प्रश्न बैंक - सह - उत्तर पुस्तक (Question Bank-Cum-Answer Book)
Class 11 English Elective (ESSAY)
5. WHAT IS A GOOD BOOK? - John Ruskin
MAIN POINTS
☞ The
essay 'What is a Good Book?' is written by John Ruskin.
☞ The
extract is taken from Sesame and Lilies.
☞ According
to the author a good book is always in the printed form.
☞ We
can't categorize a newspaper or a letter to a book. Both of these lack
permanence. Thus a good book should have permanence in nature.
☞ Ruskin
says there are good books as well as bad books.
☞ He
says that a person should always read good books.
☞ There
have been books written by great men of all ages. These books take us in the
company of the aristocracy.
☞ The
author says that gates of knowledge are open to only those people who are
meritorious. We can't enter these gates with wealth or bribery.
☞ A
good book contains a very deep meaning. We can understand it only if we can
read between the lines.
☞ According
to Ruskin, the study of books is called 'literature', and that a man versed in
it is called 'a man of letters' and not 'a man of books'.
☞ A
person might have read a lot of books yet he may be considered uneducated, if
he doesn't understand the meaning contained in those books.
☞ While
writing a book, the writer should choose the correct diction for it. If words
are not watched, they can do deadly work sometimes.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Who wrote the essay 'What is a Good Book'?
a. John Ruskin
b.
Ruskin Bond
c.
Khushwant Singh
d.
Amrita Pritam
2. When was John Ruskin born?
a. 1819
b.
1820
c.
1821
d.
1822
3. What was John Ruskin's profession?
a.
Engineer
b.
Doctor
c. Critic
d.
Politician
4. Who is the writer of 'Modern Painters'?
a.
Arundhati Roy
b.
Chetan Bhagat
c.
Ruskin Bond
d. John Ruskin
5. From which work of John Ruskin is the essay 'What is a Good
Book' taken?
a.
Modern Painters
b.
Unto this Last
c. Sesame and Lilies
d.
None of the above
6. What is the good book of the hour according to John Ruskin?
a. The useful or pleasant talk
b.
The useful talk
c.
The pleasant talk
d.
None of the above
7. How are the accounts of Travels as per John Ruskin?
a. Bright
b.
Dull
c.
Colourful
d.
Gloomy
8. What is the book of the hour according to John Ruskin?
a. Letters or newspapers in good print
b.
Letters in good print
c.
Newspapers in good print
d.
Pamphlets in good print
9. How is our friend's letter as per John Ruskin?
a. Delightful
b.
Humorous
c.
Entertaining
d.
Depressing
10. What is essentially a book?
a.
A talked thing
b. A written thing
c.
Both A and B
d.
None of the above
11. What is an author's writing?
a. His inscription or scripture
b.
His inscription
c.
His scripture
d.
None of the above
12. What is a wise man's piece of art as per John Ruskin?
a. His work which is done honestly and benevolently
b.
His work which is done honestly
c.
His work which is done benevolently
d.
None of the above
13. "Will you go and gossip with ......, or your ......
when you may talk with..... and......" Fill in the blanks.
a. Housemaid, stable-boy, queens, kings
b.
Kings, queens, stable-boy, housemaid
c.
Queens, stable-boy, housemaid, kings
d.
Stable-boy, housemaid, kings, queens
14. What is the company of the Dead in the essay?
a.
The company of great singers
b.
The company of great sculptures
c. The company of great writers
d.
The company of the great poets
15. "No …… will bribe, no ..... will oversee, no ……. will
deceive the guardian of those Elysian gates." Fill in the blanks.
a. Wealth, name, artifice
b.
Artifice, name, wealth
c.
Name, wealth, artifice
d.
None of the above
16. "If you will not rise to us, we can not stoop to
you." Who is 'you' in the sentence?
a Reader
b.
Writer
c.
Painter
d.
Editor
17. "I know I am right in this." Who is 'T' in the
sentence?
a. Writer
b.
Reader
c.
Narrator
d.
Editor
18. "You must get into the habit of looking intensely at
words and assuring yourself of their meaning, syllable by syllable-nay, ......
Complete the sentence by using the correct option.
a. Letter by letter
b.
Word by word
c.
Phrase by phrase
d.
Sentence by sentence
19. What is called the study of books?
a. Literature
b.
Prose
c.
Poetry
d.
Drama
20. Who is called a man of literature?
a.
A man of syllables
b. A man of letters
c.
A man of words
d.
A man of sentences
21. Which museum is mentioned in the essay?
a. British Museum
b.
American museum
c.
Indian museum
d.
Australian museum
22. What makes the entire difference between education and
non-education as per John Ruskin?
a. In accuracy
b.
In lucidity
c.
In numeracy
d.
In competency
23. "A.... accent or a mistaken syllable is enough, in the
parliament of any civilised nation, to assign a man a certain degree of
inferior standing forever." Fill in the blank with the correct word.
a.
True
b. False
c.
Good
d.
Bad
24. How is the task of reading the work of a good author?
a. A painstaking task
b.
An easy task
c.
Both A and B
d.
An enjoyable task
25. What is the most important thing to be kept in mind while
reading according to John Ruskin?
a. Accuracy
b.
Speed
c.
Accuracy and speed
d.
None of the above
26. What is the meaning of the term 'Canaille?
a. Words used commonly in modern times.
b.
Words used in ancient times
c.
Harsh words
d.
Polite words
27. A good book is like ---
a. A sensible friend's talk
b.
A wastage of time
c.
A story
d.
None of the above
28. What are 'bad books' according to the author?
a.
Provide deep knowledge
b.
Like letters and newspaper in good print
c.
Wastes our precious time
d. Both B and C
29. What is a 'Volume' of a book?
a.
Sound of the book
b. Multiplication of author's voice
c.
Space occupied by a book
d.
All of the above
30. What kind of evil fragments are mixed in a good book?
a.
Ill-done
b.
Unnecessary affected work
c. Both A and B
d.
None of the above
31. An author writes a book based on ---
a.
His inspirations
b.
His thoughts
c.
His ideas
d. All of the above
32. According to the author, "A good book is the one whose
meaning you ascertain at once".
a.
True
b. False
c.
May be
d.
Can't say
33. According to the essay, what is the difference between
education and non-education?
a.
Politeness
b.
Kindness
c. Accuracy
d.
Rudeness
34. A well-educated gentleman is the one who ----
a.
Can speak many languages
b.
Possess good knowledge
c.
Scored good marks
d. Knows his own language properly
35. Reading the work of a good author is a ---- task.
a.
easy
b. painstaking
c.
painless
d.
simple
VERY SHORT QUESTIONS
1. What time is the most appropriate time to read a newspaper
Ans.
Breakfast time is the most appropriate time to read a newspaper.
2. What does the author call the volume of a writer?
Ans.
The author says that if a writer could, he would speak the book and not write
it. And the volume would be just a "multiplication" of his voice.
3. What is the work of a wise man?
Ans.
Ruskin refers to the work of a wise man as a work of art.
4. What is a mere "conveyance of voice"?
Ans.
Writing a letter to a friend who lives far away is merely a "conveyance of
voice."
5. What does "good book" mean?
Ans.
A "good book" is merely the useful and enjoyable conversation of
someone with whom one cannot chat in print.
6. What are the qualities of a good book?
Ans.
The qualities of a good book are similar to a conversation with a wise friend.
There are lively descriptions of journeys, as well as lighthearted and amusing
assessments of issues. They could be vibrant or sorrowful.
7. What are the peculiar characteristics and possession of the
present age?
Ans.
The distinctive feature and possession of the present period is that we should
be grateful to books and ashamed of ourselves if we do not make excellent use
of them.
8. How do we make the worst possible use of a book?
Ans.
According to the author, allowing books of the hour to take the place of
"true books" is the worst imaginable use.
9. What could not be a readable book in a real sense?
Ans.
According to the author, printed long letters that may provide pleasant tales
of inns, roads, or weather in a particular location, may be a funny story and
provide the true facts of such events, may be helpful for occasional reference
but cannot be termed as reading books.
10. Why does the author describe a book as a written thing?
Ans.
The author describes a book as a written thing rather than a spoken thing. He
describes it as anything written for the sake of permanence rather than greater
conversation. It is only printed because the author of that particular book is
unable to address thousands of people at once.
SHORT QUESTIONS
1. Why is a book written?
Ans.
A book is written to preserve the author's voices. Some people believe that the
sole goal of producing a book is to increase and spread one's voice. The author
has something to say that he wants to be true and useful, or helpfully
beautiful.
2. What does the author ask to pay attention to in the
parliament?
Ans.
According to the author, word emphasis should be ignored. However, the meaning
needs to be scrutinised more deeply. When hundreds of words fail, a speaker's
choice of fewer but differentiated words will do the job.
3. What, according to Ruskin, are the limitations of the good
book of the hour?
Ans.
A good book has certain limitations. It should be essentially in a written
form. According to the writer, the newspaper, or the letter by a friend are
also in the written form. But we can't call them books. They are something of a
temporary nature. But a good book must be permanent in nature.
4. What are the criteria that Ruskin feels that readers should
fulfil to make themselves fit for the company of the Dead?
Ans.
Ruskin is of the opinion that hard work and quality service are necessary to
live in the company of the Dead. We can't deceive the Dead. They have already
reached the high levels of their thoughts.
5. Why does Ruskin feel that reading the work of a good author
is a painstaking task?
Ans.
Ruskin says that a good author always writes outstanding books. These books
generally have many hidden meanings in them. These meanings may be in the form
of parables. Good authors always conceal their deep thoughts. However, we can
understand what they have hidden in their minds by reading their books
painstakingly.
LONG QUESTIONS
1. What according to the author, the writer of a book is bound
to say?
Ans.
The author has described the book, its characteristics, and its author. He
believes that the author of any book is obligated to describe the qualities of
his book. The writer considers it to be only a manifestation of the thing or
group of things. He believes it is a true bit of wisdom or sight that he has
been given by his part of sunshine and earth. If he could, he would engrave it
on a rock and refer to it as his best book. It was his relaxation; he ate,
drank, and slept for it. He was torn between liking it and despising it. Every
moment and memory has been worth it because of the book.
2. What is the emphasis placed by Ruskin on accuracy?
Ans.
According to the writer, accuracy is very important in any sort of reading. A
person may know a lot of languages. He may have read a lot of books. But it is
of no use if this language is meant for semi-literate people. Ruskin says that
accuracy is required to know any language properly. We need not learn many
languages. Only one language is sufficient. However, we must be proficient in
that language. Accuracy is the key feature of any language.
3. Ruskin's insistence on looking intensely at words and
assuring oneself of meaning, syllable by syllable-nay, letter by letter.
Discuss
Ans. The author means to say that we should read in such a manner that we may understand the deep meaning that has been hidden in the book. Some people read a lot of books. But they read them just superficially. It is of no use. We may read just one book but we should assure ourselves that we are able to understand its meaning, syllable by syllable-nay, letter by letter.
English Elective (CONTENTS)
WOVEN WORDS | ||
CH. NO. | NAME OF CHAPTERS | AUTHOR |
PROSE | ||
1. | ||
2. | ||
3. | ||
4. | ||
5. | ||
6. | ||
POETRY | ||
1. | ||
2. | ||
3. | ||
4. | ||
5. | ||
6. | ||
7. | ||
8. | ||
ESSAY | ||
1. | ||
2. | ||
3. | ||
5. | ||
6. | ||
7. | ||
DRAMA | ||
1. | ||
NOVEL | ||
1. | ||
