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| Nine Gold Medals |
Extract I
(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.
Extract II
(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.
Extract III
(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.
Extract IV
(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
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