Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:
1. The sage of science, Einstein, was sitting in a depressive and pensive mood one evening. His eyes were brimming with tears. The pain was evident on his face. He peeped out of the window of his room. The sun had set a few minutes back. The sky was filled with a reddish glow. At this sunset, he felt that it was humanity that had sunk into devilish darkness and the reddish glow in the sky was the blood of humanity spilling all over the sky from earth. With tired steps, he walked back to his chair and settled down. It was the 9th of August 1945. Three days back, he had felt the same agony as if someone had torn him apart. He was deeply hurt and depressed when he heard on the radio that America had dropped an atom bomb on the Japanese city, Hiroshima. Today, within three days another bomb was dropped on another city, Nagasaki and lakhs of people had been killed.
2. He had heard that the blast released so much energy that it had paled all past destructions in comparison and death had played out a pitiable dance of destruction. The flames that broke out of the bomb were burning, melting and exploding buildings. Scared of the heat of the bomb, people had jumped into lakes and rivers, but the water was boiling and the people too were burnt and killed. The animals in the water were already boiled to death. Animals, trees, herbs, fragrant flowering plants were all turned into ashes. The atomic energy destruction had just not stopped there. It had entered the atmosphere there and had spread radiation that would affect people for generations to come and would also bring about destructive irreversible biological changes in animals and plants.
3. As the news of the atomic attack reached Einstein, and he became aware of the glaring horror of the abuse of atomic energy, his distress and restlessness knew no bounds. He could not control himself and picked up his violin to turn his mind on to other things. While playing the violin, he tried to dissolve his distress in its sad notes, but couldn’t. He was burning on the embers of destruction; his heart was filled with an ocean of agony and tears just continued streaming uncontrollably out of his eyes. Night had fallen. His daughter came up and asked him to eat something as he had not taken anything for the last four days. His voice was restrained and he said, ‘‘I don’t feel like eating.’’
4. He could not sleep that night. Lying down, he was thinking how he had drawn the attention of the then American President Roosevelt towards the destructive powers of an atomic bomb. He had thought that this would be used to scare Hitler and put an end to the barbarism that Hitler was up to. However, Roosevelt kept him in the dark and made false promises. Eventually, he had abused Einstein’s equation of E=mc2 that resulted in the destructive experiments. His actions had made science and scientists as murderers. Einstein kept on thinking for a long time. Eventually, he slipped into sleep. When he woke up at dawn, there was a new dawn in him too. The atomic threat had transformed his heart.
5. The next day, he decided to disassociate himself from the scientific policy of the government and all governmental institutions. He decided to open educational institutions for children, adolescents and youth — institutions where along with science, spirituality will be compulsorily taught.
6. To inaugurate this institution, he had invited two great philosophers, Bertrand Russell and Albert Schweitzer. Ten other great scientists who had won Nobel Prizes in different fields were also invited. They all saw a different Einstein, not a great scientist but a sage in him. The institution was opened by garlanding a photo of Mahatma Gandhi. While garlanding the Mahatma, he became emotional and said with a lump in his throat, ‘‘I bow down to the great man who fought for the independence of his country through non-violence. He could do so because he was a truthful man and true spiritualist.’’
7. Those who teach science should be taught spirituality too. Without harmony between science and spirituality, the destruction would continue unabated. A few years after this institution was built, a Japanese delegation came to meet him. Einstein broke down in the meeting and said, ‘‘You can give me any punishment and I will accept it. Anyway, I have decided to lead my life in penitence.’’ The Japanese were moved by his sincerity and forgot their grief.
1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer each of the questions given below by choosing the most appropriate option:
(a) Besides two great philosophers how many other scientists were invited by Einstein to inaugurate the institution where spirituality would be compulsorily taught?
(i) Five
(ii) Ten
(iii) Eight
(iv) Fifteen
(b) Which musical instrument did Einstein play when he was in grief?
(i) Harmonium
(ii) Guitar
(iii) Violin
(iv) Flute
(c) Einstein came to know that America had dropped an atom bomb on the Japanese city, Hiroshima through
(i) television.
(ii) newspaper.
(iii) radio.
(iv) a telephonic message.
(d) Which American President was told about the destructive power of an atomic bomb?
(i) Kennedy
(ii) Bill Clinton
(iii) Lincoln
(iv)Roosevelt
(e) Einstein said to the Japanese delegation,
(i) ‘‘You can give me any punishment and I will accept it.’’
(ii) ‘‘I am not at fault.’’
(iii) ‘‘What could I do ?’’
(iv) ‘‘The President didn’t agree to my advice.’’
1.2 Answer the following questions briefly:
(a) What did Einstein do to overcome his distress after getting the news of the atomic attack?
(b) Which event in 1945, according to Einstein, turned science and scientists into murderers?
(c) What did Einstein do to show his displeasure over the atomic attack?
(d) Whose photo was garlanded at the inauguration of Einstein’s institute for children, adolescents and youth?
(e) Name the philosophers that Einstein invited to inaugurate the new institution.
(f) Why did Einstein want harmony between science and spirituality while teaching in educational institutes?
1.3 Answer any three of the following questions in 25 – 30 words each:
(a) What did Einstein feel while looking at the sunset from his room’s window?
(b) Give a brief description of the disaster when the atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city, Nagasaki.
(c) What did Einstein think of Mahatma Gandhi?
(d) What was Einstein’s reaction when the Japanese delegation met him?
1.1 (a) (ii) Ten
Besides two great philosophers namely Bertrand Russell and Albert Schweitzer, ten other scientists who had been awarded the Nobel Prize in various fields were also invited by Einstein to inaugurate the institution where spirituality would be compulsorily taught.
(b) (iii) Violin
Einstein was horrified by the abuse of atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was deeply distressed and couldn’t resist himself from picking the violin and playing sad notes to distract his attention to other things.
(c) (iii) radio
Einstein heard on the radio that America had dropped an atom bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. He was so disturbed that he walked to his chair and settled down. On that day he felt that humanity had been killed.
(d) (iv) Roosevelt
Einstein was the one who had drawn the attention of American President, Roosevelt towards the destructive power of an atomic bomb. But he did this with an intention that it could be used to scare and put an end to Hitler’s barbarism.
(e) (i) ‘‘You can give me any punishment and I will accept it.’’
Einstein asked the Japanese delegation who came to meet him to give him any punishment and he would accept it. He also told him that he had decided to live his life in penitence.
1.2 (a) Einstein was deeply distressed when heard about the devastation caused by atom bomb in the Japanese city of Nagasaki. This news was followed by another bomb dropped on another city, Hiroshima after 3 days. It killed lakhs of people and Einstein thought that all humanity was murdered. He was horrified and could not stop thinking about the abuse of atomic energy so he picked up his violin in an attempt to distract his mind on other things. He played sad notes to dissolve his distress but failed.
(b) After the incident of atomic bombing on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, Einstein felt that science and scientists were turned into murderers. He couldn’t stop blaming himself for informing the American President, Roosevelt about the destructive powers of an atomic bomb. He drew his attention towards it so that it could be used to scare and put an end to Hitler’s barbarism in Germany. But Einstein was cheated by Roosevelt and kept in the dark. He abused Einstein’s equation of E=mc2 and made scientists ‘murderers’.
(c) Einstein was horrified by the misuse of atomic energy that had caused lakhs of people to die in minutes. He couldn’t put away this thought and blamed himself for all wrongs. He kept thinking about how Roosevelt had kept him in dark and cheated on him by doing destructive experiments on his equation E=mc2 . Gradually, thinking of this he felt asleep and the next morning he woke up with a transformed attitude. He had decided to disassociate himself from the scientific policies of the Government and their institutions to show displeasure over the atomic attack. He also decided to start new educational institutions for the youth where spirituality would be compulsorily taught along with science.
(d) The inauguration of Einstein’s institute for children, adolescents and youth was done by garlanding a photo of Mahatma Gandhi because Einstein was deeply moved by Gandhi’s non-violent approach for India’s independence. He became emotional and also added that he bows down to such a great man who was truthful and a real spiritualist.
(e) Einstein had invited two great philosophers to the inauguration of his new institution namely, Bertrand Russell and Albert Schweitzer. He had also invited 10 other great scientists who had been awarded the Nobel Prize for their contributions in different fields. Everyone invited, saw a different Einstein that day. They didn’t see just a great scientist but a sage in him.
(f) Einstein was very depressed by the abuse of atomic energy and regarded it as an inhuman act. Roosevelt had used his equation for satisfying his horrifying intentions by killing lakhs of people. Einstein started new institutions where spirituality was compulsorily taught along with science. He felt hat only by the harmony between science and spirituality, the destruction could be put to an end.
1.3 (a) Einstein was in a depressed mood one evening while looking at the sunset from his room’s window. His eyes were filled with tears. After the sunset, the sky was glowing in red which made him feel as if humanity had sunk into the darkness of devil. He also regarded the reddish glow in the sky as the blood of humanity spilled from the earth. His emotions were a reaction to the horrific atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
(b) Within a span of 3 days, two major atomic explosions had taken place in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Einstein heard over the radio that the explosions released so much energy that it broke records of all past destructions. Death tolls were so high that it seemed as if it had played a pitiable dance of destruction. The flames were so high that buildings were completely burning, melting and exploding. Many people jumped into rivers and lakes to save themselves from the heat of the bomb but the water was also boiling and everyone burnt to death. The water animals were all boiled to death too. Only ashes of animals, trees, herbs and flowers could be seen. The destruction was not limited here. The atomic energy had entered the atmosphere and its radiations would affect generations to come. It would bring irreversible biological changes in plants and animals.
(c) Einstein inaugurated his institution by garlanding a photo of Mahatma Gandhi. He became emotional at this moment and said that he bows to such a great man who fought for making his country independent through non-violence. He also appreciated his efforts and added that he was able to do so because he was truthful and a real spiritualist. That day, the other people who had been invited for the inauguration saw a sage in Einstein along with a great scientist.
(d) A Japanese delegation had come to meet Einstein few years after the institution was built. Einstein was reminded of the incident of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and he broke down in front of the delegate. He asked him to give whatever punishment he wanted to and that he would accept it. He also mentioned that he had decided to live his life in penitence. But the Japanese delegate was moved by his words and sincerity and forgive him.
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