1. The (shehnai, pungi) was a 'reeded noisemaker'.
Answer:- Pungi
2. (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
Answer:- A barber
3. Bismillah Khan's paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).
Answer:- Professional musicians
4. Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).
Answer:- Ali Bux
5. Bismillah Khan's first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).
Answer:- Afghanistan
II. Bismillah Khan's Feelings
Item Feeling
1. Teaching children music. Positive
2. The film world. Negative
3. Migrating to the U.S.A. Negative
4. Playing at temples.
Positive
5. Getting the Bharat Ratna . Positive
6. The banks of the Ganga. Positive
7. Leaving Benaras and Dumraon. Negative
III. Answer these questions in 30–40 words
1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Answer:- Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi because he disliked its shrill and unpleasant sound. He did not want such a noisy instrument to be played in the royal palace.
2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?
Answer:- The shehnai is longer and broader than the pungi and has seven holes. It produces soft, pleasant, and melodious music, whereas the pungi produces a shrill and harsh sound.
3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?
Answer:- Traditionally, the shehnai was played in temples, royal courts, and at weddings. Bismillah Khan brought it to the classical music stage and made it popular throughout India and across the world.
4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Answer:- Bismillah Khan got his big break in 1938 when the All India Radio was established in Lucknow. His regular performances on the radio made him famous throughout the country.
5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Answer:- Bismillah Khan played the shehnai at the Red Fort in Delhi on 15 August 1947. The event was historic because it marked India's Independence, and he became the first Indian to greet the nation with his shehnai.
6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
Answer:- Bismillah Khan refused because he was deeply attached to India, especially Benaras and the River Ganga. He believed that no place in the world could replace their spiritual and cultural atmosphere.
7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.
Answer:-He refused to settle in the U.S.A. because he could not live without Benaras and the River Ganga.
He said that whenever he was abroad, he longed to return to Hindustan, Benaras, and his hometown, Dumraon.
I. Complete the sentences using a to-verb.
1. The school sports team hopes to win the championship.
2. We all want to succeed in life.
3. They advised the hearing-impaired child's mother to send her to a school for the deaf.
4. The authorities permitted us to enter the auditorium.
5. A musician decided to improve the tonal quality of the pungi.
II. Find the words/phrases from the lesson.
1. The home of royal people (Paragraph 1)
Answer:- Royal residence
2. The state of being alone (Paragraph 5)
Answer:- Solitude
3. A part which is absolutely necessary (Paragraph 2)
Answer:- Indispensable component
4. To do something not done before (Paragraph 5)
Answer:- Invent
5. Without much effort (Paragraph 13)
Answer:- Effortlessly
6. Quickly and in large quantities (Paragraph 9)
Answer:- Thick and fast
III. Tick the Right Answer
1. When something is revived, it
(a) remains dead
(b) lives again
Answer:- Lives again
2. When a government bans something, it wants it
(a) stopped
(b) started
Answer:- Stopped
3. When something is considered auspicious, people
(a) welcome it
(b) avoid it
Answer:- Welcome it
4. When we take to something, we find it
(a) boring
(b) interesting
Answer:- Interesting
5. When you appreciate something, you
(a) find it good and useful
(b) find it of no use
Answer:- Find it good and useful
6. When you replicate something, you do it
(a) for the first time
(b) for the second time
Answer:- For the second time
7. When we come to terms with something, it is
(a) still upsetting
(b) no longer upsetting
Answer:- No longer upsetting
