NCERT Solutions Class 11 Snapshots Chapter-4 Albert Einstein at School
Class 11 (Snapshots)
exercise questions and answers
Chapter-4 (Albert Einstein at School)
By Patrick Pringle
Page No: 31
Reading with Insight
1. What do you understand of Einstein’s nature from his conversations with his history teacher, his mathematics teacher and the head teacher?
Answer
Einstein’s behavior seemed to be extremely unruly. He didn't believe in the then prevailing system of education. His nature was a spontaneous one. He found memorising 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 Maths 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 obediance for elders. Later, when he confronts the headmaster, we find him defensive at the beginning and carefree at the end of the meeting.
2. The school system often curbs individual talents. Discuss.
Answer
School nowadays is about memorizing a bunch of facts and spitting them back out on a test or exam. There is no learning involved, just memorization. Students should be taught things of importance. The grading system is messed up too. How can you grade something on creativity? You can't. Albert Einstein said "Everyone's a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid"
3. How do you distinguish between information gathering and insight formation?
Answer
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. 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.
