The Rule of the Road

Chapter 8

The Rule of the Road

Prepared by Daya Krishan @ PM Shri GSSS School ਖਨੌਰੀ Girls , ਸੰਗਰੂਰ  Punjab.India 

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.

Why was the stout ( ਹੱਟੀ ਕੱਟੀ) lady walking down the middle of a road ?

Answer:

Because she thought she was free to walk anywhere.

Or

She thought she had liberty to walk wherever she liked. She said now they had got liberty.

वह समझती थी कि उसे इस बात की आज़ादी है कि वह जहाँ चाहे, चल सकती है। उसने कहा कि अब उन्हें आजादी प्राप्त हो गई थी।

Question 2.

How was the stout lady mistaken about liberty ?

Answer:

She thought she was free to walk anywhere.

Or

She failed to understand that if every man were free to do what he liked,there would be no freedom at all. There would be chaos everywhere.

वह इस बात को समझने में असफल रही कि यदि प्रत्येक आदमी वह करने को आजाद हो जो वह चाहता है, तो वहां बिल्कुल कोई आजादी नहीं रहेगी। सभी जगह अराजकता फैल जाएगी।

Question 3.

What does the policeman at Picadilly Circus symbolize ?

Answer:

He symbolizes freedom.

Or

He symbolizes the true meaning of liberty. He puts a little check on personal liberty so that there is social liberty.

वह स्वतन्त्रता के सच्चे अर्थ का प्रतीक है। वह निजी स्वतन्त्रता पर थोड़ी-सी रोक लगाता है ताकि वहां सामाजिक स्वतन्त्रता हो सके।

Question 4.

Can we do whatever we feel like doing?

Answer:

No, we cannot do whatever we feel like doing.

Or

Liberty is not a personal affair. It is a social contract. So we can’t be free to do whatever we like to do.

स्वतन्त्रता कोई निजी बात नहीं होती। यह एक सामाजिक इकरारनामा होती है। इसलिए हम अपनी इच्छा का हर कोई काम करने को स्वतन्त्र नहीं हो सकते हैं।

Question 5.

What was the writer reading during the journey ?

Answer:

He was reading a Blue-book.

वह एक महत्त्वपूर्ण सूचनाओं वाली पुस्तक पढ़ रहा था।

Question 6.

Why did the writer need a reasonable silence in the compartment ?

Answer:

The writer was reading a Blue -book and the person who talked much disturbed the writer.

Or

The writer was not reading the book for pleasure. He was reading it for a serious purpose. That was why he needed a reasonable silence.

लेखक पुस्तक को आनन्द के लिए नहीं पढ़ रहा था। वह इसे एक गम्भीर उद्देश्य के लिए पढ़ रहा था। इसी कारण से उसे यथोचित शान्ति की आवश्यकता थी।

Question 7.

Who disturbed the author on the train ?

Answer:

The person who talked much disturbed the writer.

Or

Two passengers boarded the train. One of them kept talking loudly. The author couldn’t concentrate on the book he wanted to read.

दो यात्री गाड़ी में सवार हुए। उनमें से एक ऊंचे-ऊंचे स्वर में बोलता रहा। लेखक अपना ध्यान उस पुस्तक में केन्द्रित न कर पाया जो वह पढ़ना चाहता था।

Question 8.

What was the intruding passenger talking of ?

Answer:

He was talking randomly on many subjects.

Or

He was not talking of any particular thing. He was talking of any and every subject under the sun.

वह किसी विशेष विषय पर बात नहीं कर रहा था। वह कल्पना किए जा सकने वाले किसी भी और सभी विषयों पर बोल रहा था।

Question 9.

What is the basis of social contract ?

Answer:

Thinking about the rights of others is the basis of social contract.

Or

A reasonable consideration for the rights of others is the basis of social contract.

दूसरों के अधिकारों के प्रति उचित सम्मान रखना सामाजिक समझौते का आधार होता है।

Question 10.

We should be a judicious mixture of both.What does the writer mean by this statement ?

Answer:

The writer means that we must be a judicious mixture of anarchism and socialism.

Or

There can neither be complete social liberty nor complete individual liberty. There must be a judicious mixture of both.

वहां न तो पूर्ण रूप से सामाजिक स्वतन्त्रता हो सकती है और न ही व्यक्तिगत स्वतन्त्रता। वहां अवश्य दोनों का विवेकपूर्ण मिश्रण होना चाहिए।

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.

What is the theme of the essay, ‘The Rule of the Road ? Explain.

Answer:

Liberty is not a personal affair. It is a social contract. Our personal liberty must not become a cause of nuisance for others. It is good to have personal liberty, but we must have reasonable consideration for the rights of others. Only then we can sweeten the journey of life.

स्वतन्त्रता कोई निजी बात नहीं होती है। यह एक सामाजिक समझौता होता है। हमारी निजी स्वतन्त्रता दूसरों के लिए सिरदर्दी नहीं बननी चाहिए। निजी स्वतन्त्रता होना अच्छी बात होती है किन्तु हमें दूसरों के अधिकारों के प्रति उपयुक्त सम्मान रखना चाहिए। केवल तभी हम जीवन-रूपी यात्रा को मधुर बना सकते हैं।

Question 2.

Describe, in your own words, how the writer was disturbed during his train journey.

Answer:

During his train journey, the writer wanted to do some serious reading. But two men boarded the train and sat next to him. One of them started talking loudly. He kept talking irrelevantly all the time. He made it impossible for the writer to continue with his reading.

अपनी रेल-यात्रा के दौरान लेखक कोई गम्भीर पढ़ने का काम करना चाहता था। किन्तु दो आदमी गाड़ी में सवार हो गए और उसकी बगल में बैठ गए। उनमें से एक ऊंचे स्वर में बातें करने लगा। वह पूरा समय असंगत बातें करता रहा। उसने लेखक के लिए अपना पढ़ने का काम जारी रखना असम्भव बना दिया।

Question 3.

‘Liberty is not a personal affair only, but a social contract.’ Explain.

Answer:

Liberty is not a personal affair; it is a social contract. Unrestrained personal liberty can lead to chaos only. Our personal liberty should not intrude into the liberty of others. It should not become a nuisance for others. In order to sweeten the journey of life, we should have a reasonable regard for the liberty of others.

आज़ादी कोई निजी विषय नहीं होता; यह एक सामाजिक समझौता होता है। अनियन्त्रित निजी आजादी केवल अव्यवस्था की ओर ले जा सकती है। हमारी निजी आजादी को दूसरों की आज़ादी में घुसपैठ नहीं करना चाहिए। यह दूसरों के लिए सिरदर्दी नहीं बननी चाहिए। जीवन रूपी यात्रा को मधुर बनाने के लिए हमें दूसरों की आजादी के प्रति उचित सम्मान प्रदर्शित करना चाहिए।

Vocabulary and Grammar

Question 1.

Match the phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B :

Answer:

A ——– B

A pointed out — showed, explained

of course — without doubt

to have a fancy for — to have a liking for

to be indifferent to — to ignore

to occur — to come to mind

to look after — to take care of

to fly into passion — to go mad

to rush out — to come out quickly

to reflect on — to think about

Question 2.

Add the correct suffixes to the words given in the brackets and fill in the blanks, choosing words from the list given below :

Answer:

1. We must work hard for our freedom.

2. The difference between madness and wisdom is measured by success.

3. Human journey from childhood to manhood is full of surprises.

4. Truthfulness is essential for sweetness in life.

5. Parenthood is an art.

6. Happiness is an intrinsic quality.

 Question 3.

Fill in the blanks with suitable words from amongst those given in the box :

Answer:

There once lived in Athens a very wise man called Diogenes. He was an eccentric fellow. To show people how he despised wealth and luxury, he lived in an old tub. One day he came to the marketplace with a lighted lantern in broad daylight. He looked at the face of everyone he met with his lantern. People followed him wondering as to what he was searching for. But he did not answer their questions. At last he blew out his lantern and went into his tub. When people pressed him for an answer, he replied, “I was looking for an honest man; but there is not a single such man in all Athens.”

Question 4.

Punctuate the following sentences : Answer:

(a) “But why? Isn’t it absurd ?” I persisted. “I can buy as many things as I like,” he replied.

(b) John said, “I am in a hurry and can’t spare time.”

(c) Phatik was furious. He cried, “If you don’t get down this minute, I’ll thrash you.”

(d) “What an easy paper !” said Ashok. “Was it set by a kind examiner ?”

(e) On Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Afghanistan would reach India.

Question 5.

Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences :

Answer:

(a) Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties.

(b) Mumbai is a very large city.

(c) Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, has thirty-nine satellites.

(d) The equator is an imaginary line that divides the earth into two equal halves.

Question 6.

Fill in the blanks with correct form of the verbs given in brackets :

Answer:

(a) Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar has been nominated for this year’s Grammy Award for his album, ‘Full Circle’.

(b) This is the fourth time he has been nominated for the music world’s top award.

(c) Shankar has already won two Grammy Awards.

(d) ‘Full Circle’, which was recorded in October 2000, features Shankar’s rendering of the night raga Kaushi Kanhara.

Objective Type Questions

Question 1.

What is liberty ?

(i) A personal affair.

(ii) A social contract.

(iii) Both of these.

(iv) None of these.

Answer:

(ii) A social contract.

Question 2.

What was the author reading during the journey ?

Answer:

He was reading a Blue-book

Question 3.

We should interfere in the liberty of others. (True/False)

Answer:

False

Question 4.

The stout old lady was walking in the middle of the

(i) road

(ii) pavement

(iii) railway track

(iv) none of these.

Answer:

(i) road

Question 5.

The policeman at Picadilly Circus is the symbol of ……..

(i) liberty

(ii) tyranny

(iii) anarchy

(iv) none of these.

Answer:

(i) liberty

Question 6.

A reasonable consideration for the …………. of others is the foundation of social conduct.

(i) duties

(ii) friends

(iii) rights

(iv) relatives.

Answer:

(iii) rights

Answer each of the following in one word / phrase / sentence :

Question 1.

Name the author of the chapter.

Answer:

A.G. Gardiner.

Question 2.

What is the author’s purpose in writing this essay ?

Answer:

To tell us how we should behave while using the roads.

Question 3.

What was the undesirable thing the lady was doing in Petrograd ?

Answer:

She was causing confusion all around.

Question 4.

What did the lady wrongly think ?

Answer:

She thought she was free to do anything she liked.

Question 5.

Is a policeman controlling the traffic a symbol of tyranny ?

Answer:

No, he is truly a symbol of liberty.

Question 6.

How can we enjoy a good social order ?

Answer:

By allowing our liberty to be curtailed a bit.

Question 7.

Can I be allowed to do whatever I feel like ?

Answer:

No, I can do nothing that affects other people’s liberty.

Question 8.

Why was the author feeling uncomfortable in the train ?

Answer:

Because his co-passengers went on chatting very loudly.

Question 9.

Can we be complete anarchists or completely socialists ?

Answer:

No, we can and must try to be a judicious mixture of both.

Question 10.

Can I choose to make my son a pickpocket ?

Answer:

No, such an unsocial act is not allowed in a civilized society.

Complete the following:

1. The lady in Petrograd had no respect for …………

2. The excessive individual liberty is liable to become a social

3. The policeman at the Picadilly circus is a symbol of …………………. not of tyranny.

4. In my own matters, I can be as ………………… as I like.

5. We are more conscious of ………………… than of our own.

6. Good social conduct implies a ……………. consideration for the rights of others.

Answer:

1. rule of the road

2. anarchy

3. liberty

4. free

5. the faults of others

6. reasonable.

Write True or False against each statement :

1. The lady in the story was walking in London.

2. Picadilly Circus is in Petrograd.

3. Our liberty should not cause inconvenience to others.

4. The two men in the railway carriage were aware of the rule of the road.

5. The author wanted to read a novel in the train.

6. A civilized person always has a consideration for the rights of others.

7. Liberty is merely a personal affair, not a social contract.

Answer:

1. False

2. False

3. True

4. False

5. False

6. True

7. False