OLDER THAN HISTORY & THE NIGHTINGALE: QUESTION ANSWERS

OLDER THAN HISTORY
Glossary
Travelogue: a book or film about a person's travels
Equator: an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth
Celebrated: famous or well-known
Fiction: novels, stories, or other writings that are imaginary
 Non-fiction: writings that are based on fact
Perspectives: particular ways of thinking about or understanding something
Tedious: boring or monotonous
Bustle: a state of energetic and noisy activity
Confusion: a state of disorder or uncertainty
Manifestly: clearly or obviously
Compound: an area of land surrounded by walls or fences
Bungalow: a one-story house, typically with a sloping roof
Veranda: a covered platform or patio attached to a house
Glare: a harsh or dazzling light
Creaking: making a faint cracking or groaning sound
Superintended: watched or supervised something
Table d'hote: a meal served at a fixed price, typically with a limited number of courses
Soothing: calming or comforting;
Lonesome: feeling sad because one has no friends or company
Satisfying: giving pleasure or contentment
Restful: providing rest or relaxation
Customary: usual or traditional
Attached: joined or connected to something
Grating: a frame of parallel or crossed bars
Paved: covered with stones, bricks, or other materials to make a hard surface
Overhangs: to hang or project over something
Compact: closely packed or dense
Intricate: complicated or complex
Minarets: tall, narrow towers on a mosque
Picturesqueness: the quality of being visually attractive or charming
Mosques: buildings for Muslim worship
Sacred: considered to be holy or connected with a god
Holy: dedicated or consecrated to a god or gods
Ineffable: too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words
Hectic: extremely busy or chaotic
Bury: to put something in the ground and cover it
 Elevated: raised or lifted up
 Overwhelmingly: to a degree that is too great to deal with
Masonry: the art or skill of building or working with stone, brick, or concrete
Stair flights: a set of stairs between two floors
Palaces: large and impressive buildings, especially those used as residences for royalty or heads of state
Crammed: packed tightly into a small space
Perspective: a particular way of considering or thinking about something
Commodious: roomy, spacious
Defiled: made impure or polluted
Puissant: powerful
Concluded: came to a decision or judgment
Soaring: rising or moving upward with a smooth and continuous motion
Sculptured: carved or shaped into a specific form
Majestic: beautiful, dignified, and impressive
Softening: becoming less harsh or severe
Lofty: high or elevated
Brilliantly: in a bright and impressive way
Costumed: wearing a specific set of clothes
Metaphorical: using metaphors or symbolic language
Hand-propelled: powered or moved by hand
Ages: very long periods of time
Absolute: complete or unconditional
Purifier: a substance or device that removes impurities
Puissant: powerful
Marvel: something that causes great wonder or surprise
Memorable: worth remembering or notable
Scientific: related to science or the scientific method
Discovery: the act of finding or learning something new
Cholera: a bacterial disease that causes diarrhea and vomiting
Germs: microorganisms that cause disease
Employ: to give someone a job or work to do
Concluded: came to a decision or judgment
Civilization: a complex human society with its own culture, laws, and customs
Savagery: a state of being savage or uncivilized
Generalize: to form a general opinion or conclusion
Comprehensive: including or covering everything
Wonders: things that cause great surprise or admiration
Humourist: a person who writes or tells jokes
Entrepreneur: a person who starts and runs their own business
 Comprehension
A.
1. delightful and charming
2. soothing
3. the boat ride
4. examine the water of the Ganges
5. extraordinary
 
B.
1. If Twain took a carriage to Benares from ‘Mughul-serai’station, he would surely miss the chance of having a pleasant and delightful experience about various activities of the crowd of people around the station.
 
2. Twain describes Benares as an extraordinary and vibrant city with a rich cultural heritage. It is the sacredest of sacred cities. It has a thousand temples and shrines.
 
3. Twain refers to the Ganges front as "the supreme show-place of Benares" because of its grandeur, beauty and spiritual significance. The ghats stretch for a mile, in a solid brick paved street, with wide flights of stone steps leading from them down to the water.
 
4. So far as the "water's secret" is concerned, Twain asserts, since time immemorial Indians have had absolute faith in the purifying properties of the water of the Ganges though it has been polluted by various sources.
 
C.
1. Here, Twain means to say that the stairways are filled with people of different cultures and colours, creating a vibrant and colorful scene.
 
2. Twain found the city's spiritual significance, vibrant culture, and contradictions (e.g., dirtiness and sacredness) intriguing.
 
3. The phrase "India: the Land of Wonders" suggests that India is a country full of remarkable and awe-inspiring things, reflecting Twain's own experiences and observations.
 
D.
1. curiosity
2. melodious
3. generalize
 
THE NIGHTINGALE
 Glossary:
 
Versatile: able to adapt or be used for many different purposes
Raga: a melodic mode or framework for improvisation in Indian classical music
Shagird: a disciple or student
Formidable: inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large or powerful
Interlude: a short piece of music played between the main parts of a larger work
Pronunciation: (English) the way in which a word or language is spoken
Phonetically: representing the sounds of spoken language in a systematic way
Linguist: a person who studies language
Defies description and definition: is beyond all expectations
Intrigued: extremely interested or curious
Rolleiflex: a brand of camera
Captivating: attracting and holding someone's attention
Maternal: related to or characteristic of a mother
Contemporaries: people who live or exist at the same time as another person
Disciple: a person who learns from or follows the teachings of another
Pupil: a person who is taught by a teacher or tutor
Introduced: to present someone to another person
Mehboob: a term of endearment, meaning "beloved"
Pauper: a very poor person
Detective: a person whose job is to solve crimes and mysteries
Contemporaries: people who live or exist at the same time as another person
Improvization: the act of creating or performing something spontaneously, without prior planning or preparation
Charity: the voluntary giving of help or money to those in need
Sherlock Holmes: a fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Ghalib: a famous Urdu poet from India
Zouq: a pen name of the famous Urdu poet, Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq
Momin: a pen name of the famous Urdu poet, Muhammad Momin Khan
Brabourne: a proper noun referring to the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai
Maternal grandmother: the mother of one's mother
Pandit: a term of respect used to address a learned person or a teacher
Sacred: considered to be holy or connected with a god
Spiritual: related to the spirit or soul
Intrigued: extremely interested or curious
Captivating: attracting and holding someone's attention
Improvisation: the act of creating or performing something spontaneously, without prior planning or preparation
Vibrant: full of energy and life
Wonders: things that are surprising or impressive
Intriguing: extremely interesting or curious
Immensely: extremely or very much
Conferred: officially gave or awarded something
Honours: awards or recognition given to someone for their achievements
Legion of Honour: a French order of merit awarded for outstanding achievements;
Tune: a melody or sequence of notes
Witnessed: past tense of "witness", meaning to see or observe something
Comprehension
 A
1. a. The speaker is Lata Mangeshkar's father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, and he said these words to Lata Mangeshkar's Mother.
b. Lata Mangeshkar is referred to as a 'good singer' because she sang beautifully even at the age of five.
c. The 'good singer' was five years old then.
d. The family background of the singer is that her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, was a classical singer and a theatre actor.
 
2. a. Jawaharlal Nehru told these words to Lata Mangeshkar.
b. Yes, they had tea together at Teen Murti Bhawan, the official residence of Pandit Nehru the first P.M of India,.
c. Before being asked to have tea, Lata Mangeshkar’s song ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ sung on the Republic Day ceremony on 26 January, 1961, had brought tears to the eyes of Pt. Nehru.
d. Yes, the speaker and the listener met again at the Brabourne Stadium, Bombay, now Mumbai,  in early 1964.
 
B
1. Lata Mangeshkar's father realized that she would make an extraordinary singer when she could sing so beautifully even at the age of five.
2. No, Lata Mangeshkar was not happy with her acting career.
3. For Lata Mangeshkar the most important aspect of a song was the words.
4. Lata Mangeshkar listened to someone who would speak the language and read the lyrics to her. She would pay great attention to pronunciation. After hearing the words spoken, she would write the song lines phonetically in Hindi and then sing.
5. The song ‘Ae mere watan ke logon’ is special because it is a patriotic song written by Kabi Pradeep, and was sung by Lata Mangeshkar on January 26, 1963, at the National Stadium in New Delhi following the Chinese attack on India in 1962.
 
C
1. Nasreen Munni Kabir says that Lata Mangeshkar has 'unusual curiosity, a thirst for knowledge and determination to better herself' because Lata Mangeshkar is a lifelong learner who always seeks to improve her craft.
2. The qualities that have made Lata Mangeshkar so successful are her unusual curiosity, thirst for knowledge, and determination to better herself.
3. Lata Mangeshkar was motivated to sing in so many languages because she wanted to reach a wider audience and to learn about different cultures.
 
D
1. publicist - b. deals with media and public relations on behalf of a musician or a group/band
2. instrumentalist - a. plays one or more musical instruments
3. voice-over artist - e. uses her/his voice in radio, television, film, theatre and other presentations
4. lyricist - c. writes words for a song
5. percussionist - d. plays a musical instrument (such as the drum) that is sounded by striking, shaking, or scraping