An Indian American Woman in Space

 Working with the text

A. Answer the following questions.

1. Where was Kalpana Chawla born? Why is she called an Indian – American?

Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana. She got married to an American citizen and thus became a naturalized American. So, she is called an Indian-American.

2. When and why did she go to the U.S.? Who did she marry? 

She went to the U.S. for higher studies in aeronautical engineering. She married flight instructor Jean-Pierre Harrison.

3. How did she become an astronaut? What gave her the idea that she could be an astronaut?

She applied for NASA’s space shuttle program and got hired as a research scientist at NASA. She was then selected for training as an astronaut in 1994.

4. What abilities must an astronaut have, according to the journalist?

According to the journalist, one needs to know a lot about everything- biology, astrophysics, and aeronautical engineering to be an astronaut.

5. Describe Kalpana Chawla’s first mission in space.

Kalpana Chawla’s first mission in space lasted 15 days, 16 hours and 34 minutes. She went around the earth 252 times, travelling 10.75 million kilometers. A Ukrainian and a Japanese astronaut were also among the crew members.

6. What does Kalpana Chawla say about pursuing a dream? Do you agree with her that success is possible?

Kalpana says, “The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get onto it… Wishing you a great journey.”

Yes, I do agree with her that with vision and courage, success is possible.

  

B. Read the newspaper report to find the following facts about the Columbia’s ill-fated voyage.

Working with the language

A. Match the following:

unprecedented space tragedy  - something that causes feelings of respect and wonder

certified  flight instructor -  having knowledge of a wide variety of subjects

space mission -  nowadays, in these times

super specialisation -  a set of jobs to be done in space by a group

encyclopedic knowledge - a person with the correct qualification to teach people to fly planes

awe-inspiring -  a sad accident of a kind that has never happened before in space

in this age great -  expertise in a limited field or a particular subject

Answer:

unprecedented space tragedy - a sad accident of a kind that has never happened before in space

certified flight instructor -  a person with the correct qualification to teach people to fly planes

space mission - a set of jobs to be done in space by a group

super specialisation -  great expertise in a limited field or a particular subject

encyclopedic knowledge - having knowledge of a wide variety of subjects

awe-inspiring - something that causes feelings of respect and wonder

in this age - nowadays, in these times

B. Use these phrases in sentences of your own, after finding out their meanings.

1. broke apart       4. lifted off      7. cheered along

2. streaked over    5. blast off       8. on board

3. spread across    6. went on        9. carry on

Answer:

1. broke apart: The bad news broke the house apart.

2. streaked over: The jet plane streaked over the valley this morning.

3. spread across: The news  spreads across the entire world.

4. lifted off: The helicopter made a lot of noise when it lifted off from the helipad.

5. blast off: The rocket blasted off at midnight.

6. went on: The meeting went on the whole evening.

7. cheered along: The cricketers were cheered along by the audience.

8. on board: There were 600 passengers on board.

9. carry on: She was convinced to carry on her career in singing.

Write a paragraph saying what you want or wish to do. Then say (in another paragraph) how you think you can make your dream come true.

Answer: 

My dream is to become a scientist and invent something useful for society and future generations. I wish I could make a change in people’s lives through that invention and make things easier or better for them so that they can live happy lives.

I think I can make my dream come true by studying strategically. I will have to make and follow a proper timetable for the same.

C. We add ‘un-’ to make opposites.

For example, true — untrue.

Add ‘un’– to the words below to make their opposites. Then look up the meanings of the words you have formed in the dictionary.

l. identified ———          6. educated ——

2. controlled ——             7. interesting ____

3. attended ——                8. qualified ——

4. successful —                  9. trained ——

5. important —                   10. answerable —

Answer:

l. unidentified                   6. uneducated

2. uncontrolled                 7. uninteresting

3. unattended                   8. unqualified

4. unsuccessful                 9. untrained

5. unimportant                 10. unanswerable

Speaking

1. In her message to students of her college, Kalpana Chawla said, “May you have the vision to find the path from dreams to success… Wishing you a great journey.”

Form pairs. Use “May you…” and “I wish you/Wishing you” to wish your partner good luck and success in

(i) a sports event,

(ii) a quiz or a competition, and

(iii) a test or examination.

Be sure to thank your partner when she/he wishes you in turn. You may also look up a telephone directory, or go to a post office, and get a list in English and Hindi of standard phrases that can be sent in greeting telegrams anywhere in India. Discuss which of these you might use, and when. Compare the English and Hindi phrases for expressing good wishes. Do you know such phrases in any other language?

Answer:

(i) May you win the sports event.

(ii) I wish you good luck in performing well in the quiz competition.

(iii) Wishing you all the best for your examination.

Writing

A. Do you have a ‘dream’, or something you very much wish to do?

Write a paragraph saying what you want or wish to do. Then say (in another paragraph) how you think you can make your dream come true.

Answer: 

My dream is to become a scientist and invent something useful for society and future generations. I wish I could make a change in people’s lives through that invention and make things easier or better for them so that they can live happy lives.

I think I can make my dream come true by studying strategically. I will have to make and follow a proper timetable for the same.

B. Given below are some words that are spelt differently in British and American English. Fill in the blanks accordingly.

British                          American

1. colour ————————

2. ———————— labor

3. ———————— traveler

4. counsellor ————————

5. centre ————————

6. ———————— theater

7. ———————— organize

8. realise ————————

9. ———————— defense

10. offence ————————

Answer:

British                          American

1. colour                        color

2. labour                        labor

3. traveller                    traveler

4. counsellor                counselor

5. centre                        center

6. theatre                       theater

7. organize                    organize

8. realise                        realize

9. defence                      defense

10. offence                     offense