Chapter 4 – Nobel Lecture Solutions

Content Structure

1. About the author – Mother Teresa
2. Summary of Nobel Lecture
3. Word meanings
4. Exercises solutions

1. About the author – Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun, born on 26th August 1910 in Skopje. She was a missionary who dedicated her life to serving the poor, sick, and needy, especially in India. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, a global organization known for its charitable work. In 1979, she received the Nobel Peace Prize, and in 2016, she was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. Her life remains a shining example of compassion and selfless service. She died on 5th September 1997 in Kolkata, India.

2. Summary of Nobel Lecture

At the start of her talk, Mother Teresa expresses her gratitude to God for the Nobel Peace Prize and invites everyone to pray the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which encourages love and peace. She emphasizes that true peace begins at home, with affection among family members. She speaks about the message of love and sacrifice that Jesus preached, explaining how He experienced poverty, hunger, and homelessness so we might recognize Him in the suffering around us. Sharing her work with the underprivileged and sick in Kolkata, she reminds us that genuine love demands self-sacrifice and concern for others. Mother Teresa believes the greatest form of poverty is being unwanted and unloved, something that often exists even in wealthy households. She recounts visiting an elderly care home where residents had everything except love and family visits, urging people to care for the forgotten and lonely within their own homes and communities. She strongly opposes abortion, calling it the greatest threat to peace because it involves the direct killing of the unborn, and argues that if a mother can harm her own child, it becomes easier for others to hurt one another. She encourages choosing adoption over abortion and speaks in support of natural family planning, highlighting that even the poor can practice it with love and self-control. She believes that self-discipline, when guided by love, helps build healthy families. Concluding her speech, she shares a touching story of a dying woman who whispered “Thank you” before passing away, showing that even a small act of love can bring peace and dignity. Mother Teresa’s Nobel Peace Prize speech centers on love, compassion, and service to the poor, using real-life stories to convey how even in suffering, people express deep gratitude and love. She stresses that love begins at home, through simple daily actions like smiling, sharing, and caring. According to her, it is not how much we do but how much love we put into our work that matters, and in serving the poor, we serve Christ. She illustrates how even small sacrifices, such as a child giving up sugar or a man giving up smoking to help others, can have a meaningful impact. She also reminds us that poverty is not only about lacking food or money, but also about being unloved and ignored, which is even harder to cure. Mother Teresa urges everyone to spread love and peace by starting in their own homes, through prayer, kindness, helping others, and smiling even when it is difficult.

WB 11 all notes

Nobel Lecture Extra Questions and Answers

3. Word meanings

Word	Meaning
Poverty	Being very poor
Scripture	Holy or religious writing
Malnutrition	Not eating enough healthy food
Terrifying	Very scary
Oflives	About people’s lives
Unwedded	Not married
Tremendous	Very big or great
Abstaining	Choosing not to do something
Conscience	The feeling that helps us know right or wrong
Greatness	Being very good or important
Contemplatives	People who think deeply and quietly
Misery	Great sadness or suffering
Convent	A home where nuns live
Tenderness	Soft and gentle care
Radiating	Shining or spreading out

Nobel Lecture Extra Questions and Answers

WB 11 all notes

4. Exercises solutions

1. How did Mother Teresa want to fight abortion?…… (2)
Ans: Mother Teresa tried to stop abortion by encouraging people to love and care for unwanted children. She urged others not to kill these children but instead to give them to her so she could care for them.

2. What did Mother Teresa want to suggest when she comments that poor people are very great people?.. (2)
Ans: Mother Teresa meant that poor people are truly great because, even though they have very little, they remain generous and compassionate, always willing to love and share with others despite their own hardships.

3. Narrate the experience Mother Teresa had when there was a great difficulty in getting sugar…….(6)
Ans: During a time in Calcutta when sugar was scarce, a four-year-old Hindu boy became aware of the shortage and, wanting to help Mother Teresa’s children, told his parents that he would give up sugar for three days. After the three days had passed, the boy and his parents visited Mother Teresa and brought her the sugar they had saved. This loving and thoughtful sacrifice deeply moved her, as it showed that even small acts of love can carry great meaning.

4. Narrate the experience and the feelings of Mother when she visited an Old Age Home?…. (6)
Ans: During her visit to an old age home, Mother Teresa observed that although the residents had everything they needed—food, shelter, and care but no one smiled, and their loneliness was evident. One man revealed his feelings by saying, “I am waiting for someone to visit me.” This experience made her realize that in rich countries, emotional poverty the feeling of being unloved and unwanted is even more painful than physical hunger.