Read the passage given below.
1. The Art of Living is learnt easily by those who are positive 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. The daily routines of these great men not
only reveal their different , maybe 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 hi study door ,detached the
door- knob 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 Greene 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
could make do with a two-hour journey but would not 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 . 19th 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 rumored 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 Beauvoir’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 .
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 Fitzerald , 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 on his liver .
5. Being forced to follow someone else ‘s routine may irritate , but it makes 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.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage , answer ANY TEN questions
from the eleven given below. (1x10=10)
(A) The passage is about :
(i) how to practise walking
(ii) walking every day
(iii) the life of a genius
(iv) what we can learn from the life of geniuses.
(B) The writers in the past ------
(i) followed a perfect daily routine.
(ii) enjoyed the difficulties of life
(iii) taught us a lot
(iv) wrote a lot in 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 excuse
(ii) a creative inspiration
(iii) essential for improving their health
(iv) helpful in interaction with others.
(E) To Pablo the idea of Sunday was an ----
(i) at home day
(ii) off day
(iii) at a mall day
(iv) at friend’s place day
(E) Beethoven took along with him during his long walk :
(i) Pen and paper
(ii) Pencil and bag
(iii) Water bottle
(iv) Pencil and paper
(F) Composer Erik Satie used to ---
(i) Compose music after his walk
(ii) Write his ideas under street lamp
(iii) Sleep immediately after his walk
(iv) have lunch in late evening . When did F. Scott Fitzgerald write his early books ?
(i) During his regular stroll
(ii) In his secret office
(iii) During his strict schedule
(iv) In his study room
(I) Pick out the word or phrase from the passage which means the same as ‘ noisy’.
(i) Squeaky
(ii) Detaching
(iii) Blowing
(iv) Breaching
(J) What does the word ‘ unattainable’ ( para 4) mean in the passage.?
(i) Not available
(ii) Not achievable
(iii) Unreachable
(iv) Impossible
(K) The noun form of ‘ organize’ is ----
(i) Organizing
(ii) Organization
(iii) Organized
(iv) None of these
Answers
Answer:
The Art of Living is learnt easily by those who are positive 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. The daily routines of these great men not
only reveal their different , maybe 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 hi study door ,detached the
door- knob 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 Greene 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
could make do with a two-hour journey but would not 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 . 19th 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 rumored 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 Beauvoir’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 .
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 Fitzerald , 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 on his liver .
5. Being forced to follow someone else ‘s routine may irritate , but it makes 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.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage , answer ANY TEN questions
from the eleven given below. (1x10=10)
(A) The passage is about :
(i) how to practise walking
(ii) walking every day
(iii) the life of a genius
(iv) what we can learn from the life of geniuses.
(B) The writers in the past ------
(i) followed a perfect daily routine.
(ii) enjoyed the difficulties of life
(iii) taught us a lot
(iv) wrote a lot in 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 excuse
(ii) a creative inspiration
(iii) essential for improving their health
(iv) helpful in interaction with others.
(E) To Pablo the idea of Sunday was an ----
(i) at home day
(ii) off day
(iii) at a mall day
(iv) at friend’s place day
(E) Beethoven took along with him during his long walk :
(i) Pen and paper
(ii) Pencil and bag
(iii) Water bottle
(iv) Pencil and paper
(F) Composer Erik Satie used to ---
(i) Compose music after his walk
(ii) Write his ideas under street lamp
(iii) Sleep immediately after his walk
(iv) have lunch in late evening . When did F. Scott Fitzgerald write his early books ?
(i) During his regular stroll
(ii) In his secret office
(iii) During his strict schedule
(iv) In his study room
(I) Pick out the word or phrase from the passage which means the same as ‘ noisy’.
(i) Squeaky
(ii) Detaching
(iii) Blowing
(iv) Breaching
(J) What does the word ‘ unattainable’ ( para 4) mean in the passage.?
(i) Not available
(ii) Not achievable
(iii) Unreachable
(iv) Impossible
(K) The noun form of ‘ organize’ is ----
(i) Organizing
(ii) Organization
(iii) Organized
(iv) None of these
Answer:
what did Jane Austen like?