Comprehension Passage - 2

Title: Bad temper - The vice of the virtuous

The next ingredient is a very remarkable one: Good Temper. "Love is not easily provoked". Nothing could be more striking than to find this here. We are inclined to look upon bad temper as a very harmless weakness. We speak of it as a mere infirmity of nature, a family failing, a matter of temperament, not a thing to take into a very serious account in estimating a man's character.

And yet here, right in the heart of this analysis of love, it finds a place; and the Bible again and again returns to condemn it as one of the most destructive elements in human nature. The peculiarity of ill temper is that it is the vice of the virtuous. It is often the one blot on an otherwise noble character. You know men who are all but perfect, and women who could be entirely perfect but for an easily ruffled, quick tempered or touchy disposition. This compatibility of ill temper with high moral character is one of the strangest and saddest problems of ethics.

 The truth is there are two great classes of sins - sins of the Body,  and sins of Disposition.  The Prodigal son may be taken as a type of the first, the Elder brother of the second. Now society has no doubt whatever as to which of these is worse.  Its brand falls, without a challenge, upon the Prodigal. But are we right? We have no balance to weigh one another’s sins, and coarser and finer are but human words; but faults in the higher nature may be less venial than those in the lower, and to the eye of Him who is Love, a sin against Love may seem a hundred times more base. No form of vice, not worldliness, not greed of gold, not drunkenness itself does more to un-christianise society than evil temper. 

For embittering life, for breaking up communities, for destroying the most sacred relationships, for devastating homes, for withering up men and women, for taking the bloom off childhood; in short for sheer gratuitous misery-producing power, this influence stands alone. 

Jealousy, anger, pride, uncharity, self-righteousness, touchiness, doggedness, sullenness - in varying proportions these are the ingredients of all ill-temper. Judge if such sins of disposition are not worse to live in, and for others to live with than sins of the body. There is really no place in Heaven for a disposition like this. A man with such a mood could only make Heaven miserable for the all the people in it.

                                                                                                    Henry Drummond

Questions

1. What is the popular notion about 'bad temper'?

Answer -  According to the author, bad temper is considered as a harmless weakness and is spoken merely as if it is a mere infirmity of nature, a family failing or as a matter of temperament. 

2. How is bad temper 'the vice of the virtuous'?

Answer - Bad temper is one blot on an otherwise noble character. Men and women could be entirely perfect except for a ill-tempered disposition. Hence bad temper is referred as the vice of the virtuous.

3. Which class of sins is the worse and why - sins of the body or the sins of the disposition?

Answer - Sins of the disposition are worse than the sins of the body because evil temper un-Christianise the society more than the bodily sins. 

4. Mention some evils of bad temper?

Answer - Evil temper can embitter life, break up communities, destroy most scared relationships, devastate homes, wither up men and women, for taking the bloom off childhood. 

5. Why, according to the author, will there be no place in Heaven for bad-tempered folks?

Answer - According to the author, there will be no place in Heaven for bad-tempered folks because people with evil-temper can only make heaven a miserable place for all the people in it. 

6. Who is the author of this passage?

Answer - Henry Drummond.

7. What could be the title for this comprehension passage?

Answer - Bad temper - The vice of the virtuous. 

8. Name any three ingredients of ill temper?

Answer - Jealousy, anger and cruelty.

9. What is the nearest meaning for the word 'ruining' in the passage?

Answer - Devastating.

10. Find words from the passage which mean : breaking up, ruining, scandalising, souring, easily or quickly offended.

Answer - 1. breaking up: destroying.

               2. ruining: devastating.

               3. scandalising: withering.

               4. souring: embittering.

               5. easily or quickly offended: touchy.

Comprehension Passage - 1

Title: Mahatma Gandhi - The Great Internationalist

"People talk of memorials to him in statues of bronze or marble or pillars and thus they mock him and his message. What tribute shall we pay to him that he would have appreciated? He has shown us the way to live and the way to die and if we have not understood that lesson, it would be better that we raised no memorial to him, for the only fit memorial is to follow reverently in the path he showed us and to do our duty in life and death.

He was a Hindu and an Indian, the greatest in many generations, and he was proud of being a Hindu and an Indian. To him, India was dear, because she had represented throughout the ages certain immutable truths. But though he was intensely religious and came to be called the Father of the Nation which he had liberated, yet no narrow religious or nation bonds confined his spirit. And so he became the great internationalist, believing in the essential unity of man, the underlying unity of all religions, and the needs of humanity, and more specially devoting himself to the service of the poor, the distressed and the oppressed millions everywhere.

His death brought more tributes than have been paid at the passing of any other human being in history. Perhaps what would have pleased him best was the spontaneous tributes that came from the people of Pakistan. On the morrow of the tragedy, all of us forgot for a while the bitterness that had crept in, the estrangement and the conflict of these past months and Gandhiji stood out as the beloved champion and leader of the people of Indian, of Indians it was before the partition cup up this living nation.

What was his great power over the mind and heart of man due to? Even we realize, that his dominating passion was truth. That truth led him to proclaim without ceasing that good ends can never be attained by evil methods, that the end itself is distorted if the method pursued is bad. That truth led him to confess publicly whenever he thought he had made a mistake --- Himalayan errors he called some of his own mistakes. That truth led him to fight evil and untruth wherever he found them, regardless of the consequences. That truth made the service of the poor and the disposed the passion of his life, for where there is inequality and discrimination and suppression there is injustice and evil and untruth. And thus he became the beloved of all those who have suffered from social and political evils, and the great representative of humanity as it should be. Because of that truth in him wherever he sat became a temple and where he trod was hallowed ground."

                                                                                                                        - Jawaharlal Nehru. 

Questions

1. About whom is the passage written?

Answer - This passage is written about the great Mahatma Gandhi.

2. What great lesson did this great man show for life?

Answer -  This great man made us see the way we live and the way we die.

3.  How can we pay him a real tribute?

Answer - We can pay him a real tribute by following the path that he showed us and by doing our duty.

4. Mention why he is called 'the great internationalist'?

Answer - He is called a great internationalist because he was an intensely religious man yet no narrow religious or nation bonds confined his spirit.

5. What did "truth" mean to this great man?

Answer - Truth for him was his dominating passion which led him to fight evil, which led him to suppress the injustice, and which led him to offer service to the poor.

6. What did Mahatma Gandhi refer his mistakes as?

Answer - Mahatma Gandhi often referred his mistakes as Himalayan Errors. 

7. Give the meaning of the following: memorials, immutable, essential, estrangement, spontaneous, discrimination, dominating.

Answer -  1. Memorials  - Something that is built or done to remind of any person or any event.

                2. Immutable - Unchanging over time.

                3. Essential - Completely necessary.

                4. Estrangement - The fact of no longer being on friendly terms.

                5. Spontaneous - Not planned or happening suddenly. 

                6. Discrimination - Treating someone worse than others.

                7.  Dominating - To be more powerful.

How To Prepare Well For Exams In Less Time

It is that time of the year when the only thing on children's mind is exams! Be it board exams or the annual exams; anxiety level arises not just in kids but parents too. One thing a child at this stage wishes is to do well and give his best shot. If you have been studying regularly throughout the year then there is nothing much to worry about. What is left for you is revisions and paper practice. But if you are one of those who study only when the exams are approaching then there is lot much to do and very less time. It is now that you make a plan and carry it out. Here are some tips on how you can do well in less time by making a plan and sticking to it throughout.

How To Prepare Well For Exams In Less Time

Choose Your Study Time

Choose one time of the day when you think you will be more comfortable studying. Select a time which suits you well - be it early morning, late night or even in the afternoon. The whole point of choosing this time is that you can be comfortable, attentive towards study and have fruitful results.

Review Your Lessons

It is important to review lessons that you study. What you can do while you are studying is whenever you come across any important point - jot it down or highlight it. If you come across important formulas for Math it is ideal to make charts for the same and stick them on the walls of your room. This way whenever you wish you go through them or memorize them by regularly viewing them.

Solve Question Papers

For students who appear for board exams the best way to achieve success is to solve many past question papers as possible. Solving question papers also helps you to identify questions which poses difficulty for you. Once you identify these questions, start a detailed study of them and practice. Also try and finish each papers in the assigned time.

Develop a Time Table

It would be ideal to develop a timetable that helps you to track down your study routine and monitor your progress. A well planned timetable helps you to pay equal attention to each and every subject. Try to include at least 3 to 4 subjects everyday plus some time for revision. With a well planned time table one gets to focus on each subjects at regular intervals.

Learn To Relax in Between

The concentration span of a human being is 45 minutes at a time. So one is allowed to take a break for 5 - 10 minutes after every 45 minutes. So when you make a timetable and consider studying 3 to 4 subjects in a single session, it would be advisable to spare 45 minutes for each subject and then take a break for few minutes to just freshen you up. You could relax your eyes or try some meditation or even splash water on your eyes for an instant lift in those breaks and rejuvenate yourself.

Eating Right

One needs good nutrition to set the balance right on energy, good thinking, clarity and good health. The food that you eat shapes your mind and body. Right breakfast improves better concentration and memory. For those who plan to study late in night or early in the morning, it is important to enjoy a power packed breakfast with portions of fresh fruit juices.

Get Plenty of Sleep

Before exam times or even during exams, it is important to get adequate rest. A child should get 7 - 8 hours of sleep. Sleeping relaxes you and takes away your anxiety. To start afresh, a child needs to have at least six hours of sleep. This sleeping time consolidates the brain of the child and the stored memory is refreshed. So plan a routine that does proper justice not just to your studying time but also your sleeping time. This prevents you from burning out. Not getting enough sleep may limit a child's ability to focus on problems and also lead them to aggressive behavior.

Enjoy Some Leisure Time

In between study routines enjoy enough leisure time which can help relax and rejuvenate you. Anything that you enjoy which does not involve studying can be opted for. For instance you could enjoy some music by listening to your favorite songs or even playing your favorite instrument. You could enjoy a session of swimming or go for a run or even a walk in the garden. This can take away your stress and refresh your mind.

Useful Tip to Study For Exams in One Night

If you are one of those kids who do not believe in studying throughout the year but right before the exam night, then you are in big trouble! So for kids like you the only thing to avoid any anxiety is not to go through the whole study material and revise all answers in one day. Because it is just not possible for an average student to revise the entire portion in a day. So my advice is to read the first primary source of content which are the textbooks made available to you. Read the textbook well and try to jot down important points. By doing this you can at least get most of the objectives right and secure satisfactory marks.

Ten Things You Should Do on Night Before Exams

1. Eat a light meal to prevent any lethargy the next morning. Try and eat homemade food.

2. Do not study throughout the night before the exam.

3. Get organized for the big day tomorrow. Keep everything that you need to carry with you handy.

4. Plan what would you wear the next day. Keep the clothes ready for the exam day on the previous night to avoid any anxiety.

5. Ensure you get enough sleep before exam day.

6. Set an alarm. Do not try to rush things in the morning. Allow the morning chores to be effortless by setting an alarm.

7. Before getting up practice meditation technique to keep anxiety at bay.

8. Eat a light breakfast. Avoid fried foods and coffee. Watch some television or listen to some music while enjoying breakfast.

9. Leave early for your exam center and reach before time. This would help you to settle your nerves and relax a bit before writing your paper.

10. Keep a positive mindset by assuring yourself that your performance is going to be better.