Chapter 3.3 – Stephen Hawking
Standard 10 · English (Kumarbharati) · Maharashtra State Board · Textbook Solutions and Notes
Summary of the Lesson
Early life
Stephen Hawking was born on 8 January 1942. He was an average student at first. At the age of 21 he began to trip, drop things and slur his speech. After many tests, doctors found that he had ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a disease that slowly paralyses the body. With the help of friends and great effort, he still completed his PhD.
Famous works
His best-selling book A Brief History of Time (1988) explained cosmology in simple language. Other books include The Universe in a Nutshell, A Briefer History of Time and The Grand Design, which suggested that the universe could be explained by science without needing a creator.
Hawking’s health
His physical control kept diminishing and he was forced to use a wheelchair. He lost his voice and in the end could move only his cheek muscle. A speech-generating computer, operated through a sensor on his cheek, let him speak and write.
A living legend
He was a physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, Cambridge. With the help of assistants and his speaking programme, he went on writing and lecturing. He passed away on 14 March 2018, but his courage and ideas still inspire the world.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| cosmology | the science of the origin and development of the universe |
| catapulted | launched |
| core | central, basic |
| holy grail | (here) a thing which is eagerly pursued or sought after |
| dimensions | aspects, features, facts |
| multiple sclerosis | a disease of the nervous system that damages the nerves and affects movement |
| atypical | very unusual |
| diagnose | to detect a medical condition |
| devastating | causing severe shock |
| leukemia | a cancer of the blood in which abnormal white blood cells are produced in large numbers |
| tracheotomy | an incision in the windpipe made to relieve an obstruction to breathing |
| peril | serious and immediate danger |
| sensor | a device which detects or measures a physical property and responds to it |
Warming Up!
| ‘A’ | ‘B’ |
|---|---|
| (1) John Milton | (a) The great German composer and musician who became deaf at the age of 28 years |
| (2) Beethoven | (b) The great English poet who became blind at the age of 43 years |
| (3) Stephen Hawking | (c) An American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor, had learning disability |
| (4) Walt Disney | (d) Famous scientist of the 20th century who was paralyzed |
| (5) Albert Einstein | (e) Great inventor who has over 1000 patents had learning disability and became deaf |
| (6) Thomas Edison | (f) Great 20th Century scientist and noted physicist who had learning disability |
| (7) Hellen Keller | (g) Dancer whose leg had to be amputated because of an accident |
| (8) Sudha Chandran | (h) Was blind and deaf |
| (9) Tanni Grey-Thompson | (i) Had polio and was elected as the President of the United States for four terms |
| (10) Franklin Roosevelt | (j) Is a wheelchair racer |
| Device | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Reduplication | The root/stem of a word is repeated exactly or with a slight change. | tweet-tweet, pitter-patter, chit-chat, bang-bang, riff-raff |
| (b) Blending | Parts of two or more words combine to form a new one. | breakfast + lunch = brunch; smoke + fog = smog; motor + hotel = motel |
| (c) Clipping | Reducing a word to one of its syllables or a part of it. | Mathematics – Maths; Advertisement – Ad; Laboratory – Lab |
| (d) Acronym | Words formed from the first letter of each of the words involved. | radar, scuba, Unicef, Nasa, BBC, CID, USA, ATM, VIP |
(i) Reduplication: (a) ding-dong – the sound of a bell (b) flim-flam – nonsense or fraud (c) hodge-podge – a confused mixture (d) hullabaloo – a loud commotion (e) itty-bitty – very small (f) zig-zag – a shape that turns in alternating directions
(ii) Blending: (a) biography + picture = biopic (b) motor + pedal = moped (c) global + English = Globish (d) work + alcoholic = workaholic (e) breakfast + lunch = brunch
(iii) Clipping: (a) Examination – Exam (b) Gymnasium – Gym (c) Influenza – Flu (d) Refrigerator – Fridge (e) Telephone – Phone (f) Photograph – Photo (g) Vegetarian – Veg
(iv) Acronym: (a) LASER – Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (b) NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization (c) SONAR – Sound Navigation and Ranging (d) FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency (e) UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
In Between the Lesson
English Workshop
| Name of the book | What’s in it? (topics covered) | His contribution to the world |
|---|---|---|
| (i) A Brief History of Time (1988) | It gives information about cosmology and offers an overview of space, time, the existence of God and the future. | His book helped to make science accessible to everyone. |
| (ii) The Universe in a Nutshell (2001) | It offered more on cosmology’s big theories. | It gave more specific illustrations of the theories. |
| (iii) A Briefer History of Time (2005) | It is a simplification of the original work and its core concepts. | It highlighted the newest developments in the field, such as string theory. |
| (iv) The Grand Design (2010) | It explains recent scientific thinking about the mysteries of the universe: When and how did the universe begin? Why do we exist? Why does the universe exist? | The book proposes a framework for discoveries in the answers to life, the universe and everything else. |
- He was diagnosed with ALS.
- His physical control over his body diminished.
- He had to use a wheelchair.
- His speech became slurred.
- He lost his voice.
- He suffered a chest infection.
| Field | Personality | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Fine art | Leonardo da Vinci | His sketches and paintings depict scientific phenomena; his anatomical drawings were used in medical schools in the 19th century. |
| Rabindranath Tagore | He wrote our National Anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’. | |
| Michelangelo | He created the statue of David and the Pietà. | |
| Mathematics | Pythagoras | He gave the Pythagorean theorem. |
| Archimedes | He gave an accurate numerical value of pi. | |
| Euclid | He is known as the Father of Geometry. | |
| Science | Sir Isaac Newton | Law of gravitation and the theory on tides. |
| Albert Einstein | Theory of relativity. | |
| Louis Pasteur | He advanced medical science by developing cures for rabies, anthrax and other infectious diseases. | |
| Literature | William Shakespeare | English poet and playwright, the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. Notable works: Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar. |
| Rabindranath Tagore | A Bengali polymath who reshaped Bengali literature, music and Indian art; won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Notable works: Gitanjali, Gora. | |
| Khushwant Singh | Journalist, editor and novelist. Notable works: Train to Pakistan (1956), The Company of Women (1999), Truth, Love and a Little Malice (2002). |
Hawking was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 21. It was devastating news for him and his family, but he did not lose hope. Eventually he lost control of almost his whole body, yet he operated his speech programme through a cheek muscle attached to a sensor. The darkness and sorrow in his life did not defeat him. He stayed optimistic and carried on his work tirelessly.
Thick dark clouds sometimes hide the sun, but with time they move away and the sun shines again. Such calamities are only momentary. So we should never give up and should face every situation positively, with great hope.
| Statement | Answer | Justification from the text |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. | Disagree | Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. |
| (b) Hawking believed that man cannot live on other planets in the future. | Disagree | He was convinced that time travel is possible and that humans may indeed colonize other planets in the future. |
| (c) Though Hawking lost control over his body, he wrote at a prolific rate with the help of assistants. | Agree | Through the programme and the help of assistants, Stephen Hawking has continued to write at a prolific rate. |
| (d) Hawking has written or co-written more than 25 books. | Disagree | Stephen Hawking has written or co-written a total of 15 books. |
- (d) Hawking was diagnosed with ALS while studying cosmology at the University of Cambridge.
- (b) Hawking published the book ‘A Brief History of Time’ that offered an overview of space and time.
- (a) Hawking’s book ‘The Universe in a Nutshell’ offered an illustrated guide to cosmology’s big theories.
- (e) Hawking published ‘A Briefer History of Time’ that contained the newest developments.
- (c) Hawking was unable to attend a conference in Arizona.
| Sentence | Answer |
|---|---|
| (1) Mother ____ a good meal. (cook/cooks) | Mother cooks a good meal. |
| (2) Mother and her daughter ____ a good meal. (cook/cooks) | Mother and her daughter cook a good meal. |
| (3) The rise and fall of the Empire ____ recorded in History. (is/are) | The rise and fall of the Empire is recorded in History. |
| (4) Neither Ritesh nor Alok ____ well. (play/plays) | Neither Ritesh nor Alok plays well. |
| (5) Either of the two ____ guilty. (is/are) | Either of the two is guilty. |
| (6) Everyone ____ mistakes. (make/makes) | Everyone makes mistakes. |
| (7) That news ____ published today. (is/are) | That news is published today. |
| (8) Eight lakh rupees ____ a big amount. (was/were) | Eight lakh rupees was a big amount. |
| (9) The Committee ____ approved of it. (has/have) | The Committee has approved of it. |
| (10) The cost of all the goods ____ risen. (has/have) | The cost of all the goods has risen. |
| Sentence | Determiner | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| (1) He lost his voice for good. | his – possessive pronoun | voice |
| (2) Over the years, Hawking has written 15 books. | 15 – quantifier | books |
| (3) These three books articulate his search for science’s Holy Grail. | These – demonstrative; three – quantifier | books |
| (4) A few events prevented him from despondency. | A few – quantifier | events |
| (5) That dream made him realize it. | That – demonstrative | dream |
| Summary Maker | Stephen Hawking |
|---|---|
| Title of the text | Stephen Hawking |
| (a) Name of the personality | Stephen William Hawking |
| (b) Age | 76 years (8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018) |
| (c) Books (as author) | A Brief History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell, A Briefer History of Time, The Grand Design |
| (d) Field of excellence | Theoretical physics and cosmology |
| (e) Achievements | Wrote 15 books and many scientific papers; Lucasian Professor at Cambridge; carried on his work with courage despite ALS. |
Summary: Stephen Hawking was a brilliant physicist and cosmologist. At 21 he was diagnosed with ALS, which slowly paralysed him and took away his voice. Yet with a speech-generating device and the help of assistants, he kept researching, writing and lecturing. His books, especially A Brief History of Time, made science simple for everyone. His life teaches us never to give up hope.
(1) Title: The Theory of Everything (2014)
(2) Characters: Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking; Felicity Jones as Jane Hawking; Charlie Cox as Jonathan Hellyer Jones; David Thewlis as Dennis Sciama; Simon McBurney as Frank Hawking, Stephen’s father; Emily Watson as Beryl Wilde, Jane’s mother; Maxine Peake as Elaine Mason, Stephen’s second wife; Harry Lloyd as Brian, Hawking’s roommate.
(3) Story: The film tells the true story of how Stephen Hawking met Jane, fell in love, and faced his devastating illness while building a great scientific career.
(4) Dialogues: The dialogues are touching, inspirational and emotional.
(5) Picturisation: A well-picturised and sensitively directed biopic by James Marsh.
(6) Music: Soft and appealing background music by Jóhann Jóhannsson.
(7) Special features: It is an inspiring biopic about the mind-over-body struggle of a great physicist.
(8) Opinion / Views: A lovingly made blend of biography, drama and romance. It is a well-made film that I would recommend to everyone.
(9) Message / Moral values: “There should be no boundaries to human endeavour. However bad life may seem, where there is life there is hope.” – Stephen Hawking. Despite his illness, he kept a positive attitude towards life.