Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Wizard – Major Dhyan Chand Questions & Answers.
Major Dhyan Chand also known as The Wizard, was an Indian hockey player who was known for his extraordinary goal-scoring feats. Below are given the questions and answers of this chapter. I have also shared the questions and answers of The Flying Sikh and The Lady With The Lamp so, you can check these posts as well.
The Wizard – Major Dhyan Chand Questions & Answers
Question 1: Read the passage given below and answer the following questions:
“Dhyan Chand loved to fish and hunt (hunting was not banned in India in the 1950s). He also took joy in cooking and serving his close friends. He played billiards, cricket and carrom.”
(a) Who was Dhyan Chand?
Answer: Dhyan Chand was a great Indian field hockey player.
(b) Which word in the lines above means ‘disallowed’?
Answer: Banned
(c) Where and with whom did Dhyan Chand settle after retirement?
Answer: Dhyan Chand settled in Jhansi with his wife, seven sons and his elder brother Mool Singh.
(d) What were some of Dhyan Chand’s hobbies?
Answer: Dhyan Chand’s hobbies included fishing, hunting, cooking, and playing billiards, cricket and carrom.
Question 2: What is the title of Major Dhyan Chand’s autobiography and what are its opening words?
Answer: The title of Major Dhyan Chand’s autobiography is ‘Goal’. The opening words are:
“You are doubtless aware that I am a common man and a soldier. It has been my training from my very childhood to avoid limelight and publicity.”
Question 3: Why is Dhyan Chand considered as the greatest field hockey player of all times?
Answer: He is considered as the greatest field hockey player of all times because he scored over 1000 goals in his career from 1926 to 1948.
Question 4: What was his firm belief?
Answer: His firm belief was that one had to be a good man to be a good player.
Question 5: Why was Major Dhyan Chand called ‘Chand‘ by his fellow players?
Answer: Major Dhyan Chand practiced hockey at the night after his duty hours. He waited for the moon to come out as the visibility in the field would then improve. Hence his fellow players called him ‘Chand’.
The Wizard – Major Dhyan Chand Questions & Answers
Question 6: Read the passage given below and answer the following questions:
“You are doubtless aware that I am a common man and a soldier. It has been …………………………….to avoid limelight and publicity.”
(a) Who is referred to as ‘I’ in the above lines?
Answer: ‘I’ in the above lines refers to Major Dhyan Chand.
(b) Which word in the lines above means ‘exposure’?
Answer: publicity/limelight
(c) Why does he call himself a soldier in the above lines?
Answer: Major Dhyan Chand joined the Indian Army at the age of sixteen, hence he calls himself a soldier in the above lines.
Question 7: How did Major Dhyan Chand practice hockey on the railway tracks?
Answer: Major Dhyan Chand practiced hockey by keeping the ball on one of the tracks and keep playing up to 1 to 2 km without letting it fall.
Question 8: How did Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh deal with the alteration of the field in New Zealand?
Answer: In the last match in New Zealand, the home side altered the hockey field conditions. They cut the grass only in the ‘D’- area near the goalposts, but let the long grass remain in the rest of the field. Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh changed their style of playing. They kept the ball on their sticks mid-air instead of letting it touch the ground. They scored 5 goals while controlling the elevated ball with their stick.
Question 9: Why was Dhyan Chand nicknamed ‘the wizard’?
Answer: When the Indian team toured the United States of America, Europe and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) winning 34 out of 37 matches, Chand scored 133 of the 338 Indian goals. Thus he earned the title ‘Hockey ka Jaadugar’ or wizard.
Question 10: Why was Dhyan’s hockey stick broken and checked by the Dutch authorities?
Answer: On May 17, the Indian national hockey team made its Olympic debut against Austria, winning 6-0, with Dhyan Chand scoring 3 goals. They won all the games leading to the final match. Dhyan’s hockey stick was broken and thoroughly checked by the Dutch authorities.
Question 11: What did Hitler offer Major Dhyan Chand?
Answer: Hitler offered Major Dhyan Chand German citizenship. He was also asked to play for Germany in return. He was not only offered a large sum of money but also a position in the German army.
The Wizard – Major Dhyan Chand Questions & Answers
Question 12: Why did Major Dhyan Chand did not accept Hitler’s offer?
Answer: Major Dhyan Chand did not accept Hitler’s offer because he did not use to play for money but for his country.
Question 13: Read the passage given below and answer the following questions:
It is awarded annually to sports persons who not only contribute through their performance but also contribute to the sport after their retirement.
(a) When was the national stadium renamed as Dhyan Chand National Stadium? Why?
Answer: The national stadium was renamed as Dhyan Chand National Stadium in 2002, in Dhyan Chand’s honour.
(b) To whom is ‘it’ awarded?
Answer: ‘It’ is awarded annually to sportspersons who not only contribute through their performance but also contribute to the sport after their retirement.
Question 14: Write a short account of the birth, family and early childhood of Major Dhyan Chand.
Answer: Major Dhyan Chand was born in Allahabad on 29 August, 1905. His father’s name was Sameshwar Dutt Singh who was in the British Indian Army. He had two brothers Roop Singh and Mool Singh. The family often moved to different cities as Dhyan Chand’s father was transferred several times. As a result, he could attend school only for six years. The family finally settled in Jhansi. Dhyan Chand joined the Indian Army when he was sixteen.
Question 15: How was Dhyan Chand honoured during his retirement?
Answer: After his last match, he was honoured at a public function for his contribution to Indian hockey by the Bengal Hockey Association. Statues were built in Jhansi and Vienna in his honour. In 1951, Captain Dhyan Chand was honoured at the National Stadium and a tournament was named after him.
Question 16: Which awards does the President give away on August 29th? Why?
Answer: On August 29th, the President gives away sport-related awards such as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, India. This day, which is Dhyan Chand’s birthday, is celebrated as National Sports Day in India.
Question 17: Describe Dhyan Chand’s life after retirement from hockey.
Answer: Dhyan Chand retired from hockey after his tour to East Africa in 1947-48. He continued as a Major in the army until 1956 when he retired at the age of 51. After retirement, he taught in coaching camps at Mount Abu in Rajasthan. Later, at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, he accepted the position of Chief Hockey Coach. He finally settled in Jhansi with his family where he also took care of his elder brother Mool Singh. He spent his time fishing, hunting, cooking and playing billiards, cricket and carrom with his family and friends. He died due to illness on December 3, 1979.
Question 18: How is Dhyan Chand commemorated in India?
Answer: August 29, Dhyan Chand’s birthday, is celebrated as National Sports Day in India. India’s highest award for lifetime achievement in sports is the Dhyan Chand Award which started in 2002. In his honour, in 2002, The National Stadium, Delhi was renamed Dhyan Chand National Stadium. He was also conferred with the ‘Gem of India’ award in 2012 posthumously.
So, these were The Wizard – Major Dhyan Chand Questions & Answers.