Question

An increase in the sense of human power is the most important effect of machine
production. This is only an acceleration of a process which began before the dawn of
history, when men diminished their fear of wild animals by the invention of weapons, and
their fear of starvation by the invention of agriculture. But the acceleration has been so
great as to produce a radically new outlook in those who wield the power that modern
techniques have created. In the old days, mountains and waterfalls were natural
phenomena; now, mountain can be abolished and a river can be created in its place. In the
old days, there were deserts and fertile regions; now, the desert can be made to blossom
like the rose, while fertile regions turned to deserts by insufficiently scientific optimists. In
the old days, peasants lived as their parents and grandparents had directed they should.
Now the authorities can decree what the children of peasants shall learn in school, and can
transform the mentality of agriculturalists in a generation. There thus arises, among those
who direct affairs a new belief in power; first the power of man in his conflicts with nature,
and then the power of rulers against the human beings whose beliefs and aspirations they
seek to control by scientific propaganda, especially in education. The result is that fixity is
diminished. Nature is raw material: so is that part of human race which does not effectively
participate in government. There are certain old concepts which represent men's belief in
the limits of human power; of these the two chief are God and the truth. Such concepts tend
to melt away; even if not explicitly negated, they lose importance, and are retained only
superficially. This whole outlook is new, and it is impossible to say how mankind will
adapt itself to it. It has already produced immense cataclysm, and will, no doubt, produce
others in the future. To frame a philosophy capable of copying both with men intoxicated
with the prospect of almost unlimited power and with the apathy of the powerless is the
most pressing task of our time.
Questions :
a) Discuss the main idea of the passage.
b) What does the expression ‘made to blossom like the rose’ mean?
c) According to the author, what is the most important task of today?
d) What are the factors responsible for bringing about a radical change in our society?
e) How has nature been described in the passage?
f) Give the meanings of following words and use them in sentences

Answer 1

Answer:

An increase in the sense of human power is the most important effect of machine production. This is only an acceleration of a process which began before the dawn of history, when men diminished their fear of wild animals by the invention of weapons, and their fear of starvation by the invention of agriculture

mark me as brainliest