8th English An Autobiography Lesson Notes Question Answer Summary

KSEEB 8th English An Autobiography Lesson Notes Summary Questions and Answers

Pre-reading task:

Match the following :

Question 1.
The fierce ………………….. assembly.
Answer:
Madam Cama

Question 2.
Young Margaret ………………….. this land.
Answer:
Sister Nivedita

Question 3.
Jawaharlal Nehru’s ………………….. rank.
Answer:
Vijayalakshmi Pandit

Question 4.
Born in a ………………….. party.
Answer:
ArunaAsafAli

Question 5.
She was ………………….. Prime Minister.
Answer:
Indira Gandhi

a) What do you call this type of writing?
Answer:
Such type of writings area called biographies.

b) What do you call the life history written by a person about himself?
Answer:
The life history of a person written by himself is called an autobiography

c) What is the information we get from these types of writing?
Answer:
Such writings are inspirational accounts of world famous personalities. Such writings highlight their achievements in detail.

d) What is the difference between a biography and an autobiography?
Answer:
Biographies give us a brief description about a famous personality, along with the personal opinion of the author. An Autobiography on the other hand, gives a detailed description by persons about themselves.

Textbook Questions and Answers

I. Comprehension

A. Answer the following in two or three sentences each:

Question 1.
Who was Gopal Rao? How can you say that he was a progressive thinker?
Answer:
Gopal Rao was Anandhi’s husband. He was an ardent supporter of widow remarriage and women’s education during a period when such practices were considered unconventional in India. Therefore he can be regarded as a progressive thinker.

Question 2.
“I decided that I would like to be a doctor”. What made Anandibai decide this?
Answer:
Many women in India suffering from diseases used to refuse to consult a male doctor for treatment. Therefore they suffered a lot in silence. Even Anandi had lost her infant son when she was 14 years old. This made Anandi decide to become a doctor in order to help the sick women of India.

Question 3.
How did Mrs. Carpenter help Anandibai pursue her studies in medicine?
Answer:
Mrs. Carpenter had somehow learnt about the futile efforts made by Gopal Rao to get his wife Anandi enrolled to some university in the U.S.A. She was moved by the correspondence and offered to host her in the U.S.A. She even got her admitted to the Women’s College in Philadelphia.

Question 4.
How did the Superintendent and Secretary of the College help Anandibai?
Answer:
The Superintendent and the Secretary of the college were very kind to her. They were impressed that she had come to study in the USA from a country far away, braving poverty and opposition from her people. They even offered her a scholarship of $ 600 for the three years of education.

Question 5.
Describe the college room provided to Anandibai.
Answer:
The room that was provided to Anandi did not have a proper fireplace. The fireplace of her room emitted a lot of smoke when lit. So she had to choose between cold and smoke. Due to this she suffered from constant temperature and cold.

Question 6.
Why did Anandibai stay in Pune?
Answer:
On her return to India, Anandi stayed with her cousin at Pune to receive treatment for her ailment, from a renowned Ayurvedic specialist.

B. Answer the following in about six sentences each:

Question 1.
Explain how Gopal Rao encouraged Anandibai to become a doctor.
Answer:
With the help and encouragement that Anandi received from her husband, she made rapid progress in her studies. He wanted her to pursue higher education. When Anandi chose to become a doctor, he strived hard to get her admitted in a university in America but in vain. Fortunately, Mrs. Carpenter, who learnt about their efforts sponsored her study at the Women’s College in Philadelphia. Thus, Anandi finally graduated to become a doctor. This was achieved only due to the support, efforts and encouragement of her husband.

Question 2.
What were the things which Anandibai found strange in America?
Answer:
There were many things that Anandi found strange in America. Some of them were that they didn’t have bath everyday; that they did not stand when Mr. Carpenter entered the room and that they were non-vegetarians.

Question 3.
How did Anandibai face the alien culture and cold winter?
Answer:
Anandi faced the alien culture and weather bravely. She managed to survive the cold weather as she had to live in a room with a smoky fireplace for almost three years. Though she found their culture very strange, she faced them positively.

Question 4.
Describe Anandi’s journey back to India.
Answer:
Diagnosed with Tuberculosis, Anandi was advised to go back to India. Her journey back to India deteriorated her health further because the doctors on the ship refused to treat a brown woman.

Question 5.
Describe the great qualities of Anandibai that you like the most.
Answer:
The greatest quality that I admire in Anandi is her compassion for the women of India who suffered immensely due their superstitious beliefs and biased opinions about male doctors. It was this quality that motivated her to become a doctor despite the firm opposition from the Indian society. The second quality that I admire in her is her determination to succeed despite the many hurdles that she had to face.

C. Answer the following in about ten sentences each;

Question 1.
How did Anandibai become a doctor in spite of the obstacles she faced?
Answer:
Anandi was born in India at a time when India was steeped in superstitious beliefs and into a society totally biased against women. Women were denied almost every right including the right to education. But her husband Gopal Rao not only educated her but also encouraged her to pursue higher education. It was due to his motivation and the timely patronage that she received from Mrs.Carpenter that Anandi was able to graduate as a doctor- the first woman doctor of India, from Philadelphia, USA, braving all oppositions from the Indian society.

Question 2.
Anandibai is an inspiration to Indian girls to this day. Discuss.
Answer:
A. Anandi has proved that whatever be our situations or circumstances everyone can fulfill their dreams because each one has the required potential to succeed. Many girls in India are not encouraged sufficiently due to the biased society, especially in the villages. Therefore Anandi’s life is a good inspiration to Indian girls from all walks of life.

II. (a) Say whether the following statements are true or false.
Correct the false statements.

Question 1.
Gopal Rao opposed window remarriage and women education.
Answer:
False. He was an ardent supporter of widow remarriage and women’s education.

Question 2.
In those days husbands taught their wives.
Answer:
False. In those days husbands didn’t even speak to their wives in front of others.

Question 3.
The Childhood name of Anandi was Yamunabai.
Answer:
False. Anandi’s childhood name was Yamuna Joshi.

Question 4.
Anandibai decided to become a doctor because there were no female doctors at that time.
Answer:
False. Anandibai decided to become a doctor because female doctors were not available in India at that time.

Question 5.
Anandibai was one of the few female doctors of that day.
Answer:
False. Anandi was the only female doctor of that day.

Question 6.
Anandibai stayed in Pune to receive honours from the people.
Answer:
False. Anandiabai stayed in Pune to receive treatment from a renowned Ayurvedic doctor for Tuberculosis that she was suffering from.

(b) Arrange the above corrected sentences according to the sequence of the lesson.
Answer:
3,1,2,4, 5,6.

III. Vocabulary:

(a) Match the words with their meanings:

A	B
1. alien	a) clothes
2. attire	b) surprise
3. cemetery	c) a large formal assembly of great people
4. convocation	d) attraction
5. missionary	e) a financial aid given to support a student’s education
6. astonish	f) a large burial ground
7. scholarship	g) unfamiliar
	h) a person sent on a religious mission

Answer:

1. – g,
2. – a,
3. – f,
4. – c,
5. – h,
6. – b,
7. – e.

(b) Fill in the blanks choosing the correct phrases given in brackets: (in front of, a lot of, used to, moved by, to take care of):

Question 1.
Women in olden days did not sit _______________ their husbands.
Answer:
in front of

Question 2.
Mrs.Carpenter was _______________ the correspondence and wrote me a letter.
Answer:
moved by

Question 3.
The fireplace emitted _______________ smoke.
Answer:
a lot of

Question 4.
Anandi got _______________ hard work.
Answer:
used to

Question 5.
Mavashi _______________ of me like her own daughter.
Answer:
took care of

Question 6.
Anandi faced _______________ opposition and criticism.
Answer:
a lot of

(c) Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs given in brackets: My husband   1    (try) very hard to get me admitted to some University in America. Mrs. Carpenter   2    (come) to know my story and   3   (write) me a letter. She   4   (offer) to host me in the USA. Since Gopal Rao   5    (be) not able to get a job there, we   6   (decide) that I should leave for America alone. I   7   (reach) America in June 1883. In America there    8   (be) many things that I   9   (think)   10   (be) strange.
Answer:

1. tried
2. came
3. wrote
4. offered
5. was
6. decided
7. reached
8. were
9. thought
10. were

IV. Grammar

Articles

Fill in the blanks with a / an / the:

a. I love _______________ flowers in your garden.
Answer:
the

b. I always listen to _______________ radio in the morning.
Answer:
the

c. Let’s sing _______________ song.
Answer:
a

d. Pawan has _______________ old bike.
Answer:
an

e. Look! There is _______________ bird flying.
Answer:
a

f. Loch Ness is _______________ most famous lake in Scotland.
Answer:
the

g. _______________ summer of 1996 was hot and dry.
Answer:
the

h. I need _______________ blue pen.
Answer:
a

j. Leipzig has _______________ airport.
Answer:
an

j. My father is _______________ honest person.
Answer:
an

V. Pronouns

A word that is used instead of a noun is called a pronoun.

(A) Fill in the blanks with suitable personal pronouns:

Question 1.
Where do come from?
Answer:
you

Question 2.
These cars are
Answer:
Mine

Question 3.
She and _________________ sister have decided to become teachers.
Answer:
her

Question 4.
The horse fell down and broke _________________ leg.
Answer:
its

Question 5.
If I see _________________ I wouldn’t do it.
Answer:
it

Question 6.
Shankar is honest and sincere. Everyone likes _________________
Answer:
him

Question 7.
_________________ wants to go to his village.
Answer:
He

Question 8.
In the beginning _________________ husband tried to enroll _________________ in the Missionary School.
Answer:
my, me

Question 9.
This is _________________ book.
Answer:
my / his / her / their / your

Question 10.
_________________ met a boy myself who was very kind.
Answer:
I

VI. Appreciation

Write a letter to your friend describing the qualities you liked most in Anandi Gopal.

Place:
Date:
Dear friend,

Hope this letter finds you in the pink of health as it’s the same with me. How did you perform in the exam? My results are due in a week. Exams are over and I have a lot of leisure, so I got myself enrolled in a library close to my house. There are many interesting books here.

I want to tell you about the book that I read recently. It’s about the first woman doctor of India. Her name was Anandi. She was born at a time when in India women in general, were not permitted to study. But with the encouragement that she received from her husband she went to USA and graduated as a doctor. The greatest quality that I admire in her is her determination to endure suffering to fulfill her dream.

It was the loss of her son and the pathetic condition of the Indian women that motivated her to serve the society as a doctor. I am so inspired by her biography that I have decided to work harder and be of some service to the society at large. Please read this book. You will also be inspired .If you are interested I can get it for you. Please do inform me about your new hobby that you are crazy about.
Do convey my regards to all at home. Hoping to hear from you soon.

Your loving friend,

VII Class Project:
(to be done by the student)

Additional Questions with Answers

I. Answer the following questions:

Question 1.
What was the greatest achievement of Anandi?
Answer:
Anandi was the first Indian woman doctor to gradudate with a medical degree.

Question 2.
When and where was Anandi born?
Answer:
Anandi was born on 31st March 1865 in Kalyan, a small village near Mumbai.

Question 3.
How can you prove that child marriage was rampant in India during the 19th century?
Answer:
Anandi was only 9 years old when she married. This is a proof of the existence of child marriage in India.

Question 4.
Anandi was fortunate to have had Gopal Rao as her husbsand. How can this be proved? ,
Answer:
Anandi qualified to become the first Indian woman doctor, graduated from a university in Philadelphia, USA. This was possible only due to the encouragement and support of her husband. This great feat was achieved at a time when in India, women were deprived of education. Hence Anandi can be considered fortunate to have had Gopal Rao as her husband.

Question 5.
Why were female doctors unavailable in India during that period?
Answer:
As girls were deprived of education, there were no one qualified to become a doctor.

Question 6.
How did the Indian society react when it was decided that she would travel to USA alone?
Answer:
When it was decided that Anandi would travel to the USA, the couple faced a lot of opposition and criticism. People even threw stones and cow dung at them.

Question 7.
How did Mrs. Carpenter take care of Anandi?
Answer:
Mrs. Carpenter took care of Anandi as her own daughter. She even cried like a child when she dropped Anandi at the Women’s College at Philadelphia.

Question 8.
Why were the Superintendent and the Secretary of the College impressed with Anandi?
Answer:
The Secretary and the Superintendent of the College were impressed with Anandi because she had come there to pursue her studies, from a far away land, braving poverty and opposition from her people.

Question 9.
Why did Anandi look out for another room to stay?
Answer:
The room that was provided to her did not have a proper fireplace. It emitted a lot of smoke when lit. Anandi had to brave the cold weather most of the days without lighting the fireplace. Hence she decided to find another room to stay.

Question 10.
Describe how Anandi fell sick in the USA.
Answer:
The room that was provided to her did not have a proper fireplace. It emitted a lot of smoke when lit. Anandi had to brave the cold weather most of the days as she could not use the fireplace. She could not find an accommodation elsewhere too. Therefore she spent two years in the same room. Gradually she developed temper ature and cold and felt faint at times. Her condition worsened by the end of the third year. Later she was diagnosed witg, Tuberculosis.

Question 11.
Why did Anandi receive a standing ovation at the convocation?
Answer:
At the convocation, it was announced that she was the first woman doctor of India.
Everyone present there were so impressed with her achievement that they gave her a standing ovation.

Question 12.
Why did the Ayurvedic specialist at Pune refuse to treat Anandi?
Answer:
The renowned Ayurvedic specialist at Pune refused to treat Anandi because according to him, she had crossed the boundaries of the India society by travelling to the US alone. It meant that she had opposed the customs, traditions and norms of the society and had thereby hurt the sentiments of the Indians.

Question 13.
Why was Anandi’s ashes sent to Mrs. Carpenter?
Answer:
Mrs. Carpenter had loved and cared for Anandi as her own daughter. She had expressed her desire to place Anandi’d ashes in her family cemetery in Philadelphia. Therefore, the ashes were sent to her.

Question 14.
During her last days, Anandi was frustrated because she felt that all her efforts were in vain. What’s your opinion about this?
Answer:
Anandi’s efforts have never been in vain because even today she is an inspiration to Indian girls from all walks of life. She proved that in spite of adverse situations and circumstances, one’s dreams can be fulfilled. She also proved that every individual has sufficient potential necessary to succeed in all walks of life.

Question 15.
How has the Government of Mahar ashtra honoured her?
Answer:
Today, the Government of Maharashtra has a fellowship in her name for young women working on women’s health.

Meanings
obstacles = a thing that blocks one’s way or progress.
host = a person who receives and entertains other people as guests especially in his or her home.
custom = a traditional and generally accepted way of behaving or doing things.
scholarship = an award of money to somebody to help pay for their education

II. Rewrite as directed:

Question 1.
Anandi lost her infant son when she’ was fourteen. (Frame a question to get the underlined word as the answer.)
Answer:
How old was Anandi when she lost her infant son?

Question 2.
Gopal Rao wasn’t able to get a job in the USA. Anandi decided to travel alone. (Combine the sentences using the word- As)
Answer:
As Gopal Rao wasn’t able to get a job in the USA, Anandi decided to travel alone.

Question 3.
They faced a lot of opposition. They faced a lot of criticism.
(Combine the sentence using: not only- but also)
Answer:
They faced not only a lot of criticism, but also as lot of opposition.
They faced not only a lot of criticism but a lot of opposition also.

III. Multiple Choice Questions:

Choose the correct answer from the four options provided and answer the questions.

Question 1.
Anandi Gopal was a
(a) Brahmin
(b) Sudra
(c) Kshatriya
(d) Vaishya
Answer:
(a) Brahmin

Question 2.
It was difficult for Gopal Rao to teach Anandi because
(a) There were no schools.
(b) His parents opposed to her being educated.
(c) In those days husbands didn’t even speak to their wives in front of others.
(d) Gopal Rao had no money to educate her.
Answer:
(c) In those days husbands didn’t even speak to their wives in front of others.

Question 3.
Many women in India suffered a lot because they were
(a) starved
(b) reluctant to approach male doctors.
(c) they were frightened of hospitals and injections.
(d) neglected
Answer:
(b) reluctant to approach male doctors.

Question 4.
Mrs. Carpenter was a resident of
(a) New York
(b) New Jersey
(c) New Orleans
(d) New Port
Answer:
(b) New Jersey

Question 5.
Anandi addressed Mrs. Carpenter as mavashi. The word mavashi means
(a) sister
(b) secretary
(c) mother
(d) aunt
Answer:
(d) aunt

Question 6.
I _______________ (be, astonish) that they didn’t have a bath everyday. (The right tense form to be used here is)
(a) was astonished
(b) is astonishing
(c) was astonishing
(d) had astonished.
Answer:
(a) was astonished

Question 7.
The Secretary and the Superintendent of the College were so impressed with Anandi that they
(a) Gave her an accommodation with the finest facilities.
(b) Offered her a scholarship of $600 for the three years.
(c) Offered to employ her in the College.
(d) Offered to adopt her.
Answer:
(b) Offered her a scholarship of $600 for the three years.

Question 8.
Anandi couldn’t find another room to stay because
(a) They were biased against a brown Hindu girl.
(b) All the rooms were occupied.
(c) She couldn’t pay the rent.
(d) They rented rooms only for men.
Answer:
(a) They were biased against a brown Hindu girl.

Question 9.
The most rewarding movement in Anandi’s life was when
(a) She got married.
(b) She received a standing ovation at the convocation.
(c) When she traveled to the USA.
(d) When Mrs. Carpenter offered to host he in the USA.
Answer:
(b) She received a standing ovation at the convocation.

An Autobiography Lesson Summary in English

This is an extract taken from R.K. Narayan’s ‘Swami and Friends’, which is about the adventures and life of a group of school boys in a fictional town Malgudi, before India’s Independence. This incident is about Swami’s desperate attempts to get permission from his school for cricket practice after school hours.

Swami and his friends had formed a cricket team called M.C.C. short for Malgudi Cricket Club. Swami was their star bowler and the boys had nicknamed him ‘Tate’, after Maurice Tate, a famous English fast bowler. They were to play a match on a Sunday, two weeks later. Rajam, the captain was confident that his team could thrash Y.M.U., their opponents. But he was anxious because Swami was not attending their practice games regularly. Swami had a problem at his new school, as they had drill practice daily in the evenings, after classes, which was compulsory.

Just a week before the match, Swami realized his team’s dependence on him and thought to avoid drill and go for practice. He feigned that he was ill and was delirious the previous night. The drill master did not believe him, but permitted him to go. The boys at the field were happy to see him and Rajam jumped with joy.

By next morning, Swami had formed a plan to be free all the evenings of the week for practice.. He went to Dr. T. Kesavan, their family doctor and asked for a doctor’s certificate. He told the truth to the doctor about the match, the importance of daily practice and the daily drill class at the school after school hours. He wanted the doctor to give him a certificate that he was having delirium and should be exempted from drill class.

The Doctor checked him up thoroughly and declared that he was quite fit and advised him to stick to drill to get rid of his delirium. Poor Swami was thinking that delirium was some kind of stomach ache. The doctor was against giving him any false medical certificate as it was unethical and he could be prosecuted if found out. But, he assured Swami that he would speak to the Head Master about Swami’s need and request him to let Swami off daily after four thirty, for cricket practice.

 8th Standard English Notes