Class: IX

L- 4 A Truly Beautiful Mind

About the Author

Albert Einstein, (born March 14, 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, Germany—died April 18, 1955, Princeton, New
Jersey, U.S.), German-born physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity and won the
Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.

Main Points

• Albert Einstein has been portrayed as a great intellectual genius and a peace-loving human being with
liberal ideas.
• As an intellectual, he created a revolution in the field of science by publishing in quick succession four
groundbreaking papers about light, motion, electrodynamics of moving bodies and energy.
• During his childhood, Einstein did not show any traces of intelligence. His mother called him freak and
his classmates tagged him as Brother Boring.
• His headmaster told his father that he will never be successful in any of the profession he would choose.
• However, Einstein proved to be a bright student as he had keen interest and skills in mathematics and
physics.
• Einstein’s love for freedom made him feel suffocated in his school in Munich because of excessive
regimentation and he left school at the age of 15 years.
• He opted to go to Zurich, German speaking part of Switzerland for further studies which had a liberal
environment.
• He met Mileva Maric from Serbia and found an ally in her who shared the same interests. He got married
to her in 1903.
• He completed his graduation in 1900 and secured a job in 1902 as technical expert in the patent office in
Bern.
• He called his desk drawer as ‘Bureau of Theoretical Physics’.
• He created a sensation by inventing Special Theory of Relativity in 1905 and General Theory of Relativity
in 1915.
 • His prediction on eclipse of Sun came to be true in 1919 and he was awarded the Noble Prize for the same
in 1921.
• In 1933, he left Germany and emigrated to United States when the dictatorial Nazis took over because he
was averse to every type of authority.
• He was against philistinism (indifferent or hostile towards art and culture).
• He wrote a letter to American President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 2 August 1939 warning about the severe
consequences of making and using of bomb by Nazis.
• His words did not fail to have an effect and Americans developed the atomic bomb in secret.
• He was perturbed by the destructive use of science when the atomic bomb was dropped by America on
the Japanese cities of over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
• He later wrote a public missive to United Nations proposing to form a world government to spread peace
and non-violence across the globe, and hence the title refers him as ‘A Truly Beautiful Mind’.
• Einstein’s traits as a scientific genius and a peace-loving human being with a deep love for freedom are
amply highlighted in this biographical account.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. During his childhood, Einstein did not show any traces of becoming a genius one day. How?
Ans. As a child, Einstein had a large head and did not start to speak till he was two-and-a-half years old. Finally,
when he did speak, he used to utter everything twice. He could not interact freely with his playmates either. All
this showed the absence of any traces in him of becoming a genius one day.

2. Why did Einstein’s playmates call him “Brother Boring”?

Ans. Einstein did not know what to do with other children. His shy and introvert nature made his company boring
to his playmates. So, they teased him as “Brother Boring” and did not include him in their games. Therefore, he
played all alone when he was a child.

3. Why did Einstein shift to Switzerland to continue his education?

Ans. Einstein shifted to the German-speaking part of Switzerland to continue his education because he had left
his school in Munich midway. This new place was more liberal than Munich and Einstein’s curious and free
temperament got a favourable environment over here.

4. Why did Einstein see an ally in Mileva Maric?

Ans. Einstein saw an ally in his Serbian fellow student Mileva Maric because, like him, she too was against
philistines – the people who have disregard for art and culture. As both shared similar tastes, Einstein developed
a liking for her and they both fell in love.

5. What did Einstein call his desk drawer at the patent office? Why?
Ans. Einstein jokingly called his desk drawer at the patent office as “Bureau of theoretical physics”. He did so
because his office job required him to assess the inventions of other people while he secretly developed his own
ideas regarding his keen interest in Physics.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

1. The author talks about two important letters that Einstein wrote -one to President Franklin D. Roosevelt
and the other to the United Nations. What prompted Einstein to write these letters? What impact did they
make?
Ans. At the insistence of a colleague, Einstein wrote a letter to the American President, Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1939 warning him that the atomic bomb if made and used by Germany, could not only destroy the whole
port on which it could be dropped but also the territory surrounding it. The impact of the letter was both deep
 and rapid as the Americans secretly developed their own atomic bombs which were dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in Japan in 1945. As expected, these bombs caused terrible destruction. The large-scale damage
caused by these bombings on Japan perturbed Einstein so much that this time he wrote a public missive to the
United Nations. In this letter, he proposed for the formation of the world government. This would put an end
to the enmity between nations and hence stop the massacres caused in the name of wars. But this letter did
not have any impact. Thus, unlike the letter to Roosevelt, Einstein’s letter to the United Nations failed to
evoke any response.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN ABOUT 100-120 WORDS

1. Write down the achievements of Albert Einstein?

2. Write a short note on Einstein’s education from school to university.
3. What important lessons can Educationists today learn from the biographical sketch of the great scientist,
Einstein?
4. Write a biography on Albert Einstein & paste a picture.

ACTIVITY - PREPARE A MIND MAP

• Gist
• Characters
• Theme
• Values learnt

CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTIONS

1. Albert’s work on General Theory of Relativity was proclaimed by the newspapers as___________

(a) A mysterious revolution

(b) A scientific revolution
(c) A musical revolution
(d) A technological revolution

2. Einstein’s mother was bothered by the intelligence of

(a) Mileva
(b) Einstein
(c) Elsa
(d) Margie

3.At what age did Einstein pass away?

(a) 77
(b) 76
(c) 79
(d) 78

4.Einstein was deeply shaken due to the destruction caused by__________

(a) World war

(b) Atomic Bomb explosion in Japanese cities
(c) Political turmoil
(d) Terror attacks in America
5.In which subject did Einstein receive Nobel Prize?

(a) Physics
(b) Mathematics
(c) Chemistry
(d) Literature

6.When did Einstein have his second marriage?

(a) 1919
(b) 1918
(c) 1920
(d) 1921

7. When did Einstein get married?

(a) 1903
(b) 1905
(c) 1902
(d) 1904

8.Whom did Albert want to marry right after finishing studies?

(a) Blair
(b) Mileva
(c) Mary
(d) Margie

9.When did the famous paper of Einstein “Special Theory of Relativity” get published?

(a) 1905
(b) 1901
(c) 1900
(d) 1903

10.Where was his job location?

(a) Bern
(b) Munich
(c) Zurich
(d) Ulm

11.After finishing graduation, Albert worked as a_____________

(a) Mechanical engineer

(b) As a space scientist
(c) As a teaching statement
(d) As a technical expert

12.Both Einstein and his beloved worked on____________

(a) Gravity
(b) Laws of Motion
(c) Relativity
(d) Thermal conductance

13.Why did she come to Switzerland?

(a) Because she loved Swiss culture

(b) Because she wanted to pursue Mathematics
(c) Because she wanted to settle in Switzerland
(d) Because the University of Zurich provided degrees to women

14.Albert found this fellow student to be___________

(a) Pretty creature

(b) Smart creature
(c) Clever creature
(d) Tall creature

15.What kind of mustache Einstein had as a young man?

(a) Like a walrus

(b) Thick
(c) Bushy
(d) White

16.Why has the author referred to the late speaking age of Einstein?

(a) to show that apparently his growth rate was slower than the children of his age
(b) to show that he was a slow learner
(c) To show his disability
(d) None

17.What is the message of this lesson?

(a) a beautiful mind not only creates beautiful ideas but also to use them for the welfare of the humanity
(b) always think big
(c) be like Einstein
(d) win a Nobel Prize

18.What does this lesson A Truly Beautiful mind speak about?

(a) beauty of the mind

(b) beauty of the world
(c) the life of the greatest scientist Einstein and his contributions to the field of science and world politics
(d) none

19.When did Einstein secure a job?

(a) 1901
(b) 1903
(c) 1902
(d) 1904

20.When did Einstein complete his graduation?

(a) 1912
(b) 1900
(c) 1901
(d) 1978

21.Why did Mileva Maric come to the University at Zurich?

(a) it was the only university which gave degrees to women

(b) it was a good university
(c) it was near her city
(d) she liked the place

22.Where did Einstein go after school?

(a) at a university in Zurich

(b) at a university in Munich
(c) at a university in German
(d) at a university in Switzerland

23.Why did Einstein decide to continue his study in Switzerland?

(a) it was a good city

(b) it was more liberal than Munich
(c) he liked the place
(d) all

24.When did Einstein’s family move to Munich?

(a) when he was 15 months old

(b) when he was 12 months old
(c) when he was 14 months old
(d) When he was 16 months old

25.Where did Einstein score good marks in all the subjects?

(a) at Munich in a school

(b) at German
(c) in a test
(d) none

26.What did the school headmaster say about Einstein?

(a) he would be a genius

(b) he is great
(c) he can’t be a success at anything
(d) none
27.How many times did Einstein utter a word when he learnt to speak?

(a) thrice
(b) four times
(c) once
(d) twice

28.What did Albert’s classmates call him?

(a) a genius
(b) dull
(c) Brother Boring
(d) Freak

29.Where was Einstein born?

(a) Bulgaria
(b) German city of Ulm
(c) Georgia
(d) None

30.Who has become synonymous with genius?

(a) Einstein’s name

(b) Gandhi’s name
(c) Wright Brothers
(d) All