ताजमहल

In this chapter, students of Hindi will acquire the vocabulary, cultural knowledge, and reading skills necessary to understand and discuss the Taj Mahal. The main story of the chapter details a road trip of a family to the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was built in the seventeenth century by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal who died at age 38 while giving birth to their 14th child. While some mistakenly think the Taj Mahal is a palace, in fact it was built as a mausoleum; the emperor and his queen are entombed below the iconic white marble structure. The chapter includes pre-reading questions that ask about the reader’s experiences with family road trips and the Taj Mahal. A glossary provides relevant vocabulary for the story which the reaction of a girl who visits the monument. The notes on culture elucidate issues related to the history of the Taj Mahal, and the activities guide students in their comprehension of the story and in applying this knowledge in interviewing a partner about a family road trip.