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Chapter- 8, Reach for The Top, By– Maria Sharapova, PASSAGE 1, There is something disarming about Maria Sharapova, something at odds with her ready smile, and glamorous attire. And that something in her lifted her on Monday, 22 August 2005 to the, world number one position in women’s tennis. All this happened in almost no time. Poised, beyond her years, the Siberian born teenager took just four years as a professional to reach the, pinnacle., Questions:, (i) To which sport is Maria Sharapova attached with?, (ii) To which country does she belong?, (iii) When did she win the world’s number one position?, (iv) How many years did she take to reach the top?, (v) Name the chapter from this passage has been taken?, Answers :, (i) Maria. Sharapova is attached to lawn tennis., (ii) She belongs to Siberia a part of Russia., (iii) She won the world’s number one position on 22 August 2005., (iv) She took nine years to reach the top., (v) This passage has been taken from the chapter `Reach for the Top’., PASSAGE 2, However, the rapid ascent in a fiercely competitive world began nine years before with a level of, sacrifice few children would be prepared to endure. Little Maria had riot yet celebrated her tenth, birthday when she was packed to train in the United States. That trip to Florida with her father, Yuri launched her on the path to success and stardom. But it also required a heart-wrenching, two-year separation from her mother Yelena. The latter was compelled to stay back in Siberia, because of visa restrictions. The nine-year-old girl had already learnt an important lesson in lifethat tennis excellence would only come at a price., Questions :, (i), To what sport is Maria Sharapova attached with?, (ii), At what age was she sent to the United States?, (iii), What is the name of her father?, (iv) How long did she stay in the U.S. A?, (iv), What was Maria‘s native land?, Answers :, (i) She is attached to lawn tennis., (ii) At the age of ten years., (iii) The name of her father is Yuri., (iv) She stayed there for two years., (v) Her native land is Siberia which is a part of Russia.

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EXTRACTS FOR COMPREHENSION, Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow in one or two lines each., (I), That trip to Florida with her father Yuri launched her on the path to success and stardom. But it, also required a heart-wrenching two-year separation from her mother Yelena., 1. Who does ‘her’ refer to in this extract?, ‘Her’ refers to the famous tennis player, Maria Sharapova., 2. From where did she make a trip to Florida and why?, She made a trip from Russia to Florida with the purpose of taking training in tennis., 3. What was the ‘heart-wrenching’ thing about the trip?, The ‘heart-wrenching’ thing was that she had to part from her mother for two years., 4. Why could her mother not accompany her?, Her mother could not accompany her because of visa restrictions., (II), Instead of letting that depress me, I became more quietly determined and mentally tough., (a)Who does ‘I’ stand for?, ‘I’ stands for Maria Sharapova, the world renowned tennis player., (b)What was ‘that’ which could not depress her?, It was the undue domination and humiliating behaviour of her senior trainees in Florida that, could not depress her., (c)What was the impact of ‘that’ on her?, ‘That’ made her more determined and mentally strong., (d)What does the extract reveal about the speaker‘s character?, The extract reveals that the speaker had the ability to encounter difficult situations boldly and, to turn them to her advantage., Short Answer Type Questions (30 to 40 words), Q.1. What is something disarming about Maria Sharapova?, Ans. Maria Sharapova is a girl with a smiling face and glamorous attire. But she is a determined, girl who worked excessively hard to win the world number one position in women tennis., 2. Why did Sharapova leave Siberia for the U.S.A.?, Ans. At the age of nine years, Maria Sharapova left Siberia for Florida in the U.S.A. She went there, to attend a training camp for women tennis. She undertook hard training for two years. Her, father Yuri also went with her., 3. At the age of nine years, what lesson had Sharapova learnt?

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Ans. In the U.S.A. Maria Sharapova had to face a heart wrenching two-year separation from her, mother. This separation made her learn an important lesson that tennis excellence would only, come at a price., 4. How Was Sharapova treated by the seniors in the training camp?, Ans. Maria Sharapova was just nearly ten years old. The senior’s in the training camp treated her, badly. They look her up. They asked Maria to tidy up the room and clean it., 5. What does Maria Sharapova say about her Russian nationality?, Ans. Maria Sharapova speaks with a pounced Ameri can accent, She proudly parades her Russ, ion nationality. Clearing all doubts, she tells her blood is totally Russian. She is a Russian citizen., She will play the Olympics for Russia., 6. What has lifted Maria Sharapova to the top of the world?, Ans:- Maria’s talent, her unwavering determination, her hunger for success, her willingness to, work hard, her readiness to endure challenges, and her sacrifices have lifted her to the top of the, world. In addition, monetary gains have motivated her to be on the top., 7. hy would Maria’s fans not be jealous of her riches?, Maria’s fans are aware of the immense hard work that has gone into making her a star, sportswoman. The unparalleled sacrifices are investments that she made when other, children of her age were having a comfortable life. She is reaping the dividends of her, earnest efforts and the money that is pouring in is well earned and well deserved., Therefore, nobody feels jealous of her riches., Long Answer questions, Write in short Maria Sharapova’s Journey to the top., Ans. Maria Sharapova was born in Siberia, Russia. At the age of nine years she left Russia for, Florida in the U.S.A. she went there with her father Yuri. She had to spend two hard years in the, tennis training camp. She did hard efforts in the training camp. It was a heart wrenching twoyears separation from her mother. Maria Sharapova learnt an important lesson is a life that tennis, excellence would only come at a price. Maria Sharapova was jug for nearly ten years old. The, senior’s in the training camp treated her badly. They looked her up. They asked Maria to tidy up, the room and clean it, Maria Sharapova bagged the ladies single crown at Wimbledon in 2004., She attained the world number one position on Monday, 22nd August 2005. Today she is a tennis, sensation., Draw a Comparison between Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova., Today both Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova enjoy the status of a celebrity. To attain this, position they both had to work very hard in their life. Both of these girls Were of strong and true, determination. They had a clear vision of their life. They wanted to become something in life., They Wanted to raise themselves up from the common people around them. They sacrificed an, II comforts and pleasure of I life to achieve their aim. Both of them were able to realise their aims., They reached the world. Santosh Yadav became the only women of the world to scale Mt Everest, twice. Maria Sharapova got the fibre position in the world in women tennis. They proved that, nothing is impossible before true determination and iron will.