Dr. Kalam, the ‘Missile Man’ was the twelfth President of India. He was the third Muslim President after Dr. Zakir Hussain and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. He was born at Dhanushkodi, Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) on Oct. 15, 1931. He did his B.Sc. from St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli to become the first graduate in his family. His mother had to mortgage her gold bangles and necklaces to get the admission to the prestigious Madras Institute of Technology where he studied Aeronautical Engineering. Thereafter, Dr. Kalam never looked back.
Dr. Kalam was a staunch nationalist and secular to the core. He could quote words or sentences with equal ease both from the Holy Koran and the Bhagwat Geeta. He was a fan of great Tamil poet and philosopher Subramaniam Bharti. As a boy, he was captivated and charmed by high skies. He had a scientific temper blended with spirituality. Endowed with a scientific temper, he believed in astronomy and not astrology. Despite his tremendous achievements, Dr. Kalam continued to dream about various other achievements.
Under his stewardship, the country's missile development programme took rapid strides culminating in the successful launching of the Trishul, Prithvi, Agni I and II, Nag and Akash. In recognition of his talent he was conferred with country's top civilian honours - Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and Bharat Ratna in 1997.
He was a great son of India. He always used to say, “I want to ignite young minds, which are a powerful resource.” His mission was to teach 1,00,000 students. Being the President of India, his main focus was to ignite the minds of people.
Select the correct option and complete the sentence.
Abdul Kalam believed in _______.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Astronomy
Astronomy is the scientific study of the stars, planets and space. The passage says that, endowed with a scientific temper, "he believed in astronomy and not astrology".
Example: She bought a telescope because she is interested in astronomy.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Numerology — Incorrect. Numerology is the belief that numbers have a hidden influence on people's lives; the passage does not mention it.
Example: Following numerology, he added an extra letter to his name.
Option 3: Astrology — Incorrect. Astrology is the belief that the positions of the stars and planets shape people's lives. The passage says plainly that he did not believe in it.
Example: His grandmother checks astrology charts before every wedding.
Option 4: Epistemology — Incorrect. Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies knowledge and how we come to know things; it is not mentioned.
Example: The philosophy course begins with a unit on epistemology.