NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 7 - A Truly Beautiful Mind

Question 1:

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

  1. Einstein’s equation
  2. Einstein meets his future wife
  3. The making of a violinist
  4. Mileva and Einstein’s mother
  5. A letter that launched the arms race
  6. A desk drawer full of ideas
  7. Marriage and divorce
Answer:

(a) → 9; (b) → 7; (c) → 3; (d) → 10; (e) → 15; (f) → 8; (g) → 11.

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Question 2:

Who had these opinions about Einstein ?

  1. He was boring.
  2. He was stupid and would never succeed in life.
  3. He was a freak.
Answer:
  1. The other children.
  2. A headmaster.
  3. His mother.
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Question 3:

Explain what the reasons for the following are :

  1. Einstein leaving the school in Munich for good.
  2. Einstein wanting to study in Switzerland rather than Munich.
  3. Einstein seeing in Mileva an ally.

What do these tell you about Einstein ?

Answer:
  1. Einstein did not like the extremely strict discipline of the school. He often clashed with his teachers. So he left the school for good.
  2. Einstein felt stifled in Munich. But the atmosphere in Switzerland was more liberal. That was why Einstein wanted to study there.
  3. Like Einstein, Mileva was also opposed to philistines. She was very intelligent also. That was why Einstein saw an ally in her.

All these incidents show that Einstein loved to have freedom of thought and expression. He hated any kind of bigotry.

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Question 4:

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

Answer:

He called the drawer the ‘bureau of theoretical physics’. While working in this office, he secretly worked at his Theory of Relativity also. He kept all his papers in his desk drawer. That was why he called it the ‘bureau of theoretical physics’.

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Question 5:

Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt ?

Answer:

The Nazis in Germany had made the discovery of nuclear fission. So, they could make an atom bomb easily. Einstein wrote to Franklin to warn him how destructive an atom bomb could be.

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Question 6:

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

Answer:

Einstein was shocked at the extent of destruction caused by the bomb. He wrote a long letter to the United Nations. He suggested that there should be a world government. He started campaigning for peace and democracy.

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Question 7:

Why does the world remember Einstein as a ‘world citizen’ ?

Answer:

Einstein was shocked at the extent of destruction caused by the bomb. He wrote a long letter to the United Nations. He suggested that there should be a world government. He started campaigning for peace and democracy.

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Question 8:

Why does the world remember Einstein as a ‘world citizen’ ?

Answer:

Einstein was a great supporter of peace and democracy. He was in favour of a world government. He wanted the entire world to function as one unit. That is why the world remembers him as a ‘world citizen’.

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Question 9:

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 US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and warns against Germany’s building of an atomic bomb.
[ ] Einstein atttends 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 the centre of gravitation.
[ ] 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:

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 the centre 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 US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and warns against Germany’s building of an atomic bomb. 12. Einstein dies.

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Question 10:

Albert Einstein is called the scientific genius. Write down his achievements and comment on his genius.

Answer:

Einstein was undoubtedly a scientific genius. Mathematics and physics were his favourite subjects. His Theory of Relativity made him world famous. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. In 1933, the Nazis came to power in Germany. They started prosecuting Jews. Einstein left Germany and went to the USA. In 1938, it was known that the Nazis had discovered how to make an atom bomb. Einstein helped Americans to make an atom bomb of their own. Two bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. They caused great death and destruction. Einstein was greatly shocked. He started working for peace in the world. Thus he was not only a great scientist but also a great humanitarian.

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