Chapter 4 – Nobel Lecture Questions and Answers

Content structure

  • A. Short questions & answers
  • B. Long questions & answers

Nobel Lecture Solutions

WB 11 all notes

A. Short questions & answers

1. What did the man from the drain say before dying?
Ans: The man from the drain said, “I have lived like an animal, but I will die like an angel.” He spoke these words because, for the first time, he felt truly loved and cared for.

2. How did a little boy help the poor?
Ans: A four-year-old Hindu boy helped the poor by giving up sugar for three days and donating it to the needy children cared for by Mother Teresa, showing his love through a simple but meaningful sacrifice.

3. How did Mother Teresa feel in Norway?
Ans: Mother Teresa felt deeply loved and warmly welcomed during her visit to Norway. The kindness and affection shown by the people made her feel completely at home, as if she were among her own family, leaving a lasting impression on her.

4. How did the dying people feel in her care?
Ans: The dying people in Mother Teresa’s care felt peaceful and comforted, knowing they were loved, respected, and not alone. Her kindness gave them dignity in their final moments and helped them pass away with a sense of peace and care.

5. What makes an action special to God?
Ans: God values the love that we put into our actions more than how big or small the action is. Even a small act done with love is very important to God.

6. Why did Jesus become man, according to Mother Teresa?
Ans: Jesus became man to bring the good news of peace to the poor. He came to live like us, to show love, care, and sacrifice, and to teach people how to love God and each other selflessly.

7. Who was the first messenger of peace?
Ans: The first messenger of peace was John the Baptist, even when he was still an unborn child in Elizabeth’s womb. He leapt with joy when he heard about Jesus, showing that even the smallest life can recognize and spread God’s love.

8. What does Mother Teresa say about true love?
Ans: Mother Teresa says that true love is not easy. It often asks for sacrifice. To love deeply, it sometimes hurts, just like Jesus’ love for humanity. True love means giving to others selflessly, even when it is hard or uncomfortable.

9. What does “love begins at home” mean?
Ans: She means that love starts with family and people around us. Small acts of care, kind words, and attention at home create understanding and kindness. These simple gestures help build peace and prepare us to show love to the wider world.

10. What can the poor teach us about love?
Ans: The poor are great teachers of love. Even though they may not have food, a home, or comfort, they show gratitude, generosity, and selfless care. Mother Teresa learned that love comes from sharing, helping, and caring, not from money or wealth.

11. Why is a smile important?
Ans: A smile is the beginning of love. Small gestures like smiling at someone can spread happiness and kindness. These little acts help build relationships and create peace and understanding in the family and society.

12. When did Mother Teresa come to India and why?
Ans: Mother Teresa came to India in 1929. She came as a Christian missionary to serve others. She started teaching at the Loreto Convent in Darjeeling.

13. Why did she get the Nobel Prize?
Ans: She received the Nobel Prize for peace because she served the poor, helped the sick, and cared for dying people on the streets. Her works of love and service drew the attention of the Nobel Committee.

14. Who was St. John?
Ans: St. John is John the Baptist, a prophet who lived near the Jordan River in the early 1st century. In Islam, he is known as Prophet Yahya.

15. Who were the people gathered for her Nobel Lecture?
Ans: The people gathered were officials of the Nobel Committee, members of her Missionaries of Charity, and other invited guests.

16. Why were people gathered there?
Ans: People gathered to thank God for the Nobel Peace Prize. Mother Teresa was invited to Oslo to receive the award and give a speech about it.

17. What good news did Jesus bring?
Ans: Jesus brought the good news of peace to everyone, something everyone desires in their hearts.

18. Who was St. Francis of Assisi?
Ans: St. Francis of Assisi was an Italian friar in the 13th century. He lived a simple and poor life to serve others, founded the Franciscan order, and composed the famous prayer of peace.

19. Why did Christ die on the cross?
Ans: Christ died on the cross to show great love for everyone—the sick, poor, naked, hungry, and suffering people.

20. Why are young people in the West addicted to drugs?
Ans: Many young people are addicted to drugs because their parents are busy with work. They feel lonely and unloved at home, so they turn to drugs.

21. Who was the unborn child and what did he do?
Ans: John the Baptist, still in his mother Elizabeth’s womb, leapt with joy when he heard that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was coming.

22. What is the ‘blessing’ referred to?
Ans: The blessing is that children are given to families who have no children. It is a gift from God that brings joy and love.

23. Who was Virgin Mary?
Ans: Virgin Mary of Nazareth was the mother of Jesus and wife of Joseph. She gave birth to Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem.

24. Why is abortion the greatest destroyer of peace?
Ans: Mother Teresa said abortion is the greatest destroyer of peace because it directly kills a child in the mother’s womb.

25. What did a dying lady say to Mother Teresa?
Ans: She held Mother Teresa’s hand and said just one word: “Thank You.”

26. What is holy communion?
Ans: Holy communion, also called the Lord’s Supper, is a church practice to remember Jesus’ sacrifice.

27. What did Mother Teresa say about drug addiction?
Ans: She noticed that young people in the West take drugs because they do not get love and care from their parents.

28. What is the Gospel?
Ans: The Gospel is the story of Jesus’ life and teachings. Four Gospels in the New Testament are by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

29. What is abortion?
Ans: Abortion is when a mother ends the life of a child in her womb, often using medical methods.

30. Why did Mother Teresa take only one rescued person home?
Ans: She took the one who was in the worst condition. That lady later died, but she died with a smile, feeling loved.

31. What did Mother Teresa say about smiling at Jesus?
Ans: Sometimes it was very hard to smile at Jesus because He can be very demanding.

32. What happened during the sugar shortage in Calcutta?
Ans: A four-year-old boy gave up sugar for three days and brought it to Mother Teresa to share with children at her home.

33. How did Mother Teresa fight abortion?
Ans: She helped children by adopting them and asking hospitals and clinics not to destroy babies. She gave them loving homes.

34. Name two things that break peace.
Ans: Abandoning parents by children and drug addiction among young people are two things that break peace in families.

35. What did she plan for the Nobel Prize money?
Ans: She planned to build a home for homeless people in Calcutta who were suffering, dying, and unloved.

36. What did she tell the American professors?
Ans: She told them about her home for dying people. Over 36,000 people lived there, picked up from the streets, and 18,000 of them died peacefully with care and love.

37. What did the Hindu lady do with the rice given by Mother Teresa?
Ans: She shared the rice with her Muslim neighbors, helping two starving families instead of keeping it all for herself.

B. Long questions & answers

1. What did the man in the drain say, and why did it touch Mother Teresa?
Ans: Mother Teresa once rescued a man who was found in a drain, his body partly eaten by worms and in a terrible condition. After receiving love and care, he said, “I have lived like an animal, but I will die like an angel.” His words deeply moved her, not because he blamed anyone, but because he felt peace and happiness from being loved. His ability to forgive and die with dignity showed the greatness and inner strength of the poor.

2. What did Mother Teresa mean by the phrase “love begins at home”?
Ans: Mother Teresa often said the phrase “love begins at home” to emphasize that true kindness and care should start within our own families. She encouraged people to show love through simple daily actions—smiling at one another, caring for each other, and being kind. She believed that only when love and peace exist in our homes can we truly share them with the world. According to her, the smallest acts of love within the family can lead to meaningful change in the world

3. Why did Mother Teresa say the poor are “great people”?
Ans: Mother Teresa believed that the poor are “great people” because, despite having very little, they often show great kindness and generosity. She shared stories of a poor woman who gave her rice to a starving neighbor and a little boy who gave up sugar to help others. These small yet powerful acts of love deeply moved her and she felt that the poor teach us important lessons in gratitude, self-control, and sharing, that they are rich in love and spirit.

4. How did a young boy show love for Mother Teresa’s children?
Ans: A four-year-old Hindu boy showed love for the poor children cared for by Mother Teresa by giving up sweets for three days. After that, he visited her and donated the sugar he had saved, though he struggled to say her name, his kind action clearly showed his desire to help. This small but heartfelt sacrifice proved that even young children can experience the joy of giving.

5. Why did Mother Teresa say that the smile is the beginning of love?
Ans: Mother Teresa believed that love could begin with something as simple as a smile, even though it is often difficult. She explained that smiling at one another is a genuine sign of love and care, as it brings joy and peace to those around us. In her view, a simple smile could lead to deeper love, better understanding, and greater kindness. She felt that love was not always shown through grand actions but was often expressed through small, daily gestures like a smile.

6. What lesson did Mother Teresa learn from the Muslim family who shared food?
Ans: A woman once received rice from Mother Teresa and immediately gave half of it to a hungry Muslim family nearby. This act deeply moved Mother Teresa. Although the woman had very little, she still thought of others and chose not to ask for more rice, as she wanted her children to experience the joy of sharing. From this, Mother Teresa learned that real love and generosity do not depend on wealth but on the heart.

7. Who was the first messenger of peace mentioned by Mother Teresa?
Ans: The first messenger of peace was John the Baptist, even as an unborn child in Elizabeth’s womb. He leapt with joy when he heard about Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Mother Teresa used this example to show that even small gestures and understanding of God’s love can bring peace.

8. What does Mother Teresa say about true love?
Ans: True love means selflessness and sacrifice. It sometimes hurts, like Jesus’ love for us. Mother Teresa said that loving God without loving neighbors is not enough. Real love is shown by helping the hungry, lonely, and suffering. It goes beyond words into actions and may need effort, patience, and sacrifice.

9. What did Mother Teresa see in an old age home?
Ans: She saw old parents who were forgotten by their children. They had everything but no smiles, because they waited every day for their children who never came. Mother Teresa noticed that even dying people in her home had smiles because they felt loved. She said being forgotten by family is a kind of poverty that is very hard to remove.

10. What message did Mother Teresa want to give to her audience?
Ans: She wanted to teach love and peace. She said we are created for peace and should love our neighbors. She quoted St. John: “You are a liar if you say you love God but do not love your neighbor.” Loving neighbors is loving God, because God is present in the poor, helpless, and dying. She explained that love should be shown in action and starts at home.

11. Why should we love our neighbor? What does God say about love?
Ans: We should love neighbors because they are the people we can see and help. St. John said, “You are a liar if you say you love God but do not love your neighbor.” Loving neighbors is the same as loving God. Love sometimes hurts, just like it hurt Jesus and God. True love means giving and caring even when it is hard.

12. What “things” break peace, according to Mother Teresa?
Ans: In the West, family bonds are weak. Old parents are often forgotten by their children. Parents are so busy that they cannot care for their children, who then roam streets and take drugs. These situations break peace because they weaken families and society. When people feel unloved and neglected, they may become frustrated and destructive.

13. What was the terrible sacrifice a man made for Mother Teresa?
Ans: A bedridden man who could only move his right hand stopped smoking for a week to save $15 for Mother Teresa. This was a big sacrifice because smoking was his only comfort after 20 years of suffering. Mother Teresa used the money to buy bread for the poor. Both the giver and the receiver felt joy.

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