Table of Contents
- Prose Passage: "Of Studies" by Francis Bacon
- Question 91: Why a man should read books
- Question 92: Categories suggested for reading
- Question 93: What makes a man wise and deep
- Question 94: How reading becomes perfect
- Question 95: Advantages of studying books
- Poetry Passage: D.H. Lawrence
- Question 96: Dominant Rasa in the poem
- Question 97: Central symbol in the poem
- Question 98: Action of the woman
- Question 99: Objects in contact with the body
- Question 100: Function of the opening lines
Reading Comprehension: Prose (Questions 91-95)
Read the passage and answer the questions given below:
"Studies serve for delight, for ornament and for ability. Their chief use for delight is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgement and disposition of business. For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs, come best from those that are learned. To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgement wholly by their rules, is the humour of a scholar. They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning, by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Read not to contradict and confute; not to believe and take for granted; not to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things. Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit; and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not. Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend."
(Note: This is the complete text of Francis Bacon's famous essay "Of Studies").
Question 91
Why should a man read books?
According to the passage, the primary and ideal purpose of reading is "to weigh and consider."
The text explicitly states: "Read not to contradict and confute; not to believe and take for granted; not to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider." This encourages critical thinking and reflection rather than argumentative or passive reading.
Question 92
How many categories the author has suggested for the purpose of reading?
The author explicitly suggests three purposes for reading (studies) in the very first sentence of the essay.
The text states: "Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability."
Question 93
What according to the author makes a man wise, witty, subtle and morally and philosophically deep?
According to the author, the act of reading specific subjects is what cultivates these varied traits.
The text states: "Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave..." All of these are acquired through the study and reading of those specific disciplines.
Question 94
How does reading become perfect?
Reading (studies) becomes perfect when bounded and applied through practical experience.
The text states: "They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience... and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience." Reading alone provides theoretical directions that are too broad; practical, real-world application (experience) refines and perfects that knowledge.
Question 95
What are the advantages of studying books?
The comprehensive advantages of studying books are delight, ornament, and ability.
This is drawn directly from the opening thesis statement of the text: "Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability." Options 1 and 2 are incomplete, and Option 3 misinterprets "ability in the judgement and disposition of business" as just "ability to success."
Reading Comprehension: Poetry (Questions 96-100)
Read the following stanza and answer the questions that follow:
“When she rises in the morning linger to watch her
She spreads the bath cloth underneath the window
And the sunbeams catch her
Glistening white on the shoulders
While down her sides the mellow
Golden shadow glows as
She stoops to the sponge, and her swung breasts
Sway like full-blown yellow
Gloire de Dijon roses
She drips herself with water, and her shoulders
Glisten as silver, they crumble up
Like wet and falling roses, and I listen
For the sluicing of their rain-dishevelled petals.
In the window full of sunlight
Concentrates her golden shadow
Fold on fold, until it glows as
Mellow as the glory roses.”
(Note: This poem is "Gloire de Dijon" by D.H. Lawrence).
Question 96
Which dominant rasa is there in the poem?
The dominant rasa (aesthetic flavor/emotion in Indian poetics) of this poem is Shringara rasa, which represents love, romance, sensuality, and aesthetic beauty.
The vivid, erotic, and sensual imagery used by the voyeuristic observer to describe the woman bathing ("glistening white," "swung breasts / sway like full-blown yellow... roses," "glisten as silver") evokes deep romantic allure and physical admiration, the hallmark of Shringara.
(Note: Karuna = sorrow/compassion; Adbhuta = wonder/supernatural; Hasya = humor).
Question 97
What is the central symbol in the poem?
The central, unifying symbol in the poem is the Woman as a rose (specifically, the yellow Gloire de Dijon rose).
Throughout the text, her body parts and movements are repeatedly compared to the anatomy of a rose: her breasts sway "like full-blown yellow / Gloire de Dijon roses," and her wet shoulders "crumble up / Like wet and falling roses" with "rain-dishevelled petals." The entire visual metaphor centers on the woman blooming and bathing like a flower.
Question 98
What is the woman doing in the poem?
The woman is engaging in a morning bathing ritual near a sunlit window.
This is made explicitly clear by the physical actions described in the text: "She spreads the bath cloth," "She stoops to the sponge," and "She drips herself with water."
There is no mention of a looking glass (1), she is underneath the window rather than peeping out of it (2), and the roses are purely metaphorical, not literal flowers she is collecting (4).
Question 99
What are the objects which come in contact with the woman's body?
The physical elements that interact with and touch the woman's body in the scene are sunbeams, shadow, and water.
The text states: "the sunbeams catch her", the "Golden shadow glows" down her sides, and she "drips herself with water."
Options 1 and 4 are incorrect because the "flower" (rose) is a simile/metaphor used by the narrator to describe her appearance; actual, physical flowers do not come into contact with her body during the bath.
Question 100
The first two lines of the poem-
The opening lines ("When she rises in the morning linger to watch her / She spreads the bath cloth underneath the window") act as a structural framing device.
They establish the intimate, voyeuristic perspective of the speaker ("linger to watch her") and set the visual stage. This frame instructs the reader how to view the highly detailed, sensual, metaphorical portrait that makes up the remainder of the poem.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main thesis of Francis Bacon's essay "Of Studies"?
Bacon argues that study and reading are essential for personal delight, social conversation (ornament), and professional competence (ability), but they must be balanced with and bounded by real-world, practical experience to be truly useful.
What does Bacon mean by "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested"?
He is categorizing reading methods based on the quality and importance of the book. Some books only require skimming (tasting), some can be read quickly without deep analysis (swallowed), and the most valuable books require deep, diligent, and critical reading (chewed and digested).
What is Shringara Rasa?
In the ancient Indian aesthetic theory of Rasa (from the Natyashastra), Shringara is the "King of Rasas." It represents the emotion of love, romance, eroticism, and aesthetic beauty, which perfectly aligns with the sensual imagery in D.H. Lawrence's poem.
Who wrote the poem "Gloire de Dijon"?
It was written by D.H. Lawrence. He frequently used powerful, visceral nature imagery (like the Gloire de Dijon climbing rose) to explore themes of human sexuality, physical beauty, and vitality.
