‘Strong Roots’ by APJ Abdul Kalam – questions and answers(S.A.Q.), Class 12, WBCHSE

1)What is the source of ‘Strong Roots’?

Ans. ‘Strong Roots’ is taken from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s autobiography, Wings of Fire(1999)

2)In which town was Dr APJ Abdul kalam born? [H.S. -2016]

Ans. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was born in the island town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile Madras state.

3)Who were Kalam’s parents?

Ans. Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma were Kalam’s parents.

4)In whom did Abdul Kalam’s father have an ideal helpmate? [H.S. – 2015]

Ans. Abdul Kalam’s father had an ideal helpmate in his wife, Ashiamma.

5)What according to Kalam, did his father possess?

Ans. Kalam’s father possessed great innate wisdom and generosity of spirit.

6)How many people did Kalam’s mother feed every day?

Ans. Kalam’s mother fed every day more outsiders than the total number of family members.

7)Who was bestowed the title of Bahadur in ‘Strong Roots’? [H.S. – 2017]

Ans. One of Kalam’s mother’s forebears was bestowed the title of ‘Bahadur’.

8)How was Abdul Kalam’s mother’s lineage different from his father’s? [H.S. – 2020]

Ans. Abdul Kalam’s mother’s lineage was more distinguished than his father’s as one of her forebears was bestowed the title of ‘Bahadur’ by the British.

9)Where did Kalam live?

Ans. Kalam lived in their ancestral house.

10)Describe the ancestral house of Kalam? [H.S. – 2018]

Ans. The ancestral house of kalam was a fairly large pucca house made of limestone and brick on the Mosque Street of Rameswaram.

11)What did Kalam’s father use to avoid? [H.S. – 2019 & 2022]

Ans. Kalam’s father used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries.

12)When was Kalam’s ancestral house built?

Ans. Kalam’s ancestral house was built in the middle of the 19th century.

13)How was Kalam’s childhood?

Ans. APJ Abdul Kalam had a secure childhood both materially and emotionally.

14)With whom did Kalam eat?

Ans. Kalam normally ate with his mother.

15)Where did Kalam usually eat in his childhood?

Ans. Kalam usually ate on the floor of the kitchen in his childhood.

16)What food did Kalam’s mother serve him?

Ans. Kalam’s mother served him rice, aromatic sambar, a variety of homemade pickles and fresh coconut chutney.

17)What made Rameswaram famous to pilgrims?

Ans. The Shiva temple made Rameswaram famous to pilgrims.

18)How far was Rameswaram temple from Kalam’s house.?

Ans. Rameswaram temple was about ten minutes walk from Kalam’s house.

19)How was the locality of Kalam?

Ans.  The locality of Kalam was predominantly Muslim but many Hindu families lived there peacefully.

20)How did the Hindus and Muslims live in Kalam’s locality?

Ans. Hindu families lived amicably with their Muslim neighbours.

21)Where would kalam’s father take him in the evening?

Ans. Kalam’s father would take him to an old mosque in the evening.

22)Why did Kalam not understand the prayer?

Ans. Kalam did not understand the prayer as it was chanted in Arabic.

23)What did Kalam tell about the Arabic prayer?

Ans. Kalam told that he did not understand the meaning of the Arabic prayers but he was convinced that they reached God.

24)Who wanted Kalam’s father outside the mosque?

Ans. People of different religions wanted Kalam’s father outside the mosque.

25)What did the people offer Kalam’s father outside the mosque?

Ans. The people offered Kalam’s father bowls of water outside the mosque.

26)How did Kalam’s father sanctify water?

Ans. Kalam’s father used to sanctify the water by dipping his fingertips and saying a prayer.

27)Why did the people carry the sanctified water?

Ans. The people carried the sanctified water for invalids at home.

28)Who was the high priest of Shiva temple in ‘Strong Roots’? [H.S. – 2015, 2017 & 2022]

Ans. Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry was the high priest in Shiva temple in ‘Strong Roots’.

29)Who was a very close friend of Abdul Kalam’s father? [H.S. – 2020]

Ans. Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry was a very close friend of Abdul Kalam’s father.

30)Whom did Kalam consider to be a very close friend of his father? [H.S. – 2019]

Ans. Kalam considered Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry, the high priest of Rameswaram temple to be a very close friend of his father.

31)What was one of the  most vivid memories of Kalam’s early childhood?

Ans. One of the most vivid memories of Kalam’s early childhood was of the two men, Kalam’s father and Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry discussing spiritual matters in their traditional attire.

32)What does Kalam’s father say about the relevance/importance of prayer? [H.S. – 2018 & 2022]

Ans. According to Kalam’s father, prayer made possible a communion of the spirit between people.

33)What, according to Kalam’s father, happens when we pray?

Ans. According to Kalam’s father, when we pray we transcend our body and become a part of cosmos.

34)How would Kalam’s father convey complex spiritual concepts?

Ans. Kalam’s father would convey complex spiritual concepts in very simple, down-to-earth Tamil.

35)What according to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s father, does adversity always present? [H.S. – 2016]

Ans. According to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s father, adversity always presents  opportunities for introspection.

36)What according to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s father, do human beings do whenever they find them alone?

Ans. According to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s father human beings look for company whenever they find them alone.

37)What do human beings do when they reach an impasse?

Ans. When human beings reach an impasse, they look for someone who can show them the way out.

38)What was the role of Kalam’s father for people in distress?

Ans. Kalam’s father played the role of a go-between(mediator) to propitiate demonic forces with prayers and offerings.

39)When did Kalam’s father start his day?

Ans. Kalam’s father started his day at 4.00 a.m.

40)How did Kalam’s father start his day?

Ans. Kalam’s father started his day by reading the namaz before dawn.

41)What did Kalam’s father use to do after namaz?

Ans. Kalam’s father used to walk four mile to their groove after namaz.

42)When did Kalam’s father take his breakfast?

Ans. After returning from the coconut grove, Kalam’s father took his breakfast.

43)How long did Kalam’s father maintain his routined life?

Ans. Kalam’s father maintained his routined life up to the late sixties.

44)How did Kalam try to emulate his father?

Ans. Kalam tried to emulate his father in his own world of science and technology.

45)What is Kalam’s opinion about divine power?

Ans. APJ Abdul Kalam feels convinced that there exists a divine power that can lift us from our confusion, misery, melancholy and failure and guide us to our true place.

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