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NIOS Class 10 English Chapter 9 Nine Gold Medals
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Nine Gold Medals
Chapter: 9
BOOK – I
9.2. LET US UNDERSTAND THE TEXT
9.2.1 PART – I (Stanzas 1 and 2)
The athletes had…….. high to begin.
Let us find out what happens in the poem. The brief explanation below would help you understand the poem better.
You must have heard the term ‘Olympics’. Well, Olympics are held once every four years. Athletes from all over the world train hard to participate in this event. Winning a medal in the Olympics is the ultimate goal of every athlete of the world. However, the setting or the scene of this poem is that of ‘Special Olympics’ Have you ever heard of the term ‘Special Olympics’? In these Olympics, differently-abled persons, who have some prohlem/s in a particular part of the body, participate in various sports events. The contestants put in a lot of preparation and practice. Everyone hopes to win a medal. The spectators are as excited as the contestants. They cheer and encourage the contestants. These two stanzas help to create the setting of the poem.
INTEXT QUESTIONS 9.1
Q.1. Complete the statement using the correct alternative.
The event which is being described in the poem is __________ event of the day.
(a) first.
(b) last.
(c) second.
Ans. (b) last.
Q.2. Find words that are opposite to each other from stanza 2?
Ans. Old – Young.
Men – Women.
Q.3. Answer the following questions in a sentence each:
(a) What do the words ‘gold’, ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’ stand for in the poem?
Ans. The words ‘gold’ ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’ stand for medals in the poem.
(b) Were the contestants well prepared for the event? Pick the line that illustates this.
Ans. The phrase many weeks and months of training tells us that the contestants were well prepared for the event.
Q.4. What efforts, other than training, are required to prepare oneself for a sport event? Hints are given in the picture below.
Ans. Apart from training healthy diet is needed. We need enough exercise, clean living conditions and rest.
LET US DO 9.1
Q.1. When a person does very well in a field of study, sports, art or work, he or she is given a prize. Mention the different kinds of things that are given away as prizes.
Do you think prizes are important? Why? Discuss with your friends. Write a brief report of your discussion. (150 words)
Ans. Appreciation plays a very important point in life. We like when we are admired in any manner. For winning in any field of study, sports, art or work prize is given. For me prizes are very important as they keep us motivated. They give us happiness and keep us going.
We had a deep discussion on this topic with our friends. They all had a twinkle in their eyes at the mention of prizes. They all desired to win one and promised to work hard.
The prize may be small or large, its holds. It is importance. The parents, teachers, principal or any authority most keep this concept in mind. Everyone showed deep importance to concept of prize.
9.2.2 PART 2 (Stanza 3,4 and 5)
The blocks ………….. what next occurred.
Now let us read the above stanzas and find out what happens next.
Of all the events in Olympics, the hundred-metre race is the most prestigious. The athlete, who wins it is remembered as the fastest man in the world. So, for Special Olympics. mentioned in the poem this is the final event, hence the most prestigious. The hundred-yard race is about to begin. The athletes take position at the starting blocks. They begin to run immediately after the starting pistol is fired. However, one of them is unable to run and falls on the track. The action has begun and already one episode has taken place. Notice how eight contestants are strong and run forward, while the ninth, who is the smallest, falls down. He cries out with the pain of disappointment. He has trained hard but does not get the opportunity to show his talent. All his dreams of winning the medal, are broken and destroyed. Let us see what happens next.
INTEXT QUESTIONS 9.2
Q.1. Read the statements given below and write T for true of F for false.
(a) The hundred-yash dash was a long jump.
Ans. False.
(b) The athletes were a little nervous.
Ans. False.
(c) The athletes ran before the signal was given.
Ans. False.
(d) One of the athletes could not run.
Ans. True.
Q.2. The word ‘exploded’ is used for the firing of the pistol. What does the phrase ‘so did the runners’ in line 2 of stanza 4 mean?
Ans. It means that the runners ran at once.
Q.3. How were the dreams of one of the contestants dashed in the dirt?
Ans. Dreams of one of the contestants were ‘dashed in the dirt when he fell on the black tarred road. Due to this he could not take part in the race so, he was not able to win the race.
Q.4. Notice how the words ‘stumbled and staggered’ in the line 3 of stanza 4 go together. Find a similar pair of words in stanza 5.
Ans. The pair of words is frustration and anguish’ in line 1 of stanza 5.
Q.5. Complete the following statement using the correct option from those given below.
The line ‘the same goes for what next occurred’ creates………………
(a) understanding.
(b) confusion.
(c) suspense.
Ans. (c) suspense.
Q.6. Suppose you were the contestant who fell down at the beginning of the race. What would you have done? Discuss with your friends and write in few sentences.
Ans. If I had fallen at the beginning of the race then I would have felt bad. But would have tried to stand up and continue the race. I would not have lost time if I might have lost but would not loose the spirit.
LET US DO 9.2
Q. 1. Find out for which positions the bronze, silver and gold medals are awarded in the Olympics.
Name any two Indians who have participated in the Olympics.
Ans. Self Activity.
Q. 2. Have you or anyone you know faced a major disappointment? How did you/he/ she deal with it? Discuss using the following key questions:
(a) What was the event?
(b) What had happened?
(c) How did I/he/she feel?
(d) What did I/he/she do?
(e) Was my/his/her behaviour appropriate?
(f) Could I/he/she have done something better in that situation?
9.2.3 PART 3 (Stanzas 6,7 and 8)
The eight other ……………. words ever will.
Something unexpected happened at the beginning of the race. Now let us see how many contestants finally ran the race. The explanation below might be of help to you.
When the remaining eight contestants saw him fall, they, instead of continuing the race, came to the help of their fellow contestant. All the athletes had dreamt of winning the medal. However, they readily forgot their dream and came forward to help the boy to his feet. Then all the nine contestants walked hand-in-hand to the finish line. The audience was so moved by the exemplary behaviour of the contestants that it stood up and clapped. There were now nine winners, instead of one, and each was given a gold medal. All the contestants displayed empathy turning the Special Olympics into a really ‘special’ one. Have you ever heard the word empathy? Empathy is the capacity to understand another person’s experience from his point of view. Simply stated, empathy is the ability to ‘put oneself in another’s shoes’ That is exactly what the eight contestants had done. One look at the fallen contestant had forced them to think ‘what would I have felt if I had fallen?’ and they knew exactly what they had to do.
By awarding gold medals to all nine contestants, the authorities honoured their display of empathy, helpful nature and human values.
INTEXT QUESTIONS 9.3
Q.1. Explain the following phrases in a sentence or two.
(a) pulled up on their heels.
Ans. Pulled up on their heels’, means eight other contestants stopped running.
(b) brought the young boy to his feet.
Ans. (b) The phrase brought the young boy to his feet means that other eight contestants helped the boy who had fallen down, stand on his feet.
Q.2. Explain in your own words the hundred-yard dash now reduced to a walk.
Ans. Since one of boy had fallen down. The boy was unable to run. The others decided not to run either. All nine of the contestants decided to walk hand in hand so dash was reduced to a walk.
Q.3. How would the nine contestants have felt when they all reached the finish line together? Which words indicate this? Do you think they were happy because they had won the gold medal? Why?
Ans. The contestants must have felt happy on reaching the finishing line with ‘hosting hands’. The words nine beaming faces tell us how happy they were. They got a standing or action.
The contestants were not happy because they had won the gold medal. They were very proud of standing with each other. They helped each other at cost of winning a gold medal.
Q.4. How did the spectators react to the geshire of the eight contestants?
Ans. The spectator gave a standing ovation to the contestants. They all stood up and clapped for them. Each of the contestants was given a gold medal.
Q.1. Your friend, Muniya has lost her English notes just before the examination. She is afraid that she will now fail the examination. She is not able to concentrate on studying and ends up crying every time she is reminded of her loss. What are the different ways in which you could help her? Keywords: Listening, empathising, boosting confidence, counselling, sharing.
Ans. We all know that time is the most important factor in life when we lose something important we really feel sad.
When my friend Muniya lost her English notes, I felt very bad for her. She had always worked very hard and now she was scarred about her results. I listened to her problem and showed her empathy. I counselled her that never loose hope at such small matters. I decided to share my notes with her so felt a bit consoled and showed a ray of hope.
9.3 APPRECIATION
Alliteration
Q.1. In a line in stanza 4, the consonant sound/s/has been repeated in order to bring about a musical effect.
But the smallest among them, he stumbled and staggered.
This repetition of the same sound is called alliteration.
Here the sound/s/has been repeated. Find another such line from stanza 5.
Q.2. No specific rhyme scheme has been followed in the poem. Yet the poem has a rhythm of its own. Read it aloud to feel the rhythm. Here are a few examples.
(a) And a banner above that said ‘Special Olympics’ could not have been more on the mark. (stanza 7)
(b) And a standing ovation and nine beaming faces. Said more than these words ever will. (stanza 8)
Q.3. Poetry says a lot in a few words. Here too, the poet has used the technique of not expressing directly and encouraging the readers to infer meanings on their own.
WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT
In order to enhance the quality of our life we need to develop empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and accept others who are different from us. It helps us to appreciate what the other person is going through and to offer emotional support at the time of need. Empathy works wonders when applied to relationships – our family, our friends or colleagues. It encourages positive behaviour towards people who are in need. Not only does empathy help us to resolve conflicts but it also enables us to find solutions to problems. In the process we end up making decisions to benefit us without hurting others. The poem also shows that empathetic behaviour is applauded by all.
? DO YOU KNOW
Special Olympics is an international organisation created to help people with intellectual disabilities develop self-confidence, social skills and a sense of personal accomplishment. Among their other activities, Special Olympics conducts the Special Olympics World Games every two years, alternating between Summer and Winter Games. Special Olympics offers children and adults with intellectual disabilities year-round training and competition in 30 Olympic-type summer and winter sports. These games are also held as national events in some countries.
Special Olympics International was founded by Mrs Eunice Shriver, sister of (late) President John F Kennedy of USA.
Special Olympics Bharat, the National Programme, based in Delhi, is accredited by Special Olympics International It is recognised by the Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports as a National Sports Federation for development of sports for the mentally disabled.
TERMINAL QUESTIONS
Q.1. Complete the statements using the correct option from those given.
(i) The poem describes a:
(a) school Sports Day with participants from different schools.
(b) national sports event for women.
(c) national sports event for the differently-abled.
Ans. (c) The poem describes national sports events for the differently abled.
(ii) The contestants of the race received a standing ovation because:
(a) they are challenged in various ways and not used to sports.
(b) they thought it more important to help than to get a medal.
(c) they don’t like competition and don’t care about winning.
Ans. (b) they thought it more important to help than to get a medal.
Q.2. Who won the race and how ? Explain in about 50 words.
Ans. All the nine contestants won the race as they reached the finishing line together. One of the contestants fell down at the start of the race. The contestant did not run to take their position but turned back and went to his help. So all of them completed the race together. They were given the gold medal because all of them showed the true spirit of sportsmanship.
Q.3. Do you think tittle of the poem is justified? How?
Ans. Yes Nine Gold Medals, is an appropriate title. It is because the nine contestants deserved the medal. The medals were won because the smallest one did not give up the other contestants were helpful and caring. They all stayed together.
Q.4. What is the central idea of the poem?
Ans. The poem wants to convey that sharing and caring are as important as winning and achieving.
Q. 5. Have you ever witnessed any event in ‘Special Olympics’ in real life or on television? Describe it briefly.
Ans. It is a sports programme for differently- abled. Each one aims to participate and win in best way.
Q.6. Can you think of any other act of selflessness? Describe it.
Ans. Once I was travelling by bus on the way I got sick one of the co-passengers got very worried the got down with me from the bus. Then he took me to the hospital and stay with me till my family came. He delayed his programme but never hesitated.
Q.7. What have you learnt from the poem?
Ans. We learnt that at times we keep our interests aside. We should be ready to help in every situation. It teaches us value of co-operation is greater than spirit of competition.
Q.8. What is the turning point in the poem?
Ans. When the pistol was fired, one contestant fell down. The race could have been decisive if other contestants had continues. But something different happened others stopped and turned to help the fellow contestant. So this was the turning point.
PASSAGE FOR COMPREHENSION
PASSAGE – 1
The athletes had come from all over the country.
To run for the gold, for the silver and bronze.
Many weeks and months of training.
All coming down to these games.
Questions
1. How many athletes had come?
Ans. Nine athletes had come.
2. Which medals were to be given?
Ans. Three kind of medals were to be given.
3. How had all these come to games?
Ans. These all had come after week’s and months of training.
4. Which word means players?
Ans. Players – Athletes.
PASSAGE – 2
The spectators gathered around the old field To cheer on all the young women and men. The final event of the day was approaching. Excitement grew high to begin.
Questions
1. Why had the spectators gathered?
Ans. The spectators had gathered to cheer all young women and men.
2. Where had the spectators gathered?
Ans. They had gathered around the old field.
3. What happend when final event of the day came near?
Ans. When the final event grow excitement grew high.
4. Find word which means ‘to come near.
Ans. To came near-approaching.
PASSAGE – 3
The blocks were all lined up for those who would use them.
The hundred-yard dash and the race to be run.
These were nine resolved athletes in back of the starting line.
Poised for the sound of the gun.
Questions
1. What did the blocks Indian?
Ans. Blocks indicate starting block which the runners will push to begin the race.
2. What was the distance of the race?
Ans. The distance of the race was hundred yards.
3. For what athletes were waiting?
Ans. The athletes were waiting for the sound of the gun.
4. Give the meaning of ‘poised’.
Ans. Poised-ready
PASSAGE – 4
The signal was given, the pistol exploded.
And so did the runners all charging ahead.
But the smallest among them, he stumbled and staggered.
And fell to the asphalt instead.
Questions
1. What happened when signal was given?
Ans. When signal was giving, the runners charged ahead.
2. What happened to the smallest athlete?
Ans. The smallest athlete lost balance and tripped in walking.
3. Where did he fall?
Ans. He fell on the asphalt.
