INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH BOOK II

THE DYING SUN

Packed (v) stuffed, crammed, filled

Spare (v/adj) extra, excess, dispense with

Thousands of earths can be packed inside each and leave room to spare.

Immense (adj) large, big

An immense star large enough to contain millions and millions of earths

Substance (n) matter, material, mass

Measured up (adj) compared, calculated

Such is our littleness of our home when measured up against the total substance of the universe.

Voyage (n) sea journey, travel

Each star makes its voyage in complete loneliness.

Wandering (adj) moving, travelling

Blindly (adv) aimlessly, without purpose

Another star wandering blindly through space happened to come near the sun.

Gradually (adv) bit by bit, step by step

Gradually they became cooler.

Rare (adj) uncommon, rarefied, rarified

Such a rare event took place.

Radiations (n) energy,  rays (of light, heat, elements)

Organisms (n) limbs, living bodies, beings

Life started in simple organisms.

Space (n) emptiness, ether, room, infinite

Planetary (n) of planets

Calculations (n) statistics,

Milky Way (n) galaxy

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

1        Who wrote “The Dying Sun”?

Ans. Sir James Jeans wrote “The Dying Sun”.

2        What is the average size of stars?

Ans. Most of the stars are so big that hundreds of thousands of earths can be packed inside each and leave room to spare.

3        What is the total number of stars in the universe?

Ans. The total number of stars in the universe is something like total number of grains of sand found on all the seashores of the world.

4        Why do the stars not collide with one another? What is the size of this universe? How do the stars travel in the universe?

Ans. The numberless stars are scattered in such a big space that the average distance among them is of millions of miles. That is why there is a very little chance of any star to come close to the other one.

5        How was our solar system created? How was our earth formed?

Ans. Some two thousand million years ago a big star passed by our sun. As it came close it raised huge tides on the surface of the sun. As it came closer the tides became a big mountain which broke when the guest star began to move away. These broken pieces are moving round the sun ever since.  These are called planets. Our earth is one of them.

6        Why is there no life on stars?

Ans. There is no life on stars because they are too hot for life to exist.

7        Why is there no life in space?

Ans. There is no life in space because it is too cold for life to exist.

8        Describe the early signs of life?

Ans. Life started on our earth in simple organisms. These organisms were just capable of reproducing themselves before dying. By and by these organisms became complex making human beings.

9        How do we feel when we try to discover the universe? How does the universe frighten us?

Ans. Standing on our little grain of sand when we try to discover the universe our first feeling is something like fear. The universe frightens us because of its immense distances, great stretches of time and our extreme loneliness.

10      What are the prerequisites of life to exist?

Ans. The suitable physical conditions are necessary for life to exist of which the most important one is moderate temperature at which things can exist in liquid state.

11      What are temperature belts?

Ans. Temperature belts are the areas around the stars at the distances where temperature is suitable for life.

12      What is absolute zero?

Ans. Absolute zero is the temperature of -273 degree F.

USING THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Benefited (v) profited, gained

All of us have benefited greatly.

Preservation (n) saving, conservation

Preservation of food

Mysterious (adj) hidden, secret, occult

Some things were used to be considered strange and mysterious.

Likelihood (n) chance, possibility, likeliness

There is a little likelihood of their getting a disease.

Sanitary (adj) healthful, hygienic, of cleanliness

It is not difficult to imagine what sanitary conditions in our larger cities were like.

Drained (adj) wiped, water cleaned, emptied

Poorly drained city streets

Sewage (n) liquid waste, sewerage

Sparingly (adj) thriftily, meagerly, economically

Water was used very sparingly.

Regardless (adv) irrespective, exceptional

Regardless of where people live today, they can obtain fresh fruits.

Maintenance (n) care, management, keeping in good stead

Maintenance of health

Communication (n) messaging, talking,

Transportation (n) displacement, conveyance, transit

Prevention (n) avoidance, defence against, forestalling

Ancestors (n) forefathers, elders

Critical (adj) analytical,

We are more critical in our thinking than our ancestors.

Refuse (n) waste, excretion, garbage

Nutritious (adj) having food value, beneficial, nourishing

Thrifty (adj) miser, economical,

Thrifty housewives

Canning (n) preserving food in cans, tinning of food, boiling

Pickling (n) preserving food with spices, spicing

Grading (n) selecting on merit

Charm (n) magic, spell

Wearing some kind of a charm will prevent diseases.

Sign (n) omen, token, mark

Sign of good or bad luck

Astrology (n) horoscopy, fortune telling, star divination

Superstition (n) baseless fears, false belief

Superstitious (adj) irrational, baseless

Superstitious beliefs are overcome.

Important questions

Q: 1      Which problems have been solved by the use of scientific method?

Ans.      Scientific method has helped us in solving our problems related with the maintenance of health, the production and preservation of food, the construction of our homes, and the improvement in communication and transportation.

Q: 2      How much science has changed us?

Ans.      Not only have our ways of living changed, but people themselves have also changed. We are more critical and less fearful than our ancestors.

Q: 3 How many babies died in past during their first year?

Ans. In past, seven out of eight babies died before reaching their first birthday.

Q: 4 Which diseases killed the children in their boyhood?

Ans. Small pox, measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever, and diphtheria were the deadly diseases for children.

Q: 5 Which diseases, once started spread through community? What were the epidemics of past?

Ans. Yellow fever, malaria, typhus, cholera, typhoid fever, and even influenza, once started, spread through community.

 Q: 6      what was the average life of man in past?

Ans. In past, the man who lived for thirty years was considered fortunate.

Q: 7 what is the expected length of man’s life today?

Ans. Today man can expect to live for seventy years.

Q: 8 what were the sanitary conditions in our big cities in past?

Ans. Sanitary conditions in our cities were very bad one hundred years ago. The streets were narrow, unpaved and poorly drained. Garbage was thrown in the streets. Outdoor toilets were common.

Q: 9 What are the sanitary conditions in our big cities today?

Ans. Today our city streets are paved and well drained. It is against the law to throw garbage into the streets. Sewage of the city is carried to the disposal plants through sealed pipes.

Q: 10      How dear was water in past?

Ans. Water had to be carried by bucketful system from a long distance. It was used sparingly for bathing and cleaning.

Q: 11 How they supplied water to Los Angeles?

Ans. Los Angeles solved the problem by bringing water to the city from Colorado river, 544 kilometres away.

Q: 12      How science has changed our eating habits?

Ans. Science has told us that it is healthful to eat different kinds of foods. With the use of science it is possible to ensure the availability of food throughout the year.

Q:13 How did the women of past preserve their food?

Ans. They preserved their food by pickling, canning or drying.

Q:14 what are the modern methods of preservation?

Ans. Quick freezing and dehydration are the modern methods of preservation. Moreover the modern methods of selecting, grading, processing foods have removed the risk of poisoning.

Q:15 What is attitude?

Ans. The way we feel toward some idea or incident is called attitude?

Q:16 What is superstion?

Ans. Baseless fears are called superstitions.

Q:17 What were the common superstitions of past?

Ans. In past, people believed in good and bad signs. They feared broken mirrors and black cats and number 13. They believed wearing some kind of a charm would prevent them from bad luck.

Q:19 Why is modern man not superstitious?

Ans. Modern man is not superstitious because he knows that there should be a sound reason for everything that happens to people.

BOYS FAIL IN COLLEGE

Attempt (v) try, make an effort, undertake

Native (adj) inborn, natural

Many boys attempt seriously and really have native ability to do so.

Uproot (v) eradicate, remove

Eradicate (v) uproot, remove, overcome, finish

Such habits are not easy to uproot, and so far as ican see, can only be eradicated by the boy himself.

Cultivate (v) develop, create

Poise (n) balance,

Calm (n) peace, quiet

Fidgets (n) jerks, restlessness

Smother (v) calm, choke, hide, smoothen

Boy must take himself by the collar and cultivate such a calm and poise that smothers the fidgets.

Mapped out (adj) planned, set, made

He is following a direction mapped out by his parents

Distinction (n) difference, eminence

Intended (v) wanted, desired

Good lord never intended their son to be a physician.

Unreasonable (adj) absurd, illogical

Turn his back (phrase), reject, ignore, forget

It may be unreasonable for the boy to turn his back on a fine opening in a dental profession in favour of business.

Detests (v) hates, abhors

He ought to like onions when he detests them.

Controversies (n) conflicts, quarrels, differences

The boy wins in such controversies.

Bring himself to (ph) convince himself

Distasteful (adj) stale, flat

Boy cannot bring himself to try to do the work which is too distasteful to him.

Alive to (v) conscious of, vibrant, aware

The college is alive to its work of advice.

Pitiable (adj) miserable, pathetic, wretched

He is the most pitiable object among all the failing students.

Tragedy (n) calamity, disaster

Keenness (n) eagerness, desire

It is almost a tragedy to see this keenness going to waste.

Receptive (adj) absorbing, receiving, open

He suffers because of a too receptive mind.

Remedy (n) cure, treatment

Adequate (adj) sufficient, enough, 

Adequate health service is available in college.

Undergo (v) experience, have

Thorough (adj) detailed,

I ask him to undergo a thorough physical examination.

Enlightenment (n) awareness, education

Faculty (n) staff,

Enlightenment of the faculty

Financial (adj) monetary, economic

Financial pressure is serious one.

Compelled (adj) forced, obligated

Boy should not be compelled.

Detriment (n) damage, hurt, loss

It is always to the detriment of their health.

Heartrending (adj) grievous, heartbreaking

It is a heartrending spectacle.

Bluffers (n) cheat

Drift into (v) move, enter

Lazy bluffers drift into college.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

- What does a nervous student do when he sits for studies?

A nervous student wastes his time in unnecessary things, for example, he suddenly remembers that his pencils need sharpening.

- Why is it difficult for a boy to study the subjects which are chosen by his parents?

It is difficult for a boy to study the subjects chosen by his parents because he does not like them; and he cannot bring himself round.

- Why he made some enemies among the parents of students?

He made some warm enemies among the students’ parents when he told them that good lord did not want their sons to be physicians or anything they wanted.

- How can a boy of mistaken ambition be prevented from failure?

If college is alive to its work of advice such cases can be caught before their failure is complete.

- Whom does the writer call the most pitiable object among all the failing students?

The bright boy who has done well at school, and thinks that he can float through college with a little effort, is the most pitiable object among all the failing students.

- What is the cure for the bright boy who fails?

His cure is not easy. He has to form a completely new set of habits.

- What are the common diseases which afflict the students?

Tuberculosis, bad tonsils and sleeping sickness are the common diseases among students.

- What did the father of sick student say?

He said that God put those tonsils in his son’s throat for some good purpose and he would not stand their removal.

- What kind of jobs do the students do to meet their expenditures?

It is heartrending to see the students undergoing the transfusion of blood, and doing jobs from six ‘o clock in the evening till two in the morning.

- Who are the lazy bluffers?

Lazy bluffers are those non serious students who take too much interest in athletics and literary activities.

End of term

Abundant (adj) luxuriant, excessive,

Grind (n) labour, toil, drudgery

Pressed (v) exerted, agitated

Fierce (adj) rough, violent, intense

The daily grind of school, with its abundant homework, its fierce competition, and a sense of never being able to relax pressed heavily upon me.

Turning over (n) rolling, grabbing

Doze (n) sleep, drowse, snooze

There was no possibility of turning over for an extra doze.

Dismal (adj) drab, gloomy, sad

It was a dismal experience.

Attic (adj) upstairs

Attic  floor

Funeral (n) gloomy, mourning

Tones (n) sounds

Funeral tones

Ominous (adj) baleful, menacing, threatening

Tread (n) step, pace, stride, gait

Heralded (v) foretell, precede, harbinger

Sounded (v) seemed

Summons (n) call

Damnation (n)

The voice it heralded sounded like summons to damnation.

Anticipation (n) expectancy, prevision

Anticipation was always worse than the reality.

Oppressive (adj) heavy, irritating,

Oppressive weight

Respites (n) reliefs, breaks

Unexpected respites.

Luxuriously (adv) extravagantly, richly

Luxuriously long weekend

Look forward to (phrase) expect, await

Felicity (n) happiness,

I could look forward to a period of permanent felicity.

Savour (v) enjoy, bask

Relish (n) zest, taste

I would savour my happiness with conscious relish.

Rolled away (v) spent, finished

Strenuous (adj) arduous, tiring, taxing, toilsome

Three strenuous school terms had indeed been rolled away.

Mythical (adj) fabulous,

Longed (adv) coveted, desired

At hand (idm) near

The longed for mythical summer holidays were at hand.

Materialize (n) use, affect,

Outskirts (n) edges, brinks

How often I stood outside sweet shops with empty pockets longing for a penny or two to materialize somehow, or hung on the outskirts of a crowd.

Miraculously (adv) divinely, automatically

Miraculously inspired ice-cream vendor

IMPORATANT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1   How did the writer feel about school during his school days?

Ans. The daily grind of school with its abundant homework, its fierce competition and a sense of never being able to relax pressed heavily upon him.

2   How did the writer feel when he woke up in the morning during his school days?

Ans. Waking up in the morning with full day ahead, no possibility of turning over for an extra doze pressed heavily upon him.

3   How did the maid servant wake them up?

Ans. She would climb up each morning with grim steps, and announce in deep funeral tones, “David, Lionel, Sylvia! Time.”

4   Which one was the happiest evening of the week?

Ans. Friday evening was the best time of the week with full two holidays ahead.

5   How did he feel on the Sunday night and Monday morning?

Ans. Sunday night was full of threat of Monday morning.

6   How did he walk home from school on Friday?

Ans. He walked home like an escaped prisoner.

7   Which holidays does the writer call unexpected respite?

Unscheduled holidays like half a day off to attend football match, early dismissal of school due to unexpected crisis or celebration are called unexpected respites.

8   Which holidays does the writer call blessed breaks?

Ans. A Monday off as a midterm holiday, and a skating holiday during winters are called blessed breaks.

9   How many holidays did he get for Easter?

Ans. At first, there were three weeks holidays which later on reduced to a fortnight and then mere to ten days.

10  Which holidays does the writer call ‘the holidays’?

Ans. The writer calls summer holidays “the holidays’.

11  What was his school uniform?

Ans. His school uniform was grey shirt, grey shorts, and red Wetson’s blazer.

12  Which wishes of the writer did not come true.

Ans. He wanted to have a tricycle which changed into a bicycle but his parents could not afford. He stood outside the ice cream parlour penniless.

13  When did he buy his first bicycle?

Ans. He bought his first bicycle at the age twenty two with the prize money he won at Edinburgh University.

ON DESTROYING BOOKS

Volumes (n) books,

Troops (n) army men, soldiers

Inspect (v) examine, check, view

Over two million volumes have been presented to the troops. It would be interesting to inspect them.

Indigestible (n) useless books,

Such indigestibles get into the parcel by accident.

Reluctant (adj) hesitant, loath

They are very reluctant to throw anything that looks like a book.

Scaffold (n) waste point, death bed,

It is not easy to find a scaffold for useless books.

Rope (n) death

This difficulty once brought me to the shadow of Rope.

Accumulated (adj) heaped, gathered, amassed, hoarded, piled up

Books of minor inferior verse accumulated there.

Alternative (n) choice, option,

Tenancy (n) occupancy

Evicting (v) removing, forcing out

I was faced with the alternative of either evicting the books or leaving them in sole, undisturbed tenancy and taking room elsewhere for myself.

Wipe off (v) sweep, remove

I had to wipe them off the map altogether.

Gleams (n) rays, glows, shines

Lamps threw long gleams across the road.

Nip (n) chilliness, coolness

There was a cold nip in the air.

Solitary (adj) lonely, alone, single, lone

Solitary travelers

Strode (v) walked

I strode off towards the little square glow.

Girders (n) beams, support structure

Sweeping iron girders were just visible.

Swag (n) loot, booty, stolen material

They suspected I had swag in the bag.

Furtive (adj) stealthy, sneaky

He was caught in a furtive act.

Acquitted (v) cleared, assoiled, exculpated

He acquitted me, apparently.

Implications (n) deductions, meanings

It was then all the implications revealed upon me.

Parapet (n) fortification, citadel, short wall

I leaned against the parapet.

Faintly (adj) dimly,

Luminous (adj) glowing, shining, bright, radient

Swirls (n) whirls, convolutions

I leaned against the parapet and looked down into the faintly luminous swirls of the river.

Sprang (v) jumped

I sprang back.

Fervently (adv) passionately

Rumination (n) thoughtfulness, preoccupation

I fervently hoped an air of rumination and unconcern.

Tramp (n) homeless man, vagabond,

Blaze (n) flame, spark

Next thought came like a blaze of terrible blue lightening.

Seize (v) capture

Gruff (adj) rough, hoarse, husky

Sneering (adj) mocking

I could almost hear his gruff sneering laugh.

Quailing (v) refraining, flinching

Quailing from it at the last moment

Agony (n) torture, torment

In the agony of decision, I took the plunge.

Contemptible (adj) wretched, hateful

Calling myself a contemptible coward

Slime (n) mud, ooze

Opaque (adj) dense, blind

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

-          Who wrote “On Destroying Books”?

Ans. J. C. Squire wrote “On Destroying Books”.

-          What kinds of books were sent to the troops?

Ans. People sent ordinary and useless books like Guides of Lake district, twenty years old magazines, back numbers of Whitakers Amanac. They sent these thing merely to get rid of them.

-          Who are the advantages of destroying useless book?

Ans.  Destruction of useless books not only makes room for new books but also saves one’s heirs the trouble of sorting them out.

-          Where did the writer live?

Ans. The writer lived in a heaving kissing flat of Chelsea.

-          What kind of books accumulated in his flat?

Ans. The books of minor inferior verse accumulated there.

-          Why did the writer have to destroy his books?

Ans. Because they were so many in number that writer had only one option either to leave them and get room somewhere or destroy them.

-          Why is it difficult to destroy books?

Ans. Books die hard because you cannot burn them leaf by leaf, and you cannot turn them into ash in a cooking range.  He decided to do what people do with the kittens.

-          How did he tie up the books to destroy them?

Ans. He improvised a sack, stuffed the books into it, settled on his shoulder and came out in the street at midnight.

-          What was the environment in the street when he came out with the books?

Ans.        Few people were around, and yellow light of the lamps spread across the road. There was a policeman checking the catches of the basement windows.

-          Why did the writer feel confused?

Ans. The writer felt confused that anyone who saw him with a sack would think that he was carrying a swag or baby in it.

-          How did the writer finally convince himself to throw the books?

Ans. He cursed himself by saying that if he did not throw the books now he would prove coward, and he would not have any right to raise his head. What if he was hanged?  So he threw the books.

-          What happened after he had thrown book?

Ans. There was a big splash but no one noticed.

-          How did he feel about books after throwing the books?

Ans. He felt really sad about the book. He said, “your fate is perhaps worse than you deserved”.

THE MAN WHO WAS A HOSPITAL

Detailed (v) described, elaborated

Symptoms (n) indications, evidences

Patent (adj) evident, manifest

I had just been reading a Patent liver pill circular, in which were detailed various symptoms by which a man could tell when his liver was out of order.

Extraordinary (adj) exceptional, unique

It is a most extraordinary thing.

Impelled (adj) driven, forced

I have never read patent liver circular without being impelled to the conclusion.

Virulent (adj) fatal, deadly, venomous, injurious

The disease was in its most virulent form.

Touch (n) feeling, impact

Ailment (n) disease, disorder

Slight ailment of which I had a touch

Fancy (v) think, imagine

I fancy it was.

Distemper (n) disease

Plunged into (ph) befall, suffer

Devastating (adj) destructive, ravaging

Scourge (n) curse, disease, threat

I forget which was the first distemper I plunged into -  some fearful, devastating scourge.

Indolently (adv) lazily,

Acute (adj) intense,

Commence (v) begin, start,

Acute stage will commence in a month or two.

Plodded (v) walked, moved

Conscientiously (adv) scrupulously

I plodded conscientiously through twenty six letters.

Slight (n) rebuff, insult

It was a sort of slight.

Invidious (adj) discriminatory

Why this invidious reservation.

Reflected (v) mused, pondered, speculated

Malady (n) ailment, disease

Pharmacology (n) science of drugs

I reflected that I had every other known malady in pharmacology.

Malignant (adj) cancerous, poisonous, toxic

Gout was in its most malignant stage.

Acquisition (n) requirement, favourite

What an acquisition I will be.

Induced (v) made,

I have since then been induced to thinking that it must have been there.

Decrepit (adj) feeble,

Wreck (n) rubble, ruin

I crawled out a decrepit wreck.

Patted (v) dabbed, thumped

I patted myself all over the front.

Clutched (v) caught, grasped

He clutched hold of my wrist.

Hampers (v) stops

Being only a chemist hampers me.

1   Who wrote “the man who was a hospital”?

Ans. Jerome K. Jerome wrote “The man who was a hospital”.

2   How did the writer know that he was suffering from Hay Fever?

Ans. The writer came to know that he was suffering from Hay Fever when he read its symptoms in a patent circular.

3   Why did the writer go to the British Museum library?

Ans. The writer went to the British Museum Library to read about a disease, Hay Fever.

4   How did the writer come to know that he was suffering from all the diseases?

Ans. After reading about Hay Fever, he idly turned the pages and started reading about other diseases and soon found out that he was suffering from them. He plodded through all the diseases alphabetically and was shocked to see that he was suffering from all the diseases of Pharmacology except House Maid’s Knee.

5   Which one was the only disease that writer was not suffering from? And how did he feel about it?

Ans. House Maid’s Knee was the only disease that the he was not suffering from. He considered it a sort of slight.

6   Why did the writer call himself a hospital?

Ans. The writer called himself a hospital because apparently he was suffering from all the diseases of Pharmacology.

7   Why did the writer think that he would be an acquisition for medical students?

Ans. The writer called himself an acquisition for the medical students because they would not go to any hospital for practice if they have him.

8   How did the writer examine himself?

Ans. He stuck out his tongue as much as he could, and managed to see its tip which was very red. He tried to feel his heart which was not there at all. He also tried to feel his pulse, which was stopped but suddenly seemed to start off.

9   Which kind of man was his doctor?

Ans. He was the writer’s friend who never took him so seriously.

10  How did the doctor examine him?

Ans. He lay him down on the table; hit him on the chest when he was least expecting it. He butted him with his head.

11  What was the prescription by the doctor?

Ans. The prescription was:

1 lb beefsteak every six hours,

Ten miles walk every morning,

And don’t stuff your head with the things you do not understand.

MY FINANCIAL CAREER

Rattled (adj) fazed, unsettled, unnerved, enervated

When I get into a bank, I get rattled.

Transact (v) interact, undertake

I transact business there.

Threshold (n) door step, brink, verge

The moment I cross the threshold of a bank I become an irresponsible idiot.

Shambled (v) walked, dragged

Timidly (adv) shyly, bashfully

I shambled in the bank, and looked timidly round at the clerks.

Sepulchral (adj) funeral, mournful

My voice was sepulchral.

Intend (v) want, wish, aim

I intend to open an account.

Crumpled (adj) bent, shaped

I held my fifty six dollars clutched in a crumpled ball in my pocket.

Awful (adj) bad, displeasing, dire, abominable

Reveal (v) show, break, expose, disclose

He felt I had an awful secret to reveal.

Poked (v) pushed,

Convulsive (adj) jerky, reflexive

Conjuring (adj) juggling

I poked the ball of money at him with a quick convulsive movement as if I were doing a conjuring trick.

Invalid (adj) disable, handicap

Invalid millionaire.

Reckless (adj) foolhardy, rash

Plunge (n) excuse, move

Reckless with misery I made a plunge.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

1    Who wrote “My Financial Career”?

Ans. Stephen Leacock wrote “My Financial Career”.

2    When happens to the writer when he gets into a bank?

Ans. Whenever the writer gets into a bank he gets rattled. The sight of money, clerks and wickets rattled him. He becomes an irresponsible idiot as he crosses the threshold of bank.

3    Why did the writer have to go to a bank?

Ans. The writer had to go to the bank because his salary had been raised to fifty dollars, and he thought the bank was the only place to keep the savings.

4    How much money he had when he entered the bank?

Ans. The writer had fifty six dollars in his hand in the shape a crumpled ball.

5    Who did the writer meet first of all in the bank?

Ans. The writer met Mr. Montgomery, the Accountant, who was a tall cool fellow.

6    What did the writer say to the accountant?

Ans. The writer said to the Accountant that he wanted to see the manager alone.

7    What did the writer say to the manager?

Ans. The writer said to the manager that he wanted to see him alone. So, manager took him to his private room.

8    What did the manager think of him when the writer said that he wanted to see him alone?

Ans. The manager thought that he was either a detective to reveal a secret, or the son of a billionaire to open a large account.

9    What did the manager do after listening the writer?

Ans. The manager called Mr. Montgomery, the Accountant, and told him that the writer wanted to open an account.

10  what did the writer say to the bankers after he had opened his account?

Ans.  The writer said to them that he wanted to withdraw an amount of six dollars for his present use.

11  What blunder did the writer commit when he was writing the amount on his cheque?

Ans. The writer wrote the amount of fifty six instead of six on his cheque.

12  Where did the writer keep his money after the misadventure at the bank?

Ans.  The writer kept his savings in his socks and cash in his trousers’ pocket after the misadventure at the bank.

PART II HEROES

FIRST YEAR AT HARROW

I had scarcely passed my twelfth birthday when I entered the inhospitable regions of examination, through which for the next seven years I was destined to journey.

Scarcely (adv) hardly

Inhospitable (adj) unkind

Regions (n) times, areas

Destined (v) fated, doomed

These examinations were a great trial to me.

Trial (n) test,

The subjects which were dearest to the examiners, were almost invariably those which I fancied least.

Invariably (adv) exactly, wholly

The examiners were partial to Latin and mathematics.

Partial (adj) biased, fond of

Their will prevailed.

Will (n) liking, choice

Prevailed (v) sustained, dominated, persisted, triumphed

When I would have willingly displayed my knowledge, they sought to expose my ignorance.

Willingly (adv) deliberately, consciously

Displayed (v) showed, exhibited, exposed

Mr. Welldon showed discernment in judging my general ability.

Discernment (n) judgment, understanding

Judging (n) evaluating, gauging, guessing

After much reflection I put a bracket round it.

Reflection (n) thinking, contemplation, rumination

Incidentally there arrived from nowhere in particular a blot and several smudges.

Incidentally (adv) accidentally, by the way, in the meantime

Blot (n) ink drop, stain

Smudges (n) dirty marks,

I gazed for two whole hours at this sad spectacle.

Gazed (v) saw, kept looking,

Spectacle (n) scene, display, sight

Merciful ushers collected my piece of foolscap

Merciful (adj) kind

Ushers (n) guides, doorkeepers, invigilators

He was dependent upon paper manifestations.

Manifestation (n) display, projection

In consequence of his decision, I was in due course placed in the third or the lowest division.

Consequence (n) result, effect

Placed (n) rated,

I gained no more advantage from the alphabet than from the wider sphere of letters.

Sphere (n) range, area

I continued in this unpretentious situation.

Unpretentious (adj) understated, unliked

They all went to learn Greek, latin and other splendid things like that.

Splendid (adj) awesome, brilliant, excellent

We were considered such dunces that we could learn only English.

Dunces (n) fool

Mr. Somervell, a most delightful man, to whom my debt is great.

Debt (n) obligations

He took a fairly long sentence, broke it up into its components.

Fairly (adj) pretty, somewhat, enough

It was a kind of drill.

Drill (n) exercise, practice

I learned it thoroughly.

Thoroughly (adv) deeply, detailed,

They had won prizes and distinction for writing such beautiful Latin poetry and pithy Greek epigrams.

Distinction (n) eminence, applause,

I am biased in favour of boys learning English.

Biased (adj) prejudiced, partial, one sided

The only thing I would whip them for is, not knowing English.

Whip (v) punish, lash

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

1-What was the writer’s age when he entered the inhospitable regions of examination?

Ans. He had scarcely passed his twelfth birthday when he entered the inhospitable regions of examination.

2-Why did the writer not do well in the examinations?

Ans. The writer did not do well in the examinations because he did not like the subjects which were favourite to the examiners. They like Latin and Mathematics but the writer liked history, poetry and essay writing.

3-Who was the headmaster of Harrow?

Ans. Mr. Welldon was the headmaster of Harrow.

4-What is the writer’s opinion about Mr. Welldon?

Ans. The writer says that his admission to Harrow was because of Mr. Welldon. He was a man capable of looking beneath the surface of things.

5-How did the writer attempt his Latin paper at Harrow?

Ans. He wrote his name at the top of the page. He wrote the number of question ‘I’. After much reflection, he put a bracket round it like (I). Then he did not write anything except a few smudges of ink and a big blot.

6- What advantage did the writer get for being too low in the merit?

Ans. The writer studied English whereas the brilliant boys studied classical languages like latin and Greek. In this way, the writer got the advantage of learning English earlier than brilliant boys.

7- Who was Somervell? What is the writer’s opinion about him?

Ans. Mr. Somervell was an English teacher at Harrow. The writer is much indebted to Somervell.

8. What was Somervell’s method of teaching English?

Ans. Mr. Somervell took a fairly long sentence, broke it up into different parts of speech and wrote them in different colours on the board.

Sir Alexander Fleming

These two men together revolutionized the theory and practice of medicine.

Revolutionized (v) practiced, improved, inspired

Joseph Lister, the first medical peer

Peer (n) a title for scholars

Surgeons infected the patients without knowing it.

Infected (v) damaged, tainted, contaminated

Lister sterilized his instruments with carbolic Acid.

Sterilized (v) cleaned, uncontaminated, untainted

The cure of disease was a more difficult problem.

Cure (n) remedy, treatment

Injecting carbolic Acid into the body was quickly abandoned.

Abandoned (v) given up, forsaken

Leucocytes, the body’s natural armour against diseases

Armour (n) shield, defense, protection

Thomas, his brother was a qualified occulist.

Qualified (adj) educated, literate, experienced

Occulist (n) eyes specialists

Two of his brothers became opticians.

Opticians (n) lense makers

At twenty he received a share in legacy.

Legacy (n) inheritance, bequest

It was enough for him to train for a career with better prospects.

Train (v) learn, educate

Career (n) future, vocation

Prospects (n) future, chances

At Wright’s laboratory he sought to find the means to aid Leucocytes in their fight against the invading bacteria.

Sought (v) craved, attempted, tried

Means (n) ways,

Invading (adj) attacking, usurping

The problem was tremendous.

Tremendous (adj) big, alarming

Septic infections

Septic (adj) contaminated

He set to work to tackle the problem.

Tackle (v) solve, take on

Fleming and Wright discovered that the treatment being used did more harm than good.

Treatment (n) cure, handling

Harm (n) damage, injury

A natural antiseptic manufactured by the body

Manufactured (adj) made, prepared

He made the discovery by what he modestly called an accident.

Modestly (adv) humbly, meekly

It was the forerunner of Pencillin.

Forerunner (n) precedent, precursor, herald

Lysozyme did not bring Fleming Popular fame.

Fame (n) name, popularity, recognition

He was carrying out a series of experiments.

Carrying out (v) conducting

A mould spore coming from I don’t know where, dropped on the plate.

Mould (n) fungi,

Spore (n) fibre, pollen,

Presumably

Presumably (adv) supposedly, perhaps

Fleming began to investigate

Investigate (v) research, study, find out

Some bacteria grew right up to it; others stopped short inhibited by its anti bacterial action.

Inhibited (adj) controlled, slowed, impeded, resisted, curbed

Pencillin had no toxic effects at all on Leucocytes.

Toxic (adj) deadly, fatal

He published his findings, and continued to proclaim his faith in Pencillin.

Findings (n) discoveries, study,

In practice there was one big obstacle. It could not be used in treatment until a means was found of concentrating it.

Obstacle (n) hurdle, impediment

Regretfully Fleming turned to other things.

Regretfully (adv) sadly,

A fresh attempt of concentrating Pencillin was made at Oxford by a team headed by Professor Howard Florey and Dr. E.B. Chain.

Concentrating (n) condensing

Headed (adv) led, chaired, presided

Pencillin was being hailed as a wonder drug.

Hailed (v) acclaimed, acknoeledged

He received personal expressions of gratitude from people.

Gratitude (n) thankfulness, appreciation,

He protested vigorously against the idea that Pencilling was a man made drug.

Protested (v) objected, reacted

Vigorously (adv) forcefully, energetically

Nature, in the form of a lowly vegetable, has been making it for thousands of years.

Lowly (adj) humble, trivial, petty

Americans visited the laboratory and were amazed.

Amazed (v) surprised

A gleaming, dustless, sterilized sanctum

Gleaming (adj) shining

Sanctum (n) place, room, holy place

Culture plates were never contaminated.

Contaminated (adj) polluted, dirty

The greatest benefit Pencillin has conferred is not to the drug itself but the fact that its discovery has stimulated new research.

Conferred (v) bestowed, given,

Stimulated (v) stirred, induced,

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

1        Who wrote, “Alexander Fleming”?

 Ans.       Patrick Pringle wrote “Alexander Fleming”.

2        Who discovered germs?

Ans.  Louis Pasteur discovered germs.

3        Who was Lord Lister?

Ans. Lord Lister was an English surgeon who used Carbolic Acid to sterilize his instruments before operation. He was the first man who found a way to kill the germs by antiseptic method.

4        What is antiseptic method of killing the germs?

Ans.  To kill the germs with chemicals like Carbolic Acid is called antiseptic method.

5        What is aseptic method?

Ans. To kill the germs by heating is called aseptic method.

6        Why Carbolic Acid was not used to kill the germs inside the body?

Ans.  Carbolic Acid was not used to kill the germs inside the body because it damaged Leucocytes.

7        What are Leucocytes?

Ans.  Leucocytes are the white cells of the blood which fight against germs. They are considered natural body armour.

8        Who was Metchnikoff?

Ans. Metchnikoff was Pasteur’s pupil who discovered Leucocytes and found out the exact nature of the problem that Leucocytes are damaged by the chemical antiseptics.

9        Which one was the first natural antiseptic and how was it discovered?

Ans.  Lysozyme was the first natural antiseptic discovered by Fleming in 1922. It was discovered by accident. Fleming, suffering from Catarrh, examined his nasal secretions and discovered it.

10       How did Pasteur discover Penicillin?

Ans.  In the summer of 1928, in St. Mary’s laboratory, Fleming had grown some germs on a culture plate. One day, as he was examining the germs under a microscope, a mould spore came flying through the air, and fell on the plate.  Soon the germs around the spore started dying. He found out a matter in the mould which was toxic for the germs. He called it Penicillin.

11       How did Fleming produce the anti-bacterial substance from the mould?

Ans.  Fleming plated mould on the meat broth. After some days, it grew yellow; he filtered the yellowish fluid found in it. This fluid proved toxic to the bacteria, and was far stronger than Carbolic Acid.

12       Who concentrated Penicillin?

Ans.  Oxford team headed by Sir Howard Florey and Dr. E. B. Chain concentrated Penicillin.

13       When were the first human cases treated by Penicillin?

Ans.  The first human cases were treated in 1941.

14       When did Penicillin reach Egypt?

Ans.  In 1943, Penicillin reached the Third Army in Egypt.

15       When was Fleming knighted?

Ans.  Fleming was knighted in 1944.

16       When did Fleming win the Nobel Prize?

Ans.  In 1945, Fleming won the Nobel Prize.

17       Who told the world about Fleming?

Ans. Sir Almroth Wright wrote a letter in the Times and told the world about Fleming.

18       What did Fleming say when people accused of inventing the Penicillin?

Ans.  He modestly said that it is Nature which has been making Penicillin for centuries in the form of a lowly herb. He only discovered it by accident.

19       When did Fleming die?

Ans.  Fleming died in 1955 at the age of seventy three.

LOUIS PASTEUR  

Pasteur was born in quite humble circumstances.

Humble (adj) poor, low, backward,

His father had been one of the napoleon’s conscripts, and had won the Cross of the Legion of honour for his fidelity and valour.

Conscripts (n) soldiers, troops

Fidelity (n) excellence, faithfulness

The son was fortunate in possessing the forbears of strength and character.

Possessing (n) having, keeping,

Forbears (n) legacy, inherfitence

There is much evidence of the influence of the father on the son.

Evidence (n) proof

In 1848, when Europe was politically upheaved, Pasteur enrolled himself in the National Guard.

Upheaved (adj) disturbed,

Enrolled (v) registered

“autel de la patrie”

He hurried to Paris.

Hurried (v) rushed,

He never shook off the physical effects of paralysis.

Shook off (v) recovered,

However directly he grasped the fact that his education was a great drain on his family funds, he set himself in earnest at school and developed the passion for work.

Grasped (v) understood,

Drain (n) waste,

He went on to Besancon, a bigger place, with better educational provision.

Provision (n) opportunity, facility

A chemistry professor whom Pasteur used to embarrass with his unanswerable questions

Embarrass (v) shame, abash

The professor disapproved of saying, “I don’t know.”

Disapproved (v) disliked

He was so buried in his work on his wedding day that he completely forgot the ceremony had to be fetched by a friend.

Buried (adj) busy,

Fetched (v) taken, brought, conveyed

Spontaneous generation was or was not a fact.

Spontaneous (adj) automatic, self generated

He settled the matter once and for all in the negative, proving that if a substance be sufficiently heated to destroy all life, and if the air in contact with it be filtered, so that it’s free of germs, then the substance does not alter.

Settled (v) solved

Once and for all (idm) for good, forever

Substance (n) matter,

Filtered (adj) purified

Alter (v) change

Pasteur asked for arbitration.

Asked for (ph) demanded

Arbitration (n) neutral  judgment ,

Pasteur and his adversaries were to repeat experiments. Pasteur appeared loaded with apparatus.

Adversaries (n) competitors, rivals,

Apparatus (n) equipment

This work stimulated other scientists to study the habits of germs. Much of our modern knowledge sprang from Pasteur’s discoveries.

Stimulated (v) encouraged

Pasteur filled with love of France and loathing of Germany.

Loathing (n) hate, abhorrence

The sight of this parchment is odious to me, and I feel offended at seeing my name.

Sight (n) view,

Parchment (n) document, paper

Odious (adj) ugly, hateful

He imparted his discoveries to English brewers with rather illuminating remarks.

Imparted (v) shared, communicated

Illuminating (adj) shinig

Pasteur’s work on fermentation alone saved France more than enough to pay the indemnity of Franco-German war.

Indemnity (n) amends, damages, redress

Lister’s work on inflammation of wounds

Inflammation (n) pain, contamination

Wounds making amputation necessary

Amputation (n) surgery, removal of limbs

Surgeons were unwilling to operate except as a last and desperate resort.

Desperate (n) dire, do or die

Resort (n) refuge, attempt

If germs were excluded from wounds, inflammation was averted.

Averted (v) avoided,

Excluded (v) removed

Instruments, doctor’s hands and everything else are rigorously disinfected.

Rigorously (adv) thoroughly

Disinfected (v) sterilized, freed of germs, uncontaminated

Enormous value of this work is shown.

Enormous (adj) huge, big

A mysterious epidemic of silk worm diseases

Epidemic (n) scourge, contagion

Rearing and tending of silk worms

Rearing (n) raising, growing

Tending (n) looking after

Industry flourished consistently

Flourished (v) prospered, developed

It reappeared in the first generation of descendents of these imported moths.

Descendents (n) offspring, children

Moths (n) worms,

This reduced silk growers to despair.

Reduced (v) changed,

Despair (n) hopelessness, dismay

He pleaded ignorance in vain.

Pleaded (v) declared, justified

This coupled with his sympathy for the people of devastated region overcame his reluctance and he set out for Alais.

Coupled (v) mixed, twisted, combined

Devastated (adj) destroyed, ruined

Reluctance (n) hesitation

Pasteur suggested collecting the eggs, laid by each moth separately, and only keeping those derived from healthy parents.

Derived (adj) taken

Weakened insects made them more liable to disease.

Liable (adj) prone

Pasteur came to rescue.

Rescue (n) help,

Paralytic stroke has been attributed to overwork.

Stroke (n) attack

Attributed (adj) linked, ascribed

He cultivated the anthrax bacillus.

Cultivated (v) developed, grew, raised

He identified germs associated with different diseases.

Identified (v) recognized, branded

An appalling number of women died from the disease.

Appalling (adj) alarming, shocking

One of the most distinguished authorities was eloquently descanting on the causes of epidemics.

Distinguished (adj) respectable

Eloquently (adv) authoritatively,

Descanting (v) musing, speaking, singing

Vaccines are the weakened germs which can be inoculated in measured quantities into human beings as a cure or preventive of the disease.

Inoculated (v) injected

Fowl- cholera

Fowl (v) bird

Suffocated

Suffocated (v) choked

The attenuated spinal cord introduced into dogs rendered them immune to hydrophobia.

Attenuated (adj) weakened, extenuated

Rendered (v) made, caused

Immune (adj) resistant

Pasteur, being as usual extremely anxious to ward off sufferings, undertook the treatment of the boy by inoculation.

Ward off (v) avert, avoid

Undertook (v) conducted, attempted, took on

Inoculation (n) vaccination, injecting

Results were by no means confined to the cure of Hydrophobia.

Confined (v) limited

Malaria was banished by draining the malarial districts.

Banished (v) driven out, expelled

Draining (n) cleaning, wiping

All cisterns and wells should be kept closed.

Cisterns (n) reservoirs, water pools,

Quinine is invaluable as a preventative and cure.

Invaluable (adj) priceless

In fever and in epilepsy the body was possessed by demons.

Possessed (adj) captured

Demons (n) devils, evil spirits

Pasteur abolished forever these superstitions.

Abolished (v) done away with, finished, diminished

 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

1    Who wrote “Louis Pasteur”?

Ans. Margaret Avery

2    When and where was Pasteur born?

Ans. Pasteur was born at Dole in Jura district of France in 1822.

3    How can you prove that Pasteur was more a patriot than a scientist?

Ans. Most of the things Pasteur did were in love for France. However here are the few which are really remarkable:

(i)         In 1848, when Europe was politically upheaved, Pasteur enrolled himself in National Guard and donated 150 francs.

(ii)        In 1870, when France was at war with Germany, he returned the degree of Doctor of Medicine to Bonn University, and tried to enroll himself in the National Guard, but was refused because he was a half paralyzed man.

(iii)      After being refused from National Guard, Pasteur took the sword of science and worked on the fermentation. He succeeded in brewing the wine finer than of Germany. His work brought so much revenue that France compensated the damages of war with Germany.

4    Why did Pasteur go to Besancon from Arbois?

Ans. Pasteur went to Besancon because Philosophy was not taught at Arbois.

5    How did Pasteur trouble his chemistry professor at Besancon?

Ans. Pasteur was so good at chemistry that his questions always perplexed his Chemistry teacher. The teacher did not like to say “I don’t know”, so he always tried to discourage Pasteur.

6    What happened when Pasteur tried to get admission in Ecole Normale?

Ans. In 1842, Pasteur went for Entrance examination to the great Ecole Normale but was too disappointed to see his name at fourteen in the merit list. He refused to get admission. Next year he tried again, and was satisfied to see that he was fourth.

7    What was the concept of spontaneous generation?

Ans. Spontaneous generation was the false belief that inanimate things can breed living organisms.

8    When and how did Pasteur prove the concept of Spontaneous Generation wrong?

Ans. In 1860, French Academy offered a prize for anyone who would prove or negate the concept of Spontaneous generation. Pasteur entered the competition and proved that if the substance be sufficiently heated and the air in contact is filtered, the substance remains lifeless, because bacteria do not develop in it.

9    By which achievement Pasteur is known to the man in street?

Ans. Pasteur is known to the man in street by his work on the silk worm disease.

10   Why did Pasteur first refuse to tackle the silk worm disease?

Ans. Pasteur, at first, refused to investigate the silk worm disease because he was only a chemist not a naturalist.

11   How did mr. Dumas convince Pasteur to investigate the silk worm disease?

Ans. At first Pasteur refused by saying that he was only a chemist but not a naturalist, Mr. Dumas replied, “so much the better. You will only have the ideas which come to you from your own observation.”

12   What were Pasteur’s findings about the silk worm disease? What did Pasteur suggest to the farmers of silk worms?

Ans. Pasteur found that the disease was caused by overcrowding and overheating. He asked the farmers to avoid it. He also suggested them to use microscope and keep the eggs of healthy parents.

13   What is vaccine?

Ans. Vaccine is the injecting of weakened germs into the healthy body to make it immune to the virulent germs.

14   How did Pasteur find the cure of the animal disease of Anthrax?

Ans. Pasteur cultivated the anthrax bacillus (bacteria) in their weakened form. Then he introduced them to the diseased body to immune it.

15   What was the first human disease on which Pasteur applied inoculation method?

Ans. Pasteur applied the inoculation method on Rabies also called Hydrophobia.

16   What are the signs of Hydrophobia?

Ans. Spasms, restlessness, shudders, an ardent thirst, furious rage and suffocating amount of mucus are the signs of hydrophobia.

17   How did Pasteur treat Rabies?

Ans. Pasteur treated Rabies by taking the nervous tissues of the mad dog and attenuating before introducing it to the patient. It worked as a vaccine.

18   When did Pasteur die?

Ans. Pasteur died in 1895, at the age of seventy three.