A Truly Beautiful Mind: 9 Class CBSE English Beehive Ch 04

A Truly Beautiful Mind: NCERT 9th Class CBSE English Beehive Chapter 04

Question – A Truly Beautiful Mind: Who do you think of, when you hear the word ‘genius’? Who is a genius – what qualities do you think a genius has?

Answer – A Truly Beautiful Mind: I think of Albert Einstein when I hear the word ‘genius’.

A genius is a person with exceptional intellectual or creative abilities. I think a genius has a strong drive, devotion and curiosity to gain knowledge. He works patiently and with great concentration. He is imaginative and solves problems with an open mind. He is a versatile person who is not only perfect in his field of work but also devotes energy towards bettering the society.

Question: 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.

1. Einstein’s equation
2. Einstein meets his future wife
3. The making of a violinist
4. Mileva and Einstein’s mother
5. A letter that launched the arms race
6. A desk drawer full of ideas
7. Marriage and divorce

Answer:

1. 9
2. 7
3. 3
4. 10
5. 15
6. 8
7. 11

Page No 51:

Question: Who had these opinions about Einstein?

1. He was boring.
2. He was stupid and would never succeed in life.
3. He was a freak.

Answer:

1. Einstein’s playmates thought that he was boring.
2. Einstein’s headmaster thought that he was stupid and would never succeed at anything in life.
3. Einstein’s mother thought that he was a freak.

Question: Explain what the reasons for the following are.

1. Einstein leaving the school in Munich for good.
2. Einstein wanting to study in Switzerland rather than in Munich.
3. Einstein seeing in Mileva an ally.
4. What do these tell you about Einstein?

Answer:

1. Albert Einstein left the school in Munich because he hated the school’s strict and controlled environment, and often had disagreements with his teachers.
2. According to Einstein, Switzerland was more liberal than Munich. Hence, he wanted to study in Switzerland.
3. Einstein found in Mileva an ally because she, like him, disapproved of the “philistines” or the people who did not like art, literature or music.
4. These snippets from Einstein’s life gives an idea about the extraordinary thinking power Einstein was having since his childhood, because only a person with above normal intelligence can think beyond the accepted systems of behaviour and actions. Einstein always liked to take his own decisions which is evident from his insistence on leaving Munich for a better future.

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

Answer: Einstein called his desk drawer at the patent office the “bureau of theoretical physics”. This was because the drawer was where he used to store his secretly developed ideas.

Question: Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt?

Answer: Einstein wrote a letter to Franklin Roosevelt to warn him of the fatal consequences of an atomic explosion.

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

Answer: Einstein was profoundly disturbed by the magnitude of the destruction caused by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He even wrote a public letter to the United Nations proposing the formation of a world government. Gradually he became more and more involved in politics, attempting to bring about world peace.

Question: Why does the world remember Einstein as a “world citizen”?

Answer: Einstein is remembered as a ‘world citizen’ as much as a genius scientist because of his efforts towards world peace and democracy, and for his crusade against the use of arms.

Question: 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:

• [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: Here are some sentences from the story. Choose the word from the brackets which can be substituted for the italicized 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. became weak
2. in disagreement
3. declared
4. campaigning
5. permanently
6. in a state of commotion
7. interested

Question: Study the following sentences.

• Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist, maintaining this skill throughout his life.
• Letters survive in which they put their affection into words, mixing science with tenderness.

The parts in italics in the above sentences begin with –ing verbs, and are called participial phrases. Participial phrases say something more about the person or thing talked about or the idea expressed by the sentence as a whole. For example:

• Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist. He maintained this skill throughout his life.

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 colors 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:

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

Question: Here are some notes which you could use to write a report.

21 August 2005 – original handwritten manuscript of Albert Einstein unearthed – by student Rowdy Boeynik in the University of the Netherlands – Boeynik researching papers – papers belonging to an old friend of Einstein – fingerprints of Einstein on these papers – 16- page document dated 1924 – Einstein’s work on this last theory – behaviour of atoms at low temperature – now known as the Bose- Einstein condensation – the manuscript to be kept at Leyden University where Einstein got the Nobel Prize.

Write a report which has four paragraphs, one each on:

• What was unearthed.
• Who unearthed it and when.
• What the document contained.
• Where it will be kept.

Your report could begin like this:

Student Unearths Einstein Manuscript

21 August 2005. An original handwritten Albert Einstein manuscript has been unearthed at a university in the Netherlands …

Answer:

Student Unearths Einstein Manuscript

By a Staff Reporter

Netherlands, 21 August 2005. An original handwritten Albert Einstein manuscript has been unearthed at a university in the Netherlands. The yellowed 16-page German manuscript was dated December 1924.

Rowdy Boeynik, a student in the University of the Netherlands, was researching papers belonging to an old friend of Einstein when he stumbled upon the manuscript. The fingerprints of Einstein have been traced on these research papers.

The document, titled ‘Quantum theory of the monatomic ideal gas’, contains Einstein’s work on what is now known as the Bose – Einstein condensation. It concerns the behavior of atoms at a low temperature, the last major work of the scientific genius.

The manuscript will be kept at Leyden University where Einstein got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.

Extract Based Questions (3 marks each)

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question: A headmaster once told his father that what Einstein chose as a profession would not matter, because
“he will never make a success at anything”. Einstein began learning to play the violin at the age of six, because his mother wanted him to. He later became a gifted amateur violinist, maintaining this skill throughout his life.

1. What was the headmaster’s opinion about Einstein?
2. Why did Einstein learn to play violin?
3. Find a word from the passage that means “having great natural ability”.

Answer:

1. The headmaster’s opinion about Einstein was that he would never be successful in his life.
2. Einstein learnt to play the violin to fulfill the desire of his mother.
3. Gifted.

Question: Einstein was deeply shaken by the extent of the destruction. This time he wrote a public missive to the United Nations. In it he proposed the formation of a world government. Unlike the letter to Roosevelt, this one made no impact.

1. What did Einstein write and to whom?
2. Why did he write a letter to Roosevelt earlier?
3. Find the word from the extract that means – “a long and official letter”.

Answer:

1. Einstein wrote a public missive to the United Nations proposing the formation of a world government.
2. He wrote a letter to Roosevelt earlier in which he warned him by saying, “a single bomb of this type might very well destroy the whole part with some of the surrounding territory”, i.e., a letter warning him for a bomb blast.
3. Missive.

Question: “The pair finally got married in January 1903, and had two sons. But a few years later, the marriage faltered”.

1. Name the “pair” referred to in the above lines.
2. What happened to their marriage?
3. Which word from the extract means “became weak”?

Answer:

1. The pair referred to in the above lines is of Albert Einstein and Mileva.
2. Their marriage was not successful.
3. Faltered.

Question: He also felt a special interest in a fellow student, Mileva Marie, whom he found to be a “clever creature”. This young serb had come to Switzerland because the University in Zurich was one of the few in Europe where women could get degrees. Einstein saw in her an ally against the “philistines”- those people in his family and at the university with whom he was constantly at odds.

1. Who is “clever creature” and “young serb” in the passage?
2. Why did the young serh come to Switzerland?
3. What was the attitude of Einstein towards the young serb?

Or

1. Who felt special interest in Mileva Marie and why?
2. Why did Mileva Marie come to Switzerland?
3. Which word in the passage means “softness”?

Answer – A Truly Beautiful Mind:

1. Mileva Marie, a fellow student with Einstein is referred to as a “clever creature” and “young serb”.
2. The young serb had come to Switzerland because the university in Zurich was one of the few in Europe where women could get degrees.
3. Einstein was attracted to her and he wanted to join her.

Or

1. Albert Einstein felt a special interest in Mileva Marie as he thought her to be a clever creature.
2. Mileva Marie came to Switzerland as the University of Zurich was one of the few places of Europe where women could get degrees.
3. Tenderness.

Question: Why did the people call Einstein a world citizen?

Answer – A Truly Beautiful Mind: People called Einstein a world citizen because he campaigned for peace and democracy and was agitated against arms and bombs especially after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Question: Why did Albert Einstein leave his school?

Answer – A Truly Beautiful Mind: Albert Einstein left his school because he was not happy with the education system. He was not at
ease with the strict regimentation of the school. He felt suffocated because of which he had to leave school.

Question: Why did Einstein hate school?

Answer: He hated school regimentation because of its extreme sense of discipline. He felt tired and suffocated
with this atmosphere. He often clashed with his teacher.

Question – A Truly Beautiful Mind: Why does the world remember Einstein as a world citizen?

Answer: The world remembers Einstein as a world citizen as he was deeply hurt by the mass destruction in
Japan and campaigned for peace and democracy – worked for humanity.

Question: Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt?
Or
Why did Einstein write a letter to the American President Roosevelt?

Answer: Einstein wrote a letter to Franklin Roosevelt when the Nazis were in Germany and he had to migrate
from there. The discovery of Nuclear fission in Germany made the American physicists upset that the Nazis could use an atom bomb.

Question – A Truly Beautiful Mind: What is Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity?

Answer: According to Einstein’s special theory of relativity, time and distance are not absolute. From this followed the world’s most famous formula which describes the relationship between mass and energy i.e., E = mc2.

Question – A Truly Beautiful Mind: Why did Einstein’s play mates call him “Brother Boring”?

Answer: Einstein could not mix up with other children. He did not find their games interesting. He often uttered every word twice. He was often teased for his abnormally huge head. And so his friends nicknamed him “Brother Boring.”

Question – A Truly Beautiful Mind: How was Einstein’s private life unraveling after he finished his studies?

Answer: He had wanted to marry Mileva but his mother was against it. She thought Mileva was three years older than her son and toq intelligent for him.

Question: What did Einstein call his desk drawer at the patent office and why?

Answer: Einstein called his desk drawer at the patent office the “bureau of theoretical physics” because he was working as a technical expert in the patent office in Bern where he was supposed to be assessing other peoples’ inventions.

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

Answer: Einstein was shocked at the extent of destruction caused by the bombing. He wrote a long letter to the United Nations and suggested that there should be a World Government.

Question – A Truly Beautiful Mind: Write down the achievements of Albert Einstein.

Answer – A Truly Beautiful Mind: Albert Einstein was really a scientific genius. He felt at home in Mathematics but he showed keen interest in physics. After graduating from the university in Zurich he started working vigorously. With his university education he was working on relativity. After his graduation, he remained jobless. So, he gave private lessons. In 1902, he secured a job as a technical expert in the patent office in Bera. But he went on developing his own ideas. The world showered on him honors invitations. He was honored with Noble prize in 1921.

Question – A Truly Beautiful Mind: Einstein was an unusual child with no indication of his potential greatness. Comment.

Answer: Einstein’s head was larger than the usual head. He was called “Brother Boring” because he never mixed up with his classmates. He left school because he was not happy with the strict regimentation. He loved mechanical toys and thought his sister to be a toy. The head master thought him to be stupid and good for nothing and that he would never succeed in life. He also told Einstein’s father that whatever profession he chose would not matter, because “he will never make a success at anything”. This proves that Einstein was an unusual child with no indication of his potential greatness.

Question: What was the outcome of Einstein’s letter which he wrote to the American President, Roosevelt ? Did his warning have any impact on America?

Answer – A Truly Beautiful Mind: On his colleague’s insistence, Einstein wrote a letter to the American President, Roosevelt when the Nazis were in Germany and he had to migrate from there. The discovery of Nuclear fission in Germany made the American physicists upset that the Nazis could use the bomb. He warned him of the consequences of the atomic bomb. His words had a great impact. The Americans developed the atomic bomb secretly. They dropped it on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki irf August 1945. Einstein was greatly moved by the destruction. He wrote a long letter to the United Nations and suggested that there should be a world government. This definitely helped ending the world war.

Question – A Truly Beautiful Mind: Do you think that in today’s context national boundaries are overcome by global issued ?

Answer – A Truly Beautiful Mind: The world is undoubtedly a global village. Any issue cannot be resolved at the national level alone. This has been reflected in die case of Albert Einstein. He wrote to the President of the U.S.A. about the evils of a nuclear war, requesting him to take some measures. It is definitely the responsibility of each one of us to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the world.