Jharkhand Board Class 9TH English Notes | MY CHILDHOOD
JAC Board Solution For Class 9TH English Prose Chapter 7
COMPREHENSION
■ Read the following passage and answer the questions that
follow :
1. I was one of many children- a short boy with rather
undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents. We
lived in our ancestral house, which was built in the middle of the
19th century. It was a fairly large pucca house, made of limestone
and brick, on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram, My austere father
used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries. However, all
necessities were provided for, in terms of food, medicine or clothes.
In fact I would say mine was a very secure childhood, both
materially and emotionally.
Q. (a) What does he say about his father's quality?
(b) What does Kalam say about the physical appearance
of his parents?
(c) What does Kalam tell us about his home?
(d) How was Kalam's childhood spent?
(e) Give the opposites of 'secure', 'comfort'.
Ans. (a) Kalam's father had natural wisdom and a true generosity
of spirit.
(b) Kalam says that his parents were tall and handsome and
he was a boy of ordinary looks.
(c) Kalam's home was made of limestone and bricks.
(d) Kalam's childhood was spent securely (both materially
and emotionally).
(e) Insecure, discomfort.
2. The Second World War broke out in 1939, when I was eight
years old.
For reasons I have never been able to understand, a sudden
demand for tamarind seeds erupted in the market. I used to collect
the seeds and sell them to a provision shop on Mosque Street. A
day's collection would fetch me the princely sum of one Anna. My
brother-in-law Jallaluddin would tell me stories about the War
which I would later attempt to trace in the headlines in Dinamani.
Our area, being isolated, was completely unaffected by the war.
But soon India was forced to join the Allied Forces and something
like a state of emergency was declared.
Q. (a) Who has spoken the above lines?
(b) Name the countries that made the allied forces ?
(c) Who was Jallaludin ? What did he tell Abdul Kalam ?
(d) What was Dinamani? What did the author trace in
it?
(e) Which word in the passage means 'exploded' ?
Ans.(a) Professor Abdul Kalam is the speaker of the above lines.
(b) The countries U.K., Russia, Germany and U.S.A. formed
the Allied forces.
(c) Jallaluddin was the author's brother-in-law. He used to
tell him about the war stories.
(d) 'Dinamani' was the local Tamil newspaper. The author
traced the war stories in it.
(e) The word 'erupted' means 'exploded'.
3. On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very
rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups. However,
my science teacher Sivasubramania lyer, though an orthodox
Brahmin with a very conservative wife, was something of a rebel.
He did his best to break social barriers so that people from varying
backgrounds could mingle easily. He used to spend hours with me
and would say, "Kalam, I want you to develop so that you are on
par with the highly educated people of the big cities."
Q. (a) What does Kalam say about the society of
Rameshwaram?
(b) What did science teacher want Kalam to develop in
his life?
(c) How was Sivasubramania Iyer different from his wife?
(d) How would he often encourage Kalam?
(e) Give the opposites of rigid, conservative.
Ans.(a) Kalam says that society was small but very rigid and
segregation of different social group.
(b) He wants Kalam to develop so that he could be on par
with the highly educated people of big cities.
(c) Sivasubramania lyerwas liberal, while his wife was
conservative.
(d) He would often ask Kalam to develop so that he could
complete with the highly educated people of big cities.
(e) Flexible, progressive.
4. One day, he invited me to his home for a meal. His wife was
horrified at the idea of a Muslim's being invited to dine in her
ritually pure kitchen. She refused to serve me in her kitchen.
Sivasubramania lyer was not perturbed, nor did he get angry with
his wife, but instead served me with his own hands and sat down
beside me to cat his meal. His wife watched us from behind the
kitchen door. I wondered whether she had observed any difference
in the way I ate rice, drank water or cleaned the floor after the meal.
When I was leaving his house, Sivasubramania Iyer invited me to
join him for dinner again the next weekend. Observing my
hesitation, he told me not to get upset, saying. "Once you decide
to change the system, such problems have to be confronted". When
I visited his house the next week, Sivasubramania Iyer's wife took
me inside her kitchen and served me food with her own hands.
Q. (a) How did Sivasubramania react at his wife's behaviour?
(b) What was the system that lyer had decided to change?
(c) Why was his wife horrified?
(d) How do you know that Iyer was not discouraged by his
wife's attitude?
(e) Give the meaning of Horrified and Ritually,
Ans.(a) He was not disturbed at his wife's behaviour. Instead he
served Kalam with his own hands and also sat beside
him to cat his own meal.
(b) lyer had decided to change the system which separated
people on the basis of cast and creed.
(c) His wife was horrified at the idea of serving food of a
Muslim boy in her kitchen.
(d) He served Kalam food with his own hands and invited
hign for dinner again the next weekend.
(e) Terrified, religiously
Long Answer Type Quesions
■ Answer these questions in about 80-100 words each:―
Q. 1. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages? How did
he feel at that time? Explain.
Ans. India was forced to join the Allied forces when the second
world war going on. A state of emergency was declared. As a result
the train halt at Rameswaram was suspended. Now bundles of
newspaper were thrown on the road from the running train. His
cousin Samsudin did the job of distributing newspapers. Now he
needs a helping hand and Kalam was happy to fill the slot. He
would help his cousin in catching the bundles of newspapers thrown
from the train. Thus his cousin helped him to earn his first wages
When he earned his own money for the first time he was filled with
a deep sense of pride and he still remembers that with pride.
2. What happened when Lakshmana Sastry's son
complained to him about the new teacher?
Ans. When Lakshamana Sastry was complained against the
new teacher, he summoned the teacher and in children's presence
told the teacher that he should not spread the poison of social
inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent
children. He bluntly asked the teacher to either apologies or quit
the school. Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour, but the
strong sense of conviction Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately
reformed this young teacher.
3. Write about Abdul Kalam's classroom experiences.
Or, What social problems did Abdul Kalam face in his
childhood?
Or, How was the problem solved?
Ans. Abdul Kalam's three close friends were also his classmate
Once a new teacher asked him to sit in the back row as he was a
Muslim. He felt very sad. Though he obeyed his teacher but the
impression he saw on Ramanadha Sastry's face made him experience
the consequences of communal disharmony. At this time a Hindu
Lakshamana Sastry ramanadha's father solved the problem. He
asked the teacher to either apologize or quit. Thus the poison
corrupting innocent minds was checked from spreading.
Q.4. Describe the character sketch of Sivasubramania Iyer
How did he affect Kalam's mind?
Ans. Sivasubramania lyer was Abdul Kalam's guide
philosopher and mentor. He gave Kalam a way to walk upon and
also the goal to achieve. His teaching science was very interesting
It made Kalam grow up to be a scientist. Moreover he taught Kalan
not to bow before the oppressor and to rebel against the social
discrimination. He taught his wife the equality of Hindu and
Muslims. He protected Kalam from social problems. Thus Kalan
was greatly influence by his science teacher.
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