A Truly Beautiful Mind - Theme, Summary, Q&A - Class IX Beehive

Theme of 'A Truly Beautiful Mind

Great men are not born with special signs. In their childhood days they are also like common children, and their likes and dislikes are very much similar to them. Their parents also take care of them as normally parents do. Gradually, these children develop some specific virtues and become great when they grow up.

Short Summary

Einstein as a little boy: This story is about a genius-Albert Einstein, who was born on 14 March 1879 in the German city of Ulm. His mother thought him to be a freak. His head seemed too large. He was not talking till he was two and a half. He played by himself and loved mechanical toys. He learnt to play the violin at six. Once, his headmaster told his father that he would never be a success at anything.

Einstein's desire: Einstein was good at studies but left school for good as he always clashed with teachers. He wished to continue his education in Switzerland. He was highly gifted in Mathematics and Physics. He decided to study at the University of Zurich after schooling. He found his fellow student Mileva Maric a 'clever creature'.

His work and marriage: At the age of 21, Einstein worked as a technical assistant and finally secured the job of a technical expert. His famous paper of 1905 was 'Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity'. While he was solving problems in Physics, his private life was unravelling. He wanted to marry Mileva. And finally he married her. But they could not live together, and finally the couple divorced in 1919. Later, Albert married his cousin the same year.

Noble Prize for Physics: Einstein published his General Theory of Relativity in 1915. The newspapers proclaimed his work as a scientific revolution. He received the Noble Prize for Physics in 1921 and was lauded by the press worldwide.

Emigration to the U.S.: Einstein emigrated to the U.S. in 1933, when the Nazis came to power in Germany. Five years later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had American physicists in an uproar. Many of them fled, as Einstein had, and they were afraid that the Nazis could build and use an atomic bomb.

Einstein's letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt: Einstein wrote a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the American President and warned him that a single nuclear bomb would cause mass destruction. But the Americans secretly developed an atomic bomb and dropped them on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Einstein's sorrow: Einstein was deeply shaken by the destruction caused by the atomic bombs. He proposed to the United Nations to form a world government. But his letter made no impact. Over the next decade, he got involved in politics to end the arms buildup and campaigned for peace and democracy.

Einstein's death: Einstein died in 1955, and the world celebrated him as a visionary and world citizen.

REFERENCE TO CONTEXT

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow: 

1. Einstein did not know what to do with other children, and his playmates called him "Brother Boring." So the youngster played by himself much of the time. He especially loved mechanical toys. (Page 46)

Questions:

(a) What did Einstein's playmates and friends call him?

(b) Why did Einstein's friends and playmates called him so?

(c) Did Einstein show any indication of his future greatness?

(d) What was Albert's interest?

Answers

(a) Einstein's friends and playmates called him 'Brother Boring'.

(b) Einstein didn't know what to do with other children. So, his friends and playmates called him 'Brother Boring'.

(c) No, Einstein didn't show anything that he would become so great and famous in future. 

(d) Albert's interest was to play alone, especially with mechanical toys 

2. A headmaster once told his father that what Einstein chose as a profession wouldn't matter because "he'll never make a success at anything." Einstein began learning to play the violin at the age of six, because his mother wanted him to. (Page 47)

Questions:

(a) Who said 'Albert would never make a success at anything? 

(b) Should he have said such words to him?

(c) Did Einstein indeed never make a success at anything?

(d) What did Einstein's mother want him to become? 

Answers:

(a) A headmaster told him such words

(b) He should not have said such discouraging words to him.

(c) No, he became a famous physicist and won the Nobel Prize for physics 

(d) Einstein mother wanted him to become a good violinist 

3. He went to high school in Munich, where Einstein's family had moved when he was 15 months regimentation old, and scored good marks in almost every subject. Einstein hated the schools and often clashed with his teachers. At the age of 15, Einstein felt so stifled there that he left the school for good.(Page 47)

Questions:

(a) Why did Einstein go to high school in Munich? 

(b) How did Einstein do in high school?

(c) Did he like the rule and regulations of the school? 

(d) Why did he leave his school?

Answers:

(a) Because Einstein's family had been living in Munich

(b) In high school, he scored good marks in almost every subject 

(c) No, he didn't like the rule and regulations of the school 

(d) He felt stifled by the school's rigidity and regimentation, and hence he left the school.

4. Einstein was highly gifted in mathematics and interested in physics and after finishing school. he decided to study at a university in Zurich. But science wasn't the only thing that appealed to the dashing young man with the walrus moustache. (Page 47)

Questions:

(a) What were his favourite subjects?

(b) Where did he decide to study after finishing school?

(c) Apart from science, what appealed to Einstein? 

(d) Who was that young man with a Walrus moustache?

Answers:

(a) Mathematics and Physics

(b) After finishing school, he decided to study at a university in Zurich 

(c) Apart from the science he loved a fellow student Mileva Maric

(d) He was Albert Einstein.

5. Einstein saw in her an ally against the "philistines"- those people in his family and at the university with whom he was constantly at odds. The couple fell in love Letters survive in which they put their affection into words, mixing science with tenderness. (Page 45)

Questions:

(a) Who does 'her' refer to here?

(b) Why did Einstien like her?

(c) Did Einstein like the philistines? 

(d) How did people come to know that Einstein fell in love with Mileva Maric?

Answers:

(a) Here, 'her ' refers to Mileva Maric.

(b) Because she was dead against the philistines.

(c) No, he was constantly at odds with the philistines. 

(d) People found the letters where they put their affection into words.

6. He worked as a teaching assistant, gave private lessons and finally secured a job in 1902 as a technical expert in the patent office in Bern. While he was supposed to be assessing other people's inventions, Einstein was actually developing his own ideas in secret. (Page 48)

Questions:

(a) What was Einstein's first job?

b) What job did he finally secure in 1902? 

(c) What was he supposed to do in the patent office?

(d) What was he actually doing while carrying out his job?

Answers:

(a) Einstein first worked as a teaching assistant. 

(b) He became a technical expert in the patent office in Bern in 1902.

(c) He was supposed to assess other people's inventions.

(d) He was secretly developing his own ideas while carrying out his job.

7. One of the famous papers of 1905 was Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, according to which time and distance are not absolute. Indeed, two perfectly accurate clocks will not continue to show the same time if they come together again after a journey if one of them has been moving very fast relative to the other. (Page 48)

Questions:

(a) What is not absolute, according to Einstein? 

(b) Name an article written by Einstein in 1905.

(c) In what case will the two perfectly accurate clocks not continue to show the same time? 

(d) Name the lesson from which this extract has been taken.

Answers:

(a) According to Einstein, time and distance are not absolute. 

(b) Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity.

(c) If they come together again after a journey and one of them has been moving very fast relative to the other. 

(d) A Truly Beautiful Mind.

8. Albert had wanted to marry Mileva right after finishing his studies, but his mother was against it She thought Mileva, who was three years older than her son, was too old for him. She was also bothered by Mileva's intelligence. (Page 49)

Questions:

(a) Whom did Einstein want to marry? 

(b) When did he want to marry her?

(c) Who was against his desire to marry her? 

(d) Why was she against it?

Answers:

(a) Einstein wanted to marry Mileva.

(b) He wanted to marry her right after finishing his studies. 

(c) Her mother was against his desire to marry her.

(d) She was against it because Mileva, she thought, was older and more intelligent than him  

9. The pair finally married in January 1903 and had two sons. But a few years later, the marriage faltered. Mileva, meanwhile, was losing her intellectual ambition and becoming an unhappy housewife. After years of constant fighting, the couple finally divorced in 1919. Einstein married his cousin Elsa the same year.

Questions:

(a) When did Einstein marry Mileva? 

(b) How was Einstein's life after marriage?

(c) Did Mileva become a happy housewife? 

(d) Whom did Einstein marry after divorcing Mileva?

Answers:

(a) Einstein married Mileva in January 1903 

(b) Einstein's life was not good with Mileva, and they finally divorced. 

(c) No, Mileva led a miserable, unhappy life as a housewife.

(d) Einstein married his cousin Elsa in the same year. 

10. In 1915, he had published his General Theory of Relativity, which provided a new interpretation of gravity An eclipse of the sun in 1919 brought proof that it was accurate. Einstein had correctly calculated in advance the extent to which the light from fixed stars would be deflected through the sun's gravitational field. (Page 49)

Questions: 

(a) What had he published in 1015?

(b) What is interpreted in the General Theory of Relativity? 

(c) What proved that Einstein's theory was accurate?

(d) What had Einstein correctly calculated in advance?

Answers: 

(a) In 1915, he had published his General Theory of Relativity.

(b) Gravity is interpreted in the General Theory of Relativity

c) An eclipse in 1919 proved that his theory of relativity was accurate. 

(d) He had correctly calculated in advance the extent to which the light from fixed stores would be deflected through the sun's gravitational field.

11. "A single bomb of this type... exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port some of the surrounding territory." (Page 50)

Questions:

(a) What types of the bomb has been referred to here? 

(b) Who said the above statement and to whom? 

(c) When was the above statement said?

(d) Did his words have any effect? 

Answers:

(a) Atomic bomb has been referred to here. 

b) The above statement was said by Einstein to the American president. 

(c) This statement was said by Einstein on 2 August 1939. 

(d) No, his words did not have any effect.

12. Einstien was deeply shaken by the extent of the destruction. This time he wrote a public missive to the United Nations. to the United Nations. In it, he proposed the formation of a world government. Unlike the letter to Roosevelt, this one made no impact.  (Page 50)

Questions:

(a) How did the massive destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki influence Einstein? 

(b) What did he do in response to it?

(c) What was proposed by him?

(d) Did his proposal have a favourable outcome?

Answers:

(a) Einstein was deeply moved by the extent of the destruction. 

(b) In response to the massive destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he wrote a public letter to the United Nations.

(c) He proposed the formation of a world government. 

(d) No, his proposal did not have any positive results.

NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED

Talking About The Test (Page 50)

Q1. 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. 

(i) Einstein's equation - 9

(ii) Einstein meets his future wife 

(iii) The making of a violinist

(iv) Mileva and Einstein's mother 

(v) A letter that launched the arms race

(vi) A desk drawer full of ideas 

(vii) Marriage and divorce

Ans. (i)-9 (ii)-7 (iii)-3 (iv)-10 (v)-15 (vi)-8 (vii)-11

Q2. Who had these opinions about Einstein?

(i) He was boring.

(ii) He was stupid and would never succeed in life.

(iii) He was a freak. 

Ans. 

(i) His playmates.

(ii) A headmaster. 

(iii) His mother. 

Q3. Explain what the reasons for the following are:

(i) Einstein leaving the school in Munich for good.

(ii) Einstein wanting to study in Switzerland rather than in Munich. 

(iii) Einstein seeing in Mileva an ally.

(iv) What do these tell you about Einstein?

Ans. 

(i) Einstein left the school in Munich because he did not like the discipline of the school. He hated the school's regimentation and often clashed with teachers.

(ii) Albert's parents moved to Milan and left their son with relatives. After prolonged discussion, Einstein got his wish to continue his education in German- speaking Switzerland. Actually, it was more liberal than Munich.

(iii) Einstein saw in Mileva Maric an ally against the "Philistines"-those people in his family and at the university with whom he was constantly at odds. He found that she was a "clever creature".

(iv) These tell that Einstein was a genius and had the capabilities to achieve his targets. Moreover, he had his own view of life. He liked freedom too much.

Q4. What did Einstein call his desk drawer at the patent office? Why?

Ans. Einstein called his desk drawer at the patent office the "bureau of theoretical physics". Einstein was actually developing his own ideas in secret and his drawer had all the evidences which could reveal the secret.

Q5. Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt?

Ans. With the emergence of Nazis in Germany, Einstein emigrated to the United States. It was the fact that the Nazis had the ability to develop the atomic bomb. It could destroy the whole world. So he warned Franklin D. Roosevelt in his letter.

Q6. How did Einstein react to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? 

Ans. The atomic bomb devastated the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was deeply shaken by the extent of the destruction and wrote a public missive to the United Nations.

Q7. Why does the world remember Einstein as a 'world citizen"?

Ans. The world remembers Einstein as a "world citizen' because he believed in universal peace. When there was the rat race for becoming atomic power, he was worried about the aftermaths of the bomb. He was really a world citizen who was concerned with humanity.

Q8. 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.

Ans.
[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. also

[7] Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity.

[8] He provides a new interpretation of gravitation. 

[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, hy 

[12] Einstein dies

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE (Page 51)

Q.1. 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)

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

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

4. Einstein got ever more involved in politics, agitating for an end to the anns build up. (campaigning, fighting, supporting)

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)

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)

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

Ans.

1. failed

2. in disagreement

3. declared

4. campaigning

5. permanently 6. in a state of commotion

7. interested.

Q.II. Study the following sentences:

• Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist, maintaining this skill throughout deb 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.

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. (They worked round the clock.) 
2. She watched the sunset above the mountain, .................... (She noticed the colours blending softly into one another.)
3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly, ............. (While it neighed continually.)
4. ................, I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras. (I had taken the wrong train.)
5. ................. I was desperate to get to the bathroom. (I had not bathed for two days)
6. The stone steps, ............... needed to be replaced. (They were worn down).
7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans, (They asked him to send them his photograph.) 

Ans.

1. Working round the clock the firefighters finally put out the fire.
2. Noticing the colours blending softly into one another she watched the sunset above the mountain.
3. Neighing continually the excited horse pawed the ground rapidly.
4. Having taken the wrong train I found myself in Bangalore instead of Benaras 
5. Having not bathed for two days I was desperate to get to the bathroom. 
6. The stone steps being worn down needed to be replaced.
7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans asking him to send them his photograph.

WRITING NEWSPAPER REPORTS (Page 53)

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

21 August 2005----original handwritten manuscript of Albert Einstein unearthed ------by student Rowdy Boeynik in the University of Netherlands -------- Boeynik researching papers ------- papers belonging to an old friend of Einstein--------fingerprints of Einstein on these papers---------16 page document dated 1924-------Einstein's work on his last theory---- behaviour of atoms at low temperature ------- now known as the Bose-Einstein condensation -------- the manuscript to be kept at Leyden University where Einstein got the Nobel Prize.

Q. Write a report which has four paragraphs, one each on:

• what was unearthed.
• who unearthed it and when
• what the document contained
• where it will be kept.

Your report could begin like this:

Ans. 

Student Unearths Einstein Manuscript 

21 August 2023. An original handwritten Albert Einstein manuscript has been un- earthed at a University of Netherlands. A student named Rowdy Boeynik was researching on the papers belonging to his old companion Einstein.

The document contained papers of Ein- stein's work on the last theory-Behav- iour of Atoms at Low Temperature. Now- adays it is known as the Bose-Einstein Condensation.

The manuscript will be kept at Leyden University where Einstein got the Nobel Prize.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

Q1. Why didn't Einstein's playmates like him? 

Ans. When Einstein was two-and-a-half years old, he still wasn't talking. When he finally learnt to speak, he spoke everything twice. His playmates called him 'Brother Boring'. So Einstein played by himself much of the time.

Q2. What was the headmaster's opinion about Einstein?

Ans. During childhood, Einstein was sent to school. There he failed to show any sign of progress in his studies. The headmaster too had a poor opinion about him. He told Einstein's father that he would never make a success at anything.

Q3. Why did Einstein leave school for good? 

Ans. Einstein was not a bad pupil. He went to High School in Munich. When he was 15 months old, his family had moved there. He scored good marks in almost every subject. But he hated the school's regimentation. He often clashed with his teachers. At the age of 15, he felt so stifled that he left school forever.

Q4. Why did Einstein have special interest in Mileva Maric?

Ans. Einstein found Mileva Maric a "clever creature". This young Serb had come to Switzerland because the university in Zurich was one of the few in Europe where women could get degrees. Einstein saw in her an ally against the "philistines" those people in his family and at the university with whom he was constantly at odds. That is why Einstein had a special interest in her.

Q5. What was Einstein's Theory of Relativity? 

Ans. According to Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, time and distance are not absolute. In fact, two perfectly accurate clocks will not continue to show the same time if they come together again after a journey if one of them had been moving very fast relative to the other.

Q6. Why was Einstein's mother against his marriage with Mileva? 

Ans. Albert wanted to marry Mileva right after finishing his studies. But his mother was against it. She thought Mileva, who was three years older than Einstein, looks too old for him. She was also bothered by Mileva's intelligence. Einstein's mother said, "she is a book like you" So Einstein put the wedding off.

Q7. Did Einstein show any indication of his future greatness?

Ans. No, Einstein did not show any extraordinary traits in his childhood. He showed no indication that he was destined for greatness. His mother thought Albert was a freak. To her, his head seemed too large. He didn't talk till the age of two and a half. When learnt to speak, he uttered everything twice. His playmates called him "Brother Boring."

Q8. Was Einstein a bad pupil?

Ans. No, Einstein was not a bad pupil. He went to high school in Munich and scored good marks in almost every subject. He started learning violin at the age of six. He became a gifted amateur violinist. But he hated the school's regimentation. He often clashed with his teachers.

Q9. Why did Einstein wish to continue his education in German speaking Switzerland?

Ans. Einstein didn't like regimentation widely spread in schools in Germany. He felt stifled there. He wished to continue his education in German speaking Switzerland which was more liberal city than Munich. After finishing school, he studied at a university in Zurich.

Q10. Why did he call his desk drawer at work the 'bureau of theoretical physics"?

Ans. Einstein got a job as a technical expert in the patent office in Bern. While assessing other people's inventions, he actually developed his own ideas in secret. He worked very hard. He jokingly called his desk drawer at work the "Bureau of theoretical physics".

Q11. Why did Einstein's marriage with Mileva fail?

Ans. Before marriage Einstein was fascinated by Mileva. He thought her as his ally against the 'Philistines'. The couple fell in love and in spite of his mother's objection, they ultimately married. But after a few years later, the marriage faltered. Mileva lost her intellectual ambition. She became an unhappy wife. After years of constant fighting, the couple finally divorced in 1919.

Q12. Why did newspapers proclaim Einstein's work as 'a scientific revolution'?

Ans. In 1915, Einstein published his General Theory of Relativity. It gave a new interpretation of gravity. An eclipse of the sun in 1919 proved its correctness. He had correctly calculated in advance the extent to which the light from fixed stars would be deflected through the sun's gravitational fields. The newspaper hailed his work as 'a scientific revolution'.