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Textual Questions
1.Tick the right answers :
(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 learnt to play the Shehnai from________ (Ali Bux, Paigambar dux, Ustad faiyaaz Khan).
(v) Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to ____(Afghanistan, USA, Canada).
Answer :
(i) The pungi (Shehnai, pungi) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’
(ii) A barber (Bismillah Khan, a barber. All Bux) transformed the pungi into a Shehnai.
(iii)Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were professional musicians (barbers, professional musicians).
(iv) Bismillah Khan learnt to play the Shehnai from Ali Bra (Ali Bus, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).
(v) Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was too. (Afghanistan. The USA. Canada).
2. Find the words in the text which show (‘surd Khan Is feelings about are items mica below. Then tick (✓) the correct column. Discuss your answers in class.
| Bismillah Khan’s feelings about | Positive | Negative | Neutral |
| I. teaching children music
| |||
| 2. the film world
| |||
| 3. migrating to the USA
| |||
| 4. playing at temples
| |||
| 5. getting the Bharat Ratna
| |||
| 6. the banks of Ganga
| |||
| 7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon
|
Answer :
| Bismillah Khan’s feelings about | Positive | Negative | Neutral |
| I. teaching children music
| ✓ | ||
| 2. the film world
| ✓ | ||
| 3. migrating to the USA
| ✓ | ||
| 4. playing at temples
| ✓ | ||
| 5. getting the Bharat Ratna
| ✓ | ||
| 6. the banks of Ganga
| ✓ | ||
| 7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon
| ✓ |
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3. Answer these questions in 30-40 words.
(i) Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of pungi?
Ans. Aurangzeb banned the musical instrument called Pungi because he did not like its shrill and unpleasant sound.
(ii) How is a Shehnai different from a pungi?
Ans. The pungi was a reeded noisemaker. But unlike the pungi, the Shehnai is a larger pipe with a natural hollow stem. It is larger and broader than the pungi. Seven holes are made on the body of the pipe.
(iii) Where was the Shehnai played traditionally? Flow did Bismillah Khan change this?
Ans. Traditionally the Shehnai was played in temples and on the occasions of the wedding. The Shehnai playing was considered auspicious. Bismillah Khan gave a new look to it. I played Shehnai in films, other cultural festivals and fairs and in foreign countries also.
(iv) When and how did Bismillah Khan get his ‘big break’?
Ans. Bismillah Khan got his ‘big break’ in 1938 with the opening of the An India Radio in Ltleknow, a lie soon became an often-heard Shehnai player on the radio. ‘
(v) What role did Bismillah Khan play on August 15, 1947?
Ans. On August 15, 1947, Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to greet the nation with his Shchnai. He poured his heart out into Raag Kali from Red Fort to an audience which included Mahatma Gandhi and fo Jawaharlal Nehru.
(vi) Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a Shehnai school in the USA?
Ans. Bismillah Khan is deeply associated with India especially Benaras and the Ganga. He says that he Sh can’t imagine living happily in the USA without Benaras and the Ganga. So he refused to stan a Shehnai he school in the USA.
(vii) Find at least two things in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan boxes India and Benaras.
Ans. (a) He says that whenever he is in a foreign country, he keeps yearning to see Hindustan.
(b) He says that while he is in Mumbai he keeps thinking of only Benaras.
Thinking about the Language
1. Look at these sentences :
Evelyn was determined to live a normal life
Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from friends and teachers.
The underlined parts answer the questions: “What was Evelyn determined to do?” and “What did Evelyn manage to do?” They begin with a to-verb (to live, to conceal).
Complete the following sentences. Begin with a to-verb, and try to answer the questions in brackets.
(a) The school sports team hopes ______(What does it hope to do ?).
(b) We all want ______ (What do we all want to do ?).
(c) They advised the deaf child’s mother ______ (What did they advise her to do ?)
(d) The authorities permitted us to ______ (What did the authorities permit us to do)
(e) A musician decided to ______ (What did the musician decide to do ?)
Answers :
(a) ______ to qualify for the station tournaments.
(b) ______ to rest for sometime.
(c) ______ to consult a surgeon.
(d) ______ demonstrate peacefully.
(e) ______ tour the world.
2. From the text on Bismillah Khan, find the words and phrases that match these definitions. The paragraph number where you will find the words/phrases has been given to you in brackets. Write one word on each line.
(i) the home of royal people (1)__________
(ii) the state of being alone (5) __________
(iii) apart which is absolutely necessary (2) an__________
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(iv) to do something not prepared before (5) __________
(v) without much effort (13) __________
(vi) quickly and in large quantities (9) __________ and __________
Answers : (i) palace, (ii) solitude, (iii) indispensable component(iv)invent (v) effortlessly, (vi) thick and fast
3. Tick the right answer.
(i) When something is revived. it remains dead/lives again
(ii) When a government km something, it wants it -stopped/started
(iii) When something is considered auspicious – -welcome it/avoid it
(iv) When we take to something, we find it -boring/interesting
(v) When you appreciate something, you -find it good and useful/ find it of no use
(vi) When you replicate something, you do it -for the first time/for the second time
(vii) When we come to_terms with something, it is -still upsetting/no longer upsetting
Answers :
(i) When something is revived, it – remains dead/lives again
(ii) When a government bans something, it wants it –stopped/started
(iii) When something is considered auspicious –welcome it/avoid it
(iv) When. we take to something, we find it – boring/interesting
(v) When you appreciate something. you -find it good and useful/ find it of no use
(vi) When you replicate something, you do it -for the first time/for the second time
(vii) When we come to terms with something, it is -still upsetting/no longer
upsetting
4.Dictionary work
(i)The sound of the Shehnai is auspicious.
(ii) The auspicious sound of the Shehnai is usually heard at marriages. The adjective ‘auspicious’ can occur after the verb is as in (1), or before a noun as in (2) but there are some adjectives which can be used after the verb be and not before a noun. For example :
(iii) Ustad Faiyaaz Khan was overjoyed.
We cannot say the overjoyed man.
Look at these entries from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary [2005]
elder/ ‘elcb (r)/adj..noun adjective 1 only before nouns (of people. especially two members of the same family) older : my elder brother . his elder sister 2 (the elder) used without a noun immediately tiler it to show who is the older of two people : the elder of their two sons 3 (the elder) (formal) used before, or after sb’s name 0 show that they are the older ((two people who have the same name: the elder Pitt Pitt, the elder.
awake 1 as well / adj.. verb adjective Mot before noon/ not asleep (especially immediately before or after sleeping): to he half/filly – awake. to he wide cnvake. I was still awake when he came to bed.
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Consult your dictionary and complete the table. The first one has been done for you.
| adjective | only before noun | not before a noun | both before and after the verb be
|
| indispensable
| |||
| impressed
| |||
| afraid
| |||
| outdoor
| |||
| paternal
| |||
| countless
| |||
| priceless
|
Use these words in phrases or sentences of your own.
| adjective | only before noun | not before noun | both before and after the verb be
|
| indispensable
| ✓ | ||
| impressed
| ✓ | ||
| afraid
| ✓ | ||
| outdoor
| ✓ | ||
| paternal
| ✓ | ||
| countless
| ✓ | ||
| priceless
| ✓ |
- Indispensable– A nourishing food is indispensable for growing children.
- Impressed—All the countries of the world are impressed by Indian Democracy.
- I am not afraid of Mohan.
- Cricket is an outdoor game.
- He is my paternal uncle.
- Countless people have prayed in the temple.
- This painting is priceless.
Speaking
(a) Imagine the famous singer Kishori Amonkar is going to visit your school. You have been asked to introduce her to the audience before her performance. How would you introduce her
Here is some information about Kishori Amonkar you can find on the Internet. Make notes of the main points about
- her parentage
- the school of music she belongs to
- her achievements
- her inspiration
- awards
Padma Bhushan Kishori Amonkar, widely considered the finest female vocalist of her generation, was born in 1931, daughter of another great artist, Smt Mogubai Kurdikar. In her early years, she absorbed the approach and repertoire of her distinguished mother’s teacher Ustad Alladiya Khan. As her own style developed, however, she moved away from Alladiya Khan’s “Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana” style in some respects, and as a mature artist, her approach is usually regarded as an individual, if not unique, variant of the Jaipur model.
Kishori Amonkar is a thinker, besotted by what she calls the mysterious world of her raagas. She dissects them with the precision of a perfectionist, almost like a scientist, until the most subtle of shades and emotions emerge and re-emerge.
She is very much inspired by the teachings of the ancient Vedic sages, written at a time when vocal music was highly devotional in character. This
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soul-searching quality of her music, coupled with a very intellectual approach to raaga performance has gained her quite a following in India and has helped to revive the study of Khayal. Significant awards bestowed on this artist include the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985), the Padma Bhushan (1987), and the very coveted Sangeet Samradhini Award (considered as one of the most prestigious awards in Indian Classical Music) in 1997.
(b) Use your notes on Kishori Amonkar to introduce her to an imaginary audience. You can use one of the following phrases to introduce a guest: I am honoured to introduce …./ I feel privileged to introduce… We welcome you ….
Ans.* NOT ASKED IN EXAMS. CAN BE PRACTICED BY STUDENTS TO IMPROVE THEIR LANGUAGE
