Meanings to words and
phrases:
contentment: satisfaction
affluent: wealthy, rich, well-to-do
inline with: following or in accordance with, according to,
agreeing to
custom: tradition
politely: gently
urge: a strong desire
check it out: find out the truth, to know what is truth
answered in the affirmative: gave a positive reply, saying
yes
no looking back: to progress without interruption or
impediment, the progress continued
enrolled: took admission into, joined into
headed straight for: went towards, proceeded to
matured: developed, grown-up
resistance: the ability not to be affected by something, the
capacity to endure
equipped: supplied with, having
physical endurance: strength
culmination: end, the final stage
scaled: climbed
annals: historic records
bestowed upon her: honored her with, awarded with
top honors: the highest award
Summary:
Santosh Yadav was born to wealthy landowners in Joniyawas, a
village in Rewari district of Haryana. She was the youngest child, a sister to
five elder brothers. She had to study in the village school as per the village
traditions. Since childhood, she was opposed to the customs, preferred wearing
shorts to the traditional dress.
At the age of sixteen, like other girls in the village, she
was forced to get married but she resisted. She insisted on getting educated
before getting married. She took admission in a school in Delhi but her parents
refused to support her. She threatened them that she would work part-time to pay
the school fee. Her parents accepted her desire to get higher education.
After high school, Santosh joined the Maharani college at
Jaipur and lived at the Kasturba hostel. There she saw the villagers climb the
Aravalli hills. She was curious and went to the hills. She found a group of
mountaineers and wanted to join them in climbing the hills. They agreed and it
was her first step in mountaineering.
Within four years, in 1992, she climbed Mount Everest. Her
qualities of determination, physical and mental strength impressed her seniors.
Her fellow climbers appreciated her concern for others and her willingness to work
in a team. She saved the life of a fellow climber named Mohan Singh by sharing
her oxygen cylinder with him. She joined an Indo-Nepalese woman expedition and
climbed Everest twice, thus becoming the first woman in the world to climb the
peak twice.
Santosh cannot describe the immense feeling of happiness and
pride when she was on top of the world. As she hoisted the Indian flag, she
felt proud to be an Indian. Being an environmentalist, she brought down five
hundred kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas.
Textual Questions and
Answers:
I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each. (The
paragraph numbers within brackets provide clues to the answers.)
Q1. Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his
blessings surprised? (1)
The holy man who blessed Santosh’s mother was surprised because
Santosh’s grandmother said that they did not want a son. As her mother already
had five sons, they only wanted to be blessed with a gifted girl child. The
holy man was surprised because every mother wanted to give birth to a son,
contrary to Santosh’s mother.
Q2. Give an example to show that even as a young girl
Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable. (2)
Santosh was not always content with her place in a
traditional way of life. She began living life on her own terms from the start.
Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.
Q3. Why was Santosh sent to the local school? (3)
Although her parents were wealthy and could send her to a
good school in the city of Delhi, they sent her to the village school because they
followed the traditions.
Q4. When did she leave home for Delhi, and why? (4)
A. At the age of sixteen, Santosh left for Delhi and got
admission in a school there. She wanted to get good education before getting
married. Although her parents did not support her initially, they were forced
by her determination and accepted her decision.
Q5. Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling
in Delhi? What mental qualities of Santosh are brought into light by this
incident? (4)
Initially, Santosh’s parents refused to support her
financially. She accepted this and decided to work part-time to pay her school
fee. Then, her parents softened and consented to support her. This shows she
was determined and she was ready for anything to get what was right for her.
Answer each of these
questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
Q1. How did Santosh begin to climb mountains?
When Santosh joined the Maharani college at Jaipur, she
resided at the Kasturba hostel. It was located near the Aravalli hills. Every
day she saw the villagers climb the hills and disappear behind them. She was
curious. One day she joined a group of mountaineers. This way she started
climbing mountains.
Q2. What incidents during the Everest expedition show
Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?
Santosh tried to save a fellow climber but was unsuccessful
at it. Later, she successfully saved the life of a fellow climber named Mohan
Singh by sharing her oxygen cylinder with him.
Q3. What shows her concern for the environment?
Santosh Yadav is an environmentalist. She wanted to keep
Himalayas garbage free. She brought down five hundred kilograms of garbage from
the Himalayas. This shows her concern for the environment.
Q4. How does she describe her feelings at the summit of the
Everest?
A. Santosh was full of happiness and pride when she was
literally on top of the world. As she unfurled the Indian flag on the summit,
she felt proud of being an Indian. She said that it was a spiritual moment for
her.
Q5. Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she
scaled Mt Everest. What were the reasons for this?
The first time when Santosh climbed the Everest, she became
the youngest woman to scale the Everest. When she climbed it the second time,
she became the first woman in the world to have climbed the Everest twice.
Complete the
following statements.
1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to
_________
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter
of apology to her father because _________
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team
admired her _____________ while ___________ endeared her to fellow climbers.
1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch
the villagers climb the Aravalli hills.
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter
of apology to her father because she had enrolled for a mountaineering course
at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi.
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team
admired her determination while her concern for others endeared her to fellow
climbers.
Pick out words from the text that mean the same as the
following words or expressions. (Look in the paragraphs indicated.)
1. took to be true without proof (1): _________
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable (2): ____________
3. the usual way of doing things (3): _______________
4. a strong desire arising from within (5): ____________
5. the power to endure, without falling ill (7):
__________________
1. assumed
2. rational
3. custom
4. urge
5. resistance
