Unbeatable Super Mom – Mary Kom
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
1. Choose the correct alternative and underline it.
(a) What is included in the text?
(iii) interview
(b) Which State does Mary Kom belong to?
(iv) Manipur
(c) Who inspired Mary Kom and other youngsters in Manipur to choose boxing as a career?
(i) Dingko Singh
(d) What does Mary Kom prefer being called?
(i) Super mom
2. Go through the text again and find out the name of cities and their importance in Mary Kom’s life. One is given for you.
(a) Kangthei – Mary Kom’s birthplace
(b) Pune – Where she trained and sparred with male boxers for the Olympics
(c) Manipur – Her home state where she began her boxing career
(d) United States – Where she made her international debut and won a silver medal
3. Go through the text again and complete the following sentences.
- Mary Kom helped her parents with farm-related chores.
- The success of Dingko Singh inspired many youngsters in Manipur, including Mary Kom, to try boxing.
- Mary Kom made her debut at the first AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship in the United States.
- We can get more gold medals if more people take up sports as a full-time career and corporates sponsor players.
- Mary Kom was able to increase her weight by eating the right kind of healthy food.
- Mary Kom is good at cooking and other household work.
- Mary Kom loves to be a mom.
- Mary Kom apologised to the nation for not being able to win the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.
- Kom’s parents were tenant farmers who worked in jhum fields. Her father was a keen wrestler in his younger age.
- Kom was the first woman boxer to qualify and win a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics for India.
4. You will find some Acronyms (short forms) in the text. Go to the library or search the internet to find their full forms.
(a) OGQ – Olympic Gold Quest
(b) IBN – India Broadcast News
(c) MTV – Music Television
(d) YPA – Young People’s Association
(e) AIBA – International Boxing Association
(f) CNN – Cable News Network
5. Fill in the factfile of Mary Kom.
(a) Full name: Chungneijang Mary Kom
(b) Native of: Manipur, India
(c) Early life and interests: Born in a poor family, helped with farm chores, interested in athletics
(d) Special sports taken up: Boxing
(e) Inspired by: Dingko Singh
(f) Coach: Charles Atkinson
(g) Early achievements: Won Manipur State Women’s Boxing Championship in 2000
(h) International achievements: Six-time World Amateur Boxing Champion, Olympic bronze medalist in 2012
(i) Her passion: Being a mother
(j) Future plans: Possibly coaching Indian women in boxing
6. Glance through the text and find the special qualities of Mary Kom. Complete the web.
Qualities of Mary Kom:
- Humble
- Confident
- Hardworking
- Determined
- Passionate
- Brave
7. ‘Super Mom’ refers to an excellent mother. Give three reasons why ‘super’ has been added to the word ‘mom’ as in the title.
- She balances being a top boxer with raising her children, showing exceptional strength.
- She inspires her kids and others by breaking stereotypes about women.
- She loves being a mom and considers it her best achievement, proving her dedication.
8. Answer the following questions in your own words.
(a) What makes the writer call Mary Kom ‘a legend’?
- Mary Kom is called a legend because she won six World Boxing Championships and was the first Indian woman to win an Olympic bronze medal, inspiring many with her achievements.
(b) What prime quality did Mary Kom display during her first attempt in Olympic games? What was her bad luck?
- Her prime quality was confidence; she wasn’t pressured despite being India’s only female boxer. Her bad luck was dodgy judging in the semi-finals, which cost her the gold medal.
(c) What does Mary Kom suggest, for India to win more Olympic Gold Medals?
- She suggests more people take up sports full-time and corporates sponsor players to reduce financial stress, allowing focus on training.
9. Rearrange the facts below in their proper order, as per the text.
- (e) Mary Kom decided to take up boxing.
- (c) Mary Kom won the Manipur State’s Women’s Boxing Championship.
- (a) Mary Kom made her first appearance at international level.
- (b) She sparred with male boxers in Pune.
- (d) She won a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics.
10. Mary Kom prepared rigorously to win many championships. Read the text again and make a list of various things done by Kom regarding her preparations.
- Variety of preparations: Trained hard in Pune, sparred with male boxers, worked with her coach beforehand.
- Diet: Focused on healthy food to gain 3 kg for the 51 kg category.
- Focus: Stayed confident and stress-free with OGQ’s support, concentrated on her game plan.
11. Make sentences of your own using the following words.
(a) Debut:
- She made her debut in the school play last week.
- His debut match as a cricketer was unforgettable.
(b) Elation:
- I felt elation when I scored full marks in the exam.
- Her elation was clear after winning the race.
(c) Sponsor:
- A big company decided to sponsor our football team.
- They need a sponsor to fund the event.
(d) Reinforced:
- His kind words reinforced my belief in myself.
- The teacher reinforced the lesson with examples.
(e) Humble surroundings:
- She grew up in humble surroundings but achieved great success.
- Despite humble surroundings, he never gave up on his dreams.
12. Find antonyms of the following words from the text.
(a) Arrogant 🞫 Humble
(b) Finally 🞫 Initially
(c) Depressed 🞫 Exhilarated
(d) Disqualify 🞫 Qualify
(e) Diffident 🞫 Confident
(f) Float 🞫 Sink
13. Underline the subordinate clauses and state their kind.
(a) Enough has been said about this great warrior, who conquered the world. (Adjective clause)
(b) The male boxers kindly practised with me whenever I required them. (Adverb clause)
(c) I think that more people should take up sports as a full-time career. (Noun clause)
(d) Do you think nutrition is a neglected area in Indian sports? (Noun clause)
(e) That’s the best thing, that has happened to me. (Adjective clause)
(f) India managed just 6 medals in 2012 Olympics even though we are a nation of 1.3 billion people. (Adverb clause)
14. (A) Pick out from the text the Verb forms of:
(a) qualification – qualify
(b) negligence – neglect
(c) company – accompany
(d) decisions – decide
(e) practice – practise
(f) birth – born
(B) Pick out the Noun forms of:
(a) represent – representative
(b) change – change
(c) prepare – preparation
(d) achieve – achievement
(e) aware – awareness
(f) succeed – success
(C) Pick out the Adjective forms of:
(a) favour – favourite
(b) proportion – proportionate
(c) finance – financial
(d) nutrition – nutritional
(e) female – female
(f) addition – additional
15. Imagine that you are the Captain of your team. A famous cricketer is going to visit your school. Frame a set of 10 questions that you will ask the cricketer.
- Where were you born and brought up?
- When did you first develop an interest in cricket?
- Who inspired you to take up cricket as a career?
- Who coached you during your early days in cricket?
- What are your biggest achievements in cricket so far?
- Which world record are you most proud of?
- What are your future plans in cricket?
- How do you prepare yourself before a big match?
- What advice would you give to young cricketers like us?
- How do you handle pressure during tough matches?
16. Write a short paragraph describing the life and work of Mary Kom.
Mary Kom, born on 24th November 1982 in Kangthei, Manipur, grew up in a poor family, helping with farm chores while pursuing athletics and later boxing. Inspired by Dingko Singh, she trained hard, starting her career in 2000 by winning the Manipur State Women’s Boxing Championship. Her achievements include six World Amateur Boxing Championships and a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics, making her the first Indian woman boxer to do so. Known as ‘Magnificent Mary,’ she plans to possibly coach Indian women in boxing in the future while cherishing her role as a mother.
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