1. A bookshop is not something you find in every gali or mohalla these days. Books, which were
once a permanent accompaniment for youngsters in their formative years, are fading out from
their list of engagements.
2. Television has been blamed for this calamitous situation, which is producing square faced
people and a bookless society. Furthermore, today's children are under pressure to be smart and
popular and to succeed on a social level. Moreover, computers, video games the internet,
swimming lessons cricket and a youngster’s passion for hour -long tete-a-tete on the telephone
with friends eat up all their leisure time.
3. A child who is constantly under pressure to live up to his parent’s expectations, which are at
times unreasonable does not like to throw himself into another set of books after the laborious
school work, unless he comes from a family of readers where the engrossing works of
Shakespeare and Dickens are just a matter of pulling them out from the shelves.
4. But a visit to the capital's leading Book stores presents a contrasting picture of youngsters
reading habits. These book shops claim that they are doing healthy business and have many
regular buyers from this age group.
5. Though the works of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Mark Twain no longer
interest teenagers, bestsellers from Daniel Steele, Sidney Sheldon and Jeffrey Archer are on the
list of all reading teens. Self-help books, such as those on personality development or relationship
management, are also picked up by many of them.
6. Mystery books like Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys are popular with kids and Mills and boons
and other romance novels with their fairly predictable formula work with teenage girls. For
parents of children below ten, volumes of Panchatantra stories, Amar Chitra Katha and other
bedtime stories are worthy purchase as these teach the child what is wrong in their own special
way. Taste and enthusiasm for literature can be communicated artfully to children by reading
bedtime-stories to them, encouraging them to play historical characters and giving books as
birthday gifts.
7. Family reading which was once popular in the West could well be adopted here. Reading aloud
the works of great men by parents to their children not only forms a warm bond between thembut also attracts young minds to the world of books which gives them a chance to explore the sea
of life.
Questions.
Based on your reading of the passage, choose the correct options.
(a) What is blamed the most for taking teenagers away from good books?
(i) cinema (ii) Television (iii) Dance shows (iv) music programmes
(b) Which of the following is a mystery book?
(i) Macbeth (ii) Panchatantra (iii) Nancy Drew (iv) Amar Chitra Katha
(c) Whose book is popular among teenagers?
(i) Jane Austen (ii) Mark Twain (iii) Shakespeare (iv) Sidney Sheldon
(d) What used to be popular in the West?
(i) Story reading (ii) Family reading (iii) Reading ancient stories (iv) Writing stories
(e)________ In paragraph 6, is the opposite of 'failure'.
(i) longer (ii) popular (iii) bestseller (iv) successful
(f) _________ in paragraph 1 of the passage means 'Companion'.
(i) company (ii) accompaniment (iii) formative (iv) engagement
(g) How do teenagers pass their leisure time?
(i) Watching TV (ii) playing video games (iii) Talking to friends on phone
(iv) All the above
(h) What should parents do to inculcate a love for books in their children?
(i) Parents should read bedtime Stories. (ii) Encourage them to play Historical characters.
(iii) Give books to them as birthday gifts. (iv) All the above
(I) Family reading was once popular in the……….
(i) East (ii) West (iii) South (iv) North
(j) Which word in Paragraph 5 means 'major'?
(i) Reading (ii) leading (iii) absorbing (iv) leisure
Answers
In this question, we are asked to choose the correct option after reading the passage.
A) Option (ii) is the correct answer i.e., Television.
Television is blamed the most for taking teenagers away from good books.
B) Option (iii) is the correct answer i.e., Nancy Drew.
Nancy Drew is a mystery book.
C) Option (iv) is the correct answer i.e., Sidney Sheldon.
Sidney Sheldon's books are popular among teenagers.
D) Option (ii) is the correct answer i.e., Family reading.
Family reading used to be popular in the West.
E) Popular in paragraph 6, is the opposite of 'failure'.
F) Accompaniment in paragraph 1 of the passage means 'Companion'.
G) Option (iv) is the correct answer i.e., All of the above.
H) Option (iv) is the correct answer i.e., All of the above.
I) Option (ii) is the correct answer i.e., West.
Family reading was once popular in the West.
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