A Visit to Cambridge
1. Answer the following questions:
a Who is Stephen Hawking? Write a few sentences on him.
b. Who was Firdaus kanga?
c. What is the scientist’s message for the disabled?
d. The writer expresses his gratitude for Stephen Hawking. What is his gratitude for?
e. Was the writer nervous about meeting Stephen Hawking? If so, why?
f. Did the writer feel excited about meeting him, why? Write a few sentences on him.
g. What did the author do after completing the walking tour of Cambridge?
h. Explain this line – Surely, I wanted to say, living creatively with the reality of his
disintegrating body was a choice?
i. Why did the author feel guilty of asking questions to Hawking?
j. What did Hawking get to know about people when he got disabled?
k. What did the author feel about his disability after meeting Hawking?
l. Was Hawking happy to meet the author? How do you know?
Answers
Answer:
a) Stephen Hawking was a British scientist, professor and author who performed groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology, and whose books helped to make science accessible to everyone. At age 21, while studying cosmology at the University of Cambridge, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
b) Firdaus Kanga (born 1960) is an Indian writer and actor who lives in London. He has written a novel, Trying to Grow a semi-autobiographical novel set in India and a travel book Heaven on Wheels about his experiences in the United Kingdom.
c) Prof. Hawking's message for the disabled is that they should concentrate on what they are good at. It is foolish to try to copy the normal people.
d) The Writer expressed his gratitude to Stephen Hawking because he had been an inspiration for him. (ii) He expressed his gratitude to Hawking for giving him strength and confidence to the brave and to live creatively. He felt that he had met the greatest and the best man on the earth.
e) Yes, the prospect of meeting Stephen Hawking make the writer nervous because Stephen Hawking was the ablest scientist on the earth. He was the worthy author of world renouned book “A brief History of Time”.