English Ch.2 The Sound of music.
Ch.2 The Sound of Music.
Date: 8.06.21
Topic taught.
Read the chapter and explanation of Evelyn Ginnie.
Date: 9.06.21
Topic taught-
- explanation of Bismillah Khan
- Discussion of textual exercise.( Part-I)
New words.
1.jostle
2.daunting
3.deteriorate
4.resonance
5.generic
6.replicate
Comprehension
questions
a)
How did Evelyn’s parents come to know about her deafness?
Once Evelyn‘s name was called in the class but
she did not respond. At that time she was just eight year old. Her performance
in class had deteriorated. The headmistress called her parents and suggested to
take her to a specialist. It was then her parents came to know about her
deafness.
b)
How was Evelyn’s hearing impaired?
Evelyn’s hearing was impaired as a result of gradual nerve
damage.
c)
Why does Evelyn say ‘Everything suddenly looked black’?
By the time she was eleven, Evelyn’s hearing was
severely affected and her parents were advised that she should be fitted with
hearing aids and sent to school for the deaf.
d)
Who spotted Evelyn’s potential for
playing music? What advice did he give her?
Percussionist Ron Forbes spotted Evelyn’s potential for playing music. He
advised her not to listen through her ears but to try and sense it some other way.
e)
How did Ron Forbes teach Evelyn to ‘listen’?
Ron Forbes began by tuning two large drums to
different notes. He encouraged her not to listen through her ears. He asked her
to try to sense it some other way.
Suddenly, Evelyn realized that she could feel the
higher drum from the waist up and the lower one from the waist down. With
repetition of the exercise, Evelyn soon discovered that she could sense certain
notes in different parts of the body. She learnt to open her mind and body to
sounds and vibrations.
f)
Why doesn’t Evelyn accept any hint of heroic achievement?
Evelyn doesn’t accept any hint of heroic
achievement because according to her – If you work hard and know where you are
going, you’ll get there.
a)
How is Evelyn able to speak despite being deaf?
Evelyn speaks flawlessly with a Scottish lilt
because she could hear till she was eleven. However it does not explain how she
managed to learn French and basic Japanese.
b)
How was Evelyn a
source of great pleasure to her audience?
Evelyn was very young. She performed
despite her handicap. Her music was better than those of her double age. She
was an inspiration to the handicapped. Thus, she has given enormous pleasure to
millions.
c)
Why was Evelyn
nervous while on the way to Royal Academy of
music?
Evelyn was only seventeen year old girl while she
was going to perform in Royal Academy of music. She was nervous as she was
completely deaf. Moreover, she was Scottish.
d)
Why did Evelyn
say that men with bushy beards gave her trouble?
Evelyn was a deaf girl. She understood others by
reading their facial expressions and movements of their eyes and lips. It was
difficult for her to read these movements of beard men. Thus, she remarked that
men with bushy beards gave her trouble.
e)
Why does Evelyn remove her shoes on a wooden platform?
Evelyn removes her shoes on a wooden platform
that vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her legs.
f)
Why, according to master percussionist James Blades
does Evelyn express music so beautifully?
According to James Blades, God may have taken
Evelyn’s hearing but he has given her back something extraordinary. What we
hear, she feels far more deeply than any of us. That is why she expresses music
so beautifully.
Answers to
Text book Questions
Question 1:
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?
Evelyn was seventeen years old when
she went to the Royal Academy of Music in London.
1. When was her
deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Her deafness was first noticed by her mother when
Evelyn was eight years old. She was once waiting to play the piano. When her
name was called, she did not move. That was when her mother realized that Evelyn
had not heard anything. Her deafness was confirmed when she was eleven. Her
marks had deteriorated and her headmistress had urged her parents to take her
to a specialist. It was then discovered that gradual nerve damage had severely
impaired her hearing.
Question 2:
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?
Percussionist Ron Forbes was the first person to
notice Evelyn’s potential. He began by tuning two large drums to different
notes. He asked Evelyn not to listen through her ears but to try and sense the
sound in some other manner. Suddenly Evelyn realized that she could feel the
higher drum from the waist up and the lower drum from the waist down. Forbes
repeated the exercise and Evelyn realized that she could sense certain notes in
different parts of her body.
2.
Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
Evelyn always delighted her audience. She had
toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra. She had a very hectic
international schedule. Apart from the regular concerts, she gave free concerts
in prisons and hospitals. She gave high priority to classes for young musicians
because of which she was a shining inspiration for deaf children.
Question 3:
Answer the
question in two or three paragraphs (100 – 150 words).
1.
How does Evelyn hear music?
Evelyn heard music by sensing the notes in
different parts of her body. When Ron Forbes tuned two drums and asked her to
sense the sound without using her ears, she realized that she could feel the
higher drum from the waist up and the lower drum from the waist down. When she
played the xylophone, she could sense the sound passing up the stick into her
fingertips. By leaning against the drums, she could feel the resonances flowing
into her body. On a wooden platform, she removed her shoes so that the vibrations
could pass through her bare feet. She herself said that music poured in n
through every part of her body. It tingled in the skin, her cheekbones and even
in her hair.
