Chapter 4: Truly Beautiful Mind

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Chapter 4: Truly Beautiful Mind

Class: IX

Exercise number - 1

Question 1 

Here are some headings for paragraphs in the text. Write the number(s) of the paragraph(s) for each title against the heading. The first one is done for you.

(i) Einstein’s equation

(ii) Einstein meets his future wife

(iii) The making of a violinist

(iv) Mileva and Einstein’s mother

(v) A letter that launched the arms race

(vi) A desk drawer full of ideas

(vii) Marriage and divorce

Answer 1

(i) 9

(ii) 7

(iii) 3

(iv) 10

(v) 15

(vi) 8

(vii) 11

Question 2 

Who had these opinions about Einstein?

(i) He was boring.

(ii) He was stupid and would never succeed in life.

(iii) He was a freak.

Answer 2

(i) Einstein was considered to be boring by his playmates.

(ii) Einstein was considered to be stupid and would never succeed at anything in life by his headmaster.

(iii) Einstein was considered to be a freak by his mother.

Question 3

Explain what the reasons for the following are.

(i) Einstein leaving the school in Munich for good.

(ii) Einstein wanting to study in Switzerland rather than in Munich.

(iii) Einstein seeing in Mileva an ally.

(iv) What do these tell you about Einstein?

Answer 3

(i) Albert Einstein scored good marks on almost every subject and he was never a bad pupil. He often had a difference of opinion with his teachers and hence Einstein hated the regimentation of school. He felt too stifled to continue his schooling at Munich and he left the school at the age of 15.

(ii) Einstein wanted to study in Switzerland because German-speaking Switzerland was more liberal than people in Munich.

(iii)Mileva, who was Einstein’s fellow student with whom he had a special as he thought she was a clever person. The university in Zurich was one of the few institutes in Europe where women could get degrees and she had come to Switzerland to pursue her education. Einstein instantly realised that she was an ally against all the people he was at odds with.

(iv)All these instances indicate that Einstein was a visionary. He never hesitates in sharing his views with others and was very clever. He always did things the way he wanted to and did not travel with the tide. He was not afraid of having a difference of opinion with his teachers or anyone as he knew he was right. He left his school because he found it too stifling though he was doing well in school. Since he felt Zurich is more liberal than Munich he eventually moved to Zurich. He liked to be with the people of the same kind as him. He was a strong man who stuck to his ideas and principle and never was afraid of bringing them into practice. 

Question 4

What did Einstein call his desk drawer at the patent office? Why?

Answer 4

In the patent office at Bern, Einstein was working as a technical expert. At the patent office he calls his desk drawer as "bureau of theoretical physics". He called it that way because instead of accessing other people’s investigations, he was actually developing his own ideas in secret and those secret ideas were stored in his drawer.

Question 5

Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt?

Answer 5

Einstein emigrated to the United States of America when the Nazis came to power in Germany. Due to the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin, the American physicists were in an uproar. They had the fear that the Nazis could also build and use an atomic bomb. At the urging of a colleague, a letter was written by Einstein to warn Franklin Roosevelt about the consequences of an atomic explosion.

Question 6

How did Einstein react to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Answer 6

In the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Americans dropped a atomic bomb which they developed as a secret project. The explosion has caused a severe destruction that shook Einstein deeply. His proposal of formation of a world government was not given any attention. Over the next decade, he involved more in politics trying to drive people to bring an end to the arms race. Till his last days he campaigned for peace and democracy. 

Question 7

Why does the world remember Einstein as a "world citizen"?

Answer 7

Einstein was a visionary and a scientific genius and thus the world remembers Einstein as a "world citizen". His invention did not stop with the discoveries in science but also played a vital role in arms race between certain nations in the world. Till his last days he used his popularity to campaign for peace and democracy.

Question 8

Here are some facts from Einstein’s life. Arrange them in chronological order.

[ ] Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity.

[ ] He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

[ ] Einstein writes a letter to U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and warns against Germany’s building of an atomic bomb.

[ ] Einstein attends a high school in Munich.

[ ] Einstein’s family moves to Milan.

[ ] Einstein is born in the German city of Ulm.

[ ] Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva.

[ ] Einstein dies.

[ ] He provides a new interpretation of gravity.

[ ] Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein withdraws from school.

[ ] He works in a patent office as a technical expert.

[ ] When Hitler comes to power, Einstein leaves Germany for the United States.

Answer 8

1. Einstein is born in the German city of Ulm.
2. Einstein attends a high school in Munich.
3. Einstein’s family moves to Milan.
4. Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein withdraws from school.
5. Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva.
6. He works in a patent office as a technical expert.
7. Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity.
8. He provides a new interpretation of gravity.
9. He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.
10. When Hitler comes to power, Einstein leaves Germany for the United States.
11. Einstein writes a letter to U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and warns against Germany’s building of an atomic bomb.
12. Einstein dies.

Question 1 

Here are some sentences from the story. Choose the word from the brackets which can be substituted for the italicised words in the sentences.

1. A few years later, the marriage faltered. (failed, broke, became weak)
2. Einstein was constantly at odds with people at the university. (on bad terms, in disagreement, unhappy)
3. The newspapers proclaimed his work as "a scientific revolution." (declared, praised, showed)
4. Einstein got ever more involved in politics, agitating for an end to the arms buildup. (campaigning, fighting, supporting)
5. At the age of 15, Einstein felt so stifled that he left the school for good, (permanently, for his benefit, for a short time)
6. Five years later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had American physicists in an uproar. (in a state of commotion, full of criticism, in a desperate state)
7. Science wasn’t the only thing that appealed to the dashing young man with the walrus moustache. (interested, challenged, worried)

Answer 1

1. Became weak
2. In disagreement
3. Declared
4. Campaigning
5. Permanently
6. In a state of commotion
7. Interested

Question 2

Complete the sentences below by filling in the blanks with suitable participial clauses. The information that has to be used in the phrases is provided as a sentence in brackets.

1. __________, the firefighters finally put out the fire. (They worked round the clock.)
2. She watched the sunset above the mountain, __________ (She noticed the colours blending softly into one another.)
3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly, __________ (while it neighed continually.)
4. __________, I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras. (I had taken the wrong train.)
5. __________, I was desperate to get to the bathroom. (I had not bathed for two days.)
6. The stone steps, __________needed to be replaced. (They were worn down.)
7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans, __________ (They asked him to send them his photograph.)

Answer 2

1. Working round the clock, the firefighters finally put out the fire.
2. She watched the sunset above the mountain, noticing the colours blending softly into one another.
3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly, neighing continually.
4. Having taken the wrong train, I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras.
5. Having not bathed for two days, I was desperate to get to the bathroom.
6. The stone steps, being worn down, needed to be replaced.
7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans, asking him to send them his photograph.