My Childhood Class 9 Worksheet English Chapter 1

Multiple Choice Questions

Q1: Who influenced Prof. Kalam?
(a) His father
(b) His friends
(c) His society people
(d) None of these
Ans: (a) 

Q2: When did Kalam become India’s 11th President? (My Childhood)
(a) 2003
(b) 2000
(c) 2001
(d) 2002
Ans: (d) 

Q3: By whom and when did Kalam second time face discrimination and humiliation on the basis of religion?
(a) By teacher, when he was in elementary school
(b) By Sivasubramania's wife, when he was invited their home for a meal
(c) By the priest, during shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony
(d) By students, when he went to higher studies
Ans: (b) 
Sol: When Sivasubramania Iyer invited Kalam for a meal at his home, his wife denied serving a Muslim into a brahmin's kitchen.

Q4: What did Kalam think and say about his parents?
(a) Wise
(b) They were tall
(c) Handsome
(b) All of these
Ans: (d) 

Q5: Where was A.P.J Abdul Kalam born?
(a) Madurai
(b) Bangalore
(c) Chennai
(d) Rameswaram
Ans: (d) 
Sol: Kalam was born in 1931 in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.

Q6: Who was Kalam’s close friend?
(a) None of these
(b) His father
(c) Samsuddin
(d) Ramanadha Sastri
Ans: (d) 

Q7: Which word in the lesson means unnecessary?
(a) Inessential
(b) Innecessity
(c) None of these
(d) Essential
Ans: (a) 

Q8: In which standard, Abdul was, when the new teacher with a conservative mind had come to his class?
(a) 5th standard
(b) 6th standard
(c) 7th standard
(d) 4th standard
Ans: (a) 

Q9: Which seeds did Kalam collect during the second world war?
(a) Guava seeds
(b) Flax seeds
(c) Mango seeds
(d) Tamarind seeds
Ans: (d) 

Q10: Who said this statement, "Kalam, I want you to develop so that you are on par with the highly educated people of the big cities".
(a) Sivasubramania Iyer
(b) Pakshi Lakshman Sastry
(c) Jainulabdeen
(d) Samsuddin
Ans: (a)
Sol: Sivasubramania Iyer, the science teacher of Kalam, told the above statement to the Kalam.

Short Answer Questions

Q1: Kalam’s childhood was a secure one both materially and emotionally. Illustrate.
Ans: APJ Abdul Kalam called his childhood a secure one because he had loving and caring parents who gave love and guidance to their children and took care of their emotional and physical needs. They provided their children with all necessities, in terms of food, medicine or clothes.

Q2: What kind of a person was Kalam’s father?
Ans: Abdul Kalam’s father, Jainulabdeen, was a tall and handsome man. Although he did not have much of a formal education, he was progressive and valued education. He was an austere man and didn’t have much wealth, however, he was a generous man and provided both material and emotional security to his family. He was a very practical man with a vast store of wisdom and never obstructed the progressive ways of his children.

Q3: How was Kalam’s appearance different from that of his parents?
Ans: Kalam did not take after his tall and handsome parents. He was a rather short boy with average looks. Unlike his parents who had quite striking features, his appearance was undistinguished.

Q4: How did the Second World War give Abdul Kalam the opportunity to earn his first wages?
Ans: When stoppage of trains was cancelled at Rameshwaram because of World War II, Kalam’s cousin, Samsuddin, who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram, asked him for help in collecting newspaper bundles which were thrown from the moving train. This helped Abdul Kalam earn his first wages.

Q5: Had Kalam earned any money before that? In what way?
Ans: When the Second World War broke out in 1939, there was a sudden demand for tamarind seeds in the market. Kalam collected these seeds and sold them to earn an anna a day which was a big amount for a small boy like him in those days.

Long Answer Questions

Both the boys felt very sad. Ramanadha Sastry looked utterly downcast and as Kalam shifted to his seat in the last row, he saw tears in his eyes. Both the kids narrated the incident to their parents. Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher, and reprimanded him for spreading the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. The teacher was asked to either apologise or quit the school and the island. Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour, but the strong sense of conviction Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed him.

Q2: When Sivasubramania told Kalam, “Once, you decide to change the system, such problems have to be confronted”. What system was he referring to? What are “such problems”? What values did he want to teach Kalam?
Ans: Abdul Kalam’s science teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer, was a rebel by nature. He was against the prevalent system of segregation of social groups. He wanted to break these social barriers so that people from varying backgrounds could mingle easily When he invited Abdul Kalam to his home, his wife, in keeping with the prevailing system, refused to serve Kalam, a Muslim, food in her kitchen.

But, Iyer not only served him food himself but also invited him next week again. He told Abdul Kalam that when one decides to go against the age-old social barriers, one has to face many problems. He proved that if one is determined to face problems ’ and change the system, one succeeds. He also tried to teach him that sometimes it is good to rebel. We should fight for right reasons and to achieve higher goals.

Q3: How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages? How did he feel at that time? Explain.
Ans: Abdul Kalam’s cousin, Samsuddin, helped him earn his first wages. He used to collect newspapers from the station and distribute in Rameswaram. It was the time of the Second World War. Initially his area, being isolated, was completely unaffected by this War. But, soon the Indian forces also joined the Allied forces. A state of emergency was declared. The first casualty of the emergency was the suspension of train halt at Rameswaram.
It affected Samsuddin’s business adversely. Now, the bundles of newspapers had to be thrown from the moving train from the moving train on the Rameswaram Road between Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi. Samsuddin wanted a helping hand who could catch the bundles thrown from the moving train. Abdul Kalam was engaged for this job by him. Thus, he earned his wages for the first time. Abdul Kalam felt a great sense of pride when he earned his first wages.

Q4: What do you learn about APJ. Abdul Kalam’s family from the lesson “My Childhood”?
Ans: Abdul Kalam tells us that his family was a middle class Tamil Muslim family from Rameshwaram. His parents were good, kind and wise people who gave their children a childhood that was emotionally and materially secure. His father, Jainulabdeen, was not much educated, wasn’t rich but was generous, wise, simple man but was austere and used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries. However, all necessities were provided for, in terms of food, medicine or clothes.

His mother Ashiamma was a generous lady, and used to feed unlimited numbers of people. The family respected all religions and took part in Hindu festivals. During the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony, Kalam’s family used to arrange boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site, situated in the middle of the pond called Rama Tirtha which was near their house. Events from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet were the bedtime stories Kalam’s mother and grandmother would tell the children in the family. The parents always showered their love on their children and never forced their views on them.

Q5: Narrate the incident of new teacher’s behaviour in the classroom. Was his action appropriate? What values did the new teacher learn after that incident?
Ans: When Abdul Kalam was in the fifth standard, a new teacher, who had a conservative and narrow outlook, came to teach them. He saw Abdul Kalam sitting in the front row with Ramanadha Sastry. He identified Kalam as a Muslim as he used to wear a cap which marked him as one and Ramanadha Sastry, who wore the sacred thread as a Brahmin. The teacher could not digest a Muslim boy sitting with a Brahmin boy, that too the son of a priest. In accordance with their social ranking as he saw it, he asked Kalam to go and sit on the back bench.

Abdul Kalam and Ramanadha Sastry, both, felt very sad. His action was not at all appropriate as all human beings are equal. After this incident, Ramanadha Sastry’s father, Lakshmana Sastry, called the teacher and taught him the lesson that one must have respect for all religions and work for communal harmony. He told the teacher that he should not spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. He bluntly asked the teacher to either apologise or quit the school and the island. His strong sense of conviction ultimately reformed this young teacher.

Reference to Context

Q1: I used to collect the seeds and sell them to a provision shop on Mosque Street.
(a) Which seeds did the narrator collect?
Ans: Kalam collected tamarind seeds.

(b) Why did he collect these seeds?
Ans:These seeds were collected by Kalam as they were in great demand in the market during the Second World War and could be sold easily for a good sum of money.

(c) What did he do with the collected seeds?
Ans: Kalam would sell off the collected seeds to a provision shop on Mosque Street.

(d) What light does the extract throw on the narrator?
Ans: The extract shows that the narrator, Kalam, was very enterprising and hard-working. His faith in dignity of labour prompted him to collect the seeds and sell them off.

Q2: I was one of many children – a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents. We lived in or ancestral house, made of limestone and bricks, on the Mosque Street in Rameshwaram. My austere father used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries. However, all necessities were provided for, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. In fact I would say a mine was a very secure childhood, both materially and emotionally.

(a) How was Kalam different from his parents in looks?
Ans: While Kalam’s parents were tall, handsome people, he was a short boy with rather ordinary looks.

(b) What does Kalam tell us about his home?
Ans: Kalam’s family lived in their ancestral house, made of limestone and bricks, on the Mosque Street in Rameshwaram.

(c) How do we know that Kalam’s father was austere?
Ans:  Kalam’s. father shunned all inessential comforts and luxuries.

(d) What kind of a childhood did Kalam have?
Ans: Kalam had a comfortable and secure childhood.

Q3: The first casualty came in the form of suspension of train halt at Rameswaram station. The newspaper had now to be bundled and thrown out from the moving train on the Rameswaram road between Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi. That forced my cousin Samsuddin, who distributed the newspapers in Rameswaram to look for a helping hand and catch the bundles and as if naturally Ifilled the slot.

(a) What does he mean by first casualty?
Ans: The first blow that fell on Rameswaram, which had been unaffected by the war so far, was the suspension of the train stop there.

(b) Who was Samsuddin? What did he do?
Ans: Samsuddin was Abdul Kalam’s cousin. He used to distribute newspapers in Rameswaram.

(c) Why did the cousin need a helping hand? How did he help Kalam earn a salary?
Ans: As the train did not halt at Rameswaram, bundles were thrown off a moving train on the Rameswaram Road between Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi and had to be caught. Samsuddin needed a helping hand to catch the bundles and he employed Kalam for the job.

(d) How did Kalam feel later about his job?
Ans: Kalam felt a sense of pride for earning his own money for the first time.