Class 11 Alternative English Chapter 3 Life And Learning The answer to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse throughout different chapters Assam Board Class 11 Alternative English Chapter 3 Life And Learning, Class 11 Alternative English Question Answer, HS 1st year Alternative English and select needs one.
Class 11 Alternative English Chapter 3 Life And Learning
Also, you can read the SCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per SCERT (CBSE) Book guidelines. These solutions are part of SCERT All Subject Solutions. Here we have given Assam Board Class 11 Alternative English Chapter 3 Life And Learning Solutions for All Subject, You can practice these here.
Life And Learning
Chapter : 3
PROSE |
COMPREHENSION |
Ⅰ. State whether the following sentences are True or False.
1. The hardest part of schooling, according to Shaw, is the early part.
Ans: True.
2. School life is always irksome.
Ans: True.
3. There was a time when German boots were not divided into rights and lefts.
Ans: True.
4. The scholar who knows everything exists.
Ans: False.
5. Shaw forgets everybody five minutes after they have been introduced to him.
Ans: False.
II. Answer these questions in one sentence.
1. What is Shaw’s interesting opinion on ‘routine’?
Ans: Routine, according to Show was supposed to suit everybody but in reality suits nobody.
2. Why were English people going to live in Germany astonished?
Ans: English people going to live in Germany were astonished to find that German boots were not divided into rights and lefts.
3. Why is da Vinci’s notebook considered ‘funny’?
Ans: Vinci’s notebook is considered funny for it claimed that the Earth is a moon of the sun.
4. Why does Shaw call himself ‘an educated man’?
Ans: Shaw calls himself ‘an educated man’ because he has earned his living for sixty years by doing work that only an educated person indeed, a highly educated one could do.
5. Why didn’t the governess teach Shaw the table of logarithms and the binomial theorem?
Ans: The governess didn’t teach Shaw the table of logarithms and the binomial theorem because she herself neither understood the concept nor had the knowledge or expertise to teach them.
III. Answer these questions in two or three sentences.
1. Why does the author say that the hardest part of schooling is the early part?
Ans: According to the author, the most difficult part of going to school is the early stage when children are first taught how to read, write, and do calculations. He considers this a remarkable achievement, especially because we usually don’t remember learning these things. The author finds it strange that we tend to retain what we learn as young children, yet as we grow older, it becomes harder to remember new things.
2. How can a crammer find out what questions are going to be asked?
Ans: A crammer is someone who prepares for an exam by studying previous exam papers. Although they don’t have access to the exact questions beforehand, they can predict the likely questions by identifying patterns in the old papers. By reviewing these papers regularly, they become familiar with the types of questions that examiners commonly repeat.
3. Why does Shaw say that once the students are safely through their examinations, they will discover their education to be defective?
Ans: Shaw suggests that after students finish their exams successfully, they may realize that their education is lacking because they haven’t been taught important and basic life skills. They might find themselves completely unprepared when it comes to activities like eating, drinking, breathing, and sleeping.
4. Who is a savage or an ignoramus according to Shaw?
Ans: According to Shaw, a savage or an ignoramus is someone who knows nothing about the great musicians from Palestrina to Edward Elgar or the great painters from Giotto to Burne-Jones, even if that person is covered with gold medals for school classics.
5. Why does Shaw think he has not grown up yet?
Ans: Shaw believes he hasn’t fully matured or become an adult yet because he’s always learning and discovering new things. He views life as a continuous school, full of new and exciting challenges that offer endless opportunities for growth and learning.
IV. Answer these questions briefly in your own words.
1. Why does Shaw say that to do well in an examination, ‘you must go to a crammer’?
Ans: Shaw suggests that if someone wants to do well in an exam, they should consider going to a crammer. A crammer helps students prepare by studying past exam papers. Even though they don’t have access to the actual questions in advance, they can often predict which ones are likely to come up. By getting familiar with the patterns and common questions that examiners usually repeat, a crammer can help students feel more confident and well-prepared for the exam.
2. ‘School to me was a sentence of penal servitude.’ Explain.
Ans: Shaw expresses that school felt like a punishment to him because of his artistic nature. While he could easily understand and enjoy masterpieces of literature, poetry, and history, he found it difficult to connect with textbooks, as they were written by people who lacked the ability to write in an engaging and meaningful way.
3. How does Shaw argue that a routine, supposed to suit everybody, suits nobody?
Ans: For Shaw a routine in school is like German boots that are supposed to suit everybody but suits nobody. This is because everyone is an unique individual with a different set of talents, capacities and potentials that a routine can never give attention to, not enhance. To support his argument, Shaw gives an example of German boots that were not divided into left and right. This example illustrates how everyone has distinct needs that cannot be adequately addressed by a uniform routine.
4. Explain why it is dangerous to give up-to-date answers in the examinations.
Ans: Shaw says it is dangerous to give up-to-date answers in examinations because the people conducting these examinations are old people with old knowledge and concepts which they think are eternally right. They often ignore recent developments or modern understanding in various fields. To support his point, Shaw gives the example of Copernicus and Da Vinci, whose views are now accepted as truth but were considered false and even outrageous in their own time.
V. Answer these questions in detail.
1. Shaw had a reputation for holding radical views and opinions, and ‘Life and Learning’ is an excellent example of it. Which views of Shaw do you agree with, and why?
Ans: I completely agree with everything Shaw expresses in this essay because it all makes a lot of sense. Shaw’s idea that childhood learning is both challenging and almost unconscious rings true; many of us can’t even recall how we learned basic things like reading or arithmetic. Shaw’s perspective that the fundamental skills we learn in school, like reading and basic math, are always useful and relatively easy, while the rest taught through monotonous routines doesn’t contribute much to our growth, is sensible. I also connect with his view that life is like a bigger school, constantly presenting new lessons and challenges. I can relate to his criticism of stubborn old teachers who resist new ideas and his observation that textbooks are often poorly written by individuals lacking writing skills.
2. Suggest some steps to improve the quality of school education in your state/region.
Ans: Our school education system primarily relies on memorization, which doesn’t provide genuine knowledge. Instead, we should focus on delivering practical and valuable education that truly benefits children. To improve the quality of school education in my state/region, several important steps can be taken. Firstly, there should be regular training and skill development programs for teachers to keep them updated with modern teaching methods and subject knowledge. Secondly, the curriculum must be revised to make it more practical, engaging, and relevant to real-life situations rather than just focusing on rote learning.Encouraging extracurricular activities and creative thinking can help in the overall development of students. Additionally, regular monitoring, feedback from students and parents, and reducing the student-teacher ratio can greatly enhance the effectiveness of the education system.

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