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Question
Helen's statement, "We worked hard and faithfully, yet we did not quite reach our goal" tells us about her failure to achieve the goal at the Wright-Humason School in New York City. What was the goal that she failed to achieve there?
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Solution
In the summer of 1984, Helen Keller went to Wright-Humason School for the Deaf in New York City to receive the training for vocal culture and lip reading. It was with the help of Miss Reamy, the German teacher, who used the manual alphabet, that helped Helen acquire a small vocabulary. They also talked together in German and, in a few months Helen could understand almost everything she said.
At the school, Helen acquired the knowledge of German easily. It was French that troubled her. Madam Olivier, the French lady did not know the manual alphabet and was obliged to give her instruction orally. She couldn't learn what Madam Olivier said as she couldn't read her lips easily.
Helen's progress in lip-reading and speech was not what her teachers hoped. The ambition to speak like other people was not accomplished. Helen Keller made the mistake of 'guessing' what was being said. She also jumped into conclusions that aggravated her difficulty. She then believed that the exceptions of her teachers and also herself was set too high. And this she regarded as the reason for the pitfall. Thus, the progress of Helen Keller was not what she and her teachers expected. This is when she worked hard and effectively but couldn't reach the goal.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Write a character sketch of Mrs. Van Daan.
Read the following passage and do the activities:
A1 True or False:
Rewrite the following statements and state whether they are ‘true’ or ‘false’.
(i) Mashelkar’s mother did menial work to bring him up.
(ii) Mashelkar’s father died when he was twelve.
(iii) Mashelkar was born in a very rich family.
(iv) Tatas added much value to Mashelkar’s life.
I start with my greatest guru-my mother. I was born in a very poor family and my father died when I was six. We moved to Mumbai and my mother did menial work to bring me up. Two meals a day was a tough challenge. I studied under street lights and I walked barefoot until, I think, I was twelve. I remember when I passed the seventh standard and I wanted to go into the eighth standard, our poverty was such that even to secure 21 rupees for secondary school admission became a big challenge. We had to borrow from a lady, who was a housemaid in Chaupati in Mumbai. That was the tough life I had.
In fact, I remember, my passing the SSC Examination-i.e. 11th standard. Those days it used to be not 10th standard or 12th standard but 11th standard. I stood 11th among 1,35,000 but I was about to leave higher education and find a job. What helped me was the scholarship by Sir Dorab Tata Trust. It was just 60 rupees per month and would you believe that 60 rupees per month from Tatas added so much value to my life that I have been able to stand here today before you to speak to you.
I am on the Board of Tatas now and it is very interesting that the same Bombay House where I used to go to collect that 60 rupees per month now one goes and sits there like a Director on the Board of Tata Motors. The turn that these 40 years have taken is very interesting. It has all been possible because of the chance I got to do higher studies at the insistence of my mother. She gave me the values of my life. She was one of the noblest parents I have met in my life.
So, my greatest guru was my mother. My second guru was Principal Bhave, about whom I made a mention earlier. He taught us Physics. Because it was a poor school, I remember, it had to innovate to convey to the young students the message of Science.
A2 Complete:
Complete the following sentences and write:
(i) Mashelkar was inspired by his greatest guru _______
(ii) Mashelkar studied under _______
(iii) Principal Bhave taught _______
(iv) The scholarship by _______ Trust helped him in higher education.
A3 Find the meaning:
Choose the appropriate meaning of the underlined words from the given alternatives:
(i) We moved to Mumbai and my mother did menial work.
(a) skilled
(b) hard
(c) unskilled
(d) of low status
(ii) Because it was a poor school, it had to innovate to convey to the young students the message of science.
(a) do a cheap experiment
(b) introduce new things
(c) avoid
(d) try hard
(iii) I got to do higher studies at the insistence of my mother.
(a) firm saying
(b) being inspired
(c) being inspected
(d) being instigated
(iv) That was the tough life I had.
(a) difficult
(b) soft
(c) cheap
(d) simple
A4 Match:
Match the following sentences with their tags:
| 'A' | 'B' | ||
| (i) | I stood 11th among 1,35,000 |
(a) | aren’t I? |
| (ii) | I am on the Board of Tatas | (b) | didn’t we? |
| (iii) | It was a poor school | (c) | didn’t I? |
| (iv) | We moved to Mumbai | (d) | wasn’t it? |
A5 Personal Response:
“Mother is the greatest Guru.” Discuss.
Make pair of sentences to show the difference between the meaning of the following Homograph from the story.
interest
What difficulties do the people in the play face in the morning?
Make a list of the rhyming words in the poem.
Add one more rhyming word of your own to each pair.
What were the various sounds the brothers heard when they went downstairs?
What do you understand by the mother’s act of throwing the shoe?
Choose the odd one out.
Who helped Tenzin in learning English words?
Kamali gave her savings to______.
