The chapter “An Indian American Woman in Space – Kalpana Chawla” is taken from Melody English for students of Class 6 of JKBOSE. This post is about An Indian American Woman in Space – Kalpana Chawla Question Answers, Language Work and Writing. In the previous post, you have read about the Summary of An Indian American Woman in Space – Kalpana Chawla. Let’s get started:
An Indian American Woman in Space – Kalpana Chawla Question Answers
Introduction
The chapter “An Indian American Woman in Space – Kalpana Chawla” is a detailed story of the life of Kalpana Chawla. She became an astronaut and joined NASA. A tragic accident ended her life when her space shuttle Columbia exploded when she and other crew members were returning from a space mission. Her life ended on an unfortunate end but remains a source of inspiration for millions.
An Indian American Woman in Space Question Answers
Working with the text
A. Answer the following questions.
1. Where was Kalpana Chawla born? Why is she called an Indian – American? (3)
Ans. Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana in India. She is called an Indian – American because she became a naturalised American citizen after she got married to an American citizen named John Pierre – a flight instructor.
2. When and why did she go to the U.S.? Who did she marry? (2, 3)
Ans. She went to the U.S to complete her Master’s degree after completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Chandigarh. She married a flight instructor John Pierre Harrison.
3. How did she become an astronaut? What gave her the idea that she could be an astronaut? (3)
Ans. After she became a successful pilot, Kalpana Chawla applied for the NASA space shuttle program. She was selected and was first hired as a Research Scientist at NASA. In 1994 she was selected for training as an astronaut. Her success as a pilot gave her the idea that she can be an astronaut.
4. What abilities must an astronaut have, according to the journalist? (6)
Ans. According to a journalist, one must have enormous abilities to be an astronaut. He must know everything from biology to astrophysics to aeronautical engineering. You must have an encyclopaedic knowledge to be an astronaut.
5. Describe Kalpana Chawla’s first mission in space. (5)
Ans.Kalpana Chawla’s first mission in space was in the space shuttle Columbia. It lasted for 15 days, 16 hours and 34 minutes. In this mission she went around the earth 252 times, travelling a distance of 10.45 kilometres. The crew had a Ukrainian and a Japanese astronaut among the crew members. They performed several experiments in space and all this was done for the price tag of 56 million dollars.
6. What does Kalpana Chawla say about pursuing a dream? Do you agree with her that success is possible? (7)
Kalpana says that “The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get onto it… Wishing you a great journey.” Yes, I do agree with her that with vision and courage, success is possible.
B. Read the newspaper report to find the following facts about Columbia’s ill-fated voyage.
- Date and place of lift off: —————
- Number of astronauts on board: ——————
- Number of days it stayed in space: ——————
- Number of experiments done by scientists: —————
- Date of return journey: ——————
- Height at which it lost contact: ————
Ans.
- Date and place of lift off: 16th January 2003; Kennedy Space Center, Florida
- Number of astronauts on board: 7 (Seven)
- Number of days it stayed in space: 16 Days
- Number of experiments done by scientists: 80 experiments
- Date of return journey: Sunday, 1st February 2003
- Height at which it lost contact: 200,000 feet
Working with Language
A. Match the Following:
| 1. unprecedented space tragedy | something that causes feelings of respect and wonder |
| 2. certified flight instructor | having knowledge of a wide variety of subjects |
| 3. space mission | nowadays, in these times |
| 4. super specialisation | a set of jobs to be done in space by a group |
| 5. encyclopaedic knowledge | a person with the correct qualification to teach people to fly planes |
| 6. awe-inspiring | a sad accident of a kind that has never happened before in space |
| 7. in this age | great expertise in a limited field or a particular subject |
Ans.
| 1. unprecedented space tragedy | a sad accident of a kind that has never happened before in space |
| 2. certified flight instructor | a person with the correct qualification to teach people to fly planes |
| 3. space mission | a set of jobs to be done in space by a group |
| 4. super specialisation | great expertise in a limited field or a particular subject |
| 5. encyclopaedic knowledge | having knowledge of a wide variety of subjects |
| 6. awe-inspiring | something that causes feelings of respect and wonder |
| 7. in this age | nowadays, in these times |
B. Use these phrases in sentences of your own, after finding out their meanings.
1. broke apart 4. lifted off 7. cheered along
2. streaked over 5. blast off 8. on board
3. spread across 6. went on 9. carry on
Ans.
| Phrase | Meaning | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Broke apart | parted, separated | The mobile phone broke apart after slipping from my hand. |
| 2. Streaked over | left a thin line | The meteor streaked over the night sky. |
| 3. Spread across | Distributed over a given area | Covid-19 spread across the whole world. |
| 4. Lifted off | rose from the launching site | There was dust all around when the helicopter lifted off the ground. |
| 5. Blast off | Take off | The Columbia space shuttle blasted off on time. |
| 6. Went on | Continued | She went on to complete a Ph. D in the subject. |
| 7. Cheered along | Encouraged | The spectators cheered along with their favourite team. |
| 8. On board | Inside the plane | The ill-fated aeroplane had 127 passengers on board. |
| 9. Carry on | continue doing something | He carried on till he accomplished the task. |
C. We add ‘un-’ to make opposites.
For example, true — untrue.
Add ‘un’– to the words below to make their opposites. Then look up the meanings of the words you have formed in the dictionary.
- identified —————
- controlled —————
- attended —————
- successful —————
- important —————
- educated —————
- interesting —————
- qualified —————
- trained —————
- answerable —————
Ans.
- identified unidentified
- controlled uncontrolled
- attended unattended
- successful unsuccessful
- important unimportant
- educated uneducated
- interesting uninteresting
- qualified unqualified
- trained untrained
- answerable unanswerable
Speaking
In her message to students of her college, Kalpana Chawla said, “May you have the vision to find the path from dreams to success… Wishing you a great journey.”
Form pairs. Use “May you…” and “I wish you/Wishing you” to wish your partner good luck and success in
(i) a sports event,
(ii) a quiz or a competition, and
(iii) a test or examination.
Be sure to thank your partner when she/he wishes you in turn. You may also look up a telephone directory, or go to a post office, and get a list in English and Hindi of standard phrases that can be sent in greeting telegrams anywhere in India. Discuss which of these you might use, and when. Compare the English and Hindi phrases for expressing good wishes. Do you know such phrases in any other language?
Ans
(i) May you win the sports event.
(ii) I wish you to perform your best in the quiz competition.
(iii) Wishing you all the best for your examination.
Writing
- Do you have a ‘dream’ or something you very much wish to do? Write a paragraph saying what you want or wish to do. Then say (in another paragraph) how you think you can make your dream come true.
Ans. The dream means an ambition in life. It is the fuel that keeps you stay motivated and making efforts to achieve it. I wish to be a doctor to help patients by treating their ailments. The doctor is considered next to God and it is a profession of huge responsibility because there is no room for negligence.
To be a doctor I have to work hard and study medical sciences to clear the entrance examination and then seek admission to medical college and pursue my dream.
- Given below are some words that are spelt differently in British and American English. Fill in the blanks accordingly.
| British | American |
|---|---|
| 1. colour | |
| 2 | labor |
| 3 | traveler |
| 4. counsellor | |
| 5. centre | |
| 6 | theater |
| 7 | organize |
| 8. realise | |
| 9 | defense |
| 10. offence |
Ans.
| British | American |
|---|---|
| 1. colour | color |
| 2. labour | labor |
| 3. traveller | traveler |
| 4. counsellor | counselor |
| 5. centre | center |
| 6. theatre | theater |
| 7. organise | organize |
| 8. realise | realize |
| 9. defence | defense |
| 10. offence | offense |
An Indian American Woman in Space Line by Line Explanation
KALPANA Chawla said that she never dreamed as a child in Karnal, that she would cross the frontiers of space. It was enough that her parents allowed her to attend engineering college after she graduated from Tagore School.
Explanation: Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana. She said that she never dreamt of crossing the leaders of the space. She said that at that time it was enough for her that her parents allowed her to seek admission to aeronautical engineering college after completing her graduation from Tagore College.
After a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering, against great opposition from her father, she went for a master’s degree in the United States of America. She later earned her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering. Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian–American woman astronaut to blast off from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and participate in a successful mission in space. Her family from India cheered along with the staff at the Kennedy Space Centre as they watched the Columbia lift off.
Explanation: After she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering, she went to the U.S.A to complete her Master’s degree against the wishes of her parents. Later, she completed her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering. She was the first Indo-American woman astronaut to take off from the launching site at Cape Canaveral, Florida for a successful mission in space. Her family from India and staff at the Kennedy Space Centre cheered along as they watched the Columbia space shuttle getting lift off.
Kalpana was born in Karnal, Haryana, but was a naturalized U.S. citizen, married to flight instructor Jean-Pierre Harrison. Besides being an astronaut, she was licensed to fly single and multi-engine land airplanes, single-engine seaplanes and gliders. She was also a certified flight instructor. After qualifying as a pilot, Kalpana began to consider another challenge: applying to NASA’s space shuttle program. She was first hired as a research scientist at NASA. In 1994 she was selected by NASA for training as an astronaut.
Explanation: Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana (India) but later she became a naturalised citizen of the U.S after she married flight-instructor Jean – Pierre Harrison. Apart from being an astronaut, she was also licensed to fly airplanes and gliders. She was also a certified flight instructor. After she became a successful pilot, she also applied for NASA’s space shuttle program. She was selected and was first hired as a research assistant by NASA. Later in 1994, she was selected by NASA for the training of astronauts.
When asked what it was like being a woman in her field she replied, “I never, ever thought, while pursuing my studies or doing anything else, that I was a woman, or a person from a small city, or a different country. I pretty much had my dreams like anyone else and I followed them. And people who were around me, fortunately, always encouraged me and said, ‘If that’s what you want to do, carry on.”
Explanation: When she was asked about her feeling about being a woman in the field. She replied that while pursuing her studies she never thought of being a woman, or she belonged to a small town or from a different country. She said that she had her dreams like anyone else and she followed them like any other person. She said that she was lucky enough that the people around her always encouraged her and that motivated her to continue her dream.
Kalpana’s first space mission in the space shuttle, Columbia, was 15 days, 16 hours and 34 minutes long. During this time, she went around the earth 252 times, travelling 10.45 million kilometres! The crew included a Japanese and a Ukrainian astronaut. The crew performed experiments such as pollinating plants to observe food growth in space, and tests for making stronger metals and faster computer chips — all for a price tag of about 56 million dollars.
Explanation: Kalpana Chawla’s first space mission in the space shuttle Columbia lasted for 15 days, 16 hours and 34 minutes. During this mission, she went around the earth 252 times covering a distance of 10.45 million kilometres. The crew had astronauts from Japan and Ukraine. The crew performed various experiments like pollinating plants to observe the growth of food in space. Also, they conducted tests for making stronger metals and faster computer chips. All this was done for the price tag of 56 million dollars.
On the Saturday night when the news about the Columbia disaster broke, there was shock and disbelief.
The town of Karnal spent a sleepless night as thousands of households stayed glued to their television sets in the hope that Kalpana and the crew had somehow survived. A journalist wrote: She was a heroine. It takes enormous ability to become an astronaut. You need to know a lot about everything, from biology to astrophysics to aeronautical engineering. In this age of super-specialization, you must have an encyclopaedic knowledge to be an astronaut. Her achievement is awe-inspiring.
Explanation: It was Saturday night when the news about the Columbia shuttle accident broke out. Everyone was in shock and people were not able to believe this news. The people from the native village of Kalpana Chawla spent a sleepless night as they remained stuck to their television sets to hear the news about Kalpana Chawla and wished for safety but she along with all other crew members died in the accident. A journalist called her a heroine because according to him astronaut is a person of enormous ability. One needs to have a thorough knowledge of every subject from Biology to Astrophysics to aeronautical engineering. Her achievements were amazing.
For millions of young Indians, the story of Kalpana Chawla, a girl from a small town who touched the skies, had become an inspiration. In a message that she sent from aboard the space shuttle, Columbia, to the students of her college in Chandigarh, Kalpana said, “The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get onto it…. Wishing you a great journey.” There will surely be many who start on this journey to fulfil their dreams.
Explanation: Kalpana Chawla’s story is a source of inspiration for millions of young students all over India to be innovative. In her message that she sent from the Columbia space shuttle to the students of her college in Chandigarh, she said, “The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get onto it…. Wishing you a great journey.” There must be many people who might have even started their journey to make their dreams a reality.
That’s all about An Indian American Woman in Space – Kalpana Chawla Question Answers. Hope you got your answers. Share your views in the comments.
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