The Seasons of Life.
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So, he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in the summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment. The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are – and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life – can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfilment of your fall. Don’t judge a life by one difficult season. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:
(i) Do as directed:
1. Which season of life would you prefer and why? (2)
2. Find out the difference between dropping and drooping. (2)
3. Find the synonym: (3)
(a) Quest -
(b) Full of promise -
(c) Laden –
(ii) What is the life lesson conveyed through the passage? (1)
(iii) What are the things that can be measured at the end of one’s life? (1)
(iv) How was the description of the tree by the first son? (1)
(v) What destroys the Joys? (1)
(vi) Answer the following: (2)
a) What are the things you will miss if you give up in winter? Mention any two
(vii) State true or False: (2)
a) The first son said – it was covered with green buds and full of promise. -
b) The four sons went to look at orange tree –
Answers
Answer:
The Seasons of Life.
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So, he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in the summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment. The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are – and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life – can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfilment of your fall. Don’t judge a life by one difficult season. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:
(i) Do as directed:
1. Which season of life would you prefer and why? (2)
2. Find out the difference between dropping and drooping. (2)
3. Find the synonym: (3)
(a) Quest -
(b) Full of promise -
(c) Laden –
Explanation:
f
Answer:
Ans 1. I will prefer the spring season because it
was covered with green buds and full of promise.
Ans 2. Dropping is defined as the fall in any object whether drooping is defined as to sink or hang downward.
Ans 3. Quest - hunt
Full of promise - Favourable
Laden - Burden
Ans 4. The lesson of life conveyed through the passage is that don’t judge a life by one difficult season. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Ans 5. The thing that can be measured at the end of one's life is when all the seasons are up.
Ans 6. The description of the tree by the first is not too good. He just said bad about the tree.
Ans 7. I don't know this answer.
Ans 8. If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfilment of your fall.
Ans 9. (i-) False.
(ii-) False.