NCERT Solutions for Class 9: Chapter 2 – The Sound of Music
Part I: Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It
Thinking About the Text
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 seventeen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music in London. - When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Answer: Her deafness was first noticed when she was eight years old and was confirmed when she was eleven.
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: Percussionist Ron Forbes helped Evelyn continue with music. He tuned two large drums to different notes and encouraged her to sense the sound through vibrations rather than listening through her ears. - Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
Answer: Evelyn performs at regular concerts internationally. Additionally, she gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals and prioritizes classes for young musicians, sharing her passion and expertise with the next generation.
III. Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words).
- How does Evelyn hear music?
Answer: Evelyn hears music by sensing vibrations throughout her body. When Ron Forbes tuned two drums to different notes, she discovered that she could feel the higher drum’s vibrations from the waist up and the lower drum’s vibrations from the waist down. She learned to open her mind and body to sounds and vibrations through sheer determination and hard work. While playing the xylophone, she felt the sound traveling up the stick into her fingertips. By leaning against the drums, she experienced the resonances flowing into her body. On a wooden platform, she removed her shoes to fully absorb the vibrations through her bare feet. Evelyn described music as pouring into every part of her body, tingling in her skin, cheekbones, and even her hair.
Part II: The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan
Thinking About the Text
I. Tick the right answer.
- The (shehnai, pungi) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’
Answer: The pungi was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’ - (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
Answer: A barber transformed the pungi into a shehnai. - Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).
Answer: Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were professional musicians. - Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaz Khan).
Answer: Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from Ali Bux. - Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).
Answer: Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to Afghanistan.
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.
| Item | Positive Feelings | Negative Feelings |
|---|---|---|
| Shehnai | ✔ | |
| India | ✔ | |
| Music | ✔ | |
| Western offers (like moving) | ✔ | |
| Tradition | ✔ |
III. Answer these questions in 30–40 words.
- Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Answer: Aurangzeb banned the pungi because it produced a shrill and unpleasant sound, which he deemed inappropriate for the royal courts. - How is a shehnai different from a pungi?
Answer: The shehnai has a superior tonal quality compared to the pungi. It is a hollow pipe with holes, longer and broader, making it an improvement over the pungi in terms of sound quality. - Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?
Answer: Traditionally, the shehnai was played in royal courts, temples, and at weddings. Ustad Bismillah Khan elevated its status by bringing it onto the classical music stage, showcasing its artistic value. - When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Answer: Bismillah Khan got his big break in 1938 when All India Radio opened in Lucknow. He performed shehnai on radio, gaining popularity and becoming the first Indian to greet the nation with his music from the Red Fort on 15 August 1947. - Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Answer: On 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the Raag Kaafi on his shehnai from the Red Fort. The event was historic as it marked India’s Independence from British rule. - Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
Answer: Bismillah Khan declined his student’s request to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A. because he could not live away from Hindustan, specifically from Benaras, the River Ganga, and Dumraon. - Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.
Answer: The first instance is when he turned down the offer to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A. The second is when he stated he would never leave Benaras, even during the partition.
Thinking About Language
I. Complete the following sentences. Beginning with a to-verb, try to answer the questions in brackets.
- The school sports team hopes to win the match.
- We all want to succeed in our life.
- They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother to consult a doctor.
- The authorities permitted us to construct the building.
- A musician decided to open a school for children.
II. From the text on Bismillah Khan, find the words and phrases that match these definitions and write them down. The number of the paragraph where you will find the words/phrases has been given for you in brackets.
- The home of royal people (1) the royal residence.
- The state of being alone (5) solitude.
- A part which is absolutely necessary (2) indispensable.
- To do something not done before (5) invent.
- Without much effort (13) effortlessly.
- Quickly and in large quantities (9) thick and fast.
III. Tick the right answer.
- When something is revived, it lives again.
- When a government bans something, it wants it stopped.
- When something is considered auspicious, welcome it.
- When we take to something, we find it interesting.
- When you appreciate something, you find it good and useful.
- When you replicate something, you do it for the second time.
- When we come to terms with something, it is no longer upsetting.
Page No: 28
Consult your dictionary and complete the following table. The first one has been done for you.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Indispensable | Absolutely necessary |
| Solitude | The state of being alone |
| Invent | To do something not done before |
| Effortlessly | Without much effort |
| Thick and fast | Quickly and in large quantities |
Use these words in phrases or sentences of your own.
- Indispensable: Nowadays, the internet is an indispensable resource for researchers.
- Impressed: Varun was impressed by my dressing sense.
- Afraid: He is afraid of the dark.
- Paternal: I enjoy the company of my paternal uncle.
- Countless: Gennie was showered with countless gifts.
- Priceless: My grandmother gave me a priceless piece of advice.
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