1.8 Voyaging Towards Excellence
ICE
BREAKERS
A1:- There are different ways to travel from one place to another for different purposes. Discuss with your partner and match the words given in table A with their meanings in table B.
Ans:-
Ans:-
Activities
given beside the text:
1) What does rich Childhood mean?
Ans. Money
is certainly important. lt is absolutely necessary for our survival and the
comforts. But that alone cannot give us a rich life. Richness of living depends
on the kind of association one keeps. The author had the great advantage of
associating with the learned scholars, artists, authors and musicians as they
visited his house when he was a young boy. So, the environment in which he grew
up was so rich that he got exposed to life of ‘living arts and literature’. So
he had learnt from his early childhood that Money alone does not define one's
richness. It's literature, arts and music that enrich one’s life by adding
meaning to one’s life.
Rich childhood is being exposed to rich
cultural environment. In particular it is suggested that the humanities may
increase well-being directly by providing a child with delightful, rich, and
meaningful experiences, as well as indirectly by encouraging skills and
abilities that contribute to psychological well-being in the long-term.
2) How do arts, music, and literature enrich
our lives?
Ans. There
are experimental evidences for the psychological advantages of the humanities,
including arts, music, and literature, and find that across a wide variety of
samples, exposure and engagement are to arts and music are consistently linked
to greater well-being. In particular, it is suggested that the humanities may
increase well-being directly by providing people with delightful, rich, and
meaningful experiences, as well as indirectly by encouraging skills and
abilities that contribute to psychological well-being in the long-term.
(3) Why should you study any subject?
Ans.
It is absolutely necessary that one possesses an attitude of wanting to learn
every single subject by developing an aptitude towards learning. Learning any
subject thoroughly can be an enriching experience in itself. In the act of
studying a subject, we develop certain skills and certain qualities. We apply
our knowledge in the required situations. We imbibe qualities of
self-confidence that can elevate you to heights of a feeling of a sense of
accomplishment. By mastering a particular subject of study, we can command
respect and acquire jobs that can pay us well for our acquired skills.
(4) The writer developed a problem-solving
attitude because......
Ans.
(a) He used to
get involved with its inherent beauty.
(b) He used to enjoy the whole process of problem solving.
(5) What are the achievements of the writer in
Mathematics?
Ans. Writer
secured 100% marks in Maths in almost all the examinations that he appeared for
from 1st std. to IIT. He used to solve the Maths of 9th
when he was in 7th with great involvement.
(6) Why was the writer's joy short-lived?
Ans. The
author's joy was short-lived, in spite of scoring high marks at the IIT
entrance exams Solapur. He arrived at IIT Mumbai. Mumbai turned out to be a
complete contrast to Solapur. At Solapur he had not seen buildings taller than
3 storeys. Mumbai was full of tall skyscraper. Author was weak in English
whereas IIT Mumbai students and professors spoke fluent English. His limited
vocabulary and poor pronunciation was due to his educational background owing
to education in Marathi language in Solapur. Due to this he started feeling
lonely and terrified in Mumbai in general and IIT in particular. He had
developed an inferiority complex and wanted to run away from IIT and even
Mumbai.
(7) Guess the meaning:
Ans:
(a) Inferiority
complex - Having low self-esteem, doubt and uncertainty about oneself.
(b) Sophisticated -
ability to understand the behaviour of people and one having good
knowledge of culture and fashion.
(c) Arrogant - One who thinks that he knows more than other people,
unpleasantly proud, unappealing.
(8) Guess the meaning:
Ans.
(a) negotiate -
obtain or bring about by discussion.
(b) at ease - free from worry or awkwardness; relaxed.
(9) Find the full forms of:
Ans:
(a) IIT - Indian Institute of Technology
(b) TIFR - Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research
(c) BARC - Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre
(d) TCP - Transmission Control
Protocol
(e) IP - Intellectual
property
(10) Do you know the top universities in the world? Name some of them.
Ans. Harvard University- USA, Cambridge University- UK, Oxford University- UK, University of Toronto- Canada, National University- Singapore, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University.
(11) The writer was benefitted by the
discussions with great people as it.......
Ans.
(a) It gave him exposure to meet 15-20 extremely brilliant students/ researchers/ professors from IIT, TIFR, and BARC.
(b) It enabled him to know his own brilliance and also his own position
in the world of intelligence.
(c) It made it possible for him to come in contact with great people on
the global scale quite early in his life.
(12) Find the meaning: anything under the sun
Ans. Anything under
the sun is anything that is on the earth
(13) Why does the author think that passing
the examination of life is more important?
Ans. The
writer thought it was necessary to pass the 'examination of life' which was far
more important than just passing IT examination. It is very difficult to become
a master or an expert in all these subjects, but it was very important for him
to understand at least the basic principles of most of these subjects. To
understand the world and how it works and serving India and her people was far
more important to the writer.
(14) Why are curiosity and humanity important?
Ans.
It is only because of the human curiosity that we have been able to make such a
great progress in science and technology, and social sciences. The human beings
have a number of limitations, but one thing that everyone is proud of is the
curiosity, humility and humanity, i.e. concern for our fellow human beings.
Author learnt these values during his IIT days. He also became a firm believer
in rationalism and equality for all the castes, creeds, races, genders and
religions. He started treating Nature as God and humanity as religion.
(15) Find the full form of: GRE
Ans. GRE - Graduate
Record Examinations
(16) What are the principles of good
management?
Ans. The
first principal of good management was the importance of team work. In today's
world, nothing is possible without team work. One cannot be successful if one
is a loner and an egoistic person. Secondly, one needs to lead from the front
by setting a good example in front of the staff. Third was that one needs to
treat the subordinates and colleagues as friends. In author's career, he made a
few mistakes, but learnt a lot about motivation, being a good listener, target
setting and the art of delegation which forms such an important part of today's
management.
(17) Do you think passion is more important
than wealth?
Ans. Success
is better defined as an achievement of a yearned aim or direction. More than
money or fame, most people desire to regulate their passions with their work,
while making a sustainable income. Money brings declining returns the more you
make, which makes it an obscure definition of success. So passion is more
important than wealth.
(18) How did the author touch the hearts of
the readers?
Ans. The
author touched the heart of many by simplifying complicated concepts for the
readers to understand. Most difficult subjects like Maths, Economics were
written in simple language for the masses to understand.
BRAINSTORMING
(A1) (i) Upbringing plays a very important
role in shaping one's life.
The teacher will form two groups in the
class. One group will speak in favour of the above topic while the other will
speak against it. Debate brings out different perspectives, it does not mean
one is right and other is wrong. You can take help of the following points and
have a debate on it.
Ans:- Teachers have to
form two groups of students; one group will speak in favour and the other group
against.
(ii) Go through
the text again and describe the second innings of the writer in your own words.
Ans:-
The writer always wanted to follow his passion
of authoring books. His yearning was to read and write on various subjects
concerning human life and existence. Therefore, he gave up two offers of around
3 crore rupees per annum to become a writer. This is how his second innings as
a writer in Marathi began. After this,
he wrote about 34 books in Marathi. Most of them had become bestsellers with tens
of thousands of copies sold for each. However, it was not the sales or the
money that was important to the author as much as the fact that these books
have brought about very good changes in the lives of thousands of readers.
(A2) (i) Read the text again and make a list
of great Indian and foreign personalities who had a great impact on Achyut
Godbole during his childhood. One is done for you.
Ans:-
(ii)
Find different techniques used by the writer to learn Science and Mathematics.
One is done for you.
Ans:-
(a)
The writer used to appreciate the inherent beauty of these subjects.
(b) He had a queer curiosity so used to solve the Maths much ahead of the class. He used to solve 9th Maths when he was in 7th Standard.
(c) The attitude of looking beyond marks or examinations and to seek joy in solving any challenging problem helped author to develop a 'problem-solving’ attitude which was inherent of Maths and Science.
(d) The author used to study these subjects or any subject for that matter for its inherent beauty. He found Newton's law of motion beautiful and Pythagorean Theorem elegant.
(iii) The writer faced numerous problems
while communicating in English because ...........
Ans:-
(a)
He had his entire education in Marathi.
(b) He used to think in native language and then translate in English.
(c) He used to somehow try to speak out these translated English sentences in an extremely awkward fashion.
(iv) The writer was completely stumped
because his ............
Ans:-
(a)
vocabulary was weak.
(b) spoken English was quite pathetic.
(c) pronunciation was terrible.
(d) construction of sentences was very
awkward.
(v) Read the text again and complete the
sentence:
Due
to the writer’s pathetic English speaking style, he .................
Ans:-
(a)
He felt quite lonely and terrified in Mumbai in general and IIT in particular
(b) He had developed an inferiority complex.
(c) He wanted to run away from IIT and even Mumbai.
(vi) Complete the following sentences. The
writer wanted to achieve mastery in English because ..........
Ans:-
(a)
he wanted to speak excellent, elegant and fluent English.
(b) he will be able to speak
confidently.
(c) he need not have to hesitate and feel
diffident.
(vii) Make a list of different steps that the
writer undertook to improve his English speaking skills.
Ans:-
(a)
He started reading English newspapers and English novels.
(b) He studied etymology and phonetics and studied the roots of the
words and how to pronounce them.
(c) He used to stand in front of the mirror and practice speaking, realising his mistakes and correcting them himself all the time and improvising and improving day by day.
(viii) (a) Read the text again and describe the writer’s achievements after achieving mastery over the English language.
Ans: - His fear for English disappeared.
- He gained more confidence.
- His fear had vanished and he started feeling at home even in hostel.
- In his future career he felt at ease while striking conversation with
the CEOs and the Directors.
(b) Go through the text again and complete the table comparing two different phases of life of the writer-as an MD or Chief Executive Officer and an activist of Sarvodaya movement.
Ans:-
(ix) (a) Complete the web highlighting the
various opportunities you gained due to your good English speaking skills.
(b) Describe a situation or incident when you felt embarrassed for your lack of knowledge of a particular subject or incompetence in speaking English fluently.
Ans:- During an
interview to get in to a stream of subject I felt diffident and cut a very
sorry figure not being able to converse in English. The panelists kept barging
me with questions but I could answer none as I had limited conversational
skills in English language.
(A3) (i) Fill
in the blanks selecting the correct phrase from the alternatives given. One is
done for you.
[be completely stumped, be broken, feel out of place, speak at length, feel at home, sea of knowledge, broaden one’s horizon, one’s second innings, touch the hearts, keep one going]
Ans:-
(a)
By the end of the week she was beginning to feel at home in her new job.
(b) When he lost his mother he was completely broken.
(c) Travelling can help to broaden one's horizon.
(d) After my retirement I started my second innings as a social
worker.
(e) Having faith in God keeps one going in difficult situation.
(f) To succeed in any competitive examination, one requires a sea of
knowledge.
(g) The simple village girl feels out of place in a formal party.
(h) The work done by Sindhutai Sapkal touched the hearts of
millions.
(i) The teacher Spoke at length explaining the concept
(j) The speaker was completely stumped by the intelligent
questions asked by the audience.
(ii) Read the text again and find out all the words related to the game of cricket. List two meanings of each. One is done for you.
Ans:-
(iii) Go through the text to find the antonyms of the words given in the grid and fill the boxes. One is done for you.
Ans:-
(A4) (i) Primary Auxiliary Verbs are ‘be’, ‘have’ and ‘do’ which occur most commonly and can also be used as a main verb in a clause. Go through the sentences given below and say whether the verbs are main verbs or primary auxiliary verbs.
(a) I had a very simple upbringing.
Ans:
had- main verb
(b) I was immensely impressed.
Ans: was - main verb
(c) I had learnt from my childhood that money
did not mean everything in life.
Ans: had – auxiliary
verb
(d) He was a convent educated guy.
Ans: was- main verb
(e) They did all the work in time.
Ans: did -main verb
(f) I had to achieve a lot in life.
Ans: had- main verb
(ii) Read the given sentences:
·
Does Sam write all his own reports?
·
The
secretaries haven’t written all the letters yet.
·
Terry
is writing an e-mail to a client at the moment.
The verbs in
bold are broadly used to express tense. 'Do' can also be used for adding
emphasis, as in " I do know the answer." The verbs 'be', 'have' and
'do' are called Primary Auxiliaries. When helping verbs are used to express the
mode or action, they are called Modals.
·
You shall
have a holiday tomorrow. (Simple Future)
·
We should
obey our elders. (Obligation)
·
I can
play the piano. (Ability)
·
Could you open the window, please? (Request)
In the above examples the modals indicate the
expressions given in brackets. There are other modals that are used for
expressions. Study the given table carefully and do the activities that follow.
(a) Fill in the blanks with appropriate
modals according to the situations given in the following sentences.
(1) Take an umbrella. It .... rain later
Ans. Take an umbrella.
It may rain later.
(2) People ..... walk on the grass.
Ans. People should
walk on the grass.
(3) ......... I ask you a question?
Ans. May
I ask you a question?
(4) The signal has turned red. You .... wait.
Ans. The signal has turned red. You must
wait.
(5) I was a sportsperson in my school days. I
.... play badminton.
Ans. I was a
sportsperson in my school days. I can play badminton.
(6) I am going to the library. I ....... find
my friend there.
Ans. I am going to
the library. I will find my friend there.
(b) Find from the text, the sentences that show past habit.
Ans.
(1) I studied
etymology and phonetics and studied the roots of the words and how to pronounce
them.
(2) I was immediately attracted to the group and developed immense and deep interest in all these branches of knowledge.
(iii) Do as directed and rewrite the sentences.
(a) I did not fully understand their discussions but I was immensely impressed.
(Remove ‘but')
Ans. Though I fully
didn't understand their discussion, I was impressed.
(b) I had decided that I would do nothing of
this sort. (Remove 'that')
Ans. I had decided
not to do anything of this sort.
(c) My fear had vanished and I started feeling
at home in my hostel. (Use 'when')
Ans. I started
feeling at home in my hostel when my fear had vanished.
(d) It was only my self-esteem which stopped
me. (Remove 'which')
Ans. My self esteem
stopped me.
(e) I plunged into all these branches of
knowledge. It was a period of renaissance. (Join with 'which')
Ans. I plunged into
all these branches of knowledge which was a period of renaissance.
(f) When I look back, there are a number of lessons
that I cherish. (Remove ‘When')
Ans. As l look back,
there are a number of lessons that I cherish.
Looking back there are number of lessons that I cherish.
(g) There are hundreds who tell me that they understood the theory of relativity.
(Remove who')
Ans. There are
hundreds telling me that they understood the theory of relativity.
(A5) Flyer is a small piece of paper intended for wide distribution at a public place, handed out to individuals or sent through mail or post it is used for advertising, an event, programme, drive or product.
Go through the sample of the flyer given
above and prepare flyers on the following topics. Use the following points:
- Details
- Special Features
- Why to choose us / Need of drive/ Purpose
of the mission
- Anything special
- Add your own points.
Topics :
1. Yoga Class / Summer Hobby Class
2. Tree Plantation Drive
3. Cleanliness Drive
4. Help us to end Child Labour
Ans:- 1. Yoga Class / Summer Hobby Class
Ans:- 2. Tree Plantation Drive:
Ans:- 3. Cleanliness Drive
Ans:- 4. Help us to end Child Labour:
(A6) Achyut Godbole has written many bestsellers that are famous far and wide. Read at least two books of your choice, make summary of those books and submit.
Ans:- विद्यार्थ्यांनी वरील प्रश्नाचे उत्तर इंटरनेटवर शोधून वहीत लिहायचे आहे.
