The Man Who Empowered the Blind | Lesson 5 | English | Class 5th | Questions and Answers |

JANDKNCERT | Tulip Series | English 5th |

The Man Who Empowered the Blind | Lesson 5 | English | Class 5th | Questions and Answers |

Lesson 5: The Man Who Empowered the Blind

Words to Remember

harness: an arrangement of leather straps and metal pieces by which a horse,

mule, etc., is fastened to a vehicle, etc. ساز لگانا

saddle: a seat for a rider, on a horse زین

awl: a small pointed hand tool for making holes in wood, leather, etc. سوا

flip up: toss or turn over in the air اُچھل کر اوٗپر آنا

cane: walking stick لاٹھی

cello: a musical instrument موسیقی کا سامان

afflict: cause suffering or unhappiness تکلیف دینا

emboss: raise or print (a design, etc.) گلل کاری

pound: strike heavily کوٗٹنا

tremendous: vast; huge مُہیب

 

Thinking about the Text

 

Q1. How did little Louis lose his eyesight?

Ans. Little Louis lost his eyesight accidentally at the age of three years. While stabbing at the leather when he bent down, the awl flipped up and injured his eyes, leaving him blind.

Q2. How did the young blind Louis find his way to different places?

Ans. The blind Louis had a cane which helped him to find his way to different places.

Q3. What helped him to excel in playing musical instruments?

Ans. Royal Institute for the Young Blind, Paris, helped Louis to excel in playing musical instruments.

Q4. How were, the blind taught reading when Louis Braille started studying at the Institute for the Young Blind?

Ans. At the time when Louis started studying at the Institute for the Young Blind, the institute’s founder, Valentin Huay had developed a new way of reading for the blind. In this way, the letters were raised on the other side of the heavy paper so that the blind people could trace their shape with his fingers.

Q5. What was Captain Barbier’s invention? How did it help Braille?

Ans. The Captain Barbier’s invention was a technique of sending messages by means of embossed dots and dashes above the surface of a paper. It helped Braille in identifying the letters with his fingers as quickly as sighted people could read printed type.

Q6. Why were the authorities of the Institute for the Young Blind unwilling to accept Braille’s method?

Ans. The authorities of the Institute for Young Blind were unwilling to accept Braille’s method because the people who could see were satisfied with the old methods and felt there was no reason to change to something new and mostly the printers of the old-style embossed books were afraid, they would lose business if they adopted his system.

Q7. How did the concert prove to be a great event in Louis’ life?

Ans. The concert proved fruitful for him because all his hard work got success and the schools agreed to use his system.

Q8. Give the following biographical details about Louis Braille:

 

Louis Braille

1. Year of birth:

2. Father’s name:

3. Father’s occupation:

4. The year in which he joined the Institute for the Young Blind:

5. The year of graduation:

6. The year in which he made the system for the blind:

7. The year his system was introduced in the Institute:

 

Ans.

Louis Braille

1. Year of birth: 1809

2. Father’s name: Monsieur Braille

3. Father’s occupation: Harnesser

4. The year in which he joined the Institute for the Young Blind: 1819

5. The year of graduation: 1827

6. The year in which he made the system for the blind: 1829

7. The year his system was introduced in the Institute: 1854

 

Language Work

 

A. Complete the following statements:

 

1. Blind people before and during the days of Louis Braille earned their bread by ________________.

2. The people of Coupvray were ________________ to Louis Braille when he became blind.

3. The reading method used by Louis Braille had limitations such as ________________

4. Louis Braille was ________________ when Captain Barbier explained his new invention to him.

5. Louis Braille evolved a system in which one letter was distinguished from another by ________________.

6. Even when so many punched books were available for the blind, Louis Braille looked unhappy because ________________.

7. Louis Braille’s method of teaching the blind was called _____________.

 

Ans.

 

1. Blind people before and during the days of Louis Braille earned their bread by begging.

2. The people of Coupvray were sympathetic/kind to Louis Braille when he became blind.

3. The reading method used by Louis Braille had limitations such as errors cannot be erased.

4. Louis Braille was overjoyed when Captain Barbier explained his new invention to him.

5. Louis Braille evolved a system in which one letter was distinguished from another by a special combination of dots.

6. Even when so many punched books were available for the blind, Louis Braille looked unhappy because it was not accepted by the authorities of the institute.

7. Louis Braille’s method of teaching the blind was called Braille.

 

 

B. Read these sentences:

 

1. The head of the school soon found that Louis quickly learned whatever was taught to him.

2. A person can never be truly educated unless he can read.

 

In the above sentences, quickly and truly are adverbs. Now pick out at least five adverbs from the lesson and write them in the spaces below:

1. ________________ 2. ________________ 3. ________________

 

4. ________________ 5. ________________

 

Ans. Adverbs from the lesson, are given below:

1. Blindly      2. Exactly      3. Readily     4. Determinedly      5. Mostly      6. Truly        

7. Quickly

 

 

C. Give one word for the following:

 

1. A keyboard instrument                             ______________

2. To move back                                          ______________

3. To clap your hands to show appreciation ______________

4. A person who plays the piano                   ______________

 

Ans.

1. A keyboard instrument Piano

2. To move back Retreat

3. To clap your hands to show appreciation Applaud

4. A person who plays the piano Pianist

 

 

D. Match the words with their opposites.

 

Words                  Opposites

1. tough                    a. clumsy

2. forgive                  b. fresh

3. weary                    c. failure

4. nimble                   d. calmness

5. tremendous        e. crooked

6. triumph                f. tender

7. excitement           g. ordinary

8. straight                 h. punish

 

Ans.

Words                  Opposites

1. tough                    f. tender

2. forgive                  h. punish

3. weary                    b. fresh

4. nimble                   a. clumsy

5. tremendous        g. ordinary

6. triumph                c. failure

7. excitement           d. calmness

8. straight                 e. crooked

 

Grammar Work

 

Use of would and used to.

 

1. Louis would trace each letter over and over again.

2. So even a very short story would fill many heavy volumes.

 

In each of these sentences would is used to talk about repeated actions in the

past. These repeated actions in the past could also be expressed by, used to. For instance, one would say,

 

Louis used to trace each letter over and over again.

 

Used to is also employed while talking about past situations as in the following sentences:

 

1. She used to travel a lot when she was young.

2. There used to be a lot of trees on this road.

 

A. Rewrite the following sentences using used to and would. If both can be used in some cases, indicate the second alternative in the bracket.

 

1. This huge building was a coffee house.

Ans. This huge building used to be a coffee house

2. She helped the poor when she was at school.

Ans. She used to help the poor when she was at school.

3. I played football every day last year after office hours.

Ans. I used to play football every day last year after office hours.

4. When my sister was seven years old, she ate ice cream regularly, but now she does not like it at all.

Ans. When my sister was seven years old, she used to eat ice cream regularly, but now she does not like it at all. (would eat)

5. Her parents celebrated her birthday every year till she was five.

Ans. Her parents used to celebrate her birthday every year till she was five. (would)

6. Tinku never sang earlier but now he sings in almost every school function.

Ans. Tinku never used to sing earlier but now he sings in almost every school function.

7. My father smoked twenty cigarettes a day until two years ago but now he does not even touch them.

Ans. My father used to smoke twenty cigarettes a day until two years ago but now he does not even touch them. (would)

8. Whenever our English teacher was angry with us, he gave us a lot of homework.

Ans. Whenever our English teacher used to be angry with us, he gave us a lot of homework.

9. The main road facing my house was always empty a few years ago, but today it is awfully crowded.

Ans. The main road facing my house used to be always empty a few years ago, but today it is awfully crowded.

10. I drove very fast when I began to learn, driving.

Ans. I used to drive very fast when I began to learn driving. (would)

 

 

Let’s Talk

 

Discuss with your classmates the contribution of Louis Braille.

 

Let’s Write

 

As the head boy/ girl of the Roshni School for the Blind, J&K, you have been asked by the editor of the school magazine to contribute a brief biographical sketch of Louis Braille for the first issue of the magazine. Using the information collected in question 8 of Thinking about the Text, write a biographical sketch of Louis Braille in a brief paragraph.

        Louis Braille was born in a small village of Coupvray near Paris, France in 1809. His father, Monsieur Braille was a harnesser. Braille accidentally lost his eyesight while playing with awls. In the year 1819, Louis joined the Royal Institute for the Young Blind and learned to play the piano and the cello there. After eight years, he graduated from the Institute in the year 1827 and devoted the rest of his life to teaching and helping the blind. He worked hard and in the year 1829, he made the system for the blind. But this system was not accepted by the authorities at that time. In 1854, his system was introduced in the institute. His system was named on his name as ‘Braille’.