NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Beehive: The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music (Part I: Evelyn Glennie)
Thinking about the Text
Question 1: How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
Answer - Evelyn was a slight girl, looking younger than her seventeen years, when she arrived for her first day at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London.
Question 2: When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Answer - Her deafness was first noticed when she was eight years old. Her mother noticed something was wrong when Evelyn didn’t move after her name was called to play the piano. It was confirmed by a specialist when she was eleven. The specialist discovered that her hearing was severely impaired as a result of gradual nerve damage.
Question 3: Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
Answer - Percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential and helped her to continue with music. He began by tuning two large drums to different notes and told her, “Don’t listen through your ears,” adding, “try to sense it some other way”. This guidance helped Evelyn discover that she could feel the notes through her body.
Question 4: Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
Answer - Apart from giving regular concerts, Evelyn gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She also gives high priority to classes for young musicians, acting as a shining inspiration for deaf children.
Question 5: How does Evelyn hear music?
Answer - Evelyn hears music not through her ears but by sensing sounds and vibrations through her mind and body. She explains that music “pours in through every part of my body”, causing a tingling sensation in her skin, cheekbones, and even in her hair. When playing the xylophone, she senses the sound passing up the stick into her fingertips. She feels the resonances flowing into her body by leaning against the drums. Furthermore, she performs on a wooden platform having removed her shoes, so that the vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her legs.
The Sound of Music (Part II: The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan)
Thinking about the Text I (Tick the right answer)
Question 6: The (shehnai, pungi ) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’
Answer - The pungi was a ‘reeded noisemaker’.
Question 7: (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
Answer - A barber transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
Question 8: Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).
Answer - Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were professional musicians.
Question 9: Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).
Answer - Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from Ali Bux.
Question 10: Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).
Answer - Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to Afghanistan.
Thinking about the Text III (30–40 words)
Question 11: Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Answer - Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi in the royal residence because it had a shrill unpleasant sound. The instrument was considered a reeded noisemaker.
Question 12: How is a shehnai different from a pungi?
Answer - A shehnai is different from a pungi because it was created using a pipe with a natural hollow stem that was longer and broader. It had seven holes on its body which, when closed and opened, produced soft and melodious sounds.
Question 13: Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?
Answer - Traditionally, the shehnai was part of the naubat (traditional ensemble of nine instruments) at royal courts. Till recently, it was used only in temples and weddings. Bismillah Khan changed this by bringing the shehnai onto the classical stage.
Question 14: When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Answer - Bismillah Khan got his big break in 1938 with the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow. He soon became an often-heard shehnai player on the radio.
Question 15: Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Answer - Bismillah Khan played the shehnai on 15 August 1947 from the Red Fort. The event was historic because he became the first Indian to greet the nation with his instrument, pouring his heart out into Raag Kafi.
Question 16: Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
Answer - Bismillah Khan refused because he was exceedingly fond of Benaras and Dumraon. When the student promised to replicate the temples, Khansaab asked if he would be able to transport River Ganga as well. He loved India and yearned to see Hindustan when abroad.
Question 17: Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.
Answer - Instance 1: He was so dedicated to Benaras that he said, “God forbid! Me, leave Benaras? Never!” when asked if he thought of moving to Pakistan during Partition. Instance 2: When abroad, he kept yearning to see Hindustan. Even in Mumbai, he thought only of Benaras and the holy Ganga.
Thinking about Language
I. Complete the following sentences. Beginning with a to-verb, try to answer the questions in brackets.
Question 18: The school sports team hopes (What does it hope to do?)
Answer - The school sports team hopes to win the championship.
Question 19: We all want (What do we all want to do?)
Answer - We all want to succeed in life.
Question 20: They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother (What did they advise her to do?)
Answer - They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother to get her fitted with hearing aids.
Question 21: The authorities permitted us to (What did the authorities permit us to do?)
Answer - The authorities permitted us to use the hall for the rehearsal.
Question 22: A musician decided to (What did the musician decide to do?)
Answer - A musician decided to make music his life.
II. From the text on Bismillah Khan, find the words and phrases that match these definitions and write them down.
Question 23: the home of royal people (1)
Answer - Royal residence.
Question 24: the state of being alone (5)
Answer - Solitude.
Question 25: a part which is absolutely necessary (2)
Answer - Indispensable component.
Question 26: to do something not done before (5)
Answer - Improvise and invent.
Question 27: without much effort (13)
Answer - Effortlessly.
Question 28: quickly and in large quantities (9)
Answer - Thick and fast.
III. Tick the right answer.
Question 29: When something is revived, it (remains dead/lives again).
Answer - When something is revived, it lives again.
Question 30: When a government bans something, it wants it (stopped/started).
Answer - When a government bans something, it wants it stopped.
Question 31: When something is considered auspicious, (welcome it/avoid it).
Answer - When something is considered auspicious, welcome it.
Question 32: When we take to something, we find it (boring/interesting).
Answer - When we take to something, we find it interesting.
Question 33: When you appreciate something, you (find it good and useful/find it of no use).
Answer - When you appreciate something, you find it good and useful.
Question 34: When you replicate something, you do it (for the first time/for the second time).
Answer - When you replicate something, you do it for the second time.
Question 35: When we come to terms with something, it is (still upsetting/no longer upsetting).
Answer - When we come to terms with something, it is no longer upsetting.
IV. Dictionary work: Use these words in phrases or sentences of your own (using words from the text portion of the exercise: indispensable, impressed, paternal, priceless).
Question 36: Use the word indispensable in a sentence.
Answer - The shehnai is an indispensable component of any North Indian wedding.
Question 37: Use the word impressed in a sentence.
Answer - Everyone was impressed by the soft and melodious sounds produced by the new instrument.
Question 38: Use the word paternal in a sentence.
Answer - Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were well-known musicians.
Question 39: Use the word priceless in a sentence.
Answer - King Zahir Shah gifted Bismillah Khan priceless Persian carpets.