TS 8th Class English Guide Unit 8A Dr. Dwarakanath Kotnis

Telangana SCERT TS 8th Class English Study Material Pdf Unit 8A Dr. Dwarakanath Kotnis Textbook Questions and Answers.

TS 8th Class English Guide Unit 8A Dr. Dwarakanath Kotnis

PRE-READING (Motivation/Picture Interaction):

Look at the picture and answer the following questions:

Question 1.
Why do you think Mother Teresa was awarded Nobel Peace Prize?
Answer:
Mother Teresa was an ethnic Albanian, Indian Roman Catholic nun. She founded the Missionaries of Charity and served the poor and the needy. She was called ‘Saint of the Slums’ for her services. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, “for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace.”

Question 2.
Do you know the name’ of any Indian who may have rendered any significant services in another country and is still remembered and honoured by the people there ?
Answer:
Yes. Mahatma Gandhi’s services in South Africa are still remembered there.

ORAL DISCOURSE:

Question.
Talk on – “Mention different ways to express our gratitude towards the people who serve the society.”
Answer:
We should be truly grateful to the persons who render selfless service to the society. According to William Arthur Ward, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” Gratitude is a feeling or attitude in acknowledgement of a benefit that has received. There are many ways to express our gratitude towards the people who serve the society; they are :

1. They may be offered something which we think valuable and useful to them.
2. They may be given some prestigious awards.
3. A memorial building may be built as a token of their memory. (If they are dead)
4. An official stamp may be released on their name.
5. Their idols may be constructed.
6. If they are dead, their graves may be visited to pay tributes on the occasion of either their birthday or the day of death.
7. They may be provided with some special provisions such as free air- travel, free train – travel, etc. around the country.
8. Their wives may be honoured.
9. Their sons and daughters may be given some reservations in education and employ-ment.
10. Memorial meetings may be conducted to commemorate their services on occasion of their birthday and the day of death.

Comprehension:

I. Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
Why was Dr. Kotnis sent to China?
Answer:
Sino-Japanese War was going on in 1937. The China Communist General Zhu De requested Jawaharlal Nehru to send Indian physicians to China to help the Chinese soldiers. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the President of Indian National Congress accepted the request. He made arrangements to send a team of volunteer doctors. Dr. Kotnis was one among the team as he was a dedicated physician and was willing to travel around the world.

Question 2.
What was Dr. Kotnis’ contribution to the Dr. Bethune International Peace Hospital in China?
Answer:
Dr. Kotnis worked as a lecturer for sometime in the Military area at the Dr. Bethune Hygiene School. He worked as the first President of the Bethune International Peace Hospital after Dr. Norman Bethune passed away.

Question 3.
Why did Dr. Kotnis opt to stay back in China?
Answer:
Dr. Kotnis loved to work for peace and to save the lives that are in danger. He was a true human being and selfless doctor. When he took the decision to stay back in China, Red Army was fighting for the liberation of China. Perhaps all these factors were reasons behind his decision to stay back in China.

Question 4.
How did the Chinese show their gratitude towards Dr. Kotnis?
Answer:
The Chinese government built a memorial hall for Dr. Kotnis in 1976. His grave was covered completely in flowers donated by the Chinese people during Qingming Festival, a dedicated by the Chinese to commemorate their ancestors. A book ‘Passage from India to China’, which was written by Dr. Kotnis was kept in a small museum.

The Government of China honoured Dr. Kotnis by releasing a stamp in his memory in 1982. After the death of Dr. Kotnis, Mrs. Kotnis had been an honoured guest at many high-level diplomatic functions. A Beijing hospital created a medical team in his memory. Thus the Chinese showed great respect towards Dr. Kotnis.

Question 5.
Why was Mrs. Kotnis a regular invitee at the Indian Embassy functions in China?
Answer:
The services rendered by Mr. Kotnis to the people of China were remarkable. The people and the Government of China recognised his selfless services. They honoured him even after his death in many ways. In continuation of this Mrs. Kotnis had been a regular invitee at the Indian Embassy functions in China. This is an evidence that Dr. Kotnis was revered by Indian Government also.

Question 6.
What sort of person, do you think, Dr. Kotnis was? What are your impressions about him?
Answer:
Dr. Kotnis was a dedicated doctor. He had international understanding. He worked as a frontline doctor in a Chinese military base. He performed his duties up to 72 hours continuously (at a stretch). Besides this, he married a Chinese nurse and decided to stay there. He even risked his life while doing such work in the battle field and died of epilepsy in 1942. But he is still alive in the hearts of the Chinese.

II. Read the passage about Dr. Kotnis again and fill in the form given below.
1. Name :
2. Year of birth :
3. Place of birth :
4. Occupation :
5. Nationality :
6. Wife’s name :
7. Places of work and the positions held :
8. Honours given by China and India :
9. Date of death :
Answer:
1. Name : Dwarakanath Kotnis
2. Year of birth : 1910
3. Place of birth : Sholapur, Maharashtra
4. Occupation : Doctor
5. Nationality : Indian
6. Wife’s name : Guo Qinglan

7. Places of work and the positions held :
(a) A doctor in Vietnam, Singapore and Brunei
(b) A doctor in Yan an, China
(c) Physician-in-charge, Surgical Department, Eighth Route Army general Hospital
(d) Lecturer, Dr. Bethune Hygiene School
(e) President, Dr. Bethune Hygiene School
(f) Frontline doctor in a military base

8. Honours given by China find India :
Honours given by China
(a) A memorial hall was built in Shijiazhuang city, Hebei Province
(b) His grave was covered by the Chinese people during the Qingming Festival.
(c) He is revered along with Dr. Norman Bethune, a Canadian doctor.
(d) A small museum has a handbook that contains words that Kotnis wrote in his ‘Passage from India to China’.
(e) A stamp was released in his memory in 1982.
(f) Mrs. Kotnis had been an honoured guest at high-level diplomatic functions between China and India.
(g) Mrs. Kotnis was a member of a team that visited India with Hu Jintao as the leader in 2006.
(h) A Beijing hospital created a medical team in the memory of Dr. Kotnis.

Honours given by India :
(a) He was included in the medical team sent to China.
(b) A stamp was released in the memory of Dr.,Kotnis in 1993.
(c) Mrs. Kotnis had been a regular invitee at the Indian Embassy functions.
(d) A biography of Dr. Kotnis – ‘One Who Never Returned’ was published by Khwaja Abbas Ahmed, a film journalist of India.
(e) A film on his life, Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani’ was made in India and it was directed by V.Shantaram, a great director.

9. Date of death : 9th December 1942.

Vocabulary:

I. Here are some of the words that are related to the word ‘doctor’.
In how many ways you can you classify the following words?

Classification of the words given in the above box:

profession : physician
specialization : neurologist
qualification : MBBS, MD
dress code : white coat
medicines : crocin
place of work : clinic, hospital
service : treatment
tools : syringe
related vehicle : ambulance
target group : patient

Mapping these meanings through words is called semantic mapping. A set of words related in meaning are said to belong to the same semantic field.
e.g. : bus, driver, conductor, ticket, etc.

Write four words that belong to and that you can associate with the following words.
1. space –
2. business –
3. occupation –
4. travel –
Answer:
1. space –
(a) rocket
(b) scientist
(c) satellite
(d) orbit

2. business –
(a) salesman
(b) profit
(c) loss
(d) sales

3. occupation –
(a) artist
(b) brush
(c) art
(d) painting

4. travel –
(a) road
(b) traffic
(c) passenger
(d) bus

II. Read the sentence given below.

Dr. Kotnis lost his heart to a Chinese woman.
What does the expression ‘lose heart’ mean?
Lost his heart means ‘fell in love’.
Here is one more expression using the word ‘heart’,
e.g. : ‘Eat your heart out’, (suffer from envy or jealousy)

The above expression has the following two meanings:
a) If someone tells you to eat your heart out, they are saying they are better than you at something.
b) To feel very unhappy, especially because you want something you cannot have.

Examples using the expression ‘eat your heart out’ in sentences.
(a) I am going to New York next week. Eat your heart out!
In the above example ‘eat pour heart out’ is used in the meaning of 7 am better than you’.

(b) When he hears about your promotion he will eat his heart out.
In the above example ‘eat his heart out’ is used in the meaning of feel very unhappy’.

Exercise:

III. Match the following:

1. have a heart	(a) sadness
2. broken heart	(b) no feelings
3. heavy heart	(c) a very deep thank you
4. take to heart	(d) be merciful
5. a heart of stone	(e) lost love
6. thanks from the bottom of my heart	(f) take seriously

Answer:
1. d
2. e
3. a
4. f
5. b
6. c

Grammar:

Coordination – Subordination

Coordination:
Coordination is a grammatical process by which two or more words, phrases or clauses of the same rank are conjoined.

Subordination:
Subordination is a grammatical process by which words, phrases, and clauses that make one element of a sentence dependent on (or subordinate to) another.

Coordinating Conjunction:
A conjunction that joins parts of a sentence (words, phrases or clauses) that are grammatically equal or similar in importance and structure is called a Coordinating Conjunction.

List of coordinating conjunctions:
and, but, or, yet, so, neither … nor, either …. or, not only but also, both etc.

Subordinating Conjunction:
A conjunction that joins two or more dependent or independent clauses is called a Subordinating Conjunction.

List of subordinating conjunctions:
when, before, after, since, while, as, till, until, when¬ever, as long as, as soon as, no sooner….than, then, scarcely, hardly, wherever, because, in order that, so….that, if, though, even though, whereas, as if, whether etc.

Compound Sentence and Complex Sentence

Observe the following sentences.

1. Dr. Kotnis was a doctor and Guo, a nurse.
2. I could not stop laughing when he told jokes.

• What are the main clauses in each sentence?
• How many subordinate clauses are there in sentences 1 and 2?

Dr. Kotnis was a doctor and Guo, a nurse, (two main clauses)

Note:
It appears that the sentence has only one clause – Dr. Kotnis was a doctor. The other part of the sentence , Guo, a nurse appears that it doesn’t have a verb. We should not assume that the original clause was Guo was a nurse. In both the clauses the verb ‘was’ is common. Hence it is not repeated in the second clause. It is to be understood that the clause ‘Guo was a nurse became ‘Guo, a nurse’, as it is a part of the compound sen¬tence and is coordinated by the conjunction ‘and’. Hence we have the compound sentence.

2. I could not stop laughing when he told jokes, (one main clause and one subordinate clause)
‘I could not stop laughing’ – is a main clause,
‘when he told jokes’ – is a subordinate clause.

A sentence which consists of two or more main clauses combined with a coordinate conjunctions is called a Compound Sentence.
A sentence which consists of one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses combined with subordinate conjunctions is called a Complex Sentence.

What is a main clause?
A group of words made up of a subject and a predicate. A main clause can stand alone as a sentence. A main clause is also known as an independent clause.

What is a subordinate clause?
A group of words that has both a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a Also known as a dependent clause.

Exercise:

Read the following sentences. Identify the clauses and say whether they are main clauses or subordinate clauses.

Question 1.
John suffers from Asthma but attends school regularly.
Answer:
John suffers from Asthma – Main Clause
attends school regularly – Main Clause
but – Coordinating Conjunction

Question 2.
We like songs but they like games.
Answer:
We like songs – Main Clause
they like games – Main Clause
but – Coordinating Conjunction

Question 3.
Japan attacked China in 1937 and wounded many soldiers.
Answer:
Japan attacked China in 1937 – Main Clause
wounded many soldiers – Main Clause
and – Coordinating Conjunction

Question 4.
If the rain stops, we will go out.
Answer:
If the rain stops – Subordinate Clause
We will go out – Main clause
If – Subordinating Conjunction

Question 5.
She was unhappy or she was upset.
Answer:
She was unhappy – Main Clause
She was upset – Main Clause
or – Coordinating Conjunction

Question 6.
The shops were closed because there was a strike.
Answer:
The shops were closed – Main Clause
because there was a strike – Subordinate Clause
because – Subordinating Conjunction

Editing :

Read the following passage. Every numbered sentence has an error. Identify and edit it.

(1) Tenali Rama Krishna was not see in the royal court. (2)The king sent guards to search for him and bring him to the court, but they could not find them. (3)They went to the court and reporting this to the king. (4)The King grew worried and asked the guards to search more careful. (5) After some day, the guards found Tenali Rama Krishna.
Answer:
(1) Tenali Rama Krishna was not seen in the royal court. (2) The king sent guards to search for him and bring him to the court, but they could not find him. (3)They went to the court and reported this to the king. (4) The King grew worried and asked the guards to search more carefully. (5) After some days, the guards found Tenali Rama Krishna.

Writing:

I. Developing Headlines.

When writing a news report for a newspaper, or your school News Board, the headline is the first and foremost impression you make on your reader. Therefore, writing a headline is a critical and creative art.
Most of the people read only the headlines while reading a newspaper, to get the gist of the news.

Various changes made in the headlines:

1. Headlines often contain a noun phrase with no verb.
e.g : A heavy rain
This means
It has rained heavily.

2. Head lines may have noun strings (several nouns put together).
e.g : Rain damage
This means
The rain has damaged something.

3. The simple tense form is used instead of the continuous or perfect form.
e.g :It rains heavily
This means
It has rained heavily.

4. The infinite form refers to the future.
e.g : Chief Minister to inaugurate Craft Bazaars
This means
The Chief Minister is going to inaugurate the Craft Bazaars.
e.g: India to host SAARC meet in U.P

5. The auxiliary verb is dropped in the passive form.
e.g : Passengers injured seriously in Nellore train accident
This means
Passengers were injured seriously in Nellore train accident.

6. Articles are dropped; full-stops are not placed after headlines.
e.g : 1) Chief Minister to inaugurate Craft Bazaars
This means
The Chief Minister to inaugurate Craft Bazaars.

2) Man snatches woman’s chain
This means
A man snatches a woman’s chain.

7. Head lines may contain initials and abbreviations.
e.g: 1) India to host SAARC meet in U.P
This means
India is going to host the meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Uttar Pradesh.

2) APSBE results declared
This means
Andhra Pradesh State Board Examination results declared.

Exercise:

Now write a headline for each of the following news reports. Remember to pick out only the main idea or words from the sentence.
News report – 1 :
Hyderabad :
With an alarming rise in cases of missing people, especially women and children, since 2009, the Police have stepped up measures to trace them in co-ordination with various agencies and police forces.
Answer:
Headline : Police set up measures to find missing.

News report – 2 :
The full moon that rises on this Friday night, August 31, 2012, will be a Blue Moon. That’s what it has been dubbed as in modern folklore of the west. But will it actually be blue?
Answer:
Headline : Blue Moon on 13/8

News report – 3 :
“If you look at the last three months, I am really practising well. I am looking forward to playing my first game after a year.”
Answer:
Headline : My first game after a year

News report – 4 :
Next time your cell phone runs out of battery, you can charge it by just holding it in your hands as the scientist claims to have developed a new technology that turns body heat into electricity.
Answer:
Headline: Body heat to charge mobiles.

II. Look at the picture where students are serving in an old age home.

Discussion Points:

Question 1.
Do old people go to old age homes on their own or are they forced to go there?
Answer:
Old people usually want to live a peaceful life with their sons or daughters, taking care of their grandchildren. But if their sons or daughters are not in a position to accommodate them due to economic or social reasons, the old people are forced to go to the old age homes.

Question 2.
What are the conditions which make people leave their own homes and go to an old age home?
Answer:
The times we are living are no longer similar to the ones fifty or sixty years ago. Those days sons or daughters used to take care of their parents. They even faced certain hardships for taking care of their parents.

Now life has become altogether a different one for every one. The sons and daughters have economic constraints. So, both men and women are forced to engage themselves in some work or other to earn more money. The money thus earned is hardly enough to pay for school fee, medicines and so on. In these conditions, the sons or daughters can neither spend some time with the parents nor spend some money for their parents. Hence the only option left for the old people is ‘old age homes’.

Question 3.
In what way are the conditions at an old age home different from those at home?
Answer:
At home, there is some choice for the old people to eat or sleep. Their sons or daughters look after them. They take the old people to doctors if they fall ill. The old people get timely medicine, and more than anything, the warmth in the treatment by sons and daughters alle¬viates the pain or displeasure to a large extent.

Whereas in an old age home, the old people have to spend the time talking to the people of the same age group who are also suffering just like them. Sometimes, the sons and daughters send their parents to old age homes not because of economic reasons. Even though they take sufficient money with them, they have no time to spare to take care of the old people. Also, there is no recreation suitable for the old people living at these old age homes.

Question 4.
Are there any ways to prevent the old people from going to old age homes?
Answer:
The following are some ways to prevent the old people from going to old age homes.

1. Young people of the family should spend their time with the aged people.
2. At least one person should be an attendant to give them medicines and food regularly in time.
3. They should be given and provided a separate room to live in.
4. Sons and daughters should have patience to listen to them.
5. Sons and daughters should greet the elderly people daily and enquire about their needs and health.
6. Sons and daughters should show their respect to the needs of the old people.
7. They should be given importance in some of the events of the family.
8. They should be looked after carefully with love and care.

III. Now write an article based on the following hints.

• What are old age homes?
• Why do old people go there?
• Facilities at the old age homes
• Compare facilities at home and old age homes

Answer:

OLD AGE HOMES

Old age homes are the shelters meant for the old people who are not taken care of by their sons and daughters. The old people usually like to lead peaceful and happy life in the last stage of their life. They want to die in the presence of their family. But when this is not possible, the sons and daughters send them to old age homes. In old age homes, they get timely food, medicine and care by the volunteers or workers there.

The old people go to old age homes as the last option. Their sons and daughters are busy to earn more money to support their family and give better life to their children. The old people often become ill and if there is no person to attend to them, their life becomes miserable. In these conditions their children send them to old age homes by paying money as fee. There are other children who don’t even pay this fee also. They send their parents old age homes run by social service organizations.

The facilities at the old age homes depend on the type of home. The old people from well-to-do families will have better facilities, better food and care. They have entertainment facilities also. The old people who join old age homes without paying any fee, will have meagre facilities. There are old age homes providing shelter for orphans. The types of facilities available at these homes may differ. But the people living in all types of homes need one thing – love; there is no difference in it.

At home, we have love and care apart from the food, shelter and medicine. Whereas in old age homes, there is menu, that provides limited types of food. At homes there is more freedom for the old people to do whatever they want to do, while this is limited in old age homes.

Listening:

I. Listen to your teacher. She/He will read out an announcement made by the Headmaster of a Govt. High School. Answer the following questions.

An announcement in a School

Dear students,
I am to inform you that we are going to start an ‘Enrolment Drive Programme’ next week. We will go to the nearby slums in our locality for 3 days and see if there are any children who are not studying in any school. There will be 10 teams each consisting of 6 students. I want all the students and teachers of classes VIII and IX to join this mission. Mr. Rajkumar and Ms. Christina will be joining us in our mission. They will help us in all the aspects related to the programme. Children, now those who volunteer to take the lead in teams should meet their class teachers after the lunch hour.

Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
What is the announcement about?
Answer:
The announcement is about the ‘Enrolment Drive Programme’.

Question 2.
Who are the special guests joining their mission?
Answer:
Mr.Rajkumar and Ms.Christina are the special guests joining their mission.

Question 3.
What are the students asked to do in the programme?
Answer:
The students are asked to go to the nearby slums in their locality for 3 days and see if there are any children who are not studying in any school.

Question 4.
Why does the headmaster call it a mission?
Answer:
A mission is a job to be done by a group of people. Here groups of children have to carry out the ‘Enrolment Drive Programme’. So the headmaster calls it a mission.

Oral Activity:

If you get an opportunity to propose a ‘Vote of Thanks’ after completing the Enrolment Drive Programme, how would you do it? Prepare ‘Vote of Thanks’ to thank Mr. Rajkumar, Mrs. Christina, and all other participants.
Clues :

• Introduction of the programme
• About the participants and the service they offered during the programme.
• Their role in making the programme a great success.
• Thanking each and everyone referring to their role in the programme.
• Requesting the extension of their service in future.

Answer:
Honorable headmaster, Respected teachers, Mr.Rajkumar and Mrs.Christina, our most valued guests, friends, classmates and the school! It’s my privilege to have been asked to propose a vote of thanks on this occasion. I, on behalf of our school extend a very hearty vote of thanks to Mr.Rajkumar and Mrs. Christina and all for gracing their important work and sharing with us their findings today!

I must mention our deep sense of appreciation for Mr. Rajkumar, for his guidance in com-pleting this mission successfully.

Further, we are grateful to Mrs. Christina, for demonstrating the methods of approaching the people to the groups of children.

A big Thank You’ to Mr.Rajkumar and Mrs.Christina, for your efforts towards ‘Enrolment Drive Programme’.
I may like to express our sincere thanks to our headmaster, for handling this programme as a challenging task.
I also wish to express my gratitude to all our school teachers and non-teaching staff, for providing encouragement to finish this mission in time.

And, I also would like to acknowledge my thanks to all the boys and girls who participated and worked hard for the completion of this mission which help the children who are out of school.
We are all inspired by this great programme.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to place on record our hearty thanks to the Department of.School Education and Rajiv Vidya Mission for the perfect logistic support and guid-ance they have extended to all of us in carrying out this programme successfully.

I also extend my thanks to the journalists and electronic media for their enormous cooperation in the organization of this programme.

Well, an event like this cannot happen overnight. The wheels start rolling weeks ago. It requires planning and a bird’s eye for details. We have been fortunate enough to be backed by a team of very motivated and dedicated guests, headmaster and staff, who know their job and are result oriented.

Once again I want to state that we are all most grateful to each and every one who participated and played his/her part. We specially thank Mr. Rajkumar and Mrs. Christina for being with us this evening – it’s been a great pleasure.
Thank you very much!

Dr. Dwarakanath Kotnis Summary in English

Dr. Dwarakanath Kotnis was born on October 10, 1910 in Sholapur. Ever since he was a child, he aspired to become a doctor. He completed his graduation and post graduation. But, he did not complete his post graduation internship.

Dr. Kotnis always wanted to travel around the world and practise medicine in different parts of the world. He started his medical expedition in Vietnam. He then moved to Singapore and then to Brunei.

In 1938, a team of volunteer doctors was sent to China to help the soldiers engaged in Sino-Japanese War. Dr. Kotnis was one among the team of five doctors. The doctors performed their duties in the warfront and helped the soldiers. After the war, Dr. Kotnis stayed back at the military base, but all the other doctors returned to India.

Dr. Kotnis loved and married a Chinese nurse. Guo. They had a son Yin Hua. Dr. Kotnis rendered remarkable service to Chinese soldiers and strained himself a lot. As a result, he died of epilepsy at the age of 32. The Chinese government built a memorial hall for him in 1976. No other single Indian was revered like this. Both China and India honoured him with stamps in 1982 and in 1993.

After the death of their son, Mrs. Kotnis continued her links with India and his family. She had been honoured as a guest at many high-level diplomatic functions.

The selfless service rendered by Dr. Kotnis became known to Indians only when his biography ‘One Who Never Returned’ was published. Also, a famous director, V.Shantaram made a film, ‘Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani’, made the life of Dr. Kotnis famous in India.

Glossary:

vivacious (adj) : attractive
adulation (n) : admiration/praise (more than what is necessary)
War of Resistance : War for defending
battlefront (n) : front place where battle is fought
Sino-Japanese : between China and Japan
shy away (ph.v) : avoid something you dislike
aspire (v) : wish
pursue (v) : continue
internship (n) : apprenticeship
aid (n) : help; assistance
expedition (n) : a journey with a purpose
physician (n) : a doctor who treats diseases with medicine
military base (n) : a place of military activities
surgical (adj) : connected with surgery/operation
lose his heart (idm) : fall in love
characters (n) : letters like a,b,c,d
hygiene (n) : cleanliness
fortnight (n) : a period of 15 days
harsh (adj) : difficult
soul-mate (n) : a person having special relationship
contribution (n) : service
virulent (adj) : extremely dangerous
strain (n) : physical or psychological pressure
fall back (ph.v) : move back ; turn back
hardships (n) : difficulties
tell on (ph.v) : have an effect

epilepsy (n) : a disease that makes a person unconscious
revere (v) : respect
commemorate (v) : to remind of an event or a person
ancestors (n) : forefathers
respectively (adv) : in the same order as mentioned
grave (n) : a place where dead bodies are buried
cemetery (n) : an area of land where dead people are buried
province (n) : region
exclusive (adj) : special
premature (adj) : untimely
diplomatic (adj) : connected with managing relations among countries
embassy (n) : office of an ambassador in a foreign country
venerate (v) : to have and show a lot of respect
septuagenarian (n) : a person who crossed 70 years
echo (v) : repeated reflection of a noise
memorabilia (n) : objects that are collected in memory of persons and events