Question

Read the following passage carefully

Gift

Flowers are among the most frequently given gifts. There’s a traditional floral language and a carefully selected bouquet or

plant can convey a wide range of emotions and sentiments. Red roses symbolise love as well the hopeful beginning of a new

enterprise; white can stand for sympathy and support, or fond memories; yellow usually connotes friendship; violets beseech

the recipients not to forget the donor; orchids and other exquisite blooms indicate that the recipient regards you as exotic,.

precious and rare.

A floral gift that evokes warm feelings will be prized more than one that is simply showy and extravagant.

In the early 1970s, Mumbai journalist Jessica Jacob was feeling lonely and homesick while studying at an American

University when she received a bouquet of roses from a friend in India. “In those days, sending flowers abroad was very

rare,” Jacob says, “and the gift immediately made me feel wanted and cared for.”

A more ambitious floral gift was received by novelist Shobha De. “Four years ago,” De recalls, “I received a wheel barrow

from a friend on my birthday which contained a spectacular flower arrangement. I kept the barrow at the entrance. Everybody

loved it.”

In most circumstances, money can be a suitable gift. From the donor’s point of view, it’s a convenient item to give since, as

the saying goes, “You don’t have to shop around because it’s always the right colour.” Recipients, too, find it more practical.

Sarla Sant Kumar of Chennai still wryly recalls the 16 lamps that she and her husband received as wedding gifts 22 years

ago. If we’d got cash or gift vouchers, we could have bought things we needed for our house,” Sarla says.

Sometimes, though, the recipient may feel slightly at your not making any effort to find the right gift. Money can also be an

ephemeral gift – often there’s no trace left, once it’s spent, of your generosity.

1.1 Read the following summary of the information given in the passage and fill in each of the spaces:

Flowers are the commonest of (a) _________________. If properly selected, flowers are quite capable of (b)

_________________ our feelings. Different colours of roses express different (c) _______________________. The (d)

________________________ of feelings evoked by flowers is very (e) ____________________________. Many can

also at many times an ideal choice as a (f) ________________.

1.2 Answer the following questions briefly.

(a) Give two reasons that make flowers a wonderful gift:

(b) What made Jessica feel wanted and cared for?

(c) How is money useful?

(d) It is useful for the giver because ____________________________________________________.

(e) It is useful for the recipient because ________________________________.​

Answer 1

Explanation:

Flowers are among the most frequently given gifts. There’s a traditional floral language and a carefully selected bouquet or

Answer 2

flowers are the commonest of a________________.