Question

(a) Fine feathers make find birds
(b) Justice delayed is justice denied
(c) Pollution – the bane of machine age

Answer 1

(a) Fine feathers make fine birds
The above idiom means that people are judged by the clothes they wear and how they present themselves. The veracity of this idiom can be attested by the example of the peacock. It enjoys a regal status among birds for its colourful and attractive plumage.
This idiom represents the social conditions of our times where people are often in a hurry to judge others by what they see. Therefore, in order to make a good impression, it is important that one pays attention to one’s appearance.
One’s intellectual wealth and inner beauty may become evident to others eventually in the long run. But the world today is moving at a break-neck speed. An unkempt appearance is unlikely to catch the others’ attention. They, in fact, may be repulsed by it. Being presentable will create a lasting impression in the minds of people.

(b) Justice delayed is justice denied
The above idea means that delay in dispensing justice is akin to justice not been done at all. Being social animals, man has created a legal system to maintain the harmony in society. But this legal system often lags in the delivery of justice thus becoming a cause of agony for the common man.
In India, there are about three crore cases that are pending. The sword of Damocles hangs perpetually over the heads of those awaiting justice. The perpetrators of the crime exploit this delay to find ways to circumvent the laws thus bolstering the resolve of anti-social elements. In addition, the victims run out money to pay for the legal representation if their case is protracted. People will be mistrustful of the judiciary and lose faith in their governments. Frenzied mobs may take up the law in their own hands when they find the judiciary failing and may resort to rudimentary forms of dispensing justice.
In the absence of a good legal system, anarchy and chaos will become the order of the day.

(c) Pollution: The bane of the machine age
Progress and development come at the cost of the environment: A maxim that we have reluctantly come to agree upon. Man exhibited resourcefulness by using his intellect to tap the resources of the Earth for his own purposes. But he lacked the foresight to envision the day when his own endeavours may leave him at the precipice of destruction.
We hailed industrialisation as the force that brought forth a change in the socioeconomic structure of society. Human greed has not only begotten industrialisation but also caused the degeneration of the ecosystem. A world without technology is unimaginable today. We are growing increasingly dependent on gadgets and automobiles. But all this comes at a big price. Pollution is slowing killing our environment with every passing minute. Substances such as gases, chemical by-products and harmful aerosols are contaminating the air we breathe, the water we consume and the land we walk on.
Pollution is happening at a faster rate than the environment can accommodate and is degrading the quality of our lives. Instead of being in denial about our situation, each of us should make concerted efforts to decrease our dependence on technology. Making green choices can mitigate the damage which has already been done. To save our environment from implosion, we need to be aware of the problems caused by the machine age.