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Question
Two famous proverbs - ‘Actions speak louder than words’ and ‘Fortune favours the brave’ are best suited to the personality of Mary Kom. Form two groups in the class. Each group should write a paragraph on one proverb with reference to the life and achievements of Mary Kom.
Solution
(1) Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Mary Kom's life and personality exemplify the proverb 'Actions speak louder than words'. Right from an early age, she was interested in athletics and boxing. Her father, a former wrestler, was against her entering the field of boxing for fear of disfigurement, but Mary Kom went ahead, trained rigorously, left her home state, and pursued her goal.
There are many who express desires ad ambitions, but limit themselves to highfaluting talks. Mary Kom made her dreams a reality and went on to win a medal at the Olympics for India. Her words always echoed humility. She avoided blaming others for her losses but took the responsibility upon herself.
Mary Kom's life has been a journey of high-voltage action, despite the fact that she is by nature a shy, soft-spoken gentle girl.
(2) Fortune Favours The Brave
It is not easy for a girl to enter and participate in a male-dominated field such as boxing. Mary Kom hailed from Manipur, which is a conservative state, to say the least.
Mary Kom, however. was brave enough to challenge gender-bias, opposition from her father, and the tough rigours of sparring with professional male boxers at Pune.
Her daring and courage were rewarded with awards and national recognition. But the icing on the cake was when she went on to win international events. finally culminating in winning the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic event.
Lady luck had smiled on her for her persistence, her continual efforts, and her unwavering focus on her goals. Indeed, Mary Kom has proved by her life and her achievements that if one has the spirit of challenging odds, one will surely reap rich dividends.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Complete the following web of India’s winning medals in the Olympics.
Choose the correct alternative and underline it.
What is included in the text?
Choose the correct alternative and underline it.
What does Mary Kom prefer being called?
Go through the text again and find out the name of cities and their importance in Mary Kom’s life. One is given to you.
- Kangthei - Mary Kom’s birth place
- _________ - ______________
- _________ - ______________
- _________ - ______________
Fill in the fact file of Mary Kom.
(a) Full name :
(b) Native of :
(c) Early life and interests :
(d) Special sports taken up :
(e) Inspired by :
(f) Coach :
(g) Early achievements :
(h) International achievements :
(i) Her passion :
(j) Future plans :
Fill in the table.
| Name of Sport/ Game | Place where played | Individual or Team Event | Sports Equipment |
| 1. Boxing | Ring | Individual | Boxing gloves |
| 2. | |||
| 3. | |||
| 4. | |||
| 5. | |||
| 6. |
Which State does Mary Kom belong to?
Who inspired Mary Kom and other youngsters in Manipur to choose boxing as a career?
Read the following passage and complete the activities:
B1. Choose the correct alternative: (02)
- Which state does Mary Kom belong to?
a. Mizoram
b. Manipur
c. Gujarat
d. Assam - Who inspired Mary Kom to choose Boxing as a career?
a. Dingko Singh
b. Sushil Kumar
c. Vijendra Singh
d. Adams - What were her parents?
a. Teachers
b. Boxers
c. Tenant farmers
d. Horticulturist - When did Marry Kom make her international debut in Boxing?
a. At 20
b. At 18
c. At 48
d. At 38
|
Kom was born in Kangthei village, Moirang Lamkhai in the Churachandpur district of rural Manipur in eastern India. She came from a poor family. Her parents, Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom were tenant farmers who worked in jhms fields. Kom grew up in humble surroundings, helping her parents with farm-related chores, going to school, and learning athletics initially and later boxing simultaneously. Her father was a keen wrestler at his younger age. She had an eager interest in athletics since childhood and the success of Dingko Singh a fellow Manipuri returned from the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games with a gold medal, Kom recollects had inspired many youngsters in Manipur to try boxing and she too thought of giving it a try. Mary Kom’s career started in 2000 after her victory in the Manipur state women’s boxing championship and the regional championship in West Bengal. In 2001, she started competing at the international level. She was only 18 years old when she made her international debut at the first AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship in the United States, winning a silver medal in the 48 kg weight category. Her greatness is reinforced by the way she apologized to the whole nation for not being able to win the Gold. She is a legend for sure and an idol for all the sportswomen to look up to. |
B2. What difficulties did Mary Kom face in her childhood? (02)
B3. Find out one word for the following from the passage: (02)
- Shifting cultivation
- Strengthened
- First public appearance
- One who makes history.
B4. Do as Directed: (02)
- Rewrite the sentence using an infinitive:
She started competing at the international level. - Rewrite as an exclamatory sentence:
Her father was a keen wrestler.
B5. “Sports are important in our life.” Elaborate. (02)
Read the following passage and do the activities.
A1. Fill in the blanks:
Mary Korn is an ______ personality. (inspire/inspirational) ______ has been a neglected area in Indian sports. (nutrients/nutrition) ______ played a role in shaping the boxing scene in India. (OCQ/OGQ) Mary Korn gained weight by eating ______. (saturated fat/healthy food)
| Interviewer: | India managed just 6 medals in the 2012 Olympics even though we are a nation of 1.3 billion people. Where do you think a change is required to help us win medals that are proportionate with our population? |
| Mary Kom: | I think more and more people should take up sports as a full-time career if we want more gold medals. More corporates should come in and sponsor players so that the players don't have any financial pressure and can just focus on their games. |
| Interviewer: | Do you think interest in boxing in India will ever go beyond the Olympics? |
| Mary Kom: | Yes, I am sure that in a few years boxing will be very popular among everyone in India, all year round. |
| Interviewer: | How aware are Indian women of their nutritional requirements? Diet and nutrition must've been key factor in your conditioning for the Olympics. Do you think nutrition is a neglected area in Indian sports? |
| Mary Kom: | The awareness is growing now among female athletes when it comes to nutritional requirements. Nutrition has definitely been a neglected area in Indian sports. I had to gain 3 kg since I had to fight in the 51 kg event instead of the usual 48 kg that I fight in. So, I had to focus on what to eat. I gained weight by eating the right kind of healthy food rather than bad saturated fats. |
| Interviewer: | How big a role did OGQ play in shaping the boxing scene in India for the better? |
| Mary Kom: | OGQ really played an important part in my success. They helped me out whenever I needed something. They took care of everything, which helped me focus on my boxing and kept me stress-free. |
A2. Choose the correct alternative.
- How many Olympic medals did India win in 2012?
- 16
- 60
- 66
- 6
- Which one of these is an unhealthy food constituent according to the passage?
- Unsaturated fats
- Saturated fats
- Proteins
- Vitamin C
A3. Complete the given table:
| Noun | Adjective |
| Female | ______ |
| ______ | Successful |
| Achievement | ______ |
| ______ | Favourable |
A4. Do as directed:
- Write the antonyms of the following from the text.
- Ignorance
- Rare
- Write the synonyms of the following from the text.
- Company
- Unattended
A5. Do you think sports can be a successful career? Why or why not?
