Q. Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised?
Ans. The ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings was surprised because her grandmother sought blessings for a daughter. In this society most of the people ask the seers to bless for a son. So he got surprised.
Q. Give an example to show that even as a young girl Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable.
Ans. She used to wear shorts and not the traditional dresses meant for girls.
Q. Why was Santosh sent to the local school?
Ans. She was sent to the local school in line with the prevailing custom in the family.
Q. When did she leave home for Delhi, and why?
Ans. She left home for Delhi to get proper education. She was sixteen at that time.
Q. Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling in Delhi? What mental qualities of Santosh are brought into light by this incident?
Ans. Her parents got ready because she informed them of her plans to earn money by working part time to pay her school fees.
Q. How did Santosh begin to climb mountains?
Ans. She began to climb mountains when she watched villagers from her room, going up the hill and suddenly vanishing after a while. One day, she decided to check it out herself. She found nobody except a few mountaineers. Later she saved money and enrolled in a course at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.
Q. What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?
Ans. Santosh Yadav provided special care to a climber who lay dying at the south pole in 1992 Everest Mission. She saved Mohan Singh, who would have lost his life had she not shared her oxygen with him.
Q. What shows her concern for the environment?
Ans. Santosh was really concerned for the environment. She collected and brought down 500 Kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas.
Q. How does she describe her feelings at the summit of the Everest?
Ans. She said that it took some time for the enormity of the moment to sink in. She was delighted at this moment and proudly unfurled the Indian tricolour.
Q. Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she scaled Mt Everest. What were the reasons for this?
Ans. She is the youngest woman who scaled the Everest. She is the only woman who climbed the Everest twice.
Q. Complete the following statements.
- From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to ___________.
- When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because _________.
- During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her __________ while ________ endeared her to fellow climbers.
Answer
- From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch villagers going up the hill and suddenly vanish after a while.
- When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had got herself enrolled at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering without his permission.
- During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her climbing skills, physical fitness and mental strength while her concern for others and desire to work together with them endeared her to fellow climbers.
Q. Pick out words from the text that mean the same as the following words or expressions. (Look in the paragraphs indicated.)
- took to be true without proof
- based on reason; sensible; reasonable
- the usual way of doing things
- a strong desire arising from within
- the power to endure, without falling ill
Answer
- Assumed
- Rational
- Custom
- Urge
- Resistance
Q. Working in small groups of 4−5 students, go back over the two passages on Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova and complete the table given below with relevant phrases or sentences.
| Points of Comparison/Contrast | Santosh Yadav | Maria Sharapova | |
| 1. | Their humble beginning | Santosh’s parents were affluent landowners who could afford… | My father was working as much as he could… |
| 2. | Their parents’ approach | Wishing always to study ‘a bit more’, and with her father slowly getting used to her urge… | The latter (her mother) was compelled to stay back in Siberia… |
| 3. | Their will power and strong desire to succeed | Equipped with an iron will, physical endurance and an amazing mental… | Instead of letting that depress me, I became more quietly determined and mentally tough… |
| 4. | Evidence of their mental toughness | The culmination of her hard work and sincerity came in 1942… | And that something in her lifted her on Monday, 22 August 2005 to the world number on position in women’s tennis. |
| 5. | Their patriotism | Then I unfurled the Indian tricolor and held it… indescribable… I felt proud as an Indian… | My blood is totally Russian. I will play at the Olympics for Russia if they want me. |
Q. Identify the two parts in the sentences below by underlining the part that gives us the information in brackets.
- Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts. (Contrasts her dress with that of others)
- She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. (Tells us what happened after the first action.)
- She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived. (Tells us when she was going to fight the system.)
- Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States. (Tells us when Maria was sent to the U.S.)
Answer
- Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.
- She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.
- She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived.
- Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States.
Q. Now rewrite the pairs of sentences given below as one sentence.
- Grandfather told me about the old days. All books were printed on paper then.
- What do you do after you finish the book? Perhaps you just throw it away.
- He gave the little girl an apple. He took the computer apart.
- You have nothing. That makes you very determined.
- I never thought of quitting. I knew what I wanted.
Answer
- Grandfather told me about the old days when all books were printed on paper.
- After finishing the book, perhaps you just throw it away.
- After giving the little girl an apple, he took the computer apart.
- You have nothing which makes you very determined.
- I never thought of quitting as I knew what I wanted.