The Sound of Music, The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan, Extract based MCQ

CBSE Class 9, English, Chapter 2

THE SHEHNAI OF BISMILLAH KHAN

Extract based MCQ

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 CBSE Class 9, English, Chapter -2, part -2

The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan

Text book page No. 21. There are 8 pictures. Do you know them? What instruments do they play?

picture 1. PanditHariprasad Chaurasia.........Flute

picture 2. Ustad Vilayath Khan .................... Sitar

picture 3. M. Lalita and N. Nandini ..............Violin

picture 4. Zakir Hussian ............................... Tabla

picture 5. Ustad Ajmad Alikhan ..................  Sarod

picture 6. Maestro Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. Violin

picture 7. Ustad Sultan Khan ......................   Sarangi

picture 8. Ustad Bismillah Khan .................    Shehnai

 

Read the extracts carefully and select the correct option:

1." He chose a pipe with a natural hollow stem that was longer and broader than the 'Pungi', and made seven holes on the body of the pipe. When he played on it, closing and opening some of the holes, soft and melodious sounds were produced. He played the instrument before the royalty and everyone was impressed. The instrument so different from the pungi had to be given a new name. As the story goes, since it was first played in the Shah's chambers and was played by a "nai" (barber), the instrument was named 'Shehnai' "

 

1. "He chose a pipe" Who did choose?

(a) Aurangzeb

(b) A barber

(c) Bismillah Khan

(d)Ali Bux

 

2. Why did he want to improve the tonal quality of Pungi?

(a) It had a shrill but a pleasant sound

(b) It had a sweet and melodious sound

(c) Aurangzeb banned it in the royal palace

(d) It was like a flute or clarinet

 

3. How many holes were there on the body of Shahnai?

(a) 6,    (b) 7,      (c) 8,         (d) 9

 

4. What do you mean by the word 'royalty' here?

(a) remuneration

(b) ordinary class

(c) business community

(d) people of royal rank

Ans: 1(b),    2(c),     3(b),        4(d)

II. "The sound of shahnai began to be considered auspicious. And for this reason it is style played in temples and is an indispensable component of any North Indian wedding. In the past , the shahnai was part of naubat or traditional ensemble of nine instruments found at royal courts. Till recently it was used in temples and weddings. The credit for bringing this instrument onto the  classical stage goes to Ustad Bismillah Khan”

5.Which musical instrument did Emperor Aurangzeb ban in his royal court ?

(a) Shehnai

(b) Sarod

(c) Sarangi

(d) Pungi

 

6. Shehnai was used in temples. What does it mean?

(a) Shehnai was not recognized in the public stages

(b) Shehnai was made by a holy man

(c) Aurangzeb asked the people to use it in the temple

(d) The sound od Shehnai was considered auspicious

 

7. What is the antonym of "indispensable" ?

(a) essential

(b) badly needed

(c) dispensable

(d) urgent

8. What does the word "ensemble" mean?

(a) assemble

(b) collection

(c) belief and custom

(d) things considered as a group

Ans: 5(a),      6(d),        7(c),        8(d)

 

III. "Slowly, he started getting lessons in playing the instrument and would sit practising throughout the day. For years to come the temple of Balaji and Mangala Maiya and the banks of Ganga became the young apprentice's favourite haunts where he could practise in solitude. The flowing waters of the Ganga inspired him to improvise and invent raagas that were earlier considered to be beyond the range of the shehnai"

9. He got lessons in playing Shahnai. Who taught him?

(a) Ali Bux

(b) The priest of Vishnu temple at Benaras

(c) Ustad Faiyaz Khan

(d)Vijai Bhatt

 

10. "haunts" means ......................

(a) a place where ghosts and evil spirits live

(b) a place at which one is regularly found

(c) a kind of dog

(d) none the above

 

11. What is the synonym of "improvise"

(a) improve

(b) destroy

(c) practice

(d) neglect

 

12. Why did he select the bank of Ganga to improvise raagas?

(a) Because there were many visitors

(b) The pilgrims gave him money after enjoying shahnai

(c) Ganga inspired him and he liked solitude

(d) He thought that Ganga is a holy river.

(Ans: 9(a),      10(b),             11(a),     12(c)

 

IV. "At the age of 14, Bismillah accompanied his uncle to Allahabad Music Conference. At the end of his recital, Ustad Faiyaz Khan patted the young boy's back and said, "Work hard and you shall make it" With the opening of All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938 came Bismillah's big break. He soon became an often heard shehnai player on Radio"

 

13. 'Bismillah accompanied his uncle to Allahabad" Who was his uncle

(a) Ustad Faiyaz Khan

(b) Zahir Shah

(c) Ali Bux

(d) Khansaab

 

14. "Work hard and you shall make it" What does it mean?

(a) Neither you will work hard nor make it

(b) If you work hard, you will be a genius in shahnai

(c) work hard thinking for a better future

(d) without thinking you should not work hard

 

15. It was Bismillah's big break? What was that?

(a) At the age of 11, his mother took him to his maternal Uncle's house.

(b) Ali Bux started teaching him Raag Kafi

(c) His trip to Afganistan

(d) Opening of All India Radio in Lucknow

 

16. Ustad Faiz Khan was ............................

(a) a Hindustani Classical Vocalist

(b) Tablist

(c) Violinist

(d)Shahnai player

Ans: 13 (c),        14(b),        15(d),           16(a)

 

V. "Bismillah Khan has given many memorable performances both in India and abroad. His first trip abroad was to Afghanistan where King Zahir Shah was so taken in by the maestro that he gifted him priceless Persian carpets and other souvenirs".

 

17. His first trip abroad was to ........................................

(a) China

(b) Africa

(c) Afghanistan

(d) Germany

 

18. "Taken in by" means what?

(a) controlled by

(b) submitted by

(c) attracted by

(d) sneglected by

 

19. What do you mean by the word "Maestro" ?

(a) famer

b) barber

(c) worker

(d) master

 

20. Souvenir means.................................................

(a) things given in the memory of a place, person or event

(b) a bulletin of a school /or college

(c) an old crinkly book

(d) none of the

Ans: 17(c),      18(c)     19(d),     20(a)

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