English

The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan Question Answers 1.       Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi? He banned it because of its shrill sound. 2.       How is a shehnai different from a pungi? A pungi is made of a reed. But a shehnai is a pipe with a natural hollow. It is longer and broader than the pungi. It has seven holes on   its body. It makes a soft and melodious sound. But the pungi makes a shrill sound. 3.       Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this? Traditionally, the shehnai was played in courts. It used to be a part of the naubat. Bismillah Khan gave the shehnai a spiritual status. He played it in temples and on auspicious occasions. 4.       When and how did Bismillah Khan get his ‘big break’? In 1938, the All India Radio was opened in Lucknow. It came as a big break for Bismillah Khan. His shehnai was now o...

The Sound of Music by Deborah Cowley Part 1 Answer these questions- 1.       How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music? She was seventeen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music. 2.       When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed? Her deafness was first noticed when she was eight years old. It was noticed by her mother. Her name was called for her turn to play piano but she did not move from her place. It was confirmed when her headmistress urged her parents to take her to a specialist. Her performance at school was going from bad to worse. 3.       Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say? Ron Forbes, was a great percussionist. He helped Evelyn to continue with music. He saw the girls great potential. He turned two large drums to different notes. He said to Evelyn, “Don’t listen through your ears. Try to sense it some o...

Summary of the Chapter- The story opens with Margie writing in her diary about an old book that Tommy had found. Margie was reminded of her grandfather who had once talked about his grandfather who went to an actual school where the students were taught by human teachers. However, Margie and Tommy lived in the future world, in the year 2157 where education was completely computerized. They did not go to schools. Instead, they had a special study room where a computer taught them. The computer teacher was programmed and adjusted according to the needs of each child. Now and then the computer teacher developed faults which were fixed by a County Inspector. Both Tommy and Margie wondered at the book found by Tommy in his attic. They wondered at it as they read books on the screen of their computer teacher. Margie felt that the computer teacher was boring; she disliked the mechanical teaching and learning. She also wondered how much fun it would be studying in a school. Studying in a f...