NCERT SOLUTIONS FOR CLASS 9 ENGLISH BHEEIVE THE SOUND OF MUSIC CHAPTER 2

Question 1.
How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?

Evelyn was not even seventeen when she went to the Royal Academy of Music

Question 2.
When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?

Her deafness was noticed when she was eight-year-old. It was confirmed by the time she was eleven.

Question 3.
Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?

Ron Forbes helped her to continue with music. He spotted her potential and said, “Don’t listen through your ears, try to sense it some other way.” He began by tuning two large drums to different notes.

Question 4.
Name the various places and causes for which Evelvn nerforms.

Evelyn performed free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She made music her life and performed many regular concerts.

Question 5.
How does Evelyn hear music?

Evelyn became deaf by the time she was eleven. But she did not give up. She was determined to lead a normal life and pursue her interest in music. Ron Forbes, a percussionist spotted her potential. He asked her not to listen through ears but try to sense it some other way. She realized she could feel the higher drum from the waist up and the lower one from the waist down. Forbes repeated the exercise and soon Evelyn discovered that she could sense certain notes in different parts of her body. She learnt to open her body and mind to sounds and vibrations. She herself explained, “It pours in through every part of my body. It tingles in the skin, my cheekbones and even in my hair.” When she played on the xylophone, she could sense the sound passing up the stick into her fingertips. By leaning against the drums, she could feel the resonances flowing into her body. On the wooden floor she used to remove her shoes so that the vibrations may pass through her bare feet and up her legs.

Question 6.
Tick the right answer.

  1. The (shehnai, pungi) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’
  2. (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
  3. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musi-cians).
  4. Bismillah Khan leamt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).
  5. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).
  1. Pungi
  2. A barber
  3. Professional musicians
  4. Ali bux
  5. Afghanistan

Question 7.
Find the words in the text which show Ustad Bismillah Khan’s feelings about the items listed below. Then mark a tick (✓) in the correct column. Discuss your answers in class.

Bismillah Khan’s feelings about Posit­ive Negat­ive Neutral
1.  teaching children music2.  the film world3.  migrating to the U.S.A.4.  playing at temples5.  getting the Bharat Ratna6.  the banks of the Ganga7.   leaving Benaras and Dumraon    
  1. Positive
  2. Negative
  3. Negative
  4. Neutral
  5. Positive
  6. Positive
  7. Negative

Question 8.
Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?

Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi because it had a shrill and unpleasant sound.

Question 9.
How is a shehnai different from a pungi?

A shehnai is a pipe with a natural hollow that is longer and broader than a pungi. It has seven holes on the body of the pipe.

Question 10.
Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?

The shehnai was played traditionally in the temple at the royal courts and on the occasion of weddings. The credit must go to Bismillah Khan to take this instrument onto the classical stage.

Question 11.
When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?

Bismillah Khan got his big break with the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938.

Question 12.
Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?

Bismillah Khan played the shehnai on 15 August 1947 at the Red Fort. He was the first Indian to greet the nation with his musical instrument. This event was historic because We got independence on that day. He poured his heart out in the presence of a large number of people including Pt. Jawahar Lai Nehru.

Question 13.
Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?

He refused to start a shehnai school in the USA because he never wanted to leave India. He loved India so much and he did not want to settle anywhere except India. That is why whenever he was in a foreign country, he kept yearning to see Hindustan.

Question 14.
Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.

Bismillah Khan loves India and Banaras The sound of Music 197 from the bottom of his heart. He says that he misses the holy Ganga and India when he goes abroad. While in Mumbai, he thinks of only Benaras and the holy river. And when he is in Benaras, he remembers the unique mattha of Dumraon.

Question 15.
Look at these sentences.

  • Evelyn was determined to live a normal life.
  • Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from friends and teachers.

The italicised parts answer the questions:
“What was Evelyn determined to do?” and “What did Evelyn manage to do?” They begin with a to-verb {to live, to conceal). Complete the following sentences. Beginning with a to-verb, try to answer the questions in brackets.

  1. The school sports team hopes ………….. (What does it hope to do?)
  2. We all want ………….. (What do we all want to do?)
  3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother ………….. (What did they advise her to do?)
  4. The authorities permitted us to ………….. (What did the authorities permit us to do?)
  5. A musician decided to ………….. (What did the musician decide to do?)
  1. to win
  2. to succeed
  3. to take her to a specialist
  4. play
  5. play a new Raaga

Question 16.
From the text on Bismillah Khan, find the words and phrases that match these definitions and write them down. The number of the paragraph where you will find the words/phrases has been given for you in brackets.

  1. the home of royal people (1) …………..
  2. the state of being alone (5) …………..
  3. a part which is absolutely necessary (2) …………..
  4. to do something not done before (5) …………..
  5. without much effort (13) …………..
  6. quickly and in large quantities (9) ………….. and …………..
  1. royal residence
  2. solitude
  3. an indispensable component
  4. improvise
  5. effortlessly
  6. thick; fast.

Question 17.
Tick the right answer.

  1. When something is revived, it (remains dead/lives again).
  2. When a government bans something, it wants it (stopped/started).
  3. When something is considered auspicious (welcome it/avoid it).
  4. When we take to something, we find it (boring/interesting).
  5. When you appreciate something, you (find it good and useful/find it of no use).
  6. When you replicate something, you do it (for the first time/for the second time).
  7. When we come to terms with something, it is (still upsetting/no longer upsetting).
  1. lives again
  2. stopped
  3. welcome it
  4. interesting
  5. find it good and useful
  6. for the second time
  7. no longer upsetting

Question 18.
Dictionary work

  • The sound of the shehnai is auspicious.
  • The auspicious sound of the shehnai is usually heard at marriages.

The adjective auspicious can occur after the verb be as in the first sentence, or before a noun as in the second. But there are some adjectives which can be used after the verb be and not before a noun. For example:

  • Ustad Faiyaz Khan was overjoyed.

We cannot say: *the overjoyed man.

Look at these entries from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2005).
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 2 The Sound of Music Page 26 Q4
Consult your dictionary and complete the following table. The first one has been done for you.

adjective only before noun not before noun both before and after the verb be
indispensable     ✓
impressed      
afraid      
outdoor      
paternal      
countless      
priceless      

Use these words in phrases or sentences of your own.

adjective only before noun not before noun both before and after the verb be
indispensable     ✓
impressed     ✓
afraid     after the verb be
outdoor ✓   after the verb be
paternal ✓   ✓
countless ✓    
priceless     after the verb be

Sentences

  1. My sister seemed impressed with his work.
  2. She is afraid of her father.
  3. I really like the outdoor games.
  4. He lives in the parental home.
  5. The District Library has countless reference books.
  6. Your is gift priceless.

Question 19.
Use your notes on Kishori Amonkar to introduce her to an imaginary audience.

You may use one of the following phrases to introduce a guest:
I am honoured to introduce…/! feel privileged to introduce…/‘We welcome you’

It’s my proud privilege that I have been honoured to introduce you to the famous singer Kishori Amonkar, the finest female vocalist of her generation. She was bom in 1931 to the great artist Smt. Mogubai Kurdikar. She is a thinker who dissects the raagas with the precision of a perfectionist so that the raagas can be inspirational for the common masses. She is greatly inspired by the teachings of the ancient vedic sages. She is conferred with the significant awards viz., the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985), the Padma Bhushan (1987) and the highly coveted Sangeet Samradhini Award in 1997.

Question 20.
“If you work hard and know where you’re going, you’ll get there,” says Evelyn Glennie. You have now read about two musicians, Evelyn Glennie and Ustad Bismillah Khan. Do you think that they both worked hard? Where did they want to ‘go’? Answer these questions in two paragraphs, one on each of the two musicians.

Yes, they both worked hard. It is a fact that dedication and determination help one in attaining one’s long cherished goals. Evelyn Glennie was profoundly deaf. She was not ready to give up. She was determined to lead a normal life and pursue her interest in music. She worked hard and got Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Soloist of the Year Award in 1991. She accomplished more than most people twice her age.

Ustad Bismillah Khan belongs to a well known family of musicians from Bihar. He took to music early in life. He gave many memorable performances in India and abroad. He practised hard and reached his destination in 2001 when he was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. The other National Awards like the Padmashri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan were also conferred on him. His life has been a perfect example of the rich, cultural heritage of India.

Question 21: Her mother remembers noticing something was wrong when the eight-year-old Evelyn was waiting to play the piano. “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.

  1. What made Isabel suspect Evelyn’s hearing ability ?
  2. Why did Evelyn’s headmistress advised her parents to consult a specialist?
  3. Find the word/phrase in the passage which means the same as “to hide 
  1. Isabel had a doubt about Evelyn’s hearing ability when she did not move when her name was called to play on the piano.
  2. Evelyn’s headmistress advised her parents to consult a specialist when her marks deteriorated.
  3. Conceal.

Question 22: 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”. When she plays the xylophone, she can sense the sound passing up the stick into her finger tips. By leaning against the drums, she can feel the resonances flowing into her body. On a wooden platform, she removes her shoes so that the vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her legs.

  1. How does Evelyn hear the sound of xylophone ?
  2. Why does she remove her shoes on a wooden platform during her performance ?
  3. Find a word from the passage that means “‘take off”.
  1. Evelyn hears the sound of xylophone through her finger tips.
  2. She removes her shoes on a wooden platform during her performance so that she can feel the vibrations of music through her feet to legs.
  3. Removes.

Question 23: She never looked back from that point onwards. She toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra and by the time she was sixteen, she had decided to make music her life. She auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music and scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy. She gradually moved from orchestral work to solo performances.

  1. What did Evelyn decide when she was sixteen years old ?
  2. How did Evelyn get right to the top ?
  3. Which word in the passage means the same as “gave a short performance so that the director
    could decide whether she was good enough”
  1. When Evelyn was sixteen years old, she decided to make music her life.
  2. Evelyn got to the top by hard work, motivation and determination.
  3. Auditioned.

Question 24: 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. It was then discovered that her hearing was severely impaired as a result of gradual nerve damage. They were advised that she should be fitted with hearing aids and sent to a school of the deaf.

  1. Why did headmistress urge her parents to take her to the specialists ?
  2. At what age were symptoms of deafness noticed in Evelyn ?
  3. Trace the word that means “damaged”.
  1. Evelyn’s school’s headmistress urged her parents to take her to a specialist because she had a hearing problem.
  2. At the age of eleven the symptoms of deafness were noticed in Evelyn.
  3. Impaired.

Question 25: Rush hour crowds jostle for position on the underground train platform. A slight girl, looking younger than her seventeen years, was nervous yet excited as she felt the vibrations of the approaching train. It was her first day at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London and daunting enough for any teenager fresh from a Scottish farm.

  1. Who is the ‘girl’ in the above lines ?
  2. Where was she going ?
  3. Find the word from the extract that means “frightening”.
  1. Evelyn Glennie.
  2. She was going to the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London.
  3. Daunting.

Question 26:When was Evelyn’s deafness first noticed ? When was it confirmed ?

Isabel had a doubt about Evelyn’s hearing ability when she did not move when her name was called to play on the piano. At the age of 11 it was confirmed when she was taken to a specialist.

Question 27: When and how did Evelyn loose her power of hearing ?

Evelyn lost her power of hearing due to gradual nerve damage. At the age of 8 it was noticed and then at the age of 11 it was confirmed that Evelyn had lost her hearing ability.

Question 28: Why was Evelyn nervous while going to Royal Academy of Music ?

Evelyn was nervous while going to the Royal Academy of Music as she was just 16 years old and was fresh from the Scottish farms, to add to her nervousness.

Question 29: How did Evelyn’s deafness come to light ?
OR
When did Evelyn’s mother notice that something was wrong with her hearing ?

At the age of 8 when her name was announced to play on piano, she did not respond. At the age of 11, her marks deteriorated. The headmistress urged her parents to take her to a specialist and her hearing impairment was discovered.

Question 30:Who helped Evelyn to continue with music ? What did he do and say ? 

When Evelyn wanted to pursue her career in music, everyone discouraged her. It was a Percussionist Ron Forbes who helped and encouraged her to listen to the music and feel the music through her body.

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