Unit 2.1 Song of the Open Road

 Unit 2.1  Song of the Open Road by  Walt Whitman

  Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before me,

The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,

Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,

Strong and content I travel the open road.

The earth, that is sufficient,

I do not want the constellations any nearer,

I know they are very well where they are,

I know they suffice for those who belong to them.

(Still here I carry my old delicious burdens,

I carry them, men and women; I carry them with me wherever I go,

I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them,

I am filled with them, and I will fill them in return.

Afoot- in preparation,on the way

Whimper - low weak or sad cries

Querulous - complaining,

Constellations - Fate, destiny or influential people.

Suffice - adequate or enough.

Paraphrase of the poem.

The speaker of the poem is describing a trip on which he embarking. He describes himself as being,” Healthy and free,” and he realises he is the only person who is in complete control of his life; he is having his own identity. Because of this realisation, he does not have to wish or hope or pray for good fortune. He attests that he himself, is his own good fortune and that is all he needs there is nothing that he is lacking. He will reach his destination on his own and the earth will provide him with anything extra that is necessary. This is not to say that the road he is taking is not paved with imperfections and burdens, rather than worry, however, the speaker has decided to take those burdens with him and deal with them as they arise.

First stanza: The reader is able to glean several important points. First the speaker is setting out on the open road on foot. Secondly, he is light hearted and open to all he is about to experience. The speaker recognises that it is he who is in control of his journey. He will choose where the path will take him on his journey.

Second stanza: The speaker says that he does not have to pray for good luck because he is the maker of his own luck. He will no longer cry to hesitate to do what he wants because he is in need of nothing. He is no longer content with being walled inside, he is strong and happy to be on the open road….( Line 6 carefree tone)

Third stanza: The speaker seems to separate himself from others. He says that the earth is fine the way; it is he does not desire to be any closer to the stars than he already is. He knows they are fine where they are and he knows they are good enough for those who belong to the constellations. He does not belong to them because he does not need them.

Fourth stanza: Whitman’s use of parenthesis here makes the stanza more of an aside than its own separate being. It is almost afterthoughts that the speaker decides to throw in but it is still important to song of the open road. Here the speaker admits that he is not without his own problems, but instead of fretting, he relishes them. The reader can see this through Whitman’s diction. The speaker is stating here that his burdens do not define him; rather he accepts them and carries them with him wherever he goes.

Q. Read the given extract and do all the activities that follow it.

A1. Pick out :                            (02)

Pick out the lines showing that the poet is prepared to enjoy every moment of his journey.

1. Afoot and light hearted I take to the open road.

2. Healthy, free, the world before me.

3. Henceforth, the world before me.

4. I whimper no more, postpone no more need more.

5. Strong and content I travel the open road.

6. The earth,that is sufficient.

A2. True or false :                    (02)

State whether the following statements are True or false.

1. The speaker says that he will choose the path and it will take him on his journey. (T)

2. The speaker decides not to complain or regret about his journey. (T)

3. The speaker wants that fate/destiny should always be there with him. (F)

4. He carries the burden wherever he goes. (F)

A2. Choose and complete :.    (02)

Complete the following lines and rewrite it.

1. By “old delicious burdens” the post means…………………

a) The luggage

b) The food he carries.

c) The stress he bears during the travel.

d) Sweet memories of the past.

2. By constellations any nearer, the word constellations means…..

a) Complaints

b) Regrets

c) Concessions

d) fate/destiny/influential people.

3. Strong and content I travel the open road the line implies that……………………

a) He is very strong and happy to do whatever he wants to do.

b) Physically strong and muscular

c) Strong hands to lift his luggage.

d) Travelling abroad.

4. I whimper no more means…………………………………

a) He will not cry or express his sadness any more.

b) He will file a complaint without waiting.

c) He will wait for some more time.

d) He has the sources to deal with people.

A2. Inference / interpretative / Analysis :                                   (02)

The poet is a person who is free from all inhibitions. Discuss how the concept of” Freedom” is expressed in the poem.

The speaker wants to travel to open road. He is strong and healthy and free. The  World is waiting for him. The speaker has a freedom to go wherever he wants to go. The road Signifies mobility and keep on moving. He is having free will to choose the path of his life.He is all set to follow the road to his dream/destination.

A2. Interpret :                          (02)

Interpret the line,” I do not want the constellations any nearer.

The line implies that he does not want any favour from fate/destiny or any influential person in his journey of life. He is quite strong and content to start his venture. He feels that the earth is fine the way it is. He does not have the desire to be any closer to the stars than he already is.

A2. Infer :                                   (02)

Infer the line,” I carry my old delicious burdens,”

The line,’ I carry my old delicious burdens” means he is not without his own problems but instead of fretting he relishes them. His use of the word delicious is no accident. He and his burdens share a symbiotic relationship of sorts. He is filled with his burdens and in return, he fills them.

A2. Distinguish :.                       (02)

Distinguish between the past life and the present life of the speaker mentioned in the poem.

In the past, the speaker was hesitant to start his journey. He believed in fate, destiny or good fortune .He used to complain and regret about his life. He was scared of criticism and did not dare to venture.

In the present, he is a changed personality with a desire to have a freedom. He has chosen his way of life happily and he is not complaining or postponing thing. He is strong and contended.

A3. Personal Response :            (02)

Give suggestions for a happy, peaceful and a prosperous life in about fifty words.

A3. Personal Response :             (02)

Do you believe that,” Fortune favours the brave” justify your answer with suitable examples.

( In about fifty words)

A3. Personal Response :           (02)

Procrastination is a bad thing and it is the root  cause of man’s failure. Comment and share your views on this in about fifty words.

A3. Personal Response :           (02)

According to you, what obstacles, difficulties, odds, problems are faced by people to become a successful person in their journey of life. Write in about fifty words.

A3. Personal Response :            (02)

‘Whenever there is freedom, there comes the  responsibilities” Do you agree with this notion ? Justify your answer in about fifty words.

A4. Poetic Devices :             (02)

Pick out one example of Repetition from the extract.

Henceforth I ask not good fortune; I myself am good-fortune.

A4. Poetic Devices :                   (02)

Name and explain the figure of speech used in the given line.

“Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune.

Pick out one similar example from the extract.

( This is a practice Activity for students)

A4. Poetic Devices :                  (02)

Find one example of Metaphor from the extract and explain it.

“Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road.”

The road in the line does not mean only the road to travel. The poet wants to suggest the road of life. 

It is an implied (Indirect/implicit) Comparison.

A4. Poetic Devices :                   (02)

Name and explain the figure of speech used in the line.

“I carry my old delicious burdens”

The figure of speech used here is an example of paradox because a burden cannot be delicious. The poet has used this combination of words to express that he has many sweet memories of the people and places which he would like to remember forever. The poet has used seemingly self-contradictory, absurd, expressions to convey the meaning. 

His heart is full of sweet memories of good and kind people. Though he wants to be free from any type of attachment. He wants to cherish these sweet memories in his heart forever.

A4. Poetic Devices :                   (02)

The poem is written in Free verse. Write some features of Free verse.

Free verse is a poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular rhythm. 

The features of free verse are.

a) Free verse does not have regular metre or rhythm. It does not rhyme with fixed forms.

b) The poet has a freedom to express his ideas freely without any fixed verse pattern.

c) No Restriction of number of lines, number of stanzas, Rhyme scheme rhyming pair of words.

A5. Poetic Creativity :           (02)

Complete the lines.

I take to the open road

………………………….

…………………………

…………………………

A5. Poetic creativity :            (02)

Strong and content I travel the open road

The earth, that is sufficient

I do not want the constellations any nearer.

I know they are very well where they are.

Remove the underlined second and fourth lines and compose two meaningful lines of your own.

A5. Poetic Creativity :            (02)

Still here I carry my old delicious burdens

Compose the next continuous 2/4 lines of your own.

A5. Poetic Creativity :             (02)

Compose any two lines of your own on the Theme, “The path of my life.”

Activities prepared by

TUSHAR J BAGWE

K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE VIDYAVIHAR EAST MUMBAI 77

E Mail ID: tushar@somaiya.edu

Mobile: 9820928141

The Blogger

Voyaging Towards Excellence 8

 Extract No. 08

Page No. 84  [Lines, “After this ……… thinking big.” ]

Read the first activity, read the extract and do all the activities that follow.

A1. Complete : (02)

Complete the table by writing down necessary information from the extract,

NO SUBJECT/TOPIC NAME OF THE BOOK

a Autobiography musafir

b Psychology Manat

c science kimayagar

d management boardroom

After this, I have written about 34 books in Marathi. Most of them have become bestsellers with tens of thousands of copies sold for each. However, it is not the sales or the money that is important to me as much as the fact that these books have brought about very good changes in the lives of thousands of readers. After reading my autobiography ‘Musafir’ and a book on Psychology ‘Manat’, hundreds have come out of depression and more than a dozen have given up thoughts of committing suicide and decided to start all afresh. There are hundreds who tell me that they understood the theory of relativity or Big Bang after reading my book on Science ‘Kimayagar’. My book ‘Boardroom’ on Management has created at least 20 successful entrepreneurs. Then there are hundreds who tell me that they now can understand Economic Times or NDTV Profit after reading my book on economics ‘Arthat’. Many have turned to Mathematics after reading my book on Mathematics ‘Ganiti’. The same is true about my books on Indian Music (Nadvedh), English Literature (Zapoorza), Painting (Canvas), Western Films (Limelight) and Western Music (Symphony) or books such as ‘Genius’ series, ‘Rakta’ or ‘Vitamins’ or ‘Anartha’. It is these reactions of thousands of readers and the feeling that I am touching the hearts of thousands, if not lakhs, of my readers that keeps me going.

Why am I telling you my story? When I look back, there are a number of lessons and values that I cherish and keep learning about even today. Some of these are: Thirst for knowledge, Curiosity, Humility, Humanity, Rationality, Equality, Team work, Quest for excellence, Never say die, Thinking big...

A2. Describe : (02)

Describe how the author touch the hearts of the readers.

A3. Give reasons : (02)

The writer says that it is not the sales or the money that is important to me because ………

A4. Personal response : (02)

The hunger for knowledge and thirst for learning should be never ending. Do you agree with the view. justify your answer with examples.

A5. Language study : (02)

a)  I have written about 34 books.  (identify the tense used here)

Present Perfect Tense.

b) I am touching the hearts of thousands. 

(Rewrite the sentence using present perfect Continuous tense)

I have been touching the hearts of thousands.

A6. Vocabulary : (02)

Find out words from the extract which mean the following.

a) Sale of books in large numbers = best sellers

b) Creative businessman = entrepreneurs

c) Treasure lovingly = cherish

d) Logically = rationality

Activities with expected answers by

TUSHAR J BAGWE

K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE VIDYAVIHAR EAST MUMBAI 77

Mobile :9820928141

E Mail ID : tushar@somaiya.edu

Voyaging Towards Excellence 7

 Extract No. 07

Page No. 83   [Lines, “ I passed ………  began..”]

Read the first activity, read the extract and do all the activities that follow.

A1. Choose : (02)

Choose the correct option and rewrite the sentences.

a) After passing out from IIT,the writer joined a non-violent movement for tribal called……

1.Non –co operation.      2. Azad andolan

3. Quit India 4.Sarvodya.

b) The writer settled his career on………………………………………………..

1.Information Technology

2. Scientist

3. Professor 4. Businessman.

c) The writer believes that Nothing is impossible without  ………………………

1. Ego 2. Arrogance

3. Team work 4.Attitude

d) The writer’s first love was…………….

1. His wife.      2.To read and write.

3. His lucrative job. 4. Money

I passed from IIT, joined a non-violent social movement for tribals with Sarvodaya, participated in a peaceful satyagraha, went to jail for 10 days, came back to Mumbai, was jobless for a while, worked for Rs. 125/- month to supervise workers at the night shift in a mechanical workshop, changed 13 houses in Mumbai, and finally settled on Information Technology as my career. I spent 32 years in Information Technology out of which I was a Chief Executive Officer or MD or the software head for 23 years for large global multinational software companies with thousands of software professionals worldwide and 6 offices in the US, 3 in Europe, 1 in Japan and 1 in Australia. I had to travel all over the globe around 150 times for business. During this period, I had also written 4 books with 500-700 pages each on Information Technology published by Tata McGraw-Hill and then translated into Chinese for global distribution.

I learnt a lot of things when I was running these large companies. The first one was the importance of team work. In today’s world, nothing is possible without team work. You cannot be successful if you are a loner and an egoistic person. Secondly, you need to lead from the front by setting a good example in front of your staff. Third was that you need to treat your subordinates and your colleagues as friends. In my career, I made a few mistakes, but learnt a lot about motivation, being a good listener, target setting and the art of delegation which forms such an important part of today’s management.

After working for all these software companies for so many years, I wanted to return to my first love i.e. to read and write on various subjects concerning human life and existence. Therefore, I gave up two offers of around 3 crore rupees per annum to become a writer. This is how my second innings as a writer in Marathi began.

A2. Find out : (02)

Find out the statements that shows the struggles faced by the writer to  become a famous person.

a) After passing IIT, I participated an agitation and went to jail for 10 days.

b) I was  jobless for a while.

c) I worked for Rs. 125/- Month to supervise workers at night shift in a mechanical shop.

d) Changed 13 houses in Mumbai.

A3. Compare : (02)

Complete the table comparing two different phases of life of the writer as an MD Or chief Executive officer and an activist of Sarvodaya Movement.

MD Or Chief Executive Officer.

Activist of  Sarvodaya Movement.

Head of the company for 23 years.

Participated in a peaceful satygraha.

Thousands of software professionals worked under him.

He went to jail for 10 days

6 offices in the 3 in Europe 1 in japan and 1 in Australia.

He came to Mumbai, jobless for a while.

A4. Personal Response : (02)

Do you think that Team work, Listening ability, Target setting, True leadership qualities are essential to become a successful businessman.

A5. Language study : (02)

a) I spent 32 years in Information Technology. (Rewrite using past perfect tense)

I had spent 32 years in information Technology.

b) Nothing is impossible.  (Make it Affirmative)

Everything is possible.

c) I made a few mistakes, but learnt a lot about motivation. 

(Rewrite the sentence beginning with, “Though/Although…..”)

Though/ Although I made a few mistakes I learnt a lot about motivation.

A6. Vocabulary : (02)

Find out words from the extract which mean the following.

a) World = globe 

b) Per year = per Annum

c) Having branches in many nations = multinational

d) Unemployed = jobless

Activities with expected answers by

TUSHAR J BAGWE

K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE VIDYAVIHAR EAST MUMBAI 77

Mobile :9820928141

E Mail ID : tushar@somaiya.edu

Vovaging Towards Excellence 6

Extract No 06

 Page No. 82 / 83  [Lines, “Coming back  ………  religion..”]

Read the first activity, read the extract and do all the activities that follow.

A1. True or false : (02)

State whether the following statements are True or false.

a) The writer thought that passing the examination of life is more important than passing IIT Exam.   (T)

b) The writer did not believe in discrimination.  (T)

c) The writer’s group was interested in science and Technology only.  (F)

d) Music, Literature, Painting were the regular subjects in the curriculum Of IIT (F)

Coming back to my groups in IIT, my friends were not only more intelligent than me, but they were very well-read. They had interest in all the subjects like Science, Technology, Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Philosophy, Anthropology, Archeology, Political Science etc. Our group was interested in all of these branches apart from all the fine arts such as music, literature, painting …. In short, our group was interested in almost anything under the sun and which concerned human life and existence. I was immediately attracted to the group and developed immense and deep interest in all these branches of knowledge. None of these subjects were part of our curriculum at IIT, but again, I never studied for scoring marks in any examination. Here was a sea of knowledge in front of me which I thought was necessary to pass the ‘examination of life’ which was far more important than just passing IIT examination. It is very difficult to become a master or an expert in all these subjects, but it was very important for me to understand at least the basic principles of most of these subjects. Any of us could easily top the GRE examination and migrate to the US. However, that thought never even touched our minds. To understand the world and how it works and serving India and her people was far more important to us. 

Therefore, I plunged into all these branches of knowledge. It was a period of renaissance for me. We used to discuss about relativity, Big Bang, aesthetics, literature, philosophy, economics and many other subjects every day until late into the nights. My cupboard was full of books on a variety of topics. It is only because of the human curiosity that we have been able to make such a great progress in science and technology, and social sciences. I have a number of limitations, but one thing I am proud of is the curiosity, humility and humanity, i.e., concern for our fellow human beings. I learnt these values during my IIT days. I also became a firm believer in rationalism and equality for all the castes, creeds, races, genders and religions. I started treating Nature as God and humanity as religion.

 

A2:Find out : (02)

Find out the expressions that show that the writer did not believe in scoring marks in the exam.

1. I never studied for scoring marks in any exam.

2. Here was a sea of knowledge.

3. I thought it was necessary to pass the examination of life which was far more important than just passing IIT exam.

4. It was very important for me  to understand at least the basic principles of most of these subjects.

A3. Give Reasons : (02)

Curiosity and humanity are important because……..

It is only because of the human curiosity that we have been able to make such a great progress in  science and technology and social sciences.................

A4. Personal Response : (02)

The world is a sea of knowledge. Do you agree with the writer’s view? Explain with suitable examples.

A5. Language study : (02)

a) It is very difficult to become an expert.  (Make it Negative)

It is not easy to become an expert.

b) All of us could easily top the GRE exam.  (Use "be able to" and Rewrite it.)

All of us were able to top the GRE exam easily.

c) I learnt these values during my IIT days.

(Rewrite the sentence using past perfect tense)

I had learnt these values during my IIT days.

A6. Vocabulary : (02)

Find out words from the extract which mean the following.

a) Study of human biological and psychological character = Anthropology

b) Study of human civilisation by excavation = Archaeology

c) A set of nature and appreciating the beauty =  Aesthetic

d) Study of human mind and behaviour = psychology.

Activities with expected answers

Prepared by

TUSHAR J BAGWE

K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE VIDYAVIHAR EAST MUMBAI 77

Mobile : 9820928141

E Mail ID : tushar@somaiya.edu

Vovaging Towards Excellence 4

 Extract No. 04

Page No. 81 [Lines, “As I climbed up ………  companies” ]

Watch this video and have some Fun

https://youtu.be/7Mkaz1CggaY

Read the first activity, read the extract and do all the activities that follow.

A1. Complete :           (02)

Complete the diagram by writing down the tendency of vernacular medium students while speaking English language.

  (This is a practice Activity for students)

            

As I climbed the stairs of my hostel room, my plan was ready in my mind. Normally most of us who are educated in vernacular languages such as Marathi, think in Marathi, before speaking in English, translate it in English and then somehow try to speak out these translated English sentences in an extremely awkward fashion.

I had decided that I would do nothing of this sort. I wanted to achieve excellence. This urge to excel in anything that you try to do has been with me since the childhood. Whether I would succeed in this or not, I always set my aims high. In this case too, I wanted to speak excellent, elegant and fluent English. 

The first thing I did was to start reading English newspapers and English novels. I studied etymology and phonetics and studied the roots of the words and how to pronounce them. I used to stand in front of the mirror and practice speaking, realising my mistakes and correcting them myself all the time and improvising and improving day by day. 

It took about 9-10 months by which time I started feeling quite confident about speaking in English at length with anybody. My fear had vanished and I started feeling at home in my hostel. In my future career, out of 32 years in Information Technology field, I was the Chief Executive or Managing Director or head of Software Company with thousands of software engineers worldwide. During that period I had to give several presentations or negotiate many contracts with the CEOs, Directors or VPs in the US, UK or Australia. I was absolutely at ease at that time. It is only due to the efforts at IIT that I could sign contracts worth millions of dollars worldwide and also run large global software companies.

A2. Describe :            (02)

Describe the efforts made by the writer to improve his English.

1. He started reading English newspapers and Novels.

2. He studied etymology and phonetics.

3. He studied the roots of the words and how to pronounce them.

4. He used to stand in front of the mirror and practice speaking, realising his mistakes and correct them all the time and improving and improvising day by day.

A3. Infer/ Interpret.            (02)                     

I had decided that I would do nothing of this sort. The above statement implies that……………….

A4. Personal Response :.      (02)

“If there is a will, there is a way,’’ Do you think this proverb justifies the above extract.

A5. Language study :.               (02)

1) As I climbed the stairs of my hostel room, my plan was ready in my mind.

(Use As soon as/ No Sooner…than construction and rewrite)

As soon as I climbed the stairs of my hostel room, my plan was ready in my mind

No sooner did I climb the stairs of my hostel room than my plan was ready in my mind.

2) I used to stand in front of the mirror.  (Rewrite the sentence using,” would”)

I would stand in front of the mirror.

3) My fear had vanished.

( Identify the tense used in the above sentence)

Past perfect Tense

4) I could sign contracts worth millions.

(Use be able to and Rewrite it.)

I was able to sign contracts worth millions.

A6. Vocabulary :             (02)

Find out words from the extract which mean the following.

a) Desire =     urge

b) Study of the origin of words = etymology

c) Arrange or workout = negotiate

d) Global = worldwide

Activities prepared by

TUSHAR J BAGWE.

K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE VIDYAVIHAR EAST MUMBAI 77

Mobile: 9820928141

E Mail ID tushar@somaiya.edu

Voyaging Towards Excellence 5

 Page No. 81 / 82  [Lines, “ At IIT………  in my life.” ]

Read the first activity, read the extract and do all the activities that follow.

A1. Complete :          (02)

Complete the following sentences choosing the information from the extract.

a) The writer used to see Nobel Laureates at the dining Table at MIT during lunch time.

b) Vincent Cerf invented the basic protocol of (TCP/ IP)  Internet.

c) The writer came in contact with 15/20 brilliant students/researchers/ professors when he was in his 3 RD year.

d) After Mr.Narayan Murthy left Patni, Writer started heading Patni’s Software division.

At IIT I got fairly good marks in my first 2 years. However, a very important thing happened while I was in my 3rd year. I came in contact with about 15-20 extremely brilliant students / researchers / professors from IIT, TIFR and BARC. They included top ranking students from IIT, visiting professors in American Universities, and very renowned mathematicians in the world and so on. I was instantaneously attracted to this group. This friendship had a lasting impact on my life. Until that time I used to consider myself somewhat intelligent. However, after I met my friends in our group, I came to know what real brilliance meant and I realised where I stood. I was actually also very lucky that I came in contact with great people on the global scale early in my life. Later in my life when Mr. Narayan Murthy left Patni to start Infosys, I started heading Patni’s software division occupying the same chair. My Head Office was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, very near Boston. It was in fact the adjacent building to MIT in America. I had to visit the US every few months in those days. I used to visit MIT during lunch time to meet my friends. There, one could see a couple of Nobel Laureates at the dining table. If you walked for an hour from there, you could reach Harvard Square near Harvard University. I used to visit both of these universities and could talk to a number of Nobel Laureates. During these years I travelled a lot to US, Europe, Japan and Australia and could meet a number of great thinkers and management gurus such as Alvin Toffler, Peter Drucker, C. K. Prahlad, Tom Peters or great technologists such as Vincent Cerf, (who designed TCP/IP which is the basic protocol of Internet). All these discussions with these greats broadened my horizon, and my aims and worldview became global. It taught me humility and made me realise that I had to achieve a lot in life. The lesson in humility and hard work as well as passion for excellence was going to play a very important and vital role in my life.

A2. Describe :         (02)

Describe how the writer was benefited by the discussions with great people.

1. He knew what brilliance meant.

2. He knew where he stood.

3. These discussions with greats broadened his horizon.

4. His aim and worldwide view became global.

5. It thought him humility and made him realise that he had to achieve a lot in life.

A3. Give reasons :          (02)

The writer said that he realised where he stood. Write down the reasons behind his statement.

A4. Personal Response :          (02)

“Man knows by the company he keeps” Do you agree with the view. Justify with suitable examples.

A5. Language study :           (02)

a) I used to consider myself somewhat intelligent.

(Identify the modal Auxiliary used here and also write what does it indicate)

Used to = Habitual action in the past. 

b) I used to visit MIT during lunch time to meet my friends.

(Rewrite the sentence using the Gerund Form of the Underlined word)

I used to visit MIT during lunch time For meeting my friends.

c) All these discussions with these greats broadened my horizon.

(Begin the sentence with,” My Horizon…….”)

My horizon was broadened by all these discussions with these greats.

A6. Vocabulary :                  (02)

Find out words from the extract which mean the following.

a) Adjacent = nearby

b) Honoured with award = Laureates 

c) Procedure =  protocol

d) Modesty = humility

Activities prepared by

TUSHAR J BAGWE

K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE VIDYAVIHAR EAST MUMBAI 77

Mobile: 9820928141

E Mail ID: tushar@somaiya.edu

Voyaging Towards Excellence 3

 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

d)    Very sad = pathetic

Activities prepared by

Prepared by

TUSHAR J BAGWE.

K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE VIDYAVIHAR EAST MUMBAI 77

Mobile :9820928141

Email ID : tushar@somaiya.edu