ALBERT EINSTIEN
Question 1.
“I think it’s not facts that matter, but ideas.” To whom did Einstein say this and why?
Answer:
Einstein said it to Mr Braun, the history teacher, in his Munich school. He hated learning
dates and facts by heart. He argued that ideas were more important than rote learning. He
was not interested in knowing when the battles were fought but why they were fought.
Question 2.
Do you think Albert is being impolite while answering the history teacher’s questions? Give
your reasons.
Answer:
Though Albert addresses his history teacher politely, he is being impudent. If he did have a
problem, he should have spoken to the teacher separately. Questioning the teacher’s views
on education in a class was impolite and rude.
OR
Albert addresses his history teacher politely. His answers are straightforward and blunt but
his opinions are strong. A firm conviction cannot be termed as rudeness.
Question 3.
What characteristic of Einstein’s nature is highlighted by the exchanges between him and
the teacher?
Answer:
The exchanges between Einstein and the teacher show him to be a person with firm
convictions; he is frank and straightforward. Even at the cost of punishment he is not willing
to compromise on his views. He comes across as one who will chart his own course rather
than follow the beaten track.
Question 4.
Why did Albert see no point in learning dates and facts?
Answer:
Einstein told Mr Braun, the history teacher, “I think it’s not facts that matter, but ideas.” He
hated learning dates and facts by heart. He argued that ideas were more important than
learning by rote. He was not interested in knowing when the battles were fought but why
they were fought.
Question 5.
What was Einstein’s reaction to the history teacher’s sarcasm?
Answer:
Mr Braun, his history teacher, was unhappy with Albert unwilling to leam facts or dates.
When he admitted that he did not see any point in learning dates, the teacher taunted him by
calling his views the ‘Einstein theory of education’. Albert argued that it was ideas that were
important but nevertheless, felt miserable.
Question 6.
Why did Albert feel miserable when he left school that day?
Answer:
When he left school that day, Albert felt miserable because his day at school, like most other
days, had been bad and he had gotten into an argument with his teacher for which he had
been punished. Secondly, he had to go back to the same school the next day. Moreover, the
idea of going back to his lodgings with the atmosphere of domestic violence did not cheer
him up.
Question 7.
Why and what did his history teacher report to the head teacher?
Answer:
Mr Braun was shocked and furious with Albert’s candid reply. He believed that Albert had
no desire to learn and was wasting his father’s money. He punished Albert by detaining him
after school. He also reported to the head teacher that his work was horrible; he was a rebel
and hindered teaching work in class.
Question 8.
Albert was equally unhappy at his lodging. Why?
Answer:
Albert was miserable at his lodging. His father was a man of modest means, had got him a
room in an ugly area. [Link] no comfort and did not like the food there. The atmosphere
was bad as his landlady kept beating her children and her husband came drunk and beat her.
Question 9.
What did Yuri say to him about violence in the hostel?
Answer:
Yuri told Einstein that he was fortunate to have an accommodation to himself. The people
around him were poor but not uncivilized like the ones with whom he shared his
accommodation. Yuri also told him about the uncivilized students, sharing his
accommodation, who fought. The authorities did not take action but merely told them not to
do so.
Question 10.
Who was Elsa? What was her advice to Albert?
Answer:
Elsa was Einstein’s cousin who lived in Berlin. She visited him of and on. She encouraged
him in his studies and tried to assure him that it was not difficult to pass his examination. All
he had to do was learn like a parrot, like the stupid boys who did that and passed.
Question 11.
What book did Elsa see Albert carrying under his arm? What did she say about it? What
does it reveal about him?
Answer:
Albert was interested in reading books on science. Elsa saw him with a geology book, a
subject that was not taught in school. She pointed out to him that it would not help him pass
his diploma. It however, showed that he was a learner and he liked reading what actually
interested him.
Question 12.
Why does the biographer refer to Albert’s interest in music as a comfort?
Answer:
Albert was having a bad time at school where he was supposed to cram facts in which he
had no interest. The teachers would taunt him and punish him. Even at his lodging, he had
no comfort. All this made him miserable. He turned to music as his only solace.
Question 13.
Why did the landlady ask Albert to stop playing music? How did he feel?
Answer:
Albert was miserable both in school and in his lodgings. He found comfort only in music.
He liked playing the violin and played it till the landlady stopped him. She had no ear for
music, and the wailing and howling of the children coupled with the sound of the music got
on her nerves.
Question 14.
What kind of a certificate was Albert looking for? Why?
Answer:
Albert told Yuri that he wanted to discontinue with school. If, however, he went back to
Milan he would be sent back by his father. He had a plan. If a doctor certified that he had a
nervous breakdown and it would be bad for him to go to school, he could escape school.
Question 15.
Yuri calls Albert ‘the world’s worst liar’. Do you think this is an insult or a compliment?
Answer:
Yuri called Albert ‘the world’s worst liar’ and meant it as a compliment to him. Yuri
implied that Albert was so honest and straightforward that he could not tell lies successfully.
His voice or manner betrayed him when he lied.
Question 16.
How did Yuri help him in his plan?
Answer:
Yuri knew that Albert was miserable and wanted to help him. He knew of no doctors but
referred him to his friend, a medical student, Ernst Weil. This young doctor had a license to
practise and Yuri felt he could be of help.
Question 17.
Why was Albert nervous when he met the doctor? What does this nervousness indicate
about his nature?
Answer:
The whole day Albert had been wondering what to tell the doctor from whom he needed a
certificate saying that he had had a nervous breakdown. He was in a nervous state, worrying
about it, by the time he went to see the doctor. This showed his inherent truthfulness and
honesty.
Question 18.
How did Albert hope to get admission to an Italian college without a diploma from the
German school?
Answer:
Albert went to Mr Koch, his teacher of mathematics, to get a recommendation. Mr Koch
admired Albert and acknowledged Einstein’s superiority of merit, over his own. He got a
recommendation from Mr Koch that said that he was fit to join an institute for higher
education in mathematics.
Question 19.
What reason did the head teacher give for expelling Albert from school?
Answer:
The head teacher expelled Albert from school because his work was ‘terrible’. Albert’s
presence in the classroom also made it impossible for the teacher to teach and for other
pupils to learn. He accused Albert of hindering serious work because he refused to learn and
was in constant rebellion.
Question 20.
Describe Albert’s meeting with Ernst Weil.
Answer:
Albert related his problem honestly to Ernst Weil though Yuri had informed the doctor of
everything beforehand. The doctor, a student till recently, understood his problem. He
judged, had Albert not been close to a nervous breakdown, he would not have gone to a
doctor, thereby certifying that he keep away from school for six months.
Albert Einstein at School Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type
Question 1.
Were the teachers interested in understanding Albert and bringing out his potential?
Answer:
The given extract mentions only three of the teachers—the history teacher, Mr Braun, the
mathematics . teacher, Mr Koch, and the head teacher. The history teacher was not at all
interested in bringing out Albert’s potential. He followed the traditional method of teaching
history and laid more emphasis on the acquisition of knowledge, by rote learning, rather than
the understanding of ideas. He also had a sarcastic attitude and mocked Albert for his views.
He did not help the talented boy achieve his potential, rather he complained to the head
teacher and got him expelled.
The mathematics teacher, Mr Koch, on the other hand, was very encouraging. He confessed
that he could not teach Albert anymore; rather Albert would soon be able to teach him. The
head teacher humiliated Albert and expelled him from the institution for being rebellious
and for not allowing the class work to go on. Neither the history teacher nor the head teacher
acknowledged Albert’s mathematical genius.
Question 2.
Why was Albert miserable in school? How did he plan to move out of it?
Answer:
Albert Einstein was bom in a modest family and was sent to Munich to study at school for
his diploma. He was an intelligent student but not good at rote learning dates and facts in
history. Albert was miserable in school, where his teacher detested him for not adopting the
conventional method of rote learning, and at the place where he lived. To escape the torture
at school, he had a plan. He wanted to get a doctor’s certificate that declared he had had a
nervous breakdown and was unfit to go to school.
Question 3.
Why was Albert miserable in Munich?
Answer:
Albert Einstein was studying for his diploma in school, in Munich, which had a very
conservative approach to education. Albert had an analytical and rational mind. He hated
rote learning. This outraged Mr Braun, his history teacher. The teacher taunted him by
calling his views the ‘Einstein theory of education’. The authorities believed that Albert had
no desire to leam and was wasting his father’s money. The teacher punished Albert by
detaining him for an extra period in school.
Albert was miserable as he returned to his lodging. He had got a room in an area that was
ugly. Albert had no comfort, nor did he like the food there. The atmosphere was bad as his
landlady kept beating her children and her husband came drunk and beat her. She even
forbade him to play the violin. All this made him miserable. Expulsion from his school was
a welcome relief to him.
Question 4.
Comment on the role of Yuri as described in the extract.
Answer:
During that traumatic period in the school at Germany, Einstein’s only saviour was his
friend Yuri. He lived in a hostel with some other students and often encouraged Albert when
he was upset. Yuri was Albert’s friend, philosopher, and guide. Yuri helped Albert obtain a
certificate to say that he had had a nervous breakdown by referring him to his friend, a
medical student, Ernst Weil.
Yuri advised Albert into taking a certificate of recommendation from the mathematics
teacher before seeing the head teacher. Albert got a recommendation from him stating that
he was fit to join an institute for higher ‘ education in mathematics. It was this certificate
that helped him join a college in Italy.
Yuri understood his friend and admired his honesty, calling him, ‘the world’s worst liar’.
Albert met with Yuri before leaving Munich. Yuri bade him a good bye and wished him the
best for his future.
Question 5.
Keeping the whole passage in mind, briefly discuss Einstein’s character as it is revealed
here.
Answer:
Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists of all times. As a young student, Einstein
showed the sparks of his genius. His mathematics teacher had great respect for his ability
and went so far as to say, “I can’t teach you more, and probably you’ll soon be able to teach
me.”
Einstein was not interested in knowing factual details of historical events but their causes
and effects, which infuriated his history teacher. The exchange between Einstein and the
teacher show him as someone who is unwilling to compromise on his views, risking
punishment. He is noted for his straightforwardness. He comes across as one who will chart
his own course rather than follow the beaten track.
Yuri paid Albert’s virtue of honesty a compliment by calling him ‘the world’s worst liar’.
Albert Einstein also loved music. He played the violin for his joy and comfort.
Albert abhorred violence and was unhappy in his lodgings because of his abhorrence for
domestic violence.
Question 6.
Express your views on the educational system in Germany.
Answer:
The educational systerp in Germany was organized along traditional lines. Albert Einstein’s
miserable five years in the school at Munich are a telling comment on the system. It had no
room for individual brilliance, aptitude and aspirations. Students were required to study a
regular number of subjects. Stress was laid on the learning of facts rather than its cause and
effects.
Elsa assured Einstein, it was easy to pass an examination by learning by rote, like a parrot.
The system discouraged genius and creativity. No effort was made to understand the
students their problems or emotions. Mr Braun, the history teacher, was completely
insensitive to Albert’s feelings and taunted him about his ideas by calling them the ‘Einstein
theory of education’.
Teachers and authorities insisted on discipline and conformity. The head teacher expelled
Albert Einstein from school for arguing his point of view with the teacher.
The educational system in Germany was rigid and laid more emphasis on mindless
cramming of facts than on understanding or creativity.
Question 7.
Who were Yuri and Elsa? What role did they play in Einstein’s life?
Answer:
Albert Einstein was studying for his diploma in a school in Munich, where he was unhappy.
He hated learning dates and facts by heart and candidly confessed his apathy of learning
dates and dry facts; he believed in ideas. He was equally miserable when he went to his
lodging because of the violence around him there.
The only people he could depend on were Elsa and Yuri. Elsa was his cousin who lived in
Berlin. She encouraged him in his studies and tried to assure him that it was not difficult to
pass his examination. All he had to do was learn like a parrot like other stupid boys who did
that and passed. Yuri, his friend, too gave him a lot of support, and introduced him to Ernst
Weil, helping him get out of his miserable existence in Munich.
Question 8.
Why did Albert feel the ‘certificate burning a hole in his pocket’?
Answer:
The doctor, Ernst Weil, referred by Yuri, falsely certified that Albert had had a nervous
breakdown and should be kept away from school for six months. However, before he could
go to the head teacher, Albert was summoned and expelled from school. The reason given
was that he neither wanted to study nor was his presence conducive for others eager to learn.
He knew that was not true. He wanted to show him the certificate to prove that he was
equally miserable and wanted to get rid of the school as he was not in agreement with the
methods of teaching there.
