Class 12 Section I English Lesson 14

Working with Words

A. Pair the following words as opposites.

Despair : hope

Kind : cruel

Fresh : stale

Strange : familiar

Normal : eccentric

Fierce : gentle

Corrupt : honest

Selfish : generous

B. By adding a suitable suffix to each word in the table, form another word as in the examples below.

into noun
open-minded : open-mindedness

accommodate : accommodation

rehearse : rehearsal

transgress : transgression

angry : anger

mix : mixture

into adjective

pain : painful

differ : different

behave : behavior

remark : remarkable

indifferent : indifference

thought : thoughtful

into verb

less : lessen

sure : ensure

real : realize

glory : glorify

power : powering/powers

prison : prisoning/prisoned

C. Pronounce the following words with the help of a dictionary.

Comprehension

A. Write True or False after each statement. Give reason for your answer.

a. The author says his father was an ideal person in the family. False

👉He used to abuse his mother verbally and physically when he was drunk.

b. The author wanted to forgive his father but he did not get an opportunity. False

👉 Because he had many pressures and stresses.

c. It’s worth forgiving a person if he/she realizes his/her mistakes. True

d. South Africa had dual type of education system in the 1960s. True

e. The author lived in a joint family. False

👉Because the author had only his wife and two children in his family.

f. The author regretted for not getting a chance to talk to his father. True

g. According to the author, all our glories and splendors are short lived. True

B. Answer the following questions.

a. How does the author remember his family environment when he was a small boy?

Ans 👉 The author remembers his family environment when he was a small boy as his father was verbally and physically abusive to his mother.

b. Why does the author blame system more than his father?

Ans 👉 The author blames the system more than his father because the system was the reason behind his father’s stresses, pressures, and traumas.

c. How does the principle of forgiveness work?

Ans 👉 The principle of forgiveness does not depend on the actions of others. It is the way of self-healing and obtaining peace and harmony. It releases our pain and brings freedom in our heart and mind. People forgive for themselves as it is a matter of selfishness.

d. How does the author interpret the noise, squalls and tantrums of his children?

Ans 👉 The author interprets the noise, squalls and tantrums of his children as the whole catalog of failures, irritations, fatigue, and thoughts for the parents.

e. Why did the author decide to educate his children in Swaziland?

Ans 👉 He decided to educate his children in Swaziland because he was dissatisfied with the inferior education system caused by the Bantu Education Act of South Africa for black children.

f. How does the author define human life?

Ans 👉 According to the author, human life is a great mixture of goodness, beauty, cruelty, heartbreak, interference, love, and so much more.

g. According to the author, is it heredity or environment that shapes a man’s character? Explain.

Ans 👉 According to the author, it is environment that shapes a man’s character. Every child is born the same — not a liar, not violent or hateful. It is our surroundings that shape our character.

h. Why is forgiveness important in our life?

Ans 👉 Forgiveness is important in our life because it frees us from past errors and helps us move forward unaffected by previous mistakes.

Critical Thinking

a. Desmond Tutu once said, “Forgiving is not forgetting; it is actually remembering-remembering and not using your right to hit back. It’s a second chance for a new beginning.” Does this quotation apply to this text? Analyze.

Ans 👉 “Forgiving is not forgetting; it is actually remembering-remembering and not using your right to hit back” is one of the famous quotes of Desmond Tutu. Forgiveness releases feelings of vengeance toward someone who harmed us, whether they deserve it or not. It doesn’t mean denying the offense or forgetting it. In this text, the author, though a victim of his father’s violence, later forgives him. He realizes that his father’s cruelty was a result of mistreatment by white people under apartheid. Therefore, forgiving is not forgetting—it is remembering but choosing not to retaliate.

b. The author interprets “I am sorry” as three hardest words to say. How does it apply to your life?

Ans 👉 Committing mistakes is part of human life, but apologizing for them is hard. The author interprets “I am sorry” as the three hardest words to say. For me too, these words are hard to express when I hurt others. Instead of saying sorry, I distance myself and wait for others to approach me. Pride, fear of shame, guilt, and misunderstanding make it difficult to say “I am sorry.”

Writing

The author talks about dual education system based on race in South Africa in the second half of the twentieth century. We also have private schools and public schools in Nepal. What should be done to make education equal to all citizens of Nepal? Write a couple of paragraphs expressing your views.

Ans 👉 Nepal has come a long way in improving equity in education. However, factors like income, geography, gender, and disability still cause unequal access. Historically, education in Nepal was only for elite families until the 1950s. Even today, the education system struggles with lack of resources and unequal opportunities.

To make education equal, the government should ensure proper infrastructure, clean drinking water, and nutrition for students in public schools. It should reduce gender and caste discrimination, provide scholarships for marginalized groups, and strengthen teacher training. Equal education is possible only when all citizens—regardless of class or background—receive the same learning opportunities.

Grammar

A. Join the following pairs of sentences using when and while.

a. Bibha Kumari was doing her homework. The doorbell rang.

👉

i. Bibha Kumari was doing her homework when the doorbell rang.
ii. While Bibha Kumari was doing her homework, the doorbell rang.

b. I heard the telephone ring. I picked it up.

👉

When I heard the telephone ring, I picked it up.

c. Dil Maya found a thousand rupee note. She was washing her pants.

👉

i. While Dil Maya was washing her pants, she found a thousand rupee note.
ii. Dil Maya was washing her pants when she found a thousand rupee note.

d. Tenjing gave his measurements to the dressmaker. He was visiting the market yesterday.

👉

i. When Tenjing gave his measurements to the dressmaker, he was visiting the market yesterday.
ii. While Tenjing was visiting the market, he gave his measurements to the dressmaker.

e. I was at the butcher’s shop. I met Harikala.

👉 When I was at the butcher’s shop, I met Harikala.

f. The sales agent was dealing with the customer. A thief stole the jewels.

👉

i. While the sales agent was dealing with the customer, a thief stole the jewels.
ii. The sales agent was dealing with the customer when a thief stole the jewels.

g. My small brother was sleeping. I played chess with my father.

👉

i. While my small brother was sleeping, I played chess with my father.
ii. My small brother was sleeping when I played chess with my father.

h. The old lady fell down. She was climbing up the stairs.

👉

i. When the old lady fell down, she was climbing up the stairs.
ii. The old lady fell down while she was climbing up the stairs.

i. The leader was giving a speech loudly. He lost his voice.

👉

i. While the leader was giving a speech loudly, he lost his voice.
ii. The leader was giving a speech loudly when he lost his voice.

j. Kanchan broke her backbone. She was lifting up the load.

👉

i. Kanchan was lifting up the load when she broke her backbone.
ii. While Kanchan was lifting up the load, she broke her backbone.

B. Fill in the blanks with one of the connectives from the box.

a. We didn’t go for a morning walk today since it was raining.

b. I wanted to go home early as I was not feeling well.

c. My brother stayed at home because of/owing to his illness.

d. I was late in the class owing to traffic jams.

e. He didn’t like dogs so he was not happy when his wife brought a puppy home.

f. He was not included in the team owing to his knee injury.

g. As I was tired, I went to bed early.

h. He was very unhappy since he lost one million rupees in the share market.

i. We cancelled our trip to Rara Lake owing to the bad weather.

j. These two lines intersect with each because they are not parallel lines