You can find grammar questions from the chapter A Truly Beautiful Mind here.

1. Here are some sentences from the story. Choose the word from the brackets which can be substituted for the italicized words in the sentences.

1. A few years later, the marriage faltered. (failed, broke, became weak)

Ans: failed

2. Einstein was constantly at odds with people at the university. (on bad terms, in disagreement, unhappy)

Ans: in disagreement

3. The newspapers proclaimed his word as ‘a scientific revolution’. (declared, praised, showed)

Ans: praised

4. Einstein got ever more involved in politics, agitating for an end to the arms buildup. (campaigning, fighting, supporting)

Ans: campaigning

5. At the age of 15, Einstein felt so stifled that he left the school for good (permanently, for his benefit, for a short time)

Ans: permanently

6. Five years later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had American physicists in an uproar. (in a state of commotion, full of criticism, in a desperate state)

Ans: in a state of commotion

7. Science wasn’t the only thing that appealed to the dashing young man with the walrus moustache (interested, challenged, worried)

Ans: interested

II. Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with suitable participial clauses. The information that has to be used in the phrases is provided as a sentence in brackets.

1. …………………………. The firefighters finally put out the fire. (They worked round the clock.)

2. She watched the sunset above the mountains……………………………….. (She noticed the colours blending softly into one another.)

3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly………………………………… (While it neighed continually)

4. …………………………… I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras. (I had taken the wrong train.)

5. ……………………………. I was desperate to get to the bathroom. (I had not bathed for two days.)

6. The stone steps ………………………………….. needed to be replaced. (They were worn down.)

7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans ………………………………. (They asked him to send them his photograph)

Answers

1. Working round the clock, the firefighters finally put out the fire. (Here both clauses have the same subject – firefighters. In this situation, we reduce the clause expressing the earlier of the two actions or situations into a participial phrase and add it to the other clause.)

2. She watched the sunset above the mountains noticing the colours blending softly into one another.

3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly neighing continually.

4. Having taken the wrong train, I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras.

5. Not having bathes for two days, I was desperate to get to the bathroom.

6. The stone steps being worn down needed to be replaced.

7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans asking him to send them his photograph.

Participial phrase exercise for class 9 CBSE