Sports, My English Reader, Class IV, Section- B Additional

Section – B

Mix-up At Birth

Additional To Look Into

Detailed Summary

The story is a real-life incident from the childhood of Sunil Gavaskar, a famous Indian cricketer. On the day he was born — July 10, 1949 — his uncle, Mr. Narayan Masuvekar (Nan-kaka), visited him in the hospital. Nan-kaka noticed a small hole near the top of Sunil’s left ear-lobe.

The next day, when he came again, he found that the baby beside Sunil’s mother did not have that hole. He realized there had been a mix-up after the babies were given a bath. A frantic search began, and eventually, the real baby Sunil was found sleeping beside a fisher-woman, unaware of the confusion he had caused.

Sunil reflects that he might have grown up as a fisherman if his uncle hadn’t noticed the ear mark. He expresses gratitude to his uncle for saving him from a completely different life. He also wonders if the baby who took his place temporarily is interested in cricket and hopes he reads the book someday.

Word Meanings Table

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Q1. Who was the author of the story “Mix-up at Birth”?
A. Raj Kapoor
B. Sunil Gavaskar
C. Kapil Dev
D. Narayan Masuvekar
Answer: B. Sunil Gavaskar

Q2. What unique mark helped to identify Sunil?
A. A scar on the hand
B. A mole on the foot
C. A hole on the left ear-lobe
D. A birthmark on the face
Answer: C. A hole on the left ear-lobe

Q3. Who noticed the baby mix-up?
A. His mother
B. A nurse
C. His uncle
D. The doctor
Answer: C. His uncle

Q4. What might have happened if the mix-up wasn’t discovered?
A. Sunil would have become a doctor
B. Sunil would have lived in a village
C. Sunil might have grown up to be a fisherman
D. Sunil would have gone abroad
Answer: C. Sunil might have grown up to be a fisherman

Q5. Where was Sunil finally found?
A. Beside his mother
B. With the nurse
C. In the garden
D. Sleeping beside a fisher-woman
Answer: D. Sleeping beside a fisher-woman

Short Questions and Answers

Q1. What is the title of the story?
A: The title of the story is Mix-up at Birth.

Q2. When was Sunil Gavaskar born?
A: Sunil Gavaskar was born on July 10, 1949.

Q3. What helped his uncle to identify Sunil?
A: A small hole on the top of Sunil’s left ear-lobe helped in identifying him.

Q4. What happened due to the mix-up?
A: Sunil was mistakenly placed beside a fisher-woman instead of his mother after the babies were bathed.

Q5. What did Sunil feel about the incident later in life?
A: Sunil felt grateful to his uncle for noticing the hole and saving him from growing up in the wrong family.

Q6. Who was Nan-kaka?
A: Nan-kaka was Sunil Gavaskar’s uncle, whose full name was Mr. Narayan Masuvekar.

Q7. What does “marked me out” mean in the passage?
A: It means that nature gave him a special identifying feature—the hole in the ear-lobe—which helped prevent the mix-up.