Here’s a summary of the chapter “Reach for the Top” and answers to its associated questions, designed for ease of understanding with emojis! 🚀🧗♀️
Summary of “Reach for the Top” 🌟#
“Reach for the Top” is a unit in the Beehive textbook that features two inspiring biographical pieces. It explores the theme of persistent endeavours to achieve success and recognition, highlighting individuals who overcame significant barriers through determination, hard work, and courage.
Part I focuses on Santosh Yadav, the only woman in the world to have scaled Mt. Everest twice. Born into a traditional society that valued sons, Santosh was not content with the conventional way of life. She preferred shorts over traditional dresses and was determined to live life on her own terms. Despite initial resistance from her parents, she pursued education in Delhi and then in Jaipur, where she began her climbing journey after being inspired by villagers ascending the Aravalli Hills. Her story showcases her iron will, physical endurance, and mental toughness. She also demonstrates compassion by sharing oxygen with a fellow climber during an Everest expedition and is a fervent environmentalist, having brought down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas.
Part II introduces Maria Sharapova, a Russian tennis player who reached the world number one position in women’s tennis at a young age. Her rapid ascent began nine years before her peak, requiring immense sacrifice. At barely ten years old, she was sent to the United States for training, enduring a heart-wrenching two-year separation from her mother due to visa restrictions. Maria’s story highlights her talent, unwavering desire to succeed, and readiness to sacrifice. While acknowledging that money is a motivation, her ultimate dream was to become number one in the world.
Both stories encourage students to think about potential barriers to success and how individuals can overcome them, emphasizing the importance of hard work and clear goals.
Answers to Your Questions:#
Here are the answers to the questions from the “Reach for the Top” chapter, drawing directly from the sources:
I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each.#
- Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised? The ‘holy man’ was surprised because Santosh’s grandmother told him that they did not want a son, but rather a daughter. This was unusual for a society where the birth of a son was regarded as a blessing.
- Give an example to show that even as a young girl Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable. As a young girl, Santosh was not content with a traditional way of life; she preferred wearing shorts instead of traditional Indian dresses, which showed her determination to live life on her own terms.
- Why was Santosh sent to the local school? Santosh was sent to the local school in the village because, in line with the prevailing custom, she had to join the local village school.
- When did she leave home for Delhi, and why? Santosh left home for Delhi at the age of sixteen because her parents insisted that she get married. She refused, stating she would not marry if she did not get a proper education, and later enrolled in a school in Delhi.
- Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling in Delhi? What mental qualities of Santosh are brought into light by this incident? Santosh’s parents agreed to pay for her schooling in Delhi when she calmly informed them that she would earn money by working part-time to pay her fees. This incident brings to light her determination, independence, and strong will.
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).#
- How did Santosh begin to climb mountains? From her room in Kasturba Hostel, which faced the Aravalli Hills, Santosh used to watch villagers going up the hill and suddenly vanishing. This curiosity led her to check it out, and she found a few mountaineers who encouraged her, marking the beginning of her climbing journey.
- What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates? During the 1992 Everest mission, Santosh Yadav showed immense concern by providing special care to a climber who was dying at the South Col. Although unsuccessful in saving him, she managed to save another climber, Mohan Singh, by sharing her oxygen with him.
- What shows her concern for the environment? Santosh’s concern for the environment is evident in her actions as a fervent environmentalist. After successfully scaling Mount Everest, she collected and brought down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas.
- How does she describe her feelings at the summit of the Everest? At the summit of Everest, Santosh’s feeling was indescribable. She felt a profound sense of pride as an Indian, seeing the Indian flag flying on top of the world, describing it as a truly spiritual moment.
- Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she scaled Mt Everest. What were the reasons for this? Santosh Yadav first got into the record books by becoming the first woman in the world to scale Mt. Everest twice. She achieved this feat within twelve months of her first ascent, joining an Indo-Nepalese Women’s Expedition.
III. Complete the following statements.#
- From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch villagers going up the Aravalli Hills and suddenly vanishing.
- When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had enrolled herself in a course at the Uttarkashi Nehru Institute of Mountaineering without his permission.
- During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her climbing skills, physical fitness, and mental toughness while her concern for others and desire to work together endeared her to fellow climbers.
IV. Pick out words from the text that mean the same as the following words or expressions.#
- took to be true without proof (1): regarded
- based on reason; sensible; reasonable (2): rational
- the usual way of doing things (3): custom
- a strong desire arising from within (5): urge
- the power to endure, without falling ill (7): resistance
Thinking about the Text (Maria Sharapova)#
Working in small groups of 4–5 students, go back over the two passages on Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova and complete the table given below with relevant phrases or sentences.
| Points of Comparison/Contrast | Santosh Yadav | Maria Sharapova |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Their humble beginning | Born in the small village of Joniyawas of Rewari District in Haryana, in a society where the birth of a son was regarded as a blessing, and she was born into a family with five sons. | Born in Siberia, moved to the United States for training before her tenth birthday. |
| 2. Their parents’ approach | Initially resistant to her education and independent choices, wanting her to marry. Eventually, they relented, with her father slowly getting used to her urge for more education. | Her father, Yuri, launched her on the path to success and stardom by taking her to Florida for training. Her mother, Yelena, was compelled to stay back in Siberia due to visa restrictions. |
| 3. Their will power and strong desire to succeed | Santosh was “quite determined that if I chose a correct and a rational path, others around me had to change, not I”. She had an “urge for more education”. Her “iron will” and “physical endurance” were evident. | She had an “unwavering desire to succeed”. She learned that “tennis excellence would only come at a price”. Her dream was to “become number one in the world. That’s the dream that kept me going”. |
| 4. Evidence of their mental toughness | She told her parents calmly that she would earn money by working part-time to pay her fees if they didn’t support her education. During the Everest expedition, her “mental toughness” was admired. | She endured a “fiercely competitive world” and a “heart-wrenching two-year separation from her mother” at a young age. She is described as “poised beyond her years”. She states, “Tennis is a business and a sport, but the most important thing is to become number one in the world”. |
| 5. Their patriotism | She felt “proud as an Indian” when she unfurled the Indian tricolour on the summit of Everest. | While not explicitly stated in the provided text for Maria Sharapova, her connection to her Russian heritage is implied by her Siberian birth and her continued presence on the international stage representing Russia. [No direct statement on patriotism in the given sources for Maria, but her origin is highlighted.] |
Thinking about Language#
I. Identify the two parts in the sentences below by underlining the part that gives us the information in brackets, as shown above.
- Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts. (Contrasts her dress with that of others)
- She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. (Tells us what happened after the first action.)
- She decided to fight the system when the right moment arrived. (Tells us when she was going to fight the system.)
- Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States. (Tells us when Maria was sent to the U.S.)
II. Now rewrite the pairs of sentences given below as one sentence.
- Grandfather told me about the old days. All books were printed on paper then. Grandfather told me about the old days when all books were printed on paper.
- What do you do after you finish the book? Perhaps you just throw it away. What do you do after you finish the book? Perhaps you just throw it away. (This sentence is already phrased as two distinct questions, the instruction asks to rewrite as ‘one sentence’, so it would likely be a question followed by a related question or a conditional sentence.) A more conventional single sentence could be: After you finish the book, do you perhaps just throw it away? or What do you do after you finish the book, do you just throw it away?
- He gave the little girl an apple. He took the computer apart. He gave the little girl an apple while he took the computer apart.
- You have nothing. That makes you very determined. Having nothing makes you very determined.
- I never thought of quitting. I knew what I wanted. I never thought of quitting because I knew what I wanted.
Writing#
Which of these words would you use to describe Santosh Yadav? Find reasons in the text to support your choices, and write a couple of paragraphs describing Santosh’s character.
- Determined ✅: Santosh was determined to live life on her own terms from the start, preferring shorts over traditional attire, and firmly stating she wouldn’t marry without proper education. Her “iron will” and “mental toughness” allowed her to pursue climbing despite societal expectations and initial parental reluctance.
- Independent ✅: Santosh showed strong independence by leaving home for Delhi at sixteen to pursue education, even offering to work part-time to pay her fees if her parents refused. She forged her own path, enrolling in mountaineering courses and achieving her goals without being swayed by traditional norms.
- Resourceful ✅: Her resourcefulness is evident when she decided to earn money herself if her parents didn’t support her education, demonstrating an ability to find ways to achieve her goals.
- Adventurous ✅: Santosh was clearly adventurous, being drawn to the Aravalli Hills and deciding to take up mountaineering after being inspired by climbers there. Her repeated scaling of Mount Everest further confirms her adventurous spirit.
- Considerate ✅: Her considerate nature is highlighted during the Everest expedition when she provided special care to a dying climber and shared her oxygen with Mohan Singh, saving his life. This concern for others endeared her to her fellow climbers.
- Persevering ✅: Santosh’s journey from a small village to the summit of Everest twice showcases her exceptional perseverance. She continuously wished to study “a bit more”, overcoming physical and societal challenges through consistent effort and strong will.
Santosh Yadav truly embodies a spirit of determination and independence. From her early childhood, she was not content with the traditional way of life, choosing to dress differently and firmly refusing to marry until she had received a proper education. This unwavering resolve allowed her to pursue her dreams, even when they diverged from her family’s initial expectations. Her decision to enroll in a mountaineering course and her subsequent achievements, including becoming the first woman to scale Mt. Everest twice, are clear testaments to her perseverance and adventurous nature.
Beyond her personal ambitions, Santosh also displayed remarkable consideration and resourcefulness. During her Everest expeditions, she prioritized the well-being of her fellow climbers, sharing her oxygen to save a teammate’s life. As a fervent environmentalist, she also took the initiative to bring down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas, showcasing her commitment to preserving nature. These qualities demonstrate that Santosh is not just a driven individual, but also a compassionate human being who contributes positively to the world around her.