“I have endeavoured to understand the fundamental truths revealed to me by my father”—who reveals the fundamental truths and to whom? What are they?

 

Answer:  In the autobiographical essay Strong Roots, Kalam’s father reveals the fundamental truths to Kalam. 

            Here the phrase “fundamental truths” refers to those truths that are uniformly admitted as the pillars of establishment in life. Kalam’s father reveals to little Kalam such certain truths. He gives him knowledge about the benefits of prayers and tells him that through prayers, one transcends his earthly presence and becomes a part of cosmos. Another fundamental truth revealed to little Kalam is that every human being is a part of divine being; so, we should not be afraid of adversity of life. Besides, Kalam comes to know from his father that inessential luxuries, comforts must be ignored in life.

Give an example of social work of Kalam’s father. OR, What happened when Kalam’s father came out of the mosque after the prayer?

Answer:     Kalam’s father Jainulabdeen was a wise and religious man. He was generous and helpful to the others. According to Abdul Kalam, his father helped the invalid persons through prayers and offerings to the Almighty Allah. When his father came out of the mosque after the prayer, people of different religions would be gathering outside, waiting for him. Many of them offered him bowl of water. Kalam’s father, then, dipping his fingertips, purified the water chanting holy prayers. That water was carried home for invalid person. Getting cured, when people came to him to thank him, he always smiled and asked them to thank the merciful Allah. Thus, Kalam’s father performed him social work without any interest.

What did Kalam say about his eating in childhood? Why did Kalam think that his childhood was secure?

South Indian Dishes

Answer:      In Kalam’s childhood, though a great number of outsiders came every day to their house to dine with his family members, little Kalam used to eat with his mother Ashiamma. He used to sit on the floor of their Kitchen and his mother would place a banana leaf before him. On that leaf, his mother ladled rice, aromatic sambar, a variety of sharp, home-made pickle and a dollop of fresh coconut chutney. 

            Dr. Abdul Kalam thought that his childhood was secure because though he was born in a middle-class family and his father was an austere man having no inessential comforts and luxuries, little Kalam was provided all sorts of necessities in terms of food, medicine and clothing. He neither got emotional pressure nor was deprived of earthly pleasures.

What information do we get about Kalam’s parentage and birthplace in his autobiographical essay “Strong Roots”?

Answer: At the very beginning of the autobiographical essay “Strong Roots”, the writer A.P.J Abdul Kalam has given a detailed description of his birthplace, parentage and dwelling house. We are told that he was born into a middle-class Muslim Tamil family in the island town of Rameswaram in erstwhile Madras. His father was Jainulabdeen who was an austere man and had neither much wealth nor much formal education. But he had great innate wisdom and spiritual generosity. His mother’s name was Ashiamma in whom his father got an ideal wife. From this essay, we come to know that the essayist’s birthplace was mainly inhabited by Muslim and also many Hindu families. His house which was built in the middle of 19th century, was about ten minutes’ walk from Shiva temple in Rameswaram.

“Why don’t you say this to the people who come to you for help and advice?”—When did Kalam say so? What was father’s reaction to it?

Kalam Sir

Answer: Once Kalam’s father told Kalam that each and every human being is a specific element within the whole manifest divine being i.e. God. So none of us should be afraid of difficulties, problem, suffers of life. Kalam’s father also informed Kalam that adversity itself was a blessing for us as it always helped one to introspect oneself. Hearing it, little Kalam asked his father why, then, he did not say that advice to those people who came to him for help and advice.
    

       To that question, Kalam’s father became mum and put his hands on little Kalam’s shoulder and looked straight into his eyes. Then, in low, deep voice, he answered that whenever one felt lonely, got into trouble or reached an impasse, he or she tried to find someone to be free from loneliness or to be helped in trouble, in wrong way. Kalam’s father just performed the act of medium in people’s prayers and offerings to propitiate the demonic forces. He also said that it was not a correct approach. He avouched that instead of blaming the fortune, one should blame on himself or herself for the failures. 

 

 

 

Question 2 : Kalam’s father attitude towards adversity. 

OR, 

“Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection”—Explain.

 

Answer: See the first para of the above stated answer.
 

 

 

Question 3 : “His answers filled me with strange energy and……………………..”—what were the father’s answers? 

 

Answer: See the second para of the above stated answer.

 

 

All questions and answers of the text Strong Roots by APJ Abdul Kalam.

APJ Abdul Kalam

1. What information do we get about Kalam’s parentage and birthplace in his autobiographical essay “Strong Roots”?


2. What did Kalam say about his eating in childhood? Why did Kalam think that his childhood was secure?


3. Give an example of social work of Kalam’s father. 


OR,    What happened when Kalam’s father came out of the mosque after the prayer?


4. What did Kalam say about the mosque in his locality? What did his father say to him about the benefits of prayer?


4. What was little Kalam's thought about the Arabic prayers prayed in the mosque?


5. “One must understand the difference between a fear-ridden vision of destiny and a vision that enables us to seek the enemy of fulfillment within ourselves”—Explain.


6. Describe the morning routine of Kalam’s father.


7. “Why don’t you say this to the people who come to you for help and advice?”—When did Kalam say so? What was father’s reaction to it? 


OR, Kalam’s father attitude towards adversity.

8.“Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection”—Explain. 

9.“His answers filled me with strange energy and……………………..”—what were the father’s answers?



10. “I have endeavoured to understand the fundamental truths revealed to me by my father”—who reveals the fundamental truths and to whom? What are they?


11. Describe Communal harmony in Kalam’s locality / Relation between Hindus and Muslims in Kalam’s locality/ How did both Muslims and Hindus live in Kalam’s locality. 

12. How did Kalam follow his father / How was Kalam influenced by his father?

Describe communal harmony in Kalam's locality / Relation between Hindus and Muslims in Kalam's locality/ How did both Muslims and Hindus live in Kalam’s locality.

Answer: In the autobiographical Essay “Strong Roots”, Abdul Kalam had presented a fine picture of their locality. He described how people of different religion lived there harmonically. The locality was mainly inhabited by Muslims but other people of Hindu religion lived there amicably with their Muslim neighbors. Besides, there were both temple and mosque in the same locality. Besides, Kalam’s father though was a Muslim religious man, had a Hindu friend named P.L. Sastry who was the high priest of Rameswaram temple. These facts pointed to the communal harmony in Kalam’s locality. It is also noticeable that people of different religion visited Kalam’s father for help and advice and Kalam’s father served them unconditionally.

Write a news paper report on a boat accident took place on Bhagirathi river at kalna ghat

BOAT CAPSIZED NEAR SANTIPUR, DIED 5

by a staff reporter,

      Santipur, 12.01.13: Yesterday at about 1.30 pm a terrible boat accident took place on Bhagirathi river at Kalna ghat. According to the special source when the boat reached the middle position of the river, it suddenly capsized. The eyewitness said that the boat was over-loaded and the current of the river was heavy. The source added that 5 passengers including a child died and three passengers are still missing. The local people came to rescue the victims. The seriously wounded persons were sent to nearby hospital and the minor wounded persons were released after first-aid. The ferry system was suspended for 3 hours. The local M.L.A has declared that the nearest relatives of the dead persons shall be given Rs-50,000. According to the latest news the police came and brought the situation under control.

Write a letter to the Editor of an English daily about the bad condition of roads in your locality.

Damaged Road

To
The Editor, 
The Telegraph,
Kolkata—01.

Sir,

      I shall be highly obliged if you kindly allow me a little space in the columns of your highly esteemed daily so that I may ventilate my opinion to draw the attention of the concerned authority about the bad condition of roads in our locality.

      We live at Nrisinghapur. The conditions of the roads of our locality have become very wretched and impassable. They are full and ruts and patholes. Also the roads are so narrow that sometimes it causes accidents. During rain, the roads become full of water and they seem like pools of water. Sometimes, the school going students fall in the ditches and are wounded. At night, it becomes risky for the walkers and the vehicles to pass the roads.

      I, in view of all these, think that the due authority should take necessary steps as early as possible to solve this problem, otherwise the public grievance may, at any time , lead to a dire consequence.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Prasenjit Mondal

Date Nadia,

Nrisinghapur

31/01/2020

 

Write a letter to the Editor of an English daily about the bad condition of hospital in your area.

To

The Editor,

The Telegraph,

Kolkata—01.

Sir,

      I shall be highly obliged if you kindly allow me a little space in the columns of your highly esteemed daily so that I may ventilate my opinion to draw the attention of the concerned / due authority about the bad condition of hospital in our area.

    We live at Nrisinghapur. There is a hospital called Nrisinghapur Hospital in our locality. Its condition is very bad. It has no cleanness. The environment is very much unhealthy. The doctors do not remain in the hospital in time due to their private practice. The electricity always remains out of order. The beds are very much dirty and insufficient. Patients are given low quality food and medicines. The number of dogs and cats always remain more than the number of patient in the hospital. The whole atmosphere of the hospital is unhygienic.


   I, in view of all these, think that the due authority should take necessary steps as early as possible to solve this problem, otherwise the public grievance may, at any time, lead to a dire consequence.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Prasenjit Mondal

Date Nadia,

Nrisinghapur

31/01/2020

“We remember his great love he made himself the bread of life to satisfy our hunger for his love.”—Bring out the Biblical context. Why did Jesus has to die?

Jesus

Answer:  While delivering her speech on the occasion of Nobel Prize distribution in Oslo, Teresa brought a Biblical context of The Last Supper through this excerption. In The Last Supper, Jesus invited his twelve disciples in Jerusalem before the crucifixion. There he gave them bread to eat and wine to drink. It is told that Jesus turned his flesh into bread and his blood into wine. After the supper all the spirits of the apostles infused with Christ’s spirit. In another sense, Jesus sacrificed himself only to quench our thirst of love. 

 
         Jesus had to die and sacrificed his life to pay the penalty of our sins. 

 

Jesus

 

Show Teresa’s observation on joy of Sharing.

Answer: While delivering her Nobel speech, Teresa mentioned an incident of joy of sharing. There were eight children in a poor, starving Hindu family in Kolkata. One day a gentle man came to Mother Teresa to inform her about that family. Being sympathetic, she took some rice and went there. She saw that children’s eyes were shining in hunger. What made Teresa more surprise was that when she gave the rice to their mother, the mother divided them and went out to share them with a Muslim family who were hungry too. Here the woman showed her uniformity in love even for the Muslim children. Mother Teresa had not brought more rice because she wanted them to enjoy the joy of sharing. 

 

 

 

What Biblical allusions did Mother Teresa use in her Nobel speech?

Jesus

Answer: Mother Teresa used many Biblical allusions in her Nobel speech in order to establish and spread peace in the whole world. Firstly, Teresa gave the reference of Virgin Mary. Mary was betrothed to Joseph. But God chooses her as the mother of the Christ. God’s messenger brought that news to Mary. Thus God’s son came into Mary’s womb. Secondly, Mother Teresa remarked the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth. Elizabeth at her old stage miraculously became the mother of John the Baptist who was the first messenger of peace. When Mary and Elizabeth met, both the unborn children leapt in joy as they had recognized each other. Thirdly, Teresa gave another Biblical reference of that leper whom all people neglected for his disease. But Christ cured him by his touch. Fourth reference was the reference of St. John who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and he was one of four gospels who wrote the life history of Christ. (Fifth Biblical reference was the Holy Communion or The Last Supper where Christ gave his disciples bread and wine. It informed us how Jesus turned his flesh into bread and his blood into wine.) Besides Mother Teresa said how Jesus sacrificed his life for the sake of the world. Thus Teresa used Biblical illusions in her speech in Oslo.

The Last Supper

What reasons does Mother Teresa give behind the drug addiction among young girls and boys? OR, show Teresa’s observation on drug addiction among young girls and boys in western countries.

 

Taking Drug

 

Answer:   Mother Teresa is moved very much by many observations on many matters in the West. Among them what strikes her most is the drug addiction. Teresa is surprised to see in western countries so many young boys and girls are getting drug addicted. She tries to find out the reason behind it. She notices that in their family there is no body to love, care or receive those children because their parents remain busy in some institution for their own sake. They have no time for their children and the children take back to street and get involved in something like drug. Actually though those children are provided with all sorts of necessity, they miss what they need most and that is the love. 

 

 

 

Why does Mother Teresa think that poor people are great people? What instances does she give in order to say that we can learn something from poor people?

Poor People

Answer: Here poor people are those people who have nowhere to live, nothing to eat, who spend nights under open sky. According to Mother Teresa, they have no lust, they are happy what they have, they know what love is and they know how to control desires out of love. These make Mother Teresa say that poor people are great people. 

             Mother Teresa gives few instances in order to say that poor people are great people and we can learn many things from them. Once Mother Teresa picks up from street a girl who is in wretched condition. That girl, holding Teresa’s hand, thanks her and she dies. A poor girl does not forget to give thanks even on her death bed. Again, from a drain, Teresa picks up a man, half-eaten with worms. In will amaze one to see that that man does not blame or curse anybody for his such state before death. Also, Mother Teresa gives another instance of greatness of the poor. During extreme starvation when Teresa helps a Hindu family with some rice, the mother of that family shares that rice with a starving Muslim family. Thus, we can learn that how love, happiness can be shared with each other without any interest.

What experiences did Mother Teresa get after visiting home?

Old mother waiting for her son

Answer: Mother Teresa always very much keen to visit home where old parents had been left by their sons and daughters. She saw that there those parents had everything of their necessity, but they were very sad and a single person was not smiling. She also noticed that they were looking towards the door. The Sister satisfied Mother Teresa’s curiosity by saying that those old parents did so as they hoped that their sons or daughters would come to visit them. This fact made Mother Teresa realized that also in our family we might have someone who might feel lonely, sick, worried; but we did not care them.

Waiting

How does the Mother Teresa describe the greatest destroyer of peace? What success have Mother Teresa and her members got to stop this destroyer?

 Mother Teresa sorrowfully criticized the abortion which, to her, is the greatest destroyer of peace. According to her, abortion is a direct killing of children by their mothers. She also mourns that if parents can kill their children, what is left for one to kill another person.

 Mother Teresa and her organization fought against it. They began to save the unborn and orphan children by adopting them. Even they have informed all clinics, police stations, hospitals to let them inform about those children. They have also adopted many children of unwedded mothers. To keep this system on motion they give few children to those families having no child and who are willing to adopt the orphans. Thus Mother Teresa becomes successful against abortion.

ALL QUESTIONS OF THE TEXT "NOBEL LECTURE" BY MOTHER TERESA.

Teresa

1. How does the Mother Teresa describe the greatest destroyer of peace? What success have Mother Teresa and her members got to stop this destroyer? 

2. What experiences did Mother Teresa get after visiting home? 

3. Why does Mother Teresa think that poor people are great people? What instances does she give in order to say that we can learn something from poor people? 

4. What reasons does Mother Teresa give behind the drug addiction among young girls and boys? OR, Show Teresa’s observation on drug addiction among young girls and boys in western countries. 

5. What Biblical allusions did Mother Teresa use in her Nobel speech? 

6. Show Teresa’s observation on joy of Sharing. 

7. “We remember his great love he made himself the bread of life to satisfy our hunger for his love.”—Bring out the Biblical context. Why did Jesus has to die? 


8. Why did Mother Teresa begin her lecture with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi?


9. “You are a liar if you say you love God and you don’t love your neighbour”—Who says this and why?

Jesus on Cross

Describe the half-sleeping man mentioned in the poem The Poetry of Earth".

Answer:  In winter evening when everywhere there exists silence due to the fall of frost, another musician of winter, the cricket creates a shrilling sound from somewhere near the stove and breaks that silence. There a man, sitting half-asleep beside the stove, hears the song of cricket. He is in semi-conscious state of mind. So he cannot think or hear properly. He mistakenly takes the note of cricket for the note of delighted grasshopper singing and flitting among the grassy hills. Through the presence of this half-sleeping man, the poet wants to establish two facts firmly—firstly, there always remains imperishable music in the earth and secondly, seasons come in a cyclic way.

“……………has never done With delights………………”—Whose delights never end and why? / “He takes the lead”—who takes the lead and how?

Grasshopper

1. “……........has never done 

With delights………………” —Whose delights never end and why? 

Answer:  Here the delights of the grasshopper never end. 

Answer:  (When all the birds become tired and fatigued with the heat of summer’s scorching sunlight and lapse into silence, the grasshopper comes out and takes the lead to keep the music of earth alive. The intolerable sunlight does not disturb its joy; rather it becomes delighted getting bathed in sunlight. Summer seems very much pleasant and luxurious to grasshopper. Out of fun and delights, it cannot stand still. It always runs from hedge to hedge about the new-mown meadow and spreads its chirping sound everywhere. Its delights never end but sometime get dimmed out of fun. And then the grasshopper takes rest at ease beneath some pleasant weed only to revitalize its energy to begin the song afresh). Thus its delights always remain in itself. 

2. “He takes the lead”—who takes the lead and how? 

Answer:  Grasshopper takes the lead in summer 

Answer:  add here the bracket portion above stated answer.

Give the description of winter evening and its silence and loneliness as described in the poem "The Poetry of Earth".

Winter Evening

Answer: In the sestet of the poem The Poetry of Earth, the poet Keats has presented a silent and lonely atmosphere of winter season mainly of winter evening. This silence has been created by the fall of frost. The surrounding is desolate due to extreme cold. But still the earth has not left her music. Then only the sound of cricket is heard from somewhere near the stove. It breaks the silence of winter evening and keeps the music of earth alive. The shrilling sound of cricket begins to increase getting the warmth of the stove. It brings hope against hope in the half-sleeping man and makes him imagine the cricket’s song as if it is the song of the grasshopper singing among the grassy hills

Fall of frost

How does the poet describe the summer season. / Role of Grasshopper in summer.

Birds in summer

1. How does the poet describe the summer season. 

Answer: In order to establish the fact that the earth has eternal music in it, the poet has described two seasons of nature—summer in octave and winter in sestet. (In summer, different types of birds fill the atmosphere with their chirping sounds. But they soon become fatigued with intolerable heat of sunlight and take shelter in the cool shade of trees and lapse into silence. Then the grasshopper, another musician of summer comes out to keep the song of earth alive and carries its song from hedge to hedge about the new-mown meadow. The scorching sunlight does not disturb its delights. But once it also gets tired out of fun and takes rest to revitalize its energy.) 

Grasshopper

2. Describe the  role of Grasshopper in summer. 

Answer: Romantic poet Keats believes that earth has a ever-flowing song that will not perish from the earth. It started when the lives took birth on earth and will remain till the doom’s day. + (bracket portion of answer stated above). + Thus it makes the earth melodious and keeps the music of earth alive.

ALL POEMS OF CLASS-XII (W.B.C.H.S.E)

LIST OF POEMS (XII)-W.B.C.H.S.E

Click on the below links to get Questions and Answer

1. ON KILLING A TREE : GIEVE PATEL

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• বাংলা অর্থ ও ব্যাখ্যা
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2. SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY : SHAKESPEARE

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3. THE POETRY OF EARTH : JOHN KEATS

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4. ASLEEP IN THE VALLEY : ARTHUR RIMBAUD

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“The poetry of earth is never dead”/ “The poetry of earth is ceasing never”—Explain / (Substance) . Bring out the significance of the title of the poem "The Poetry of Earth".

ANSWER:   Keats is the most perfect among the romantic poets. He is the seeker after beauty of nature. To him, nature has its own music besides its beauty. And that music will stop never. It will go on till the doom’s day. Once (the birds sing in the summer’s day. When they are faint with hot sunlight, they stop singing and take shelter in the shade of trees. Then the grasshopper takes the birds’ role and begins to chirp from hedge to hedge with delights. And when it gets tired out of fun and takes rest at ease beneath some pleasant weed, the cricket carries on the music of earth. It breaks the silence of winter evening created by the frost and to a half-sleeping man there is no pause between the song of grasshopper and cricket.) Through all these, the poet means to say that the music of earth is continuous and it will never perish from the world. 

SUMMER VS WINTER

QUESTION-2: Bring out the significance of the title of the poem "The Poetry of Earth".

ANSWER:  The title of Keats’ poem The Poetry of Earth directly reflects its main theme. Here the word ‘poetry’ signifies ‘song’ or ‘music’. The poet wants to establish a fact that the music of nature or earth will never end. It will be alive through the presence of various natural musicians i.e. birds, insects etc forever. For instance + ADD THE BRACKET PORTION OF THE ABOVE STATED ANSWER. Thus the poet has been able to show the continuity of earth’s music. So the title is very much apt.

GRASSHOPPER