Class 9 English(Beehive)Chapter 2-The Sound Of Music Solutions

Part I
Evelyn Glennie Listens To Sound Without Hearing It

Thinking about the Text

I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

Question 1. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?

Answer: Evelyn was sixteen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music.

Question 2. When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?

Answer: Her deafness was first noticed when she was just eight years old. It was confirmed by the time she was eleven.

II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (30–40 words).

Question 1. Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?

Answer: Ron Forbes who was a percussionist, helped her to continue with music. He asked Evelyn not to listen through ears but to try to sense it some other way.

Question 2. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.

Answer: Apart from the regular concerts, Evelyn performs in prisons and hospitals. She also takes classes for young musicians.

III. Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words).

Question 1. How does Evelyn hear music?

Answer: Evelyn hears music through different parts of her body. Ron Forbes asked her to try to sense the music some other way instead of ears. He started by tuning two big drums to varied notes.
Evelyn realised that she could feel the higher drum from her waist up and the lower drum from her waist down. Forbes kept repeating the same exercise and then Evelyn realised that she can sense certain notes in different parts of her body.
She says that when she plays the xylophone, she could feel the music passing up the stick into her fingertips. When she leans against the drums, she could sense the resonances flowing into her body. When she performs on a wooden platform, she removes her footwear so that the vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her legs.

Part II
The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan

Thinking about the Text

I. Tick the right answer.

1. The (shehnai, pungi ) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’

2. (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.

3. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).

4. Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).

5. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).

Answer:

1. The pungi was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’

2. A barber transformed the pungi into a shehnai.

3. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were professional musicians.

4. Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from Ali Bux.

5. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to Afghanistan.

III. Answer these questions in 30–40 words.

Question 1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?

Answer: Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi because of the shrill unpleasant sound of the instrument.

Question 2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?

Answer: A shehnai’s stem is hollow, longer and broader than that of a pungi. Shehnai has holes in its body.

Question 3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?

Answer: Traditionally, shehnai was a part of the naubat or traditional ensemble of nine instruments found at royal courts. It was played in temples and at marriages.
Bismillah Khan took it onto the classical stage.

Question 4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?

Answer: Bismillah Khan got his big break with the opening of All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938. He became an often-heard shehnai player on radio.

Question 5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?

Answer: Bismillah Khan played the shehnai from the Red Fort on 15th August 1947. He was the first Indian to greet the nation with his Shehnai. The event was historic because that is the day when India got independence. Bismillah Khan played Raag Kafi to an audience that included Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Question 6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?

Answer: Bismillah Khan refused to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A because he did not want to leave his country. He felt an unbreakable bond with his towns- Dumraon and Benaras, and with River Ganga.

Question 7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.

Answer: Two instances in the text which tell us that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras are:

He says that whenever he is in a foreign country, he keeps yearning to see Hindustan.

He also says that when he is in Mumbai, he thinks of only Benaras and the holy Ganga.

Thinking about Language

I. Look at these sentences.

• Evelyn was determined to live a normal life.

• Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from friends and teachers.

The italicised parts answer the questions: “What was Evelyn determined to do?” and “What did Evelyn manage to do?” They begin with a to-verb (to live, to conceal).

Complete the following sentences.

Beginning with a to-verb, try to answer the questions in brackets.

1. The school sports team hopes (What does it hope to do?)

2. We all want (What do we all want to do?)

3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother (What did they advise her to do?)

4. The authorities permitted us to (What did the authorities permit us to do?)

5. A musician decided to (What did the musician decide to do?)

Answer:

1. The school sports team hopes to win the competition.

2. We all want to succeed in our lives.

3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother to take care of the child.

4. The authorities permitted us to perform the dance in the stadium.

5. A musician decided to play the music in front of the audience.

II. From the text on Bismillah Khan, find the words and phrases that match these definitions and write them down. The number of the paragraph where you will find the words/phrases has been given for you in brackets.

1. the home of royal people (1) ________

2. the state of being alone (5) ________

3. a part which is absolutely necessary (2) ________

4. to do something not done before (5) ________

5. without much effort (13) ________

6. quickly and in large quantities (9) ________ and ________

Answer:

1. the home of royal people (1) royal residence

2. the state of being alone (5) solitude

3. a part which is absolutely necessary (2) indispensable

4. to do something not done before (5) invent

5. without much effort (13) effortlessly

6. quickly and in large quantities (9) thick and fast

III. Tick the right answer.

1. When something is revived, it (remains dead/lives again).

2. When a government bans something, it wants it (stopped/started).

3. When something is considered auspicious, (welcome it/avoid it).

4. When we take to something, we find it (boring/interesting).

5. When you appreciate something, you (find it good and useful/find it of no use).

6. When you replicate something, you do it (for the first time/for the second time).

7. When we come to terms with something, it is (still upsetting/no longer upsetting).

Answer:

1. When something is revived, it lives again.

2. When a government bans something, it wants it stopped.

3. When something is considered auspicious, welcome it.

4. When we take to something, we find it interesting.

5. When you appreciate something, you find it good and useful.

6. When you replicate something, you do it for the second time.

7. When we come to terms with something, it is no longer upsetting.