Comprehension

I. State whether the following sentences are True or False.

Q1. The hardest part of schooling, according to Shaw, is the early part.
Answer: True

Q2. School life is always irksome.
Answer: True

Q3. There was a time when German boots were not divided into rights and lefts.
Answer: True

Q4. The scholar who knows everything exists.
Answer: False

Q5. Shaw forgets everybody five minutes after they have been introduced to him.
Answer: True

II. Answer these questions in one sentence.

Q1. What is Shaw’s interesting opinion on ‘routine’?
Answer: Shaw’s opinion is that while a routine is supposed to suit everybody, it actually suits nobody because everyone is an individual case.

Q2. Why were English people going to live in Germany astonished?
Answer: They were astonished to find that German boots were not divided into rights and lefts, and a boot was just a boot, which you could put on either foot.

Q3. Why is da Vinci’s notebook considered ‘funny’?
Answer: It is considered ‘funny’ because da Vinci wrote his notes in ‘mirror image,’ which could only be read when held up to a mirror.

Q4. Why does Shaw call himself ‘an educated man’?
Answer: He calls himself an educated man because he has earned a living for sixty years doing work that only a highly educated man could do.

Q5. Why didn’t the governess teach Shaw the table of logarithms and the binomial theorem?
Answer: The governess didn’t teach him these things because she probably didn’t know them herself.

III. Answer these questions in two or three sentences.

Q1. Why does the author say that the hardest part of schooling is the early part?
Answer: The author says the hardest part is the early part because that’s when a small child has to be turned into a “walking ready reckoner.” The child has to learn basic math and understand a printed page, which is a “stupendous feat of sheer learning.”

Q2. How can a crammer find out what questions are going to be asked?
Answer: A crammer can find out what questions are going to be asked by studying old examination papers until they know the questions examiners keep asking repeatedly, as their number is not infinite.

Q3. Why does Shaw say that once the students are safely through their examinations, they will discover their education to be defective?
Answer: Shaw says this because, after passing their exams, students will find that their education has left them “uninstructed as to eating and drinking and sleeping and breathing” and other essential aspects of life, subjects that were never taught in school.

Q4. Who is a savage or an ignoramus according to Shaw?
Answer: According to Shaw, a “savage and ignoramus” is someone who knows nothing of the great musicians and painters, even if they have been honored with gold medals for school classics.

Q5. Why does Shaw think he has not grown up yet?
Answer: Shaw thinks he has not grown up yet because he says that after eighty-one years of expecting to grow up, he still hasn’t. He believes the same thing will happen to the students he’s addressing.

IV. Answer these questions briefly in your own words.

Q1. Why does Shaw say that to do well in an examination, ‘you must go to a crammer’?
Answer: Shaw says this because he believes that the system of examinations is outdated. Examiners are often older and test students on what they learned 30 years ago. A crammer specializes in studying old exam papers to find out what questions and officially recognized correct answers the examiners expect, even if they aren’t the true answers. This way, a student can pass the exam without having to master all the subjects.

Q2. ‘School to me was a sentence of penal servitude.’ Explain.
Answer: Shaw calls his school life a “sentence of penal servitude” because he felt like he was a prisoner with hard labor. He had an “artistic temperament” and found it difficult to read schoolbooks that were poorly written. The subjects that truly interested him, like art and music, were never taught, and he hated mathematics because its meaning was never explained to him. He found school a joyless and unfulfilling experience.

Q3. How does Shaw argue that a routine, supposed to suit everybody, suits nobody?
Answer: Shaw argues this by stating that school life is a rigid routine with fixed hours for everything. He says that while a routine is supposed to fit everyone, it actually suits nobody because every person is an “individual case” who needs “individual attention.” He compares school routines to German boots that were “neither rights nor lefts,” which meant they didn’t fit anyone properly.

Q4. Explain why it is dangerous to give up-to-date answers in the examinations.
Answer: It is dangerous to give up-to-date answers because examiners are often older and test students on knowledge that is outdated. Shaw illustrates this with the example of a 13th-century student who would have been “burnt alive for heresy” if he had given correct, modern answers from Copernicus and Leonardo da Vinci instead of the accepted, but wrong, Aristotelian science. This danger is greatest in technical fields like medicine and the navy.

V. Answer these questions in detail.

Q1. 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?
Answer: I agree with Shaw’s view that education is much more than what is taught in a classroom. His point that the world is a “bigger school” and that school achievements don’t guarantee success in life resonates with me. I also agree with his criticism of the routine-based education system that treats everyone the same. People learn differently and have different interests, so a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective. Finally, his radical idea that students should not air their “original ideas” in exams and should instead focus on giving the examiner the “correct” and often outdated answers is a biting, but accurate, critique of many examination systems today that reward rote memorization over genuine understanding and original thought.

Q2. Suggest some steps to improve the quality of school education in your state/region.
Answer: To improve the quality of school education in my region, I would suggest several steps. First, we need to move away from an over-reliance on standardized tests that reward cramming and outdated knowledge, as Shaw criticized. Instead, we should adopt a more project-based and critical thinking approach that encourages students to apply what they learn. Second, there should be more emphasis on practical life skills and personal development, such as financial literacy, mental health awareness, and communication skills, which are often overlooked but are crucial for navigating life outside of school. Finally, we need to give more freedom to teachers to tailor their lessons to the individual needs of their students, as Shaw noted that “each of you is what is called an individual case, needing individual attention.”