Thinking about the Text

Question 1. Here are some headings for paragraphs in the text. Write the number(s) of them paragraph(s) for each title against the heading. The first one is done for you.

1. Einstein’s equation – 9
2. Einstein meets his future wife
3. The making of a violinist
4. Mileva and Einstein’s mother
5. A letter that launched the arms race
6. A desk drawer full of ideas
7. Marriage and divorce

Answer:

1. Einstein’s equation – 9
2. Einstein meets his future wife – 7
3. The making of a violinist – 3
4. Mileva and Einstein’s mother – 10
5. A letter that launched the arms race – 15
6. A desk drawer full of ideas – 8
7. Marriage and divorce – 11

Question 2. Who had these opinions about Einstein?

1. He was boring.
2. He was stupid and would never succeed in life.
3. He was a freak.

Answer:

1. He was boring – Einstein’s playmates
2. He was stupid and would never succeed in life – Einstein’s headmaster
3. He was a freak – Einstein’s mother

Question 3. Explain what the reasons for the following are.

1. Einstein leaving the school in Munich for good.
2. Einstein wanting to study in Switzerland rather than in Munich.
3. Einstein seeing in Mileva an ally.
4. What do these tell you about Einstein?

Answer:

1. Einstein left the school in Munich for good because he disliked the school’s regimentation and often

had arguments with his school teachers.

1. Einstein wanted to study in Switzerland rather than in Munich because Switzerland was a city that was much more liberal than Munich.
2. Einstein saw an ally in Mileva because just like him, she too was against ‘Philistines’ i.e. the people in Einstein’s family and at the university with whom he was constantly at odds.
3. The above things tell us that Einstein was a very liberal person who liked freedom. He was a person who had his own view about life.

Question 4. What did Einstein call his desk drawer at the patent office? Why?

Answer: Einstein called his desk drawer at the patent office the ‘bureau of theoretical physics’. He

called it so because he was secretly developing his own ideas and inventions related to physics.

Question 5. Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt?

Answer: Einstein wrote a letter to Franklin Roosevelt because he wanted to warn America that Germany had the ability to build and use an atomic bomb, which if exploded in a port, would destroy the entire port as well as some of the surrounding territory.

Question 6. How did Einstein react to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Answer: He was deeply shaken by the extent of destruction due to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He wrote a public missive to the United Nations and proposed the formation of a world government.

Question 7. Why does the world remember Einstein as a “world citizen”?

Answer: The world remembers Einstein as a “world citizen” because he agitated for an end to the arms

buildup and campaigned for peace and democracy in the world.

Question 8. Here are some facts from Einstein’s life. Arrange them in chronological order.

[ ] Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity.

[ ] He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

[ ] Einstein writes a letter to U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and warns against Germany’s

building of an atomic bomb.

[ ] Einstein attends a high school in Munich.

[ ] Einstein’s family moves to Milan.

[ ] Einstein is born in the German city of Ulm.

[ ] Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva. [ ] Einstein dies.

[ ] He provides a new interpretation of gravity.

[ ] Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein withdraws from school.

[ ] He works in a patent office as a technical expert.

When Hitler comes to power, Einstein leaves Germany for the United States.

Answer:

[7] Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity.

[9] He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

[11] Einstein writes a letter to U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and warns against Germany’s

building of an atomic bomb.

1. Einstein attends a high school in Munich.
2. Einstein’s family moves to Milan.

[1] Einstein is born in the German city of Ulm.

[5] Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva.

[12] Einstein dies.

[8] He provides a new interpretation of gravity.

[4] Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein withdraws from school.

[6] He works in a patent office as a technical expert.

[10] When Hitler comes to power, Einstein leaves Germany for the United States.

Thinking about Language

• Here are some sentences from the story. Choose the word from the brackets which can be substituted for the italicized words in the sentences.

1. A few years later, the marriage faltered. (failed, broke, became weak).
2. Einstein was constantly at odds with people at the university. (on bad terms, in disagreement, unhappy)
3. The newspapers proclaimed his work as “a scientific revolution.” (declared, praised, showed)
4. Einstein got ever more involved in politics, agitating for an end to the arms build-up. (campaigning, fighting, supporting)
5. At the age of 15, Einstein felt so stifled that he left the school for good. (permanently, for his benefit, for a short time)
6. Five years later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had American physicists in an uproar. (in a state of commotion, full of criticism, in a desperate state)
7. Science wasn’t the only thing that appealed to the dashing young man with the walrus moustache. (interested, challenged, worried)

Answer:

1. A few years later, the marriage became weak. (failed, broke, became weak).
2. Einstein was constantly in disagreement with people at the university. (on bad terms, in disagreement, unhappy)
3. The newspapers declared his work as “a scientific revolution.” (declared, praised, showed)
4. Einstein got ever more involved in politics, campaigning for an end to the arms build-up. (campaigning, fighting, supporting)
5. At the age of 15, Einstein felt so stifled that he left the school permanently. (permanently, for his benefit, for a short time)
6. Five years later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had American physicists in a state of commotion. (in a state of commotion, full of criticism, in a desperate state)
7. Science wasn’t the only thing that interested to the dashing young man with the walrus moustache. (interested, challenged, worried)

• Study the following sentences.
• Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist, maintaining this skill throughout his life.
• Letters survive in which they put their affection into words, mixing science with tenderness.

The parts in italics in the above sentences begin with –ing verbs, and are called participial phrases. Participial phrases say something more about the person or thing talked about or the idea expressed by the sentence as a whole. For example:

• Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist. He maintained this skill throughout his life.

Complete the sentences below by filling in the blanks with suitable participial clauses. The information that has to be used in the phrases is provided as a sentence in brackets.

1.   ___________, the firefighters finally put out the fire. (They worked round the clock.)
2. She watched the sunset above the mountain,____________ (She noticed the colours blending softly into one another.)
3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly,_______________ (While it neighed continually.)
4.  ______________ , I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras. (I had taken the wrong train.)
5.   ____________________, I was desperate to get to the bathroom. (I had not bathed for two days)
6. The stone steps, ____________________needed to be replaced. (They were worn down).
7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans, (They asked him to send them his photograph.)

Answer:

1. Working round the clock, the firefighters finally put out the fire. (They worked round the clock.)
2. She watched the sunset above the mountain, noticing the colors blending softly into one another. (She noticed the colors blending softly into one another.)
3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly, neighing continually. (While it neighed continually.)
4. Having taken the wrong train, I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras. (I had taken the wrong train.)
5. Having not bathed for two days, I was desperate to get to the bathroom. (I had not bathed for two days)
6. The stone steps, being worn down, needed to be replaced. (They were worn down).
7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans, asking him to send them his photograph. (They asked him to send them his photograph.)

Writing Newspaper Reports

Here are some notes which you could use to write a report.

21 August 2005 — original handwritten manuscript of Albert Einstein unearthed — by student Rowdy Boeynik in the University of the Netherlands — Boeynik researching papers — papers belonging to an old friend of Einstein — fingerprints of Einstein on these papers — 16-page document dated 1924 — Einstein’s work on this last theory — behaviour of atoms at low temperature — now known as the Bose- Einstein condensation — the manuscript to be kept at Leyden University where Einstein got the Nobel Prize.

Dictation
Question 1.
Your teacher will dictate these paragraphs to you. Write down the paragraphs with correct punctuation marks.

In 1931 Charlie Chaplin invited Albert Einstein, who was visiting Hollywood, to a private screening of his new film, City Lights. As the two men drove into town together, passersby waved and cheered. Chaplin turned to his guest and explained: “The people are applauding you because none of them understands you and applauding me because everybody understands me.”

One of Einstein’s colleagues asked him for his telephone number one day. Einstein reached for a telephone directory and looked it up. “You don’t remember your own number?” the man asked, startled. “No,” Einstein answered. “Why should I memorize something I can so easily get from a book?” (In fact, Einstein claimed never to memorize anything which could be looked up in less than two minutes.)
Answer:
In 1931, Charlie Chaplin invited Albert Einstein, who was visiting Hollywood, to a private screening of his new film, “City Lights”. As the two men drove into town together, passers-by waved and cheered. Chaplin turned to his guest and explained: “The people are applauding you because none of them understands you and applauding me because everybody understands me.”

One of Einstein’s colleagues asked him for his telephone number one day. Einstein reached for a telephone directory and looked it up. “You don’t remember your own number?” the man asked, startled. “No”, Einstein answered. “Why should I memorize something I can so easily get from a book?” (In fact, Einstein claimed never to memories anything which could be looked up in less than two minutes.)

Write a report which has four paragraphs, one each on:

• What was unearthed.
• Who unearthed it and when.
• What the document contained.
• Where it will be kept.

Your report could begin like this:

Student Unearths Einstein Manuscript

21 AUGUST 2005. An original handwritten Albert Einstein manuscript has been unearthed at a university in the Netherlands…

Answer:

Student Unearths Einstein Manuscript

21 AUGUST 2005. An original handwritten Albert Einstein manuscript has been unearthed at a university in the Netherlands.

It was unearthed by a student Rowdy Boeynik while researching papers when he came across some papers belonging to an old friend of Einstein.

The 16-page document dated 1924 contained fingerprints of Albert Einstein. It has Einstein’s work on this last theory i.e. the behavior of atoms at low temperature which is now known as the Bose-Einstein condensation.

The manuscript will be kept at Leyden University where Einstein got the Nobel Prize.

Dictation

Your teacher will dictate these paragraphs to you. Write down the paragraphs with correct punctuation marks.

Answer: Do it yourself.

Extract Based Questions (3 marks each)

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1:
A headmaster once told his father thatwhat Einstein chose as a profession would not matter, because
“he will never make a success at anything”. Einstein began learning to play the violin at the age of six, because his mother wanted him to. He later became a gifted amateur violinist, maintaining this skill throughout his life.

1. What was the headmaster’s opinion about Einstein ?
2. Why did Einstein learn to play violin ?
3. Find a word from the passage that means “having great natural ability”.

Answer:

1. The headmaster’s opinion about Einstein was that he would never be successful in his life.
2. Einstein learnt to play the violin to fulfil the desire of his mother.
3. Gifted.

Question 2:
Einstein was deeply shaken by the extent of the destruction. This time he wrote a public missive to the United Nations. In it he proposed the formation of a world government. Unlike the letter to Roosevelt, this one made no impact.

1. What did Einstein write and to whom?
2. Why did he write a letter to Roosevelt earlier?
3. Find the word from the extract that means – “a long and official letter

Answer:

1. Einstein wrote a public missive to the United Nations proposing the formation of a world government.
2. He wrote a letter to Roosevelt earlier in which he warned him by saying, “a single bomb of
   this type might very well destroy the whole part with some of the surrounding territory”, i.e., a letter warning him for a bomb blast.
3. Missive.

Question 3:
“The pair finally got married in January 1903, and had two sons. But a few years later, the marriage faltered”.

1. Name the “pair” referred to in the above lines.
2. What happened to their marriage?
3. Which word from the extract means “became weak”? 

Answer:

1. The pair referred to in the above lines is of Albert Einstein and Mileva.
2. Their marriage was not successful.
3. Faltered.

Question 4:
He also felt a special interest in a fellow student, Mileva Marie, whom he found to be a “clever creature”. This young serb had come to Switzerland because the University in Zurich was one of the few in Europe where women could get degrees. Einstein saw in her an ally against the “philistines”- those people in his family and at the university with whom he was constantly at odds.

1. Who is “clever creature” and “young serb” in the passage?
2. Why did the young serh come to Switzerland?
3. What was the attitude of Einstein towards the young serb? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-025)

Or

1. Who felt special interest in Mileva Marie and why?
2. Why did Mileva Marie come to Switzerland?
3. Which word in the passage means “softness”? 

Answer:

1. Mileva Marie, a fellow student with Einstein is referred to as a “clever creature” and “young serb”.
2. The young serb had come to Switzerland because the university in Zurich was one of the few in Europe where women could get degrees.
3. Einstein was attracted to her and he wanted to join her.

Or

1. Albert Einstein felt a special interest in Mileva Marie as he thought her to be a clever creature.
2. Mileva Marie came to Switzerland as the University of Zurich was one of the few places of Europe where women could get degrees.
3. Tenderness.

Short Answer Type Questions (2 marks each)
(About 30-40 words each)

Question 1:
Why did the people call Einstein a world citizen ? 
Answer:
People called Einstein a world citizen because he campaigned for peace and democracy and was agitated against arms and bombs especially after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Question 2:
Why did Albert Einstein leave his school ? 
Answer:
Albert Einstein left his school because he was not happy with the education system. He was not at
ease with the strict regimentation of the school. He felt suffocated because of which he had to leave school.

Question 3:
Why did Einstein hate school ? 
Answer:
He hated school regimentation because of its extreme sense of discipline. He felt tired and suffocated
with this atmosphere. He often clashed with his teacher.

Question 4:
Why does the world remember Einstein as a world citizen ? 

Answer:
The world remembers Einstein as a world citizen as he was deeply hurt by the mass destruction in
Japan and campaigned for peace and democracy – worked for humanity.

Question 5:
Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt ?
Or
Why did Einstein write a letter to the American President Roosevelt ?

Answer:
Einstein wrote a letter to Franklin Roosevelt when the Nazis were in Germany and he had to migrate
from there. The discovery of Nuclear fission in Germany made the American physicists upset that the Nazis could use an atom bomb.

Question 6:
What is Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity ? 
Answer:
According to Einstein’s special theory of relativity, time and distance are not absolute. From this followed the world’s most famous formula which describes the relationship between mass and energy i.e., E = me2.

Question 7:
Why did Einstein’s play mates call him “Brother Boring” ? )
Answer:
Einstein could not mix up with other children. He did not find their games interesting. He often uttered every word twice. He was often teased for his abnormally huge head. And so his friends nicknamed him “Brother Boring.”

Question 8:
How was Einstein’s private life unraveling after he finished his studies ?
Answer:
He had wanted to marry Mileva but his mother was against it. She thought Mileva was three years older than her son and toq intelligent for him.

Question 9:
What did Einstein call his desk drawer at the patent office and why ?
Answer:
Einstein called his desk drawer at the patent office the “bureau of theoretical physics” because he was working as a technical expert in the patent office in Bern where he was supposed to be assessing other peoples’ inventions.

Question 10:
How did Einstein react to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ?

Answer:
Einstein was shocked at the extent of destruction caused by the bombing. He wrote a long letter to the United Nations and suggested that there should be a World Government.

Long Answer Type Questions (4 marks each)
(About 80-100 words each)

Question 1:
Write down the achievements of Albert Einstein. 
Answer:
Albert Einstein was really a scientific genius. He felt at home in Mathematics but he showed keen interest in physics. After graduating from the university in Zurich he started working vigorously. With his university education he was working on relativity. After his graduation, he remained jobless. So, he gave private lessons. In 1902, he secured a job as a technical expert in the patent office in Bera. But he went on developing his own ideas. The world showered on him honors invitations. He was honored with Noble prize in 1921.

Question 2:
Einstein was an unusual child with no indication of his potential greatness. Comment.

Answer:
Einstein’s head was larger than the usual head. He was called “Brother Boring” because he never mixed up with his classmates. He left school because he was not happy with the strict regimentation. He loved mechanical toys and thought his sister to be a toy. The head master thought him to be stupid and good for nothing and that he would never succeed in life. He also told Einstein’s father that whatever profession he chose would not matter, because “he will never make a success at anything”. This proves that Einstein was an unusual child with no indication of his potential greatness.

Question 3:
What was the outcome of Einstein’s letter which he wrote to the American President, Roosevelt ? Did his warning have any impact on America

Answer:
On his colleague’s insistence, Einstein wrote a letter to the American President, Roosevelt when the Nazis were in Germany and he had to migrate from there. The discovery of Nuclear fission in Germany made the American physicists upset that the Nazis could use the bomb. He warned him of the consequences of the atomic bomb. His words had a great impact. The Americans developed the atomic bomb secretly. They dropped it on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki irf August 1945. Einstein was greatly moved by the destruction. He wrote a long letter to the United Nations and suggested that there should be a world government. This definitely helped ending the world war.

Value Based Question (4 marks)

Question 1:
Do you think that in today’s context national boundaries are overcome by global issued ?
Answer:
The world is undoubtedly a global village. Any issue cannot be resolved at the national level alone. This has been reflected in die case of Albert Einstein. He wrote to the President of the U.S.A. about the evils of a nuclear war, requesting him to take some measures. It is definitely the responsibility of each one of us to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the world

THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREE

Thinking about the Poem I.

Question 1. What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:

1. the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);
2. what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);
3. what he hears in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza III).

 

Answer: Innisfree is a beautiful place where poet has spent a lot of time as a boy.

1. The three things the poet wants to do when he goes back to Innisfree are:

• he wants to build a small cabin of clay and wattles.
• he wants to have nine bean-rows there
• he wants to have a hive for the honeybee

1. He hears the cricket sing and sees the midnight glimmer with beauty. He sees the sky glowing

purple at noon. He watches the evenings full of the linnet’s wings.

All of these have a positive effect on him and he feels very peaceful.

1. He hears the lake water lapping by the shore at low sounds in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from Innisfree.

Question 2. By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty and peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands? (Read stanza III.)

Answer: The poet contrasts the natural beauty of Innisfree with the roadways and grey pavements of

the city he now lives in. “Grey” pavements show the lack of colours and liveliness of the place.

Question 3. Do you think Innisfree is only a place, or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of his boyhood days?

Answer: Yes, I think Innisfree is a place in reality. The poet actually misses the place of his boyhood days spent in the natural beauty of Innisfree. He gets reminded of the low sounds of the lake water lapping by the shore.

II.Question 1. Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he sees and hears at Innisfree

1. bee-loud glade
2. evenings full of the linnet’s wings
3. lake water lapping with low sounds

What pictures do these words create in your mind?

Answer: (i) bee-loud glade creates a picture of a place in a forest that is filled with the soft buzzing sound of honeybees.

1. evenings full of the linnet’s wings creates an image of a red-orange sky that is full of linnets. Linnets are beautiful birds that add up to the scenic beauty of a place when they flutter their wings and fly.
2. lake water lapping with low sounds lets us take a dive into the peaceful scenario where the water of the lake is flowing and producing soothing sound.

Question 2. Look at these words;

… peace comes dropping slow

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings

What do these words mean to you? What do you think “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the morning”? What does “to where the cricket sings” mean?

Answer: These words mean that one can attain peace slowly and gradually. Peace is what comes dropping slow from the veils of the morning.

The poet says that peace and serenity spread gradually from the rising morning sky to the ground where the cricket sings.