Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Quest For Gold Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of O Flower O Flower, The Journey of The Indian Flag and I Am Colin so, you can check these posts as well.
The Quest For Gold Questions & Answers
Question 1: Why did Saina Nehwal celebrate her win at the 2012 London Summer Olympics by gorging on junk food?
Answer: Saina had not tasted any junk food for almost a decade. Her coach had banned all junk food from her diet when he began coaching her in 2003. The Olympic win was a special occasion so, she celebrated it by something special and different from what she ate every day.
Question 2: Give a brief description of Saina’s daily routine.
Answer: Saina follows a tough routine. She begins her day at six in the morning. She practices badminton for almost four hours in the morning at Gopichand Badminton Academy. She fine-tunes her game in an hour-long session in the afternoon. This is followed by exercise and weight training at the gym four times a week and a 70-minute run on the remaining two days. She sleeps for nine hours at night. Sunday is a rest day when she sleeps a bit longer, watches TV and does some exercises.
Question 3: Give an account of Saina’s achievements between 2003 and 2008.
Answer: Saina won the Czechoslovakia Junior Championship in 2003 at the age of 13 years. She won the Philippines Open in 2006 and was placed second at the World Junior Championships. In 2008, she became the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships. At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, she became the first Indian female player to reach the singles quarterfinals.
Question 4: Which wins led to Saina being ranked of world number three by the World Badminton Federation?
Answer: In 2009, Saina won the Indonesian Open Super Series, the Indian Open Grand Prix and the Singapore Open Super Series. These wins earned her a rank of world number 3 by the Badminton World Federation.
Question 5: What sacrifices has Saina Nehwal had to make for her sport?
Answer: Saina’s life has been extremely disciplined since she was a little girl. She devotes all her time to practicing, exercising and training. She has given up fun activities like going to parties, watching a movie or having junk food. She doesn’t have a social life or any friends. She has had to go through physical and psychological struggles because of her schedule.
The Quest For Gold Questions & Answers
Question 6: Why was Saina confident about winning a medal at the London Olympics?
Answer: Saina was back-to-back titles in Thailand and Indonesia in 2011.This gave her the confidence that she could win a medal at the London Olympics.
Question 7: Why does she feel she has become an overnight celebrity?
Answer: Saina received a huge and enthusiastic welcome back home when she returned from the London Olympics after winning a bronze medal there. Her earlier World Junior title and the two Grand Prix titles did not bring her the kind of appreciation she deserved. The enormous appreciation she received for the Olympic win was a surprise for Saina and she felt that she had become an overnight celebrity.
Question 8: What were Saina’s feelings as she stood on the Olympic podium to receive her bronze medal?
Answer: As Saina stood on the Olympic podium to receive her bronze medal, she thought of all the years of training and hard work she had put in for winning an Olympic medal.
Question 9: How does Saina hope her Olympic win would help to change gender prejudices?
Answer: Saina feels that the traditional approach of society is to recognize and appreciate the achievements of boys even though girls achieve as much as boys. She hopes that her recognition at the international level would help to change this gender prejudice and society will equally value the achievements of girls.
Question 10: List the awards and honours bestowed upon Saina Nehwal by the Indian government.
Answer: Saina has received India’s highest sporting awards. She was given the Arjuna Award in 2009, the Padma Shri Award in 2010 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the highest national sports award in 2010.
Question 11: Read the lines and answer the questions:
The staggering efforts to improve her fitness, stamina and game have meant a physical, emotional and psychological struggle for the young girl.
(a) What are the efforts Saina make to improve her fitness and stamina?
Answer: Saina practices badminton for over five hours daily. She has a session of exercise and weight training at the gym four times a week and a 70-minute run on the remaining two days. She eats only boiled vegetables and fresh fruits to give her the energy and stamina for her physical activity.
(b) How have these constituted ‘a physical, emotional and psychological struggle?
Answer: Saina’s training and practice regime is rigorous and exhausting. It takes up all her time and she cannot afford to lead a regular life like other children of her age. She cannot enjoy little pleasures like having fun with friends. Such a tough daily routine made her go through physical, emotional and psychological struggle.
(c) What gives Saina the courage to endure this continuous effort?
Answer: Saina believes that it is only because of her continuous effort that her game has improved. This gives her the courage to endure the grueling routine.
Question 12: Read the lines and answer the questions:
‘Earlier, after energy loss, I used to cry but my coach said if you keep crying then when will you start winning? I have learnt a lot from my experiences and I am a much stronger player mentally.
(a) Why did Saina’s coach advise her to stop crying after losing a game?
Answer: Saina’s coach advised her to stop crying after losing a game in order to concentrate on her efforts to start winning.
(b) How has she learnt from her experiences?
Answer: Saina has learnt to be calm and move ahead.
(c) Saina goes on to say that she still cries. When does she do so?
Answer: Saina still cries after losing a match and after winning a big match.
So, these were The Quest For Gold Questions & Answers.