My father has always been a passionate man. He has always been passionate about the people of the
Everest region-so much so that in 1960 he began the first of the many projects aimed at improving their
lives. In 1975 he had begun building his second hospital in the Himalayas when tragedy struck our
family. My mother and younger sister Bellinda were flying into the mountains to join him when their
small aeroplane crashed soon after take-off from Kathmandu.
2. I was in Assam when I first heard of the incident. I flew straight to Kathmandu and met my father and
oldest sister Sarah on a narrow lane on the outskirts of the city. Any hope I had clung to, that my mother
and sister were still alive, was extinguished the moment I saw my father –bowed and broken. I knew
then that mum and Bellinda would never return.
3. It was years before Dad fully came out of this period of darkness. Only by plunging himself into more
adventures and ever more projects in Nepal, could he get through it he has built forty-two school and
hospitals there.
4. As I grew up, some of Dad’s restlessness rubbed off on me. I know many people think there must be
some compulsion for the Sir Edmund Hillary to climb mountains. They assume that there was some
imperative etched in stone that says, “Thou shalt climb mountains”-and in particular Everest, whether
you like it or not. But for me, its simpler than that. I think families are like factories: the Hillary family is a
limited production mountaineer establishment.
5. Today, at age of 48, I am an inveterate mountain man. I have been on more than 30 mountaineering
expeditions, from the Himalayas to the Antarctic. And yes, I have been climbed Everest-twice.
6. I treasure the same things that drew my father to climbing-the tremendous camaraderie involved, the
intensity and adrenaline buzz especially in dangerous places where your life depends upon making the
right call. I guess that I am luckier than most because I am able to fall back on all that my father has
taught me.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer ANY EIGHT questions from the nine
given below: (8x1=8)
1. The author’s father was passionate about the people of the Everest region; so he-
(a) Climbed mountains
(b) Worked on the improvement of their lives
(c) Built schools and hospitals everywhere
(d) Invited all the family to stay there
2. The plane crash in 1975 led to the –
(a) Turning point in the author and his father’ life
(b) Death of the author’s family
(c) The author’s father becoming depress
(d) Creation of many schools and hospitals
3. The author’s father came out of the dark phase in his life by—
(a) Building schools and hospitals
(b) Taking help from others
(c) Getting support from family
(d) Engaging himself in social service
4. Why did the author prove to be the true son of his father?
(a) His father force him to
(b) His mother wanted him to
(c) He scaled the Everest twice
(d) All of these
5. Why does the author consider himself lucky?
( a) His father supported him in mountains
(b) He could learn from his father’s experiences
(c) He was able to fulfill his family’s desire
(d) He managed to continue the legac
6. What happened to the author’s mother and sister?
(a) They jumped off the plane
(b) They succumbed to their injuries after a plane crash
(c) They survived in the plane crash
(d)They left the family and settled in another country
7. The phrase, “Thou shalt climb mountains” means.
(a) You shall climb mountains
(b) You have no option but to climb mountains
(c) You shall never climb mountains
(d) You should plan about climbing mountains
8. A word similar in meaning to “section” in paragraph 4 is
(a) Narrow
(b) Outskirts
(c) Extinguished
(d) Broken
9. A word opposite in meaning to “lethargy” in paragraph 6 is
(a) Treasure
(b) Camaraderie
(c) Intensity
(d) Adrenaline
Answers
Answer:
1. b) Worked on the improvement of their lives
2.(c) The author’s father becoming depress
3.(d) Engaging himself in social service
4.(c) He scaled the Everest twice
5.(b) He could learn from his father’s experiences
6.(b) They succumbed to their injuries after a plane crash
7.(a) You shall climb mountains
8.(b) Outskirts
9.(b) Camaraderie
The answers to the given questions are given below:
1. The author's father was passionate about the people of the Everest's region, so he worked on the improvement of their lives (option b).
In 1960, he started the first project to bring a positive change in their lives.
2. The plane crash in 1975 led to the author's father becoming depressed (option c).
It took him years to recover after the loss of his daughter and wife.
3. The author's father came out of the dark phase in his life by building schools and hospitals (option a).
The dark phase in his life was the phase after the loss of his daughter and wife. He engaged in this philanthropic project to build 42 schools and hospitals.
4. The author proved to be the true son of his father because he scaled Everest twice (option c).
He and his father had the same interest where he had also used his father's experiences to succeed.
5. The author considered himself lucky because he could learn from his experiences (option b).
They had the same interest and as a result, it was helpful for him to learn a lot from him.
6. Author's mother and sister succumbed to their injuries after a plane crash (option b).
This loss had an immense impact on his father. He recovered it by working for different projects in Nepal.
7. The phrase, "Thou shalt climb mountains" means you shall climb mountains (option a).
9. A word opposite in meaning to "lethargy" in paragraph 6 is the intensity (option c).