Snapshots Albert Einstein at School - Solutions

 CBSE Class -XI English Core

NCERT Solutions
SNAPSHOTS Chapter-4
Albert Einstein at School

Reading with insight :Solutions of Questions on Page Number :31

1 : What do you understand of Einstein's nature from his conversations with his history teacher, his mathematics teacher and the head teacher?
Answer : Albert Einstein was an intelligent student but was against rote learning and especially he hated learning dates and facts of history.  He didn't believe in the then prevailing system of education. His nature was a spontaneous one. He found memorizing facts and dates quite useless. Ideas lured him more than facts because of which he had a heated argument on education with his history teacher. He was so restless and indifferent to the importance of attending school that he didn't mind not attending it at all. From his conversation with the Math teacher, we come to know that he was a student who actually had some interest in mathematics, that being the only class in which he paid a lot of attention and never wasted his time. He wasn't open and outright in front of his Mathematics teacher. His behavior had turned mild before his teacher which showed his level of respect and obedience for elders. Later, his merit is not recognized by the principal of his school and he is expelled from the school.

2 : The school system often curbs individual talents. Discuss.
Answer :  Various points to prove the fact that the school system curbs individual talents are:

  • Focuses more on memorizing facts and data rather than encouraging them to understand concepts and ideas.
  • Thrust on taking exams rather than focusing on increasing the mental and intellectual aptitude of a student;
  • The irregular student-teacher ratio makes it impossible for the teachers to provide individual attention to each and every student.
  • One-to-one interaction with the kids has lessened these days.
  • Time bound classes or specific syllabus does not encourage out of the box learning.
  • Quantity matters more than quality.

3 : How do you distinguish between information gathering and insight formation?
Answer : There is a mass difference between the concepts of information gathering and insight formation.Information gathering refers to collection of data and facts. It means knowledge of specific events or situations that has been gathered or received by communication.it is a passive process involving lower level of understanding. It is mere mechanical process which encourages memorization of facts.
Insight formation, on the other hand, refers to the perception one has of things through his deep understanding of a subject. Insight refers to the capacity to discern the true nature of a situation. Thus, it might differ from person to person, depending on everyone's ideas and concepts. It is a more complex process by which actual learning takes place.