NCERT Solutions for Class-6 English (Honeysuckle) Chapter-4 An Indian-American Woman in Space: Kalpana Chawla

Before you read

A. space shuttle is a spacecraft that is made for repeated space travel (unlike a rocket), for example, between earth and a space station.
Use a dictionary to do the tasks below.

Question 1. Find out the meanings of the following words and phrases (look up the words underlined in the phrases).
(a) naturalised U.S. citizen ______________________
(b) space ______________________
(c) frontiers of space ______________________
(d) aboard ______________________
(e) lift off (How is it different from ‘take off ? ?). ______________________
(f) crew ______________________
Solution:
(a) Naturalised U.S. Citizen. It refers to a person who has been granted U.S. citizenship although he was not born as a U.S. Citizen.
(b) Space. The term space refers to the sky above the earth’s atmosphere.
(c) Frontiers of Space. The phrase refers to the human desire to know the ultimate limit of space. In fact no such frontier is known to man. Many believe that the space has no frontiers.
(d) Aboard. It means being on a ship or an airplane or a spaceship etc. It is not used in context with the vehicles that move on earth.
(e) Lift off. (How is it different from “take off” ?) ‘Lifting off refers to the process in which some external agency makes a spaceship or even an airplane rise into the sky. Take off on the other hand is used when an airplane uses its internal power to rise in the sky.
(f) Crew. The employees of an airplane, a ship or a spacecraft are called ‘crew’.

Question 2. Notice the spellings of these words in this lesson : airplane, program. This is how these words are spelt in American English. How are they spelt in British English ?
Solution: The British spelling for these words are : Aeroplane, Programme.

Working with the Text

A. Answer the following questions.
Question 1. Where was Kalpana Chawla born ? Why is she called an Indian American ? (3)
Solution: Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana. Thus she was born an Indian but later she went to U.S. and became her naturalized citizen. So she is called an Indian-American.

Question 2. When and why did she go to the U.S. ? Who did she marry ? (2, 3)
Solution: She went for a master’s degree to the U.S. Earlier she had had a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering in India. She married flight instructor Jean Pierre Harrison.

Question 3. How did she become an astronaut ? What gave her the idea that she could be an astronaut ? (3)
Solution: After qualifying as a pilot, Chawla applied to NASA space-shuttle program. She was first hired as a research scientist at NASA. In 1994 she was selected at NASA for training as an Astronaut. It was her success as a pilot which gave her the idea that she could become an astronaut. Thus she became an astronaut.

Question 4. What abilities must an astronaut haye, according to the journalist ? (6)
Solution: According to the journalist an astronaut needs enormous abilities. He/she needs to know a lot about everything from biology to astrophysics to aeronautical engineering. In brief, he/she must have encyclopaedic knowledge.

Question 5. Describe Kalpana Chawla’s first mission in space. (5)
Solution: Kalpana Chawla’s first mission in space was in the space shuttle Columbia. It was of 15 days 16 hours and 34 minutes. During this time, she went around the earth 252 times travelling 10.45 million kilo metres. The crew performed experiments such as pollinating plants to observe food growth in space. It also made tests for making stronger metals and faster computer chips. It was all done for a price tag of about 56 million dollars.

Question 6. What does Kalpana Chawla say about pursuing a dream ? Do you agree with her that success is possible ? (7)
Solution: Kalpana Chawla says that it is possible to change a dream to reality. For this, one needs vision and courage. Yes, I agree with her that success is possible. However, I feel God’s blessings are most essential.

B. Read the newspaper report to find the following facts about the Columbia’s ill-fated voyage.
1. Date and place of lift off : ______________________
2. Number of astronauts on board : ______________________
3. Number of days it stayed in space : ______________________
4. Number of experiments done by scientists : ______________________
5. Date of return journey : ______________________
6. Height at which it lost contact : ______________________
Solution: Not likely to be asked in the examination. So, please try yourself.

Working with Language

A. Match the following.

Solution:

B. Use these phrases in sentences of your own, after finding out their meanings :
1. broke apart
2. streaked over
3. spread across
4. lifted off
5. blast off
6. went on
7. cheered along
8. on board
9. carry on
Solution:
1. Broke apart (broke into pieces) : The plane carrying 100 persons broke apart in the sky.
2. Streaked over (to leave a line or long mark) : A comet was seen streaking over Delhi towards the horizon.
3. Spread across (spread far and wide) : The news of our victory spread across the country.
4. Lift off (rise) : The rocket lifted off the launching site.
5. Blast off (be launched by the firing of a rocket) : The rockeť blasted off at noon.
6. Went on (continued) : He went on talking for a long time.
7. Cheered along (encouraged) : I cheered along with others as the runners passed by.
8. On board (in a ship, aeroplane or spacecraft) : There were 500 passengers on board when the ship started its voyage.
9. Carry on (continue) : Carry on the good work.

C. We add ‘un-‘ to make opposites.
For example, true — untrue.
Add ‘un’- to the words below to make their opposites. Then look up the meanings of the words you have formed in the dictionary.
1. identified ______________________
2. controlled ______________________
3. attended ______________________
4. successful ______________________
5. important ______________________
6. educated ______________________
7. interesting ______________________
8. qualified ______________________
9. trained ______________________
10. answerable ______________________
Solution:
Opposites,
1. unidentified
2. uncontrolled
3. unattended
4. unsuccessful
5. unimportant
6. uneducated
7. uninteresting
8. unqualified
9. untrained
10. unanswerable
Meanings,
1. unidentified - which has not been recognized
2. uncontrolled - without any control
3. unattended - left without being looked after
4. unsuccessful - failure
5. unimportant - petty
6. uneducated - without education
7. uninteresting - dull
8. unqualified - not having the education or experience to do a particular job
9. untrained - without training
10. unanswerable - impossible to prove false/not capable of being answered

Speaking

In her message to students of her college, Kalpana Chawla said, “May you have the vision to find the path from dreams to success … Wishing you a great journey.”

Form pairs. Use “May you…” and “I wish you/Wishing you” to wish your partner good luck and success in

• a sports event,
• a quiz or a competition, and
• a test or examination.

Be sure to thank your partner when she/he wishes you in turn. You may also look up a telephone directory, or go to a post office, and get a list in English and Hindi of standard phrases that can be sent in greeting telegrams anywhere in India. Discuss which of these you might use, and when. Compare the English and Hindi phrases for expressing good wishes. Do you know such phrases in any other language ?
Solution: There is a conversation between Ram and Mohan.
1. Ram : May you score a century in your cricket match today!
    Mohan : Thank you for the good wishes.
2. Ram : I wish for your success in the debate competition.
    Mohan : Thanks for your good wishes.
3. Ram : All the best for your examination.
    Mohan : Thanks.

Writing

A. Do you have a ‘dream’, or something you very much wish to do ? Write a paragraph saying what you want or wish to do. Then say (in another paragraph) how you think you can make your dream come true.
Solution: Yes, I have a dream. This is of serving my country as a lawyer. I will work selflessly to get justice for the poor. They say that justice delayed is justice denied. But in our country, the poor seldom get any justice at all. To realise my dream, I will have to learn law.
I wish to get the highest degree. Then, I may have to work under some senior advocate for a while. After that I will start practising independently.

B. Given below are some words that are spelt differently in British and American English. Fill in the blanks accordingly.

Solution: