Chapter 5 Solutions — The World of Limitless Possibilities

Dr. Malik's achievements challenge the widespread societal perception that persons with physical disabilities are incapable of excelling in competitive sports or public life.

By becoming the first Indian female para-athlete to win an Asian Games medal in athletics and India's first female Paralympics medallist, she demonstrated that physical limitations do not define one's potential.

Her multiple honours — Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, and Padma Shri — placed her alongside the country's greatest able-bodied athletes, directly dismantling the notion that para-athletes occupy a lesser category.

Her philosophy, 'ability beyond disability', coupled with her public advocacy, actively works to reshape how society views people with disabilities — from objects of sympathy to individuals of exceptional capability and strength.

A word cline lines words up by degree — here, by how fast the movement is.

Slowest to fastest: creep → crawl → plod → amble → saunter → stroll → walk → jog → run → sprint → dart.

Reasoning: creep and crawl are the slowest (moving very cautiously / on hands and knees); plod is a slow, heavy walk; amble, saunter and stroll are relaxed, leisurely walks (roughly equal in pace); walk is the normal pace; jog is a gentle run; run is faster; sprint is running at full speed; dart is a sudden, very quick movement.

Stanza 1 establishes the scale and stakes of the event: athletes 'from all over the country' who have undergone 'many weeks and months of training' have gathered to compete 'for the gold, for the silver, and bronze'. This creates a high-stakes atmosphere of ambition, effort, and expectation.

Stanza 2 adds the human dimension: spectators 'gathered around the old field' to cheer, and 'excitement was high' as the final event approached. The word 'old field' gives the setting a familiar, community quality — this is not an impersonal stadium but a shared space.

Together, these two stanzas build a backdrop of collective anticipation: athletes who have sacrificed greatly to compete, and an audience eager to witness the conclusion. This charged atmosphere makes the fall of the young athlete in stanza 4 all the more devastating — and the compassionate response of the other runners all the more striking, because it unfolds in front of an expectant crowd.