Class 12 English Book Chapter 5 | Education Exercise & Grammar

Summary, Grammar & Exercises – NCERT Solutions Class 12 English: A Story of My Childhood

Chapter Overview

The first in the series of Unit 5 of Class 12 English — Lesson 1 — “A Story of My Childhood” by APJ Abdul Kalam (an autobiography). In this unit, students learn how early education, personal experiences, and future achievements are linked. This text contains a lot of moral, social, and educational teaching, which can be effectively used for comprehension, grammar, and writing skills development.

Analysis of A Story of My Childhood

This tale narrates key childhood incidents from the life of APJ Abdul Kalam, the role of teachers, family and environment of his school in shaping him. Kalam was raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, where he was an inquisitive student who studied hard, loved mathematics, and had tremendous admiration for his teachers.

The defining moment of the story comes when a teacher who is brand new in the school, discriminates Kalam on basis of his faith, and keeps him at a distance from his Brahmin friend. Fla. murder may be a painful reminder of religious intolerance but it also reflects resilience and society's support. A third key moment comes when his science teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer, takes him to the sea shore to show him how birds fly. This incident in real life attracted Kalam towards the science related to flying and, in later years, he became an aerospace engineer.

The story is all about discipline, equitable treatment, curiosity and the impact of experiential learning.

Key Vocabulary and Word Meanings

This also contains difficult vocabulary words like expectantly, beckon, grapple, texture, cobbled and attire. Quoted definitions, origins, and usage — boosting word recognition and vocabulary. They will also encounter life-related terms like hagiography, memoir, chronicle, and pathography — which are helpful in relation to any literary or biographical writing.

Comprehension Highlights

Comprehension section: In the comprehension section, students can choose to do the following:

• Chronological sequencing of events
• Detailed questions and answers
• Social issues like religious discrimination
• Real-world educational approaches (e.g., practical science teaching)

Every answer gives insight into the deepness of the story and gives a good context for grammar usage.

Critical Thinking Insights

Students discover how Kalam was affected by seeing science in action and seeing discrimination before going on to use both elements during his career. It invites compassion, real learning, and equal access.

Topics include:

• Childhood influences on career choices
• Divide in Society and Religion Bite Education
• Why experiential learning still matters in schools

These questions provoke critical and thoughtful student reflection and help students to link their individual experience to larger social issues.

Grammar: Connectives and Sentence Joining

The grammar section of this chapter is connected with connectives, such as:

• Albeit
• But
• However
• In spite of
• Nevertheless
• Nonetheless
• Yet
• Despite

Students learn the use of conjunctions combined with actual usage so that it will contrast and concession combining. Exercises include:

• Join sentences
• Fill in the blanks
• Choose the correct connective

Writing Task

In the writing portion, students must write a short autobiography, drawing from childhood and past experiences. As they tell their own story, it fosters narrative skills, flow in a story, and expression of self.

Keywords Included:

• Summary of Class 12 English Unit 5
• A Story of My Childhood notes
• Class 12 English grammar exercises
• APJ Abdul Kalam English chapter
• Class 12 autobiography writing
• Summary and exercise solutions