Shiva Keshavan - Indian Luge Pilot Qualifies for Sochi Winger Olympics, Question answer, Class 7, Chapter 12

Shiva Keshavan - Indian Luge Piolet

READ AND ANSWER

A. 1. Answer the following questions in your own words as far as possible. 

a. When and where were the first Winter Olympics held?

Answer: In 1924, in Chamonix, France.

b. Which new events were added to the winter Olympics as the games progressed? 

Updated soon... 

c. What is a luge?

Answer: Luge, Freestyle skiing and short track speed skating.

d. Which luge event was added to the Olympic Games in 2014?

Answer: A team relay event was added to the list of luge events at the Olympics, 2014.

e. How is a luger positioned while moving down the track? 

Answer: The luger lies on his back on the luge and slides down the iced track feet first.

f. How is an artificial luge track different from a natural track?

Answer: An artificial luge track is a man-made track. It is an artificially refrigerated unit that is about 1.5 km long. A natural luge track is adopted where there are mountain roads and paths. This horizontal track is naturally covered with ice.

g. Why does a luger have to be physically and mentally strong?

Answer: A luger has to be physically and mentally strong because it is one of the fastest sports, the highest recorded speed being at 154kmph. It is also a dangerous sports. The luger has to be aware of every curved and straight stretch. The luger has to keep his head up to see where they are going and steer the luge using their shoulders and calves. Ass the while he is stapped to the luge.

h. Why do we call Shiva Keshavan our own luge athlete?

Answer: We call Shiva Keshavan our own luge athlete because he is an Indian and has now represented India in Winter Olympics since 1998.

i. What are the different awards Keshavan has won till now? 

Answer: He has won the junior National Ski championship in 1995, he is the fastest slider in Asia, he won a Gold Medal at Nagano, Japan in the Winter Olympics in 2011, a gold again in the 2012 with a new Asian track record and a silver medal in 2013.

j. In what way was Keshavan planning to thank the people who contributed to his Internet campaign and helped him to get to the Olympics? Why was this help needed?

Answer: Luge is an expensive sport. Lugers in countries like Germany have states of art equipment. Tools are required as a luge may have to be modified for varying an Internet  campaign. In order to thank those who supported his campaign, Keshavan was planning to write all their names on his uniform.

k. Why is equipment of the highest quality so important in luge-racing?

Answer: Equipment of the highest quality is so important in luge-racing because a delay of a hundredth or thousandth of a second can make a slider lose the competition. Competitors from developed countries have state of the at equipment. To compete Keshavan needs the same kind of superior equipment.

l. Who realised that Keshavan had the potential to become a luge pilot? How old was Keshavan at the time?

Answer: Gunther Lemmerer was sent by International Luge Federation to find athletes with potential for the sport dentified Keshavan at the age of fourteen.

A. 2. Think and answer the following questions carefully? HOTS

a. Why is luge-racing considered an old sport?

Answer: Luge racing is considered an old sport because the first recorded sled races took place durinmg the 15th century in Norway. In fact it is believed that Vikings built the first luge sleds and took part in sled racing in 800AD. In the 16th century, Luge was a traditional sport for the people in Switzerland. The sport became an influence to the world which added to the Winter Olympics games in 1964.

b. Why is luge-racing a dangerous sport?

Answer: Luge is considered to be a dangerous sport because it combines a high level of speed and risk. The luger have to keep their heads up to see where they are going. As hard as it might seem. The athletes have to be mentally and physically alert and use their calves and shoulders correctly and making subtle body positions all through the race.

c. Why does a luger have to be totally focussed?

Answer: The luger has to be totally focussed because this is a high speed game and the track might be straight and curved. If the luger does not focus, it may cause accident.

d. Can we describe Keshavan as being International as well as completely Indian in character? Why?

Answer: Yes we can describe Keshavan as being International as well as completely Indian in character because he represented India in the Olympic and said that encourages the Indian lauds.

e. 'It has been uphill all the way, strange, for when he reached the top, he sped downhill strapped to his luge on the luge track and made history!' Explain this sentence in two or three sentences.

Answer: This sentence considers the track of the luge. The luge through more than a kilometers of straights and curves and sometimes even a small rise at high speeds. The lugers have to sled down on the luge track, the luger who completes this race first, wins the game and makes history.

f. Why does Keshavan say that 'it is not a level playing field'? 

Answer: Keshavan says that 'it is not a level playing field' because equipment also plays a huge part in this sport. A hundredth or thousandth of a second can make all difference.

g. Besides state of the art equipment, what is luge-racing all about?

Answer: Besides state of the art equipment, luge-racing is a game of focusing, and stupendous efforts.

WRITING

B. You are Anand/Anandi. You and your friends feel that the only game that is given ac lot of importance is cricket.

How can the government promote other outdoor and indoor games in schools and colleges in the country? Have a classroom discussion about this and then write a letter to the editor of a newspaper outlining your ideas on the subject. Study these points and the format given below before writing the letter.

1. Why are letters written to the editors of a newspaper?

a. The issues are important. 
b. The writer is angry about something.

2. Write the Subject in a few words.

3. The introduction should state what the letter is about. It should be interesting so that a reader wants to continue reading what has been written.

4. The letter should not be too long. It should contain the most important points that you want to highlight.

5. Today, newspapers prefer letters being written by E-mail. If the letter is to be sent by E-mail, the E-mail id given in the newspaper is used in place of an address. The letters could also be posted.

275 Arun Vihar, NOIDA, UP

201301

Date

The Editor,
The Times of India, 
New Delhi

Subject:

Sir,

1. Introduction
2. Content - one or two paragraphs
3. Conclusion

Thanking you, 
Yours sincerely/truly/faithfully
Name

Try yourself...

Shiva Keshvan - Indian Luge Pilot (Winter Olympic)

SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION

C. 1. Read these words. Pronounce them correctly. In all of them the 'b' is silent. at least five more like words. Look up the meanings of unfamiliar words.

catacomb, dumb, debt, doubt, comb, numb, subtle, succumb, thumb, tomb, womb.

C. 2. Read the following words that all end with 'ive'. Pronounce them correctly. Encircle the word in each line that doesn't rhyme with the others.

a. affirmative	attentive	arrive	alternative	detective
b. destructive	survive	locomotive	digestive	repetitive
c. excessive	expensive	passive	skydive	defensive
d. captive	alive	cursive	active	negative
e. derive	positive	deceptive	festive	secretive

VOCABULARY

D. 1. Find the words that mean the following in the table given in C. 2.

a. A word that means a person who helps to solve mysteries - detective

b. Two words that are opposites of each other - affirmative/negative

c. Two more words that are opposites of each other - passive/active

d. A person or animal that is caught and kept locked up - captive

e. A word that describes something that costs a lot - expensive

f. A word referring to the action of free-falling from an aeroplane and using one's body  to control movements till the opening of a parachute - skydive

g. A word describing you when you are listening to what your teacher says - attentive

h. A word that means to remain alive - survive

D. 2. Match the following with their synonyms.

a. difficulty	1. spiritedly
b. distinction	2. allowed
c. error	3. gifted
d. fervently	4. differing
e. mandatory	5. amazing
f. permitted	6. problem
g. stupendous	7. unbelievable
h. talented	8. mistake
i. unimaginable	9. compulsory
j. varying	10. honour

Answer:

a. - 6
b. - 10
c. - 8
d. - 1
e. - 9
f. - 2
g. - 5
h. - 3
i. - 7
j. - 4

GRAMMAR

Adverbs/Adverb Phrases/ Prepositional Phrases that act like Adverb Phrases add to the meaning of verbs.

Revise the different kinds of Adverbs. They add to the meaning of the underlined verbs. Adverbs can be placed after the verb: She danced gracefully. OR after the object: He spoke to the boy angrily. OR after the subject: I gently reminded her that she had to speak softly.

Adverbs of Manner answer the question 'How': The girl screamed loudly. She screeched like a witch.

Adverbs of Place answer the question 'Where': The girl sat down. The girl sat on the rocking chair.

Adverbs of Time answer the question 'When': Aunt Salma arrived yesterday. She came at eight last night.

Preposition or Adverb: Don't get confused. An adverb is used by itself in the different ways given above. A Preposition is always followed by an object: She walked in and sat down. Both the words in bold letters in this sentence are adverbs. They are not followed by objects.

Prep.           Obj.            Prep Object

The boy ran down the road. She is in her bedroom. Note the prepositions and objects that follow. Adverbs of Degree answer the question 'How Much': I really enjoyed the party. She simply adored the cute little puppy.

Adverbs of Frequency answer the question 'How often': She never visits us. He comes over almost every evening.

Adverbs of Duration indicate 'How long something lasts or how much time it takes': He has been staring at that TV screen for two hours. She has been sleeping since eight last night.

Adverbs modify other adverbs and adjectives also.

Adv.     Adv.     Adj.     Adv.     Adj.

He was really very funny. He is very funny.

E. 1. Underline the adverbs/adverb phrases and encircle the verbs they modify, Write M for Adverbs of Manner: P for Adverbs of Place: T for Adverbs of Time: F for Adverbs of Frequency Dg for Adverbs of Degree and D for Adverbs of Duration. There may be more than one adverb and verb in a sentence.

a. I accidentally bumped against the glass door and it shattered into a hundred pieces.
b. We sat in the garden for an hour and then came inside.
c. Ravi ran really fast and got home in a few minutes. 
d. The gardener has been working in the garden for two hours.
e. Veena walked into the room happily and sat down at the table. 
f. She keeps ringing me up again and again..
g. We meet her in the park once in a way.
h. She whispered softly in my ear and went outside without disturbing anyone.
i. We reached in time for dinner.
J. She bowed prettily before the king as she entered the room.

Answer:

Verbs	Adverbs/Adverb phrases
a. bumped	accidently M
b. sat, came	in the garden P, for an hour D, inside P
c. ran, got	really fast Dg/M, in a few minutes T.
d. has been working	in the garden P, for two hours D.
e. walked, sat	into the room P, happily M, down P, at the table P.
f. keeps ringing up	again and again F.
g. meet	in the park P, once in a way F
h. whispered, went	softly M, in my ear P, outside P without disturbing anymore M
i. reached	in time T
j. bowed	prettily M, before the king P

E. 2. Identify the underlined words as adverbs A and prepositions P. If the underlined word is a preposition, underline the object and write O above it. 

a. We went into the restaurant, sat down and ordered a meal.

b. Wait outside. I'll open the door for you in a minute. 

c. The kitten was hiding under the bed. I crawled underneath and caught hold of her.

d. There is a broad road underneath the bridge.

e. He is upstairs in his study.

f. He got up and left the room.

g. The man climbed up the coconut tree and broke some coconuts.

h. He put them in a bag, slung the bag over his shoulder and climbed down.

Answer:

A	P	O
a. down	into	restaurant
b. outside
c. underneath	under	the bed
d.	underneath	the bridge
e. upstairs
f. up
g.	up	the coconut tree
h. down	in, over	bag, his shoulder

Sometimes, you want to say how something happened in relation to how it happened at another time or how someone did something on another occasion. This can be done by using the comparative or the superlative form of the adverb by adding more or most before it. Most adverbs of manner have comparative and superlative forms: He did his sums more carefully this time and they were all right. He spoke to us most convincingly and we bought the house. He ran faster than all the boys.

Some adverbs of frequency, place and time also have comparative and superlative forms:

Frequency: He has visited us more often this year than ever before. 

Place: Note how 'er' is added at the end of shorter adverbs for the comparative and 'est' for the superlative forms. Ali's house is nearer to my house than to Maya's house. The house closest to mine is Farhan's.

Time: We arrived earlier than the others so we got the best seats.

E. 3. Fill in the correct positive, comparative or superlative forms of the adverbs in the brackets.

a. The crows seem to be crowing more loudly this morning. (loudly/more loudly)

b. Nina speaks more politely than all the other girls in her class. (politely/more politely)

c. The baby slept peacefully last night. (more peacefully/peacefully)

d. The waitress listened to the complaints of the diner more patiently (patiently/most patiently)

e. The black horse ran the fastest and won the race. (fast/fastest)

f. The oldest labourer worked more honestly than the others and received praise for his efforts. (more honestly/most honestly)

g. The businessman visits Mumbai more frequently than any other city. (more frequently/most frequently)

h. He missed the bus and reached home much later (late/later) than he usually does.