answer: No. We should trust ourselves but should also consider the doubts of others with humility.

Q. What should we do if people lie about us?
Answer: We should remain truthful and should not reply with lies.

Stanza 2: Control over dreams, thoughts and emotions

Important questions

Q. Why should dreams not become our masters?
Answer: If dreams control us completely, we may lose contact with reality and fail to act wisely.

Q. Why are triumph and disaster impostors?
Answer: They are temporary and deceptive. Neither success nor failure lasts forever.

Q. What should we do when dishonest people twist the truth?
Answer: We should remain patient and truthful instead of reacting with anger or dishonesty.

Stanza 3: Courage and perseverance

Main idea

The third stanza teaches courage after loss, the ability to begin again and strong willpower.

Important questions

Q. What does the game of “pitch-and-toss” suggest?
Answer: It suggests risk, uncertainty and the possibility of losing everything.

Q. What should a person do after losing his achievements?
Answer: He should begin again without complaining.

Q. What does the word “hold on” suggest?
Answer: It suggests perseverance, courage and determination.

Stanza 4: Humility and proper use of time

Main idea

The fourth stanza teaches humility, emotional balance, social equality and the value of time.

Important questions

Q. What does “the common touch” mean?
Answer: It means friendliness and humility towards ordinary people.

Q. Why is time called unforgiving?
Answer: Time never stops and a lost moment can never be recovered.

Q. What is the reward for following the poet’s advice?
Answer: The person will gain the earth and everything in it and will become a complete human being.

Vocabulary and Meanings

Word/Phrase Meaning in English Urdu meaning
keep your head remain calm پُرسکون رہنا
blaming accusing someone الزام دینا
trust yourself have confidence in yourself اپنے آپ پر بھروسا کرنا
doubt lack of belief or certainty شک
dreaming imagining future aims خواب دیکھنا
triumph victory or success فتح / کامیابی
disaster great failure or calamity تباہی / بڑی ناکامی
impostor a person or thing that deceives دھوکا دینے والا
knave dishonest person بددیانت شخص
twisted distorted or changed dishonestly مسخ کیا ہوا
virtue goodness or moral excellence نیکی / خوبی
vice bad moral quality برائی
winnings things gained or won جیتی ہوئی چیزیں
pitch-and-toss a game of chance اتفاقی کھیل
risk danger or possibility of loss خطرہ
loss absence of something gained نقصان
hold on continue bravely ثابت قدم رہنا
sinew physical or moral strength طاقت
breathe a word mention or speak ذکر کرنا
endure bear patiently برداشت کرنا
exhausted extremely tired تھکا ہوا
crowds large groups of people ہجوم
common touch ability to remain friendly with ordinary people عام لوگوں سے گھلنے ملنے کی صلاحیت
foes enemies دشمن
count matter or be important اہم ہونا
unforgiving not returning or pardoning ناقابلِ واپسی
minute a period of sixty seconds منٹ
distance run distance covered by running دوڑ کر طے کیا ہوا فاصلہ
master controller حاکم / قابو رکھنے والا
worn-out old and no longer effective گھ

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Malik TahirLast Updated: October 2, 2026

Malik Tahir

Greetings, learners! I'm Tarry Malik, your guide to conquering the world of Exams prep and Online studies. Let's navigate the textbooks together, share study hacks, and make your educational journey a breeze.
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