HSC// English 1st paper// Education and life// The parrot's tale //

The parrot's tale


Once upon a time there lived a bird. It was unlettered. It sang but couldn’t recite a word of scripture. It hopped and it flew but lacked all sense of manners. The king said. “Such a bird is of no use. Yet it devours fruit from the forest, bringing down the profits of fritterers in the royal market.” He summoned the minister and commanded, “Educate the bird!” The task of educating the bird fell on the king’s nephews, his sister’s sons. The learned men of the court deliberated long. They pondered the reasons behind the ignorance of the creature in question. The conclusion: the birds nest made of straw and twinges could not hold much knowledge. Therefore, the first thing needed was a proper cage. The royal scholars received handsome fees and happily went home. A goldsmith set to work on a gilded cage. It turned out to be of such exquisite workmanship that people from far and near crowded round for a look. Some said, “This is education par excellence.” Others said, “even if it learns nothings, it has got the cage. What a lucky bird.” The goldsmith was delighted to get a bagful of money as reward and went home at once. A teacher came to give lessons to the bird. He took a pinch of snuff and declared, “This isn’t a matter of just a few texts.” One of the royal nephews sent for-scribes. They made multiple copies of various texts until there was a veritable mountain. “Bravo!” exclaimed those who saw it, ‘there is no room for any more knowledge.” The scribes loaded their wages into bullocks and merrily headed home. They would never again want for anything. The nephews were constantly busy looking after the expensive cage. Repairs were always under way. Anyone who was the endless dusting, wiping and polishing had to agree that there was “marked improvement”. A large maintenance crew was needed and more personal to supervise them. They all got handsome monthly salaries, which they saved in their wooden chests. Even their cousins came to live with them in cushioned comfort. The world is short of many things but not detractors. They said, “The cage looks better no doubt, but has anyone taken notice of the bird?” this was reported to the king. He said to a nephew, “what’s this I hear?” “Your majesty,” replied the nephew, “if you wish to hear the truth summon the goldsmith, the scholars, the scribes, the maintenance crew and their supervisors. Those who haven’t got a share of the royal bounty are resorting to slander.”

 

a.       Which has the closest meaning of the word ‘unlettered’ used in line 1?

             i.        Simple
ii.        Untrained
iii.       Uniformed
iv.         Illiterate

b.                  ‘Devour’ in the passage means _______.

             i.        destroy
ii.    consume
iii.   demolish
iv.    take

C.      Which of the following statement is not true about the king?
            i.       The king was a wise man.
ii.      The king was the a rich man.
iii.     The king spent a lot  of  money to educate the bird.
iv.       The king had rewarded his nephew with a gold chain.

d.   What does the expression ‘the ignorance of the creature’ mean in the passage?
              i     The stupidity of the bird
             ii.     The incomprehension of the bird
iii.     The foolishness of the king
iv.   
The lack of knowledge of the bird

e.                     The-expression ‘marked improvement’ refers to _______.
i.                      Noticeable enhancement
ii.                   Comfortable raiment
iii.                  Checked upgradation
iv.                  Required change

(f).       The word ‘bounty’ could be best replaced by ______.
i.                     Bonus
ii.                   Favor
iii.                Reward
iv.                 Inducement

  (g).   The reason of the educated men of the court considered and tried to figure out ____.
i.                     the kings illiteracy
ii.                   the king admiration
iii.                the birds illiteracy
iv.                 the birds bad luck

 (h).       The word ‘scripture’ refers to ______.
i.                     the writings of a journal
ii.                   the writings of a novel
iii.                the sacred writings of a religion
iv.                 none

  (i).       The phrase ‘bring down’ in the second paragraph refers to _______.
i.                     to overthrow
ii.                   to compensate
iii.                  To increase
iv.                 to decrease

  (j).       The contextual meaning of the word ‘summon’ is
i.                     To attend in a race
ii.                   Encourage many people
iii.                  Manage someone to go
iv.                 Order someone to be present

 (k).       What kinds of scholars were chosen for the consolation?
i.                     richest
ii.            submissive
iii.           aristocratic
iv.            handsome

  (l).  What was required at first according to the learned men of the court as a part of teaching the bird?
i.                     Printing the scripture
ii.                   Calling the goldsmith
iii.                Making a popper cage
iv.                 Making the payment to the scholars

  (m).       The synonym of ‘exquisite’ in the passage _____.
i.                     subtle
ii.           excellent
iii.          superlative
iv.          intricate

  (n).        The word ‘workmanship’ indicates _______.
i.                    Artistry
ii.          expertise
iii.         scholarity
iv.          none of these

(o).   The word ‘handsome’ could be best replaced by _______.
i.                     smart
ii.           attractive
iii.          considerable
iv.          beautiful

(p).   Who was/were chosen to give lessons to the bird?
i.                     great scholars
ii.             a group of teachers
iii.            a teacher
iv.            nephews of the king

(q).   What is they synonym of ‘scribe’?
i.                    Writer
ii.                   Journalist
iii.                  Reporter
iv.                 Teacher

(r).   The point of noticing the bird was raised  by ________.
i.                     the king
ii.            the cities
iii.           the teachers
iv.            he royal people

(s).   The word ‘veritable’ is a/an ______.
i.                     noun
ii.            adverb
iii.           adjective
iv.            none.

(t).   _______were kept inside the cage.
i.                     History books
ii.                   Only scriptures
iii.                Printed copies of different texts
iv.                 Books on manners

(u).   The word majesty could be best replaced by ______.
i.                     strength
ii.           highness
iii.         supremacy
iv.          authority

(v).   The best synonym of the word maintenance is ______.
i.                     Prolongation
ii.                  Servicing
iii.                  Preservation
iv.                 Nursing

(w).   The expression veritable mountain is a ____.
i.                    Metaphoric expression
ii.                   Non-figurative expression
iii.                  Simile
iv.                 Parabolic expression

(x).   The contextual meaning of the expression a pinch of snuff _____.

i.                     smoking
ii.           a costly cage
iii.          a small amount of powdered tobacco
iv.           a close look at the bird

(y).   Which of the following describes the king best?
i.                     Illiterate
ii.                   Cruel
iii.                  Liable
iv.                 Unwise

(z).   What could be the closest meaning for deliberate?
i.                     Teach
ii.                  Ponder
iii.                  Argument
iv.                 Dwell-on

(a1) .   A word ignorance in the passage refers to ___.
i.                     literacy
ii.           incomprehension
iii.           Innocence
iv.            illiteracy


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