Chapter 10: Of Studies Textbook Solutions

NIOS Class 12 English Chapter 10 Question Answer

INTEXT QUESTIONS 10.1

1. What are the three uses of studies? How can one experience delight through studies?

Ans: The three chief uses of studies include amusement, adornment and ability. Studies delight us the most when done privately.

2. When does a study create unwillingness?

Ans: Bacon warns that studying for too long can create unwillingness.

3. When does study become affectation? Select the most suitable answer from the options written below:

i. When a person studies too much.

ii. When he uses them too much for ornaments.

iii. When making judgement wholly by their rules.

iv. When they use them privately.

Ans: ii. When he uses them too much for ornaments.

4. What is compared to natural plants?

Ans: Human mind and thinking capacity are compared to natural plants. Studies trim the innate immaturities of human thought to help one grow, just as the growth of a plant is improved by trimming.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 10.2

1. Why should a man study?

Ans: A man should study to learn to gain insights from observation.

2. What kind of books are to be tasted? What kind of books are to be chewed and digested?

Ans: Books of less importance are to be simply tasted. Books of substance and significance are to be chewed and digested, to fully extract their meaning and implement in one’s life.

3. According to Bacon, which are the meaner sort of books?

Ans: The meaner sort of books are, according to Bacon’s consideration, the “distilled books” (summarised books), like distilled waters (purified water), which he describes as “flashy things,” lacking depth and with little substance or worth.

4. What kind of learning problem does a man have if he writes little? Select the most suitable answer from the options written below:

a) To have a great memory

b) To have a present wit

c) To have much cunning

d) None of the above

Ans: (a) To have a great memory.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 10.3

1. According to Bacon, what are the benefits of studying history, poetry, mathematics, natural philosophy, morality, logic and rhetoric?

Ans: An exploration of history develops wisdom, while poetry stimulates one’s wit. Mathematics is known for its ability to cultivate precision and natural philosophy improves one’s intellect. Morals make a person solemn, while the study of logic and rhetoric promotes broader knowledge.

2. According to Bacon, the exercises of bowling and shooting are good for which diseases?

Ans: According to Bacon, bowling is good for diseases of the bladder and the kidneys, while shooting is good for diseases of the lungs and breast.

3. According to Bacon, the exercises of gentle walking and riding are good for which diseases?

Ans: According to Bacon, gentle walking is good for diseases of the stomach, and riding is good for diseases of the head.

4. If a man’s wit is wandering, what does Bacon suggest to do?

Ans: Bacon suggests the study of mathematics as the cure for a wandering mind. This is because if a man’s mind wanders as he tries to solve a problem, he will have to begin again.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 10.4

Fill in the blanks with proper form of verbs given in the bracket:

1. The chef ____ (prepare) a gourmet meal for the VIP guests.

Ans: is preparing

2. By the time you arrive, we ____ (complete) the first phase of the project.

Ans: will have completed

3. In the future, technology ____ (revolutionise) the way we live.

Ans: will revolutionise

4. As we speak, the scientists ____ (conduct) groundbreaking research in the lab.

Ans: are conducting

5. The company ____ (launch) its new product next year.

Ans: will launch

6. Our team ____ (develop) a new software application this quarter.

Ans: is developing

7. If you are away, your cat ____ (create) a mess in the living room.

Ans: will create

8. The orchestra members ____ (practice) diligently for their upcoming concert.

Ans: are practising

9. I believe she ____ (achieve) great success in her career.

Ans: will achieve 

10. By the end of this century, humans ____ (colonise) Mars.

Ans: will have colonised

INTEXT QUESTIONS 10.5

1. Read the following sentences and complete them using the correct form of the words given below.

disgrace, terror, disobey, respect, place, suggest, consider, contempt, achieve, satisfy

i. Making fun of others and calling their names is ___________ behaviour. We must learn to ___________ the individuality of persons and treat no one in a ___________ manner.

Ans: disgraceful, respect, contemptuous.

ii. Hard work and perseverance can help anyone to earn a ___________ ___________ in society.

Ans: respectable place

iii. ___________ is looked upon as a serious offence in the army. No ___________ is shown towards a rule breaker.

Ans: disobedience, consideration

iv. I was ___________ of the dark. My friend ___________ that I should overcome my fear by practising stepping into a familiar dark ___________ to begin with. I think his ___________ has helped me in controlling this ___________ of the dark that I had.

Ans: terrified, suggested, place, suggestion, terror

v. As I look back at my ___________ with ___________ I remember my teacher who showed me the right direction.

Ans: achievements, satisfaction

2. Provide one-word substitutions for the following descriptions.

i. Reading, writing and speaking.

Ans: study 

ii. Plots and marshalling of affairs.

Ans: management

iii. To ask one to leave one’s current space or task and do something else.

Ans: call away

iv. Someone who makes excessively fine distinctions in reasoning.

Ans: cymini sectores

v. The quality of doing work carefully and thoroughly.

Ans: diligence

vi. Looking too bright, big, and expensive in a way that is intended to get attention and admiration.

Ans: flashy

vii. Something that makes it difficult for a person or thing to move or progress.

Ans: impediment 

viii. To make food, drink, etc., go down your throat to your stomach.

Ans: swallow

ix. To be clever in a dishonest or bad way.

Ans: cunning 

x. To perform a task, etc., or to put a plan into action.

Ans: execute

3. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:

i. Crafty men ……… studies, simple men ……… them, and wise men ……….them.

Ans: Condemn, admire, use

ii. Read not to ……. and ………, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and ………, but to weigh and ……….

Ans: Contradict, confute, discourse, consider

iii. Some books are to be ……, others to be …….., and some few to be ……….

Ans: Tasted, swallowed, chewed and digested

iv. Histories make men wise; poets …….; the mathematics …….. natural philosophy deep; moral ……… logic and ……… able to …………

Ans: Witty, subtle, grave, rhetoric, contend

v. So if a man’s wit be ……., let him study the mathematics; for in …………, if his wit be ……… never so little, he must begin again.

Ans: Wandering, demonstrations, called away

Let’s Do

Match the items in Column A with their corresponding items in Column B.

Column A	Column B
1. “Reading maketh a full man.”	j) Knowledge acquired through studies shapes one’s character and behaviour.
2. “Writing maketh an exact man.”	b) Regular reading leads to a well-rounded individual.
3. “Conference maketh a ready man.”	c) Engaging in discussions and conversations sharpens one’s wit and ability to communicate effectively.
4. “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.”	d) Writing helps to refine one’s thoughts and ideas, ensuring clarity and precision.
5. “Histories make men wise.”	e) Studying various subjects enhances one’s capabilities and skills.
6. “Nay, there is no stone or impediment in the wit but may be wrought out by fit studies.”	f) Individuals who despise learning are often deceitful and untrustworthy.
7. “Crafty men condemn studies.”	g) Historical accounts provide valuable insights and lessons.
8. “They perfect nature and are perfected by experience.”	h) Diligently studying can overcome any obstacles or limitations in one’s intellect.
9. “Abeunt studia in mores.”	i) The benefits of studying extend beyond mere academic achievement.
10. “Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.”	j) Knowledge acquired through studies  shapes one’s character and behaviour.

Ans: 

1. b 

2. d 

3. c

4. h 

5. g 

6. e

7. f 

8. i 

9. j

10. a

TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. What are the ways of study, and what are the different books to be studied?

Ans: Francis Bacon explains that people study in three main ways:

• For delight – to enjoy reading in private and enrich the mind.
• For ornament – to gain knowledge that improves conversation and helps in social situations.
• For ability – to strengthen judgement and help in practical decision-making and professional work.

Bacon further explains that different books should be approached in different ways:

• Some books are to be tasted – read lightly or in parts, only for general understanding.
• Some books are to be swallowed – read fully but not studied deeply.
• A few books are to be chewed and digested – read carefully and repeatedly, with deep reflection and understanding.
• He also adds that certain books may be read by others and summarised, while the most important and serious books must be read fully by oneself.

In short, Bacon teaches that studies give pleasure, improve character, and develop practical ability, and that readers must choose how to read each book wisely depending on its value and purpose. Books such as history, poetry, mathematics, natural philosophy, morality, logic and rhetoric are the different books to be studied. 

2. How can different ailments of the mind be cured by study?

Ans: The different kinds of ailments of the brain can be properly cured through studies, just as different exercises cure different kinds of physical ailments. Each subject holds its own particular benefit, and all subjects have their own utilities. It is ultimately the individual’s decision how and why he chooses to study a particular subject.

3. Write about your experience studying mathematics.

Ans: Individual answer. 

4. Ask a poem to your friend without knowing who wrote it and elaborate the poem independently with your own views.

Ans: Individual answer. 

Additional Study Materials

• NIOS Class 12 English Sample Paper
• Chapter 5: Ecology and Environment
• Chapter 6: Andha Yug
• Chapter 7: After Twenty Years
• Chapter 8: The Necklace
• Chapter 9: Three Questions