The Sound Of Music

Class 9 English (Beehive) textbook lesson no. 2 question answers.

             PART - I 

(i) Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each. 

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

Ans :- Evelyn was seventeen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of music.

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

Ans :- Her deafness was first noticed at the age of eight years old.

      It was confirmed when she was eleven years old.

(ii) Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph ( 30-40 words). 

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

Ans :- Percussionst Ron Forbes helped Evelyn to continue with music.

     When most of the teachers discouraged her percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential in music.So,he tuned two large drums to different notes and then asked her not to listen through her ears but try to sense the sound in some other way. 

2. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.

Ans :- With a hectic international schedule,Evelyn gives solo performances at regular concerts in various place. Apart from these,she gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals.She also gives high priority to classes for young musicians.

(iii) Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100-150 words).

1. How does Evelyn hear music ? 

Ans :- Evelyn cannot hear music because she is deaf. Though God has taken her hearing but she has been given back something extraordinary. Therefore can feel music better than other. She senses the notes through different parts of her body. She feels the higher drum from her waist up and the lower one from the waist down.Music tingles in her skin,checkbones and hair.When she plays xylophone she feels the sound passing up the stick into her fingertips.

               PART - II 

(i) Tick the right answer. 

1. The (Shehnai,pungi) was a 'reeded noisemaker'.

Ans :- Pungi. 

2. (Bismillah khan,A barber,Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.

Ans :- A Barber.

3. Bismillah khan's paternal ancestors were (Barbers,Professional musicians).

Ans :- Professional musicians.

4. Bismillah khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali bux,Paigambar bux,Ustaad Eaiyaaz khan). 

Ans :- Ali bux. 

5. Bismillah khan's first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan,U.S.A.,Canada). 

Ans :- Afghanistan.

(ii) Answer these questions in 30-40 words. 

1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi ? 

Ans :- Aurangzeb banned the playing of the musical instrument pungi because it had a shrill,unpleasant sound.

2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi ?

Ans :-  Shehnai has a better tonal quality than pungi.It is a natural hollow stem pipe with holes on its body and is longer and broader then the pungi.Shehnai is,in a way,an improvement upon the pungi.

3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally ? How did Bismillah khan change this ? 

Ans :- The shehnai was traditionally played in royal courts,temples and weddings.Ustaad Bismillah khan,an undisputed monarch of shehnai brought this instrument onto the classical stage.

4. When and how did Bismillah khan get his big break ? 

Ans :- Bismillah khan got his break in 1938.The all India Radio opened in Lucknow and Bismillah khan played shehnai on radio.He soon became an often heard player on radio.He became the first Indian to greet the nation with his shehnai from the Red Fort on 15th August,1947.

5. Where did Bismillah khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947 ? Why was the event historic ? 

Ans :- On 15th August 1947,Bismillah khan played the Raag Kaali on his shehnai from Red Fort.The event was historical because it was played on the occasion of India's Independence from British Rule.

6. Why did Bismillah khan refuse to start a shehnai school in U.S.A. ? 

Ans :- Bismillah khan rsfused one of his student's request to start a shehnai school in U.S.A. because he would not live away from Hindustan,specifically from Benaras,the river Ganga and Dumaraon. 

7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah khan loves India and Benaras.

Ans :- In his initial years,Bismillah used to practice in the temples of Benaras and on the banks of river Ganga.Later,his love for India and Benaras made him turn down the offer to head a shehnai school in the U.S.A. Having born into a family of musicians,Ustaad Bismillah khan expressed his intrest in music at a young age.He was trained by his uncle and inspired by the flowing waters of the Ganga.He practiced hard in solace of the temples of Balaji and Mongala Maiya.He improved and invented raagas that were earlier deemed to be beyond the scope of the shehnai.His contribution successfully brought the shehnai onto the classical stage.Bismillah khan was awarded with several national awards including the highest civilian award of India,the Bharat Ratna.His accomplishments gave him worldwide recognition.

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