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Question
Explain how the life of Stephen Hawking proves the proverb ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’. Write it down in your notebook.
Solution
Every cloud has a silver lining.
This proverb 'Every cloud has a silver lining means that you should never feel hopeless because difficult times always lead to better days. Difficult times are like dark clouds that pass overhead and block the sun. But at the same time, on the outer edge of the clouds, you will invariably observe a silver lining that provides some measure of light and hope.
The problems and difficulties that we face in life are like those dark clouds. Stephen Hawking started experiencing problems with his health while he was barely 21, a student at Oxford. On occasion, he would trip and fall, or slur his speech. Later on, he was diagnosed with ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It was a disease in which the nerves that controlled his muscles were shutting down. He was given two and a half years to live. But as we know he went on to livenmore than a half-century beyond.
Thanks to early diagnosis, advanced medical treatment, and complete support from family, friends, and students, he lived a full life and made major contributions to existing theories in physics and cosmology. These, in fact, were the silver linings that brightened what would otherwise have been a lackluster life.
The life of Stephen Hawking proves that even though the difficulty we face might seem enormous, there is always hope, there are always ways to circumvent them and to keep on achieving and contributing to the world.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Read the following passage and do the given activities :
B1. Answer in one word : (2)
- At what age was Stephen diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?
- Over the years. how many books has Stephen written or co-written?
- When did Stephen catapult to international prominence?
- In which year was his life story depicted?
Stephen Hawking (born January 8, 1942) is a British scientist, professor and author who has done groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology, and whose books have helped to make science accessible everyone. At the age of 21, while studying cosmology at the University of Cambridge, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Part of his life story was depicted in the 2014 film The Theory of
Everything.
Over the years, Stephen Hawking has written or co-written a total of 15 books. A few of the most noteworthy include :
In 1988 Hawking catapulted to international prominence with the publication of A Brief History of Time. The short, informative book became an account of cosmology for the masses and offered an overview of space and time, the existence of God and the future. The work was an instant success, spending more than four years atop the ‘London Sunday Times’ best-seller list. Since its publication, it has sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into more than 40 languages.
A Brief History of Time also wasn’t as easy to understand as some had hoped. So in 2001, Hawking followed up his book with The Universe in a Nutshell, which offered a more illustrated guide to cosmology's big theories.
In 2005, Hawking authored the even more accessible A Briefer History of Time, which further simplified the original work’s core concepts and touched upon the newest developments in the field like String theory.
B2. Complete the following table with relevant information about Stephen Hawking: (2)
| Books | Film |
| (i)________________ (ii)__________________ (iii)_________________ |
(i)__________________ |
B3. Find out the 'Antonyms' from the passage for the following : (2)
- worst × ______
- exclude × ______
- duplicate × ______
- oldest × ______
B4.
- It has sold millions of copies world wide and been translated into more than 40 languages. (1)
(Change it into simple sentence) - The short informative book became an account of cosmology. (1)
(Add a Question Tag)
B5. ‘Stephen Hawking was a versatile personality’ Justify. (2)
Observe the timeline and search the occurrences according to it. Prepare a chart.
Make a list of books written by Stephen Hawking.
| Name of the book | What’s in it? (topics covered) | His contribution to the world |
| 1. _______________ | (a)_______________ | |
| 2. _______________ | (b) _______________ | |
| 3. _______________ | (c) _______________ | |
| 4. _______________ | (d) _______________ |
Make a list of Hawking’s physical inabilities after 1963.
(a) __________________ (d) __________________
(b) _________________ (e) __________________
(c) __________________ (f) __________________
Shape your mind. Complete the network of cluster diagrams with the name of great personalities and their contribution.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Justify your stand/ answer by quoting a line from the text.
Hawking believed that man cannot live on other planets in the future.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Justify your stand/ answer by quoting a line from the text.
Though Hawking lost control over his body, he writes with a prolific rate with the help of assistants.
The following incident in Stephen Hawking’s life is given in jumbled order. Arrange the incidents in proper sequence as per their order of occurrence in Hawking’s life.
Hawking’s book ‘The Universe in a Nutshell’ offered an illustrated guide to cosmology’s big theories.
The following incident in Stephen Hawking’s life is given in jumbled order. Arrange the incidents in proper sequence as per their order of occurrence in Hawking’s life.
Hawking published the book ‘A Brief History of Time’ that offered an overview of space and time.
You have come to know from the text that ‘The Theory of Everything’ is a film describing the life and work of Stephen Hawking. Watch the film on the internet and write a complete review of it. You can take the help of the following points while writing the review of the film.
(1) Title
(2) Characters
(3) Story
(4) Dialogues
(5) Picturisation
(6) Music
(7) Special features (if any)
(8) Opinion / Views
(9) Message/Moral values.
