1. Prose; 1/2/3/4/6/8/9/11/15/16/17/20/21/22/23/24/25 = (17) 3.

Short Story
2. Poems; 29/30/31/32/33/36/37/39/42/43 = (10) 4. Drama 'Hamlet'
1 Let me describe my appearance to you. I had a large. high.
shapeless hat, made of goat’s skin, with a piece hanging down behind to
keep the sun off mv neck This also kept the rain from running down my
neck, for nothing is so harmful in this climate as rain on the body under
the clothes.

I had a short goatskin jacket. and a pair of open - kneed trousers

These were made from the skin of an old he - goat, and the hair hung
down so far on each side that it reached halfway between my knees
and my feet. I had no stockings or shoes, but had made a pair of rough.
shapeless coverings for my legs, so strange that I do not know what to
call them.

I wore a wide belt of dried goatskin, tied in a knot in front. On this

belt I wore on one side a small saw and on the other an axe. I had another
belt, not so wide, which fastened over my shoulder. On this, under my
left arm, I had two bags, both made of goatskin. In one of them I carried
my powder, in the other my shot. On my back I carried my basket, on
my shoulder my gun, and over my head a large, goatskin umbrella. This.
next to my gun, was the most important thing I had Even though I was
living so close to the equator, my face was not as brown as you might
think. I had at one time allowed my beard to grow until it was about
a quarter of a yard long. But I had plenty of scissors and razors, and
I later cut it quite short, except on my upper lip. where I grew a large
moustache (From Daniel Defoe’s Robtnson Crusoe, retold)

2 My man was good-looking, with a well-made body He had straight.

strong arms and legs, not too large He was tall. and. I should think, about
twenty-six years old He had a pleasant looking face. especially when he
smiled His hair was long and black, his forehead high, and his eyes were
bright. His skin was dark brown, not black His face was round, his nose
small. and he had a well-shaped mouth His lips were thin and he had
tine
f teeth. as white as ivory.

I took him to my house. and after he had slept about an hour. he

came out of the cave to me He knelt down in front of me again. making
many strange signs Finally he laid his head on the ground and placed
odd/ unusual

1
 one otf my teet
f on his head, as he had done before After this he made
many more signs to show me that he would serve me as long as he
lived I understood many of his signs. and let him know that I was very
pleased to have him there with me Later I began to speak to him, and
happy
teach him to speak to me I made him know that his name was to be
Friday, which was the day on which I had saved his life I also taught
him to say “Master” and let him know that was to be my name. And I
taught him to say “Yes” and “No”

cannibal Next morning I showed Friday that I would give him some
clothes He seemed very pleased, for he was completely naked. First
of all I gave him a pair of strong cotton trousers, which fitted him
very well Then I made him a goatskin coat as well as I could, for I
was now a fairly good tailor. I gave him a cap made of animal skin.
So he was quite well- dressed and was very pleased with himself
At first he found these new clothes rather uncomfortable The coat
rubbed the skin of his shoulders and made his arms sore. But I made wounded
the coat a little loose where he complained that it hurt him, and he
soon became used to wearing clothes (From Daniel Defoe’s Robinson
Crusoe, retold).
Axel is the narrator
3. His arguments seemed convincing, but once I was alone. I was
not at all happy about going to the centre of the earth. In fact I was
terrified of making such a journey I went out and walked towards the
river. worrying over the Professor’s decision Anxious and uneasy, I
walked on and on till I was outside the city and on the road to Altona
Some way along this road, and walking towards me, I met my dear
Grauben. She was retuming to Hamburg.

We were surprised but very happy to see each other. She realized
at once how worried and nervous I was, and insisted on knowing the
reason. So I told her the whole story of the fragment of parchment
and how we managed to read the message. When she heard of her
godfather’s decision to follow the directions he had read and be the
first to reach the centre of the earth. she was very interested. “That will
be a splendid journey.” she said.

2
 I was surprised that instead of being fearful and advising me
against the enterprise. she should be so encouraging. “I wish I could
go too” she said however. “It is a great thing to devote yourself to
Science: and when you return you will he b as famous as your uncle,
and we shall be married.”

She made me somewhat ashamed ofmy lack of courage, but

I still hoped that something would happen before the end of June to
prevent the journey. “It is only the 16th of May today” I thought
hopefully. It was late by the time Grauben and I got home that night,
and I thought that the Professor would be in bed. Instead we found the
entrance to our house crowded with men delivering packages. Rope-
ladders, cords, flasks, pickaxes, iron-tipped sticks, torches and various
other things lay about in confusion. Martha was scurrying around, not
knowing what to do, and the Professor was shouting out orders.

“Axel, you wretch” he cried when he saw me. “Where have

you been? Your boxes are not packed, and you have not arranged my
papers. There isn’t very much time, you know.”

“Are we really going?” I managed to stammer out.

“We start the day after tomorrow.” was the reply.

“The trip from Hamburg to Iceland will take so long that, if we

wait till June to start, we shall be too late to see the shadow of Scartaris
touch the crater of Sneffles. We start on the 18th of May,” he declared.
(From Jules Verne’s A .Iourney to the Centre of the Earth, retold).
two weeks
After
4. A-- Her about a tortnight’s
f march from Invati we came to a
place beauti ful spot, with lush green woods and vegetation. There were
large numbers of’machabell’ trees which have a delicious yellow tasty
fruit onthem. This fruit is the elephant’s favourite food. From the
pull/rip up footprints and uprooted trees. we knew that a herd of elephants was
not far. We decided to camp.here.for the night. The servants had cut
pricky thorn bushes and put them in a circle around the camp to keep wild

3
 animals out at night. We atee a meal of giraffe meat and thanked God
tor
f it. Earlier in the day we had seen a herd of giraffes four hundred
the troup
yards awav.y It was too far to try for a short.
- but.Good had taken a shot
anyway. To our surprise, the shot hit a giraffe'snght
---- in the neck.
right huddled up
After the meal we settled down to sleep. We soon curled lip u in
our blankets and fell asleep., listening to the sound of animals in the
dark.
early morning terrible fearful
dusk A few hours before dawn, we heard a violent scream and awful
roars that could have only come from a lion. We all jumped up and neigh
trumpet
looked towards the water-hole from which the fearful noise seemed to chatter
come. We saw a yellow and black mass, struggling on the ground still
howling and roaring. Soon it was all still. silence
deer
What we saw was this. On the grass there lay a male sable
antelope: quite dead. On its huge curved horns lay a magnificent wonderful
black- maned lion. What had probably happened was that the antelope /splendid/
may be
brook/poolwas drinking at the water-hole when the lion jumped on it. The lion fantastic/
landed on the horns which went through him and was unable to free awesome
himself. I had seen the same thing happen once before. ln the darkness
pulled
we dragged the animals to the camp and went back to sleep. Next
morning after breakfast we set off to look for the herd of elephants
name of whose footprints we had seen earlier. Ventvoegel followed their tracks
troop
for a couple of hours and soon we caught sight ofthe herd of twenty
or thirty elephants flapping their great ears. It was a splendid sight. scene
moving
(From H. Rider Haggard’s King Solomnn \- Mines. retold).

5 The chest had been completely full, and we spent the whole
day and most of the next night, examining its contents. There was
an enormous amount ofwealth in front of us. There were over four
hundred and fifty thousand dollars in coins. The coins were of a much
earlier period, but Legrand knew something about the value of them in
modem times.There was no silver. It was all gold, very old gold and of
great variety. There was Spanish. French and German’money, with a
few English coins, and some that could not name at all. There was no

4
American money. The value of the jewels was more difficult to work
out. There were diamonds. some of them very large one hundred and
ten, altogether. There were eighteen beautiful rubies, three hundred
and ten emeralds and twenty-one sapphires. These stones had all been
broken from their settings and thrown loose into the chest. Besides
all this there was a large quantity of gold ornaments. The weight of
these was over three hundred and fifty pounds. There were also one
hundred and ninety gold watches. Many of them were old and did
not work, but their cases were covered wiith jewels and gold. We
estimated that the complete contents of the chest were probably worth
about a million and a half dollars. Later, after we had sold most of the
treasure (we kept only a few pieces for ourselves) we found that it was
worth much more than we had first thought. (From Edgar Allan Poe’s
Tales of Mystery and Imagination, retold).
Huck in the island of Jackson
6. The next day I started out early with the gun to see if I could
get something to eat. While I was exploring the island I stumbled on
a camp fire. It wasn’t that old, because there was still a bit of smoke
coming from it. Suddenly I was very frightened. Who had lit that fire?
Was it somebody looking for me? I turned round and ran as fast as I
could and didn’t stop till I got to my camp site. I packed everything
back into my canoe and waited. While I paddled around 1 thought to
myself that I could not go on like this. I had to find out who else was
on the island. I tied the boat up in a little inlet on the island and taking
the gun with me set off very quietly.

Very soon I came to an open space where there were no trees or

bushes. Sitting by a fire near the edge of this clearing was a man with
a blanket wrapped around him. Pretty soon he yawned and threw off
the blanket and stood up. It was Miss Watson’s Jim. I was thrilled to
see him.

“Hello, Jim!” I yelled, and rushed towards him. He jumped and

slowly began to back away from me. He looked very frightened and
talked very quickly.

5
 “Don’t hurt me. I’ve done no harm to anyone I always liked
dead people. Go back. to the river, where you belong.”

It only took me a short while to explain tuo him that I was not a
ghost. He listened carefully to my story and then 1 asked him what he
was doing on the island. He said that he had run away at the same time
as I had, and that everyone in the town would probably think that he
killed Huck Finn. I promised not to tell anyone that he had run away
and we agreed to travel together.

The island we were on was only about three miles long and a
quarter of a mile wide. We found a nice little place in the middle of the
island to build our camp, and for the next few days we had a lovely
time. We fished and swam and set a few traps to catch some animals to
eat. We even found a raft floating down the river which we pulled on
to the shore. We thought it might come in useful later on. (From Mark
Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, retold)

7. There was a huge crowd of angry men and women in the

district of Saint Antoine. They were holding steel knives and weapons
which shone in the sun. Guns, axes and every kind of weapon were
being given out to them. Every man and woman there was mad with
hate and anger. They were ready to die for their cause. Defarge stood
in the middle of the crowd. He was calling orders and giving out
weapons.

‘Come then’ he cned “Friends. we are ready’ to the Bastille!’

With a roar of hate, the people shouted, “To the Bastille!” Then
they all moved forward. Soon other crowds Joined them People were
beating drums and ringing bells As last they began the attack of the
Bastille The prison had huge stone walls and eight great towers.
They fought fiercely for four hours. Everywhere there was noise,
fire and smoke. The big guns flashed Piles of straw burnt under the
gates People screamed and cursed They were angered by memories
of their sufferings. Now they had hope and they felt sure they would
succeed.

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 At last a white flag appeared from inside the prison. A voice told
them that the Bastille had fallen The crowd rushed in through the gates
(From Charles Dickens’ A tale of Two Cities, retold).
evening misty
8. It was Christmas eve and a very cold afternoon, cold and foggy,
with a biting, cruel wind that stung people’s faces and seemed to freeze
their bones. The sun had not shone all day, and now, though the city
clocks had only just struck three, it was quite dark. Lights flared in
offices and shops, and the street lamps were lit. But the fog was so
dense that the lights made little difference; they only emphasized the
darkness all round. The fog was everywhere, outside and inside.

But in spite of the fog and the freezing cold and biting wind it
was still Christmas Eve. People were lighthearted and merry as they
went about their errands, and the shops did a roaring trade, There were
presents to be bought and food and drinks and all sorts of other things
that people needed to buy to celebrate the festival. “Merry Christmas,
Merry Christmas!” men and women called out as they bumped into
each other, in the hurrying crowds Here and there children stood
around street lamps or outside shop doors and sang Christmas carols,
thinking all the time of the grand Christmas dinner they would have
the next day.

In one dingy office, however, just off the High Street there
was no sign whatever that Christmas was just a few hours away Here
the tog and the cold of the day matched the dark mind of the hard,
unfeeling man who sat behind his desk in an inner room His name was
Ebenezer Scrooge.

Money, how to make it, and how to make it grow, were the only
interests in his life. He never enjoyed the things that money could buy.
He never spent it if he could avoid doing so, and then only grudgingly
and with bad grace. He never gave anything to charity He overworked
and underpaid his poor clerk, Bob Crachit.

It is not surprising, therefore, that this mean, tightfisted man

should have no friends. Indeed, his meanness showed through on his

7
face so much that passers by avoided him, and children did not look
at him on the streets. Not that Scrooge cared. He did not even notice;
he was too engrossed in his own miserly affairs.

So Ebenezer Scrooge sat at his desk, busy with his ledgers, and
his accounts on this cold foggy afternoon, with not a thought of the
joyousness of Christmas in his mind. The meagre fire which was all he
would allow was not big enough to give any warmth. His cold heart
probably rejoiced in the freezing office Through the open door he kept
an eye on the outer room where his miserable clerk was huddled on a
stool, trying to do his work, with numb fingers blue with cold (From
Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol, retold).

9 I remember one cold afternoon. It was almost evening. I was

very young then, and I was sitting in a churchyard. My father. mother
and five brothers had all died, and were buried in that churchyard. It
was a windy place with a lot of grass growing all over it.

Beyond the churchyard were the marshes. These were dark tlat
fields. Some cattle were feeding on the marshes. Further beyond was
the river. A wind was blowing from the sea.

1 was sitting there crying. I was frightened of the place.

Suddenly, a very fierce voice called out: “Stop crying!”

A man jumped out from among the graves.

“Keep still, or I’ll kill you!” he said.

A prisoner who had run away from prison.

The man was wearing rough grey clothes. He had a chain on his
leg. He did not wear a hat but had an old cloth tied round his head. His
shoes were broken.

8
 He caught hold of me, 1 became very frightened.

“Please, don’t kill me, Sir!” 1 cried. “Please don hurt me.

“Tell me your name!” said the man.

“Pip sir.”

“Where do you live?”

I pointed to our house which was about a mile away.

The man looked at me, and pushed me down. He emptied my

pockets. There was only a piece of bread inside. He ate the
bread hungrily, as ifhe had not eaten for many days.

I sat on the ground and was very frightened.

“You young dog,” said the man, “You are very fat. I almost feel
like eating you. Now look here! Where’s your mother?”

“There, sir” I answered.

He jumped and began to run. Then he stopped and looked

back.

“There, sir, that’s my mother.” I pointed to my mother’s grave.

‘Oh” he said coming back. “And is that your father beside your
mother?’

“Yes, sir, that’s my father:’ I said.

“Ha! Then who do you live with?”

“My sister, sir, Mrs Joe Gargery, She’s married to Joe Gargery
the blacksmith.”

9
 “Blacksmith, eh?” he looked down at the chain on his leg, and
then be looked at me. Now look here, You know what a file is?”

“Yes, sir,” I answered.

“Now you know where to get some food?”

“Yes sir.”

“You get me a file and some food. If you don’t, I will kill
you.” And he pushed me to the ground again.

I became very frightened.

“Please, sir, I become very sick, if you push me to the ground. I

can listen better if you let me sit up, sir.”

He then let me sit on the ground, and said: “Bring me the file
and some food early tomorrow morning. You can bring them to to me
at that old Battery over there. Do not tell anyone that you have seen
me, and I will not hurt you.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied.

“Now do not think that I am alone. There’s a young man hidden

With me. He is a much more cruel person than I am. A boy like you
will not be able to hide from him, He wanted to hurt you, but I stopped
him. Now you go and get the file and the food.”

I said I would bring him the file and the food the next
morning.

“Keep your promise,” he said. “If you don’t, the young man
will hurt you. Now you can go home.”

He walked slowly towards the low church wall. He climbed over the
wall with great difficulty. He turned round to look at me from the

10
other side of the wall. When I saw him turning, I started to run home
as quickly as I could. (From Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations,
retold).

10. Oliver Twist and his companions suffered the torture of slow
starvation for three months. At last they got so voracious and wild with
hunger that one boy, who was tall for his age, and hadn’t been used to
that sort of thing, hinted darkly to his companions that unless he had
another basin of gruel a day, he was afraid he might some night happen
to eat the boy who slept next to him, who happened to be a weakly
youth of tender age. He had a wild, hungry eye; and they implicitly
believed him. A council was held; lots were cast who should walk up
to the master after supper that evening and ask for more; and it fell to
Oliver Twist.

The evening arrived, the boys took their places. The master, in his
cook’s uniform, stationed himself at the copper. His pauper assistants
ranged themselves behind him. The gruel was served out; and a long
grace was said over the short commons. The gruel disappeared. The
boys whispered to each other and winked at Oliver, while his next
neighbour nudged him. Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger
and reckless with misery, He rose from the table; and advancing to the
master, basin and spoon in hand, said, somewhat alarmed at his own
temerity: “Please, sir, I want some more.” The master was a fat healthy
man; but he turned very pale, He gazed in stupefied amazement on the
small rebel for some seconds; and then clung for support to the copper.
The assistants were paralysed with wonder, the boys with fear.

“What!” said the master at length. in a faint voice. “Please sir.”

replied Oliver, I want some more.” The master aimed a blow at Oliver’s
head with the ladle, pinioned him in his arms and shrieked aloud for
the beadle.

The board were sitting in solemn conclave, when Mr. Bumble

rushed into the room in great excitement, and addressing the gentleman
in the high chair, said, “Mr Lumbkins, I beg your pardon Sir! Oliver
Twist has asked for more.”

11
 There was a general start. Horror was depicted on every
countenance.

“For more?” said Mr Lumbkins. “Compose yourself, Bumble,

and answer me distinctly. Do I understand that he asked for more,
after the supper allotted by the dietary?”

“He did, Sir,” replied Bumble.

“That boy will be hung” said the gentleman in the white

waistcoat. “I know that boy will be hung.” (From Oliver Twist by
Charles Dickens).

11. “You told that old beggar all my private business?” cried Hughie
looking very red and angry. annoyed

“My dear boy,” said Trevor smiling, “that old beggar, as you
call him, is one of the richest men in Europe. He could buy all London
tommorow and never miss the money. He has a house in every capital
city, eats off gold plates, and can prevent Russia going to war when he
chooses.”

“What on earth do you mean?” cried Hughie.

“What I say,” said Trevor. “The old man you saw today was
Baron Hausberg. He is a great friend of mine, buys all my pictures and
that sort of thing. He asked me a month ago to paint him as a beggar,
and since he’s paying, well I could not refuse. And I must say I think
he made a splendid model.”

“Baron Hausberg!” cried Hughie. “Good heavens!’ I gave him

a sovereign!”

“Gave him a sovereign!”shouted Trevor, and he burst into a

roar of laughter.

12
 angrily
“I think you might have told me, Alan,” said Hughie crossly, “and not
let me make such a fool of myself.”

“Well, to begin with, Hughie,” said Trevor, “I did not think that
you went around giving away your money in that way. And really,
when you came in I didn’t know if Hausberg would like his name
mentioned.”

“What a fool he must think me,” said Hughie.

“Not at all. He was very happy after you left. He kept laughing
to himself and rubbing his old hands together. I couldn’t understand
why he was so interested in you at the time, but I see it all now.
He’ll invest your sovereign for you, Hughie, and pay you the interest
every six months. He’ll also have a good story to tell his friends after
dinner!”

Hughie walked home feeling very unhappy, and leaving Trevor

laughing loudly. The next morning, as he was eating his breakfast, his
servant brought in a card on which was written.

“Mr. Gustave Naudin, a messenger of Baron Hausberg.”

“I suppose he has come for an apology,” said Hughie to himself,

and he told the servant to show the visitor in.

An old gentleman with gold spectacles and grey hair came into
the room and said with a French accent, “Do I have the honour of,
speaking to Mr. Erskine?”

Hughie bowed.

“I have come from Baron Hausberg,” he continued.

“The Baron-”

13
 “I ask, sir, that you will offer him my sincerest apologies,” cried
Hughie.

“The Baron,” said the old gentleman with a smile, “has asked
me to bring you this letter,” and he held out a sealed envelope.

On the outside was written, “A wedding present to Hugh Erskine

and Laura Merton, from an old beggar,” and inside was a cheque for
ten thousand pounds.

When they were married, Alan Trevor was the best man, and
the Baron made a speech at the wedding breakfast.

“Millionaire models,” remarked Alan, “are rare enough, but

model millionaires are rarer still!” (From a tale by Oscar Wilde).

12. The rider speedily reached Richmond Lodge, where Prince

George was then living, and asked to see the owner of the mansion. The
mistress of the house and the ladies, to whom our friend was admitted,
said he could not be introduced to the master, however pressing the
business might be. The master was asleep after his dinner; and woe to
the person who interrupted him! Nevertheless, our stout friend of the
Jackboots put the affrighted ladies aside, opened the forbidden door of
the bedroom, wherein upon the bed lay a little gentleman; and here,
the eager messenger knelt down in his jackboots.

He on the bed started up with many oaths and a strong Gelman

accent asked who was there and who dared disturb him.

“I am Sir Robert Walpole,” said the messenger. The awakened

sleeper hated Sir Robert Walpole. ‘I have the honour announce to
Your Majesty, that your royal father, King George, died at Osnaburg
on Saturday last, the 10th instant.”

That is one big lie!” roared out his sacred Majesty, King George
II , but Sir Robert Walpole had stated the tact, and from that day until

14
three and thirty years after, George, the second of the name, ruled over
England. (W. M. Thackeray: The Four Georges)

13. One night, during the mid-watch, Nelson stole from the ship
with one of his comrades, taking advantage of a rising fog, and set
out over the ice in pursuit of a bear It was not long before they were
missed. The fog thickened, and Captain Lutwidge and his officers
became exceedingly alarmed for their safety. Between three and four
in the morning the weather cleared and the two adventurers were seen,
at a considerable distance from the ship, attacking a huge bear The
signal for them to return was immediately made; Nelson’s comrade
called upon him to obey it, but in vain; his musket had flashed in the
pan; their ammunition was expended; and a chasm in the ice, which
divided him from the bear, probably preserved his life. “Never mind,”
he cried; “do but let me get a blow at him with the butt -end of my
musket, and we shall have him.” Captain Lutwidge, however, seeing
his danger, fired a gun which had the desired effect off rightening the
beast; and the boy then returned, somewhat afraid of the consequences
of his trespass. The captain reprimanded him sternly for conduct so
unworthy of the office which he filled and desired to know what
motive he could have for hunting a, bear “Sir,” said he, pouting his
lip, as he was wont to do when agitated, “I wished to kill the bear
that I might carry the skin to my father.’ (From Robert Southey’s
Biography of Nelson),

14. On Sunday afternoon, December 28th, 1879, a storm sprang

up. As evening drew on, the wind was blowing such a gale that some
of the citizens of Dundee, their hearts filled with foreboding for the
new bridge, went out to the north signal box to watch for the arrival of
the Edinburgh Mail. At a quarter past seven, when the storm was at the
height of its fury, the train driver took his baton from the signalman
and the train moved slowly out on to the bridge. A few minutes later
the watchers saw a flash of sparks in the darkness and then a long
comet of light sweeping down to the waters of the Tay. The signalman
tried to get into touch by telegraph with his mate at the other end of
the bridge but found’that something was wrong with the line. Then

15
two men. at the risk of their lives in such a gale, crawled along the
track until they came to a point where the bridge in front of them
had disappeared. The thirteen high spans. more than half a mile of
the bridge. with the train on it. had been blown down. There were no
survivors. (H. S. Smith in The World’s Great Bridges)

15. I am your familiar friend Madam Mosquito. Who is there in hot

and temperate zones that is unacquainted with me? Perhaps many of
you do not know the full story of my life. I was born in the water. When
I was a little egg,I was floating about here and there in a pool of water
and very soon grew into a full-sized larva wrapped in a soft, silken
skin. But even then I could not leave my home in the water. For my
shinny robes kept my wings captive and I could not fly. But one day
I made a desperate effort and slipped out of my filmy coverage and,
behold! I was free to fly and sing-and-sting-at my sweet pleasure.

In your human kingdom, you males only do the fighting and

carry weapons. You keep your females weak and defenceless. But
look at our race! We women carry a spear-like weapon with which
we attack men and beasts. Out males are as harmless as your women.
But your proud human males, with all their learning and science and
gunpowder and what not, cannot escape when our armies of amazons
attack them. We flit from person to person and sting you. We pierce
your skins and suck your blood. Sometimes with your blood we take
in disease germs; but these we inject into the body of the next person
we bite. Those persons in whose bodies we deposit such germs suffer
from fever and keep on ailing for a long time. Some of them die.
Every year we kill thousands of your human race in this way.

Occasionally, some persons try to destroy a few of our eggs by

pouring kerosene or crude oil on our breeding places. That, of course,
reduces our number. Some of you seek safety in getting under netlike
curtains which you use as your defences against us. Others stuff
themselves with quinine in order to guard against the malarial fever
we introduce into their systems But we are not afraid of these tricks
of yours. The wise among you are very few. And there are millions

16
of your race who are stupid. They take very little precaution against
us. So they easily fall victims to us; we suck their blood, and inject
malarial germs into them.

Think what a stir insignificant creatures like ourselves create in

your proud assemblies of municipal and legislative councillors. Your
historians tell you how the Goths and the Vandals destroyed whole
cities and even nations. If they would only tell you how our hosts
extirpated great cities like ancient Rome-you would take good care to
protect yourself.

16. The great advantage of the electric train over the steam train, I
think is that it does not smell. When one is in a train drawn by a steam
locomotive, one always has the unpleasant odour of burning coal
around one. If one opens the window to look out at the view and to
get some fresh air, one is covered with little bits of coal-ash which gets
into one’s hair and eyes, and soon force one to shut the window again
and withdraw into the impure atmosphere of one’s compartment. In
a tunnel, one s misery reaches a peak, for there the smoke is forced
into a small area, from which it escapes into the train itself through
any small cracks it may find. In a long tunnel, the smell grows worse
and worse, while one’s eyes smart and the electric light in the carriage
grows dim, hidden behind the wreathing smoke.

With an electric locomotive, on the other hand, one can enjoy

the view and the fresh air without inconvenience. I really think that
part of the extra joy one gets out of travelling through the Alps or the
Tyrol by train is due to the fact that the trains there are electrically
operated, so that the traveller who has become used to having his
air dirtied bv smoke, and considers such a state of affairs as normal,
believes that there is something extra-special, indeed almost magical,
about the Tyrolese air. Of course, mountain air is, inevitably, purer
and fresher than the air of the plains, but the smoke of a steam train
would not allow this state of affairs to last long.

17
17. A diary is a daily record of events in which we have taken a
part, or of the impressions they have made on us.

Diary writing is an intimate form of composition, even more

intimate than letter-writing. The letters we write are meant for the
information or entertainment of others and we lay ourselves open
to their criticism. But in a diary we can indulge in the most intimate
observations and reflections on persons or things without anybody
being the wiser for them. There is therefore no need to observe any
reserve of thought or expression, or to think of careful arrangement
of words with a view to its effect upon somebody else. Such entries
encourage absolute sincerity and truthfulness. That is why a diary
becomes a valuable record of one’s innermost experiences and often
provides useful material for the writing of history.

You may well ask what it is that you must include in your diary.
The little things you do daily-getting up, washing, dressing, eating and
sleeping- certainly need not be entered; but you should include just
those acts which mean so much to others; your meeting with friends,
relatives or men of mark, your first day in the new class or the new
school, your impressions of a film, your experience of the radio, your
day with a camera, your doings and adventures on a holiday. your
visit to a steamer, and so on.

Write your diary simply and naturally and it will make delightful
reading. Let your entries be briefand condensed. Do not however
make them telegraphic or ungrammatical, for they must be clear and
intelligible.

18. The standard of living of any country means the average

person’s share of the goods and services which the country produces.
A country’s standard of living, therefore, depends first and foremost
on its capacity to produce wealth. “Wealth” in this sense is not money,
for we do not live on money but on things that money can buy: “goods
such as food and clothing, and “services” such as transport and
entertamment.

18
 A country’s capacity to produce wealth depends upon many
factors, most of which have an effect on one another. Wealth depends
to a great extent upon a country’s natural resources, such as coal, gold
and other minerals, water supply, and so on. Some regions of the world
are well supplied with coal and minerals, and have a fertile Soil and a
favourable climate; other regions possess perhaps only one of these
things, and some regions possess none ofthem. The U.S.A. Is one
of the wealthiest regions of the world because she has vast natural
resources within her borders, her soil is fertile, and her climate is
varied. The “Sahara Desert” on the other hand, is one of the least
wealthy.

19. Camels are most valuable beasts of burden in desert country and
can travel long distances, carrying heavy loads, with little food water.
This is because they have special cells in their stomachs which store
water and because they can also store fat in their humps. When a camel
is in good condition and well fed, its hump is large and firm; but when
food is scarce and its store of fat is getting used up, the hump becomes
flabby and may hang down. On their chests, ankles, and knees, camels
have pads of hard skin on which they rest when lymg down. Their
peculiar swaying motion-not very pleasant for anyone riding them-
is. due to the fact that the two legs of one side move simultaneously,
Instead of alternately as with most animals Over soft. sandy ground,
where most animals would get stuck, a camel can travel because of
the cushion-like nature of the two widely spread toes of each foot,
connected by a stout web of skin which prevents its feet from sinking
into the sand. Besides using camels as transport animals, the Arabs
drink their mill, eat their flesh, weave their hair into cloth, and burn
their dung as fuel in fact, the camel supplies them with almost all the
necessities of life.

Camels have been domesticated for so long that it is not known

for certain where they originated, though Arabia is thought to be the
most likely country. There are two distinct species, the Arabian or
one-humped camel, found in the hot desert-lands of North Africa and
south- west Asia (and later introduced into Australia) and the Bactrian

19
 or two-humped camel,a sturdier, shorter-legged animal, inhabiting
the colder regions of central Asia. They both belong to the group of
animals called ruminants, chewers of the cud.

There are several breeds of the Arabian camel. The lighter and swifter,
known as Dromedaries, are used for riding, while the heavier breeds
are used as baggage-carriers. Arabian camels are usually about 7 feet
high and generally sandy- coloured, though sometimes they are white,
various shades of brown, or black. They are powerful, ungainJy-
looking creatures, with a rather supercilious expression. They are
stupid and, far from becoming attached to their masters, are often
positively vicious. They have a habit, when passing a mounted man
on a narrow path, of turning their heads suddenly round and trying
to bite the rider’s arm or shoulder. In the mating season the males
have fits of almost uncontrollable rage, uttering a loud, unpleasant,
bubbling noise. Arabian camels are fed mainly on grain; but they need
a certain amount of green food, and to obtain it they will eat even
the most thorny of branches. They dislike having to cross streams and
often have to be helped, for they are poor swimmers. (From the Oxord
Junior Encyclopaedia).

20. Socrates taught that “the man who is master of himself is truly
free.” By being master of oneself, he meant first knowing oneself,
one’s1 faults and weaknesses and one’s good points, without making
any pretence and without being vain, and then being able to control
2

oneself This knowledge of himself was what helped4

a man to be
3 courageous and the courageous man has a very important sort of
freedom from fear. Socrates himself, because he was not afraid of the
consequences, always felt free to teach what he thought was right,
however unpopular this might make him with the powerful people in
5

Athens.

No wonder all his pupils

6 loved Socrates. But he made some
dangerous enemies by his strange ways of teaching and asking
questions. Some of the rulers in Athens did not like people to be enco.
uraged to ask too many questions for tear they would begin asking

20
 8
questions about what their7 rulers were doing. So they accused Socrates
of teaching young men wicked things and leading them to throw off
their religion. This was false, for in fact Socrates was a very religious 9
man. At last his enemies had him arrested, and he was condemned to
death. (Cleodier Mackinnon in Storiesof Courage).
10

21 The interest and value of history is very much more than the
key it affords to the literature, art and monuments of the past. In itself
history raises and attempts to answer two great questions:

(1) What was the life of men and women in the past ages? and
(2) How did the present state ofthirtgs evolve out ofthe past?

The reader can be interested in the past for its own sake, for
the value or instruction he finds in former states of society, and former
habits of thought, which have passed away and left little or nothing
behind. Indeed, I know of no greater triumph of the modern intellect
than the truthful reconstruction of past states of society that have been
long forgotten or misunderstood, recovered now by the patient work of
archaeologists, antiquarians and historians. To discover in detail what
the life of man on earth was like a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand
years ago is just as great an achievement as to make ships sail under
the sea or through the air.

Besides the contemplation and study of the past for its own
sake, there remains the second great value of history, namely, the light
It throws on the present. You cannot understand your own personal
opinions, prejudices and emotional reactions unless you know what
is your heritage as and Englishman, and how it has come down to
you. Why does an Englishman react one way to a public or private
situation, a German another way, a Frechman in a third way? History
alone can tell you

In this stage of the world, when many nations are brought

into close and vital contact for good and evil, it is essential, as never
before. that their gross ignorance of one another should be diminished,

21
that they should begin to understand a little of one another’s historical
experience and resulting mentality. It is a fault of the English to expect
the people of other countries to react as they do themselves to political
and international situations. Our genuine goodwill and good intentions
are often brought to nothing, because we expect other people to be
like ourselves. This would be corrected if we knew the history, not
necessarily in detail but in broad outlines, of the social and political
conditions which have given to each nation its present character. (From
An Autobiography and Other Essays by G. M. Trevelyan).

22. Yet another great defect of our civilization is that it does not
know what to do with its knowledge. Science, as we have seen, has
given us powers fit for the gods, yet we use them like small children.

For example, we do not know how to manage our machines.

Machines were made to be man’s servants; yet he has grown so
dependent on them that they are in a fair way to become his masters.
Already most men spend most of their lives looking after and waiting
upon machines. And the machines are very stern masters. They must
be fed with coal, and given petrol to drink, and oil to wash with, and
must be kept at the right temperature. And if they do not get their
meals when they expect them, they grow sulky and refuse to work,
or burst with rage, and blow up, and spread ruin and destruction all
round them. So we have to wait upon them very attentively and do all
that we can to keep them in a good temper. Already we find it difficult
either to work or play without the machines, and a time may come
when they will rule us altogether, just as we rule the animals. (C.E.M.
load in Our Present Civilization).

23. To me, England is the country, and the country is England. And
when 1 ask myself what 1 mean by England,when I think of England
when 1 am abroad, England comes to me through my-various senses-
through the ear, through the eye, and through certain imperishable
scents. 1 will tell you what they are, and there may be those among
you who feel as 1 do.

22
 The sounds of England, the tinkle of the hammer on the anvil
in the country smithy, the corn crake on a dewy morning, the sound
of the scythe against the whetstone, and the sight of a plough team
coming over the brow of a hill, the sight that has been in England
since England was a land, and may be seen in England long after
the Empire has perished and every work in England has ceased to
function, for centuries the one enternal sight of England. The wild
anemones in the woods in April, the last load at night of hay being
drawn down a lane as the twilight comes on, when you can scarcely
distinguish the figures ofthe horses as they take it home to the farm,
and above all, most subtle, most penetrating and most moving, the
smell of wood smoke coming up in an autumn evening, or the smell of
the couch fires: that wood smoke that our ancestors, tens of thousands
of years ago, must have caught on the air when they were coming
home with the result of the day’s forage, when they were still nomads,
and when they were still roaming the forests and the plains of the
continent of Europe. These things strike down into the very depths of
our nature; and touch chords that go back to the beginning of time and
the human race, but they are chords that every year of our life sound
a deeper note in our innermost being. (Stanley Baldwin)

24. Now the bodhisattva did not know that the children had hidden;
so he called the children, to give them to the brahmin. When the
children did not answer, the brahmin said “Visvantara, there is no
cheat like you in all this land. Have you not given the children a sign
to hide themselves. and now you sit there and call them, as if you did
not know? 1 have never seen anyone like you so subtle in giving his
gifts.” Then the Bodhisattva felt ashamed at the accusation that he was
untruthful, and he said “Brahmin, as I am so immovably devoted to
almsgiving, and as their mother is not here, they must have observed
your roughness and felt away in terror. But you wait a while.” So he
got up and went behind the hut and into the thickets, but he did not
find them there. Hence he followed the children’s footprints and so
he discovered that they had gone to the pond. Then that Great One
who was to be a Buddha in this era and was to bring peace to all the
world, hardened his heart and shouted aloud, calling “My son, prince

23
Jaaliya!” When that royal prince, he who of his great merit was to be
born as Prince Rahal in the birth where his father became Buddha,
heard the voice of his father calling just those words, he thought “The
Brahmin may take my life, he may make me his servant; but now
that I hear the voice of my father calling, I cannot remain silent,”
and he said” I come, father,” and pushing back the lotus leaves with
both hands he came out of the pond, and came and caught hold of his
father’s right foot and began to weep. When the Bodhisattwa heard
his son’s cries his heart was moved; but he calmed himsel fagain and
asked him “Son, where is your sister?” Since those two had made
previous agreement not to betray each other, Prince J aaliya said “My
father, when wild creatures flee in fear of death, do they tell each
other where they go? And it has been so with us.” When he heard
this, the bodhisattva called “My daughter Krshnajinaa!” And when
his daughter, she who of-her great merit was thereafter to be born as
the great elder sister Upulvan in the Order, at the time when her father
became Buddha, heard the voice of her father calling, she thought,
“The brahmin may take my life, but how can I stay silent when I
hear the voice ofrny father calling?” and tossing her head to shake
off the lotus leaves she rose up out of the water like a goddess, and
came and caught hold of the left foot of the bodhisattva and began to
weep. And the tears that the two children shed fell upon the two feet
of the bodhisattva, that were like lotus flowers and the tears that the
bodhisattva shed at the sorrows of the two children fell upon their
backs, as they lay flat like golden couches.

Then as he cried and wept, the bodhisattva thought” If l weep I

shall not attain Buddhahood. I will give the children away.” So he
raised up the weeping children, held them on his breast and kissed and
comforted them and said “My sweet children, you know, do you not,
that I am wholly committed to almsgiving? In this ocean of samsara
I will make you my raft to bring me to the shore. When I reach that
shore, I can lead to it all gods, brahmins and men, and also you. “Then
he valued the two children at a high price, and called them into his
hut, where he poured water from his pitcher over the brahmin’s hand,
saying “By the merit of giving away these lovely children may I reach

24
the supramundane All-Buddhahood.” Then he placed the children’s
hands over the brahmin’s hand, and offered them up as alms. (From
the Vessantara Birth of Butsarana).

25. It happened some time later that God put Abraham to the test.
“Abraham, Abraham” he called. “Here I am” he replied. “Take your
son,” God said “your only child Issac, whom you love and go to the
land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt-offering, on a
mountain I will point out to you.”

Rising early next morning Abraham saddled his ass and took with him
two of his servants and his son Isaac. He chopped wood for the burnt-
offering and started on his journey to the place God had pointed out
to him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in
the distance. Then Abraham said to his servants: “Stay here with the
donkey. The boy and I will go over there; we will worship and come
back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt -offering, loaded it on Issac,
and carried in his own hands the fire and the knife. Then the two of
them set out together Isaac spoke to his father Abraham, “Father” he
said. “Yes, my son” he replied. “Look” he said “here are the fire and
the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt-offering?” Abraham
answered, ‘My son, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt-
offering.” Then the two of them went on together.

When they arrived at the place God had pointed out to him, Abraham
built an altar there, and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son
Issac and put him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham stretched
out his hand and seized the knife to kill his son. But the angel of
Yahweh called to him from heaven “Abraham Abraham” he said. “I
am here” he replied. “Do not raise your hand against the boy” the
angel said. “Do not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have
not refused me your son, your only son.” Then looking up, Abraham
saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. Abraham took the ram and
offered it as a burnt-offering in place of his son. (From the Bible:

25
Genesis 22, 1-13)

26. The snare - James Stephans (1882 - 1959)

I hear a sudden cry of pain

There is a rabbit in a snare:
Now I hear the cry again,
But I cannot tell from where.

But I cannot tell from where

He is calling out for aid
Crying on the frightened air,
Making everything afraid

Making everything afraid

Wrinkling up his little face
As he cries again for aid;
And I cannot find the place

And I cannot find the place

Where his paw is in the snare
Little One! Oh, Little One
I am searching everywhere

27. Full Moon - Walter de la Mare (1893 - 1956)

One night as Dick lay fast asleep,

Into his drowsy eyes
A great still light began to creep
From out the silent skies.
It was the lovely moon’s, for when
He raised his dreamy head,
Her surge of silver filled the pane
And streamed across his bed.

26
 So, for a while, each gazed at each-
Dick and the solemn moon-
Till, climbing slowly on her way,
She vanished, and was gone.
28. Leisure - W.H Davies (1871 - 1940)

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

29. Gather Ye Rosebuds - Robert Herrick ( 1951- 1674)

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,

Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,

27
 The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.

That age is best which is the first,

When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,

And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.

30. Children - H. W Longfellow (1807-1882) life - span

Come to me, O ye children, a

For I hear you at your play, b
And the questions that perplex me c Rhyming scheme
Have vanished quite away. b

children Ye open the eastern windows, d

That look towards the Sun,
e
d
ideas Where thoughts are singing swallows, e
And the brooks of morning run.
light & bright
In your hearts are the birds and the sunshine,f
In your thoughts the brookJets flow; g
But in mine is the wind of Autumn, h
And the first fall of the snow. g

Come to me, O ye children!

a
i
And whisper in my ear chirp/ j
murmur/hummWhat the birds and the winds are singing i personification
In your sunny atmosphere.
youth tweet
schemes/plans For what are all our contrivings, k

28
 And the wisdom of our books, l
gentle touch When compared with your caresses, m
And the gladness of your looks? l

You are better than all the ballads n

That ever were sung or said; o
For ye are living poems, p
And all the rest are dead. o

31. The Echoing Green - William Blake (1757-1827)

The sun does arise,

And make happy the skies;
The merry bells ring
To welcome the Spring;
The skylark and thrush,
The birds of the bush,
Sing louder around
To the bells’ cheerful sound,
While our sports shall be seen
On the Echoing Green.

Old John, with white hair,

Does laugh away care,
Sitting under the oak,
Among the old folk.
They laugh at our play,
And soon they all say:
(Such, such were the joys
When we all, girls and boys,
In our youth time were seen
On the Echoing Green. ‘

Till the little ones, weary,

No more can be merry;

29
 The sun does descend,
And our sports have an end.
Round the laps of their mothers.

Many sisters and brothers,

Like birds in their nest,
Are ready for rest,
And sport no more is seen
On the darkening Green.

32. She Walks in Beauty - Lord Byron (1978-1824)

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow’ d to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half’impair ‘d the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’ er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling- place.

And on that cheek. and o’er that brow.

So soft. so calm. yet eloquent.
The smiles that win. the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent

33. The Man of Life Upright - Thomas Campion (1567-1620)

The man of life upright

30
 Whose guiltless heart is free
From all dishonest deeds,
Or thought of vanity:

The man whose silent days

In harmless joys are spent,
Whom hopes cannot delude,
Nor sorrow discontent:

That man needs neither towers

Nor armour for defence,
Nor secret vaults to fly
From thunder’s violence:

He only can behold

With unaffrighted eyes
The horrors of the deep
And terrors of the skies.

Thus, scorning all the cares

That fate or fortune brings,
He makes the heaven his book,
His wisdom heavenly things;

Good thoughts his only friends,

His wealth a well-spent age,
The earth his sober inn
And quite pilgrimage.

34. The Lake Isle of Innisfree - W.B. Yeats (1865-1939)

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

31
 And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a-glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

35. Nature - H.W. Longfellow (1807-1882)

As a fond mother, when the day is o’ er

Leads by the hand her little child to bed,
Halfwilling, half reluctant to be led.
And leave his broken playthings on the floor,

Still gazing at them through the open door,

Nor Wholly reassured and comforted
By promise of others in their stead,
Which, though more splendid, may not please him more;

So Nature deals with us, and takes away

Our playthings one by one and by the hand
Leads us to rest so gently, that we go,

Scarce knowing if we wished to go or stay,

Being too full of sleep to understand
How far the unknown transcends the what we know.

36. False Friends - William Shakespeare (1564-16 16)

Every one that flatters thee

Is no friend in misery.
Words are easy, like the wind;
Faithful fiiends are hard to find:

32
 Every man will be thy fiiend
Whilst thou hast wherewith to spend;
But if store of crowns be scant,
No man will supply thy want.
If that one be prodigal,
Bountiful they will him call.
Ifhe be addict to vice,
Quickly him they will entice;
But if Fortune once do frown,
Then farewell his great renown;
They that fawned on him before
Use his company no more.
He that is thy friend indeed,
He will help thee in thy need;
If thou sorrow, he will weep;
If thou wake, he cannot sleep;
Thus of every grief in heart
He with thee doth bear a part.
These are certain signs to know
Faithful friend from flattering foe.

37. Patriotism - Sir Walter Scott (1711-1832)

Breathes there the man with soul so dead,

Who never to himself hath said,
“This is my own, my native land!’
Whose heart hath ne’ er within him burn’ d
As home his footsteps he hath turn’d
From wandering on a foreign strand?
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim,
Despite those titles, power and pelf,
The wretch, can centred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,

33
 And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonour ‘d and unsung.

38. Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead

- Alfred Tennyson (1809 - ] 892)

Home they brought her warrior dead:

She nor swoon’d nor utter’d cry:
Ail her maidens, watching, said,
‘She must weep or she will die. ‘

Then they praised him soft and low,

Call’d him worthy to be loved,
Truest friend and noblest foe,
Yet she neither spoke nor moved.

Stole a maiden from her place,

Lightly to the warrior stept,
Took the face-cloth from the face;
Yet she neither moved nor wept.

Rose a nurse of ninety years,

Set his child upon her knee
Like summer tempest came her tears
Sweet, my child, I live for thee.’

39. The Three Fishers - Charles Kingsley (1819-1875)

Three fishers went sailing away to the West,

Away to the West as the sun went down;
Each thought on the woman who loved him the best,
And the children stood watching them out of the town,
For men must work, and women must weep,
And there’s little to earn, and many to keep,
Though the harbour bar be moaning.

34
 Three wives sat up in the lighthouse tower,
And they trimmed the lamps as the sun went down;
They looked at the squall, and they looked at the shower,
And the night-rack came rolling up ragged and brown.
But men must work/and women must weep,
Though storms be sudden, and waters deep,
And the harbour bar be moaning.

Three corpses layout on the shining sands,

In the morning gleam, as the tide went down,
And the women are weeping and wringing their hands
For those who will never come home to the town.
For men must work, and women must weep,
And the sooner it’s over. the sooner the sleep.
And uood-bve to the bar and its moaning.

40.Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour

- ‘William Wordsworth (I 77 0- 1850)

Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour;

England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
O raise us up, return to us again,

And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power:

Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart;
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life’s common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.

35
41. O Captain! My Captain! - Walt Whitman(1819-1892)

O Captain, my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red!
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up - for you the flag is tlung - for you the bugle trillis.
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths - for you the shores
a-crowding.
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning
Here, Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and
done
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won; ,
Exult, O shores! and sing, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

36
 44yrs- life span
42. From a Railway Carriage - R. L. Stevenson (1850-1894)

wand Faster than fairies, faster than witches, a

Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches, a
simile; like/as And charging along like troops in a battle, b
b
All through the meadows the horses and cattle: Rhyming c
All of the sights of the hill and the plain scheme c
stanza/
verse Fly as thick as driving rain; d
And ever again, in the wink of an eye, split second d
Painted stations whistle by.
move quickly
Here is a child who clambers and scrambles climb e
All by himself and gathering brambles; collecting / fruit with thorns
e
f
homeless person/Here is a tramp who stands and gazes; f
beggar And there is the green for stringing the daisies! making garlands g
Here is a cart run away in the road, g
Lumping along with man and load; h
And here is a mill, and there is a river: h
Each a glimpse and gone for ever!

43. O! What is That Sound? - W.H. Auden (1907- I 973)

O! what is that sound which so thrills the ear

Down in the valley drumming, drumming?
Only the scarlet soldiers, dear,
The soldiers coming.

O! what is that light I see flashing so clear

Over the distance brightly, brightly.?
Only the sun on their weapons, dear,
As they step lightly.

37
O! what are they doing with all that gear.
What are they doing this morning, this morning?
Only the usual manoeuvres, dear,
Or perhaps a warning.

O! why have they left the road down there,

Why are they suddenly wheeling, wheeling?
Perhaps a change in the orders, dear,
Why are you kneeling?

O! haven’t they stopped for the doctor’s care.

Haven’t they reined their horses, their horses?
Why, they are none of them wounded dear,
None of these forces.

O! is it the parson they want with white hair,

Is it the parson, is it, is it?
No, they are passing his gateway, dear,
Without a visit.

O! it must be the farmer who lives so near,

It must be the farmer so cunning, so cunning?
They have passed the farm already, dear,
And now they are running.

O! where are you going? Stay with me here!

Were the vows you swore deceiving, deceiving?
No, I promised to love you, dear,
But I must be leaving.

O! it’s broken the lock and splintered the door,

O! it’s the gate where they’re turning, turning;
Their feet are heavy on the floor
And their eyes are burning.

38
44. We do not know how the first fire was made. Early fires on the
earth were certainly caused by nature, not by Man. Some were caused
by lightning in a storm; others, perhaps, by the hot material which
came out ofa volcano. Quite possibly at times, the heat of the sun
set light to some dry grass or leaves. At first Man, like other animals
was probably afraid of fire. He saw that fire could destroy a forest; he
knew that fire could hurt his body. So great was the power of fire that
he feared it and worshipped it. Gradually, however, with his better
power of thinking, he overcame his fear. Probably he overcame most
of his fear when he discovered how to make fire for himself. but,
undoubtedly. he learned some of the uses offire before he could make
one when and where he wished. Throughout the ages he has learned
more about fire, how to control it. and how to use it in many ways.
Now fire is no longer a master or a god; it is a servant. (From fire and
Heat by W.E. Flood.)

45. I am at the moment writing on to a typewriter, and I see by

the light of an electric lamp. Across the room, tempting me to stop
writing, is a gramophone; and if 1 don’t stop to put on a record, 1 shall
in any case stop soon to listen to the news on the wireless set at my
side. Or, of course, I could go out, take an underground electric train
and go to the pictures. Or, I might go by car. Ifl want to make sure of
a seat when I get there, I can pick up the telephone at my elbow and
ask for one to be kept fer me. In every single one of the actions I have
mentioned, I need, in one degree or another, the work of Thomas Alva
Edison.

Edison did not “invent” all these things; inventions rarely

happen like that. Far more often they are the end-result of a whole
series of ideas and experiments and improvements. But one may safely
say that in each of these cases Edison did something of importance to
bring the instrument to me. (From Men of America by Lionel Elvin.)

39
46. There was an old building at the back of the school where
Pierre Curie had been working. Its walls and roof were made of wood
and glass. It was furnished with some old tables, a black-board, and
an old stove. It was not much better than a shed, and no one else
seemed to want it. The Curies moved in, and set up their laboratory
and work- shops. Here for four very difficult years they worked, every
moment that they could spare, weighing and boiling and measuring
and calculating and thinking. They believed that radium was hidden
somewhere in the mass of mineral dirt which was sent to them from
far away. But where?

The shed was hot in summer and cold in winter and when it rained,
water dropped from the ceiling. But in spite of all the discomforts, the
Curies worked on For them these were the four happiest years of their
lives.

Then, one evening in 1902, as husband and wife sat together

in their home, Marie Curie said: “Let’s go down there for a moment.”
It was nine o’clock and they had been “down there” only two hours
before. But they put on their coats and were soon walking along the
street to the shed. Pierre turned the key in the lock and opened the door
“Don’t light the lamps,” said Marie, and they stood there in the dark-
ness. “Look! ... Look!’

And there, glowing with faint blue light in the glass test-tubes
on the tables, was the mysterious something which they had worked
so hard to find: Radium. (From great :Men ana1’Women by L.W.
Leavitt)

47. Edward Jenner was very troubled because there were so many
diseases for which no cure had been found, and of which many people
died. The worst of them all was smallpox, and every year hundreds
of people caught the disease. Of those who caught it, many died and
those who recovered had their faces and bodies covered with scars.
Jenner longed to find a way of saving people from this terrible disease
and he thought about it a great deal and tried to find out all he could
about it.

40
 After a time he noticed something very interesting. He found
that the girls who were employed to milk cows hardly ever caught
smallpox, and he began to wonder why many of them caught a disease
from the cows called cowpox, which was not serious and from which
they recovered quickly He found that people who had cowpox seemed
to be safe from catching smallpox.

One day a girl came to see him who had a cowpox sore on her
hand. Jenner took some of the germs of the cowpox from her hand. He
then found a little boy of eight called Jimmy Phipps. He made a small
scratch on his arm. Into the scratch he put some of the germs of the
cowpox. Jimmy caught cowpox and soon got better, but later when he
came near people who had smallpox he did not catch it, though other
people did.

Jenner was very excited at what he had found. Hewrote a paper

about it and had it printed for other doctors to read. That was how
vaccination was discovered. (From ‘Maksrs of CiviIization by M.1.
Potts.)

48. We cannot, of course, see the oil which is trapped deep down
in the ground. Men must study the rocks carefully. When they think
that the rocks in a certain place may contain oil, a metal tower called
a derrick is built. A machine in the tower gradually cuts a narrow hole
down into the ground. As the hole is made, a steel pipe is pushed down
to stop the sides from falling in, and to keep out water. At last, if the
men have judged correctly, the hole reaches the oil. Usually the oil
rushes up the pipe with great force, driven by the pressure of the gas
in the top of the layer of rock, and it streams high into the air. If this
oil should catch alight there would be a terrible fire. A kind of lid is
fixed to the top of the pipe, and the oil is allowed to flow out gently
through taps. After a “well” has been used for a long time, it may be
necessary to use a pump to get the oil out.

Oil, we see, is obtained more easily than coal. Men must dig
coal from a mine, but oil rushes up a pipe. Often several wells are

41
made, each reaching the same supply ofoil in the ground Ifa well is
made near the middle of the oil-field, gas will be obtained. This may
blow out of the well with great force if it is not controlled. In parts of
America such gas is sent through pipes to distant towns, and used, like
coal-gas, in houses and factories. (From Treasures from the ‘Earth by
W E Flood)

49. The first dinosaur to be properly described was discovered on

a morning in March 1822. in Sussex, England. Dr. Gideon Mantell, a
physician in the city of Lewes. was an unusual man of wide interests,
one of that band of amateurs in the Western world who did so much to
found the natural sciences during the eighteenth and nineteenth centu-
ries. He was particularly interested in fossils, and for some years had
spent his spare hours in the countryside of southern England, searching
tor the remains of extinct animals. His young wife accompanied him
on many of his trips into the country, and thus she had gained some
experience in looking for fossils.

On this particular day Dr. Mantell drove some miles outside

Lewes to attend to one of his patients, and his wife went along for the
ride. While he was in the house of his patient, Mrs. Mantell walked
up and down to pass the time, and in the course of her walk she saw
some rocks that had been piled by the road, to be used for repair of the
surface. As she was looking at the pile she noticed in a rock an object
that looked most unusual, something that had the definite form and the
shining surface ofa fossil. She picked up the piece of rock containing
this and saw that the object that had attracted her attention was a fossil
tooth Of course, she showed it to her husband.

It was a tooth quite different from any fossil that Dr. Mantell
had seen before, and it aroused his curiosity So, during the following
weeks he returned often to the country near where it had been found,
and discovered not only more teeth like it, but also a number of fossil
bones as well. All of these fossils were unfamiliar to him. (From
(Dinosaurs by E. H Colbert)

42
50. The idea that everything is made up of very small particles, or
atoms, was known to the Greeks over two thousand years ago, but
it was only about one hundred and fifty years ago that John Dalton
put forward the important ideas which made the atomic theory really
useful and greatly hastened the development of modern chemistry
What Dalton said was that, although many thousands of’differenr
chemical substances are known, these are made up of only a few
different kinds of atom combined together in definite simple ways.
We know now that there are altogether only about one hundred
different types of atom, and about a third of these make up most of the
substances encountered in every-day life. Atoms cannot be destroyed
or changed in any way by chemi cal reactions; all that can happen is
that the arrangement of the atoms is changed so as to produce another
chemical substance with different properties.

Atoms are too small to be seen, even with a powerful micro-scope, but
other instruments are able to detect them, to measure their size, and
to count them just as easily and as certainly as if we could see them.
We therefore know how much each kind of atom weighs and so it is
easy to say immediately how many atoms there are in any piece of
material, once we know what it is made of and how much it weighs.
Atoms are so small, and their numbers are so great, that it is not easy
for the mind to grasp such numbers. It takes about a hundred million
atoms laid in a row to make one inch. There are more atoms in a glass
of water that there are glasses of water in all the seas of the world.
Since atoms .can never be destroyed, this means that every glass of
water we drink probably contains several atoms which have already
been drunk many times by all the great men who lived before us. With
every meal, we consume a few atoms from the feasts ofthe Roman
emperors and from the wine of the Pharaohs. (From (Chemistry for
the modern World by George Porter.)

51 One day while Galileo was aimlessly walking about in the

streets of Pisa, he happened to stop in front of the great cathedral. He
looked at the beautiful arches as though he were seeing them for the
first time. He had passed them by often, but never really taken much

43
notice of them. Almost without thinking, he entered the cathedral,
perhaps to look more closely at its magnificent interior, perhaps to
pray. We shall never know. but we do know that as he stepped into the
calm. serene quiet of the church, he was unknowingly coming to a
turning-point in his life.

Galileo sat down on a bench and looked around at the beautiful

altar, the colourful mosaics and the marble pillars that had been
brought from Greek and Roman ruins to build the cathedral hundreds
of years ago. Suddenly, something moving caught his eye. Some
workmen, who were making repairs in the building, had set the great
central lamp swinging.

Fascinated, Galilee rose and watched it Strange! It started

swinging in a wide are, but as the arc of its swing became smaller its
swinging became slower. He put the fingers of his right hand to his
pulse on his left wrist, as he had been taught in medical school. To the
regular beating of his pulse, he began timing the swinging of the lamp.
Stranger still! No matter what the size of the arc, the time it took for
the lamp to make one complete swing was the same! Even though,
after a while, the swinging of the lamp slowed down considerably, it
made no difference in the total time it took to cover the distance of
the arc. It had to go slower to swing through a smaller arc in the same
time that it took to cover a greater one

Something was wrong, thought Galileo. Either his senses were

deceiving him or Aristotle’s statement that the smaller arc should take
less time was incorrect. He would go back to his room and try out
many different weights on different lengths of string - pendulums such
suspended weights were called Only in this wav could he really know
the truth

Though Galileo did not realize it, he was taking the first important
step in founding the experimental science of today. Excited, the
young man returned to his lodgings. Gone was all thought or ever
attending another class in medicine. Instead he plunged feverishly
into experiment after experiment with his pendulums

44
52. Forecasting the weather, or trying to find out what it will be
like in several days’ time. has always been a difficult business. Many
ditferent things affect the weather and each one has to be carefully
studied before we can make even a fairly accurate forecast. The
Ancient Egyptians, of course. had no need of this - the weather in the
Nile Valley hardly ever changes - but peoples living farther north had
to protect themselves and their crops. During a period of drought,
when no rain fell for weeks on end, streams and rivers dried up,
cattle died from thirst and crops were ruined. A storm could wreck
houses and ships, and heavy falls of rain cause rivers to flood a whole
countryside. Action in the sky stirred man into action, and in this
respect farmers became just as much men of action as were sailors
on the high seas. Both had to reckon with the weather - it often upset
their plans, sometimes with disastrous results.

In early times, when there were no instruments such as the ther-

mometer or barometer, man looked for tell -tale signs in the sky. He
made his forecasts by watching the flights of birds or the way smoke
rose from a fire He thought that the moon controlled the weather - that
it held a lot of water, especially when as a crescent or sickle-shaped
moon it lay on its back. Even today there are people who think that
the sight of the moon lying on its back means that rain is on its way.
Many of the old weather-sayings are still heard today. I expect you
know the one: “A red sky at night is the shepherd’s delight. A red sky
in the morning is the shepherd’s warning.” Do you believe this? It’s
sometimes right but more often wrong. If this and hundreds of other
sayings like it were true there would be no need for weather science
or meteorology (From Look at the ‘Weather by H. C King.)

53. To be able to read any language, Hindi or Urdu or English. you

have to learn its alphabet So also you must learn the alphabet of nature
before you can read her story in her books of stone and rock Even
now perhaps you know a little how to read this. if you see a little
round shiny pebble, does it not tell you something’) How did it get
round and smooth and shiny without any corners or rough edges? lf
you break a big rock into small bits, each bit is rough and has corners

45
and rough edges. It is not at all like a round smooth pebble. How then
did the pebble become so round and smooth and shiny? It will tell
you its story if you have good eyes to see and ears to hear it. It tells
you that once upon a time, it may be long ago, it was a bit of rock,
just like the bit you may break from a big rock or stone, with plenty
of edges and corners Probably it rested on some mountain side. Then
came the rain and washed it down to the little valley where it found a
mountain stream which pushed it on and on till it reached a little river.
And the little river took it to the big river. Andall the while it rolled
at the bottom of the river and its edges were worn away and its rough
surface made smooth and shiny. So it became the pebble that you see.
Somehow the river left it behind and you found it. If the river had
carried it on, it would have become smaller and smaller till at last it
became a grain of sand and joined its brothers at the seaside to make a
beautiful beach where little children can play and make castles out of
the sand If a little pebble can tell you so much. how much more could
we learn from all the rocks and mountains. and the many other things
we see around us? (From Jawaharlal Nehru’s letters to dauqhter
Indira.)

46