5th Standard, English Lesson 1 – Swami Vivekananda
Glossary :
spirituality : the concept of being a good human being
dedicate : devote
desire : wish
earnest : serious
wandering : going from one place to another
Comprehension :
I. Choose the most appropriate answer.
- Swami Vivekananda established the Belur Math to – b
a. make people remember his speech in the Parliament of Religions.
b. spread the principles of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
c. develop human values.
d. promote social divisions.
Answer: b. spread the principles of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.- Swami Vivekananda acquired the knowledge of human values – b
a. from his parents
b. through his spiritual experience
c. visiting countries
d. all of the above
Answer: b. through his spiritual experience - Narendra was born on – b
a. September 11, 1893
b. January 12, 1863
c. September 11, 1863
d. January 12, 1893
Answer: b. January 12, 1863 - The audience in the Parliament of Religions applauded Swami’s speech because – b
a. he spoke well
b. he addressed them as ‘‘Sisters and Brothers of America’’
c. he spoke in English
d. his speech conveyed humanism
Answer: b. he addressed them as ‘‘Sisters and Brothers of America’’
II. Say whether the following statements are true or false. - Swami Vivekananda was a wandering monk because he wanted to spread Hinduism. (False)
- The audience in the Parliament of Religions did not accept the speech of Swami Vivekananda. (False )
- Swami Vivekananda worked for universal brotherhood. (True)
- The words of Narendra’s mother made him become a wandering monk. (False)
- Swami Vivekananda went to Chicago as a political leader. (False)
- The Belur Math was established before Swami Vivekananda went to Chicago. (False)
III. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each. - How is India described by the writer?
Answer: India is a land of many religions and cultures. People here take both pleasure and pain alike. They are dedicated and duty-bound. In this land, many
Well known religious leaders have been born. - What kind of a coachman did Narendra’s mother want him to become?
Answer: Narendra’s mother want him to become a coachman like Krishna
who taught Arjuna. - Why did Narendra want to be a coachman?
Answer: Narendra thought that it is nice to drive a coach. Therefore, he decided to be coachmen. - Why was Narendra named Vireshwara?
Answer: Parents of Narendra Vishwanatha Dutta and Bhuvaneshwari Devi considered the child the boon of God Vireshwara Shiva. Therefore, they decided to name him Vireshwara. - Why was Narendra considered a “wandering monk”?
Answer: Narendra went on and on, walked miles, travelled all over the country to discover truth. Naren was kind to all. He had sympathy for the poor, he was courageous too. These qualities helped him become a wandering monk travelling alone to all places to help the needy. - What kind of education did Narendra advocate?
Answer: Narendra often expressed his ideas on education. According to him, education should develop a complete human being. - What made the audience in the Parliament of Religions give a thunderous applause to Narendra?
Answer: In the Parliament of Religions at Chicago on 11 September 1893, Narendra began his address with the words “Sisters and Brothers of America”. Immediately, there was thunderous applause from the vast audience and it lasted for two minutes. - What helped Narendra earn respect and appreciation from the people of America?
Answer: Swami Vivekananda expressed his hope saying that the time for driving away
these evil forces in society had come. He told them that everybody should develop a sense of brotherhood and love for each other. This helped Narendra earn great respect and appreciation from the people of America. - Did Narendra believe in superstitions?
Answer: No, he did not believe in superstitions but he stressed that ‘Work Is Worship’.
IV. Writing : - Complete the following table using the details given in the lesson on Swami Vivekananda.
Date of birth 12th January 1863
Name given by parents Veereshwara
Parent’s Name Mother Bhuvaneshwari Devi
Father Vishwanatha Dutta
Characteristic traits Leadership quality, courageous
Life mission spread knowledge to develop a sense of brotherhood and love for each other.
Unique achievements a) founded the Belur Math
b) Made a marvellous speech in Chicago, America
c) Travelled all over the country to spread knowledge and universal brotherhood. - Now using the information given in the above table, write a paragraph in 50 words on the life of Swami Vivekananda.
Answer: Narendra is one of the greatest religious leaders in India. He born on 12th January 1863 in Kolkota. His father is Vishwanatha Dutta and mother Bhuvaneshwari Devi. This little boy Narendra later came to be known as Swami Vivekananda, a great spiritual leader and India’s pride. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa could help him experience god. Thus Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa became Naren’s spiritual guru. Naren was kind to all. He had sympathy for the poor, he was courageous too. These qualities helped him become a wandering monk travelling alone to all places to help the needy. He made a speech in the Great Hall of Columbus, in the Parliament of Religions at Chicago on 11 September 1893. He established Belur Math in 1898 which became the centre of Ramakrishna Mission with the motto “Work is Worship.
Language exercise :
I. Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks choosing the right word given in the box :
spiritual, superstitions, earnest, despair, preach
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is a very well known spiritual leader. Whenever people in despair approached him, he would say that they must be earnest in their belief in the Divine. He also used to preach that belief in superstitions may not take anyone forward.
II. Substitute the following with one word. You can take the help of the choices given in the box below.
- A man who drives a coach. – Coachman
- One who believes in the existence of God. – theist
- One who does not believe in the existence of God. – atheist
- One who doubts the existence of God. – agnostic
- One who believes in serving mankind. – philanthropist philanthropist theist atheist coachman agnostic
III. Use the following words in meaningful sentences.
a . pride b. accept c. experience d. dedicate e. tolerance
a. Pride: River Ganga is the pride of India.
b. Accept: He accepted my challenge.
c. Experience: He has a good experience at teaching.
d. Dedicate: Subhash Chandra bose dedicated himself to get freedom for India.
e. Tolerance: One should tolerance to others.
IV. Match the words in list “A” with their opposites in list “B”.
A B
- strong – weak
- despair – hope
- good – evil
- love (n) – hatred
- life – death
Grammar :
Read the following sentences carefully. You will find them expressing different functions :
i) The school begins everyday at 9 am.
ii) Why are you late?
iii) a) Go to the post office and get me some stamps.
b) Please, keep quiet.
iv) What a lovely picture !
Sentence (i) above expresses a fact. It is a statement.
Sentence (ii) above seeks an answer or a piece of in- formation. It also does the function of asking. It is thus a question or an interrogative sentence. It has a question mark (?) at the end.
Sentence (iii) gives directions or instructions or makes a request. Such sentences are called imperative sentences.
Sentence (iv) expresses an appreciation. Sentences like this may be used to express surprise, shock, pain, grief and so on. Such sentences are called exclamatory sentences, and they have exclamatory mark (!) at the end.
Ah !, Oh !, Alas !, Hurrah ! are some expressions or words used to express surprise or shock.
I. Now read the following sentences carefully.
Identify their kind / type. Write your answer in the space provided. The first one has been done for you.
(i) The earth revolves round the sun – Statement.
(ii) Animals can be either wild or domestic – Statement
(iii) When did you come back from Hubballi? – Interrogative
(iv) Pass the ball, please – Imperative
(v) Ah! How cruel he is! – Exclamatory
(vi) Oh! What a wonderful game ! – Exclamatory
(vii) Are you prepared for the examination? – Interrogative
II. Read the following dialogue carefully.
a) Imagine that you are on a visit to Bengaluru. you ask for direction to go to St. Martha’s
Hospital. Read the dialogue.
A : Hello, good morning. Where do you come from ?
B : I’m Srikrishna and I’m from Chikkodi.
A : Is it your first visit to Bengaluru?
B : No. It’s my second visit.
A : What can I do for you?
B : How do I go to St. Martha’s Hospital?
A : From here, go to Majestic, take the bus that goes to Market from Majestic. Ask for St. Martha’s Hospital stop. On the opposite side you will seethe hospital.
B : How kind of you! Thank you.
b) Imagine that you are near the market in your town.
Complete the following dialogue :
A : Hello, good morning. Where is the post office?
B : The post office is near the railway station.
A : How do I go to the railway station from here ?
B : From here you should go straight and board the bus to go railway station.
A :How I can go to M.G. Road from here?
B : You can board the bus from here and ask for M.G. Road.
A : When does your school re-open?
B : My School re opens on 30th May
A : Thank you very much.
Further reading :
- Read the life of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and understand what he tells young people to do. 2. Read the autobiography of Lance Armstrong. What do you think made him win against cancer and become a champion again?
- Read books on people who promoted religious harmony like Sant Kabir, Bulleh shah, Vivekananda, Shishunala Sharif and others.
