Reading Comprehension

What is the nearest meaning of the word 'cannon' as used in the passage?

PASSAGE

There is hardly a composer concerning whom so many erroneous notions are current as concerning Chopin, and of all the histories of music I have seen that very few critics devote to Chopin an amount of space approximately proportionate to his importance. One of the most absurd of the misconceptions is that Chopin's genius was born in full armour, and that it did not pass through several stages of development, like that of other composers. Chopin did display remarkable originality at the very beginning, but the apparent maturity of his first published works is due to the fact that he destroyed his earliest efforts and disowned those works which are known as posthumous, and which may have created confusion in some minds by having received a higher opus number than his last works.
Another misconception regarding Chopin is that his latest works are morbid and unintelligible. The same charge was brought by philistines against the best works of Beethoven, Schumann, and Wagner. The fact is that these last works are of an almost matchless harmonic depth and originality, as superior to his earlier works as Wagner's last music dramas are to his first operas. Schumann was the first to recognize the revolutionary significance of Chopin's style. "Chopin's works," he says, "are cannons buried in flowers;" and in another place he declares that he can see in "Chopin's G minor Nocturne a terrible declaration of war against a whole musical past."
Chopin was quiet and retiring in his personal disposition so much so that his small voice was lost in the din of musical warfare. He warmly defended the principles of the romantic school, if necessary, and had decided opinions of other musicians, especially of the popular pianists of his day who vitiated the public taste with their show pieces; but he generally kept them to himself or confided them only to his friends.
The world is yet to acknowledge that Chopin is one of the very greatest explorers and pioneers in the domain of art. This can be explained by, for want of a better term, aesthetic Jumboism. When the late lamented Jumbo was in New York he attracted so much attention that his colleagues, although but little inferior in size, had "no show" whatever. Everybody crowded around Jumbo, stuffing him with bushels of oranges and apples, while the other elephants were entirely ignored. As elephants are intelligent animals, is it not probable that Pilot, the next in size to Jumbo, went mad and had to be shot because he was jealous of the exclusive attentions bestowed on his rival? In aesthetics, this Jumboism, this exaggerated desire for mammoth dimensions, seems to be a trait of the human mind which it is difficult to eradicate. It cannot be said that the critics of art or literature follow the popular disposition to measure genius with a yard-stick; but in music there seems to be a general tendency to do this. Liszt remarks, apropos, in his work on Chopin: "The value of the sketches made by Chopin's extremely delicate pencil has not yet been acknowledged and emphasized sufficiently. It has become customary in our days to regard as great composers only those who have written at least half a dozen operas, as many oratorios, and several symphonies."

What is 'opus number' in the passage?

PASSAGE

There is hardly a composer concerning whom so many erroneous notions are current as concerning Chopin, and of all the histories of music I have seen that very few critics devote to Chopin an amount of space approximately proportionate to his importance. One of the most absurd of the misconceptions is that Chopin's genius was born in full armour, and that it did not pass through several stages of development, like that of other composers. Chopin did display remarkable originality at the very beginning, but the apparent maturity of his first published works is due to the fact that he destroyed his earliest efforts and disowned those works which are known as posthumous, and which may have created confusion in some minds by having received a higher opus number than his last works.
Another misconception regarding Chopin is that his latest works are morbid and unintelligible. The same charge was brought by philistines against the best works of Beethoven, Schumann, and Wagner. The fact is that these last works are of an almost matchless harmonic depth and originality, as superior to his earlier works as Wagner's last music dramas are to his first operas. Schumann was the first to recognize the revolutionary significance of Chopin's style. "Chopin's works," he says, "are cannons buried in flowers;" and in another place he declares that he can see in "Chopin's G minor Nocturne a terrible declaration of war against a whole musical past."
Chopin was quiet and retiring in his personal disposition so much so that his small voice was lost in the din of musical warfare. He warmly defended the principles of the romantic school, if necessary, and had decided opinions of other musicians, especially of the popular pianists of his day who vitiated the public taste with their show pieces; but he generally kept them to himself or confided them only to his friends.
The world is yet to acknowledge that Chopin is one of the very greatest explorers and pioneers in the domain of art. This can be explained by, for want of a better term, aesthetic Jumboism. When the late lamented Jumbo was in New York he attracted so much attention that his colleagues, although but little inferior in size, had "no show" whatever. Everybody crowded around Jumbo, stuffing him with bushels of oranges and apples, while the other elephants were entirely ignored. As elephants are intelligent animals, is it not probable that Pilot, the next in size to Jumbo, went mad and had to be shot because he was jealous of the exclusive attentions bestowed on his rival? In aesthetics, this Jumboism, this exaggerated desire for mammoth dimensions, seems to be a trait of the human mind which it is difficult to eradicate. It cannot be said that the critics of art or literature follow the popular disposition to measure genius with a yard-stick; but in music there seems to be a general tendency to do this. Liszt remarks, apropos, in his work on Chopin: "The value of the sketches made by Chopin's extremely delicate pencil has not yet been acknowledged and emphasized sufficiently. It has become customary in our days to regard as great composers only those who have written at least half a dozen operas, as many oratorios, and several symphonies."

According to the passage, what do worldly pleasures lead us to?

PASSAGE
Every potent phenomenon is bound between the law of cause and effect. Though the cause is not visible, effect can be seen. An apple falls due to gravitation but we can’t just perceive it. So this force which is subtle, which is invisible can be felt only when we witness the gross object of this force i.e. the result. Every change that takes place is due to this hidden unseen subtle force. Our body too is an expression of this subtle force. Our body’s birth, growth, decay and death all revolve around this invisible concept. Even our rebirth or reincarnation depends on this subtle force. We gather many ideas, tendencies, desires which initiate a subtle body. When a person dies these feelings lie deep - untouched, undeciphered in the mind. These are stored as impressions in our mind but slowly they rise as physic waves and magnetize new desires. These desires lead to manufacture of a new body. The unfulfilled longing of “worldly pleasure”, the lust or cravings become the cause of rebirth. Till these retain themselves in the body they as a subtle force lead to hundreds of births. So, desires need to be accomplished if one wants to break free of the vicious circle of birth & death.

What is the central idea of the passage?

PASSAGE
Every potent phenomenon is bound between the law of cause and effect. Though the cause is not visible, effect can be seen. An apple falls due to gravitation but we can’t just perceive it. So this force which is subtle, which is invisible can be felt only when we witness the gross object of this force i.e. the result. Every change that takes place is due to this hidden unseen subtle force. Our body too is an expression of this subtle force. Our body’s birth, growth, decay and death all revolve around this invisible concept. Even our rebirth or reincarnation depends on this subtle force. We gather many ideas, tendencies, desires which initiate a subtle body. When a person dies these feelings lie deep - untouched, undeciphered in the mind. These are stored as impressions in our mind but slowly they rise as physic waves and magnetize new desires. These desires lead to manufacture of a new body. The unfulfilled longing of “worldly pleasure”, the lust or cravings become the cause of rebirth. Till these retain themselves in the body they as a subtle force lead to hundreds of births. So, desires need to be accomplished if one wants to break free of the vicious circle of birth & death.

What do they come across on their way to Manasa?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following question.
Four friends live in a village which has been struck by famine. Three of them are extremely clever and learned and consider their friend Shivanand a lazy, but practical fool. The four decide to go to a place called Manasa, which is considered an asylum for scholars. On their way they have to pass through a forest. There they come across the bones of a lion. Satyanand decides to show his knowledge by recreating the lion’s skeleton. The other friend reconstructs the lion’s muscles and structure. Vidyanand then wants to show his superior powers by breathing life into the lion. Shivanand tries to stop them and warns them of the consequences of their plans. But they do not stop. Shivanand climbs a tree before Vidyanand foolishly proceeds with his plans. The lion comes to life and devours the three learned fools. Shivanand’s practical nature saves him. It is better to be practical than learned.

According to the three friends, who was a lazy person?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following question.
Four friends live in a village which has been struck by famine. Three of them are extremely clever and learned and consider their friend Shivanand a lazy, but practical fool. The four decide to go to a place called Manasa, which is considered an asylum for scholars. On their way they have to pass through a forest. There they come across the bones of a lion. Satyanand decides to show his knowledge by recreating the lion’s skeleton. The other friend reconstructs the lion’s muscles and structure. Vidyanand then wants to show his superior powers by breathing life into the lion. Shivanand tries to stop them and warns them of the consequences of their plans. But they do not stop. Shivanand climbs a tree before Vidyanand foolishly proceeds with his plans. The lion comes to life and devours the three learned fools. Shivanand’s practical nature saves him. It is better to be practical than learned.

Why did Birbal give a stick to all servants?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following questions.
Once a rich merchant’s house was robbed. The merchant suspected that the thief was one of his servants. So he went to Birbal and mentioned the incident. Birbal went to his house and assembled all of his servants and asked who stole the merchant’s things. Everybody denied. Birbal thought for a moment, then gave a stick of equal length to all the servants of the merchant and said to them that the stick of the real thief will be longer by two inches tomorrow. All the servants should be present here again tomorrow with their sticks. All the servants went to their homes and gathered again at the same place the next day. Birbal asked them to show him their sticks. One of the servants had his stick shorter by two inches. Birbal said, “This is your thief, merchant.” Later the merchant asked Birbal, “How did you catch him?” Birbal said, “The thief had already cut his stick short by two inches in the night fearing that his stick will be longer by two inches by morning.” Truth will always prevail.

What happens when life is breathed into the lion?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following question.
Four friends live in a village which has been struck by famine. Three of them are extremely clever and learned and consider their friend Shivanand a lazy, but practical fool. The four decide to go to a place called Manasa, which is considered an asylum for scholars. On their way they have to pass through a forest. There they come across the bones of a lion. Satyanand decides to show his knowledge by recreating the lion’s skeleton. The other friend reconstructs the lion’s muscles and structure. Vidyanand then wants to show his superior powers by breathing life into the lion. Shivanand tries to stop them and warns them of the consequences of their plans. But they do not stop. Shivanand climbs a tree before Vidyanand foolishly proceeds with his plans. The lion comes to life and devours the three learned fools. Shivanand’s practical nature saves him. It is better to be practical than learned.

Where do the little mouse and its mother live?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following questions.
Once upon a time a Baby Mouse and Mother Mouse lived in a hole in the skirting board of a big, warm house with lots of cheese to eat and where they wanted nothing else. Then, one day, Mother Mouse decided to take Baby Mouse outside of their home. Waiting outside for them was a huge ginger tomcat, licking its lips and waiting to eat them both up. "Mother, Mother! What should we do?" cried Baby Mouse as he clung to his mother’s tail. Mother Mouse paused and stared up into the beady eyes of the hungry cat. But she wasn’t scared, because she knew exactly how to deal with big, scary cats. She opened her mouth and took in a deep breath. Woof! Woof! Woof! She shouted, and the cat ran away as fast as he could. "Wow, Mother! That was amazing!” Baby Mouse said to his mother, smiling happily. And that is why it is always good to have a second language.

What does famine mean in the passage?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following question.
Four friends live in a village which has been struck by famine. Three of them are extremely clever and learned and consider their friend Shivanand a lazy, but practical fool. The four decide to go to a place called Manasa, which is considered an asylum for scholars. On their way they have to pass through a forest. There they come across the bones of a lion. Satyanand decides to show his knowledge by recreating the lion’s skeleton. The other friend reconstructs the lion’s muscles and structure. Vidyanand then wants to show his superior powers by breathing life into the lion. Shivanand tries to stop them and warns them of the consequences of their plans. But they do not stop. Shivanand climbs a tree before Vidyanand foolishly proceeds with his plans. The lion comes to life and devours the three learned fools. Shivanand’s practical nature saves him. It is better to be practical than learned.

What do they have as their food?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following questions.
Once upon a time a Baby Mouse and Mother Mouse lived in a hole in the skirting board of a big, warm house with lots of cheese to eat and where they wanted nothing else. Then, one day, Mother Mouse decided to take Baby Mouse outside of their home. Waiting outside for them was a huge ginger tomcat, licking its lips and waiting to eat them both up. "Mother, Mother! What should we do?" cried Baby Mouse as he clung to his mother’s tail. Mother Mouse paused and stared up into the beady eyes of the hungry cat. But she wasn’t scared, because she knew exactly how to deal with big, scary cats. She opened her mouth and took in a deep breath. Woof! Woof! Woof! She shouted, and the cat ran away as fast as he could. "Wow, Mother! That was amazing!” Baby Mouse said to his mother, smiling happily. And that is why it is always good to have a second language.

Why did one of the servants have a 2 inch shorter stick?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following questions.
Once a rich merchant’s house was robbed. The merchant suspected that the thief was one of his servants. So he went to Birbal and mentioned the incident. Birbal went to his house and assembled all of his servants and asked who stole the merchant’s things. Everybody denied. Birbal thought for a moment, then gave a stick of equal length to all the servants of the merchant and said to them that the stick of the real thief will be longer by two inches tomorrow. All the servants should be present here again tomorrow with their sticks. All the servants went to their homes and gathered again at the same place the next day. Birbal asked them to show him their sticks. One of the servants had his stick shorter by two inches. Birbal said, “This is your thief, merchant.” Later the merchant asked Birbal, “How did you catch him?” Birbal said, “The thief had already cut his stick short by two inches in the night fearing that his stick will be longer by two inches by morning.” Truth will always prevail.

How did the mother save herself and her son?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following questions.
Once upon a time a Baby Mouse and Mother Mouse lived in a hole in the skirting board of a big, warm house with lots of cheese to eat and where they wanted nothing else. Then, one day, Mother Mouse decided to take Baby Mouse outside of their home. Waiting outside for them was a huge ginger tomcat, licking its lips and waiting to eat them both up. "Mother, Mother! What should we do?" cried Baby Mouse as he clung to his mother’s tail. Mother Mouse paused and stared up into the beady eyes of the hungry cat. But she wasn’t scared, because she knew exactly how to deal with big, scary cats. She opened her mouth and took in a deep breath. Woof! Woof! Woof! She shouted, and the cat ran away as fast as he could. "Wow, Mother! That was amazing!” Baby Mouse said to his mother, smiling happily. And that is why it is always good to have a second language.

According to the passage, what does ginger mean?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following questions.
Once upon a time a Baby Mouse and Mother Mouse lived in a hole in the skirting board of a big, warm house with lots of cheese to eat and where they wanted nothing else. Then, one day, Mother Mouse decided to take Baby Mouse outside of their home. Waiting outside for them was a huge ginger tomcat, licking its lips and waiting to eat them both up. "Mother, Mother! What should we do?" cried Baby Mouse as he clung to his mother’s tail. Mother Mouse paused and stared up into the beady eyes of the hungry cat. But she wasn’t scared, because she knew exactly how to deal with big, scary cats. She opened her mouth and took in a deep breath. Woof! Woof! Woof! She shouted, and the cat ran away as fast as he could. "Wow, Mother! That was amazing!” Baby Mouse said to his mother, smiling happily. And that is why it is always good to have a second language.

Why was the tomcat licking its lips?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the following questions.
Once upon a time a Baby Mouse and Mother Mouse lived in a hole in the skirting board of a big, warm house with lots of cheese to eat and where they wanted nothing else. Then, one day, Mother Mouse decided to take Baby Mouse outside of their home. Waiting outside for them was a huge ginger tomcat, licking its lips and waiting to eat them both up. "Mother, Mother! What should we do?" cried Baby Mouse as he clung to his mother’s tail. Mother Mouse paused and stared up into the beady eyes of the hungry cat. But she wasn’t scared, because she knew exactly how to deal with big, scary cats. She opened her mouth and took in a deep breath. Woof! Woof! Woof! She shouted, and the cat ran away as fast as he could. "Wow, Mother! That was amazing!” Baby Mouse said to his mother, smiling happily. And that is why it is always good to have a second language.