Content Prose (Essay/Short Story/Novel)

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Oscar Wilde [1854-1900] Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Irish dramatist, poet, and author wrote the darkly sardonic Faustian themed The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891);

In the centre of the room, clamped to an upright easel, stood the full-length portrait of a young man of extraordinary personal beauty, and in front of it, some little distance away, was sitting the artist himself, Basil Hallward ... "I hate them for it,"cried Hallward. "An artist should create beautiful things, but should put nothing of his own life into them. We live in an age when men treat art as if it were meant to be a form of autobiography. We have lost the abstract sense of beauty. Some day I will show the world what it is; and for that reason the world shall never see my portrait of Dorian Gray." Ever the aesthete, Wilde himself was profoundly affected by beauty and lived and dressed flamboyantly compared to the typical Victorian styles and mores of the time. He was often publicly caricatured and the target of much moral outrage in Europe and America. His writings such as Dorian Gray with homoerotic themes also brought much controversy for him but he was part of the ever-growing movement of 'decadents' who advocated pacifism, social reform, and libertarianism. While many vilified him, he was making his mark with style and wit and enjoyed much success with many of his plays. Wilde was lauded by and acquainted with many influential figures of the day including fellow playwright George Bernard Shaw, American poets Walt Whitman andHenry Wadsworth Longfellow, and English author and social critic John Ruskin. His works have inspired countless fellow authors, have been translated to numerous languages, and have been adapted to the stage and screen many times over. Fiction by Wilde includes The Canterville Ghost (1887), The Happy Prince and Other Tales(1888), The Portrait of Mr. W. H. (1889), A House of Pomegranates (1891), Lord Arthur Savile's Crime (1891), and Intentions (essays, 1891). His plays include Vera, or the Nihilists (1880), The Duchess of Padua (1883), Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Florentine Tragedy (La Sainte Courtisane 1893), A Woman of No Importance (1893),Salomé (1894), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on 16 October 1854, in Dublin, Ireland, the second of three children born to writer Jane Francesca Agnes née Elgee (1821-1896) and surgeon Sir William Robert Wills Wilde (1815-1876). Wilde's mother was a prominent poet and nationalist; his father a successful ear and eye surgeon and noted philanthropist, knighted in 1864. Oscar had an older brother named William and a younger sister, Isola. After his initial years of schooling at home, in 1871 he entered Trinity College, Dublin, then went on to study the classics at Magdalen College, Oxford, England from 1874-1878. It was here that he came under the influence of writer and critic Walter Pater (18391894) and helped found the Aesthetic Movement, "art for art's sake". Wilde excelled in his studies, winning many prizes and awards including Oxford's Newdigate Prize for his poem "Ravenna" (1878); Adieu! Adieu! yon silver lamp, the moon, Which turns our midnight into perfect noon, Doth surely light thy towers, guarding well Where Dante sleeps, where Byron loved to dwell. After school Wilde settled in London and continued to write poetry; his first collection simply titled Poems was published in 1881. That same year he set off on a long tour of America and Canada to deliver lectures on aestheticism. He arrived back in Europe in 1883 and while not further lecturing lived in Paris, France. In 1884 Wilde married Constance Mary Lloyd (1858-1898) with whom he would have two sons; Cyril (1885-1915), who was killed during World War I, and Vyvyan (1886-1976), who would become an author, penning his memoir Son of Oscar Wilde (1954) and publishing Oscar Wilde: A Pictorial Biography in 1960. The Wildes settled in Chelsea, London where Oscar continued to write and work for such magazines as the Pall Mall Gazette and became editor of Woman's World in 1887. In 1891 Wilde met English poet Lord Alfred Douglas "Bosie" (1870-1945), son of John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry (1844-1900). It was the beginning of a tumultuous relationship that would cause many problems for Oscar and eventually lead to his downfall. Alfred had a tempestuous relationship with his father which did not help matters. He disapproved of his son's lifestyle and when he learned of his openly living with Wilde, he set out to defame Wilde. For the opening performance of The Importance of Being Earnest in 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London the Marquess planned

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to publicly expose and humiliate Wilde. Oscar took legal steps to protect himself against the 'brute' but he ultimately won a case whereby Wilde was charged with "gross indecency" for homosexual acts. The outcome of the sensational trial was a sentence of two years hard labour which Wilde served most of at the Reading Gaol outside of London. After Wilde was imprisoned Constance had her and her sons' last names changed to Holland. Now prisoner C. 3.3, Wilde turned to his pen and wrote many essays, poems, and letters including one to Alfred, "De Profundis" (a heavily edited version was first published in 1905; the complete version in 1962). After his release from prison in May of 1897, Wilde wrote "Ballad of Reading Gaol" (1898) about the injustice of the death penalty and the hanging of Charles Thomas Wooldridge; Yet each man kills the thing he loves By each let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword! Adopting the name Sebastian Melmoth, Wilde went to Paris, penniless, and is said to have reunited with his friend and lover of many years, Canadian journalist Robert Baldwin "Robbie" Ross (1869-1918), who was also executor of Wilde's estate. He took up residence in the Hôtel d'Alsace on rue des Beaux-Arts. On his deathbed, Ross by his side, Wilde was baptised into the Roman Catholic Church and received Extreme Unction. Oscar Wilde died of meningitis on 30 November 1900. He now rests in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris; Ross' ashes were added to the angel-adorned tomb in 1950. All trials are trials for one's life, just as all sentences are sentences of death; and three times have I been tried. The first time I left the box to be arrested, the second time to be led back to the house of detention, the third time to pass into a prison for two years. Society, as we have constituted it, will have no place for me, has none to offer; but Nature, whose sweet rains fall on unjust and just alike, will have clefts in the rocks where I may hide, and secret valleys in whose silence I may weep undisturbed. She will hang the night with stars so that I may walk abroad in the darkness without stumbling, and send the wind over my footprints so that none may track me to my hurt: she will cleanse me in great waters, and with bitter herbs make me whole.--"De Profundis"

ESSAY [The Nightingale and the Rose] ³She said that she would dance with me if I brought her red roses,´ cried the young Student; ³but in all my garden there is no red rose.´ From her nest in the holm-oak tree the Nightingale heard him, and she looked out through the leaves, and wondered. ³No red rose in all my garden!´ he cried, and his beautiful eyes filled with tears. ³Ah, on what little things does happiness depend! I have read all that the wise men have written, and all the secrets of philosophy are mine, yet for want of a red rose is my life made wretched.´ ³Here at last is a true lover,´ said the Nightingale. ³Night after night have I sung of him, though I knew him not; night after night have I told his story to the stars, and now I see him. His hair is dark as the hyacinth-blossom, and his lips are red as the rose of his desire; but passion has made his face like pale ivory, and sorrow has set her seal upon his brow.´ ³The Prince gives a ball to-morrow night,´ murmured the young Student, ³and my love will be of the company. If I bring her a red rose she will dance with me till dawn. If I bring her a red rose, I shall hold her in my arms, and she will lean her head upon my shoulder, and her hand will be clasped in mine. But there is no red rose in my garden, so I shall sit lonely, and she will pass me by. She will have no heed of me, and my heart will break.´ ³Here indeed is the true lover,´ said the Nightingale. ³What sing of, he suffers: what is joy to me, to him is pain. Surely Love is a wonderful thing. It is more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine opals. Pearls and pomegranates cannot buy it, nor is it set forth in the market-place. It may not be purchased of the merchants, nor can it be weighed out in the balance for gold.´ ³The musicians will sit in their gallery,´ said the young Student, ³and play upon their stringed instruments, and my love will dance to the sound of the harp and the violin. She will dance so lightly that her feet will not touch the floor, and the courtiers in their gay dresses will throng around her. But with me she

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will not dance, for I have no red rose to give her´; and he flung himself down on the grass, and buried his face in his hands, and wept. ³Why is he weeping?´ asked a little Green Lizard, as he ran past him with his tail in the air. ³Why, indeed?´ said a Butterfly, who was fluttering about after a sunbeam. ³Why, indeed?´ whispered a Daisy to his neighbour, in a soft, low voice. ³He is weeping for a red rose,´ said the Nightingale. ³For a red rose!´ they cried; ³how very ridiculous!´ and the little Lizard, who was something of a cynic, laughed outright. But the Nightingale understood the secret of the Student¶s sorrow, and she sat silent in the oak-tree, and thought about the mystery of Love. Suddenly she spread her brown wings for flight, and soared into the air. She passed through the grove like a shadow, and like a shadow she sailed across the garden. In the centre of the grass-plot was standing a beautiful Rose-tree, and when she saw it, she flew over to it, and lit upon a spray. ³Give me a red rose,´ she cried, ³and I will sing you my sweetest song.´ But the Tree shook its head. ³My roses are white,´ it answered; ³as white as the foam of the sea, and whiter than the snow upon the mountain. But go to my brother who grows round the old sun-dial, and perhaps he will give you what you want.´ So the Nightingale flew over to the Rose-tree that was growing round the old sun-dial. ³Give me a red rose,´ she cried, ³and I will sing you my sweetest song.´ But the Tree shook its head. ³My roses are yellow,´ it answered; ³as yellow as the hair of the mermaiden who sits upon an amber throne, and yellower than the daffodil that blooms in the meadow before the mower comes with his scythe. But go to my brother who grows beneath the Student¶s window, and perhaps he will give you what you want.´ So the Nightingale flew over to the Rose-tree that was growing beneath the Student¶s window. ³Give me a red rose,´ she cried, ³and I will sing you my sweetest song.´ But the Tree shook its head. ³My roses are red,´ it answered; ³as red as the feet of the dove, and redder than the great fans of coral that wave and wave in the ocean cavern. But the winter has chilled my veins, and the frost has nipped my buds, and the storm has broken my branches, and I shall have no roses at all this year.´ ³One red rose is all I want,´ cried the Nightingale. ³Only one red rose! Is there any way by which I can get it?´ ³There is a way,´ answered the Tree; ³but it is so terrible that I dare not tell it to you.´ ³Tell it to me,´ said the Nightingale, ³I am not afraid.´ ³If you want a red rose,´ said the Tree, ³you must build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with your own heart¶s-blood. You must sing to me with your breast against a thorn. All night long you must sing to me, and the thorn must pierce your heart, and your life-blood must flow into my veins, and become mine.´ ³Death is a great price to pay for a red rose,´ cried the Nightingale, ³and Life is very dear to all. It is pleasant to sit in the green wood, and to watch the Sun in his chariot of gold, and the Moon in her chariot of pearl. Sweet is the scent of the hawthorn, and sweet are the bluebells that hide in the valley, and the heather that blows on the hill. Yet Love is better than Life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?´ So she spread her brown wings for flight, and soared into the air. She swept over the garden like a shadow, and like a shadow she sailed through the grove. The young Student was still lying on the grass, where she had left him, and the tears were not yet dry on his beautiful eyes. ³Be happy,´ cried the Nightingale, ³be happy; you shall have your red rose. I will build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with my own heart¶s-blood. All that I ask of you in return is that you will be a true lover, for Love is wiser than Philosophy, though she is wise, and mightier than Power, though he is mighty. Flame-coloured are his wings, and coloured like flame is his body. His lips are sweet as honey, and his breath is like frankincense.´ The Student looked up from the grass, and listened, but he could not understand what the Nightingale was saying to him, for he only knew the things that are written down in books. But the Oak-tree understood, and felt sad, for he was very fond of the little nightingale who had built her nest in his branches. ³Sing me one last song,´ he whispered; ³I shall feel very lonely when you are gone.´ So the Nightingale sang to the Oak-ree, and her voice was like water bubbling from a silver jar. When she had finished her song the Student got up, and pulled a note-book and a lead-pencil out of his pocket. ³She has form,´ he said to himself, as he walked away through the grove, ³that cannot be denied her; but has she got feeling? I am afraid not. In fact, she is like most artists; she is all style, without any sincerity. She would not sacrifice herself for others. She thinks merely of music, and everybody knows that the arts are selfish. Still, it must be admitted that she has some beautiful notes in her voice. What a pity it is that they do not mean anything, or do any practical good.´

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And he went into his room, and lay down on his little pallet-bed, and began to think of his love; and, after a time, he fell asleep. And when the Moon shone in the heavens the Nightingale flew to the Rosetree, and set her breast against the thorn. All night long she sang with her breast against the thorn, and the cold, crystal Moon leaned down and listened. All night long she sang, and the thorn went deeper and deeper into her breast, and her lifeblood ebbed away from her. She sang first of the birth of love in the heart of a boy and a girl. And on the topmost spray of the Rose-tree there blossomed a marvellous rose, petal followed petal, as song followed song. Pale was it, as first, as the mist that hangs over the river- pale as the feet of the morning, and silver as the wings of the dawn. As the shadow of a rose in a mirror of silver, as the shadow of a rose in a water-pool, so was the rose that blossomed on the topmost spray of the Tree. But the Tree cried to the Nightingale to press closer against the thorn. ³Press closer, little Nightingale,´ cried the Tree, ³or the Day will come before the rose is finished.´ So the Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and louder and louder grew her song, for she sang of the birth of passion in the soul of a man and a maid. And a delicate flush of pink came into the leaves of the rose, like the flush in the face of the bridegroom when he kisses the lips of the bride. But the thorn had not yet reached her heart, so the rose¶s heart remained white, for only a Nightingale¶s heart¶s-blood can crimson the heart of a rose. And the Tree cried to the Nightingale to press closer against the thorn. ³Press closer, little Nightingale,´ cried the Tree, ³or the Day will come before the rose is finished.´ So the Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and the thorn touched her heart, and a fierce pang of pain shot through her. Bitter, bitter was the pain, and wilder and wilder grew her song, for she sang of the Love that is perfected by Death, of the Love that dies not in the tomb. And the marvellous rose became crimson, like the rose of the eastern sky. Crimson was the girdle of petals, and crimson as a ruby was the heart. But the Nightingale¶s voice grew fainter, and her little wings began to beat, and a film came over her eyes. Fainter and fainter grew her song, and she felt something choking her in her throat. Then she gave one last burst of music. The White Moon heard it, and she forgot the dawn, and lingered on in the sky. The red rose heard it and it trembled all over with ecstasy, and opened it petals to the cold morning air. Echo bore it to her purple cavern in the hills, and woke the sleeping shepherds from their dreams. It floated through the reeds of the river, and they carried its message to the sea. ³Look, look!´ cried the Tree, ³the rose is finished now´; but the Nightingale made no answer, for she was lying dead in the long grass, with the thorn in her heart. And at noon the Student opened his window and looked out. ³Why, what a wonderful piece of luck!´ he cried; ³here is a red rose! I have never seen any rose like it in all my life. It is so beautiful that I am sure it has a long Latin name´; and he leaned down and plucked it. Then he put on his hat, and ran up to the Professor¶s house with the rose in his hand. The daughter of the Professor was sitting in the doorway winding blue silk on a reel, and her little dog was lying at her feet. ³You said that you would dance with me if I brought you a red rose,´ cried the Student. ³Here is the reddest rose in all the world. You will wear it to-night next your heart, and as we dance together it will tell you how I love you.´ But the girl frowned. ³I am afraid it will not go with my dress,´ she answered; ³and, besides, the Chamberlain¶s nephew has sent me some real jewels, and everybody knows that jewels cost far more than flowers.´ ³Well, upon my word, you are very ungrateful,´ said the Student, angrily; and he threw the rose into the street, where it fell into the gutter, and a cartwheel went over it. ³Ungrateful!´ said the girl. ³I tell you what, you are very rude; and, after all, who are you? Only a Student. Why, I don¶t believe you have even got silver buckles to your shoes as the Chamberlain¶s nephew has´; and she got up from her chair and went into the house. ³What a silly thing Love is,´ said the Student as he walked away. ³It is not half as useful as Logic, for it does not prove anything, and it is always telling one of things that are not going to happen, and making one believe things that are not true. In fact, it is quite unpractical, and, as in this age to be practical is everything, I shall go back to Philosophy and study Metaphysics.´ So he returned to his room and pulled out a great dusty book, and began to read.

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SUMMARY

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SUMMARY Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish writer and poet. His play The Importance of Being Earnest, a social satire, was a masterpiece. He was one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era. His important works are The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), The Lady Windermere¶s Pan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), The Happy Prince and Other Stories (1988). µThe Nightingale and the Rose¶ is a story in which the first character that appears is a student. This boy is sad because a girl who he was in love with, was his professor¶s daughter, who promised to dance with him on condition that he brought her red roses, but he did not find any red rose; there were white roses and yellow roses, but he could not find red roses. While he was moaning because his beloved would not dance with him, four characters from nature started to talk about him. A little Green Lizard, a Butterfly and a Daisy asked why he was weeping, and the Nightingale said that he was weeping for a red rose. The first three characters said that weeping for a red rose was silly. The Nightingale, who understood the student, started to fly until she saw a Rose plant. She told him to give her a red rose, and she promised, in exchange, to sing her sweetest song, but the Rose plant told her that his roses were white, and it sent the Nightingale to his brother that grew round the old sun-dial. The Nightingale went to see this new Rose plant, and after promising the same in exchange for a red rose, the Rose plant told her that its roses were yellow, so it sent the Nightingale to his brother, who grew beneath the student¶s window, hence the Nightingale went there, and when she arrived, she asked the Rose plant to give her a red rose. The Rose plant said that its roses were red, but that the winter had chilled its veins and the frost had nipped its buds, so he could not give her a red rose. The Rose plant gave her a solution: that if the Nightingale wanted a red rose, she had to build it out of music by moonlight and stain it with her own heart¶s blood. She had to sing to the Rose plant with her breast against a thorn; the thorn would pierce her heart and her life-blood would flow into the Rose plant veins. The Nightingale said that death was a great price to pay for a red rose, but at the end, she accepted. The Nightingale went to see the student and told him that he would have his red rose, that it was her who was going to build it up with her own blood; the only thing she asked him for in return was to being a true lover. Although the student looked at her, he could not understand anything because he only understood the things that were written down in books. But the Oak-tree understood and became sad because he was fond of the Nightingale, and asked her to sing the last song and when she finished; the student thought that the Nightingale had form, but no feeling.

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At night, the Nightingale went to the Rose plant and set her breast against the thorn. She sang all night long. She pressed closer and closer against the thorn until the thorn finally touched her heart and she felt a fierce pang of pain. The more the rose got the red colour, the fainter the Nightingale¶s voice became, and after beating her wings, she died. The formation of the rose was finished, but she could not see it. The next morning, the student saw the wonderful rose under his window. He took it and went to see the girl and offered her the rose, but she just say that the rose would not go with her dress and that the Chamberlain¶s nephew had sent her real jewels and that everybody knew that jewels cost far more than flowers. After arguing with her, the student threw the rose into a gutter, where a cart-wheel went into it, and he said that Love was a silly thing and that he preferred Logic and Philosophy. Returning home, he started reading on. PART-1 1. To whom does she refer to in the first line? [C] (a) The red rose (b) The Nightingale (c) The dancing girl (d) the author. 2. Who is full of sorrow in the passage? [A] (a) The student (b) The nightingale (c) The girl (d) The rose. 3. Why does he think that his life is wretched? [C] (a) Because he read all the books. (b) Because he is wise. (c) Because he could not find a red rose. (d) He did not want to be helped by a nightingale. 4. To whom did the nightingale tell the story of the true lover? [A] (a) To the red rose (b) To the Plant (c) To the moon (d) To the stars. 5. The word blossom means --[B] (a) A bird (b) A flower (c) A star (d) A tree. 6. What made his face like pale ivory? [B] (a) frustration (b) A powerful emotion (c) An optimism for future (d) Deep sorrow. 7. What is meant by ball? [B] (a) A dance performance (b) A spherical object (c) A cricket ball (d) To throw a ball. 8. On what condition would the girl dance with him? IF THE STUDENT BRINGS RED ROSE 9. Which of the following words means to pay attention? [D] (a) Passion (b) Ivory (c) Brow (d) Heed. 10. When will his heart break? [C] (a) If he fails to give her a red rose. (b) If she does not care for him. (c) If she passes him by. (d) If the nightingale fails to bring him a red rose. 11. What according to the nightingale is more precious than emeralds or opals? [B] (a) Kindness (b) Love (c) A red rose (d) Sweet music. PART-2 12. Which of the following wanted to know the cause of his sorrow? [B] (a) The ant (b) The lizard (c) The red rose (d) The tree. 13. Who laughed at the predicament of the student? [B] (a) The ant (b) The lizard (c) The red rose (d) The tree.

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14. Which of the following words means a garden? [C] (a) Forest (b) Wood (c) Grove (d) Jungle. 15. Why did the first tree fail to give a red rose? [B] (a) Because it was not a rose tree. (b) Because it was a white rose tree. (c) Because it was a yellow rose tree. (d) Because it stopped producing flowers. 16. How were the white roses? White as the foam of the sea 17. To whom the brother refer to? [C , D] (a) White rose tree (b) Black rose tree (c) Yellow rose tree (d) Red rose tree. 18. What was there near the old sun-dial? [D] (a) White rose tree (b) Black rose tree (c) Yellow rose tree (d) Red rose tree. 19. How were the yellow roses?. as yellow as the hair of the mermaiden who sits upon an amber throne, and yellower than the daffodil that blooms in the meadow before the mower comes with his scythe 20. What was there beneath the student's window? [D] (a) White rose tree (b) Black rose tree (c) Yellow rose tree (d) Red rose tree. 21. How were the red roses? as red as the feet of the dove, and redder than the great fans of coral that wave and wave in the ocean cavern 22. Which of the following is not a cause of not producing flowers that year?[C] (a) Its veins are chilled. (b) Its buds are dead due to frost. (c) The student had neglected it. (d) Its branches are broken by storm. PART-3 23. "But it is so terrible that I dare not tell it to you." To whom does I refer to in the line?[D] (a) White rose tree (b) Black rose tree (c) Yellow rose tree (d) Red rose tree. 24. How can the nightingale help to produce a red rose?[B] (a) By singing all night. (b) By giving its life blood to the rose. (c) By sitting on the tree all night in moon light. (d) By resetting the broken branches. 25. The chariot of sun is ±[D] (a) Pearl (b) Red rose (c) Green wood (d) Gold. 26. The chariot of moon is ±[A] (a) Pearl (b) Red rose (c) Green wood (d) Gold. 27. Bluebells are ±[B] (a) Plants (b) Flowers (c) Trees (d) Church bells.

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28. What did the nightingale think to the proposal of the red rose tree? [B] (a) Life is more valuable than love. (b) The heart of a bird is not so valuable as the heart of a man. (c) She was disappointed by the proposal. (d) She flew away to save herself. 29. What did the nightingale say to the student? [B] (a) She would sing a song for him. (b) Love was greater than philosophy. (c) He was not a true lover. (d) He should read more philosophy to understand love. 30. Why could not the student understand the nightingale's message? [B] (a) Because he could not understand her language. (b) Because He could understand only things written in books. (c) The student was too busy to listen to the nightingale. (d) Because he was dreaming about the ball to be held that night. PART-4 31. Who felt sad after learning about the nightingale's decision? [C] (a) The red rose (b) The student (c) The oak tree (d) The white rose. 32. "I shall feel very lonely when you are gone." Who spoke these lines?[C] (a) The red rose (b) The student (c) The oak tree (d) The white rose. 33. Whose voice was the water bubbling from a silver jar? [C] (a) The red rose (b) The student (c) The nightingale (d) The white rose. 34. Why did the student think that the nightingale had only style without sincerity?[B] (a) Because he did not like her music. (b) Because he thought that she had no feeling. (c) Because he could not enjoy her music. (d) Because he was not in a mood to understand her song. 35. What was her first song while sitting on the thorn?[A] (a) About love and its birth. (b) About the red rose. (c) About human misery. (d) About the forth coming death. 36. What is meant by spray? [C] (a) To sprinkle liquid from a container (b) A bottle containing perfume (c) A small branch that bears flowers (d) A very fast running race. 37. Why did the tree ask the nightingale to press closer?[D] (a) Because it felt cold. (b) Because it could not bear flower. (c) Because it could not listen to her song. (d) Because the night was ending. PART-5 38. Why did the nightingale sing louder? [D] (a) She wanted to complete the task urgently. (b) Because she was singing about love between man and woman. (c) Because The tree wanted her to do so. (d) Because she wanted to tell the whole world about the value of love.

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39. "And a delicate flush of pink came into the leaves of the rose, like the flush in the face of the bridegroom when he kisses the lips of the bride." What is the figure of speech in the given sentence? [B] (a) Simile (b) Metaphor (c) Pun (d) Hyperbole. 40. ". . . only a Nightingale's heart's-blood can crimson the heart of a rose." What part of speech is the italicized word? [B ] (a) Noun (b) Verb (c) Adjective (d) Adverb. 41. Love that dies not in the tomb. The given expression means ±[B] (a) Love has no genesis. (b) Love is eternal. (c) Love is ephemeral. (d) Love is amorphous. 42. The moon forgot the dawn and lingered on the sky because ±[A] (a) She was anxious to know the fate of the nightingale. (b) She wanted to pay tribute to the nightingale. (c) She felt horrified by the sacrifice of the nightingale. (d) She was fascinated by the song of the nightingale. 43. Who woke the sleeping shepherds from their dreams? [A] (a) The echo of the nightingale's song (b) The scent of the red rose (c) The cry of the tree (d) The message of the song. 44. When did the student find out about the red rose?[B] (a) In the morning (b) In the noon (c) In the evening (d) At night. 45. What was the good luck of the student?[C] (a) At last he found a red rose. (b) He could find a red rose with a long Latin name. (c) He never saw such a red rose all his life. (d) He now knew that the nightingale had given it to him. PART-6 46. What was the professor's daughter doing by the time the student reached her house?[D] (a) She was dancing. (b) She was cudgeling her dog. (c) She was reeling under frustration. (d) She was reeling a blue string. 47. Which of the following words means to become angry?[B] (a) Pallet (b) Frown (c) Echo (d) Linger. 48. Choose the correct reasons from the statements given below and choose your answer from the choice.[D] I. She did not like the colour of the rose. II. The rose would not match with her dress. III. She was busy with her work. IV. She was more attracted towards jewels. (a) I and II (b) I and III (c) II and III (d) II and IV. 49. Why did the student throw the red rose into gutter?[C] (a) Because she was rude. (b) Because he was angry. (c) Because she did not love him. (d) Because she did not notice him.

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50. What was the student's conclusion after he was rejected?[B] (a) She was ungrateful. (b) Love was a silly thing. (c) She was very rude. (d) He was poor, so he should not love. 51. "In fact it is quite unpractical." What was unpractical?[B] (a) Logic (b) Love (c) Rejection (d) The red rose itself. 52. The nightingale and the rose is a/an ± [ (a) Fable (b) Parable (c) Tale (d) Myth.

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Stephen Butler Leacock [30 Dec1869- 28 Mar1944] Stephen Butler Leacock (1869-1944), Canadian author, will long be remembered for his best-selling book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (1912) as well as the numerous awards and honours he received during his illustrious lifetime as author, professor, lecturer and humourist. Stephen Butler Leacock was born on 30 December 1869 at Swanmore, Hampshire, England, the third of eleven children to Peter Leacock and Agnes Emma (née Butler). The Leacock family did a lot of travelling in their early years but finally emigrated to Canada in 1876 and settled near the village of Sutton, Ontario on a one-hundred acre farm. It was a difficult time, with harsh winters and hard work. It was only two years later that Stephen's father Peter travelled to Manitoba, leaving his large family behind. Leacock enrolled at the University of Toronto in 1887, studying modern and classical languages and literature with such exceptional talent and focus that he finished two years' worth of courses in just one. He graduated from University College in 1891with a Bachelor of Arts degree. The 1890s heralded his early success as a humourist with articles published in various magazines such as the New York periodicals Truth and Life and Toronto's Gripmagazine. But Leacock had his sights set on bigger things. His real interests lay in economics and political science. He had come across The Theory of the Leisure Class(1899) by Thorstein Veblen. In 1899 his application was accepted at the University of Chicago to pursue graduate studies under Veblen. Shortly after this, on 7 August 1900 Stephen Leacock and actress Beatrix Hamilton married. Their son, Stephen Lushington, was born on 19 August 1915. During Leacock's third year at the University of Chicago he accepted the position of special lecturer in political science and history with McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. 1903 saw his dissertation The Doctrine of Laissez-faire completed and he received his Ph.D. magna cum laude. He was then to become a full-time assistant professor with McGill and began public lecturing, primarily about the British Empire, under the patronage of the May Court Club. His first book, Elements of Political Science(1906) became a standard university textbook for the next twenty years. Leacock was appointed fulltime professor at McGill in 1908. Leacock published Literary Lapses in 1910, with the financial assistance of his brother George. It is a best-of compilation of his previously published writings. It sold out quickly and propelled Leacock into being known as one of the most popular authors in the English-speaking world. In 1911, Leacock's collection of parodies, Nonsense Novelssuccessfully followed. 1912 saw the release of Leacock's satirical masterpiece, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. Based on his many summers spent in Orillia, Ontario and other childhood experiences, it was very popular in Canada, the United States and England. His satirization of city life, Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich was published in 1914. On the 15th of December, 1925, Leacock's wife Beatrix (Trix) died of breast cancer. Leacock kept his sorrow private and returned to writing, teaching, and public speaking, and with his gift of public speaking spoke whenever he could about cancer and assisted with fundraising for cancer research. In 1921 Leacock was a founding member of the Canadian Authors' Association. On the 31st of May 1936 he had to retire from McGill because of mandatory retirement at age sixty-five. My Discovery of the West: A Discussion of East and West in Canada won the Governor General's Award in 1937. Leacock was diagnosed with throat cancer and died on 28 March 1944. The "Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour" has been awarded yearly since 1947 for the best humorous book by a Canadian author. In 1958, the Stephen Leacock Memorial Home on Old Brewery Bay was opened to the public and declared a national monument in 1968. To mark the centenary of Leacock's birth the Government of Canada, issued on 12 November, 1969, a six-cent stamp in his honour. In 1970 a mountain in the Yukon's Saint Elias range was named after him.

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Other works of Stephen Leacock include: Further Foolishness and Essays and Literary Studies (1916) The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice (1920) My Discovery of England (1922) Economic Prosperity in the British Empire (1930) Mark Twain (1932) Charles Dickens, His Life and Work (1933) Humour: Its Theory and Technique (1935) Canada: Foundations of Its Future (1941) Montreal: Seaport and City (1942) My Remarkable Uncle (1942) Canada and the Sea (1944) Published posthumously: Last Leaves (1945) While There Is Time: The Case Against Social Catastrophe (1945) The Boy I Left Behind Me (1946) The Doctrine of Laissez-faire (1997) ESSAY [How to live to be 200] Twenty years ago I knew a man called Jiggins, who had the Health Habit. He used to take a cold plunge every morning. He said it opened his pores. After it he took a hot sponge. He said it closed the pores. He got so that he could open and shut his pores at will. Jiggins used to stand and breathe at an open window for half an hour before dressing. He said it expanded his lungs. He might, of course, have had it done in a shoe-store with a boot stretcher, but after all it cost him nothing this way, and what is half an hour? After he had got his undershirt on, Jiggins used to hitch himself up like a dog in harness and do Sandow exercises. He did them forwards, backwards, and hind-side up. He could have got a job as a dog anywhere. He spent all his time at this kind of thing. In his spare time at the office, he used to lie on his stomach on the floor and see if he could lift himself up with his knuckles. If he could, then he tried some other way until he found one that he couldn't do. Then he would spend the rest of his lunch hour on his stomach, perfectly happy. In the evenings in his room he used to lift iron bars, cannon-balls, heave dumb-bells, and haul himself up to the ceiling with his teeth. You could hear the thumps half a mile. He liked it. He spent half the night slinging himself around his room. He said it made his brain clear. When he got his brain perfectly clear, he went to bed and slept. As soon as he woke, he began clearing it again.

Also, drop all that cold-bath business. You never did it when you were a boy. Don't be a fool now. If you must take a bath (you don't really need to), take it warm. The pleasure of getting out of a cold bed and creeping into a hot bath beats a cold plunge to death. In any case, stop gassing about your tub and your "shower," as if you were the only man who ever washed. So much for that point. Next, take the question of germs and bacilli. Don't be scared of them. That's all. That's the whole thing, and if you once get on to that you never need to worry again. If you see a bacilli, walk right up to it, and look it in the eye. If one flies into your room, strike at it with your hat or with a towel. Hit it as hard as you can between the neck and the thorax. It will soon get sick of that. But as a matter of fact, a bacilli is perfectly quiet and harmless if you are not afraid of it. Speak to it. Call out to it to "lie down." It will understand. I had a bacilli once, called Fido, that would come and lie at my feet while I was working. I never knew a more affectionate companion, and when it was run over by an automobile, I buried it in the garden with genuine sorrow. (I admit this is an exaggeration. I don't really remember its name; it may have been Robert.) Understand that it is only a fad of modern medicine to say that cholera and typhoid and diphtheria are caused by bacilli and germs; nonsense. Cholera is caused by a frightful pain in the stomach, and diphtheria is caused by trying to cure a sore throat.

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Jiggins is dead. He was, of course, a pioneer, but the fact that he dumb-belled himself to death at an early age does not prevent a whole generation of young men from following in his path. They are ridden by the Health Mania. They make themselves a nuisance. They get up at impossible hours. They go out in silly little suits and run Marathon heats before breakfast. They chase around barefoot to get the dew on their feet. They hunt for ozone. They bother about pepsin. They won't eat meat because it has too much nitrogen. They won't eat fruit because it hasn't any. They prefer albumen and starch and nitrogen to huckleberry pie and doughnuts. They won't drink water out of a tap. They won't eat sardines out of a can. They won't use oysters out of a pail. They won't drink milk out of a glass. They are afraid of alcohol in any shape. Yes, sir, afraid. "Cowards." And after all their fuss they presently incur some simple old-fashioned illness and die like anybody else. Now people of this sort have no chance to attain any great age. They are on the wrong track. Listen. Do you want to live to be really old, to enjoy a grand, green, exuberant, boastful old age and to make yourself a nuisance to your whole neighbourhood with your reminiscences? Then cut out all this nonsense. Cut it out. Get up in the morning at a sensible hour. The time to get up is when you have to, not before. If your office opens at eleven, get up at ten-thirty. Take your chance on ozone. There isn't any such thing anyway. Or, if there is, you can buy a Thermos bottle full for five cents, and put it on a shelf in your cupboard. If your work begins at seven in the morning, get up at ten minutes to, but don't be liar enough to say that you like it. It isn't exhilarating, and you know it.

Now take the question of food. Eat what you want. Eat lots of it. Yes, eat too much of it. Eat till you can just stagger across the room with it and prop it up against a sofa cushion. Eat everything that you like until you can't eat any more. The only test is, can you pay for it? If you can't pay for it, don't eat it. And listendon't worry as to whether your food contains starch, or albumen, or gluten, or nitrogen. If you are a damn fool enough to want these things, go and buy them and eat all you want of them. Go to a laundry and get a bag of starch, and eat your fill of it. Eat it, and take a good long drink of glue after it, and a spoonful of Portland cement. That will gluten you, good and solid. If you like nitrogen, go and get a druggist to give you a canful of it at the soda counter, and let you sip it with a straw. Only don't think that you can mix all these things up with your food. There isn't any nitrogen or phosphorus or albumen in ordinary things to eat. In any decent household all that sort of stuff is washed out in the kitchen sink before the food is put on the table. And just one word about fresh air and exercise. Don't bother with either of them. Get your room full of good air, then shut up the windows and keep it. It will keep for years. Anyway, don't keep using your lungs all the time. Let them rest. As for exercise, if you have to take it, take it and put up with it. But as long as you have the price of a hack and can hire other people to play baseball for you and run races and do gymnastics when you sit in the shade and smoke and watch them²great heavens, what more do you want?

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SUMMARY

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Stephen Butler Leacock, (30 December 1869 ² 28 March 1944) was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist. In the early part of the 20th century he was the best-known humorist in the Englishpeaking world. In the essay How to Live to Be 200 from the collection his Literary Lapses (1910) the writer Stephen Leacock pokes fun at self-help books and health fads--which were almost as popular a century ago as they are now. How to live to be 200 is a beautiful essay, in which the writer has satirized those people who are obsessed by the idea of ³Health Maniac´. The writer has given us an example of ³Mr.Jiggins´ who was a real ³Health Maniac´. He was a person who wanted to be physically strong and healthy and to be healthy and strong, he used to do different sort of exercises. He wanted to live long. He used to take cold bath and hot sponge to open and close his pores at will. He used to wake up early in the morning and hunt for ozone. He used to hitch himself with his teeth etc. But what was the use of doing all of the exercises? He died at a very normal age and could not obtain long age. Leacock satirizes all those people who are obsessed by the idea of being strong and healthy. Such people avoid tasty food and take mineral-rich, protein filled food that contains vitamins. Every free minute even at work place too is allotted to doing physical exercises. Thus achieved extra life span is also devoted to health care. These health maniacs too any way die like others. Sometimes they succumb to even minor illness. He is of the view that physical fitness and health cannot postpone the death. One has to die at an appointed time. One should be worried about his health. One should take care of himself but not to be preplanned in hard and daily exercises. Leacock suggests a practical approach to life. He advises people to wake up only when it is necessary. He wants everyone to eat as much as what they like as long as they can pay for it. He says doing exercises can be taken care of by hired men. While talking about germs and bacilli, the writer provokes laughter and amuses us with his examples and sayings. But the purpose, again, is to make us realize the fact that we should not be worried about the germs at a time. As they are harmless at a certain time and they are useful at a certain time. He is of the view µlife is a gift of God and we should not spoil it in useless activities¶. Enjoying and experiencing life is more than extending it artificially. This seems to be Leacock¶s message. Though Leacock exaggerates facts, he has some valid points to ponder over too. Life according to ³Stephen Leacock´ is a heavenly gift and one should enjoy it without being obsessed by useless habits and activities. PART-1. 1. Why did Jiggins take cold plunge? [A] (a) To open the pores (b) To close the pores (c) To increase breathing (d) To increase life span 2. What would close Jiggins' pores? [A] (a) A hot bath (b) A cold bath (c) Breathing fresh air (d) Doing exercises. 3. What expanded Jigging's lungs? [C] (a) A cold plunge (b) A hot plunge (c) Breathing fresh air (d) Sando exercises. 4. What is meant by hitch? [C] (a) To hang to a rope (b) To breathe heavily (c) To pull oneself up and down (d) To clean with water. 5. What did Jiggins do at the office in his spare time? [A] (a) He slept on the floor. (b) He did the pending work. (c) He did more exercises. (d) He went out for a walk. 6. How Jiggins haul himself up to the ceiling? [C] (a) With the help of a rope. (b) With the help of a chain. (c) With the help of his teeth. (d) None of the above.

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7. Why did Jiggins sling himself half the night? [C] (a) To increase brain size. (b) To decrease brain size. (c) To improve memory. (d) None of the above. 8. What is meant by pioneer? [D] (a) A starter (b) A body builder (c) A sprinter (d) A hard worker. 9. Which word means a quality of over enthusiasm? (a) Sando (b) Stretcher (c) Knuckle (a) Mania. PART-2 10. "They get up in impossible hours." To whom does they refer to? [B] (a) People who do exercises. (b) People who are health maniacs. (c) People who are afraid of pollution. (d) People who are interested in cold plunge. 11. What is meant by heats in Marathon heats? [B] (a) To become warm to run a Marathon. (b) To prepare the body for exercises. (c) Primary round in games. (d) Intense sexual passion. 12. What is meant by Ozone in the context of the lesson?[B] (a) A special type of Oxygen (b) Pure air especially in the morning. (c) A poisonous gas made up of Oxygen. (d) A special zone like a round O. 13. Why health conscious people do not eat meat? [A] (a) It has Nitrogen. (b) It does not have Nitrogen. (c) The Nitrogen in the meat is not healthy. (d) There is enough Nitrogen in the air any way. 14. Why do not the health maniacs eat fruit? [B] (a) It has Nitrogen. (b) It does not have Nitrogen. (c) The Nitrogen it the meat is not healthy. (d) There is enough Nitrogen in the air any way. 15. Which of the following substances the health conscious people do not prefer?[A] (a) Albumin (b) Nitrogen (c) Doughnuts (d) Starch. 16. Which of the following statements is wrong about the health maniacs? [D] (a) They won't drink water out of a tap. (b) They won't eat sardines out of a can. (c) They won't drink milk out of a glass. (d) They won't prefer Ozone.

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17. Why does the author consider health conscious people cowards? [C] (a) Because they won't drink milk out of a glass. (b) Because they prefer albumin and starch. (c) Because they are afraid of alcohol. (d) Because they never walk bare foot. 18. According to the author how do the health maniacs die? [A] (a) Due to some illness (b) Due to over exercises (c) Due to fatigue (d) Due to laziness. PART-3 19. Why does the author say that the health maniacs are on the wrong track? [B] (a) Because they do exercises. (b) Because they are over cautious about health. (c) Because they are afraid of alcohol. (d) Because they do not eat much hence become weak. 20 Why does the author consider old men nuisance for the neighbours? [A ] (a) Because the care for health very much. (b) Because the always tell about their past life. (c) Because they need constant attention. (d) Because they are burden to the society. 21. "Then cut out all this nonsense." What is the nonsense? [A] (a) Unnecessary health care (b) Over exercising (b) Thinking about germs (d) Telling about past life. 22. What is meant by sensible hour? [A] (a) 10-30 (b) Ten to seven (c) When it is convenient (d) When it is necessary. 23. What according to the author we should buy for 5 cents? [A] (a) Thermos bottle (b) Ozone (c) Air (d) Exercise kit. 24. "It isn't exhilarating, and you know it." What is not exhilarating? [C] (a) Taking chance on Ozone (b) Waking up at 10-30. (c) Waking up at ten minutes to seven (d) To keep a thermos bottle in the cupboard. PART-4 25. The author suggests the reader not to be afraid of ± [B] (a) Ozone (b) Germs and bacilli (c) Waking up early (d) Thermos bottle. 26. Why does the author suggests us to look into the eyes of the bacilli? [D] (a) Because it has large eyes. (b) Because it shall run away. (c) To feel courageous and secure. (d) He wants us to love it. 27. Where should we hit the bacilli? [C] (a) In the neck (b) On the thorax (c) Between the neck and the thorax (d) In the eyes. 28. How does the author describe the bacilli? (a) Dangerous (b) Less harming (c) Innocuous (d) Weak. 29. What is fido? [B] (a) A germ (b) The name of his friend (c) The author's new book (d) A self willed man.

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30. "I never knew a more affectionate companion, and when it was run over by an automobile, I buried it in the garden with genuine sorrow." This sentence is a/an -(a) Satire (b) Irony (c) Pun (d) Comment. 31. Why does the author say that modern medicine is a fad? [B] (a) Because it does not the cause of any disease. (b) Because it says that all diseases are caused by germs. (c) Because it can not cure cholera. (d) Because it is costly. 32. What is the cause of cholera according to the author?[B] (a) Germs (b) Stomach pain (c) Sore throat (d) All of the above.] 33. What is meant by stagger? [B] (a) To become ill. (b) To walk unsteadily. (c) To sit heavily on a sofa. (d) To eat too much food. 34. The author suggests not to be bothered about ±[C] (a) Fresh air (b) Exercise (c) All of the above (d) None of the above. 35. What is meant by hack? [D] (a) To cut some thing (b) Rough cough (d) A ghost writer (d) A person who does another's work. 36. This essay is a/an [D] (a) Aphoristic essay (b) Autobiographical essay (c) Literary essay (d) Satirical essay. ==================================================================

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E. V. Lucas [1868 - 1938] (Full name Edward Verrall Lucas) English essayist, editor, biographer, novelist, critic, journalist, poet, autobiographer, short story writer, playwright, and satirist. INTRODUCTION Lucas achieved success as a prolific author of light, entertaining popular nonfiction and novels. He was best known as a witty and observant essayist whose interests ranged from sports and domestic life to fine art and literature. His notable products in other genres include travel guides, literary anthologies, and an acclaimed series of scholarly works on the writer Charles Lamb. Biographical Information Lucas grew up in a middle-class Quaker family in Brighton. After an early apprenticeship to a bookseller, he worked as a journalist, eventually moving to London, where he joined the staff of the newspaper the Globeand, later, the literary journal the Academy and the humor magazinePunch. He also established himself as a respected reader and editor for the publishers Grant Richards and Methuen. In addition to his regular employment, he wrote or edited over one hundred books. He became a prosperous and well-regarded figure in the London literary community, associating with writers such as Max Beerbohm, Arnold Bennett, and James M. Barrie. Major Works Lucas's flexibility and high productivity as a writer and editor enabled him to have an unusually varied career, as, among other things, a humorist, essayist, novelist, anthologist, literary biographer, travel writer, and art critic. One of his earliest successes as a humor writer was Wisdom While You Wait (1902), a parody of advertisements for the Encyclopedia Brittanica written in collaboration with Charles Larcom Graves, with whom he cowrote the popular "By the Way" column for the Globe. As an essayist, Lucas retained an appreciative following for four decades with his ability to write amusingly and engagingly about a wide variety of topics chosen to appeal to general readers. His essays, many of them written for periodicals such as the London Times, Spectator, Pall Mall Gazette, and Punch, were reprinted in numerous collections, includingDomesticities (1900), Fireside

and

Sunshine (1906), One

Day

and

Another (1909), The

Phantom

Journal (1919), Giving and Receiving(1922), Visibility Good (1931), and Pleasure Trove (1935). Reviewers compare his novels, such as Listener's Lure (1906) and Over Bremerton's (1908), with his essays for their easygoing, anecdotal style. With his two-volume Life of Charles Lamb (1905), he established himself as a respected expert on Lamb, later compiling his own editions of The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb (1903-05) and The Letters of Charles Lamb (1935). Lucas's work as a travel writer includes Highways and Byways in Sussex (1904) and the Wanderer series, which offer his impressions on traveling in England and other parts of Europe. Fine art is a frequent topic in Lucas's travel books and essays, and he wrote several works on the subject of art, including a set of monographs on European masters such as Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and Leonardo da Vinci, a biography of the painter Edwin Austin Abbey, and The British School (1913), a guide to paintings in London's National Gallery. In addition to his original writings, Lucas edited several anthologies of prose and verse, each centering on a particular subject. Among these are the bestselling The Open Road (1899), about travels in the countryside; The Friendly Town (1905), about London; and The Hambledon Men (1907), which contains material by Lucas and others about his favorite sport, cricket. Critical Reception Critics describe Lucas as a genial entertainer, witty and capable of unusual insights, but reluctant to offer self-revealing thoughts that might have given his writings deeper significance. During his lifetime, Lucas enjoyed the respect of many of

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his most distinguished peers, including Edmund Gosse, who called him the best living essayist since Robert Louis Stevenson. After World War I, however, Lucas's light, impersonal style was less in tune with literary fashions, and after his death interest in his work among critics and readers waned. As for his works on Lamb, which once confirmed his literary prestige, more recent scholarship has greatly lessened their importance. ESSAY [THE FACE ON THE WALL] We were talking of events which cannot be explained by natural causes at Dabney's last evening. Most of us had given an instance without producing much effect. Among the strangers to me was a little man with an anxious face. He watched each speaker with the closest attention, but said nothing. Then Dabney wishing to include him in the talk, turned to him and asked if he had no experience he could narrate - no story that could be explained. He thought a moment. "Well," he said, 'not a story in the ordinary sense of the word; nothing like most of your examples. Truth, I always believe, is not only stringer than a made up story, but also greatly more interesting. I could tell you an occurrence which happened to me personally and which strangely enough completed itself only this afternoon." We begged him to begin. "A year or two ago," he said, "I was in rooms in an old house in Great Ormond Street. The bedroom walls had been painted by the previous tenant, but the place was damp and there were great patches on the walls. One of these - as indeed often happens - exactly like a face. Lying on a bed in the morning and delaying getting up I came to think of it as real as my fellow lodger. In fact, the strange thing was that while the patches on the wall grew larger and changed their shapes, this never did. It remained just the same. "While there I fell ill with influenza, and all day long I had nothing to do but read or think, and it was then that the face began to get a firmer hold of me. It grew more and more real and remarkable. I may say that it filled my thoughts day and night. There was a curious curve of the nose and the forehead was remarkable, in fact the face of an uncommon man, a man in a thousand." "Well, I got better, but the face still controlled me, found myself searching the streets for one like it. Somewhere, I was convinced, the real man must exist, and him I must meet. Why, I had no idea; I only knew that he and I were in some way linked by fate. I often went to places where people gather in large numbers - political meetings, football matches, railway stations. But all in vain. I had never before realized as I then did how many different faces of man there are and how few. For all faces differ, and yet they can be grouped into few types." "The search became a madness with me. I neglected everything else. I stood at busy corners watching the crowd until people thought me mad, and the police began to know me and be suspicious. I never looked at women; men, men, men, all the time." He passed his hand over his brow as if he was very tired. "And then," he continued. "I at last saw him. He was in a taxi driving east along Piccadilly. I turned and ran beside it for a little way and then saw an empty one coming. 'Follow that taxi,' I said and leaped in. The driver managed to keep it in sight and it took us to Charing Cross. I rushed on to the platform and found my man with two ladies and a little girl. They were going to France. I stayed there trying to get a word with him, but in vain. Other friends had joined the party and they moved to the train in one group." I hastily purchased a ticket to Folkstone, hoping that I should catch him on the boat before it sailed; but at Folkstone he got on the ship before me with his friends, and they disappeared into a large private cabin. Evidently he was a rich man." "Again I was defeated; but I determined to go with him, feeling certain that when the voyage had begun he would leave the ladies and come out for a walk on the deck. I had

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only just enough for a single fare to Boulogne but nothing could stop me now. I took up my position opposite his cabin door and waited. After half an hour the door opened and he came out, but with the little girl. My heart beat fast. There was no mistaking the face, every line was the same. He looked at me and moved towards the way to the upper deck. It was now or never, I felt." "Excuse me," I stammered, "but do you mind giving me your card? I have a very important reason in asking it." "He seemed to be greatly surprised, as indeed well he might; but he granted my request. Slowly he took out his case and handed me his card and hurried on with the little girl. It was clear that he thought me mad and thought it wiser to please me than not." "Holding the card tight in my hand I hurried to a lonely corner of the ship and read it. My eyes grew dim; my head reeled; for on it were the words; Mr. Ormond Wall, with an address at Pittsburgh, U.S.A. I remember no more until I found myself in a hospital at Boulogne. There I lay in a broken condition for some weeks, and only a month ago did I return." He was silent. We looked at him and at one another and waited. All the other talk of the evening was nothing compared with the story of the little pale man. "I went back," he started once again after a moment or so, "to Great Ormond Street and set to work to find out all I could about this American. I wrote to Pittsburgh; I wrote to American editors; I made friends with Americans in London: but all that I could find out was that he was a millionaire with English parents who had resided in London. But where? To that question I received no answer." "And so the time went on until yesterday morning, I had gone to bed more than usually tired and slept till late. When I woke, the room was bright with sunlight. As I always do, I looked at once at the wall on which the face is to be seen. I rubbed my eyes and sprang up. It was only faintly visible. Last night it had been clear as ever - almost I could hear it speak. And now it was a ghost of itself." "I got up confused and sad and went out. The early editions of the papers were already out. I saw the headline, 'American Millionaire's Motor Accident.' You all must have seen it. I bought it and read. Mr. Ormond Wall, the Pittsburgh millionaire, and party, motoring in Italy, were hit by a wagon and the car overturned. Mr. Wall's condition was critical." "I went back to my room and sat on the bed looking with unseeing eyes at the face on the wall. And even as I looked, suddenly it completely disappeared." "Later I found that Mr. Wall died of his injuries at what I take it to be that very moment." Again he was silent. "Most remarkable," we said, "most extraordinary," and so forth, and we meant it too. "Yes," said the stranger. "There are three extraordinary, three most remarkable things about my story. One is that it should be possible for a patch on the wall of a house in London not only to form the features of a gentleman in America but also to have a close association with his life. Science will not be able to explain that yet. Another one is that the gentleman's name should bear any relation to the spot on which his features were being so curiously reproduced by some unknown agency. Is it not so?" We agreed with him, and our original discussion on supernatural occurrences set in again with increased excitement, during which the narrator of the amazing experience rose up and said good-night. Just as he was at the door, one of the company recalled us to the cause of our excited debate by asking him, before he left what he considered the third most exciting thing in connection with his deeply interesting story. "You said three thing,

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you know?" said he. "Oh, the third thing," he said, as he opened the door, "I was forgetting that. The third extraordinary thing about the story is that I made it up about half an hour ago. Goodnight again."

SUMMARY

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SUMMARY Edward Verrall Lucas (1868-1938) was a versatile and popular English writer of nearly a hundred books. He is now remembered for his essays and books about London and Travel appearing in many editions, and his biography of Charles Lamb. His writings are marked by a felicitous style. The short-story µThe Face on the Wall¶ has a simple storyline with an unusual ending. On a wintry evening, the author E.V. Lucas and his friends Dabney and Rudson Wayte were busily engaged in an idle chat conversing on the theme of supernatural events. While the three were busy talking about the unprofitable but endlessly alluring subject of the ghostly appearances in real life situations, a little man anxiously listening to them. He was a stranger for the remaining two, who was brought by Rudson Wayte. In order to include in the company, Rudson asked him to tell them a story of that sort, he started telling a story. Sometime ago, the little man was residing at an old house in Great Ormond Street on the Holborn side. At that time, his bed room walls underwent patches of discolouration. One of the patches was exactly like a human face but more faithfully and startlingly than is customary. He kept looking at it and kept thinking of it, until it started to dominate his thoughts. The little man thought that there should a man somewhere in the world with the same similarities. He searched for a clue in many places and finally succeeded to find one, who was in a taxi driving east along Piccadilly. The little man followed him indeed and tried to catch him at the railway station in Charing Cross. He was not successful there and chased him on the boat heading forward to Folkestone. At last, he could meet him at a saloon. He requested him for his visiting card and learnt that his name was Mr.Ormond Wall and belonged to Pittsburg, America. Back in his room, the little man found the face on the wall with the same features of those found on Mr.Ormond Wall. He had written letters to his friend and came to know that Mr.Ormond Wall was living in London. His curiosity was even more increased to locate him at depth with the random similarities of his appearance on the wall. The next morning when he had gone through the newspapers as part of his routine, he was shocked to find a piece of news entitled µAmerican Millionaire¶s Motor Accident¶ read in which a man called Mr.Ormond Wall, a Pittsburg millionaire with his party motoring from Spezzia to Pisa had come into collision with a wagon. Mr.Wall¶s condition was critical. Later, when the little man observed his bed room wall, the patch in resemblance to Mr.Crmond Wall suddenly disappeared. The listeners were taken aback by surprise with the events in the story told by the little man in their company. The little man told the three friends that he had three things to tell them about the story ² firstly, the patch on the wall resembled the face of a man, secondly, the name of the man was same as the name of the street. When the listeners questioned the stranger about the third strange thing, he said it was that he had concocted the story just half an hour ago. Saying thus, the little man went out opening the door beside him and more shocking is the truth that Rudson Wayte too suddenly disappeared out of the company of the author E.V. Lucas and Mr.Dabney. PART-1 1. To whom does I refer to in the first line? [D] (a) E.V Lucus (b) Dabney (c) Rudson-wayte (d) The listener. 2. Which of the following words is nearer to the meaning of mortification? [C] (a) To die (b) To feel scared (c) To feel ashamed or humiliated (d) To listen in silence. 3. What were the people doing the previous evening? [C] (a) Talking about politics (b) Talking about the narrator (c) Talking about ghosts and other objects like that (d) Playing games while telling stories. 4. Who was the little man with an anxious white face? [A] (a) A friend of Dabney (b) The narrator of the story (c) The author of the story (d) The man with the face on the wall. 5. Which of the following words means rumour? [D] (a) Mortification (b) Tingling (c) Inexplicable (d) Hearsay.

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6. According to the narrator what was the difference between his story and the stories told by others? [] (a) His story was true, while others told only rumours. (b) He likes fiction and so he would tell a story based on rumour. (c) The stories told by others may be true like his story. (d) He does not like stories based on rumours. 7. This afternoon refers to --[A] (a) The day the narrator told the story. (b) The day the narrator saw the face on the wall. (c) The day he learned about the existence of supernatural powers. (d) The day he decided to write a story. 8. Where was the narrator living two years before? [old house in Great Ormond Street] 9. Distemper means --[A] (a) A disease (b) To lose temper (c) Ill humour (d) A painting on flat walls. 10. Which of the following words is the synonym of startle? [] (a) Clear (b) Frighten (c) Encourage (d) Gratify. 11. What did the narrator think about the face on the wall? [B] (a) Like his friend (b) Like a fellow human being (c) Like his land lard (d) Like his room mate. 12 "The odd thing was that while the patches on the walls grew larger and changed their contours, this never did." To whom or what does this refers to? [ C] (a)The distemper (b) The patches on the wall (c) The face on the wall (d) The narrator's interest on the imaginary picture. 13. Why did the face on the wall draw more and more attention of the narrator? [B] (a) Because he meditated on it. (b) Because He suffered from flu and had nothing to do except to look at the face. (c) Because he thought about it more and more during day and night. (d) Because it was a ghost which haunted him. 14. What did the narrator do after he got better from flu? [B] (a) He decided to paint the walls again. (b) He began to look for the man with the same face. (c) He thought of changing the room. (d) He was afraid to look at the face on the wall. 15. Why did the narrator search for the face similar to the face on the wall? [B] (a) Because it aroused some curiosity. (b) Because he felt that some fate linked him with the face. (c) He was afraid to return to his room. (d) He wanted to make sure that no one should resemble the face on the wall. 16. Which of the following public places the narrator did not visit during the course of his search? [B] (a) Railway stations (b) Public parks (c) Political meetings (d) Football matches. 17. Which of the following words is the antonym of in vain? [B] (a) Failure (b) Successful (c) Unnecessary (d) Proud.

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18. Why did the narrator say that he had neglected everything else? [C] (a) Because he was busy looking at eh face on the wall. (b) Because he was busy repainting the walls of the room. (c) Because he was busy searching for the man with the same face on the wall. (d) Because he was trying to get relief from the flu. PART-2 19. What is the synonym of weary? [A] (a) Tired (b) Tense (c) Happily (d) Deep thinking. 20. "At last I saw him." To whom does him refer to? [D] (a) The author (b) The listener (c) Dabney (d) The man with the face on the wall. 21. Why the narrator could not manage to speak to the man on the railway plot form? [C] (a) Because he was with two ladies and a girl. (b) Because he refused to talk to him. (c) Because he was joined by others and they moved away to the train. (d) The narrator felt discouraged. 22. Folkstone is a/an --[C] (a) The name of the boat (b) The name of the train (c) The name of the city (d) The name of the man with the face on the wall. 23. How can you say that the man with the face on the wall is a man of wealth? [B] (a) Because he travelled on a train. (b) Because he engaged a private saloon on the ship. (c) Because he had a lot of friends. (d) It was only narrator's thinking. 24. What is the antonym of foil? [] (a) Pure (b) Fail (c) Succeed (d) True. 25. Which of the following words mean to walk leisurely [A] (a) Stroll (b) Cross (c) Foil (d) Crazy. 26. Why did the narrator say that nothing could stop him at that time? [B] (a) Because he had no fare to travel. (b) Because he was determined to find out the truth about the man. (c) Because he was fascinated by the man. (d) Because it was very hot. 27. Why did the narrator ask for the card of the man? [B] (a) Because he wanted a job. (b) Because he wanted to find out the truth about the man. (c) Because the narrator had the habit of collecting cards. (d) Because the narrator was out of mind. 28. Which of the following words is the synonym of astonished? [C] (a) Happy (b) Angry (c) Surprised (d) kind. 29. "With extreme deliberation he took out his case and handed me his card and hurried on with the little girl." Why did the man go in a hurry? [B] (a) He was missing another ship. (b) He might have thought that the narrator was mad. (c) He wanted to follow the little girl. (d) His friends were calling him.

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30. Why did the narrator say "My eyes dimmed; my head swam"? [] (a) Because the man lived in the U.S.A. (b) Because the man's name matched with that of the street of the narrator. (c) Because the card bore no name. (d) Because He was not the man the narrator was looking for. PART-3 31. The little pale man refers to --[C] (a) Dabney (b) The man with the face on the wall (c) The narrator (d) Ormond Wall. 32. "All the other talk of the evening was nothing compared with the story of the little pale man." Why was it so? [B] (a) The story seemed to be false from the beginning. (b) The story seemed to be more interesting than all others. (c) They knew that it was only a hoax. (d) They felt frightened after listening to the story. 33. Where did the parents of the man with the face on the wall live? [A] (a) London (b) Pits berg (c) Folkstone (d) Boulogne. 34. "I rubbed my eyes and sprang up in alarm." Why was the narrator alarmed? [C] (a) It was too late for him to wake in the morning. (b) He felt too weak to wake. (c) The face on the wall was fading. (d) The face on the wall had completely disappeared. 35. The antonym of dejected is --[] (a) alated (b) shocked (c) Surprised (d) Depressed. 36. The narrator associates the complete disappearance of the face on the wall with -(a) The accident of Ormond Wall (b) The death of Ormond Wall (c) The return of Ormond Wall (d) The end of the story. 37. What was the first reason of extra-ordinariness about the story? [B] (a) The formation of a face on the wall. (b) The similarity of the face on the wall to a real gentle man in America. (c) The disappearance of the face at the same moment of his death. (d) The narrator's arrival at the party. 38. What was the second reason of strangeness in the story? [C] (a) The formation of a face on the wall. (b) The similarity of the face on the wall to a real gentle man in America. (c) The name of the gentleman and the street having the same names. (d) The disappearance of the face at the same moment of his death. 39. What was the extraordinary thing about the story? [B] (a) The disappearance of the face on the wall. (b) The narrator only cooked it . (c) The coincidence in the story. (d) Ormond Wall living in the U.S.A. 40. To whom does the author referred to as the snake? [] (a) The narrator (b) Rudson-Wayte (c) Dabney (d) Spanton.

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O¶ Henry [1862 -1910] O¶ Henry (1862-1910) was a prolific American short-story writer, a master of surprise endings, who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. A twist of plot, which turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance, is typical of O. Henry's stories. William Sydney Porter (O¶ Henry) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. His father, Algernon Sidney Porter, was a physician. When William was three, his mother died, and he was raised by his paternal grandmother and aunt. William was an avid reader, but at the age of fifteen he left school, and then worked in a drug store and on a Texas ranch. He moved to Houston, where he had a number of jobs, including that of bank clerk. After moving to Austin, Texas, in 1882, he married. In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone. When the weekly failed, he joined the Houston Post as a reporter and columnist. In 1897 he was convicted of embezzling money, although there has been much debate over his actual guilt. In 1898 he entered a penitentiary at Columbus, Ohio. While in prison O¶ Henry started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. His first work, "Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking" (1899), appeared in McClure's Magazine. After doing three years of the five years sentence, Porter emerged from the prison in 1901 and changed his name to O. Henry. O¶ Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World, also publishing in other magazines. Henry's first collection, Cabbages And Kings appeared in 1904. The second, The Four Million, was published two years later and included his well-known stories "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Furnished Room". The Trimmed Lamp (1907) included "The Last Leaf". Henry's best known work is perhaps the much anthologized "The Ransom of Red Chief", included in the collection Whirligigs (1910). The Heart Of The West (1907) presented tales of the Texas range. O¶ Henry published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime. O¶ Henry's last years were shadowed by alcoholism, ill health, and financial problems. He married Sara Lindsay Coleman in 1907, but the marriage was not happy, and they separated a year later. O¶ Henry died of cirrhosis of the liver on June 5, 1910, in New York. Three more collections, Sixes And Sevens (1911), Rolling Stones (1912) and Waifs And Strays (1917), appeared posthumously. ESSAY [AFTER TWENTY YEARS] The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively. The impressiveness was habitual and not for show, for spectators were few. The time was barely 10 o'clock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the streets. Trying doors as he went, twirling his club with many intricate and artful movements, turning now and then to cast his watchful eye adown the pacific thoroughfare, the officer, with his stalwart form and slight swagger, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace. The vicinity was one that kept early hours. Now and then you might see the lights of a cigar store or of an all-night lunch counter; but the majority of the doors belonged to business places that had long since been closed. When about midway of a certain block the policeman suddenly slowed his walk. In the doorway of a darkened hardware store a man leaned, with an unlighted cigar in his mouth. As the policeman walked up to him the man spoke up quickly. "It's all right, officer," he said, reassuringly. "I'm just waiting for a friend. It's an appointment made twenty years ago. Sounds a little funny to you, doesn't it? Well, I'll explain if you'd like to make certain it's all straight. About that long ago there used to be a restaurant where this store stands--'Big Joe' Brady's restaurant." "Until five years ago," said the policeman. "It was torn down then." The man in the doorway struck a match and lit his cigar. The light showed a pale, square-jawed face with keen eyes, and a little white scar near his right eyebrow. His scarfpin was a large diamond, oddly set.

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"Twenty years ago to-night," said the man, "I dined here at 'Big Joe' Brady's with Jimmy Wells, my best chum, and the finest chap in the world. He and I were raised here in New York, just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune. You couldn't have dragged Jimmy out of NewYork; he thought it was the only place on earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come. We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be." "It sounds pretty interesting," said the policeman. "Rather a long time between meets, though, it seems to me. Haven't you heard from your friend since you left?" "Well, yes, for a time we corresponded," said the other. "But after a year or two we lost track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big proposition, and I kept hustling around over it pretty lively. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he's alive, for he always was the truest, stanchest old chap in the world. He'll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door to-night, and it's worth it if my old partner turns up." The waiting man pulled out a handsome watch, the lids of it set with small diamonds. "Three minutes to ten," he announced. "It was exactly ten o'clock when we parted here at the restaurant door." "Did pretty well out West, didn't you?" asked the policeman. "You bet! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a kind of plodder, though, good fellow as he was. I've had to compete with some of the sharpest wits going to get my pile. A man gets in a groove in New York. It takes the West to put a razor-edge on him." The policeman twirled his club and took a step or two. "I'll be on my way. Hope your friend comes around all right. Going to call time on him sharp?" "I should say not!" said the other. "I'll give him half an hour at least. If Jimmy is alive on earth he'll be here by that time. So long, officer." "Good-night, sir," said the policeman, passing on along his beat, trying doors as he went. There was now a fine, cold drizzle falling, and the wind had risen from its uncertain puffs into a steady blow. The few foot passengers astir in that quarter hurried dismally and silently along with coat collars turned high and pocketed hands. And in the door of the hardware store the man who had come a thousand miles to fill an appointment, uncertain almost to absurdity, with the friend of his youth, smoked his cigar and waited. About twenty minutes he waited, and then a tall man in a long overcoat, with collar turned up to his ears, hurried across from the opposite side of the street. He went directly to the waiting man. "Is that you, Bob?" he asked, doubtfully. "Is that you, Jimmy Wells?" cried the man in the door. "Bless my heart!" exclaimed the new arrival, grasping both the other's hands with his own. "It's Bob, sure as fate. I was certain I'd find you here if you were still in existence. Well, well, well! --twenty years is a long time. The old gone, Bob; I wish it had lasted, so we could have had another dinner there. How has the West treated you, old man?" "Bully; it has given me everything I asked it for. You've changed lots, Jimmy. I never thought you were so tall by two or three inches."

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"Oh, I grew a bit after I was twenty." "Doing well in New York, Jimmy?" "Moderately. I have a position in one of the city departments. Come on, Bob; we'll go around to a place I know of, and have a good long talk about old times." The two men started up the street, arm in arm. The man from the West, his egotism enlarged by success, was beginning to outline the history of his career. The other, submerged in his overcoat, listened with interest. At the corner stood a drug store, brilliant with electric lights. When they came into this glare each of them turned simultaneously to gaze upon the other's face. The man from the West stopped suddenly and released his arm. "You're not Jimmy Wells," he snapped. "Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man's nose from a Roman to a pug." "It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one, said the tall man. "You've been under arrest for ten minutes, 'Silky' Bob. Chicago thinks you may have dropped over our way and wires us she wants to have a chat with you. Going quietly, are you? That's sensible. Now, before we go on to the station here's a note I was asked to hand you. You may read it here at the window. It's from Patrolman Wells." The man from the West unfolded the little piece of paper handed him. His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished. The note was rather short. ~"Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match to light your cigar I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago. Somehow I couldn't do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job. JIMMY."

SUMMARY

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PART-1 1. Why did the policeman on the beat move impressively? [B] (a) Because there are some people to look at him. (b) It was his habit. (c) He wanted to be sure that people recognize him. (d) He wanted to show his authority. 2. What was the result of chilly gusty winds and symptoms of rain? [A ] (a) All people went away. (b) Though there were some people they were trying to hide. (c) The thieves were active. (d) The people were out to enjoy the climate. 3. What is meant by pacific thoroughfare? [ B] (a) The shore of the ocean (b) Peaceful roads (c) The name of an ocean (d) The name of a market. 4. Swagger means --[ B] (a) To turn the club in the hand (b) To walk in a different style (c) To look keenly (d) To walk hastily without looking at anything.

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5. Why did the author describe the policeman as the guardian of peace? [ A] (a) Because he was walking stylishly. (b) Because he was looking observantly. (c) Because he was searching for thieves. (d) Because he was trying to follow somebody. 6. Which of the following words means nearness? [D ] (a) Thoroughfare (b) Pacific (d) Swagger (d) Vicinity. 7. Why did the policeman slowdown his walk? [ C] (a) He wanted to buy a cigarette. (b) He heard some noise. (c) He saw a man in darkness. (d) He was thinking about his friend. 8. Why did the man try to assure the policeman? [B ] (a) The policeman looked suspiciously at him. (b) He wanted to tell that everything was right. (c) He wanted to encourage the policeman in his search. (d) He wanted to escape the keen eyes of the policeman. 9. Why did the man say that the appointment was funny? [B ] (a) It was funny to make an appointment for twenty years. (b) Keeping an appointment for twenty years was funny. (c) The appointment hours were funny. (d) He only wanted to divert the attention of the policeman. 10. After how many years of the appointment the "Big Joe" Brady's restaurant." disappeared? [B ] (a) Five years (b) Fifteen years (c) Twenty years (d) Data is not sufficient. 11. What was the result of the striking of a match? [ ] The light showed a pale, square-jawed face with keen eyes, and a little white scar near his right eyebrow. His scarfpin was a large diamond, oddly set. 12. The scar near the eye brow indicates --[B ] (a) The man was wealthy. (b) The man was a criminal. (c) The man was a fighter. (d) The man was a soldier. 13. "His scarf pin was a large diamond, oddly set." This statement proves --[ A] (a) The man was wealthy. (b) The man was a criminal. (c) The man was a fighter. (d) The man was a soldier. 14. Jimmy Wells is a/an --[ B] (a) A thief (b) A policeman (c) Friend of the policeman (d) The owner of the shop. 15. At the time of the story Jimmy Wells was --[B ] (a) 18 (b) 20 (c) 40 (d) 38. 16. What did both friends think would happen after twenty years? [B ] (a) They would assist each other in their efforts. (b) Their fate would be decided by then. (c) They should come with their families. (d) They would be in a position to help the poor in the society.

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17. Both the friends could not correspond with each other. Why? [ C] (a) Both of them kept moving from one place to another. (b) The man who had gone to the west was busy and kept roaming from one place to another. (c) Jimmy Wells did not want to communicate. (d) Jimmy Wells was not alive to answer the letters. 18. Why was the man confident that Jimmy Wells would surely come? [ D] (a) Jimmy was prompt in keeping appointments. (b) Jimmy had already informed him about his arrival. (c) Jimmy was the most honest and most faithful person. (d) The man only hoped it would happen. 19. The watch of the man indicates --[ A] (a) The man was wealthy. (b) The man was a criminal. (c) The man was a fighter. (d) The man was a soldier. 20. What did the man think about the life of Jimmy? [C ] (a) Jimmy was as rich as he was. (b) Jimmy must be richer than him. (c) He himself was far more richer than Jimmy. (d) There was no comparison between them. 21. The expression to get pile means -- [A ] (a) To earn money. (b) To achieve fame. (c) To improve fortune. (d) To acquire land. 22. The policeman's words before leaving are --[ B] (a) An assertion (b) A wish (c) A conclusion (d) A comment. Part-2 23. Which of the following did not happen after the policeman had gone? [C ] (a) The pedestrians walked briskly (b) The wind began to blow constantly (c) There was a gentle rain (d) There was a heavy rain. 24. At what time did the tall man in a long overcoat appear? [ C] (a) 9-57 P.M. (b) 9-57 A.M. (c) 10-17 P.M. (d) 10-17 A.M. 25. Who was Bob? [ B] (a) The man in the long overcoat (b) The policeman (c) The man waiting at the store (d) It was simply a mistaken identity. 26. "Bless my heart!" exclaimed the new arrival. The new arrival was --[ A] (a) The man in the long overcoat (b) The policeman (c) The man waiting at the store (d) It was simply a mistaken identity. 27. The man in long overcoat said that the old gone. He was referring to --[ D] (a) Their friendship (b) Their past days (c) Their youth (d) The restaurant. 28. "You've changed lots, Jimmy. I never thought you were so tall by two or three inches." What kind of literary device is used in this sentence? [D ] (a) Pun (b) Satire (c) Dramatic irony (d) Soliloquy. 29. Where did the man want to have a long talk with Bob? [B ] (a) At the police station (b) At the restaurant (c) At his office (d) No specific place is mentioned.

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30. Why did both the men look at each other at the drug store? [B ] (a) Each one wanted to make sure that the other was genuine. (b) They wanted to look at each other after such a long gap. (c) The lights in the streets were not bright enough when compared to the lights at the drug store. (d) Both were suspicious of each other. 31. Why did the man from the west stop suddenly and release the arm of the other? [A ] (a) Because he saw that the other was not Jimmy Wells. (b) Because he had a suspicion that he was found out. (c) Because he remembered that he forgot something at the store. (d) Because he wanted to run away as early as possible. 32. How could the man from the west find out the other man was not Jimmy Wells? [B ] (a) The man's complexion became darker. (b) The man's nose was flat. (c) The man's Eyes were round. (d) The man's nose was sharp. 33. "It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one", said the tall man. This sentence is a/an --[B ] (a) Comment (b) Warning (c) Observation (d) Retort. 34. "Chicago thinks you may have dropped over our way and wires us she wants to have a chat with you." Who is she in the above sentence? [D ] (a) A girl friend of Bob. (b) A woman who gave a police complaint. (c) Chicago police. (d) Chicago city. 35. "His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished." Why did the hand tremble? [B ] (a) Because of his unexpected arrest. (b) He learned that it was Jimmy who handed him over to the police. (c) He felt weak after he was caught in this way. (d) He was suffering from some disease. 36. Which of the following is the synonym of intricate? [D ] (a) Simple (b) Quick (c) Clumsy (d) Complicated.

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Isaac Asimov [Jan 02, 1920 ± Apr 06, 1992] Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. His works have been published in all ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System (although his only work in the 100s²which covers philosophy and psychology²was a foreword for The Humanist Way). Asimov is widely considered a master of hard science fiction and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, he was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers during his lifetime. Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation Series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those pioneered by Robert A. Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson. He wrote many short stories, among them "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America the best short science fiction story of all time. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French. The prolific Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as much non-fiction. Most of his popular science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery, as well as works on astronomy, mathematics, the Bible, William Shakespeare's writing and chemistry. Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, a crater on the planet Mars, a Brooklyn, New York elementary school, and one Isaac Asimov literary award are named in his honor. Biography Asimov was born sometime between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920 in Petrovichi in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (near the modern border with Belarus) to Anna Rachel Berman Asimov and Judah Asimov, a family of Jewish millers. While his exact date of birth is uncertain, Asimov himself celebrated it on January 2. The family name derives from ȖȏȐȔȣȍ (ozimiye), a Russian word for winter grains in which his great-grandfather dealt, to which a patronymic suffix was added. His name in Russian was originally Isaak Ozimov (Russian: ǰșȈȈȒ ǶȏȐȔȖȊ); but he was later known in Russia as Ayzyek Azimov (ǨȑȏȍȒ ǨȏȐȔȖȊ),[11] a Russian Cyrillic adaptation of the American English pronunciation. Asimov had two younger siblings; a sister, Marcia (born Manya, June 17, 1922-April 2, 2011), and a brother, Stanley (July 25, 1929-August 16, 1995). His family emigrated to the United States when he was three years old. Since his parents always spoke Yiddish and English with him, he never learned Russian. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York City, Asimov taught himself to read at the age of five and remained fluent in Yiddish as well as English. Asimov wrote of his father, "My father, for all his education as an Orthodox Jew, was not Orthodox in his heart", and "he didn't recite the myriad prayers prescribed for every action, and he never made any attempt to teach them to me." His parents owned a succession of candy stores, and everyone in the family was expected to work in them. Education and career Asimov began reading science fiction pulp magazines at a young age. His father, as a matter of principle, forbade reading the pulps, as he considered them to be trash, but Asimov persuaded him that the science fiction magazines had "Science" in the title, so they were educational. Around the age of eleven, he began to write his own stories, and by age nineteen² after he discovered science fiction fandom²he was selling stories to the science fiction magazines. John W. Campbell, then editor of Astounding Science Fiction, had a strong formative influence on Asimov and eventually became a personal friend.

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Asimov attended New York City Public Schools, including Boys High School, in Brooklyn, New York. From there he went on to Seth Low Junior College originally as a zoology major but changed his subject to Chemistry after his first semester for the disapproval of "dissecting an alley cat". From there, he went to Columbia University for the remainder of his master's degree, from which he graduated in 1939, eventually returning to earn a PhD in biochemistry in 1948. In between, he spent three years during World War II working as a civilian at the Philadelphia Navy Yard's Naval Air Experimental Station. After the war ended, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving for almost nine months before receiving an honorable discharge. In the course of his brief military career, he rose to the rank of corporal on the basis of his typing skills, and narrowly avoided participating in the 1946 atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. After completing his doctorate, Asimov joined the faculty of the Boston University School of Medicine, with which he remained associated thereafter. From 1958, this was in a non-teaching capacity, as he turned to writing full-time (his writing income had already exceeded his academic salary). Being tenured meant that he retained the title of associate professor, and in 1979 the university honored his writing by promoting him to full professor of biochemistry. Asimov's personal papers from 1965 onward are archived at the university's Mugar Memorial Library, to which he donated them at the request of curator Howard Gottlieb. The collection fills 464 boxes, or seventy-one meters of shelf space. Personal life Asimov married Gertrude Blugerman (1917, Canada±1990, Boston) on July 26, 1942. They had two children, David (b. 1951) and Robyn Joan (b. 1955). In 1970 they separated and Asimov moved back to New York, this time to Manhattan, where he lived for the rest of his life. He immediately began seeing Janet O. Jeppson, and married her two weeks after his divorce from Gertrude in 1973. Asimov was a claustrophile: he enjoyed small, enclosed spaces. In the third volume of his autobiography, he recalls a childhood desire to own a magazine stand in a New York City Subway station, within which he could enclose himself and listen to the rumble of passing trains while reading. Asimov was afraid of flying, only doing so twice in his entire life (once in the course of his work at the Naval Air Experimental Station, and once returning home from the army base in Oahu in 1946) He seldom traveled great distances, partly because his aversion to flying complicated the logistics of long-distance travel. This phobia influenced several of his fiction works, such as the Wendell Urth mystery stories and the Robot novels featuring Elijah Baley. In his later years, he found he enjoyed traveling on cruise ships, and on several occasions he became part of the cruises' "entertainment", giving science-themed talks on ships such as the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2. Asimov was an able public speaker and was a frequent fixture at science fiction conventions, where he was friendly and approachable. He patiently answered tens of thousands of questions and other mail with postcards, and was pleased to give autographs. He was of medium height, stocky, with mutton chop whiskers and a distinct New York accent. His physical dexterity was very poor. He never learned to swim or ride a bicycle; however, he did learn to drive a car after he moved to Boston. In his humor book Asimov Laughs Again, he describes Boston driving as "anarchy on wheels". Asimov's wide interests included his participation in his later years in organizations devoted to the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan and in The Wolfe Pack, a group of devotees of the Nero Wolfe mysteries written by Rex Stout. Many of his short stories mention or quote Gilbert and Sullivan. He was a prominent member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the leading Sherlock Holmes society. He was also a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the Trap Door Spiders, which served as the basis of his fictional group of mystery solvers the Black Widowers. In 1984, the American Humanist Association (AHA) named him the Humanist of the Year. From 1985 until his death in 1992, he served as president of the AHA, an honorary appointment; his successor was his friend and fellow writer Kurt Vonnegut. He was also a close friend of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, and earned a screen credit on Star Trek: The Motion Picture for advice he gave during production (generally, confirming to Paramount Pictures that Roddenberry's ideas were legitimate science-fictional extrapolation). Illness and death Asimov suffered a heart attack in 1977, and had triple bypass surgery in December 1983. When he died in New York City on April 6, 1992, his brother Stanley reported heart and kidney failure as the cause of death. He was survived by his second wife, Janet, and his children from his first marriage. Ten years after his death, Janet Asimov's edition of Asimov's autobiography, It's Been a Good Life, revealed that the myocardial and renal complications were the result of an infection

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by HIV, which he had contracted from a blood transfusion received during his bypass operation. Janet Asimov wrote in the epilogue of It's Been a Good Life that Asimov's doctors advised him against going public, warning that the anti-AIDS prejudice would likely extend to his family members. Asimov's family considered disclosing his condition after his death, but the controversy that erupted when Arthur Ashe announced his own HIV infection (also contracted from a blood transfusion during heart surgery) convinced them otherwise. Ten years later, after most of Asimov's doctors had died, Janet and Robyn Asimov agreed that the HIV story should be made public. Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer of science fiction. His popular science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. Robots and People by Asimov is a thought-provoking essay. The author describes the different kinds of jobs that Robots are capable of doing. The essay concludes with a discussion of two types of intelligence: human vs. robotic. He says that it is better that the two intelligences are kept apart. Humans and robots must work together, by complementing each other. His arguments are persuasive and convincing. NOVEL [ROBERTS AND PEOPLE] ONE OF THE reasons why the United States is hesitating about going full speed ahead with industrial robots is probably the fear of unemployment. As more and more robots are put into factories, what happens to the men and women who used to have the jobs? Of course we can argue the matter this way Until the 1970s, there were many jobs that only-human beings could do. Animals weren¶t smart enough. Machines weren¶t complicated enough. Some of these jobs that only human beings can do are dangerous. Working in mines, or on building construction, or with dangerous chemicals or explosives, or under difficult weather conditions - all are jobs that it would be better for human beings not to have to do. Besides, some jobs, even though they require human brains, don¶t require too many. Many people have to spend day after day doing simple things like filing cards, or typing routine letters, or tightening bolts, or carrying something from here to there. No animal or machine might be able to do it, but people who must do it don¶t really get to use their brains very much. If muscles aren¶t used much, they get flabby, and that¶s true of the brain, too. The kind of jobs many people do - the same simple thing all the time - can be terribly boring and depressing. Eventually, people who do such things find they have led dull lives that never gave them a chance to think properly and expand their minds. Now we have devised robots that are much more complicated than any other machines we have ever had. They are complicated enough to do jobs that until now only human beings could do, but that are too simple for the marvelous brains we all have. The robots, even though they are smarter than other machines, are still only capable of very simple tasks²the kind of tasks human beings ought not to waste their time doing. In that case, why not let the robots do it? Why shouldn¶t human beings do other and better things? After all, whenever there is an important new invention, some jobs are lost. When the automobile came into use, there was a gradual, but steady, loss of jobs that involved horses. There were fewer stables, fewer manufacturers of buggies and wagons, fewer whips, and fewer spurs. On the other hand, think of the jobs the automobile created. Think of all the garages that came into being, all the auto mechanics needed, all the tire manufacturing, highway building, oil well drilling. Automobiles created hundreds of times as many jobs as they destroyed. That¶s the way it will be with robots, too. Lots of assembly-line jobs will vanish, but think of all the jobs needed to design robots, manufacture their parts, put them together, install them, and keep them in good repair. There will be many times as many jobs coming into being as are destroyed. The jobs that are destroyed will be very dull ones anyway, so dull that even a robot can do them. The jobs that will be created will be interesting ones that will stretch the mind.

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Of course, there is a catch. We can¶t just tell a person who has been working on an assembly line for twenty-five years to stop and take a job designing robots instead. It takes a special kind of education to be able to work with robots, and the assembly-line worker won¶t have it. If we are going to have a large changeover in types of jobs, there will have to be a careful program of retraining and reeducation for people with old-style jobs. It will have to be done even if they take rather simple new-style ones. That will be expensive and hard, but it will have to be done. There are also sure to be people who are too old, or too beaten down by the dull job they had to do all their lives, to be able to take advantage of retraining. Some sort of jobs will have to be found that they can do. Eventually, of course, things will be different. Children going to schools in the future will be educated in ways of using and understanding computers and robots. They will grow up and be able to take the new jobs, and no one will ever consider the old jobs or want them. Everyone will be glad to leave the dull jobs and the dangerous jobs to robots. Still, there will be a ³transition period/¶ a time between the present, when so many people are still in the old jobs, and the future, when everyone will be in the new jobs. The American people and, perhaps, the whole world, will have to be patient and intelligent so that we can get through the transition period with as little trouble and unhappiness as possible. There is another problem that may face us. Robots aren¶t going to stay in the same place. Computers will get more and more complicated, and robots will have more and more abilities, and be able to do better and better jobs. Are there any jobs that robots won¶t some day take? What if human beings are driven out of job after job, and robots take them all? Will robots take over, as they did in the play R. U. R.? Actually, that doesn¶t seem likely. Just because robots do things that till now only human beings have been able to do doesn¶t mean that robots are intelligent in the same way we are. They just work automatically under the direction of computers that we have programmed. For instance, computers are very good at solving mathematical problems. They can solve them much faster than we can, and they can do it without making errors. That¶s because we know all the rules of arithmetic. They happen to be simple and we can describe those rules in the programming so that the computer knows what to do. Through those rules the computer can instruct the robot how far to turn, how far to bend, how many times to do something, and so on. But that¶s the very sort of thing that human beings are not very good at. Human beings can do arithmetic, they know the rules but that sort of thing, if done for very long, quickly gets boring and the human brain gets tired. We begin to make more and more mistakes. The human brain, however, is very good in other directions. It has imagination. It can suppose and wonder. It can make intelligent guesses. Most of all, it is ³creative.´ It can think up new and sometimes startling ways of doing or understanding things. Computers and robots can¶t do any of these things. And as long as they can¶t, they are a long way from being intelligent in the same way we are, and they¶re not likely to ³take over.´ We can¶t even program computers and robots to be imaginative and creative, since we ourselves don¶t know how we do it. For instance, I write books²a lot of them. Because I write many books, I write them quickly. I learn about a subject and then try to explain it. I try to be clear. I try to tell things in the right order. And it works. Even when I do it quickly, I write exactly the way I feel I ought to. How do I do it? How do I decide what to say first, what to say next? I honestly don¶t know. It¶s just something I can do, and have been able to do all my adult life.

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Can I program a computer so that it will write my book for me - so that it will choose the right words and phrases - and then have a robot type them all down? No, I can¶t, because I don¶t know what the rules I follow are, so I don¶t know how to program the computer. Probably all human beings, if they are given a proper education and aren¶t spoiled by being set to work at lifelong dull jobs that turn their brains flabby, will have some ability or other they can¶t explain, and that no computer or robot will be able to imitate. Still, suppose that as computers and robots get more complicated, they develop abilities that make it possible for them to think for themselves. What if they develop imagination without our instructing them, just as the robots in R. U. R. developed emotion? Even then, it is not likely they¶ll be very good at it at first, and it won¶t be worth all the complication of computer structure that would be required. Look at it the other way around. Every once in a while a human being is born who is a ³mathematical marvel.´ He can multiply huge numbers in his head very quickly and solve complicated problems. Sometimes he can do it without even knowing how. Even a person who is not born with this ability can train himself into doing it pretty well if he spends a lot of time and practice at it. But why bother? What good is it? Even the best mathematical marvel isn¶t as good as a fairly simple computer. All the training in the world will make no human being better than a computer in doing mathematical problems. And the other way around²with the human brain so easily capable of so much in the way of imagination and creativity, why should computers compete in that way? It would be much better if human beings continued to make computers and robots better at what machines can do most easily by giving them abilities and programming to help that along. Meanwhile, we human beings should improve ourselves at what we do best through proper education and through a deeper understanding of how our brain works. We should try to make more and more people imaginative and creative. In this way, we may end up with two kinds of intelligence on earth, two entirely different kinds. There will be the computer/robot intelligence and the human intelligence. Each one will work in a different way and each will cooperate with the other. Together the two intelligences will be able to do much more than either could alone, so that someday human beings will wonder how they ever got along without robots.

SUMMARY • • •

Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer and master in the genre of science fiction. In the essay µRobots and People¶, he spells out the basic differences in the kinds of jobs that robots are capable of doing and those that human beings can do. He says that developed countries like America hesitate about going full speed ahead with industrial robots for fear of massive unemployment. He points out that it is a wrong notion in this regard. Asimov differentiates the two types of intelligence involved. Robots are useful to mankind in two kinds of situations: firstly, they can do jobs that are dangerous and secondly, they can do jobs that are boring for man.

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He stresses the fact that it is not always true that a new invention leads to the dearth of jobs. The writer cites the example of the invention of the automobiles. Having resulted in the loss of certain mean jobs, it raised a curtain to an unlimited number of interesting and exciting jobs. The same can be expected with the creation of robots which in turn open up a big number of more challenging jobs.

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Since man has the power of imagination and creativity, there is always a chance of new inventions to help man lead a better mode of living. .Ail the same, man should obtain the advantage of retraining. Eventually things will be different.

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•

In the context of new inventions, the present day children should get access to the knowledge of computers to enable them tune their understanding with new inventions like robots and their role in their routine life.

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Despite the effective role of robots in the life of man in future, they are subject to work under the directions of computers based on the programmes created by man. Robots can¶t think and work themselves. Basically it is human intelligence that makes robots perform their function.

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The hallmark of human intelligence is creativity and imagination whereas the outstanding feature of a robot or a computer is its ability to perform mechanical jobs like mathematical calculations.

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The essay concludes with a discussion of two types of intelligence: human vs. robotic. Hence it is better that the two intelligences are kept apart. Human and robots must work together by complementing each other.

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Asimov arguments are persuasive and convincing and his style of writing is simple and direct that even a layman can make out his point of presentation.

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PART-1 1. According to the author the reason for not encouraging industrial robots is ±[ B] (a) The robots might become more powerful than us. (b) It decreases employment opportunities. (c) Necessary technology was not available. (d) There was opposition against mechanization. 2. Which of the following jobs is not for human beings according to the author? [ B] (a) Dangerous jobs (b) Routine jobs (c) All of the above (d) None of the above. 3. Which of the following does not come under the category of dangerous work according to the author? [C ] (a) Working in mines (b) Building construction (c) Writing computer programmes (d) Chemical industry. 4. Which of the following does not come under the category of dull work according to the author? [A ] (a) Preparation of cards (b) tightening of bolts (c) Carrying things from one place to another (d) Typing for publishers. 4. What do people doing boring jobs think in the end? [ ] (a) They led a dull life due to lack of brain power. (b) Their dull work did not give them a chance to improve brain power. (c) They were unlucky to do such a job. (d) They were not fit for other jobs. 5. Brain becomes flabby because --[ ] (a) muscles are not used. (b) we do not use the brain fully. (c) we do over work. (d) we do dangerous work. 6. There are four statements about robots. Choose the correct statements and answer the question. [ ] I. Robots are simple machines doing complicated jobs. II. Robots are complicated machines doing simple jobs. III. Robots are helpful in doing dangerous works that human beings ought not to do. IV. Robots are not helpful to do dull routine jobs. (a)I and IV (b) II and III (c) I and III (d) II and IV. PART-2 7. Which of the following statements is true in the context of the lesson? [ ] (a) Any new invention leads to job losses. (b) New inventions do not lead to job losses. (c) New inventions can compensate the job losses that occur in the beginning. (d) There is no relation between job losses and new inventions.

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8. According to the author which of the following conclusions is true regarding the automobile industry? [ ] (a) Automobile industry has created jobs for the people in horse industry. (b) Automobile industry has created new jobs equal to the jobs that are lost in the horse industry. (c) Though automobile industry led to job losses, it created more jobs. (d) The jobs created by automobile industry are less than the job losses created in the horse industry. 9. Which of the following is not a result of introducing robots? [ ] (a) Creation of new assembly-line jobs (b) Loss of assembly line jobs (c) Creation of new jobs in the computer industry (d) Simple jobs can be done by robots. 10. Read the following statements and answer the question? [ ] A. All the dull and routine jobs can be done by robots. B. The new jobs created for the maintenance of robots shall be far more less than the job losses. (a) Both A and B are true (b) Both A and B are false (c) A is true, but B is false (d) A is false, but B is true. 11. The assembly line worker can not change his job because --[ ] (a) he is not interested. (b) making robots needs different type of knowledge. (c) they are not fit as they become dull. (d) assembly line workers will not permit to create robots. 12. What should be done before large change in job pattern? [ ] (a) There should be a large-scale retrenchment of old workers. (b) The workers have to be re-educated and retrained as far as possible. (c) Robots and humans should work side by side for some time. (d) We should not try to change the old system. 13. "Some sort of jobs will have to be found that they can do." To whom does they refer to in this sentence? [ ] (a) The robots (b) The robot programmers (c) The persons who can not adapt to new situation (d) The children who learn computers. 14. According to the author why every one will be happy in future? [ ] (a) Because the dull and dangerous jobs are done by robots. (b) Because all the old workers will disappear. (c) Because there shall be more employment. (d) Because assembly-line workers will get new jobs. 15. Why does the author suggest us to be patient? [ ] (a) Because robots have to learn new things. (b) Because there may be some trouble or unhappiness in the transition period. (c) Because old workers are slow when compared to robots. (d) Transition leads to human destruction. PART-2 16. "There is another problem we may face." What is the other problem? [ ] (a) Unemployment may increase further. (b) Robots are going to enter new fields in future resulting in further joblessness. (c) Man can not compete with robots in future. (d) Robots may control mankind in future. 16. Why human beings are more prone to commit mistakes than robots? [ ] (a) Because robots are more intelligent than human beings. (b) Human beings are lazy by nature. (c) Human brain gets easily tired and commits mistakes. (d) Humans lose concentration easily when compared to robots.

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17. Which of the following robots are not capable of doing? [ ] (a) They can not calculate. (b) They can not solve arithmetic problems. (c) They can not estimate distance. (d) They can not enjoy or wonder like humans. 18. Why does the author suggest that computers and robots can not replace mankind as a whole? [ ] (a) They can not compete with man in solving mathematical problems. (b) They can not fight with man. (c) They are not intelligent and have no feelings. (d) They are to be controlled by humans after all. 19. Why can't we programme computers and robots to be imaginative? [ ] (a) Because they can not understand human language. (b) We ourselves do not know how the process of imagination goes on in our mind. (c) The robots do not want to enter into this field. (d) Humans do not wish robots to do so. 20. Which of the following qualities is common between human brain and a robot? [ ] (a) Imagination (b) Calculation (c) Wonder (d) Intelligent guess. 21. Why does the author say that he can not programme a computer to write books for him? [ ] (a) Because he does not know computer programming. (b) Because it is impossible to programme computer and robots to imagine and wonder. (c) Because he himself does not know how he imagines. (d) The books written by computers are not of good quality. 22. Choose correct statements from the following and answer the question. [ ] I. Human beings should try to improve the ability of the computers to do routine jobs. II. Humans also should improve intelligence through proper education. III. Humans must try to educate robots. IV. We should try to make people more imaginative and creative. (a) I, II, III (b) I, II, IV (c) II, III, Iv (d) I, III, IV. 23. What are the two types of intelligence mentioned by the author? ======================================

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Frigyes Karinthy [25 June 1887 ± 29 AUG 1938] Frigyes Karinthy (25 June 1887 ± 29 August 1938) was a Hungarian author, playwright, poet, journalist, and translator. He was the first proponent of the six degrees of separation concept, in his 1929 short story, Chains (Láncszemek). Karinthy remains one of the most popular Hungarian writers. He was the father of poet Gábor Karinthy and writer Ferenc Karinthy. Among the English translations of Karinthy's works are two novellas that continue the adventures of Swift's character Gulliver. Voyage to Faremido is an early examination of artificial intelligence, while Capillaria is a polished and darkly humorous satire on the 'battle of the sexes'. Life and work Karinthy was born into a bourgeois family in Budapest. He started his writing career as a journalist and remained a writer of short, humorous blurbs until his death. He rose to instant fame in 1912 with the publication of his literary parodies called That's How YOU Write (Így írtok ti). He expanded the collection continuously during the following years. Among his early works, his collection of short stories from school life, Please Sir! (Tanár úr, kérem)[1] also stands out for its grasp of the trials and tribulations of the average schoolboy. Another popular highlight is his translation of A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, that made it a cult book in Hungary. After the First World War, his writing became more serious and engaged, though never leaving a satirical bent. Karinthy cited Jonathan Swift as a major influence: from this arose the novel Voyage to Faremido (Utazás Faremidóba) and its sequel, Capillaria. Many of his novels and stories also deal with the difficulties of relationships between men and women, partly due to his unhappy second marriage. Karinthy had a brain tumor for which he was operated upon in Stockholm in 1936. He describes this experience in his autobiographical novel, Journey Round my Skull, (Utazás a koponyám körül), originally published in 1939; a reissue appeared as a NYRB Classic in 2008 with an introduction by neurologist Oliver Sacks. He died two years later, during a holiday at Lake Balaton. Private life Karinthy was married twice. He married the actress Etel Judik in 1913. The marriage was serene and happy and they had a son called Gábor. Tragically, Etel died very young during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1919. In 1920, he married the psychiatrist Aranka Böhm, with whom he had another son, the writer Ferenc Karinthy. Although he did not speak the language, Karinthy was an ardent supporter of Esperanto, attending Esperanto congresses,[2] and even became president of the Hungarian Esperanto Society in 1932.[3] He is well known for his dry sense of humor, as he himself noted: "In humor I know no jokes." Just one example for it was his advertising slogan for his book Journey Round my Skull: The Newest Novel of the Famed Tumorist. The play µThe Refund¶ written by Fritz Karinthy is a satire on the present day educational system which does not prepare students for life. In the play, Wasserkopf, a good-for-nothing fellow asks for a refund of school fee he had paid as a student in the school eighteen years ago. The principal and the teacher conduct a re-examination at his request accordingly. Wasserkopf was outwitted by the teachers. The skilful use of language and presence of mind helped the teachers to solve the problem.

ESSAY [THE REFUND] The Principal is seated at his flat-tapped desk in his office in a high school. Enter a servant. THE PRINICIPAL: Well, what is it? THE SERVANT: A man, sir. Outside. He wants to see you.

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THE PRINCIPAL [leaning back and stretching]: I receive parents only during office hours. The particular office hours are posted in the notice-board. Tell him that. THE SERVANT: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. But it isn¶t a parent, sir. THE PRINCIPAL: A pupil? THE SERVANT: I don¶t think so. He has a beard. THE PRINICPAL [disquieted]: Not a parent and not a pupil. Then what is he? THE SERVANT: He told me I should just say µWasserkopf.¶ THE PRINICIPAL [much disquieted]: What does he look like? Stupid? Intelligent? THE SERVANT: Fairly intelligent, I¶d say, sir. THE PRINICPAL [reassured]: Good! Then he¶s not a school inspector. Show him in. THE SERVANT: Yes, sir. [He goes off. An instant later the door reopens to admit a bearded man, carelessly dressed, somewhat under forty. He is energetic and decided] WASSERKOPF: How do you do? [He remains standing] THE PRINICPAL [rising]: What can I do for you? WASSERKOPF: I¶m Wasserkopf. [He pauses] Don¶t you remember me? THE PRINCIPAL [shaking his head]: No. WASSERKOPF: It¶s possible I¶ve changed. What the hell«! Your class records will show I¶ve got a right to come here. THE PRINICPAL: The class records? How so? WASSERKOPF: Mr. Principal, if you please, I¶m Wasserkopf. THE PRINCIPAL: Doubtless, doubtless ± but what has that to do with it? WASSERKOPF: You mean to say you don¶t even remember my name? [He thinks it over] No, I imagine you wouldn¶t. You were probably glad to forget me. Well, Mr. Principal, I was a student in this school eighteen years ago. THE PRINICPAL [without enthusiasm]: Oh, were you? Well, what do you want now? A certificate? WASSERKOPF [doubtfully]: Since I¶m bringing back the leaving certificate you gave me I suppose I can get along without another one. No, that isn¶t why I came here. THE PRINCIPAL: Well? WASSERKOPF: [clearing his throat firmly]: As a former pupil of this school I want you to refund the tuition fees, which were paid you for my education eighteen years ago. THE PRINICPAL [incredulously]: You want me to refund your tuition fees?

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WASSERKOPF: Exactly; the tuition fees. If I were a rich man I¶d tell you to keep them, so far as I¶m concerned. What the hell«! But I¶m not a rich man, and I need the money. THE PRINCIPAL: I¶m not sure I understand. WASSERKOPF: Dammit, I want my tuition fees back! Is that plain enough? THE PRINICPAL: Why do you want it back? WASSERKOPF: Because I didn¶t get my money¶s worth, that¶s why! This certificate here says I got an education. Well, I didn¶t. I didn¶t learn anything and I want my money back. THE PRINCIPAL: But, look here, look here! I don¶t understand it at all! I¶ve never heard of anything like it. What an absurd idea! WASSERKOPF: Absurd, is it? It¶s a good idea. It¶s such a good idea that I didn¶t get it out of my own head, thanks to the education I got here, which made nothing but an incompetent ass out of me. My old classmate Leaderer gave me the idea not half an hour ago. THE PRINICPAL: Gave it to you? WASSERKOPF [nodding violently]: Like that. Here I was walking along the street, fired from my last job, and wondering how I could get hold of some cash, because I was quite broke. I met Leaderer. I said, µHow goes it, Leaderer?¶ µFine!¶ he says. µI¶ve got to hurry to the broker¶s to collect the money I made speculating in foreign exchange.¶ µWhat¶s foreign exchange?¶ I said. He says µI haven¶t got the time to tell you now, but, according to the paper, Hungarian money is down seventy points, and I¶ve made the difference. Don¶t you understand?¶ Well, I didn¶t understand. I said, µHow do you make money if money goes down?¶ and he says, µWasserkopf, if you don¶t know that, you don¶t know a damn thing. Go to the school and get your tuition fees back.¶ Then he hurried away and left me standing there, and I said to myself, µWhy shouldn¶t I do that?¶ He¶s right, now that I¶ve thought it over. So I came here as fast as I could, and I¶ll be much obliged if you give me back my tuition fees, because they amount to a lot of money, and I didn¶t get anything for them. THE PRINCIPAL [at a loss for words]: Really« But now« See here, we¶ve never had a request like yours before. Leaderer told you ± WASSERKOPF: He¶s a good friend, Leaderer. He told me, and when I get my money back I¶m going to buy him a present. THE PRINICPAL [rising]: You ± you are not really serious, are you? WASSERKOPF: I was never more serious in my life. Treat me wrong here and I¶ll go straight to the Ministry of Education and complain about you! You took my money and you taught me nothing. Now I¶m no good for anything, and I can¶t do the things that I should have learned in school. THE PRINCIPAL: You¶re mad! [He breaks off, to continue in a more conciliatory tone] My dear sir, Herr ± er ± Wasserkopf, please go away quietly. I¶ll think the matter over after you¶ve gone. WASSERKOPF: [sitting]: No, no! You don¶t get rid of me so easy. I¶ll go when everything¶s been settled. I was given the instruction here in exchange for money, so that I might be able to do something; but I can¶t do anything because I was taught so badly, and any body can see I ought to have my money back. THE PRINICIPAL [trying to gain time]: What makes you think you can¶t do anything? WASSERKOPF: Everybody thinks so. If I get a job I can¶t keep it. Give me an examination and tell me what I ought to do. Call in the masters and let them say. THE PRINICIPAL: What a distressing business! How unfortunate! You really want to take another examination?

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WASSERKOPF: Yes. I¶ve a right to take one. THE PRINICIPAL: What an unusual case! [He scratches his head] I¶ve never heard of anything like it before. Er ± I shall have to consult the staff. I shall have to call a conference« Er ± will you wait in the waiting room and give me a few minutes? WASSERKOPF [rising]: Yes, be quick. I¶ve got no time to waste [he saunters out in a leisurely fashion]. THE PRINICIPAL [rings; the servant enters]: Ask the staff to come here at once. A most extraordinary conference! THE SERVANT: Yes, sir. [He goes out] THE PRINCIPAL [trying out his speech]: Gentlemen, I have asked you to come here on account of a most unusual state of affairs. It is unprecedented. In the thirty years that I have been a schoolmaster I have never heard of anything like it. Never, so long as I live, shall I expect to hear of anything like it again. Never! God forbid! [The masters enter; they are characteristic figures whose eccentricities are exaggerated] Gentlemen, I have asked you to come here on account of a most unusual state of affairs. Sit down, gentlemen. I shall open the conference. It is unprecedented, incredible and fantastic. A former pupil has come to see me ± er ± an individual named Wasserkopf. He brought up a question, which I¶ve never encountered in my many years of experience. [He explodes] I have never heard of anything like it. THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: Tell us about it. THE PRINICIPAL: He wants ± he wants his tuition fees back. THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: Why? THE PRINCIPAL: Because he¶s lost his job. Because he¶s broke. Because he¶s an ass. I should be glad to have you express your views on this unparalleled case. THE PHYSICS MASTER: The case is natural. The law of conservation of energy proves that any given pupil will lose, in any given period, as much knowledge as a teacher can drill into his head in another period of like duration. THE HISTORY MASTER: There is nothing like it in the history of civilization. It is said that the Bourbons learned nothing and forgot nothing. If that is true. THE PHYSICS MASTER: The law of conservation of energy ± [The two argue] THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: The question is, does he want the amount with simple or compound interest, because in the latter event ± THE GEOGRAPHY MASTER: Where is the fellow, anyhow? THE PRINCIPAL: He¶s waiting outside. He wants to be re-examined. He says he learned nothing. He says a reexamination will prove it. I¶d like to know what you gentlemen think about it. THE MATHEMATICS MASTER [chuckling]: A re-examination? Gentlemen, it is my conviction that we will lose nothing by re-examining Wasserkopf. If he fails he will place us in an awkward position; therefore he must not fail. He has ± shall I say? ± pursued advanced studies in the school of life. We will not make our questions too difficult ± agreed, gentlemen? We are dealing with a sly, crafty individual, who will try to get the better of us ± and his money back ± by hook or crook. We must checkmate him. THE PHYSICS MASTER: How? THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: By sticking together. The object is to prevent him from failing, because if he fails he succeeds. That we must stop. If he fails, tomorrow there will be two more former pupils, and the next day a dozen. We

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must back each other up, gentlemen, so that this painful affair does not become a pedagogical scandal. We will ask him questions. Whatever his answers, we agree beforehand that they are correct. THE PHYSICS MASTER: Who will decide? THE MATHEMATICS TEACHER: I, if you will permit me. Mr. Principal, let us proceed with the examination. We will show the former pupil that we too can be shrewd! THE PRINCIPAL [ringing; uneasily]: Isn¶t there a chance of something going wrong? Suppose it gets into the newspapers ± THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: Leave it to us. Self Assessment Questions 1. When does the Principal receive parents in his office? 2. How does the servant know that Wasserkopf is not a student? 3. When was Wasserkopf a student in the school? 4. What does Wasserkopf want from the school? 5. Who gave Wasserkopf the idea of claiming his fees back? 6. What is the Mathematics Master most concerned about? 7. What do the teachers agree on before starting the test? THE PRINCIPAL [to the servant who has reappeared]: Show in Herr Wasserkopf. [He enters, without waiting to be shown in. He is most truculent. His hat is over one ear; he keeps his hands thrust into his pockets and stares insolently] THE STAFF [bowing, heartily]: How do you do? WASSERKOPF: Who the hell are you? Sit down, you loafers! [He grins, waiting to be thrown out] THE PRINCIPAL: How dare you ± THE MATHEMATICS MASTER [interrupting]: Please! [He turns to the others.] Sit down, you loafers! [They sit, greatly astonished. He turns to Wasserkopf.] My dear sir, the greeting you have just given us shows that you understand the patriarchal manners, which we impress upon everybody in this institution. Exactly as in the days of the medieval humanists, teachers and pupils here are on a footing of perfect equality. You have shown us, in a most tactful way, that you approve of our customs. That is good of you, and I am sure my colleagues will agree that the pupil Wasserkopf, who appears before us for re-examination, need not be examined in what appertains to gentlemanliness. Instead we waive the examination in that subject, and mark him µExcellent.¶ THE PRINCIPAL [understanding at once]: Quite right! Quite right! [He writes] µManners: Excellent.¶ THE STAFF: Agreed! Agreed!

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WASSERKOPF [puzzled, then shrugging his shoulders]: All right, if you say so. What the hell«! I don¶t give a damn for the lot of you. My being gentlemanly isn¶t going to pass the examination. Let me fail as quickly as possible, and give me my money. Everything else is just nonsense. THE PRINCIPAL [flattering]: Speaking for the staff, we agree with you. Your exquisite courtesy will not affect us one way or the other. We will examine you, and be guided entirely by your replies to our questions. Take notice of that. WASSERKOPF: All right, carry on! Let¶s hear the questions. I need money. [He takes off his coat and hitches up his sleevebands.] Go to it! Ask me questions, professors ± I mean, long-eared asses! I¶d like to see you get a single correct answer out of me. THE PRINCIPAL: The examination will begin. History. Herr Schwefler? THE HISTORY MASTER [moving to the centre of the table and indicates a chair facing of it]: Herr Wasserkopf, won¶t you be seated? WASSERKOPF [staring at him insolently, arms akimbo]: To hell with a seat! I¶ll stand. [The History Master is disconcerted, and shows it, but the Mathematics Master leaps into the breach] THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: Bravo! Excellent! Herr Wasserkopf wishes us to understand two things. He will dispense with a formal written examination and will answer orally. Good! He will not be seated; he will stand. Also good. It follows that his physical condition is splendid, and I take it upon myself to award him an µExcellent¶ in physical culture. I ask the Principal, who teaches that subject, to concur. THE PRINCIPAL: Quite Right. [He writes] µPhysical Culture: Excellent¶ THE STAFF: Agreed! Agreed! WASSERKOPF [energetically]: No! [He sits; he grins.] You caught me once, didn¶t you? Well, you won¶t do it again. From now I¶ll have my ears open. THE PRINCIPAL: µAlertness: Very Good¶ THE HISTORY MASTER: µPerseverance: Unusual.¶ THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: µLogic: Excellent.¶ WASSERKOPF: Get on with your questions! THE MATHEMATICS MASTER [to the Principal]: µAmbition: Boundless.¶ [The Principal nods and writes] THE HISTORY MASTER [scratching his head]: Yes, yes, just a minute. [The other masters look at him with concern.] WASSERKOPF: What¶s the matter, Schwefler? Aren¶t you prepared? THE HISTORY MASTER: A moment! WASSERKOPF: Oh, you can¶t think of a question that¶s easy enough? You were always a numskull. THE HISTORY MASTER [the idea arrives; triumphantly]: Candidate, answer this question: How long did the Thirty Years¶ War last? WASSERKOPF: Thirt ± [He interrupts himself.] I mean to say, I don¶t know.

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THE HISTORY MASTER: Please answer my questions! I am sure you know! Give me the answer! [Wasserkopf thinks with his eyebrows drawn together. The Physics Master tiptoes to him and whispers loudly, µThirty years.¶ The Geography Master winks at him and holds up ten fingers three times.] Well, well? WASSERKOPF: Mr. Principal, this is no way to run an examination. [He indicates the Physics Master] That fellow is trying to make me cheat. THE PRINCIPAL: I shall deal with this decisively. [To the Physics Master] Go away! [The Physics Master slinks back to his place] WASSERKOPF [after much thought]: How long did the Thirty Years¶ War last? Was that the question? THE HISTORY MASTER: Yes, yes! WASSERKOPF [grinning]: I know! Exactly seven meters! [They are paralyzed. He looks about in triumph.] Ha, ha! Seven meters! I know it lasted that long. It¶s possible I¶m wrong, and if I am I fail. Seven meters! Ha, ha! Seven meters long! Seven meters! Please give me back my tuition fees. [The Masters look at each other; at their wits¶ ends] THE HISTORY MASTER [decisively]: Seven meters? Right! Your answer is excellent. WASSERKOPF [incredulously]: What. What did you say? THE HISTORY MASTER [swallowing manfully and watching the Principal out of the corner of his eye]: The answer is correct, as a matter of fact. The candidate has shown us that his thought processes are not merely superficial, and that he has investigated the subject in accordance with moderns researches based on ± based on ± based on ± THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: Relativity, of course. The quantum theory. Planck. Einstein. It¶s all very simple. [To the History Master] Don¶t say another word. We understand perfectly. Einstein has taught us that time is as real as space and matter. It consists of atoms, and may be synthesized into a unified whole, and may be measured like anything else. Reduce the mass-system to a unit and a year may be represented by a meter, or seven years by seven meters. We may even assert that the Thirty Years¶ War lasted seven years only because ± because ± because ± THE HISTORY MASTER: Because the actual warfare took place only during half of each day ± that is to say, twelve hours out of twenty-four ± and the thirty years at once become fifteen. But not even fifteen years were given up to incessant fighting, for the combatants had to eat ± three hours a day, reducing our fifteen years to twelve. And if we deduct from this the hours given up to noon-day siestas, to peaceful diversions, to non-warlike activities ± [He wipes his brow] THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: To social distractions, we are left only with time which the candidate has represented by the Einsteinian equivalent of seven meters. Correct! I take it upon myself, gentlemen, to propose a grading of µVery Good¶ in History. Oof! THE STAFF: Bravo! Excellent! He has passed! [They congratulate Wasserkopf] WASSERKOPF [objecting]: But I don¶t see ± THE PRINCIPAL: That ends the examination in History. [Writing] µHistory: Very Good.¶ [The staff surround the History Master and congratulate him.] Now the examination in physics. WASSERKOPF: Now we¶ll see something, you tricksters! THE PHYSICS MASTER [energetically]: Come, come! WASSERKOPF [defiantly]: Well, what¶s going to happen? Ask your questions, or don¶t. I haven¶t got any more time to waste. [He stares at the Physics Master] Oh, now I remember you. Do you know what we used to call you behind your back? [The Physics Master smiles in agony] We called you cannibal, because you were always chewing your thumbs, just

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as you¶re doing now! [The master removes his thumb hastily. The rest of the staff smile.] That¶s what we called you! Oh, by the way, do you remember the day you tripped and fell flat in the aisle? Do you know who tied a string across from desk to desk, so you¶d do that? I did it! THE PHYSICS MASTER [furiously]: You? WASSERKOPF: Don¶t get excited, little man. Ask me a hard question instead. Plough me. THE PHYSICS MASTER: [controls himself, well aware that Wasserkopf is trying to irritate him. Very sweetly]: Kind of you ± very kind of you. And now, tell me, Herr Wasserkopf, do clocks in church steeples really become smaller as you walk away from them, or do they merely appear to become smaller because of an optical illusion? WASSERKOPF: What an absolute rot? How should I know? Whenever I walk away from clocks they get larger! Invariably! If I want them to get smaller I turn round and walk straight up to them, and they¶re not small at all. THE PHYSICS MASTER: In a word, therefore, in a word ± WASSERKOPF: In a word, therefore, you give me a pain in the neck. You¶re an ass! That¶s my answer. THE PHYSICS MASTER [furiously]: Is that your answer? [He controls himself] Good! It is correct. [Turning to the staff] A difficult answer but a most brilliant one. I¶ll explain ± that is to say, I¶ll explain. [With a sigh, he gets on with it] When we talk of an ass we always notice ± we always notice ± THE STAFF [anxiously]: Yes? Yes? THE PHYSICS MASTER:- that his look is sad. Therefore ± [He thinks. Suddenly triumphant] I¶ve got it! WASSERKOPF [worried]: What have you got, you whiskered baboon? THE PHYSICS MASTER: I¶ve got it, and the answer is right. Why is the look of the ass so sad? Because we are all the victims of illusion. But what illusions can affect the extremely primitive apperceptive powers of an ass? Obviously, the illusions of the senses, for the ass lacks imagination; and these must be none other than optical illusions, since the ass, like us, observes that objects appear to become smaller as he moves away from them. The candidate has given us a most excellent answer in calling our attention to an animal whose whole expressions is melancholy because its senses are deceptive; or, to put it in another way, because the apparent decrease in size of an object, in this case a clock, is to be ascribed to optical illusion. The answer was correct. I certify, therefore, that the candidate may be given µVery Good¶ in Physics. THE PRINCIPAL [writing]: µPhysics: Very Good¶ THE STAFF: Bravo! [They surround the Physics Master, slapping him on the back and shaking his hands, while he sinks into his chair, completely exhausted] WASSERKOPF: I protest! THE PRINCIPAL [silencing him with a gesture]: The examination in Geography. [The Geography Master takes the place facing Wasserkopf] WASSERKOPF: Just look at him! The old hypocrite! How are you, anyhow, nitwit? THE GEOGRAPHY MASTER: I beg your pardon? WASSERKOPF: My name used to be in our class-book, didn¶t it? You old reprobate! You just wait! I¶ll fix you all right!

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THE GEOGRAPHY MASTER: Tell me, candidate ± WASSERKOPF: I¶ll tell you! I¶ll tell you! Oh, how I used to hate you eighteen years ago! THE GEOGRAPHY MASTER: [imperturbably]: Please tell me what city of the same name is the capital of the German province of Brunswick? WASSERKOPF: What a dumb question! The answer¶s part of the question. THE GEOGRAPHY MASTER [pleased]: Isn¶t it? And the answer ± what is it? WASSERKOPF: µSame¶ of course. That¶s the answer. If the name of the city is same, then the name of the city is µSame.¶ Right? If it isn¶t I fail, and you refund my tuition fees. THE GEOGRAPHY MASTER: The answer is correct. The name of the city is µSame.¶ Gentlemen, the candidate shows exceptional knowledge of the history of the city Brunswick. There is a legend that once, as the Emperor Barbarossa was riding in to the city, he met a young peasant girl who was munching a bun, and whose mouth was full. He called out to her, µGod bless you. What¶s the name of this city?¶ and the peasant girl answered µSame to you, sir.¶ Then she stopped because her mouth was full, and the Emperor laughed and said, µHo, ho! So the name of the city is ³Same.´?¶ And for many years, thereafter, he never referred to Brunswick, except by that title. [He turns, winks solemnly at his colleagues.] The answer is excellent. The candidate is entitled to a grade of µExcellent¶ in Geography. [He returns to his place to be showered with congratulations] THE PRINCIPAL [writing]: µGeography: Excellent.¶ Thus far the candidate has come through with flying colours. Only the examination in mathematics is left. Should he pass that he will have passed the entire examination. WASSERKOPF [nervously]: I¶m going to be more careful now. [The Mathematics Master takes his place facing Wasserkopf. The Other Masters are worried but the Mathematics Master assures them with a gesture that they may depend on him.] So here you are, old-stick-in-the-mud! Do you know we used to call you µold-stick-in-the-mud¶ behind your back? You¶d better brush up your wits if you think you¶re going to put one over me. I¶ll start off by telling you a few things about mathematics: two times two is five, and I make up my own multiplication tables as I go along. And if you add eight apples and two pears the answer is twenty-seven apricots. That¶s my system, and you¶ll see me use it. To hell with mathematics! µAnswer excellent¶? µAnswer very good¶ µAnswer correct¶? Not this time. It will be simpler if you say you aren¶t prepared, and let me fail. THE MATHEMATICS MASTER [forcibly]: You must not joke about a serious examination. I¶m going to ask you two questions. One of them is easy; the other is hard. WASSERKOPF [imitating him]: One of them is easy; the other is hard. The same old-stick-in-the-mud that you always were! I remember the pictures of you we used to draw on the board ± THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: [interrupting]: If this were an examination in art you would be marked excellent. [He pauses, and Wasserkopf is suddenly silent.] But we are dealing with mathematics. The easy question: If we represent the speed of light by x, and the distance of the star Sirius from the sun by y, what is the circumference of a one-hundredand-nine-sided regular polyhedron whose surface coincides with that of the hip-pocket of a State railway employee whose wife has been deceiving him for two years and eleven months with a regimental sergeant-major of hussars? THE STAFF [much upset]: But look here, Professor! Professor! THE PRINICPAL: Professor! WASSERKOPF: Don¶t interfere with him! [To the Mathematics Master] Will you repeat the question? THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: No. Either you paid attention or you did not. Either you know the answer, or you don¶t. Tell me the answer, because if you don¶t know it ±

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WASSERKOPF: Of course I know it! Naturally I know it! I¶ll tell you: two thousand six hundred and twenty nine litres. Exact. No fractions. And did I give you the correct answer? [He chuckles] I¶ve given you an answer which is too good! THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: No. The answer is wrong. The correct answer is two thousand six hundred and twentyeight litres, and not twenty nine. [He turns to The Principal] I refuse to pass the candidate. Mark him µFailure.¶ WASSERKOPF [bounding]: I told you so! I told you so! THE PRINCIPAL [thunderstruck]: Professor! Professor! THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: I¶m sorry. It is true that his error amounted to less than a tenth of a per cent, in the total, but it was an error. He fails. WASSERKOPF: My tuition fees! My tuition fees! THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: In my opinion the candidate¶s request is reasonable. Now that I have satisfied myself he cannot pass our examination it is his right to recover the monies which were paid us. WASSERKOPF: That¶s so! That¶s right! Give me the money. [The staff stare as if the heaven had fallen] THE PRINCIPAL [furiously, to the Mathematics Master]: Is that what you think? THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: Absolutely. This is a good school. It is our duty to see that nothing ever injures its reputation. How much do we owe you, Herr Wasserkopf? WASSERKOPF [greedily, forgetting everything else]: I¶ll tell you exactly. I attended this school for six years in all. During the first three years the fee was 150 crowns quarterly. Total for three years 1, 800. During the second three years the fee was 400 crowns semi-annually. Total: 2, 400 and 1, 800 is 4, 200. Examination fees, 250 crowns 95 heller. Certificates, documents, books, stamp taxes, 1, 241 crowns 43 heller. Total: 5, 682 crowns 38 heller. Incidentals, stationery, notebooks, 786 crowns 12 heller. Grand total: 6, 450 crowns 50 heller. Knock of the heller and call it crowns. THE MATHEMATIC MASTER [checking with his paper and pencil as Wasserkopf calls out the amount]: Exactly! WASSERKOPF: Exactly! You can rely on it. THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: It¶s right. There¶s no question of it. It¶s right to the smallest detail. [He offers Wasserkopf his hand] I congratulate you! That was my difficult question! WASSERKOPF [not understanding]: What? THE MATHEMATICS MASTER [to the Principal]: I certify that the candidate passes in Mathematics. His answer to the easy question was a very little out of the way; but his answer to the difficult question ± how much the refund should be ± was exactly correct. Herr Wasserkopf is a mathematical genius. WASSERKOPF [striking his forehead]: So you did put one over me! THE PRINCIPAL [rising]: I present the results of the examination. Herr Wasserkopf has passed with distinction in every subject, and has again shown that he is entitled to the certificate we awarded him on his graduation. Herr Wasserkopf, we offer our congratulations ± accepting a large share of them for ourselves for having taught you so excellently. And now that we have verified your knowledge and your abilities ± [he makes an eloquent gesture] get out before I have you thrown out! [He rings for the servant. The following speeches are nearly spoken simultaneously.] THE HISTORY MASTER: So I¶m a numskull, am I? Say it again and I¶ll show you what is what!

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THE PHYSICS MASTER: I¶m a cannibal? What? And you were the one who tied a string across the aisle ± THE GEOGRAPHY MASTER: Hypocrite? Nitwit? Ass? Me? THE MATHEMATICS MASTER: Old stick-in-the-mud? THE SERVANT [entering]: Yes, sir? THE PRINCIPAL [indicating Wasserkopf]: Remove that object! [The servant seizes Wasserkopf by the collar and the seat of his trousers and rushes him off. The Principal turns to the staff and beams.] Thank you, gentlemen, for your magnificent co-operation. In the future it will be our proudest boast that in this school a pupil simply cannot fail! [They shake hands and slap each other¶s back] CURTAIN Synopsis of the play The play opens with an alumnus (former student) who visits his school with a peculiar motive. He wants the Principal to refund the tuition fees that he paid to the school when he was a student. He claims the refund because according to him he didn¶t learn anything at school. He tells that his school certificate is useless as he has not been able to secure a job out of it. This unique idea of claiming a refund of fees was given to him by his classmate, Leaderer. The Principal, who had never encountered such a baffling situation before summons an emergency meeting of the staff. The masters didn¶t take long to realize that they were dealing with a crafty and cunning individual. Wasserkopf¶s idea was to take a reexamination, fail in the exam and go home with a refund. The masters realized that Wasserkopf¶s real intention was to fail in the exam and claim the refund. Therefore, the masters had to devise a counter-ploy by which they could outsmart Wasserkopf. So, the masters decided to outsmart the old student by proving all his answers right, however erroneous they might be. The Mathematics master said that in the implementation of the plan they had to stick together. They had to be united and help each other in implementing their plan. The exam was an oral exam as Wasserkopf¶s decision to stand was construed by the Mathematics master as a signal to dispense with the written form of examination. The first question was from the History master. The master asked him how many years the Thirty Years¶ War lasted. The answer was in the question itself. But Wasserkopf, keen on giving wrong answers, tells that the Thirty Years¶ War lasted seven meters. The history master did not know how to prove this answer right. Fortunately for him, the mathematics master aided him by proving that the answer was right on the basis of Einstein¶s Theory of Relativity. The master argued that time and space are relative terms and therefore years can be represented as meters. Then they proved that the actual war took place for only seven years. So seven years is relatively equal to seven meters. Therefore, Wasserkopf¶s answer was right. The Physics master¶s question was whether objects actually became smaller as people moved away from or if it was an optical illusion. To this question, the answer given by Wasserkopf was µAss.¶ It is also proved correct because as the Physics master demonstrates the melancholic look of the ass is also an optical illusion. Therefore, Wasserkopf had given a metaphorical explanation. The geography master did not have much difficulty in proving that the capital of the German province of Brunswick is µSame.¶ The Mathematics master was the smartest of them all. He laid a clever trap and the student fell into that clever trap. First, the master asked the student an easy (difficult) question, on the circumference of a one-hundred-and-nine-sided regular polyhedron. The question shocked all the other masters and the Principal. Wasserkopf with all his knowledge would have found that question difficult. But he gave an almost correct answer. The Mathematics master said that the student had failed in Mathematics and hence should be given the refund. And he cleverly trapped Wasserkopf and made him calculate the exact amount that should be refunded. Wasserkopf did not realize that this was his difficult question. He calculated the exact amount and said that it was 6,450 crowns and 50 heller. Once the mathematics master got the exact answer he revealed to Wasserkopf that the question was his second and µdifficult¶ question. By giving the right answer to the difficult question Wasserkopf had shown that he was a µmathematical genius.¶ Thus through the combined efforts of all the masters Wasserkopf was made to pass the re-exam. Finally, he was shown the door without a refund. The masters had finally succeeded in outsmarting a crafty and sly pupil. Summary One-act plays are recommended in most universities to under-graduate students. There are two reasons for the popularity of one-act plays. First, one-act plays are lively and humorous. Second, one-act plays are shorter than three or five act plays and hence the ideal platform for students to learn about plays/dramas. This unit gave you a first hand look at one-act plays. The unit dealt with one of the most hilarious one-act plays in the modern times. Refund has been

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adopted into several languages because of its immense popularity. The highlights of the play are its humour and its fresh look at the master-student relationship.

SUMMARY

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The play µThe Refund¶ written by Fritz Karinthy is a satire on the present day educational system which does not prepare students for life.

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In the play, Wasserkopf, a good-for-nothing fellow asks for a refund of school fee he had paid as a student in the school eighteen years ago.

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He argues that the education which he had been imparted there had been of no use to him in his life.

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Initially the principal enquires if he has come to collect his certificate. However, Wasserkopf replies in the negative and says that what he needs is a refund and not a certificate. The principal is in a fix. He seeks the help of his staff. Meanwhile Wasserkopf asks for a re-examination to test his knowledge.

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The teachers are afraid that they have to give the refund, if the student fails the test. Thus all the teachers decide to avoid the refund. They want to outwit him by giving a pass, some how or the other. It is a very funny circumstance.

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The history teacher is the first to question him. He asks what the duration of the Thirty Years War is. Wasserkopf gives the absurd reply: seven metres. The history is taken aback but convincingly argues that the answer is correct explaining it in terms of theory of relativity.

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Next, the physics teachers asks him if clocks in church steeples really become smaller as one walks away from them, or whether they merely appear to become smaller because of an optical illusion. Wasserkopf replies that objects become larger when he moves away from them and adds that the teacher is an ass. She appreciates the answer and explains that the ass looks sad because it is subjected to optical illusions!

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The geography questions Wasserkopf about the city of the same name which is the capital of German province of Brunswick. Wasserkopf says µSame¶ and the teacher accepts it as the right answer.

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Finally, the mathematics teacher says she will two questions ² one easy and another difficult. Wasserkopf is unable to answer the so-called easy one correctly. So he fails the test. All the other teachers are shocked as this is precisely what they had tried to prevent.

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At this point the twist takes place. She asks him to calculate the refund. He calculates it correctly. She congratulates him and declares that he passed the test.

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Having nothing to do, Wasserkopf leaves the school premises. The Principal thanks his staffs, who are able to get round the problem and succeed in outwitting Wasserkopf.

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The skilful use of language and presence of mind helped the teachers to solve the problem.

PART-1 1. "Your class records will show I've got a right to come here." Why did Wasserkopf utter these words? [C ] (a) Because he was a fool even in his school days. (b) Because his records would prove that he was intelligent. (c) Because his records would show that he was a student there. (d) Because his records would show that he should be given his fee back. 2. What was the age of Wasserkopf at the time of leaving the school? [ ] (a) 18 (b) 22 (c) 40 (d) No clear answer can be given. 3. The principal was without enthusiasm. Why? [ ] (a) He knew about Wasserkopf. (b) He was habituated to dealing with such student. (c) He thought that Wasserkopf had come for certificate as usual. (d) Principal was a morose person. 4. "I'm not sure I understand." Why did the principal say so? [ ] (a) The principal had a language problem. (b) The principal was very angry. (c) The principal wanted more time to think. (d) The principal felt that this would make Wasserkopf to go away.

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5. Wasserkopf's language can be considered -- [ ] (a) Pleasing (b) Requesting (c) Polite (d) Rough. 6. Why did Wasserkopf want his fees back? (a) Because he did not get education. (b) Because he was insulted in the school. (c) Because he could not get any job. (d) Because he did not get education worthy equal to the money he paid. 7. According to Wasserkopf the education at the school made him -(a) a vagabond (b) A fool (c) A hard working person (d) A lazy fellow. 8. Who gave Wasserkopf the idea of refund? (a) His classmate (b) The servant (c) The mathematics teacher (d) The geography teacher. 9. Why did the principal adapt a conciliatory tone? [ ] (a) Because Wasserkopf was a fool. (b) Because he tried to solve the problem amicably. (c) He did not like conflict. (d) He liked Wasserkopf's idea. 10. Why did Wasserkopf think he could not do anything? [ ] (a) Because he failed in the examination. (b) Because he felt that he was a fool. (c) Because he could not do any job for long time. (d) Because his education told him nothing about jobs. 11. The word encounter means -- [ ] (a) To face (b) To oppose (c) To count quickly (d) To do business. 12. The expression sly, crafty individual means -- [ ] (a) A foolish, lazy fellow (b) A morose, dull person (c) A cunning, intelligent person (d) A cunning, boastful person. 13. Who agreed to act as the judge in the re-examination? [ ] (a) History teacher (b) Physics teacher (c) Geography teacher (d) Mathematics teacher. 14. Which of the following is the synonym of shrewd? [ ] (a) Intelligent (b) Fool (c) Great (d) Cheat. 15. According to Wasserkopf the thirty year war lasted for -- [ ] (a) Thirty years (b) Thirty metres (c) Seven years (d) Seven metres. 16. The word paralysed means -- [ ] (a) Defeated (b) Shocked (c) Amused (d) Delivered. 17. The antonym of credulous is -- [ ] (a) Gullible (b) Innocent (c) Sceptical (d) Deceptive. 18. The history teacher could justify the answer of Wasserkopf with the help of -- [ ] (a) The theory of time change (b) The theory of relativity (c) The theory of big bang (d) The theory of universal gravity. 19. Who helped the history teacher to come out of the problem? [ ] (a) The principal (b) the geography teacher (c) The mathematics teacher (d) The physics teacher. 20. Siesta means -- [ ] (a) Occupation (b) Sleeping in the afternoon (c) Playing in the evening (d) Waiting for the enemy to attack.

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21. The objects seem to grow smaller if we go farther from them. This phenomenon is -(a) Optical illusion (b) Theory of relativity (c) quantum theory (d) Optical fallacy. 22. The antonym of rot is -(a) Fresh (b) Decompose (c) Destroy (d) Resist. 23. Which of the following statements is right according to Wasserkopf in case of clocks? (a) The clocks grow larger by going nearer. (b) The clocks grow smaller if we go farther. (c) The clocks grow larger if we go farther. (d) The clocks grow smaller if we go nearer. 24. Whom did Wasserkopf call an ass? (a) The physics teacher (b) The mathematics teacher (c) The history teacher (d) The geography teacher. 25. Which of the following means furiously? (a) Happily (b) Pleasantly (c) Angrily (d) Sadly. 26. According to physics teacher why all of us are sad? (a) We are like asses. (b) We are victims of asses. (c) We are victims of illusion. (d) We are victims like asses. 26. Why did Wasserkopf want to protest? (a) Because he was compared to an ass. (b) Because he understood that he was outwitted. (c) Because he was angry with the physics teacher. (d) Because he knew that he was insulted. 27. Who among the following was hated by Wasserkopf? (a) The physics teacher (b) The mathematics teacher (c) The history teacher (d) The geography teacher. 28. Imperturbable means -(a) Angry (b) Cool (c) Challenging (d) Happy. 29. What is the capital of Brunswick? (a) Brunswick (b) Same (c) Germany (d) None of the above. 30. The expression flying colours means -(a) To fly kites (b) To do excellently (c) To overcome difficulty (d) To complete a troublesome job. PART-3 31. The mathematics teacher asked such a very difficult question because -(a) she wanted to pass Wasserkopf. (b) she wanted to test the previous knowledge of Wasserkopf. (c) she wanted to Trap Wasserkopf. (d) she wanted to confuse other teachers. 32. What was the reaction of the other teachers to the first question of the mathematics teacher? (a) They were disappointed. (b) They were happy. (c) They were angry. (d) They were confused.

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33. Why was the principal thunderstruck? (a) He did not expect Wasserkopf to give right answer. (b) He never thought that the mathematics teacher would fail Wasserkopf in the examination. (c) He had to pay the fees back. (d) He did not know the answer to the question of the mathematics teacher. 34. For how many years Wasserkopf attended the school? (a) 4 (b) 5 (c) 6 (d) 7. 35. What was the amount wanted by Wasserkopf in the end? (a) 5682 crowns and 38 heller (b) 4200 crowns (c) 768 crowns 12 heller (d) 6450 crowns 50 heller.

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George Orwell [pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair] [1903 -1950] George Orwell [pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair] (1903-1950), journalist, political author and novelist wrote Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949); It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran.´ Originally titled Last Man in Europe it was renamed Nineteen Eighty-Four for unknown reasons, possibly a mere reversal of the last two digits of the year it was written. It was first met with conflicting criticisms and acclaim; some reviewers disliked its dystopian satire of totalitarian regimes, nationalism, the class system, bureaucracy, and world leaders¶ power struggles, while others panned it as nihilistic prophesy on the downfall of humankind. Some still see it as anti-Catholic with Big Brother replacing God and church. From it the term Orwellian has evolved, in reference to an idea or action that is hostile to a free society. Yet, Nineteen Eighty-Four has proven to be a profoundly meaningful work and continues to be one of the world¶s most widely read and quoted novels into the twenty-first century. Inspired by Yevgeny Zamyatin's (1884-1937) We, Blair worked intensely, often writing ten hours a day and even when bedridden with tuberculosis in his last days continued to labour over it. From his essay ³Why I Write´; ³First I spent five years in an unsuitable profession (the Indian Imperial Police, in Burma), and then I underwent poverty and the sense of failure. This increased my natural hatred of authority and made me for the first time fully aware of the existence of the working classes, and the job in Burma had given me some understanding of the nature of imperialism: but these experiences were not enough to give me an accurate political orientation. Then came Hitler, the Spanish Civil War, etc. By the end of 1935 I had still failed to reach a firm decision.´ He goes on to say; ³The Spanish war and other events in 1936-37 turned the scale and thereafter I knew where I stood. Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism, as I understand it.´ Education and Early Years 1903-1921 Eric Arthur Blair was born on 25 June 1903 in Motihari, Bengal (now Bihar) India, into a family of the ³lower-upper middle class´ as he wryly puts it in The Road to Wigan Pier (1933). He was the son of Ida Mabel née Limouzin (1875±1943) and Richard Walmesley Blair (1857±1938), who worked as a sub-deputy opium agent for the Indian Civil Service under the British Raj. Eric rarely saw his father until he had retired in 1912. Eric¶s grandfather had been a wealthy plantation and slave owner but the fortunes dwindled by the time he was born. He had two sisters, Marjorie and Avril. At the age of one Eric and his mother settled in England; his father joined them in 1912. At the age of five, Blair entered the Anglican parish school of Henley-on-Thames which he attended for two years before entering the prestigious St. Cyprian¶s school in Sussex. Corporal punishment was common in the day and possibly a source of his initial resentment towards authority. While there, Blair wrote his first published work, the poem ³Awake! Young Men of England´; ³Oh! think of the War Lord¶s mailed fist, That is striking at England today.´ With pressures to excel, Eric earned a scholarship to ³the most costly and snobbish of the English Public Schools´ Eton College where he attended between 1917 and 1921, and where Aldous Huxley, author ofBrave New World (1932) taught him French. Indian Civil Service 1922-1927 Following in his father¶s footsteps, Blair went to Burma (now Myanmar) to join the Indian Imperial Police, much like author H. H. Munro or µSaki¶ had done in 1893. During the next five years he grew to love the Burmese and resent the oppression of imperialism and decided to become a writer instead. Works he wrote influenced by this period of his life are his essay ³A Hanging´ (1931); ³It is curious, but till that moment I had never realized what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man.´ and ³Shooting an Elephant´ (1936); ³It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant ± it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery.´. His novel Burmese Days was first published in the United States in 1934 and then London in 1935, also based on his days in service.

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Paris and London 1928-1936 After Orwell resigned, he moved to Paris to try his hand at short stories, writing freelance for various periodicals though he ended up destroying them because nobody would publish them. He had to resort to menial jobs including one at the pseudononymous µHotel X¶ that barely provided him enough to eat as a plongeur; ³[A] plongeur is one of the slaves of the modern world. Not that there is any need to whine over him, for he is better off than many manual workers, but still, he is no freer than if he were bought and sold. His work is servile and without art; he is paid just enough to keep him alive; his only holiday is the sack... trapped by a routine which makes thought impossible. If plongeurs thought at all, they would long ago have formed a union and gone on strike for better treatment. But they do not think, because they have no leisure for it; their life has made slaves of them.´ ²Down and Out in Paris and London (1933) After a bout of pneumonia in 1929 Blair moved back to England to live in East London and adopted his pseudonym George Orwell, partly to avoid embarrassing his family.Down and Out in Paris and London, similarly to Emile Zola¶s The Fat and the Thin (1873) famously exposes the seedy underbelly of Paris and accounts his days of living hand to mouth; ³At present I do not feel that I have seen more than the fringe of poverty. Still I can point to one or two things I have definitely learned by being hard up. I shall never again think that all tramps are drunken scoundrels, nor expect a beggar to be grateful when I give him a penny, nor be surprised if men out of work lack energy, nor subscribe to the Salvation Army, nor pawn my clothes, nor refuse a handbill, nor enjoy a meal at a smart restaurant. That is a beginning.´ A proponent for socialism, Blair now wanted to write for the µcommon man¶ and purposefully lived as a tramp in London and the Home Counties and stayed with miners in the north. Blair learned of the disparity between the classes and came to know a life of poverty and hardship amongst beggars and thieves. His study of the under-classes in general would provide the theme for many of his works to follow. We read of his µurban rides¶ and experience with the unemployed in The Road to Wigan Pier(1937), written for the Left Book Club. In 1932 Blair was a teacher for a time before moving to Hampstead, London to work in a bookstore. In the sardonically comical Keep The Aspidistra Flying (1936) Gordon Comstock spurns the µMoney God¶, materialism, and status, though that which he hates becomes an obsession. Comstock¶s political creed soon proves a cover-up for deep seated emotional issues; ³The money clinked in his trouser pocket as he got up. He knew the precise sum that was there. Fivepence halfpenny twopence halfpenny and a Joey. He paused, took out the miserable little threepenny-bit, and looked at it. Beastly, useless thing! And bloody fool to have taken it! It had happened yesterday, when he was buying cigarettes. µDon't mind a threepenny-bit, do you, sir?¶ the little bitch of a shop-girl had chirped. And of course he had let her give it him. µOh no, not at all!¶ he had said²fool, bloody fool!´ In 1936 Blair and once student of J.R.R. Tolkien student Eileen O'Shaughnessy (1905-1945) married. In 1944 they would adopt a son, Richard Horatio. Based on his teaching days, A Clergyman¶s Daughter was published in 1935. Spanish Civil War When civil war broke out, Blair and his wife both wanted to fight for the Spanish government against Francisco Franco¶s Nationalist uprising. While on the front at Huesca in Aragon Blair was shot in the throat by ³a Fascist sniper´. In Barcelona he joined the anti-Stalinist Spanish Trotskyist µPartido Obrero de Unificación Marxista¶ or POUM, the Workers¶ Party of Marxist Unification. When the communists partly gained control and tried to purge the POUM, many of Blair's friends were arrested, shot, or disappeared. He and Eileen barely escaped with their lives in 1937. His autobiographical Homage to Catalonia is written in the first person, mere months after the events.

³Shall the common man be pushed back into the mud, or shall he not? I myself believe, perhaps on insufficient grounds, that the common man will win his fight sooner or later, but I want it to be sooner and not later²some time within the next hundred years, say, and not some time within the next ten thousand years. That was the real issue of the Spanish war, and of the last war, and perhaps of other wars yet to come.´²from his essay ³Looking Back on the Spanish War´

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WW II, the Home War Effort, and Fame 1939-1950 Back in England, Blair set to freelance writing again for such publications as New English Weekly, The Tribune and New Statesman. His essay subjects include fellow authors Charles Dickens, William Butler Yeats, Arthur Koestler, and P.G. Wodehouse. Essay titles include ³Inside the Whale´ (1940), ³The Lion and The Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius´ (1941), ³Notes on Nationalism´ (1945), ³How the Poor Die´ (1946), and ³Reflections on Gandhi´ (1949). Coming Up For Air was published in 1939. Blair joined the Home Guards and also worked in broadcasting with the BBC in propaganda efforts to garner support from Indians and East Asians. He was also literary editor for the left wing The Tribune, writing his column ³As I Please´ until 1945, the same year he became a war correspondent for The Observer. Eileen O¶Shaughnessy died on 29 March 1945 while undergoing surgery in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1946 Blair lived for a year at Barnhill on the Isle of Jura. For years he had been developing his favourite novel that would cinch his literary legacy, Animal Farm (1944).³On my return from Spain I thought of exposing the Soviet myth in a story that could be easily understood.´ Publishers did not want to touch his anti-Stalinist allegory while war was still raging so it was held for publishing until after the war had ended. From Chapter One of Animal Farm; ³Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever. Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself.´ Back in England, in 1949 Blair was admitted to the Cotswolds Sanitorium, Gloucestershire for tuberculosis, the same year he married Sonia Bronwell (1918-1980). Eric Arthur Blair died suddenly in London on 21 January 1950 at the age of fortysix, succumbing to the tuberculosis that had plagued him for the last three years of his life. He lies buried in the All Saint¶s Churchyard in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, England. George Orwell¶s life and works have been the source of inspiration for many other authors¶ works. Keep The Aspidistra Flying, Animal Farm, and Nineteen Eighty-Four have inspired numerous television and film adaptations. He has also contributed numerous concepts, words, and phrases to present day language including Newspeak;doublethink ³the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one¶s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them´; thoughtcrime; four legs good, two legs bad; all animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others; He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past; andWar is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. Among the ranks of other such acclaimed literary giants as Jonathan Swift and Aldous Huxley, George Orwell is a master of wit and satire, critically observing the politics of his time and prophetically envisioning the future. He devoted much of his life to various causes critical of capitalism, imperialism, fascism, and Stalinism, but in the end what he ³most wanted to do is to make political writing into an art.´ ³Liberty is telling people what they do not want to hear.´ - from a preface to Animal Farm NOVEL [ANIMAL FARM] [pub.1945] [SUMMARY] Old Major, the old boar on the Manor Farm, calls the animals on the farm for a meeting, where he compares the humans to parasites and teaches the animals a revolutionary song, 'Beasts of England'. When Major dies three days later, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume command and turn his dream into a philosophy. The animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible Mr Jones from the farm, renaming it "Animal Farm". The Seven Commandments of Animalism are written on the wall of a barn. The most important is the seventh, "All animals are equal". All the animals work, but the workhorse, Boxer, does more than others and adopts the maxim: "I will work harder". Snowball attempts to teach the animals reading and writing; food is plentiful, and the farm runs smoothly. The pigs elevate themselves to positions of leadership and set aside special food items, ostensibly for their personal health. Napoleon takes the pups from the farm dogs and trains them privately. When Mr Jones tries to retake the farm, the animals defeat him at what they call the "Battle of the Cowshed". Napoleon and Snowball struggle for leadership. When Snowball announces his idea for a windmill, Napoleon opposes it. Snowball makes a speech in favour of the windmill, at

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which point Napoleon has his dogs chase Snowball away. In Snowball's absence, Napoleon declares himself leader and makes changes. Meetings will no longer be held; instead, a committee of pigs will run the farm. Using a young pig named Squealer as a "mouthpiece", Napoleon announces that Snowball stole the idea for the windmill from him. The animals work harder with the promise of easier lives with the windmill. After a violent storm, the animals find the windmill annihilated. Napoleon and Squealer convince the animals that Snowball destroyed the windmill, although the scorn of the neighboring farmers suggests that the windmill's walls were too thin. Once Snowball becomes a scapegoat, Napoleon begins purging the farm, killing animals he accuses of consorting with Snowball. Meanwhile, Boxer takes up a second maxim: "Napoleon is always right". Napoleon abuses his powers, making life harder for the animals; the pigs impose more control while reserving privileges for themselves. The pigs rewrite history, villainising Snowball and glorifying Napoleon. Squealer justifies every statement Napoleon makes, even the pigs' alteration of the Seven Commandments of Animalism. "No animal shall sleep in beds" is changed to "No animal shall sleep in beds with sheets" when the pigs are discovered to have been sleeping in the old farmhouse. "No animal shall drink alcohol" is changed to "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess" when the pigs discover the farmer's whisky. 'Beasts of England' is banned as inappropriate, as according to Napoleon the dream of Animal Farm has been realized. It is replaced by an anthem glorifying Napoleon, who appears to be adopting the lifestyle of a man. The animals, though cold, starving and overworked, remain convinced that they are better off than they were when under Mr Jones. Squealer abuses the animals' poor memories and invents numbers to show their improvement.

Mr Frederick, one of the neighbouring farmers, swindles Napoleon by buying old wood with forged money, and then attacks the farm, using blasting powder to blow up the restored windmill. Though the animals win the battle, they do so at great cost, as many, including Boxer, are wounded. Despite his injuries, Boxer continues working harder and harder, until he collapses while working on the windmill. Napoleon sends for a van to take Boxer to the veterinary surgeon's, explaining that better care can be given there. Benjamin the donkey, who "could read as well as any pig",[5] notices that the van belongs to "Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler", and attempts to mount a rescue; but the animals' attempts are futile. Squealer reports that the van was purchased by the hospital and the writing from the previous owner had not been repainted. He recounts a tale of Boxer's death in the hands of the best medical care. Shortly after Boxer's death, it is revealed that the pigs have purchased more whiskey.

Years pass, and the pigs learn to walk upright, carry whips and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single phrase: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others". Napoleon holds a dinner party for the pigs and the humans of the area, who congratulate Napoleon on having the hardest-working animals in the country on the least feed. Napoleon announces an alliance with the humans, against the labouring classes of both "worlds". He abolishes practices and traditions related to the Revolution, and changes the name of the farm to "The Manor Farm". The animals, overhearing the conversation, notice that the faces of the pigs have begun changing. During a poker match, an argument breaks out between Napoleon and Mr Pilkington when they both play the Ace of Spades and the animals realise that the faces of the pigs look like the faces of humans and no one can tell the difference between them.

Animalism "Seven Commandments" redirects here. For the Noahide code, see Seven Laws of Noah. The pigs Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer adapt Old Major's ideas into an actual philosophy, which they formally name Animalism. Soon after, Napoleon and Squealer indulge in the vices of humans (drinking alcohol, sleeping in beds, trading). Squealer is employed to alter the Seven Commandments to account for this humanisation, which represents the Soviet government's revisions of communist theory to make it more a reformation of capitalism than a replacement. The Seven Commandments are laws that are supposed to keep order and ensure elementary Animalism within Animal Farm. The Seven Commandments were designed to unite the animals together against the humans and prevent animals from following the humans' evil habits. Since not all of the animals can remember them, they are boiled down into one basic statement: "Four legs good, two legs bad!" (with wings counting as legs for this purpose, Snowball arguing that

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wings count as legs as they are organs of propulsion rather than manipulation), which the sheep constantly repeat, distracting the crowd from the lies of the pigs. The original commandments were: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. No animal shall wear clothes. No animal shall sleep in a bed. No animal shall drink alcohol. No animal shall kill any other animal. All animals are equal.

Later, Napoleon and his pigs are corrupted by the absolute power they hold over the farm. To maintain their popularity with the other animals, Squealer secretly paints additions to some commandments to benefit the pigs while keeping them free of accusations of law-breaking (such as "No animal shall drink alcohol" having "to excess" appended to it and "No animal shall sleep in a bed" with "with sheets" added to it). The changed commandments are as follows, with the changes bolded: 1. No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. 2. No animal shall drink alcohol to excess. 3. No animal shall kill any other animal without cause. Eventually the laws are replaced with "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others", and "Four legs good, two legs better!" as the pigs become more human. CHARACTERS Major: An old boar whose speech about the evils perpetrated by humans rouses the animals into rebelling. His philosophy concerning the tyranny of Man is named Animalism by his followers. He also teaches the song ³Beasts of England´ to the animals. Snowball: A boar who becomes one of the rebellion¶s most valuable leaders. After drawing complicated plans for the construction of a windmill, he is chased off of the farm forever by Napoleon¶s dogs and thereafter used as a scapegoat for the animals¶ troubles. Napoleon: A boar who, with Snowball, leads the rebellion against Jones. After the rebellion¶s success, he systematically begins to control all aspects of the farm until he is an undisputed tyrant. Squealer: A porker pig who becomes Napoleon¶s mouthpiece. Throughout the novel, he displays his ability to manipulate the animals¶ thoughts through the use of hollow yet convincing rhetoric. Boxer: A dedicated but dimwitted horse who aids in the building of the windmill but is sold to a glue-boiler after collapsing from exhaustion. Mollie: A vain horse who prefers ribbons and sugar over ideas and rebellion. She is eventually lured off the farm with promises of a comfortable life. Clover: A motherly horse who silently questions some of Napoleon¶s decisions and tries to help Boxer after his collapse. Benjamin: A cynical, pessimistic donkey who continually undercuts the animals¶ enthusiasm with his cryptic remark, ³Donkeys live a long time.´ Moses: A tame raven and sometimes-pet of Jones who tells the animals stories about a paradise called Sugar candy Mountain. Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher: Three dogs. The nine puppies born between Jessie and Bluebell are taken by Napoleon and raised to be his guard dogs. The Humans

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Mr. Jones: The often-drunk owner of Manor Farm, later expelled from his land by his own animals. He dies in an inebriates¶ home after abandoning his hopes to reclaim his farm. Mrs. Jones: Jones¶ wife, who flees from the farm when the animals rebel. Mr. Whymper: A solicitor hired by Napoleon to act as an intermediary in Animal Farm¶s trading with neighboring farms. Mr. Pilkington: The owner of Foxwood, a neighboring and neglected farm. He eventually sells some of his land to Napoleon and, in the novel¶s final scene, toasts to Napoleon¶s success. Mr. Frederick: An enemy of Pilkington and owner of Pinchfield, another neighboring farm. Known for ³driving hard bargains,´ Frederick swindles Napoleon by buying timber from him with counterfeit money. He later tries to attack and seize Animal Farm but is defeated.

SUMMARY

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CRITICAL SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL IN ENGLISH Animal Farm can be read on three different levels. On its first level, it is an entertaining story about farm animals ruled first by cruel human overseers and later by ruthless animal overseers. Very young children can understand and enjoy the story at this level. On its second level, it is an allegory representing the Communist takeover of Russia in 1917 and the subsequent perversion of the idealistic goals of the revolutionaries. On its third level, Animal Farm is a satire ridiculing any movement²and the persons in that movement²that goes awry because of the corrupting lure of power. On the second and third levels, the novel develops the theory of ³Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.´ Old Major, the old boar on the Manor Farm, calls the animals on the farm for a meeting, where he compares the humans to parasites and teaches the animals a revolutionary song, ³Beasts of England´. When Major dies three days later, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume command and turn his dream into a philosophy. The animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible Mr. Jones from the farm, renaming it ³Animal Farm´. The Seven Commandments of Animalism are written on the wall of a barn. The most important is the seventh, ³All animals are equal.´ All the animals work, but the workhorse, Boxer, does more than others and adopts the maxim - ³I will work harder.´ Snowball attempts to teach the animals reading and writing; food is plentiful; and the farm runs smoothly. The pigs elevate themselves to positions of leadership and set aside special food items ostensibly for their personal health. Napoleon takes the pups from the farm dogs and trains them privately. When Mr. Jones tries retaking the farm, the animals defeat him at what they call the ³Battle of the Cowshed´. Napoleon and Snowball struggle for leadership. When Snowball announces his idea for a windmill, Napoleon opposes it. Snowball makes a speech in favour of the windmill; whereupon Napoleon has his dogs chase Snowball away. In Snowball¶s absence, Napoleon declares himself leader and makes changes. Meetings will no longer be held and instead a committee of pigs will run the farm. Using a young pig named Squealer as a mouthpiece; Napoleon announces that Snowball stole the idea for the windmill from him. The animals work harder with the promise of easier lives with the windmill. After a violent storm, the animals find the windmill annihilated. Napoleon and Squealer convince the animals that Snowball destroyed the windmill, although the scorn of the neighboring farmers suggests the windmill¶s walls were too thin. Once Snowball becomes a scapegoat, Napoleon begins purging the farm, killing animals he accuses of consorting with Snowball. Meanwhile, Boxer takes up a second maxim: ³Napoleon is always right.´ Napoleon abuses his powers, making life harder for the animals; the pigs impose more control while reserving privileges for themselves. The pigs rewrite history, villainsing Snowball and glorifying Napoleon. Squealer justifies every statement Napoleon makes, even the pigs¶ alteration of the Seven Commandments of Animalism. ³No animal shall sleep in beds´ is changed to ³No animal shall sleep in beds with sheets´ when the pigs are discovered to have been sleeping in the old farmhouse. ³No animal shall drink alcohol´ is changed to ³No animal shall drink alcohol to excess´ when the pigs discover the farmer¶s whisky. ³Beasts of England´ is banned as inappropriate, as according to Napoleon the dream of Animal Farm has been realized. It is replaced by an anthem glorifying Napoleon, who appears to

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be adopting the lifestyle of a man. The animals, though cold, starving, and overworked, remain convinced through psychological conditioning that they are better off than they were when ruled by Mr. Jones. Squealer abuses the animals¶ poor memories and invents numbers to show their improvement. Mr. Frederick, one of the neighboring farmers, swindles Napoleon by buying old wood with forged money, and then attacks the farm, using blasting powder to blow up the restored windmill. Though the animals win the battle, they do so at great cost, as many, including Boxer, are wounded. Boxer continues working harder and harder, until he collapses while working on the windmill. Napoleon sends for a van to take Boxer to the veterinarian, explaining that better care can be given there. Benjamin the donkey, who ³could read as well as any pig´ ,[5] notices that the van belongs to ³Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler´, and attempts to mount a rescue; but the animals¶ attempts are futile. Squealer reports that the van was purchased by the hospital and the writing from the previous owner had not been repainted. He recounts a tale of Boxer¶s death in the hands of the best medical care. Shortly after Boxer¶s death, it is revealed that the pigs have purchased more whisky. Years pass, and the pigs learn to walk upright, carry whips, and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single phrase: ³All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.´ Napoleon holds a dinner party for the pigs and the humans of the area, who congratulate Napoleon on having the hardest-working animals in the country on the least feed. Napoleon announces an alliance with the humans, against the labouring classes of both ³worlds´. He abolishes practices and traditions related to the Revolution, and reverts the name of the farm to ³Manor Farm´. The animals, overhearing the conversation, notice that the faces of the pigs have begun changing. During a poker match, an argument breaks out between Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington when they both play the Ace of Spades, and the animals realize that the faces of the pigs look like the faces of humans and no one can tell the difference between them. =========================================

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R. K. Laxman [Oct 23, 1924 ±Till Date] Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Laxman born 23 October 1924, Mysore, India) is an Indian cartoonist, illustrator, and humorist. He is widely regarded as India's greatest-ever cartoonist and is best known for his creation The Common Man. He is the brother of R.K. Narayan Birth and childhood R. K. Laxman was born in Mysore, to a tamil Iyer brahmin couple. His father was a headmaster and Laxman was the youngest of six boys. One of his elder brothers, R.K. Narayan, went on to become one of India's best known English language novelists. Laxman was engrossed by the illustrations in magazines such as Strand Magazine, Punch, Bystander, Wide World and TitBits, even before he could read. Soon he was drawing on his own, on the floors, walls and doors of his house and doodling caricatures of his teachers at school; praised by a teacher for his drawing of a peepal leaf, he began to think of himself as an artist in the making.Another early influence on Laxman were the cartoons of the world-renowned British cartoonist, Sir David Low (whose signature he misread as "cow" for a long time) that appeared now and then in The Hindu. Laxman notes in his autobiography, The Tunnel of Time: ³I drew objects that caught my eye outside the window of my room - the dry twigs, leaves and lizard-like creatures crawling about, the servant chopping firewood and, of course, and number of crows in various postures on the rooftops of the buildings opposite´ Laxman was the captain of his local "Rough and Tough and Jolly" cricket team and his antics inspired the stories "Dodu the money maker" and "The Regal Cricket Club" written by his brother, Narayan.[9] Laxman's idyllic childhood was shaken for a while when his father suffered a paralytic stroke and died around a year later, but the elders at home bore most of the increased responsibility, while Laxman continued with his schooling. After high school, Laxman applied to the JJ School of Arts, Bombay hoping to concentrate on his lifelong interests of drawing and painting, but the dean of the school wrote to him that his drawings lacked, "the kind of talent to qualify for enrollment in our institution as a student", and refused admission. He finally graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mysore. In the meantime he continued his freelance artistic activities and contributed cartoons to Swarajya and an animated film based on the mythological character, Narada. Beginning Laxman's earliest work was for newspapers and magazines such as Swarajya and Blitz. While still at the Maharaja College of Mysore, he began to illustrate his elder brother R K Narayan's stories in The Hindu, and he drew political cartoons for the local newspapers and for the Swatantra. Laxman also drew cartoons, for the Kannada humour magazine, Koravanji. Incidentally, Koravanji was founded in 1942 by Dr M Shivaram who was a MBBS doctor and had a clinic around Majestic area in Bangalore. He started this monthly magazine, dedicating it to hilarious/satirical articles and cartoons. Dr Shivaram himself was an eminent humourist in Kannada. He encouraged Laxman quite a lot. He held a summer job at the Gemini Studios, Madras. His first full-time job was as a political cartoonist for the Free Press Journal. Prominent Shiv Sena politician Bal Thackeray, was also an employee at the newspaper at that time. Laxman later joined The Times of India, beginning a career that has spanned for over fifty years. Other creations Among his other works, Laxman is known for his distinctive illustrations in several books, most notably for the Malgudi stories written by his elder brother R.K. Narayan, which was later made as a serial directed by Shankar Nag. He also created a popular mascot for the Asian Paints group called Gattu. Laxman has also penned a few novels. His cartoons have appeared in Hindi films such as Mr. and Mrs. 55 and a Tamil Film "KAMARAJ". R K Laxman Chair at Symbiosis International University There is a chair named after R. K. Laxman at Symbiosis International University.

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Personal life He was first married to Bharatanatyam dancer and movie actress Kamala Laxman (also known before marriage as Baby Kamala and Kumari Kamala). After a divorce, he married again and his second wife's (a children's book writer) name was also Kamala. He lives both in Mumbai and Pune. In a cartoon series named "The star I never met" in film magazine Filmfare he painted a cartoon of Kamala Laxman, with the title "The star I only met!´ In September 2003, Laxman was affected by a stroke which left him paralysed on his left side. He has partly recovered from its effects. On the evening of 20 June 2010, Laxman was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai after being transported by an air ambulance from Pune. His condition was said to be stable. Awards B.D. Goenka Award - The Indian Express Durga Ratan Gold Medal - Hindustan Times Padma Bhushan - Govt. of India Padma Vibhushan - Govt. of India Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts - 1984 Lifetime Achievement Award for Journalism - CNN IBN TV18, 29 January 2008. THE GOLDEN FRAME [ESSAY] The Modem Frame Works was actually an extra-large wooden packing case mounted on wobbly legs tucked in a gap between a drug store and a radio repair shop. Its owner, Datta, with his concave figure, silver-rimmed glasses and a complexion of seasoned timber, fitted into his shop with the harmony of a fixture. He was a silent, hard-working man. He gave only laconic answers to the questions his customers asked and strongly discouraged casual friends who tried to intrude on his zone of silence with their idle gossip. He was always seen sitting hunched up, surrounded by a confusion of cardboard pieces, bits of wood, glass sheets, boxes of nails, glue bottles, paint tins and other odds and ends that went into putting a picture in a frame. In this medley a glass-cutter or a pencil stub was often lost and that was when he would uncoil from his posture and grope impatiently for it. Many times he had to stand up and shake his dhoti vigorously to dislodge the lost object. This operation rocked the whole shop, setting the pictures on the walls gently swinging. There was not an inch of space that was not covered by a picture; gods, saints, hockey players, children, cheap prints of the Mona Lisa, national leaders, wedding couples, Urdu calligraphy, the snow-clad Fujiyama and many others co-existed with a cheerful incongruity like some fabulous world awaiting order and arrangement. A customer standing outside the shop on the pavement, obstructing the stream of jostling pedestrians, announced, µI want this picture framed.¶ Datta, with his habitual indifference, ignored him and continued to be engaged in driving screws into the sides of a frame. µI want a really good job done, no matter how much it costs.¶ The customer volunteered the information, unwrapping a faded newspaper and exposing a sepia-brown photograph of an old man. It was sharp and highly glazed in spite of its antiquity. µWhat sort of a frame would you like?¶ Datta asked, still bent over his work. µThe best, of course. Do you expect I would stint where this great soul is concerned?¶ Datta gave a side glance and caught a glimpse of the photograph; just another elderly person of those days, he told himself; a standard portrait of a grandfather, a philanthropist, a social worker, with the inevitable whiskers and top-heavy cascading turban²it could be any one of these. At least half a dozen people came to him every month bearing similar portraits, wanting to demonstrate their homage to the person in the picture in the shape of a glittering frame. The customer was describing the greatness of the old man; extravagant qualities of nobility, compassion and charity were being generously attributed to him in a voice that came close to the chanting of a holy scripture. µIf this world had just a few more like him, believe me, it would certainly have been a different place. Of course, there are demons who may not agree with me. They are out to disgrace his name and destroy his memory. But he is God in my home!¶ µWhat sort of a frame do you want?¶ Datta interrupted. µPlain, wooden, lacquer, gold, plastic or just enamel painted?¶ He waved a casual

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hand towards the pictures on the wall. The customer silently surveyed the various frames. After some time Datta heard him mumble, µI want the best....¶ µI don¶t have any second-rate stuff in my shop,¶ Datta said. He was shown a number of samples; plain, decorative, floral, geometrical, thin, hefty and so forth. The customer was baffled by the variety. He examined the selection before him for a long time as if he was unsure of his judgement and was afraid of erishrining his saviour for ever in some ugly cheap frame. Datta came to his rescue and recommended one with a profusion of gold leaves and winding creepers and, in order to clear any lingering doubt he might still harbour in regard to its quality, added: µIt is German! Imported !¶ The customer at once seemed impressed and satisfied. Datta next asked, µYou want a plain mount or a cut mount?¶ and watched the puzzled look return. Again he helped the man out by showing his various mounts and suggested that a cut mount looked more elegant. µAll right, let me have a cut mount then. Is that a cut mount?¶ he asked, pointing to a framed picture on the wall of a soulful-. Looking lady in an oval cut mount. µI like that shape. Will it cost much?¶ µNo. Frame, mount, glass - all will cost seventeen rupees.¶ The customer had expected it would be more. He pretended to be shocked all the same and tried to bargain. Datta withdrew to his corner without replying and began to cut a piece of plywood. The customer hung about uncertainly for some time and finally asked, µWhen will you have it ready?¶ and barely heard the reply over the vibrating noise of the saw on the plywood, µTwo weeks from today.¶ Dafla had learnt by long experience that his customers never came punctually. They came days in advance and went away disappointed or came months later, and some never turned up at all and their pictures lay unclaimed in a box, gathering dust and feeding cockroaches and silver fish. Therefore he made frames for those who came to him and visited him at least twice before he actually executed their orders. Ten days later the tall, rustic-looking man appeared and enquired, µHas the picture been framed? I was passing by and thought I could collect it if it was ready.¶ Dana cast a side look at him and continued with his work. µI know I have come four days early,¶ the customer grinned nervously. µWill it be ready by Tuesday?¶ Dafta merely nodded without shifting attention from a tiny nail which he, with precise rhythmic strokes, was driving into a frame, but sensed the man¶s obsessive attachment to the photograph. He told himself there would be trouble if he did not deliver the order on the promised date. Next morning he made that his first job, keeping aside all the others. The photograph was lying on a shelf among many others. He took it and carefully kept it on a wooden plank on the floor. Then he looked for the pencil stub for marking the measurements. As usual it was missing. He swept his hand all round him impatiently, scattering fragments of glass and wood. False shapes that he mistook for the pencil harassed him no end and stoked his anger. Frustrated in all his attempts to find it, he finally stood up to shake the folds of his dhoti²an ultimate move which generally yielded results. But he shook the folds so violently that he upset a tin containing white enamel paint and it fell right on the sacred photograph of the old man, emptying its thick, slimy contents on it. Datta stood transfixed and stared at the disaster at his feet as if he had suddenly lost all faculty of movement. He could not bring himself even to avert his eyes from the horror which he seemed to be cruelly forced to view. Then his spectacles clouded with perspiration and helpfully screened his vision. When at last he fully recovered his senses he set about rescuing the picture in such a desperate hurry that he made a worse mess of it. He rubbed the picture so hard with a cloth that he peeled off thin strips of filmy coating from its surface. Before he realised what he had done half the old man¶s face and nearly all of his turban were gone. Datta

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helplessly looked at the venerable elder transformed into thick black specks sticking to the enamel smeared on the rag in his hand. He sat with both hands clutching his head; every nerve in his head throbbed as if it would tear itself apart if he did not hold it down. What answer was he going to offer to the customer who had a fanatic devotion to the photograph he had just mutilated beyond recovery? His imagination ran wild, suggesting nightmarish consequences to his own dear self and to the fragile inflammable shop. He racked his brain for a long while till sheer exhaustion calmed his agitated nerves and made him accept the situation with a hopeless resignation. Meanwhile the plethora of gods, saints and sages gazed down at him from the walls with a transcendental smile and seemed to offer themselves to him to pray to. With a fervent appeal in his heart he stared at them. unguarded moment making him bungle the entire, carefully thought-out plot. But the man turned up promptly a couple of days later. At that moment Datta was bent over a piece of work and slightly stiffened as he heard the voice, shrill with expectation, ask, µIs it ready?¶ Datta¶s heart began to race and to compose himself, he let a whole minute pass without answering. Then he put aside the scissors in his hand with slow deliberation and reached out to take the neatly-wrapped package in a corner. µAh, it is ready!¶ the customer exclaimed with childish delight, at the same time mumbling flattering tributes to Datta for his promptness and so on. His spread his arms widely with dramatic exuberance to receive the photograph as if it was actually a long-lost person he was greeting. But Datta took his time removing the wrapper from the frame. The customer waited impatiently, filling in the time showering more praises on his worshipful master who was to adorn the wall of his home. Plethora: a great many Transcendental: beyond the limit of human experience Jauntily: cheerfully Fluted Roman pillar: an ornamental pillar with grooves in it Fagged-out: very tired Rummaged: searched thoroughly by turning things over Resplendent: bright and shining Faking: a copy of an original made to deceive people Exuberance: excitement The inner sanctum: the part of the temple where the idol is placed Reverential: respectful SUMMARY

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µThe Gold Frame¶ is a short story written by the cartoonist, R.K.Laxman. In this story the writer tries to bring out the characteristics of Indian middle class. The hypocrisy and false prestige. typical to middle class are well exposed in this story. The style of the stow is consistent with the theme of humour. The Modern Frame works is an extra-large wooden packing case placed in between two other shops. Datta, the owner of the Modern Frame Works, is the central figure in the story. He was a lean man with silver-rimmed glasses and the colour of seasoned timber. He was a silent and hardworking man. He spoke very little and discouraged casual friends and idle gossip.

Once a customer approaches Datta to get an old photograph framed in the best possible frame. He respects, admires and praises the old man which makes one believe that the man in the photograph must have been an ideal human being. The customer is great for his ability to recognize and respect such humanity. The customer has no will of his own so Datta comes to his rescue to help him select a proper frame. With his help he selects cut mount for his photograph. The customer talks as if it were his life¶s mission to get the photograph framed but he does not even likes to pay the price quoted by Datta. After getting the price and date settled he goes away. His customers came days in advance and went away disappointed or came months later. Some never turned tip at all and their pictures lay unclaimed in a box. Thus Datta would not begin his work unless his customers came twice before the date of due. His tall and rustic looking customer appeared after ten days to see the progress in work. When Datta grasped the interest of his customer in the frame lie took out the photograph to frame it. Datta accidentally spills enamel paint on the sacred photograph of the customer. He tries to rub it with a piece of cloth but the figure peels off The respectable old mans face turned into thick black specks sticking to the enamel smeared on the piece of cloth in his hand. Datta was afraid of the consequences. Every nerve in his head throbbed as if it would tear apart if lie did not hold it down. Datta thought of alternate solutions like framing another photograph. Luckily he found one with which lie could take a fair risk. In his confusion Datta frames square frame while the customer has ordered an oval frame. This in a way saves Datta. The customer questions the frame and not the photograph itself, thereby saving Datta. This results in humour. This story reveals the cunning nature of Datta. R.K.Laxman depicts the customer as a fool. The customer agrees upon the price though he feels it to be high. After all the lavish praise, a bargain over the price would make him still foolish. So his veneration for the old man as well as his willingness to pay any price for the frame is both dubious. Datta is saved by the foolishness of the customer rather than by his own experience or cleverness. Thus the story The Gold Frame has suspense, irony, and humour resulting from the theme, characterization, setting and style.

PART-1 1. The word wobbly means ± [C ] (a) Strong (b) Tall (c) Unsteady (d) Swinging. 2. Which of the following statements suits Datta? [ ] (a) He was old, tall and skillful worker. (b) He was stout, and black. (c) He looked dull and dreamy. (c) He was spirited and talkative.

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3. Choose correct statements and answer according to the code given below. [ ] I. Datta was a hard working man. II. Datta was a chatter box. III. Datta looked like a photo in his shop. IV. Datta was lazy. (a) I and II (b) I and III (c) II and III (d) II and IV. 4. Why did Datta discourage friends near the shop? [ ] (a) He does not want friendship. (b) He was more interested in work. (c) Datta felt that friends are waste of time and money. (d) Datta had no friends. 5. Which of the following does not come under the category of odds and ends of Datta? [ ] (a) Bits of woods (b) Nails (c) Cameras (d) Glue bottles. 6. Which of the following means jumbled pile? (a) Le conic (b) Hunched (c) Stub (d) Medley. 7. The synonym of grope is -- [ ] (a) To fix (b) To be angry (c) To search blindly (d) To be happy. 8. . . . "and that was when he would uncoil from his posture and grope impatiently for it." It refers to --[ ] (a) A new photo (b) Lost object (c) Forgotten coin (d) Crumpled piece of paper. 9. Which of the following actions of Datta rocked the whole shop? [ ] (a) Losing a pencil. (b) Swinging photos. (c) Shaking dhoti. (d) Groping for a lost object. 11. Which of the following category of photos is not found on the walls of the shop? [ ] (a) Gods (b) Hockey players (c) National leaders (d) Heroines. 12. "I want this picture framed." To whom does I refer to? [ ] (a) The author (b) Datta (c( A customer (d) A friend. 13. Why didn't Datta answer to the customer immediately? [ ] (a) Usual apathy (b) recklessness (c) Ignorance (d) Inherent laziness. 14. What did the customer say to Datta before giving the photo to him? [ ] (a) He wanted a new copy. (b) He wanted a frame in low cost. (c) He wanted a frame without taking charges into consideration. (d) He Wanted to sell it to Datta. 15. Which of the following statements describes the photograph? [ ] (a) It was dark black. (b) It was brown and faded. (c) It was brown but well kept. (d) It was a torn old photograph. 16. "Do you expect I would stint where this great soul is concerned?" Great soul refers to --[ ] (a) Datta (b) The customer (c) The author (d) The man in the photo. 17. Philanthropist means ±[ ] (a) A miser (b) A person who loves mankind (c) A person who hates mankind (d) A person who gives medicine free of cost.

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18. The antonym of inevitable is --[ ] (a) Unnecessary (b) Inescapable (c) Unavoidable (d) Dangerous. 19. "What sort of a frame do you want?" Datta interrupted. Why did Datta interrupt the man? (a) He was busy with his work. (b) He did not like the description. (c) He wanted to send the man as early as possible. (d) He was habituated to this kind of description. 20. "I don't have any second rate stuff in my shop." This sentence is a/an --[ ] (a) Comment (b) Assertion (c) Riposte (d) Reply. 21. "The customer was baffled by the variety." Which of the following statements can replace the given sentence exactly without changing the meaning? [ ] (a) The customer was disappointed by the variety. (b) The customer was surprised by the variety. (c) The customer was puzzled by the variety. (d) The variety satisfied the customer. 22. Why did Datta say to the customer that the photo frame was German and imported? [ ] (a) He wanted to wind up the business at the earliest. (b) He understood that the customer was attracted by it. (c) He wanted to clear any doubts in the mind of the customer. (d) He wanted more money from the customer. 23. Which of the following words means abundance? [ ] (a) Baffle (b) Enshrine (c) Profusion (d) Lingering. 24. According to Datta which type of frame was good? [ ] (a) Plain mount (b) Cut mount (c) Both (d) None. 25. The word soulful means -- [ ] (a) Full of enthusiasm (b) Full of passion (c) Full of beauty (d) Full of sorrow. 26. Why did the customer pretend to be shocked. [ ] (a) The cost of the frame was mush more than he expected. (b) The cost of the frame was very cheap. (c) So that he might lessen the cost even more. (d) Because the cost was out of his reach. 27. Why did Datta withdraw to his corner without answering? (a) Because he was not interested in the business. (b) Because he did not want to bargain. (c) Because he understood that the customer could not pay such a price. (d) Because he pitied the customer. 28. Datta promised to give the photograph in -(a) Two days (b) A fortnight (c) A month (d) Ten days. PART-2 29. What did Datta learn in his long experience? [ ] (a) His customers were misers. (b) His customers were over-enthusiastic. (c) His customers were not bothered about his work. (d) His customers never came on time.

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30. Three types of customers are mentioned in the passage. Which of the following does not come under this category? (a) Customers who are intelligent and punctual. (b) Customers who are over-enthusiastic and come early. (c) Customers who are lazy and come late. (d) Customers who never turned up. 31. What did Datta do to unclaimed photographs? [ ] (a) He threw them in dust. (b) He gave them to cockroaches to eat. (c) He kept them in a box. (d) He sold them to venders. 32. Datta made photographs of those who visited him twice. Why? [ ] (a) Because he was very busy. (b) Because he wanted to test the patience of the customers. (c) Because he wanted to assert the interest of the customers. (d) Because it was his habit. 33. How many days early did the customer appear to collect the photograph from Datta? [ ] (a) Ten days (b) Four days (c) Fourteen days (d) No mention is made. 34. What did Datta understand about the customer after his early visit? [ ] (a) He was boring. (b) He was punctual. (c) He was attached to the photo. (d) He was pretending to be interested. 35. "As usual it was missing." What was missing? [ ] (a) Photograph (b) Pencil (c) Glue bottle (d) Photo frame. 36. What happened to the photograph when he shook the folds of his dhoti? [ ] (a) The photograph broke into pieces. (b) The dhoti fell onto the floor. (c) Some paint fell on the photograph disfiguring it. (d) At last he found his pencil. 37. Which of the following is the synonym of transfixed? [ ] (a) Surprised (b) Stunned (c) Deceived (d) Trembled. 38. "Datta stood transfixed and stared at the disaster at his feet as if he had suddenly lost all faculty of movement." What was the disaster lying at hiss feet? [ ] (a) The broken pencil (b) The broken photo frame (c) The disfigured photograph (d) The empty paint bottle. 39. He could not avert his eyes of the girl. Which of the following statements has the same meaning? [ ] (a) He threw his eyes onto the girl. (b) He fixed his eyes onto the girl. (c) He concentrated his eyes onto the girl. (d) He stopped looking at the girl. 40. What was the result of Datta's attempt to recover the disfigured photograph? [ ] (a) He got the photograph, but lost the frame. (b) He destroyed it more in his attempts to recover. (c) He succeeded in repairing the photograph. (d) He could not improve the disfiguration.

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41. Why did Datta sit clutching his head with both hands? [ ] (a) Because he was suffering from headache. (b) Because he failed to recover the photograph. (c) It was his habit. (d) Datta was afraid of the customer. 42. What did Datta think about the future of his shop? [ ] (a) His shop would be looted. (b) His shop would be thrown down. (c) His shop would be taken away from him. (d) His shop would be burnt down. 43. The synonym of fragile is -- [ ] (a) Rigid (b) Flexible (c) Delicate (d) Strong. 44. The word nightmare means -- [ ] (a) Nocturnal sleep (b) The animal that hunts in the night (c) Bad dream (d) The time when ghosts come out. 45. Which of the following words means to cause physical or mental suffering? [ ] (a) Fragile (b) Nightmare (c) Rack (d) Plethora. 46. Study the following statements and answer the questions based on the code given below. [ ] A. Datta was wild with excitement. B. Datta resigned himself to the situation. (a) A, is true (b) B, is true (c) Both are true (c) Both are false. 47. Why did Datta look at the photographs of gods on the wall? [ ] (a) To give him boons (b) To calm himself (c) To make a humble request (d) To ask forgiveness. 48. Which of the following photographs attracted Datta's attention? [ ] (a) Plethora of gods (b) Ordinary photograph of a middle aged man (c) The mutilated photograph (d) The image of the customer. 49. Which of the following is the synonym of lament? [ ] (a) Jubilant (b) Sorrow (c) Pleasant (d) Unfortunate. 50. ". . . he saw the possibility of finding an acceptable substitute!" What was the acceptable substitute? [ ] (a) The photograph of a goddess (b) A photograph of the customer himself (c) A photograph bearing resemblances of the old man (d) The old man's photograph on the wall. 51. The synonym of rummage is --[ ] (a) To look into (b) To search thoroughly (c) To clean thoroughly (d) To understand. 52. Why was Datta unmindful of the cockroaches on the floor? [ ] (a) He was too busy to clean them. (b) He was trying to repair the mutilated photograph. (c) He was absorbed in searching for another photograph like the mutilated one. (d) He was meditating gods. 53. Why Datta had to reject a good number of photographs? [ ] (a) They were the photographs of youthful appearance. (b) They were the photographs of gods and goddesses. (c) The photograph had other people and articles. (d) They did not bear any resemblance to the old man in the mutilated photograph. 54. How many hours Datta worked on the photograph? [ ] (a) 2 (b) 3 (c) 4 (d) No specific time is mentioned. 55. Which of the following is the antonym of resplendent? [ ] (a) Average (b) Glorious (c) Sorrow (d) Great.

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56. Why was Datta proud"[ ] (a) Because the customer forgave him. (b) Because he could creat a fairly similar photograph. (c) Because his frames are imported. (d) Because he made a photograph in only two hours. 57. What had Datta decided to do if his fake was discovered? [ ] (a) He would ask for forgiveness. (b) He decided to compensate the loss. (c) He wanted to close the shop for some days. (d) He decided to challenge the customer.

PART-3 58. "The days that followed were filled with suspense and anxiety." What was Datta's anxiety? [ ] (a) The photograph might be stolen. (b) His shop might be burnt. (c) The customer might discover his fault. (d) Gods would punish him. 59. Why did Datta wait for a whole minute without answering? [ ] (a) He forgot his plan (b) He was searching for the photograph (c) He wanted to compose himself (d) He did not hear the customer properly. 60. "He spread his arms widely with dramatic exuberance to receive the photograph ..." The spreading of the arms indicates -- [ ] (a) The size of the photograph (b) His affection to the man in the photograph (c) He was mad (d) It was his habit. 61. The reverential look and benevolent expression vanished from the face of the customer because -(a) He found out the fake. (b) He saw that the frame was not what he wanted. (c) He felt that Datta had cheated him. (d) He was angry because Datta did not give him due respect. 62. The synonym of indignant is -(a) Cool (b) Angry (c) Happy (d) Careless. 63. Why was the customer angry with Datta? (a) Because Datta had changed the photograph. (b) Because Datta overcharged him. (c) Because Datta changed the frame. (d) Because Datta failed to keep the promise. =================================

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