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Mastering the Art of PRECIS WRITING & COMPREHENSION
for CSS, PMS
& All Other Relevant Exams
Revised Updated
Edition
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Prof. Sabahat Hussain
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GEORGE ORWELL'S 5 RULES FOR GOOD WRITING
✓ Never use a long word where a short one will do. ✓ If it is possible to cut a
word out, always cut it out.
✓ Never use the passive where you can use the 'active.
✓ Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think
of an everyday English equivalent.
✓ Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to
seeing in print.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, or any
other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or
mechanical, without the written permission of Writer and Publisher.
Information given in this book has been obtained by the publisher from sources
believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical
errors on the part of the sources, publisher or others, the publisher does not
guarantee accuracy, adequacy or completeness of any information included in this
work and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or the results obtained
from the use of such information.
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GEORGE ORWELL'S 5 RULES FOR GOOD WRITING
Never use a long word where a short one will do. ✔ If it is possible to cut a word
out, always cut it out.
Never use the passive where you can use the 'active.
✓ Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think
of an everyday English equivalent.
✓ Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to
seeing in print.
browsian
vasva
Dedication
To my Kind Teachers & Loving Students
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I owe my prime thanks to Mr. Adeel Niaz (the body and soul of World Times
Institute) who constantly kept on goading me to continue my work on this book. Had
he not pushed me time and again, I would have relapsed into my habitual laziness.
I am grateful to my family that saw me through the patches of bad temper while
working on the book.
I am also thankful to Mr. M. Sheraz, Mr. Shafqat Mehmood and Mr. Zohaib Ahmed for
their professional support in formatting. proofreading and arrangement of the
matter.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
The book in hand is based on firsthand experience of teaching and counseling the
CSS and PMS aspirants. It contains no bookish instructions, found in manuals and
modules available on internet and other sources. It has been written in all
sincerity to help out the candidates who are bemused by the scattered advice,
contradictory instructions and half-cooked theories about précis writing and
comprehension questions. The book will, hopefully, help demystify the art of précis
writing, and exorcise the associated superstitious. Of course, no perfection is
claimed; every text in the world has room for improvement. Lapses and errors (of
omission and commission) are inescapable part of every original work, no matter how
scrupulously it has been proof-read. It is hoped that, keeping in view the overall
intent of the book, such shortcomings will be excused liberally.
فریده
CONTENTS
ART OF PRÉCIS WRITING
CHAPTER 1
WHAT PRÉCIS WRITING IS ALL ABOUT
O Definition.
O Purpose.....
19
CHAPTER 2
19
19
GENERAL RULES OF PRÉCIS WRITING.
CHAPTER 3
20 20
םTIPS AND TRICKS FOR WRITING A GOOD PRÉCIS..
○ Examiner's Expectations......
22
22
CHAPTER4
○ Reading Stage.....
○ Writing Stage......
24
☐ STAGES OF WRITING A PRÉCIS..
25 222
25
26
12
Giving a Title to Précis 26
26
Rough Draft
Final Draft..
CHAPTER 5
26
WRITING CONCISE SENTENCES
○ Sentence Shortening Examples
○ Synthesis of Sentences ......
28
28
30
○ More Examples of Combining Separate Sentences...... 31 ○ Use of Conjunctions 32
CHAPTER 6
☐ PRACTICE WITH SHORT AND EASY PASSAGES....
CHAPTER 7
34
☐ "MAIN POINTS" APPROACH TO PRÉCIS WRITING. ○ Passage 1 ……………….
○ Passage 2
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
42
42
45
☐ EXAMPLES OF GOOD AND POOR PRÉCIS WRITING .....
47
□ PROBLEM OF PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS IN PRÉCIS WRITING... 59
□ CONTEXTUAL MEANINGS IN A PRÉCIS PASSAGE
........ 62
13
CHAPTER 11
☐ SAMPLE PRÉCIS SOLUTIONS.
CHAPTER 12
□ CSS PRÉCIS PASSAGES AND SOLUTIONS (2002 - 2022)......... 69
66
O CSS 2002
O CSS 2003
69
CSS 2004
.70
71
CSS 2005
CSS 2006
CSS 2007
CSS 2009
72
CSS 2008
74
CSS 2010
75
77
CSS 2011
○ CSS 2012
78
CSS 2013
CSS 2014
CSS 2015
80
83
84
CSS 2016
CSS 2019
CSS 2020
.........
CSS 2017
86
CSS 2018
81
52222222 87 89 90 92 93 95 96 97
CSS 2021
.........
O CSS 2022
.................
CHAPTER 13
□ PMS PRÉCIS PASSAGES AND SOLUTIONS..
O PMS 2006 .....………….….………..
O PMS 2008......
O PMS 2012
99
2288 100 100
99
14
O PMS 2014.
101
102
103
104
105
PMS 2015.
PMS 2016.
PMS 2017.
PMS 2018-19..
PMS 2020.
106
O-PMS 2021.
107
CHAPTER 14
□ MISCELLANEOUS PASSAGES WITH SOLUTIONS.
CHAPTER 15
108
☐ PASSAGES FOR PRACTICE
121
HOW TO ATTEMPT COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS?
CHAPTER 16
□ GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
O Reading the Passage
O Writing Answers..
127
127
128
CHAPTER 17
□ SOLVED EXAMPLES OF EASIER PASSAGES.
130
CHAPTER 18
□ SOLVED PASSAGES...
140
CHAPTER 19
□ SOLVED COMPREHENSION PASSAGES CSS PAST PAPERS
(2002-2022)…………………………………...............
O CSS 2002.
O CSS 2003
145 ......... 145
........ 146
15
148
O CSS 2004
O CSS 2005.
• CSS 2006 .....
O CSS 2007.
150
151
Ó CSS 2008.
.... 153
155
CSS 2009
158
O CSS 2010
CSS 2011
○ CSS 2012
159
O CSS 2013
○ CSS 2014 O CSS 2015
161
162
CHAPTER 20
'ם
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
164
CSS 2017
CSS 2018…………………
166
-168
171
CSS 2019
CSS 2020 _
------ 173
175
CSS 2021
CSS 2022....
177
180
182
184
UNSOLVED PASSAGES FOR PRACTICE.
187
םCOMMONLY USED FOREIGN PHRASES..
195
☐ ONE-WORD SUBSTITUTION.
.199
ART OF PRECIS WRITING
CHAPTER 1
WHAT PRÉCIS WRITING IS ALL ABOUT
Précis writing generally proves to be Achilles' heel for the CSS candidates. They
mess up things; partly because of the popular misconceptions about the nature of
this exercise, and partly because of the inadequate instructions. It must be kept
in mind that précis writing is an art; not a science, governed by hard and fast
rules.
Definition
According to Oxford Dictionary, précis is a short version of a speech or a piece of
writing that gives the main points or ideas. A précis is a clear, compact and
logical reproduction of a passage. It preserves only the essential or important
ideas of the original passage. It is a concise and clear statement of the substance
of a longer passage in a coherent and easily readable shorter form. A précis must
be accurate, brief and clear. It is written for those who do not have enough time
to go into the details and want to have the essential facts of an argument as
briefly and clearly as possible.
Purpose
First thing the candidates need to know is the exact purpose of writing a précis.
The author of the given passage is often an accomplished writer, writing for the
readers with a high linguistic and intellectual level, and who have ample time to
read intensively. The task of the précis writer is to produce a shorter and easily
understandable version of the passage for an average reader. In other words, the
précis writer acts as a bridge between the author and the reader. It is assumed
that your potential reader does not have sufficient time and requisite ability to
undertake a detailed reading of the passage and you are trying to help him out by
transforming a scholarly discourse into a simple and concise piece of writing.
CHAPTER 2
GENERAL RULES OF PRÉCIS WRITING
1. It is important to find out the central idea or the theme of the passage, and to
separate major points from the minor ones. The points become major only in relation
to the main theme.
2. Do not write your précis by reproducing a few sentences and deleting others.
3. Brevity is good but not at the cost of clarity. Excessive economy of words may
lead to ambiguity and must be avoided.
4. Your précis ought to be intelligible to a person who has not read the original
passage.
5. Précis has to be written, as far as possible, in your own words. However, this
does not mean that each and every word of the passage must be replaced. You can
retain a few significant phrases, technical terms and key words.
6. A précis is always written in the third person. If the passage is
autobiographical, change the direct narration into indirect one (following all its
rules). In the passages where the writer uses the first person 'I', start your
précis with the phrase, "The author says" but avoid repeating this in the précis.
7. If there are statistical figures in the passage that support certain generalized
facts, you can safely omit them. But if the figures are basic to the understanding
of the passage, they should be retained in the précis.
-8. Each part of the original passage should be dealt with according to its
importance and not according to the space assigned to it.
21
9. You are not supposed to give any comments (appreciative or critical) about the
ideas expressed in the passage.
10. Unless otherwise indicated, you are supposed to reduce the passage to one-third
of its original length.
11. There can be two or more paragraphs in the passage. But in the précis,
reproduce all the ideas in one paragraph.
12. As a general rule avoid four Ws-What, Why, Who, Whom in the précis.
CHAPTER 3
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR WRITING A GOOD PRÉCIS
1. Go through the passage to make an overall sense of the passage. Skim through the
passage to find out what the passage is about.
2. Your second reading should be more thoroughgoing. Look
for the main argument and the supporting details. 3. Difficult and unfamiliar words
will attract your attention but you should not worry too much such about such words
or expressions. You are supposed to make an overall sense of the passage, and that
can be done even if some parts of the passage make little sense to you. While
trying to decipher the meaning of an unfamiliar word, look at what comes before and
after that word. The surrounding words can give helpful contextual clues about the
meaning and function of the word in the text.
IMPORTANT NOTE
It is advisable not to use a dictionary or thesaurus while practising précis
writing. This will develop in you the ability to work out contextual meanings.
Moreover, it will be a good training for the examination where you will not have
the access to dictionary
Learn to distinguish between important and less important
4. details.
5. A paragraph can be understood by reading a text forward and backward, as one
sentence may help you in understanding the other. Remember, no sentence makes its
23
complete meanings in isolation. When a sentence is not making any sense to you
there is no need to wrestle with it; leave it alone and come back to it later after
reading the rest of the passage.
6. While writing a précis we do not borrow idioms, figures of speech and phrases
from the passage.
7. There is no need to start every précis with expressions like: "According to the
writer" or "In the author's view". This is understood and there is no need to waste
valuable space by mentioning what is obvious. However, this expression may be used
in case of autobiographical passages, written in the first person; or where the
name of the writer is mentioned, and that too only once in the beginning of the
précis.
8. Try to write short, simple and uninvolved sentences. Long and complex sentences
can become difficult for you to handle, and confusing to the examiner. Language of
précis should be simple and correct. Never try to impress the examiner with your
vocabulary.
9. Avoid using the synonyms; different synonyms are used in different contexts and
do not necessarily covey the same sense as the original word. Each word is used in
a specific situation and cannot be substituted by a synonym in a mechanical way.
10. Use link words like 'thus', 'however', 'moreover', 'hence', 'but' or 'in
addition to' very cautiously, only where they are really required. Inserting these
words between the sentences randomly may make your précis look meaningless and even
absurd.
11. Repetition of ideas is a cardinal sin in a précis. Also avoid repetition of
words or expressions but key words will have to be repeated. For example, if the
passage is about education, the word education will have to be used again and
again. Replacing it with words like 'pedagogy', 'instruction', 'teaching',
'knowledge' or 'schooling' will look absurd.
12. In case you find it difficult to make an overall sense of the paragraph, divide
the paragraph into four parts and note down the main idea expressed in each part.
Then, link these ideas with the main theme of the précis. However, this is a
defensive strategy, to be used only when there is no other option.
24
13. Many a candidate take the instruction (write the précis in your own words) -
too religiously and think that the words of the passage are a forbidden fruit. The
key words that are essential to the theme of the passage must not be changed. In
their eagerness to substitute the words in the original text, candidates end up
using totally inappropriate words.
14. Avoid using ornamental and lofty language in the précis. Do not try to outsmart
or overstep the author, in content or style. There is no need to further embellish
the expression of the author.
15. Stick to what the author says and never add your own views in a précis.
Examiner's Expectations
1. Clarity: A précis should be lucid and easily understandable. There should be no
ambiguity in the expression.
2. Correctness: Ensure that the facts and figures are correct. Structure of
sentences and spellings of words must be correct because structure and spelling
mistakes will spoil your précis.
3. Objectivity: Objectivity means the ability to present the facts, uncoloured by
our personal feelings, opinions and biases.
4. Coherence: A good précis should be coherent. Coherence means the logical and
clear interconnection of ideas in a written piece of work. The ideas presented in a
précis must have a logical connection and they should be interrelated.
NOTE
Coherence does not come automatically by
placing link words. Use these words only where they fit in.
5. Completeness: Completeness means that the writer should include all the
important facts in a précis. No important idea should be omitted.
6. Conciseness: Write only what is necessary and avoid reproducing unnecessary
details. To achieve conciseness, notice the following suggestions:
(a) Omit unnecessary details.
(b) Eliminate long, winding expressions..
(c) Include only relevant material.
(d) Avoid unnecessary repetition.
CHAPTER 4
STAGES OF WRITING A PRÉCIS
Précis writing is a formative process in which different stages are involved. It is
necessary to understand these stages. There are two main stages of writing a
précis:
1. Reading the passage
Writing the précis
2.
1. Reading Stage
Précis writing is basically a test of your reading skills.
• Be mentally prepared that your first engagement with the passage is not going to
be a comfortable experience; but rest assured, the text will become friendly after
the second or third reading.
Never get bogged down by difficult words and expressions in the passage; reading is
not all about words and meanings, it involves a lot of commonsense and
conjecturing.
• You may come across words in the passage that are unknown to you but you can
still get to the message of the passage.
Difficult words, catchy phrases and technical terms are hurdles in your way of
understanding; do not try to demolish them, just evade them.
Keep in mind that it is not necessary that the writer has used words according to
their dictionary meanings, words can be used in figurative sense also.
Look for the contextual meanings of words. Context and tone of the writer play an
important role in giving meanings to words.
Go for the overall sense of the passage, instead of focusing on individual words
and sentences.
26
There are always easier parts in the passage. Never underestimate and ignore such
parts; they are vital to the understanding of the passage.
Never let your prior knowledge on the subject interfere with your reading of the
passage. Candidates have tendency to impose their own ideas on the text. For
example, if the passage is about laziness, they would interpret the views of the
author in the light of the traditional ideas about laziness, even if the writer
admires laziness. The reader should forget what he thinks about the subject and pay
full attention to what the author is saying.
2. Writing Stage
After reading, comes the stage of writing the précis.
The précis must be written in correct and simple language. Avoid writing long,
intertwined sentences.
Try to write in your natural style.
Do not twist or comment upon the writer's ideas.
There is no need to change the key words of the passage, and there is no harm in
using the words of the passage unless you have a better choice. Good words should
never be replaced by bad ones.
Clarity is the chief quality of a précis and ambiguity its fatal flaw.
Rough Draft
After omitting all the unnecessary details, you should prepare a rough draft of the
précis.
Final Draft
Remove mistakes from the rough draft and try to improve the quality of the
sentences by pruning and trimming. Get rid of the superfluous contents.
Giving a Title to Précis
If précis is the essence of the passage, title is the essence of the précis. Take
utmost care while giving a title.
1. Title should not be generic; it must touch the subject as well as the theme the
passage For example, if the passage is about
27
university education, "University Education" will be a bad title. It must include
the particular aspect of the university education that the author wants to
highlight. The particular angle from which the subject has been discussed must be
reflected in the title.
Title should not be a complete sentence. Always void using a verb in the title.
Instead of saying, "Lying is a curse", you should write, "Lying: a curse".
3. Make sure that title is not about a supporting fact or piece of information; it
must cover the main argument.
4. Think of more than one title and select the best one.
5. You can omit articles (a, an, the) in the title unless really required.
6. Title should be neither too long nor too short. Always avoid one-word titles.
7. Capitalising the first letter of words of title is only a matter of style, not
mandatory. Title can be written in both sentence case and upper lower style.
However, we do not capitalize articles and words comprising two or three letters.
An all-cap title in undoubtedly undesirable.
CHAPTER 5
WRITING CONCISE SENTENCES
1. Unnecessarily long sentences may complicate the messa whereas short sentences
can make a paragraph see jerky and disconnected. Sentences of moderate length at
the best.
2. If you are not listing items, and your sentence has moŋ than three commas, you
should consider splitting the sentence into two.
3. Cut unnecessary conjunctions. Sometimes conjunctions become a burden on the
sentence. Find them and decide if you car remove them and make two sentences
instead of one.
4. Remove redundant words in the passage, especially the adjectives. If you remove
a word from the sentence and it doesn't change the meanings of the sentence, you
don't need that word.
Sentence Shortening Examples
Directions: Rewrite the following sentences in a concise form and compare your
sentence with the solution given below in bold.
1. My sister, who is employed as a nutritionist at the University of Michigan,
recommends the daily intake of mega doses of Vitamin C.
My sister, a nutritionist at the U5tniversity of Michigan, recommends daily mega
doses of Vitamin C.
2. Basically, in light of the fact that Congressman Fuenches was totally exhausted
by his last campaign, there was an expectation on the part of the voters that he
would not reduplicate his effort to achieve office in government again. Voters
thought that Congressman Fuenches was so exhausted by his last campaign that he
wouldn't seek re-election.
3. It is to be hoped that we discover a means to create an absolutely proper and
fitting tribute to Professor Espinoza. We hope for an appropriate tribute to
Professor Espinoza.
4. There is a desire on the part of many of us to maintain a spring recess for the
purpose of getting away from the demands of our studies.
We want a spring recess so we can get away from our studies. OR We want a spring
recess to escape our studies.
5. Joe was an honest and hardworking man. Basically, he never gave much
consideration to sitting idly about, doing nothing constructive. (Rewrite as one
sentence.)
Honest and hardworking, Joe was never idle.
an
6. At what point in time will a downturn in the stock market have a really serious
effect on the social life of people as a whole?
When will a downturn in the stock market affect society?
7. I would call your attention to the fact that our President, who was formerly the
Governor of Arkansas, is basically an Indian.
Our President, formerly the Governor of Arkansas, is an Indian.
8. There are millions of fans who desperately want the Hartford Whalers to stay in
the city.
Millions of fans desperately want the Hartford Whalers to stay in the city.
9. Bothered by allergies, a condition that made them sneeze, some of the preschool
children had sinus troubles that caused them to miss several days in nursery school
this spring.
Bothered by allergies, some children missed several days in nursery school this
spring.
10. The nursery school teacher education training sessions involve active
interaction with preschool children of the appropriate age as well as intensive
peer interaction in the form of role playing.
29
Training for nursery school teachers involves interacting with preschoolers and
role playing with peers.
Synthesis of Sentences
Synthesis means the combination of two or more simple sentences into one new
sentence. Following are the chief ways of combining simple sentences into one large
simple sentence.
1. He sprang up to his feet. He ran away.
Springing up to his feet, he ran away.
2. She was tired of trying. She decided to quit. Tired of trying, she decided to
quit.
3. This is my mother. Her name is Jameela.
This is my mother, Jameela.
4. Her husband died. She heard the news. She fainted. On hearing the news of her
husband's death she fainted. 5. He has failed many times. He still hopes to
succeed.
(a) In spite of many failures, he still hopes to succeed. (b) He hopes to succeed
despite failures.
6. The watch was expensive. He could not buy it.
The watch being expensive, he could not buy it. The cot was too small. He could not
sleep on it.
7.
The cot being too small, he could not sleep on it.
8. He wanted to pass the examination. He studied hard.
He studied hard to pass the examination.
I have some duties. I must perform them.
9.
I have some duties to perform.
10. The sun had set. The travellers had not reached their destination.
The travellers had not reached their destination by sunset.
EXERCISE
Combine each of the following sentences into a simple sentence: 1. He won a
jackpot. He built a big house. 2. He stood on tip-toe. He reached for the bunch of
grapes.
30
31
3. He is going to London. He wants to pursue higher education
there. 4. Milton was the Homer of England. He wrote Paradise Lost. 5. Patel was a
strong man. He brought all the Princely States into the Indian Union. He used the
method of persuasion. Sometimes he used the method of coercion. 6. Jinnah was a
great visionary. He realized the danger of communal conflicts. He gave the two-
nation theory. ANSWERS
Having won a jackpot, he built a big house.
1.
Standing on tip-toe he reached for the bunch of grapes. He is going to London to
pursue higher education Milton, the Homer of England, wrote Paradise Lost.
4.
5. Using the methods of persuasion and coercion, Patel, a strong man, brought all
the Princely States into the Indian Union.
6. Having realized the danger of communal conflicts, Jinnah, a great visionary,
gave two-nation theory.
More Examples of Combining Separate Sentences
1. My friend was killed in a plane crash. He was one of my greatest supporters in
my bad times.
My friend, a great supporter in my bad times, was killed in a plane crash.
2. We reached the movie hall. The movie had finished by that time.
Before our reaching the movie hall, the movie had finished.
3. He has failed many times. He still hopes to get success at last. (a) Despite
many failures, he still hopes to get success at last.
(b) He hopes to get success, despite many failures.
Rains have been plentiful this year. The crop of apple has been rich.
The apple crop has been rich due to plentiful rains.
4.
2.
3.
32
5. The thieves were caught by the police. They surrendered the stolen goods.
Having been caught by the police, the thieves surrendered the stolen goods.
6. I am going to Lahore. I have to purchase a house.
I am going to Lahore to purchase a house.
7.
There are still three questions left. I have to solve them.
I have still three more questions to solve.
He is very weak. He cannot pass this year.
8.
He is too weak to pass this year.
9. It was evening. The train had not reached by the time. The train had not reached
by evening.
10. He was dismissed from service. His dismissal undeserved. was
He was undeservedly dismissed from service.
Use of Conjunctions
Synthesis can also be done by using conjunctions like (either...or,
neither.....nor, also, likewise, so, therefore, and, but). Sometimes.comma (,) and
semi colon (;) may also work.
EXAMPLES
1. I went to the market. I saw a beautiful watch. I could not, however, purchase
it.
I went to the market and saw a beautiful watch but I could not purchase it.
2. He is slow. He is regular.
He is slow but regular.
He is industrious. He is very serious in his work.
3.
He is not only industrious but also very serious in his work. 4. It was very cold
last night. I could not have a sound sleep. It was very cold last night, therefore,
I could not have a sound sleep.
5. He is a poor man. He is always ready to help others.
(a) Though he is a poor man, yet he is always ready to help others.
33
(b) He is a poor man; however, he is always ready to help others.
6. He is a poor man. He cannot help others.
(a) He is a poor man, so he cannot help others.
(b) Being a poor man, he cannot help others.
7. Anwar is a doctor. He works for an NGO.
(a) Anwar is a doctor; moreover, he works for an NGO. (b) Anwar is a doctor; he
works for an NGO as well.
8.
I am a poor man. I cannot buy a big house.
I am a poor man; hence, I cannot buy a big house.
9. He is a rich man. He never helps anyone.
He is a rich man but he never helps anyone.
CHAPTER 6
PRACTICE WITH SHORT AND
EASY PASSAGES
PASSAGE 1
Trees give shade for the benefit of others, and while they themselves stand in the
sun and endure the scorching heat, they produce the fruit of which others profit.
The character of good men is like that of trees. What is the use of this perishable
body if no use is made of it for the benefit of mankind? Sandalwood, the more it is
rubbed, the more scent does it yield. Sugarcane, the more it is peeled and cut up
into pieces, the more juice does it produce. The men who are noble at heart do not
lose their qualities even in losing their lives. What matters whether men praise
them or not? What difference does it make whether they die at this moment or
whether lives are prolonged? Happen what may, those who tread in the right path
will not set foot in any other. Life itself is unprofitable to a man who does not
live for others. To live for the mere sake of living one's life is to live the life
of dog and crows. Those who lay down their lives for the sake of others will
assuredly dwell forever in a world of bliss.
(200 words)
Main Points
1. Good people are like trees that endure hardships and protect others from heat
and harshness of weather.
2. Human body is useless if it is of no use to humanity. Noble people are always
ready to sacrifice their lives for others.
35
3. Life is unprofitable to a man who does not live for others. Those who live only
for themselves are just like dogs and crows.
4. Those who sacrifice their lives for others become immortal.
Solution
Good people, like trees, endure hardships and serve others. They follow the right
path and rise above personal interests. They help others without expecting any
reward. People who live only for themselves live a worthless life; there is no
difference between self-serving people and beasts. On the other hand, those who
sacrifice their lives for others become immortal. (58 words)
Titles
1. A good life
2. Life in service of humanity
3. Selfishness and Altruism
PASSAGE 2
Home is for the young, who know nothing of the world and who would be forlorn and
sad, if thrown upon it. It is providential, shelter of the weak and inexperienced
who have to learn as yet to cope with the temptations which lie outside of it. It
is the place of training for those who are not only ignorant, but have not yet
learnt how to learn, and who have to be taught by careful individual attention for
how to profit from the lessons of teacher. And it is the school of elementary
studies - not of advances, for such studies alone can make master minds. Moreover,
it is the shrine of our best affections, the bosom of our fondest recollections, a
spell upon our after life, a stay for world weary mind and soul; wherever we are,
till the end comes. Such are attributes or offices of home, and like to these, in
one or other sense or measure, are the attributes and offices of a college in a
university. (170 words)
What the Passage is About?
The passage stresses the value of a home for the young and the grown-ups.
36
Main Points
1. Home is like a sanctuary for the young who have yet to experience the outside
world.
2. For the inexperienced youth, home is like a training centre where they learn
basic life-skills before entering the practical life. For them home is a launching
pad.
3. Even for the grownups, home is like a holy place that gives comfort and solace
to their mind, fatigued by the busy life.
4. In many ways home performs the same function as a university or a college does.
Solution
Home is a haven for the inexperienced kids, outside which they feel forlorn. It
trains the young souls and prepares them for practical life. Home is also a source
of affection and sweet memories. In later life, the home provides solace to minds
fatigued by the busy routine of life. A college has the same attributes as a home.
(60 words)
Titles
1. Home: A haven 2. Value of a home 3. Home: A school and a shelter
PASSAGE 3
When we survey our lives and efforts we soon observe that almost the whole of our
actions and desires are bound up with the existence of other human beings. We
notice that whole nature resembles that of the social animals. We eat food that
others have produced, wear clothes that others have made, live in houses that
others have built. The greater part of our knowledge and beliefs has been passed on
to us by other people through the medium of a language which others have created.
Without language and mental capacities, we would have been poor, indeed comparable
to higher animals. We have, therefore, to admit that we owe our principal knowledge
over the least to the fact of living in human society. The individual if left alone
37
from birth would remain primitive and beast like in his thoughts and feelings to a
degree that we can hardly imagine. The individual is what he is and has the
significance that he has, not much in virtue of the individuality, but rather as a
member of a great human community, which directs his material and spiritual
existence from the cradle to grave. (190 words)
Main Ideas
1. Our existence as human beings is bound up with other human beings.
2. We eat food produced by others, wear clothes others have made and live in houses
constructed by others. Similarly, we acquire knowledge through the medium of
language which others have created.
3. Human beings are human beings only because of human society.
4. If a human being is isolated from society on birth, he would remain a beast.
5. The individual has the significance, not by virtue of his individuality, but
rather as a member of a human community.
Solution
Being social animals, human beings are dependent on one another for their needs and
desires. They use food, clothes and houses that are made by others. Similarly, they
owe their knowledge and beliefs to language developed by others. If a new-born is
separated from other human beings, he will grow up as a beast. In short, an
individual has significance only because he/she is a member of the human community.
(70 words)
Titles 1. Man: A social animal 2. 3. 'No man is an Island' Individual and Society
38
PASSAGE 4
Teaching is the noblest of professions. A teacher has a sacred duty to perform. It
is he on whom rests the responsibility of moulding the character of young children.
Apart from developing their intellect, he can inculcate in them qualities of good
citizenship, remaining neat and clean, talking decently and sitting properly. These
virtues are not easy to be imbibed. Only he who himself leads a life of simplicity,
purity and rigid discipline can successfully cultivate these habits in his pupils.
Besides, a teacher always remains young. He may grow old in age, but not in spirit.
Perpetual contact with budding youths keeps him happy and cheerful. There are
moments when domestic worries weigh heavily on his mind, but the delightful company
of innocent children makes him overcome his transient moods of despair. (130 words)
Main Points
1. Teaching is a noble profession. A teacher moulds the character of youth, makes
them good citizens, and teaches them good manners.
2. It is not an easy task as a teacher has to be a role model. He must possess
virtues like simplicity, piety and discipline.
3. A teacher always remains young because of the lively company of young people
which keeps him happy and cheerful. There are moments when domestic worries weigh
heavily on his mind, but the delightful company of innocent children makes him
overcome his transient moods of despair.
Solution
Teaching is a noble profession. A teacher undertakes the duty of character building
of youth. For this he has to be a role model in terms of simplicity, piety and
discipline. The lively company of young people keeps a teacher young and elevates
his mood when he is depressed due to domestic worries. (53 words)
Titles
Importance of being a teacher Teaching A wonderful profession 1. 2. 3. Exalted
office of a teacher
39
PASSAGE 5
It is physically impossible for a well-educated, intellectual, or brave man to make
money the chief object of his thoughts just as it is for him to make his dinner the
principal object of them. All healthy people like their dinners, but their dinner
is not the main object of their lives. So all healthy-minded people like making
money, ought to like it, and enjoy the sensation of winning it; it is something
better than money. A good soldier, for instance, mainly wishes to do his fighting
well. He is glad of his pay — very properly so and justly grumbles when you keep
him ten years without it still, his main mission of life is to win battles, not to
be paid for winning them. So of clergymen. The clergyman's object is essentially to
baptize and preach not to be paid for preaching. So of doctors. They like fees no
doubt ought to like them; yet if they are brave and well-educated, the entire
object to their lives is not fees. They, on the whole, desire to cure the sick; and
if they are good doctors and the choice were fair to them, would rather cure their
patient and lose their fee
than kill him and get it. And so with all the other brave and rightly trained men;
their work is first, their fee second — very important always; but still second.
(230 words)
Main Points
1. Making money is a normal human desire but for brave men it is never the chief
aim of life.
2. The sensation of winning money is something greater than money itself.
3. For a good soldier winning battle is more important than the salary he gets.
Same is the case with good clergymen and doctors. For a good doctor, curing the
patient would be a priority, not his fee.
For all brave men and true professionals their job comes first and economic gains
come as a reward for their work.
Solution
With a true gentleman making money is never the chief objective of life. Brave
people perform their duty, not because it brings them money but because they love
it. For instance, a good
40
soldier fights, not because he is paid for it but because he loves to win battles.
Similarly, the motivation for a good doctor is to cure the patient, rather than the
fee. Money comes to true professionals as a reward for their good work. (77 words)
Titles
1. Money not priority with great men 2. Duty, not money is supreme 3. True
professionalism
PASSAGE 6
English education and English language have done immense good to India, in spite of
their glaring drawbacks. The notions of democracy and self-government are the boon
of English education. Those who fought and died for mother India's freedom were
nursed in the cradle of English thought and culture. The West has made contribution
to the East. The history of Europe has fired the hearts of our leaders. Our
struggle for freedom has been inspired by the struggles for freedom in England,
America and France. If our leaders were ignorant of English and if they had not
studied this language, how could they have been inspired by these heroic struggles
for freedom in other lands? English, therefore, did us great good in the past and
if properly studied will do immense good in future. English is spoken throughout
the world. For international contact, for commerce and trade, for the development
of our practical ideas, for the scientific studies, English is indispensable.
English is very rich in literature. Our own literature has been made richer by this
foreign language. It will really be a fatal day if we altogether
forget Shakespeare, Milton, Keats and Shaw. (190 words)
Main Points
1. English education and English language have done great good to India.
2.
It introduced Indians to the concepts like democracy and self-rule.
41
3. Indian leaders and freedom fighters were inspired by freedom movements and
revolutions in the West.
4. English is an international language of commerce, trade and science.
5. It is also very rich in literature and its classics are an asset for the world.
Solution
India has benefitted a lot from English language. Indians owe concepts like
democracy and self-government to English education. Indian political leaders were
inspired by Western liberalism, revolutions and freedom movements. Moreover,
English is necessary for international contact, trade, commerce and science. It is
rich in literature and its classics are an asset for the world. English language
will remain important even in (63 words) future.
Titles
1. English language and India 2. Importance of English language
what is Pau-back strategy.
CHAPTER 7
"MAIN POINTS" APPROACH TO PRÉCIS WRITING
For the beginners and less experienced candidates it may be convenient to note down
the main points of the passage before writing the précis. In case you find it
difficult to make an overall sense of the paragraph, you can divide the paragraph
into four parts and note down the main idea expressed in each part. Then, link
these points with the main theme of the passage. However, this is a fall-back
strategy, to be used only when there is no other option.
PASSAGE 1
Public speaking is not primarily concerned with the search for truth, but rather,
with setting forth of facts or principles, assumed to be true in such a way as best
to appeal to the hearers. One of the two methods of appeal may be adopted, the
appeal to the intellect and appeal to the emotions. By the first method, the orator
seeks to convince the reason; by the second to stir the hearts of the audience; and
since people are more readily moved to action through their feelings than through
their understanding, the second method is usually the more successful and,
therefore, the one more generally adopted.
Shakespeare has illustrated these two methods of appeal in speeches of Brutus and
Mark Antony on the dead body of Julius Caesar. While Brutus's appeal to reason
leaves the audience cold and indifferent, Antony's appeal to their emotions rouses
them to fury and goads them on to revenge.
43
The ancients who held the art of oratory in high esteem classified the different
kinds of discourses under three headings: the demonstrative or laudatory, the
deliberative and the forensic. All speeches that are mainly concerned with setting
forth the excellence of some principles or person come under the first category of
demonstrative or laudatory speeches. Milton's Areopagitica, Pliny's panegyric of
Trajan and the speeches of Demosthenes are well known examples of this class of
speech. Those that deal chiefly with the consideration of various conflicting
courses of action, or with criticizing the methods or doings of others, come under
the second heading of deliberative speeches. Such are Edmund Burk's famous speeches
on the treatment of American colonies. The forensic oratory comprises pleadings
before a court of law, and was, among the Romans, held to be the most important
branch of oratory, which attained perfection in orations of Cicero. Muhammad Ali
Jinnah scrupulously shunned all appeal to emotions in his speeches and considered
it an unfair and dishonest weapon. He exclusively built on reason and his speeches
proved effective because of their sincerity and convincing power.
The importance of oratory has gradually diminished since the invention of printing
press and the spread of education to all classes of society. But the written word
can never make quite the same appeal to the hearts of men as the spoken word, and
it is a great loss to mankind that the serious study of the art of public speaking
should have fallen into neglect. (408 words)
Main Points
1. Public speaking is not about search for truth but about influencing the audience
and persuading them to some action.
2. Public speakers use two different methods to appeal the public: intellectual and
emotional.
3. Emotional appeal is more effective and more popular.
4. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was strictly against using the emotional appeal in public
speeches and considered it as dishonesty.
44
5. The art of public speaking has fallen out of favour in the modern day world
because of the invention of printing press. Written word can never have the same
impact as the spoken word.
NOTE
ONE OF
There is no need to worry about the following references if you are not familiar
with them; the passage makes sense even without them. These I can be treated as
examples. However, Muhammad Ali Jinnah's approach to public speaking is not an
example as it makes an important point in the passage. So, it has to be included in
the précis.
1. Speeches of Brutus and Mark Antony over the dead body of Julius Caesar
(Shakespeare).
2. Milton's Areopagitica, Pliny's panegyric of Trajan and the speeches of
Demosthenes.
3. Edmund Burk's famous speeches on the treatment of American colonies. of Cicero.
4. Orations
Solution
Oratory is an ancient art. The primary aim of public speaking is not to find truths
but to present facts in such a way as to persuade the audience to an action. A
speaker can convince the audience, either through logical reasoning or emotional
appeal: Since people are easily moved to action through feelings, the emotional
method is more successful and popular. However, Muhammad Ali Jinnah was strictly
against the emotional appeal and considered it a dishonest trick. His own speeches
owed their effectiveness to his sincerity of purpose and convincing power. Although
the importance of oratory has decreased in the recent times, yet it is a fact that
the written word can never have the same impact. It is unfortunate that the art of
oratory has gone out of favour these days. (133 words)
45
Titles
1. The art of oratory 2. Dynamics of public speaking 3. Types of public speeches
PASSAGE 2
Rural development lies at the heart of any meaningful
development strategy. This is the only mechanism to carry the message to the
majority of the people and to obtain their involvement in measures designed to
improve productivity levels. Rural population exceeds 70 percent of the total
population of the country, despite a rapid rate of urbanization. Average rural
income is 34 percent less than per capita urban income. A large part of under
employment is still concealed in various rural activities particularly in the less
developed parts of the country. For centuries, the true magnitude of poverty has
been concealed from view by pushing a large part of it to the rural areas. This set
in motion a self-perpetuating mechanism the more enterprising and talented in the
rural society migrated to the cities in search of dreams which were seldom
realized. Such migrants added to urban squalor. The relatively more prosperous in
the rural society opted for urban residence for different reasons. The rural
society itself has in this way systematically been denuded to its more enterprising
elements, as rural areas developed the character of huge and sprawling slum.
Development in the past has touched rural scene mainly via agricultural development
programmes. These are essential and would have to be intensified. Much more
important is a large scale rural water supply and village electrification as a part
of the change in the physical environment and primary education and primary health
care as the agents of social change. The task is to provide modern amenities as an
aid for bringing into motion the internal dynamics of the rural society on the
patch leading to increase in productivity and self-help, changing the overall
surrounding, while preserving coherence, integrated structure and the rich cultural
heritage of the rural society.
(296 words)
46
Main Points
1. In the above passage the first sentence sets the tone of the passage, with a
clear statement that no development strategy can be meaningful without the rural
development. (Rest of the passage is an elaboration of this thesis statement)
2. Rural population comprises 70 percent of the population but gets only 34 percent
of the per capita income share.
3. Due to poverty, unemployment and lack of basic facilities, the talented people
migrate to cities; further aggravating the problems of urbanization.
In the past, the development programmes for the rural areas only focused on
agriculture. This is necessary but without the development of social and civic
infrastructure mere agricultural development cannot yield the desired results.
5. Social change in rural areas is not possible without the provision of basic
amenities of life like water supply, electrification, primary education and
healthcare.
6. But development of infrastructure in the rural areas must be done without
damaging their integrated structure and the rich cultural heritage.
Solution
No national development strategy can yield fruits without involving people of rural
areas. The rural population comprises seventy percent of the total population, but
gets only thirty four percent of the per capita income. Due to poverty and
unemployment talented people migrate to urban centres. In past the rural
development programmes focused only on agriculture and ignored the development of
civic infrastructure. No meaningful change can come in the rural areas without the
provision of basic amenities of life, like electrification, education and health-
care. However, it is important that in the process the integrated structure and
rich cultural heritage of the rural society is not damaged. (106 words)
Titles
Importance of rural development
1.
Development incomplete without rural uplift
2.
3. Rural uplift, a must
CHAPTER 8
EXAMPLES OF GOOD AND POOR PRÉCIS WRITING
In this chapter there are some examples of Poor, Fair, and Good précis, along with
their titles.
PASSAGE 1
That science has become one of the most powerful factors in modern life is a
generally accepted and indeed an obvious fact. The proper role of the scientist
himself is, however, a point on which there is no general agreement. On the one
hand are those die-hards who, ignoring the changed circumstances of the outside
world, contend that, outside the laboratory personal influence of the scientist
should be no more than that of an ordinary citizen. On the other hand, there are
extremists who advocate a stage verging on a technocracy, in which scientists would
have special privileges and a large measure of control. Those who tend towards the
later view are much vociferous than their more conservative and much more numerous
colleagues with the unfortunate result that there is a wide-spread impression that
scientists generally share these views and wish to claim a far larger share in the
control of world affairs than they possess at present. It is, therefore, timely
attempt to make an assessment of the proper status of the scientists in modern
society. (179 words)
Poor Précis
Bad title: Role of Science in life. (The passage is about scientists and not about
science.)
48
Précis Flaws in this précis Science has become powerful 1. No paraphrasing: Student
factor in modern life. There is no general agreement on this. Die-hards ignore the
changed circumstances of the world. Extremists advocate technocracy in which
scientists would have special privileges and a large measure of control. There is a
widespread impression that scientists generally share these views. We should make
an assessment of status of science in modern society. (63 words) 2. 3. has just
copy-pasted sentences from the main passage. Missing the main point: Student has
not been able understand the to fundamental idea of the passage. Use of first
person: The passage does not include first person but the student has used 'We'.
Fair Précis
Fair title: Scientists and Society. (Too broad and general, misses the main point
of the passage)
Précis
A powerful factor in modern world is how scientists are perceived by other human
beings in modern life. We should give scientist better role to perform in society
and not just restrict them to laboratories. Many people do not agree with the point
of view and think scientists should not ask for higher role to perform in society.
They fail to understand whether scientists want a wider role in the world affairs.
A fresh assessment of this situation is
the need of the hour. (83 words)
Flaws in this précis
1. Mixing of valid and 2. invalid points. All the points given in the précis do not
match with the points given in passage. Incomplete. The précis is close to the
passage but it does not cover all the points according to the passage. (e.g. "fail
to understand whether scientists want a wider role")
3. Use of first person: The passage does not include first person but the student
has used 'we'. 4. Too long: Almost half of
the passage.
Good Example
Title: The status of a scientist in society. (The title fully justifies the theme
of the passage.)
Précis
People have different opinions about a scientist's role in the society. Some think
that outside his laboratory, the scientist is just an ordinary citizen. Others say
that scientists should have special privileges. Many scientists also share this
view. They wish to have a greater role in controlling the world. The status of a
scientist in society needs to be prudently assessed. (62 words)
Fairly good précis
The student has used own words and has covered all the main points in a concise
form.
PASSAGE 2
Along with the new revelations of science and psychology, there have also occurred
distortions of what is being discovered. Most of the scientists and psychologists
have accepted Darwin's theory of evolution and his observations on "Survival of the
fittest" as a final word. While enunciating his postulate on the concept of the
fittest, Darwin primarily projected physical force as the main criterion and
remained unmindful of the culture of mind. The psychologist, on the other hand, in
his exclusive involvement with the psyche, has overlooked the potential of man's
physical self and the world outside him. No synthesis has been attempted between
the two; with the obvious result of the one being sacrificed at alter of the other.
This has given birth to a civilization which is wholly based on economic
considerations, transforming man into a mere "economic being" and limiting his
pleasure and sorrows to sensuous cravings.
49
50 50
With the force of his craft and guns, this man of the modern world gave birth to
two cannibalistic philosophies, the cunning capitalism and the callous communism.
They joined hands to block the evolution of man as a cultural entity, denuding him
of the feelings of love, sympathy and humanness. Technologically, man is immensely
powerful; culturally he is the creature of Stone Age, as lustful as ever and
equally ignorant of his destiny. The two world wars and the resultant attitudes
display harrowing distortion of the purposes of life and power. In this agonizing
situation, the scientist is harnessing forces of nature, placing them at the feet
of his country's leaders to be used against people in other parts of the world.
This state of his servility makes the functions of the scientist appear merely to
push humanity to a state of perpetual fear, and lead man to the inevitable
destruction as species, with his own inventions and achievements.
This irrational situation raises many questions. They concern the role of a
scientist, the function of religion, the conduct of politician who is directing the
course of history, and the future role of man as a species. There is an obvious
mutilation of the purpose of creation, and the relationship between Cosmos, Life,
and Man is hidden from eyes; they have not been viewed collectively. (372 words)
A Poor Précis
New explorations into the evolution of man have many a drawback. Darwin's theory
emphasized physical force as the prime agent (1) in this regard. (2) He neglected
altogether man's physical self and world around him. It resulted in the imbalance
of human personality thus making (3) a man a materialistic being. It also gave
birth to (4) cannibalistic philosophies like capitalism and communism. (5) It
blocked man's evolution and humanism and put humans on a way of destruction and
downfall. A situation of permanent fear is prevailing (6) raising the questions of
man's failure (7) as a same species on earth..
Let us critically analyze the problems (overall and sentence- wise) with the above
précis, and see how it can be improved.
Sentence-wise problems
The phrase 'in this regard' is misfit and vague here.
1.
51
2. "He neglected altogether man's physical self and world around him," is opposite
to the spirit of the passage. Darwin did not neglect the man's physical self; he
rather exaggerated its importance.
3.
It should be, "making man a materialistic being".
4. The word 'cannibalistic' should have been avoided as it is not a key word but
writer's personal style of saying that capitalism and communism are anti-human
philosophies.
5. "It blocked man's evolution." The author has not said this anywhere in the
passage, nor can it be inferred that he meant so.
6.
A comma (,) is required before 'here'.
7. "as a same species on earth", is a strange expression, having no clear meanings.
NOTE
The précis is just a series of disjointed sentences that do not highlight the main
theme of the passage. Ideas have not been conveyed with clarity. The author, in
fact, laments that Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest has been
misinterpreted by the people to justify cutthroat competition and lust for power.
Read the passage once again for main ideas the author wants to highlight.
Main Points
1. Darwin's theory of 'Survival of the Fittest considers physical force as the only
important factor in human survival and ignores the culture of mind, while
psychologists focus only on mind. This has turned human beings into mere economic
beings and given birth to anti- human systems like communism and capitalism.
2. Theory of survival of the fittest has been misused both by capitalism and
communism. Both systems give importance only to economic power and block the
evolution of man as a cultural entity, depriving him of the feelings of love,
sympathy and humanness.
52
3. As a result of this approach, the modern man is culturally backward despite
technological advancement. The two world wars are a clear proof of this distorted
concept of power.
4. Scientists have harnessed the forces of nature but unfortunately have handed
them over to their leaders to be used against the people in other parts of the
world. Humanity is living under a perpetual fear of annihilation at the hands of
its own inventions.
5. The current attitude towards humanity is a negation of the purpose of creation.
In this critical situation the role of science, religion and politics has to be
redefined.
Solution
Like other findings of science and psychology, Darwin's theory of "Survival of the
Fittest" has been distorted by people to justify selfishness, competition and
oppression. Darwin ignored the culture of mind and considered physical force as the
only decisive factor in evolution. Resultantly, "Might is right' became the slogan
of existence. This turned man into an economic being and gave birth to brutal
systems like capitalism and communism. Both systems believe in economic power, and
ignore values like love, sympathy, and humility. Scientists have harnessed the
forces of nature but have put them at the disposal of the rulers to be used against
people. As a result, humanity is living under a constant threat of destruction. To
avoid the threat, the role of science, religion and politics will have to be
redefined.
Appropriate Titles
(132 words)
Redefining the role of science and religion Science and future of mankind
PASSAGE 3
Exploration in the Arctic Circle still offers countless opportunities for fresh
discoverers, but it is an adventure not to be undertaken lightly. As an occupation
it is more lonely and remote than anything else in the world. And at any moment the
traveller must be prepared to encounter hazard and difficulty,
53
which call for all his skill and enterprize. Nevertheless, such enterprise will be
carried on as long as the quest for knowledge inspires mankind.
Investigations have shown that the Arctic Zone is rich in mineral deposits, but
even if these deposits were of little value, the economic importance of the Arctic
would not be appreciably lessened. For it is generally agreed that weather is made
in the north, and as the success and or failure of the harvest all over the world
is largely determined by weather, it follows that agriculture and all those
industrial and commercial activities depend upon it, must be considerably affected
by the accuracy of daily weather report. Modern meteorologists regard the
conditions prevailing in the Arctic as of first-rate importance in helping them to
arrive at accurate results in their forecasts.
Yet, apart from any economic or other practical considerations, there is strange
fascination about this vast unconquered region of this stern northern beauty. Those
who have once entered the vast polar regions like to speak of their inexpressible
beauty, the charm of the yellow sun and dazzling ice peaks, the everlasting snows,
and the unmapped land where one never knows what lies ahead; it may be a gigantic
glacier, which reflects a beam of sunlight over its frozen expanse, or some
wonderful, fantastically shaped cliff, which makes an unfading impression on the
memory. It may even be an iceberg, stately and terrifying, moving on its relentless
way, for the Arctic is the birthplace of the great icebergs which threaten
navigation. (323 words) Written Précis
A Poorly
According to the writer, Arctic Ocean is significant for exploration, though it is
not an easy task. Such difficulty may any time as may demand extreme skill and
practice. Curiosity for knowledge still invokes man to undertake such a journey.
The researchers urge that the Arctic Zone is not full of mineral resources but its
economic importance cannot be condoned. The formation of weather in the North
determines our agriculture, industry and commercial activities. Meteorologists
believe that in the Arctic Circle weather can be forecast. Besides, it is a source
of natural beauty, huge glaciers and rays of sunlight. The big icebergs are
considered to be hindrance for navigators.
(109 words)
54
Why is it a Badly Written Précis?
1. The passage was not written in the first person, so there was no need to start
it with the expression," According to the writer".
2. The précis misses the important points made by the author, and do not make it
clear what the real significance of the passage is. Some sentences are against the
spirit of the passage.
Sentence-wise Analysis of the Poor Précis
1.
"According to the writer, Arctic Ocean is significant for exploration though it is
not an easy task, such difficulty at any time as may demand extreme skill and
practice. Curiosity for knowledge still invokes man to undertake such a journey.
The first sentence is vague and grammatically incorrect. It should have been linked
with the second sentence. The expressions "significant for exploration" and
"invokes man" are inappropriate. We can rewrite these sentences as: The Arctic Zone
is an area worth exploring despite the
difficulties involved in such an enterprise.
2. The researchers urge that the Arctic Zone is not full of mineral resources but
its economic importance cannot be condoned. (First, the two words 'urge' and
'condoned' sound strange here. Secondly, passage says: "the Arctic Zone is rich in
mineral deposits."
3. Meteorologists believe that in the Arctic Circle weather can be forecast. (In
fact, the passage says that weather forecast is made on the basis of the weather of
the Arctic Circle.
4. Besides, it is a source of natural beauty, huge glaciers and rays of sunlight.
Besides, the region is full of natural beauty, like huge glaciers, mountain peaks
and rays of sunlight.
5. The big icebergs are considered to be hindrance for navigators. (Here the word
'considered' is out of place. This can be rewritten as: This is the land of huge
icebergs that are both fascinating and threatening for the navigators.
55
Inappropriate Titles
1. Exploration of Arctic Circle (The title does not cover all the points in the
passage because the difficulties faced by the explorers is only one of the points
in the passage, not the main.
2. The beauty of Arctic Zone (Only the last paragraph describes the beauty of the
area. The title ignores important facts given in other paragraphs.)
3. Arctic Circle: What a place (This title is too informal and casual to suit the
passage.)
Solution
Exploration of Arctic Circle is risky but the risk is worth taking for knowledge
seekers. This undiscovered region is of great economic importance for rest of the
world. It is rich in mineral deposits but its real value lies in its weather. It is
a fact that weather plays an important role in the agricultural and commercial
activities, and weather of the world is determined by this region. Meteorologists
make forecasts on the basis of climatic conditions of the Arctic Circle. Besides
its economic significance, this vast polar region has indescribable natural beauty.
Yellow sun, dazzling ice peaks, mighty glaciers and cliffs present an unforgettable
spectacle. The grand and terrifying icebergs pose a great threat to navigators.
Title: Importance of Arctic Circle
PASSAGE 4
From Plato to Tolstoy art has been accused of exciting our emotions and thus of
disturbing the order and harmony of our moral life. Poetical imagination, according
to Plato, waters our experience of lust and anger, of desire and pain, and makes
them grow when they ought to starve with drought. Tolstoy sees in art a source of
infection. Not only in infection, he says, is a sign of art, but the degree of
infectiousness also the sole measure of excellence in art. But the flaw in this
theory is obvious. Tolstoy suppresses a fundamental moment of art, the moment of
form.
Nu avellait repertens the experience of comtemplatio e different state at mund from
the Fariness of out theoretical and tu dutely at a moral judgment it to filled with
the Rivelicel enere i passtion but passten Heelf to here transformed both in ite
nature and in the meaning Wandsworth defines poetry as smattan revilleted in
tranquility" that the tranquility we feel in great jowin is not that of
recollection. The emotions aroused ba the post du mit belong to a remote past. They
are "here" alive and mimediate We are aware of their full strength, but the elength
rub in a new direction. It is rather seen than mumsstately wh Our passions are no
longer dark and myencirable powers, they become, as it were, transparent. Strappale
Aver gives an aesthetic theory. He does not qubate about the nature of art. Yet in
the only passage in with hi he speaks of the character and function of dramatic art
the which are laid upon this point "The purpose of playing," as Hamber explains
bath at the first and now, was and is, to hold, aw the mirror up to nature to show
virtue her own feature, www her own image and the very age and body of the time his
** and pressure" But the image of a passion is not the passion awit The just who
represents a passion does not infect us with the pasta apeare play we are not
infected with the ambina af Marwth with the cruelty of Richard III, or with the
wehang of (Neth We are not at the mercy of these emotions; * And though then we
seem to penetrate into their very and in the moped Shakespeare's theory of shaman
art at he had such a their sin complete agreement *************f the arts of the
great painters and (419 words)
xample of a Pearly Written Preds of this Passage
thought pershaws alleged to have excitest our af dan Pacers WYNW *wth our for about
desire date on the degree of its www that is th tow down pay as wwwwww Home ****
57
aroused by art are alive and vivid. The emotions, the pres quotes, are alive and
imminent. On the other hand, Shakespeace emphasized on point rather than on
aesthetic theory. We are able to identify ourselves with his characters and thus
his theory of art is comparatively close to perfection.
Bad Titles The definition of art (It is a bad title because passage is not about
the nature of art; it is about the function of art.)
What is Wrong with this Précis?
1. The above précis lacks clarity as it does not state the point made in the
passage clearly,
2. The views of the author have been misrepresented. The stance of different
authors on effects of art and poetry has not been made clear.
3. Look at the sentence in the précis: Plato considers poetical imagination as
something that enhances our fear about desire and pain. Plato never said this.
Actually, he said that poetry encourages negative emotions like lust, anger, desire
and pain.
4. The next sentence in the précis is: On the contrary, Tolstoy views it as a
source of infection. He declares that its excellence lies in the degree of its
infectiousness. In fact Tolstoy supported Plato's views about emotional impact of
art. To say, "On the contrary", here is against the spirit of the passage. Here the
expression 'Similarly" would be better.
8. Two other misleading sentences are: He declares that its excellence lies in the
degree of its infectiousness. Tolstoy is in fact said this in a satirical tone. The
other sentence, "Aesthetics cannot be experienced in a sober state of mind", makes
no sense at all.
6. However, the emotions aroused by art are alive and vivid. The emotions, the poet
quotes, are alive and imminent. These two sentences are conveying the same idea,
and the idea has no relevance to the theme of the passage.
7. The last two sentences of the précis about Shakespeare's views are utterly
meaningless. Shakespeare's point of views has neither been understood nor conveyed
to the reader.
This precis will hardly make any sense to the person who has not read the original
passage
Solution
Art has been accused of arousing emotions and disturbing the moral harmony of
society. Plato said that poetry encouraged harmful emotions that should be
suppressed. Similarly, Tolstoy believed that readers were infected by the emotions
depicted in art. Tolstoy's view has its limitations as he ignores the aesthetic
aspect of art. Wordsworth defined poetry as "emotions recollected in". However,
Shakespeare rejected such views about art and came up with revolutionary ideas
about the nature and function of art. To him, art is only a mirror of life, and it
produces only an image of a passion, not the passion itself. According to him, a
poet only represents a passion, and does not infect us with this passion. He
believes that audiences are not at the mercy of dramatic emotions; they rather get
an opportunity to look at the emotions critically. (141 words)
Titles 1. Art and Emotions 2. Emotional impact of art
58
CHAPTER 9
PROBLEM OF PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS IN PRÉCIS WRITING
It has been commonly observed the candidates misread passages due to their prior
knowledge on the subject and their reconsidered notions passages must be read with
a neutral mind. Overcome the temptation to read your own ideas in the passage and
only listen to what the writer is saying.
PASSAGE 1
All the evil in this world is brought about by persons who are always up and doing,
but do not know when they ought to be up and what they ought to be doing. The
devil, I take it, is still the busiest creature in the universe, and I can quite
imagine him denouncing laziness and becoming angry at the smallest waste of time.
In his kingdom, I will bet, nobody is allowed to do nothing, not even for a single
afternoon. The world, we all freely admit, is in a muddle, but I do not think that
it is laziness that has brought it to such a pass. It is not the active virtues
that it lacks but the passive ones: it is capable of anything but kindness and a
little steady thought. There is still plenty of energy in the world (there never
were more fussy people about) but most of it is simply misdirected. If, for
example, in July 1914, when there was some capital idling weather, everybody,
emperors, kings, archdukes, statesmen, generals, journalists, had been suddenly
struck with an intense desire to do nothing, just to hang about in the sunshine and
consume tobacco, then we should all have been much better off than we are now. But
no, the doctrine of the
60
strenuous life still went unchallenged; there must be no time wasted, something
must be done. And, as we know, something was done. Again, suppose our statesmen,
instead of rushing off to Versailles with a bundle of ill-digested notions and a
great deal of energy to dissipate, had all taken a fortnight off, away from all
correspondence and interviews and what not, and had simply lounged about on some
hill side or other apparently doing nothing for the first time in their energetic
lives, then they might have gone to their so-called Peace Conference and come away
again with their reputations still unsoiled and the affairs of the world in good
trim. Even at the present time, if half the politicians in Europe would relinquish
the notion that laziness is a crime and go away and do nothing for a little space,
we should certainly gain by it. Other examples come crowding into the mind. Thus,
every now and then, certain religious sects hold conferences; but though there are
evils abroad that are mountains high, though the fate of civilization is still
doubtful, the members who attend these conferences spend their time condemning the
length of ladies' skirts and the noisiness of dance bands. They would all be better
employed lying flat on their backs somewhere, staring at the sky and recovering
their mental health. (442 words)
Instructions
1. This is typical example of a passage where our preconceived notions and prior
knowledge on the subject can easily interfere in our reading. Since laziness is a
universally disapproved habit, an immature reader would tend to interpret the
passage as written in favour of active and energetic people.
2. In the passage, significant space has been given to 1914 events. and Versailles.
This should not make us think that the passage is about the First World War. The
main subject remains that the active people have done more harm to humanity than
the lazy ones.
Main Points
1. Active people have a lot of energy but their energy is mostly misdirected. Devil
is the busiest creature in the world and it condemns laziness.
61
2. If some people had been less active in the past, the present world would have
been a much better place to live in.
Even today, if the important people like political leaders, journalists and
religious scholars abandon their activities and leave the world alone; it would be
a great service to humanity.
4. This will also give the over-active people an opportunity to regain their mental
health.
Sample Précis
Most of the evil in the world is because of busy people. The confusion and chaos
that we see in the world is due to the people who, like the Devil, think that
laziness is a crime. The world is full of energetic people but their energy is
mostly misdirected. Such people are responsible for creating confusion and mischief
in the world. If in the past important people like emperors, politicians, statesmen
and generals had been less active; our world would have been a far better place.
Laziness is a blessing in disguise. Even today, it would be a great service to
humanity, if half of the politicians and religious leaders abandon their activities
and take a long lazy break. In this way, the world will be saved from their
activities; and they will get an opportunity to restore their mental health. (142
words)
Title
1. Laziness: A blessing in disguise 2. Active people do more harmful than lazy ones
3. Blessing of Laziness
CHAPTER 10
CONTEXTUAL MEANINGS IN A PRÉCIS PASSAGE
It is not desirable to consult a dictionary for knowing the meanings of words while
reading the passage. Try to guess the meanings of word through the context. Most
words have more them one meanings and it is the context tells in what sense a words
has been used by the author.
PASSAGE 1
Besant, describing middle class of the 19th century, wrote: "In the first place it
was for more å class apart. In no sense did it belong to society. Men in
professions of any kind (except in the Army and Navy) could only belong to society
by right of birth and family connections; men in trade - bankers were still
accounted tradesmen - could not possibly belong to society. That is to say, if they
went to live in the country they were not called upon by the county families, and
in the town they were not admitted by the men into their clubs or by ladies into
their houses. The middle class knew its own place, respected itself, made its own
society for itself and cheerfully accorded to rank the deference due."
Since then, however, the life of the middle classes had undergone great changes as
their numbers had swelled and their influence had increased.
Their already well-developed consciousness of their own importance had deepened.
More critical than they had been in the past of certain aspects of aristocratic
life, they were also more
63
concerned with the plight of the poor and the importance of their own values of
society; thrift, hardwork, piety and respectability as examples of ideal behaviour
for the guidance of the lower orders. Above all, they were respectable. There were
divergences of opinion as to what exactly was respectable and what was not. There
were, nevertheless, certain conventions, which were universally recognized: wild
and drunker behaviours were certainly not respectable, nor were godlessness or
overt promiscuity; nor an ill-ordered home life, unconventional manners, self-
indulgence or flamboyant clothes and personal adornments. (272 words)
Main Points
1. The middle class in the 19th century was not accepted as an integral part of
society.
2. Members of the middle class could not socialize with the elite class except by
right of family connections.
3. The second paragraph starts with the phrase "Since then however". It means
passage is taking a turn here to tell what happened afterwards.
4. With the passage of time the middle class grew in number and influence.
5. They cherished universally acknowledged moral values. and conventional standards
of social behavior.
6. They were sympathetic towards the poor and critical of the aristocratic class.
Sample Précis
Besant says that the 19th century middle class was not an integral part of the
society. Middle class people could become part of society only through family
connections; otherwise, they could not socialize with the elite. However, with the
passage of time they grew in number and influence. Having a strong sense of self-
respect, they cherished moral values like propriety, sobriety, hard work and
austerity. They believed they should be: a model for the lower ranks of society.
They earned, respectability by leading an ordered, honest and decent life, and by
avoiding evils like atheism, drinking, vulgarity and self- indulgence. (99 words)
69 64
Inappropriate Titles
1. Middle class of 19th century: (Because the passage is not just about the 19th
century middle class but about its growth)
2. Values of Middle Class (There is a reference to the values of middle class but
this is only a part of the overall argument; the whole passage is not about the
values of the middle class.)
Appropriate Titles
1. 2. Evolution of Middle Class Middle Class in and since 19th Century 3. Middle
Class: A Class Apart
NOTE
This is a good example of passage where one can learn the contextual meanings in
the sentence: "If they went to live in the country they were not called upon by the
county families, and in the town they were not admitted by the men into their clubs
or by ladies into their houses."
Here, we cannot take the word country to mean a republic, nation or motherland
because of the word 'town' in the same sentence. So, here it can only mean
countryside or village.
PASSAGE 2
With the innovative findings of Sigmund Freud in the field of Psychology,
particularly with reference to unconsciousness in 1955, the Western art and
literature of the 20th century started to emphasize the individualism, emotional
charge, percipience, psychological expression and the world of dreams. Cubism,
expressionism and surrealism introduced modern art to the essential of human mind
and its hidden shades. Our artists have also absorbed their revolutionary trends
along with the conventional styles. The artist has been enamoured by the realistic
technique in painting, he tries to communicate his viewers, the psychological,
emotional and perceptual aspects of human life through his artistry. This has
created a unique
65
combination of apparently realistic canvasses with deep meanings underneath. While
soft clouds against the blue sky, windows and door openings towards or inside the
worlderlands imagined fantasy and the tangible objects used as metaphors denote the
spiritual or metaphysical world. (147 words)
Note
The paragraph may appear to be difficult for the candidates with no background in
art and literature. The terms like cubism, expressionism, percipience and
surrealism may be alien to them but main ideas in the paragraph can be still be
understood.
Once we understand the first sentence, the rest of the paragraph will become
easier. It says that under the influence of findings of Sigmund Freud, 20th century
art and literature started emphasizing individualism, psychological expressionism
and world of dreams.
Read only this part of the second sentence: 'It introduced modern art to essentials
of mind and its hidden shades.' Let us summarize the sentence No 5, 6
Original Sentences
The artist has been enamoured by the realistic technique in painting, he tries to
communicate his viewers, the psychological, emotional and perceptual aspects of
human life through his artistry. This has created a unique combination of
apparently realistic canvasses with deep meanings underneath.
Summary
The modern artists try to represent the psychological, emotional and perceptual
aspects of human life through their art. This created a unique combination of
surface and deeper meanings. Solution
Sigmund Freud introduced modern art and literature to inner and hidden world of
human mind. Under the influence of his psychological findings, the twentieth
century art started depicting the individual's psyche and the world of dreams. This
created a unique combination of world of reality and the world of fantasy; of
surface and deeper meanings. (55 Words)
Title
1. Influence of Freud on modern literature 2. Psychoanalysis and modern literature
CHAPTER 11
SAMPLE PRÉCIS SOLUTIONS
PASSAGE 1
"Education does not develop autonomously; it tends to be a mirror of society and is
seldom at the cutting edge of social change. It is retrospective, even
conservative, since it teaches the young what others have experienced and
discovered about the world. The future of education will be shaped not by educators
but by changes in demography, technology and the family. Its ends are likely to
remain stable but its means are likely to change dramatically."
"Schools, colleges and universities will be redefined in fundamental ways: who is
educated, how they are educated, where they are educated all are due for upheaval.
But their primary responsibility will be much the same as it is now: to teach
knowledge of languages, science history, government, economics, geography,
mathematics and the arts, as well as the skills necessary to understand today's
problems and to use it technologies. In the decades ahead, there will be a solid
consensus that, as Horace Mann, an American educator, wrote in 1886: "Intelligence
is a primary ingredient in the wealth of nations." In recognition of the power of
this idea, education will be directed purposefully to develop intelligence as vital
national resources."
"Even as nations recognize the value of education in creating human capital, the
institutions that provide education will come under increasing strain. State system
of education may not survive demographic and technological changes. Political
upheavals in unstable regions and the ease of international travel will ensure a
steady flow of immigrants, legal and illegal, from poor nations to rich ones. As
tides of immigration sweep across the rich world, the receiving nations have a
choice; they can assimilate the newcomers to the home culture, or they can expect a
proliferation of cultures within them their borders. Early this century, state
systems assimilated newcomers and taught them how to fit in. Today social science
frowns on assimilation, seeing it as a form of cultural coercion, so state systems
of education are likely to eschew cultural
coercion. In effect, the state schools may encourage trends that raise doubts about
the purpose or necessity of a state system of education." (331 words)
Solution
Education is not an instrument of social change; rather, it is only a mirror that
reflects the developments in society. The system of education has to be changed
according to the changes in social structure. The conventional system of public
education cannot survive the technical and demographic changes. In the
multicultural modern world the state-run education systems, that propagate a
national character, are losing their significance. The old concept of cultural
assimilation is also not practicable. The education system has to be revamped in
the light of social changes. The conventional schooling needs to be substituted by
community-specific liberal education systems. Education should focus on the
development of intelligence, which is an important human resource. (115 words)
Titles
Challenges for education system in modern world 2. Traditional education under
pressure of social changes
PASSAGE 2
When you see a cockroach or a bed bug your first reaction is one of disgust, and
that is immediately followed by a desire to exterminate the offensive creature.
Later, in the garden, you see a butterfly or a dragonfly, and you are filled with
admiration as its beauty and grace.
Man's feelings towards insects are ambivalent. He realizes that some of them, for
example flies and cockroaches are threats to health. Mosquitoes and tsetse flies
have in the past sapped the vitality of entire tribes or nations. Other insects are
destructive and cause enormous losses. Such are locusts, which can wipe out whole
areas of crops in minutes; and termites, whose often insidious ravages, unless
checked at an early stage, can end in the destruction of entire rows of houses.
Yet men's ways of living may undergo radical changes if certain species of insects
were to become extinct. Bees, for example, pollinate the flowers of many plants
which are food sources. In the past, honey was the only sweetening agent known to
man in
1.
67
68
some remote parts of the world. Ants, although they bite and contaminate man's
food, are useful scavengers which consume waste material that would otherwise
pollute the environment. Entomologists who have studied insect fossils believe them
to have inhabited the earth for nearly 400 million years. Insects live in large
numbers almost everywhere in the world, from the hottest deserts and the deepest
caves to the peaks of high mountains and even the snows of the polar caps.
Some insect communities are complex in organization, prompting men to believe that
they possess and ordered intelligence. But such organized behaviour is clearly not
due to developed brains. If we have to compare them to humans, bee and ant groups
behave like extreme totalitarian societies. Each bee or ant seems to have a
determined role to play instinctively and does so, without deviation.
The word "instinct" is often applied to insect behaviour. But some insect behaviour
appears so clever that one tends to think that some sort of intelligence is at
work. For example, the worker bee, upon returning to the hive after having found a
new source of nectar, communicates his discovery by a kind of dance which tells
other worker bees the direction and distance away of the nectar. (383 words)
Solution
Human beings have ambivalent attitude toward insects; they feel disgust for some
and admiration for the others. The insects have a life of their own. They live in
communities and exhibit intelligent behaviour. Flies, mosquitoes and cockroaches
are health hazards. Similarly, locusts and termites damage human property. On the
other hand, many insects are beneficial for mankind. They provide us with food and
act as scavengers, preventing environmental pollution. Entomologists say insects
have existed for four hundred million years, and are found everywhere on earth.
They live in communities which are complex and well organized, and where each
individual insect plays its role to achieve the collective goals of the community.
The organized living of some insects makes some people believe that they have
intelligence. (125 words)
Titles
1. Life and significance of insects 2. Impact of insects on human life
CHAPTER 12
CSS PRÉCIS PASSAGES AND SOLUTIONS
(2002-2022)
CSS 2002
The official name of our species is Homo Sapiens; but there are many
anthropologists who prefer to think of man as Homo Faber — the smith, the maker of
tools. It would be possible. I think, to reconcile these two definitions in a
third. If man is a knower and an efficient doer, it is only because he is also a
talker. In order to be Faber and Sapien, Homo must first be loquax, the loquacious
one. Without language we should merely be hairless chimpanzees. Indeed we should be
something much worse. Possessed of a high IQ but no language, we should be like the
Yahoos of Gulliver's Travels - creatures too clever to be guided by instinct, too
self-centered to live in a state of animal grace, and, therefore, condemned
forever, frustrated and malignant, between contented ape-hood and aspiring
humanity. It was language that made possible the accumulation of knowledge and the
broadcasting of information. It was language that permitted the expression of
religious insight, the formulation of ethical ideals and the codification of laws.
It was language, in a word, that turned us into human beings and gave birth to
civilization. (191 words)
Solution
Traditionally, man' has been defined as a knower and a doer, but this is an
incomplete definition. Practically, it is language that distinguishes human beings
from animals. Without language, man would be just like a beast. In fact, having
intelligence but no language, he would be hanging between ape-hood and humanity.
Knowledge, religious insight, laws, ethics and human civilization are all products
of language. (64 words)
Titles
Significance at language Language and human fwings Language. A distinguishing
feature of humanity
90
CSB 2003
(1 then a pradival end must be assigned to a university course, 1 say it as that of
training good members of a society. It is the art of wetal life and its and is
fitness for the world. It neither confines te views in particular professions, on
the one hand, nor creates herowa en mapinn genius on the other. Works indeed of
genius fall under an art heroic minds come under no rule. University is not a
birthplace of pacts or of immortal authors, of founders of furth feartons of
culantes, or conquerors of nations. It does not premier a generation of Aristotles
or Newtons, of Napoleons or WWashingham, at Raphaels or Shakespeares though such
miracles el gature it has before now contained within its precincts. Nor is #tent
an the other hand, with forming the critic or the experimentalnt the exnomist or
the engineer, though such too a wwhude within its scope. But university training is
the great audinary mean to a great ordinary end; it aims at raising the tellectual
hw of ciety, at cultivating the public mind, at Purbay the national taste, at
supplying true principles to Popular artist as the education which gives a man a a
new view of his own opinions and judgments, a truth en devekying them an eloquence
in expressing them and a force then teaches him to see things as they are, to go
the point to downtangle a skein of thought, to defect sal and to discard what is
irrelevant. It prepares to put with credit and to master any subject with (276
words)
The pros and practical goal of university education is to train dos. It neither
confines itself how * podati prota bathplace of men of readers. The real and
realatic wwwxtual Ane of
71
3268
society by refining the public mind and taste. It trains a man to form independent
opinions, have clarity of thought and felicity of expression. It equips him with an
ability to distinguish right from wrong, and relevant from the irrelevant. (94
words)
Titles
1. The real goal of university education 2. University education and intellectual
tone of society 3. University: A birthplace one good citizens, not heroes
6734 -3466
CSS 2004
We're dealing with a very dramatic and very fundamental paradigm shift here. You
may try to lubricate your social interactions with personality techniques and
skills but in the process you may truncate the vital character base. You can't have
the fruits without the roots. It's the principle of sequencing. Private victory
precedes public victory. Self-mastery and self- discipline are the foundation of
good relationship with others. Some people say that you have to like yourself
before you can like others. I think that idea has merit, but if you don't know
yourself, if you don't control yourself, if you don't have mastery over yourself,
it's very hard to like yourself, except in some short-term, psych-up, superficial
way. Real self-respect comes from dominion over self, from true independence.
Independence is an achievement. Inter-dependence is a choice only independent
people can make. Unless we are willing to achieve real independence, it's foolish
to try to develop human relation skills. We might try. We might even have some
degree of success when the sun is shining. But when the difficult times come and
they will we won't have the foundation to keep things together. The most important
ingredient we put into any relationship is not what we say or what we do, but what
we are. And if our words and our actions come from superficial human relation
techniques (the Personality Ethic) rather than from our own inner core (the
Character Ethic), others will sense that duplicity. We simply won't be able to
create and sustain the foundation necessary for effective interdependence. The
techniques and skills that really make a difference in human interaction are the
ones that almost naturally flow from a truly -
72
independent character. So, the place to begin building any relationship is inside
us, inside our circle of influence - our own character. As we become independent,
proactive, centred in correct principles, value-driven and able to organize and
execute around the priorities in our life with integrity, we can choose to become
interdependent capable of building rich, enduring highly productive relationships
with other people. (347 words)
Solution
Social relations may be formed by means of fake personality techniques, but such
relations would be superficial and short- lived. Moreover, by putting on artificial
manners you may compromise your valuable character base. The actions and words that
make a difference in social interactions are those that naturally emerge from one's
core character. An independent character, having self-respect, self-independence
and self- control, is the real foundation of a good relationship. The most crucial
component in a relationship is what you are; not what you pretend to be.
Relationships based on pretense are neither sincere nor sustainable. Only the
people having personal integrity and independent character are capable of building
vibrant, lasting and productive relationships. (112 words)
Titles
Importance of character in social relations Character vs. fake personality
techniques
1.
2.
3. Independent character: A real base for sound relationships
CSS 2005
Basically, psychoses and neuroses represent man's inability to maintain a balanced
or equated polarity in conducting his life. The ego becomes exclusively or
decidedly one sided. In psychoses there is a complete collapse of the ego back into
the inner recesses of the personal and collective unconscious. When he is repressed
toward fulfilling some life goal and where he is further unable to sublimate
himself toward another goal, man regresses into goal structures not actually
acceptable to himself or to the society. Strong emotional sickness of the psychotic
type is like having the shadow run wild. The entire psyche regresses
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to archaic, animal forms of behaviours. In less severe forms of emotional sickness
there may be an accentuated and overpowering use of one of the four mental
functions at the expense of the other three. Either thinking, feeling, intuiting or
seeing may assume such a superior role as to render the other three inoperative.
The persona may become as dominant as to create a totally one-sided ego, as in some
forms of neurotic behaviour. All in all, whatever the type of severity of the
emotional disorder, it can be taken as a failure of the psyche to maintain a proper
balance between the polarities of life. Essentially, psychoses and neuroses are an
alienation of the self from its true goal of self-actualization. In this sense
culture is of no consequence. Emotional disorder is not a question of being out of
tune with one's culture so much as it is of being out of tune with one's self.
Consequently, neurosis is more than bizarre behaviour, especially as it may be
interpreted by contemporaries in the culture. This interpretation avoids the
sociological question of what is a mental disorder, since the form of behaviour
which is acceptable in one culture may be considered neurotic in the other culture.
To Jung, the deviation from cultural norms is not the point. The inability to
balance out personal polarities is. (324 words)
Solution
Psychosis and neurosis are two forms of mental disorder when ego gets out of one's
control; it either becomes one-sided or collapses completely. As a result, the
psyche of the person degenerates to animalistic level and his behaviour becomes
unacceptable to others. The victim fails to maintain a balance between his
conscious and unconscious. Neurosis is not a behaviour that is considered weird in
a particular culture. In other words, it is not the question of being out of
harmony with one's culture, but being out of tune with one's self. In Jung's words,
it is not the issue of deviance from cultural norms but of inability to balance
one's personal polarities. (111 words)
Titles
1. Nature of mental disorders 2. Mental disorder: Psychological not social problem
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CSS 2006
It was not so in Greece where philosophers professed less and undertook more.
Parmenides pondered nebulously over the mystery of knowledge; but the pre-Socratics
kept their eyes with fair consistency upon the firm earth, and sought to ferret out
its secrets by observation and experience, rather than to create it by exuding
dialectic; there were not many introverts among the Greeks. Picture Democritus, the
Laughing Philosopher, would he not be a perilous company for the desiccated
scholastics who have made the disputes about the reality of the external world take
the place of medieval discourses on the number of angels that could sit on the
point of a pin? Picture Thales, who met the challenge that philosophers were
numskulls by cornering the market and making a fortune in a year. Picture
Anaxagoras, who did the work of Darwin for the Greeks and turned Pericles form a
wire-pulling politician into a thinker and a statesman, Picture old Socrates,
unafraid of the sun or the stars, gaily corrupting young men and overturning
governments; what would he have done to these bespectacled seedless philosophizers
who now litter the court of the once great Queen? To Plato, as to these virile
predecessors, epistemology was but the vestibule of philosophy, akin to the
preliminaries of love; it was pleasant enough for a while, but it was far from the
creative consummation that drew wisdom's lover on. Here and there in the shorter
dialogues, the Master dallied amorously with the problems of perception, thought
and knowledge; but in his more spacious moments he spread his vision over larger
fields, built himself ideal states and brooded over the nature and destiny of man.
And finally in Aristotle -philosophy was honoured in all her boundless scope and
majesty; all her mansions were explored and made beautiful with order; here every
problem found a place and every science brought its toll to wisdom. These men knew
that the function of philosophy was not to bury herself in the obscure retreats of
epistemology, but to come forth bravely into every realm of inquiry, and gather up
all knowledge for the coordination and illumination of human character and human
life. (358 words)
15 75
Solution
Greeks were practical philosophers who, instead of pondering over metaphysical
assumptions, aimed at discovering the realities of the life through observation and
scrutiny. Democritus challenged the scholastics that wasted time in disputing about
the number of angels that could sit on the point of a pin. Thales disproved the
impression that philosophers were good-for- nothing people by making a huge
fortune, and Anaxagoras transformed Pericles (a politician) into a thinker.
Similarly, Socrates encouraged young men to revolt against their governments, and
Plato gave the concept of an ideal state. Finally, Aristotle broadened the scope of
philosophy by including social and other sciences in its sphere. Greek philosophers
believed that knowledge was not an end in itself, but a means to achieve human
well-being. (120 words)
Titles
1. Practical Philosophy of Greeks 2. Greeks' contribution to Philosophy
3. Greek approach to Philosophy
CSS 2007
The author of a work of imagination is trying to affect us wholly as human beings,
whether he knows it or not; and we are affected by it, as human beings, whether we
intend to be or not. I suppose that everything we eat has some effect upon us than
merely the pleasure of taste and mastication; it affects us during the process of
assimilation and digestion; and I believe that exactly the same is true of anything
we read.
The fact that what we read does not concern merely something called our literary
taste, but that it affects us directly, though only amongst many other influences,
the whole of what we are, is best elicited, I think, by a conscientious examination
of the history of our individual literary education. Consider the adolescent
reading of any person with some literary sensibility. Everyone, I believe, who is
at all sensible to the seductions of
76
poetry, can remember some moment in youth when he or she was completely carried
away by the work of one poet. Very likely, he was carried away by several poets,
one after the other. The reason for this passing infatuation is not merely that our
sensibility to poetry is keener in adolescence than in maturity. What happens is a
kind of inundation or invasion of the undeveloped personality, the empty (swept and
garnished) room, by the stronger personality of the poet. The same thing may happen
at a later age to persons who have not done much reading. One author takes complete
possession of us for a time; then another, and finally they begin to affect each
other in our mind. We weigh one against another; we see that each has qualities
absent from others, and qualities incompatible with the qualities of others: we
begin to be, in fact, critical: and it is our growing critical power which protects
us from excessive possession by one literary personality. The good critic - and we
should all try to be critics and not leave criticism to the fellows who write
reviews in the papers - is the man who, to a keen and abiding sensibility, joins
wide and increasingly discriminating reading. Wide reading is not valuable as a
kind of hoarding, and the accumulation of knowledge or what sometimes is meant by
the term 'a well-stocked mind'. It is valuable because in the process of being
affected by one powerful personality after another, we cease to be dominated by
anyone, or by any small number. The very different views of life, cohabiting in our
minds, affect each other, and our own personality asserts itself and gives each a
place in some arrangement peculiar to our self. (447 words). Solution
Reading imaginative literature is not just a matter of literary taste. We are,
knowingly or unknowingly, affected by the authors that we read. This influence is
stronger and irresistible in the case of young readers. It does not mean that they
possess a keener poetic sensibility. Their undeveloped and inexperienced
personalities are easily overwhelmed by the stronger personality of the poet. The
same may happen at a later age to people who have limited reading. However, after
reading different writers the reader develops a critical sense and starts comparing
their views in his mind. This protects him from being completely
77
possessed by the ideas of any particular writer. A mature and well-read reader
develops a critical sense, and he starts evaluating views of different authors.
These views coexist in reader's mind and he ultimately develops an ability to form
independent judgments. (141 words)
Titles
1. The art of reading
2.
Impact of literature on reader's mind
3.
Difference between a young and a mature reader
CSS 2008
Objectives pursued by organizations should be directed to the satisfaction of
demands resulting from the wants of mankind. Therefore, the determination of
appropriate objectives for organized activity must be preceded by an effort to
determine precisely what their wants are. Industrial organizations conduct market
studies to learn what consumer goods should be produced. City Commissions make
surveys to ascertain what civic projects would be of most benefit. Highway
Commissions conduct traffic counts to learn what constructive programmes should be
undertaken. Organizations come into being as a means for creating and exchanging
utility. Their success is dependent upon the appropriateness of the series of acts
contributed to the system. The majority of these acts are purposeful, that is, they
are directed to the accomplishment of some objectives. These acts are physical in
nature and find purposeful employment in the alteration of the physical
environment. As a result, utility is created, which, through the process of
distribution, makes it possible for the cooperative system to endure. Before the
Industrial Revolution most cooperative activity was accomplished in small owner-
managed enterprises, usually with a single decision maker and simple organizational
objectives. Increased technology and the growth of industrial organization made
necessary the establishment of a hierarchy of objectives. This in turn, required a
division of the management function until today a hierarchy of decision makers
exists in most organizations.
The effective pursuit of appropriate objectives contributes directly to
organizational efficiency. As used here, efficiency is a measure of
the want satisfying power of the cooperative system as a whole. Thus, efficiency is
the summation of utilities received from the organization divided by the utilities
given to the organization, as subjectively evaluated by each contributor.
The functions of the management process are the delineation of organizational
objectives and the coordination of activity towards the accomplishment of these
objectives. The system of coordinated activities must be maintained so that each
contributor, including the manager, gains more than he contributes. (323 words)
Solution
Organisations are formed to pursue specific objectives that are set in the light of
public needs. Studies and surveys are conducted to determine the needs. The success
of an organisation depends upon coordinated activities by its different
departments. Before the Industrial Revolution organisations had a simple structure
with limited goals and a single decision maker. However, after the technological
advancement and increased industrial activity, a more elaborate organisational
structure was required. Now there is a division of the management functions, and a
hierarchy of decision makers. To the benefit of all the stakeholders, modern-day
organisations have a system of coordination for the achievement of their
objectives. (106 words)
Title
1. 2. Structure and strategies of modern organizations Organizational structure and
achievement of goals 3. Functioning of modern day organizations
CSS 2009
From Plato to Tolstoy art has been accused of exciting our emotions and thus of
disturbing the order and harmony of our moral life. Poetical imagination, according
to Plato, waters our experience of lust and anger, of desire and pain, and makes
them grow when they ought to starve with drought. Tolstoy sees in art a source of
infection. Not only in infection, he says, is a sign of art, but the degree of
infectiousness also the sole measure of excellence in art. But the flaw in this
theory is obvious. Tolstoy suppresses a fundamental moment of art, the moment of
form. The aesthetic experience - the experience of contemplation - is a different
state
78
79
of mind from the coolness of our theoretical and the sobriety of our moral
judgment. It is filled with the liveliest energies of passion, but passion itself
is here transformed both in its nature and in its meaning. Wordsworth defines
poetry as "emotion recollected in tranquillity". But the tranquillity we feel in
great poetry is not that of recollection. The emotions aroused by the poet do not
belong to a remote past. They are "here"-alive and immediate. We are aware of their
full strength, but this strength tends in a new direction. It is rather seen than
immediately felt. Our passions are no longer dark and impenetrable powers; they
become, as it were, transparent. Shakespeare never gives us an aesthetic theory. He
does not speculate about the nature of art. Yet in the only passage in which he
speaks of the character and function of dramatic art the whole stress is laid upon
this point. "The purpose of playing," as Hamlet explains, "both at the first and
now, was and is, to hold, as were, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own
feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and
pressure." But the image of a passion is not the passion itself. The poet who
represents a passion does not infect us with this passion. At a Shakespeare play we
are not infected with the ambition of Macbeth, with the cruelty of Richard III, or
with the jealousy of Othello. We are not at the mercy of these emotions; we look
through them; we seem to penetrate into their very nature and essence. In this
respect Shakespeare's theory of dramatic art, if he had such a theory, is in
complete agreement with the conception of the fine arts of the great painters and
sculptors. (419 words)
Solution
Art has been accused of arousing emotions and disturbing the moral harmony of
society. Plato said that poetry encouraged harmful emotions that should be
otherwise suppressed. Similarly, Tolstoy believed that people were infected by the
emotions depicted in art. Tolstoy's view has its limitations as he ignores the
aesthetic aspect of art. Wordsworth defined poetry as "emotions recollected in
tranquillity". However, Shakespeare rejected such views about art and came up with
revolutionary theory about the nature and function of art. To him, art is only a
mirror that produces an image of a passion, not the passion itself. According to
him, a poet only represents a passion, and does not infect us with it. He believes
that audiences are not at the mercy of
80
dramatic emotions; they rather get an opportunity to look at the emotions
critically from a distance. (139 words)
Titles
1. Art and Emotions 2. Impact of art on emotions 3. Art and morals
CSS 2010
Of all the characteristics of ordinary human nature envy is the most unfortunate.
Not only does the envious person wish to inflict misfortune and do so whenever he
can with impunity, but he is also himself rendered unhappy by envy. Instead of
deriving pleasure from what he has, he derives pain from what others have. If he
can, he deprives others of their advantages, which to him is as desirable as it
would be to secure the same advantages himself. If this passion is allowed to run
riot, it becomes fatal to all excellence, and even to the most useful exercise of
exceptional skill. Why should a medical man go to see his patients in a car when
the labourer has to walk to his work? Why should the scientific investigator be
allowed to spend his time in a warm room when others have to face the inclemency of
the elements? Why should a man who possesses some rare talent of great importance
to the world be saved from the drudgery of his own housework? To such questions
envy finds no answer. Fortunately, however, there is in human nature a compensating
passion, namely that of admiration. Whoever wishes to increase human happiness must
wish to increase admiration and to diminish envy.
What cure is there for envy? For the saint there is the cure of selflessness,
though even in the case of saints, envy of other saints is by no means impossible.
But, leaving saints out of account, the only cure for envy in the case of ordinary
men and women is happiness, and the difficulty is that envy is itself a terrible
obstacle to happiness.
But the envious man may say: "What is the good of telling me that the cure for envy
is happiness? I cannot find happiness while I continue to feel envy, and you tell
me that I cannot cease to be envious until I find happiness." But real life is
never so logical as this. Merely to realize the causes of one's own envious feeling
is to take a long step towards curing them. (349 words)
Solution
Envy is the most unfortunate of human emotions. Instead of enjoying what he has, an
envious person derives pain from what others have. He remains unhappy and wishes to
inflict miséry on others. He likes to deprive others of the advantages, which he
desires for himself. The enviousness can be reduced, to a great extent, by admiring
others. Some saints suggest selflessness as an cure of envy, but ironically saints
themselves feel envious of other saints. The other possible cure for envy is
happiness, but the paradox is that envy is itself a great obstacle to happiness.
The best remedy for an envious person is to realise the causes of his envious
feelings. (113 words)
Titles
1. 2. 3. Envy, the most destructive passion Ills and cures of envy Envy: An enemy
of happiness CSS 2011
The psychological causes of unhappiness, it is clear, are many and various. But all
have something in common. The typical unhappy man is one who having been deprived
in youth of some normal satisfaction has come to value this one kind of
satisfaction more than any other, and has, therefore, given to his life a one-sided
direction, together with a quite undue emphasis upon the achievement as opposed to
the activities connected with it. There is, however, a further development which is
very common in the present day. A man may feel so completely thwarted that he seeks
no form of satisfaction, but only distraction and oblivion. He then becomes a
devotee of “Pleasure”. That is to say, he seeks to make life bearable by becoming
less alive. Drunkenness, for example, is temporary suicide; the happiness that it
brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness. The narcissist and
the megalomaniac believe that happiness is possible, though they may adopt mistaken
means of achieving it; but the man who seeks intoxication, in whatever form, has
given up hope except in oblivion. In his case the first thing to be done is to
persuade
81
him that happiness is desirable. Men, who are unhappy, like men who sleep badly,
are always proud of the fact. Perhaps their pride is like that of the fox that had
lost his tail; if so, the way to cure it is to point out to them how they can grow
a new tail. Very few men, I believe, will deliberately choose unhappiness if they
see a way of being happy. I do not deny that such men exist, but they are not
sufficiently numerous to be important. It is common in our day, as it has been in
many other periods of the world's history, to suppose that those among us who are
wise have seen through all the enthusiasms of earlier times and have become aware
that there is nothing left to live for. The men who hold this view are genuinely
unhappy, but they are proud of their unhappiness, which they attribute to the
nature of the universe and consider it to be the only rational attitude for an
enlightened man. Their pride in their unhappiness makes less sophisticated people
suspicious of its genuineness; they think that the man who enjoys being miserable
is not miserable.
Solution
Psychological causes of unhappiness are many and varied. A common cause that keeps
many people unhappy is some deprivation in their youth. In their later life, they
give undue importance to the satisfaction of that particular deprivation and remain
unhappy. Some people try to achieve happiness through hurtful means like drinking;
without realising that the happiness it brings is only temporary. Then, there are
others who take pride in being unhappy. The pride in their unhappiness is
irrational because if a person enjoys his misery, he is not miserable. Some people
try to justify their unhappiness by arguing that it is a sign of wisdom and
maturity. They attribute their unhappiness to the tragic human existence and
profess that they have seen so much in life that nothing can excite them.
Titles
(393 words)
1. Common psychological causes of unhappiness Types of psychologically unhappy
people
(131 words)
3. Psychosomatic unhappiness
82
83
CSS 2012
One of the most ominous and discreditable symptoms of the want of candour in
present-day sociology is the deliberate neglect of the population question. It is,
or should be, transparently clear that if the state is resolved on humanitarian
grounds to inhibit the operation of natural selection, some rational regulation of
population, both as regards quality and quantity, is imperatively necessary. There
is no self-acting adjustment, apart from starvation, of numbers to the means of
subsistence. If all natural checks are removed, a population in advance of the
optimum number will be produced and maintained at the cost of a reduction in the
standard of living. When this pressure begins to be felt, that section of the
population which is capable of reflection and which has a standard of living which
may be lost will voluntarily restrict its numbers, even to the point of failing to
replace death by an equivalent number of new births; while the underworld, which
always exists in every civilized society, the failures and misfits and derelicts,
moral and physical, will exercise no restraint and will be a constantly increasing
drain upon the national resources. The population will thus be recruited in a very
undue proportion by those strata of society which do not possess the qualities of
useful citizens.
The importance of the problem would seem to be sufficiently obvious. But
politicians know that the subject is unpopular. The urban have no votes. Employers
like a surplus of labour, which can be drawn upon when trade is good. Militarists
want as much food for powder as they can get. Revolutionists instinctively appose
any real remedy for social evils; they know that every unwanted child is a
potential insurgent. All three can appeal to a quasi-religious prejudice, resting
apparently on the ancient theory of natural rights which were supposed to include
the right of unlimited procreation. This objection is now chiefly urged by celibate
or childless priests; but it is held with such fanatical vehemence that the fear of
losing the votes which they control is a welcome excuse for the baser sort of
politicians to shelve the subject as inopportune. The socialist calculation is
probably erroneous; for experience has shown that it is aspiration not desperation
that makes revolutions. (375 words)
Solution
Quite dishonestly, the modern society is neglecting the all- important issue of
overpopulation. Overpopulation drains out national resources and lowers the
standard of living. The poor people further burden the society by producing more
and more useless citizens. It is vital for the state to regulate the population on
humanitarian grounds, instead of waiting for the process of natural selection to
take its course. Different sections of society deliberately ignore this all-
important issue because of their vested interests. Politicians overlook the subject
for fear of losing votes; employers do not mind overpopulation as it provides them
surplus of labour, militarists and revolutionists think that every unwanted child
is a potential volunteer for them. They all draw support from the religious theory
of the natural right to unlimited procreation. (127 words)
Titles
1. 2. Perils of overpopulation and its deliberate neglect Overpopulation: A
neglected threat 3. Dishonest indifference to dilemma of overpopulation
CSS 2013
Culture, in human societies, has two main aspects; an external, formal aspect and
an inner, ideological aspect. The external forms of culture, social or artistic,
are merely an organized expression of its inner ideological aspect, and both are an
inherent component of a given social structure. They are changed or modified when
this structure is changed or modified, and because of this organic link they also
help and influence such changes in their parent organism. Cultural problems,
therefore, cannot be studied or understood or solved in isolation from social
problems, i.e. problems of political and economic relationships. The cultural
problems of the underdeveloped countries, therefore, have to be understood and
solved in the light of the larger perspective, in the context of underlying social
problems. Very broadly speaking, these problems are primarily the problems of
arrested growth; they originate primarily from long years of imperialist -
Colonialist domination and the remnants of a backward outmoded social structure.
This should not require much elaboration European Imperialism caught up
84
85
with the countries of Asia, Africa or Latin America between the sixteenth and
nineteenth centuries. Some of them were fairly developed feudal societies with
ancient traditions of advanced feudal culture. Others had yet to progress beyond
primitive pastoral tribalism. Social and cultural development of them all was
frozen at the point of their political subjugation and remained frozen until the
coming of political independence. The culture of these ancient feudal societies, in
spite of much technical and intellectual excellence, was restricted to a small
privileged class and rarely intermingled with the parallel unsophisticated folk
culture of the general masses. Primitive tribal culture, in spite of its childlike
beauty, had little intellectual content. Both feudal and tribal societies living
contagiously in the same homelands were constantly engaged in tribal, racial, and
religious or other feuds with their tribal and feudal rivals. Colonialist -
imperialist domination accentuated this dual fragmentation, the vertical division
among different tribal and national groups, the horizontal division among different
classes within the same tribal or national group. This is the basic ground
structure, social and cultural, bequeathed to the newly liberated countries by ⚫
their former overlords. (355 words)
Solution
Culture, formal or ideological, is closely linked with the society. Since the
cultural forms are shaped by social conditions, the cultural problems can be
studied and solved only in the context of social structure. For example, the socio-
cultural problems of the third world tribal societies can be understood only when
viewed in the context of their colonial past. The cultural growth of these tribal
societies was stifled under the colonial domination. The colonizers deliberately
kept these societies divided for perpetuation of their rule. The uneven growth of
culture, mutual rivalries and rigid class structure in these societies are the
results of their colonial past. These traits of their culture continued even after
their freedom from foreign masters. (118 words)
Titles
1. Tribal culture: A legacy of colonial past 2. Culture and society 3. Culture: A
product of social structure
How to tave, the lyti editæ petty reped a fuel empathy (241 worde
estation
the speading love and in the world in the vice-alality is a shelberg To the date in
the past de task was left to setter but they attend in perhaming the duty Heraus
Has Her tempitation of wealth and power Heaters and intelligentel give little
intelligence as a tad to gain nulear devastation The cultivate munally arailive
impoutains in matty and use ing the phares Where the bell (00 wurde)
the "kry vir my with netting Way W taking an ever larger toll of life and
happiness, and, when the society's growth in efficiency maches a point at which is
becomes capable of metalizing lethal quantum of t energies and resources for
military use, then war reveals itse as being a cancer which is bound to prove fatal
to its victim unless he can cut it out and cast it from him, since its malignant
tissues have now learnt to grow faster that the healthy tissues on which they feed.
In the past, when this danger point in the history of the relations between war and
civilization has been reached and
recognized, serious efforts have sometimes been made to get rid of war in
88
time to save society, and these endeavours have been apt to take one or other of
two alternative directions. Salvation cannot, of course, be sought anywhere except
in the working of the consciences of individual human beings; but individuals have
a choice between trying to achieve their aims through direct action as private
citizens and trying to achieve them through indirect action as citizens of states.
A personal refusal to lend himself in any way to any war waged by his state for any
purpose and in any circumstances is a line of attack against the institution of war
that is likely to appeal to an ardent and self-sacrificing nature; by comparison,
the alternative peace strategy of seeking to persuade and accustom governments to
combine in jointly resisting aggression when it comes and in trying to remove its
stimuli beforehand may seem a circuitous and un-heroic line of attack on the
problem. Yet experience up to date indicates unmistakably, in the present writer's
opinion, that the second of these two hard roads is by far the more promising. (539
words)
Solution
War has been the major cause of collapse of civilizations in history. Like any
other evil, war does not appear to be sinister in the beginning; it reveals its
horrors once it clutches a civilization. War is found desirable at the early stage
of the growth of a civilization because the benefits it brings exceed the losses.
Military virtues are cherished even by the defeated party. However, war becomes a
liability once a civilization achieves economic prosperity and political stability.
The god of war is then looked upon as a monster that devours the national
resources. War appears to be a malignant cancer that eats away the healthy tissues
of the body of a civilization. In the past when this danger-point reached, serious
efforts were made to get rid of war. These efforts were made on two levels: the
individual and collective. Individuals took direct action by refusing to
participate in war and indirect action by persuading the state to avoid aggression,
and to remove the causes of war. The second option, by and large, has proved to be
more fruitful. (181 words)
Titles
1. War and breakdowns of civilizations
2.
War and civilizations
3. War: A deity or devil for a civilization
89
CSS 2016
During my vacation last May, I had a hard time choosing a tour. Flights to Japan,
Hong Kong and Australia are just too common. What I wanted was somewhere exciting
and exotic, a place where I could be spared from the holiday tour crowds. I was so
happy when John called up, suggesting a trip to Cherokee, a county in the state of
Oklahoma. I agreed and went off with the preparation immediately. We took a flight
to Cherokee and visited a town called Qualla Boundary surrounded by magnificent
mountain scenery, the town painted a paradise before us. With its Oconaluftee
Indian Village reproducing tribal crafts and lifestyles of the 18th century and the
outdoor historical pageant 'Unto These Hills' playing six times weekly in the
summer nights, Qualla Boundary tries to present a brief image of the Cherokee past
to the tourists.
Despite the language barrier, we managed to find our way to the the Super Jackpot
and the Warrior Game Special.
souvenir shops with the help of the natives. The shops were filled with rubber
tomahawks and colourful traditional war bonnets, made of dyed turkey feathers.
Tepees, cone shaped tents made from animal skin, were also pitched near the shops.
"Welcome! Want to get anything?" We looked up and saw a middle-aged man smiling at
us. We were very surprised by his fluent English. He introduced himself as George
and we ended up chatting till lunch time when he invited us for lunch at a nearby
coffee shop. "Sometimes, I've to work from morning to sunset during the tour
season. Anyway, this is still better off than being a woodcutter ..." Remembrance
weighed heavy on George's mind and he went on to tell us that he used to cut
firewood for a living but could hardly make ends meet. We learnt from him that the
Cherokees do not depend solely on trade for survival. During the tour off-peak
period, the tribe would have to try out other means for income. One of the
successful ways is the "Bingo Weekend". On the Friday afternoons of the Bingo
weekends, a large bingo hall was opened, attracting huge crowds of people to the
various kinds of games like
According to George, these forms of entertainment fetch them great returns. Our
final stop in Qualla Boundary was at the museum where arts, ranging from the simple
hand-woven oak
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baskets to wood and stone carvings of wolves, ravens and other symbols of Cherokee
cosmology are displayed. Back at home, I really missed the place and I would of
course look forward to the next trip to another exotic place. (436 words)
IMPORTANT NOTE This is the example of an autobiographical passage that narrates an
event in the first person. We will have to change the first person into the third
person and reproduce the whole account in indirect narration, using the past tense.
However, it does not mean that candidates should use the past tense in every
passage; this instruction is specifically for this passage.
Solution
The writer wished to visit an unusual place, away from typical crowded tourist
resorts, during his summer vacation. He and his friend John went to Cherokee, a
county in Oklahoma. There they visited a beautiful town called Qualla Boundary. The
town, surrounded by splendid mountains and beautiful natural scenery, looked like a
paradise on earth. The lifestyle of local people, tribal crafts and the daily
historical pageant presented an image of the Cherokee past to the tourists. They
visited souvenir shops which were filled with traditional items. In one of the
shops they met George, a shopkeeper who could speak fluent English. He told them
about the sources of income of Cherokee people. Finally, they went to a museum
where different kinds of artworks were displayed. On his return the author missed
his stay in Cherokee and looked forward to visiting another exotic place like that.
(146 words)
Titles
1.
2.
A trip to Cherokee
Cherokee: An exotic place
3. Cherokee: A place worth visiting
CSS 2017
All the evil in this world is brought about by persons who are always up and doing,
but do not know when they ought to be up and what they ought to be doing. The
devil, I take it, is still
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the busiest creature in the universe, and I can quite imagine him denouncing
laziness and becoming angry at the smallest waste of time. In his kingdom, I will
bet, nobody is allowed to do nothing, not even for a single afternoon. The world,
we all freely admit, is in a muddle, but I do not think that it is laziness that
has brought it to such a pass. It is not the active virtues that it lacks but the
passive ones: it is capable of anything but kindness and a little steady thought.
There is still plenty of energy in the world (there never were more fussy people
about) but most of it is simply misdirected. If, for example, in July 1914, when
there was some capital idling weather, everybody, emperors, kings, archdukes,
statesmen, generals, journalists, had been suddenly struck with an intense desire
to do nothing, just to hang about in the sunshine and consume tobacco, then we
should all have been much better off than we are now. But no, the doctrine of the
strenuous life still went unchallenged; there must be no time wasted, something
must be done. And, as we know, something was done. Again, suppose our statesmen,
instead of rushing off to Versailles with a bundle of ill-digested notions and a
great deal of energy to dissipate, had all taken a fortnight off, away from all
correspondence and interviews and what not, and had simply lounged about on some
hill side or other apparently doing nothing for the first time in their energetic
lives, then they might have gone to their so-called Peace Conference and come away
again with their reputations still unsoiled and the affairs of the world in good
trim. Even at the present time, if half the politicians in Europe would relinquish
the notion that laziness is a crime and go away and do nothing for a little space,
we should certainly gain by it. Other examples come crowding into the mind. Thus,
every now and then, certain religious sects hold conferences; but though there are
evils abroad that are mountains high, though the fate of civilization is still
doubtful, the members who attend these conferences spend their time condemning the
length of ladies' skirts and the noisiness of dance bands. They would all be better
employed lying flat on their backs somewhere, staring at the sky and recovering
their mental health. (442 words) Solution Most of the evil in the world is because
of active people. The
confusion and chaos that we see in the world is due to the people who, like the
Devil, think that laziness is a crime. The world is full of energetic people but
their energy is mostly
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misdirected. Such people are responsible for creating confusion and mischief in the
world. If in the past important people like emperors, politicians, statesmen and
generals had been less active; our world would have been a far better place.
Laziness is a blessing in disguise. Even today, it would be a great service to
humanity, if half of the politicians and religious leaders abandon their activities
and take a long lazy break. In this way, the world will be saved from their
activities, and they will get an opportunity to restore their mental health. (142
words)
Titles
1. Laziness: A blessing in disguise 2. Active people more harmful than lazy ones
CSS 2018
It is in the temperate countries of northern Europe that the beneficial effects of
cold are most manifest. A cold climate seems to stimulate energy by acting as an
obstacle. In the face of an insuperable obstacle our energies are numbed by
despair; the total absence of obstacles, on the other hand leaves no room for the
exercise and training of energy; but a struggle against difficulties that we have a
fair hope of overcoming, calls into active operation all our powers. In like
manner, while intense cold numbs human energies, and a hot climate affords little
motive for exertion, moderate cold seems to have a bracing effect on the human
race. In a moderately cold climate, man is engaged in an arduous but no hopeless
struggle with the inclemency of the weather. He has to build strong houses and
procure thick clothes to keep himself warm. To supply fuel for his fires, he must
hew down trees and dig coal out of the earth. In the open all, unless he moves
quickly, he will suffer pain from the biting wind. Finally, in order to replenish
the expenditure of bodily tissue caused by his necessary exertions, he has to
procure for himself plenty of nourishing food.
Quite different is the lot of man in the tropics. In the neighbourhood of the
equator there is little need of clothes or fire, and it is possible with perfect
comfort and no danger to health: 10 pass the livelong day stretched out on the bare
ground beneath the shade of a tree. A very little fruit or vegetable food is
required to sustain life under such
circumstances, and that little can be obtained without much exertion from the
bounteous earth.
We may recognize must the same difference between ourselves at different seasons of
the year, as there is between human nature in the tropics and in temperate climes.
In hot weather we are generally languid and inclined to take life; easily; but when
the cold season comes, we find that we are more inclined to vigorous exertion of
our minds and bodies. (350 words)
Solution
Climate exercises a visible effect on human beings. Moderate cold stimulates
activity but intense cold results in passivity and dullness. Similarly, extremely
hot weather leaves us with no motivation to indulge in laborious work. On the other
hand, people living in the moderate climates enjoy to be engaged in an agreeable
struggle that is not very challenging. They do not need warm clothes or fire to
fight the cold. A little food and light clothes are enough for them to sustain
their lives; hence, they have a relaxed attitude towards life. Individuals observe
similar effects on them in different seasons of the year. In hot weather, they tend
to be lazy but are more inclined to activity in winter.
(119 words)
Titles 1. 2. Impact of climate on human beings De-motivating impact of extreme
weathers 3. Moderate climate, best for human activity CSS 2019
I think modern educational theorists are inclined to attach too much importance to
the negative virtue of not interfering with children, and too little to the
positive merit of enjoying their company. If you have the sort of liking for
children that many people have for horses or dogs, they will be apt to respond to
your suggestions, and to accept prohibitions, perhaps with some good-humoured
grumbling, but without resentment. It is no use to have the sort of liking that
consists in regarding them as a field for valuable social endeavour, or what
amounts to the same thing as an outlet for power-impulses. No child will be
grateful for an interest in him that springs from the thought that he will have a
vote to be secured for
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your party or a body to be sacrificed to king and country. The desirable sort of
interest is that which consists in spontaneous pleasure in the presence of
children, without any ulterior purpose. Teachers who have this quality will seldom
need to interfere with children's freedom, but will be able to do so, when
necessary, without causing psychological damage.
Unfortunately, it is utterly impossible for over-worked teachers to preserve an
instinctive liking for children; they are bound to come to feel towards them as the
proverbial confectioner's apprentice does towards macaroons. I do not think that
education ought to be anyone's whole profession: it should be undertaken for at
most two hours a day by people whose remaining hours are spent away from children.
The society of the young is fatiguing, especially when strict discipline is
avoided. Fatigue, in the end, produces irritation, which is likely to express
itself somehow, whatever theories the harassed teacher may have taught himself or
herself to believe. The necessary friendliness cannot be preserved by self-control
alone. But where it exists, it should be unnecessary to have rules in advance as to
how "naughty" children are to be treated, since impulse is likely to lead to the
right decision, and almost any decision will be right if the child feels that you
like him. No rules, however wise, are a substitute for affection and tact.
(360 words)
Solution
Modern day educationists tend to control children through strict rules and
discipline instead of winning their hearts through love and friendliness. They do
not realize that, like animals, the children respond to instructions willingly if
they believe that they are loved. However, this interest in the children must be
unaffected and spontaneous because they will soon detect that your concern in them
has selfish motives. Children will not mind occasional dozes of discipline if they
believe that they are loved by you. The naughty children can be disciplined more
easily with affection than through rules. However, such an involvement and
friendliness cannot be expected from the overworked teachers. The company of
children is very fatiguing, and fatigue may make them short-tempered. (Words 121)
Titles
1. Controlling Children through love 2. Teacher's attitude towards students
95
CSS 2020
Manto was a victim of some kind of social ambivalence that
converged on self-righteousness, hypocrisy and mental obtuseness. His detractors
branded him as vulgar and obscene and implicated him into a long-dawn legal battle
questioning the moral validity of his writings. Without being deterred by their
negative tactics, he remained firm in his commitment to exploring the stark
realities of life offensive to the conservative taste of some self-styled purists.
In the line of Freud, he sought to unravel the mysteries of sex not in an abstract,
non-earthly manner but in a palpable, fleshy permutation signifying his deep
concern for the socially disabled and depressed classes of society, like petty
wage-earners, pimps and prostitutes. For Manto, man is neither an angel nor a
devil, but a mix of both.
His middle and lower middle class characters think, feel and act like human beings.
Without feigning virtuosity, he was able to strike a rapport with his readers on
some of the most vital socio- moral issues concerning them. As a realist, he was
fully conscious of the yawning gap between appearance and reality; in fact, nothing
vexed him more than a demonstrable duality in human behaviour at different levels
of the social hierarchy. He had an unjaundiced view of man's faults and follies. As
a literary artist, he treated vulgarity discreetly -- without ever sounding vulgar
in the process. Like Joyce, Lawrence and Caldwell, in Manto's work too, men and
women of the age find their own restlessness accurately mirrored. And like them,
Manto was also 'raised above his own self by his somber enthusiasm.'
(263 words)
Solution
Manto was denounced by hypocritical and ignorant critics for being vulgar and
obscene in his writings. However, he remained steadfast and continued his mission
of exposing the unpleasant social realities and discovering the darker regions of
human psyche. He treated sex not as an abstract concept but as a concrete reality
of life. Manto's characters are normal human being; men of flesh and blood. Instead
of glorifying humanity, he depicted human nature as it is. He identified with the
readers on their day to day psychological and moral dilemmas. (Words 89)
Title
1. Unwarranted Manto maligning
96
CSS 2021
Nizar Hassan was born in 1960 and raised in the village of Mashhad, near Nazareth,
where he has lived with his family. He studied anthropology at Haifa University and
after graduating worked in TV. Starting in 1990, he turned to cinema. In 1994, he
produced Independence, in which he pokes his Palestinian interlocutors about what
they think of the bizarre Israeli notion of their "independence". They have stolen
another people's homeland and call the act "independence"! Hassan dwells on that
absurdity.
As the world's attention was captured by the news of Israel planning to "annex" yet
a bit more of Palestine and add it to what they have already stolen, I received an
email from Nizar Hassan, the pre-eminent Palestinian documentary filmmaker. He
wrote to me about his latest film, My Grandfather's Path, and included a link to
the director's cut. It was a blessing. They say choose your enemies carefully for
you would end up like them. The same goes for those opposing Zionist settler
colonialists. If you are too incensed and angered by their daily dose of claptrap,
the vulgarity of their armed robbery of Palestine, you would soon become like them
and forget yourself and what beautiful ideas, ideals, and aspirations once animated
your highest dreams. Never fall into that trap. For decades, aspects of Palestinian
and world cinema, art, poetry, fiction, and drama have done for me precisely that:
saved me from that trap. They have constantly reminded me what all our politics are
about - a moment of poetic salvation from it all.
Nizar Hassan's new documentary is one such work - in a moment of dejection over
Israel's encroachment on Palestinian rights and the world's complicity, it has put
Palestine in perspective. The film is mercifully long, beautifully paced and
patient, a masterfully crafted work of art - a Palestinian's epic ode to his
homeland. A shorter version of My Grandfather's Path has been broadcast on Al
Jazeera Arabic in three parts, but it must be seen in its entirety, in one go. It
is a pilgrimage that must not be interrupted. (345 words)
Solution
Nizar Hassan, after graduating from Haifa University, started his career in film
making in 1990. In 1994 he produced "Independence" in which he exposed the
Israelis' fake concept of independence
97
when they captured the Palestinian lands. Later, when Israelis tried to annex more
Palestinian lands, Nizar produced another film "My Grandfather's Path". The film
has a message that if Palestinians would focus too much on their enemy, they would
become like them. If they kept on condemning the atrocities and injustices of the
Zionists on daily basis, one day they will become like them, and will forget their
own beautiful ideals and aspirations. This is a trap that Palestinians should avoid
and should rather focus on their own art and literature, Nizar believed. This is
long film which requires patience to watch. Aljazeera broadcast it in three parts
but its real impact can be felt only if it is watched in one sitting.
Title
(153 words)
1. Nizar Hassan, A Filmmaker
CSS 2022
The fear of human beings when faced with the mysteries of life and their weakness
by comparison with the vastness of nature created in them a need to communicate
with the divine, with the superior powers which they believed regulated the
universe and determined their own fates. Knowledge of wishes of the gods was always
a sure guide for human behaviour. In ancient Greece, the precise nature of these
wishes was 'decoded' by the art of giving oracles, practiced by soothsayers who had
the gift of understanding the signs or signals sent by the gods.
The soothsayers uttered their oracles by interpreting flashes of lightening, rolls
of thunder or the flights of certain birds of prey (omens); alternatively, they
might observe the direction in which the fire burned when a sacrifice was made,
examine the entrails of animals which had just been sacrificed, or base judgments
on the sacrificial beast's willingness to approach the altar. The interpretation of
dreams was popular too, and so was palmistry. The most notable soothsayers of
ancient Greece were Tiresias, Calchas, Helenus, Amphiaraus and Cassandra.
However, there were abundant instances in which the gods did not manifest
themselves to the faithful in the forms of signs but spoke directly to an
intermediate who for a short time was overcome by a 'divine mania' and transcended
his own human
98
essence. Here the prophet - or more usually the prophetess entered a state of
ecstasy in which he or she delivered the message from the gods to the suppliants.
These practices for foreseeing the future were the basis on which the ancient Greek
oracles operated. Each oracle was located within a properly-organized sanctuary and
was directly associated with one or other of the gods. Apollo was the archetypal
soothsayer for the Greeks, the god who was responsible for conveying to mortals the
decisions pronounced by Zeus. The most important of all the oracles, that at the
Delphi, delivered the messages with the intervention of Apollo, while the oldest
that of Dodona, functioned with the assistance of Zeus.
Solution
The inconsequential and uncertain existence of human beings in this immense
universe created in them a desire to know the mysteries of life. They looked
forward to communicating with some supreme power to know about their future.
Palmistry and interpretation of dreams have been the popular ways for foretelling
the future. In ancient Greece fortune tellers predicted the future happenings by
decoding the signs and signals to determine the wishes of gods. Sometimes gods
spoke directly to the chosen prophets who received messages from gods' in a state
of ecstasy. Similarly, Greeks consulted oracles to know about the decisions made by
deities. (102 words)
Title
1. Human desire to know the divine will
CHAPTER 13
PMS PRÉCIS PASSAGES & SOLUTIONS
PMS 2006
All human beings are liable to err. To be at peace with oneself, the realization of
this fact is essential. Humanity is faced with numerous struggles and difficulties.
We should view our own problems as part of a universal struggle and brace ourselves
to meet every difficulty with fortitude. To be frantic and desperate on such
occasions cannot help the situation. Perhaps the greatest folly is for each of us
to keep his troubles to himself. Often the path through our worst worries can be
made smoother if we seek the guidance of a trusted friend. But there are limits to
human wisdom. The only adequate way to endure large evils is to find large
consolations. The key to this search is prayer. The faith in a beneficent "Higher
Power" can carry us through our most anxious moments. It has cured many people of
their diseases and banished melancholy from their hearts. It was faith in God
coupled with hard work, which enabled Alexis Carrel to face ridicule and rejection
calmly and finally became the recipient of the Nobel Prize. Finally, how much less
we should be if we could see our struggle as part of the struggle of a whole
creation intent on growth and renewal. By doing so, we not only make our lives
easier, but we also add our bit to the sum of human dignity and faith. (231 words)
Solution
No one is perfect, so one should not take one's mistakes to heart. Similarly, we
are not alone in facing the difficulties in life. To avoid desperation, we should
share our worries with trustworthy friends. However, the best way to combat
challenges is to have faith in God, pray and keep on working hard. Moreover, one
should consider one's individual struggle as part of struggle of the general
humanity. This will be a great consolation, and can make our life easier. (81
words)
Title
1. Inspiration, not desperation, key to success
100
PMS 2008
Our instinctive apparatus consists of two parts - the one tending to further our
own life and that of our descendants, the other tending to thwart the lives of
supposed rivals. The first includes the joy of life, and love and art, which is
psychologically an offshoot of love. The second includes the competition,
patriotism and war, Conventional morality does everything to suppress the first and
encourage the second. True morality would be the exact opposite. Our dealings with
those whom we love may be safely left to instinct; it is our dealings with those
whom we hate that ought to be brought under the dominion of reason. In the modern
world those whom we effectively hate are distant groups, especially foreign
nations. We conceive them abstractly, and deceive themselves into the belief that
acts which are really embodiments of hatred are done from love of justice or some
such lofty motive. Only a large measure of skeptical can tear away the veils which
hide the truth from us. Having achieved that, we could begin to build a new
vocabulary, not based on envy and restriction, but on a wish for a full life and
the realization that other human beings are a help and not a hindrance when ones
madness of envy has been cured. This is no impossibly austere morality, yet its
adoption would turn our earth into a paradise. (231 words)
Solution
Two instincts dominate human behaviour; self protection and opposing the rivals.
The first promotes happiness, love and art, while the second encourages
competition, patriotism and war. The conventional morality suppresses the first
instinct and encourages the second. Dealing with people we love is easy but a
rational approach is needed while dealing with our rivals. It is important to
understand that other human beings are a help, not a hindrance for us. This
attitude can turn earth into a paradise. (80 Words)
Title
1. Conflicting human instincts and morality
PMS 2012
I know that some people say the idea of Law of Nature or decent behavior known to
all men is unsound because different civilizations and different ages have had
quite different moralities. But they haven't. They have only had slightly different
moralities. Just think what a quite different morality would mean. Think of a
101
country where people were admired for running away in a battle, or where a man felt
proud for double crossing all the people who had been kindest to him. You might as
well try to imagine a country where two and two made five. Men have differed as
regards what people you ought to be unselfish to - whether it was your own family,
or your fellow countrymen, or everymen. But they have always agreed that you ought
not to put yourself first. Selfishness has never been admired. We believe in the
Law of Nature. If we do not believe in the Law of Nature, why should we be so
arvious to make excuses for not having behaved decently? The truth is, we believe
in decency so much - we feel the Rule of Law pressing so us so much - that we can't
bear to face the fact that we are breaking it, and consequently we try to shift the
responsibility. For you notice that it is only for our bad behavior that we find
all these explanations. We put our bad temper down to being tired or worries or
hungry; we put our good temper to ourselves. (250 words) Solution
It is a great fallacy that there are no universal standards of good and bad
behaviour. Moral and social values might differ slightly in different societies,
but cowardice, cheating and selfishness are not approved anywhere in the world.
Similarly, decency is admired everywhere. That is why people never like to own
their indecent acts, and find all kinds of excuses, like bad temper, tiredness or
worries for not behaving decently. On the other hand, they never give such
explanations for their good acts. (83 Words)
Title
1. Decency: A universal value
PMS 2014
With the innovative findings of Sigmund Freud in the field of Psychology,
particularly with reference to unconsciousness in 1955, the Western art and
literature of the 20th century started to emphasize the individualism, emotional
charge, percipience, psychological expression and the world of dreams. Cubism,
expressionism and surrealism introduced modern art to the essential of human mind
and its hidden shades. Our artists have also absorbed their revolutionary trends
along with the conventional styles. The artist has been enamoured by the realistic
technique in painting, he tries to communicate his viewers, the psychological,
emotional and perceptual aspects of human life through his artistry. This has
created a unique
102
combination of apparently realistic canvasses with deep meanings underneath. While
soft clouds against the blue sky, windows and door openings towards or inside the
wonderlands imagined fantasy and the tangible objects used as metaphors denote the
spiritual or metaphysical world. (147 words)
Solution
Sigmund Freud introduced inner and hidden world of human mind to modern art and
literature. Under his influence, the twentieth century artists started depicting
the individual's psyche and the world of dreams. This created a unique combination
of world of reality and the world of fantasy in art and literature. (50 Words)
Title
1. Freudian psychoanalysis and modern literature
PMS 2015
Despite the existence of much poverty and inequality, it would nevertheless be
wrong to portray Pakistan as an unchanging society. Despite major failings of
governance, economic growth during the past decade has resulted in the emergence of
a youthful and dynamic middle class. According to some easements there are now as
many as 35 million people with a per capita income of up to $1,900. There is no
monolithic middle stratum of society; it is differentiated by occupation, income,
family antecedents, language and gender. The middle class contain both modernist
and traditionalist elements and as a result not necessarily more westernized in
outlook and lifestyle than the urbanized younger generation drawn from the feudal
elite. Indeed, one of the most striking developments of the past decade has been
spread of the orthodox thinking among the youth. Perhaps the most unifying element
of the middle class is consumerism as seen in the surge in the sales of cars,
televisions and mobile phones. One in two Pakistanis is mobile phone subscriber,
one of the highest rates in the region. In addition to expenditure on electronics
durables, the middle classes have establishments and privately run polyclinics
which have become a marked feature of the urban landscape. According to one
estimate, around three quarters of all health care is provided by
the private sector. (220 words)
Solution
Despite poverty, inequality and bad governance, there have been many positive
changes in Pakistani society in recent times. The most prominent change is the
emergence of a dynamic middle class. It is a wrong impression that Pakistani middle
class is westernized; it has both modern and traditional elements. A common feature
of Pakistani middle class is its craze for cars, televisions and mobile phones. The
privately-run polyclinics are another noticeable trait of urban middle class. (75
words)
Title
1. Emergence of middle class in Pakistan
PMS 2016
The history of media in Pakistan shows that Pakistani print media came into
existence with the mission to promulgate the ideology of Pakistan, which was seen
as the best option for the Muslim minority in British India and as a form of self-
defence against suppression from the Hindu majority. However, over the last decade,
Pakistan's media has developed into harsh terrain which has certainly helped shape
Pakistan's view towards domestic and foreign policy for better or for worse.
Society and institutions in Pakistan tend to be rule-oriented. Social media has
changed the dynamics of the Pakistani society with strong influence. Social media
has become a driving force to mobilize people for collective action, social
movements and even protests. When there is any injustice or incident that demands
public demonstration, social media plays a key role in pushing them forward. Today
one can easily engage people from diverse background simultaneously for a common
agenda as it ties them up even if they are far across. As elsewhere, social media
has become an important factor in Pakistan's domestic politics. Some believe that
social media networking technologies, which offer an alternative to Pakistan's
corrupt and state-controlled media, have the potential to transform Pakistani
politics. In recent years. a growing number of Pakistanis have come to believe in
the revolutionary potential of new technologies, particularly in the political
context. (225 words)
Solution
Initially print media in Pakistan started with the aim to promote Ideology of
Pakistan; however, with time its scope and influence widened. In recent times
social media has brought a revolution
103
104
with its powerful and quick impact. It has become a platform to mobilize people on
social and political issues. It has the ability to engage people from different
segments of society for supporting a common cause. It is believed that it has the
potential to transform politics of the country. (81 words)
Title
1. Effectiveness of social media in Pakistan
PMS 2017
As we see, what decides the purpose of life is simply the programme of the pleasure
principle. The principle dominates the operation of the mental apparatus from the
start. There can be no doubt about its efficacy, and yet its programme is at
loggerheads with the whole world, the macrocosm as much as the microcosm. There is
no possibility at all of its being carried through; all the regulations of the
universe run counter to it. One feels inclined to say that the intention that man
should be happy is not included in the plan of 'creation'. What we call happiness
is in the strictest sense comes from the (Preferably sudden) satisfaction of needs
which have been dammed up to high degree, and it is from its nature only possible
as an episodic phenomenon. When any situation that is desired by the pleasure
principle is prolonged, it only produces a feeling of mild contentment. We are so
made that we can derive intense enjoyment only from a contrast and very little from
state of things. Thus, our possibilities of happiness are already restricted by our
constitution. Unhappiness is much less difficult to experience. We are threatened
with suffering from three directions: from our own body, which is doomed to decay
and dissolution and which cannot even do without pain and anxiety as warning
signals; from the external world, which may rage against us with overwhelming, and
merciless forces of destruction; and finally from our relations to other men. The
suffering which comes from this last source is perhaps more painful to us than any
other. We need to regard it as a kind of gratuitous addition, although it cannot be
any less fatefully inevitable than the suffering which comes from elsewhere. (291
words) Solution
It is undeniable that seeking pleasure is the principle of life, but there is
something in the scheme of in the universe that thwarts human desire for happiness.
Happiness comes when our needs
105
are satisfied but there is no end to our needs. So, the chances of happiness are
limited. On the other hand, unhappiness comes so easily and from multiple
directions. Unavoidable sufferings come to us mainly from three sources: our body,
which decays painfully, the external world which attacks us with cruelty, and from
our relations with other human beings. The sufferings that come from our
relationships are the most painful. (103 words) Title
1. Happiness: An occasional episode in general drama of pain
PMS 2018-19
There has existed throughout the history of mankind a strange, albeit, an ironic
relationship between the past and the future. The people who just eulogize their
past without critical analysis and seek to recreate a utopian past almost
invariably do not succeed, while those who view the past realistically,
comprehensively and critically are able to draw on the past in useful, meaningful
and lasting ways. They learn lessons from the history and apply those lessons for
better future. Such people have confidence in their future, and they approach the
past with seriousness and critical reverence. They study the past realistically,
try to comprehend the values, aesthetics, and traits which invested an earlier
civilization its grandeur or caused it to decline. They preserve its remains, and
enshrine relevant and enriching images and events of the past in their memories
both collectively and individually. They attempt to adopt the values and traits
which led earlier people rise, and shun the reasons and mistakes that precipitated
their downward journeys. In sharp contrast to them, people and governments with an
uncertain sense of the future manifest deeply skewed and subjective relationships
to their history. They eschew lived history, shut out its lessons, shun critical
inquiries into the past, neglect its remains but, at the same time, invent at their
own imagined and utopian past-always shining, splendid and glorious. As a matter of
fact, they are never able to benefit from their past. They study history, but learn
nothing from history.
Solution
People who only glorify the past, without its critical evaluation, never succeed in
creating a bright future. On the other hand, the people who study history
critically learn lessons from history and use those lessons for a better future.
They study the factors
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that contributed to rise and fall of civilizations. In contrast, some people and
governments take a subjective and narrow view of history. They avoid critical
inquiries into the past, and are never able to benefit from the past. They study
history, but learn nothing from it.
Title
1. Learning Lessons from History
PMS 2020
People moan about poverty as a great evil; and it seems to be an accepted belief
that if people only had plenty of money, they would be happy and useful and get
more out of life. As a rule, there is more genuine satisfaction in life and more
obtained from life in the humble cottage of the poor man than in the palaces of the
rich. I always pity the sons and daughters of rich men, who are attended by
servants, and have governesses at a later age, at the same time I am glad to think
that they do not know what they have missed.
It is because I know how sweet and happy and pure the home of honest poverty is,
how free from perplexing care and social envies and jealousies - how loving and
united its members are in the common interest of supporting the family that I
sympathize with the rich man's boy and congratulate the poor man's son. It is for
these reasons that from the ranks of the poor so many strong, eminent, self-reliant
men have always sprung and always must spring. If you will read the list of the
"immortals who were not born to die," you will find that most of them have been
born poor.
It seems nowadays a matter of universal desire that poverty should be abolished. We
should be quite willing to abolish luxury; but to abolish honest, industrious,
self-denying poverty would be to destroy the soil upon which mankind produces the
virtues that will enable our race to reach a still higher civilization than it now
possesses.
Solution
People consider poverty as an evil, and believe that money guarantees happiness.
This is not true. Actually the poor man living in a cottage may be more satisfied
than a man living in a palace. The children of the rich are not always blessed as
they miss a lot in life. A poor man is free from the tensions of a rich man.
Poverty makes one strong, courageous and enterprising.
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History proves that most of the great, immortal and eminent men have been born of
poor parents. So, instead of abolishing poverty, it would be more appropriate to
abolish the luxury. Title
1. Blessings of Poverty
PMS 2021
John Lock reflects the new situation in England more than ever when he goes on to
argue that the reason men come together to live in society, with laws, is for the
preservation of their property. Since men are driven into society, it follows that
the power of that society can never be suffered to extend further than the common
good. And this common good can only be determined by standing laws, statues, that
all are aware of and agree to, and not by extemporary degrees of say, and absolute
sovereign. Moreover, these laws must be administered by indifferent and upright
judges. Only in this way can the people (and rulers) know where they are. In an
important amendment to the idea of absolute monarchy, Lock said that the king can
never suspend the law. Finally Lock gave voice to the main anxiety of the rising
commercial classes in England (a fear of something which they saw happening in
France in state intervention in trade), that no power can take from a man his
property without his consent. A soldier may be commanded by a superior in all
things, save the disposal of his property. In the same way a man has property in
his own person, meaning that a man's labor is his property too. The most important
consequence of this, Lock says is that people can be taxed only with their consent.
(We recognize this now in the doctrine 'No taxation without representation'.)
Solution
Lock was of the view that society makes laws for the protection of private
property. People become part of society for their common good which is protected by
laws. These laws are regulated by the honest judges. Even the king cannot suspend
these laws, and no power can take away a man's property forcefully. It appears as
if Lock was voicing the concerns of the Englishmen about the protection of their
property. Labour is also a property of people and must not be taxed without their
consent.
Title
1. Laws and protection of property
CHAPTER 14
MISCELLANEOUS PASSAGES WITH SOLUTIONS
PASSAGE 1
England has won the Jules Rimet trophy - the symbol of world supremacy - after a
thrilling final requiring extra time to decide the winner; it had not only the
entire England and German road deserted but also kept 400 million television
viewers on tenterhooks (to keep someone in suspense). In these days of charged
(thrilling, electric) political atmosphere it is but natural for a country's
victory to be tarnished by charges of favouritism, unfair play and biased
refereeing. England as the host faced most of these charges. England's victory ever
Argentina in the quarter-finals brought about a near revolt in the FIFA and irked
the Latin American countries who felt that Europe had combined and loaded the dice
against them. Perhaps never before were there so many shocks in a World cup as came
this year. It started with the theft of the gold trophy and its strange recovery by
a dog. No Englishmen will steal it now for the cup is proudly and rightfully won.
Again the short odd favourites such as Brazil were literally booted out in the pre-
quarter final stages as was another favoured football nation, Italy. The tiny North
Koreans provided the greatest shock first by reaching the last eight and then by
snatching an amazing three-goal lead from Portugal. The Koreans did prove that
Asians, too, can play good football. Portugal produced 'black panther' Eusebio
whose amazing score of goals rocked the world and knocked black pearl' Pele out of
the "World's Best Forward" citadel. The matches also produced rough play and a very
large number of players were sent off the field and later suspended for un-gamely
play. England owed its success largely to good, efficient and combined efforts and
a fine team spirit under the dictatorial guidance of the team manager, General Alf
Ramsey who had predicted all along that England would win.
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The victory has put England on top of the football world and it is perhaps only
just, for it was England who gave the world this great and most popular game. And,
in crisis-ridden England this is perhaps the happiest news for Prime Minister
Harold Wilson who dashed back from Canada for the final. It may well prove to be a
rallying point for the jittery pound. (376 words)
Solution
England has won the Jules Rimet Trophy by defeating Germany in a thrilling final.
This has been the most eventful World Cup in the history. It started with the
stealing of the trophy and its surprising retrieval by a dog. England's win over
Argentina in the quarter-finals brought many allegations of unfair decisions.
Italy's victory over Brazil in the quarter-finals was a major upset of the
tournament. North Koreans proved to be the dark horses and reached quarters by
beating Portugal. Moreover, many players were suspended over foul play during the
matches. Finally, England emerged victor due to combined team efforts. The victory
not only put England on top of the football world but also brought hopes that it
would help England avert its economic crisis. ⚫(126 words)
Titles
1. Jules Rimet Trophy: An eventful football WC' Jules Rimet Trophy: A morale
booster for England 2.
PASSAGE 2
We all know what we mean by a "good" man. The ideally good man does not drink or
smoke, avoids bad language, converses in the presence of men only exactly as he
would if there were ladies present, attends church regularly and holds the correct
opinion on all subjects. He has a wholesome horror of wrong doing and realizes that
it is our painful duty to castigate sin. He has a still • greater horror of wrong
thinking, and considers it the business of the authorities to safeguard the young
against those who question the wisdom of the views generally accepted by middle-
aged successful citizens. Apart from his professional duties, at which he is
assiduous, he spends much time in good works: he may encourage patriotism and
military training; he may
promote industry, sobriety and virtue among wage earners and their children by
seeing to it that failures in these respects receive due punishment; he may be a
trustee of a university and prevent an ill-judged respect for learning from
allowing the employment of professors with subversive ideas. Above all, of course,
his "morals" in the narrow sense must be irreproachable.
(Bertrand Russell) (191 words)
Solution
According to Russell an ideally good man is religious and avoids smoking and
drinking. He does not use indecent language, and shuns wrongdoings and wrong
thinking. He is dutiful and takes active interest in promoting virtues like
patriotism, hard work and sobriety. A good man conforms to social standards and
believes that government must snub those who challenge the accepted social norms.
He should also take part in social service.
Titles
1. Characteristics of a conformist
2. Good man and social norms
3. A typical conformist
(70 words)
PASSAGE 3
A painter of eminence once resolved to finish a piece which should please the whole
world. When, therefore, he had drawn a picture, in which his utmost skill was
exhausted, it was exposed in the public market-place with directions for every
visitor to mark with a brush, which lay nearby every limb and feature that appeared
erroneous. The spectators came and, in general applauded; but each, willing to show
his talent at criticism, marked whatever he thought proper. At evening, when the
painter came, he was mortified to find the whole picture one universal blot - not a
single stroke that was not stigmatized with marks of disapprobation: not satisfied
with this trial, the next day he was resolved to try them in a different manner,
and exposing his picture as before, desired that every spectator would mark those
beauties he approved or admired. The people
110
111
complied; and the artist returning found his picture replete with marks of beauty:
every stroke that had been yesterday condemned, now received the character of
approbation. "Well," cries the painter, "I now find that the best way to please one
half of the world is not to mind what the other half says; since what are faults in
the eyes of these, shall be by those regarded as beauties. (Goldsmith) (215 words)
Solution
A painter laboured hard to produce a masterpiece that could charm everybody. He
exhibited it, asking the viewers to mark the defects in the painting. The next day
he discovered that the whole painting had been drowned with marks of disapproval.
Shocked, he tried to reverse the trick the next day, requesting that every
spectator would mark the beauties in the painting. The result was curiously the
same; a vast number of people had liked it. He concluded that even a masterpiece
can have admirers and detractors. (87 words)
Title
1. Nothing has universal approval
Psychology of art lovers
2.
PASSAGE 4
Man is forever changing the face of nature. He has been doing so since he first
appeared on the earth. Yet, all that man has done is not always to the ultimate
advantage of the earth or himself. Man has, in fact, destroyed more than necessary.
In his struggle to live and extract the most out of life, man has destroyed many
species of wildlife; directly by sheer physical destruction, and indirectly by the
destruction or alteration of habitats. Some species may be able to withstand
disruptions to their habitat while others may not be able to cope.
Take the simple act of farming. When a farmer tills a rough ground, he makes it
unsuitable for the survival of certain species. Every change in land brings about a
change in the types of plants and animals found on that land.
112
When man builds a new town, this means the total destruction of vast areas of
farmland or woodland. Here, you have the complete destruction of entire habitats
and it is inevitable.
It follows therefore, that every form of human activity unavoidably upsets or
changes the wildlife complex of the area. Man has destroyed many forms of wildlife
for no reasonable purpose. They have also made many great blunders in land use,
habitat destruction and the extermination of many forms of wildlife.
Man's attitude towards animals depends on the degree to which his own survival is
affected. He sets aside protection for animals that he hunts for sport and wages a
war on any other creature that may pose a danger or inconvenience to him. This
creates many problems and man has made irreversible, serious errors in his
destruction of predators. He has destroyed animals and birds which are useful to
farmers as pest controllers. The tragedy that emerges is that all the killing of
predators did not in any way increase the number of game birds.
Broadly speaking, man wages war against the creatures which he considers harmful,
even when his warfare makes little or no difference to the numbers of those he
encourages. There is a delicate predator and prey equilibrium involving also the
vegetation of any area, which man can upset by thoughtless intervention.
Therefore, there is a need for the implementation of checks and balances. The
continued existence of these animals depends entirely on man and his attitude
towards his own future.
(395 words)
Solution
Human beings have been changing the face of the earth since the beginning of life.
They have done a great harm to wildlife. With the destruction of the habitat of
wildlife in the name of development, many species of wildlife have been lost
forever. Certain species are able to withstand environmental changes while others
simply vanish. Every form of human activity affects the landscape and future of
wildlife. Preservation efforts have been made only for the animals that are deemed
useful for human beings but this has not increased the number of the protected
animals. The predators have been systematically
113
destroyed. Development and thoughtless human intervention has created an imbalance
in nature. There is a dire need to keep a balance between development and
preservation because man's future depends very much on this balance. (134 words)
Titles
1.
Development and wildlife
2. Development at the cost of wildlife
PASSAGE 5
Being overweight makes many of us unhappy. There may be many reasons for our weight
problem. Weight problems often run in the family. It could be a case of us
overeating to make ourselves feel better when we are sad, stressed or lonely. The
issue of weight loss is a tricky one. A lot of people are unhappy with their
present weight, but most are not sure how to change it. You may want to look like
the models or actors in magazines and on television but those goals might not be
healthy or realistic for you.
Weight management is about long-term success. People who lose weight quickly by
crash dieting or other extreme measures usually gain back all, if not more, of the
pounds they lost because they have not permanently changed their habits. Therefore,
the best weight management strategies are those that you can maintain for a
lifetime.
This means that if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to change much
more than just what you eat. You have to change how and when you eat. Equally
important, you have to start exercising or exercise more often. Most people who
lose weight and keep it off do three things. First, they find out why they are
overweight. Second, they follow a healthy eating plan. Third, they exercise
regularly.
A new diet may help you lose weight for a little while. However, the weight often
comes back unless you find new ways to deal with the problems that are leading to
your weight gain. This may mean learning new ways to handle stress, finding ways to
feel less lonely or talking with a counsellor about your feelings. You should
follow a healthy diet that you like and that you can
follow. The diet should be low in fats and sugar but high in fibre.
114
Your doctor or a nutritionist can give you advice on what kinds of food are healthy
choices. Remember to watch portion sizes. A healthy portion of meat is the size of
a deck of cards. A healthy portion of rice or pasta is about the size of your fist.
Read the nutrition labels on food before you buy it. If you need help understanding
the labels, ask your doctor or a nutritionist to explain them.
Most diets are designed to make you lose a great deal of weight in the beginning.
This is to encourage you. In actual fact, what you lose is mostly water and muscle.
The water comes right back when you eat salty or processed food again. Losing
weight is an uphill task and also takes time. So try not to get discouraged. Your
effort will be worth it.
The key is to keep trying to eat the right food. The following are a few
suggestions to help you change your diet. Make small, slow changes. Then, it will
be easier to make the changes a part of your everyday life. For every few days,
write down what you eat and drink that day. Use this record to help you see if you
need to eat more from any food group such as fruits, vegetables or low-fat dairy
products.
If you have a medical problem that requires a special diet, make sure you ask for
help from your family doctor or a nutritionist. It is not advisable to do it on
your own. (566 words)
Solution
Overweight, whatever the reason, always makes people unhappy. It is easier to gain
weight but losing weight is really a tough task. A long-term strategy is what is
required to get rid of the excessive weight. Those who lose weight quickly by crash
dieting usually gain it back more quickly because they have not changed their
habits permanently. The best weight management strategies are those that can be
maintained for a lifetime. First step towards weight reduction is to find out why
you are overweight. The next step is changing your eating habits; how, when, what
and how much you eat. Follow a healthy eating plan and exercise regularly. Find new
ways to deal with weight gain by learning new ways to handle stress. Consume a
healthy diet that is low in fat and sugar but high in fibre. However, do not make
drastic changes in your lifestyle. Losing weight is not an easy job but the effort
to do so is worth it. Those who have a
115
medical problem that requires a special kind of diet must consult a doctor or a
nutritionist for advice. (186 words)
Title
1. Weight management: A tricky job 2. Losing weight: An uphill task
PASSAGE 6
Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14. In America, Europe and now
many countries, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for
each other by sending Valentine's Day cards, presenting flowers or offering
confectionery.
This special day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes
in the form of 'valentines'. These are Valentine symbols that include the heart-
shaped outline, doves and the figure of the winged Cupid. The popularity of
Valentine's Day
cards in 19th-century America was a harbinger of the future commercialization of
holidays in the United States. Esther Howland, the woman who produced the first
commercial American valentines in the 1840s, sold a then mind-boggling $5,000 in
cards during her first year of business. The valentine industry in the United
States has been booming ever since. The United States Greeting Card Association
estimates that approximately one billion Valentine's Day cards are sent each year
worldwide, making this day the second largest card- sending holiday following
behind Christmas and New Year cards.. Card giving goes back to when the English
settlers first arrived in the United States. As it was against the law to display
affection in public at that time, giving cards to loved ones was a way of showing
one's affection without doing something illegal and inviting public ridicule.
The United States Greeting Card Association estimated that women purchase
approximately 85 percent of all valentines. In addition to cards, there are
millions of boxes of chocolates and bouquets of roses purchased, mostly by men.
Today, Valentine's Day beaus give their girls flowers, candy, cards, jewelry or
some other gift. A candlelight dinner usually follows, either homemade or at a
romantic restaurant. Children and families celebrate too. Children
114
fath and van bring then and family might have m dat u love furi kampe fum vappelbur
at Valentine Day t Many people They went to day toured Sove Thury that we could not
need an excuse to dam our love in fact, love should be shown every day Mar dave
good purpose for millions of people to mon Bun what they can afford on just one day
On our day, drops begin to see the dollar sign they cam Occasion Everywhere are
thousands of uterent cards with ad endearing words ng massive teddies windows
dutchings big red are working through the heart with loving, words tying in dig en
mound d dro and running out to deliver Mestaurants are fully booked with du men
treating their lady to a romantic The is typically what a Valentine's Day is today
1473 worde Solution
Valentine's Day is associated with the mutual exchange the in the form of pte on
February 14. These nude the heart-shaped balloons, doves, the figure of the winged
Coeh and other items. The tradition of card giving, on Valentine's Day started when
the finish settlers first arrived in the United States. It was out way to show
affection to their friends wh relatives. The US Greeting Card Auxiation estimated
that women purchased approximately 25 percent of all valentines. Man give their
sweethearts flowers, candles, cards or jewelry. Children make hearts and other
crafts to give to their parents. The popularity of Valentine's Day cards heralded
commercialization of holidays in America. In the 1840s, when valentine cards were
first sold, sales came up to $5,000. Worldwide, about one billion Valentine's Day
cards are sens every year. Valentine's Day has been commercialized and
shopkeepers and floriels enjoy a booming business on this day. (154 words)
Titles
4. Commercialization of Valentine's Day 8. Commercial side of Valentine's Day
117
PASSAGE 7
When Ulysses and his men were shopwrecked, they first lit a fire of driftwood and
cooked a meal After they had ean, tey membered their drowned companions as wep
Homer's account rings true. Our physical needs the phority on w emotional demands,
but, once the former have been sabates, the founder requirements of our humanity
assert themadura And what happens on the personal scale can also happen on the
world scale. The industrialized nations have now mach broadly speaking, to provide
their citizens with food, sed ad doing As a result, those citizens are becoming
more aware d other and subtler needs. But a society spared to the production of
goods is precisely a society which is poorly adapted to satisfying psychological
needs. The very processes by which we manufacture goods so effectively actually
reduce psychological satisfactions. Hence, the further we push technological
advance, the worse the psychological environment becomes. We have scrambled out of
physical poverty only to fall into psychological poverty. Indeed our condition is
worse than poverty; we live in a psychological slum.
In short, in the technological growth of any social organism, there is a turnover
point at which effort needs to be transferred from material to non-material needs.
This point we have now reached, or passed. This is why we have to rethink our
entire social technique. How can we satisfy our psychological needs, in
a technologically advanced society? That is the central question When psychological
needs are not met, people can be said to be frustrated. Their efforts to attain
some kind of psychological satisfaction are in vain. (The word frustration comes
from the Latin frustra, in vain.) Now, as the American psychologists Dollard and
Miller showed a quarter of a century ago, frustration leads to aggression. When we
cannot repair our car, we feel like giving it a kick. (There is more to be said
about the origins of aggression, of course, and I shall say it later on: this is
just a preliminary sketch.) In short, it is the existence of widespread frustration
which is the prime cause of the mounting toll of violence which the world is now
witnessing. So, if that frustration can be shown to be caused by industrial society
and
118
the conditions it imposes, then the violence must be regarded m a cost of
production. Frustration and violence are the price of material affluence. (397
words)
Solution
Man's physical needs always take preference over his emotional needs. However, once
his physical needs are satisfied, man seeks to satisfy the hitherto dormant
psychological and emotional needs. The industrialized nations have provided their
citizens al kinds of physical requirements like food, shelter and clothing but
their emotional needs have been neglected. They have overcome the physical poverty
but fallen into psychological poverty, which is its worst form. In fact, the
process of manufacturing is in conflict with the psychological satisfaction This is
creating many emotional and psychological problems. A stage comes when the
emotional needs cannot be held back. The unsatisfied emotional needs create
frustration among the people which, in turn, triggers aggression and violence.
Frustration and violence, therefore, are by-products of material affluence and
disregard for emotional and psychological needs. (132 words)
Titles
1. Physical vs emotional needs
2. Importance of emotional needs 3. Emotional starvation and violence
PASSAGE 8
For many years the connection between mosquitoes and the parasites in the blood of
people suffering from malaria was not known. Many doctors working in tropical
countries knew that many cases of malaria occurred in areas with large pools of
stagnant water. For a while, they thought that malaria was caused by organisms in
the water. People got malaria when they drank the water or when they ate food
cooked in it. It was Ronald Ross who put the pieces of the malaria jigsaw together.
Some people had vague ideas that malaria and mosquitoes were somehow connected. As
early as 1812 there was a law in Sierra Leone which said that all the inhabitants
would have to keep the
119
mad and area around their houses free of stagnant water, since stagnant water
caused disease and mosquitoes over the town.
The first man to link malaria with the mosquito was Ronald Ross. He had been told
the Sierra Leone story by a friend, Dr Kennan. Ross knew that malaria was caused by
a parasite in the blood. He had even seen the parasites through his invaluable
microscope. He had injected healthy people with blood from those suffering from
malaria and these healthy people developed the symptoms of the disease. What he
could not tell was how the parasites passed from one sick person to a healthy
person in normal conditions. It was easy enough for him to do in the laboratory but
how did it happen naturally? The answer did not come easily. It took years of very
careful work and observation before he got the answers.
What was admirable about Ronald Ross was that it was not the nature of his job to
study the causes of malaria. He was an Army doctor. All he had to do was look after
the sick soldiers. He was expected to prescribe quinine to those who arrived sick
in the hospital but his superiors certainly did not expect him to seek the cause of
the disease. However, Ross saw the suffering the disease brought and worked
continuously for years to find a way to prevent the disease. Malaria was a very
debilitating disease and often fatal. Thousands of people died or lost precious
hours of work.
On a visit home from India, Ross visited Dr Patrick Manson. Manson was a great
authority on tropical diseases. Manson showed him specimens of the various
parasites in the blood of patients in the Seamen's Hospital. These were men who had
caught the diseases during voyages to the tropics but they had not been treated
until they arrived in England. Ross's meeting with Manson only increased his desire
to work on malaria.
In 1895, Ross received a gold medal and seventy-five guineas for an essay that he
wrote on malaria. He was not interested in the prize but he was very pleased to be
honoured. It gave him the boost he needed to find the final solution to the dreaded
disease. He knew that he was nearer the solution than any other medical man of his
time. As soon as he got back to India, he carried on his work on malaria. (526
words)
Solution
The connection between mosquitoes and Malaria was unknown to physicians till recent
times. Doctors working in the tropical countries considered Malaria as a water-
borne disease that occurred in areas with large pools of stagnant water. According
to them, people got Malaria when they drank the water from contaminated pools or
when they ate food cooked in it. Ronald Ross was the first to connect Malaria with
mosquitoes. He had heard stories connecting stagnant water with the disease. He
knew that Malaria was caused by parasites in the blood which he had seen under his
microscope. He injected the infected blood into healthy patients and they developed
the disease. As an army doctor, he was only expected to treat the sick and was
moved by the sufferings Malaria brought and wanted to prevent it. He consulted
Patrick Manson, an authority on tropical diseases and gained more information. Ross
also wrote a prize- winning essay on Malaria. He was not interested in the cash but
was delighted with the honour. It gave him the encouragement he needed. (170 words)
Title
1. Revolutionary discovery about Malaria 2. Ross and real cause of Malaria
120
CHAPTER 15
PASSAGES FOR PRACTICE
PASSAGE 1
Not all the rulers signed the Instrument of Accession at once. Afraid that the
Socialist Congress Party would strip him of his amusements, flying, dancing girls
and conjuring delights which he had only just begun to indulge since he had only
recently succeeded his father to the throne, the young Maharajah of Jodhpur
arranged a meeting with Jinnah. Jinnah was aware that both Hindu majority and
geographical location meant that most of the Princely states would go to India, but
he was gratified by the thought that he might be able to snatch one or two from
under Patel's nose. He gave Jodhpur a blank sheet of paper.
"Write your conditions on that" he said, “and I will sign it.”
Elated, the Maharajah returned to his hotel to consider Jinnah's offer. It was an
unfortunate move on his part, for V. P. Menon was there waiting for him. Menon's
agents had alerted him to what Jodhpur was up to. He told the young ruler that his
presence was requested urgently at Viceroy's House, and reluctantly the young man
accompanied him there. The urgent summons had been an excuse, and once they had
arrived, Menon had to go on a frantic search for viceroy, and tell him what had
happened. Mountbatten responded immediately. He solemnly reminded Maharajah of
Jodhpur that Jinnah could not guarantee any conditions he might make, and that
accession to Pakistan would spell disaster for his state. At the same time, he
assured him that accession to India would but automatically mean end of his
pleasure. Mountbatten left him alone with Menon to sign a provisional agreement.
(266 words)
122 PASSAGE 2
Throughout the ages of human development men have been subjected to miseries of two
kinds; those imposed by external nature, and those that human beings misguidedly
inflicted upon each other. At first, by far, the worst evils were those that were
due to the environment. Man was a rare species whose survival was precarious.
Without the agility of the monkey and without any coating of fur, he has difficulty
in escaping from wild beasts; and in most parts of the world could not endure the
winter's cold. He had only two biological advantages: the upright posture freed his
hands, and intelligence enabled him to transmit experience. Gradually these two
advantages gave him supremacy. The number of the human species increased beyond
those of any other large mammals. But nature could still assert her power by means
of flood and famine and pestilence, and by exacting from the great majority of
mankind - incessant toil in the securing of daily bread.
In our own day, our bondage to external nature is fast diminishing as a result of
the growth of scientific intelligence. Famines and pestilence still occur, but we
know better, year by year, what should be done to prevent them. Hard work is still
necessary but only because we are unwise; given peace and cooperation, we can,
whenever we choose to exercise wisdom, be free of many ancient forms of bondage to
external nature.
But the evils that men inflict upon each other have not diminished in the same
degree. There are still wars, oppressions; and hideous cruelties; and greedy men
still snatch wealth from those who are less skilful or less ruthless than
themselves. Love of power still leads to vast tyrannies or to mere obstruction when
its grosser forms are impossible. And fear, deep scarcely conscious fear, is still
dominant motive in very many lives.
PASSAGE 3
(303 words)
The best aid to give is intellectual aid, a gift of useful knowledge. A gift of
knowledge is infinitely preferable to a gift of material things. There are many
reasons for this. Nothing becomes truly one's own except on the basis of some
genuine effort or sacrifice.
123
A gift of material goods can be appropriated by recipient without effort or
sacrifice. It; therefore, rarely becomes his own, and is all too frequently and
easily treated as a mere windfall. A gift. of intellectual goods, a gift of
knowledge, is a very different matter. Without a genuine effort of appropriation on
the part of the recipient there is no gift. To appropriate the gift and to make it
one's own is the same thing, and neither moth nor rust doth corrupt. The gift of
material goods makes people dependent, but the gift of knowledge also has far more
lasting effects and is far more closely relevant to the concept of development.
Give a man fish, as the saying goes, and you are helping him little bit for a very
short time; teach him the art of fishing, and he can help himself all his life.
Further, if you teach him to make his own fishing net, you have helped him to
become not only self-supporting but also self-reliant and independent man and
businessman. This then should become the ever increasing preoccupation of
the generous supply of the appropriate intellectual gifts - gifts of relevant
knowledge on the methods of self-help. This approach, incidentally, has also the
advantage of being relatively cheap of making money go a long way. For 100/-you may
able to equip one man with certain means of production, but for the same money you
may well be able to teach a hundred men to equip themselves. Perhaps a little pump-
priming by way of material goods will, in some cases, be helpful to speed the
process of development (E. F. Schumacher). (339 words)
PASSAGE 4
Lying is indeed an accursed vice. We are men, and we have relations with one
another only by speech. If we recognized the horror and gravity of an untruth, we
should more justifiable punish it with any other crime. I commonly find people
taking the most ill-advised pains to correct their children for their harmless
faults and worrying them about heedless acts which leave no trace and have no
consequences. Lying and in a lesser degree obstinacy - are, in my opinion, the only
faults whose birth and progress we should consistently oppose. They grow with a
child's growth and once the knack of lying it is difficult to imagine how
impossible it is to correct it. Whence it happens that we find some otherwise
excellent men subject to this fault and enslaved by it.
124
It, like the truth, falsehood had only one face, we should know better when we are,
for we should then like the opposite of what a liar said to be the truth. But the
opposite of a truth has a thousand shapes and a limitless field
The Pythagoream regard good as certain and finite, and evil as boundless as
uncertain. There are a thousand ways of missing the bull's eye, only one of hitting
it. I am by no means sure that I could indure myself to tell a brazen and
deliberate lie even to protect myself from the most obvious and extreme danger. An
ancient father says that we are better off in the company of a dog we know than in
that of a man whose language we do not understand. Therefore, those of different
nations do not regard one another as men, and how much less friendly is false
speech than silence (292 words)
PASSAGE 5
To have faith in the dignity and worth of the individual man as an end in himself,
to believe that it is better to be governed by persuasion than by coercion, to
believe that fraternal goodwill is more worthy than a selfish and contentions
spirit, to believe that in the long run all values are inseparable from the love of
truth and the disinterested search for it, to believe that knowledge and the power
it confers should be used to promote the welfare and happiness of all men, rather
than to serve the interests of those individual and classes whom fortune and
intelligence endow with temporary advantage - these are the values which are
affirmed by the traditional democratic ideology. The case of democracy is that it
accepts the rational and humane values as ends and proposes as the means of
realizing them the minimum of coercion and the maximum of voluntary assent. We may
well abandon the cosmological temple in which the democratic ideology originally
enshrined these values, without renouncing the faith i was designed to celebrate.
The essence of that faith is belief in the capacity of man, as a rational and
humane creature to achieve the good life by rational and humane means. The chief
virtue of democracy and the sole reason for cherishing it is that with all its
faults it still provides the most favourable conditions for achieving that end by
those means. (237 words)
HOW TO ATTEMPT COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS?
CHAPTER 16
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Reading the Passage
In many ways, comprehension is a more demanding exercise than the précis writing,
and it requires a closer and more watchful scrutiny of the passage. In précis
writing we may miss out some details in the passage but not in the case of
comprehension.
2. Read the whole passage, at least twice, to understand what the writer is trying
to say before going after the details.
3. Do not read the questions first; this can influence your understanding. However,
if you are not able to make sense of the passage in first two attempts, reading
questions can be helpful in unfolding the meanings.
The passage has to be scanned minutely as you have to answer questions about it.
5. It is neither possible nor necessary to understand each and every word of the
passage; use your common sense to make a sense of the given text.
6. Focus both on what is stated and what is implied by the author.
7. 1 The practice of underlining the difficult words can be counterproductive; the
passage can be understood despite these words.
8. Reference words like but, however, moreover are important and must be taken
seriously while reading. They are always used by the authors for making an
important shift in the argument.
Do not bother too much about the rhetorical expressions and stylistic devices used
by the author, in most cases
128
these have only a decorative value and are not central to the meaning of the
passage.
10. There are always easier sentences in the text that can open up the meanings for
you. Never ignore these sentences; they help the reader a lot in understanding of
the passage.
Writing Answers
1. Do not be impatient to pen down your answers in a hurry, even if the questions
look pretty easy.
2. Before jotting down your answer get back to the part of the text that is
relevant to the question for reconfirmation.
3. Do not try to substitute each and every word of the passage, especially the key
words. It is always safer to use words from the text than supplying inappropriate
words.
4. There is no need to write needlessly long answers. Never give extra information
for increasing the length of the answer. Overstating will spoil a good answer.
5. Never add views from outside the text, or put your words in author's mouth.
Guard against interference of your prior knowledge in the answers.
6. Do not try to impress the examiner with ornamental or figurative language.
Accuracy of the answer is more important than the style.
7. If you are asked to provide meanings or synonyms of the underlined words,
attempt only those items about which you are sure. It is better miss an item than
provide a wrong answer; it will damage your impression. _
8. Even if the question is about a particular sentence, go through one sentence
before and after that particular sentence. This will give further clarity to your
answer.
9. Read the questions very carefully. Like the passage, questions can also be
misread.
10. Never let your personal bias come into play while answering the questions. Do
not agree or disagree with the author, unless asked to do so.
11. Avoid taking extreme sides when your opinion is asked about the writer's views.
If an answer sounds extreme in
129
tone, it is not the best choice. Be wary of using words like 'never, always,
completely', absolutely, by no means' etc.
12. Do not make assumptions. Inferring and assuming are two different things.
Inference is based on logic, while assumptions are instinctive. Your assumption may
seem valid, but you should stay away from it.
13. Questions are usually about specific information or about the conclusions drawn
from the stated facts. These are to be treated differently.
14. Avoid changing the order of the questions while writing answers; shuffling of
questions can confuse the examiner.
NOTE There is no standardized length of an answer; each answer is to be treated on
merit. Answers are not short or long; they are complete or incomplete. Marks are
awarded on the basis of quality, not the quantity.
Steps
1. Give the passage first reading to get a general feel about the subject.
2. Read the passage again, slowly this time.
3. Study all the questions carefully.
4. Take up questions one by one and turn to the relevant portions of the text for
answers.
Write down a rough draft of your answers.
5.
6. Improve the rough draft and pen down your final answer.
CHAPTER 17
SOLVED EXAMPLES OF EASIER PASSAGES
Write your own answers before reading the solutions, and then compare your answers
with the solutions. You may also write précis of all the comprehension passages as
an additional exercise.
PASSAGE 1
The answer is emphatically: No. For real beauty is as much an affair of the inner
as of the outer self. The beauty of a porcelain jar is a matter of shape, of
colour, of surface texture. The jar may be empty or tenanted by spiders, full of
honey or stinking slime - it makes no difference to its beauty or ugliness. But a
woman is live, and her beauty is, therefore, not skin deep. The surface of the
human vessel is affected by the nature of its spiritual contents. I have seen women
who, be the standards of a connoisseur (an expert in art) of porcelain, were
ravishingly lovely. Their shape, their colour, their surface texture were perfect.
And yet they were not beautiful. For the lovely vase was either empty or filled
with some corruption. Spiritual emptiness or ugliness shows through. And
conversely, there is interior light that can transfigure forms that the pure
aestheticians would regard as imperfect or downright ugly. (The Beauty Industry) by
Aldous Huxley (169 words)
Questions
(4)
1. What does the writer say about the porcelain jar? 2. Explain what the writer
says about the beauty of a woman.
3. How would you explain "spiritual emptiness".
4. What is your idea of beauty in a human being?
(4)
5. Suggest a suitable title for the passage.
(4)
6. Write a précis of the passage.
(4)
(4)
(4)
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SOLUTION
Q.1. What does the writer say about the proclaim jar? Relevant Part
The beauty of a porcelain jar is a matter of shape, of colour, of surface texture.
The jar may be empty or tenanted by spiders, full of honey or stinking slime - it
makes no difference to its beauty or ugliness.
Ans.: The writer says that the beauty of a porcelain jar lies only in its external
appearance; what is inside the jar is of no consequence to its beauty. Whether it
is empty or filled with rubbish, does not affect its beauty.
Q.2. Explain what the writer says about the beauty of a woman. Relevant Part
But a woman is live, and her beauty is, therefore, not skin deep. The surface of
the human vessel is affected by the nature of its spiritual contents. I have seen
women who, be the standards of a connoisseur (an expert in art) of porcelain, were
ravishingly lovely. Their shape, their colour, their surface texture were perfect.
And yet they were not beautiful.
Ans.: According to the writer, the beauty of a woman is different from that of a
jar as it is not just external beauty. What is inside a woman is reflected in her
external appearance. A woman may have lovely look and yet be ugly, if her soul is
empty or is filled with corruption.
Q.3. How would you explain "spiritual emptiness"?
Ans. By spiritual emptiness the writer means the lack of inner qualities of head
and heart. The inner corruption (flaws in character) in a woman affects her
external beauty.
Q.4. What is your idea of beauty in a human being?
Ans.: To me, human beauty is not a matter of external appearance and it is
incomplete without the spiritual beauty or the beauty of soul.
Q.5. Suggest a suitable title for the passage.
Ans.: (1) The real beauty
(2) Real beauty of a woman
Q.6. Write a Précis of the Passage.
Ans.: Huxley says that there is difference between the beauty of a woman and that
of a porcelain jar. The beauty of the jar is merely external; what is inside it is
of no consequence. However, the inner spiritual beauty of a woman is reflected in
her external beauty, and without this she will not look beautiful, despite her good
looks. (60 words)
NOTE
We can start this précis by referring to the writer as his name is mentioned at the
end of the passage.
PASSAGE 2
As a matter of fact the rank and file of doctors (the common doctors) is no more
scientific than their tailors: or if you prefer to put it the reverse way, their
tailors are no less scientific than they. Doctoring is an art, not a science: any
layman (common person who is not an expert) who is interested in science
sufficiently to take in (understand and remember) one of the scientific journals
and follow the literature of the scientific movement, knows more about it than
those doctors (probably a large majority) who are not interested in research, and
practice only to earn bread. Doctoring is not even the art of keeping people in
health. No doctor seems able to advise you what to eat better than his grandmother
or the nearest quake or one claiming to have medical knowledge falsely. It is the
art of curing the illness. It does happen exceptionally that a practising doctor
makes a contribution to science (my play The Doctor's Dilemma describes a very
notable one): but it happens much oftener that he draws disastrous (very bad and
harmful) conclusions from his clinical experience because he has no conception of
scientific method, and believes, like any rustic (simple villager), that the
handling evidence and statistics
132
133
needs no expertness. (Are Doctors Men of Science?) by G. B. Shaw. (218 words)
Questions
1. How doctors are not true experts?
(3)
2. How does the writer equate (place on the same footing) a common doctor with a
grandmother or a quake? (3)
3. Why does or why can't a doctor draw useful conclusions from his clinical
experience? (3)
4. What in your opinion is a common doctor?
Suggest a suitable title for the passage.
5.
(3)
6. Write a précis of the passage in about one-third of its length in your own
language as far as possible. (5)
Q.1. How doctors are not true experts?
(3)
Relevant part
Doctoring is an art, not a science: any layman (common person who is not an expert)
who is interested in science sufficiently to take in (understand and remember) one
of the scientific journals and follow the literature of the scientific movement,
knows more about it than those doctors (probably a large majority) who are not
interested in, and practise only to earn bread.
Ans.: Doctors are not research experts or men of science; they are neither
interested nor trained in scientific research. They are simply practitioners, and
their main aim is to earn livelihood through their profession.
Q.2. How does the writer equate (place on the same footing) a common doctor with a
grandmother or a quake?
Relevant part
Doctoring is not even the art of keeping people in health. No doctor seems able to
advise you what to eat better than his grandmother or the nearest quake or one
claiming to have medical knowledge falsely. It is the art of curing the illness.
Ans.: G. B. Shaw believes that a doctor's job is only to cure illness, not to keep
people in good health. He says grandmothers
and quakes are doing a better job in this regard by giving useful advice about the
maintenance of good health
Q.3. Why does or why can't a doctor draw useful conclusions from his clinical
experience?
Relevant part
But it happens much oftener that he draws disastrous (very bad and harmful)
conclusions from his clinical experience because he has no conception of scientific
method, and believes like any rustic (simple villager), that the handling evidence
and statistics needs no expertness,
Ans: An ordinary doctor either cannot draw conclusions or will draw inappropriate
and harmful conclusions on the basis of his day to day clinical experience because
he has no idea about the research methodology. He is as unfit to draw conclusions
on the basis of available evidence and statistics as a naïve villager is.
Q4. What in your opinion is a common doctor?
Ans. An ordinary doctor is the one who runs a clinic and has no time to study
research journals, and is out of touch with the latest research methods. He
practices medicine only to earn money,
Q.5. Suggest a suitable title for the passage,
Ans.
1. A doctor can't be a research scholar 2. Limitations of a practicing doctor 3.
Research: Not a doctor's cup of tea
06. Write a précis of the passage in about one-third of its length in your own
language as far as possible.
NOTE
The précis can be started by referring to the writer because his name has been
mentioned.
PRECIS
According to G. B. Shaw, doctors are not the medical experts because they are
neither interested nor trained in scientific research. They practise medicine only
to earn their livelihood, The scientific conclusions drawn by an ordinary doctor
will not only be wrong but damaging. Moreover, a doctor's job is only to
134
cure illness, not to keep people in good health, grandmothers and quakes can do
this job in a better way. (71 words)
PASSAGE 3
The next ingredient is very important: Good Temper. "Love is not easily provoked."
Nothing could be more striking than to find this here. We are inclined to look upon
bad temper as a very harmless weakness. We speak of it as a mere infirmity of
nature, a family failing, a matter of temperament; not a thing to take into serious
account in estimating a man's character. And yet here, right in the heart of this
analysis of love, it finds a place, and the Bible again and again returns to
condemn it as one of the most destructive elements in human nature. The peculiarity
of ill temper is that it is the vice of the virtuous. It is often a blot on an
otherwise noble character. You know men who are all but perfect, and women who will
be entirely perfect, but for an easily ruffled quick-tempered or 'touchy
disposition. This compatibility of ill temper and high moral character is one of
the strangest and saddest problems of ethics. The truth is that there are two great
classes of sins - sins of the body and the sins of disposition. The Prodigal son
may be taken as a type of the first, the Elder Brother of the second. Now the
society has no doubt whatever as to which of these is the worse. Its brand falls
without a challenge, upon the Prodigal But are we right? We have no balance to
weigh one another's sins, and a courser or finer are but human words; but faults in
the higher nature may be less venial than those on the lower, and to the eye of Him
who is love, a sin against love may seem a hundred times more base. No form of
vice, not worldliness, not greed of gold, not drunkenness does more harm to an
unchristianized society than evil temper. For embittering life, for breaking up
communities, for destroying the most sacred relationships, for devastating homes,
for withering up men and women, for taking the bloom off childhood; in short for
sheer gratuitous misery-producing power, this influence stands alone. Jealously,
anger, pride, uncharity, cruelty, self-righteousness, touchiness, doggedness,
sullenness-in various proportions - are the ingredients of all ill temper. Judge if
such sins of the disposition
135
136
are not worse to live in, and for others to live with, than sins of the body. There
is really no place in heaven for a disposition like this. A man with such a mood
could only make heaven miserable for all the people in it.
Questions
1. What is the popular notion about "bad temper"?
2. How is bad temper "the vice of the virtuous"?
3. Which class of sins is worse, and why: sins of body or sins of the disposition?
(4)
(4)
(4)
4. Mention some evils of bad temper.
5. Why, according to the author, will there be no place in Heaven for bad-tempered
folk? (4)
(4)
SOLUTION
Q.1. What is the popular notion about "bad temper”? Relevant Part
We are inclined to look upon bad temper as a harmless weakness. We speak of it as a
mere infirmity of nature, a family failing, a matter of temperament, not a thing to
take into serious account in estimating a man's character.
Ans.: The popular notion about bad temper is that it just a harmless human
weakness; a minor defect in human nature, and not a serious imperfection in one's
character.
Q.2. How is bad temper "the vice of the virtuous"?
Relevant Part
The peculiarity of ill temper is that it is the vice of the virtuous. It is often a
blot on an otherwise noble character. You know men who are all but perfect, and
women who will be entirely perfect, but for an easily ruffled quick-tempered or
'touchy' disposition. This compatibility of ill temper and high moral character is
one of the strangest and saddest problems of ethics.
Ans.: Bad temper has been called the vice of the virtuous because, strangely
enough, this serious flaw of character is mostly found in otherwise noble people.
Men and women, who are righteous, are more prone to this weakness, and this a
strange and sad paradox of ethics.
137
Q.3. Which class of sins is worse, and why: sins of body or sins of the
disposition?
Relevant Part
The truth is that there are two great classes of sins - sins of the body and the
sins of disposition. The Prodigal son may be taken as a type of the first, the
Elder Brother of the second. Now the society has no doubt whatever as to which of
these is the worse. Its brand falls without a challenge, upon the Prodigal. But are
we right? We have no balance to weigh one another's sins, and a courser or finer
are but human words; but faults in the higher nature may be less venial than those
in the lower, and to the eye of Him who is love, a sin against love may seem a
hundred times more base. No form of vice, not worldliness, not greed of gold, not
drunkenness does more to unchristianize society than evil temper.
Ans.: Sins of disposition (temperament) are more harmful than the sins of body. God
is love and bad temper is a sin against love - hundred times worse than any sin of
the body. Bad temper is more unchristian and inhuman than even worldliness, greed
and drunkenness.
Q.4. Mention some evils of bad temper
Relevant Part
For embittering life, for breaking up communities, for destroying the most - sacred
relationships, for devastating homes, for withering up men and women, for taking
the bloom off childhood; in short for sheer gratuitous misery-producing power, this
influence stands alone. Jealously, anger, pride, uncharity, cruelty, self-
righteousness, touchiness, doggedness, sullenness in various proportions these are
the ingredients of all ill temper. -
Ans.: Ill temper can poison our lives, destroy societies and ruin families. Evils
like jealously, anger, pride, selfishness, cruelty, self-righteousness,
irritability, rigidity and resentment are the components of ill temper.
Q.5. Why according to the author, will there be no place in Heaven for bad-tempered
folk?
Relevant Part
There is really no place in heaven for a disposition like this. A man with
such a mood could only make heaven miserable for all the people in it. Aus.:
According to the author, there is no place in heaven for an in tempered person
because such a person would make the lives of other dwellers of heaven miserable
with his/her unpleasant and annoying behaviour.
PASSAGE 4
Long ago kamrem w "A man take pres The wi fremme tiedup with belt and The m * aften
medyo drifter Very few man to ever nough to form they t work when the pay ssuredly
will, dy are completly overwhelmed the the ma who take no time for van repte, the
disastrous fate which overtakes We geet estety valves which was wwwth, and the
youth repercally and
takethays have to k better th We sometimes pity the man who ea dave to we are
right, but a man who has no tak i which we very much wares trending name, the man
who does work which is denyje to kam wi vel five more happily, then if he had had
no tack at all.
And the man with the tack is easier to live with, and will prove a more contented
citizen, and a more valuable one, than The one who lacks such a tack. Even so
called invalide are often the better for some tack which is suited to their powers,
and they often live all the longer if they work hard. The man who starts life with
a solid tack which taxes his powers had Netter thank God, and does his best, for
this is one of humanity's greatest boons.
Questions
1. What disadvantage will a man without a task sufler? 8. Why is even dinspresale
task considered better than none? (7) 8. In what ways is a man with some task the
better for H7 (7) (6)
04. What disadvantages will a man without a task suffer? Relevant Part
The man without a task is the a ship without ballast and anchor; he is all the
often merely a drifter Very few men seem to have initiative ugh le cha task ju
themselves if they do not need to work.
199
the form com a Sory assuredly will. Szy complady our
A man with a task in de wave and dition. He will be unable to pay my was and
purposed advey Anal, he will have e ative to achieve his game has sure to suffer
dections which will yo
12. Way sa disagreeable tak is condidered efter send Sedat Part
We sometimes by the man who is a slane to talk, and stay w are right, but a man who
has no tad is a dare toch, with ery much wore. Eam a disgrunde tasks better to man
was does work which is disayyable to km will y la mare cap fan if he had had no
task at d
A man with any task in de will had a kde of b and lethargy. His life will be
plagued by monotony and mery It is, therefore, better to engage vek, even it
kappens to be an unpleasant one such a man will at least be busy and will
definitely be happier than the one who has nothing to do at all, and undergoes
bestem
23. what ways is a man with some task the better for it? Relevant Part
And the man with the task is easier to line with, and will prose a more contented
citizen, and a more valuable one, than the one who lacks such a task. Even so
called invalids are often the better for some task which is suited to their powers,
and they often live all the longer if they work hard. The man who starts life with
a solid task which tazes his powers had better thank God, and does his best, for
this is one of humanity's greatest boons.
A. A man who has some task in life will prove to be a satisfied person and a
valuable citizen. His life will be much easier than that of a man without any task.
Work has a therapeutic value. It is good cure for the invalids, for if their
capabilities are purposefully employed, they will live a longer and healthier life.
Work is, no doubt, a life preserver.
CHAPTER 18
SOLVED PASSAGES
NOTE
to the folowing pessages answers have gives without guidelines, find the relevant
pr
PASSAGE 1
among human beings. A few people uns all the news of probutu and dim sumonally f
promotes wording of com power with we expmation of human being to the limits
endurance production. Thus, the of cum of man family in on the All this way, rather
offer a wide defence of the stated order They conjure up were of paradies to
redress the balance, to with the sullerng and the revolt of the tortured men. The
system
Questions
Why is capitalism injurious to human redations? does capitatem held out late
promise to suffering
me of age in perpetuating the meanings of the undefined equations per a
2.A. Why is capitalism injurious to be a
Capitalism is harmful to have ented policies and the value wagom importance to
matenal yes, a gun onde but for economic power. Hattian being t séuman conditions,
and human stations mic preferences. All this is a man ugy
12. How does capitalion hold out face promise to suffering
d Capitalism makes false promises progress to people but its real target as to
exploit the ma maximum profit. It creates an ion that working case is free whereas
in reality they are no better than slaves who were the money-making machines of the
capitalists as tools. The band work only earns more profit for the rich employers
Q3. What is the role of religion in perpetuating the s capitalism?
A: The people suffering at the hands of capitalism um to stigious leaders for
consolation and solace who, instead of excouraging them to fight for their rights,
pacify them with the narrative that they would be rewarded in the next world for
their hardships in this world. Indirectly, they persuade the poor sot show to any
resistance against the exploiters. This is how seligion justifies the injustice
imposed by the system.
04. How do the economic circumstances divide society?
as Under capitalism human beings are divided on economic basis. A few people own
all the means of production and the rest serve them as workers. It divides society
into haves and have- nots. Social status is determined by the economic position,
and society is divided into classes on economic basis.
.. . Acquisitive intensity I 149 undefied expressions desire for materialny Limite
of endurance: Capacity to bear cufferings Harowed poor Distressed poor 6. Succour
Hrip, Conjun up Summon in imagination PASSAGE 2
Accumulated property treads the power of thought in the dust, eving the spark of,
and reduces the stand mundand to be immersed in sordid cares, beside depriving, the
no, of the most brious and effectual motives to actory superfiulty were barched,
the necessity for the greater par of Ou manual industry of mankind would be
superseded, and the eating micably shared among all the active and vi members of
the community, would be burdensome to none. Every man would have a frugal, yet
wholesome diet, every man would go forth to that moderate exercer of his ungna
functions that would give hilarity to the spirits, none would be made torgid with
fatigue, but all would have sure to cultivate the kindly and philanthropic
affections of the sond, and to le on the faculties in the search of intellectual
improvement. What a contract down this scene present us with the present state of
human society, where the peasant and the labourer work t their understandings are
benumbed with toil, their sinews contracted and made callous by being forever on
the stretch, and their bodies invaded with infirmities and surrendered to an
untimely grave? What is the fruit of this disproportioned and uneasing til? At
evening, they return to a family, famished with hunger, exposed hall naked to the
inclemency of the sky, hardly sheltered, and denied the slenderest instruction,
unless in • few ratances, where it is dispersed by the hands of retentatious
cherity, and the first lesson communicated is All this unprincipled while their
rich (Blank has been left by the writer) servility
149
rapid and sublime would be the advances of inters, & all admitted into the held of
body ty ne persons in a hundred are no more excited to any par exertions of general
and curio, te m Semives. What would be the state of public mind in a sale, where
all were wine, all had laid and the shackles of gl and implicit faith, all adoped
with safes unthe the suggestions of truth, and the lethargy of the wood was dem
ver? It is to be presumed that the requality of mind would in a certain degree be p
permanent; but it is seasonable to believe at the geniuses of such an age would far
surpass the grandes exertions of intellect that are at present known. Genius would
not be depressed with false wants and sadly patay
Questions
1. What according to the writer is the cause of the por short life?
2. Does the writer favour charity for the poor? Suppen your answer with the
writer's argument
3. How does the writer compete the present-day man with brate?
4. What are the effects of accumulated wealds on the rich? 69 5. What according to
the writer would promote intellectual improvement?
21. What according to the writer is the cause of the poor man's Son Me?
Aas: The long and tiresome physical work by the labourers takes a heavy toll on
their health and weakens their bodies and exhausts them mentally, Impoverished by
hunger and exposed to the severity of weather they suffer from different diseases
and stimately die before time.
Q2. Does the writer favour charity for the poor? Support your answer with the
writer's argument.
Aas: The writer does not favour the concept of charity as it is not a yermanent
solution to the problems of the poor. Moreover, it makes the receivers dependent,
submissive and injures their self-respect According to the writer the poor need
justice, not charity.
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Explain the undefined words/phrases in the pas
knowers
() by Troubles the writer means the financial woes his father's generation had to
face due to job insecurity and tement drikes at workplaces. There were times when
his family had to live without any income. The violence during wcv was added to
their economic woes.
The working conditions in the electronics firm were very harsh and workers were not
allowed to take leaves, even for
(4) The colleague of writer's father was dismissed from job for taking, a leave to
get married. However, he was reinstated ter workers went on strike, dubbed by
newspaper as "Induni Strike"
1.48
(6) The writer says that he and his father were plea son, and our was no dow
communication fouten They did not dure personal feelings, knew the doo other and
talked only about events (s) Words/phron Made the Belfast papers. Published in Be
newspapers (H) Had a spell: A short period of time () Dubbed Labelled, called,
branded (Was sacked: Was dismissed from job () it hard: Affected badly, to have a
severe negative than CSS-2004
We look before and after, wrote Shelley, and pine for what is not It is said that
this is what distinguishes us from the animals and that they, unlike us, live
always for and in the moment and have neither hopes nor regrets. Whether it is so
or not I do not know yet is undointedly one of our distinguishing mental attributes
we are actually conscious of our life in time and not merely of our life at the
moment of experiencing it. And as a result we find many grounds for melancholy and
foreboding Some of us prostrate ourselves on the road way in Trafalgar Square or in
front of the American Embassy because we are fearful that our lives, or more
disinterestedly those of our descendants will be cut short by nuclear war. If only
as squirrels or butterflies are supposed to do, we could let the future look after
itself and be content to enjoy the pleasures of the morning breakfast, the brisk
walk to the office through autumnal mist or winter fog, the mid day sunshine that
sometimes floods through windows, the warm, peaceful winter evenings by the
fireside at home. Yet all accasions for contentment are so often spoiled for us, to
a greater or lesser degree by our individual temperaments, by this strange human
capacity for foreboding, and regret regret for things which we cannot undo and
foreboding for things which may never happen at all. Indeed were it not for the
fact that over breaking through our human obsessions with the tragedy of Hime, so
enabling us to enjoy at any rate some fleeting moments untroubled by vain yearning
or apprehension, our life would not he intolerable at all. As it is, we contrive
every one of us, to spoil it to a remarkable degree.
Questions
What is the difference between our life and the the animal?
What is the result of human ardety
14 How does the writer compare man to the butterflies squirrels?
How does anxiety about future disturb our daily life? (e) How can we make our life
tolerable?
Explain the underlined words/phrases in the passa
Answers
(a) The difference between our life and that of animals is that the animals live
only in the present moment, whens, human beings are conscious of their life in time
(past and future). Human beings do not live in the moment
(3) Awareness about their future and their knowledge of the past is a constant
source anxiety and depression for the human beings.
(4) Squirrels and butterflies enjoy whatever they are doing in the present moment
and have no worries about their future or regrets about their past. Human beings,
on the other hand, spoil the present moments of enjoyment because of their
unfounded worries and useless regrets.
(4) Human beings ruin the available opportunities of happiness and satisfaction due
to the future concerns. They do not enjoy the day-to-day activities like breakfast,
walk to the office, the sunshine and peaceful winter evenings because of their
worries about the future.
(e) Human beings can make their lives tolerable by getting rid of anxieties and
regrets, and by living in the present. Vain hopes, fears and regrets make their
lives intolerable.
(1) Words/Phrases
Pine for: Desire for, long for Attributes: Characteristics, traits Foreboding:
Apprehension Human obsessions: Human fixation, dominant thoughts Untroubled by vain
yearning: Not bothered by futile longings
149
150
CSS-2005
My father loved all instruments that would instruct and Questions
fascinate. His place to keep things was the drawer in the 'library table' where
lying on top of his folder map was a telescope with brass extensions, to find the
moon and the Big Dripper after supper in our front yard, and to keep appointments
with eclipses. In the back of the drawer you could find a magnifying glass, a
kaleidoscope and a gyroscope kept in black buckram box, which he would set dancing
for us on a string pulled tight. He had also supplied himself with an assortment of
puzzles composed of metal rings and intersecting links and keys chained together,
impossible for the rest of us, however, patiently shown, to take apart, he had an
almost childlike love of the ingenious. In time, a barometer was added to our
dining room wall, but we didn't really need it. My father had the country boy's
accurate knowledge of the weather and its skies. He went out and stood on our front
steps first thing in the morning and took a good look at it and a sniff. He was a
pretty good weather prophet. He told us children what to do if we were lost in a
strange country. 'Look for where the sky is brightest along the horizon,' he said.
'That reflects the nearest river. Strike out for a river and you will find
habitation'. Eventualities were much on his mind. In his care for us children he
cautioned us to take measures against such things as being struck by lightning. He
drew us all away from the windows during the severe electrical storms that are
common where we live. My mother stood apart, scoffing at caution as a character
failing. So I developed a strong meteorological sensibility. In years ahead when I
wrote stories, atmosphere took its influential role from the start. Commotion in
the weather and the inner feelings aroused by such a hovering disturbance emerged
connected in dramatic form.
(a) Why did the writer's father spend time studying the skies?
(b) Why the writer thinks that there was no need of a barometer?
(3)
(c)
What does the bright horizon meant for the writer's father? (3) How did her father
influence the writer in her later years? (3) Explain the underlined words and
phrases in the passage. (8)
(d)
(3)
(e)
Answers
(a) The writer's father took interest in skies because their house was situated in
an area where storms and lightning struck frequently. Her father wanted to ensure
the safety of his family by keeping track of the weather conditions and eclipses.
(b) The writer thinks that there was no need of a barometer because her father was
himself a weather prophet, who could forecast the weather changes accurately.
(c) To writer's father, the bright horizon meant presence of a river, and that was
a sign of a nearby habitation. It can be helpful in finding the way when lost.
(d) She had developed a strong meteorological sensibility because of her father's
interest in weather conditions. Later in her life, when she became a writer,
atmosphere played a dominant role in her stories. She described human emotions in
terms of weather images and metaphors.
(e) Keep appointments: To be punctual, here it means to know the exact time for
eclipses.
Kaleidoscope: An instrument containing loose bits of coloured material (such as
glass or plastic) between two flat plates and two plane mirrors, so placed that
changes of their position creates endless variety of patterns.
Assortment: Collection of things.
To take apart: To divide into parts; disassemble or dismantle Barometer: An
instrument measuring atmospheric pressure; used especially weather forecast.
Strike out: To find out or search or identify.
Stood apart: To keep oneself away from something. In the passage, the writer's
mother took no interest in her father's activities and beliefs.
CSS-2006
"Elegant economy!" How naturally one folds back into the phraseology of Cranford!
Their economy was always "elegant", and money-spending always "Vulgar and
Ostentation"; a sort of sour grapeism which made us very peaceful and satisfied. I
shall
151
152
never forget the dismay felt when certain Captain Brown came to live at Cranford,
and openly spoke of his being poor, not in a whisper to an intimate friend, the
doors and windows being previously closed, but in the public street in a loud
military voice, alleging his poverty as a reason for not taking a particular house.
The ladies of Cranford were already moving over the invasion of their territories
by a man and a gentleman. He was a half-pay captain, and had obtained some
situation on a neighbouring rail-road, which had been vehemently petitioned against
by the little town; and if in addition to his masculine gender, and his connection
with the obnoxious railroad, he was so brazen as to talk of his being poor. Why,
then indeed, he must be sent to Coventry. Death was as true and as common as
poverty; yet people never spoke about that loud on the streets. It was a word not
to be mentioned to ears polite. We had tacitly agreed to ignore that anyone with
whom we associated on terms of visiting equality could ever be prevented by poverty
from doing anything they wished. If we walked to or from a party, it was because
the weather was so fine, or the air so refreshing, not because sedan chairs were
expensive. If we wore prints instead of summer silks, it was because we preferred a
washing material; and so on, till we
blinded ourselves to the vulgar fact that we were, all of us, people of very
moderate means.
Questions
(a) Give in thirty of your own words what we learn from this passage of Captain
Brown. (4)
(b) Why did the ladies of Cranford dislike the Captain?
(2)
(c) What reasons were given by the ladies of Cranford for "not doing anything that
they wished"? (2)
(d) "Ears Polite". How do you justify this construction?
(2)
(e)
What is the meaning and implication of the phrases? Sour-grapeism
2.
(10)
1.
The invasion of their territories
3. Sent to Coventry
4. Tacitly agreed
5. Elegant Economy
Answers
(a) Captain Brown was a straightforward man who never tried to mask his poverty. He
publicly spoke of his being poor; blaming his poverty as a reason for not taking a
house of his choice.
(b) The ladies of Cranford were hypocritical and never admitted the fact that they
were poor. They disliked Captain Brown because he openly talked about his poverty
and death. To them such behaviour was against the norms of decency. They considered
Brown as an unpleasant intruder.
(c) In fact, the ladies of Cranford could not afford expensive things but always
came up with different excuses for not doing so. For example, they claimed that
they stayed away from expensive indoor parties because they liked open air.
Similarly, when they could not afford to buy costly summer silk, they said it was
of low quality.
(d) There is sarcasm in the expression "Ears Polite". The writer is ridiculing the
so-called polite ladies of Cranford, to whom the words like 'poverty' and 'death',
sounded harsh. Some writers place adjective after the noun to create a stylistic
effect.
(e)
1. Sour-grapeism: When you cannot afford something, you pretend that you do not
like it.
2. The invasion of their territories: Settling of newcomers like Mr Brown in the
locality
3. Sent to Coventry: To ostracize someone (people like Brown)
Tacitly agreed: To agree secretly, without speaking 5. Elegant economy: The writer
describes Cranford women's austerity in spending as “Elegant Economy" ironically.
Instead of admitting that they were too poor to buy expensive things, the ladies
claimed that they did not like useless spending. This was their 'Elegant Economy'.
CSS-2007
4.
Strong section of industrials who still imagine that men can be mere machines and
are at their best as machines if they are mere machines are already menacing what
they call “useless"
153
education. They deride the classics, and they are mildly contemptuous of history,
philosophy, and English. They want our educational institutions, from the oldest
universities to the youngest elementary schools, to concentrate on business or the
things that are patently useful in business. Technical instruction is to be
provided for adolescent artisans; book keeping and shorthand for prospective
clerks; and the cleverest we are to set to "business methods", to modern languages
(which can be used in correspondence with foreign firms), and to science (which can
be applied to industry). French and German are the languages, not of Montaigne and
Goethe, but of Schmidt Brothers, of Elberfeld and Dupont et Cie., of Lyons.
Chemistry and Physics are not explorations into the physical constitution of the
universe, but sources of new dyes, new electric light filaments, new means of
making things which can be sold cheap and fast to the Nigerian and the Chinese. For
Latin there is a limited field so long as the druggists insist on retaining it in
their prescriptions. Greek has no apparent use at all, unless it be as a source of
syllables for the hybrid names of patent medicines and metal polishes. The soul of
man, the spiritual basis of civilization - what gibberish is that?
Questions
(2) (a) What kind of education does the writer deal with? (b) What kind of
education does the writer favour? How do you know? (3)
(c) Where does the writer express most bitterly his feelings about the neglect of
the classics? (3)
(d) Explain as carefully as you can the full significance of the last sentence. (4)
(e) Explain the underlined words and phrases in the passage. (8)
Answers
(a) The writer emphasizes the importance of classical education. He laments that
modern education focuses only on utilitarian and business-oriented technical
skills, and ignore the classical languages and literature.
(b) The writer favours traditional system of education that includes teaching of
classics, history, philosophy and languages. This is evident from the way he
compares modern education with the traditional. He is critical of the education
that suits only industrialists.
154
155
(c) The writer's tone about neglect of classics by modern education becomes
excessively bitter when he says: "French and German are the languages, not of
Montaigne and Goethe, but of Schmidt Brothers, of Elberfeld and Dupont et Cie, of
Lyons. Chemistry and Physics are not explorations into the physical constitution of
the universe, but sources of new dyes, new electric light filaments, new means of
making things which can be sold cheap and fast to the Nigerian and the Chinese. For
Latin there is a limited field so long as the druggists insist on retaining it in
their prescriptions."
(d) The last sentence: 'The soul of man, the spiritual basis of civilization- what
gibberish is that?' is a very good example of irony and satire. Denouncing the
modern educationists, the writer says that to them human soul and spiritualism are
worthless things-a mere nonsense. The writer hits hard at the industrialists and
educationists for their humiliating attitude towards the spiritual needs of man.
Explanation of the underlined words. (e)
(i) Industrials: People related to industries having utilitarian approach to
everything
(ii) 'Useless' education: The teaching of classics is considered useless by the
industrialists
(iii) Patently useful: Useful only on face value, on paper only
(iv) Adolescent artisans: Young professionals produced by modern education
(v)
Prospective clerks: Future clerks
(vi) Limited field: Narrow range, restricted scope
(vii) Hybrid names: Names formed by combining two or more words of same or
different languages (viii) Gibberish: Nonsense, rubbish
CSS-2008
These phenomena, however, are merely premonitions of a coming storm which is likely
to sweep over the whole of India and the rest of Asia. This looked upon man as a
thing to be exploited, and not as a personality to be developed and enlarged by
purely cultural forces. The people of Asia are bound to rise
156
against the acquisitive economy which the West has developed and imposed on the
nations of the East. Asia cannot comprehend modern Western capitalism with its
undisciplined individualism. The faith which you represent recognizes the worth of
the individual, and disciplines him to give away all to the service of God and man.
Its possibilities are not yet exhausted. It can still create a new world where the
social rank of man is not determined by his caste or colour or the amount of
dividend he earns, but by the kind of life he lives, where the poor tax the rich,
where human society is founded not on the equality stomachs but on the equality of
spirits, where an untouchable can marry the daughter of king, where private
ownership is a trust and where capital cannot be allowed to accumulate so as to
dominate the real producer of wealth. This superb idealism of your faith, however,
needs emancipation from the medieval fancies of theologians and logicians.
Spiritually, we are living in a prison-house of thoughts and emotions which during
the colour of centuries we have woven round ourselves. And be it further said to
the shame of us-men of older generation - that we have failed to equip the younger
generation for the economic, political and even religious crisis that the present
age is likely to bring. The white community needs a complete overhauling of its
present mentality in order that it may again become capable of feeling the urge of
fresh desires and ideals.
The Indian Muslims has long ceased to explore the depths of his own inner life. The
result is that he has ceased to live in the full glow and colour of life, and is
consequently in danger of an unmanly compromise with forces which he is made to
think he cannot vanquish in open conflict. He who desires to change and
unfavourable environment must undergo a complete transformation of his inner being.
God changeth not the condition of a people until they themselves take the
initiative to change their condition by constantly illuminating the zone of their
daily activity in the light of definite ideal. Nothing can be achieved without a
firm faith in the independence of one's own inner life. This faith alone keeps a
people's eye fixed on their goal and saves them from perpetual vacillation. The
lesson that past experiences has brought to you must be taken to heart. Expect
nothing from any side. Concentrate your whole ego on yourself alone and ripen your
clay into real manhood if you wish to see your aspiration realized.
157
Questions
(a) What are the chief characteristics of the modern political civilization? (3)
(b) What are possibilities of our faith which can be of advantage to the world? (3)
(c) What is the chief danger confronting the superb idealism of our faith? (3)
(d) Why is the Indian Muslim in danger of coming to an unmanly compromise with the
forces opposing him? (3)
(e) What is necessary for any achievement?
(f) 0 Explain the following expressions as used in the passage. (3) (1)
Premonitions (2) Acquisitive economy
(3) Unmanly compromise
(3)
(9) Suggest an appropriate title to the passage.
Answers
(2)
(a) Faithlessness, unbridled individualism, lust for material things and
accumulation of wealth are the chief characteristics of modern civilization.
(b) The world can learn from the Islamic faith system which believes that the worth
of an individual is not in his material possessions but in his spiritual strength.
The modern world can avert the looming economic, political and religious crises by
adopting the Islamic principles of discipline, equality, and faith in God.
(c) The 'superb idealism' of Islamic faith is endangered by the medieval fancies of
theologians and logicians. Muslims must dissociate themselves from the shackles of
thoughts and emotions of the past, and train the younger generation to meet the
challenges of the modern world.
(d) The Indian Muslim is in danger of coming to a humiliating compromise with his
opponents because of his failure in self-realization and self-actualization through
exploring the depths of his own inner life.
(e) Integrity, faith and self-respect are necessary for any achievement in life.
Firm faith keeps people focused on their goal and saves them from confusion and
indecisiveness.
(f) 1. Premonitions: Forewarnings
158 2. Acquisitive economy: Craze for more and more possessions 3. Unmanly
compromise: Shameful or humiliating compromise (g) Title 1. Role of Indian Muslims
in the modern world 2. Dilemma of Indian Muslims 3. Lesson for world in Islamic
faith CSS-2009
It is in the very nature of the helicopter that its great versatility is found. To
begin with, the helicopter is the fulfillment of one of man's earliest and most
fantastic dreams. The dream of flying; not just like a bird, but of flying as
nothing else flies, or has ever flown. To be able to fly straight up and straight
down - to fly forward or back or sidewise, or to hover over and spot till the fuel
supply is exhausted.
To see how the helicopter can do things that are not possible for the conventional
fixed-wing plane, let us first examine how a conventional plane works. It works by
its shape - by the shape of its wing, which deflects air when the plane is in
motion. That is possible because air has density and resistance. It reacts to
force. The wing is curved and set at an angle to catch the air and push it down;
the air, resisting, pushes against the under surface of the wing, giving it some of
its lift. At the same time the curved upper surface of the wing exerts suction,
tending to create a lack of air at the top of the wing. The air, again resisting,
sucks back, and this gives the wing about twice as much lift as the air pressure
below the wing. This is what takes place when the wing is pulled forward by
propellers or pushed forward by jet blasts. Without the motion the wing has no
lift.
Questions
1. Where is the great versatility of the helicopter found? 2. What was the dream of
flying?
(4)
3. What does the wing of the conventional aircraft do? 4. What does the curved
upper surface of the wing do?
(4)
5. What gives the wing twice as much lift?
(4)
(4)
(4)
159
NOTE
This is a scientific passage and it is important that I you give exact information
in your answers. The passage mainly explains how a conventional plane flies.
Answers
1.
The great versatility of a helicopter lies in its multiple functions. It has the
ability to fly straight up and straight down, It can fly forward or back or
sideways, or can just hover over.
2. The dream was to fly not just like a bird but to fly in all directions; as
nothing else had ever flown.
3. The wing of the conventional aircraft is shaped in such a way that it deflects
the air when in motion. The curved and angled wing catches the air and pushes it
down. As a result, the air pushes against the under surface of the wing, giving it
an upward lift.
The upper surface of the wing sucks the air and creates a vacuum on the upper side
of the wing.
5. When the plane moves forward a vacuum is created at the upper surface of the
wing due its angle. This gives twice as much lift as the air pressure below the
wing.
CSS-2010
And still it moves. The words of Galileo, murmured when the tortures of the
Inquisition had driven him to recant the Truth he knew, apply in a new way to our
world today. Sometimes, in the knowledge of all that has been discovered, all that
has been done to make life on the planet happier and more worthy, we may be tempted
to settle down to enjoy our heritage. That would, indeed, be the betrayal of our
trust.
These men and women of the past have given everything — comfort, time, treasure,
peace of mind and body, life itself which we might live as we do. The challenge to
each one of us is to carry on their work for the sake of future generations.
160
The adventurous human mind must not falter. Still must we question the old truths
and work for the new ones. Still must we risk scorn, cynicism, neglect, loneliness,
poverty, persecution, if need be. We must shut our ears to the easy voice which
tells us that 'human nature will never alter' as an excuse for doing nothing to
make life more worthy.
Thus will the course of the history of mankind go onward, and the world we know
move into a new splendour for those who are yet to be.
Questions
(a) What made Galileo recant the truth he knew?
(b) What is the heritage being alluded to in the first paragraph? (5)
(5)
(c) What does the betrayal of our trust' imply?
(5)
(d) Why do we need to question the old truths and work for the new ones? (5)
Answers
(a) Galileo proved the fact, with the help of telescope, that earth was not the
centre of the universe. However, he withdrew his statement due to the tortures by
the Inquisition (church body).
(b) By heritage the writer means all that has been discovered and invented by our
ancestors to make life on the planet secure and worth-living. They gave us the
heritage of comfort, leisure, treasure and peace of mind.
(c) The writer says that if we remain content by enjoying the fruits of our
ancestors' efforts and do nothing for our future generations, we would not be
performing the duty we owe to the future generations. This will be a betrayal of
the trust.
(d) We must question the old truths and find new ones because human nature is ever
changing. We need to change the old truths and discover the new ones, compatible
with the changed realities of life.
161
CSS-2011
Knowledge is acquired when we succeed in fitting a new understanding as the
doctor's prescription for penicillin is different from penicillin.
experience in the system of concepts based upon our old experiences. Understanding
comes when we liberate ourselves from the old and so make possible a direct,
unmediated contact with the new, the mystery, and moment by moment, of our
existence. The new is the given on every level of experience given perceptions,
given emotions and thoughts, given states of unstructured awareness, given
relationships with things and persons. The old is our home-made system of ideas and
word patterns. It is the stock of finished articles fabricated out of the given
mystery by memory and analytical reasoning, by habit and automatic associations of
accepted notions. Knowledge is primarily knowledge of these finished articles.
Understanding is primarily direct awareness of the raw material. Knowledge is
always in terms of concepts and can be passed on by means of words or other
symbols. Understanding is not conceptual and therefore cannot be passed on. It is
an immediate experience, and immediate experience can only be talked about (very
inadequately), never shared. Nobody can actually feel another's pain or grief,
another's love or joy, or hunger. And similarly nobody can experience another's
understanding of a given event or situation. There can, of course, be knowledge of
such an understanding, and this knowledge may be passed on in speech or writing, or
by means of other symbols. Such communicable knowledge is useful as a reminder that
there have been specific understandings in the past, and that understanding is at
all times possible. But we must always remember that knowledge of understanding is
not the same thing as the understanding which is the raw material of that
knowledge. It is as different from
Questions
(a) How is knowledge different from understanding? (
Explain why understanding cannot be passed on. b) (4) (c) Is the knowledge of
understanding possible? If it is, how may it be passed on? (4)
(4)
162
(d) How does the author explain that knowledge of understanding is not the same
thing as the understanding?
(4)
(e) How far do you agree with the author in his definitions of knowledge and
understanding? Give reasons for your answer. (4)
Answers
(a) Knowledge is a system of concepts based on experiences of the past. It is a
treasure of finished goods. On the other hand, understanding is fresh and comes
when we succeed in liberating ourselves from the old and come into direct contact
with the mystery of life.
(b) Understanding cannot be passed on because it is the direct awareness of the
realities of life in a raw form. Understanding is not conceptual and therefore
cannot be passed on. It is an immediate experience, and immediate experience cannot
be shared.
(c) Yes, knowledge of understanding is possible and it can be communicated through
language and other symbols.
(d) The author says that knowledge of understanding is different from
understanding, just like the doctor's prescription penicillin is different from
actual penicillin. The prescription cannot have the effect of penicillin.
The author is right when he says that knowledge and understanding are two different
things. Understanding comes only through direct contact with the realities of life.
Knowledge is always second-hand, and cannot give you understanding. Knowledge is a
mere documentation of the experiences of the people from the past; it is their
understanding, not ours. (e)
CSS-2012
Human beings feel afraid of death just as children feel afraid of darkness; and
just as children's fear of darkness is increased by the stories which they have
heard about ghosts and thieves, human beings' fear of death is increased by the
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stories which they have heard about the agony of the dying man. If a human being
regards death as a kind of punishment for the sins he has committed and if he looks
upon death as a means of making an entry into another world, he is certainly taking
a religious and sacred view of death. But if a human being looks upon death as a
law of nature and then feels afraid of it, his attitude is one of cowardice.
However, even in religious meditation about death there is something a mixture of
folly and superstition. Monks have written books in which they have described the
painful experience which they underwent by inflicting physical tortures upon
themselves as a form of self-purification. Such books may lead one to think that,
if the pain of even a finger being squeezed or pressed is unbearable, the pains of
death must be indescribably agonizing. Such books thus increase a Man's fear of
death.
Seneca, a Roman Philosopher, expressed the view that the circumstances and
ceremonies of death frighten people more than death itself would do. A dying man is
heard uttering groans; his body is seen undergoing convulsions; his face appears to
be absolutely bloodless and pale; at his death his friends begin to weep and his
relations put on mourning clothes; various rituals are performed. All these facts
make death appear more horrible than it would be otherwise.
Questions
(a) What is the difference between human beings' fear of death and children's fear
of darkness? (4)
(b) What is a religious and sacred view of
death?
(4)
(c) What are the painful experiences described by the monks in their books? (4)
(d)
What are the views of Seneca about death?
(4)
(e) What are the facts that make death appear more horrible than it would be
otherwise? (4)
Answers
(a) The fear of darkness in children increases due to the stories about ghosts and
thieves. However, the fear of death in human beings is the result of the stories
they have heard about the pains of the dying men.
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(b) Religious and sacred view is that death comes as a punishment for our sins, and
after death we move to the world hereafter.
(c) In their books, the monks describe the experiences of pain that they suffered
while inflicting physical torture upon them for self-purification. Such books make
us imagine that if squeezing of a finger was so painful, how painful it would be to
die, when the whole body decays.
(d) According to Seneca, the condition of the dying man and the rituals performed
at the time of death are more frightening than the death itself.
(e) The dying man's groans, his pale face, wailing relatives, mourning dresses and
rituals performed at the time of death make it appear more horrifying than it
actually is.
CSS-2013
The civilization of China as everyone knows is based upon the teaching of Confucius
who flourished five hundred years before Christ. Like the Greeks and Romans, he did
not think of human society as naturally progressive; on the contrary, he believed
that in remote antiquity rulers had been wise and the people had been happy to a
degree which the degenerate present could admire but hardly achieve. This, of
course, was a delusion. But the practical result was that Confucius, like other
teachers of antiquity, aimed at creating a stable society, maintaining a certain
level of excellence, but not always striving after new successes. In this he was
more successful than any other man who ever lived. His personality has been stamped
on Chinese civilization from his day to our own. During his life time, the Chinese
occupied only a small part of present-day China, and were divided into a number of
warring states. During the next three hundred years they established themselves
throughout what is now China proper, and founded an empire exceeding in territory
and population any other that existed until the last fifty years. In spite of
barbarian invasions, and occasional longer or shorter periods of chaos and civil
war, the Confucian system survived, bringing with it art and literature and a
civilised way of life. A system which has had this extraordinary power of
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survival must have great merits, and certainly deserves our respect and
consideration. It is not a religion, as we understand the word, because it is not
associated with the supernatural or with mystical beliefs. It is purely ethical
system, but its ethics, unlike those of Christianity, are not too exalted for
ordinary men to practise. In essence what Confucius teaches is something is very
like the old-fashioned ideal of a 'gentleman' as it existed in the eighteenth
century. One of his sayings will illustrate this: 'the true gentleman is never
contentious, he courteously salutes his opponents before taking up his position, so
that even when competing he remains a true gentleman'.
Questions
(a) Why do you think the author calls Confucius' belief about the progress of human
society as a delusion? (4) 。。
(b) How did Confucius' thought affect China to develop into a stable and 'Proper'
China? (4)
(c) Why does the author think that Confucian system deserves respect and
admiration? (4)
(d) Why does the author call Confucian system a purely ethical system and not a
religion? (4)
(e) Briefly argue whether you agree or disagree to Confucius' ideal of a gentleman.
(4)
Answers
(a) Confucius believed that human society did not progress through a natural
process. He was of the view that societies in the past progressed because the
rulers were wise and people were happy. To the writer, this was not true and was
only a delusion on the part of Confucius.
(b) China developed from a small country into a great empire by following the
practical teachings of Confucius. Instead of preaching any lofty ideals, Confucius
aimed at creating a stable society and maintaining a certain level of excellence.
(c) According to the author, Confucian system deserves respect and admiration
because under the influence of his practical ideology Chinese survived the
dangerous periods of chaos promoted art, literature and civilization.
and wars, and
(d) Unlike the traditional religions, Confucian ideology is not based on the
supernatural or metaphysical beliefs. It is
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purely an ethical system and its ethics are not idealistic
(e) and impractical like those of Christianity. According to Confucius, the chief
qualities of a true gentleman are tolerance and restraint. These are the qualities
that we find lacking in the modern men and women. His idea of a true gentleman is
relevant even today and one cannot help agreeing with him.
CSS-2014
In the height of the Enlightenment, men influenced by the new political theories of
the era launched two of the largest revolutions in history. These two conflicts, on
two separate continents, were both initially successful in forming new forms of
government. And yet, the two conflicts, though merely a decade apart, had radically
different conclusions. How do two wars inspired by more or less the same ideals end
up so completely different? Why was the American Revolution largely a success and
the French Revolution largely a failure?
Historians have pointed to myriad reasons - far too various to be listed here.
However, the most frequently cited are worth mentioning. For one, the American
Revolution was far removed from the Old World; that is, since it was on a different
continent other European nations did not attempt to interfere with it. However, in
the French Revolution, there were immediate cries for war from neighbouring
nations. Early on, for instance, the ousted king attempted to flee to neighbouring
Austria and the army waiting there. The newly formed French Republic also warred
with Belgium, and a conflict with Britain loomed. Thus, the French had the burden
not only of winning a revolution but also defending it from outside. The Americans
simply had to win a revolution. Secondly, the American Revolution seemed to have a
better chance for success from the get-go, due to the fact that Americans already
saw themselves as something other than British subjects. Thus, there was already a
uniquely American character, so, there was not as loud a cry to preserve the
British way of life. In France, several thousands of people still supported the
king, largely because the king was seen as an essential part of French life. And
when the king was first ousted and then killed, some believed that character itself
was corrupted. Remember, the
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- Americans did not oust a king or kill him they merely separated from him.
Finally, there is a general agreement that the French were not as unified as the
Americans, who, for the most part, put aside their political differences until
after they had already formed a new nation. The French, despite their Tennis Court
Oath, could not do so. Infighting led to inner turmoil, civil war, and eventually
the Reign of Terror, in which political dissidents were executed in large numbers.
Additionally, the French people themselves were not unified. The nation had so much
stratification that it was impossible to unite all of them - the workers, the
peasants, the middle-class, the nobles, the clergy - into one cause. And the
attempts to do so under a new religion, the Divine Cult of Reason, certainly did
not help. The Americans, remember, never attempted to change the society at large;
rather, they merely attempted to change the government.
Questions
(a) Why and how did the Reign of Terror happen?
(b) In what ways does the author suggest that the American Revolution was easier to
complete than the French Revolution? (5)
(5)
(c) Of the challenges mentioned facing the French revolutionaries, which do you
think had the greatest impact on their inability to complete a successful
revolution? Why? (5)
(d) Of the strengths mentioned aiding the American revolutionaries, which do you
think had the greatest impact on their ability to complete a successful revolution?
Why? (5)
Answers
(a) The French Revolution transformed into the Reign of Terror because there was no
unity and discipline among the French people. The revolutionaries started beheading
the members of aristocracy and dissidents in large numbers. The revolutionaries
were not under the control of ar central leadership.
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(b) American Revolution was easier to complete because Americans were united, their
goals were defined and there were no hostile neighbouring countries to interfere in
their affairs.
(c) The greatest reason for the failure of French Revolution was lack of unity in
the ranks of the revolutionaries. Soon after the revolution, infighting started
among various factions. This changed the whole scenario and the French were unable
to complete a successful revolution.
(d) The greatest strength of American revolutionaries was that their goals were
realistic and well-defined; they wanted only to overthrow the government, not to
change the whole system. Moreover, they did not have to overthrow any king.
CSS-2015
Experience has quite definitely shown that some reasons for holding a belief are
much more likely to be justified by the event than others. It might naturally be
supposed, for instance, that the best of all reasons for a belief was a strong
conviction of certainty accompanying the belief. Experience, however, shows that
this is not so, and that as a matter of fact, conviction by itself is more likely
to mislead than it is to guarantee truth. On the other hand, lack of assurance and
persistent hesitation to come to any belief whatever are an equally poor guarantee
that the few beliefs which are arrived at are sound. Experience also shows that
assertion, however long continued, although it is unfortunately with many people,
an effective enough means of inducing belief, is not in any way a ground for
holding it.
The method which has proved effective, as a matter of actual fact, in providing a
firm foundation for belief wherever it has been capable of application, is what is
usually called the scientific method. I firmly believe that the scientific method,
although slow and never claiming to lead to complete truth, is
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the only method which in the long run will give satisfactory foundations for
beliefs. It consists in demanding facts as the only basis for conclusions, and in
consistently and continuously testing any conclusions which may have been reached,
against the test of new facts and, wherever possible, by the crucial test of
experiment. It consists also in full publication of the evidence on which
conclusions are based, so that other workers may be assisted in new researchers or
enabled to develop their own interpretations and arrive at possibly very different
conclusions. There are, however, all sorts of occasions on which the scientific
method is not applicable. That method involves slow testing, frequent suspension of
judgment and restricted conclusions. The exigencies of everyday life, on the other
hand, often make it necessary to act on a hasty balancing of admittedly incomplete
evidence, to take immediate action, and to draw conclusions in advance of the
evidence. It is also true that such an action will always be necessary, and
necessary in respect of ever larger issues; and this in spite of the fact that one
of the most important trends of civilization is to remove sphere after sphere of
life out of the domain of such intuitive judgment into the domain of rigid
calculation based on science. It is here that belief plays its most important role.
When we cannot be certain, we must proceed in part by faith - faith not only in the
validity of our own capacity of making judgments, but also in the existence of
certain other realities, pre-eminently moral and spiritual realities. It has been
said that faith consists in acting always on the nobler hypothesis; and though this
definition is a trifle rhetorical, it embodies a seed of real truth.
Questions
(a) Give the meaning of the underlined phrases as they are used in the passage. (4)
(b) What justification does the author claim for his belief in the scientific
method? (4)
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(c) Do you gather from the passage that conclusions reached by the scientific
method should be considered final? Give reasons for your answer. (4)
(d) In what circumstances, according to the author, is it necessary to abandon the
scientific method? (4)
(e) How does the basis of "intuitive judgment" differ from that of scientific
decision? (4)
Answers
(a) 1. Justified by the event: A belief based on an event
2. An effective enough means of inducing belief: A solid reason for holding a
belief
3. Trends of civilization: Fashion and tendency of civilization
4. On the nobler hypothesis: Holding beliefs on the basis of a noble grounds
(b) According to the author, though the scientific method is slow and tentative yet
it is the only satisfactory method for reaching conclusions. Its conclusions are
sound because these are based on empirical evidence.
(c) No, the author clearly states that conclusions reached through scientific
method are not absolute and final. He says that a scientist is ready to change his
conclusions in the light new discoveries.
(d) According to the author, the scientific method can be abandoned when immediate
decisions and actions are required, and there is no time to collect evidence and
employ time-taking methods of science. So, when we have to take urgent decisions,
it becomes necessary to abandon the scientific method.
(e) Intuitive judgment is based on faith whereas scientific conclusions are based
on rigid calculations and empirical evidence. There are certain spiritual and moral
realities that are beyond the sphere of tangible facts.
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The New Year is the time for resolutions. Mentally, at least most of us could
compile formidable lists of 'do's and don'ts'. The same old favourites recur year
in and year out with the children, do a thousand and one job about the house, be
nice to people we do not like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every
day. Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond
attainment. If we remain deep-rooted liars, it is only because we have so often
experienced the frustration that results from failure.
Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too
ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental
error of announcing our resolution to everybody so that we look even more foolish
when we slip back into our bad old ways. Aware of these pitfalls, this year I
attempted to keep my resolution to myself. I limited myself to two modest
ambitions, to do physical exercise every morning and to read more in the evening.
An overnight party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not
carrying out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, but on
the second; I applied myself assiduously to the task.
The daily exercise lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in
the morning before anyone had got up. The self-discipline required to drag myself
out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable. Nevertheless, I
managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out.
After jumping about in the carpet and twisted the human frame into uncomfortable
positions, I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition. It was this
that betrayed me. The next morning the whole family trooped into watch the
performance. That was really unsettling but I fended off the taunts and jibes of
the family good humouredly and soon everybody got used to the idea. However, my
enthusiasm waned, the time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. Little by
little, the eleven minutes fell to zero. By January 10th I was back to where I had
started front. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in
the morning, I would keep my
172
mind fresh for reading when I got home from work. Resisting the hypnotizing effect
of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book.
One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of
the television pretending to read. That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got
back to the old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen. I still haven't
given up my resolution to do more reading. In fact, I have just bought a book
entitled 'How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute'. Perhaps it will solve my problem,
but I just have not had time to read it.
Questions
(a) (b) Why most of us fail in our efforts for self-improvement? (5) Why is it a
basic mistake to announce our resolution to everybody? (5)
(c) Why did the writer not carry out his resolution on New Year's Day? (5)
(d) Find out the words in the above passage which convey the similar meaning to the
following: (5)
1. Intimidating
2. Peril
4. Repel
Answers
3. Dwindle
5. Barb
(a) According to the writer most of us fail in our efforts at self- improvement
because the plans and goals that we set are too ambitious to be carried out.
(b) It is always unwise to make one's resolutions public because one has to cut a
sorry figure in case of failure to change oneself. Hence, it is better to keep
one's resolution to oneself.
(c) The writer made a resolution that he would take exercise daily in the morning
but he could not carry it out on the very first day of the year because of an
overnight party on New Year's Eve.
1. Intimidating (formidable)
(d)
3. Dwindle (waned)
2. Peril (pitfalls)
Repel (fended off)
5. Barb (gibe)
4.
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CSS-2017 Education ought to teach us how to be in love always and what to be in
love with. The great things of history have been done by the great lovers; by the
saints, men of science and artists, and the problem of civilization is to give
everyman a chance of being a saint, a man of science or an artist. But this problem
cannot be attempted, much less solved, unless men desire to be saints, men of
science and artists. And if they are to desire that continuously and consciously,
they must be taught what it means to be these. We think of man of science or the
artist, if not of the saint, as a being with peculiar gifts, not as one who
exercises, more precisely and incessantly perhaps, activities, which we all ought
to exercise. It is a commonplace now that art has ebbed away out of our ordinary
life, out of all the things which we use, and that it is practised no longer by
workmen but only by a few painters and sculptors. That has happened because we no
longer recognize the aesthetic activity of the spirit, so common to all men. We do
not know that when a man makes anything, he ought to make it beautiful for the sake
of doing so, and that when a man buys anything he ought to demand beauty in it for
the sake of beauty. We think of beauty if we think of it at all, as a mere source
of pleasure, and therefore it means to us ornament, added to things for which we
can pay extra as we choose. However, beauty is not an ornament to life, or to the
things made by man. It is an essential part of both. The aesthetic activity, when
it reveals itself in things made by men, reveals itself in design, just as it
reveals itself in the design of all natural things. It shapes objects as the moral
activity shapes actions, and we ought to recognize it in the objects and value it,
as we recognize and value moral activity in actions. And as actions empty of the
moral activity are distasteful to us, so should objects be that are empty of the
aesthetic activity. But this is not so with most of us. We do not value it; do not
even recognize it, or the lack of it, in the work of others. The artist, of
whatever kind, is a man so much aware of the beauty of the universe that he must
impart the same beauty to whatever he makes. He has exercised his aesthetic
activity in the discovery of the beauty in
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the universe before he exercises it in imparting beauty to that which he makes. He
has seen things in that relation in his own work, whatever it may be. And just as
he sees that relation for its own sake, so he produces it for its own sake and
satisfies the desire of his spirit in doing so. And we should value his work; we
should desire that relation in all things made by man, if we too have the habit of
seeing that relation in the universe, and if we knew that, when we see it, we are
exercising an activity of the spirit and satisfying a spiritual desire. And we
should know that work without beauty means unsatisfied spiritual desire in the
worker; that it is waste of life and common evil and danger, like thought without
truth, or action without righteousness.
Questions
What has been lamented in the text?
(a)
(4)
(b) What is the difference between an ordinary man and an artist? (4)
(c) How can we make our lives beautiful and charming? (d) What does the writer
actually mean when he says, "Beauty is not an ornament to life? (4) (4)
(e) Do art and beauty affect our practical life and morals? Justify whether you
agree or disagree. (4)
Answers
(a) The author laments that the element of beauty has disappeared from the lives of
common people and it has been limited only to the works of artists, scientists and
saints. It is unfortunate that common people and workmen are unaware that
aesthetics is an essential part of life, not just the prerogative of the few chosen
people. The fact is that aesthetic activity is common to all human beings.
(b) The difference between ordinary people and artists is that the artists value
beauty as a principle of life and practise t on regular basis. It is not that they
are endowed with some exceptional quality. All human beings possess the capacity to
appreciate beauty but the artists use this ability with greater concentration and
consistency.
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(c) We can make our lives beautiful and charming by realizing the importance of
aesthetic aspect in all the activities of life. We must value the principle of
beauty in everything we do. This would add charm to our lives.
(d) By this expression the writer means to say that beauty is not just an
additional feature or a mere superficial decoration. Rather, he believes that
beauty is an inseparable component of life- not a mere decoration but the very
essence of life.
(e) · Art and aesthetics deeply influence our lives. They are not just sources of
sensuous pleasure but do give us spiritual satisfaction as well. Discovering beauty
in all things, made by man or nature, is a spiritual activity. Life without beauty
will be spiritually barren and work without beauty will be dangerous and immoral. I
agree with the author that a spiritually dissatisfied life is immoral.
CSS-2018
The third great defect of our civilization is that it does not know what to do with
its knowledge. Science has given us powers fit for the gods, yet we use them like
small children. For example, we do not know how to manage our machines. Machines
were made to be man's servants; yet he has grown so dependent on them that they are
in a fair way to become his master. Already most men spend most of their lives
looking after and waiting upon machines. And the machines are very stern masters.
They must be fed with coal, and given petrol to drink, and oil to wash with, and
they must be kept at the right temperature. And if they do not get their meals when
they expect them, they grow sulky and refuse to work, or burst with rage, and blow
up, and spread ruin and destruction all around them. So we have to wait upon them
very attentively and do all that we can to keep them in a good temper. Already we
find it difficult either to work or play without the machines, and a time may come
when they will rule us altogether, just as we rule the animals.
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And this brings me to the point at which I asked, "What do we do with all the time
which the machines have saved for us, and the new energy they have given us?" On
the whole, it must be admitted, we do very little. For the most part we use our
time and energy to make more and better machines; but more and better machines will
only give us still more time and still more energy, and what are we to do with
them? The answer, I think, is that we should try to become mere civilized. For the
machines themselves, and the power which the machines have given us, are not
civilization but aids to civilization. But you will remember that we agreed at the
beginning that being civilized meant making and linking beautiful things. Thinking
freely, and living rightly and maintaining justice equally between man and man. Man
has a better chance today to do these things than he ever had before; he has more
time, more energy, less to fear and less to fight against. If he will give his time
and energy which his machines have won for him to making more beautiful things, to
finding out more and more about the universe, to removing the causes of quarrels
between nations, to discovering bow to prevent poverty, then I think our
civilization would undoubtedly be the greater, as it would be
the more lasting than there has ever been.
Questions
(a) Instead of making machines our servants, the author says they have become our
masters. In what sense has this come about? (4)
(b) The use of machines has secured for us more free time and more energy. But the
author says that this has been a curse rather than a blessing. Why? (4)
(c) What exactly is the meaning of 'civilization'? Do you agree with the author's
views? (4)
(d) 'Making more beautiful things' - what does this expression mean? Make a list of
the beautiful things that you would like to make and how you would make them. (4)
(e) Mention some plans you may have to prevent poverty in the world. Who would
receive your most particular attention, and why? (4)
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Answers
(a) Machines have become our masters because our dependence on them has grown to
such an extent that many of us lead our entire lives looking after and waiting upon
machines. We have to work hard, first for buying machines and then for maintaining
them.
(b) The author feels that machines have become a curse rather than a blessing. The
reason in his opinion being that machines have afforded modern man a lot of free
time but he is using this time in maintaining the existing machines and inventing
new ones. The author laments that the time and energy saved through machines is not
being used in the service of humanity and civilization.
(c) Civilization means advanced level of social organization that works for human
welfare and ensures peaceful coexistence. The author rightly points out that
civilization means making more and more beautiful things, discovering further facts
about the universe, removing the causes of conflicts between nations and finding
ways to prevent poverty.
and (d) By 'making more beautiful things', the author means things that may please
the aesthetic sense of a person provide him with an opportunity to be closer to the
nature. Beautiful things include love, leisure, justice, equality and discovering
the universe.
(e) Poverty in the world can be prevented, by employing more humans and fewer
machines in work. The fruits of industrialization must be shared with the poor by
making workers partners in profit. We need to focus on the less privileged sections
of the society and to take steps to include them in the mainstream life. Poverty
can be overcome through the concept of welfare state.
CSS-2019
When I returned to the common the sun was setting. The crowd about the pit had
increased, and stood out black against the lemon yellow of the sky-a couple of
hundred people, perhaps. There were raised voices, and some sort of struggle
appeared to
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be going on about the pit. Strange imaginings passed through my mind. As I drew
nearer I heard Stent's voice: "Keep back! Keep back!" A boy came running towards
me. "It's movin'," he said to me as he passed; "it's screwin' and screwin' out. I
don't like it. I'm goin' home, I am." I went on to the crowd. There were really, I
should think, two or three hundred people elbowing and jostling one another, the
one or two ladies there being by no means the least active. "He's fallen in the
pit!" cried someone. "Keep back!" said several. The crowd swayed a little, and I
elbowed my way through. Everyone seemed greatly excited. I heard a peculiar humming
sound from the pit. "I say!" said Ogilvy. "Help keep these idiots back. We don't
know what's in the confounded thing, you know!" I saw a young man, a shop assistant
in Woking I believe he was, standing on the cylinder and trying to scramble out of
the hole again. The crowd had pushed him in. The end of the cylinder was being
screwed out from within. Nearly two feet of shining screw projected. Somebody
blundered against me, and I narrowly missed being pitched onto the top of the
screw. I turned, and as I did so the screw must have come out, for the lid of the
cylinder fell upon the gravel with a ringing concussion. I stuck my elbow into the
person behind me, and turned my head towards the Thing again. For a moment that
circular cavity seemed perfectly black. I had the sunset in my eyes. I think
everyone expected to see a man emerge-possibly something a little unlike us
terrestrial men, but in all essentials a man. I know I did. But, looking, I
presently saw something stirring within the shadow: greyish billowy movements, one
above another, and then two luminous disks- like eyes. Then something resembling a
little grey snake, about the thickness of a walking stick, coiled up out of the
writhing middle, and wriggled in the air towards me-and then another. A sudden
chill came over me. There was a loud shriek from a woman behind. I half turned,
keeping my eyes fixed upon the cylinder still, from which other tentacles were now
projecting, and began pushing my way back from the edge of the pit. I saw
astonishment giving place to horror on the faces of the people about me. I heard
inarticulate exclamations on all sides. There
179
was a general movement backwards. I saw the shopman struggling still on the edge of
the pit. I found myself alone, and saw the people on the other side of the pit
running off, Stent among them. I looked again at the cylinder and ungovernable
terror gripped me. I stood petrified and staring. A big greyish rounded bulk, the
size, perhaps, of a bear, was rising slowly and painfully out of the cylinder. As
it bulged up and caught the light, it glistened like wet leather. Two large dark-
coloured eyes were regarding me steadfastly. The mass that framed them, the head of
the thing, was rounded, and had, one might say, a face. There was a mouth under the
eyes, the lipless brim of which quivered and panted, and dropped saliva. The whole
creature heaved and pulsated convulsively. A lank tentacular appendage gripped the
edge of the cylinder, another swayed in the air. Those who have never seen a living
Martian can scarcely imagine the strange horror of its appearance. The peculiar V-
shaped mouth with its pointed upper lip, the absence of brow ridges, the absence of
a chin beneath the wedge like lower lip, the incessant quivering of this mouth, the
Gorgon groups of tentacles, the tumultuous breathing of the lungs in a strange
atmosphere, the evident heaviness and painfulness of movement
due to the greater gravitational energy of the earth above all, the extraordinary
intensity of the immense eyes-were at once vital, intense, inhuman, crippled and
monstrous. There was something fungcid in the oily brown skin, something in the
clumsy deliberation of the tedious movements unspeakably nasty. Even at this first
encounter, this first glimpse, I was overcome with disgust and dread.
Questions
1. What leads us to believe that this passage is from a science fiction story? (4)
2. How was the crowd behaving?
3. Why did the mood of the crowd alter?
(4)
4. What was the narrator's initial reaction to the "Thing"? (4) 5. Why did the
writer feel disgusted? (4)
(4)
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Answers
1. The situation described in this passage is not real. It is the product of pure
fantasy. The "thing" in it is not found in the real world. It is a strange creature
with unusual and horrible features. All this shows that this passage is from a
science fiction story.
2. The crowd was intensely excited and curious to know what was there in the pit.
The suspense was unbearable for the people gathered around the pit. They were
pushing each other to see into the pit.
3. In the beginning, the people were excited and curious to see the "creature in
the pit." When they had the first glimpse of the "thing," they were horrified
because the thing was extremely repulsive, ugly and frightening. They feared that
the thing might attack them. This changed their mood and they ran away from the
pit.
4. The initial reaction of the narrator was that, seeing the pit and fearing the
presence of some horrible creature in it, he was imagining strange things. Driven
by curiosity, he pushed through the crowd to reach nearer the pit. On seeing the
ugly face of the "thing", he too was horrified like the men who were running away
from the pit. He, however, stood there alone.
5. The writer felt disgusted when he saw the creature's face because its features
were extremely bizarre, odd, strange, ugly and horrifying.
CSS-2020
Globalization is viewed by its proponents as a process of cementing economic,
cultural and political bonds between peoples of different countries of the world.
One may regard it as a process by which they are welded into a single world
society, to be termed as global society. It means internationalization of
production and labour leading to integration of economies of developing and
developed countries into global economy. To quote Rosaberth M. Kanter, "The world
is becoming a global
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shopping mall in which ideas and products are available everywhere at the same
time."
Globalization is a natural outcome of computer networking and electronic mass
communication. Information technology has made it possible for nations of the world
to contact one another beyond their national borders. Besides, globalization is
also promoted through the growth and proliferation of multinational companies and
corporations that operate as transporter networks. Anyhow the flow of capital
technology and labour across the borders of countries has accentuated the process
of globalization. Deregulation, liberalism and privatization being assiduously
pursued in the developing countries are some other manifestations of globalization.
These countries are opening their economies to follow these trends. The size of the
public sector is shrinking for the private sector to assume an increasingly
important role in the economic development of the Third World countries. The
downsizing of the public sector is in
line with the spirit of market economy. This is suggested as a measure to cover up
their fiscal deficit.
Questions
. 2. What is electronic mass communication? 3. What does the term Third World
denote? 4. What is privatization?
1. Define globalization
F F F F F (4) (4) (4) (4) (4)
5. Explain 'liberalism' in the above context.
Answers
Globalization is the connection of different parts of the world resulting in the
expansion of international cultural, 2.
1.
economic, and political activities. It is the movement and integration of goods and
people among different countries. Electronic mass communication is the process of
communicating with others using electronic means and information communication
technology tools like email, social media newsgroups, chat rooms, video
conferencing, instant messaging, phone and fax.
The term 'Third World' denotes underdeveloped and veloping countries, especially
from Asia and Africa. It
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encompassed all countries that were not actively aligned with either side in the
Cold War and these were often impoverished former European colonies, and included
nearly all the nations of Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.
The transfer of ownership, property or business from the government to the private
sector is termed privatization. The government ceases to be the owner of the entity
or business. It is a manifestation of today's free-market economy.
5. Liberalism, in the above context, is the opening up of countries to the trends
of globalization. The notions of privatization and free market are important
ingredients of this ideology in the field of economy.
CSS-2021
In its response to 9/11, America has shown itself to be not only a hyperpower but
increasingly assertive and ready to use its dominance as a hyperpower. After
declaring a War on Terrorism, America has led two conventional wars, in Afghanistan
and Iraq, demonstrating its overwhelmingly awesome military might. But these
campaigns reveal something more: America's willingness to have recourse to arms as
appropriate and legitimate means to secure its interests and bolster its security.
It has set forth a new doctrine: the right of pre-emptive strike when it considers
its security, and therefore its national interests, to be at risk. The
essence of this doctrine is the real meaning of hyperpower. Prime Minister Tony
Blair has consistently argued that the only option in the face of hyperpower is to
offer wise counsel. But increasingly this is a course that governments and people
across .the world have refused. The mobilisation for war against Iraq split the
United Nations and provoked the largest anti-war demonstrations the world has ever
seen. And through it all, America maintained its determination to wage war alone if
necessary and not to be counselled by the concerns of supposedly allied governments
when they faithfully represented the wishes of their electorates. Rather than
engaging in debate, the American government expressed its exasperation. The
influential new breed of neoconservative radio and television hosts went much
further. They acted as ringmasters for outpourings of public scorn that saw French
fries renamed 'freedom fries' and moves to boycott French and German produce across
America. If one sound-bite
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can capture a mood, then perhaps it would be Fox News' Bill O' Reilly. At the
height of the tension over a second Security Council resolution to legitimate war
in Iraq, Mr O'Reilly told his viewers that the bottom line was security, the
security of his family, and in that matter There's no moral equivalence between the
US and Belgium'. It is, in effect, the ethos of hyperpower articulated and made
manifest in the public domain of 24-hour talk. And America's willingness to
prosecute war has raised innumerable questions about how it engages with other
countries. Afghanistan has seen the removal of the Taliban. But there are no
official statistics on the number of innocent civilians dead and injured to achieve
that security objective. The people of Afghanistan have witnessed a descent into
the chaos that preceded the arrival of the Taliban, a country administered not by a
new era of democracy under the tutelage of the hyperpower, but merely by the return
of the warlords. Beyond Kabul, much of the country remains too insecure for any
meaningful efforts at reconstruction and there is enormous difficulty in bringing
relief aid to the rural population.
Questions
1. Why does the doctrine of power set by neo-imperial America deny space to
counselling? (4)
2. What is the essence of 'moral equivalence' whereas War has no moral
justification? (4)
3. Why do countries occupied and under the tutelage of hyperpower have no peace?
(4)
4. Arguably Europe and hyperpower US are at cross purposes over the concept of war.
Are they? Why? (4)
5. What Tony Blair meant by 'wise counsel', and did it prevail? (4) Answers
1. There is no space for counselling because America thinks that it is a
hyperpower, and can take decisions at its own when its security and national
interests are at stake. It uses the doctrine of pre-emptive strike as a
justification for attacking the hostile countries.
2. Whenever America launches an offensive against any 'hostile' country, it claims
that the target country was planning to harm American. The U.S. refused to listen
to Belgium's proposal, The question is how can a nation that
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stands nowhere against the military might of America can harm it. Would it be
morally justified to attack such a country that cannot even defend itself? This is
the essence of the term "moral equivalence".
3. The countries occupied and under the tutelage of US ultimately fall to chaos and
violence. Afghanistan is a glaring example. The US tries to place puppet
governments in the occupied lands but they have no control over the whole country.
The warlords like Taliban and other factions return to fill the vacuum after the
withdrawal and create unrest.
European nations disagree with the US doctrine of war and do not want to support it
because their voters do not like to participate in war. The European leaders have
to respect the sentiments of the electorates.
5. By 'wise counsel' Tony Blair meant advising the US not to attack Iraq,
Afghanistan and other countries. However, the US did not listen to this advice.
CSS-2022
Civil society refers to all of the places where individuals gather together to have
conversations, pursue common interests and, occasionally, try to influence public
opinion or public policy. In many respects, civil society is where people spend
their time when they are not at work or at home. For example, a group of people
gather at a local park every Thursday afternoon for a game of football. Most of
them arrive well before the game begins and stay for some time after it ends. Some
of them go out for dinner or a drink after the game. In the course of their
meetings they talk about a wide range of topics, including football but also
extending to include issues such as work, family, relationships, community events,
racial issues and politics. This kind of solidarity can be found in a variety of
other places in civil society - such as sports clubs, bowling leagues, reading
groups and social movements - where individuals get together to associate on the
basis of some shared interest fostering more effective forms of citizenship. Even
though people may come together on the basis of an interest they all share in
common, they eventually have to develop productive strategies for dealing with
conflicts and differences that emerge within the association. Team mates in a
bowling league discover,
185
on certain issues, significant differences of opinion. And yet, because they value
the association and look forward to participating in its activities, they do not
respond to these differences by exiting the scene. Instead, they search for the
ways of interacting that will not threaten the solidarity of the group. In the
process, they learn to appreciate and to tolerate social differences, a valuable
skill to have in an increasingly multicultural nation. They also develop a general
sense of social trust and mutual obligation, which makes society function more
efficiently (this is what political scientists and sociologists are talking about
when they refer to the importance of social capital). Gathering together in an
association, people begin to think about their shared private interest as a
collective public interest, and they try to make sure that this public interest is
safe and secured. For example, the group that gets together for a weekly football
game begins to talk about the park as an important community resource; if feel that
the park is being mistreated or mismanaged, will organize a 'save the park'
campaign to try to influence their local politicians and the other residents of the
community. Recently, there has been growing concern that civil society is weaker
than it used to be, because people are losing interest in joining association. As
citizens become increasingly disconnected from voluntary associations, they will
experience less trust and less social connection, and as a result political
institutions will function less efficiently. However, some scholars opine that many
people are simply choosing to participate in different kinds of associations with
fewer face-to-face meetings but supplemented with 'virtual' interactions
facilitated by resources.
Questions
1. How does the author characterize the concept of civil society? (4)
2. Why does civil society strive towards better socialization driven by tolerance?
(4)
3. What do you understand by the term 'Social Capital' used in this passage? (4)
4. Why does a civil society assume the role of a public stakeholder? (4)
5. What impact is feared by the weakening state of civil society?(4)
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Answers
1. According to the author civil society refers to all social platforms where
people gather after their working hours for conversation and pursing common
interests. At times these occasions are used for influencing public opinion. In
such meeting they discuss topics like sports, politics, work, family and racism.
2. Conflicts and difference of opinion would obviously emerge during social
interactions. The participants of social groups devise strategies for the smooth
functioning of the group. They learn to tolerate and appreciate social and
political differences and in the process help promote tolerance and empathy in the
society.
3. The communication, mutual respect and tolerance among the members of a social
groups help develop a general sense of social trust and multiculturalism. This
ensures efficient running of the society in general. The valuable service by civil
society in promoting social harmony is referred to as "social capital" by the
sociologists.
The civil society assumes the role of a public stake holder as it plays an
important role in raising voice for safeguarding the public interest. By gathering
together in an association their shared private interests ultimately become a part
of the collective public interest.
5. Weakening of the civil society in recent times and dwindling public interest in
social associations is creating a sense of mistrust and social apathy in the
citizens. .This ultimately is having a negative impact on the efficient functioning
of the political institutions.
CHAPTER 20
UNSOLVED PASSAGES FOR PRACTICE
PASSAGE 1
Teaching, more even than most other professions, has been transformed during the
last hundred years from a small, highly. skilled profession concerned, with a
minority of the population, to a large and important branch of the public service,
the profession has a great and honorable tradition, extending from the dawn of
history until recent times, but any teacher in the modern world who allows himself
to be inspired by the ideal of his function to teach what he thinks, but, to
instill such beliefs and prejudices as are thought useful by his explorers. In
former days a teacher was expected to be a man of exceptional knowledge or wisdom,
to whose words men would do well to attend. In antiquity, teachers were not an
organized profession, and no control was exercised over what they taught. It is
true that they were often punished afterwards for their subversive doctrines.
Socrates was put to death and Plato is said to have been thrown into prison, but
such incidents did not interfere with the spread of their doctrines. Any man who
has the genuine impulse of the teacher will be more anxious to survive in his books
than in the flesh. A feeling of intellectual independence is essential to the
proper fulfillment of the teacher's functions, since it is his business to instill
knowledge and reasonableness into the process of forming public opinion.
In our more highly organized world we face a problem. Something called education is
given to everybody, usually by the state. The teacher has thus become, in the vast
majority of cases, a civil servant obliged to carry out the best of men who this
learning, who have no experience of dealing with av
188
the young, and whose only attitude towards education is that of the propagandist.
Questions
(a) What change has occurred in the profession of teaching during the last hundred
years? (7)
) What do you consider to be the basic functions of a teacher in the olden days?
(7)
(b
(c) What handicaps does modern teacher face as compared to the teachers in the
olden days? (6)
PASSAGE 2
Heads of government attending the London economic summit will have no excuses if
they fail to curb the level of arms exports. A new definitive study by the
International Monetary Fund, not generally known, for its liberal views, makes it
plain that high levels of arms spending in some developing countries have retorted
social programmes, economic development projects and the private sector; the latter
an issue with which the seven richest market economies can identity. The IMF,
however, pick out 10 consistent
offenders among developing countries which spend more than 15 percent of their GDP
on the military, they are: Israel, Angola, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq,
Syria, Egypt and Libya. Employing some unusually forceful language the Fund says:
High levels of military expenditure certainly led to low growth and domestic
economic hardship in some countries by diverting funds from social programmes,
economic development projects and the private social sector.
The study poses a couple of other serious problems for the summit. It shows for
instance, that military expenditure is very sensitive to financial constraints.
Thus, if countries are deprived of resources then they are forced to cut back on
armaments.
189
Questions
(a) (b) 33
What are the heads of government doing at the summit? (4) What are the findings of
the new study? (4)
(c) How does military expenditure affect domestic economy of a country and in what
ways? (4)
(d) What is the relationship between spending and economic growth? (4)
(e)
How military expenditure is related resources?
(4)
PASSAGE 3
A political community may be viewed as a group of people living together under a
common regime, with a common set of authorities to make important decisions for the
group as a whole. To the extent that the regime is legitimate, we would further
specify that the people have internalized a common set of rules. Given the
predominately achievement-oriented norms which seem to be a necessary concomitant
of industrial society, these rules must apply equally to the entire population or
precisely those criteria (e.g. language) which are basis for blocking individual
social mobility, can become the basis for cleavage which threatens the
disintegration of the political community.
Among post-tribal multilingual populations where the masses are illiterate,
generally unaware of national events, and have low expectations of social and
economic mobility, the problem is largely irrelevant, even if such populations have
a linguistically distinct elite group. In contrast, when the general population of
a society is going through the early stages of social mobilization, language group
conflicts seem particularly likely to occur; they may develop animosities, which
take on a life of their own and persist beyond the situation, which gave rise to
them. The degree to which this happens may be significantly affected by the type of
policy which the government adopts he transitional period.
190
The likelihood that linguistic division will lead to political conflict is
particularly great when the language cleavages are linked with the presence of a
dominant group which blocks the social mobility of members of a subordinate group,
partly, at least, on the basis of language factors. Where a dominant group holds
the positions of power at the head of the major bureaucracies in a modern society,
and gives preference in recruitment to those who speak the dominant language, any
submerged group has the options of assimilation, non-mobility or group resistance.
If an individual is overwhelmed numerically or psychologically by the dominant
language, if his group is proportionately too small to maintain a self-contained
community within the society, assimilation usually occurs. In contrast, if one is
part of a numerous or geographically concentrated minority group, assimilation is
more difficult and is more likely to seem unreasonable. If the group is numerous
and mobilized political resistance is likely.
Questions
(a) A political community is identified as a group of people who have three things
in common: What are they? (2)
(b) Why are the rules important?
(c) Give another word or paraphrase for:
(i) Cleavage;
(2)
(ii) Disintegration.
(2)
(d) In the second paragraph the authors distinguished between two types of society:
What are they? (2)
(e) What problem is irrelevant to the first type?
22
(f) What is likely to happen to the second?
(g) When will language create political conflict?
(2)
(b) What is assimilation and when does it occur? (i) When does group resistance
occur?
(2)
(2)
(j) Give the opposite of the term "dominant group" used in the text. (2)
(2)
191
PASSAGE 4
In countless other places, companies locating overseas are causing environmental
harm. Japan has come in for heavy . criticism from environmentalists in Southeast
Asia for allegedly locating extremely harmful processes abroad because they no
longer can pass environmental muster at home. A Malaysian subsidiary of the
Mitsubishi Kasei Corp. was forced by court order to close after years of protests
by local residents that the plant's dumping of radioactive thorium was to blame for
unusually high leukemia rates in the region. Several multinational corporations
operating in South Africa, including local subsidiaries of the Bayer
Pharmaceuticals concern and a Duracell battery plant, have been implicated by local
environmentalists in toxic catastrophes that they believe have caused cancer and
other severe health problems among workers.
Despite the threats, international markets also help diffuse many environmentally
helpful products around the world. Trade in pollution control technologies is on
the rise, particularly as environmental laws are strengthened in developing
countries. International trade also can put pressure on companies to match the
environmental immolations of their international competitors, as in the U.S.
industry's response to Japan's advances in fuel efficiency.
Meanwhile, there are indications that contrary to some people's expectations, being
open to foreign investment can help- prevent the creation of pollution havens,
rather than cause them. Research by Nancy Birds and David Wheeler of the World Bank
found the dirty industries developed faster in Latin American economies relatively
inhospitable to foreign investment than in open ones. Another World Bank study
looked at the rates at which 60 different countries adopted a 1 pulping technology
and concluded that the new made its way to nations open to foreign investment adly
than to those closed to it.
192
The authors of these studies suggest several possible explanations for such trends.
For one, closed economies protect capital- intensive and pollution-intensive
industries in situations where low-cost labour otherwise, would have been drawn to
less polluting industries. Second, companies trying to sell their goods in
industrial countries need to please the growing number of "green 1 consumers"
there. Finally, the equipment used by multinationals tends to be newer and cleaner
than that employed by national industries.
Questions
(a) Why is Japan under heavy criticism?
(2)
(b) What did the court decree in Malaysia? And why?
(2)
(c) How does a certain industry cause cancer to the local residents? (2)
(d) What could be the role of international markets in controlling pollution? (2)
(e) What is a "pollution haven"?
(f) What does the research by Nancy Birds and David Wheeler say? (2)
(g) What does "the other study" by World Bank reveal?
(h) Who is a "green consumer"?
(2)
(2)
(2)
i) How do you explain capital "intensive and pollution
intensive"?
(j) How can we save the local residents from the pollution hazards? (2)
PASSAGE 5
(2)
Do we realize the extent to which the modern world relies for its opinions on
public utterances and the Press? Do we realize how completely we are all in the
power of report? Any little lie or exaggerated sentiment uttered by one with a bee
in his bonnet, with a principle or an end to serve, can, if cleverly expressed and
193
distributed, distort the view of thousands, sometimes of millions. Any willful
suppression of truth for party or personal ends can so falsify our vision of things
as to plunge us into endless cruelties and follies. Honesty of thought and speech
and written word is a jewel and they who curb prejudice and seek honourably to know
and speak the truth are the only true builders of a better life. But what a dull
world if we can't chatter and write irresponsibly, can't slop over with hatred or
pursue our own ends without scruple! To be tied to the apron strings of truth, or
coiffed with the nightcap of silence; who in this age of cheap ink and oratory,
will submit to such a fate?
Report, I would almost say, now rules the world and holds the face of man on the
sayings of its many tongues. If the good sense of mankind cannot somehow restrain
utterance and cleanse report, democracy, so highly vaunted, will not save us; and
all the glib words of promise spoken might as well have lain unuttered in the
throats of orators. We are always in peril under Democracy of taking the line of
least resistance and immediate material profit. The gentlemen, for instance,
whoever he was, who first discovered that he could sell his papers better by
undercutting the standard of his rivals, and appealing to the lower tastes of the
public under the flag of that convenient expression 'what the public wants' made a
most evil discovery. The Press is for the most part in the hands of men who know
what is good and right. It can be a great agency for levelling up. But whether it
is so or not, one continually hears is doubted. There ought to be no room for doubt
in any of our minds that the Press is on the side of the angels.
Questions
(a) Suggest an appropriate title for the passage.
(5)
(b) Choose FIVE of the following words, and give for each another word, or phrase,
of similar meaning which might be used to replace the word in the passage:
Utterances, Falsify, Unuttered, Glib, Levelling up..
194
(c) What can plunge us into miseries?
(d) Explain what is meant by any THREE of the following phrases as used in the
passage:
(i) With a principle or an end to serve.
(ii) This age of cheap ink and oratory.
(iii) Undercutting the standard.
(iv) On the side of the angles.
CHAPTER 21
COMMONLY USED FOREIGN PHRASES
Here are some foreign phrases frequently used by writers. Knowing their meaning
will facilitate your understanding of the passages.
ad infinitum: For indefinite period, endlessly, forever Death is a reality; no one
can stay in this world ad infinitum.
ad hoc: For a specific period This is only an ad hoc arrangement; we hope to find a
permanent solution soon.
alma matter: Place where someone is educated Government College Lahore was the alma
matter of Allama Iqbal.
alpha and omega: The beginning and the end; the entirety of something
God is the alpha and omega of this universe. OR This book covers the alpha and
omega of précis writing.
alter ego: One's other self; a close friend or associate Over the years the
secretary has become the alter ego of his
billet-doux: Love letter
On his wedding day, he surprisingly received a billet-doux from his former
girlfriend.
blitz: Destroyed by aerial bombing
boss.
Taliban hid-outs were destroyed during a US air force blitz în Afghanistan. OR
Microsoft unleashed a marketing blitz to promote their new product.
bona fide and bona fides: Authentic
This is not a bona fide piece of information. OR
196
You will have to prove your bona fides (credentials) for joining this club.)
carte blanche: Total freedom to act Unfortunately the dictators in our country had
carte blanche to make amendments in the constitution.
coup de grace: A decisive event with negative consequences like the shot delivered
to the head of a prisoner after he had faced a firing squad The financial scandal
dealt a coup de grace to his political career.
de facto: In fact, factually Although man is considered powerful in our society yet
woman is the de facto family head.
en block: All together Independent MNAs joined the majority party en block.
en masse: In a large group The Indian fans left the stadium en masse when M. S.
Dhoni got out at zero.
ex officio: By virtue of one's office The president of Pakistan becomes the
commander-in-chief of the military forces ex officio.
ex parte: Courts sometimes take ex parte decisions when one of the two parties
(usually the victim) is not present or not represented through a lawyer.
The court had to take ex parte decision when the petitioner did not appear despite
several notices.
facsimile: An exact copy of something
A facsimile edition of Oxford Dictionary has been published in India.
fait accompli: An established fact. A thing that has already been decided, with no
option but to accept it
Government presented the bill in the parliament as a fate accompli, without any
consultation and discussion. OR With five top batsmen out for just 40 runs, our
team's defeat is a fate accompli.
genre: Kind type, style; especially in art and literature. Science fiction is a
relatively new genre of literature.
197
impasse: Blind alley, position from where there is no way out, standstill
Peace talks between Pakistan and India have reached an impasse once again.
ipso facto: By the very fact Terrorist attack is ipso facto a security lapse. OR
His silence is ipso facto confession of his guilt.
laissez faire: No government interference in with the individual's businesses,
freedom to earn as much as one can. In socialism there no concept of laissez faire
as economy is under the state control..
lingua franca: A common language Urdu is has become a lingua franca of Pakistan as
it is understood in all the provinces.
prima facie: At first sight, on the face of it, apparently Prima facie, corruption
charges against him are true. OR Prima facie he is not guilty in this case.
par excellence: A very good example of some quality He is a teacher par excellence.
persona non grata: A person, especially a diplomat, who is unacceptable and not
welcome because of his conduct The government has declared the Indian ambassador a
persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country.
pros and cons: Reasons for and against Before launching this project we must
discuss its pros and cons.
mores: Customs and manners of a particular society Social mores of tribal areas do
not allow men and women to meet before marriage.
modus operandi: Method of operating I agree with your plan but I have reservations
about your modus operandi. naïve: Simple, immature, artless person
She is too naïve to judge the hypocrisy of people.
quantum: Physical quantity The quantum of corruption by our politicians is
unbelievable.
198
raison d'être: Reason for being Two Nation Theory was the raison d'être for the
creation of Pakistan.
sine die: Without a day being appointed, indefinitely The session of the National
Assembly was adjourned sine die.
status quo: The existing condition Rightist parties do not like change and want to
maintain the status quo.
ultra vires: Beyond ones authority, illegal, unwarranted The prison term awarded by
NAB court was suspended by the Supreme Court for being Ultra Vires.
vendetta: Private revenge The politician claimed that corruption cases against him
were nothing but a personal vendetta.
verbatim: Using exactly the same words I have reproduced his speech verbatim
without changing a single word.
volte face: A sudden and complete change The Opposition leader surprised all when
he made a dramatic volte-face by withdrawing the resolution at the last moment.
CHAPTER 22
ONE-WORD SUBSTITUTION
Abdicate: To relinquish formally a high office or responsibility Aborigines: The
people found in a country at the time of the earliest known settlement
Abrogate: To do away with a rule, to annul a law
Accelerate: To make more rapid in speed
Acclimatize: To accustom oneself to a foreign climate, new environment
Aggravate: To increase the gravity of an offence or the intensity of a disease
Agnostic: One who believes that there is no proof of the existence of God but does
not deny the possibility that God exists
Agoraphobia: Dread of public places
Alimony: An allowance for support made under court order to a divorced person by
the former spouse
Altruism: Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness
Amateur: A person who engages in an art, a science, a study, or an athletic
activity as a pastime rather than as a profession
Amphibians: Animals that can survive both on land and sea Anarchist: A person who
is out to destroy all the order in society
Annihilate: To completely destroy, render something out of existence
Anomaly: Deviation or departure from common rule or standard
200
Antagonist: One who opposes and contends against another; an adversary
Anthology: Collection of literary pieces, such as poems, short stories, or plays
Antiquity: Belonging to the past
Apostate: One who abandons his religious faith, renegade, defector
Aquarium: A tank for fish or water-plants
Aquatic: Animals that live in water
Arbitrator: A person chosen by quarrelling parties to settle their dispute
Aristocracy: A hereditary ruling class; nobility, elite
Ascetic: A person who renounces the world and devotes himself to a strictly pious
life
Assimilate: To absorb, incorporate
Atheist: A man who does not believe in the existence of God or in life hereafter
Attenuate: To sooth, ease a harsh expression or situation, calm down
Audible: That can be heard
Autobiography: The life history of a man written by himself
Autocracy: Government by one man
Aviary: A place where birds are kept
Bellicose: A man who is fond of fighting
Belligerent: Nations engaged in war
Bibliophile: One who is a great lover of books
Bicameral: Composed of or based on two legislative chambers
Biennial: That which happens once in two years
Biennium: A two years period
Bigamy: The practice of having two wives at a time
Bigot: A man with narrow and prejudiced religious views
201
Bilingual: People who speak two languages
Blasphemy: The act of talking impiously about sacred things Blistering: Intensely
hot
Blonde: A woman with skin and hair of golden-brown colour Brunette: A woman with
dark skin and brown hair
Bureaucracy: Administration of a government chiefly through bureaus or departments
staffed with non-elected officials; the departments and their officials as a group
Cacophony: A disagreeable vocal sound.
Callous: A mind insensible to kind thought or sympathetic feelings
Calumniate: To cast slander on a person
Carnivore: Flesh eater
Casting vote: The vote of a presiding officer in an assembly or council, given to
break a tie.
Catastrophe: A great, often sudden calamity
Celibacy: The state of being without a wife
Censorious: A man who is always inclined to find fault
Chaos: A condition or place of great disorder or confusion
Circumlocution: A roundabout way of speaking, not straight talk
Coerce: To impel a person to do a thing by force
Collaborator: One who attempts a task jointly with another (such tasks as the
writing of a book or starting an enterprise)
Colleagues: Men who work in the same department of an office
etc.
Colonialism: The principle or the practice in which a powerful country rules a
weaker one and establishes its own trade and culture there
Colossus: A huge statue
Compatriot: Belonging to the same country and having the same Interest and feelings
202
Consummate: To finish by completing what was intended
Contagious: Transmission by direct or indirect physical contact Contemporary:
Belonging to the same period of time
Contiguous: Adjacent, Neighbouring (countries, etc.)
Contumacy: Willful and persistent resistance to lawful authority Cosmopolitan:
Pertinent or common to the whole world
Credulous: One who is very simple and who easily believes whatever is told
Cutlery: Knives, forks, etc.
Cynic: One who thinks that human nature is essentially evil
Defame: To utter slanderous words with a view to injuring a man's reputation
Delegate: To give one's authority to another
Deliberate: To carefully think about a matter
Deprecate: To express disapproval of
Depreciate: To lower the value of
Desecrate: To deprive (a thing) of its sacred character
Digress: To deviate from the point at issue or topic of discussion Diplomacy: The
art practiced by statesmen and ambassadors Dotage: Extreme old age when a man often
behaves like a fool
Dogmatic: Having rigid, inflexible and fixed beliefs
Drought: Want of rain and water
Eccentric: A man of unusual and strange habits
Edible: A thing that is fit to be eaten
Effeminate: The man who behaves or looks like a woman
Efficacious: A plan, which will produce the intended effect
Egoist: A lover of oneself, self obsessed, gives excessive importance to himself
Elaborate: To work out in all its details, explain thoroughly Eligible: That is fit
to be chosen, qualified
203
Elucidate: To clear up something difficult or mysterious
Emancipationist: A man who thinks of the freeing of the lower classes from their
disabilities
Empiric: One who relies on experience and observation
Endemic: A disease which is peculiar to a locality or a class of persons
Ennui: Mental weariness from lack of occupation, laziness
Entomology: Study of insects
Epicure: A person who is very fond of sensuous pleasures
Epitaph: Words inscribed on the tomb of a man
Equilibrium: A state of perfect balance
Eradicate: To root out an evil, a disease, etc.
Ethnology: Science of human races
Etymology: The science which deals with the origin of words
Excavate: To unearth by digging
Exculpated: To clear of guilt or blame
Executive: The part of the government which preserves the law and order, and
carries out the laws made by the legislature
Exonerate: To free (a person) from all blame in a matter
Expatriate: To send out of one's native country
Expiate: To make atonement (amends) for one's sins
Explicit: An absolutely clear statement
Expurgate: To exclude objectionable matter (from some book or document)
Extempore: A speech delivered without previous preparation Extradite: To deliver a
criminal to the authorities of the country from which he has come
Fanatic: A man filled with excessive and mistaken enthusiasm in matters of religion
Fastidious: One who is not pleased by anything, difficult to please
204
and
Fatalist: One who believes absolutely in fate
predetermination
Feminist: A man who thinks of the welfare of women
Fratricide: Murder of a brother
Frustrate: To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire
disappeared, drop-less
Fumigate: Purify or disinfect with fumes, smoke
Gala-day: A day of gaiety and festivity
Germicide: A medicine that kills germs
Herbivorous: Animals which live on herbs
Homicide: The killing of a man
Hygienist: One who is very careful about one's health
Iconoclast: Orie who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or
institutions
Idiosyncrasy: A personal peculiarity of temperament, peculiar habit
Idolatry: Worship of idols
Illegible: A writing that cannot be read
Illicit: A trade, activity that is prohibited by law
Immutable: A thing that is not subject to change
Imperialism: The policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial
acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other
nations
Impracticable: A scheme that cannot be put into practice
Inapt: A comparison that is out of place, unsuitable, inaaproprite
Inaudible: A sound that cannot be heard
Incredible: A thing which can hardly be believed
Incriminate: To accuse or involve one in accusation, to lay the blame on
Indefatigable: One who cannot be tired out, untiring
Ineligible: One who is not fit according to the rules
205
Infallible: Incapable of erring, making mistake Infanticide: The murder of infants
Inflammable: Liable to catch fire easily
Inimitable: A method which cannot be imitated
Insoluble: A problem not likely to be solved
Insolvent: A person who is unable to play his debts
Instigate: To urge to commit a crime
Irrelevant: Remarks which do not really apply to the subject in hand
Irrepressible: A desire that cannot be suppressed
Itinerant: Working for a short time at various places esp. as a casual labourer.
Loquacious: A person given to continual talking, talkitive
Magnetic: Something that attracts, the property of attracting iron Maiden: The
first speech delivered by a man or first voyage of a ship
Materialistic: A society where money or gain is the most important consideration
Matinee: A cinema show which is held in the afternoon.
Matricide: The murder or murderer of one's own mother
Medieval: Belonging to the Middle Ages
Misalliance: Marriage with a person of inferior social status Misanthropist: A
hater of mankind
Misogamist: A hater of the institution of marriage
Misogynist: A hater of women
Mobocracy: Rule by mob
Monogamy: The practice of being married to one at a time Mortuary: A building where
dead bodies are kept
Naturalisation: Admitting a person to the citizenship of a state to which he does
not belong
206
Nepotism: Undue favour from a high official to his relatives Neurotic: A person
suffering from nervous disorder
Obsolete: A word no longer in use, anything that is outdated
Oligarchy: Government by the few
Omnipotent: One who is all powerful
Omnipresent: Present everywhere. God is omnipotent and omnipresent
Optimistic: One who believes that all is right with the world Ostracise: To isolate
somebody from society and fellowship Panacea: A remedy for all
diseases/ills/problems Pantomime: Dramatic performance with dumb show
Paragon: A model of excellence or perfection of a kind
Parasite: The creeper that can exist only by living upon other plants. The man who
uses others' resources to survive is
called parasites
Patricide: The murder or murderer of one's own father
Patrimony: Property inherited from one's father or ancestors
Peculate: To misappropriate public money entrusted to one's care Pedestrian: One
who walks on foot
Perpetuate: To continue for a long period of time
Philanderer: A person who amuses himself by love-making
Philanthropist: A man who loves his fellowmen and works for their welfare
Philistine: One who does not care for literature or art, an uncultured person
Philogynist: A person who is a lover of women
Plagiarist: A writer who copies the words and ideas of others Platitudes: Ordinary
and commonplace remarks, clichés
Plutocracy: Government by rich people
Polyandry: Practice of marrying more than one husband at a time
207
Polygamy: Practice of marrying more than one wife at a time Posthumous: Works of a
writer appearing after his death
Postmortem: Medical examination of a body held after death
Precursor: One who or that which precedes an event and indicates its approach
Protagonist: The main character in a drama, novel or other literary works
Pugnacity: Tendency to quarrel or fight
Pyrrhic victory: A victory gained at too great an expense, at heavy cost
Reanimate: To restore to life, reactivate a dead project
Red-tapism: Too much official formality
Remuneration: The sum paid to a man for a work
Reticent: To be very reserved in speech
Retrospective: Having reference to past
Sacrilege: The act of violating the sanctity or destroying the property of the holy
places, disrespect to sacred things
Somnambulist: One who walks in sleep
Somniloquist: One who talks in sleep
Sterilise: To render safe from germs
Stoic/Stoicism: A person who is indifferent to pleasure or pain / practice of self-
denial
Synchronise: To take place at the same time as another event
Untamable: An animal that cannot be tamed
Vacillate: To make up one's mind one day and to change it the next day,
inconsistency
Venal: One who may be ready to sell one's life for money
Venial: A fault that may be forgiven
Verbatim: Using exactly the same words; word for word. Verbose: A style full of
words
208
Veteran: A person who had a long experience of military service or of any
occupation
Vindicate: To establish the justness of a cause
Vulnerable: That is weak and susceptible (at risk) to injury or harm of any kind
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