Read the passage given below:
The Art of Living
1. The art of living is learnt easily by those who are positive and optimistic. From humble and simple people to great leaders in history, science or literature, we can learn a lot about the art of living, by having a peep into their lives. The daily routine of these great men not only reveal their different, may be unique life styles but also help us learn certain habits and practices they followed. Here are some; read, enjoy and follow their footsteps.
2. A private workplace always helps. Jane Austen asked that a certain squeaky hinge should never be oiled so that she always had a warning whenever someone was approaching the room where she wrote. William Faulkner, lacking a lock on his study door, detached the doorknob and brought it into the room with him. Mark Twain’s family knew better than to breach his study door — they would blow a horn to draw him out. Graham Green went even further, renting a secret office; only his wife knew the address and the telephone number. After all, everyone of us needs a workplace where we can work on our creation uninterruptedly. Equally we need our private space too!
3. A daily walk has always been a source of inspiration. For many artists, a regular stroll was essentially a creative inspiration. Charles Dickens famously took three hours walks every afternoon, and what he observed on them fed directly into his writing. Tchaikovsky made do with a two-hour jaunt but wouldn’t return a moment early; convinced that doing so would make him ill. Ludwig van Beethoven took lengthy strolls after lunch, carrying a pencil and paper with him in case inspiration struck. Nineteenth century composer Erik Satie did the same on his long hikes from Paris to the working-class suburb where he lived, stopping under the street lamps to jot down ideas that came on his journey; it’s rumoured that when those lamps were turned off during the war years, his music declined too. Many great people had limited social life too. One of Simone de Beauvior’s close friends put it this way. “There were no receptions, parties. It was an uncluttered kind of life, a simplicity deliberately constructed so that she could do her work.” To Pablo the idea of Sunday was an “at home day”.
4. The routines of these thinkers are difficult. Perhaps it is because they are so unattainable. The very idea that you can organise your time as you like is out of reach for most of us, so I’ll close with a toast to all those who worked with difficulties. Like Francine Prose, who began writing when the school bus picked up her children and stopped when it brought them back; or T.S. Eliot, who found it much easier to write once he had a day job in a bank than he had as a starving poet and even F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose early books were written in a strict schedule as a young military officer. Those days were not as interesting as the nights in Paris that came later, but they were much more productive — and no doubt easier on his liver.
5. Being forced to follow someone else’s route may irritate, but it makes it easier to stay on the path. Whenever we break that trail ourselves or take an easy path of least resistance, perhaps what’s most important is that we keep walking.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer ANY TEN of the questions given below:
Question. The passage is about ....................
(a) how to practise walking
(b) walking everyday
(c) the life of a genius
(d) what we can learn from the routines of geniuses
Answer: D
Question. The writers in the past ....................
(a) followed a perfect daily routine
(b) enjoyed the difficulties of life
(c) can teach us a lot
(d) wrote a lot in books
Answer: A
Question. In their daily routines ....................
(a) they had unique life styles
(b) they read books and enjoyed them
(c) they did not get any privacy
(d) they did not mind visitors
Answer: A
Question. Some artists resorted to walking as it was ....................
(a) an exercise
(b) a creative inspiration
(c) essential for improving their health
(d) helpful in interaction with others
Answer: B
Question. Walking was the source of inspiration for ....................
(a) Mark Twain
(b) Erik Satie
(c) Charles Dickens
(d) Pablo
Answer: C
Question. Which word in para 1 is similar in meaning to glimpse?
(a) Reveal
(b) Peep
(c) Learn
(d) Read
Answer: B
Question. What did Jane Austen like?
Answer: Jane Austen liked a squeaky hinge.
Question. Why do you think Graham Green hired a secret office?
Answer: Graham Green hired a secret office so that nobody would disturb him and he could work on his creation uninterrupted
Question. What was the rumour about Erik Satie’s productivity?
Answer: It was the rumour that Eric Satie’s music declined when the street lamps under which he worked were turned off.
Question.How did Simone de Beauviore manage sufficient time for her work?
Answer: Simon de Beauviore had limited social interaction and hence she had sufficient time to do her work.
Question. In what way did T.S. Eliot’s day job in the bank help him to write?
Answer: T.S. Eliot’s day job in the bank became a main source of income so he didn’t have any tension of getting his livelihood and concentrated on writing.
Question. Find the word in para 4 which is the synonym of ‘suffering hunger’.
Answer: Starving
| CBSE Class 12 English Note Making Passage |