KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY

ALBERT EINSTEIN AT SCHOOL  Q1 : What do you understand of Einstein's nature from his conversations with his history teacher, his mathematics teacher and the head teacher?  Answer :  Einstein's behavior seemed to be extremely unruly. He didn't believe in the then prevailing system of education. His nature was a spontaneous one. He found memorising facts and dates quite useless. Ideas lured him more than facts because of which he had a heated argument on education with his history teacher. He was so restless and indifferent to the importance of attending school that he didn't mind not attending it at all. From his conversation with the Maths teacher, we come to know that he was a student who actually had some interest in mathematics, that being the only class in which he paid a lot of attention and never wasted his time. He wasn't open and outright in front of his Mathematics teacher. His behavior had turned mild before his teacher which showed his level of respect an...

  RANGA'S MARRIAGE  ( SNAPSHOTS) QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED A. Reading With Insight Question 1:  Comment on the influence of English—the language and the way of life— on Indian life as reflected in the story. What is the narrator's attitude to english? Answer: The industrialization was not the only thing the English brought to our country. They brought their language, culture, and religion with them to our house. We were going to experience yet another foreign domination, which would have an eternal influence on us after being governed for centuries by the Moguls and Slaves. The English language had the greatest influence of all. We Indians still can't seem to get off this inferiority mindset, even after so many years of independence. They once controlled our country, and even after all these years, they still control our thoughts. We take into account individuals who are less fortunate and do not speak English.   Yes, foreign languages are useful to know a...

My Impression of Assam Textbook Exercises   Understanding the text: Q. 1. What was Verrier Elwin say about the tradition of courtesy and hospitality in the modern world? What advice does he give to the people of Assam on this point? Ans: Verrier Elwin says that in today's environment of rivalry, haste, and competition, the custom of civility and hospitality is regrettably rare. On the other hand, he was mesmerized by the grace and charm of the people of Assam as well as by a particular kind of beauty in human relationships. He had visited other nations, but he had never encountered such politeness and friendliness as he did in Assam. He has urged the Assamese people of Assam to preserve their longstanding heritage of kindness and hospitality. Q. 2. What difference does Verrier Elwin draw between the Game Sanctuaries of Kenya and Kaziranga? Ans. Verrier Elwin has noted the same noteworthy distinctions between the Kenyan and Kaziranga game sanctuaries. In Kenya and Tanganyika in East...

The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role   Textbook Exercises Understanding the Text Q. 1. Locate the lines in the text that support the title: The Ailing planet’. Ans. The following lines in the text support the title “The Ailing planet.’ (i) It (the earth) has its own metabolic needs and vital processes which need to be respected and preserved. (ii) The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health. (iii) The first Brandt Report raised the question, ‘Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing environment?’ (iv) In some places firewood has become so expensive that ‘what goes under the pot now costs more than what goes inside it. (v) Since the tropical forests is, in the words of Dr. Myers, ‘the powerhouse of evolution several species of life face extinction as a result of its destruction. (vi) The world’s ancient patrimony of tropical forests is now eroding at the rate of forty to fifty million acres a y...