Class 9, Chapter 4: A Truly Beautiful Mind

Chapter 4: A Truly Beautiful Mind**

**Thinking about the Text**

**I. Here are some headings for paragraphs in the text. Write the number(s) of the paragraph(s) for each title against the heading. The first one is done for you.**

| | Paragraph Number(s) |

| :-------------------------------------- | :------------------- |

| (i) Einstein’s equation | 9 |

| (ii) Einstein meets his future wife | 7 |

| (iii) The making of a violinist | 3 |

| (iv) Mileva and Einstein’s mother | 10 |

| (v) A letter that launched the arms race | 15 |

| (vi) A desk drawer full of ideas | 8 |

| (vii) Marriage and divorce | 11 |

**II. Who had these opinions about Einstein?**

1. **He was boring.**

    * **Answer:** Einstein's playmates.

2. **He was stupid and would never succeed in life.**

    * **Answer:** A headmaster of his school.

3. **He was a freak.**

    * **Answer:** His mother (because his head seemed too large).

**III. Explain what the reasons for the following are.**

1. **Einstein leaving the school in Munich for good.**

    * **Answer:** Einstein left the school in Munich for good because he hated the school's regimentation and strict discipline. He often clashed with his teachers. He felt stifled and uncomfortable there.

2. **Einstein wanting to study in Switzerland rather than in Munich.**

    * **Answer:** Einstein wanted to study in Switzerland because it was more liberal than Munich. He felt that the academic atmosphere in Switzerland would be more conducive to his way of thinking and learning.

3. **Einstein seeing in Mileva an ally.**

    * **Answer:** Einstein saw in Mileva an ally because, like him, she was intelligent, and she disliked the "philistines" – people in his family and at the university with whom he was constantly at odds. She appreciated art, literature, and music, which he also valued.

4. **What do these tell you about Einstein?**

    * **Answer:** These things tell us that Einstein:

        * Valued freedom and individuality.

        * Disliked rigid and authoritarian systems.

        * Was intellectually curious and independent-minded.

        * Sought out like-minded individuals and appreciated intellectual companionship.

        * Was not afraid to go against the conventional norms if he felt they were restrictive.

**IV. What did Einstein call his desk drawer at the patent office? Why?**

* **Answer:** Einstein called his desk drawer at the patent office the "bureau of theoretical physics." He called it this because, while officially assessing other people's inventions, he was secretly developing his own ideas and theories about physics there.

**V. Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt?**

* **Answer:** Einstein wrote a letter to Franklin Roosevelt, the American President, to warn him about the danger of Germany developing an atomic bomb. He urged Roosevelt to consider building an American atomic bomb to counter this threat, though he was deeply against violence and the use of such weapons.

**VI. How did Einstein react to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?**

* **Answer:** Einstein was deeply shaken and horrified by the extent of the destruction caused by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He wrote a public missive to the United Nations, proposing the formation of a world government to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.

**VII. Why does the world remember Einstein as a “world citizen”?**

* **Answer:** The world remembers Einstein as a "world citizen" because he was concerned about the future of humanity and campaigned for peace and democracy. He used his fame and influence to advocate for an end to the arms race and for global cooperation, transcending national boundaries in his concerns.

**VIII. Here are some facts from Einstein’s life. Arrange them in chronological order.**

* \[ ] Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity.

* \[ ] He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

* \[ ] Einstein writes a letter to U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and warns against Germany’s building of an atomic bomb.

* \[ ] Einstein attends a high school in Munich.

* \[ ] Einstein’s family moves to Milan.

* \[ ] Einstein is born in the German city of Ulm.

* \[ ] Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva.

* \[ ] Einstein dies.

* \[ ] He provides a new interpretation of gravity.

* \[ ] Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein withdraws from school.

* \[ ] He works in a patent office as a technical expert.

* \[ ] When Hitler comes to power, Einstein leaves Germany for the United States.

**Answer (Chronological Order):**

1. Einstein is born in the German city of Ulm.

2. Einstein attends a high school in Munich.

3. Einstein’s family moves to Milan.

4. Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein withdraws from school.

5. Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva.

6. He works in a patent office as a technical expert.

7. Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity.

8. He provides a new interpretation of gravity. (General Theory of Relativity)

9. He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

10. When Hitler comes to power, Einstein leaves Germany for the United States.

11. Einstein writes a letter to U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and warns against Germany’s building of an atomic bomb.

12. Einstein dies.

**Thinking about Language**

**I. Here are some sentences from the story. Choose the word from the brackets which can be substituted for the italicised words in the sentences.**

1. A few years later, the marriage *faltered*. (failed, broke, became weak)

    * **Answer:** became weak

2. Einstein was constantly *at odds* with people at the university. (on bad terms, in disagreement, unhappy)

    * **Answer:** in disagreement

3. The newspapers *proclaimed* his work as “a scientific revolution.” (declared, praised, showed)

    * **Answer:** declared

4. Einstein got ever more involved in politics, *agitating* for an end to the arms buildup. (arguing, supporting, campaigning)

    * **Answer:** campaigning

5. At the age of 15, Einstein felt so *stifled* that he left the school for good. (permanently, for his benefit, for a short time)

    * *(Note: "stifled" is the word needing substitution here, not "for good". The options are for "stifled".)*

    * If "stifled" is the target: (suppressed, chocked, made uncomfortable) **Answer:** suppressed (or made uncomfortable)

    * If the question means substituting "for good": (permanently) - *This seems to be the intention given the options in other questions but the italics are misplaced in many NCERT versions.*

6. Five years later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had American physicists in an *uproar*. (in a state of commotion, full of criticism, in a desperate state)

    * **Answer:** in a state of commotion

7. Science wasn’t the only thing that *appealed* to the dashing young man with the walrus moustache. (interested, challenged, worried)

    * **Answer:** interested

**II. Study the following sentences:**

* Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist, **maintaining** this skill throughout his life.

* Letters survive in which they put their affection into words, **mixing** science with tenderness.

    The parts in italics in the above sentences begin with ‘-ing’ verbs, and are called participial phrases. Participial phrases say something more about the person or thing talked about or the idea expressed by the sentence as a whole. For example:

    * — Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist. He maintained this skill throughout his life. (Here, "maintaining..." tells us more about what Einstein did as a violinist or in addition to being a violinist.)

    **Complete the sentences below by filling in the blanks with suitable participial clauses. The information that has to be used in the phrases is provided as a sentence in brackets.**

1. **The firefighters finally put out the fire, working round the clock.** (They worked round the clock.)

2. She watched the sunset above the mountain, **noticing the colours blending softly.** (She noticed the colours blending softly.)

3. The excited horse pawed the ground, **neighing continually.** (It neighed continually.)

4. **Having read the instructions carefully,** I knew what to do. (I had read the instructions carefully.)

5. **Believing that I had answered all the questions,** I left the examination hall. (I believed that I had answered all the questions.)

**Writing Newspaper Reports**

Here are some notes which you could use to write a report.

(This section provides notes for students to write a newspaper report, testing their writing skills. It doesn't have specific questions with answers.)

**Dictation**

Your teacher will dictate these paragraphs to you. Write down the paragraphs with correct punctuation marks.

(This is a dictation exercise.)