My childhood 2 mark question
Answers
SHORT QUESTIONS
Q: What happened when Kalam was in fifth standard?
A: When Kalam was in fifth standard a new teacher asked him to sit on the back bench due to his caste. The teacher could not stomach a Hindu priest’s son sitting with a muslim boy
Q: Why did Lakshmana Sastry summon the new teacher?
A: Lakshmana Sastry summoned the new teacher because he was trying to spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of the innocent children. He asked the teacher to apologise or quit the school and the island.
Q: “Once you decide to change the system, such problems have to be confronted”. Who said these words to whom?
A: The science teacher, Sivasubramaniam Iyer said these words. He was talking to Abdul Kalam. He invited Kalam for dinner. But Kalam was hesitant. So, observing his hesitation, he told him not to get upset and spoke these words.
Q: What happened when Abdul Kalam visited his science Teacher’s house for the second time?
A: When Abdul Kalam visited his science Teacher’s house for the second time, Sivasubramaniam Iyer’s wife took him inside her kitchen and served him food with her own hands.
Q: How did Kalam’s family contribute during the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony?
A: Kalam’s family used to arrange boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site.
ANSWERS OF THE TEXT BOOK
Q: Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?
A: Abdul Kalam’s house was on mosque street in Rameshwaram.
Q: What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.
A: The fact that Abdul Kalam used to read headlines, to know about the WWII and the fact that he assisted his cousin in collecting newspaper bundles thrown from the train indicate that Dinamani is the name of a newspaper.
Q: Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?
A: One of his friends Ramanadha Shasrty became a priest in Rameshwaram, Arvindam went into a business of tour operator and Shivaprakasham became a catering contractor with Southern Railways
Q: How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?
A: When stoppage of trains was cancelled at Rameshwaram because of WWII, then his cousin asked him for help in collecting newspaper bundles which were thrown from the moving train. This task helped Abdul Kalam earn his first wages.
Q: Had he earned any money before that? In what
A: Before the newspaper episode there was unusually huge demand of tamarind seeds. Abdul Kalam used to collect tamarind seeds and used to sell them for a princely some of one annah a day.
Q: How does the author describe: (i) his father, (ii) his mother, (iii)
A: The author has described his father as a man following austerity, but giving due care to all needs of his family. He has described his mother as a woman with a large heart who used to cook for everyone visiting the household. Moreover, Abdul Kalam has described himself as a short and thin boy from tall and handsome parents.
Q: The author speaks both of people who were very aware of the differences among them and those who tried to bridge these differences. Can you identify such people in the text?
A: The first person mentioned was Ramanadhan’s father. He, after hearing that the new teacher tried to segregate pupils on the basis of religious divisions, called the teacher and convinced him to revert his decision.
The second person was Shivasubramania Iyer, the science teacher. He invited Kalam to have meal with him. This way he changed his conservative wife’s mindset.
Q: Narrate two incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be resolved. How can people change their attitudes?
A: The new teacher in Kalam’s school tried to create communal differences among students. Science teacher’s wife did not want to serve food to Kalam as he was a Muslim boy. In both incidences the persons who are trying to change the mindsets stood firm on their ground. They did the straight talk and practiced what they preached. This created a change of attitude among people who were of old thoughts.
Q: Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?What did his father say to this?What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?
A: Kalam wanted to get a better ambience to study which was available in the city. So he wanted to leave Rameshawaram. His father encouraged him to leave Rameshwaram. He took example of young seagulls who leave their parents’ nest to learn to fly.
His words have very deep meanings. Unlike human beings most of the animals grow on their own after a certain age. This makes them more independent and courageous. Even in the plant kingdom most of the seeds cannot germinate if they are left lying under the mother tree. They get spread by various means and then only they are able to sprout to become a new plant and ultimately a tree.For human also after a certain age certain degree of responsibility and independence is always helpful in making a perfect adult.