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Question
What do you infer from Darwin's comment on his indifference to literature as he advanced in years?
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Solution
Darwin, a great scientist, known for his work On the Origin of Species, enjoyed literature only until he was 30, as he said. He enjoyed poetic works of Byron, Coleridge, Shelley, etc. immensely. Shakespeare's historical plays gave him much pleasure. However, as he advanced in his age to reach the benchmark of 30, the charm faded and he began losing interest in pictures and music that once gave him great delight. He tried reading poetry and Shakespeare; however, he found it so intolerably dull that it nauseated him. It is surprising that the answer to this change is in Darwin's own statement. His mind had become some kind of a grinding machine to process laws out of facts. It caused atrophy of that part of the brain on which higher tastes depended. It was hard for Darwin to infer it as well and, thus, his romance with literature died away.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Read the passage carefully.
1. I remember my childhood as being generally happy and can recall experiencing some of the most carefree times of my life. But I can also remember, even more vividly, moments of being deeply frightened. As a child, I was truly terrified of the dark and getting lost. These fears were very real and caused me some extremely uncomfortable moments.
2. Maybe it was the strange way things looked and sounded in my familiar room at night that scared me so much. There was never total darkness, but a street light or passing car lights made clothes hung over a chair take on the shape of an unknown beast. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw curtains move when there was no breeze. A tiny creak in the floor would sound a hundred times louder than in the daylight and my imagination would take over, creating burglars and monsters. Darkness always made me feel helpless. My heart would pound and I would lie very still so that 'the enemy' wouldn't discover me.
3. Another childhood fear of mine was that I would get lost, especially on the way home from school. Every morning, I got on the school bus right near my home ‒ that was no problem. After school, though, when all the buses were lined up along the curve, I was terrified that I would get on the wrong one and be taken to some unfamiliar neighbourhood. I would scan the bus for the faces of my friends, make sure that the bus driver was the same one that had been there in the morning, and even then ask the others over and over again to be sure I was in the right bus. On school or family trips to an amusement park or a museum, I wouldn't let the leaders out of my sight. And of course, I was never very adventurous when it came to taking walks or hikes because I would go only where I was sure I would never get lost.
4. Perhaps, one of the worst fears I had as a child was that of not being liked or accepted by others. First of all, I was quite shy. Secondly, I worried constantly about my looks, thinking people wouldn't like me because I was too fat or wore braces. I tried to wear 'the right clothes' and had intense arguments with my mother over the importance of wearing flats instead of saddled shoes to school. Being popular was very important to me then and the fear of not being liked was a powerful one.
5. One of the processes of evolving from a child to an adult is being able to recognise and overcome our fears. I have learnt that darkness does not have to take on a life of its own, that others can help me when I am lost and that friendliness and sincerity will encourage people to like me. Understanding the things that scared us as children helps to cope with our lives as adults.
(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes using headings and subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations wherever necessary.
(b) Make a summary of the passage in not more than 80 words using the notes made and also suggest a suitable title.
Read the passage and complete the activities given below :
B1 Pick out
The correct answers from the statements given below:
B2 Fill in the gaps with the information given in the passage :
Read the following passage carefully and complete the activities given below:
B.1) Order :
Rearrange the following sentences in proper order:
(i) Hanmant joined engineering.
(ii) Hanmant got his Diploma and secured a job in Philips.
(iii) Hanmant migrated to Pune when he was in class VI.
(iv) Hanmant took up a painting job to earn.
Hanmant Gaikwad was born in Koregaon in Satara district.
“My native place is Rahimatpur, around 10 km from Koregaon. My father was a clerk in the court and we lived in a small, rented house.”
Hanmant was a brilliant student especially good in mathematics. When he was in class six, the family shifted to Pune. They lived in Phugewadi near Dapodi in a tiny one-room house-10 by 10 feet. At this point, Hanmant realized the difference between himself and those who had money.
Hanmant was then studying at Modern High School. He needed one rupee to buy a bus ticket to and from the everyday. Even that was hard to come by.
Despite the hardships, Hanmant secured 88% in class 10. Hanmant completed his diploma and joined Philips as a trainee. But he wasn’t happy with the work he got there.
The natural choice for a diploma engineer is to go for a B.Tech. But engineering colleges charge hefty fees. At the time, the family’s only source of income was a teacher’s salary of Rs. 2,300 a month……….
And then I decided to also do some earning. “Khud Ka Kamana Chalu Kiya”.
Hanmant took up painting jobs and quickly discovered it was excellent business.
The young engineering student paid his own fees from the third year onwards. But his lifestyle remained frugal.
Life was getting better, but Hanmant had his sights set higher. In the final year of engineering, he was attracted to the writings of Swami Vivekananda.
“I felt Ki Kuch Alag Karna hai. What should I do, I did not know but in 1993 I formed an organization-Bharat Vikas Pratisthan.”
B.2) Complete :
|
Hardships faced by Hanmant Gaikwad |
B.3) Rewrite the following sentence choosing the appropriate word/s for the underlined word/s :
(i) His lifestyle remained frugal:
(a) simple
(b) meager
(c) extravagant
(ii) Despite hardships, Hanmant secured 88% in class X:
(a) In spite of
(b) Regarding
(c) Affected
(iii) Hanmant took up painting jobs:
(a) assumed
(b) to continue
(c) accepted
(iv) Hanmant had his sights set higher:
(a) looked ahead
(b) lofty ambitions
(c) looked above
B.4) Do as Directed
(i) Hanmant secured 88% in class X. ( Begin the sentence as-88%....................)
(ii) In the final year of engineering, he was attracted towards the writings of Swami Vivekananda. (Frame a ‘Wh-question’ to get the underlined part as the answer.)
B.5) “Today’s hardships lead to tomorrow’s success”-Justify.
Briefly comment on:
Tsetan’s support to the author during the journey.
Both Ramanand and Azam Khan seem to have very fixed views. How does Ramanand score over Azam Khan towards the end of the story?
Explain the metaphor in the line: ‘Poets are the mirrors of gigantic shadows that futurity casts on the present’.
How does the connection drawn between the tail and the eyes add to the descriptive detail of the poem?
Discuss in pairs
Ruskin's insistence on looking intensely at words, and assuring oneself of meaning, syllable by syllable – nay, letter by letter.
What is the poetic technique used by the poet to convey the plaintive theme of the poem?
Fill in the blank.
The author wanted to grow ______________.
Name the world-famous personality who reached great heights despite of humble circumstances.
Find from the story one word for the following.
a low constant sound made by cats ______
Little creatures in nature can also be your teachers. Think and write what we can learn from the following.
Bees:
Discuss in groups, reasons/ consequences/ effects:
The life of the cherry tree was threatened.
Correct the following statement.
The real ivy leaf did not fall off at all.
Discuss in groups and share with one another.
When you go for a picnic, what and how do you enjoy?
Say where . . . . . . .
______ do the cows and sheep stand?
Write 3 to 4 lines about the following in your own words.
First Cardiac Surgery
Honey-bees live an organized life like human beings. Discuss what work the following honey-bees do, as per the poem. Write it down in your own words, in your notebook.
- King/Emperor bee
- Magistrate bees
- Merchant bees
- Soldier bees
- Mason bees
- Civilian bees
- Porter bees
- Judge bee
The emperor-bee supervises the building of ______.
Complete the phrase using a word from the poem.
______ march
State the difference between drama and novel.
Correct the given sentence with justification.
Since there is a reference to the Indian boy, there are some scenes from India too.
Read aloud with the leader: Form groups of five. Read the passage aloud in groups. The leader begins every sentence and stops after a few words. The other members complete the sentence, reading it aloud in the chorus.
Discuss the following question after you have seen a presentation of the ‘ad’.
What would happen if you never ate fruits and vegetables?
Present any one of the speeches given above.
We all follow a class time table made by the school. Imagine for a minute what will happen if there was no time table for your class.
Read the passage and name the following.
He persuaded Helen to elope with him.
Form groups of 5-8. This passage tells us only what the compère says. Try to visualize and write what the other people on the dais must have said in their speeches (Write only the main points.)
- The School Principal
- The Chief Guest
- The Art teacher who offered a vote of thanks
What is direct and indirect.
Guess the meaning of the following word.
fruitless
Find out how the following game is played.
Football
Write in short how the travellers crossed the first ditch.
Read the following line from the poem and answer the question given below.
The worst thing is that if anyone stays
Among them too long, he will learn their ways;
- What is the worst thing that can happen if anyone stays with them?
- What are the ways of the Grumble family?
Why did Shepherd-Barron reduce the PIN number from six digits to four?
Two scary events from this section are listed here. Write the events that take place in between in the correct order.
Read the comic strip and answer the following question.
How do you behave in a virtual platform?
Read the lines and answer the question given below.
Each a glimpse and gone forever;
a. What is ‘each’ over here? Why is it gone forever?
One of the Lilliputians gave a ten minutes talk in Gulliver’s language.
The eggs hatched and the babies flew away.
What is the setting of the story?
Where is the poet going in the dream?
What is our core?
Some words sound the same but their spelling and meaning are different. Such words are called homophones. There are many homophones.
Read the passage three times and colour a spacesuit for each time.
A spacesuit is like a spaceship built for one. A spacesuit lets us work and live in space. It protects us from the heat and the cold. It gives us air to breathe. The suit is made of many parts and has water to drink. It even has a built-in toilet, if you need to use it.
Answer using Yes or No and pick sentence from the story to support your answer.
Do cannibals eat people?
Why did he grow crops?
Match the following.
| pale |  |
| tremble |  |
| fainted |  |
Write the rhyming word.
goat
Choose the correct answer.
The official and his wife liked______.
Fill in the blank
The king shouted at Ani.
Why did the greedy merchant get angry?
What would you like to learn in school? why?
Pencil asked him to draw ______.
Who are already awake?
Replace the bold word/words with a word from the quiver and re-write the sentence –
Nasruddin was surely not a good archer.
Although Helen could not hear or see, what kind of girl was she?
Read the extract and complete the activities given below:
|
The call of the seas has always found an echo in me. Not being rich enough to roam in a private yacht, I have taken the poor man's way out. I swim across them. I have always been fascinated by the Indian ocean, whether at Mumbai, at Puri or at Gopalpur. I have swam in all these places and have felt the thrill. But the idea of swimming the Palk Strait did not occur to me until after I swam in the English channel. Steeped in the history and tradition of this nation, practically unconquered. teaming with hair-raising hazards, the sea between India and Sri Lanka had all the elements of challenge, danger and difficulty that tempted me. By the way, for preparation, I continued a strict and rigorous course of training which began in 1960. I also had to collect a comprehensive range of facts and information about this sea. Neither of these was easy. Despite all the information I had gathered, I soon found that very little was known about the Palk Strait, especially about the tides and currents. Everything about the English channel is known-there is the Channel Swimming Association, there are trained pilots there are wants to be hired, accurate weather forecasts, dependable tide tables and every other form of assistance was readily available. All that one needed was money. Here in the Palk Strait one has to find out firstly from where information could be obtained and then decide how much of it could be incorrect or misleading! |
A1. Rewrite the following as per their sequence in the extract: (2)
- I also had to collect a comprehensive range of facts and information about this sea.
- I have swam in all these places and have felt the thrill.
- All that one needed was money.
- Despite all the information I had gathered, I soon found that very little was known about the Palk Strait.
A2. Explain: (2)
What does the writer man by saving, "Steeped in the history and tradition of this nation, practically unconquered, teeming with hair-raising hazards, the sea between India and Sri Lanka had all the elements of challenge, danger and difficulty that tempted me"?
A3. Give reason: (2)
The narrator had an intense desire to swim in the Palk Strait. Explain the reasons for it.
A4. Personal Response: (2)
Do you like to have an adventurous life? Express your opinion.
A5. Grammar:
Do as directed: (2)
- Very little was known about the Palk Strait. (Rewrite as a negative sentence)
- I had to collect a comprehensive range of facts. (Rewrite the sentence beginning with 'A comprehensive ........)
A6. Vocabulary: (2)
Give the synonyms of the following words:
- rigorous - ______
- thrill - ______
