Nine Gold Medals poem

I. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:

(i)Where did the athletes" come from so many countries"? why?

Ans. The athlete comes from so many countries to the venue of the special
Olympic game. In this Olympic differently-abled people participate. athletes were
there to compete and win medals for which they have gone through strenuous
training for months with the dream of winning medals.

(ii) What do the words 'gold', 'silver', and 'bronze' stand for in the extract? do you
think the contestants were prepared well for the event? give a reason for your
answer.
Ans. The words 'gold', 'silver' and 'bronze' stand for the medal which was
awarded to the top three contestants. The contestant was prepared well for the
event as the poet says, they have undergone weeks and months of rigorous
training before the game started

(iii) Give the meaning of:(a) All building up to the games. (b)The last race about
to begin.
Ans. (a) All the contestants came down to the stadium aspiring to win the gold
medal. (b) the race was the last event of the day of the special Olympic and it
was about to begin

(iv) Why did the spectators gather around the field? Who is referred to as the
"young women and men"?.
Ans. Spectators gather around the field to cheer and encourage the participants
who had come from different countries to participate in various events and to see
their favorites contestants touching the finish line. ‘Young women and men’
referred to here are the differently-abled athletes who came from so many
countries to take part in the sports events.

(v) Which final event is referred to in the extract? What was the mood of the
spectators here?
Ans. Here final event referred to a 100-meter track and field racing event which
was among nine participants who were differently abled. Through it was the last
event of the day but spectators were excited and enthusiastic. They were in
cheering and encouraging mood

II. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:

(i) Give the meaning and significance of "poised".

Ans. The meaning of poised is "ready".In this poem 'Nine Gold Medals', the poet,
David Roth has presented the idea of empathy and how human values are as
important as the spirit of competition. The poem presents the situation of a race,
where the contestants leave aside their desire to win the medal to help a smaller
and weaker contestant

(ii) Show how the suspense was built up before the competition began
Ans. Poet gradually built suspense before the race begins. The suspense was
built up with loudspeakers calling out the names of the runners who would take
part in the one-hundred-meter run and the nine athletes standing there
‘determined and poised for the sound of the gun’. Spectators were eager to see
who wins the gold medal. It is the climax, suspense and the reader wonders what
is going to happen next.

(iii) What did the exploding of the pistol signify? Give two examples of rhyming
patterns in the extract.
Ans. The exploding of the pistol signified that the beginning of the anticipated
race. 1st four-line has a rhyming pattern of abcd and in the next four-line, it is
abab.

(iv) During the race who had bad luck? What happened to him? What were his
feelings then?
Ans. The youngest athlete among the runners had bad luck. As soon as the race
begins he stumbled and staggered and fell on his knees to the ground. He cries
out with pain and disappointment. He was utterly frustrated and gave out a cry of
anguish. He felt as if all his dreams and effort of winning the medal were broken
and destroyed.
(v) How does the poem show the value of true sportsmanship?
Ans. In the poem ‘Nine Gold Medals’, the poet shows the true sportsman spirit
and how it was rewarded in the end. In a Special Olympics racing event, one of
the nine athletes took a tumble by chance and lost all his hope of winning the
race after so hard training. But immediately after he fell on the ground, the other
runners stopped and came back to help him stand up on his feet. All the athletes
joined hands and changed their 100-meter race to a walk, giving a message that
humanity is above all It was thus, an exemplary scene, that displayed the spirit of
true sportsmanship and an eye-opener that the world now needs more such
cooperation than competition. And by telling us this story the poet reminds us of
the value of true sportsmanship and that it always gets rewarded in some way or
the other.

III. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:

(i) Who gave out a cry? Why did he cry?

Ans. The youngest contestant gave out a cry. He cries out with pain and
disappointment. He was utterly frustrated and gave out a cry of anguish. He felt
as if all his dreams and effort of winning the medal were broken and destroyed.

(ii) What were his dreams? What happened to them? What was his anguish?
Ans. The dreams of the runner were to participate in and win the race and win
bronze, silver, and gold medals as a symbol of excellence in the Special
Olympics. As soon as he fell down he felt as if all his dreams and effort of
winning the medal were broken and destroyed. The youngest athlete was utterly
frustrated and gave out a cry of anguish. as he felt that his dreams and hopes
were shattered.

(iii) State in your word own what the eight other runners did .what did their
actions reflect on the attitude?
Ans. The eight other contestants stop running, return back and lift the smallest
boy who lost his balance and then the 9 runners move together to the finishing
point by showing true sportsmanship quality. It was a great sight to the audience,
this behavior of them fills the atmosphere with kindness. Their action reflects on
empathy and co-operations

(iv) How do these lines bring out the main theme of the poem? One by one they
turned round and come back to help him And lifted the lad to his feer.
Ans. As soon as the youngest boy fell down all other contestants ran to help him
rather than completing their race and win a medal, these lines bring out what true
sportsmanship means. Winning a medal is important, but it is not the most
important thing. Caring and sharing are much more important than winning or
losing. Sport is not about winning medals but also learning the values of empathy
and cooperation Sports teaches us human values. This is the main theme the
poem brings out.

(v) At this point of time, why does the narrator call the story a strange one?
Narrate what happened after the young boy was brought to his feet?
Ans. Following the young athlete's fall, the other eight athletes who had already
begun their race stopped in their tracks. One by one they turned around, they
returned to help the fallen boy and lifted him up. This sudden change of mind
was quite unexpected, a beautiful display of empathy, cooperation, and
collaboration in this world of competition. that's why the narrator calls the story a
strange one at this point in time. All the lone runners then held each other's hand
and resumed the competition. But this race turned out to be a special one
because all the participants were now walking together and the one hundred
meter race changed into a walk. After the young athlete was brought to his feet
with the help of the other contestants, they all walked hand in hand to the
finishing line of the racing event. Then all of the nine athletes were awarded a
gold medal each for their beautiful display of empathy, cooperation, and
collaboration in this world of competition, enmity, and hostility.

IV. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:

(i) Why did the nine athletes join hand? What did their action of joining hands
show? Why the race reduced to a walk?
Ans. The nine athletes joined hands to help the fallen and injured youngest
runner go to the ending point. Their action of joining hands shows the friendly
and sportsman spirit in them. Though they were there to compete with each
other, they ended up helping the distressed one out of their sense of empathy
and cooperation. The race was reduced to a walk due to the stumbling of a
runner in the middle of the race. After that unfortunate incident, the other athletes
decided to stop and help the fallen one stand on his feet. Then they went to the
finishing line walking hand in hand.
(ii) Give the meaning and the significance of: And the banner above that said
"Special Olympics" Could not have been nearer the mark.
Ans. In these lines, the poet categorically refers to the name of the sports
tournament for the first time, i.e., Special Olympics. Such tournaments are
organized throughout the world to encourage sportspersons and showcase their
talent. Usually, such games do not gain media coverage and attention to the
extent to which the Summer and Winter Olympic Games do. By clearly
mentioning the name of the tournament, the poet here tries to say that
occasionally, less-known tournaments witnessed historic incidents that set great
standards for the entire world of sports.

(iii) How did the race end? In what way was the ending appropriate?
Ans. The race ended with the nine runners in the Special Olympics event holding
hands and walking to the finishing line together. The race which was supposed to
be a competition was reduced to a mere walk in the end delivering a message of
collaboration and cooperation. Such an ending to the race was appropriate
enough as it made the event really special, making the title of “Special Olympics”
a success. It highlighted the need for empathy and cooperation more than the
competition in today’s world.

(iv) How did the contestants feel when they crossed the finishing line together?
How do you think the spectators reacted?
Ans. The contestants must have felt happy and united when they reached the
finish line still ‘holding hands’. The words smiling faces’ tell us how happy they
were. The spectators were surprised by their cooperation and gave a ‘standing
ovation’ to the contestants. Each of the contestants was rewarded with a gold
medal.

(v) How did the race in the Special Olympics become very special indeed?
Ans. Each of the athletes participating in the Special Olympics was fired with the
excitement, enthusiasm, and passion to achieve the top honor. However, when
one of them stumbled during the decisive course of the most important event,
other contestants showed a great gesture of sportsmanship, unmindful of their
individual claims to glory. All the contestants displayed empathy turning the
Special Olympics into a really 'special' one. It was because of them that the
Special Olympics became so special