Avw

Prepared by : SoKashree Hazra St.

Belgachia Monohar Academy; Dipak Lawrence School; Arnima Sanyal Bethune Collegiate School; Pritha Ganquy
Kumar Pal Kanailal Bidyamandir.
Biographical Sketch of the Author
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul
Kalam (born 15 October 1931)
S an Indian scientist and administrator who usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam,
served as the 11th President of India from 2002/
to 2007. Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram,
Tamil Nadu, studied physics at the
Dl. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli, and aerospace engineering at the Madras lnstitute T
Technology(MIT), Chennai.
Before his termn as the President, he worked as an Aerospace engineer with Defence
Hesearch and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian
Organisation (|SRO). Kalam is popularly known as the Missile Man of SpaceIndia for
Research
on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. He played ahis work
pivotal,
organisational, technical and political role in India's Pokhran-l nuclear tests in 1998, the first
since the original nuclear test by India in 1974. Kalam was elected the President of
professor at Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Indian Institute of Management India in 2002. He was a visiting
Institute of Management Indore, honorary fellow of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and ndian
Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, a professor of Aerospace Chancellor of the Indian
Engineering at Anna
University (Chennai),JSS University (Mysore) and an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research
institutions across India.
Kalam advocated plans to develop India into a developed nation by 2020 in his book India 2020. He has
received several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. Kalam is known
for his motivational speeches and interaction with the student community in India. He launched his mission for the
youth of the nation in 2011 called the What Can IGive Movement with a centraltheme to defeat corruption in India.
Death suddenly embraced him in the form of cardiac arrest while delivering a lecture on "Creating a Livable Planet
Earth" at Indian Institute of Management in Shillong on 27 July 2015.

Bengali Pronunciation Bengali Interpretation

43
 12
C o u p a n i o n

Ray & Martin HS English

-
 Strong Roots

Summary

in a middle
APJ Abdul Kalam was born in 1931
island town
Class Tamil family. They lived in the
Madras as the
of Rameswaram in Chennai or Jainulabdeen
nàme was then. Though his father,
wealth, he
did not have much formal education or
Kalam's mother,
Was a wise and spiritual person.
Ashiamma was the ideal life partner of his father.
 Word
Pronunciation Bengali meaning Synonyms /
Grove (n) English meanings Antonym
Example : a group of trees
His house is situated
near the manAo qrove.
Emulate (v)
strive to be equal
Example : She tries to eculate her
sister.
Endeavoured (v. pt) vE attempted, tried gave up
Example : I hae endeavoured to qiwe my hundredpercent to
qet qood marks.
Melancholy (n)
dejection joy
Example: Amood of melancholy is always afriend of mine.

Multiple Choice Questions

"Strong Roots Is written by -
(a) Rabindranath Tagore (b) AJC Bose e APJ Abdul Kalam (d) RK Narayan.
The full name of APJ Abdul Kalam is -
(a) Abdul Pakir Jamiruddin Abdul Kalam (e Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
(c) Abdur Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (d) Ahmed Pakir Jamiruddin Abdul Kalam.
Abdul Kalam was born in the year -
(a) 1929 (b) 1930 (cA31 (d) 1932.
APJ Abdul Kalam was born in
(a) Hyderabad (5 Rameswaram (c) Pune (d) Dehradun.
Ramearam was in -
(aMadras (b) Patna (c) Kerala (d) Karnataka.
APJAbdul Kalam had studied Physics at -
(a) Calcutta University (b) Benaras Hindu University
(c) Madras Institute of Technology (e St. Joseph's College. Tiruchirappalli.
Kalam began his career at -
(a) Delhi University (b) Modern Institute of Technology
sor Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (d) Kanpur IIT.
"Strong Roots" is alan -
(a) biography o autobiography (c) short story (d) travelogue.
By "Strong Roots" APJ Abdul Kalam meant
o his family background (b) his Indian origin (c) his love for science (d) his religious identity.
H0 Which chapter of Kalam's autobiography is "Strong Roots" excerpted from?
(a) second (b) third (Arst (d) fourth.
"Strong Roots" is an excerpt from
(a) My Father (b) Wings of Dream(c) íngs of Fire (d) My Childhood.
Kalam's family was -
(a) rich (b) elite (Cmddle-class (d) poor.
APJAbdul Kalam was by birth g (WBCHSE Samplo Quastion)
(a) Telegu A6) Tamil (c) Kannad (d) Malayali.
Answer of the MCQs are in blue
 Conpamion T2
Ray & Martin)
HS English
.the erstwhile Madras state" suggests b) former Madras
I n d e p e n d e n c e .

(a) the state of Madras of ancient age Madras

before
(d)
(c) recent Madras (d) Karim.
The name of APJ Abdul Kalam's father was (c) Abdul
(a) Jainulabdeen (b) Wasim [wBCHSE Sample Quertion
Abdul Kalam describes his parents as being -
(a) wealthy,educated and generous
(b) highly educated but not wealthy
(c) very poor and illiterate large-hearted.

(et neither wealthy nor highly educated but kind, wise and
word 'he' reters to
He possessed great innate wisdom." here the (b) Kalam's teacher
(ay Kalam's father (d) Kalam's mother.
(c) Kalam himself
For Kalam's father, his mother was an ideal AO helpmate.
(a) wife (b) guide (c) friend

The name of the mother of the author of "Strong Roots" is - (d) Ashiama.
(a) Asiamma (b) Ashiaamma (er Ashiamma
The narrator's mother fed
(a) all their neighbours everyday (b) all their relatives every day
(eoutsiders with her own family every day (d) her family every day.
The narrator's parents were widely regarded as -
(aán ideal couple (b) honest people (c) generous people (d) kind people.
"My mother's lineage was the more distinguished." Here 'lineage' means
tá) family background (b) standing in a line
(c) linkage (d) average age.
One of the forebears of Kalam's mother was awarded by the British the title of [WBCHSE -2015)
tá) Bahadur (b) Raibahadur (c) Padmashree (d) Bharat Ratna.
Kalam was born to
(a) ugly parents (b) handsome parents
(c) talland handsome parents (d) religious parents.
Abdul Kalam's ancestral house was built in -
(b) late 19th century(c) early 20h [WBCHSE -2017
(at mid 19 century century (d)
P6Kalam's house was a fairly - early 19h century.
Le large pucca house (b) small hut
(c) twostoreyed building (d) big mansion.
The ancestral house was made of -
(a) cement and brick (b) brick and mortar
(o fimestoneand brick (d) clay and brick.
Kalam's ancestral house was located
(a) beside the Shiva temple in Rameswaram
(b) just beside the
old mosque where his father used to take him
Let on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram
for evening
prayers
(d) in a predominantly Hindu locality in Rameswaram
avoid all
Kalam's father used to
(a) poor people (b) religious ceremonies
luxuries
ler inessentialcomforts and (d) money.
MCQs are in
blue
"Answer of the
 Strong Rvots
How does APJ Abdul Kalam sum up his childhood in Ramneswaram?
(waCHSE ampla Quastlan)
comtort and affluence
(a) a time when he moved from rags to riches (b) a period of extreme
materially and emotionaily
(c) a time of want and deprivation () avery secure time,
Kalam normally ate with
(ç his mother (d) his friends
(a) his tather (b) his brotherS
The speaker usually ate sitting on
(a) the table ey the floor of the kitchen
(c) a chair (d) a cot.
Dunng meals, the food was served on
(b) dishes (G banana leaves (d) plastics.
(a) steel utensils
Rameswaram was famous to pilgrims for (WBCHSE SAmple Quartion]
(a) the Vishnutemple (by the Shiva temple(c) the Tirupatitemple (d) the Mosque.
The distance from Dr. Kalam's house to the Shiva temple was
(a) 15 minutes walk, (b) 5 minutes walk
(d) 20 minutes walk.
et 10 minutes walk
Kalam's locality was predominantly - (d) Christian.
(a) Hindu by Muslim (c) Jain
Kalam grew up in a society which was secular and
(a) segregated (b) sundered (c) sequestered ( integrated.
(WBCHSE Samplo Question]
How does Kalam describe his neighbourhood?
famous Shiva temple where Hindu familes lived
Æj apredominantly Muslim locality close to the
amicably with their Muslim neighbours
temple, fraught with tension between the Muslim
(b) apredominantly Hindu locality near the Shiva
and Hindu communities
Muslim population was thinly spread
(c) a predominantly Christian locality where the sharing
people of all castes, creeds and communities
(d) a cosmopolitan urban neighbourhood with
temple.
a high-rise apartment near the Shiva
their locality? (WBCHSE Samplo Quastin]
Why was Kalam's father well-known in
(a) He was a successful doctor.
(b) He was a respected teacher.
well-being of his fellow men.
e t e was a healer who prayed for the
(d) He was a wealthy moneylender.
acknowledged as a spiritual person because
We know that Kalam's father was
(wBCHSE SAmplo Qyuastion)l
matters
(ate was very knowledgeable about spiritual
(b) he worked at the local mosque
dawn
(c) he read the namaz before
temple had discussions with him.
(d) the priest of the Rameswaram
mosque for (WBCHSE - 2016]
Kalam's father would take him to the
(a) pre-dawn prayers
(bt evening prayers
(C) mid-day prayers (d) afternoon prayers.
mosque were in
The prayers chanted in the
(a) Urdu (b) Frernch (c) Persian (9 Arabic
would -
Kalam was totally convinced that the prayers
(a) prove futile (b) be meaningless
A) reach god.
(c) be a useless gesture
*Answer of the MCOs are in blue
 Conpanion t2
Ray & Martin /S English
People sal outside the
(a) the narrator mosque and waited for (b) Kalam's mother

( Kalam's father (d) the Imam.

Many people offered bowls of water to Kalam's father who would -
(a) drink the water fingertips in them
(b dËp his the mosque
(c) take those place them inside
Having d1pped bowls home in the bowl of water (d)
his fingertips and saying a prayer, Kalam's father
(a) polluted the (b) drank the water (©) sanctified the water (d) purified the water
\47 water
The water sanct1fied
by Kalam's father was carried home for-
(a) offering prayer (c) young men (d) little girls.
People came to meet Kalam's (by invalids
father in their house to
(a) sanctify water invalids
(b) cure the
( offer thanks
(d) seek his advice.
ien people thanked Jainulabdeen afer being cured, he asked them to thatik T
(a) Pakshi Lakshmana Allah, the mercitul
(c) the universe Sastry
(d) various divine forces.
What was the name of the high priest of
( Pakshi Lakshmana Rameswaram temple?
(c) Jagat Sastry Sastry (b) Rama Sastry
51 Growing old enough, once (d) Ramdasa Sastry.
Kalam asked his father about
(a) the existence of God
( the relevance of (b) the utter mystery of life
prayer (d) his father's austerity.
ACCording to Kalam's father, when we pray we transcend
(a) earth our body and become a part of the -
o) cosmos (c) family
Kalam's father could convey complex (d) world.
(a) very simple English spiritual concepts in
(c) very simple Urdu 6) very simple Tamil
"When troubles come, try to (d) very simple Hindi.
(a) APJ Abdul Kalam understand the relevaFce of your sufferings."-This is
said by -
(c) Ashiamma 6) Jainulabdeen
Adversity always presents (d) Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry.
(a) insight opportunities for introspection."Here the
word 'introspection' means
(c) sufferings (b) inner vision
According to Kalam's father, every human (9 deep thought about
(a) blessed entity beings a- one's feelings.
(b), heavenly being
(d specific element within
the whole of
(d) unique man with specific qualities. the manifest divine being
Kalam's father's answer filled Kalam
with energy and
(a) happiness (b) gratitude
According to Kalam's father. whenever Ac) enthusiasm
(a) amusements
human beings find themselves (d) strange passion.
(b) family alone, they start
Whenever human beings tind themselves alon as) a company looking tor
(a) forced reaction (d) essential things.
(c) superstitious reaction
.they start looking for a
(b) preventive reaction
(d) natural reaction. compa
Accord1ng to Kalam s father, whenever
people reach an
(a) become frustrated
(c) surrender themselves to god
impasse,
6) look for they
"Answer of the MCQs are in blue
someone to show them the
(d) become speechless.
way out
 Kalam's father believed that fopeople in distress, he was V(WBCHSE Sampe Ques
e amere mediator (b) greater than God
(c) a solve of problems (d) a helpless onlooker of their difficulties.
Jainulabdeen would start his day at
(b) 6 a.m. 4 a.m. (d) 6 a.m.
(a) 4 p.m.
Kalam's father started his day by
beggars.
(a reading the namaz (b) takingbath (c) visiting the mosque (d) feeding
After the namaz, his father used to go to the -
(a) orchard ( coconut grove (c) Shiva temple (d) Ganges.
every morning was about
The coconut grove, where Abdul Kalam's father used to walk down (WBCHSE - 2018]

(a) one and a half miles (b) three miles four miles (d) four and ahalf miles.
66 Kajam's father would return from the grove with
(A) about a dozern coconuts (b) twOor three coconuts
(c) a coconut (d) about two dozens cOconuts.
his -
After returning from the c0conut grove Kalam's father would have breakfast.
(a) lunch (b) tiffin (c) dinner
Kalam, throughout his life, had tried to emulate his father in
his own world of
(a) art and spirituality
(bY'sciernce and technology
(c) science and spirituality d) technology and spirituality.
convinced that there exists a -
I69 Despite being a scientist, Abdul Kalam felt
(b) supernatural power
a) divine power
(c) devotional power (d) spiritual power.
[WBCHSE Sample Question]
70 Kalam is also spiritual because
(a) he visits the mosque every day
(b) he tries to follow in his father's footsteps
(c) he believes in the power of the divine
ties to be happy.
(h he believes that an individual has to sever all
road of
Severing all physical bond leads one to the (dall of these.
(a) happiness
(b) freedom (c) peace of mind
concerned with (WBCHSE SAmple Question]
APJ Abdul Kalam's own world was
war (b) rocket science and technology
(a) _cience and
(d) missile technology.
(c/science and technology

Short Questions

(17144 AI AA
(1) What is Kalam's full name?

Jainulabdeen (3) "I was born into a middle-class Tamil family

As Kalam's full name is Avul Pakir Who is referred to as l' here? When was
Abdul Kalam. (®CAA GA1 2 IG IÍ94 f41( T Sr
he born? ("g4 sf8 etfa
Kalam born?
(2) In which town was Dr. APJ Abdul
A Here 'l' refers to APJAbdul Kalam.
(WBCHSE- 2016]
He was bornin the year 1931.(4NIA <OC8
Am Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was born in the island
Madras
town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile
*Answer of the MCQs are in blue