Class 9 English Chapter 2 Question Answers - The Sound of Music

Q.1. What was wrong with Evelyn Glennie?
Ans. She was profoundly deaf.

Q.2. When was her deafness first noticed?
Ans. Her deafness was first noticed at the age of eight.

Q.3. At what age did Evelyn go to the Royal Academy of Music in London?
Ans. She went there at the age of seventeen.

Q.4. What was Evelyn’s special field of interest?
Ans. She was interested in music.

Q.5. At what age was Evelyn’s deafness confirmed?
Ans. Her deafness was confirmed at the age of eleven.

Q.6. Who was Ron Forbes?
Ans. He was the music instructor in Evelyn’s school.

Q.7. At what age did Evelyn visit the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra?
Ans. At the age of sixteen years.

Q.8. What was her performance in the audition for the Royal Academy of music?
Ans. She scored the highest marks in the history of the academy.

Q.9. What award did Evelyn win in 1991?
Ans. In 1991, she was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Prestigious Soloist of the Year Award.

Q.10. How did Ron Forbes ask Evelyn to hear music?
Ans. Ron Forbes asked Evelyn to hear music not through her ears but through other parts of her body.

Q.11. Who did Evelyn give a big inspiration to?
Ans. She was a big inspiration to handicapped people.

Q.12. Which train was Evelyn waiting for on the underground train platform? How did she feel when she sensed the train approaching?
Ans. On the underground train platform, Evelyn was waiting for a train to London, where she was to join the prestigious Royal Academy for Music. As she sensed the train approaching, she felt both nervous and excited.

Q.13. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music? Why was she nervous on her way to the academy?
Ans. Evelyn was only seventeen years of age when she went to the Royal Academy of Music, London. Her nervousness was the result of her young age and lack of exposure. Coming from farmland in Scotland, she had not experienced much of the world. In addition, going to a big institute like The Royal Academy of Music with her hearing disability made her uneasy.

Q.14. While leaving for the Royal Academy of Music, why was Evelyn excited despite her nervousness?
Ans. For Evelyn, going to the Royal Academy of Music, London, was a dream come true. She was going to join a three-year course in an institute she had cherished joining. It excited her to think that despite her impaired hearing, she had made her way to such a prestigious institute.

Q.15. When was Evelyn’s deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Or
How did Evelyn’s parents come to discover her deafness?
Ans. Evelyn’s deafness was first noticed when she was eight years old. In fact, her mother had noticed it when Evelyn had not responded to a call for a performance on the piano. Her deafness was confirmed at the age of eleven when her poor academic performance forced her parents to consult a specialist, who discovered that her hearing was badly impaired because of gradual nerve damage.

Q.16. Why had Evelyn’s headmistress advised her parents to take her to a specialist?
Ans. Evelyn managed to hide her growing deafness from students and teachers for some time. However, by the time she was eleven years old, her performance in school deteriorated, and her marks decreased. It was then that the headmistress advised her parents to consult a specialist.

Q.17. What advice were the parents of Evelyn given once her deafness was confirmed?
Ans. When the deafness of Evelyn was confirmed by a specialist, Evelyn’s parents were advised to get hearing aids for their daughter. They were also advised to send her to a special school where only deaf children were taught.

Q.18. “Everything suddenly looked black”. Why does Evelyn say so?
Ans. When Evelyn was advised to use hearing aids and join the school for the deaf, she felt that her future was bleak and dark. She was depressed, as all hope for great achievements seemed to have vanished. She had now become a disabled child who could not have easy access to normal life.

Q.19. How did Evelyn Glennie respond to the discovery of her deafness?
Ans. On learning about her deafness due to gradual nerve damage, Evelyn Glennie, instead of giving up, decided to lead a normal life like other children and pursue her dream of learning music.

Q.20. How did Evelyn’s teachers respond when she expressed her desire to play the xylophone?
Ans. Evelyn has always loved music, and despite her deafness, she expressed a desire to play the xylophone when she saw another girl playing it. However, her teachers felt that she would not be able to play Q1 because of her impaired hearing, and they discouraged her.

Q.21. Who wiped Evelyn to continue with music? What did he do and say?
Ans. It was Ron Forbes, the percussionist, who encouraged and helped. Evelyn will continue with music. While her teachers discouraged her, he noticed her potential and decided to develop it. He told Evelyn to train different parts of her body to sense musical notes. He turned two drums with different notes to make her sense the higher ones through the upper part of her body and the lower ones through down her waist.

Q.22. How did Evelyn open her mind and body to musical sounds and vibrations?
Ans. As the guide by Ron Forbes, Evelyn learned to listen through different parts of the body other than her ears. Her mind and body were sensitized to notice and differentiate various sounds and vibrations of music. She compensated for the loss of hearing with this awakened and sharpened sense in other parts of her body.

Q.23. Why does Evelyn say that men with bushy beards give her trouble?
Ans. Evelyn says that men with bushy beards give her trouble because she has to watch their whole face, especially their eyes, d in order to grasp what they say. Just watching their lips did not help as the lips remained partially hidden in the beards.

Q.24. Which qualities of character enabled Evelyn to move ahead in life?
Ans. Unfaltering determination and hard work enabled Evelyn to move ahead in life without looking back. Instead of yielding .r before her handicap, she decided to overcome it and lead the life of a normal person. Being a workaholic, she put in her earnest efforts and kept advancing further and further.

Q.25. How did Evelyn get admission to the Royal Academy of Music, London?
Ans. Evelyn gave an audition for admission to the Royal Academy of Music, London. Her audition score was one of the highest in the history of the academy. Therefore, she got selected for a three-year course.

Q.26. What were Evelyn’s achievements after she joined the Royal Academy of Music, London?
Ans. At the Royal Academy of Music, London, Evelyn began as one of the performers in an orchestra. But gradually, she moved on to give solo performances. At the end of her three-year course, she had bagged the biggest awards in the Academy.

Q.27. What is Evelyn’s view of her achievements?
Ans. Evelyn is so modest that she does not consider her achievements to be heroic deeds. She feels that if one has clarity about the goal and puts in hard work, one is sure to achieve the aim. She believes that it is through hard work only that she has been able to achieve success.

Q.28. What reveals that Evelyn has succeeded immensely in her career?
Ans. Evelyn’s success in her career is revealed by the fact that she has command over about a thousand musical instruments. As a percussionist, she is the most admired one at the international level. In 1991, the Royal Philharmonic Society conferred on her the most prestigious “Soloist of the Year Award”.

Q.29. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
Ans. Evelyn performs in regular concerts on the global level. But she also gives concerts free of charge in prisons and hospitals. In addition, she holds classes for young musicians.

Q.30. Who is James Blades? What is his opinion about Evelyn’s talent.

Ans. James Blades is a master percussionist. He believes that God might have taken Evelyn’s hearing but has given her back something extraordinary. The audience hears what she feels, which is far deeper than what any of the other percussionists feel. It is due to this talent that she expresses music so beautifully.

Q.31. How is Evelyn an inspiration for handicapped people?
Ans. Evelyn’s achievements gained through determination and hard work set an example for other handicapped people. They gain confidence from her example and believe that they, too, can achieve their goals in life by overcoming their handicaps with firm determination.

Q.32. What is Evelyn’s contribution to percussion?
Ans. Evelyn has contributed to percussion by securing for it a front place in the orchestra. She has shown how the music of the percussion instruments is deeply moving and touches the hearts and emotions of people.

Q.33. What did Aurangzeb do to the playing of pungi in his royal residence?
Ans. Aurangzeb banned the playing of pungi in his royal residence.

Q.34. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of pungi in his royal residence?
Ans. Aurangzeb banned the playing of pungi in his royal residence because he did not like its shrill, unpleasant sound.

Q.35. Which family did the barber belong to?
Ans. He belonged to a family of professional musicians.

Q.36. Who invented `Shehnai’?
Ans. A barber in Aurangzeb’s court invented Shehnai.

Q.37. How many holes does a Shehnai have on its body?
Ans. It has seven holes in its body.

Q.38. Where was Bismillah Khan born?
Ans. He was born in Dumraon in Bihar.

Q.39. When was Bismillah Khan born?
Ans. He was born on 21 March 1916.

Q.40. Which highest civilian award in India was conferred on Bismillah Khan?
Ans. The Bharat Ratna.

Q.41. What was the name of Bismillah’s grandfather?
Ans. His name was Rasool Bux Khan.

Q.42. What was the name of Bismillah’s father?
Ans. His name was Paigambar Bux.

Q.43. What was the profession of Bismillah’s paternal ancestors?
Ans. They were great Shehnai players.

Q.44. Who was Ali Bux?
Ans. AN Bux was Bismillah’s maternal uncle.

Q.45. When was All India Radio in Lucknow was opened?
Ans. In 1938.

Q.46. What is Bismillah Khan’s special achievement on 15 August 1947?
Ans. Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to greet the nation with his Shehnai on this day.

Q.47. To which foreign country did Bismillah Khan go on his first trip?
Ans. Afghanistan.

Q.48. Which film was made by Vijay Matt after hearing Bismillah’s Shehnai?
Ans. `Gunj Uthi Shehnai’.

Q.49. Which auditorium is named after Bismillah Khan in Tehran?
Ans. The name of the auditorium is Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan.

Q.50. What name is Bismillah Khan fondly called?
Ans. He is fondly called `Khansaab’.

Q.51. When Bismillah Khan was in Mumbai, he missed two things badly. Name those two things.
Ans. They are Benaras and Ganga.

Q.52. What did one of his students in the U.S.A. want him to do?
Ans. One of his students in the U.S.A. wanted him to head a Shehnai school in the U.S.A.

Q.53. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Ans. Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi because he considered it a reeded noisemaker with its loud, shrill, and unpleasant sound. He prohibited its play in the royal court.

Q.54. Why did the pungi become a generic name for “reeded noisemakers”?
Ans. The pungi produced loud, unpleasant, and jarring music. Because of this shrill music, Aurangzeb banned it in the royal house. It was made from a reed and produced noisy sounds, so it became a generic name for “reeded noisemakers”.

Q.55. How is a ‘shehnai’ different from a pungi?
Ans.Though a reeded instrument like a pungi, a shehnai differs from it in width and sound. It is made with a longer and broader stem than a pungi and produces soft, melodious sounds instead of the loud, jarring sound of a pungi.

Q.56. Who revived the pungi, and what shape did it take?
Ans. When Aurangzeb banned playing the pungi in the royal residence, a barber who belonged to a family of professional musicians revived it by taking a wider and longer hollow stem and making seven holes in it. The improved pungi produced soft and sweet sounds.

Q.57. How did the ‘shehnai’ get its name?
Ans. It is believed that the barber (nai) who improved the pungi played his instrument in the emperor's chamber (shah). The c combination of the words ‘shah’ and ‘nai’ formed the name ‘shehnai’.

Q.58. Why was the shehnai played in temples and weddings?
Ans. The music of the shehnai was melodic and soft. It came to be believed that it was auspicious. Therefore, the shehnai was played in the holy temples and on the happy auspicious occasions of weddings.

Q.59. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change it?
Or
How did Bismillah Khan bring the ‘shehnai’ onto the classical stage?
Ans. Traditionally, the shehnai was played in the royal court as one of the nine instruments together, known as naubat. Bismillah Khan made it an independent instrument, giving its music a place among other classical instrumental music.

Q.60. Where did Bismillah Khan usually sing at the age of five? How was he rewarded, and by whom?
Ans. At the age of five, Bismillah Khan usually sang the Bhojpuri ‘chaita a’ in the Bihariji temple in his native town, Dumraon, in Bihar. At the end of the song, he earned a big laddu weighing 1.25 kg which was given by the local Maharaja as a prize.

Q.61. What does the feature “The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan”, tell us about the paternal ancestors of Bismillah Khan?
Or
What kind of family did Bismillah Khan hail from?
Ans. Bismillah Khan hailed from a family of musicians in Bihar. His grandfather Rasool Bux Khan was the shehnai player in the royal court of the king of Bhojpur. His father, Paigambar Bux, and many paternal and maternal uncles were also ‘shehnai vaadaks’ (players).

Q.62. Who was Ali Bux? Where was he employed, and what was his influence on Bismillah Khan?
Ans. Ali Bux was the maternal uncle of Bismillah Khan and may be regarded as his mentor and trainer. He was a great shehnai player and was employed to play the shehnai in the Vishnu temple of Benaras. At a very young age, Bismillah Khan started accompanying him and taught him how to play the shehnai. The young boy would sit for hours listening to his uncle and later practice throughout the day.

Q.63. Which places were young Bismillah Khan’s favourite haunts for practising music? Why?
Ans. The temples of Balaji and Mangala Maiya, as well as the banks of the Ganga, were young Bismillah Khan’s favourite haunts because he could practice his music there in solitude. The flowing waters of Ganga inspired him to improvise and invent ragas, which were earlier considered beyond the range of the shehnai.

Q.64. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Ans. The ‘big break’ came to Bismillah Khan when in 1938, the All India Radio was started in Lucknow. Khansaab was regularly invited to play the shehnai and soon became an often-heard shehnai player on the radio.

Q.65. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on August 15, 1947? Why was the event historic?
Ans. Bismillah Khan played the shehnai on August 15, 1947, at the Red Fort in New Delhi prior to the speech of Pandit Nehru. It was a historic event as India had gained independence from the British on this day. Bismillah Khan was the first Indian to greet the nation, and he poured his heart out while playing the melodious Raag Kafi on his shehnai.

Q.66. Where did Bismillah Khan go on his first foreign trip? How was he honoured there?
Ans. Bismillah Khan’s first foreign trip took him to Afghanistan, where King Zahir Shah was so impressed with the maestro’s shehnai recital that he honoured him with gifts of priceless Persian carpets and other souvenirs.

Q.67. Why did the film director Vijay Bhatt name his film “Gunj Uthi Shehnai“?
Ans. The film director, Vijay Bhatt, once heard the shehnai recital of Bismillah Khan at a festival. He was so fascinated by the performance that he decided to name his next film after the instrument and called it "Gun Uthi Shehnai"

Q.68. Which films did Bismillah Khan provide music for? Why did he discontinue playing the shehnai for films?
Ans. Bismillah Khan ventured into the film world with Vijay Bhatt’s "Gunj Uthi Shehnai" . Then he played in a Kannada film – “Samadhi Apanna“. Though very successful, he gave up the film world because his tastes did not tune well with the artificiality and glamour of filmdom.

Q.69. How was Bismillah Khan’s music appreciated and recognized on the international level?
Ans. Bismillah Khan’s music was so much appreciated on the international level that he became the first Indian to be invited to perform in the prestigious Lincoln Central Hall, USA. He participated in the World Exposition in Montreal, the Cannes Art Festival and the Osaka Trade Fair. In Teheran, an auditorium was named after him.

Q.70. How did India honour and reward the great musician, Bismillah Khan?
Ans. India honoured Bismillah Khan by conferring the greatest national awards – the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Vibhushan. He was also awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2001, the highest civilian award in India.

Q.71. Why did Bismillah Khan want the children in India to be taught music?
Ans. Bismillah Khan had great regard for Indian music and considered Hindustani music to be its richest heritage. He wanted children not to cut off their bond from this grand tradition, which was fascinating even for the people of the West.

Q.72. What offer did one of Bismillah Khan’s students in the US make to him? Why?
Ans. A student of Bismillah Khan, who himself was settled in the US, wanted the great maestro to be the head of a shehnai school in the U.S. He promised that he would create the environment of India by erecting temples like those in Benaras, India.

Q.73. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
Ans. Bismillah Khan was a staunch patriot passionately in love with Benaras and Dumraon in India. He intensely loved the Ganga and could not escape the sacred river. Therefore, he declined the offer to settle in the US and head a shehnai school there.

Q.74. Why does the author believe that Bismillah Khan’s life is “a perfect example of the rich, cultural heritage of India”?
Ans. India has always shown a liberal attitude to all communities and religions. Its cultural heritage is a blend of various castes and creeds. Bismillah Khan’s life perfectly represents this blend. Although a devout Muslim, Khansaab played the shehnai in the Kashi Vishwanath temple every morning.

Q.75. Find instances in the text that tell you that Bismillah Khan loved India and Benaras.
Ans. Bismillah Khan’s love for India and Benaras is revealed by the fact that he refused to settle down in the US as the head of a shehnai school despite a strong assurance from his students to build temples like those in India. This love also becomes obvious in his acceptance speech after receiving the Bharat Ratna when he declared Hindustani music the richest heritage.

Q.76. How did Evelyn sense the sounds and vibrations of the music?
Ans. Evelyn sensed the sounds and vibrations of the music by opening her mind and body to them. She felt different notes through different parts of her body.

Q.77. What was the contribution of Forbes in helping Evelyn to learn music?
Ans. Forbes played a crucial role in shaping Evelyn’s musical talents. He asked her to sense the sounds and vibrations through her body parts. He turned two large drums to different notes and asked her to feel the different notes and sounds some other way.

Q.78. How was Evelyn a source of great pleasure to her audience?
Ans. Evelyn was very young. She performed despite her handicap. Her music was better than those of her double age. She was an inspiration to the handicapped. Thus, she has given enormous pleasure to millions.

Q.79. How is Evelyn able to express music so beautifully?
Ans. Though deaf, Evelyn could express music beautifully as she could feel far more deeply than many of us. That is why she expressed music so beautifully.

Q.80. How was Evelyn able to get admission to the Royal Academy of Music?
Ans. Ron Forbes spotted Evelyn’s potential in music. She never looked back from that point. By the time she was sixteen, she had decided to make music her life. She auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music and scored the highest marks in the history of the academy.

Q.81. Why does Evelyn remove her shoes on the wooden platform?
Ans. While playing instruments, she removes shoes on the wooden platform. It allows the vibrations to pass through her bare feet and up to her legs. She is able to feel the music through every part of her body. She can also feel the echo of sound flowing into her body by leaning against the drums.

Q.82. How did Ron Forbes give Evelyn training in music?
Ans. He took two large drums for tuning. Evelyn realized the higher drums were from the waist up and the lower drums were from the waist down. He motivated her to feel the music in different parts of her body.

Q.83. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Ans. With the opening of All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938, Bismillah Khan got a big break. He became an often-heard Shehnai player on the Radio. When India gained independence on 15th August 1947, Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to greet the nation with his Shehnai.

Q.84. Where did Bismillah Khan play the Shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Ans. Bismillah Khan played the Shehnai from the Red Fort on 15th August 1947. It was a historic event because he became the first Indian to greet the nation on the occasion of the first Independence Day. This program was attended by Nehru, the first Prime Minister, and many stalwarts of the nations.

Q.85. What were the recurring themes of Bismillah Khan’s music?
Ans. Bismillah Khan was a true Indian at heart. The recurring themes of his music were the ethics of temples and human relationships. The flowing waters of the Ganga inspired him to improve and invent `ragas’.

Q.86. How did pungi come to be named Whehnai’?
Ans. A barber from a family of professional musicians decided to improve the pungi. He chose a pipe with a hollow stem that was longer and broader than the pungi. He played the instrument before the king, and everyone was impressed. Since it was played by a barber and in the Shah’s chambers, the instrument was named Shehnai.

Q.87. Bismillah Khan loved India and Benaras the most. Justify it by giving two instances from the text.
Ans. He was fond of Benaras and Dumraon. They remained for him the most wonderful towns in the world. He said that whenever he was in a foreign country, he kept yearning to see India. While in Mumbai, he thinks only of Benaras and the holy Ganga. And while in Benaras, he misses the unique mattha of Dumraon.

Q.88. How did the barber change the tonal quality of a pungi into the melodious voice of the Shehnai?
Ans. The barber chose a pipe with a natural hollow stem. It was longer and broader than `pungi’. He made seven holes in the body of the pipe. He played on it. Soft and melodious sounds were produced. The barber played it before the royalty, and it came to be known as Shehnai.

Q.89. How did Ustad Bismillah Khan bring Shehnai to the classical stage?
Ans. Bismillah Khan was a great Shehnai player. He invented many ragas and played them on Shehnai. His tunes enchanted everybody. Thus, Shehnai became a popular musical instrument in the country.

Q.90. What idea did Ustad Bismillah Khan hold about Hindustani music?
Ans. He held a high about Hindustani music. He was of the opinion that every child should learn Hindustani music. India has a very rich music tradition. Even the West come here to learn our music.