Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions (a). (b), (c) that follow: Back in 1931, a young man about 20 years of age took a walking tour in the rural province of Provence, in southern France. Provence was a rather barren and desolate area at the time, as it had been almost totally devoid of trees due to over cutting and too intensive agriculture. The soil had then barren and dry. Little farming was being done now because of its poor condition. The villages were old and run-down, and most of the villagers had deserted the countryside. Even the wildlife had fled, as without trees the protective undergrowth had thinned, food was scarce, and few streams remained. The young hiker stopped one night at the humble cottage of a shepherd, who, although gray- haired and in his fifties, was still very strong and stalwart. The young man spent the night there, enjoying the shepherd's kind hospitality, and ended up staying several days with him. The visitor observed with some curiosity that the shepherd spent his evening hours sorting nuts by lamplight- acorns, hazelnuts. chestnuts and others. He very carefully examined them and culled out the bad ones, and when he finished his evening's work, he put the good nuts in a knapsack. Then as he led his sheep to graze the next day, he would plant the nuts along the way. While his sheep were pasturing in one area, the shepherd would take his staff, walk several paces, and then thrust the end of the staff into the ground, making a small hole. He would then drop in one of the nuts and use his foot to cover it with earth. Then he would walk several paces more, push his staff into the dry ground, and drop another nut. He spent all his daylight hours walking over the region of Provence as he grazed his sheep, each day covering a different area where there were few trees, planting nuts. Watching this the young man wondered what in the world this shepherd was trying to do, and he finally asked him. "Well, young man." the shepherd replied. " I'm planting trees”. "But why?" the young visitor asked. "It will be years and years before these trees ever get to where they could do any good ! You might not even live long enough to see them grow!" The shepherd replied, "Yes, but someday they'll do somebody some good and they will help to restore this dry land. I may never see it, but perhaps my children will." The young man marveled at the shepherd's foresight, vision and unselfishness, that he was willing to prepare the land for future generations, even though he might never see the results or reap the benefits himself. Twenty years later, when in his forties, the hiker once again visited the same area and was astounded at what he saw. One great valley was completely covered with beautiful natural forest of all kinds of trees. They were young trees, of course. but trees nevertheless. Life had sprung forth all over the valley! The grass had grown much greener, the shrubbery and the wildlife had returned, the soil was moist again, and the farmers were again cultivating their crops. He wondered what had happened to the old shepherd, and to his amazement found that he was still alive, hale and hearty, still living in his little cottage - and still sorting nuts each evening. The visitor said he was amazed at the change, not only in the beautiful trees, but also in the revived agriculture, the renewed wildlife, and the beautiful lush grass and shrubbery. The little farms were thriving, and the villagers seemed to have come to life again. What a contrast from when he had visited there 20 years before. When the villages had been run down and abandoned ! Now all was thriving, just because of one man's foresight, one man's diligence, one man's patience, one man's sacrifice, one man's faithfulness just to do what one man could do, day by day, day in and day out for a number of years. (a) Five words or phrases are used in the passage. Give the meaning of each as used in the passage. (i) desolate (ii) scarce (iii) pasturing (iv) reap the benefits (v) had sprung forth (b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words: (i) Give three reasons why Provence was a barren and desolate area in 1931. (ii) Why was there little or no wild life in the area? (iii) What aroused the hiker’s curiosity when he stayed with the shepherd? (iv) What would the shepherd do as he grazed his sheep daily? (v) What qualities did the hiker admire in the shepherd? (c) In not more 50 words of your own describe Provence when the hiker first visited it and the transformation he observed when he revisited it 20 years later.



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Answer 1

Answer:

Solutions

S1. Ans.(b)  

Sol. ‘progressive’ is correct word according to the given passage.

S2. Ans.(d)  

Sol. ‘whitewash’ is correct word according to the given passage.

S3. Ans.(c)  

Sol. the Gothic centuries

S4. Ans.(d)  

Sol. heroic couplet

S5. Ans.(b)  

Sol. the wisdom of his period

S6. Ans.(d)  

Sol. The author finds it ‘puzzling’

S7. Ans.(c)  

Sol. avoiding needless sufferingS8. Ans.(c)  

Sol. the doctor felt it was correct

S9. Ans.(a)  

Sol. The consent of the patient was necessary.

S10. Ans.(d)  

Sol.  The Archbishop thought that the consent of the patient turned euthanasia into suicide

S11. Ans.(d)  

Sol.  Some unjustifiable generalizations are made on ‘women’.

S12. Ans.(c)  

Sol.  Married men judge women by their wives.

S13. Ans.(c)  

Sol.  In antiquity, male supremacy was unquestioned.

S14. Ans.(b)  

Sol.  In those days, a man who took women seriously was ‘despised’.

S15. Ans.(d)  

Sol.  temptress and saint

Explanation:

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