The Hundred Dresses-1 - Multiple Choice Questions

The Hundred Dresses-1 - Multiple Choice Questions

S. No	Question	Choice 1	Choice 2	Choice 3	Choice 4	Ans
1	Wanda was a _____ girl.	German	Polish	Italian	Dutch	2
2	Wanda used to sit  _____	with boys	in the last bench	in the last but one seat	all of these	4
3	Wanda used to sit there because she _______	a bad student	she didn't get good marks	she was a rough student	none of these	4
4	Which of the following is a correct statement?	Wanda, Peggy, and Maddie were friends	Wanda and Peggy were enemies	Peggy was a popular girl	Maddie was an immigrant girl	3
5	Which of the following is not a correct statement?	Wanda was a native of America	Peggy was a rich girl	Maddie was Peggy's friend	Wanda was a quiet girl	1
6	When did the girls think about Wanda?	during school hours	during holidays	during outside of school hours	in lunch break	3
7	The girls waited for Wanda	to have fun with her	to talk to her	to know more about her	to play with her	1
8	According to her classmates, Wanda's name was _____	difficult	strange	easy	pleasantly	2
9	Which of the following names was funny?	Bounce	Allen	Smith	Thomas	1
10	If you 'nudge' someone, you _____	make fun of the person	you pushed the person gently	you made friends with the person	none of these	2
11	Why were Peggy and Maddie were late to class on Wednesday?	They were waiting for teacher.	They did not want to attend the class.	They were waiting for Wanda.	A new girl was joining the school on that day.	3
12	Wanda didn't have any friends. This was because she was _____	not friendly	she didn't like to have friends	she was different from the other girls	she didn't know the language	3
13	Why were Wanda's feet were caked with mud?	It was because she came from a poor neighborhood	It was because she didn't have shoes	It was because she was not a neat girl.	It was because she liked to get her feet dirty.	1
14	Wanda always wore a ______	a pressed green dress	a faded blue dress	a faded jean pants	the school uniform	2
15	Though Wanda didn't have many friends, all the girls wanted to talk to her. Because _____	They were fond of her.	They wanted to make friends with her.	They wanted to make fun of her.	They wanted to play with her.	3
16	‘Hopscotch' is a game that _______	is played by boys	is played by girls	is played by both girls and boys	involves hopping in squares	4
17	What is the antonym of 'incredulous'?	unbelievable	believable	correct	not correct	2
18	How may shoes did Wanda have as per her answer to the girls?	100	70	50	60	4
19	Maddie liked teasing Wanda.	This statement is correct.	This statement is not correct.	Sometimes it is correct.	Sometimes it is not correct	2
20	Exaggerated politeness' means ________	being mockingly polite	being really polite	being rude	being not at all polite	1
21	Peggy was not really cruel. You can support this statement because _____	she protects small children from bullies	because she loves animals	she never thought that they were cruel towards Wanda	all of these	4
22	Maddie didn't like teasing Wanda because she _______	like her	was also an immigrant girl	was also a poor girl	both have funny names	3
23	Maddie was afraid to stop Peggy teasing Wanda as _____	Peggy would be angry	it was not nice to stop a friend having fun	Peggy would target her next	Peggy would think bad of her	3
24	Maddie wanted to write a note to _____+	Peggy	Wanda	her class teacher	she never wanted to write any note	1
25	Who was their class teacher?	Miss Keeson	Miss Manson	Mr Keesing	Miss Mason	4
26	What was the competition for boys?	designing cars	designing motorboats	designing ships	designing dresses	2
27	Who was the winner of the boy's competition?	Beggles	Allen	Smith	Thomas	1
28	Everyone thought that _____ would win the competition for girls.	Wanda	Maddie	Miss Mason	Peggy	4
29	The winning design for the outboard motor was exhibited in room no _____	12	13	14	9	1
30	…… I thought I could draw.' Who said these words?	Wanda	Peggy	Maddie was Peggy's friend	none of these	2

 

The Sound of Music - 2 - Bismillah Khan - Question and Answers

 

Question and Answers

Tick the right answer.

i. The (shehnai, pungi ) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’

ii. (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.

iii. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).

iv. Bismillah Khan learned to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux,

Ustaad Faiyaaz Khan).

v. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).

 Answers:

1. pungi

2. A barber

3. professional musicians

4. Ali Bux

5. Afghanistan

Find the words in the text which show Ustaad Bismillah Khan in the correct column. Discuss your answers in class. His feelings about the items listed below. Then mark a tick  (ü) 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

Answers:

Bismillah Khan’s feelings about	Positive	Negative	Neutral
1. teaching children music	ü
2. the film world		ü
3. migrating to the U.S.A.		ü
4. playing at temples	ü
5. getting the Bharat Ratna			ü
6. the banks of the Ganga	ü
7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon		ü

Answer these questions in 30-40 words.

1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?

Pungi produced a loud, shrill, and unpleasant noise. It was not considered as a musical instrument but as a reeded noisemaker. Aurangzeb disliked the sound produced by the pungi. So, he banned the playing of pungi in his royal court.

2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?

Shehnai is also a reeded musical instrument like the pungi. But it is different in shape and size. It produces a soft and melodious sound. Its stem is longer and broader than the pungi and has seven holes on it.

3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?

The shehnai was played in the temples and at weddings traditionally. It was also played at the royal court.

Bismillah Khan improvised old ragas and invented new ragas with the shehnai. Thus he took it on the stage among other classical musical instruments.

 4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?

Bismillah Khan got his big break in 1938. In the year All India Radio opened its Radio Station at Lucknow. He played shehnai from the radio station regularly and his music became popular through it.

 5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?

On 15th August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the shehnai from the Red Fort. The event was historic as it was the day when India got independence. Bismillah’s performance was followed by the historic speech of our first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

 6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?

One of Bismillah Khan’s students wanted him to start a school in the USA. But Bismillah Khan was very much attached to the temples of Benaras and the river Ganga. He could not leave them and so, refused to set up a shehnai school in the USA.

 7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.

Bismillah’s love for India and Benaras is shown by the fact that he refused to set up a shehnai school in the USA as he could not leave Benaras and the river Ganga.

Secondly, when he was honored with the Bharat Ratna, he declared that Indian Classical music was India’s richest heritage.

The Sound of Music - II - Ustaad Bismillah Khan

Introduction:

The lesson is about the famous shehnai player Ustaad Bismillah Khan. He has taken shehnai playing to the classical stage and introduced it to the world. He played the shehnai on the day India got independence i.e. 15th August 1947 at the Red Fort. Though he was a devout Muslim, he played shehnai in the Kasi Viswanath temple.

Meanings:

banned: prohibited

shrill: very sharp

unpleasant:  something that we do not like

generic name: a name given to a class or group as a whole / Generic name means the scientific name or a broad classification of something

reeded: wind instruments which have reeds like the flute, the clarinet, etc.

revived: brought back to life.

tonal quality: a quality related to sound

hollow: empty from inside.

auspicious: promising to bring good fortune,

indispensable: without which a piece of work cannot be done, something which is necessary

 ensemble: things (here, instruments) considered as a group

paternal ancestors: ancestors of the father

captivated: attracted

on end: for a very long time without stopping, continuously

apprentice: trainee

haunt: a place frequented by a specified person /place you like come, where you like to visit many times a day

solitude: being alone, single

recital: performance

taken in by: attracted or charmed by

 souvenirs: things given in memory of a place, person or event

chartbuster: record-breaker

celluloid: an old fashioned way of referring to films

venture: a project that often involves risk, something which has a lot of risks

emphasis: to lay stress on something

thick and fast: he got a lot of awards and was recognized at many places conferred: given, usually, an award or a degree coveted: much desired

replicating: making a copy of something

yearning: longing, having a desire for something

devout: believing strongly in religion and obeying its laws and following its practices

Summary:

Bismillah Khan made a great contribution to the world of music through ‘shehnai’. He was honored with India’s highest civilian honor - the Bharat Ratna in 2001. He was from a family of musicians. He improvised many new ragas with the shehnai and thus placed it among other classical musical instruments. He won accolades internationally.

The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi in his royal court. He disliked its unpleasant sound. A barber tried to improve the pungi’s tone by using a hollow stem, wider and longer than the pungi and made seven holes on it. He blew into it closing and opening the holes. The improvised instrument produced soft, melodious music. As this was done by a barber, ‘nai’ in Hindi and was played in the court of the king, ‘shah’, the instrument was named ‘shehnai’. Playing the shehnai became a part of auspicious occasions. It was also a part of the group of nine musical instruments that were played at the royal court.

Bismillah Khan was born at Dumraon, Bihar in 1916 in a family of musicians. His grandfather Rasool Bux Khan, his father, Paigambar Bux, and his paternal, and maternal uncles, were shehnai players. In his childhood, Bismillah Khan used to visit Bihariji temple and sing the Bhojpuri Chaita. During his childhood, he was attracted by shehnai and started learning to play it.  He used to practice at the temple of Balaji and Mangala Maiya, by the banks of the holy river Ganga. Bismillah Khan invented ragas that were thought to be beyond the range of the shehnai.

When he was fourteen, he performed at the Allahabad Music Conference and his talent was appreciated by Ustaad Faiyaz Khan. In 1938, when the All India Radio was started in Lucknow, he became a regular shehnai player there. On 15th August 1947, Bismillah Khan performed from the Red Fort and greeted the country through his shehnai. He recited Raag Kafi which was followed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech.

Bismillah Khan performed all around the world taking shehnai playing to the world stage. He also composed music for two films – Hindi film titled – ‘Goonj Uthi Shehnai’ directed by Vijay Bhatt and Kannada film titled – ‘Sanadhi Apanna’ by Vikram Srinivas.

He was the first Indian to perform at the Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America. He also performed at Montreal, Cannes and Tokyo. In Teheran, an auditorium was named after him – Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan.

Ustaad Bismillah Khan said that music was India’s richest heritage and had to be taught to children. Although he had traveled all over the world, he was attached to Dumraon and Benaras. Once one of his students asked him to set up a shehnai school in the USA. He even promised to recreate the temples of Benaras there. Bismillah Khan asked him whether he would transport the river Ganga also, as he was attached to it as well. Such was his love for his native land.

Jungle in Jeopardy

 

Reading 2

1. Do you think the three young boys were truly heroic or do you think they took unnecessary risks? what would you have done had you been in their place?

Yes. I think that the boys were truly heroic. The boys found the clues. They identified the wrongdoers and got them arrested. They took a risk when they went alone to the old building in the middle of the forest. A meeting of the poachers was scheduled there. The poachers might harm or kill them. They should have taken some people with them.

I would do the same thing with minimum risk. I would have taken some elders with me to the old building in the forest.

2.  Rewrite the story about 100 words, giving it a different ending.

Shiva, Dev, and Bishnu were three friends who loved animals. One day they saw a wounded rhino. They report it to the district forest officer, Mr. Kedar. They could find that the head forest ranger, Daru was involved in the poaching. They got to know that the poachers were meeting in an old building in the middle of the forest. Two of the boys went there to watch the building secretly from a distance, while the third boy went to bring the police and forest officials to arrest them. Mrs. Kedar helped the boy in informing the authorities. The boys were given a bravery award for their heroic deed.

Father’s Help

1. What were Swami’s feelings on Monday morning? Why do you think he felt so?

Swami shuddered to think that he had to go to school on Monday morning. He hoped that his school would be damaged by an earthquake. He felt like this because he was not interested to go to school after enjoying a relaxed weekend.

2. How did Swaminathan convince his mother to let him stay at home?

Swaminathan convinced his mother to let him stay at home by telling her that he had a terrible headache. When his mother suggested that he should go to school on a jukta if he was suffering from a headache, he said that the jutka would jolt him and made him feel worse. He also told her that there were no important lessons on that day.

3. What did Swami tell his father about Samuel? Why did he do so?

Swaminathan told his father that his teacher, Samuel was a violent man. He punished his students by beating them with his cane. He would not stop canning until blood oozed out. He wouldn’t tolerate latecomers.

Swami told his father so in hope that his father would be convinced that going late to Samuel’s class would end in punishment and he would allow Swami to stay at home.

4. Father’s behavior on learning about Samuel took an unexpected turn. How did he react?

Swami’s father was excited when he came to know that ill-treatment given by Samuel to the children. He thought such kind of behavior was bad and such teachers should not be allowed to teach. He wrote a letter of complaint against Samuel to the headmaster. He sealed the letter and gave it to Swami to be delivered to the headmaster.

5. Why was Swami reluctant to give the letter to the headmaster?

Swami realized that in his eagerness to avoid school, he had exaggerated Samuel's violence to his father. He thought it would be unfair to give the complaint letter to the headmaster. Swami could not remember Samuel sir beating him. In fact, Samuel sir encouraged him. Swami felt bad as he had told lies to his father about Samuel. That is why Swami was reluctant to give the letter to the headmaster.

6. Why did Swami plan to disobey Samuel?

Swami was reluctant to give the complaint letter to the headmaster as Samuel was very tolerant and gentlemanly. He wanted Samuel to beat him as it would justify the complaint letter. In order to make Samuel angry, Swami planned to disobey him. Swami thought that if he could make Samuel angry, Samuel would beat him.

7. ‘But today Samuel appeared to have developed more tolerance and gentleness.’ Why did Swami feel so?

Swami gave an account of Samuel's violence to his father. He told his father that Samuel would cane the late coming students mercilessly. Then his father wrote a letter of complaint to the headmaster and ordered Swami to go to school even though it was late. Samuel allowed Sami to the class without even scolding him. He even excused Swami for not doing the homework. So, Swami felt that Samuel had developed tolerance and gentleness.

8. How did Swami convince himself about giving the letter to the headmaster?

In the last period, Swami could make Samuel angry and got punished. Samuel gave eight wholesome whacks with his cane on Swami’s palms. Swami felt relieved and took the punishment. Now, he could give the complaint letter to the headmaster as Samuel had canned him. Thus, Swami convinced himself about giving the letter to the headmaster.

9. Why did Swaminathan not deliver the letter to the headmaster?

Swaminathan had not delivered the letter to the headmaster as the peon told him that the headmaster was on leave since that afternoon and he would not return for a few days. The letter could be given to the assistant headmaster. The assistant headmaster is none other than Samuel. Swami could not give a letter of complaint against Samuel to Samuel himself as it was a false complaint.

The Sound of Music - I Question and Answers

Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

1. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?

Evelyn was seventeen years old when she got admission in the Royal Academy of Music, London.

2. When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?

When Evelyn was eight years old, her mother, Isabelle Glennie noticed that Evelyn did not respond to her name being called out at the piano class. It was found that she could not hear properly. Evelyn’s loss of hearing was gradual. Initially, she hid the fact from her teachers and friends. When she was eleven, her parents took her to a doctor as she was getting less marks. Then, it was discovered that Evelyn was profoundly deaf.

Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (30–40 words).

1. Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?

Evelyn was discouraged by her teachers. Master-percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her talent and potential. He guided Evelyn to feel music some other way rather than hearing it. He got two large drums and tuned them to different notes. When he played the drums, Evelyn reacted to the distinct notes differently. She realized that she could feel the higher notes produced by one of the drums through the upper part of her body, above the waist and the lower notes of the other drum through the lower part of her body, below the waist. This worked well for Evelyn and gradually, she found that she could sense different sounds and vibrations through different parts of her body.

2. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.

Evelyn made her first tour at the age of sixteen, when she performed with a youth orchestra. She toured the United Kingdom and after that tour she decided that she would make a career in music. She started giving solo performances. She has made her name in the field of music. Evelyn is a popular musician with a busy international schedule. Apart from the regular concerts, she also does charity and performs for hospitals and prisons. Evelyn also holds classes for young musicians.

Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words).

1. How does Evelyn hear music?

Evelyn Glennie was passionate about music. Unfortunately, she lost her sense of hearing by the age of eleven.  Evelyn was discouraged by her teachers. Master-percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her talent and potential. He guided Evelyn to feel music some other way rather than hearing it. He got two large drums and tuned them to different notes. When he played the drums, Evelyn reacted to the distinct notes differently.

Evelyn can feel music penetrate her body though various parts. She removes her footwear as she performs on a wooden floor so that she can feel the vibrations produced by different instruments pass through her feet up her legs. Thus, Evelyn has trained her body to listen to the music.