NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 6 My Childhood

I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each:-

1. Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?

Ans: Abdul Kalam’s house was on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram.

2. What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.

Ans: Dinamani is the name of a newspaper. Abdul Kalam attempted to read headlines, to know about the war news.

3. Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?

Ans: Abdul Kalam’s school friends were Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakashan.

Ramanadha Sastry later became the priest of the Rameswaram temple. Aravindan later became a businessman of arranging transport for visiting pilgrims. And Sivaprakashan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.

4. How did Kalam earn his first wages?

Ans: Kalam's cousin used to distribute newspapers. Kalam used to help his cousin in collecting the bundles of newspapers that were thrown on the road from the moving train. For this, he used to get some money. In this way, Abdul Kalam earned his first wages.

5. Had he(Abdul Kalam) earned any money before that? In what way?

Ans: Yes, Abdul Kalam had earned money before that. In 1939, during the time of 2nd World War, the demand for tamarind seeds increased suddenly. He used to collect the seeds and sell them into a provision shop on Mosque Street. In one day he had earned a sum of one anna.

II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph --

1. How does the author(Abdul Kalam) describes: (i) his father, (ii) his mother, (iii) himself?

Ans: (i) The author(Abdul Kalam) describes that his father had not much formal education and wealth. But he had natural wisdom. He was a generous person at heart. He was an austere person. He used to avoid all unnecessary comforts and luxuries. However, he provided all the needs of his family.

(ii) The author(Abdul Kalam) describes his mother was an ideal wife. She was a kindhearted lady. She used to feed at her house a number of outsiders daily. At bedtime, his mother used to tell the events of Ramayana and the life of the Prophet.

(iii) The author(Abdul Kalam) describes himself that he was born into a middle-class family. He was a short boy with simple looks.

2. What characteristics does he(Abdul Kalam) say he inherited from his parents?

Ans: Abdul Kalam says that from his parents, he inherited honesty, self-discipline, faith in goodness and deep kindness.

III. Answer in 2 or 3 paragraphs each.

1. “On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups,” says the author. --

(i) Which social groups does he(Abdul Kalam) mention? Were these groups easily identifiable?

Ans: Kalam has mentioned Hindus and Muslims as two social groups living in Rameswaram.

Yes, these groups were easily identifiable. For example, The Muslims could be identified by their cap and the Hindus by their sacred thread.

(ii) Were they aware only of their differences or did they also naturally share friendships and experiences?

Ans: The Hindus and the Muslims were aware of the differences between them. But they lived together in a friendly manner. For example, Kalam had three friends who were all Brahmins. His mother used to tell him stories from the Ramayana at bedtime. During the annual marriage ceremony of Rama and Sita, the family used to arrange boats to carry the idols of Rama. All these things show that both the communities lived in love and peace with each other.

(iii) The author (Abdul Kalam) speaks both of the people who were very aware of the differences among them and those who tried to bridge these differences. Can you identify such people in the text?

Ans: Yes, I can identify such people in the text. The author says of two of his teachers. One of them, a new teacher who had seen Kalam sitting with a Brahmin boy in the class and asked him to sit on the last bench.

The other teacher was Kalam's science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer. He was a Brahmin. He was against all social barriers. He invited Kalam to his home for a meal. He served Kalam with his own hands and eats together.

Thus, the author clarifies that there were both types of people. There were people who took aware of the differences. There were also those who tried to bridge these differences.

(iv) Describe two incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be resolved. How can people change their attitudes?

Ans: The author narrates two incidents from his school days. A new teacher had joined Kalam's school. He knew from Kalam's cap that he was a Muslim. He saw him sitting in the front row with a Brahmin boy. He at once asked him to go and sit on the last bench.

But Kalam's science teacher was quite the opposite. He was against all social barriers. He wanted to break them. His wife was a conservative lady. One day the teacher invited Kalam for a meal at his home. His wife refused to serve Kalam in her kitchen. The teacher did not get angry. He served Kalam with his own hands. The next time Kalam noticed a great change in the teacher's wife. She took Kalam inside her kitchen. She served him there with her own hands.

These two incidents show how differences can be created and how they can be resolved. By following the way of Kalam's science teacher, people can change their attitude. We are all the children of the same God. We all eat and drink in the same manner.

2. (i) Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?

(ii) What did his(Abdul Kalam) father say to this?

(iii) What do you think his(Kalam’s father) words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?

Ans: i) Abdul Kalam decided to go to Ramanathapuram for further studies and to grow his life. So, he wanted to leave Rameswaram.

ii) Kalam's father said that he knew that one day Kalam had to go away to higher study. He gave him the example of a seagull and said that a Seagull flies across the sun, alone and without a nest.

iii) His words are full of deep wisdom. A young bird can never learn to fly until and unless it leaves its nest. The father wanted his son not to be confined to his own home. For humans, independence and responsibility are always helpful in making a perfect adult.

I think he spoke these words in order to Abdul Kalam may be encouraged.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 6 My Childhood