NCERT Class 9th [English Beehive] Chapter -2 Part-2

 

Question 3.
Answer these questions in 30-40 words.

Question 1.
Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Answer:
Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi because it had a shrill and unpleasant sound.

Question 2.
How is a Shehnai different from a pungi?
Answer:
A shehnai is a pipe with a natural hollow that is longer and broader than a pungi. It has seven holes on the body of the pipe.

Question 3.
Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?  Answer:                                                                                                                                 The Shehnai was played traditionally in the temple at the royal courts and on the occasion of weddings. The credit must go to Bismillah Khan to take this instrument onto the classical stage.

Question 4.
When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Answer:
Bismillah Khan got his big break with the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938.

Question 5.
Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Answer:
Bismillah Khan played the shehnai on 15 August 1947 at the Red Fort. He was the first Indian to greet the nation with his musical instrument. This event was historic because We got independence on that day. He poured his heart out in the presence of a large number of people including Pt. Jawahar Lai Nehru.

Question 6.
Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
Answer:
He refused to start a shehnai school in the USA because he never wanted to leave India. He loved India so much and he did not want to settle anywhere except India. That is why whenever he was in a foreign country, he kept yearning to see Hindustan.

Question 7.
Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.
Answer:
Bismillah Khan loves India and Banaras The sound of Music 197 from the bottom of his heart. He says that he misses the holy Ganga and India when he goes abroad. While in Mumbai, he thinks of only Benaras and the holy river. And when he is in Benaras, he remembers the unique mattha of Dumraon.

Thinking about language
(Page 26)

Question 1.
Look at these sentences.

• Evelyn was determined to live a normal life.
• Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from friends and teachers.

The italicised parts answer the questions:
“What was Evelyn determined to do?” and “What did Evelyn manage to do?” They begin with a to-verb {to live, to conceal). Complete the following sentences. Beginning with a to-verb, try to answer the questions in brackets.

1. The school sports team hopes ………….. (What does it hope to do?)
2. We all want ………….. (What do we all want to do?)
3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother ………….. (What did they advise her to do?)
4. The authorities permitted us to ………….. (What did the authorities permit us to do?)
5. A musician decided to ………….. (What did the musician decide to do?)

Answers:

1. to win
2. to succeed
3. to take her to a specialist
4. play
5. play a new Raaga