I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
Q1: How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
Ans: Evelyn was seventeen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Q2: When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Ans: Evelyn's deafness was first noticed when she was eight, after her mother called her name and she didn't respond. By the time she was eleven, her hearing loss was confirmed, as her grades had worsened and her headmistress suggested seeing a specialist. It was then revealed that nerve damage had caused her hearing to decline.
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (30 – 40 words).
Q1: Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
Ans: Percussionist Ron Forbes discovered Evelyn's potential by having her feel the vibrations of two tuned drums. She realized she could sense different notes through vibrations in various parts of her body.
Q2: Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
Ans: Evelyn amazed audiences with her music, touring the UK with a youth orchestra and maintaining a busy international schedule. She gave free concerts in prisons and hospitals and prioritized teaching young musicians, becoming an inspiring figure for deaf children.
III. Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100 – 150 words).
Q1: How does Evelyn hear music?
Ans: Evelyn experienced music through vibrations in her body. When Ron Forbes tuned two drums and asked her to sense the sound, she felt the higher drum from the waist up and the lower drum from the waist down. While playing the xylophone, she sensed the sound through the stick in her fingertips. By leaning against drums or standing on a wooden platform, she felt the vibrations through her body, saying music poured in through her skin, cheekbones, and even her hair.
Q1. Tick the right answer
Ans:
Q2. Find the words in the text which show Ustad Bismillah Khan’s feelings about the items listed below. Then mark a tick (✔) in the correct column. Discuss your answers in class.
Bismillah Khan’s feelings about | Positive | Negative | Neutral |
1. teaching children music | |||
2. the film world | |||
3. migrating to the U.S.A. | |||
4. playing at temples | |||
5. getting the Bharat Ratna | |||
6. the banks of the Ganga | |||
7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon |
Ans:
Bismillah Khan’s feelings about | Positive | Negative | Neutral |
1. teaching children music | ✔ | ||
2. the film world | ✔ | ||
3. migrating to the U.S.A. | ✔ | ||
4. playing at temples | ✔ | ||
5. getting the Bharat Ratna | ✔ | ||
6. the banks of the Ganga | ✔ | ||
7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon | ✔ |
Q3. Answer these questions in 30 – 40 words.
1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Ans: Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi in the royal residence for it had a shrill and unpleasant sound. It became the generic name for reeded noisemakers.
2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?
Ans: Shehnai is a pipe with a natural hollow stem that is longer and broader than the pungi. It has seven holes on its body. When it is played, the closing and opening of some of the holes produce soft and melodious sounds.
3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?
Ans: Traditionally, the shehnai was part of the traditional ensemble of nine instruments found at royal courts. It was used only in temples and weddings. However, Ustad Bismillah Khan brought the change by bringing it onto the classical stage.
4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Ans: At fourteen, Bismillah Khan attended the Allahabad Music Conference, where Ustad Faiyaz Khan encouraged him. In 1938, he got his big break with All India Radio in Lucknow and became a popular Shehnai player.
5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Ans: On 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the shehnai from the Red Fort. It was a historic day as India gained independence on that day. He became the first Indian to greet the nation with his shehnai. His audience included illustrious names such as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.
6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
Ans: Bismillah Khan refused to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A. because he couldn’t live outside India. Although his student promised to recreate the atmosphere of Benaras, including its temples, Bismillah jokingly asked if he could also bring the River Ganga, which was impossible. He always longed to return to India whenever he was abroad.
7. Find at least two instances in the text that tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.
Ans: Bismillah Khan deeply loved India, especially Benaras and Dumraon. In his early years, he often practiced in solitude at the temples of Balaji and Mangala Maiya, and by the banks of the River Ganga in Benaras. The flowing Ganga inspired him to create new ragas for the shehnai. He refused to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A. because he couldn't live outside India. When his student offered to replicate Benaras' temples, Bismillah humorously asked if he could also bring the River Ganga, which was impossible.
Q1. Complete the following sentences. Beginning with a to-verb, try to Ans the questions in brackets.
Ans:
Q2. From the text on Bismillah Khan, find the words and phrases that match these definitions and write them down. The number of the paragraph where you will find the words/ phrases have been given for you in brackets.
Ans:
Q3. Tick the right Answer
Ans:
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