Ramanujan
English Workshop
1. (A) Use the following words / phrases to make sentences of your own.
• Enthusiasm
• Amiable
• lope off
• come to terms with
• fraud
• conveyance
• clarity
Answer:
Enthusiasm: She danced with great enthusiasm at the party.
Amiable: His amiable nature made him popular among his classmates.
Lope off: After finishing his work, he decided to lope off to the park.
Come to terms with: She had to come to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t win the competition.
Fraud: The man was arrested for committing fraud by selling fake tickets.
Conveyance: The bicycle was his favorite mode of conveyance to school.
Clarity: The teacher explained the concept with such clarity that everyone understood it.
(B) The following words can be used as Nouns as well as Verbs.
(Visit / honour / report / watch / form / surprise.)
Make pairs of sentences of your own, using them as a Noun in one and as a Verb in the other.
For example: (i) She gave a smile -Noun.
(ii) Babies smile when they see their mother – Verb.
Answer:
Visit: (i) Noun: His visit to the museum was unforgettable. (ii) Verb: She plans to visit her grandparents next weekend.
Honour: (i) Noun: Receiving the award was a great honour for him. (ii) Verb: They honour their teachers every year on Teachers’ Day.
Report: (i) Noun: The report on climate change was submitted yesterday. (ii) Verb: He will report the issue to the principal tomorrow.
Watch: (i) Noun: His new watch stopped working after a week. (ii) Verb: They watch movies every Friday night.
Form: (i) Noun: The form for the competition is available online. (ii) Verb: Clouds began to form in the sky before the rain.
Surprise: (i) Noun: The gift was a pleasant surprise for her. (ii) Verb: He wanted to surprise his friend with a birthday cake.
2. Say WHY. . . . . .
(a) Ramanujan’s letter bored and irritated Hardy, at first.
Answer: Because it was written in halting English, contained wild and fantastic-looking theorems with no proofs, and seemed like a curious kind of fraud to Hardy.
(b) Hardy invited Littlewood for a discussion.
Answer: Because the Indian manuscript kept nagging at him, and he wanted to discuss the wild theorems and determine if the writer was a fraud or a genius.
(c) Mother agreed to send Ramanujan to England.
Answer: Because she had a dream where the goddess of Namakkal commanded her not to stand in the way of her son fulfilling his life’s purpose.
(d) Hardy and Ramanujan could not talk freely with each other.
Answer: Because Ramanujan’s lack of formal education and Hardy’s different conversational style outside mathematics created a gap, and Ramanujan sometimes found Hardy’s topics baffling.
(e) Ramanujan had to be hospitalized.
Answer: Because he became ill, eventually dying of tuberculosis.
(f) Ramanujan found the number 1729 very interesting
Answer: Because it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways (10³ + 9³ = 1³ + 12³ = 1729).
3. Read the text and enlist the achievements and honours of Ramanujan, received in England.
Answer:
Achievements and honours of Ramanujan received in England.
- Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society at the age of thirty.
- Elected a Fellow of Trinity College in the same year.
- First Indian to receive these distinctions.
4. Voice – Active and Passive
The form of a verb shows whether the doer of an action is in the Subject (Active voice) or the Subject has an action done to it (Passive voice).
For example: The thief stole the jewels. (Active voice).
The jewels were stolen by the thief. (Passive voice)
Note : While changing from the Active to the Passive voice, the verb form includes be + past participle.
In a sentence, when the doer of an action is significant, we use the Active voice. In the Passive voice the doer of an action may not be mentioned.
For example: The thief was caught. (by the police)
(A) Underline the verbs in the following sentences and state whether the sentences are in the Active or the Passive voice.
(a) England gave Ramanujan great honours.
(b) A large untidy envelope was decorated with Indian stamps.
(c) The timetable was not altered.
(d) She saw her son in a big hall.
(e) Hardy corrected his statement.
(f) Ramanujan was brought to England.
Answer:
(a) England gave Ramanujan great honours. → Active
(b) A large untidy envelope was decorated with Indian stamps. → Passive
(c) The timetable was not altered. → Passive
(d) She saw her son in a big hall. → Active
(e) Hardy corrected his statement. → Active
(f) Ramanujan was brought to England. → Passive
(B) Change the voice in the following sentences.
Answer:
(a) Hardy taught Ramanujan. → Ramanujan was taught by Hardy.
(b) He knew nothing of the modern rigour. → Nothing of the modern rigour was known by him.
(c) Sheets of paper were found in it, by Hardy. → Hardy found sheets of paper in it.
(d) Hardy was bored by that manuscript. → That manuscript bored Hardy.
(e) Trinity supported unorthodox talent. → Unorthodox talent was supported by Trinity.
(f) He could not break the ban. → The ban could not be broken by him.
5. Identify whether the following are Simple, Complex and Compound sentences.
Answer:
(a) When he opened it, he found sheets of paper. → Complex (one main clause, one subordinate clause).
(b) He glanced at a letter. → Simple (one subject, one predicate).
(c) Hardy was not only bored but he was also irritated. → Compound (two independent clauses joined by “but”).
(d) Ramanujan turned out to be a poor clerk. → Simple (one subject, one predicate).
(e) If Ramanujan had been better educated, he would have been even more wonderful than he was. → Complex (one main clause, one subordinate clause).
(f) Ramanujan was self-taught: he knew nothing of the modern rigour. → Compound (two independent clauses joined by a colon).
6. Interview Question.
A brilliant student from your school has won a Mathematics Quiz at the National Level. Frame questions to interview him / her when the school felicitates him / her. Follow the steps given below.
(1) Greeting
(2) Introduction of the interviewee and achievements
(3) 2 or 3 questions about the growing years
(4) 4 to 6 questions about the achievements
(5) 2 or 3 questions about future plans and prospects
(6) Expression of thanks and good wishes
Answer:
(1) Greeting: Good morning! It’s a pleasure to speak with you today.
(2) Introduction: We’re here with [Student’s Name], a brilliant student from our school who has won the National Mathematics Quiz. Congratulations on this amazing achievement!
(3) Growing Years:
- When did you first realize you had a passion for mathematics?
- Who or what inspired you to excel in this subject during your school years?
(4) Achievements:
- How did it feel to win the National Mathematics Quiz?
- What was the toughest question you faced in the competition?
- How did you prepare for such a challenging event?
- Did you expect to win, or was it a surprise?
- What role did your teachers play in this success?
(5) Future Plans:
- What are your plans now that you’ve achieved this milestone?
- Do you see yourself pursuing a career in mathematics?
- How do you hope to inspire other students with your success?
(6) Thanks and Wishes: Thank you for sharing your journey with us! We wish you continued success and brilliance in all your future endeavors!
7. Summary
• Read the first three paragraphs on Page 92. (From……… ‘One morning ………….. upto ………… a discussion after hall)
• Re-read the same noting down only the important points.
• Rewrite the important points in your own simple language, in you notebook.
• Make certain that your summary is less than half the length of the original passage.
Answer:
Original Text (First Three Paragraphs): From “One morning early in 1913…” to “…they must have a discussion after hall.”
Important Points:
- Hardy received an untidy letter from an unknown Indian (Ramanujan) with wild mathematical theorems and no proofs.
- At first, Hardy was bored and irritated, thinking it might be a fraud.
- Later, the unusual theorems intrigued him, and he wondered if the writer was a genius.
- Hardy decided to discuss the manuscript with Littlewood that night.
Summary (in simple language): One morning in 1913, Hardy got a messy letter from an Indian named Ramanujan, full of strange math ideas but no proofs. Hardy found it boring and annoying at first, thinking it was fake. But the odd theorems stuck in his mind, making him curious if the writer was a genius. That night, he planned to talk about it with Littlewood.
(Length reduced to less than half the original.)
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