Strong Roots (SAQ) Short Questions and Answers APJ Abdul Kalam WBCHSE

Chapter - 2

Strong Roots

-APJ Abdul Kalam

Strong Roots (SAQ)

Short Questions and Answers (SAQ) :

1. Give the full name of Kalam.

Ans: The full name of is Abul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam.

2. In which town was APJ Abdul Kalam born? (2016)

Ans: APJ Abdul Kalam was born in the island town of Rameshwaram in the earstwhile Madras state.

3. What was the name of Kalam’s father

Ans: The name of Kalam’s father was Jainulabdeen.

4. What was the name of kalam’s mother?

The name of Kalam’s mother was Ashiamma.

5. What did Kalam’s father possess?

Ans: Kalam’s father possessed great innate wisdom and true generosity of spirit.

6. Describe the ancestral house of Abdul Kalam. (2018)

Ans: The ancestral house of Abdul Kalam was built in the middle of the 19th century. It was a large pucca house, made of limestone and brick on the mosque Street in Rameshwaram.

7. Who bestowed the title of ‘Bahadur’ to one of his mother’s forebears in “Strong Roots”?

Ans: The British bestowed one of Kalam’s mother’s forebears with the title of “Bahadur”.

8. Why was Kalam’s father well known in his locality?

Ans: Kalam’s father was a wise and spiritual person. He was always in service of mankind. So he was well known in the locality.

9. What did little Kalam think of the prayers?

Ans: When Kalam was little he did not have the faintest idea of the meaning of the Arabic prayers but he had the belief that they reached God.

10. Who was the high priest of Rameshwaram temple? (2015)

Ans: The high priest of Rameswaram temple was Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry.

11. What did Kalam’s father say about the relevance of prayer? (2018)

Ans: Kalam’s father said that there was nothing mysterious about prayer, rather prayer made possible a communion of the spirit between people.

12. Give the name of a distinguished friend of A P J Abdul Kalam’s father.

Ans: Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry was the distinguished friend of APJ Abdul Kalam’s father.

13. Where did Kalam’s father go for the evening prayers?

Ans: Kalam’s father went to an old mosque in their locality for evening prayers.

14. How does Kalam describe his appearance?

Ans: Kalam describes his appearance as a short boy with undistinguished looks.

15. Why was the lineage of Kalam’s mother more distinguished?

Ans: The lineage of Kalam’s mother was more distinguished because one of her ancestors was given the title of ‘Bahadur’ by the British.

16. When did the father of APJ Abdul Kalam get up from bed?

Ans: Abdul Kalam’s father got up from bed at 4:00 a.m.

17. Where did Kalam’s family live?

Ans: Kalam’s family lived in their ancestral house in the Mosque Street of Rameshwaram.

18. Where did Kalam’s father go for evening prayer?

Ans: Kalam’s father went to an old mosque in their locality for evening prayers.

19. When was the ancestral house of Kalam built?

Ans: The ancestral house of Kalam was built in the middle of the 19th century.

20. How did Kalam describe his childhood?

Ans: Kalam described his childhood as secured both materially and emotionally.

21. Where did Kalam usually eat in his childhood?

Ans: In his childhood Kalam usually ate on a banana leaf on the floor of the kitchen with his mother.

22. How did Kalam’s mother serve food to Kalam?

Ans: Kalam’s mother served him food on a banana leaf with the help of a ladle.

23. What made Rameshwaram so famous to pilgrims?

Ans: The Shiva temple of Rameshwaram made Rameshwaram so famous to the pilgrims.

24. How far was the Shiva temple from the house of Kalam?

Ans: It was a 10 minutes walk from Kalam’s house.

25. In whom did Kalam’s father have an ideal helpmate? (2015)

Ans: Kalam’s father Jainulabdeen had an ideal healthmate in his wife Ashiamma.

26. What does adversity always present according to Kalam’s father? (2016)

Ans: According to Kalam’s father, adversity always presents opportunities for introspection.

27. What according to Kalam’s father do human beings look for when they feel lonely?

Ans: According to Kalam’s father, human beings look for company of others when they feel lonely.

28. How could Kalam’s father convey complex spiritual concepts?

Ans: Kalam’s father could convey complex spiritual concepts in simple down-to-earth Tamil.

29. How did Kalam’s father sanctify the water for the invalids?

Ans: Kalam’s father dipped the fingers in the bowls of water and chanted a prayer to sanctify the water.

30. When did Kalam’s father have his breakfast?

Ans: Kalam’s father had his breakfast after returning from the coconut grove with about a dozen of coconuts.

31. What was the distance of the coconut grove from Kalam’s house?

Ans: The coconut grove was 4 miles away from Kalam’s house.

32. How did Kalam’s father bring the coconuts from the grove?

Ans: Kalam’s father brought coconuts from the grove carrying them slung over his shoulders.

33. Whom did Kalam try to emulate in his world of Science and Technology?

Ans: Kalam tried to emulate his father Jainulabdeen in his world of Science and Technology.

34. What could Kalam’s father convey in simple Tamil?

Ans: Kalam’s father could convey complex spiritual concepts in simple Tamil.

35. Who was Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry?

Ans: Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry was the high priest of Shiva Temple of Rameswaram.

36. “Our locality was predominantly Muslim” – Who is the speaker?

Ans: APJ Abdul Kalam is the speaker here in “Strong Roots”.

37. What do you mean by ‘introspection’?

Ans: The word ‘introspection’ means thinking deeply about oneself.

38. What qualities did Kalam’s father possess?

Ans: According to APJ Abdul Kalam, his father possessed a great innate wisdom and pure generosity of spirit.

39. Why was APJ Abdul Kalam’s father well known?

Ans: APJ Abdul Kalam’s father, Jainulabdeen was well known because he had a great inborn/innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. 

40. How did A.P.J Abdul Kalam describe his appearance?

Ans:  A.P.J Abdul Kalam described that he was a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents.

41. With whom did Kalam eat?

Ans: Kalam normally ate with his mother, Ashiamma.

42. Mention the time when Kalam’s father started his day.

Ans: Kalam’s father Jainulabdeen started his day at 4 a.m.

43. What was one of the most vivid memories of Kalam’s early childhood?

Ans: Kalam’s one of the most vivid memories was of his father and  the high priest of Rameswaram Temple, Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry discussing spiritual matters.

44. What were the names of Kalam’s parents?

Ans. The name ot Kalam’s father was Jainulabdeen and his mother was Ashiamma.

45. Why was the lineaage of Kalam’s mother more distinguished?

Ans: The lineage of Kalam’s mother was more distinguished because one o her ancestors was bestowed the title of “Bahadur” by the British.

46. How did Kalam describe his childhood?

Ans. Kalam described his childhood as secure both materially and emotionally.

47. What did Kalam usually have in lunch?

Ans. Kalam would usually have rice, aromatic sambar, fresh home made pickle and coconut chutney at lunch.

48. Who waited for Kalam’s father outside the moque?

Ans. People of different religions waited for Kalam’s father outside the mosque.

49. What did the people offer to Kalam’s father outside the mosque?

Ans. Peopie offered bowls of water to Kalam’s father outside the mosque.

50. What did Kalam’s father do with the bowls of water?

Ans Kalam’s father dipped his fingertips into the bowls of waler and chanted a prayer to sanctify it.

51. What, according to Kalam’s father, does adversity always present?

Ans: According to Kalam’s father, adversity always presents opportunities for introspection.

52. In whom did Kalam’s father have an ideal helpmate?

Ans. Abdul Kalam’s father Jainulabdeen found an ideal helpmate in Kalam’s mother Ashiamma.

53. What was revealed to Kalam by his father?

Ans. The fundamental truths were revealed to Kalam by his father.

54. How could Kalam’s father convey complex spiritual concepts?

Ans. Kalam’s father could convey complex spiritual concepts in simple down-to-earth Tamil.

55. What was the role of Kalam’s father in propitiating the demonic forces?

Ans. Kalam’s father played the role of a go-between in in propitiating demonic forces.

56. How, according to Kalam, does one achieve freedom, happiness and peace of mind?

Ans. According to Kalam, one achieves freedom, happiness and peace of mind when the severs his

emotional and physical bond.

57. In which language was the prayer chanted in the mosque?

Ans: In the mosque the prayer was in Arabic language.

58. What made the communion of spirit among people possible?

Ans: Prayer made the communion of spirit among people possible.

59. What is the meaning of ‘impasse’?

Ans: The word ‘impasse’ means ‘a situation where there is no chance of progress’.

60. Where is Rameswaram?

Ans: Rameswaram is in the erstwhile Madrasa. It is now in Tamil Nadu.

61. What is the “Strong Roots” all about ?

Ans: “Strong Roots” is all about the delightful sketch of APJ Abdul Kalam’s early life and the the development of his spiritual growth.

62. Who was the high priest of Rameswaram temple?

Ans: Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry was the high priest of Rameswaram temple.

63. Whom do human beings look for when they face trouble?

Ans: When human beings face any trouble they look for someone to help them.

64. How did Kalam’s father start his day?

Ans: APJ Abdul Kalam’s father started his day by reading the namaj before dawn.

65. What does not Abdul Kalam recall

Ans: Abdul Kalam does not recall the exact number of people whom his mother fed every day.

66. What does the word ‘anguish’ mean?

Ans: The word ‘anguish’ means ‘mental pain’ or ‘pain’.

67. What does the word ‘predominantly’ mean?

Ans: The word ‘predominantly’ means ‘mainly’.

68. How did Kalam’s father’s answer fill Kalam with?

Ans: Kalam’s father’s answer filled Kalam with a strange energy and enthusiasm.

69. After the namaz what would Kalam’s father do?

Ans: After the namaz Kalam’s father would go to their small coconut grove.

70. Why do you think Kalam to be spiritual?

Ans: I think Kalam to be spiritual because he believes in divine power.