Read the paragraphs and answers the questions.

Comprehension Exercise - 1

Speech is a great blessing, but it can also be a great curse. While it helps us to make our intentions and desires known to our fellows, it can also, if we use it carelessly, make our attitude completely misunderstood. A slip of a tongue or the use of an unusual word may create an enemy where we have hoped to win a friend. Again different classes of people use different vocabularies and the ordinary speech of an educated man may strike an uneducated listener as showing. Thus speech is not a gift to use lightly without thought but one which demands careful handling."

Questions:

(1)    How is speech a great blessing?
(2)    What harm can a slip of the tongue do?
(3)    How should the gift of speech be used?
(4)    Explain the meanings of the italicized words.

Comprehension Exercise - 2

"Science and technology have been advancing by leaps and bounds in different lands, but peace and happiness, inhuman society has not increased accordingly. On the other hand, we observe a corresponding decrease in peace and happiness of man. Through science man derives great ft power from the domain of nature and man can make use of them in the service of humanity.   But man needs suitable location or fitness of mind for good use of this great power. Mother words, he needs moral and spiritual education which will teach him to distinguish between the good and the bad. Man can use this power like a giant and destroy this beautiful creation of God or use it like a God and increase peace and prosperity of man."

Questions:

(1)    What has been the effect of advancing science on human happiness?      
(2)    Why does, man need moral and spiritual education?
(3)    'What will happen if man uses scientific power like a giant?
(4)    Find a suitable title for the above passage.

Comprehension Exercise - 3

"If you make a mistake, have the moral courage to immediately acknowledge your error and put it right. Mis¬takes do very little harm if they are acknowledged without delays are corrected before they had the time to do any harm. Let .them remain unattended and they may do untold harm both to the task in hand and to your reputation. Contrary to general belief, nobody despises a person who has the moral courage to admit that he is in the wrong and is immediately prepared to make good the error. What can you say to the man who frankly admits? "I beg your pardon, you are quite right and I am quite wrong. Please let me sort the matter right now immediately before it can do any harm. Would you despise a man like that? Then why not emulate him? Here let me tell you that nobody likes any man who is trying to keep his end up by desperate lying, when he is in the wrong and everybody knows it."

Questions:

(1)    When do mistakes do very little harm?
(2)    Whom do we not despise?
(3)    What harm can mistake do if not attended properly?
(4)    Who is not liked by people?

Comprehension Exercise - 4

Unemployment is that state of affairs when one is capable of and willing to work, but has no work to do. It means wastage of man power and starvation if it is among the illiterate. It can also bring about lawlessness and threaten social peace if it is among the educated. Population control and full use of our natural resources can solve it to a great existent. The government is doing its best stepping up production and establishing large and small-scale industries. The dire need of the hour is that people must co-operate with the government to make economic plans and policies Successful."

Questions:

(1)    What can unemployment among the educated do?
(2)    How can the problem of unemployment be solved?
(3)    What has the government done in this direction?
(4)    What does unemployment mean?

Comprehension Exercise - 5

Games, though essential, should not become the be-all end-all of student life. Generally the sportsmen waste too much time on them and fail in examinations. One must never devote more than an hour to sports and after that should not even think about them. Again, if a player plays a game rashly, there is every danger of his breaking his bones. If it is played without the spirit of sportsman ship. It would be impossible for us to continue living in this world if each of us knew exactly what fate had in store for him. So God in His mercy conceals the future from all His creatures and reveals only the present. He hides from the animals what men know, and He hides from men -what the angels know. For example, if a lamb had reason like a man, it could not live happily knowing it was destined to be killed for human food. But being quite ignorant of its fate, it is happy to the last moment of its short life, contentedly grazing in the flowery meadow, and even, in its innocence, .licking the hand of the butcher who is about to slaughter it. What a blessing it is that we are ignorant of the future! God, to whom the death of a sparrow is of equal importance with the death of a hero, has in His mercy thus limited our knowledge, so that we may fulfill our duty in the sphere to which He has appointed us:

Questions:

(1) Why does a lamb kiss the hand of the butcher who is about to slaughter it?
(2) Do we know anything about the future?
(3) Why has God limited our knowledge?
(4) Is God unkind or merciful in hiding the future from His creatures?
(5) Give a suitable title to the passage