NCERT Solution for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 2 The Sound of Music

Part I

Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It

Thinking about the Text

(Page 20)

Question:- I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?

Answer:- Evelyn was sixteen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music.

When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?

Answer:- Her deafness was first discovered when she was eight years old. By the time she was eleven, it was confirmed.

Question:- II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (30–40 words).

Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?

Answer:- Ron Forbes who was an excellent percussionist, helped her to continue with the music. He advised Evelyn that instead of listening with her ears, she should try to sense it in some other manner. He started by tuning two massive drums to different pitches.

Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.

Answer:- Evelyn gave free concerts in hospitals and prisons. She dedicated her life to music and gave many regular concerts.

Question:- III. Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words).

How does Evelyn hear music?

Answer:- Evelyn became deaf when she was eleven years old. She did not, however, quit. She was determined to live a regular life while also pursuing her passion for music. A percussionist named Ron Forbes saw her potential. He advised her to avoid listening with her ears and instead attempt to sense it in another manner. She noticed she could feel the upper drum from her waist down and the lower drum from her waist up. Forbes repeated the practise, and Evelyn quickly realised that she could detect specific notes in various places of her body. She learned to tune in to noises and sensations with her body and mind. “It flows in through every part of my body,” she stated. It tingles throughout my skin, cheeks, and even my hair.” She could feel the sound flowing up the stick into her fingertips as she played the xylophone. She could feel the resonances seeping into her body by leaning against the drums. She used to take off her shoes on the hardwood floor so that the vibrations might run through her bare feet and up her legs.

Part II

The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan

Thinking about the Text

(Page 25)

Question:- I. Tick the right answer.

The (shehnai, pungi ) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’
(Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).
Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).
Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).

Answer:-

Pungi
A barber
Professional musicians
Ali bux
Afghanistan

Question:- II. Find the words in the text which show Ustad Bismillah Khan’s feelings about the items listed below. Then mark a tick (✔) in the correct column. Discuss your answers in class.

Bismillah Khan’s feelings about	Positive	Negative	Neutral
1. teaching children music
2. the film world
3. migrating to the U.S.A.
4. playing at temples
5. getting the Bharat Ratna
6. the banks of the Ganga
7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon

Answer:-

Bismillah Khan’s feelings about	Positive	Negative	Neutral
1. teaching children music	✓
2. the film world		✓
3. migrating to the U.S.A.		✓
4. playing at temples			✓
5. getting the Bharat Ratna	✓
6. the banks of the Ganga	✓
7. leaving Benaras and Dumraon		✓

Question:- III. Answer these questions in 30–40 words.

Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?

Answer:- Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi because it produced a shrill and unpleasant sound.

How is a shehnai different from a pungi?

Answer:- The stem of a shehnai is hollow, longer and wider than a pungi’s. Its body is covered with holes.

Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?

Answer:- The shehnai was traditionally performed at the temple, in royal courts, and at weddings. It was brought on the classical theatre by Bismillah Khan.

When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?

Answer:- Bismillah Khan’s big chance came in 1938, when All India Radio was established in Lucknow. On the radio, he became a well-known shehnai player.

Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?

Answer:- On August 15, 1947, Bismillah Khan played the shehnai in the Red Fort. In front of a huge group of people, including Pt. Jawahar Lai Nehru, he poured his heart out. This was a historic event since it was the day we gained our independence.

Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?

Answer:- Bismillah Khan refused to start a shehnai school in the United States because he did not want to leave his homeland. He had an everlasting relationship with his hometowns of Dumraon and Benaras, as well as with the Ganges River.

Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.

Answer:- Two instances in the text which tell us that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras are:

He says that whenever he travels to a new country, he longs to see India.
He also claims that while he’s in Mumbai, all he can think about is Benaras and the sacred Ganga.