Unit 3

Forgetting
Prose Questions and Answers.
Set 1
1. W hat does Lynd actually wonder at?
Lynd actually wonders at the efficiency of human memory rather than the
inefficiency.
2. Name a few things that a person remembers easily.
A person remembers easily the telephone numbers, addresses of his friends, the
dates of good vintages, appointments for lunch and dinner, the names of actors,
actresses, cricketers, footballers and murderers, the weather report of long-past
August and the name of the provincial hotel at which he had a vile meal during the
summer. In his ordinary life, he remembers almost everything that he expected to
remember.
3. How do psychologists interpret forgetfulness?
The psychologists interpret forgetfulness that we forget things because we wish
to forget them.
4. W hat is the most common type of forgetfulness according to Lynd?
The matter of posting letters is the most common type of forgetfulness
according to Lynd.
5. W hat does the author mean when he says the letter in his pocket leads an
unadventurous life?
The forgetfulness due to a long chain of circumstances, leads an
unadventurous life after it comes to the hands of Lynd.
6. W hat are the articles the writer forgets most often?
Books, walking sticks and umbrella are the articles the author forgets most
often.
7. W ho are the citizens of ‘dreamland’? why ?
The sportsmen are the citizens of ‘dreamland’. The reason is that they have
their imaginations still filled with a vision of the playing-field. They are abstracted
from the world outside them.
8. W hat is common about the ‘angler’ and the ‘poet’?
Both are imaginative people and their minds are filled with matter more
glorious. Absent mindedness of this kind is common about the ‘anglers’ and the
‘poets’.

Set 2

1. what made people wonder about the absentmindedness of their fellow beings?
A list of articles lost by railway travelers was published. When people read the
list they wondered about the absentmindedness of their fellow beings.
2. W hat are our memories filled with?
Our memories are filled with the names of actors, actresses, crickets, football
players and murderers. Moreover we remember the name of the hotel where we had an
unpleasant meal and all the items of our dreams. Normally we don not forget to shut
the door when we leave the house.
3. W hen does human memory work with less than its usual capacity?
Human memory works less than its usual capacity when it comes to the case of
taking medicine. It is easy to remember because the medicine is connected to our food.
But we forget it many a time.
4. W hy according to Lynd, should taking medicines be one of the easiest actions
to remember?
Taking medicines should be one of the easiest actions to remember. Medicine is
supposed to be taken during, before or after meal. The meal itself should be a
reminder for taking medicine.
5. How do the chemists make fortunes out of the medicines people forget to
take?
Most of the people forget to take medicine. Because of this they will buy
medicine again and again. Moreover their disease will not get cured without the
medicine. So they have to buy another set of medicine. In this way chemists make
their fortunes.
6. The list of articles lost in trains suggests that sportsmen have worse
memories than their ordinary serious-minded fellows. W hy does Lynd say this?
When the sportsmen return from the games their imagination is still filled with
the vision of the playing field. They recall their exploits in their mind. They are not
connected with the outside world. So they forget to take the ball and bat with them
when they leave the train.
7. W hat kind of absent-mindedness is considered as a virtue by Lynd?
The anglers and poets fill their mind with more glorious matters than the
ordinary things, such absent-mindedness is considered a virtue. They often make the
best of their life so they do not remember the ordinary things.
8. Narrate the plight of the baby on its day out.
The baby was taken out in a perambulator by its father. On his way home he
wanted to get into a public house. So he left the pram outside and entered the pub.
After finishing his work he came out through another door and went back home
forgetting the child. The mother happened to come on that way and was shocked to
see her abandoned baby. She pushed the pram home thinking that the father would
be worried about the missing baby. But when he came home he asked her what she
had for lunch. He totally forgot about the baby.

Prose Paragraphs:

A. You have borrowed a branded cricket bat from your reluctant friend for an
outstation match. After returning home you realize you have absent-mindedly
left in the hotel room. W rite a letter of apology and regret to your friend.
17, P.O.L. Street
Chepauk.
Dear friend Shori,
I am grateful to you that you gave me your lucky bat and the
costly one which I used and crossed a century. We won laurels in the game because of
your bat. As a result of those rejoicing ceremonies, I am shameful to inform you,
actually I left your bat there itself. When I contacted the hotel management, they
didn’t respond me, as they couldn’t find it out. I feel sorry for missing your bat. I’ll
remedy it as soon as it is possible. I hope you understand the situation.

With love,
Ever loving friend
Johny

B. Kahlil Gibran states ‘ forgetfulness is a form of freedom’. W rite an article for

your school magazine, linking your ideas logically and giving appropriate
examples.
The causes and effect of FORGETFULNESS
- An article by K.Viman
-
Our memory problems are probably caused by more issues like stress,
Medications, lack of sleep, you kept your car/motorcycle key etc.,

Stress and Anxiety : Anything that makes it harder to concentrate and new
information and skills can lead to memory problems. Both stress and anxiety can
interfere with attention and block the formation of fresh memories of to recall the old
ones.

Medications : Tranquilizers, anti-deprssants, some blood pressure drugs, and

other medications can affect memory, usually by causing sedation or confusion.

Lack of sleep : It perhaps the greatest unappreciated cause of forgetfulness.

Lack of sleep leads to many changes and anxieties.

Hormonal changes : A flattering thyroid can affect memory as well as disturb sleep
and cause depression both of which can be causes of forgetfulness.

Depression : Common signs of depression can include a stifling sadness, lack of

drive, and lessening of pleasure in things we ordinary enjoy. Forgetfulness can also be
a sign of depression- or a consequence of it.
Most memory problems among younger people are caused by emotional discord, which
leads to become distracted and unfocussed.
But luckily, almost all of these causes are only temporary, or easy to fix with the
proper medication. Something like getting more sleep, switching a proper medication,
or a stress reduction programme could get your memory back on track.

C. Will you sympathise or ridicule someone who is intensely forgetful? W rite an

essay justifying your point of view.

INTENSIVE FORGETFULNESS

1) SOURCE:

I will sympathise someone who is intensely forgetful. Forgetfulness is a

part of our daily life. But intensive forgetfulness has many different causes, one of
which is dementia. As one of the most noticeable symptoms of dementia, forgetfulness
can trigger a range of emotions in both the person who is living with dementia and his
career. It can be frustrating, upsetting and even on occasions, funny. So, we should
not ridicule someone who is intensely forgetful.

2) SERIOUSNESS:
Whether they’re forgetting a conversation that you had with them the day
before, getting lost in a town that they’ve lived in for 40 years, repetitive behaviour or
even hallucinations, it is important to know what you might expect with these
symptoms and how to handle them. Dementia can cause these symptoms. In disease
such as alzheimer’s or vascular dementia, deterioration and shrinkage of brain tissue
affect the links between brain cells, which make it harder for people to store
memories.

Unit 3

Poem : Lines written in the Early Spring

Poetic lines

1) And ‘tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes…
a) What is the poet’s faith?
The poet has faith that the beautiful flowers enjoy every ounce of the air, they
breathe.

b) What trait of Nature do we see here?

Be it in the primrose tufts or the periwinkle, every flower enjoys the air it breathes.

2) And I must think, do all I can

That there was pleasure there…

a) What did the poet notice about the twig?

The twigs or the newborn branches expand to catch the breezy air.

b) What was the poet’s thought about then?

The poet believes that the twigs are enjoying the breeze. He mentioned that there
is pleasure hidden everywhere.
3) If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan.

a) What does ‘heaven’ refer to?

It refers to God who gave us this Nature.

b) Why does the poet call it ‘holy’?

The poet calls the Nature’s work as ‘holy ‘because it is God’d work from heaven.

Unit – 3
Supplementary Reader
The First Patient
Paragraphs:

Answer the following questions in a paragraph of about 80-100 words each.

I. Based on your understanding of the play, explain how a mistaken

understanding of events can lead to confusion. How has the author used this
unexpected combination of events in the situation to create humour?

This play is based on the adage ‘Assumption leads to confusion’. The unexpected turn

of events along with wild imagination leads to confusion. When the dentist call the

first patient into the surgery, everyone is tensed at the thought of a painful tooth

being pulled. When the nurse enters the surgery with the hammer, comes out to fetch

a large pair of pliers and later on, she takes in a hacksaw.

The loud sawing and screening from within the room makes everyone

leave the clinic one by one. Finally Joe comes out and tells his wife that the dentist

had lost his key to his tool cabinet and that is why he was trying to open it wi th the

instruments. They leave fixing an appointment for the evening.

II. Have you ever found yourself in such a situation? Discuss in groups and act
out such a situation.
Yes. I too was in such a situation when I was studying standard three.
Still the scenery lingers in my brain and I would have a chance now to present it to
you. That day I was running a fever and so my father took me to our family doctor. At
the reception, my father seated me and brought us the appointment. In the
meantime, I kept myself busy watching a cartoon channel in T.V suddenly there was
power-cut. The programme was ended and my ears heard a screech from the doctor’s
room.
It said, “Doctor, no more injection, please”, I guessed that the injection
was given and still on the row and then the terrible voice came from the baby. My
body shivered, I went wordless because my world was filled with injections, which I
would be given. As a result, my temperature shot up. I held my dad’s hands so tight
that my dad had to console me of the doctor and the treatment for me. When it was
my turn, I nearly queried me of what had happened, my father told him the truth. The
doctor, in silence, showed me the adjacent room whe re I could see the little girl
playing with her Barbie doll happily. Still there was my father with further questions
and the doctor told us that the treatment was not at all for the baby, it was just her
mother for a headache and she too was not given any injection but the little girl,
sensing the doctor and his way of treating, cried in fear. Then there were words of
consolations from my father. That day I too was not given any injection instead the
doctor gave me tablets and syrup. My fear disappeared and then we came home
happily.