1. Read the passage carefully : 12
The Art of Living
1. The art of living is learnt easily by those who are positive, observant and optimistic. From humble and simple people to great leaders in History, Science or Literature, we can learn a lot about the art of living, by having a peep into their lives, autobiographies or biographies. The daily routines of these great men not only reveal their different, may be unique life styles but also help us learn certain habits and practices they followed. Here are some : read, enjoy and follow in their footsteps as it suits you.
2. A private workplace always helps. Jane Austen asked that a certain squeaky hinge should never be oiled so that she always had a warning whenever someone was approaching the room where she wrote. William Faulkner,
lacking a lock on his study door, detached the doorknob and brought it into the room with him. Mark Twain’s family knew better than to breach his study door – they would blow a horn to draw him out. Graham Green went even further, renting a secret office; only his wife knew the address and the telephone number. After all, everyone of us needs a workplace where we can work on our creation uninterruptedly. Equally we need our private space too!
3. A daily walk has always been a source of inspiration. For many artists, a regular stroll was essentially a creative inspiration. Charles Dickens famously took three hour walks every afternoon, and what he observed on them fed directly into his writing. Tchaikovsky made do with a two – hour jaunt but wouldn’t return a moment early;, convinced that doing so would make him ill. Ludwig van Beethoven took lengthy strolls after lunch, carrying a pencil and paper with him in case inspiration struck. Nineteenth century composer Erik Satie did the same on his long hikes from Paris to the working-class suburb where he lived, stopping under street lamps to jot down ideas that came on his journey; it’s rumoured that when those lamps were turned off during the war years, his music declined too. Many great people had limited social life too. One of Simone de Beauvior’s close friends puts it this way: “There were no receptions, parties. It was an uncluttered kind of life, a simplicity deliberately constructed so that she could do her work.” To Pablo the idea of Sunday was an “at home day”.
4. The routines of these thinkers are difficult. Perhaps it is because they are so unattainable. The very idea that you can organize your time as you like is out of reach for most of us, so I’ll close with a toast to all those who worked with difficulties. Like Francine Prose, who began writing when the school bus picked up her children and stopped when it brought them back; or T.S. Eliot, who found it much easier to write once he had a day job in a bank than he had as a starving poet and even F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose early books were written in his strict schedule as a young military officer. Those days were not as interesting as the nights in Paris that came later, but they were much more productive – and no doubt easier on his liver.
5. Being forced to follow someone else’s routine may irritate but it makes it easier to stay on the path. Whenever we break that trail ourselves or take an easy path of least resistance, perhaps what’s most important is that we keep walking.
1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, complete the correct answer to each of the statements given below with the help of options that follow : 1 x 4 = 4
(a) The passage is about :
(i) how to practise walking.
(ii) walking everyday.
(iii) the life of a genius.
(iv) what we can learn from the routines of geniuses.
(b) The writers in the past :
(i) followed a perfect daily routine.
(ii) enjoyed the difficulties of life.
(iii) can teach us a lot.
(iv) wrote a lot in their books.
(c) In their daily routines :
(i) they had unique life styles.
(ii) they read books and enjoyed them.
(iii) they did not get any privacy.
(iv) they did not mind visitors.
(d) Some artists resorted to walking as it was :
(i) an exercise.
(ii) a creative inspiration.
(iii) essential for improving their health.
(iv) helpful in interaction with others.
1.2 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer the following questions : 1 x 6 = 6
(e) What did Jane Austen like ?
(f) Why do you think Graham Green hired a secret office ?
(g) What was the rumour about Erik Satie’s productivity ?
(h) How did her limited social life affect Simone de Beauvior ?
(i) In what way did T.S. Eliot’s day job help him to write ?
(j) What makes it easier for one to stay on the path ?
1.3 Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following : 1 2 = 2
(k) glance/look (para 1)
(l) noisy (para 2)
Answers
Answer:
hi mate
the answer are here
1.1
(a) (2) walking every day
(b) (1) followed a perfect daily routine
(C) (1) they need a unique life style
(d) (3) essential for improving their health
1.3
(k) glance / look means same as peep
(l) noisy means horn
Reading Comprehension
1.1 a) option iv-what we can learn from the routines of geniuses.
The entire passage is about the 'art of living' as practised by some of the geniuses of the world. It reflects some of the routine practices in their lives.
b) option iii-can teach us a lot.
The life of each writer is a lesson for us. All of them have something to teach us.
c) option -i- they had unique life styles.
Each writer had his or her unique life style. Most of them enjoyed solitude but each attained it in his/her own special way.
For creative recollections many walked for hours.
d) option-ii-a creative inspiration.
Many writers like Charles Dickens walked for hours. Walking was not only a recreation for them but it served as fodder to their creative brains by inspiring them with ideas and often providing material for writing.
1.2. e) Jane Austen preferred privacy so she always asserted that a certain squeaky hinge should never be oiled so that she always had a warning whenever someone was approaching the room where she wrote.
f) Graham Greene hired a secret office to be able to write in peace without being intruded or interrupted by any person. It was his secret workplace.
g) It is said that Satie on his long hikes from Paris to the working-class suburb where he lived, stopped under street lamps to jot down ideas that came on his journey; it is rumoured that when those lamps were turned off during the war years, his music declined too.
h) Simone de Beauvior led an uncluttered life with limited social life which helped her to work without disturbance, distraction and hindrance.
i) Eliots's day job provided him with money and experience. This helped him to survive as a writer.
j) To follow a routine, to stick to a path makes it easier for a person to achieve his goal. A path leads to a direction making life easier.
1.3. k) glance/look- peep
l) noisy-squeaky
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