Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, extra MCQs, PDF for Sister Nivedita’s Amarnath: WBCHSE Class 11 English Literature textbook A Realm of English (B) Selection, which is part of the Semester I syllabus for students studying under WBBSE (West Bengal Board-Uccha Madhyamik). These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.
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Summary
During a meal in the Mogul Gardens, Swami Vivekananda announced he would join the pilgrimage to Amarnath and take the author with him. Preparations were made, and they joined the large, orderly groups of pilgrims traveling through Kashmir. The pilgrims would set up camp quickly each evening, creating a temporary town with a street where people could buy food. Swami Vivekananda’s tent became a center of activity, attracting hundreds of monks who would gather to speak with him all day.
The monks often had discussions with Swami Vivekananda. They were focused on spiritual matters and did not understand his interest in worldly affairs or his sympathy for Muslims. They argued that the soil of Punjab was “drenched with the blood of those who had died for the faith.” This was their way of saying that many Hindus had died there in religious conflicts. Swami Vivekananda, however, was a man ahead of his time. He pointed out that the main official of the pilgrimage was a Muslim, and no one objected to him or other Muslim staff entering the holy cave.
The final part of the journey was through beautiful but difficult mountain paths. The pilgrims walked through pine forests and then past the snow line to reach a steep gorge. Inside this gorge was the Cave of Amarnath. Within the cave, in a spot where sunlight never reaches, was a great pillar of ice. This ice pillar is a sacred symbol of the god Siva. Swami Vivekananda had followed all the rituals of the pilgrimage, and when he entered the cave, he felt he was seeing Siva himself.
Overcome with emotion, he knelt for a few moments and then quietly left. He later said that in the cave, he received the gift of Amar, which meant he would not die until he chose to. The pilgrimage ended on the day of a special festival. Swami Vivekananda was deeply moved by the experience. He often thought about how shepherds must have first found the cave by accident. For the rest of his life, he treasured the memory of entering the mountain cave and feeling he had come face to face with God
Textbook MCQ solutions
1. The soil of Punjab was flooded with the blood of the people who died for
a) Love
b) The land
c) The faith
d) Other people
Answer: c) The faith
2. The word ” other worldliness ” means
a) Animal world
b) An other world
c) Relating to a world other than the actual world
d) A new world
Answer: c) Relating to a world other than the actual world
Additional MCQs
1. The Swami’s sudden announcement that he would go to Amarnath was made during a meal at:
A. Islamabad
B. The Mogul Gardens at Achhabal
C. Pahlgam
D. The banks of a frozen river
Answer: B. The Mogul Gardens at Achhabal
2. What was the only trace left behind by the thousands of pilgrims after they broke camp before dawn?
A. Discarded belongings
B. The remains of their tents
C. Footprints in the field
D. The ashes of their cooking-fires
Answer: D. The ashes of their cooking-fires
3. In the bazaar that traveled with the pilgrims, what could one buy?
A. Dried fruits, milk, dahls, and rice
B. Woven cloths and religious icons
C. Tents and camping equipment
D. Spices, vegetables, and meat
Answer: A. Dried fruits, milk, dahls, and rice
4. The Swami’s influence among the hundreds of monks was described as being:
A. Minimal
B. Authoritative
C. Magnetic
D. Controversial
Answer: C. Magnetic
5. According to some monks, the soil of the Punjaub was drenched with the blood of those who had died for:
A. The land
B. Their families
C. The faith
D. The king
Answer: C. The faith
6. The Tehsildar, who was an officer of the pilgrimage, was a:
A. Hindu priest
B. Mussulman
C. Foreign dignitary
D. Buddhist monk
Answer: B. Mussulman
7. The pilgrimage camp halted for a day at Pahlgam in order to:
A. Keep ekadasi
B. Wait for more pilgrims to arrive
C. Trade with the local shepherds
D. Resupply on food and water
Answer: A. Keep ekadasi
8. Pahlgam, where the camp halted for a day, is described as:
A. A bustling city
B. A dense jungle
C. A barren desert
D. The village of the shepherds
Answer: D. The village of the shepherds
9. On the second night of the final march towards the cave, the great camp-fire was made of:
A. Pine wood
B. Juniper
C. Dried animal dung
D. Peat moss
Answer: B. Juniper
10. What was seen shining in a niche inside the Cave of Amarnath?
A. A golden statue
B. A sacred flame
C. A great ice-lingam
D. An ancient manuscript
Answer: C. A great ice-lingam
48. (I) The Swami suddenly announced that he would go to Amarnath with the pilgrims.
(II) Preparations went forward for this unique experience.
A. I is the result of II.
B. I is independent of II.
C. I is a contradiction of II.
D. I is the cause for II.
Answer: D. I is the cause for II.
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