The Story of Mulan: Questions and Answers | 10th English Unit 3

Answer the questions - The Story of Mulan

A. Choose the best answers.

1. Mulan goes to the battle instead of her father because her father is old

a. she wants to be a soldier.

b. she was asked to join the army.

c. her father is old.

d. her brother is sick.

2. What did Mulan do before leaving the house?

a. took leave from her mother

b. cut off her hair

c. prayed

d. made a dress for war

3. What is the story about?

a. winning

b. friendship

c. women empowerment

d. patriotism

4. The emperor asked Mulan to stay with him in the palace as his royal advisor

a. wife.

b. royal advisor.

c. army general.

d. friend.

5. The emperor gave Mulan six horses and six swords

a. six horses and six swords.

b. a death sentence.

c. gold.

d. six camels

6. How did people of the village react to Mulan after her return from the battle?

a. cheered her

b. mocked her

c. punished her

d. scolded her

B. Identify the character or speaker of the following lines.

1. I heard about it in town. - Mulan’s father to Mulan

2. I am your son now. - Mulan to her father

3. The General is a woman ? - Soldiers

4. Mulan, stay with me in the palace. - the Emperor

5. You are too kind sire. - Mulan to the Emperor

C. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

1. What was the emperor’s order?

The emperor ordered that one man from each Chinese family must join the army.

2. Where did Mulan’s father hear about the emperor’s order?

Mulan’s father heard about the emperor’s order in the town.

3. Why couldn't Mulan’s brother go to war?

Mulan’s brother was too young to go to war.

4. Why did Mulan disguise herself as a man?

Mulan was a girl and so she disguised herself as a man to go to war.

5. How did the soldiers become sick?

A very bad fever swept through the army. Thus the soldiers became sick.

6. How would she be punished if found guilty?

She would be put to death if found guilty.

7. Why did the emperor give her fine gifts?

Mulan ended the long war victoriously. So the emperor gave her fine gifts.

8. How did the soldiers come to know about Mulan’s real identity?

The doctor, who treated Mulan’s sickness, found that she was a woman. Thus the soldiers came to know about Mulan’s real identity.

D. Answer the following questions in a paragraph.

1. Sketch the character of Mulan.

Lesson : The Story of Mulan

Theme : Character sketch of Mulan

Characters : Mulan, her father and brother, The emperor

Outline : lovable daughter - patriotism - valour and bravery - love for her village and father

Mulan showed various characters in the story. The Chinese emperor ordered that one man from each family must join the army. As soon as Mulan came to know about this order, she decided to go to war. As her brother was very small and father was very old, she thought it was her moral duty. Her patriotic spirit made her to take up fighting for her country. She fought bravely in the war and became a General. Even though she was sick, she fought and ended the long war victoriously. Admiring her valour and bravery, the Emperor was willing to appoint her as the royal advisor. She humbly refused to stay in the palace and expressed her wish to return to her village. She returned to her village to see her father and brother. Thus Mulan showed that she was lovable to her family and proved her patriotism towards her country.

ESSAY

• Introduction
• Lovable daughter - Mulan
• Her Patriotism
• Her Valour
• Her Humbleness
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Mulan is a heroic Chinese teenage girl. She saved her country from the enemy army with her courage and talent. She showed various characters in this story.

Lovable daughter - Mulan:

The Chinese emperor ordered that one man from each family must join the army. As soon as Mulan came to know about this order, she didn’t want her father to join the army in his old age. She was lovable to her father. She loved her country too. So she decided to join the army instead of him.

Her Patriotism:

In those days girls were not allowed in the army. So she cut her hair short and groomed herself like a boy. She fought bravely in spite of her father’s opposition.

Her Valour:

Though she was sick, she reacted bravely and strategically to a surprise attack made by the enemy. This time she victoriously ended the war.

Her Humbleness:

Admiring her valour and bravery in the war, the Emperor set aside the rule against girls’ participation in the war. Emperor was willing to appoint her as the royal advisor. She refused humbly and retuned to her village to see her father and brother.

Conclusion:

Mulan, a multifaceted personality showed her love for her country by fighting bravely. She also, exhibited her love for her father and brother.

Moral: Her patriotism and love for her family are well-balanced.

2. Do you agree with Mulan’s decision to go to war? Justify.

Lesson : The Story of Mulan

Source : Chinese legend

Theme : Right decision at the right time

Characters : Mulan, her father and brother, The emperor

Outline : moral duty - old father - small brother - girls not allowed - valour and brave in war - Won the war - Correct desicion

Definitely, I agree to Mulan’s decision to go to war. The Chinese emperor ordered that one man from each family must join the army. As soon as Mulan came to know about this order, she thought it was a moral duty of her family to fight for the country. But her father was very old and her brother was very young. So she decided to join the army on behalf of her family. In those days, girls were not allowed in the army. So she cut her hair short and groomed herself like a boy. Being a woman, she fought bravely in the war and became a General. Though she was sick, she reacted bravely and strategically to the surprise attack made by the enemy. She fought and ended the long war victoriously. If Mulan had not taken her decision to join the army, the Chinese army might not have been won in the war.

I am Every Woman Poem by Rakhi Nariani Shirke: Full Text and Analysis

I am Every Woman

by Rakhi Nariani Shirke

This poem talks about the multifaceted nature of women. Today's women are empowered, brave, strong and resolute. They are always ready to take up new ventures. They are persistent and work tirelessly to prove what they are capable of. Women have to be treated respectfully for the growth of a nation.

The Poem

I am Every Woman*

A woman is beauty innate,

A symbol of power and strength.

She puts her life at stake,

She's real, she's not fake!

The summer of life she's ready to see in spring.

She says, "Spring will come again, my dear.

Let me care for the ones who're near.”

She's The Woman – she has no fear!

Strong is she in her faith and beliefs.

"Persistence is the key to everything,"

says she. Despite the sighs and groans and moans,

She's strong in her faith, firm in her belief!

She's a lioness; don't mess with her.

She'll not spare you if you're a prankster.

Don't ever try to saw her pride, her self-respect.

She knows how to thaw you, saw you – so beware!

She's today's woman. Today's woman, dear.

Love her, respect her, keep her near...

-      Rakhi Nariani Shirke.

About the Author

Rakhi Nariani Shirke is an academician with a passion for writing poems as a medium of self-expression. She is a post graduate, with a Bachelor's degree in Education.

Empowered Women Navigating The World: A Deep Dive into the INSV Tarini Expedition

Empowered Women Navigating The World - Prose

Empowered Women Navigating The World

Gone are the days, where women in India remained indoors unless permitted to go out with an escort. Conditions today have changed, thanks to all those women who have fought for their freedom and set a very good example for others. The real power of women though realised earlier, is currently being projected to the world by the advancement of technology and media.

Women occupy almost all the major positions in society. Currently, women’s accomplishments are tremendous in many fields. One such achievement is the All-women Indian Navy crew who circumnavigated the world for 254 days all alone, in a sailboat called INSV Tarini.

What is INSV Tarini?

INSV stands for Indian Naval Ship Vessel. Tara-Tarini is the patron deity for sailors and is worshipped for safety and success at sea.

INSV Tarini is the second sailboat of the Indian Navy (The first being the INSV Mhadei). It is a 55 foot sailing vessel built indigenously in India by M/s Aquarius Shipyard Pvt. Ltd, located in Goa. After undergoing extensive sea trials, she was commissioned to the Indian Navy service on 18 February 2017. The boat was named after the famous ‘Tara-Tarini’ temple in Ganjam district of Odisha. The word ‘Tarini’ means ‘boat’ and in Sanskrit it means ‘Saviour’.

INSV Tarini has advance Raymarine navigation suite and an array of satellite communication systems for perfect navigation anywhere in world.

a. What does INSV stand for?

b. When was INSV Tarini commissioned to Indian Navy service?

c. Who is Tara-Tarini? After whom was the sailboat named?

Navika Sagar Parikrama

Navika Sagar Parikrama was a project undertaken in consonance with the National policy to empower women to attain their full potential. “The Project is considered essential towards promoting ocean sailing activities in the Navy while depicting Government of India’s thrust for Nari Shakti (women power),” said Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba in his welcome speech.

The voyage was aimed to show case ‘Make in India’ initiative by sailing on-board indigenously built INSV Tarini. The special feature of this sailboat is that it encouraged use of environment friendly non-conventional renewable energy resources such as the wind; collected and updated meteorological, ocean and wave data on regular basis for accurate weather forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD) and also collected data for monitoring marine pollution on high seas.

Indian Navy’s Six Women Crew

Indian Navy’s all-women crew was the first-ever to circumnavigate the globe skippered by Lt. Commander Vartika Joshi. The all-women team has also Lt. Cdr. Pratibh Jamwal, Lt. Cdr. Swathi Patarapalli, Lt. Aishwarya Boddapati, Lt. Sh. Vijaya Devi and Lt. Payal Gupta as its crew members.

The crew started their voyage on 10 September 2017 from Goa, flagged off by the Defence Minister of India. It was a historic day, which would be marked in navigation history and globally. It covered the expedition in five legs with stop-overs at four ports (Fremantle, Australia; Lyttleton, New Zealand; Port Stanley, the Falklands and Cape Town, South Africa) for replenishment of ration and repair as necessary, before returning to Goa in April 2018. They went around the globe within 254-days and reached Goa port on 21 May 2018. The six member women crew broke many stereotypes during their record-setting sail.

The first Indian solo circumnavigation was undertaken by Capt. Dilip Donde, SC (Retd.) from August 19, 2009 to May 19, 2010 on board another India-built vessel INSV Mhadei.

The first Indian non-stop solo circumnavigation was undertaken by Cdr. Abhilash Tomy, K.C. from November 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013.

An Interview with the crew members

India’s all-women navy crew who went around the world in 254 -days have shared their experiences about their great voyage in an interview. Through their personal experiences, we really come to know their hardships and unpredictable challenges they have faced all through their expeditions.

Interviewer: How well were you acquainted with the sail boat before you took up the task?

Vartika Joshi: None of us was acquainted with a sail boat or ocean-going boat; none of us had sailed before, nor are woman officers allowed entry in combat platforms as yet. At first, it was difficult to take the boat out to sea, from one point to another. But we slowly built upon it through three years of training.

Interviewer: Can you tell us about the training you had undergone before this expedition?

Vartika Joshi: We started with some theoretical courses on navigation, communication and weather prediction. Classroom courses are different from sailing outside. So, we were given hands-on training, like, how to repair things and how to deal with emergencies, when the weather gets rough, if there is a medical emergency, and training was needed in tactical aspects as well.

Aishwarya: We underwent our basic sail training courses in Mumbai at the Indian Naval Waterman ship Training Centre (INWTC), and at various schools in the southern naval base in Kochi. We even sailed on INSV Mhadei to Mauritius (in 2016 and 2017) and back and also to Cape Town in December 2016. We were trained for almost three years to prepare for the voyage. Since the boat was old, it had minor leaks and repairs. Also, we ran out of water and food soon. So the trip was a tutorial for us on how to manage food, water and even electricity during the big voyage.

Interviewer: What was the selection process?

Aishwarya: Out of the thirty women who had applied, six of us were shortlisted, based on the little survival skills we showcased. The crew was mentored by Commander Dilip Donde. But after I was told about the flare-ups at sea, I even had second thoughts about joining the team.

Interviewer: How did your family members react when you told them about this expedition?

Vartika Joshi: Our families did have a hard time, but that was because most of them had never even seen the sea! Four of us are from the mountains. The first time my parents saw the ocean was when I invited them to visit. But once they saw that we’re doing well and looking after ourselves, they were quite supportive. They were apprehensive and supportive too.

d. Where did the crew undergo their basic training?

e. How long were they trained to undertake this voyage?

f. Which skill was considered important in the selection process?

g. Who mentored the crew?

Interviewer: What were your aims and how did you work to achieve them?

Vartika Joshi: I wanted to make sure that I complete this journey with ultimate honesty. I didn’t set out for a destination; it was the journey that mattered to me the most. So my contention was to make sure that we go by the rules of circumnavigation which say that you don’t have to use any auxiliary means of repulsion and you don’t have to take anybody else’s assistance. I grasped that completely.

Interviewer: Name that one quality of yours that enabled you to complete this expedition successfully?

Vartika Joshi: Whenever the winds dropped, it wouldn’t have taken me even a fraction of second to switch on the engine and say let’s go one mile ahead. But inside of me something poked me and said that you have to be honest with yourself and this expedition has to be done with honesty. I am glad that we were able to finish it successfully without the use of the engine at all.

Interviewer: As the head of the crew, how did you involve the team?

Vartika Joshi: We’ve all sailed and trained the same amount, and everybody has their own way of dealing with situations, but that was a good thing, because we could discuss different ways of solving a problem and choose the best one. In fact, I’d say it was easier for us to collaborate and work together.

Payal Gupta: When you are out at sea, teamwork is the most important in the middle of the crisis. Even during the storm when three people would be out on watch, the other three who would be inside wouldn’t be able to rest. Somebody would heat the water, the other person would heat the gloves because it was raining also. So team effort actually helped in navigating through the 20 hours long storm. I feel that if I had been alone then it would have been a nightmare to deal with the challenges that the sea throws at you.

Interviewer: Share your experience about the most challenging task while sailing.

Vartika Joshi: The Sea can get really tough when winds are picking up. Those are the times we have to be active and need to anticipate what could be there ahead. In the South Pacific, we encountered a storm where the seas were almost nine to ten meters high and the winds were picking up to 60–70 knots(a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour exactly 1.852km/h), which is about a hurricane force of wind on land. It is normal on sea where there is hardly any land mass to stop the winds.

It was also a blissful experience when something broke down and after a lot of hard work and effort, we were able to fix it together. We will remember these incidents as well because it gave us the strength to move on and if something went bad, we were able to overcome those challenges.

Interviewer: How adventurous was your trip?

Vartika Joshi: When we were crossing the Tasman Sea, we witnessed the brilliant Southern Lights from sea. It was rare to watch that in those months, that too from sea. We were absolutely awestruck as we were not expecting it, to see the entire sky lit up in green light. There was bio-luminescence, dolphins swimming in the wake of the boat like our neighbours and a variety of sea creatures. We spotted a dead sperm whale once and we thought it was an island from a distance, it was so huge. We are not specialists, so whenever we spotted something in the sea, we had to Google it to learn more about the species.

Interviewer: How did your crew spend time deep in the sea?

Swathi P: During circumnavigation, we picked up some hobbies and kept posting pictures of delicacies like golgappas and cakes. We also read books when the weather was pleasant and did some quilling and craft work. While team leader Joshi read comics and the Ramayana during her journey, I loved cooking as well so I indulged in baking. I also liked crafting a lot, so I used to make lampshades. I love it when people appreciate the food that I cook, so I gave my crew members the best dishes that was possible on land with the limited resources that we had on the boat.

Vartika Joshi: Six is a great number, we were always entertained. We watched movies, listened to music, and you won’t believe some of the goodies the crew rustled up in our tiny pantry, even while sailing in rough seas. We made parathas, baked cakes and breads, and even made halwa and rasgullas!

We celebrated festivals at sea. When we think about it now on land, we remember the Diwali we spent at sea. We celebrated three birthdays including the first birthday of the boat; also specific occasions like crossing the equator, the International Date Line and such.

Interviewer: What motivated you to fulfil the country’s expectations?

Swathi P: We knew that the entire country was watching us and praying for us, so we never wanted them to have a single day thinking that we are in trouble. We knew that it is going to happen but the people out there did not know what kind of challenges we were facing. So, one of the motives that we kept in mind was that we did not want to frighten them. We decided that once the circumnavigating was over, we are going to show what we have actually gone through.

Interviewer: As a woman, how would you consider this expedition?

Vartika Joshi: It is a matter of great honour and we couldn’t have imagined anything better for our cast-off. Of course we being an all- woman team, it is a great boost to women in the country. But, as we are going as sailors, and we as sailors have seen that the sea does not discriminate between genders. It is always gender-neutral and we have realised that gender does not play a role in sailing. But to boost the morale in the country and for more women to take in adventures like sailing, I feel it is great that an all- woman team had been formed to undergo this expedition.

h. Which quality of the skipper helped to bring out a successful expedition?

i. Who among the crew mentioned about teamwork?

j. When did they witness the brilliant southern lights from the sea? How did the sky appear there?

k. What festival did they celebrate during their expedition?