SUBSTANCE WRITING
Give the substance of the following passage:
1. It is very difficult to get rid of bad habits. So, one should be very careful that one does not form bad habits during the early years of life. idleness is one of such bad habits. Every boy and girl should be diligent. They should avoid idleness like poison. Some of them love to remain in bed long after daybreak and get out of bed most unwillingly. Even after that they waste time over trifles and spend as little time as they can in reading. As a result, they cannot learn much as they should. what is worse, they become so accustomed to such a bad habit that they cannot shake it off- even with their greatest efforts. This bad habit then holds them hard in its coils like a large snake. [HSLC 2016]
2. It is easy to acquire bad habits, such as eating too much food or eating too many sweets or drinking fluid of any kind or smoking. The more we do a thing, the more we tend to like doing it and if we do not continue to do it, we feel unhappy this is called the force of habit and the force of habit should be fought against. Things that may be very good when only done from time to time, tend to become very harmful when done too often and too much. This applies even to such goods things as work or rest. Some people form a habit of working too much and others of idling too much. The wise man always remembers that this is true about himself and checks any bad habit. He says to himself, “I am now becoming idle” or “I smoke too much” and then adds, “I will get myself out of this bad habit at once.” [HSLC 2017]
Answer: Bad habits can be easily formed by engaging in too much of the same type of activity again and again. Eating, drinking, or smoking too much of the same thing on a regular basis is also a bad habit. We have bad habits that force us to do the thing we don't want to do because we feel unhappy. So, we must fight against the force of bad habits. Everything is harmful when done or taken beyond a reasonable limit. It makes no difference whether it is good or bad in nature. For example, rest is good but not too much of it. A wise man is one who continuously checks on his habits and eliminates all such bad habits.
3. Of all the amusements which can possibly be imagined for a hardworking man after his daily labour there is nothing like reading an entertaining book. It calls for no bodily exertion, of which he has had enough. It relives his home of dullness. It transports him to a livelier and more interesting scene. While he enjoys himself there, he may forget the evils of the present moment. Nay, it accompanies him to his next day’s work and if the book is an interesting one, it gives him something to think of besides the drudgery of his everyday occupation. If I were to pray for a taste it would be a taste for reading. Give a man this taste and the means of gratifying it, you will find a happy man. You place him in contact with the best writers of every age recorded in history and then you will find him like a citizen of all nations and a contemporary of all ages. [HSLC 2018]
4. The work which Gandhiji took up was not only the achievement of political freedom but also the establishment of a social order based on truth and nonviolence, unity and peace, equality and universal brotherhood and maximum freedom for all. The unfinished part of his experiment was perhaps more difficult to achieve than achieving political freedom. In the political struggle against a foreign power, all one could do was either join it or wish it a success and give it their moral support. In establishing a social order of this pattern. There was a likely possibility of a conflict arising between groups and classes of our own people. Experience shows that man values his possessions even more than his life because in the former he sees the means for continuity and survival of his descendants even after the body is reduced to ashes. A new order cannot be established without changing the mind, for at some stage or the other rich have to yield place to the poor to achieve a kind of egalitarian society. [HSLC 2019]
Answer: Gandhi’s greater goal was not simply to achieve political freedom, but to reform the society by instilling humane values such as truth and nonviolence. However, achieving that goal was not easy. There was always the possibility of conflict arising due to the differences between the communities. Human beings are more enthusiastic about their possessions than their lives, so social reform is impossible without changing people's minds. The gap between the rich and the poor can be bridged only if the rich make the room for the poor.
5. One day Gautam Buddha saw in the street an old man bent with age and another day he saw a dead body. He asked his servant about these. The servant told him that everybody would grow old and die one day. Buddha became very sad to know this. For an hour he would sit and think what was the reason why the world was full of sadness. What is the use of human life, where there is death? After a time he became discontented with his life of pleasure in the royal palace. When he was twenty-nine years. he decided to go out of the house. One stilly night, Gautam left his royal palace, while everybody was asleep. He wondered into the forest. He decided to stay there and seek the truth about human life.
Answer: Observing crippling old age and death, Buddha became sad and wondered why the world was full of sadness. He became dissatisfied when he realised that the only reward for living is death. To learn the truth about human life, Buddha left home at the age of twenty and went into the forest.
6. Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air
In his own ground.
Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread.
Whose flocks supply him with attire,
Whose tree in summer yield him shade.
In winter fire.
Blest, who can unconcern'dly find
Hours, days and years, slide soft away
In health of body, peace of mind.
Quiet by day.
Sound sleep by night; study and
easeTogether mixt, sweet recreation,
And innocence, which most does please.
With meditation
Thus let me live, unseen, and unknown;
Thus unlamented let me die;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie. [HSLC 1999]
Answer: A man is considered 'happy'
if he is not highly ambitious and lives in his native land. He is
self-sufficient in terms of food, clothing and other necessities of daily life.
His life is free of stress and in sound health. He enjoys the sound sleep at
night and amusements are sweet and innocent. Meditation pleases him. According
to the poet, this is an ideal life and he longs for such a quiet life, which is
far from the noisy world.
7. Early rising leads to health and happiness. The man who rises late can have little rest in course of the day. Anyone who lies on bed late is compelled to work till a late hour in the evening. He has to go without the evening exercise which is so necessary for his health. In spite of all his effort, his work will not produce as good results as that of the early riser. The reason for this is that he cannot take advantage of the refreshing hours of the morning. Some people say that the quiet hours of midnight is the best time for working. Several great thinkers say that they can write best only when they burn the midnight oil. Yet it is true to say that few men have a clear brain at midnight when the body needs rest and sleep. Those who work at that time soon ruin their health. Bad health must in the long run have a bad effect on the quality of their work. [HSLC 2000]
Answer: Though working standard is different from man to man, early rising has numerous advantages in all aspects of life. Anyone who gets up and goes to bed late, can't take advantage of a rejuvenating life. Though most of the thinkers prefer the midnight for noted creatures our body requires a specific rest and sleep. Late rising can be harmful to one's health and harm future work quality.
8. It is physically impossible for a well-educated, intellectual or brave man to make money the chief object of his thoughts, just as it is for him to make his dinner the principal objects of them. All healthy people like their dinners, but their dinner is not the main object of their lives. So all health-minded people who like making money ought to like it and enjoy the sensation of winning it; it is something better than money. A good soldier for instance mainly wishes to do his fighting well. He is glad of his pay and just flies grumbles when you keep him ten years without it. His main notion of life is to win battles, not to be paid for winning them. So of clergymen. The clergymen's object is essentially to baptize and preach, not to be paid for preaching. So of doctors. They like fees no doubt, yet if they are brave and well - educated the entire object of their lives is not fees. They on the whole desire to cure the sick, and if they are good doctors and the choices were fairly put to them, would rather cure their patient and lose their fee than kill him and get it. And so with all other brave and rightly trained men, their work is first, their fee second - very important always, but still second. [HSLC 2001]
Answer: Money is important in every
profession and everyday life. However, it is not the chief motion of life. Work
is the chief motion of life for a well-educated, intellectual, brave and
trained man of life, such as the soldiers, doctors, clergymen etc. In every
sphere of life this work comes first, money comes later, though important
always.
9. It is sometimes said that the pleasure of giving is peculiar to the rich, and no doubt, the pleasure of giving is one of the greatest and purest which wealth can bestow. Still, the poor also may be generous and liberal. The widow's mite, so far as the widow, at any rate, is concerned, counts for as much as the rich man's gold. Moreover, as regards kindness and sympathy which are more valuable than money, the poor can give as much as, perhaps even more than the rich. Money is not wealth. There are those whom we look down on as poor, who may be in life is exactly that which can neither be bought nor sold. A proverb says, "A man's true wealth is the good he does in the world." When he dies, men will ask what property he has left behind him, but angles will enquire, "What good deeds have thou sent before you ?" [HSLC 2002]
Answer: Kindness and sympathy are more valuable than money. Though money is important in all aspects of life, it is not same as the wealth. The true wealth that we ought to preserve in our life is that 'good deeds' and 'humane elements' through which, after death, we may give a positive answer to the angel if they enquire.
10. Men can make a nation great
Not the
glittering gold,
Men whose hearts are pure and true
And both strong and bold,
Men who never fear defeat
For their
country's cause
Men whose hearts are pure and true
And who never
pause.
Men who labour lovingly,
Headless of their
own gain,
They are a nation's truest wealth
Without them gold is vain. [HSLC 2003]
Answer: The people of a country, not the weather, make it great. Men who are honest, thoughtful, brave, and who perform their duties sincerely for the good of the nation rather than personal gain, have the potential to make a nation great. Such men are the truest wealth of a nation.
11. An economical use of time is the true mode of securing leisure, it enables us to get through business and carry it forward instead of being driven by it. On the other hand, the miscalculation of time involves us in a perpetual hurry, confusion and difficulties. Some take no thought of the value of money till they have come to an end of it, and many do the same with their time. The hours are allowed to flow by unemployed, and then when life is fast waning, they bethink themselves of the duty of making wiser use of it. But the habit of listlessness and idleness may already have been confirmed and they are unable to break the bonds with which they have permitted themselves to become bound. Lost wealth may be replaced by industry, lost knowledge by study, lost health by temperance or medicine, but last time is gone forever. [HSLC 2004]
Answer: Time goes by its track. It doesn't pause for anyone. Time never returns. One realizes this truth when it is too late. Efficient use of time allows us to not only complete our work efficiently but also to have time for leisure. Such types of men are not driven by time.
12. Among the manifold misfortune that may befall humanity, the loss of health is one of the severest. All the joys that life can give can not outweigh the suffering of the sick. Give the sick man everything and leave him his sufferings, and he will feel that half the world is lost to him. Lay him on a soft silken couch, he will nevertheless groan sleepless under the pressure of his sufferings, while the miserable beggar, blessed with health, sleeps sweetly on the hard ground. Spread his table with dainty dishes and choices drinks and he will thrust back the hand that proffers them and envy the poor man who thoroughly enjoys his hard crust. Surrounding him with the pomp of kings. Let his chair be a throne, and his crutch a world-swaying sceptre. He will look with contemptuous eyes on marble and gold, and would deem himself happy could he enjoy, even were it under a thatched roof, the health of the meanest of his servants. [HSLC 2005]
Answer: One of the most serious
misfortunes that humanity may face is the loss of health. Due to this
misfortune, one can not properly enjoy the beauties of life, as while a beggar
sleeps sweetly and comfortably on the hard ground. A sick man cannot enjoy his
hard crust in the same way that a poor man does; instead, he will look with
contemptuous eyes on marble and gold and would consider himself happy if he
could enjoy the health of the meanest of his servants.
13. Everybody is eager for fortune, but very few attain it. One of the reasons is that most men do not exert themselves properly or are lacking in strength of mind. They lose heart under difficulties and give up their attempts altogether, blaming fate for their failure. They can never win the favour of the goddess of fortune. It is only those who work hard that win a fortune in the end. They face their difficulties bravely. They do not mind physical hardship and do not depend on others. They may fail once or twice or even repeatedly, still, they do not lose heart, but work on with patience and perseverance. Thus success in the examination comes to those who work hard. The most prosperous nations are those that are industrious.[HSLC 2014]
Answer: Fortune does not come to
those who leave their work to luck and waste their time. It rewards those who
apply themselves to their duties with courage and hard work. Success and glory
come to a man who appreciates his work with sincerity, toil, determination and
his best efforts, undaunted by the obstacles that may stand in his way.
14. There are books which are really no books at all, and to read which is mere waste of time; while there are others so sad that we cannot read them without great harm. It is no doubt good to be warned against temptations and dangers of life, but anything that familiarizes us with evil is in itself evil. So also there are others which one can read without being the better of them. By useful literature, we do not mean only what will help a man in his business or profession. That is useful no doubt but by no means the highest use of books. The best books raise us into a region of selfless thought where the troubles and anxieties of the world are almost forgotten.[HSLC 2015]
Answer: Some books serve as a portal
to the evils. Reading such books is a complete waste of time. These useless
books harm the readers greatly, whereas useful books assist them in their
chosen profession. The best literature elicits the reader's philanthropy and
optimism.
15. It is very difficult to get rid of bad habits. So, one should be very careful that one does not form bad habits during the early years of life. idleness is one of such bad habits. Every boy and girl should be diligent. They should avoid idleness like poison. Some of them love to remain in bed long after daybreak and get out of bed most unwillingly. Even after that they waste time over trifles and spend as little time as they can in reading. As a result, they cannot learn much as they should. what is worse, they become so accustomed to such a bad habit that they cannot shake it off- even with their greatest efforts. This bad habit then holds them hard in its coils like a large snake.[HSLC 2016]
Answer: It is extremely difficult to
eliminate bad habits. As a result, its formation must be prevented at a young
age. For that, hard work is necessary. Idleness is such kind of poisonous bad
habit that should be avoided. Waking up too late may be a sign of such
idleness. They prefer to spend their time doing useless things rather than
engaging in useful activities such as reading etc. As a result, the learning
process is interrupted. If bad habits become ingrained in a person's life, that
person cannot remove them, even if he or she wishes to do it so.
16. It is easy to acquire bad habits, such as eating too much food or eating too many sweets or drinking fluid of any kind or smoking. The more we do a thing, the more we tend to like doing it and if we do not continue to do it, we feel unhappy this is called the force of habit and the force of habit should be fought against. Things that may be very good when only done from time to time, tend to become very harmful when done too often and too much. This applies even to such goods things as work or rest. Some people form a habit of working too much and others of idling too much. The wise man always remembers that this is true about himself and checks any bad habit. He says to himself, “I am now becoming idle” or “I smoke too much” and then adds, “I will get myself out of this bad habit at once.”[HSLC 2017]
Answer: Every habit, good or bad, has
an effect. Good habits, cultivated wisely, will shape one's life in the
direction of happiness and progress. However, bad habits will only lead to
disaster. Good habits should be cultivated in the early years of one's life
because in the long run it will reap only ripe fruits and add happiness and
progress to life.
