Factual Passage An Example
1. Read the passage given below: [CBSE
SET 2, 2021-22]
1.
Milkha Singh,
also known as The Flying Sikh, was an Indian track and field sprinter who was
introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army. He is the only
athlete to win gold in 400 metres at the Asian Games as well as the
Commonwealth Games. He also won gold medals in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games.
He represented India in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, the 1960 Summer
Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo) He was awarded the
Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in recognition of his
sporting achievements
- The race for which Singh is best remembered is
his fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Olympic Games.
He led the race till the 200 m mark before easing off, allowing others to
pass him. Singh’s fourth-place time of 45.73 seconds was the Indian
national record for almost 40 years.
3.
From beginnings
that saw him orphaned and displaced during the partition of India, Singh became
a sporting icon in the country. In 2008, journalist Rohit Baijnath described
Singh as “the finest athlete India has ever produced”.
4.
He was
disappointed with his debut performance at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. *1
returned to India, chastened by my poor performance in Melbourne. I had been so
excited by the prospects of being part of the Indian Olympics team, but, hadn’t
realized how strong and professional the competition would be. My success in
India had filled me with a false sense of pride and it was only when I was on
the track that I saw how inconsequential my talents were when pitted against
superbly fit and seasoned athletes. It was then that I understood what
competition actually meant, and that if I wanted to succeed on the
international arena, I must be prepared to test my mettle against the best athletes
in the world.”
5.
Then he decided
to make sprinting the sole focus of his life. “Running had thus become my God,
my religion and my beloved”. My life during those two years was governed by
strict rules and regulations and a self-imposed penance. Every morning I would
rise at the crack of dawn, get into my sports kit and dash off to the track,
where I would run two or three miles cross-country in the company of my
coach.”
6.
On how he
pushed himself through the tough days of vigorous training. “I practiced so
strenuously that often I was drained of all energy, and there were times when I
would increase my speed to such an extent that after my rounds, I would vomit
blood or drop-down down unconscious through sheer exercise. My doctors and
coaches warned me, asked me to slow down to maintain my health and equilibrium
but my determination was too strong to give up. My only focus was to become the
best athlete in the world. But then images of
a packed stadium
filled with cheering
spectators, wildly applauding me as I crossed the finishing line, would flash
across my mind and I would start again, encouraged by visions of
victory.”
Based on your reading answer any five
questions from the six given below: 1×5=5
(i) What
is Milka Singh known as? What realization did Milkha Singh have when he was on
the track during the Melbourne Olympics?
(ii)
List any two of Milkha Singh’s achievements.
(iii)
What strict rules and regulations did Milkha Singh follow?
(iv)
State two consequences of his hard and strenuous practice.
(v)
What motivated Milkha Singh to become the best athlete in the
world?
(vi)
Explain the phrase ‘I would start again’ in the last sentence.
ANSWERS
1.
Milkha Singh was known as ‘The Flying Sikh’.
He
realised how inconsequential his talents were when pitied against superbly fit
seasoned athletes. He also realised that he needed to prepare well to test his
mettle against the best athletes in the world.
2. (i)
The only athlete to win 400 meters at the Asian Games as well as Commonwealth
Games.
(ii) Won
gold in 1958 and 1962 Asian Games. His national record stood unbroken for 40
years.
(iii) He
was awarded Padam Shiri for his sporting achievements.
3. Every
morning he would rise at the crack of the dawn, get into his sports kit and
dash off to the track, where he would run two or three miles cross-country with
his coach.
4. ( i)
He was drained of all energy.
(ii) He
would vomit blood or drop-down unconscious through sheer exercise.
5. He
was motivated by his vision of victory at a packed stadium with spectators
cheering and applauding him as he crossed the finishing line.
6. ‘I
would start again’ means here that he was encouraged to shun any complacency
and start again with the double energy and determination to become the best
athlete.
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