Chapter 10
The Story of Cricket
1. What is fire, and how did early man react to it?
Answer: Fire is the result of a chemical reaction in which the oxygen in the air combines with carbon and hydrogen in a fuel, releasing energy in the form of heat and light. Early man didn’t know what fire was but must have seen the damage it could cause and was frightened of it.
2. What three things are needed to make fire?
Answer: The three things needed to make fire are fuel, oxygen, and heat.
3. Give some examples of fuel mentioned in the text.
Answer: Examples of fuel are wood, coal, cooking gas, and petrol.
4. Why doesn’t paper or wood catch fire on its own when lying in the open?
Answer: Fuel and oxygen do not make fire by themselves; the fuel must be heated to its flash point or kindling temperature before it catches fire.
5. What is meant by the “flash point” of a fuel?
Answer: The flash point of a fuel is the particular temperature at which it begins to burn.
6. Why is fire called a “good servant but a bad master”?
Answer: Fire is very useful as long as it is kept under control, for cooking, warming homes, and generating electricity. But it can be very dangerous if it gets out of control, causing damage to homes, forests, and even loss of life.
7. How can fuel be removed to control a fire?
Answer: A fire can be controlled by taking away the fuel; if the fire has no fuel to feed on, no burning can take place.
8. How can oxygen be removed to extinguish a fire?
Answer: Oxygen can be removed by smothering the fire with a damp blanket or sack or using carbon dioxide, which prevents oxygen from reaching the burning material.
9. How does removing heat help in putting out a fire?
Answer: Removing heat brings the temperature below the flash point of the fuel, causing the fire to go out. Blowing on a candle or spraying water on a fire are examples.
10. Why should water not be used on oil or electrical fires?
Answer: Water spreads burning oil and can give electric shocks when used on electrical fires. A carbon dioxide extinguisher is best for electrical fires.
11. How did people fight fires before fire brigades existed?
Answer: People formed human chains and passed buckets of water from wells or ponds to put out fires.
12. How are modern fire brigades equipped to fight fires?
Answer: Fire brigades have trained personnel and special equipment. They cut electricity supply, knock down dangerous walls, spray water or other materials, and are trained in first aid.
13. How did the discovery of fire help early man?
Answer: The discovery of fire helped early man cope with nature better and adopt a settled mode of life.
14. Why is fire considered both a friend and a foe?
Answer: Fire is a friend because it is useful for cooking, warmth, and electricity, but it is a foe because it can be dangerous and cause destruction if uncontrolled.
15. Mark True or False: “Fire is the result of a chemical reaction.”
Answer: True.
16. What are the three main ways to control a fire?
Answer: The three main ways are: remove fuel, remove oxygen, and remove heat.
17. Explain the use of carbon dioxide in fire control.
Answer: Carbon dioxide is used to smother fires as it does not allow oxygen to reach the burning material, making it ideal for electrical fires.
18. How has technology helped in fire prevention?
Answer: Technology and laws ensure safer building construction and help in fire prevention. Modern equipment and trained firefighters control fires more effectively.
19. How does water help in putting out fires?
Answer: Water absorbs heat from the burning fuel, lowers the temperature, and cuts off oxygen supply, extinguishing the fire.
20. Give an example of a situation where fire cannot be controlled by removing fuel.
Answer: Fires caused by electrical appliances cannot be controlled by removing fuel because the source of fire is electricity, not combustible material.
21. Why is it important to have a bicycle in good condition before a long ride?
Answer: A bicycle in good condition ensures safety and ease during the ride, and an expert mechanic should overhaul it if possible.
22. What happened when the friend first shook the bicycle violently?
Answer: The author disapproved of it and felt that shaking the bicycle violently was unnecessary and dangerous.
23. What mistake did the friend make while checking the bearings?
Answer: He unscrewed parts of the wheel and let all the little balls roll out, causing a scramble to catch them.
24. How did the author try to protect the bicycle from further damage?
Answer: He suggested handling the wheel himself and tried to dissuade the friend from meddling with the gear-case.
25. How did the friend treat the chain?
Answer: The friend first tightened it until it would not move, then loosened it until it was twice as loose, showing extreme and unpredictable adjustments.
26. What was the author’s reaction to the friend’s skill and confidence?
Answer: He admired the friend’s cheery confidence, inexplicable hopefulness, and skill, even though the work often led to chaos.
27. Describe the “fight” between the man and the bicycle.
Answer: The bicycle and the man repeatedly flipped positions. The man tried to fix it while the bicycle resisted, sometimes hitting him with its handles. Eventually, both were dirty, disheveled, and exhausted.
28. What happened to the front wheel after replacing all the balls?
Answer: After fixing the wheel with the balls in place, it did wobble slightly, but the friend said it would do for the present.
29. How did the friend react after realising they had forgotten the balls?
Answer: He laughed, admitted he was an ass, and then cheerfully helped to put all the balls back, trusting to providence.
30. What lesson does the author learn from watching the friend work?
Answer: The author learns about patience, determination, and hopefulness, admiring the friend’s skill and confidence.
31. How did cricket evolve from early stick-and-ball games?
Answer: Cricket grew out of many stick-and-ball games played in England 500 years ago, with the word “bat” meaning stick or club. By the seventeenth century, it became recognisable as a distinct game.
32. How did the cricket bat change after bowlers began pitching the ball through the air?
Answer: The curved bat was replaced with a straight one, and batsmen had to master timing and shot selection.
33. What were some early rules regarding the cricket ball and stumps?
Answer: The ball had to weigh between 5½ and 5¾ ounces, the width of the bat limited to four inches, the stumps had to be 22 inches high with the bail across six inches, and two sets of stumps were 22 yards apart.
34. When and where was the world’s first cricket club formed?
Answer: The first cricket club was formed in Hambledon in the 1760s, and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787.
35. How did cricket spread to India?
Answer: Cricket was brought to India by the British, and the Parsis, a small westernised community in Bombay, were the first Indian community to start playing the game.
36. Who were some pioneers of Indian cricket?
Answer: The Parsis, supported by businessmen like the Tatas and Wadias, were pioneers, and players like Palwankar Baloo were early heroes.
37. When did India play its first Test match, and who was the captain?
Answer: India played its first Test match in 1932 against England, and C.K. Nayudu was the first Test captain.
38. How did television change cricket in India?
Answer: Television expanded the audience by beaming matches to small towns and villages, allowing children outside big cities to watch and learn by imitating their heroes.
39. How did cricket equipment evolve over time?
Answer: Cricket’s bat remained handmade from willow and cane, while protective equipment improved with technology: pads in 1848, gloves, and helmets made of metal and synthetic materials.
40. How did global commerce and television affect modern cricket?
Answer: Global television and multinational companies created a global market, shifting cricket’s center of gravity to South Asia, making Indian players the best-paid and most famous cricketers in the game.
Answer by Mrinmoee
