Updated on 28/06/2026
*6. My Childhood (A.P.J. Adbul Kalam)*
*1. Who is the writer of this chapter?*
Ans. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
*2. Where was Abdul Kalam born?*
Ans. In the island town of Rameswaram (Madras)
*3. What was the name of Abdul Kalam’s father?*
Ans. Jainulabdeen
*4. How many brothers and sisters did Abdul Kalam have?*
Ans. He had three brothers and one sister
*5. What characteristics did he inherit from his parents?*
Ans. Honesty, self-discipline and deep kindness
*6. How old was Abdul Kalam when the Second World War broke out?*
Ans. Eight years old
*7. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first money?*
Ans. By selling tamarind seeds when the war broke out
*8. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?*
Ans. By helping his cousin Samsuddin catch newspaper bundles thrown from the moving train.
*9. Who were three friends of Abdul Kalam?*
Ans. Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Shivaprakasan
*10. In which class did Abdul Kalam study when a new teacher came?*
Ans. In the fifth standard
*11. Who rebuked the new teacher?*
Ans. Sastry’s father
*12. Who invited Abdul Kalam to his home for a meal?*
Ans. His science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer
*13. What was the name of the newspaper?*
Ans. Dinamani
Textual Questions
1. Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?
Ans. Abdul Kalam's house was on the Mosque Street in Rameshwaram.
2. Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?
Ans. RamanadhaShastry, Aravindan and Shivaprakasan were Abdul Kalam's school friends. RamanadhaShastry became the high priest of the Rameshwaram temple, Aravindan became a transport businessman and Shivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.
3. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?
Ans. He inherited honesty and self discipline from his father. From his mother he inherited a sense of kindness and faith.
4. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?
Ans. During World War-II, the train halt at Rameswaram was suspended. Newspaper bundles had to be thrown from the moving train. Kalam's cousin Samsuddin needed a helping hand to catch them, and Kalam took the job, earning his first wages.
Long Answer
1. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages? How did he feel at that time? Explain.
Ans. During World War-II, the train halt at Rameswaram was suspended. Newspaper bundles had to be thrown from the moving train. Kalam's cousin Samsuddin needed a helping hand to catch them. Abdul was employed by his cousin to collect them. This way he earned his first wages. He felt very proud of earning his first wage.It was the first time he had earned his own money by his own hard work. Even fifty years later, he recalled that 'surge of pride' in earning his own money for the first time.