CLASS: XI STUDY MATERIAL

UNIT-3 PROSE FORGETTING

I.Synonyms:

1. vintage - wine of high quality produced in a particular year

2. antipathy - strong dislike
3. fortunes - huge sums of money
4. reluctant - unwilling d
5. elinquent - a young person who is regularly involved in wrongdoing
6. exploits - daring or heroic acts or actions, feats
7. abstracted - lacking concentration on what is happening around
8. prosaic – dull
9. mediocre - not very good, ordinary
II.Choose the correct synonym for each of the following from the options given.

1. It may be that it is because of their antipathy to pills and potions.

a. liking b) dislike c) forgetfulness d) willingness

2. Chemists make their fortunes out of the medicines people forget to take.
a. game b) factory c) popularity d) riches

3. I am always reluctant to trust a departing visitor to post an important letter. 4.

a) relieved b) regular c) unwilling d) willing

6. I am no great delinquent in such matters.

a. acceptance b) offender c) playful d) serious

7. They are abstracted from the outside world.

a. preoccupied with b) attentive in c) thrown from d) attracted to

8. Memories prevent them from remembering to do such small prosaic things.

a. interesting b) attractive c) colourful d) boring

9. The absent-minded man has no time to remember the mediocre.

a. great b) average c) small d) past

10. Either he has a memory like a sieve or is an audacious perverter of the truth.
a. filter b) water c) greatness d) imagination

11. .............. to her horror she discovered her sleeping baby

a. happiness b) sadness c) fear d) interest

M.SARMA SARAN
12. Indignant at her husband’s behaviour, she decided to teach him a lesson.
a. angry b) pleased c) happy d) worried

13. She arrived home, anticipating with angry relish the white face and quivering lips.
a. tight b) trembling c) crying d) open

14. What was her vexation when just before lunch her husband came in smiling …..
a. displeasure b) happiness c) anger d) seriousness

15. It is the efficiency rather than the inefficiency of human memory that compels my wonder.
a. effectiveness b) goodness c) quality d) quantity
b.
16. It is only a very methodical man, I imagine who can always remember to take the medicine his
doctor has prescribed for him.
a. proscribed b) written c) recommended d) pushed

17. The commonest form of forgetfulness I suppose, occurs in the matter of posting letters.
a. happens b) delivers c) speaks d) listens

18. I am always reluctant to trust a departing visitor to post an important letter.

a. staying b) asking c) shouting d) leaving

19. So little do I rely on his memory that I put him on his oath before handing the letter to him.
a. remember b) depend c) ask d) strike

20. Weary of holding it in my hand I then put it for safety into one of my pockets.
a. tired b) bold c) happy d) satisfied

21. I am compelled to produce the evidence of my guilt from my pocket.

a. picture b) creation c) vision d) proof

22. A considerable number of footballs and cricket bats, for instance were forgotten.
a. immediate b) later c) example d) understanding

23. His loss of memory is really a tribute to the intensity of the enjoyment.
a. bane b) praise c) curse d) realistic

24. Men with fallible memories have sometimes tried to make out a case ……
a. great b) little c) faulty d) intact

M.SARMA SARAN
 25. They quote various cases of children or men who had marvellous memory.
a. loss of b) imaginary c) excellent d) small

26. She arrived home, anticipating with angry relish the white face and quivering lips.
a. thinking b) saying c) shouting d) expecting

Answers:
1. b 2. d 3. c 4. b 5. c 6. d 7. b 8. a 9. b 10. c 11. a 12. b 13. a 14. a 15. C 16. a 17. d 18. b 19. a

20. D 21. c 22. b 23. c 24. c 25. D

III. Antonyms:

1. doubt × certain
2. common × peculiar
3. remember × forget
4. vile × pleasing
5. ordinary × unusual
6. scarcely × often
7. perfection × imperfection, worthlessness
8. methodical × careless
9. remain × leave
IV. Choose the most accurate of the four given words which is opposite to the usage of the underlined
word in the following sentences.

1. He can tell the name of the provincial hotel at which he had a vile meal during the summer, a)
unpleasant b) pleasant c) costly d) cheap

2. It is only a methodical man, I imagine who can always remember to take the medicine. a) careless b)
careful c) lazy d) busy

3. It may be that it is because of their antipathy to pills and portion.

a) hatred b) liking c) ownership d) controversy
4. A long chain of circumstances leads to a number of embarrassing questions being asked.
a) comfortable b) uncomfortable c) difficult d) easy

5. The ordinary man arrives at his destination with all his bags and trunks safe.
a) end b) place c) beginning d) vision

6. Memories prevent them from remembering to do such small prosaic things.

a) boring b) interesting c) poetic d) compelling

M.SARMA SARAN
7. Men with fallible memories have sometimes tried to make out a case for their superiority. a) perfect
b) weak b) thick c) bad

8. He remembers appointments for lunch and dinner.

a) keeps b) leaves c) offers d) forgets

9. The fact remains however that a few but the moral giants remember to take their medicine. a) rests
b) needs c) sells d) leaves

10. The very prospect of a new and widely advertised cure-all delights me.
a) broadly b) narrowly c) purposely d) slowly

Answers :

1. b 2. a 3. b 4. a 5. c 6. b 7. a 8. d 9. d 10. B

V.Aanswer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

a) What does Lynd actually wonder at?

Lynd actually wonders at the efficiency of human memory.

b) Name few things that a person remembers easily.

A person easily remembers telephone numbers, addresses of his friends, dates of a good vintage,
appointments of lunch and dinner, names of actors, actresses, cricketers, football players and
murderers.

c) How do psychologists interpret forgetfulness?

Psychologists say that people forget things because they want to forget them. If we have aversion for
something we forget it.

d) What is the commonest type of forgetfulness according to Lynd?

According to Lynd the commonest type of forgetfulness is to post letters.

e) What does the author mean when he says the letter in his pocket leads an unadventurous life?
The letter is kept in the pocket and it is totally forgotten and it stays in the pocket for a long time till
someone asks about the letter.

f) What are the articles the author forgets most often?

Books, walking sticks and umbrella are the articles the author forgets most often.

M.SARMA SARAN
 g) Who are the citizens of ‘dreamland’? Why? The players are the citizens of ‘dreamland’. After the
game they think about what happened in the playground.

h) What is common about the ‘angler’ and the ‘poet’?

The common thing about the ‘angler’ and the ‘poet’ is that they forget about their things. It is because
their mind is filled with some serious and glorious matters.

VI.Answer the following questions in two to four sentences each.

a) What made people wonder about the absentmindedness of their fellow beings?
A list of articles lost by railway travellers was published. When people read the list they wondered about
the absentmindedness of their fellow beings.

b) What are our memories filled with?

Our memories are filled with the names of actors, actresses, cricketers, football players and murderers.
Moreover we remember the name of the hotel where we had an unpleasant meal and all the items of our
dress. Normally we do not forget to shut the door when we leave the house.

c) When does human memory work with less than its usual capacity?
Human memory works less than its usual capacity when it comes to the case of taking medicine. It is easy
to remember because medicine is connected to our food. But we forget it many a time.

d) Why according to Lynd, should taking medicines be one of the easiest actions to remember?
Taking medicine should be one of the easiest actions to remember. Medicine is supposed to be taken
during, before or after meal. The meal itself should be a reminder for taking medicine.

e) How do the chemists make fortunes out of the medicines people forget to take?
Most of the people forget to take medicine. Because of this they will buy medicine again and again.
Moreover their disease will not get cured without the medicine. So they have to buy another set of medicine.
In this way chemists make their fortunes.

f) The list of articles lost in trains suggests that sportsmen have worse memories than their ordinary
serious-minded fellows. Why does Lynd say this?
When the sportsmen return from the games their imagination is still filled with the vision of the
playingfield. They recall their exploits in their mind. They are not connected with the outside world. So
they forget to take the ball and bat with them when they leave the train.

g) What kind of absent-mindedness is considered as a virtue by Lynd?

M.SARMA SARAN
 The anglers and poets fill their mind with more glorious matters than the ordinary things. Such
absentmindedness is considered a virtue. They often make the best of their life so they do not remember the
ordinary things.

i)Narrate the plight of the baby on its day out.

The baby was taken out in a perambulator by its father. On his way home he wanted to get into a store. So
he left the pram outside and entered the store. After finishing his work he came out through another door and
went back home forgetting the child. The mother happened to come that way and was shocked to see the
abandoned baby. She pushed the pram home thinking that the father would be worried about the missing
baby. But when he came home he asked her what she had for lunch. He totally forgot about the baby.

VII. Answer the following in a paragraph of about 100 - 150 words each.

a) You have borrowed a branded cricket bat from your reluctant friend for an outstation match. After
returning home you realise you have absent-mindedly left it in the hotel room. Write a letter of
apology and regret to your friend.

27, Nethaji Road,

Nagerkoil.
7th August 2020.

Dear Raju,
Thank you so much for having given me your cricket bat. I played well with your bat and I am sure
your bat was a lucky bat to me. As you know, we won the match and my contribution was great. After the
prize distribution we went to our hotel room and took rest for some time. Then we were talking about our
exploits and we were enjoying ourselves. We packed everything and were waiting for our cab to take us to
the railway station. Within a short time the cab came and we all ran happily to get our places. In the cab also
we were talking about the match. When I got into the train it started moving. Then I realised my blunder. I
forgot to pick up your bat from the hotel room. Immediately I tried to contact the manager and told him
about this. He promised me to help. I really feel sorry for this. I know how much you love that bat and you
gave it to me just to help me. I hope we will get back the bat. I request you to forgive me for this. When I
reach our village I will meet you. Sorry for the trouble I have created.
Your loving friend,
Selva.

b) Kahilil Gibran states ‘Forgetfulness is a form of freedom.’ Write an article for your school
magazine, linking your ideas logically and giving appropriate examples.

M.SARMA SARAN
Title Forgetting
Author Robert Lynd
Theme Forgetfulness is a form of freedom

A man who is a perfect remembering machine is seldom a man of the first intelligence.

‘Forgetfulness is a form of freedom’. It may sound little funny because we curse ourselves if we forget
something. Good memory power is always appreciated. In the period of our study we always want to
remember what we learn. We feel sorry if we forget our lessons in the exam hall. But in many other cases,
forgetfulness is a blessing. Certain unpleasant experience in our memory will be a thorn to us. It will be
pricking us all the time. If we forget that we will be free of that unpleasant experience. Such situation occurs
very often in our life. It may be a failure in our life and this will be spoiling our happiness. It will be a block
for further positive thinking. Some family may lose one of the members and it will be a trying experience for
the whole family. They cannot go on living with that sad experience throughout their life. Slowly they will
be free of that sad feeling. Loss of a job will also give some problem. But when we forget this we will be
free to search for a job. We might land up in a better job. So Gibran is right in saying ‘Forgetting is a form
of freedom.’

The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time

c) Will you sympathise or ridicule someone who is intensely forgetful? Write an essay justifying your
point.
The people who forget very often are normally ridiculed because they lose many opportunities in life
to grow. In public life they are not treated well. Even in his family, others will not have confidence in him.
He may not be entrusted with any serious work. In some cases highly intelligent people who have some
great ideas in their mind forget trivial things. The trivial things may affect the family. For example a wife
entrusts on her husband to pay the electricity bill on the last day; but he comes back home without paying the
bill. He must have been thinking about something great in his mind. But the family will suffer because of
his forgetfulness. In such cases the family people should have good understanding of the person and they
should not depend on him for doing such things like paying electricity, or telephone bill. Here a question
arises – whether such people should be sympathised with or ridiculed. If his forgetfulness is due to the
preoccupied mind it is a case to be sympathised with but if it is a habit it is a case to be ridiculed.

UNIT-3 POEM

LINES WRITTEN IN EARLY SPRING

M.SARMA SARAN
II.Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow.

(i) ‘And it’s my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breaths ……’

a) What is the poet’s faith?

The poet’s faith is that every flower enjoys its life.

b) What trait of Nature do we see here?

We see the happiness of Nature here.

ii) ‘And I must think, do all I can,

That there was pleasure there……’

a) What did the poet notice about the twigs?

The twigs try to catch the breezy air.

b) What was the poet’s thought about them?

The poet’s thought was that they were all very happy.

iii) ‘If this belief from heaven be sent

If such be Nature’s holy plan’

a) What does ‘heaven’ refer to?

‘Heaven’ refers to God.

b) Why does the poet call it ‘holy’? As this

is the plan of God, he calls it ‘holy’.

III. Explain the following lines with reference to the context in about four to five sentences each.

i) ‘In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to the mind’.

Reference :
These lines are taken from the poem ‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ written by Wordsworth.

Context :
The poet is sitting in a grove and his mind is filled with pleasant and sad thoughts .

M.SARMA SARAN
 Explanation :
In an early spring, Wordsworth sat in a small woodland grove and listened to the birdsong around
him. The birds’ songs promoted happy thoughts in his mind. But the same happy thoughts brought some
sadness to him. Man did not treat Nature well though it created a strong connection with him. So he feels
sad.

ii) ‘The birds around me hopp’d and play’d,

Their thoughts I cannot measure’

Reference :
These lines are taken from the poem ‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ written by Wordsworth.

Context :
The poet wants to emphasise that the flowers and birds are happy in this world.

Explanation :
He felt sorry to know the reality of Man in this world. Nature brings happiness to the soul of man
which is connected to Nature. But Man has not done anything good to mankind and Nature. Wordsworth sat
in a small woodland grove and listened to the birdsong around him. The birds seemed to be happily jumping
and playing around him but he could not understand what they had in their mind.

iii) ‘Have I not reason to lament What

Man has made of Man?

Reference :
These lines are taken from the poem ‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ written by Wordsworth.

Context :
The poet says that Man has not done anything to make Man happy.
Explanation :
The poet thinks that mankind alone has caused sorrow to himself. Actually man is meant to spend
his days happily. So he laments the sufferings of the man. The poet’s soul is lamenting the miseries of man.

IV. Read the following sets of lines and identify the figures of speech used in each extract.

a) ‘To her fair works did Nature link’

‘The human soul that through me ran ……’
Personification.

b) ‘And it’s my faith that every flower …..’

M.SARMA SARAN
 c) Enjoys the air it breathes Personification.

d) What Man has made of Man?

Alliteration, Rhetorical Question.

V.Answer in a paragraph about 100 – 150 words.

1. Do you think the poet wants to say that man is unhappy because he has lost his link with nature
and forgotten how to enjoy nature or because man is cruel to other men?

Poem Lines Written in Early Spring

Poet William Wordsworth
Theme Nature’s Holy plan is offering joy and peace

And much it grieved my heart to think

What Man has made of Man

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was a major English poet who, with S.T. Coleridge helped to launch
the Romantic Age in English Literature with their joint publication, ‘Lyrical Ballads’. He was popularly
known as `Nature Poet`.

Wordsworth in his poem ‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ brings out the idea that Nature is connected to
Man’s soul. If Man is close with Nature he will find happiness irrespective of whatever happens.
Wordsworth sits in a small woodland grove and listens to the birdsong around him. But although happy
thoughts are prompted by the birdsong, the same happy thoughts bring sadness to the poet. The sad thought
has come to him because Man is not taking care of his fellow beings and nature. Every plant and flower feels
happy and it spreads happiness around him. The birds are jumping and playing around him. Though he
cannot understand what they think, he is sure that they are showing their happiness. The birds and the twigs
on the trees seem to exist in a world of pleasure. Nature’s plan is to make Man happy but because of Man’s
destructive nature he brings unhappiness to the world. He clearly says that man is cruel to other men because
he is losing his link with nature.

And it’s my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breaths

M.SARMA SARAN