Extract No. 03
PageNo. 80 [Lines, “I Was quite……… to fight back”]
Read the first activity, read the
extract and do all activities that
follow.
A1. True or false : (02)
State whether the following statements are True or false. Correct the false statements.
a) The writer studied in convent school and was very fluent in English. (F)
Correct statement - The writer had his entire education in Marathi.His spoken English was quite pathetic.
b) The writer wanted to run away back to solapur from Mumbai.(T)
c) The writer’s joy to join IIT Mumbai did not last for more days.(T)
d) The senior student, a convent educated boy was very polite with the writer.(F)
Correct statement. - The senior student, a convent educated boy was very arrogant and wanted to pull his leg.
I was quite happy getting into IIT, but my joy was shortlived. At Solapur I had not seen any building which was more than three storeyed. Mumbai however was full of skyscrapers. At IIT, most of the students and professors used to converse in English whereas my English was very poor. I had my entire education in Marathi. My spoken English was quite pathetic. Not only did I have a very weak vocabulary, but, my pronunciation also was terrible and my construction of English sentences very awkward to say the least. Due to all this, I was feeling quite lonely and terrified in Mumbai in general and IIT in particular. I had developed an inferiority complex and wanted to run
away from IIT and even Mumbai.
One day, I was sitting at my mess table in the hostel sipping tea when a senior guy came and sat on the chair adjacent to me. He was a convent educated guy with fairly sophisticated English- at least spoken or colloquial English. He was a bit arrogant and wanted to pull my leg. He tried to engage in some conversation with me and started pointing out errors in just about every sentence or everything that I said. After about 5 minutes he walked away after insulting me.
I felt extremely humiliated and upset. As it is, I was feeling quite depressed and diffident and this incident was the last straw. I was almost broken. I felt out of place there and literally wanted to run away to Solapur that very moment. However, it was only my self-esteem which stopped me. Suddenly, a feeling of determination and strength came over me and gripped me. Despite hailing from Solapur, if I could be a rank holder in the school, college and IIT with many awards in Mathematics, there must be something right with me. Why should I give up? And that too for a silly and small thing like English? I was not to give up anymore, and I was determined to fight back.
A2: Distinguish : (02)
Distinguish between the
writer’s background at Solapur and t
background at IIT Mumbai.
A3. Give reasons : (02)
The writer was completely stumped while communicating in English at IIT Mumbai because……….
His English was very poor. He had his entire education in Marathi. His Spoken English was quite pathetic. He had a very weak vocabulary. His pronunciation was terrible and construction of English sentences Very awkward.
A4. Personal Response : (02)
Do you think that the medium of learning should be Mother tongue or an International Language ? Write your views in fifty words.
A5. Language study : (02)
a) I was quite happy getting into IIT,but my joy was short-lived.
(Rewrite the sentence beginning With,” Though/Although….”)
Though/ Although I was quite happy getting into IIT my joy was short-lived.
b) My English was very poor. (Make it Exclamatory)
How poor My English was!
c) My spoken English was quite pathetic. (Make it Exclamatory)
How pathetic my spoken English was !
d) Why should I give up ? (Make it Assertive)
I should not give up.
A6. Vocabulary : (02)
Find out words from the
extract which
mean the following.
a)Unrealistic feeling of inadequacy =
inferiority complex
b) Advanced = sophisticated
c) Haughty or rude = arrogant
