Following are the reading comprehension worksheets for class 11th in English These comprehension Passage are known by many names as reading comprehension exercises, reading comprehension test, reading Passage, reading skills, reading comprehension, ks2 reading , basic reading skills worksheets. These ENGLISH short stories with questions and answers are printable and absolutely free. The comprehension questions are value based. Edumantra.net guarantees to be the best comprehension resource. Question types include subjective, objective and multiple choice
Swami Vivekananda
Read the Passage carefully and answer the following Questions:-
1.Education, education, education alone! Travelling through many cities of Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of even the poor people, there was brought to my mind the state of our own poor people, and I used to shed tears. What made the difference? Education was the answer I got. Through education comes faith in one’s own self, and through faith in one’s own self the inherent Brahman in waking up in them, while the Brahman in us is gradually becoming dormant.
2.In New York I used to observe the Irish colonists come—downtrodden, haggered-looking, destitute of all possessions at home, penniless, and wooden-headed—with their only belongings, a stick and a bundle of rage hanging at the end of it, fright in their steps, alarm in their eyes. A different spectacle in six months—the man walks upright, his attire is changed! In his eyes and steps there is no more sign of fright. What is the cause? Our Vedanta says that Irishman was kept surrounded bycontempt in his own country—the whole of nature was telling him with one voice, “Pat, you have no more hope, you are born a slave and will remain so.” Having been thus told from his birth, Pat believed in it and hypnotised himself that he was very low, and the Brahman in him shrank away. While no sooner had he landed in America than he heard the shout going up on all sides, “Pat, you are a man as we are. It is man who has done all, a man like you and me can do everything: have courage!” Pat raised his head and saw that it was so, the Brahman within woke up. Nature herself spoke, as it were, “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached” (Katha Upanishad, I, ii, 4).
3. Likewise the education that our boys receive is very negative. The schoolboy learns nothing, but has everything of his own broken down—want of Shraddha is the result. The Shraddha which is the keynote of the Veda and the Vadanta—the Shraddha which emboldened Nachiketa to face Yama and question him, through which Shraddha this world moves—the annihilation of that Shraddha! “The ignorant, the man devoid of Shraddha, the doubting self runs to ruin.” Therefore we are so near destruction. The remedy now is the spread of education. First of all, Self-knowledge. I do not mean thereby, matted hair, staff, Kamandalu, and mountain caves which the word suggests. What do I mean then? Cannot the knowledge, by which is attained even freedom from the bondage of worldly existence, bring ordinary material prosperity?
1.On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following questions in about 30-40 words each:
(i) Why did Swami Vivekananda use to shed tears?
(ii) How does Vivekananda describe the Irish colonists?
(iii) What was Pat told from his birth? What happened when he landed in America?
(iv) What is the keynote of the Veda and the Vedanta? Why is Self-knowledge so important?
(v) Why is education essential for people?
2.On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following:
(i) In para3… is the meaning of flourishing state.
(a) emboldened (b) freedom
(c) existence a (d) prosperity
(ii) According to the passage education develops…………….. in human beings.
(a) quality (b) faith
(c) dormant (d) controls
(iii) The author suggest that we should never remain……………..
(a) active (b) jealous
(c) cooperative (d) idle
(iv) Only………….. can save human beings from ruin.
(a) destruction (b) education
(c) doubt (d) bondage
(v) In para 2, the adjective form of the ward ‘contempt’ is…………
(a) contempted (b) contempt
(c) contemptible (d) contempting
Answers
1.(i) Swami Vivekananda used to shed tears because of the poor condition of his countrymen. While travelling to the cities of Europe he observed that even the poor people were well-educated there and led a life of comfort. But here in his own country a vast section of people were illiterate and they were bound to lead a very tough life.
(ii) The Irish colonists were downtrodden, haggard looking, destitute of all possessions at home and penniless. They were wooden-headed. Their only belongings included a stick and bundle of rags hanging at the end of it. There was fright in their steps and alarm in their eyes.
(iii) Right from his birth Pat was told that he was born a slave and would remain so. When he landed in America, he was told that he was a man like them and he could do everything.
(iv) The keynote of Veda and Vedanta is the Shraddha which emboldened Nachiketa to face Yama and question him. Self-knowledge is important as it helps one to free oneself from the bondage of worldly existence.
(v) Education helps people gain freedom from the bondage of worldly existence and bring prosperity in life.
2.(i) (d) prosperity
(ii) (b) faith
(iii) (d) idle
(iv) (b) education
(v) (c) contemptible
Download the above Passage in PDF Worksheet (Printable)
