FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH - KSEEB - CLASS 08 - COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - ANANDI GOPAL

Unit – 4

ANANDI GOPAL

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

I. Comprehension:

A. Answer the following in two or three sentences each:

1) Who was Gopal Rao? How can you say that he was a progressive thinker?

Ans: Gopal Rao was Anandibai’s husband. He was an ardent supporter of widow remarriage and women’s education. He started teaching Anandibai.

2) “I decided that I would like to be a doctor”. What made Anandibai decide this?

Ans: Anandibai’s husband was insistent that she should acquire higher education. In those days female doctors were not available in country; many women, reluctant to approach a male doctor, even Anandibai had lost her infant son when she was fourteen. So, she decided to become a doctor.

3) How did Mrs. Carpenter help Anandibai pursue her studies in medicine?

Ans: Anandibai’ husband decided to admit her in some university in America. Mrs. Carpenter of Roselle, New Jersey, came to know about her story and she offered to hose her in the U.S.A.

4) How did the Superintendent and the Secretary of the college help Anandibai?

Ans: The Superintendent and the Secretary of the college were very kind. They were impressed that she had come to study from so far away, braving poverty and opposition from her people. They even offered her a scholarship of $ 600 for the three years.

5) Describe the college room provided to Anandibai.

Ans: The college room which was provided to her didn’t have a proper fireplace. The fireplace emitted a lot of smoke when lit. So, it was a choice between smoke and cold!

6) Why did Anandibai stay in Pune?

Ans: Anandibai returned from U.S.A. and stayed at her cousin’s place in Pune to receive treatment form a renowned Ayurvedic specialist. Anandibai was suffering from tuberculosis.

B. Answer the following in about six sentences each:

1) Explain how Gopal Rao encouraged Anandibai to become a doctor.

Ans: Education of girls was not common then. But Gopal Rao wan an ardent supporter of women’s education. He taught his wife and he came to know that he was a good learner and he decided to help his wife to get further education. Gopal wanted his wife should be doctor because at that time there were no female doctors. Gopal tried very hard to get her admitted in a University in America. Gopal Rao stood constantly to make his wife a doctor.

2) What were the things which Anandibai found strange in America?

Ans: The things which Anandibai found strange in America were: The Carpenters found it odd that she wouldn’t sit down on a chair when Mr. Carpenter was in the room, as it was custom in India, She was astonished that they didn’t bath every day. Other things like her clothes and her not eating non-vegetarian food.

3) How did Anandibai face the alien culture and cold winter?

Ans: It was very difficult for Anandibai to adjust in that culture and cold winter. The room that was provided to her at the college didn’t have a proper fireplace. The fireplace emitted a lot of smoke when lit. So, it was a choice between smoke and cold. She had started having a constant temperature and cough. Living in an alien culture, weather was always to be difficult and she was ready to face it.

4) Describe Anandi’s journey back to India.

Ans: Anandibai’s health was affected by her stay in college room, she caught by cough and it never left her, after her convocation her health grew worse and she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. The doctors advised her to go back to India. When she returned back home, she stayed at her cousin’s place in Pune to receive treatment from a renowned Ayurvedic specialist. He however refused to treat her as, according to him, she had crossed the boundaries of society. Finally on February 26^th, 1887, frustrated that all her achievements were in vain, Anandibai succumbed to her disease at the age of twenty-two.

5) Describe the great qualities of Anandibai that you like the most.

Ans: The great qualities of Anandibai:

i) Anandibai had good grasping power. She learned things in short time.

ii) She learned so many things from her husband in the beginning.

iii) Anandibai and her husband determined to learn doctorate in U.S.A.

iv) She faced worse weather and had strong determination to complete her studies.

v) She never gave up and had courage to face any situation.

C. Answer the following in about ten sentences each:

1) How did Anandibai become a doctor in spite of the obstacles she faced?

Ans: After Anandibai’s marriage, her husband Gopal Rao supported her in pursuing education. Gopal Rao wanted Anandibai to become a doctor and Anandibai was determined to it and got a seat in U.S.A. She stayed college room and it was very difficult for her to stay there because that college didn’t have proper fireplace and emitted a lot of smoke when lit. After about two years in that place, she had started having a constant temperature and cough. Living in an alien culture, weather was always going to be difficult and she was ready to face it. Her health was severely affected by her stay there but she was determined and she completed her graduation with her continue cough. However she faced difficult situation and fought for her health and achieved what she was determined.

II. A. Say whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.

1) Gopal Rao opposed widow remarriage and women’s education: False.

Gopal Rao ardent supported widow remarriage and women’s education.

2) In those days husbands taught their wives: False.

After marriage Gopal Rao taught his wife.

3) The childhood name of Anandi was Yamunabai: False.

The childhood name of Anandi was Yamuna Joshi.

4) Anandibai decided to become a doctor because there were no female doctors at that time: True.

5) Anandibai was one of the few female doctors of that day: False.

Anandibai was the only female doctor at that time.

6. Anandibai stayed in Pune to receive honours from the people: False.

Anandibai stayed in Pune to receive treatment from an Ayurvedic specialist.

B. Arrange the above corrected sentences according to their sequence in the lesson.

Ans:1) The childhood name of Anandi was Yamuna Joshi.

2) Gopal Rao staunchly supported widow remarriage and women’s education.

3) After marriage Gopal Rao taught his wife.

4) Anandibai decided to become a doctor because there were no female doctors at that time.

5) Anandibai was the only female doctor at that time.

6) Anandibai stayed in Pune to receive treatment from an Ayurvedic specialist.

III. Vocabulary:

A. Match the words with their meanings:

1) Alien: unfamiliar

2) Attire: clothes

3) Cemetery: a large burial ground

4) Convocation: a large formal assembly of great people

5) Missionary: a person sent on a religious mission

6) Astonish: surprise

7) Scholarship: a financial aid given to support a student’s education

B. Fill in the blanks choosing the correct phrases given in brackets:

(in front of, a lot of, used to, moved by, to take care of)

1) Women in olden days did not sit in front of their husbands.

2) Mrs. Carpenter was moved by the correspondence and wrote me a letter.

3) The fireplace emitted a lot of smoke.

4) Anandi got used to hard work.

5. Mavashi took care of me like her own daughter.

6. Anandi faced a lot of opposition and criticism.

C. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs given in brackets:

My husband tried (try) very hard to get me admitted to some university in America. Mrs. Carpenter came (come) to know my story and wrote (write) me a letter. She offered (offer) to host me in the USA. Since Gopal Rao was (be) not able to get a job there, we decided (decide) that I should leave for America alone. I reached (reach) America in June 1883. In America there were (be) many things that I thought (think) were (be) strange.