The Passing away of Bapu
Unit 1
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
[I was having tea at home.......................their Bapu was no more. ] (Textbook, pages 16-17)
Question Type 1: Choose the correct answer
A. Choose the correct answer from the given alternatives:
(1) "I was having tea at home......- The person referred to here is
(a) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
(b) G. D. Birla
(c) Nayantara Sehgal
(d) One of Gandhiji's relatives
Ans : (c) Nayantara Sehgal
(2) Gandhiji was shot dead on-
(a) 30th June 1948
(b) 30th January 1938
(c) 30th October 1958
(d) 30th January 1948
Ans : (d) 30th January 1948
(3) Gandhiji was shot on his way to-
(a) the Birla House
(b) a prayer meeting
(c) a relative's house
(d) the author's house
Ans : (b) a prayer meeting
(4) Due to an urgent call author Nayantara Sehgal went to-
(a) the Birla House
(b) the prayer house of Gandhiji
(c) her own house
(d) the house of Gandhiji's relative
Ans : (a) the Birla House
(5) .....as I got into the car. –The person-
(a) was in a jovial mood
(b) was in a serious mood
(c) was paralysed with shock
(d) was crying
Ans : (c) was paralysed with shock
(6) The author N. Sehgal came to know of Gandhiji's death by-
(a) a letter
(b) a telephone call
(c) a telegram
(d) an SMS
Ans : (b) a telephone call
(7) The author received the news of Gandhiji's death when she-
(a) was having her dinner
(b) was having her breakfast
(c) was having her bed tea
(d) was having her evening tea
Ans : (d) was having her evening tea
(8) At the Birla House, Gandhiji's body was surrounded by-
(a) his family members
(b) the common people
(c) his relatives and followers
(d) the author and her followers
Ans : (c) his relatives and followers
(9) In the room where Gandhiji breathed his last there was
(a) full of noise
(b) silence
(c) sound of sobbing
(d) whispering of sad people
Ans : (b) silence
(10) The news of Bapu's death spread like a flame fanned by wind through
(a) Gujarat
(b) Sabarmati
(c) India
(d) Delhi
Ans : (d) Delhi
Question Type 2: True or False with supporting statement
B. State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences/ phrases/words in support of your answer:
(1) When Nayantara Sehgal heard the news of Gandhiji's death, she started crying loudly.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: I was numb with shock as I got into the car.
(2) Everybody around Gandhiji's dead body was discussing the leader's death.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: There was silence in the room as Gandhiji breathed his last
(3) Gandhiji's death was quite expected to the people.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: ......as we sat, still shocked and unbelieving.
(4) The people of India did not know what would happen to them after Bapu's death.
Ans : True.
Supporting Statement: What will become of me now that he has left me?
Question Type 3: Complete the sentences with information
C. Complete the sentences, using information from the text:
(1) Gandhiji was shot dead on 30th January, 1948.
(2) The news about Gandhiji's assassination was spread through Delhi like a flame fanned by wind.
(3) The people became quiet when it was announced that they would be allowed to see Gandhiji before the funeral.
(4) Nayantara Sehgal was called to the Birla House over the telephone.
(5) The question uppermost in the mind of the mourning people was what would happen to them after Gandhiji's demise.
Question Type 4: Complete the chart
D. Complete the chart with information from the text:
Cause
| Effect
|
Words of Bapu's death had spread through Delhi. | Sad groups of men and women collected around Birla House. |
People looking out of every window did not make a sound. | Nayantara felt time had stood still for a few minutes.
|
People were too stunned to speak. | People did not clamour in the beginning.
|
Mourning People felt uncertainty because of Bapu's death. | They looked like lost children. |
Question Type 5: Answer the following questions
E. Answer the following questions:
(1) How did the people behave in the beginning and why?
Ans : In the beginning the people did not make any clamour.
(2) Why did the people not make any clamour in the beginning?
Ans : The people were then so stunned that they could not speak.
(3) What announcement was made to calm down the mourning people?
Ans : The people would be allowed to see Gandhiji before the funeral.
(4) What was the atmosphere at the Birla House where Gandhiji's dead body lay?
Ans : Inside the Birla House time seemed to stand still for a while. Gandhiji's friends and followers gathered round his dead body. Silence pervaded the entire house.
(5) What was the question uppermost in the mind of the mourning people?
Ans : Every mourning person felt helpless after his or her Bapu's death. So, the mourning crowd wanted to know what would become of them when Bapu had left them.
(6) Why did the mourning people jostle one another in a stampede?
Ans : Everyone wanted to break into the house to see Gandhiji's dead body.
(7) What kind of relationship do you find here between Gandhiji and the people of India?
Ans : It was the relationship between a father and his children.
The Passing away of Bapu: Unit 2
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
[Gandhiji's funeral was to take place......transformed it into a joyful effort.]
Question Type 1: Choose the correct answer
A. Choose the correct answer from the given alternatives:
(1) Gandhiji's funeral took place on-
(a) 30 Jan. 1948
(b) 1 Feb. 1948
(c) 31 Jan. 1948
(d) 07 Feb. 1948
Ans : (c) 31 Jan. 1948
(2) Before Gandhiji's funeral took place people lined
(a) around the Birla House
(b) the route the funeral procession was to follow
(c) around the Parliament House
(d) around the Gandhi ghat
Ans : (b) the route the funeral procession was to follow
(3) Padmasi was Mrs Naidu's-
(a) sister
(b) niece
(c) friend
(d) daughter
Ans : (d) daughter
(4) Padmasi said simply-
(a) Gandhiji will be no more
(b) Gandhiji will walk
(c) we will walk
(d) it is the last time Gandhiji will be walking
Ans : (c) we will walk
(5) The day after Gandhiji's death Nayantara Sehgal walked for the last time-
(a) with the general people
(b) with Bapu
(c) with Padmasi
(d) with the narrator
Ans : (b) with Bapu
(6) Bapu lay on-
(a) the floor of the Birla House
(b) on the courtyard of the Birla House
(c) an open truck
(d) the pyre covered with flowers
Ans : (c) an open truck
(7) Thousands of people were trying
(a) to get on the truck carrying Bapu's dead body
(b) to touch Bapu's feet
(c) to suppress their crying
(d) not to move in the thick crowd
Ans : (b) to touch Bapu's feet
(8) It was impossible to move-
(a) towards the Birla House
(b) towards the Parliament House
(c) in the dense crowd
(d) from the Birla House
Ans : in the dense crowd
(9) "I was not merely in the midst of grieving people"-The person referred to here is
(a) Bapu
(b) Netaji
(c) Nehruji
(d) Nayantara Sehgal
Ans : (d) Nayantara Sehgal
(10) "I was not merely in the midst of grieving people" -The people were grieving for their
(a) relatives
(b) beloved leader
(c) fellow comrades
(d) misdeed
Ans : (b) beloved leader
Question Type 2: True or False with supporting statement
State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences/ phrases/words in support of your answer:
(1) Gandhiji's funeral took place on 30th January, 1948.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: Gandhi's funeral was to take place the day after his death.
(2) Padmasi was reluctant to walk in the funeral procession.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: ....she said simply: we will walk.
(3) To walk in the funeral procession was joyful experience for Nayantara Sehgal.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: It was an agonizing walk.
(4) People watching the funeral procession made a clamour.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: Thousands silently watched the procession.
(5) In the funeral procession Gandhiji's body was kept on a well-covered military van.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: Bapu lay on an open truck covered with flowers.
(6) People taking part in the funeral procession shed tears.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: It was impossible to move in the thick crowd.
(7) In the funeral procession people could move smoothly.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: We had walked with Bapu over the rough and smooth of India's recent history.
(8) People taking part in the funeral procession never had walked with Bapu before.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: Bapu's slight figure had walked....
Question Type 3: Complete the sentences with information
C. Complete the sentences, using information from the text:
(1) Gandhiji's funeral took place on 31st January, 1948.
(2) Hours before the funeral procession had begun, people lined the route of the funeral procession.
(3) Padmasi was the daughter of Mrs Naidu.
(4) "We will walk", said Padmasi.
(5) The author walked with Gandhiji for the last time in his funeral procession.
(6) While walking in Gandhiji's funeral procession, Nayantara Sehgal felt She was among people for whom walking with Bapu had a special meaning.
(7) In Gandhiji's funeral procession, thousands of people wept, trying touch Bapu's feet.
(8) At the time of walking, Gandhiji required a staff in hand
(9) To the average Indian, walking was the only available option
(10) Gandhiji transformed walking into a joyful effort.
Question Type 4: Complete the chart
D. Complete the chart with information from the text:
Cause
| Effect
|
There was a thick crowd in the funeral procession. | It was impossible to move.
|
Walking required no vehicle except one's own body and cost nothing but one's energy. | To walk was often the only way open to the average Indian. |
In the funeral procession one would walk with Bapu for the last time. | Padmasi declared that they would walk with Gandhiji in the funeral procession.
|
Question Type 5: Answer the following questions:
E. Answer the following questions:
(1) Why did Padmasi said that they would walk in Gandhiji's funeral procession?
Ans : It was because they wanted to walk with Bapu for the last time.
(2) Describe Gandhiji in the funeral procession.
Ans : In the funeral procession Gandhiji's body lay on an open truck covered with flowers.
(3) Why was to walk often the only way open to the average Indian?
Ans : To walk one needed neither vehicle not money. For walking, one used only one's body and energy, S0, it was often the only way open to the average Indian.
(4) What, according to the writer, are the special features of walking?
Ans : To walk means to make slow progress, it gives the walker a chance to look everything around him closely and clearly, it requires no vehicle and costs nothing.
(5) Why was it impossible to move in Gandhiji's funeral procession?
Ans : There was a thick crowd in the funeral procession.
The Passing away of Bapu: Unit 3
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
[Some days after the funeral, a special train....Bapu had passed away but his India would continue to live in his children. ]
Question Type 1 : Choose the correct answer
A. Choose the correct answer from the given alternatives:
(1) A special train took Gandhiji's ashes to Allahabad-
(a) on the day of Gandhiji's funeral
(b) on the day after Gandhiji's funeral
(c) some days before Gandhiji's funeral
(d) some days after Gandhiji's funeral
Ans : (d) some days after Gandhiji's funeral
(2) Gandhiji's ashes were taken to-
(a) Ghaziabad
(b) Ahmedabad
(c) Allahabad
(d) Firozabad
Ans : (c) Allahabad
(3) People did not weep any more for-
(a) they did not love Gandhiji any more
(b) Gandhiji had left this earth forever
(c) they had got a new leader already
(d) they could feel Gandhiji's presence amid the flowers and songs.
Ans : (d) they could feel Gandhiji's presence amid the flowers and songs.
(4) The train reached Allahabad with Gandhiji's ashes-
(a) amid a huge protest
(b) amid loud cheers
(c) amid songs and prayers
(d) amid sorrowful and crying crowds
Ans : (c) amid songs and prayers
(5) Gandhiji's ashes were immersed in the river-
(a) Jamuna
(b) Ganga
(c) Saraswati
(d) Gandak
Ans : (b) Ganga
(6) A huge crowd had gathered by the-
(a) Ganges
(b) Yamuna
(c) Brahmaputra
(d) Narmada
Ans : (a) Ganges
(7) The narrator of 'The passing away of Bapu' felt at loss-
(a) in Allahabad
(b) in Ghaziabad
(c) in Delhi
(d) in Gujarat
Ans : (c) in Delhi
(8) The narrator of 'The passing away of Варu' —
(a) walked directly with Bapu
(b) Gone to prison at his call
(c) sacrificed for country
(d) was merely an onlooker
Ans : (d) was merely an onlooker
(9) The person grown up within a magic circle was-
(a) Bapuji
(b) Nayantara Sehgal
(c) Padmasi
(d) Nehruji
Ans : (b) Nayantara Sehgal
(10) Gandhiji awakened people to one another's-
(a) indifference
(b) jealousy
(c) suffering
(d) greed
Ans : (c) suffering
Question Type 2 : True or False with supporting statement
B. State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences/ phrases/words in support of your answer:
(1) The passengers on the special train were singing and praying.
Ans : True.
Supporting Statement: Amid song and prayer the train reached Allahabad.
(2) The bank of the Ganges at the time of immersing Bapu's ashes was deserted.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: I had not directly walked with Gandhiji, gone to prison at his call or made any sacrifice for my country.
(3) After Gandhiji's death, the writer never lost her courage and confidence.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: Bapu had passed away but his India would continue to live in his children.
(4) Legacy of Gandhiji came to an end with Bapu's passing away.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: The ashes were immersed in the Ganges where a huge crowd had gathered at the bank.
(5) The writer participated in the activities of Gandhiji when he was alive.
Ans : False.
Supporting Statement: But still I felt at sea.
Question Type 3 : Complete the sentences with information
C. Complete the sentences, using information from the text:
(1) A special train took Gandhiji's ashes to Allahabad.
(2) The compartment of the train was decorated with flowers.
(3) People on the train sang bhajans.
(4) After immersion of Bapu's ashes, the writer and others went back to Delhi.
(5) A huge crowd had gathered at the bank of the Ganges in Allahabad.
(6) The writer felt at sea when she was back in Delhi.
(7) The writer felt she had grown up within a magic circle.
(8) After Bapu's passing the writer was determined to hold her courage.
(9) After Gandhiji, India would continue to live in his children.
(10) With Gandhiji, the writer had not directly walked.
Question Type 4 : Choose the correct answer
D. Complete the chart with information from the text:
Cause
| Effect
|
(a) People could feel Gandhiji's presence amid flowers and bhajans. | (a) People stopped weeping.
|
(b) The writer had grown up within a magic circle. | (b) The writer felt at sea after Bapu's death.
|
(c) The magic circle around the writer vanished. | (c) The writer felt unprotected. |
(d) The values of the writer were not very weak. | (d) The writer felt that she would not lose courage so easily. |
(e) Bapu's legacy would not go away with his passing away. | (e) Young, strong and proud people like the writer were still there to bear Bapu's banner before them. |
Question Type 5 : Choose the correct answer
E. Answer the following questions:
(1) How was Gandhiji's ashes taken to Allahabad?
Ans: A special train took Gandhiji's ashes to Allahabad.
(2) What did the people on the special train do?
Ans: People on the special train sang bhajans.
(3) What was the feeling of the writer on returning to Delhi?
Ans: The writer then felt at sea. She felt missing of the magic circle in which she had grown up. So Bapu's passing away left her unprotected.
(4) During her journey to Allahabad, what did the writer see at every station?
Ans: At every station she saw sorrowful crowd filled the platform.
(5) What changes did Bapu bring in the ordinary people?
Ans: Bapu brought them out indifference and aroused fellow-feeling in them.
(6) In what sense had the writer's sister and she herself been 'merely onlookers’?
Ans: The writer herself and her sisters did not participate in Gandhiji's movement.
(7) How did the writer overcome the depressed feeling and regain her courage?
Ans: The writer felt her values were too strong to be lost with Bapu's death. Gandhiji aroused fellow-feeling among India's multitude. Hence, especially the young generation would carry on his legacy.
