Ch. 1 The Fun They Had
Q 1. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of
school must have been fun?
Ans. Margie hated school because it has no fun. She had a mechanical teacher who teaches her at fixed time every day. She hated to give test after test. She had to write her answers in a punch code. Other reason she was failing to perform well in geography tests.
She thought that the old kind of school must have been fun. She imagined all the kids coming , laughing and shouting together in the schoolyard. They would sit together in the classroom and go home together. They would learn the same things and could help one another in the homework. Also, the teachers were human beings that would make the learning process more interactive and interesting.
2. The Sound of Music
Part –I Evelyen Glennie (Deborah Cowley)
1. How does Evelyn
hear music?
Ans. Evelyn could sense music through her body. While
playing on the xylophone, she could sense music through her fingertips and
would learn against drums to sense. On the wooden floors, she used to remove
her shoes and sense music through her feet moving of the legs. Evelyn hears
music through her whole body. In fact she just feels the music. She tries to
feel the vibrations which create sound. While playing drums she uses her upper
and lower body to feel vibrations from different types of drums. She even feels
the music through her hair.
Part- II The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan (Bismillah Khan)
1. Give a brief character sketch of Ustad Bismillah Khan.
Ans. Ustad Bismillah Khan was a Shehnai master of
national and international fame. He was a great musician. Ali Bux, his maternal
uncle perfected him in music. Shehnai was brought to the classical stage by
Ustad Bismillah Khan. He practiced for hours and worked very hard to attain
perfection. At the age of 14, Bismillah accompanied his uncle to Allahabad
music conference where Ustad Fayaz Khan patted his shoulder which inspired and
encouraged him to work harder. It was his melodious music that made him the
first Indian to greet independent India. Ustad Bismillah Khan created many new
rags. He was given many awards and he even received the “Bharat Ratna”. He was
a true patriot who declined many offers to settle abroad. He was a true artist
but a simple man. He had great regard for Hindustani Classical Music.
3. The Little Girl
1. Narrate in about
100 words the story ‘The Little Girl’.
Ans. The main character of the story is a little girl
named Kezia. The main theme of the story is the relationship between parents
and their children. The writer Katherine Mansfield wishes to tell us that
children share a very deep bond of love with their parents. Young children do
not feel that their parents love and care for them because they are strict to
them. They don’t like their actions. But when children grow up they realize
that all the acts of their parents were favourable for them. The bond of love
between parents and their children has been underlined through this story.
Kezia, who afraid from his father in the beginning for his strictness, later
understand how his father love and care her. His father shows his big heart.
6. My Childhood (A.P.J. Adbul Kalam)
1. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages? How did he feel at
that time? Explain.
Ans. The train would not stop at Rameshwaram and the
bundles of newspapers were thrown from the running train. His cousin
Samsuddin who distributed newspapers wanted a helping hand to catch these
bundles. Abdul was employed by his cousin to collect them. This way
he earned his first wages. He felt very proud on earning his first wage.