exalt senior - for the all-rounder in every student

Feb'2012

For the All-Rounder in every Student

EXALT SENIOR

Nature Smart People Smart Number Smart Picture Smart

Self Smart Body Smart Music Smart Word Smart

EXALT is a publication of www.mysuperbrain.com | An IIT & IIM Alumni initiative

Welcome Note

EXALT is an attempt to encourage the all-round development in school students. Every

student has a special skill. There is an all-rounder in every student, but because of various

reasons those skills don‟t come to fruition. We are trying to right that wrong. We, a team of

IIT & IIM Alumni and graduates from some of the best institutes in India, supported by

people from different walks of life, bring to you a complete package. The magazine

contributes immensely to the growth of the students by showcasing their latent skills.

We base our work on the path breaking research of Dr. Howard Gardner. His “Theory of

Multiple Intelligences” talks extensively about various intelligences in students and the

importance of encouraging those skills.

EXALT will help students in three main ways

Knowledge

Creativity

Recognition

Our website, www.mysuperbrain.com, is India‟s first website to encourage all-round excellence

in school students. It is the best gift any student can get. There will be a tremendous impact

on the long term growth of students.

Students will be able to improve their knowledge in different areas like science, number

skills, current affairs, health etc. There will be loads of creative activities that would get the

creative juices in students flowing. We give a very high importance to showcasing of

students‟ abilities to the world. Every edition will have various activities and competitions

listed. Students can submit their work and we will provide them a global audience on our

website www.mysuperbrain.com.

We assure you that this magazine will continuously bring new articles, activities and

competitions that will broaden the horizon of every student who lays his/her hand on it.

Please also visit www.mysuperbrain.com for educational articles, educational games,

quizzes, competitions and also to connect with experts from various domains who would be

able to guide you in numerous ways. There is no fee to register on the website.

Our attempt is to bring out the best in every student and we do everything to deliver the

best to all the students.

- Team EXALT [email protected] +91 97013 20902

http://www.mysuperbrain.com/



mailto:[email protected]


1.0, Self Smart

Intra-personal intelligence is the capacity to understand oneself and one‟s thoughts and

feelings, and to use such knowledge in planning and directing one‟s life. Intra-personal

intelligence involves not only an appreciation of the self, but also of the human condition.

1.1, Discover & Evolve

You have surely heard people say that no one is perfect. Yes, no one is perfect, but we

should try and improve ourselves to the level possible. It is easier to improve at your age

compared to your parents‟ age or your grandparents‟ age.

This magazine gives you a chance to improve your skills in multiple areas, but the most

important aim should be to understand yourself. You need to have aims and ambitions. It

may be too young to know exactly what you want to do in life, but you need to understand

what matters to you and what doesn‟t, what inspires you and what bores you, what is good

and what is bad.

You can take the support of some elders to help you in understanding yourselves and

improving continuously. You need to keep away negative thoughts and negative people.

Support yourself by people who are very positive. If you think positively, you will see a lot

of positive things happening in your life. Negative thoughts will seriously curtail your

progress.

We bring to you a brief write up on two very inspirational people. First is Steve Jobs who

passed away very recently. The other is Mokshagundam Viswesvarayya. Both of them are

role models for many across the world. One has revolutionized many industries. The other

has been a phenomenal engineer worthy of emulation

We hope you learn a lot of things from their lives. Every great person‟s life is an amazing

lesson in the greatest traits of humans. By reading about them you would feel inspired and

you would do things that can help you immensely. Because of the space constraints, we

cannot provide a very detailed note on their lives, but, if possible, try reading as many

books as possible about great personalities. It is a great learning experience for all of us.


1.2, Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, born on February 24, 1955, was an American businessman and an

innovator. He was adopted at birth by an Armenian couple. As a kid, he was noted for

his razor-sharp observations. Following high school graduation in 1972, Jobs enrolled at

Reed College. But he dropped out of college without completing his graduation. Steve

Jobs took off for India in the search of enlightenment with his friend Dan Kottke at the

age of 19. Their primary purpose was to meet the spirirtual guru Neem Karoli Baba.

However, when they got to the Neem Karoli ashram, it was basically deserted after

Neem Karoli had died earlier in the year. On returning to the United States, he co-

founded the Apple computer along with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in the garage

of his house.

After a successful stint at Apple, he was fired from the company for his erratic and

temperamental behaviour. Soon after leaving Apple, Jobs founded NeXT Computer in

1985. He also started Pixar Inc., which went on to produce animated movies such as

Toy Story (1995); A Bug's Life (1998); Toy Story 2 (1999); Monsters, Inc. (2001);

Finding Nemo (2003); and The Incredibles (2004). This venture made him one of the

most sought after men in Hollywood. In the year 1996, Apple bought NeXT, thus

bringing Jobs back to the company he co-founded. It was a period marked by a lot of

creativity as he launched the Mac OS X.

At the turn of the millenium, Jobs entered the market with his product, iPod, which was

an instant hit among music lovers. Over the course of the first decade of the 21st

century, he went on to launch many hi-tech products like the iMac, iTunes, iPad and

iPhone which were very advanced products of their time. He was able to extract the

best out of the workers at Apple.

Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011 at the age of 56 after a long battle with

pancreatic cancer. The death of Steve Jobs came as a huge shock to the tech-world. His

out-of-the-box thinking and a desire to excel made him one of the most iconic

innovators of all times. Products created by him and his company Apple such as the

iPod, iPad and iPhone have revolutionized the way people use technology in their lives.

After being fired from the company he co-founded, he had the courage to come back to

Apple and steer it towards being the most valued company in the world. He went one

step ahead of his competitors by creating products that people didn.t believe could be

created. The one thing that set him apart from everybody else was that he could sense

what lay ahead. His often eccentric behaviour contrasted with his love for zen

philosophy.

Just like the wordings of Apple.s .Think Different . ad campaign, he was crazy enough

to think that he could the change the world and he did. More than anyone else of his

time, he made products that were completely innovative, combining the power of

poetry and processors. His imaginative leaps were instinctive, magical and at times,

unexpected. He was a visionary, pioneer and genius in the field of business, innovation

and product design and a man who profoundly changed the face of the modern world.

He revolutionized at least six different industries. History will place him in the pantheon

right next to Disney, Edison and Ford. He has left behind a world that has been touched

by the genius of his DNA.


1.3, Mokshagundam Viswesvarayya: Our own Indigenous Engineer

Viswesvarayya was born in 1860, near Kingdom of Mysore (present day Muddenahalli

Village – 40kms from Bangalore). He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Madras

University (yes, he was not an Engineering graduate). There upon he studied Civil

Engineering at the Government Service College, Pune. After post-graduation, he took

up a job with the Public Works Department (PWD) of Bombay and was later invited to

join the Indian Irrigation Commission. He implemented an extremely intricate system of

irrigation in the Deccan area. He also designed and patented a system of automatic

weir water floodgates that were first installed in 1903 at the Khadakvasla Reservoir

near Pune. These gates were employed to raise the flood supply level of storage in the

reservoir to the highest level likely to be attained by a flood without causing any

damage to the dam. Based on the success of these gates, the same system was

installed at the Tigra Dam in Gwalior and the Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) Dam in Mandya/

Mysore,Karnataka. In 1906-07, Government of India sent him to Eden, (Africa) to study

water supply and drainage system and the project prepared by him was implemented in

Eden successfully.

However, his most influential contribution to the country is the flood protection system

he designed for Hyderabad. In the early 1900‟s Hyderabad was under constant threat of

unseasonal floods from Moosi River. With the financial support from the Nizam, he

studied the topography and successfully implemented a genuine design to contain off-

season floodings. Later, he went on to implement a system to protect Vishakhapatnam part from sea erosion.

He is famous for his brilliant, genuine and customized engineering designs and solutions

for any given geography. He was awarded Bharat Ratna, the highest honour given by

Indian Republic for his contributions to the public good. He was also awarded honorary

Membership of London Institution of Civil Engineers for an unbroken 50 years. Many

educational institutes are named in his honour. Viswesvarayya Technological University

and Viswesvarayya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur are few among them. He

passed away on 14th April 1962 and lives on forever through his immense contribution to our country.

So, the next time you are in Bangalore, don‟t forget to visit Viswesvarayya Industrial

and Technological Museum, where his works and methods of operation are displayed to general public.

Did you know that 15th of September is

celebrated as „Engineer‟s Day‟ in India? Yes

it is, and for a good reason. It is the birth

anniversary of an exceptionally brilliant

engineer that the country has ever seen –

Sir Mokshagundam Viswesvarayya. Also

known famously as Sir MV, he is the chief of

architect India‟s flood containment systems, most notably for the city of Hyderabad.


2.0, Word Smart

Linguistic intelligence is the ability to think in words and to use language to express

and appreciate complex meanings. Linguistic intelligence allows us to understand

the order and meaning of words and to apply meta-linguistic skills to reflect on our

use of language. Linguistic intelligence is the most widely shared human

competence and is evident in poets, novelists, journalists, and effective public

speakers. Young adults with this kind of intelligence enjoy writing, reading, telling

stories or doing crossword puzzles. Here are few activities to fine tune them.

2.1, Anagrams – Word formation

The rule here is simple. We give you a word and you have to find as many new

words as possible using just the alphabets from that given word.

i. Make as many meaningful words as possible with the letters in the following words:

MAHATMA GANDHI

Alphabets: M – 2, A – 4, H – 2, T – 1, G – 1, N – 1, D – 1, I - 1

For each word, you get as many points as the size of the word. For example, if you

form „RAIN‟, you get four points. If you form „BRAINY‟, you get six points.

ii. Also try the same with these words:

AMAZING BRAIN

Alphabets: M-1, I-3, S-1, A-2, P-3, R-2, O-2, T-1, N-1

Calculate your total scores by adding up all the points. Make sure you are not

repeating any of the words. Complete list of words and ratings would be given in the next

edition. Try doing this exercise individually and then do it as a group with a couple of

friends.


2.2, Word or Not

Identify the real and fake words from the following list. Do you know the meanings of all the

real words? Write them down on a piece of paper. The next edition will have the answers

and meanings for real words).

Words:

Word Real Word Fake Word

Termagant

Triolet

Schamble

Tautology

Amajon

ennui

Afflatus

Wierd

accommodate

2.3, Learn a few languages

How many languages do you know?

In how many languages can you ask your friends, “Hello. How are you?”

Try to talk to your friends, teachers and neighbors who have different mother tongues and

learn a few words every time you meet them. This was you will learn a lot of new things.

Even in English, try to improve your vocabulary every day. Make it a point to learn few new

words every day and try using them every day. You will have a great vocabulary over a

period of time. Language skills can, and should, be improved continuously.


3.0, People Smart

Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand and interact effectively with others. It

involves effective verbal and nonverbal communication, the ability to note distinctions

among others, sensitivity to the moods and temperaments of others, and the ability to

entertain multiple perspectives. Teachers, social workers, actors, and politicians, all exhibit

interpersonal intelligence. Young adults with this kind of intelligence are leaders among

their peers, are good at communicating, and seem to understand others‟ feelings and

motives.

3.1, Interpersonal skills

In this article, we give you certain tips to improve your interpersonal intelligence.

1. Role Plays:

Have a teacher or parent conduct a role play with 3 to 6 students. You can ask your

elders to give you a fictional setting and assign roles to all the participants. You can

carry out the role play for about 20 to 30 minutes and then have the elders tell you

how you have responded during the different stages in the role play.

You can have this activity once every week so that you can prepare yourself for

different scenarios and also have someone monitor you so that any mistakes can be

easily identified and you can get suggestions immediately.

Every day we meet with a lot of people, some very close and

some not so much. It is very important to know how to behave in

different circumstances and with different people. By being well

behaved, you not only get your parents‟ appreciation but also the

appreciation and respect of teachers, friends, relatives and others.

The importance for inter-personal skills only increases with time.

When you start working in companies after 10 to 15 years, you

would realize that interpersonal skills play a very important role in

determining your career growth. It is equally important in

personal life too. You might also be an introvert, but interpersonal

intelligence is not just about taking to anyone and everyone you

see on the road.


2. Sports

Most times, the importance of sports is underestimated. Sports are a great way to

build interpersonal skills. It makes you work together for a common cause and

teaches a lot of really important lessons of working for each other.

3. Observe Others

There are some people who have exceptional interpersonal skills and are widely

appreciated for the same. You need to observe those people to see what they do

best and try to put that into practice.

4. Prioritize

You may not be able to overcome all your shortfalls in a week or so. It is therefore

very important to select a few areas and work on them before you can add a few

more. To make the learning a bit faster, maintain a small notice board in your be

room. Just before you go to sleep every day, look at the board and evaluate for

yourself whether you are trying to improve your interpersonal skills.

5. Track your progress

It is important to know how much you are progressing in the areas you have

selected as the highest priority. Once you have stopped making the same mistakes,

you are good to go to the next list. You have to get to a level where you know that

the same mistakes would not repeat.

.

Talk to an expert

Do you have any questions that you want to ask experts regarding interpersonal skills?

Would you like to receive personal feedback from trainers?

Any question you may have regarding interpersonal skills can be emailed to us at

[email protected] and we would have the experts give you the answers on how you

can improve.

You need to be a little critical of yourself so that you can

make great progress. Sometimes you have to be very

patient with yourself. It may not be very easy to stop

making certain mistakes, but persistence is the key.

Do you know the favorite color of you close friends or family?

Do you know who their role models are? Do you know the

birthday of your parents or their wedding anniversary?

Try spending some time understanding people around you.

Start with the people who are closest to you. Try to remember

as many things about your close ones as possible



4.0, Number Smart

Logical-mathematical intelligence is the ability to calculate, quantify, consider propositions

and hypotheses, and carry out complete mathematical operations. It enables us to perceive

relationships and connections and to use abstract, symbolic thought; sequential reasoning

skills; and inductive and deductive thinking patterns. Logical intelligence is usually well

developed in mathematicians, scientists, and detectives. Young adults with lots of logical

intelligence are interested in patterns, categories, and relationships. They are drawn to

arithmetic problems, strategy games and experiments.

4.1, Math-a-Magic

In this section, we would give you some methods for improving your calculation speeds and

understanding of mathematics.

Let‟s warm up with a small problem

I am sure you all understand probability. Try the problem below

Probability is the chance of a certain event happening. If you were to toss a coin, the

probability of getting a heads is equal to the probability of getting a tail which is equal to

0.5. There are two equally likely events. The assumption is that the coin is unbiased.

At a restaurant, how could you choose one out of three desserts with equal

probability with the help of a coin?

Try it for a few minutes. The answer is given below.

When you toss a coin once there are two likely events

Getting a head and getting a tail.

Let‟s denote getting a head by H and getting a tail

The possibilities are H and T

If you toss the coin twice, the possibilities are:

HH, HT, TH and TT. (First letter representing the result of the first toss and the second letter

representing the result of second toss)

You see that there are four possibilities, but we need only three likely events. The best way

is to make one of the possible results null. For example, we decide to make TT null. It

means that if we get tails in both the tosses, we start the process again.

You can assign each of the other three possibilities to one of the desserts.


Why not carry a coin with you and try to make sense of the probability.

A few problems for you to ponder over:

What is the probability of getting heads three times in three coin tosses?

You have a bag which has 25 identical toys numbered 1, 2, 3 .. 25. If you were

asked to randomly pick the toys, what is the probability of selecting a toy with a

number less than 18?

The following equation is wrong: 101 - 102 = 1

Move one numeral to make it correct.

Try the above trick puzzle. Answer is given below.

Move 2 up by a few millimeters and it becomes:

101 – 102 = 101 – 100 = 1

Magic of Reverse

Take any two digit number, let‟s say ab. Now reverse it. It becomes ba.

| ab – ba | is divisible by 9.

Have you ever read this or tried it?

Here is the proof:

ab is nothing but 10 times a plus b = 10Xa + b

ba is nothing but 10 times b plus a = 10Xb + a

ab – ba is therefore (10 X a + b) – (10 X b + a) = 9 X (a – b) which is always divisible by 9.

Difference between a three digit number and its reverse is always divisible by 99.

How?

Why?

Try it out and also see if you can see if there is any trend. Does the number of digits have

an impact?


5.0 Nature Smart

Nature Smartness is the human ability to discriminate among living things (plants, animals)

as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world (clouds, rock configurations).

This ability was clearly of value in our evolutionary past as hunters, gatherers, and farmers;

it continues to be central in such roles as botanist or chef. It is also speculated that much

of our consumer society exploits the naturalist intelligences, which can be mobilized in the

discrimination among cars, sneakers, kinds of makeup, and the like.

5.1 Forces of Universe: Gravitational Force

Do you know why a cricket ball returns to the ground, no matter how hard you hit it? Do

you know what is it in Sun that makes Earth, Jupiter and other planets revolve around it?

The answer is – Gravitation, the mysterious force that keeps universe intact.

To understand gravitation better, try this: Throw a ball high up in the air, as hard as you

can. Your obvious observation is that the ball returns back to ground. But, why? Why

couldn‟t it just go up and up and be lost in the sky? Mr. Isaac Newton, the father of classical

physics, also had the same question. In his case, it was an apple falling from a tree.

Subsequently, after conducting many experiments and recording observations, he came up

with an explanation which changed the course of mankind forever. His explanation: Every

single object in the universe attracts every other object. He termed this attractive force as

„Gravitational Force‟. How much pull can one object exert on another one? It depends on the

mass of two bodies and how far they are placed. The farther the distance between objects,

the lesser is the force. Also, the heavier the bodies, the more attractive force between

them.

This explains why a cricket ball struck hard returns to ground. Earth, being a immensely

huge body exerts tremendous gravitational force on the ball. And the ball has no choice but

to return to the ground. Infact, this is the same reason why Sun, which is 3, 33,000 times

heavier than Earth makes it revolve around it. It‟s as if a long string connects Sun and

Earth, with Earth going in circles while Sun being stationary. Except that, gravitational force

takes the place of the string.

But, alas, not all is know

about Gravitation. The

basic question – Why

should two bodies attract

each other? – is yet to be

answered. Probably one of

you young scientists could

explain in near future. Till

then, keep thinking.


Further Areas of Thoughts:

1. If Earth makes everybody return to the ground, how can a rocket leave Earth?

2. If you have seen videos of men landing on moon, you can observe that he floats at

times. Why does it happen only on moon and not on Earth?

5.3, Did you know?

Here are few facts you probably didn‟t know.

1. Muscles in a human body are 650 in total.

2. It takes 8 minutes 17 seconds for light to travel from the Sun‟s surface to the

Earth.

3. In October 1999, the 6 billionth person was born. (Isn‟t that huge?)

4. An ocean wave can rose up to maximum height of 21m and it was recorded

back in 2004 in the island of Maui. 516m ocean wave was recorded at the

head of Lituya Bay, Alaska in 1958.

5. On the top layer of moon when the gravity is too low, there is no atmosphere

and when someone utters something, the words won‟t reach the next

person's ear

6. An eye blinking is a complicated process and a human eye blinks 4.2 million

times in a year.

7. The tallest tree ever was an Australian eucalyptus - In 1872 it was measured

at 435 feet tall.

8. In 5 billion years the Sun will run out of fuel and turn into a Red Giant.

9. The grey whale migrates 12,500 miles from the Arctic to Mexico and back

every year.

10.Approximately 10 percent of the Earth is covered by glaciers; during the last

Ice Age, they covered one-third of the Earth„s surface.

11.Glacier ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on the planet, storing an

estimated 75 percent of the world‟s supply.


6.0, Other Intelligences

We at “My Super Brain” and “Exalt” fine tune your knowledge in association with all the 8

known intelligences. They are known as,

Naturalist Intelligence (“Nature Smart”)

Interpersonal Intelligence (People Smart”)

Logical Intelligence (Number/Reasoning Smart)

Spatial Intelligence (“Picture Smart”)

Intra-personal Intelligence (Self Smart”)

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (“Body Smart”)

Musical Intelligence (“Musical Smart”)

Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart)

As we have already discussed about the Nature smart, Number Smart, People smart, Word

smart and Self-smart from the previous sections. Here are the other three, Music smart,

Body smart and Picture smart.

6.1, Music Smart

Musical intelligence is the capacity to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone. This

intelligence enables us to recognize, create, reproduce, and reflect on music, as

demonstrated by composers, conductors, musicians, vocalist, and sensitive listeners.

Interestingly, there is often an affective connection between music and the emotions; and

mathematical and musical intelligences may share common thinking processes. Young

adults with this kind of intelligence are usually singing or drumming to themselves. They

are usually quite aware of sounds others may miss.

If you are a fan of music, we would like to upload your videos on our website,

www.mysuperbrain.com so that people from across the world can watch your videos and

experts can give you feedback on your work.

It will be a great boost for you.



6.2, Body Smart

Bodily kinesthetic intelligence is the capacity to manipulate objects and use a variety of

physical skills. This intelligence also involves a sense of timing and the perfection of skills

through mind–body union.

You might have heard the saying, “Healthy mind in a

healthy body”. Fitness is not just for the sportsmen. It is

important for all of us. Obesity is a serious problem these

days. There are multiple reasons for obesity in human

beings, but a proper exercise plan would do no harm to

anyone. When you meet the doctor next time for a checkup,

ask him for a diet plan.

How can you improve your body smartness? How can you

stay fit and have good reflexes?

There is no one answer to the above questions. Here are a

few things that would help you improve your agility.

1. Spend at least 20 minutes every day doing

mild exercises like jogging, running,

swimming or playing sports like hockey or

football or cricket etc.

2. Participate in dance or yoga or similar

pursuits which make you put some stress on

your body.

3. Participate in sports whenever you get a

chance. Sports is a great way to keep your

body fit and also learn whole lot of personality

traits.

4. Instead of playing a game on the computer or

on your game consoles, you should play with

your friends in the ground.

5. Yoga has also been very effective at

improving body smartness, but you would

have to have a coach/ mentor/ guru to guide

you.

6. Check your BMI to see how fit you are.


6.3, Picture Smart

Spatial intelligence is the ability to think in three dimensions. Core capacities include

mental imagery, spatial reasoning, image manipulation, graphic and artistic skills, and an

active imagination. We shall be dealing with everything related to art in this section.

Have you seen the caricatures of eminent people in the newspapers? I am sure most of you

have. If you haven‟t seen a caricature or don‟t know what a caricature is, please read below

the definition of caricature.

Activity

We would like to suggest an activity. Try drawing the caricatures of your close friends.

Firstly, take their permission. Don‟t draw it in a way that is offensive to your friends. If you

are skeptical, you can draw the caricatures of some famous personalities like politicians or

sports stars, movie stars etc.

If you would like to feature your caricatures on mysuperbrain.com, please email it to us.

Our email address is [email protected].

Below is an example of a caricature of Einstein. On the left is Einstein‟s picture and on the

right is his caricature.

A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person, animal or object to

create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person

using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others



7.0, Puzzles

Puzzles are a great way to encourage lateral thinking. Solve these puzzles and learn for

yourself how fast your thinking process is. By regularly solving puzzles you can improve

your thinking process significantly. Never get depressed when you are taking a lot of time to

solve puzzles. The aim should be to improve continuously.

7.1 Puzzles

So get started!

1. 5 pirates of different ages have a treasure of 100 gold coins. On their ship, they

decide to split the coins using this scheme:

The oldest pirate proposes how to share the coins, and ALL pirates (including the

oldest) vote for or against it.

If 50% or more of the pirates vote for it, then the coins will be shared that way.

Otherwise, the pirate proposing the scheme will be thrown overboard, and the

process is repeated with the pirates that remain.

As pirates tend to be a bloodthirsty bunch, if a pirate would get the same number of

coins if he voted for or against a proposal, he will vote against so that the pirate who

proposed the plan will be thrown overboard.

Assuming that all 5 pirates are intelligent, rational, greedy, and do not wish to die,

(and are rather good at math for pirates) what will happen?

2. You are on an island and there are three crates of fruit that have washed up in front

of you. One crate contains only apples. One crate contains only oranges. The other

crate contains both apples and oranges.

Each crate is labeled. One reads "apples", one reads "oranges", and one reads

"apples and oranges". You know that NONE of the crates have been labeled correctly

- they are all wrong.

If you can only take out and look at just one of the pieces of fruit from just one of

the crates, how can you label ALL of the crates correctly?


3. You are on an island and there are three crates of fruit that have washed up in front

of you. One crate contains only apples. One crate contains only oranges. The other

crate contains both apples and oranges.

Each crate is labeled. One reads "apples", one reads "oranges", and one reads

"apples and oranges". You know that NONE of the crates have been labeled correctly

- they are all wrong.

If you can only take out and look at just one of the pieces of fruit from just one of

the crates, how can you label ALL of the crates correctly?

4. A farmer wants to cross a river and take with him a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage.

There is a boat that can fit himself plus either the wolf, the goat, or the cabbage. If

the wolf and the goat are alone on one shore, the wolf will eat the goat. If the goat

and the cabbage are alone on the shore, the goat will eat the cabbage.

How can the farmer bring the wolf, the goat, and the cabbage across the river?

5. How can I get the answer 24 by only using the numbers 8,8,3,3.

You can use the main signs add, subtract multiply and divide.

6. When asked about his birthday, a man said:

"The day before yesterday I was only 25 and next year I will turn 28."

This is true only one day in a year - when was he born?

7. What mathematical symbol can be put between 5 and 9, to get a number bigger

than 5 and smaller than 9?

[Please Submit Your Answers by end of this month .We will collect your solutions. You can

win fabulous prizes.]


8.0, Activities

It‟s time for testing your General Knowledge and working on your creative skills.

8.1, Quizzes

Test your general knowledge. Try to find answers for all the questions. You can also learn what you already don‟t know.

Match the sportsmen and sportswomen with the sports they are associated with

Player Sport

1. Michael Schumaker Cricket

2. Roger Federer F1 Racing

3. Kapil Dev Swimming

4. Saina Nehwal Running

5. Usain Bolt Baminton

6. Michael Phelps Tennis

Match the artists with the art they are associated with

Artist Art

1. Michael Jackson Painting

2. Leonardo Da Vinci Music

3. Rabindranath Tagore Dance

4. R D Burman Writing

1. Who are India‟s two cricket world cup winning captains?

2. Who is India‟s first president?

3. If it is 5:30 PM in India, What is the GMT?

4. Who is the last Indian to win the Bharat Ratna?

5. Which country was Roger Federer born in?

6. Which are the permanent members of the UN Security Council?

7. What is the total number of MPs in Lok Sabha?

8. Which is the third biggest state in India?

9. Which house of the Parliament is called the Lower House?

10. Which house of the Indian Parliament is called the Upper House?


8.2, Project-X: Bottle Tower This is a fun filled activity which can be conducted among a multiple number of students.

Activity Build a strong tower that can support a one liter water bottle.

Equipment

needed

Ice cream sticks, Glue, Newspapers, threads and a one liter water bottle.

Time 25 minutes.

Team Size 3 to 6. All the teams should be of the same size.

Aim Build a structure that is tall and strong enough to support a one liter

water bottle at the top. The teams will have to work together and in the

given time work together and create the structure as tall as possible.

Judging The team that builds the tallest structure that supports the one liter

bottle is the winner. Do this with a teacher as the judge.

8.3, Comprehension test

It is time to test your memory power. Hope you have done a good job learning lot of cool things today.

Activity Quizzing

Equipment

needed

EXALT magazine

Time 20 minutes.

Team Size 3 to 6. All the teams should be of the same size.

Process How well have you read the magazine? Do you remember all that you

have read?

After you have read the magazine in detail, you can see how much you

have learned or remembered. Form a team of 3 students. Prepare a set of

10 questions and get them to the class. Have a teacher help you with this

quiz. Give your 10 questions to the teacher. Request the teacher to collect

all the questions and then conduct a quiz for all the groups in the class.

Judging Whichever team gets the most number of questions right is the winner.


9.0, Competitions

EXALT and www.mysuperbrain.com work hard to bring you a global platform to showcase

your skills in different areas. Your entries would be viewed by students, parents, teachers,

experts and enthusiasts from all over the world. It gives you a very easily accessible

platform to showcase and improve your skills.

It is also a great chance to discover your latent skills. We may not be aware of our greatest

skills unless and until we give ourselves a chance to see how good we are.

MySuperBrain.com gives you the opportunity to participate in all the competitions. Experts

would look at your submissions and give you feedback. You may realize your skills because

of the experts.

Below is the list of competitions you can participate in. You can email your entries to

[email protected] or directly upload your entries on www.mysuperbrain.com.

Essay Writing

Topic If I was the Prime Minister of India _________________________

Description We often hear people say that they would have done something differently

if they were at the helm of affairs. It is your chance to tell the world what

you would have done if you were the PM of India.

The best entries would be forwarded to the Government and also various

other organizations so that they know how the young of this country

perceive various problems

Prize Medals, Certificates and T Shirts to be given to the top three candidates

Painting

Topic Unity in Diversity

Description India is a land of many cultures, languages, food habits, dressing habits

etc. Still we are all Indians. We would love to see your depiction of India‟s

diverse cultures.


I am sure you love participating in competitions. This is your

chance to showcase your skills to people from around the world.

Participate in these exciting competitions and win amazing prizes.




Projects

Topic Machines

Description Develop a machine that would make any human activity easier and more

effective. You could select the task based on your interest. All you have to

do is tell us why you selected the said task and also the detailed procedure

on how you carried out building the machine.


Social Impact

Topic Make the society a better place

Description Every day we come across so many social problems. You might have your

opinions and ways to make the society a better place by solving those

problems. Send in your entry that captures the problem and also what you

think would solve the problem.

We will work with NGOs/ Government Organizations or anyone related so

that we can fix the issue.


9.1, SuperBrain of the Day

We are all special in our own way. It is our focus to bring out the best in every student and

show it to the whole world. As part of our efforts, we run a “SuperBrain of the Day” feature

on our website, www.mysuperbrain.com every day. If you are interested in being on the

Home Page of the website, email us a 500 word write up on yourself, your interests,

hobbies, role models, aims & ambitions, friends & family and anything else you feel worth

sharing to [email protected].

Every student who is featured as the “SuperBrain of the Day” gets a mysuperbrain.com t

shirt and a certificate recognizing your skills.

We would like to know about you and so does the rest of the world. Send your entry

immediately.



10.0, General Knowledge – Nobel Prizes

Nobel prizes are the most prestigious awards given in the

fields of art and science. Nobel prizes are given every year and

the winners are selected by the scandinavian committees.

Today we bring to you a brief history of the Nobel Prizes.

When Alfred Nobel‟s father (Immanuel Nobel: 1801-1872)

died, the local newspaper accidentally posted Alfred‟s obituary.

The next morning, Alfred read the morning paper and was

stunned at what he read about his life story. The paper only

focused on his invention of dynamite and how it contributed to

war deaths. Alfred did not want to be known as the person

who invented dynamite that killed so many people. In his will,

he decided to put money into a foundation that would

encourage accomplishments in specific areas.

The Nobel Prize is awarded each year to an individual who has

made either a great single breakthrough or has made a great

number of accomplishments in their lifetime in the fields of

chemistry, physics, literature, medicine and peace. The prize

has been given since 1901 and consists of a medal, a personal diploma, and a prize amount.

In Alfred Nobel‟s will he laid out the instructions for how the

prize should be awarded. He stated that his remaining estate

shall be invested in safe securities, and that the interest on

this estate shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to

those who have met the written requirements.

In 1968, the Prize in Economic Sciences was established by

the Bank of Sweden (Sveriges Riksbank) in memory of Alfred Nobel.

In this page, there are six photos. Identify the eminent

personalities


10.1 Eco-friendly Behavior

We live in a world that is interconnected. There is constant interaction between living beings

and their environment. One thing connects to the other and the other to another. This

interrelation raises a basic question of how to maintain a balance between the living

organisms and their immediate surroundings. Why do you think we need to protect our

environment? What do you understand when someone asks you are you eco-friendly?

The term eco-friendly means environment friendly. The word “eco” here means Ecology,

which is a branch of biology that deals with the study of the relation of living organisms with

each other and their surroundings. Our planet Earth has been endowed with sufficient

natural resources like water, sunlight, wind, flora (plants) and fauna (animals). These

resources are gradually reaching a state of being perished, due to the callous behavior of

humans. An imbalance in the ecology can be very catastrophic, which can lead to floods,

earthquakes and other natural calamities. Imagine a day where earth has no water? Difficult

to live without it, isn„t it? Hence we need to rethink the way we use these natural resources

and find ways to protect these resources from getting exhausted.

As the saying goes “little drops of water make the mighty ocean”, you can do your bit to

protect mother earth by turning eco-friendly.

Here are some tips that can go a long way in maintaining the ecological balance:

Stop the usage of plastic: The next time you are in a store to pick up Grocery, carry a

canvas bag or a paper bag. These bags are made of material that are bio-degradable so

that once you are done using them, discarding them would be easy. Whereas plastic bags

which are non-biodegradable stay in the environment longer, causing more build-up on the

natural landscape than a degradable material like paper would. They last for hundreds of

years and damage the natural habitats and kill the animals that mistake them for food.

If carrying a paper bag each time seems not so easy, try to use each plastic bag for as long

as possible. This will help reduce the number of plastic bags in circulation.

Plant a seedling: Isn‟t there joy in giving life? You can sow a seed and watch it grow into a

plant. Trees play a key role in maintaining the ecological balance. Living beings depend on

trees and plants for oxygen. Trees have demonstrated the ability to reduce heat. Don‟t you

experience a difference in temperature from a place that is surrounded by trees and a one

devoid of it? So why not indulge in the pleasure of Gardening?

Conserve water: This natural resource is almost at the verge of perishing. About 97 per

cent of earth water is saline and only three per cent is fresh, out of which only one per cent

is readily available for human consumption, hence we find the scarcity of drinking water. For

the future of planet earth you need to save this essential natural resource today. Water

conservation can reduce the scarcity of water. It can help us use water more efficiently;

thus in turn reducing water wastage and its adverse affects. Summers are in and so is the


scorching heat, also with it is the shortage of water due to drying up of land water. But by

taking up the following measures you can save water efficiently:

Turn the tap off when not in use especially when you brush your teeth or wash

clothes, also avoid leakage of water from the taps.

Rainwater harvesting is an effective means to conserve water.

Reuse water: if used water is devoid of toxic material use it for gardening

Use minimum amount of water to bathe

Educate and promote the idea of water conservation among your neighbors and

friends

You might wonder how saving on your own water may help. So think about this, water

saved in your house may be very little, but water saved by a few is enough to run one more

household. If everyone does their little part no matter how insignificant it may seem,

together all can make a very big difference.

Use public transport Vehicles run on fuels, combustion of these fuels generates the

energy required to run vehicles. In the process of combustion many air pollutants such as

carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide are released into the atmosphere. You

can reduce the air pollution by using a bus or train as your primary transportation source.

Today we see many large suburban vehicles and trucks inhabited by only one or two people.

Everyone who is taking their own vehicle is causing some individual pollution. If you take

public transportations systems like trains or buses they do not cause the same energy

waste.

We have been exploiting all the resources of mother Earth since life began on this planet; it

is now our turn to contribute and make it a better place to live and secure a better future

for the planet and for our future generations. You will do your bit to save your planet? Won‟t

you? Save your planet, save yourselves.


10.3. Communication

Can you name a few means of communication?

Internet

Telephone

Mobile Phones

Letters

Newspapers

TV/Radio

Internet became popular in the 1990s and before that, the telephone was the most popular

means of communication in reaching out to friends and family living in a different place. The

telephone was invented in 1876 and pony express, pigeon post, messengers delivering

messages on foot or horseback were popular means of communication.

Thousands of years ago, men used pictures or symbols to communicate. These symbols

were drawn on walls of caves using sharpened stone tools and depicted a wide range of

activities including planting crops, hunting victories etc. The Chauvet cave in southern

France is one of oldest known cave paintings and depicts pictures of hundreds of animals.

The next step in communication was in the form of carvings on rock surface and was known

as Petroglyphs. The Petroglyphs later evolved to pictograms. The petroglyphs simply

portrayed a particular incident or a particular event while a pictogram conveyed the entire

series of the events in a chronological order. From pictograms were developed ideograms,

graphical symbols that depicted an idea. A pictogram could only represent a form but not

abstract forms. For example, the pictogram of a circle would represent a sun but could not

represent heat, light etc. An ideogram of an eye with a tear would depict sadness.

Smoke signals were also another way to communicate. They were used to send messages

to people or tribes that dint live closely. Drums were another important means. The

patterns in drumming used to be altered depending on the type and importance of the

event.

With time symbols were developed from drawings and these symbols were used to form

words and sentences. These were written on blocks of clay or clay tablets which could be

carried from one place to another. Merchants used these tablets to record the quantity of


materials that were being traded. The current alphabets we use became popular during 600

BC and the Greek were the first people to develop a script that was written from left to

right. The earliest means of writing, closest to present day‟s pen and paper was also

developed by the Greek. They used a stylus made of bone, or metal or ivory to write on wax

coated tablets. The Chinese invented the first ink called &lsquoIndian ink‟ and later different

countries/cultures developed their own style of inks using natural dyes. During the same

time, the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans developed to Papyrus rolls to write on it. The quill

pen, a pen made from the feathers of birds like quills, swans, crows, owls etc dominated the

writing scene for a long time. Human messengers were used to deliver these messages

written using quill pens and papers.

In 1455, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. Before Gutenberg, the material

that needed to be printed had to be carved on metal, wood or stone and then rolled with ink

which was transferred onto parchments using pressure and books had to be hand-copied.

The printing press spread rapidly all over Europe and saw a lot of changes and

developments eventually. The London Gazette was the first English Newspaper printed and

in 1738 AD, the first daily newspaper Pennsylvania Evening Post was started. The discovery

of electro magnetism and the inventions of electricity revolutionized the communications

industry by paving way for the telegraph, telephone , radio and eventually mobile phones

and the internet which have become an essential part of the common man‟s life today.

The last century has witnessed tremendous innovations in the telecommunications industry.

What new inventions do you think would come up in the next 100 years?

Activity

Have you ever thought of building some communication system?

Have you at least tried developing a code language to communicate with your friends so

that no one else would understand it?

Try developing a code language to communicate with your friends.


To Students from the Editor: I have secretly hidden something in between the words of

this book. It can be anywhere. If you can find it, I personally will give you an awesome gift.

Now this should keep you influenced in reading the whole. We are fun like that. Happy

learning.

Our intention behind this magazine is to serve the purpose of every student. We also hope

that teachers and parents use this as a reference for quality knowledge time with their

children. There are group activities and quizzes which can be conducted.

Do you want to know what happens in the day of a scientist?

Do you want to talk to an IITian?

Do you want to know what inspires sportsmen to work so hard

every single day?

Do you want to talk to people from the defense?

We make it possible for you to do all the above and much more. If you want to talk to

people from different walks of life, just write to us. We will get them to answer your

questions. Your questions and answers will also be posted on www.mysuperbrain.com.

www.mysuperbrain.com We are not just a Magazine. At our website,

we are dedicated to serving students in all

possible ways by enriching their knowledge

and encouraging them to widen their scope

of thinking.

Any student who registers will attain all

possible attention and guidance needed

from professionals. We hope this platform

helps the future generation be wise in

finding their passion and laying down their

path.

Ask an Expert

Team Exalt



For Subscriptions, contact

Bojja Raghavendar Reddy

www.MySuperBrain.com

[email protected]

[email protected]

+91 97013 20902



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