Question

Read the extract give below and answer the questions that follow:

All around the field spectators were gathered Cheeril!g on all the young women and men Then the final event of the day was approaching The last race about the beginning. 
- Nine Gold Medals, David Roth 

(i) Where had the 'young women and men' come from? What had brought them together? How had they prepared themselves for the event?

(ii) What was the last event of the day? How many athletes were participating in this event? What signal were they waiting for? 

(iii) What happened to the youngest athlete halfway through the race? How did he respond? 

(iv) What 'strange' tum did the story take at this point? 

(v) Why does the poet say that the banner - 'Special Olympics' could not have been nearer the mark? What human quality does the poem celebrate?

Answer 1

(i) The ‘young women and men’ had come in front to different countries to participate in various sports events. They were fired with the longing to win a medal – gold, silver or bronze. As the international event is very prestigious, every participant had put in a lot of preparation and practice. No one wanted to spare any pains for winning a medal – gold, silver or bronze.

(ii) The last event of the day was the hundred-meter race. Nine young athletes were participating in this event. They were well-poised, waiting for the pistol shot as a starting signal.

(iii) The youngest athlete who was weaker could not run. His legs gave in and he fell on the track. He was distressed and gave out a cry in frustration because his hard work had come to nothing.

(iv) The remaining eight contestants stopped and looked back at their fallen companions. They were expected not to stop but to continue the race. But a ‘strange’ thing happened. They all turned around and come back to the fallen athlete. They lifted him to his feet.

(v) The banner ‘Special Olympics’ meant Olympics for the differently-abled persons turned to be significant. ‘The Special Olympics’ became really special when each participant was declared to be the winner and awarded a gold medal.
The poem celebrates the human quality of true sportsmanship and empathy for the fallen athlete. We should be able to understand the feelings of another person from his point of view and be ready to mitigate his pain and sorrow.