Chapter- 8 Reach for the Top
1. Where was Santosh Yadav born?
Answer: She was born in the village of Joniyawas in Rewari District, Haryana.
2. How many brothers did Santosh Yadav have?
Answer: She had five brothers.
3. What does the name “Santosh” mean?
Answer: The name Santosh means “contentment.”
4. Was Santosh always content with traditional life?
Answer: No, she was not content with the traditional way of life.
5. How did Santosh show independence from childhood?
Answer: She lived life on her own terms from the beginning.
6. What type of clothes did most girls wear in her village?
Answer: Most girls wore traditional Indian dresses.
7. What type of clothes did Santosh prefer?
Answer: She preferred wearing shorts.
8. What was Santosh’s belief about choosing a rational path?
Answer: She believed that if her path was correct and rational, others had to change, not her.
9. What was the profession of Santosh’s parents?
Answer: They were affluent landowners.
10. Could Santosh’s parents afford good education for their children?
Answer: Yes, they could afford to send their children to the best schools.
11. Which city was close to Santosh’s village where good schools were available?
Answer: The city was New Delhi.
12. Where was Santosh initially sent to study?
Answer: She was sent to the local village school.
13. Why did Santosh study in the village school?
Answer: Because it was the prevailing custom in her family.
14. How did Santosh decide to oppose the traditional system?
Answer: She decided to fight the system in her own quiet way.
15. At what age did Santosh decide to challenge the system?
Answer: She challenged it when she turned sixteen.
16. What usually happened to girls in her village at the age of sixteen?
Answer: Most girls got married at that age.
17. What pressure did Santosh face from her parents?
Answer: Her parents pressured her to get married.
18. What was Santosh’s opinion about early marriage?
Answer: Early marriage was the last thing on her mind.
19. What did Santosh threaten her parents with?
Answer: She threatened never to marry if she was not allowed to study properly.
20. What step did Santosh take to continue her education?
Answer: She left home and enrolled in a school in Delhi.
21. How did her parents react at first to her decision?
Answer: They refused to pay for her education.
22. How did Santosh plan to continue her studies?
Answer: She planned to earn money by working part-time.
23. What did her parents finally decide?
Answer: They agreed to pay for her education.
24. What was Santosh’s desire regarding studies?
Answer: She always wanted to study a bit more.
25. What did Santosh do after passing high school?
Answer: She went to Jaipur for higher studies.
26. Which college did Santosh join in Jaipur?
Answer: She joined Maharani College.
27. Where did Santosh stay in Jaipur?
Answer: She stayed in Kasturba Hostel.
28. What change occurred in her father’s attitude?
Answer: Her father gradually accepted her desire for higher education.
29. What does this passage reveal about Santosh’s character?
Answer: It shows that she was determined, courageous, and independent.
30. What is the main message of Santosh’s story?
Answer: The story teaches that determination and courage can help overcome social traditions and achieve success.
Answer by Dimpee Bora