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Chapter 7: The People’s President, Class 2 Grade 7

CLASS NOTES-ANSWERS

Reading Comprehension

A. Answer these questions within 20 words each.

1. What did Dr Kalam study at the Madras Institute of Technology?

Answer: Dr Kalam studied Aeronautical Engineering at the Madras

Institute of Technology.

2. Where did he join as a scientist?

Answer: He joined the Aeronautical Development Establishment of

the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a

scientist.

3. Name three ‘great teachers’ that he acknowledged learning a lot from.

Answer: Dr Kalam himself acknowledged that hel earnt leadership

from three great teachers—Dr Vikram Sarabhai, Prof Satish Dhawan

and Dr Brahm Prakash.

4. Name any two books that he has written.

Answer: Two of the books written by him are ‘Wings of Fire’ and

‘Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India’.

B. Answer these questions in 30 to 40 words each.

1. What was Dr Kalam’s life as a young boy like?

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Chapter 7: The People’s President, Class 2 Grade 7

Answer: Dr Kalam’s father owned a ferry while his mother was a

housewife. He was the youngest of four brothers and a sister. His

family lost much of its property and he sold newspapers to

supplement the family’s income as a young boy. Though an average

student, he showed great interest in Mathematics and was devoted to

his studies.

2. Why was Dr Kalam known as the ‘Missile Man of India’?

Answer: Dr Kalam was known as the ‘Missile Man of India’ because of

his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle

technology.

3. What legacy did he leave behind on the President’s Estate?

Answer: In the President’s Estate, Dr Kalam was responsible for the

digitisation of the library, a tactile garden for the visually challenged, a

health centre, streetlights, pavements, new staff quarters and above

all, for opening the Rashtrapati Bhavan to everyone.

4. How do we know that Dr Kalam was a true patriot?

Answer: Dr Kalam was a true patriot because he was a nation-builder

in the true sense of the term and transcended caste, region, religion

and language. He wanted to use technology to help the common man,

the disabled and the disadvantaged sections of society. He made a

safe, biocompatible and long-lasting stent for heart patients from the

alloys used in missile technology.

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Chapter 7: The People’s President, Class 2 Grade 7

C. Answer these questions in 80-100 words each.

1. How would you describe Dr Kalam as a person? Give examples from the

passage.

Answer: Dr Kalam was a simple person, a true patriot, a man who believed

in the empowerment of students and made missiles but talked of peace.

He firmly believed that educational opportunities should be provided to

all children as that was the only way to remove poverty. He interacted

with students across the country, sharing his experiences, teaching them

to dream and imagine, learn, question and work towards fulfilling their

goals in life. He was a great learner who had an insatiable curiosity, a zest

for life and an optimism which made him reach out for the impossible. He

had a childlike enthusiasm and a modesty despite all the accolades he

received for his work. No other public figure endeared himself to all

sections of the country as he did. He used technology to improve the lot

of the common man, the disabled and the disadvantaged. His thoughts

found expression in his books: ‘Wings of Fire’, ‘Ignited Minds: Unleashing

the Power Within India’, ‘My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions’,

‘Mission of India’, ‘Inspiring Thoughts and Indomitable Spirit’.

D. Why do you think Dr Kalam placed so much faith in technology?

Answer: Dr Kalam placed great faith in technology and I think he was right

to do so. He wanted to use technology to develop the country so that it

could be at par with the other developed nations of the world. He was

involved in the development of the ballistic missile and launch vehicle

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Chapter 7: The People’s President, Class 2 Grade 7

technology and was known as the ‘Missile Man of India’. He wanted to

use technology to help the common man, the disadvantaged and the

disabled. When he realized that a coronary stent cost over ₹ 60,000, he

made a safe, biocompatible and long-lasting stent from the alloys used

in missile technology. He collaborated with Dr Somaraju and the two

scientists developed the Kalam–Raju stent, a low-priced, safe and

effective device that has been used successfully to help many patients.

He brought in the digitisation of the library and made a tactile garden for

the visually challenged in the President’s Estate in New Delhi. Technology

has helped us to make unbelievable strides in the field of medicine,

information, travel, research and education and I think Dr Kalam was

right in placing so much faith in technology.

D. Read the sentences and answer the questions that follow.

1. ‘His messages is to children always echoed his belief that students should

be provided with wings to fly.’

a. Who do you think should give students ‘wings to fly’?

Answer: Teachers should give students the wings to fly.

b. Why according to Dr Kalam was it important for students to be given

wings to fly?

Answer: These words mean that students should be given the means

to dream, to imagine, to explore and shape their own destiny. No

shackles should be imposed on their imagination. They should be free

to explore, to learn, to dream and achieve the impossible and not

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Chapter 7: The People’s President, Class 2 Grade 7

surrender to fate.

c. Use the phrase wings to fly in a sentence of your own.

Answer: Rajan gave the slum children wings to fly in his free school.

2. The most important aspects of Dr Kalam’s personality were his simplicity,

his childlike enthusiasm and his modesty despite all the accolades he had

received throughout his glorious career.

a. Explain the statement in your own words.

Answer: This statement means that the most important aspect of Dr

Kalam’s character is his simple nature which was completely devoid of

any pride.

b. Why do you think the list of qualities are important to build a strong

character?

Answer: Such a characteristic is important as well as useful because it

helps you to keep learning and acquire knowledge. It makes you

interact with all sections of society so that you are able to perceive

their problems and empathise with them. This is what makes you

endear yourself to everyone you come across.

c. Give an example from the passage to show how Dr Kalam provided a

simple solution to a problem.

Answer: Dr Kalam collaborated with Dr Somaraju and the two

scientists developed the Kalam–Raju stent, a low-priced, safe and

effective device which could be used in place of the expensive

coronary stent costing over ₹ 60,000.

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Chapter 7: The People’s President, Class 2 Grade 7

My Word Bank

Here is a word related to science. Add two more from the passage.

1. Nanotechnology

2. Alloy

3. Electronics

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