Heroes of Science Final.Indd

Central Board of Secondary EducaƟ on

CLASS - 10 UNIT -1 AMAZING INVENTIONS & HEROES OF SCIENCE The CBSE-International is grateful for permission to reproduce and/or translate copyright material used in this publication. The acknowledgements have been included wherever appropriate and sources from where the material may be taken are duly mentioned. In case any thing has been missed out, the Board will be pleased to rectify the error at the earliest possible opportunity.

All Rights of these documents are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, printed or transmitted in any form without the prior permission of the CBSE-i. This material is meant for the use of schools who are a part of the CBSE-International only. Preface

The Curriculum initiated by Central Board of Secondary Education –International (CBSE-i) is a progressive step in making the educational content and methodology more sensitive and responsive to the global needs. It signiﬁ es the emergence of a fresh thought process in imparting a curriculum which would restore the independence of the learner to pursue the learning process in harmony with the existing personal, social and cultural ethos.

The Central Board of Secondary Education has been providing support to the academic needs of the learners worldwide. It has about 11500 schools afﬁ liated to it and over 158 schools situated in more than 23 countries. The Board has always been conscious of the varying needs of the learners in countries abroad and has been working towards contextualizing certain elements of the learning process to the physical, geographical, social and cultural environment in which they are engaged. The International Curriculum being designed by CBSE-i, has been visualized and developed with these requirements in view.

The nucleus of the entire process of constructing the curricular structure is the learner. The objective of the curriculum is to nurture the independence of the learner, given the fact that every learner is unique. The learner has to understand, appreciate, protect and build on values, beliefs and traditional wisdom, make the necessary modiﬁ cations, improvisations and additions wherever and whenever necessary.

The recent scientiﬁ c and technological advances have thrown open the gateways of knowledge at an astonishing pace. The speed and methods of assimilating knowledge have put forth many challenges to the educators, forcing them to rethink their approaches for knowledge processing by their learners. In this context, it has become imperative for them to incorporate those skills which will enable the young learners to become ‘life long learners’. The ability to stay current, to upgrade skills with emerging technologies, to understand the nuances involved in change management and the relevant life skills have to be a part of the learning domains of the global learners. The CBSE-i curriculum has taken cognizance of these requirements.

The CBSE-i aims to carry forward the basic strength of the Indian system of education while promoting critical and creative thinking skills, effective communication skills, interpersonal and collaborative skills along with information and media skills. There is an inbuilt ﬂ exibility in the curriculum, as it provides a foundation and an extension curriculum, in all subject areas to cater to the different pace of learners.

The CBSE has introduced the CBSE-i curriculum in schools affi liated to CBSE at the international level in 2010 and is now introducing it to other affi liated schools who meet the requirements for introducing this curriculum. The focus of CBSE-i is to ensure that the learner is stress-free and committed to active learning. The learner would be evaluated on a continuous and comprehensive basis consequent to the mutual interactions between the teacher and the learner. There are some non-evaluative components in the curriculum which would be commented upon by the teachers and the school. The objective of this part or the core of the curriculum is to scaffold the learning experiences and to relate tacit knowledge with formal knowledge. This would involve trans-disciplinary linkages that would form the core of the learning process. Perspectives, SEWA (Social Empowerment through Work and Action), Life Skills and Research would be the constituents of this ‘Core’. The Core skills are the most signifi cant aspects of a learner’s holistic growth and learning curve.

The International Curriculum has been designed keeping in view the foundations of the National Curricular Framework (NCF 2005) and the experience gathered by the Board over the last seven decades in imparting effective learning to millions of learners, many of whom are now global citizens.

The Board does not interpret this development as an alternative to other curricula existing at the international level, but as an exercise in providing the much needed Indian leadership for global education at the school level. The International Curriculum would evolve on its own, building on learning experiences inside the classroom over a period of time. The Board while addressing the issues of empowerment with the help of the schools’ administering this system strongly recommends that practicing teachers become skillful learners on their own and also transfer their learning experiences to their peers through the interactive platforms provided by the Board.

I profusely thank Shri G. Balasubramanian, former Director (Academics), CBSE, Ms. Abha Adams and her team and Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Head (Innovations and Research) CBSE along with other Education Ofﬁ cers involved in the development and implementation of this material.

The CBSE-i website has already started enabling all stakeholders to participate in this initiative through the discussion forums provided on the portal. Any further suggestions are welcome.

Vineet Joshi Chairman Acknowledgements Advisory Conceptual Framework Shri Vineet Joshi, Chairman, CBSE Shri G. Balasubramanian, Former Director (Acad), CBSE Shri Shashi Bhushan, Director (Academic), CBSE Ms. Abha Adams, Consultant, Step-by-Step School, Noida Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Head (I & R),CBSE Ideators Ms. Aditi Misra Ms. Anuradha Sen Ms. Jaishree Srivastava Dr. Rajesh Hassija Ms. Amita Mishra Ms. Archana Sagar Dr. Kamla Menon Ms. Rupa Chakravarty Ms. Anita Sharma Ms. Geeta Varshney Dr. Meena Dhami Ms. Sarita Manuja Ms. Anita Makkar Ms. Guneet Ohri Ms. Neelima Sharma Ms. Seema Rawat Dr. Anju Srivastava Dr. Indu Khetrapal Dr. N. K. Sehgal Dr. Uma Chaudhry Material Production Groups: Classes IX - X English : Mathematics : Science : History : Ms. Sarita Manuja Dr. K.P. Chinda Ms. Charu Maini Ms. Jayshree Srivastava Ms. Renu Anand Mr. J.C. Nijhawan Ms. S. Anjum Ms. M. Bose Ms. Gayatri Khanna Ms. Rashmi Kathuria Ms. Meenambika Menon Ms. A. Venkatachalam Ms. P. Rajeshwary Ms. Reemu Verma Ms. Novita Chopra Ms. Smita Bhattacharya Ms. Neha Sharma Ms. Neeta Rastogi Ms. Sarabjit Kaur Ms. Pooja Sareen Ms. Ruchika Sachdev Geography: Political Science: Economics: Ms. Deepa Kapoor Ms. Sharmila Bakshi Ms. Mridula Pant Ms. Bharti Dave Ms. Archana Soni Mr. Pankaj Bhanwani Ms. Bhagirathi Ms. Srilekha Ms. Ambica Gulati Ms. Archana Sagar Ms. Manjari Rattan Material Production Groups: Classes VI-VIII English : Science : Mathematics : Geography: Ms. Rachna Pandit Dr. Meena Dhami Ms. Seema Rawat Ms. Suparna Sharma Ms. Neha Sharma Mr. Saroj Kumar Ms. N. Vidya Ms. Leela Grewal Ms. Sonia Jain Ms. Rashmi Ramsinghaney Ms. Mamta Goyal Ms. Dipinder Kaur Ms. Seema kapoor Ms. Chhavi Raheja History : Ms. Sarita Ahuja Ms. Priyanka Sen Ms. Leeza Dutta Dr. Kavita Khanna Political Science: Ms. Kalpana Pant Ms. Keya Gupta Ms. Kanu Chopra Ms. Shilpi Anand Material Production Group: Classes I-V Dr. Indu Khetarpal Ms. Rupa Chakravarty Ms. Anita Makkar Ms. Nandita Mathur Ms. Vandana Kumar Ms. Anuradha Mathur Ms. Kalpana Mattoo Ms. Seema Chowdhary Ms. Anju Chauhan Ms. Savinder Kaur Rooprai Ms. Monika Thakur Ms. Ruba Chakarvarty Ms. Deepti Verma Ms. Seema Choudhary Mr. Bijo Thomas Ms. Mahua Bhattacharya Ms. Ritu Batra Ms. Kalyani Voleti Coordinators: Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Head (I and R) Ms. Sugandh Sharma, E O (Com) Dr. Srijata Das, E O (Maths) Dr. Rashmi Sethi, E O (Science) Shri R. P. Sharma, Consultant Ms. Ritu Narang, R O (Innovations) Ms. Sindhu Saxena, R O (Tech) Shri Al Hilal Ahmed, AEO Ms. Seema Lakra, S O Ms. Preeti Hans, Proof Reader Heroes of Science & Amazing InvenƟ ons

Section Listening Speaking Reading Writing Vocabulary Grammar Skills Skills Skills Skills

The Making of • Select and • Taking an ac ve • Interpre ng • Researching • Using a Scien st extract part in group ideas in a and Wri ng Vocabulary a) Galileo informa on discussions, passage by about a Hero speciﬁ c to from a text showing an rela ng it to of Science character b) Madame required for ability to express other material Curie • Wri ng a Diary analysis a speciﬁ c agreement or on the same Entry c) Richard purpose. disagreement, to theme and Ebright summarise ideas, to own • Wri ng a • Interpret ideas Speech d) Venkataraman in a piece to elicit the views experience Ramakrishnan by rela ng of others, and and • Designing a it to own to present own knowledge. poster experience ideas and • Expressing knowledge. views through simula on and role play

Science and • Listening Nature for speciﬁ c informa on • Dis nguishing main points from speciﬁ c details • Drawing inferences • Interpre ng ideas by rela ng them to other material on the same theme and to own experience and knowledge.

Albert Einstein at • Taking an ac ve • Iden fying • Interpre ng • Understand- School part in group main points of ideas in a text ing the use discussions, a text by rela ng of lexical showing an • Understanding it to other terms in ability to express and evalua ng material on context agreement or informa on the same • Consul ng disagreement, to theme and the summarise ideas, • Drawing to own inferences dic onary to elicit the views experience for of others, and • An cipa ng and unfamiliar to present own and predic ng knowledge. words ideas Section Listening Speaking Reading Writing Vocabulary Grammar Skills Skills Skills Skills

• Discussing views • Interpre ng • Transcoding • Using new and opinion ideas in a ideas from words • Presen ng views passage by verbal to visual in given through use of rela ng it to form contexts mul -media other material • Repor ng • Using on the same • Asking ques ons events using knowledge theme and appropriate of lexical and conduc ng a to own survey language and items in experience format. problem- and solving knowledge. • Wri ng another • Comple ng chapter on the a crossword same theme • Wri ng a diary entry • Rewri ng a given account as First-person narra ve

The Monster of • Conduc ng a • Iden fying • Transcoding • Select and Frankenstein Press Conference main points of ideas from extract a passage verbal to informa on • Interpre ng visual form from a text ideas in a text • Expressing required for by rela ng views in visual a speciﬁ c it to other form purpose. material on • Expressing • Vocabulary the same views using related to theme and language a par cular to own appropriate to emo on experience the task • Phrasal and verbs and knowledge. • Wri ng a clear account Idioms • Interpre ng of events the text in coherently visual form • Wri ng a Press Brief • Wri ng a newspaper Report • Wri ng a diary entry • Designing a book cover Section Listening Speaking Reading Writing Vocabulary Grammar Skills Skills Skills Skills

Anukul • Taking an ac ve • Iden fying • Transcoding • Select and part in group main points of ideas from extract discussions, a passage one genre to informa on showing an another • Interpre ng from a text ability to express ideas in a text • Expressing required for agreement or by rela ng it views using a speciﬁ c disagreement, to to other mate- language summarise ideas, rial on the appropriate to purpose. to elicit the views same theme the task • Vocabulary of others, and and to own ex- • Wri ng a related to to present own perience and clear account a par cular ideas knowledge. of events object • Discussing views • Character coherently and opinion • Vocabulary analysis • Wri ng a related to • Presen ng views • Foreshadow- Press Brief through use of a character ing • Wri ng a diary mul -media trait • Mo ve entry • Wri ng a TV Script (Dialogue)

Germs • Iden fying • Transcoding main points of knowledge a poem from verbal to • Drawing visual form inferences • Understanding allusions and other poe c devices • Interpre ng ideas in a text by rela ng it to other material on the same theme and to own experience and knowledge.

Man Against • Presen ng an • Iden fying • Transcoding • Select and Virus argument main points of ideas from extract a passage one genre to informa on another • Interpre ng from a text ideas in a text • Expressing required for by rela ng views using a speciﬁ c it to other language material on appropriate to purpose. the same the task theme and to Section Listening Speaking Reading Writing Vocabulary Grammar Skills Skills Skills Skills

own experience • Wri ng a • Vocabulary and knowledge. clear account related to • Character of events a par cular coherently analysis object • Foreshadowing • Wri ng a factual • Mo ve account • Wri ng a dialogue • Wri ng an ar cle A Sonnet to • Adop ng diﬀ erent • Iden fying • Iden fying Science strategies to main points of a and under- convey ideas poem standing eﬀ ec vely • Drawing lexical items according to inferences purpose, topic • Under- • Understanding and audience standing allusions and • Taking an ac ve other poe c use of liter- part in group devices ary devices discussions, showing an • Interpre ng ability to express ideas in a text agreement or by rela ng it to disagreement, to other material summarise ideas, on the same to elicit the views theme and to of others, and to own experience present own ideas and knowledge. Machine • Presen ng a view • Iden fying • Poe c point main points of device—Use a poem of imagery • Drawing inferences • Understanding allusions and other poe c devices • Interpre ng ideas in a text by rela ng it to other material on the same theme and to own experience and knowledge.

Grammar Use of Rela ve Clauses in context – Deﬁ ning & Non- deﬁ ning HEROES OF SCIENCE & AMAZING INVENTIONS Contents

Short Stories/ Prose Passages:

I. The Making of a Scien st 1 a) Galileo Galilee 2 b) Madame Curie 3 c) Richard Ebright 5 II. Albert Einstein at School – Patrick Pringle 14 III. The Monster of Frankenstein –Mary Shelley 30 IV. Anukul – Satyajit Ray 40 V. Man Against Virus –Navin Sullivan 54 Poems: I. Germs –Ogden Nash II. A Sonnet to Science –Edgar Allan Poe 61 III. Machine –Vasant Abaji Dahake 66 IV. Machines –Rudyard Kipling 69

Grammar: Relative Clauses 72

Teacher Resources 75

Project Ideas 80

Recommended Reading and Films 92

Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

The Making of a Scien st

Warming up 1. The dic onary deﬁ ni on of a hero is “a person of dis nguished courage or ability… admired for brave deeds and noble quali es…role model, ideal” • Do you think the above descrip on of a ‘Hero’ is adequate? • Would you like to include characteris cs like integrity, compassion, helping those in need, moral courage and doing what you know is right in your descrip on of a hero? Make a dis nc on between a celebrity and a hero. (In the dic onary, celebrity is deﬁ ned as “a famous or well-known person.”) 2. Can you name people you consider “Heroes of Science”? What did they invent?

Heroes of Science Inven ons/ Discoveries

• ______• ______

3. What do you think are the quali es that make a person a hero in the ﬁ eld of Science?

‘Quali es of a Hero of Science’

1 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

5. Compare your lists with those of your partner. Would you like to modify your list? 6. Now read about some Heroes of Science and note the quali es they possessed that turned them into great scien sts.

a. GALILEO 1. Galileo Galilee was an Italian astronomer and physicist who lived from 1564 to 1642. He was the ﬁ rst to use a telescope to observe the stars and planets. Earlier in the century, another astronomer named Nicolaus Copernicus had theorized that the Earth and other planets travelled around the sun. This was an important theory because it suggested that the earth was not the centre of the universe, as previous genera ons had assumed. 2. As a result of his own study, Galileo decided to support Copernicus’ view of the solar system. At that me, the Catholic Church was as powerful as the most stringent dictatorship today. Everything that was done or said or thought had to be pre-approved by the Church. The Pope allowed Galileo to write a book on his views. Then one of Galileo’s enemies caused Galileo to go before an Inquisi on, saying that his discoveries went against the Church’s teachings. He spent the rest of his life under house arrest but managed to write another book, which was secretly published in Holland. The Catholic Church would have had him burned if they had found out about this book. 3. Today we remember that Galileo invented an astronomical telescope. He tried to prove what he saw to other people. The Church did not want people to believe him.

2 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

b. MADAME CURIE 1. Madame Curie was born Maria Sklodowski in Warsaw, Poland in 1867, the youngest of fi ve children. When she was born, Poland was controlled by Russia. Her parents were teachers, and she learned the importance of educa on at an early age. 2. Her mother died when she was young, and her father was caught teaching Polish - which had been made illegal under the Russian government. Manya, as she was called, and her sisters had to get jobs. A er a couple of failed jobs, Manya became a tutor to a family in the countryside outside Warsaw. She enjoyed her me there and was able to send money to her father in order to support him. She also sent some money to her sister Bronya in Paris who was studying medicine. 3. Bronya eventually married another medical student and they set up prac ce in Paris. The couple invited Manya to live with them and study at the Sorbonne - a famous Parisian University. In order to fi t in be er at the school, Manya changed her name to the French “Marie.” Marie studied physics and mathema cs and quickly received her masters’ degrees in both subjects. She remained in Paris a er gradua on and started researching on magne sm. 4. For the research she wanted to do, she needed more space than her small laboratory. A friend introduced her to another young scien st, Pierre Curie, who had an extra room. Not only did Marie move her equipment into his lab, Marie and Pierre fell in love and married. 5. A friend of the Curies, A. Henri Becquerel, had been observing the recently discovered proper es of the element uranium. He talked to Pierre and Marie about those proper es and they became interested in them too. Marie Curie set about inves ga ng the eff ect, which she named “radio-ac vity” for her Doctorate research. 6. Marie Curie checked many other elements to determine whether they too were radioac ve. She found one, thorium, and also came across a source of radia on in a mixture called “pitch-blend,” which was much more powerful than either thorium or uranium.

3 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

7. Working together, it took Marie and Pierre four years to isolate the radioac ve source in the pitch-blend. Marie named it radium. For the discovery of radium, Marie and Pierre won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, which they shared with their friend A. Henri Becquerel. Shortly, Marie found that what she had discovered was not pure radium, but she was able to isolate the element itself a er quite a struggle. For this work, she was given the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911. 8. During her work, Marie discovered that radia on could kill human cells. She reasoned that if it could kill healthy human cells, it could kill diseased human cells and went about isola ng radium for use in killing tumors. 9. In 1906, Pierre Curie was off ered the posi on of director of the Physics Laboratory at the Sorbonne. Before he could take the posi on, however, he was run over by a carriage and killed. A er her husband died, Marie was off ered the posi on. She took the posi on and became the fi rst woman director of a research laboratory. 10. During the fi rst World War, Marie Curie went to work for the French, building and designing X-ray machines. Knowing that moving soldiers to a hospital before they needed surgery was not always possible, she designed the fi rst mobile X-ray machine and travelled with it along the front lines during the war. 11. On July 4, 1934, Marie Curie died in Paris, killed by her own experiments. She died of radia on poisoning and may have been the fi rst person to do so. Marie Curie had brought herself up from poverty, struggling to get her educa on and succeeding brilliantly. The work she did, she did with pa ence, o en ge ng results only a er years of careful experimenta on, while struggling for money to support her work. For her struggles, she received two Nobel Prizes - the fi rst woman to win even one. Through the knowledge she gained, thousands of lives have been saved. 12. Great knowledge, however, is o en a two-edged sword. Without the work she did we might not have many modern cancer treatments, or atomic clocks, or even the computer. But through her work on radioac vity she can also be thought of as the mother of the atomic bomb.

4 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

c. Richard Ebright

1. At the age of twenty-two, a former ‘Scout of the Year’ excited the scien fi c world with a new theory on how cells work. Richard H. Ebright and his college room-mate explained the theory in an ar cle in the proceedings of the Na onal Academy of Science. 2. It was the fi rst me this important scien fi c journal had ever published the work of college students. In sports, that would be like making the big leagues at the age of fi een and hi ng a home run your fi rst me at bat. For Richard Ebright, it was the fi rst in a long string of achievements in science and other fi elds. And it all started with bu erfl ies. 3. An only child, Ebright grew up north of Reading, Pennsylvania. 4. “There wasn’t much I could do there,” he said. “I certainly couldn’t play football or baseball with a team of one. But there was one thing I could do — collect things.” 5. So he did, and did he ever! Beginning in kindergarten, Ebright collected bu erfl ies with the same determina on that has marked all his ac vi es. He also collected rocks, fossils, and coins. He became an eager astronomer, too, some mes star- gazing all night. 6. From the beginning, he had a driving curiosity along with a bright mind. He also had a mother who encouraged his interest in learning. She took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, moun ng materials, and other equipment and helped him in many other ways. 7. “I was his only companion un l he started school,” his mother said. “A er that I would bring home friends for him. But at night we just did things together. Richie was my whole life a er his father died when Richie was in third grade.” 8. She and her son spent almost every evening at the dining room table. “If he didn’t have things to do, I found work for him — not physical work, but learning things,” his mother said. “He liked it. He wanted to learn.” 9. And learn he did. He earned top grades in school. “On everyday things he was just like every other kid,” his mother said. 10. By the me he was in the second grade, Ebright had collected all twenty fi ve species of bu erfl ies found around his hometown.

5 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

11. “That probably would have been the end of my bu erfl y collec ng,” he said. “But then my mother got me a children’s book called The Travels of Monarch X.” That book, which told how monarch bu erfl ies migrate to Central America, opened the world of science to the eager young collector. 12. At the end of the book, readers were invited to help study bu erfl y migra ons. They were asked to tag bu erfl ies for research by Dr Frederick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada. Ebright’s mother wrote to Dr Urquhart, and soon Ebright was a aching light adhesive tags to the wings of monarchs. Anyone who found a tagged bu erfl y was asked to send the tag to Dr Urquhart. 13. The bu erfl y collec ng season around Reading lasts six weeks in late summer. If you’re going to chase them one by one, you won’t catch many. So the next step for Ebright was to raise a fl ock of bu erfl ies. He would catch a female monarch, take her eggs, and raise them in his basement through their life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to pupa to adult bu erfl y. Then he would tag the bu erfl ies’ wings and let them go. For several years his basement was home to thousands of monarchs in diff erent stages of development. 14. “Eventually I began to lose interest in tagging bu erfl ies. It is tedious and there’s not much feedback,” Ebright said. “In all the me I did it,” he laughed, “only two bu erfl ies I had tagged were recaptured — and they were not more than seventy- fi ve miles from where I lived.”

7. What are the quali es that go into the making of a scien st? Complete the following table by adding more quali es about the three scien sts you read about.

Scien st Quality Revealed in…. Galileo • Rebel • Repudiated the beliefs of earlier genera ons and the teachings of the church.

Marie Curie • Determina on

Richard Ebright • Curious • collected bu erﬂ ies, rocks, fossils, eager to learn and coins and was an eager astronomer.

6 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

LISTENING 8. You will now listen to an interview with the Indian-born Nobel Prize winner, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan. Ramakrishnan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his pioneering work on ribosome, a cellular machine that makes proteins. Ramakrishnan is currently working as a senior scien st at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge.

Listen to Ramakrishnan as he talks to journalist Shekhar Gupta and complete the table given below. h p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKUOryUOt0E

What Venkatraman Ramakrishnan feels about……

His subjects of study

The boundaries between the sciences

Biology and its rela onship with other sciences

His son’s profession

Need to study science

His study of Spanish

Examina ons

SPEAKING 9. Walk the Talk Working in pairs, choose a scien st and research his life and achievements. Then, play the role of the scien st and journalist and act out the interview in class as you saw in the video. 10. My aim in life

a. Most successful individuals have a few mo vators that consistently guide their career and job choices and make working an enjoyable and ul mately successful experience for them. b. Read through the list given below of ten work-mo vators and rank them in the order of importance to you, with 10 as your most important mo vator and 1 as your least important mo vator. 7 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

c. Share your views regarding your aim in life with the class including some things that mo vate you. You would get some cues from the table given below. See if you can add your mo vators to the table contents.

What mo vates Descrip on Your Rank you?

Challenge You like to engage in demanding and complex tasks and to have challenge, variety, novelty and obstacles to overcome in your job

Competence You like to make full use of your knowledge, skills and abili es and to be an authority in your area of exper se

Independence You like to be away from restric ons and rules, as much as possible, while doing your job. You also like to organise your own work and be accountable for your ac on

Interest You like to do work that is interes ng to you and gives you an opportunity to learn and improve your skills

Lifestyle You like to take into account all aspects of your life Integra on when choosing your ideal role

Money Pay and other material rewards are important to you and you want to do a job that will allow you to earn a lot of money

Recogni on You like to get posi ve feedback and public credit for work well done, and to be respected for your abili es

Rela onships You like to get on well with colleagues and to work in a suppor ve, sociable environment

Security You want to have a reasonable guarantee of a stable future with con nued employment and a regular income

Variety You like variety rather than repe on in your daily rou ne and a job that develops over me

8 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

WRITING 11. Indian Nobel Prize Winners a. Given below is a list of Indian scien sts who have been awarded the Nobel Prize. Indian Nobel Prize Winning ScienƟ sts

CHANDRASHEKAR VENKATA RAMAN (1930) The Nobel Prize for Physics

C.V. Raman won the Nobel Prize for an important research in the fi eld of op cs (light). Raman had found that diff used light contained rays of other wavelengths-what is now popularly known as Raman Eff ect. His theory explains why the frequency of light passing through a transparent medium changes.

HARGOBIND KHORANA (1968) The Nobel Prize for Medicine

Dr. Khorana was born in Raipur, Punjab (now in Pakistan). He went abroad to get his doctorate in Chemistry and later se led there. It was his study of the human gene c code and the role it plays in protein synthesis that got him the Nobel Prize.

SUBRAMANIAN CHANDRASHEKAR (1983) The Nobel Prize for Physics Dr. S. Chandrashekar, is an Indian-born astrophysicist who developed a theory on white dwarf stars that forecasts-the limit of mass that dwarf stars can have. This limit is known as the Chandrashekar Limit. His theory also explains the ﬁ nal stages of the evolu on of stars. Dr. Chandrashekar is the nephew of another Nobel Prize winner Sir C.V. Raman.

VENKATRAMAN RAMAKRISHNA The Nobel Prize for Chemistry (2009) Born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu in 1952, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009. He is a structural biologist who received the Nobel Prize for his studies in the structure and func on of the ribosome.

9 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

12. Research any one of these Nobel Prize winning scien sts. Find speciﬁ c informa on on that person’s life, inven ons and accomplishments. Record the informa on in the Research Log given below.

As you research your scien st, think about the following points:

• What did this person contribute to the world of science? • What me period in history did this person live? How did the me and place aﬀ ect his accomplishments? • What role did being an Indian play in his success/failure? (Lack of facili es for research/ immigra on etc.) My ScienƟ st

TheThT e websites I choschosee a) ……………………………………..……………………………………….. b)b ……………………………………..……………………………………….. c) ……………………………………..………………………………………….. d) ……………………………………..……………………………… …………….. PersonalPersonal LLifeife

AchievementsAchieve emmene ts

13. Write a diary entry from the viewpoint of the scien st that you have chosen. In your entries, you should describe what you imagine the scien st was doing on the day that he/she experienced the pivotal event. Describe how the scien st might have felt and thought at that me.

10 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Wri ng a Diary Entry

Diaries

• A good diary should be an interes ng record of events. They let the readers know about the writer’s life, thoughts and feelings. • The diary could be fi c onal or non-fi c onal. Rules for diary wri ng: 1. Write in the fi rst person 2. Write the diary entries in the same order as the events took place. 3. Write each day’s entry separately, star ng with the date. 4. Give personal feelings and points of view. It’s wise to plan before you start wri ng. Think: • What event have you chosen to write about? • What is important about this event? • How many days will your diary last? (Hint: Just write about a few days, maybe three or four, so you can put plenty of detail into each day.) • What emo ons do you feel? (Hint: write about big emo ons like nervousness, excitement, happiness, anger, to make it interes ng for the reader.) 14. Present the scien sts you have chosen to the en re class through a speech and a poster. Share their major inven ons/contribu ons to science and the diffi cul es they faced. You may come into class dressed as the scien st on the day of your presenta on. 11 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Science and Nature 1. What is scien ﬁ c temper?

I think a person whose bent of mind is scien ﬁ c is one who

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

....……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Dr. Chandrashekhar Venkata Raman was possibly the greatest physicist this country has ever produced. His pioneering research on the phenomenon that causes the changes in the nature of light when it passes through a transparent medium—solid, liquid or gaseous- won him the Nobel Prize for physics in 1930.

You will listen to an extract from his speech delivered at the Convoca on of the Agra University on 18 November, 1950 in which he expresses his belief in the oneness of nature and science.

h p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKUOryUOt0E

3. As you listen to the speech delivered by C.V. Raman, complete the following statements.

1. Raman studied science because of his ……………………...... ……….

2. The quali es in nature that inspired Raman are

a) …………………………………..

b) …………………………………..

c) …………………………………..

d) …………………………………..

12 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

3. Raman iden ﬁ es patrio sm as …………………...... ……………..

4. Love of the earth is important as ………………………………………......

5. It is the duty of educated people to ………………………………...... ……..

6. The Earth sustains us by providing ..…………………………………...... ….

7. The Roman dictator’s love for his land is evident from the fact that he was …...

……………………………………………………………...... ………

8. Raman wants the young students to …………………………………...... ….

……………………………………………………………...... ………

13 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Albert Einstein at School Patrick Pringle Warming up

1. Albert Einstein (1879–1955) is regarded as a genius and the greatest physicist since Newton. What quali es do you think a person like him would display while at school?

Albert Einstein as a student

LISTENING

2. CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD.

The passage below has certain errors. As you listen, cross out the word that is erroneous. [The tape script is on page 79]

Delete the wrong word in each of the pairs in italics.

Albert Einstein was a German-born physics / physicist, although most people probably know him as the most intelligent people / person who ever lived. His name has become part of many languages when we want to say someone is a genius, as / so in the phrase, “She’s a real Einstein”. He must have been pre y brain / brainy to discover the Theory of Rela vity and the equa on E=mc2.

14 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

In 1999, ‘Time’ magazine naming / named Einstein as the Person of the Century. No one could have guessed / guesses this would happen when he was at school. He was extremely interested in science but hated the system of learning by heart / stomach. He said it destroyed learning and crea vity. He had already done many / much experiments, but failed the entrance exams to a technical college.

He didn’t let this setback / se ng stop him. When he was 16, he performed his famous experiment of imagining traveling alongside a beam of sound / light. He eventually graduated from university, in 1900, with a degrees / degree in physics. Twelve years later he was a university professor and in 1921, he won the Nobel Prize for Physics. He went on to publish / publishing over 300 scien ﬁ c papers.

Einstein is the only scien st to become a culture / cult ﬁ gure, a household name, and part of everyday culture. He once joke / joked that when people stopped him in the street, he always replied: “Pardon me, sorry! Always I am mistake / mistaken for Professor Einstein.” Today, he is seen as the typical madly / mad, absent-minded professor, who just happened to change our world.

3. Based on the listening ac vity, put the following sentences in correct order. One has been done as an example

( ) someone is a genius, as in the phrase, “She’s a real Einstein”. He must have been pre y brainy to discover

( ) heart. He said it destroyed learning and crea vity. He had already done many experiments, but failed the

( ) the Theory of Rela vity and the equa on E=mc2.

( ) Einstein is the only scien st to become a cult ﬁ gure, a household name, and part of everyday

( ) happen when he was at school. He was extremely interested in science but hated the system of learning by

15 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

( ) mistaken for Professor Einstein.” Today, he is seen as the typical mad, absent- minded professor, who just

( ) He didn’t let this setback stop him. When he was 16, he performed his famous experiment of imagining

( ) culture. He once joked that when people stopped him in the street, he always replied: “Pardon me, sorry! Always I am

( ) physics. Twelve years later he was a university professor and in 1921, he won the Nobel Prize for Physics. He went on to publish over 300 scien ﬁ c papers

( ) entrance exams to a technical college.

( 1 ) Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist, although most people probably know him as

( ) happened to change our world.

( ) In 1999, ‘Time’ magazine named Einstein as the Person of the Century. No one could have guessed this would

( ) the most intelligent person who ever lived. His name has become part of many languages when we want to say

( ) traveling alongside a beam of light. He eventually graduated from university, in 1900, with a degree

4. What is the diﬀ erence between a biography and an autobiography? Biography is the story of a person’s life wri en by someone else and autobiography is the story of a person’s life wri en by himself/herself.

Given below is an extract from The Young Einstein, a biography of Albert Einstein by the well-known biographer, Patrick Pringle. Now read the extract where Patrick Pringle describes the circumstances which led to Albert Einstein’s expulsion from a German school.

16 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Albert Einstein at School

1. “In what year, Einstein,” asked the history teacher, “did the Prussians defeat the French at Waterloo?” 2. “I don’t know, sir,” 3. “Why don’t you know? You’ve been told it o en enough.” 4. “I must have forgo en.” 5. “Did you ever try to learn?” asked Mr Braun. 6. “No, sir,” Albert replied with his usual unthinking honesty. 7. “Why not?” 8. “I can’t see any point in learning dates. One can always look them up in a book.” 9. Mr Braun was speechless for a few moments. 10. “You amaze me, Einstein,” he said at last. “Don’t you realise that one can always look most things up in books? That applies to all the facts you learn at school.” 11. “Yes, sir.” 12. “Then I suppose you don’t see any point in learning facts.” 13. “Frankly, sir, I don’t,” said Albert. 14. “Then you don’t believe in educa on at all?” 15. “Oh, yes, sir, I do. I don’t think learning facts is educa on.” 16. “In that case,” said the history teacher with heavy sarcasm, “perhaps you will be so kind as to tell the class the Einstein theory of educa on.” 17. Albert ﬂ ushed. 18. “I think it’s not facts that ma er, but ideas,” he said. “I don’t see the point in learning the dates of ba les, or even which of the armies killed more men. I’d be more interested in learning why those soldiers were trying to kill each other.” 19. “That’s enough,” Mr. Braun’s eyes were cold and cruel. “We don’t want a lecture from you, Einstein. You will stay in for an extra period today, although I don’t imagine it will do you much good. It won’t do the school any good, either. You are a disgrace. I don’t know why you con nue to come.”

17 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

20. “It’s not my wish, sir,” Albert pointed out. 21. “Then you are an ungrateful boy and ought to be ashamed of yourself. I suggest you ask your father to take you away.” 22. Albert felt miserable when he le school that a ernoon; not that it had been a bad day—most days were bad now, anyway— but because he had to go back to the hateful place the next morning. He only wished his father would take him away, but there was no point in even asking. He knew what the answer would be: he would have to stay un l he had taken his diploma. 23. Going back to his lodgings did not cheer him up. His father had so li le money to spare that Albert had been found a room in one of the poorest quarters of Munich. He did not mind the bad food and lack of comfort, or even the dirt and squalor, but he hated the atmosphere of slum violence. His landlady beat her children regularly, and every Saturday her husband came drunk and beat her. 24. “But at least you have a room of your own, which is more than I can say,” said Yuri when he called round in the evening. 25. “At least you live among civilised human beings, even if they are all poor students,” said Albert. 26. “They are not all civilised,” Yuri replied. “Did you not hear that one of them was killed last week in a duel?” 27. “And what happens to the one who killed him?” 28. “Nothing, of course. He is even proud of it. His only worry is that the authori es have told him not to ﬁ ght any more duels. He’s upset about this because he hasn’t a single scar on his face to wear for the rest of his life as a badge of honour.” 29. “Ugh!” exclaimed Albert. “And these are the students.” 30. “Well, you’ll be a student one day,” said Yuri. 31. “I doubt it,” said Albert glumly. “I don’t think I’ll ever pass the exams for the school diploma.” 32. He told his cousin Elsa the same next me she came to Munich. Normally she lived in Berlin, where her father had a business. 33. “I’m sure you could learn enough to pass the exams, Albert, if you tried,” she said, “I know lots of boys who are much more stupid than you are, who get through. They say you don’t have to know anything—you don’t have to understand what you’re taught, just be able to repeat it in the exams.”

18 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

34. “That’s the whole trouble,” said Albert. “I’m not good at learning things by heart.” 35. “You don’t need to be good at it. Anyone can learn like a parrot. You just don’t try. And yet I always see you with a book under your arm,” added Elsa. “What is the one you’re reading?” 36. “A book on Geology.” 37. “Geology? Rocks and things? Do you learn that?” 38. “No. We have hardly any science at school.” 39. “Then why are you studying it?” 40. “Because I like it. Isn’t that a good enough reason?” 41. Elsa sighed. “You’re right, of course, Albert,” she said. “But it won’t help with your diploma.” 42. Apart from books on science his only comfort was music, and he played his violin regularly un l his landlady asked him to stop. “That wailing gets on my nerves,” she said. “There’s enough noise in this house, with all the kids howling.” 43. Albert was tempted to point out that most of the me it was she who made them howl, but he decided it was be er to say nothing. 44. “I must get away from here,” he told Yuri, a er six months alone in Munich. “It is absurd that I should go on like this. In the end it will turn out I have been was ng my father’s money and everyone’s me. It will be be er for all if I stop now.” 45. “And then what will you do?” Yuri asked. 46. “I don’t know. If I go to Milan I’m afraid my father will send me back. Unless...” His eyes gleamed with a sudden idea. “Yuri, do you know any friendly doctors?” 47. “I know a lot of medical students, and some of them are friendly,” said Yuri. “Doctor, no. I’ve never had enough money to go to one. Why?” 48. “Suppose,” said Albert, “that I had a nervous breakdown. Suppose a doctor would say it’s bad for me to go to school, and I need to get right away from it?” 49. “I can’t imagine a doctor saying that,” said Yuri. 50. “I must try,” said Albert, “to ﬁ nd a doctor who specialises in nerves.” 51. “There are plenty of them,” Yuri told him. He hesitated for a moment, and then added, rather reluctantly, “I’ll ask some of the students if they know one, if you like.” 52. “Will you? Oh, thank you, Yuri,” Albert’s eyes were shining. 19 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

53. “Wait a moment, I haven’t found one yet…” 54. “Oh, but you will!” 55. “And if I do I don’t know if he’ll be willing to help you…” 56. “He will, he will,” declared Albert. “I’m going to have a real nervous breakdown, to make it easier for him.” He laughed merrily. 57. “I’ve never seen you looking less nervous,” remarked Yuri. 58. “A day or two at school will soon put that right.” Albert assured him. 59. Certainly he had lost his high spirits when Yuri saw him next. 60. “I can’t stand it any longer,” he said, “I really shall have a nervous breakdown that will sa sfy any doctor.” 61. “Keep it up, then,” said Yuri. “I’ve found a doctor for you.” 62. “You have?” Albert’s face lit up. “Oh, good. When can I see him?” 63. “I have an appointment for you for tomorrow evening.” Yuri said. “Here’s the address.” 64. He handed Albert a piece of paper. 65. “Doctor Ernst Weil—is he a specialist in nervous troubles?” asked Albert. 66. “Not exactly,” Yuri admi ed. “As a ma er of fact he only qualiﬁ ed as a doctor last week. You may even be his ﬁ rst pa ent!” 67. “You knew him as a student, then?” 68. “I’ve known Ernst for years.” Yuri hesitated for a few moments. “He’s not a fool,” he warned Albert. 69. “What do you mean?” 70. “Don’t try to pull the wool over his eyes, that’s all. Be frank with him, but don’t pretend you’ve got what you haven’t. Not that you’d deceive anyone.” Yuri added. “You’re the world’s worst liar.” 71. Albert spent the next day wondering what to tell the doctor. When the me arrived for his appointment he had worried over it so much that he really was quite nervous. 72. “I don’t really know how to describe my trouble, Dr Weil,” he began. 73. “Don’t try,” said the young doctor with a friendly smile. “Yuri has already given me a history of the case.” 20 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

74. “Oh! What did he say?” 75. “Only that you want me to think you have had a nervous breakdown, and say that you mustn’t go back to that school.” 76. “Oh dear.” Albert’s face fell. “He shouldn’t have told you that.” 77. “Why not? Isn’t it true, then?” 78. “Yes, that’s the trouble. Now you’ll say there’s nothing wrong with me, and you’ll tell me to go back to school.” 79. “Don’t be too sure of that,” said the doctor. “As a ma er of fact I am pre y sure you are in a nervous state about that school.” 80. “But I haven’t told you anything about it,” said Albert, wide-eyed. 81. “How can you know that?” 82. “Because you wouldn’t have come to see me about this if you hadn’t been pre y close to a nervous breakdown, that’s why. Now,” said the doctor briskly, “if I cer fy that you have had a nervous breakdown, and must stay away from school for a while, what will you do?” 83. “I’ll go to Italy,” said Albert. “To Milan, where my parents are.” 84. “And what will you do there?” 85. “I’ll try to get into an Italian college or ins tute.” 86. “How can you, without a diploma?” 87. “I’ll ask my Mathema cs teacher to give me something about my work, and perhaps that will be enough. I’ve learnt all the maths they teach at school, and a bit more,” he added when Dr. Weil looked doub ul. 88. “Well, it’s up to you,” he said. “I doubt if it will come oﬀ , but I can see you’re not doing yourself or anyone else much good by staying here. How long would you like me to say you should stay away from school? Would six months be all right?” 89. “This is very kind of you.” 90. “It’s nothing. I’ve only just stopped being a student myself, so I know how you feel. Here you are.” Dr Weil handed him the cer ﬁ cate, “And the best of luck.” 91. “How much…” 92. “Nothing, if you have anything to spare, invite Yuri to a meal. He’s a good friend of mine, and yours too, I think,”

21 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

93. Albert had no money to spare, but he pretended he had and took Yuri out to supper. 94. “Isn’t it wonderful?” he said a er showing Yuri the cer fi cate. 95. “Yes, it’s fi ne,” Yuri agreed. “Six months is a good period. This way you won’t actually be leaving the school so if the worst comes to the worst you’ll be able to come back and carry on for your diploma.” 96. “I’ll never go back to that place,” Albert assured him. “I’m going to take this cer fi cate to the head teacher tomorrow, and that will be the end of it.” 97. “Don’t forget to get a reference in wri ng from your Mathema cs teacher fi rst,” Yuri reminded him. 98. Mr. Koch willingly gave Albert the reference he wanted. “If I say I can’t teach you any more, and probably you’ll soon be able to teach me, will that be all right?” he asked. 99. “That’s saying too much, sir,” said Albert. 100. “It’s only the truth. But alright. I’ll put it more seriously.” 101. It was s ll a glowing reference, and Mr Koch made the point that Albert was ready immediately to enter a college or ins tute for the study of higher Mathema cs. 102. “I’m sorry you’re leaving us, although you’re was ng your me in my class,” he said. 103. “It’s almost the only class where I’m not was ng my me,” said Albert. “But how did you know I’m leaving, sir?” 104. “You wouldn’t have asked me for this reference otherwise.” 105. “I thought you’d wonder…” 106. “There’s nothing to wonder about, Einstein. I knew you were going to leave before you knew yourself.” 107. Albert was puzzled. What did the teacher mean? 108. He soon found out. Before he had a chance to ask for an interview with the head teacher, he was summoned to the head’s room. 109. “Well, it saves me the trouble of having to wait an hour or two outside,” he thought. 110. He hardly bothered to wonder why he had been sent for, but vaguely supposed he was to be punished again for bad work and laziness. Well, he had fi nished with punishments. 22 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

111. “I’m not going to punish you,” the head teacher said, to Albert’s surprise. “Your work is terrible, and I’m not prepared to have you here any longer, Einstein. I want you to leave the school now.”

112. “Leave school now?” repeated Albert, dazed.

113. “That is what I said.”

114. “You mean,” said Albert, “that I am to be expelled?”

115. “You can take it that way if you wish, Einstein.” The head teacher was not mincing words. “The simplest thing will be for you to go of your own accord, and then the ques on won’t arise.”

116. “But,” said Albert, “what crime have I commi ed?”

117. “Your presence in the classroom makes it impossible for the teacher to teach and for the other pupils to learn. You refuse to learn, you are in constant rebellion, and no serious work can be done while you are there.”

118. Albert felt the medical cer ﬁ cate almost burning a hole in his pocket.

119. “I was going to leave, anyway,” he said.

120. “Then we are in agreement at least, Einstein,” the head said.

121. For a moment Albert was tempted to tell the man what he thought of him and of his school. Then he stopped himself.

122. Without another word, holding his head high, he stalked out.

123. “Shut the door a er you!” shouted the head.

124. Albert ignored him.

125. He walked straight on, out of the school where he had spent ﬁ ve miserable years, without turning his head to give it a last look. He could not think of anyone he wanted to say goodbye to. Indeed, Yuri was almost the only person in Munich he felt like seeing before he le the town he had come to hate almost as much as the school. Elsa was back in Berlin, and he had no other real friends.

126. “Goodbye—and good luck,” said Yuri when he le . “You are going to a wonderful country, I think. I hope you will be happier there.”

23 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

5. Answer the following ques ons by choosing the correct op ons. 1. Albert Einstein did not like the kind of learning imparted at school as …….. a) his teachers believed in rote learning b) he did not wish to study History c) he was only interested in Mathema cs d) he did not wish to know the facts

2. Which two quali es does Einstein display in his exchange with Mr Braun? a) honesty and arrogance b) arrogance and indiscre on c) tactlessness and ingra tude d) honesty and convic on

3. When the History teacher told Einstein to tell the class the Einstein theory of educa on, he was being ………………… a) sarcas c b) kind c) curious d) helpful

4. Mr Braun as a teacher was ………………………… a) cruel b) unthinking c) dogma c d) unfeeling

5. Einstein wanted to leave the school as ………………… a) he felt he was not learning anything meaningful at school b) he felt he knew more than the teachers c) he felt he would have a nervous breakdown if he stayed on at school d) his teachers constantly scolded him

24 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

6. Einstein was expelled from school because of his …………. a) nervous breakdown

b) knowing even more than his teachers

c) rebellious nature

d) lack of interest in History

6. Answer the following ques ons brieﬂ y.

1. Do you think Albert is being impolite while answering the history teacher’s ques ons? Give your reasons. 2. What characteris c of Einstein’s nature is highlighted by the exchanges between him and the teacher? 3. Why did Albert see no point in learning dates and facts? 4. Why did Albert feel miserable when he le school that day? 5. What book did Elsa see Albert carrying under his arm? What did she say about it? What does it reveal about him? 6. Why does the biographer refer to Albert’s interest in music as a comfort? 7. Yuri calls Albert ‘the world’s worst liar.’ Do you think this is an insult or a compliment? Jus fy your answer. 8. Why was Albert quite nervous when he met the Doctor? What does this nervousness indicate about his nature? 9. How did Albert hope to get admission to an Italian college without a diploma from the German school? 10. What reason did the Head teacher give for expelling Albert from his school?

25 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

7. Complete the following table lis ng some character traits of Albert Einstein as seen in the lesson you have just read. Give evidence from the lesson to support your choice. You may take help from the sugges ons given in the Help Box. Remember, you may not use all the words given below.

curious nature arrogant talented in maths and science

strong sense of independence logical honest

does not like the poor dishonest rigid unreasonable

Quality Evidence from story

8. Drama sa on

Working in groups of four, enact a scene from Albert Einstein’s school days. Focus on the feeling, emo ons and advice oﬀ ered.

WRITING

9. Discuss with your partner the diﬀ erent personality traits that Einstein possessed. Find out and discuss his mo va on for success and the changes he underwent throughout his life. Find out how his experiences shaped him as a person and which personality traits served him well in his life.

Based on the listening ac vity and the passage you read, write a bio-sketch on Albert Einstein.

10. As the young Albert, write a diary entry expressing your feelings the day you were expelled from school.

26 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

POINT OF VIEW

11. The Young Einstein is wri en as a biography in the third person. The third-person is a narra ve mode in which both the reader and author observe the situa on either through the senses and thoughts of more than one character, or through an omniscient narrator that sees and knows everything that happens and is also aware of what the characters are thinking. In this mode of narra on, the narrator can tell the reader things that the main character does not know, or things that none of the characters know.

An autobiography wri en in fi rst person is a fi rst-hand account of events told or narrated through the eyes of a single character, typically the main character. Autobiographies wri en in fi rst person are easily iden fi ed by the use of the pronoun “I” rather than “he or she.”

The reader will see phrases such as “I said, I thought,” rather than “he said, she thought.” Everything is experienced through the eyes of a single character, and all thoughts and observa ons are limited to that one person. There can be no outside observer. If the narrator does not see or experience an event ﬁ rst-hand, it cannot be a part of the story. All scenes in the story are ﬁ ltered through this person’s unique percep on.

Rewrite the story of Albert Einstein as an autobiography in the ﬁ rst person.

Vocabulary

12. Half of the words in bold in each paragraph are correct and half are incorrect. Circle the incorrect words and replace them with words that ﬁ t.

Albert Einstein was born in Germany on March 14, 1879. His mother no ced that the back of her baby’s head was unusually large and for a moment thought there was something incorrect. With her encouragement Albert was taught to play the violin when s ll very young and he became an excellent Musician. (As an adult he would take his ﬁ ddle everywhere: he found that playing it agitated him.) He learned to sail, too, which he loved. And he knew by the age of 12 that he wanted to spend his life studying: nothing less than the behaviour of the universe.

27 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

To a child like Albert, school could only be pedestrian, in mida ng and alien. He loved the ‘dull, mechanical method of teaching’; he didn’t ﬁ t in, he didn’t work and was thought ‘precious and insolvent’; at 15 he took the sugges on of an unfriendly tutor seriously and le . Somehow he got together the qualiﬁ ca ons he needed to get into the renowned Polytechnic in the Swiss city of Zürich, where, at last, he could study physics as he wished (though even there one of his maths tutors called him a lazy dog).

By this me it was obvious that Albert Einstein was an abnormal young man whose greatest pleasure and sa sfac on was in thinking about scien fi c theory and who never wore socks (‘not even while he was invited to the White House!’ his secretary later revealed). In 1905, though working full- me as Technical Expert (Third Class) at the Swiss Patent Offi ce in Berne, he publicised a series of remarkable scien fi c papers. They won him a Ph D - and also radically changed human understanding of the universe. He was only 26 years old.

Albert Einstein bought a new prospec ve to the rela onships between light, me, space, ma er and gravity. The years of his greatest discoveries were, he said, the happiest years of his life. He was not s ll famous, so ‘nobody accepted me to lay golden eggs’ of yet more new and surprising scien ﬁ c insights; and the First World War had not yet begun.

13. Research the favourite topics of Einstein. Then in groups, complete the crossword using the clues given below.

28 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

SPEAKING

14. Einstein’s early years were ﬁ lled with rote learning and memorising the facts and ﬁ gures. Young Einstein was bored easily by the study of facts. He became irritant to some instructors, one of whom stated in front of the class that Albert probably would never amount to anything.

Discuss Einstein’s rela vely poor performance in school in terms of what that might mean to students today who may not do as well as they are capable of doing.

15. Have a panel discussion on the type of educa on that was being imparted in Einstein’s me as compared to your system of educa on.

29 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

The Monster of Frankenstein Mary Shelley Warming up

1. Using cu ngs from a range of newspapers and magazines, create a picture of a ‘perfect’ person.

2. Working in groups read the news item given below :

ArƟ ﬁ cial life: Have scienƟ sts created a monster?

By Michael Hanlon 21st May 2010

The crea on of a living being in a laboratory is one of the staples of science ﬁ c on.

Now it is a scien ﬁ c fact. Yesterday’s announcement of the birth of a ‘synthe c cell’ - made by injec ng a bacterium shell with gene c material created from scratch by scien sts - raises many ques ons.

These range from the mundanely prac cal - how will this be useful? - to the profoundly philosophical - will we have to redeﬁ ne what life is?

3. Watch the accompanying video clip and listen carefully to the reasons why Man has tried to create ar ﬁ cial life. [Uploaded on the website] • ……..……………………………………………………. • ……..……………………………………………………. • ……..……………………………………………………. 4. Discuss in groups:

Do you think the crea on of life in a laboratory is a powerful testament to human ingenuity? Or is it a terrible example of hubris or pride - and the ﬁ rst step on a very dangerous road?

Present your views in the form of a debate on the topic: ‘Man cannot play God’ with one member from each group speaking for and another against the topic.

5. Now read the making of a monster by a scien st called Victor Frankenstein. 30 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

The Monster of Frankenstein

1. One of the phenomena which had peculiarly a racted my a en on was the structure of the human frame, and, indeed, any animal endued with life. Whence, I o en asked myself, did the principle of life proceed? It was a bold ques on, and one which has ever been considered as a mystery; yet with how many things are we upon the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries. I revolved these circumstances in my mind and determined thenceforth to apply myself more par cularly to those branches of natural philosophy which relate to physiology. To examine the causes of life, we must fi rst have recourse to death. I became acquainted with the science of anatomy but this was not suffi cient; I must also observe the natural decay and corrup on of the human body. I examined the cause and progress of this decay and spent days and nights in vaults and charnel- houses. I saw how the fi ne form of man was degraded and wasted. I examined and analysed all the changes from life to death, and death to life, un l I discovered an astonishing secret. 2. A er days and nights of incredible labour and fa gue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of genera on and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing anima on upon lifeless ma er. 3. The astonishment which I had at fi rst experienced on this discovery soon gave place to delight and rapture. A er so much me spent in painful labour, to arrive at once at the summit of my desires was the most gra fying result of my toils. But this discovery was so great and overwhelming that all the steps by which I had been progressively led to it were forgo en, and I saw only the result. 4. When I found so astonishing a power placed within my hands, I hesitated a long me concerning the manner in which I should employ it. Although I possessed the capacity of bestowing anima on, yet to prepare a frame for receiving it, with all its intricacies of fi bres, muscles, and veins, s ll remained a work of inconceivable diffi culty and labour. The materials at present within my command hardly appeared adequate to so arduous an undertaking, but I did not doubt my ul mate success

31 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

and I began the crea on of a human being. As the minuteness of the parts formed a great hindrance to my speed, I resolved, to make the being of a gigan c stature, that is to say, about eight feet in height, and propor onately large. A er having formed this determina on and having spent some months in successfully collec ng and arranging my materials, I began. 5. I pursued my undertaking with unremi ng ardour. I grew pale and emaciated as I collected bones from graves and tombs. It was on a bleak night of November that I saw the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pa ered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-ex nguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive mo on agitated its limbs. 6. How can I describe my emo ons at this sight? His limbs were in propor on, and I had selected his features as beau ful. His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and fl owing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but this beauty only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. 7. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health; but now that I had fi nished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust fi lled my heart. Unable to bear looking at the being I had created, I rushed out of the room. 32 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

6. Complete the web charts giving below lis ng Frankenstein’s feelings a) before he creates his monster

Eager

Before

b) a er the monster comes to life

Disgusted

A er

7. Answer the following ques ons.

1. What are the two things that fascinated Victor about the human body? 2. In what ways did Victor be er his teachers? 3. Why do you think Victor pursues his studies alone? 4. How did Frankenstein perfect his knowledge of the human body? What light does this throw on : a) his character b) the outcome of his studies

5. What is Victor’s reac on as his crea on shows signs of coming to life? 6. Victor is ashamed of his crea on. Comment.

33 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

8. Hubris in the pursuit of knowledge is the theme that lies at the heart of ‘Frankenstein‘ as the scien st a empts to surge beyond accepted human limits and access the secret of life. Comment.

9. Based on the outcome of your debate on crea ng life in the laboratory, would you have warned Frankenstein or stopped him from crea ng the monster? Why ?

Vocabulary

10. How would you feel if you come face to face with the eight-feet monster of Frankenstein?

List as many words as you can to describe your feelings.

On seeing a monster

34 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

11. How does a person look when he/she is scared?

• eyes wide open • rapid breathing • ………...... ……………………………… • ………...... ……………………………… • ………...... ……………………………… • ………...... ……………………………… 12. There are a number of idioma c expressions in English to describe fear. Read the idioms given below and decide whether the listed idioms describe the way a frightened person looks, feels or both. have goosebumps jump out of skin be scared to death turn as white as a ghost shake like a leaf hair stands on end break into cold sweat blood turns cold someone/something sends chills down one’s spine look like a deer caught in headlights

looking frightened feeling frightened looking or feeling frightened

have goosebumps hair stands on end

13. Fill in the blanks with the missing part of the idiom. You may choose from the list given below. • down my spine • of my skin • a ghost • a leaf • bumps 35 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

• death • cold sweat • turned cold • on end • a deer caught in headlights 1. I got scared to ...... when a stranger with his hands inside the pockets of his coat approached me. 2. I saw a white fl ying object hanging in the sky yesterday. It was neither a plane nor a bird. Could it have been a UFO (uniden fi ed fl ying object)? I get goose ...... every me I tell people about it. 3. Mrinalini broke into ...... when she realized she le her passport at home. Her plane was about to take off in an hour. 4. My blood ...... when I heard about a shoo ng in a local school. 5. Just the sound of the dental drill was enough to send chills ...... 6. Someone’s heavy breathing and loud footsteps made me jump out ...... 7. Janvi is afraid of heights. She was shaking like ...... when she was crossing the bridge a hundred meters up from the river. 8. He looked like ...... when the policeman asked him about his whereabouts on that day. 9. The accused turned as white as ...... and was really shaking when the wit- ness was giving her tes mony. 10. My hair stood ...... when I realized this huge bulldog was un- leashed!

SPEAKING

14. A er he creates life, Victor Frankenstein has a press conference to brief reporters about his achievements. In groups, enact the press conference in class.

Conduc ng a Press Conference:

Most of you have at some point in your life seen a press conference on TV. Study Frankenstein’s achievements.

As Frankenstein, prepare a brief to be read out to the reporters. As reporters, prepare a list of ques ons pertaining to the crea on of life and ask Frankenstein the ques ons. 36 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

The Brief

The press release. The press release which is to be given out at the press brieﬁ ng should iden fy the main stages in your research as well as give the media a headline!

The presenta on. The presenta on must be no longer than 3 minutes in length. The presenta on must be in PowerPoint. The presenta on you make must be in role of Frankenstein. You must show pictures of your crea on.

Press corps

Role of Press Reporters. Press Reporters will ask ques ons based on the press release and presenta on

WRITING 15. Wri ng a newspaper report Based on the Press Conference above, write a newspaper report based on the crea on of life in the laboratory.

The following are the components of a newspaper report Headline

Every report has a headline to a ract the a en on of the reader. The headline must state the topic of the news in a strong, short phrase or statement. The headline must be (a) catchy (b) brief—leave out ar cles, preposi ons, etc. and where possible, use abbrevia ons/shortened word-forms Byline

Since this is your report, you need to let the reader know who wrote it. The line with your name on it is called the ‘Byline’ because it tells by whom the ar cle is wri en.

Write the word ‘By’ followed by your ﬁ rst and last name.

On the next line, write the name of your school and city.

Lead Paragraph (Paragraph 1)

37 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

A lead paragraph usually answers the ques ons: Who? What? Where? When? Why?

Remember to write about the following points in your lead paragraph:

• name or names of the person or thing that the news is about; • the place where the incident took place; • the day, date and me of the day when it took place; • the details of the incident; • the reasons why the incident happened.

Paragraph 2

The second paragraph should tell the reader how the incident happened. Narrate the incident in chronological order.

Paragraph 3

Eyewitness accounts add to the authen city of the news. Also, they may interest the reader. Include some quotes from the eyewitnesses’ comments. Also describe what they felt about the incident.

Paragraph 4

Describe the future course of ac on being planned.

Note: Remember to use simple, clear but formal language.

16. Diary Wri ng

As Victor Frankenstein write three diary entries for the following days:

a) When you started your research into the human body and crea on of life b) A er you succeed in crea ng life c) Six months a er you have created the “being”.

38 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Crea ve Work

17. Designing a Book Cover

Read the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

Working in groups, create a book cover for an illustrated edi on of the novel. In picking a quota on from the book and in portraying an illustra on that depicts the quota on’s meaning, take on the role of a publisher, who must decide how best to get across the point of the novel to an audience who has not yet read it. You may follow this process:

1. Pick one quota on from the novel that is par cularly signiﬁ cant, one that seems to speak to one of the author’s major themes or intents, one that would make good sense on the cover of the novel. 2. Decide how to portray the quota on in a tableau. Present a scene from the book and create a picture that illustrates the quota on.

39 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Anukul Satyajit Ray Warming up

1. Read the ar cle given below:

Robots To Replace Today’s Human Companions?

Olga Kharif

Toshiba just unveiled its new robot, Apri A enda, which can talk with its owners as well as follow the owners around by recognizing their voice and/or appearance in a crowd of people. The robot, as per Toshiba, brings us closer to the mes when machines (and Apri A enda looks super cute!) will func on as our “life support partners”, by caring for the elderly and babysi ng the children.

As more such machines come out, I wonder if they could, poten ally, take place of our human companions of today: dogs, cats and other humans.

2. Discuss with your partner. • What does the word robot mean to you? What do you think a robot is? • What does a robot look like? Do they all have human forms or can they take mul ple forms? • What is a robot ? 3. List four similari es and four dissimilari es between robots and human beings.

Similari es Dissimilari es

40 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

4. In which areas would you like robots to replace humans and in which areas would you not? Give reasons for your answers.

5. In real life, Robots help us in many ways. But in 1920 the playwright Karel Capek, who created the word “robot” in his play RUR or Rossum’s Universal Robots, created humanoid machines that take over the world by killing all the humans.

6. In what ways, do you think, could robots harm human beings in real life?

• …………………………………………………..

• ……………………………………………………

7. When Isaac Asimov wrote about robots he gave a set of three rules. The Three Laws of Robo cs, which robots appearing in his ﬁ c on must obey. These laws, later followed by many other authors, state the following:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inac on, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conﬂ ict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protec on does not conﬂ ict with the First or Second Law.

8. How diﬀ erent are Asimov’s robots from the robots in Karel Capek’s play Rossum’s Universal Robots?

• …………………………………………………..

• ……………………………………………………

41 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

9. Now read this story of a robot and his master. Anukul

1. ‘He’s got a name hasn’t he?’ Nikunja Babu asked. ‘Oh yes, he has.’ ‘What is it?’ ‘Anukul.’ 2. A robot-supplying agency had opened in Chowringhee about six months ago. Nikunja Babu had always wanted a mechanical servant. His business had lately been doing rather well, so he could now aff ord to fulfi l his li le desires. 3. Nikunja Babu looked at the robot. It was an android, which meant that it looked exactly like an ordinary human being although it was really a machine. It was reasonably good- looking and appeared to be a young man of about twenty-two. 4. ‘What kind of work will this robot do?’ Nikunja Babu asked. 5. The man behind the counter lit a cigare e and replied, ‘He’ll do more or less everything an ordinary servant does. The only thing he doesn’t know is how to cook. Apart from that he can do the washing and cleaning, make the beds, make tea, open doors and windows—just about everything. But don’t send him out. He can manage everything in the house, but he couldn’t go out and do your shopping. And……er…… you must talk to him politely. He expects one to say “please” and “thank you.” 6. ‘He’s not ill-tempered, I hope?’ ‘No, no. You’ll fi nd him becoming troublesome only if you raise your hand. Our robots cannot stand physical assault.’ ‘There’s no likelihood of that. But suppose someone gives him a slap. What will he do?’ ‘He will take revenge.’ ‘How?’ ‘He might use the fi nger of his right hand. He can give a high voltage electric shock with his fi nger.’ 42 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

‘Can that result in death?’ ‘Certainly. And the law cannot do anything about this for a robot cannot be punished like a normal human being. But I must say that there has never been a case like this so far.’ ‘Does he sleep at night?’ ‘No. Robots don’t sleep.’ ‘What does he do then all night?’ ‘He just sits quietly in a corner. Robots don’t lack pa ence.’ ‘Does he have a mind?’ ‘Robots can, at mes, feel and understand things that a human being can’t. But then, not all robots are so sensi ve. It’s a ma er of luck, really. Only me can tell you how gi ed a robot is.’ 7. Nikunja Babu turned towards the robot and said, ‘Anukul, you have no objec on to working for me, have you?’ ‘Why should I object?’ said Anukul in a perfectly normal voice. 8. He was wearing a blue striped shirt and black shorts. His neatly brushed hair had a side par ng, his complexion was fair, his teeth were bright and clean and his mouth parted in a half smile. His whole appearance inspired confi dence. 9. ‘Come along, then.’ 10. Nikunja Babu’s Maru van was wai ng outside. He paid for Anukul by cheque and came out with him. Anukul’s movements were no diff erent from those of an ordinary man. 11. Nikunja Babu lived in Salt Lake. He was not married. A few of his friends o en dropped in to play cards in the evening. They had already been told about the arrival of a mechanical servant. 12. Nikunja Babu had, in fact, done a bit of research before acquiring Anukul. Quite a number of people in the upper classes of Calcu a had already acquired robots to work for them. Mr. Mansukhani, Girija Bose, Pankaj Du a Roy, Mr. Chhabria— everyone said that they were very sa sfi ed and that their servant gave them no trouble at all. 13. ‘Our Jeevanlal does everything immediately, just as he’s told,’ said Mr. Manusukhani, ‘I’m convinced he’s not just a machine—he must have a real brain and a heart!’ 43 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

14. Nikunja Babu formed a similar opinion within seven days. Anukul’s way of working was just perfect. He seemed to have grasped fully the logical link between one task and another. If asked whether the water for his bath was ready, he would not only bring the water immediately but would also provide a soap and a towel for his master. He would then get his master’s clothes and shoes everything else that might be needed. And he did everything so willingly that there was no ques on of being impolite to him. 15. Nikunja Babu’s friends took a li le me to get used to Anukul, especially Vinay Pakrashi. He o en spoke rather rudely to his own servants and, on one occasion, he happened to address Anukul rudely. Anukul, however, did not lose his calm. ‘If you are rude to me, old boy,’ he said quietly, ‘I’m going to be rude to you!’ 16. Vinay Babu did not make the same mistake again. 17. Nikunja Babu formed a very good rela onship with Anukul. Anukul began to do things for him without being told. His master found this surprising, but recalled that the man in the robot-supplying agency had indeed told him that certain robots have something akin to a brain and could think. Anukul must belong to that category. 18. But what was most diﬃ cult to believe was that Anukul did not sleep at all. He was so much like a real human being, surely he slept a li le at night? Nikunja Babu decided to check out one night. Just as he peeped into Anukul’s room, he heard Anukul say, ‘Do you want anything, sir?’ Embarrassed, Nikunja Babu said, ‘No,’ and retraced his steps. 19. It was possible to converse with Anukul on a wide range of subjects. He appeared to know a lot about sports, cinema, theater, literature….prac cally everything one could think of. Nikunja Babu marveled at the extent of his knowledge and the skill of the robot makers. 20. But all good things come to an end. 21. Nikunja Babu happened to make a few wrong moves in his business and, within a year of Anukul’s arrival, his earnings grew considerably less. He con nued to pay the hire charges for Anukul, which was two thousand rupees a month. But if his ﬁ nancial situa on did not improve, who knew when he would have to stop? The robot-supplying agency had told him Anukul would be taken away if the monthly payment was not made. Clearly, Nikunja Babu would have to be very careful with his money. 22. But something happened this me to upset all his plans. 44 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

23. One ﬁ ne day, Nikunja Babu’s uncle turned up. ‘I was ge ng rather bored in Chandannagar all by myself—so I thought I would come and spend a few days with you,’ he said. 24. The uncle of Nikunja Babu—called Nibaran Banerjee—came occasionally to stay with his nephew. Nikunja Babu had lost his father many years ago and Nibaran was the only uncle le among the three he had. An irascible old man, he was reported to have made a lot of money as a lawyer, although that was impossible to tell from the way he lived. The truth was that the man was extremely s ngy. 25. ‘You’re very welcome to spend a few days here, Uncle’ said Nikunja Babu, ‘but I must tell you something right away. I have now got a mechanical servant. You must have heard of companies that are making robots in Calcu a.’ 26. ‘Yes, I’ve seen the adver sements. But where is your servant from? You know I’m a li le fussy in this ma er. Is this servant doing the cooking?’ 27. ‘No, no, no,’ reassured Nikunja Babu, ‘I’ve s ll got the old cook. So you needn’t worry. The new one is called Anukul and…er…you must speak to him politely. He doesn’t like being shouted at.’ 28. ‘Doesn’t like it, eh?’ ‘No, he doesn’t.’ ‘Do I have to act according to his like and dislikes?’ ‘That applies to everyone, not just you. But you won’t ﬁ nd fault with his work.’ ‘Why did you have to get into this mess?’ ‘I’ve told you already –he’s a good worker.’ ‘Well, then call him. Let’s see what he is like.’ ‘Anukul!’ Nikunja Babu called out. Anukul arrived immediately. ‘Meet my uncle,’ said Nikunja Babu, ‘he’s going to stay here for some me.’ ‘Very good, sir.’ ‘My goodness—he speaks just like a man,’ exclaimed Nibaran Banerjee. ‘All right then, could you please give me some hot water? I’d like to have a bath. It’s turned a li le chilly a er the rains—but I am so accustomed to having a bath twice a day.’ ‘Yes, sir.’ 29. Anukul le to carry out the instruc ons.

45 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

30. Nibaran Babu’s arrival did not result in any improvement in his nephew’s fi nancial status. All that happened was that Nikunja Babu’s friends stopped coming in the evening. It was not seemly to play rummy or poker in front of one’s uncle; besides Nikunja Babu could no longer aff ord to gamble. 31. It was diffi cult to tell how long uncle would stay. He usually came and went just as he liked. This me it seemed as though he was going to stay for a while—and the reason was Anukul. Anukul appeared to be a rac ng and repulsing him equally. He could not deny that Anukul’s effi ciency, as a worker was irreproachable. At the same me, however, he could not quite accept the fact that one was expected to be careful in one’s behaviour when dealing with a mere servant. 32. He said to his nephew one day, ‘Nikunja, this servant of yours is giving me a lot of trouble at mes.’ ‘Why, what happened?’ Nikunja Babu asked, worried. ‘I was reci ng a few lines from the Gita the other day and that damned servant had the cheek to correct what I was saying. Even if the words I’d spoken were wrong, it’s not for him to correct me, is it? I felt like giving him a ght slap. But in the end, I managed to control myself.’ ‘No, no, Uncle, you must never raise your hand—it can have a disastrous eff ect. The suppliers told me so. The best thing would be not to speak at all when he’s around.’ 33. Nibaran Babu went away mu ering to himself. 34. As the days went by, Nikunja Babu’s earnings grew less and less. He began to fi nd it very diffi cult to make the monthly payment for Anukul. He could not help men oning this to Anukul one day. 35. “Anukul, my business isn’t doing very well.’ ‘I know.’ ‘Yes, perhaps you do. But what I don’t know is how long I shall be able to keep you. I don’t wish to part with you and yet…’ ‘Let me think about it.’ ‘Think about what?’ ‘If there is some solu on to the problem.’ ‘How is your thinking going to help? Running a business is not your line, is it?’ ‘No, but do let me try.’

46 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

‘All right. But it may not be possible for me to keep you for very long—I just wanted to warn you.’

‘Yes, sir.’

36. Two months passed. It was Sunday. Nikunja Babu’s careful calcula ons showed that he could, at the most, aﬀ ord to keep Anukul for another two months. A er that he would have to look for a human servant. In fact, he had already started looking for one. The whole thing depressed him a lot. And, to make ma ers worse, it was raining cats and dogs outside.

37. Nikunja Babu pushed the newspaper aside and was about to call Anukul for a cup of tea when Anukul appeared.

38. ‘What is it, Anukul?’

‘There’s been an accident.’

‘Accident? What happened?’

‘Your uncle was standing near the window singing a Tagore song about the rain. He got some words wrong, so I felt obliged to correct him. He got so angry at this and gave me a slap. So I had to pay him back.’

‘Pay him back?’

‘Yes, I had to give him a high voltage shock.’

‘Does it mean…’

‘He’s dead. But there was a clap of thunder just as I gave him the shock.’

‘Yes, I heard it.’

‘So you needn’t tell what the real reason for his death was.’

‘But….’

‘Don’t worry, sir. This will do you a lot of good.’

39. And so it did. Two days a er uncle’s death, Nikunja Babu got a call from his uncle’s lawyer, Bhaskar Bose. Nibaran Babu had le all his property to his nephew. Its total value was a li le more than a million rupees.’

47 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

10. Answer the following ques ons 1. Who was Anukul? Where did Nikunja Babu get him? 2. Why did Nikunja Babu hire Anukul? 3. About what did the man at the robot-supplying agency warn Nikunja Babu? 4. Why did Nikunja Babu feel that Anukul had a brain and a heart? 5. Why did Nikunja Babu ﬁ nd it diﬃ cult to believe that Anukul did not sleep at night? What did he do to prove otherwise? 6. Who was Nibaran Banerjee? What kind of a man was he? 7. How did Nibaran Banerjee react to Anukul? 8. Why did Nikunja Babu start looking for a human servant? 9. What was the cause of Nibaran Banerjee’s death? Why did Anukul tell Nikunja Babu not to tell the people the real cause of death? 10. About Nibaran Banerjees death, Anukul told Nikunja Babu ‘Don’t worry, sir. This will do you a lot of good.’ What good did it do? 11. Character Study Iden fy and state the character traits of the following characters. Support your views with suitable instances from the text. You may choose the quali es from the box given below. You may add some of your own.

Character traits Evidence from story

Nikunj Babu

Anukul

Nibaran Babu

48 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Cau ous Curious Impa ent Careful

Loyal Rigid Irritable Clever

Pa ent Inﬂ exible Flexible Amoral

12. Foreshadowing is a literary device in which an author suggests certain plot developments that will come later in the story. Reread the story and, working with your partner, complete the following charts lis ng clues that the author gives about what will happen in the end.

Character traits of Anukul Nibaran Babu’s behaviour

Clue 1 Clue 1

Clue 2 Clue 2

Clue 3 Clue 3

Clue 4 Clue 4

13. Mo ve and Punishment

Discuss with your partner

• Did Anukul deliberately provoke Nibaran Babu? Why/ why not? • Was Anukul’s punishment of Nibaran Babu right or wrong? Give reasons for your answer. VOCABULARY

14. Fill in the blanks with the words given below

assault, inspired, mechanical, grasped, accustomed to, eﬃ ciency 1. The horsepower of the engine was increased to improve ______2. The agitated mob was accusing the police of physical ______3. The students ______the concepts that the teacher explained. 4. Born in a rich family, the girl was ______a luxurious life. 5. Having worked as a typist for ten years, Sunny was red of his ______existence.

49 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

15. You have gone to buy the following goods at a shop. What are the words that you would like to use to tell the shopkeeper what you want? e.g. Machine—portable, reasonably priced, latest technology 1. a dress— 2. bouquet of ﬂ owers— 3. a doll— 4. a book— 5. apples— 6. house— 7. watch— 8. curtains— 9. motorcycle— 10. sports goods— 16. Describing words What are the words that you would use to describe a robot? Give ﬁ ve words in each column.

Posi ve words Nega ve words

Obedient Unfeeling

Give ﬁ ve words in each column to describe human beings.

Posi ve words Nega ve words

50 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

SPEAKING

17. When the Czech playwright Karel Capek sat down in 1920 to write a play about humanoid machines that turn against their creators, he decided to call his imaginary crea ons ‘robots’, from the Czech word for ‘slave labour’. Ever since then, our thinking about robots, whether fi c onal or real, has been dominated by the two key ideas in Capek’s play. Firstly, robots are supposed to do the boring and diffi cult jobs that humans can’t do or don’t want to do. Secondly, robots are poten ally dangerous. These two ideas remain infl uen al, but not everyone accepts them.

Does the future of robo cs hold the promise of a dream come true to lighten the workload on humanity and provide companionship or create a stereotype.

Choose one of the above views and working in groups, present your views on the topic.

WRITING

18. As Nikunj Babu, write a diary entry for the following days:

a) The day you brought Anukul home b) The day you discussed your business problems with Anukul c) The day Anukul informed you he had killed Nibaran Babu 19. You are a TV journalist working for a channel ‘Science Today’ and had interviewed scien st who has created a robot that not only works for man but also acts as his companion. Script dialogue between the scien st and you for the print media, to be published under the heading ‘Robo c Devices Make Science Fic on a Reality’ 51 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Germs

1. In prehistoric mes, it was believed that evil spirits made people sick and in order to get be er, this spirit would have to be beaten, tortured or starved to drive it out.

But today we know that disease is caused by • ……………………………...... ……….. • ……………………………...... ……….. • ……………………………...... ……….. • ……………………………...... ……….. • ……………………………...... ……….. • Consider this.... • Infec ous diseases are the leading cause of death in the world. Of 52.2 million deaths in 1997, at least 17.3 million were due to infec ous diseases. • Thirty new diseases have been iden ﬁ ed over the past 20 years, among them are the deadly Ebola and HIV/AIDS. • In the long history of struggle against infec ous diseases, humans have only managed to conquer one: smallpox, which was declared eradicated in 1980 • Polio has already been eliminated from the western hemisphere and is targeted for global eradica on very soon. 2. Read the following poem on Germs

1. A mighty creature is the germ,

Though smaller than the pachyderm.

His customary dwelling place

Is deep within the human race.

His childish pride he o en pleases

By giving people strange diseases.

Do you, my poppet, feel inﬁ rm?

8. You probably contain a germ.

--Ogden Nash 52 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

3. Based on your understanding of the poem above, draw a suitable illustra on that highlights the power of the germ.

53 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Man Against Virus Navin Sullivan (From Pioneer Germ Fighters) Warming up

1. Discuss with your partner

What do you think is the deadliest disease today? Why do you think people dread it? a. the treatment is expensive b. no cure has been found c. mortality rate is high d. it is a painful disease e. all the above 2. Find out

• In 1947, life expectancy in India was 28 years. Today it has increased to 63 years. In your groups, discuss the following: • To what do you a ribute the increased life expectancy? • In what way(s) has medical science contributed to this change?

• What were the various discoveries by Louis Pasteur that have helped man?

3. Now read this story about Pasteur’s inven on of the an -rabies vaccine Man Against Virus

1. Two men held a struggling, crazed bulldog down on a table. Its mouth was smothered with saliva, and a bite from its jaws might cause death. Beside them stood Louis Pasteur, holding a narrow glass tube in one hand.

‘Hold the head, please,’ he said calmly.

54 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

2. He put one end of the tube between his lips and lowered the other toward the foam-covered jaws. As the animal writhed, he carefully sucked some of the saliva up the tube. The men watched him, awe-struck. If he sucked too hard and got some saliva in his mouth……..

3. But he did not suck too hard. When he had all the saliva he wanted, he stepped back, holding one ﬁ nger over the top of the tube. He nodded, and then the men li ed the dog and carried it back to the cage. Meanwhile, Pasteur released the saliva into a sterile, germ-free test-tube and closed the mouth of the tube with co on. Then he held it up to the light and looked at it.

4. Somewhere in there, he thought, must be the microbe that he was trying to isolate: the rabies microbe that made the dog mad and brought people an agonizing death. He remembered, when he was a child, a mad wolf used to live near his home. Everyone was afraid of being bi en by it. Several people had been bi en by it and had died as a result. The only way to try to stop the infec on from a bite was to cauterize the wound by pressing a red-hot iron on it. This was said to purify the ﬂ esh. Terrible though the treatment was, anyone who had been bi en was ready to endure it rather than suﬀ er torments of rabies.

5. Pasteur s ll remembered the day when, as a boy, he had seen a crowd outside the blacksmith’s forge near his father’s house. He had run to see what was happening. The onlookers had pushed him roughly away, but not before he had heard the moans of the villager and the hiss of the blacksmith’s red-hot iron burn his skin. Pasteur had never been able to forget the horror of that moment.

6. Now, fresh from his triumph over anthrax and chicken cholera, he was determined to ﬁ nd a similar treatment for rabies. That is why he had taken saliva from the jaws of a mad dog.

7. But although he and his assistant Roux looked at that saliva under the microscope un l their eyes ached, they found nothing that they could iden fy as the rabies germ.

8. ‘I don’t understand this,’ said Pasteur. ‘If a bite from a mad dog causes rabies, the microbe must be in the saliva.’ 55 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

9. ‘Well, we don’t seem to ﬁ nd it,’ said Roux. ‘Let’s try injec ng the saliva into animals and see if it gives them rabies. Then at least we’ll know if the germ is really in the saliva. We can try with blood taken from mad dogs, too. Paul Bert has been doing that.’

10 ‘Good luck to him,’ mu ered Pasture. ‘The more of us there are ﬁ gh ng rabies, the be er. But what chance have we if we can’t ﬁ nd the microbe that causes it? How can we a empt to make vaccine?’

11. In spite of their discouragement, he and Roux experimented with injec ons of saliva and blood taken from mad dogs. They found that the saliva some mes caused rabies, but quite o en did not. And the blood had no eﬀ ect at all.

‘Confound it,’ exclaimed Pasture, limping up and down the laboratory in the Ecole Normale. ‘I have a feeling that we’re on the wrong track. What happens to the rabies germ—for I’m sure there is one, even if we can’t see it—what happens to it when it infects an animal? It can’t be in the blood or those injec ons of blood would have worked.’

12. ‘You mean it may not travel in the blood at all?’ asked Roux. It was a daring idea, for every germ they had found so far lived in the blood.

‘That’s right,’ said Pasteur impa ently. ‘Yet where else, where else…..’

He stopped and stared absently at the cage that was full of rabbits.

‘Wait a minute!’ he cried, suddenly. Think of the symptoms of rabies. The mad dog rushes about bi ng, foaming at the mouth. But later, months later, the poor creature becomes paralyzed and then dies. Paralysis could mean that not only are the muscles aﬀ ected but also the nerves that order the muscles to move. The rabies germ must aﬀ ect the nervous system! I can see now. First it makes the animal terribly excited, and then it a acks the nerves so that paralysis results. Roux, 13. I believe that we should look in the brain and the spinal cord for this germ!’ 56 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

14. Eagerly, he and Roux began a series of experiments to test the new idea. They took samples of the brain of a dog that had died of rabies and injected them under the skins of experimental animals. Then they waited anxiously for the results.

15. It was a long wait because the symptoms of rabies o en did not appear for weeks. But ﬁ nally many of their experimental animals deﬁ nitely developed signs of rabies.

16. ‘We’re on to something,’ said Pasteur. ‘This is a much surer method than using saliva. I think the rabies germ does a ack the brain and spinal cord; it prefers to live there, in fact. It we want to grow it, we will have to give it the right surroundings. Broth won’t be of any use here.’

17. Roux suggested that it would be be er to inject the germ straight into the brain, if that was where it travelled anyway.

18. By now they had discovered that rabbits as well as dogs could have rabies. So they took a small piece of the brain of another rabbit. A er only seven days, this rabbit developed rabies.

19. ‘This is a much faster method than injec ng under the skin,’ said Pasteur. ‘Evidently the rabies germ does live in the brain. The sooner it gets there, the sooner it has an eﬀ ect.’

20. Then they tested the strength of the germ, by no ng how quickly a rabbit developed rabies a er the germ was injected into its brain. They found that strength varied depending on what kind of animal it had been living in. Germs from the laboratory rabbits were, surprisingly much more virulent than germs taken from stray mad dogs.

21. ‘We will use the most virulent kind in trying to make a vaccine,’ Pasture announced. ‘Then the vaccine is bound to be a protec on against all diﬀ erent strengths of germs.’

22. The next move was to try a weakening of the germ. As they could not see it or ﬁ nd a way of growing it outside the brain, they had to work with infected brains. The germ seemed to favour a region of the brain called medulla, so they used samples from there. Roux put these into a sterile solu on which he then closed. As days went by, the pieces of medulla shriveled.

23. ‘Let’s see if the rabies germ is s ll living in these pieces,’ Pasteur said ﬁ nally. The only way they could test it was to grind up the pieces and inject them into healthy animals. When they did this, the animals appeared to get rabies; but instead of ge ng really sick, they rapidly recovered. 57 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

24. When Pasteur saw what had happened, he was immediately hopeful.

25. ‘It looks as if we may have found the way to weaken the rabies germ,’ he said eagerly. ‘Roux, we shall conquer it yet. Why should those animals have recovered unless the germs they got were weak ones? Let’s test infected medullas each day and see if their eﬀ ect lessens.’

26. Roux prepared a whole series of infected medullas and tested them by injec ng an extra dose from the fi rst a er it had aged one day, from the second a er it had aged two days and so on. The fi rst –day medullas always produced rabies. But the longer the medullas had dried and shriveled, the less eff ect they had. By the me a piece of medulla was fourteen days old, it was harmless.

27. This meant that the rabies germ of any strength could be prepared. If the weakened rabies germs could safely s mulate an animal’s defences, a way of making a vaccine had been found.

28. The men began the experiment to test their ideas. First they injected a dog with a fourteen-day old medulla. The next day, they injected a thirteen-day old medulla. They went on this way un l on the fourteenth day they injected a one-day old medulla which, they knew, would ordinarily give their dog rabies. It did not. Weeks later the dog frisked about as happily as ever.

29. ‘We’ve done it,’ whispered Pasteur, hardly daring to believe it. ‘They’re immune. They’re safe.’

4. Answer the following ques ons. 1. What was the horrible memory of Pasteur’s childhood what made him determined to ﬁ nd a cure for rabies? 2. Where did the rabies microbe reside? How did Pasteur discover this fact? 3. Why did he inject the germs into the brain of the rabbits? 4. Who was Paul Bret? What informa on did Roux give about him? 5. How did Pasteur discover the seat of the most virulent germ? 6. Why did he select the most virulent germs to make the an -rabies vaccine?

58 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

5. Wri ng a Factual Account

Factual Descrip on is a collec on of related sentences dealing with a single topic. Such a wri ng task is essen ally sequen al and direc onal—proceeding from one point to the other in a ﬁ xed direc on. Although the focus is on factual accuracy, stylis c crea vity and innova on make the descrip on more interes ng for the reader. Otherwise a factual descrip on may become mundane and boring.

While wri ng a factual descrip on students must show

a) an eye for detail b) power of observa on The factors that are essen al for eﬀ ec ve paragraph wri ng are:

• Unity • Cohesion • Logical development of thought The en re piece should concern itself with a single controlling idea. Rambling, or devia ng from the task at hand should deﬁ nitely be avoided. Connec ves and linkers are essen al to make the passage interes ng and understandable. The thought should be built up by providing adequate details. The descrip on must be sequen al with important details listed ﬁ rst and the not-so-important details following.

Important: Make a careful use of tenses while giving a factual descrip on

Factual descrip on is arranged as follows:

TOPIC SENTENCE--the ﬁ rst sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph

SUPPORTING DETAILS--come a er the topic sentence, making up the body of the descrip on. They give details to develop and support the main idea.

CLOSING SENTENCE--the last sentence restates the main idea and sums up the thoughts using diﬀ erent words.

59 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Write a brief account of the inven on of the An -Rabies Vaccine.

VOCABULARY

6. In the passage there are a number of words that are associated with medical terminology. Find one word in the passage that ﬁ ts the descrip on given below. 1. Free from all bacteria 2. moisture secreted from the glands in the mouth, essen al for diges on 3. minute living organisms visible only under a microscope 4. a carefully prepared substance, usually liquid, that contains a rela vely harmless version of a serious disease 5. ﬁ ll air or body with dangerous germs 6. a state of helplessness 7. to force a liquid into the body with a syringe 8. special room for experiments 9. to sear and render insensi ve 10. when a person/animal becomes incapable of moving

SPEAKING

7. You needn’t be a doctor or a scien st to help mankind. How can you help the country as a 1. leader 2. teacher 3. geologist 4. manager 5. entrepreneur

WRITING 8. Think of yourself as the journalist who has come to interview Pasteur, the scien st who has discovered the virus rabies. Write a dialogue between Pasteur and the journalist. 9. WHO and other world bodies are working for the eradica on of diseases. You must be aware of the Pulse Polio Programme. Do you think all diseases can be eradicated ? Discuss whether it is possible to have a disease free world. Write an ar cle on ‘A World Without Disease’.

60 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

A Sonnet to Science Edgar Allan Poe Warming up

1. Discuss

1. How did our Ancestors view nature around them?

• Thunder and rain gods. • Moon as a symbol of beauty and love. • Sun in his chariot travelling around the world. • ______• ______• ______• ______• ______• ______• ______2. How does science help us view these objects?

• Thunder caused by posi ve and nega ve charges in the clouds. • Moon as a desolate unfriendly place. • ______• ______• ______• ______• ______• ______• ______3. Is there any rela onship between science and imagina on?

4. Now read Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “A Sonnet to Science.”

61 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

A Sonnet to Science Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art! Who alterest1 all things with thy peering eyes. Why preyest2 thou thus upon the poet’s heart, Vulture, whose wings are dull reali es? How should he love thee? or how deem3 thee wise, Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies. Albeit4 he soared with an undaunted5 wing? Hast thou not dragged Diana6 from her car7? And driven the Hamadryad8 from the wood To seek a shelter in some happier star? Hast thou not torn the Naiad9 from her ﬂ ood, The Elﬁ n10 from the green grass, and from me The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree.

1alterest-- transforms 2 preyest-- prey on or hunt for 3deem --view 4albeit-- even though 5undaunted—unshaken in purpose 6Diana-- In Roman mythology, the goddess of hunƟ ng and the Moon; twin of Apollo, the god of music and the Sun. She was known as Artemis by the Greeks 7car-- chariot; Diana was supposed to travel around the sky in her silver chariot (Moon) in the nights just like her brother travelled in his golden chariot (Sun) by day Ɵ me. 8Hamadryad: A wood nymph who died with the tree in which she dwelt. 9Naiad: In classical mythology a water nymph; they lived in rivers, springs and lakes, like the Nereids that lived in the seas. 10Elﬁ n: According to folklore, elfs were supernatural beings, generally of human form but very small, delicate and fairylike, and of mischievous nature. 62 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

5. Based on your reading of the sonnet, answer the following ques ons by cking the correct op ons.

1. Science is called the daughter of Old Time as ……………………. a) people have studied science since ancient mes

b) people in older days knew more about science

c) the concepts of science are born out of old beliefs

d) the concepts of science have developed over me.

2. The poet compares Science to a vulture as it …………………. a) feeds on the imagina on of the poet’s heart

b) feeds on dead ﬂ esh and prevents decay

c) prevents dead thoughts from causing decay

d) cleans up the ro ng thoughts and ideas

3. The poet would like to ﬂ y high in the sky ………………….. a) to be with the birds

b) to ﬂ y among the stars

c) to gather the jewels

d) on his imagina on

4. “Science has dragged Diana from her car” means ………………… a) that Diana now travels in a car instead of a chariot

b) people no longer believe in Diana, the goddess of the Moon

c) Science has become the new god that people worship

d) Science has taken away Diana’s car and given her a chariot instead.

5. The poet writes this poem in a tone of ………………………. a) admira on

b) nostalgia

c) regret

d) an cipa on 63 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

6. Poe c Devices

The poem is a sonnet. A sonnet is

• a lyric poem of 14 lines • has a formal rhyme scheme • expresses diﬀ erent aspects of a single thought, mood or feeling, o en resolved or summed up in the last lines of the poem. 7. An allusion is a reference to, or representa on of, a place, event, literary work, myth, or work of art, either directly or by implica on.

e.g. Diana, In Roman mythology the goddess of hun ng and the Moon; twin of Apollo, the god of music and the Sun.

Working with your partner, ﬁ nd other allusions in the poem.

8. Allitera on is the repe on of the ini al le er (generally a consonant) or ﬁ rst sound of several words, marking the stressed syllables in a line of poetry.

e.g. Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.

Working with your partner, ﬁ nd other examples of allitera on in the poem.

9. Metaphor is a comparison between two concepts, ghtened by the omission of any adjoining words.

e.g. Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart,

Vulture, whose wings are dull reali es?

The poet compares Science to a vulture as science feeds upon the imagina on in the poet’s heart.

WRITING

10. Write a poem about an inven on of science.

Poetry is an interes ng form of wri ng. It is very free, has few restric ons and can be a great way to express feelings.

Step 1

Begin with an idea or inspira on. Inspira on may come at any me very unexpectedly. It may be a speciﬁ c person, place or thing that evokes some sort of strong emo on. It may be more of an abstract idea or release of emo on. It may be a ny thing at the right moment such as a leaf tossing in the wind in a certain way. 64 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Step 2

Brainstorm. Write down everything that comes to your mind. Don’t think much; let ins nct take over. Be uninhibited in what is wri en down and let all feelings pour out. Remember everything can be thrown out later.

Step 3

Think about form and begin to organize thoughts. Poetry comes in many forms, from epic poetry that has a story to drama c poetry which is intended to be performed. Try them all out. One will come naturally. May be diff erent poems fi t diff erent forms. Try free verse, which has basically no restric ons at all.

Step 4

Remember rhythm and meter. There is a diﬀ erence between the two and both are equally important in poetry. Meter is the established pa ern of the poem while rhythm refers to the sound when it is spoken. Take both into considera on while wri ng a poem.

Step 5

Use a lot of descrip ve words. Create imagery with words, trying to appeal to all the senses in a literal way. Use symbolism, and metaphors. For auditory interest, try allitera on; the repea ng of similar sounds in a sentence or phrase. All these add life and interest to a poem.

65 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Machine Warming up

1. Your school has organised a Science Week. As part of the Science Week celebra on, there is a slogan wri ng compe on. Look at some of the slogans given below. Working in groups, write a slogan about the use of machines in the space provided.

Science : Man-made magic

Science is a boon

Remember • A good slogan is a single sentence, phrase or word. A slogan should not be too long for most people to pay a en on to, remember and men on to other people. About half a dozen words seems to be a good limit for a slogan. • The content should get to the root of the issue or express your posi on at the simplest yet deepest level possible. Don’t mince words. Say it out ﬂ at. • Write in block le ers. • A good slogan is clothed in powerful language. It states a point of view clearly, concisely and without making apologies for a par cular point of view. • If you want a slogan for the masses, use terms understood by a wide, possibly non-technical audience. • You may use a quota on or some nice turn of phrase that may summarise some common a tude. For example: I never meet a pizza I haven’t liked: Homer Simpson (Simpsons) • A cliche is a common turn of phrase which you may or may not like, but reﬂ ects something about someone. For example: Knowledge is Power.

66 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

2. What would you do if:

• you bought a pair of jeans and later discovered that the material was fraying? • you bought your favourite brand of chocolate and found the shop-keeper had packed another brand by mistake? • you bought a packet of Ruffl es Lays and found the Tazo missing from the pack? • you bought a set of sketch pens and realised some of the pens didn’t write? • you bought a book and found some pages missing? 3. Read the poem given below: Machine I opened a weekly I was annoyed to fi nd a few middle pages missing Went to the seller with a complaint He got disturbed and staring somewhere at a distance, said: Nothing doing. You can leave the copy. And, he warned me further, please do not linger around. It’s me for business. Went to another shop. The same thing there. The magazine without the pages, the disturbed seller, etc. Then I went to the publisher’s offi ce And learnt that the sellers are not at fault. Those pages are missing in all the copies. “But, how come?’, I enquired. ‘It’s a mystery even to us,’ replied the publisher, ‘All the pages were printed. Maybe while s tching or cu ng . . . ‘ ‘Was there anything which the machine could not digest?’ I asked. A man stepped on with a copy and said. . . ‘Here are all the pages.’ Taking the copy out of his hands I hurriedly turned the pages . . . And found those pages were totally blank. Not even a single line on them. Oh, the prin ng machines too . . . –Vasant Abaji Dahake 67 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

4. Complete the summary of the poem by ﬁ lling up the blanks.

One day when the poet ______; he was ______to ﬁ nd a few pages ______from the ______of the magazine. He went to the magazine- seller to ______about the ______pages. The magazine-seller was ______and he asked the poet to ______the magazine as no other copy was ______. He also told the poet not to ______as he was ______. The poet went to another shop and ______. The magazine was______the pages and the ______was upset. He then went to the ______oﬃ ce and found that the ______. The publisher too was ______at the ______of the missing pages. He felt the pages may have been le out while the magazines were being ______or s tched. The poet wondered if something was wri en on the missing pages that ______did not approve of. Just then a man came in with ______. The poet found the pages were ______.

5. Find synonyms for the following words/phrases used in the poem. 1. Disturbed : ______2. Linger around : ______3. Enquired : ______4. Could not digest : ______5. Stepped on : ______6. Imagine you are the poet, Vasant Abaji Dahake. You bought a magazine and found the pages missing. The seller refused to accept or change the magazine. Write a le er of complaint to the publisher reques ng him to look into the ma er.

7. Now read another poem about machines.

68 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

The Secret of Machines Rudyard Kipling Warming up

8. Discuss in groups 1. Can you conceive of a life without machines? Why/ Why not? 2. List the number of machines that you generally use in your daily life. a) Fans b) ………………...... c) ………………...... d) ………………...... e) ………………...... f) ………………......

3. What are the ones that you would love to use? 4. What are the ones that you dislike? 9. Have you ever thought if machines could think, what would they feel? Now read their point of view.

We were taken from the ore-bed and the mine, We were melted in the furnace and the pit— We were cast and wrought and hammered to design, We were cut and ﬁ led and tooled and gauged to ﬁ t. Some water, coal, and oil is all we ask, And a thousandth of an inch to give us play, And now if you will set us to our task, We will serve you for four and twenty hours a day!

We can pull and haul and push and li and drive, We can print and plough and weave and heat and light, We can run and jump and swim and ﬂ y and dive, We can see and hear and count and read and write!

69 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Would you call a friend from half across the world? If you’ll let us have his name and town and state, You shall see and hear your crackling ques on hurled Across the arch of heaven while you wait. Has he answered? Does he need you at his side? And take the Western Ocean in the stride Of thirty thousand horses and some screws!

The boat-express is wai ng your command! You will ﬁ nd the Mauretania at the quay, Till her captain turns the lever ’neath his hand, And the monstrous nine-decked city goes to sea.

Do you wish to make the mountains bare their head And lay their new-cut forests at your feet? Do you want to turn a river in its bed, And plant a barren wilderness with wheat? Shall we pipe alo and bring you water down From the never-failing cisterns of the snows, To work the mills and tramways in your town, And irrigate your orchards as it ﬂ ows?

It is easy! Give us dynamite and drills! Watch the iron-shouldered rocks lie down and quake As the thirsty desert-level ﬂ oods and ﬁ lls, And the valley we have dammed becomes a lake!

But remember, please, the Law by which we live, We are not built to comprehend a lie, We can neither love, nor pity, nor forgive, If you can make a slip in handling us you die! We are greater than the Peoples or the Kings— Be humble, as you crawl beneath our rods!__ Our touch can alter all created things,

70 We are everything on earth –except The Gods! Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Though our smoke may hide the Heavens from your eyes, It will vanish and the stars will shine again, Because, for all our power and weight and size, We are nothing more than children of your brain! 10. Answer the following ques ons 1. How and why are machines made? 2. What are the tasks that machines can do for us? 3. What does ‘We can neither love, nor pity, nor forgive’ reveal about machines? 4. What words of the machine show the humility of the machine? 11. Imagery is a poe c device that employs words or phrases that appeal to any sense or any combina on of senses. Bring out the images in the poem to complete the following table.

Visual images Aural images • Iron ore being dug • Iron being hammered out from a mine into shape

WRITING 12. Write a paragraph on, ‘Machines—good slave but terrible masters.’

SPEAKING 13. Compare and contrast the a tude of the machines as depicted in the two poems. Which one do you think is more aggressive? Why do you think it is so? Can machines turn deliberately aggressive?

Present your views to the class.

71 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Grammar RelaƟ ve Clauses

1. A rela ve clause (also called Adjec ve Clause) modifi es a noun or pronoun by providing extra informa on. Rela ve clauses begin with a rela ve pronoun (who, whom, which, that, whose). Rela ve clauses can either be defi ning or non- defi ning. Defi ning Rela ve Clauses A restric ve rela ve clause is essen al in order to complete the meaning of the main clause. e.g. Where is the boy who is going to show us the way? Non- defi ning Rela ve Clauses A non-restric ve rela ve clause adds defi ni on to the main clause, but is not necessary for meaning. Non-restric ve rela ve clauses are set off by commas. e.g. That lady, who is wearing a green scarf, is my mother. Thus, a non-defi ning rela ve clause gives extra or addi onal informa on about a person who is the speaker’s mother. We see that the non-defi ning rela ve clause is separated from the main clause/part of the sentence by commas. Also remember that in non-defi ning clauses we use who-for people and, which- for things. That is never used in non-defi ning rela ve clauses. Also remember that in such clauses the rela ve pronoun has to be used. It cannot be le out in non- defi ning clauses. Lastly, do not forget that we use non-defi ning rela ve clauses mainly in formal wri ng. In spoken English, we use shorter sentences so defi ning clauses which give only the requisite informa on in brief are preferred. 1. Expand the hints to complete the given passages. Do not add any new informa on. Remember to use who, that, which, whom, whose a. Max Mueller - born in Germany - became Bri sh ci zen - admired Indian culture and literature - translated - many Sanskrit texts

Max Mueller (a) ______acquired Bri sh ci zenship. He was a great admirer of Indian culture and literature. He studied many Sanskrit texts (b) ______him into German and other European language.

72 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

b. Gabriel Okara - poet - Nigeria - popular - increased won - The Blank Orpheus Commonwealth Award - visit India - par cipate in World Poetry Fes val

Gabriel Okara is (a) ______. He won The Black Orpheus Commonwealth Award (b) ______. He visited India to par cipate in the World Poetry Fes val.

c. City torn - riots - old man - not know place - to go - rioters surrounded - not know -- escape from - told daughter -- hide

The city was torn with riots. The old man did not know the place (b) ______along with his daughter. Since the house was surrounded by rioters,he even did not know (b)______He, therefore, told his daughter (c) ______somewhere. 2. Insert correct rela ve pronouns or rela ve adverbs before the adjec ve clauses of following sentences.

Qin Shi Huargdi was the ﬁ rst emperor of China. ______ascended the throne at the age of 23. Located to the east of Emperor Qin’s Mausoleum, is the Qin Terraco a Museum. ______is “the eighth Wonder of the world” There are three main buildings of the museum, ______were constructed in diﬀ erent periods of me.

It was in 1974 that the farmers of XiYang Village ______were drilling wells found po ery fragments and ancient bronze weapons. The archaeologists then began their explora ons ______led to the most important archaeological fi nds of the 20th century. Inside the fi rst pit they found ceramic and bronze sculptures, including cranes, horses, chariots, stone carved armour for humans and horses, and humar sculptures ______represent offi cials and acrobats of that period. The excava on revealed astonishing fi ndings ______have helped historians make a fair es ma on of the warring clans of ancient China. Obsessed with a quest for immortality, Qin’s tomb was fi lled with legendary treasures ______are guarded by a terraco a army of over 7,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with horses, and 110 cavalry horses. The terraco a statues ______are roughly the same size as real horses and people refl ects the high level of sculptural arts at the me of the Qin dynasty. 73 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

3. Complete the passage expanding the given hints into sentences.

When you think about animal-ea ng plants, don’t imagine a giant vine that could entangle your dog or (a) ______(gargantuan tropical tree/can devour an unlucky explorer). Instead, these plants are typically small, and their prey are small insects. There are hundreds of species of such plants (b) ______(called / insecƟ vourous or carnivorous plants) throughout the world.

Why would a plant eat an animal ? Most plants take up nutrients from the soil. But (c) ______(plants grow in nutrient - poor soils, swamps and bags / insect - eaƟ ng). To get nitrogen and other nutrients, they have developed ways of catching and ea ng nutri ous insects.

Venus’ ﬂ ytrap, (d) ______(naƟ ve / swamps of the south-eastern United States) is the most well-known amongst these. The plant’s trap is its two leaves, (e) ______(Open / clamshell). The moment an insect touches the triggers of the shiny leaves, the trap slams shut.

74 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Teacher Resources

Laurence (Patrick) Pringle (1935-)

A prolifi c author of nonfi c on, fi c on, and picture books, as well as several popular fi c on tles, Laurence Pringle has been praised as one of the top writers of informa onal books for readers from elementary through high school. Educated as a wildlife biologist, Pringle is noted as the author of authorita ve, well-researched works that inform readers about the natural sciences and the environment in a manner considered both accurate and interes ng. He is noted for transforming complex material on scien fi c and ecological subjects into lucid, balanced overviews of sophis cated topics, some of which are not o en treated in books for children. Several of the author’s tles are regarded as defi ni ve references consistently cited as among the best books available on their respec ve subjects.

Pringle’s works provide informa on on nature and the environment while emphasizing the dangers that threaten the earth and its resources. Pringle also writes about what people can do to protect their environment such as recycling, ﬁ gh ng world hunger, and protec ng biological diversity. In addi on, he has authored biographies of prominent naturalists and scien sts.

Born in Rochester, New York, Pringle grew up in Mendon, a rural town just south of his birthplace; as he once noted in an essay for Something about the Author Autobiography Series (SAAS), “I was a country boy.”

Read more: Laurence (Patrick) Pringle (1935-) Biography - Personal, Career, Honors Awards, Wri ngs, Sidelights h p://biography.jrank.org/pages/957/Pringle- Laurence-Patrick-1935.html#ixzz1DtvntGNk

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Mary Shelley (née Mary WollstonecraŌ Godwin; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851)

Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecra Godwin; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was a Bri sh novelist, short story writer, drama st, essayist, biographer, and travel writer. She is best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818). She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Roman c poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary was given informal educa on. In 1814, Mary Godwin began a roman c rela onship with one of her father’s poli cal followers, the married Percy Bysshe Shelley. Together with Mary’s stepsister, Claire Clairmont, they le for France and travelled through Europe. Over the next two years, she and Percy faced ostracism, constant debt and the death of their prematurely born daughter. They married in late 1816 a er the suicide of Percy Shelley’s ﬁ rst wife, Harriet.

In 1816, the couple famously spent a summer with Lord Byron, John William Polidori, and Claire Clairmont near Geneva, Switzerland, where Mary conceived the idea for her novel Frankenstein. The Shelleys le Britain in 1818 for Italy, where their second and third children died before Mary Shelley gave birth to her last and the only surviving child, Percy Florence. In 1822, her husband drowned when his sailing boat sank during a storm in the Bay of La Spezia. A year later, Mary Shelley returned to England and from then on devoted herself to the upbringing of her son and a career as a professional author. The last decade of her life was dogged by illness, probably caused by the brain tumour that was to kill her at the age of 53. 76 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Satyajit Ray 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992

Indian Bangla fi lmmaker, he is regarded as one of the greatest authors of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Calcu a (now Kolkata) into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature. Star ng his career as a commercial ar st, Ray was drawn into independent fi lmmaking a er mee ng French fi lmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing the Italian neo- realist fi lm Bicycle Thieves during a visit to London.

Ray directed thirty-seven fi lms, including feature fi lms, documentaries and short fi lms. He was also a fi c on writer, publisher, illustrator, graphic designer and fi lm cri c. Ray’s fi rst fi lm, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven interna onal prizes, including Best Human Documentry at the Cannes fi lm fes val. Alongside Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959), the three fi lms form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scrip ng, cas ng, scoring, cinematography, art direc on, edi ng and designed his own credit tles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian Na onal Film Awards, a number of awards at interna onal fi lm fes vals and award ceremonies and an Academy Honorary Award in 1991.

Ray created two very popular characters in Bengali children’s literature—Feluda, a sleuth, and Professor Shonku, a scien st. He was a prominent writer of science fi c on in Bengali or any Indian language for that ma er. He also wrote short stories which were published as volumes of 12 stories, always with names playing on the word twelve (for example Aker pi he dui, or literally “Two on top of one”). Ray’s interest in puzzles and puns is refl ected in his stories, Feluda o en has to solve a puzzle to get to the bo om of a case. The Feluda stories are narrated by Topshe, his cousin, something of a Watson to Feluda’s Holmes. The science fi c ons of Shonku are presented as a diary discovered a er the scien st himself had mysteriously disappeared. Ray’s short stories give full reign to his interest in the macabre, in suspense and other aspects that he avoided in fi lm, making for an interes ng psychological study. Most of his wri ngs have now been translated into English, and are fi nding a new group of readers.

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Tape Script [C.V. Raman] I study science not because anything is going to happen to me, but because I feel it is a kind of worship of this great Goddess Nature of which we are a part. That has been my inspira on as a man of science. I now feel that is the one thing that can always make a man happy, the small things in life not only in nature – our old friends, old music and the things we have around us. Many a me I would like to go back to them. It may be a sign of cynicism, but I would like to go back to the common things of life. A glass of cold water, for example gives us vigour and freshness. I can assure you there is no pleasure in this world to a healthy man; there is no pleasure in this world a er a vigorous exercise or doing something hard than to go home and have a glass of cold water. If you have lost the capacity to appreciate that, you may as well drink a cup of hemlock as Socrates had to do. I have another word to say. We all speak of patrio sm. What is patrio sm? I want you to think it over and in the last analysis bring down patrio sm to a physical term. I have thought over the problem. Patrio sm boils down to the love of the earth. We are of the earth. When we die we return to the earth, dust to dust, ashes to ashes, the human body whether cremated or buried returns to the earth. Seeta was from the earth and returned to the earth. This good earth sustains us. On earth grows green grass which the cow eats and which in turn gives milk for consump on by a vegetarian like myself as well as a non-vegetarian. Ul mately it is the earth and the things that grow upon it, that sustain us and feed us and make human life possible. I think ul mately the love of the land means the love of the earth which has borne us and which sustains us. I want you to appreciate the meaning of love of earth. The love of mother earth should be shown by tending to her. If she is ruthlessly destroyed, we shall also die with her. The tremendous problem of lack of food in the country boils down to this that we have le the love for earth to ignorant people who know nothing of the advance of science. We educated people who understand science, do not love mother earth. Knowledge of science will make us create anything, but unless we have that vision, that desire to love mother earth, we shall not make any advance. I think it is a duty laid on every educated man to create something, to see something grow. I say this not as part of the grow more food campaign; I have not been paid to do propaganda for it. I am telling you this in the same spirit that a famous Roman did. When once Rome was in danger, the people wanted to have him as a dictator to save Rome. When they went to him they found him ploughing the land with his own hands and tending his farm. A er he became a dictator he went back to the land and said, these plants I have grown, I give them water, I give them labour and they repay. We should work in this spirit. The more you help a man, the less grateful he is to you. It is, however, our duty to help fellow beings and we should not expect them to show any gra tude in return. If they do show, we are very happy and more fortunate. The plant on earth

78 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

will never fail to repay any a en on we bestow on it. We must go back to earth and regard it as our supreme duty to do something to produce the things on which we live. It is a great privilege to see such a great body of young people, women and men alike, who are entering the pathways of life a er a course of study in colleges and universi es. It gives me great pleasure to be allowed to speak to them and make a heart to heart speech. I never believe in manuscript eloquence or in a er dinner speeches carefully prepared 24 hours before hand. I always believe in standing up in front of my audience, appreciate the situa on and speak to them heart to heart. I have no desire at all to inﬂ ict unwanted advice on you. I want you to think over what I have told you and see if some li le thing that I have said may prove the seed of some great achievement on your part, sustain you, encourage you, elevate your hearts above and so push you on in life that you may rise triumphant over all the diﬃ cul es and all the troubles that are the common lot of the common man in India today.

TAPESCRIPT [Albert Einstein]

Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist, although most people probably know him as the most intelligent person who ever lived. His name has become part of many languages when we want to say someone is a genius, as in the phrase, “She’s a real Einstein”. He must have been pre y brainy to discover the Theory of Rela vity and the equa on E=mc2.

In 1999, ‘Time’ magazine named Einstein as the Person of the Century. No one could have guessed this would happen when he was at school. He was extremely interested in science but hated the system of learning by heart. He said it destroyed learning and crea vity. He had already done many experiments but failed the entrance exams to a technical college.

He didn’t let this setback stop him. When he was 16, he performed his famous experiment of imagining traveling alongside a beam of light. He eventually graduated from university, in 1900, with a degree in physics. Twelve years later he was a university professor and in 1921, he won the Nobel Prize for Physics. He went on to publish over 300 scien ﬁ c papers.

Einstein is the only scien st to become a cult ﬁ gure, a household name, and part of everyday culture. He once joked that when people stopped him in the street, he always replied: “Pardon me, sorry! Always I am mistaken for Professor Einstein.” Today, he is seen as the typical mad, absent-minded professor, who just happened to change our world.

79 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Project Ideas

What is an ADVERTISEMENT?

Corporate or industrial houses get eye- catching and glamorous adver sements for publicity and promo on of their products. These are displayed at prominent places for the desired eﬀ ect or printed to target maximum audience.

These adver sements are designed for commercial purposes. Since they occupy more space, they are more expensive in terms of adver sing costs although they are likely to vary in shapes and size. They have to be a rac ve and eye catching and to achieve this aff ect they are made visually appealing with catchy headlines/slogans, punch lines, wi y expressions and visuals. The font size and type and propor onate spacing, too, vary with each adver sement for the desired visual appeal. The informa on though brief should be carefully worded to give complete informa on. There should be a perfect blend of content and style. The main issues should be highlighted in simple and intelligible words. The facts should be stated clearly. Apart from this, the tone and the mood of the adver sement should match the subject ma er. The major diff erence is that a classifi ed adver sement has to be formal while in a commercial you may adopt an informal and a relaxed tone and style.

The adver sement, however unique, should always have :

• Name and address of the adver sing agency/ins tu on/organizer • Details of the product/service adver sed • Special a rac ons/discounts

You have invented a robot that can perform many household chores. Design an adver sement for the na onal paper oﬀ ering such robots for sale. You may also script and ﬁ lm an adver sement for the TV.

80 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Exploring Inventors and Inven ons What is the Most Important InvenƟ on in the History of Mankind?

By deﬁ ni on, an inven on is a new and useful machine or piece of work. Inven ons can change the way you live. Many inven ons started as ﬂ aws, but with me they improved and gave way to other inven ons and discoveries. These inven ons have given people a new world to live in.

Since there are thousands of inventors that you could write about, you need to narrow your choices down to three inventors you believe have invented something important and signiﬁ cant. Search the Internet for inventors/inven ons that interest you.

Step 1

Discuss in a group and list the inven ons that have improved our lives and list three inventors.

Now complete the following chart

Inven on Why is this What How much inven on ques ons do I informa on is important? have about available this inventor/ about this inven on? topic? List websites

Inventor 1

Inventor 2

Inventor 3

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Step 2 Formulate ques ons to guide research. When researching, do not write down every single fact you can fi nd about a par cular topic and then string these facts together into a “report.” Formula ng ques ons will help you involve higher level thinking skills as you write your report. Some Ques ons • What if this had not been invented? • How does this impact my life or the lives of others today? • How does this inven on improve the quality of life? • How did the inventor come up with this idea? • Why do we care that this was invented? • Would we be be er off without this inven on? • Who benefi ts most from this inven on? Step 3 Narrow your research to THE most important inven on. Research the topic on the Internet. Do NOT copy and paste ar cles but take notes. Take care to note the name and URL of the page for your bibliography. Make note cards.

Source : Write the URL here Title / Author : Write the tle and author (if given) of the website here Date : Write the date downloaded here

Write notes here

Step 4:

Organizing note cards. Once you have ﬁ nished wri ng cards you must put them in a logical order. You should ﬁ rst sort the cards and put all cards with similar informa on together in stacks. You should then organize your stacks in the order in which you would like to write about them. Remember to focus on the main research ques on, What is the most important inven on in the history of Mankind? 21. Working in groups make a PowerPoint presenta on on the topic. The Most Important Inven on in the History of Mankind. 82 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Guidelines for ConducƟ ng a Panel Discussion A panel discussion is designed to provide an opportunity for a group to hear several knowledgeable people about a speciﬁ c issue or topic, present informa on and discuss personal views. A panel discussion may help the audience clarify and evaluate their possi ons regarding speciﬁ c issues or topics being discussed and enhance their understanding of the posi ons of others.

How to Proceed

1. Iden fy, or help par cipants iden fy, an issue or topic that involves an important conﬂ ict in values and/or interests. The issue or topic may be set forth as a topical ques on, a hypothe cal incident, a student’s experience, an actual case etc.

2. Select panelists who are well informed about and have speciﬁ c points of view regarding the issue or topic. A panel discussion that includes three to ﬁ ve panelists is usually most workable. Select a leader or moderator.

3. Indicate to panelists the objec ves which the panel discussion is designed to promote and allow- me for panel members to prepare for the discussion. In some situa ons ten or ﬁ een minutes may be suﬃ cient for prepara on while in other situa ons, panel members may need to prepare several weeks in advance of the scheduled discussions.

4. Decide upon the format which the panel discussion will follow. Various formats are appropriate. The following procedures have been used eﬀ ec vely:

a. The leader or moderator introduces the topic and the panelists present their views and opinions regarding the issue or topic for a set amount of me.

b. The panelists discuss the issue or topic with each other by asking ques ons or reac ng to the views and opinions of other panel members. A speciﬁ c amount of me should be established.

c. The leader or moderator closes the discussion and provides a summary of panel presenta ons and discussion.

d. The leader or moderator calls for a forum period during which the members of the class may par cipate by addressing ques ons to various panel members or by voicing their views and opinions. The forum period should be conduted by the panel leader or moderator.

83 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Principal Responsibili es of the Instructor

1. Iden fy, or help par cipants iden fy issues or topics upon which a panel discussion is based.

2. Insure that all panelists and the moderator are familiar with the procedures for panel discussion in advance so that they are able to fulﬁ ll the responsibili es of their roles.

3. Assist panelists and par cipants (when necessary) in prepara on for the discussion by direc ng them to various source materials, authori es in the ﬁ eld etc.

4. Help par cipants understand the need for fair procedures in discussing an issue or topic, e.g. the freedom to discuss an issue, the obliga on to listen to other points of view, the need for orderly, courteous discussion etc.

84 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971)

Frederic Ogden Nash was an American poet well known for his light verse. At the me of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his “droll verse with its unconven onal rhymes made him the country’s best-known producer of humorous poetry.

Nash was best known for surprising, pun-like rhymes, some mes with words deliberately misspelled for comic eﬀ ect, as in his retort to Dorothy Parker’s humorous dictum, Men seldom make passes/At girls who wear glasses:

A girl who is bespectacled

She may not get her nectacled

But safety pins and bassinets

Await the girl who fassinets.

He o en wrote in an exaggerated verse form with pairs of lines that rhyme, but are of dissimilar length and irregular meter.

Nash’s poetry was o en a playful twist of an old saying or poem. He expressed this playfulness in what is perhaps his most famous rhyme. Nash observed the following in a turn of Joyce Kilmer’s words: “I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.”

I think that I shall never see

A billboard lovely as a tree.

Indeed, unless the billboards fall

I’ll never see a tree at all.

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Navin Sullivan (1886-1937) John William Navin Sullivan was a popular science writer and literary journalist, and the author of a study of Beethoven. He wrote some of the earliest non-technical accounts of Einstein’s General Theory of Rela vity and was known personally to many important writers in London in the 1920s, including Aldous Huxley, John Middleton Murry, Wyndham Lewis and T. S. Eliot. Sullivan fi c onalized his origins, and claimed that he was born in Ireland and had a ended Maynooth with James Joyce. In fact he was born on 22 January 1886 in Poplar, in the East End of London, where his father ran a mission to seamen. Facts about his early years are few, but he appears to have le school at a young age and worked from 1900 onwards at a Telegraph company; the directors recognised his outstanding mathema cal abili es and paid for him to study part- me at the Northern Polytechnic Ins tute. Late in 1917 he married his fi rst wife, (Violet) Sylvia Mannooch, with whom he had a daughter, Navina, born in November, 1921. Sullivan’s mathema cal ability allowed him to fully understand Einstein’s general theory of rela vity as few in England were able to do. This enabled him to explain the theory in non-technical language and his ar cles on Einstein’s general theory of rela vity in April and May 1919 were among the fi rst to appear in English. He was also quick to recognize the larger philosophical implica ons of the new spirit in the physical sciences, and to see that the crea vity of the physical sciences and their supposed idealis c philosophical basis allowed for reconcilia on between the arts and the sciences. Some of his ar cles on such topics, along with other non-technical scien fi c ar cles, were gathered in Aspects of Science (1923) and Aspects of Science: Second Series (1926). He wrote Beethoven: His Spiritual Development, a well received study of the ar st, in 1927. Along with other leading fi gures of the day, he contributed to An Outline of Modern Knowledge (1931).

86 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

One the greatest of American poets, a master of the horror tale, and the patron saint of the detec ve story. Edgar Allan Poe ﬁ rst gained cri cal acclaim in France and England. His reputa on in America was rela vely slight un l the French- inﬂ uenced writers like Ambroce Bierce, Robert W. Chambers and representa ves of the Lovecra school created interest in his work.

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachuse s, to parents who were i nerant actors. His father David Poe Jr. died probably in 1810. Elizabeth Hopkins Poe died in 1811, leaving three children. Edgar and the other children were cared for by others. At the age of ﬁ ve Poe could recite passages of English poetry. Later one of his teachers in Richmond said: “While the other boys wrote mere mechanical verses, Poe wrote genuine poetry; the boy was a born poet.”

In 1836, Poe married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clemm. She burst a blood vessel in 1842, and remained a virtual invalid un l her death from tuberculosis fi ve years later. A er the death of his wife, Poe began to lose his struggle with drinking and drugs. Poe’s fi rst collec on, Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, appeared in 1840. It contained one of his most famous work, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’ The dark poem of lost love, ‘The Raven,’ brought Poe na onal fame, when it appeared in 1845. “With me poetry has been not a purpose but a passion; and the passions should be held in reverence: they must not – they cannot at will be excited, with an eye to the paltry compensa ons, or the more paltry commenda ons of mankind.” (from The Raven and Other Poems, preface, 1845) Poe suff ered from bouts of depression and madness, and he a empted suicide in 1848. Poe died in a hospital on October 7, 1849. In his supernatural fi c on, Poe usually dealt with paranoia rooted in personal psychology, physical or mental enfeeblement, obsessions, the damna on of death, feverish fantasies, the cosmos as source of horror and inspira on, without bothering himself with such supernatural beings as ghosts, werewolves, vampires and so on. Some of his short stories are humorous, among them ‘The Devil in the Belfry,’ ‘The Duc de l’Omele e,’ ‘Bon-Bon’ and ‘Never Bet the Devil Your Head,’ all of which employ the Devil as an ironic fi gure of fun. – Poe was also one of the most prolifi c literary journalists in American history, one whose extensive body of reviews and cri cism has yet to be collected fully. James Russell Lowell (1819-91) once wrote about Poe: “Three fi hs of him genius and two fi hs sheer fudge.”

87 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Vasant Abaji Dahake (b. March 30 1942)

Vasant Abaji Dahake is a Marathi poet, playwright, short story writer, ar st, and cri c from Amarava district in the Maharashtra state of India. He is awarded Sahitya Akademi Award for his collec on `Chitralipi’ for the year 2009. His wri ngs show an inﬂ uence of existen alist writers like Ka a. His poetry is o en dark and provoca ve.

Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short- story writer and novelist chiefl y remembered for his celebra on of Bri sh imperialism, tales and poems of Bri sh soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. He was born in Bombay, Bri sh India, and was taken by his family to England when he was fi ve years old. Kipling is best known for his works of fi c on, including The Jungle Book (1894) (a collec on of stories which includes “Rikki-Tikki- Tavi”), Kim (1901) (a tale of adventure), many short stories, including “The Man Who Would Be King” (1888); and his poems, including Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major “innovator in the art of the short story”; his children’s books are enduring classics of children’s literature; and his best works are said to exhibit “a versa le and luminous narra ve gi ”.

88 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

Extra PracƟ ce material on RelaƟ ve Clauses

1. Complete the sentence using the hints given in brackets.

1. He is the boy ______(steal/ mangoes). 2. The girl, ______(deliver/ speech), is my sister. 3. Ajay, (Principal suspended) ______was very naughty. 4. This is the house, (I—bought) ______. 5. The place ______(accident took place) is near Ambala. 2. Fill in the blanks with subordinate clauses.

1. I went to Delhi ______2. Everyone knows ______3. The fact is ______4. He dodges the police then ______5. That man with the black coat ______3. Fill in the blanks with the correct rela ve pronoun.

1. This is the man ______built our house. 2. There is the bridge ______we have to cross. 3. The girl ______lives next door is very nice. 4. The bus ______takes you to the sta on should be here any minute. 5. This is the dog ______barks every night. 4. Decide whether the rela ve pronoun is necessary or not.

1. This is the ring that I found yesterday. Yes/no 2. Do you know the man that is speaking with Anne? Yes/no 3. I s ll have the book that you gave me. Yes/no 4. Is this the woman that lost her purse? Yes/no 5. Is this the key that we were looking for? Yes/no

89 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

5. Complete the sentences with rela ve clauses. Use who or which.

1. A Dutch is a person (live in the Netherlands)

______

2. A giant is someone (be very tall)

______

3. An alarm clock is a clock (wake you up in the morning)

______

4. A ladybird is a red beetle (have black spots on its back)

______

5. A waitress is a woman (serve food and drinks in a restaurant)

______

6. Combine the sentences using a rela ve clause.

I watched a ﬁ lm last night. The ﬁ lm was interes ng.

The ﬁ lm ______

Saggar helps a man. The man is my teacher.

The man ______

We ate dinner at the restaurant. It was delicious.

The dinner ______

The boy is very nice. I know him from school.

The boy ______

The shoes are too big. My grandma bought them for me.

The shoes ______

90 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

7. Complete the following sentences using a suitable Rela ve Pronoun:

1. That interes ng man ……………..I met at the marriage party is a famous writer.

2. Kiran, …………………….son got an A grade in Mathema cs, is my oldest friend.

3. The white elephant, …………………. is found in Thailand, is rapidly becoming ex nct.

4. Muk nath, a holy place in Nepal and ……………………………… many Indian pilgrims go in May, is very diﬃ cult to get to.

5. People …………….know Arbaaz say that he is an excep onally kind person.

6. Children tend to prefer teachers ………………….are naturally kind and understanding:

8. Join the sentences by changing one of the pairs into a defi ning or non-defi ning clause. Remember to use commas in non-defi ning clauses.

1. One could hear the loud cry across the river. The jackals gave it.

2. A red book is on the table. Give it to me.

3. His work is famous all over the country. He is an excellent journalist.

4. Sajid Khan is my neighbour. He is a very good actor.

5. Tipu Sultan died in ba le. The Bri sh respected him.

6. I brought a shirt yesterday. Where is it?

7. One of the sheep died this morning. It was sick.

8. He wants you to do something. You must do it.

9. You are looking for something. I know it.

10. This is Bunty’s house. He stays here during week-ends.

11. I was out at that me. He came to see me.

12. I want a job for a man. His name is Salman.

13. Robinson was puzzled at them. He saw some foot-prints on the sands.

14. I live in a town. It is very large.

15. The man is my neighbour. He has a handle-bar moustache. 91 Heroes of Science & Amazing Inven ons

9. Complete the sentence using the hints given in brackets.

1. The boy, ______(reci ng the poem), is my brother.

2. Ameena, (Principal suspended) ______was very naughty.

3. This is the house, (I—born) ______.

4. The place ______(earthquake caused most damage) is near Uri.

5. This is the shawl ______(I bought yesterday).

6. Did he tell you ______(he would be coming)?

7. Childhood is the me ______(seeds of character are sown).

8. ______(all--gli ers) is not gold.