A Visit to Cambridge
Class 8 · English
3 ideas in Class 8 English, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Two Extraordinary People: The Encounter
Part of: Essay Comprehension
Firdaus Kanga, an Indian writer with a physical disability who uses a wheelchair, visited Cambridge, England. He phoned Stephen Hawking's house from outside a phone booth and was invited to meet him for half an hour. Hawking, who had a degenerative disease and communicated via a voice synthesiser by tapping a hand switch, answered Kanga's questions slowly and honestly. When Kanga called him an inspiration, Hawking said it did not help — compliments feel hollow when you are trapped inside a body with diminishing movement.
Why it matters. Reading about two people with disabilities having an honest conversation challenges easy assumptions about bravery, inspiration, and what it means to live fully.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask your child: how did Stephen Hawking communicate during the meeting?
- Ask: why did Hawking say he had not been brave?
- Ask: what did Hawking advise disabled people to do?
Try at home. Ask your child to write a short paragraph about someone they admire — and then write what that person might honestly say about their own life.
Themes: Disability, Bravery and Inspiration
Part of: Essay Comprehension
The essay questions the easy idea that disabled people are 'inspirational' just by continuing to exist. Hawking's honest answers reject the patronising admiration that says 'you are so brave'. The author himself feels a mixed emotion — he is uplifted by Hawking but also forced to reconsider what inspiration really means. By the end, watching Hawking in the garden, the author feels his own 'journey' is, for now, complete.
Why it matters. Literature challenges comfortable assumptions — this essay asks us to think about what we really mean when we call someone an inspiration.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask your child: why does Hawking dislike being called an inspiration?
- Ask: what does the author mean when he says his 'journey was over, for now'?
- Discuss: is there a difference between genuine admiration and patronising admiration?
Try at home. Ask your child to write two sentences: one that would patronise a disabled person, and a revised version that shows genuine respect.
Word Forms: Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives
Part of: Language Study
Many English words can be transformed by adding suffixes. Examples from the essay: guide (v) → guidance (n) → guiding (adj); succeed (v) → success (n) → successful (adj); true (adj) → truth (n) → truly (adv); travel (v) → traveller (n) → travelling (adj). Knowing these patterns helps you use words correctly in different parts of speech.
Why it matters. Being able to use the noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms of a word makes writing more flexible and precise.
Try it in two minutes
- Say a word like 'inspire' and ask your child to give the noun, adjective and adverb forms.
- Practice: 'succeed' → 'success' → 'successful' → 'successfully'.
- Find five words in the essay and identify their part of speech.
Try at home. Ask your child to complete a word family table for: guide, succeed, travel, chair.
What your child will practise
- Themes: Disability, Bravery and Inspiration: Desert Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Themes: Disability, Bravery and Inspiration: Jungle Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Two Extraordinary People: The Encounter: Space Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Two Extraordinary People: The Encounter: Time Travel Quest (Collect the Answer)
- Word Forms: Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives: Explorer'S Map Sort (Sort It Out)
- Quiz: Themes: Disability, Bravery and Inspiration (8 questions)
- Quiz: Two Extraordinary People: The Encounter (8 questions)
- Quiz: Word Forms: Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives (8 questions)