Sound Of Music
Part I
Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It
–Deborah Cowley
Assignment
1. Reference to context:
Read the given extract and answer the following questions:
“She had learnt to open her mind and body to sounds and vibrations. The rest was sheer
determination and hard work.”
1.What did Evelyn learn to do?
A) Play the piano
B) Open her mind and body to sounds and vibrations
C) Speak different languages
D) Read lips
Answer: B) Open her mind and body to sounds and vibrations
2. According to the passage, what was the key to Evelyn’s success besides learning to
sense vibrations?
A) Good luck
B) Support from her parents
C) Determination and hard work
D) Expensive instruments
Answer: C) Determination and hard work
3.Find the synonym of “vibrations” and the antonym of “determination” from the
options below:
A) Movements, Doubt
B) Sounds, Weakness
C) Silence, Effort
D) Tremors, Laziness
Answer: A) Movements, Doubt
4.How did Evelyn Glennie sense music despite her deafness?
Answer:Evelyn Glennie sensed music by feeling vibrations through different parts of her
body. She removed her shoes to feel the vibrations through her feet and legs, allowing her to
experience and perform music even though she could not hear it.
Short Answer Questions (30–40 words each)
Q1. When was Evelyn’s deafness first noticed and when was it confirmed?
Evelyn's hearing problems were first observed when she was eight years old. Her mother
became concerned when Evelyn didn’t react to being called to play the piano. The full extent
of her hearing loss was confirmed three years later, at the age of eleven, after her declining
school performance led her parents to seek medical advice. A specialist then revealed that
Evelyn was suffering from severe hearing impairment due to progressive nerve damage.
Q2. Who helped Evelyn continue with music and how?
Percussionist Ron Forbes helped Evelyn. He encouraged her not to listen through her ears but
to sense music through other parts of her body, helping her connect with music in a new way.
Q3.Why does Evelyn say that men with bushy beards give her trouble?
Answer: Evelyn says that men with bushy beards give her trouble because she has to watch
their whole face, especially their eyes in order to grasp what they say just watching their lips
did not help as the lips remained partially hidden in the beards.
Q4. What recognition did Evelyn receive for her musical talent?
Answer: Evelyn received the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Soloist of the Year
Award in 1991, acknowledging her exceptional contribution as a solo percussionist.
Q5. “Everything suddenly looked black”. Why does Evelyn say so?
Answer: When Evelyn was advised to use hearing aids and join the school for the deaf, she
felt that her future was bleak and dark. She was depressed, as all hope for great achievements
seemed to have vanished. She had now become a disabled child who could not have easy
access to normal life.
Long Answer Questions (100–120 words each)
Q.1. Describe Evelyn Glennie’s journey to becoming a world-famous percussionist
despite her disability.
Evelyn Glennie’s journey is a story of courage and determination. She lost her hearing
gradually, with her deafness confirmed at the age of eleven. Despite this, Evelyn was
determined to lead a normal life and pursue her passion for music. With the support of
percussionist Ron Forbes, she learned to sense music through vibrations in her body rather
than through her ears. She practiced tirelessly, opening her mind and body to new ways of
experiencing sound. Evelyn’s hard work paid off as she toured the United Kingdom, gave
solo performances, and earned international acclaim, including the Royal Philharmonic
Society’s Soloist of the Year Award. Her story inspires others to overcome obstacles and
follow their dreams.
Q.2.Evelyn Glennie’s deafness was more than compensated by other parts of her body
so far as the music was concerned. Discuss.
(Students need to answer on their own)
