Q3 (a)

i. The universe looks frightening because of its immense distances and wide stretches of
time. It also looks frightening because of our extreme loneliness and the littleness of our
home in space. Life, like our own, does not exist anywhere in the universe.
ii. The financial pressure is a very serious problem for the poor students. They have to earn
to meet their expenses. Much of their time is wasted in this way. Therefore, they cannot
pay full attention to their studies.
iii. Daiches longed for a tricycle and later a bicycle. His parents were very poor and could
not afford it. In the same way he could not buy ice cream and sweets in his childhood. He
bought his first bicycle by the prize money he won from the university.
iv. The writer thought that he had all the diseases at the same time. He considered himself a
hospital. That is why he thought himself a good case for the medical profession.
Moreover, he hoped that his case would help the medical students in their studies. They
should just examine him and get their diplomas.
v. After his misadventure in the bank, the writer lost his faith in the banks and the bank
people. He began to keep his money in cash in his trousers' pocket, and savings in socks.
vi. The first famine came in the reign of Pharaoh. In the reign of Joseph, the famine lasted
for 7 years. From the birth of Christ to about 1800. Europe faced 350 famines. China
faced 90 famines in one century. Russia faced famine in 1921-22. Worst famine of the
century struck India in 1964-65.
vii. Underdeveloped countries are characterized by poverty. They lack factories of their
own. Hospitals, schools and colleges are very few. The cities are full of beggars. Most
people are illiterate. They export raw materials at low rates and import the furnished
goods at high rates.
viii. Mao's phrase, "It is the people and not the things that are decisive" negates the modern
concept that a great population is a burden on the state. If the people are a compact
whole, they tend to become trend. Mao believed that people determine the fate and
advancement of any nation. The people of China materialized the idea of Mao.
ix. The Chinese workers enjoy free medical treatment. Their family members only pay 50
percent. A sick worker receives full salary for 6 months. If the worker is unable to meet
the needs of his family, he is given aid from a special contributory fund. Financial help is
also given to the disabled people by their company.

Q3 (b)
i. The examinations were a great trial to Churchill. He was examined in subjects of Latin
and Mathematics, which he did not know. He was not examined in history, poetry, and
essay writing which he liked. As a result, Churchill could not do well in examinations.
ii. Churchill was taught English at Harrow. He took full advantage of this. Thus, he
learned English thoroughly. Those who studied Latin and Greek had to ultimately learn
English to earn their living. So it was a gain for Churchill.
iii. When Robert Christopher was a child, every time he was naughty. His foster mother
used to threaten him to send him to Timbuktu. Instead of alarming him, the idea aroused
in him a deep desire to see this distant place.
iv. The driver told Christopher that three Englishmen had tried to cross a part of the Sahara
in a car. They had only one day's water supply. Three days later, their bodies were found
dried up like leaves.

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 v. The substances that kill germs are called antiseptics. The use of these substances for the
prevention of infection is called an antiseptic method. The main object of antiseptic
method is to stop germs from getting into a body.
vi. In 1928, Fleming was growing colonies of germs on the culture plates. By chance, a
mold spore dropped on the plate. Soon it began to grow and the germs around it began to
disappear. Fleming called it penicillin.
vii. Fleming stimulated new researchers. His achievements paved the way for so many other
discoveries. These include antibiotics and streptomycin. Fleming himself regarded this as
the most important result of his work.
viii. Sahara is stretched almost to the complete width of North Africa. It is many times the
size of Great Britain. It would be difficult to find out England if it were placed in the
middle of the Sahara Desert.

Q3 (c)
i. Mr. Chippings lovingly called Mr. Chips was a Cambridge graduate. He joined
Brookfield in 1870 at the age of 22. He served it for almost 45 years as a teacher of Latin
and Greek. He was not good at discipline. However, he was a devoted teacher.
ii. (Professions adopted) Brookfield contributed to the progress of Great Britain by
producing great people like judges, members of parliament, colonial administrators,
merchants, squires, parsons, bishops, etc.
iii. Collingwood was an old student of Mr. Chips. He once thrashed him for climbing onto
the gymnasium roof to get a ball out of the gutter. Later on, he became a major in the
army and was killed in Egypt.
iv. Mr. Chips used to read detective novels with great interest. Sometimes, he took Virgil
and Xenophone for a few moments but soon returned to Dr. Thorndyke and Inspector
French.
v. Mr. Chips entertained his guests with tea and walnut cake with pink icing from the
bakery in the village. In winter, he served them crumpets soaked in butter so that the
bottom one lay in a little shallow pool.
vi. Mr. Meldrum was the headmaster of Brookfield. He succeeded Wetherby as the head in
1870. He remained the head of Brookfield for three decades till his death. He suddenly
died of pneumonia in 1900.
vii. Mr. Chips was traditional in thinking about women. He considered modern women
monstrous creatures. He hated them as they read Shaw and Ibsen and drove bicycles
equally to men.
viii. Katherine asked him to be less rigid. His teaching improved. He began to make little
jokes that students liked. All the students started loving, respecting, and obeying him. He
became very popular among students.
ix. Ralston was a live wire, a science graduate, who became the headmaster of Brookfield in
1900 and served it till 1911. He was a young man of 37 who was glittering with Firsts
and Blues. He had an impressive personality who could reduce Big Hall to silence by
mere lifting of an eyebrow.
x. Mr. Meldrum suddenly died of pneumonia in 1900. After his death, Mr. Chips became
the Acting Head of Brookfield till the appointment of a regular incumbent.
xi. Mr. Wickett’s house was ugly and pretentious but that did not matter to him because it
was convenient and that was the main thing for Chips. He could visit the school easily.

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xii. We can look upon Mr. Chips as an institution at Brookfield. Serving Brookfield for
decades, he achieved almost every glory he wanted. He was the guest of honor at
Brookfieldian dinners and court of appeal in all matters of Brookfield.

Q5 Idioms

1. Above Board: Honest and transparent in all dealings.

Example sentence: "The company's financial records are above board, and we welcome any
audit."

2. To Make Fun Of: To tease or mock someone.

Example sentence: "The kids in the class loved to make fun of the teacher's silly jokes."

3. To Get Into Hot Water: To get into trouble or difficulty.

Example sentence: "If you don't pay your taxes on time, you'll get into hot water with the IRS."

4. To Pass Away: To die or decease.

Example sentence: "My grandmother passed away last year, leaving behind a legacy of love and
kindness."

5. To Give Up: To stop trying or abandon an effort.

Example sentence: "After months of struggling to find a job, he decided to give up and pursue
further education."

6. Part and Parcel: An essential or integral part of something.

Example sentence: "Exercise is part and parcel of a healthy lifestyle."

7. To Go Back On: To fail to fulfill a promise or commitment.

Example sentence: "She went back on her promise to help me move, leaving me to do it alone."

8. To Be Taken Aback: To be surprised or shocked.

Example sentence: "I was taken aback by the news of my favorite celebrity's retirement."