PODAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Worksheet Answer Scheme

Name: Std: IX Date:
Subject: English Topic: The Sound of Music

Q. Qu Mark
No. esti s
on
1. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions
that follow.
(a) They called her name and she didn’t move. I suddenly
realized she hadn’t heard, says Isabel Glennie. For quite a
while, Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from
friends and teachers. But by the time she was eleven, her
marks had deteriorated and her headmistress urged her
parents to take her to a specialist.
i. What made Isabel Glennie suspect Evelyn’s hearing ability? 1
When Evelyn was eight years old and her name was
called to play the piano, she did not respond. This
made her mother suspect that something was wrong.
ii. Why did the headmistress advise Evelyn’s parents to consult 2
a specialist?
The headmistress advised Evelyn’s parents to
consult a specialist because by the time she was
eleven, her marks had deteriorated.
iii. What caused her deafness? 1
It was discovered that her hearing was severely
impaired as a result of gradual nerve damage.
iv. Evelyn managed to hide her growing deafness until the age 1
of eleven. (True/False)
True

(b) As for music, she explains, ‘It pours in through every part of
my body. It tingles in the skin, my cheekbones and even in
my hair.’
i. How does Evelyn hear the sound of the xylophone? 1
When Evelyn played the xylophone, she could
sense the sound passing up the stick into her
fingertips.
ii. Why does she remove her shoes on a wooden platform? 1

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 Evelyn removes her shoes on a wooden platform so
that vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her
legs.
iii. How is Evelyn able to understand what people speak? 2
Evelyn is able to understand what people speak not
just by watching the lips but also the whole face,
especially the eyes.
iv. Complete the statement. 1
Evelyn is able to hear music through____________.
vibrations

(c) And for this reason it is still played in temples and is an

indispensable component of any North Indian wedding. In
the past, it was part of the naubat or traditional ensemble of
nine instruments found at royal courts.
i. Which instrument is being referred to? What kind of 1
instrument is it?
The instrument being referred to is the Shehnai. It is
a wind instrument.
ii. Where was the instrument fist played? 1
The instrument was first played in the Shah’s
chambers.
iii. Why is the instrument played in temples and North Indian 2
weddings?
The sound of the shehnai began to be considered
auspicious so it is still played in temples and is an
indispensable component of any North Indian
wedding.
iv. What change did Ustad Bismillah Khan bring about in the 1
instrument?
The credit for bringing the shehnai on to the
classical stage goes to
Ustad Bismillah Khan.

2. Answer the following in 100-120 words.

(a) What is Evelyn’s message for success?
Evelyn confesses that she is something of a
workaholic. She has to work, often harder than
classical musicians but the rewards are enormous.
According to Evelyn, “If you work hard and know

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 where you are going, you’ll get there.”
(b) How does Evelyn speak and hear?
Evelyn speaks flawlessly with a Scottish lilt. Her
speech is clear because she could hear till she was
eleven. She understands what people say not just by
watching the lips but also the whole face and eyes.
(c) When and how did Bismillah Khan get his first break?
With the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in
1938 came Bismillah Khan’s big break. He soon
became an often heard Shehnai player on radio. Later
on 15 August 1947, he became the first Indian to
greet the nation when he poured his heart out in
playing the
Raag Kafi at Red Fort.
(d) How was the ‘pungi’ improved and why was it named
‘shehnai’?
A barber of a family of professional musicians
decided to improve the pungi. He chose a pipe with a
hollow stem that was longer and broader than the
pungi. He played the instrument before the royalty
and everyone was impressed. Since it was played by
a barber, the instrument came to be named as
‘Shehnai’.

Answer the following in 100-120 words.

(a) How has Evelyn become a source of inspiration to
those who are handicapped?
Evelyn has already accomplished more than most
people twice her age. She has brought percussion to
the forefront of the orchestra and demonstrated that
it can be very moving. She has given inspiration to
those who are handicapped. They look at her and
say- “If she can do it, I can.” In the words of Ann
Richlin of the Beethoven Fund for Deaf children,
“She is a shining inspiration for deaf children - they
see that there is nowhere that they cannot go.”
Apart from regular concerts, Evelyn also gives free
concerts in prisons and hospitals. She gives high
priority to classes for young musicians.

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 (b) How did Evelyn succeed in pursuing her interest in music?
When Evelyn was eleven year old, it was discovered
that her hearing was severely impaired as a result
of gradual nerve damage. Her parents were advised
that she should be fitted with hearing aids and sent
to a school for the deaf. Everything looked black at
that point but Evelyn did not give up. She was
determined to lead a life and pursue her interest in
music. She wanted to play the xylophone but was
discouraged by her teachers. The percussionist, Ron
Forbes spotted her potential and encouraged her
not to listen through her ears. Evelyn soon
discovered that she could sense certain notes in
different parts of the body. She learnt to open her
mind and body to sounds and vibrations. She never
looked back from that point onwards.
(c) How did young Bismillah Khan develop an interest in
Shehnai?
When Bismillah Khan was three, his mother took
him to his maternal uncle’s house. Bismillah was
fascinated by watching his uncle practice the
shehnai. Soon, Bismillah Khan started
accompanying his uncle, Ali Bux to the Vishnu
temple of Benares where Ali Bux was employed to
play the shehnai. Bismillah started getting lessons
and practiced for hours in solitude on the banks of
the River Ganga. The flowing waters of the Ganga
inspired him to improvise and invent ragas that
were earlier considered to be beyond the range of
the shehnai.
(d) Why did Bismillah Khan consider Dumraon and Benaras
as the most wonderful towns of the world?
Bismillah Khan had travelled all over the world and
performed in many cities and earned honours. He
was very fond of Dumraon and Benaras .He was
born in Dumraon and grew up there playing the
‘gillidanda’ and singing in temples.
At the age of three, Bismillah Khan was taken to his
maternal uncle’s house. It is there that he started
getting lessons in playing the shehnai. He practiced

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 on the banks of the Ganga and the temples in
Benaras. The flowing waters of the Ganga inspired
him to improvise and invent ragas that were earlier
considered to be beyond the range of the shehnai.
When a student wanted him to the head the
Shehnai school in US and offered to replicate
Benaras, Bismillah Khan asked him if could get the
Ganga there as well.
(e) Imagine Ustad Bismillah Khan is going to play the Shehnai in
your school annual function. You have been given the duty
to introduce and welcome him. How would you introduce
him?
Student specific

3. Choose the correct option

a) Bismillah Khan was called _____________. 1m
each
i. Bismillahsaab
ii. Ustadsaab
iii. Badesaab
iv. Khansaab
b) Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan auditorium is
situated in _____.
i. Teheran
ii. Osaka
iii. Berlin
iv. Montreal
c) Why did Bismillah refuse to go to the U.S.A.?
i. The shehnai had no future there.
ii. He didn’t like the place.
iii. His love for Benares and River Ganga was greater.
iv. He had an important award function to attend in India
d) What was the name of Bismillah Khan’s father?

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 i. Rasool Brix Khan
ii. Paigambar Bux
iii. Ali Bux
iv. Liazrat Rasool Khan
e) Who played Shehnai at the King’s palace?
i. a barber
ii. a gardener
iii. a singer
iv. a stable boy
f) What did Evelyn want to spread through her music?
i. message of love, peace and happiness
ii. a message of support, helpfulness and understanding
iii. music is not difficult for deaf people
iv. music can be learnt and understood by all
g) Why was Evelyn’s hearing severely impaired?
i. due to a gradual nerve damage
ii. due to a bomb explosion
iii. due to an accident
iv. due to a fall from a staircase
h) How did Evelyn hear music?
i. through drums
ii. through her fingers
iii. by feeling the vibrations through the different parts
of her body
iv. by feeling the vibrations and seeing others on stage with her
i) When did Evelyn feel everything so dark in life?
i. When she was advised to go to a school for the deaf.
ii. When she was advised to use hearing aids and go to
the deaf school.
iii. When she performed poorly at the examination.
iv. When she failed in her music audition.
j) ——- had recognised the specialty in Evelyn.

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 i. Emmeso Clerk
ii. Berh Thomson
iii. John Forbes
iv. Ron Forbes

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