116. Reading Skills Comprehension: Amassing Possessions

Amassing Possessions

1 People tend to amass possessions, sometimes without being aware of doing so. Indeed they can have a delightful surprise when they find something useful which they did not know they owned. Those who never have to change house become indiscriminate collectors of what can only be described as clutter. They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that they may one day need just those very things. As they grow old, people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons, lack of physical and mental energy, both of which are essential in turning out and throwing away, and sentiment. Things owned for a long time are full of associations with the past, perhaps with the relatives who are dead, and so they gradually acquire a value beyond their true worth.

2 Some things are collected deliberately in the home in an attempt to avoid waste. Among these I would list string and brown paper, kept by thrifty people when a parcel has been opened, to save buying these two requisite. Collecting small items can easily become a mania. I know someone who always cuts out from newspapers sketches of model clothes that she would like to buy if she had the money. As she is not rich, the chances that she will ever be able to afford such purchases are remote. But she is never sufficiently strong-minded to be able to stop the practice. It is a harmless habit, but it litters up her desk to such an extent that every time she opens it, loose bits of paper fall out in every direction.

3 Collecting as a serious hobby is quite different and has many advantages. It provides relaxation for leisure hours, as just looking at one’s treasures is always a joy. One does not have to go out for amusement since the collection is housed at home. Whatever it consists of, stamps, records, first editions of books, china glass, antique furniture, pictures, model cars, stuffed birds, toy animals, there is always something to do in connection with it, from finding the right place for the latest edition to verifying facts in reference books. This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject but also in general matters which have some bearing on it. There are also other benefits. One wants to meet like-minded collectors, to get advice, compare notes, to exchange articles, to show off the latest find. So one’s circle of friends grows. Soon the hobby leads to travel, perhaps to a meeting in another town, possibly a trip abroad in search of a rare specimen, for collectors are not confined to any one country. Over the years one may well become an authority on one’s hobby and will very probably be asked to give informal talks to little gatherings and then, successful, to larger audiences. In this way, self-confidence grows, first from mastering a subject, then from being able to talk about it. Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively,’ makes a person contented, with no time for boredom.

Word-Meanings:-

1. Antaink—collect in large quantities. 2. Possessions—articles of one’s property. 3. Indiscriminate–done without careful Judgment. 4. Clutter—unnecessary or unwanted things lying about untidily. 5. aide-space immediately below the roof of an Incuse 6. Accumulate—gather an increasing number or quantity of something 7. Deliberately—clone on purpose 8. Requisites— things necessary or required for a purpose 9. Antique—belonging to the distant past. 10. Bearing on something—relevance to.

Questions

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it, using recognizable abbreviations wherever necessary. Use a format you consider suitable. Supply a suitable title.

(b) Write a summary of the above passage in about 80 words.

ANSWER

(a) Notes on the contents of the Passage :

A. Passion for gathering possessions can lead to—

(i) delightful surprises sometimes.

(ii) but mostly useless clutter

B. Difficult to get the lid off them in old age—

(i) due to the lack of physical and mental energy

(ii) attached sentiments

C. Collecting things to avoid waste—

(i) is something good

(ii) but shouldn’t become a mania.

D. Making collections as a hobby—

(i) source of joy

(ii) enriches outlook

(iii) widens the circle of friends

(iv) eliminates boredom.

Heading: The Passion for Amassing Possessions

(b) Summary of the Passage:

People have a tendency to amass possessions. This habit brings only useless clutter which becomes difficult to get rid of in one’s old age. There is nothing bad in the habit of collecting small things that can be of some use we but it shouldn’t become a mania with us. However, things collected as part of one’s hobby can go a long way in widening the circle of knowledge and friendship. Such things can prove a source of joy, and eliminate boredom.

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