Lesson (2)
Forgetting: (Robert Lynd)
Q1.Why is the writer astonished by the list of articles lost by railway travelers?
Ans. The writer is astonished at the forget fullness of the travelers and efficiency of human memory. He finds it hard whether the absent-mindedness is common or not.
Q.2.What did the list speak the travelers? Why do you think the London railway station published the list?
Ans. The list of the forgotten things speaks about forgetfulness and absent- mindedness of the travelers. The London Railway station published the list so that the rightful owners could come and claim their goods. And if they failed to come, they could not claim for their lost goods later on.
Q3.List the objects that most men remember later on?
Ans. Most modern men remember telephone numbers, the addresses of their friends, the dates of good vintage, appointments for lunch and dinner, the name of actors and actresses, cricketers, footballers and murderers. They remember almost everything that they are expected to remember.
Q4.Why does the writer feel that it should be easy for most people to remember to take their medicine?
Ans. As a rule, the prescribed medicine is supposed to be taken before, during or after meals and as such, the meal itself should be a reminder for taking medicine. For the same, the writer feels that it should be easy for most people to take their medicine.
Q5.Does the writer agrees with the theory that many people fail to remember to take their medicine at the appointed hours because of their antipathy to pills and position? Give reasons for your answer?
Ans. The writer did not agree with the theory that many people fail to remember to take their medicine at the appointed hours because of their antipathy to pills and positions .To support his argument ,he cites his own example saying that even a life long devotee of medicine like his own self forgets to take medicine on time.
Q6.What kind of people tend to forget things more on trains? How does the writer explain this behavior on their part?
Ans. The young people especially sports men tend to forget things more on trains. The writer is of the view that the boys returning from games are so full of imagination that their heads are either among the stars or their hearts are in their boats while recalling their feats or errors. They are inattentive from their outside world.
Q7.Why does the writer consider the absent mindedness in people such as anglers and poets a virtue?
Ans. The writer considers the absent mindedness in the people such as anglers and poets as a virtue because their minds are filled with things/matters more loafty and glorious.
Q8. How are writers and composers different from statesmen?
Ans. On the whole, the great writers and the great composers of music have been men with exceptional powers of memory. On the other hand, Statesmen have extra ordinarily bad memories.
Q9.At times writers make a humorous statement to ridicule or censure. Such a statement is called sarcasm. Give an example of sarcasm from the above essay.
Ans. The absentminded man is often a man who is making the best of life and therefore has no time to remember the mediocre is one of the examples of sarcasm.
Q10.’Most of us, I fear are born with prosaically efficient memories. ‘Is the writer appreciative of the kind of memory most ordinary men have?
Ans. Yes, the writer is appreciative of the memory most ordinary men have because if it were not so, the institution of the family could not survive in any great modern city.
II Reference to the context
Read the following extract from the essay and answer the questions that follow:
1-“Yet, even if I have the stuff in my pockets, I forget about it as soon as the hour approaches at which I ought to swallow it”.
(a) What is “the stuff “being referred to?
Ans. The stuff is being referred to care-all medicine.
(b)What are the writer’s feelings towards the stuff in his pocket?(Tick the correct option.)
- antipathy
- delight
- devotion
Ans. Delights.
(c)What are the two terms the writer uses to describe men who do not forget to swallow the stuff?
Ans. Methodical man and moral giants.
2) “They are abstracted from the world outside them. Memories prevent them from remembering to do such small prosaic things as take a ball or the bat with them when they leave the train”.
a)Who are ‘they’ the writer is speaking of ?
Ans. The writer is speaking of the sportsmen.
b)Why are they abstracted from the outside world?
Ans. They are abstracted from the outside world because their minds are lost in a dreamy world.
c)What is the author’s attitude towards them ?(tick the correct answer.)
- reproachful
- indulgent
- annoyed
Ans :-The authors attitude towards them is indulgent.
Explanation with reference to the context:-
1 “The commonest form of forgetfulness -----------I put him on his oath before handing the letter to him.”
Context:- These lines have been taken from the lesson “ Forgetting” written by Robert Lynd. Here, the writer dwells upon an interesting subject of forgetfulness or absent-mindedness of people. He opines that degree of forgetfulness varies from people to people depending upon their age, profession and nature of jobs.
Explanation:- In the lines here under discussion, the writer observes that the commonest form of forgetfulness is more found in the matter of posting letters. It is so prevalent that he does not trust a visitor to post an important letter. He reposes so little trust on the visitor’s memory that he takes an oath from him before handing the letter to him.
2. “As for leaving articles in trains and in taxis, --------------on its way into the world of lost”.
Context:- Same as above.
Explanation:-In the lines here under discussion, the writer highlights that he does not often forget articles in taxis and in trains .He can remember almost anything except books and walking sticks. He can often remember even books but finds it very hard to keep walking sticks for a long time .He is accustomed to buy them again and again. While paying visit to his friend’s house or going on a journey in a train, he loses a walking stick.
3. “Few of us, however, have lost ----------as they recall their exploits or their errors.”
Context: - Same as above.
Explanation:-In the lines here under discussion, the writer tells us that the ordinary man does not forget his belongings during travelling. The ordinary man arrives his destination with all bags and trunks safe. The sportsmen have worse memories than their serious minded fellows. It is so as they are absorbed in their imaginative world recalling their triumphs or failures while returning from the playing field.