Chapter 8: Reach for the Top

English
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Chapter 8: Reach for the Top

Class: IX

Exercise number: 1

Question 1 

Answer these questions in one or two sentences each. (The paragraph numbers within brackets provide clues to the answers.)

1. Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised? (1)
2. Give an example to show that even as a young girl Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable. (2)
3. Why was Santosh sent to the local school? (3)
4. When did she leave home for Delhi, and why? (4)
5. Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling in Delhi? What mental qualities of Santosh are brought into light by this incident? (4)

Answer 1

1. The ‘holy man’ was surprised as the unborn child’s grandmother told him that they did not want a son. But he assumed that Santosh’s mother wanted a son.
2. Santosh lived her life the way she wanted. One example is there were girls who wore traditional Indian dresses, whereas Santosh preferred shorts.
3. Santosh was sent to the local village school due to the prevailing custom in the family, though Santosh’s parents could afford to send their children to the best schools.
4. Santosh left home at the age of sixteen when she was forced to get married and that time she got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. She also threatened her parents that she would never marry if she did not get a proper education.
5. When Santosh politely informed her parents about her plans to earn money by working part-time to pay her school fees, her parents agreed to pay for her schooling in Delhi. This quality in her showcased Santosh to be a mentally-strong girl and her dedication towards getting herself properly educated.

Question 2 

Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

1. How did Santosh begin to climb mountains?
2. What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?
3. What shows her concern for the environment?
4. How does she describe her feelings at the summit of the Everest?
5. Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she scaled Mt Everest. What were the reasons for this?

Answer 2

1. Santosh began to climb mountains as she watched people going up the Aravalli Hills and vanishing after a while from her room in Kasturba Hostel. She was puzzled and upon investigating she found certain mountaineers, whom she later accompanied in their climbing expedition.
2. The incident which described her concern towards her team-mates was during her Everest mission when she helped a dying climber but she was unsuccessful in saving him. However, she managed to save Mohan Singh, by sharing her oxygen with him.
3. Santosh was a fervent environmentalist; this made her bring down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas.
4. Santosh says that the feeling at the summit of the Everest was indescribable. She felt proud as an Indian and the most spiritual moment for her was unfurling the Indian flag on the top of the world.
5. Initially when Santosh Yadav first scaled Mt Everest, she became the youngest woman in the world to achieve the feat. Later she became the only woman to have scaled the Everest twice.

Question 3

Complete the following statements.

1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to _________
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because _________
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her _________ while _________endeared her to fellow climbers.

Answer 3

1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch the villagers going up the hill and suddenly vanishing after a while.
2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because without his permission she had got herself enrolled at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. 
3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her climbing skills, physical fitness and mental strength while her concern for others and desire to work together with them endeared her to fellow climbers.

Question 4

Pick out words from the text that mean the same as the following words or expressions. (Look in the paragraphs indicated.)

1. took to be true without proof (1): _________
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable (2): _________
3. the usual way of doing things (3): _________
4. a strong desire arising from within (5): _________
5. the power to endure, without falling ill (7): _________

Answer 4

1. took to be true without proof (1): Assumed
2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable (2): Rational
3. the usual way of doing things (3): Custom
4. a strong desire arising from within (5): Urge
5. the power to endure, without falling ill (7): Resistance

Question 1 

A Russian girl, Maria Sharapova, reached the summit of women’s tennis when she was barely eighteen. As you read about her, see if you can draw a comparison between her and Santosh Yadav.

1. Match the following.

Answer 1

Question 2

2. As you read, look for the answers to these questions.

(i) Why was Maria sent to the United States?

(ii) Why didn’t her mother go with her?

(iii) What are her hobbies? What does she like?

(iv) What motivates her to keep going?

Answer 2

2. (i) Maria was sent to the United States for her tennis training at Florida with her father. This path lead to success and stardom.

(ii)Because of visa restrictions her mother could not go with her.

(iii)Her hobbies are fashion, singing and dancing. She likes to read the novels written by Arthur Conan Doyle. She is fond of sophisticated evening gowns and also pancakes with chocolate spread and fizzy orange drinks.

(iv)To become number one in the world kept her going, apart from just earning money.

Question 1

Working in small groups of 4−5 students, go back over the two passages on Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova and complete the table given below with relevant phrases or sentence

Answer 1

Question 1

1. Identify the two parts in the sentences below by underlining the part that gives us the information in brackets.
2. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts. (Contrasts her dress with that of others)
3. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. (Tells us what happened after the first action.)
4. She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived. (Tells us when she was going to fight the system.)
5. Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States. (Tells us when Maria was sent to the U.S.)

Answer 1

1. Where othergirls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.
2. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.
3. She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived.
4. Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthdaywhen she was packed off to train in the United States.

Question 2

Now rewrite the pairs of sentences given below as one sentence.

1. Grandfather told me about the old days. All books were printed on paper then.
2. What do you do after you finish the book? Perhaps you just throw it away.
3. He gave the little girl an apple. He took the computer apart.
4. You have nothing. That makes you very determined.
5. I never thought of quitting. I knew what I wanted.

Answer 2

1. Grandfather told me about the old days when all books were printed on paper.
2. After finishing the book, perhaps you just throw it away.
3. He gave the little girl an apple and took the computer apart.
4. Having nothing makes you very determined.
5. I never thought of quitting as I knew what I wanted.