Unit 2
1. What kind of music is Ravi Shankar famous for?
(a) Jazz
(b) Classical
(c) Pop
Ans .. Classical
2. Which country was Justin Beiber born in?
(a) USA
(b) India
(c) Canada
Ans .. Canada
3. How many strings does a guitar have?
(a) 6
(b) 7
(c) 8
Ans..6
4. What is a group of three musicians called?
(a) a trio
(b) a duet
(c) a quartet
Ans .. a trio
5. What is the next note after sa-re-ga-ma?
(a) dha
(b) ni
(c) pa
Ans .. pa
6. What is the next note after do-re-mi?
(a) ti
(b) fa
(c) so
Ans .. fa, so, la, ti
Reading Comprehension
In this section, you will read three texts on music in different perspectives. The first one will enlighten you about the effective role of music in our lives, the second reflects on the life of the famous music composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, and the third is a poem by William Wordsworth where he appreciates the melody of a song. Read the texts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Text I
Role of Music in Life
Today, we are rushing through life and everyone seems to be pressurised and stressed about one or the other thing. Stress has become an inescapable part of our lives. Many of our illnesses are a result of stress, and to deal with it, we need certain ways to relax our body and mind. Listening to music, particularly gentle, calming and melodious music, relaxes people both physically and mentally. Music releases endorphins, the natural painkillers in our brain, which relieve us from the sense of pain. Music can normalise heart rate and blood pressure. The common occurrences of fatigue and boredom decrease when we listen to music. It diverts our attention from everyday anxieties, thereby reducing the stress caused by such concerns. While meditating, listening to music helps us to connect with our soul. Students can improve their concentration and boost their memory by listening to soft music. Soothing music, when played at night, helps us to rest and relax for a good night’s sleep. Listening to good music helps in overcoming negative traits such as anger or worry, thereby improving our personality. It creates positive energy and happiness. Every cell in the body becomes energetic with increased peace of mind. Music is a therapy for everyone — plants, birds, animals and human beings — to flourish and rejuvenate. It certainly plays an important part in making the world better for all living beings inescapable: unable to be avoided or denied
Complete the following statements by selecting the most appropriate options given below.
1. ________________ helps in relaxation of our body and
mind.
(a) Pop music
(b) Soothing music
(c) Jazz music
(d) Rock music
Ans .. Soothing music
2. The natural painkillers released in our brain are
(a) Insulin
(b) Endorphins
(c) Endocrine
(d) Glycerin
Ans .. Endorphins
3. Music is helpful in improving the _____________ of
students.
(a) concentration
(b) emotion
(c) relaxation
(d) anxiety
Ans .. concentration
4. Which word from the passage means the same as ‘torenew’?
(b) enhance
(c) release
(d) relieve
Ans .. rejuvinate
5. List the benefits of music mentioned in the passage.
Music soothes are stressed minds helping us to study better, relax better, and sleep well. Soft melodious music releases a chemical called endophormin in the brain. This substance is the body’s natural defence against the corroxsive effects of anxieties, sadness, frustration and stress that we all face to different degrees in our daily lives. For young minds, reining in sorrow, and anxieties arising out of study losds, competitive examinations, and family discord can be very damaging. Before hitting the bed, it’s essential for the mind to be naturally relaxed without the use of medicines. Music, especially that are soft on the ears, acts like harmless and powerful tools to heal the scars in the mind, and allow the brain to fall into slumber mode. Thus, lixstening to soft music brings in positivity to our lives in different ways.
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Text II
Beating the Odds
The musical accomplishments of composer Ludwig van Beethoven have been all the more remarkable for the fact that he lost his hearing ability from an early age. He developed the symptoms of tinnitus, a constant sound of ringing in his ears that made it difficult for him to hear. He is compared to Mozart for his genius, and is considered the most eminent musician after Mozart. Although his formal education never went beyond the elementary level, he trained in music under Joseph Haydn. He has always been acclaimed as a brilliant piano maestro.
His father and grandfather were the court musicians of a German prince. Young Ludwig was often made to perform for his father’s drinking companions in the middle of the night, and was even beaten if he protested. For the first thirty years of his life, Beethoven could listen to and play music effortlessly. As a result, he understood sounds of musical instruments and the pitch of the singing voices. He knew the harmony between music and singing before he became completely deaf. His deafness was not sudden, but a gradual decline. This slow process of losing his hearing activated his mind to imagine how his compositions would sound like. When he became completely deaf, he started to observe the vibrations of the piano. The observations helped him realise that he could not hear the high notes of the piano. To be able to hear his own compositions, he sawed off the legs of his piano. The piano touched the floor, and Beethoven would press his ear to the floor, banging the piano keys to listen to the high notes in his compositions. The most significant aspect of Beethoven’s character was that he did not give up. With a brave heart, he confronted the greatest challenge beating the odds: to succeed despite not having a good chance of succeeding a musician can face, and continued living his dream of composing music. Deafness could not deter him from achieving the pinnacle of musical success. He fought against the greatest obstacle and won. His quality of ‘never giving up’ strengthened him. It made him come to terms with his deafness in a dynamic and constructive way. These qualities led him to become a famous composer.
1. Read the following statements and write true (T) or
false (F).
(a) Although he composed a lot of music, Beethoven never learned to play music himself. F
(b) His deafness was not a sudden loss of hearing. T
(c) He composed most of his music early in his life, before he became deaf. T
(d) His musical skills were compared to Haydn. F
(e) Beethoven cut down the legs of his piano to hear the notes of the keys from the floor. T
2. How could Beethoven compose music despite his loss of hearing?
Ans .. Beethoven had a burning passion for learning music through the use of piano. Born with mind-boggling talent, he defied the worst odds of life. The crucial bodily organ for a musicoian – the ears – began to fail him gradually. Listening capacity became weaker with age. By 30, he could somehow manage, but after that, he became fully deaf. He was not detered. He pursued his passion for music ever more doggedly, using his body to tune in to the vibrations of the piano. At some stage, he chopped off the legs of his piano so that its vibrations could hit the floor more forcefully. To catch the vibrations of the piano’s sound, Beethoven, glued his ear to the floor so zas to catch the vibrations emanating from it. It was very xstrenuous effort that spoke of Beegthoven’s astounding zeal to further advance his composing skills.
3. What realisation made Beethoven continue his passion for music with more determination?
Ans .. For Beethoven, deafness had been long time coming. He knew the day will come when he would not be able to hezar anything. Such a backdrop made Beethoven stubbornly dedicated to the task of ever improving his composing skills. He activated his mind to imagine how his compositions would sound like. A time arrived when he became totally deaf. Bereft of the ability to listen to musical sounds, he started to observe the vibrations of the piano. He succeeded to make up for his lost hearing ability. This non-conventional approach instilled renewed optimism and passion in his mind. Plunging into the world of music with rare dedication, Beethoven convinced himself that he could defy his hearing infirmity through the use of vibrations from the piano. Thus, Beethoven continued in his success path unhindered.
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4. Which word in the following is similar in meaning to ‘skillful’ (para 1)?
(a) brilliant
(b) masterly
(c) talented
(d) genius
Ans.. masterly
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Text III
Read the poem carefully and answer the question that follows.
The Solitide of Reaper
Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.
No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.
Will no one tell me what she sings?
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?
profound: very great or
intense
chaunt: old British spelling
of chant; a repeated rhythmic
phrase
Whate’er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o’er the sickle bending;
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
—William Wordsworth
1. Complete the summary of the poem given below with a suitable word/phrase in each blank.
The poet finds a young Highland girl who
(a) reaps alone and sings to herself. The poet asks us to listen carefully, because the whole (b) valley (vale) is filled with the overflowing sound of her singing. He asks us to either (c) stop and listen to her sad song, or gently pass by so as not to disturb her. He goes on to say that no nightingale ever sang a more (d) melodious song to bands of tired (e) travellers in the Arabian Desert. The poet asserts that the beauty of the girl’s singing exceeds that of the cuckoo’s in the (f) spring time. Her singing is also the only thing which (g) breaks the silence of the valley.
The poet tries to (h) understand what the girl is singing about. He is unable to get the words of the song clearly. He thinks that perhaps she is singing about old sorrows or (i) battles fought long ago, or more routine concerns of life or even some (j) familial old sorrows which she has endured and may endure again. At the end, he quietly walks away with a feeling that he may never be able to find out the (k) factors responsible of her never-ending song. Nevertheless, he asserts that her singing has captured his imagination so much that he will
(l) treasure the music in his heart long after it is heard no more.