Commerce (English Medium) कक्षा १२ - CBSE Question Bank Solutions for English Elective - NCERT

Pick out examples from the text that show Bergman’s sensitivity to sensory impressions which have made him a great filmmaker.

What do you understand of the complexity of the little invisible steps that go into the making of a good film?

What are some of the risks that film-making involves?

What misgivings does Bergman have about the contemporary film industry?

Compare Bergman’s views about making films out of books with that of Umberto Eco’s.

According to the author, split-second impressions form a ‘mental state, not an actual story, but one abounding in fertile associations and images’.

Compare this with Virginia Woolf’s experiment with the stream of consciousness technique in ‘The Mark on the Wall’.

Bergman talks about the various influences in his life including his parents and his religious upbringing. To what extent are an individual’s achievements dependent on the kind of influences he or she has had in life? Discuss.

Autobiographical accounts make interesting reading when the author selects episodes that are connected to the pursuit of excellence. How does this apply to Ingmar Bergman’s narration of the details of film-making?

Comment on the conversational tone of the narration. Compare this with the very informal style adopted by Umberto Eco in the interview.

Think of a particular episode that could be enacted. Now imagine that you are a scriptwriter and write the screenplay for the first ten minutes of the episode, in the following format

The column ‘Dialogue’ would contain the words to be actually spoken by the characters. ‘Description’ would include instructions regarding stage props, the position of lights, movement of actors, and so on.

What are the things that mark animate things from the inanimate?

What is the simple truth that eludes the philosopher or the scientist?

How does Lawrence reconcile inconsistency of behavior with integrity?

How does the novel reflect the wholeness of a human being?

Why does the author consider the novel superior to philosophy, science, or even poetry?

What does the author mean by ‘tremulations on ether’ and ‘the novel as a tremulation’?

What are the arguments presented in the essay against the denial of the body by spiritual thinkers?

Discuss in pairs

The interest in a novel springs from the reactions of characters to circumstances. It is more important for characters to be true to themselves (integrity) than to what is expected of them (consistency). (A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds—Emerson.)

Discuss in pairs

‘The novel is the one bright book of life'‘Books are not life’. Discuss the distinction between the two statements. Recall Ruskin’s definition of ‘What is a Good Book?’ in Woven Words Class XI.

Certain catchphrases are recurrently used as pegs to hang the author’s thoughts throughout the essay. List these and discuss how they serve to achieve the argumentative force of the essay.