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प्रश्न
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
| Caesar: | Are we all ready? What is now amiss, That Caesar and his Senate must redress? |
| Metellus: | Most high, most mighty, and most puissant Caesar, Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat A humble heart, .... [He kneels] |
- Where are the speakers?
What does ‘puissant’ mean?
Explain: ‘Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat a humble heart’. [3] - At the beginning of the scene, Caesar says, ‘The Ides of March are come.’
Why do you think Caesar said this?
What does the Soothsayer say in response? [3] - What specific duties do the conspirators allot to Trebonius and Casca?
Why does Cassius become nervous when Popilius Lena speaks to him as they enter? [3] - What does Artemidorus want of Caesar?
How does Caesar respond to his plea? [3] - Shortly after this exchange, Caesar is stabbed to death by the conspirators. Whom do you sympathise with — Julius Caesar or the conspirators? Give reasons for your choice. [4]
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उत्तर
- The speakers are located in the Senate House in Rome. Caesar addresses his senators, and Metellus Cimber speaks to Caesar, presenting a petition to him.
The word "puissant" means having great power or influence or powerful.
This phrase metaphorically represents Metellus Cimber's act of pleading or petitioning Caesar with great humility and submission. By saying he "throws before thy seat a humble heart," Metellus indicates that he is laying down his pride and coming before Caesar with utmost respect and subservience, essentially offering his loyalty and devotion. He is likely about to request something from Caesar and begins by demonstrating his humility to soften Caesar's response to his forthcoming petition. -
Caesar's statement, "The Ides of March are come," is significant because it refers to a previous warning he received from a soothsayer. Caesar mentions this to perhaps dismiss the warning as irrelevant or mistaken, as the Ides of March have arrived and he remains unharmed. This statement shows his dismissive attitude toward the prophecy, reflecting his sense of invulnerability and his disregard for potential threats.
In response to Caesar's remark, the Soothsayer answers, "Ay, Caesar; but not gone." This cryptic reply implies that while the Ides of March have indeed arrived, the day is not over yet, and the danger that was prophesied still looms. The soothsayer's response serves as a reminder of the still-present threat to Caesar's life, hinting that the prophecy may yet be fulfilled before the day ends.
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Trebonius: to take Antony out of the way/ensure that he would not be near Caesar when the conspirators attacked Caesar.
Casca: to be the first to attack Caesar.
Popilius Lena greets Cassius as they enter the Senate House and approaches him personally, wishing him success in his endeavour that day. This makes Cassius concerned because he believes their plot has been revealed.
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In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Artemidorus is a character who tries to warn Caesar of the impending danger to his life. He writes a letter to Caesar outlining the conspiracy against him, naming the conspirators, and urging Caesar to be cautious. Artemidorus intends to deliver this letter directly to Caesar, hoping that he will read it and thus be able to avoid his fate.
When Artemidorus attempts to present the letter to Caesar as he is on his way to the Senate, he pleads with Caesar to read it immediately, stating that it concerns him personally and is of great importance. However, Caesar dismisses Artemidorus' plea. Confident and preoccupied with the day’s events, Caesar tells Artemidorus that what concerns him personally must wait as he attends to the needs of Rome first. As a result, he does not read the letter. This dismissal reflects Caesar's character trait of self-assuredness and his prioritization of public duties over personal matters, inadvertently sealing his fate as he ignores the warning that could have saved his life.
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- Victim of treachery: Despite his ambition and flaws, Caesar is ultimately the victim of violent treachery by people he believed were friends and allies. The most heartbreaking moment of betrayal occurs when he finds Brutus, whom he greatly trusts, among his assassins. This treachery emphasises a tragic element, portraying Caesar as a character more sinned against than sinning in the setting of the killing.
- Reform and Leadership: Although Caesar's rise to power threatened the Republic's democratic foundations, it is important to note that his reforms were primarily aimed at improving Rome's administrative efficiency, expanding its territories, and improving the lives of its citizens, including distributing land to the poor. These efforts, while solidifying his power, also demonstrate his abilities as a leader who actively attempted to address societal challenges.
- The Conspirators' Motives: While the conspirators claim their efforts are to protect the Republic from a possible dictator, their motivations are not wholly selfless or free of personal grievances and ambitions. For instance, Cassius frequently acts out of jealousy and fear of Caesar's power, whereas Brutus, despite being more honourable, is susceptible to manipulation and influence from others and abstract ideals.
- The Consequences: The aftermath of Caesar's assassination does not result in the restoration of the Republic, as the conspirators had intended, but rather plunges Rome into more instability and civil conflict. This consequence implies that the assassination was not only ethically dubious but also pragmatically harmful.
To summarise, while Caesar may have constituted a challenge to the established political system and demonstrated hubris, his removal and the reasons behind it accomplished little to restore or protect the Roman Republic's democratic ideals.
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संबंधित प्रश्न
Read a short story about an exemplary boss.
Working 12 to 18 hours a day was not uncommon for scientists at the rocket launching station, Thumba. A group of such scientists was frustrated due to the work pressure and meeting their boss's demands; however, they were loyal to him.
One day, a scientist gathered enough courage to go up to his boss and say, "Sir, I have promised my children that I will take them to the exhibition this evening. Therefore, I have to leave the office by 5.30 pm. Can I leave early today, Sir?"
His boss replied, "Alright. You may leave early today."
The scientist was happy for having received the permission and continued with his work. He stayed on to work after lunch, and, as always, got so engrossed in his work, that he peered at his watch only when he thought he was done. Unfortunately, it was past 08: 15 pm.
With a jolt. he remembered his promise to his children. He looked for his boss who was not in his omee. Having told him just that morning. he wrapped up hia work and hurried home.
A.P.J. he drove home, he felt very guilty for having let hla children down. When he reached, the chlldren were not at home. His wife was busy reading. He felt that initiating any conversation with her would only add fuel to fire, so he stayed quiet.
Looking up at him, bis wife asked, "Do you want eomething hot to drink or would you like to have dinner right away?"
The man could only aak, "Where are the children?"
His wife said, "Don't you know? Your boss came here around quarter past five and took the children to the exhibition you had promised to take them to."
He was surprised, but, it did not take him very long to guess what had happened.
The boss who had granted him permission had observed him working very seriously well past 5.00 pm. He realized that the scientist would not leave the work half' done, but if he had promised his children visit to the exhibition, then they deserved it. So, he took the lead in taking them to the exhibition himself.
The boss did not have to do it every time. But once it was done, loyalty was established.
No wonder, all scientists at Thumba continued to work under this boss in spite of the great pressure.
This boss was none other than Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
Following are eight incidents from the story but their order is mixed up. Put them in the right sequence.
(a) The scientist rushed home anticipating the disappointment of his children.
(b) Scientists were working for 12-18 hours at Thumba.
(c) The boss consented.
(d) Scientists had heavy work pressure but they were loyal.
(e) A scientist approached the boss for permission to leave at 5.30 pm to take his children to the exhibition.
(f) To his surprise, he learnt that his boss had kept his appointment for him.
(g) Suddenly, he remembered his promise to his children.
(h) The scientist became so engrossed in his work that he continued working till 8.15 pm.
Did you notice the phrases used by debaters to emphasise/negate certain points? Given below are certain expressions that might be used by debaters.
1. I'd like to raise a/the question/ argue ___
2. In my opinion ___
3. Nothing could be more illogical than ____
4. I feel very strongly that ___
5. I would like to draw attention to ___
6. I fail to understand ____
7. I thinkyou are being unreasonable in suggesting ___
8. I submit that ____
9. My first/ next/ final argument against/ in favour of ____
10. I support the motion that_____
11. My knowledgeable opponent has submitted that ____
12. May l ask ___
13. I strongly oppose/ support the view that ___
14. On the contrary ___
15. It is unrealistic to say that ____
16. I disagree ____
17. I firmly reject ____
18. I wholeheartedly oppose/ support____
We will ponder your proposition and when we decide we will let you know. But should we accept it, I here and now make this condition that we will not be denied the privilege without molestation of visiting at any time the tombs of our ancestors, friends, and children. Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as the swelter in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch. Our departed braves, fond mothers, glad, happy hearted maidens, and even the little children who lived here and rejoiced here for a brief season, will love these somber solitudes and at eventide they greet shadowy returning spirits. And when the last Red Man shall have perished, and the memory of my tribe shall have become a myth among the White Men, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe^ and when your children’s children think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway, or in the silence of the pathless woods, they will not be alone. In all the earth there is no place dedicated to solitude. At night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts’that once filled them and still lover this beautiful land. The White Man will never be alone.
Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a change of worlds.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
How is every part of the soil sacred to his people?
Sibia sprang.
From boulder to boulder she came leaping like a rock goat. Sometimes it had seemed difficult to cross these stones, especially the big gap in the middle where the river coursed through like a bulge of glass. But now she came on wings, choosing her footing in midair without even thinking about it, and in one moment she was beside the shrieking woman. In the boiling bloody water, the face of the crocodile, fastened round her leg, was tugging to and fro, and smiling. His eyes rolled on to Sibia. One slap of the tail could kill her. He struck. Up shot the water, twenty feet, and fell like a silver chain. Again! The rock jumped under the blow. But in the daily heroism of the jungle, as common as a thorn tree, Sibia did not hesitate. She aimed at the reptile’s eyes. With all the force of her little body, she drove the hayfork at the eyes, and one prong went in—right in— while its pair scratched past on the horny cheek. The crocodile reared up in convulsion, till half his lizard body was out of the river, the tail and nose nearly meeting over his stony back. Then he crashed back, exploding the water, and in an uproar of bloody foam he disappeared. He would die. Not yet, but presently, though his death would not be known for days; not till his stomach, blown with gas, floated him. Then perhaps he would be found upside down among the logs at the timber boom, with pus in his eye. Sibia got arms round the fainting woman, and somehow dragged her from the water.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
How does Sibia save the woman?
Why did Mrs. Pegg come lo see Braithwaite? Wh• reply did Braithwaite give to her?
Who used to give away everything he had, which even included his gold earrings?
Choose the synonym of the word ‘whirling.’
What happens when the kite gets entangled on the top of a tree?
Answer the following question.
Nasir wants to learn ______________________________________________
With your partner list out the happenings, the speaker is worried about.
