B1. Select
Look at the balloons. Which are the qualities inculcated in the author by her teacher? Write them. (2)
Ans. The qualities inculcated in the author by her teachers were kindness, hard work, regularity and tolerance.
Sister Monica, however, wasn’t quite as lenient as that, and spent most of the time telling me about the importance of regularity and hard work. She made me realise that success is, like genius, 99 per cent perspiration and 1 per cent inspiration. It’s a lesson that had stood me in good stead.
The teachers I’m most grateful to, though, are not those who have taught me the most, but those who have simply been friends to me, believed me and believed in me. Prominent among them is Sudha Ramasubramanium Rambo, as we used to call her. I didn’t know her too well. She taught me in college, and apart from being incredible in class unless one missed class, she also believed that I actually had a problem when I developed an injury (which several doctors found difficult to diagnose). Despite my missing an exam the HSC, of all exams she was the only person who told me to concentrate on my health and assured me that I could take the exam off the top of my head any time I wanted to.
I’m not even certain she remembers it, but at the time, it felt like one of the only rays of hope in an extremely dark tunnel. Perhaps few teachers realize how far their influence extends or how much of a difference their actions and words can make. A number of my teachers have unfortunately taught me kindness and tolerance and patience by being precisely the opposite, and quite obviously, they aren’t the people I like to think about. But many of my teachers have been extraordinary people, who have not only taught me in class but also helped mould me and my character in every other way. I only hope that I live up to what their endeavours were undoubtedly meant to create.
B2. Answer:
(1) What kind of teachers are disliked by the author? (1)
Ans. (1) The author disliked those teachers who were unkind and intolerant to the children.
(2) What was Sudha Ramasubramanium’s advice to the author when she was going to miss her HSC exam.? (1)
Ans. Sudha Ramasubramanium advised the author to concentrate on her health.
B3. Match: Match the words with their appropriate meanings: (2)
Ans.
B4. (i) ‘Wh question’
She made me realize that success is, like genius. (1)
(Frame a ‘Wh’ question to get the underlined part as an answer).
Ans. What did she make me realise?
(ii) She taught me in college. (1)
(Begin the sentence with ‘I’ and rewrite).
Ans. I was taught in college by her.
B5. Personal Response (2)
Do you agree that a teacher should also be your good friends? Justify your answer.
Ans. Yes, I quite agree that a teacher should also be your good friend, as, A teacher should be able to come down to the level of a friend. Looking at a child’s perspective through and adult’s mindset creates a wide gap between the teacher and the student. Therefore, a teacher should become a friend of the students in order to understand the student better and be a positive influence. Children are able to express themselves freely only when they know that they are not being judged or suppressed.
