COMPREHENSION AND INTERPRETATION

Comprehension
Comprehension and interpretation of a set passage of prose – or verse – simply means
understanding and explaining what is written in the passage. Preparation for such an exercise is essentially
the same as for a précis or a paraphrase: it involves reading the passage through in order to determine its
theme or topic, reading it again to determine the attitude of the author to his subject, and reading it yet
again to ensure an understanding of every detail of content and of style. After your first reading you should
write down the theme of the passage in a few words; after your second reading you should make a note of
the author’s approach or attitude to the theme; and during your third reading you should note significant
points of detail. In practising this exercise, you should always consult your dictionary for the meaning of
any unknown or uncertain words or phrases. If the passage contains figures of speech, take note of their
significant and force in the context.
Interpretation
You can then proceed to an interpretation of the passage – that is, now that you understand the
passage, you can go on to explain it in your own words. You are not required to translate the whole
passage, as in a paraphrase, nor to summarise it, as in a précis – though at this point you should be able to
do either. Your task is to explain or expand certain points in the passage.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Metaphor
You may be asked to deal with specific words and phrases: to show their meaning in the context,
or to explain their grammatical function, or to indicate their metaphorical point. These are all exercises that
you have already done individually.
Explanation of Content
There may be broader questions about whole sentences in the passage: you may be asked to
explain exactly what the author means by a certain sentence, or to express the sentence in a simpler form,
or to show the significance of the sentence in the general argument. All these forms of question depend on
a complete understanding of the passage and the ability to express its meaning in your own words.
Critical Comment
With a thorough grasp of the theme, you should also be able to comment on the passage as a
whole: to state whether the author’s comment on the passage as a whole: to state whether the author’s
argument is a valid one, to say whether or not you agree with the opinions expressed, to explain the outlook
or character of the author as revealed in his writing, even to indicate what his attitude would be to a
question not dealt with in the passage.
Logic of Argument
If the passage is one of reasoned argument, it is essential to follow the logic of the argument step
by step. There may be flaws in the argument. You should notice them and be able to explain where the
fallacy lies.
Appreciation of Style
Your study of the passage should have given you an appreciation of its style as well as an
understanding of its meaning. You should be able to discuss the author’s choice of words and use of
language. You should understand the point of any anecdotes or illustrations introduced in the passage and
appreciate their effectiveness in strengthening the general argument. The author may use antithesis,
repetition, irony, humour or hyperbole to emphasise a point. These are all devices with which you already
familiar, but it is important to note just how and why they are employed, and whether and to what extent
they are effective.
Method of Answering Questions
All answers to question on comprehension should be clear and concise, expressed in simple
English that follows the rules of grammar and syntax and idiom. Except in the case of meanings of words
and phrases, all such answers should be written in complete sentences.
Unless otherwise directed, you should base your answers entirely on what is said in passage set,
and in these answers your business is to make clear what the writer actually means; you are not concerned
with the correctness of his facts or opinions. In the cases in which you are asked for your own opinion on
something that the writer says, give it as concisely as possible.
In explaining the meaning of a word or phrase, you should take care that the meaning you give is
expressed in the same grammatical form as the given word or phrase. Thus, if you are defining a noun or a
phrase equivalent to a noun, your definition should be a noun or noun-equivalent; in the case of an
adjective or adjective-equivalent, your definition should also be an adjective or adjective-equivalent; and so
on.
Specimen
A few examples will show how exercises in comprehension should be tackled.
Passage 1
As we survey the whole course of man’s development from the earliest times to the present and
from the most primitive and simple to the most complex way of living, we are strongly impressed by the
fact that wherever men have lived together there has been some group interest in education. As the group
becomes more complex this interest grows, and institutions definitely charged with the task of teaching are
created. Thus the school comes into existence and an educational system evolves.
But so far as we know from the meagre records which have been left, early men had only a very
simple educational system. Most of the child’s learning was picked up as he associated with his parents and
other members of the family, tribe, clan or larger group. He learned to fish and hunt, to prepare his food, to
fight his enemies and to take care of his simple and elementary needs. In short, he learn to survive in the
world in which he found himself.
As the life of the group, became more complex, certain members of the group took it upon
themselves to become thoroughly familiar with the traditions and the customs and devoted most of their
time to the teaching of the young. At first, this teaching was done wherever the teacher and a group of
learners cared to gather. But later specified places for teaching and learning were set up. These were first
schools.
Questions
1) How can we say that even the earliest man had interest in education?
Ans. Man has always been keenly interest in learning things. Since when man lived in caves, he has
been keen to know what is spread around him. This desire to “know” means his interest in
education. The difference is of only simplicity and complexity of life, but the fact remains that
education has been centre of man’s attention and interest. Since life come into being on this
planet.
2) How and when was the first educational institution established?
Ans. It is man’s nature to learn new things. Since his birth on this planet, man has been keen to
establish education. With the passage of time, life became complex and individual life enlarged
into group-life. Then the need grew to educate people in a body. For that purpose, institutions
were established to teach the groups. That is how, first institution was created.
3) What kind of educational system did the early man have?
Ans. The humble records that we have been able to collect are that early man had only a very simple
educational system. Mostly, the learners picked early informations from their parents, other
members of the family and tribe. They learnt to fish and hunt, to cook, to defend himself and
arrange his basic needs. In other words, man educated himself to survive in the world which he
himself had discovered.
4) Can you trace the development of educational system as the society became more complex?
Ans. Life became very complicated when man divided himself into different groups. Among these
groups certain communities thought it necessary to be familiar with the customs and traditions of
their forefathers. They gave much importance teaching of their young ones. Firstly, teaching was
done where teachers and learners gathered, but later on the process of education was specifically
reserved for certain places. These places are first schools established by human being.
5) Suggest a suitable title for the text.
“Education started since man’s birth.”
Passage 2
Socrates taught that “the man who is master of himself is truly free”. By being master of oneself
he meant first knowing oneself, one’s faults and weaknesses and one’s good points, without making any
pretence and without being vain, and then being able to control oneself. This knowledge of himself was
what helped a man to be courageous, and the courageous man has very important sort of freedom from fear.
Socrates himself, because he was not afraid of the consequences, always felt free to teach what he thought
was right, however unpopular this might make him with the powerful people in Athens.
Now wonderful all his pupils loved Socrates. But he made some dangerous enemies by his strange
ways of teaching and asking questions. Some of the rulers in Athens did not like people to be encouraged to
ask questions for fear they would begin asking questions about what their rulers were doing. So they
accused Socrates of teaching young men wicked things and leading them to throw off their religion. This
was false, for in fact Socrates was a very religious man. At last his enemies had him arrested, and he was
condemned to death.
Questions
1) What kind of man is truly free, according to Socrates?
Ans. The man who knows himself and is able to control himself is truly free.
2) How did Socrates have enemies?
Ans. His strange methods of teaching and asking questions made him some enemies.
3) Why did some rulers dislike people to be encouraged to ask questions?
Ans. The rulers feared that if people were encouraged to ask questions they would begin asking
questions about their (=the rulers’) actions. They therefore disliked it.
4) What was Socrates accused of?
Ans. Socrates was accused of teaching young men evil things and leading them to give up their
religion.
5) How can it be said that the accusation was false?
Ans. Socrates was a very religious man, so it could not be true that he led people to throw off their
religion.
Passage 3
There is an immense and justified pride in what our college have done. At the same time there is
growing uneasiness about their product. The young boys and girls who carry away our degrees are a very
attractive lot – in looks, in bodily fitness, in kindliness, energy; courage and buoyancy. But what of their
intellectual equipment? That too in some ways is admirable. Yet the uneasiness persists. When it becomes
articulate, it takes the form of wishes that these attractive young products of ours had more intellectual
depth and force, more at-homeness in the world of ideas, more of the firm, clear, quiet thoughtfulness that
is so potent and so needed a guard against besetting humbug and quackery. The complaints commonly are
three. First, granting that our graduates know a good deal, their knowledge lies about in fragments and
never gets welded together into the stuff of a tempered and mobile mind. Secondly, our university
graduates have been so busy boring holes for themselves, acquiring special knowledge and skills that in
later life they have astonishingly little in common in the way of ideas, standards or principles. Thirdly, it is
alleged that the past many decades have revealed a singular want of charity about the great ends of living,
attachments to which gives significance and direction to a life. These are the three charges against our
education.
Questions
1) To what an extent is the intellectual development of boys and girls of our college satisfactory?
Ans. Our alumni acquire intellectual development to some extent, but there is a general sense of being
uneasy. They don’t find themselves equipped for practical utilisation of their intellect.
2) Discuss the three great charges against our education as pointed out in the text.
Ans. The three charges which have been enumerated in this passage which are as follows:
(i) First is that our students achieve disorganised knowledge and they are never in a position to
compile parts of knowledge into a compact form which may assist them in their practical life.
(ii) Second blame is that our students master bookish knowledge extensively as well as
intensively but this theoretical knowledge has nothing to do with lofty ideals of life which one
should cherish.
(iii) Third allegation is very convincing and is linked indirectly with second point. It is about the
failure of education system in the sense that it does not clearly indicate great purposes and
goals of life which are very important for directions to a life.
3) Explain the underlined phrases:
i) Their knowledge lies about in fragments: The clause implies that their knowledge is
unsystematic and is not in compact form. They are not given impact of certain knowledge as
whole; as a result they fail to fully comprehend the things they are taught.
ii) Tempered and mobile mind: A mind that is moderate in action and quick and active in
making decisions.
iii) Great ends of life: sublime ideals of life and lofty ambitions
4) Can you suggest any remedy to remove these complaints?
 Ans. The existing system of our education is predominantly academic and theoretical. It is theoretical
as a rule and practical by chance. As Maulana Azad observed, “There is no adjustment between the
system of our education and the needs of our life”. The student is taught lessons from books but not
lessons from life. Our system of education calls for a radical change. We have to devise as early as
possible a comprehensive national scheme of education which seeks to bring about a complete and
harmonious development of all the factors of human personality.
5) Suggest a title for the passage.
Ans. “Defects of Our Education System”
Passage 4
It has been part of Nelson’s prayer that the British fleet might be distinguished by humanity in the
victory which he expected. Setting an example himself, he twice gave orders to cease firing upon the
Redoubtable supposing that she had struck because her great guns were silent; for as she carried no flag,
there was no means of instantly ascertaining the fact. From this ship which he had thus twice spared he
received his death. A ball fired from her mizzen-top which, in the then situation of the two vessels was not
more than fifteen yards from that part of the deck where he was standing, struck the epaulette on his left
shoulder about a quarter after one, just in the heat of action. He fell upon his face on the spot which was
covered with his poor secretary’s blood. Hardy who was a few steps from him turning round, saw three
men raising him up. “They have done for me at last Hardy!” said he, “I hope not!” cried Hardy. “Yes,” he
replied; “my backbone is shot through!” Yet even now, not for a moment losing his presence of mind he
observed as they were carrying him down the ladder, that the tiller-ropes which had been shot away, were
not yet replaced and ordered that new ones should be roped immediately. Then that he might not be seen by
the crew he took out his handkerchief ad covered his face and his stars. Had he but concealed these badges
of honour from the enemy, England, perhaps would not have had cause to receive with sorrow the news of
the battle of Trafalgar. The cockpit was crowded with wounded and dying men; over whose bodies he was
with some difficulty conveyed, and laid upon a pallet in the midshipmen’s berth. It was soon perceived,
upon examination, that the wound was mortal. This, however, was concealed from all, except Captain
Hardy, the chaplain, and the medical attendants. He himself being certain, from the sensation in his back,
and the gush of blood he felt momently within his breast, that no human care could avail him, insisted that
the surgeon should leave him and attend to those to whom he might be useful.
Questions
1) What is meant by ‘supposing that she had struck’?
Ans. This clause means ‘thinking that the men in the ship had surrendered’.
2) How can Nelson be said to have been partly responsible for his own death?
Ans. Nelson ordered his men two times to cease firing on the Redoubtable. From the same ship a ball
was fired at him and brought about is death. He was thus partly responsible for his death.
3) What do you understand by the ‘missen-top’?
Ans. The ‘mizze-top’ is the platform round the lower part of the mast nearest the stern.
4) Why did Nelson insist that the surgeon should leave him and attend to others?
Ans. Nelson was certain that it would be impossible to save his life. He, therefore, insisted that the
surgeon should leave him and attend to others.
5) What qualities in Nelson’s character are revealed by this passage?
Ans. His patriotism, his humanity and his powers of endurance are revealed by this passage.
Passage 5
Drug addiction has become a major social problem and one that particularly threatens young
people in their teens and twenties. Drugs are substances that alter the way the human body works, changing
our moods and affecting our behaviour. Drug addiction is as old as human society itself – but the changes
that the 20th century has brought has made it more universal and threatening than ever before.
When people talk about drug abuse, they do not mean drugs (medicines) which are sold legally in
the market. They are talking about a range of illegal drugs like cannabis, opium and cocaine, which cannot
be openly sold and used. These drugs are very powerful in their effects inducing a propound change in
mood. It is easy though, for users of such drugs to become addicted to them so that the drugs become a
permanent part of their lives and existence today has become enormous both in money and in lives.
The trade in drugs and the misery it causes has long been recognised as problems that can only be
solved by international efforts. One thing is as quite clear – drug addiction is such a complex problem and
the trade in drugs is so difficult to prevent, that it must be talked simultaneously at every level-production,
trafficking dealing, treatment and rehabilitation. No single approach can provide a solution but taking
together, they must give some satisfactory results. Let’s say no to drugs.
Questions
1) How do the drugs affect the functions of the body?
Ans. These drugs suppress appetite, improve mood, and restore the performance of someone overcome
with fatigue to near-normal levels.
2) What is the harm caused by drug?
Ans. Drugs such as a narcotic or hallucinogen that affects the central nervous system, causing changes
in behavior and often addiction. The drug-users cannot do without it.
3) How can we stop the trade in drugs?
The drug is so pervasive nowadays that it has such firm roots that it is Herculean task to get rid of
this malady. Measures should be taken internationally to wipe it out. Worldwide efforts are to be
made to stop the drug traffic at every level. To achieve satisfactory results there should be
reciprocal ‘NO’ to drugs.
4) Why and how people get addicted to drugs?
Ans. Drug addiction has become global phenomenon. The tensions and anxieties have increased so
much that every one searches ways to escape from hard realities of life. Hence, some people use
drugs to get rid of depression. They claim that they use these drugs to relax but they are unaware
of the fact that drug addiction in itself is a perpetual source of frustration and depression.
5) Suggest a suitable title for the passage:
Ans. Drug Addiction and its Evil Affects

Passage 1
For the majority of people in Pakistan, a large family is an asset or at least posses no problems.
This is purely because of their socio-economic requirements. For them, there is absolutely no reason to
heed the family planning slogans however nicely designed. For them, every additional mouth brings two
extra hands. For them, there ought to be some strong and effective economic reasons to accept family
planning. The rise in life expectancy or fall in infant morality may be a sufficient condition for the adoption
of family planning but certainly these are not the necessary conditions for people to get motivated to adopt
family planning. There ought to be necessary and sufficient reasons for the majority of our population to
participate actively in any national endeavour, including population control. Sadly the very motivation,
factor, required for the promotion of family planning, just does not exist in the majority of our people. This
necessary motivation can be induced mainly through their economic uplift to a significant level. Asking
this majority group to accept the initial inconveniences of family for a better future is going to cut no ice
for they have lost all faith in such slogans.
Questions
1) What is the national endeavour referred to in the passage?
2) Why is a large family an asset to most people in Pakistan?
3) “…………just does not exist in the majority of our people” What is the point referred to here?
4) Why should people accept family planning?
5) What are the “initial conveniences”, referred to in the passage?
6) What are the causes of population growth in this country according to the passage?
Passage 2
Coins were first issued in east and west in the eighth century B. C. and since then their use has
spread over the whole civilised world. Unlike many objects in everyday use, they have always been highly
prized by their owners, and were therefore frequently hoarded. As is still the custom in the east, it was
usual to bury treasury for safety, with the result that the contents of such ancient and medieval savings
banks are frequently turned up by the spade today. Coins are themselves the most imperishable antiquities.
The result is that they still exist in vast numbers of forgotten generations out of all proportion to other
remains of the culture with which they were contemporary. The study of coins may therefore be expected
to yield a considerable amount of information about the past, although we must be careful not to exaggerate
their importance. Coins give us some idea of the wealth and importance of ancient states and cities. A study
of the find-spots of coins gives an idea of their circulation in ancient times and it is sometimes possible to
make deductions about the extent of the dominions of a particular state from this; chronological analysis of
finds, by reasoning from known dates to pieces of which the dates are hitherto unknown, has often given
valuable results. The arguments from find-shot has to be used with care, as commercial reasons frequently
explain the finding of coins far from their original mints. Thus, the frequent finds of Roman gold of the
early empire in Pakistan do not show that the Romans ruled there, but corroborate Pliny’s reference to the
tremendous drain on Rome to pay for Roman luxuries.
Questions
1) How old are coins in the east?
2) Why were coins hoarded in the past?
3) Why did the people of the east bury treasure?
4) “………turned up by the spade today”, what does this mean?
5) What information would the study of coins yield to us?
6) What clues would these ancient coins give us about our past?
7) What do the Roman gold coins tell us about the social and economic aspects of Pakistani life?
Passage 3
Biofeedback is a process that allows people with stress-related illnesses such as high blood
pressure to monitor and improve their health by learning to relax. In biofeedback, devices that monitor skin
temperatures are attached to a patient’s arm, leg, or forehead. Then the person tries to relax. as he or she
relaxes completely, the temperature of the area under the devices rises because more blood reaches the
area. When a machine that is attached to the devices detects the rise in temperature a buzzer sounds, or the
reading on a dial changes. As long as the patient is relaxed, the buzzer or dial gives encouragement.
The next part of the biofeedback process is learning how to relax without the monitoring devices.
The patience recalls how he or she felt when the buzzer or dial changes. As long as it indicates relaxation
and then tries to imitate that feeling without having to check the biofeedback machine. After succeeding in
doing so, the patient tries to maintain the relaxed feeling throughout the day. Stress may cause as much as
75 percent of all illness; therefore, biofeedback promises to be an outstanding medical tool. (187 words)
Questions:
a. What is a biofeedback? Describe it in your own way.
b. Can learning to relax improve health? Explain your viewpoint.
c. Why is Biofeedback considered to be an instrument with great potential for the treatment of stress
related illnesses?
Passage 4
Mrs. Tomkins left the south sitting-room of the halfway Hotel in Salisbury and went to find Mr.
Goff, the manager. She complained about a large dog which was frequently to be found sitting in the best
arm chair in the sitting room.
Goff promised to do what he could. He and his wife were simple people and had only lately
bought the hotel. It was making a profit, but not a large profit. They needed all the visitors they could get,
and they did not want people to leave because of dogs. He went to talk the matter over with his wife.
She herself had noticed this dog and she agreed with Mrs. Tomkins. In her opinion, no dog ought
to be allowed in the hotel at all.
“But we don’t want to drive anyone away,” said Goff. “It is very difficult. If we refuse to allow
dogs in the hotel, dog-owners won’t come here to stay, and we’ll lose money.”
They discussed dogs for some time and finally agreed together that dogs could come into the
hotel, but must not sit on the chairs. To make this decision known to all their guests Mrs. Goff wrote out a
rough notice and showed it to her husband. On it were the words:
DOGS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO SIT ON THE FURNITURE.
“I don’t like it very much.” Mr. Goff said doubtfully. “It isn’t polite. It’s too severe. It’s like an
order. These people aren’t in the army. We don’t want to make them angry.”
Mrs. Goff went away to think again. Some time later a notice was put up near the front door of the
hotel. It read: Dogs are welcome, but are asked not go into the dinning-room and not to sit on the furniture.
When Goff saw this notice, he said to his wife, “I’m still worried about the notice, English dogs
may be able to read it, but if any foreign dogs comet to stay, they won’t understand it.”
Questions
1) What was Mrs. Tomkins complaint?
2) Why didn’t Goffs want to make their visitors angry?
3) Why couldn’t the Goff afford not to allow dogs into their hotels?
4) Why wasn’t Mr. Goff happy about the first notice prepared by Mrs. Goff?
5) Bring out the humour in the last sentence.
 6) Suggest a suitable title to the passage.
Passage 5
The man came with the poison and said to Socrates, “You have only to drink this and walk about
until your legs feel heavy and then lie down; and it will act for itself.” Socrates took the cup cheerfully,
without trembling and without any change of colour, and looked up at the man with the fixed glance of his
and asked, “Shall we make an offering to the gods from it?”
“We only prepare so much as we think sufficient, Socrates,” he answered.
“I understand,” said Socrates, “I suppose I must pray to the gods that my journey hence may be
prosperous: that is my prayer, be it so”.
With these words he put the cup to his lips and drank the poison calmly and cheerfully. Most of
the men present controlled their grief. But one of them burst into a loud cry. Then all of them broke down
except Socrates.
“What are you doing, my friends?” he exclaimed, “I sent away the women chiefly in order that a
man should die in silence. So calm yourselves and bear up.”
The men were ashamed and ceased weeping. But he walked about until his legs were getting
heavy and then lay down on his back. Feeling left his limbs. Stiffness crept up his body. After a short
interval there was a moment. Then all was still.
Questions
1) What did the man who brought poison tell Socrates?
2) How did Socrates receive the cup of poison?
3) “I understand,” – What does the speaker understand?
4) What made the people weep?
5) How did Socrates silence men?
6) Suggest a suitable title to the passage.
Passage 6
“To be good is noble, but to teach others how to be good is nobler – and no trouble,” said a well-
known writer. This may explain why in this world there is more of preaching which we get in church, but
that which is given freely and without stint, on buses, in the streets and even in the homes of our land.
Where is the parent who does not discover himself telling his child to do just what he himself does
regularly? How many people are there who are certain that they have made anything but financial mistakes.
The man who never swam a stroke feels perfectly competent to tell another how to swim. The man who
cannot find his way to modest livelihood pretends to know just how to save the nation from all economic
ills. It is no trouble to preach, but it is considerable trouble to carry out what we preach. This is so true that
the honest preacher preaches to himself even more than to his listeners every season. Only the man who is
striving to climb the loftiest heights knows just how difficult is the way.
Questions
1) “To teach others how to be good is nobler.” Why?
2) What does the passage say about parents?
3) What does the man who cannot find modest livelihood pretend?
4) What does the last sentence mean?
5) Suggest a suitable title to the passage.
Passage 7
The great advantage of early rising is the good start it gives us in our day’s work. In the early
morning the mind is fresh and there are few sounds or other distractions so that work done at that time is
generally well done. The early riser also finds time to take some exercise in the fresh morning air, and this
exercise supplies him with a fund of energy that will last until the evening. By beginning so early, he know
that he has plenty of time to do thoroughly all the work he can be expected to do, and is not tempted to
hurry over any part of it. All his work being finished in good time, he has a long interval of rest in the
evening before he goes to bed.
Questions
1) What makes work done in the morning better?
2) Why should we take exercise in the fresh morning air?
3) Why is the early riser not tempted to do any work in haste?
4) What makes him relaxed in the evening?
5) Suggest a suitable title to the passage.
Passage 8
The Egyptians believed that after people died they would go to another world: In that world, they
thought, people would still need many of the things they had on earth. Their kings had many wonderful
treasures, and these treasures were buried with them.
The kings were not buried in the open ground or in graveyards, but in great buildings, or tombs
called pyramids, which were built out in the deserts. These pyramids, which can still be seen today, were
made of stone. Inside, there are secret doors which lead to secret passages and then to a secret chamber.
There are the Pharaoh’s body was preserved, so that it would go on looking the same for thousands of
years. This method is known as mummification. The mummy and all the Pharaoh’s treasures were locked
in the secret chamber. Many of these secret chambers have been found. Some of the mummies are in the
British museum in London. The most wonderful treasure of all were those of Pharaoh Tat-ankhamen and
these were now in Government museum in Cairo.
Although the rich people in Egypt enjoyed many wonderful things, the poor people led very hard
lives. The pyramids were built by slaves. Moving the great stones in the hot sun was terribly hard work and
the slaves were treated very cruelly. Those slaves who made the secret entrances to the tombs were killed
when the work was finished, so as to make sure they would not tell others what they knew.
Questions
1) What did the Egyptians believe in?
2) Why were treasures buried in pyramids with the Egyptian kings?
3) What is mummification?
4) How did the ancient Egyptians treat the poor?
5) Why were the slaves who built the secret entrances in pyramids killed?
Passage 9
If most of us were asked what we know about Issac Newton, we should probably reply that he
discovered the law of gravity through watching an apple falling from a tree in his garden. So far as it goes,
the answer would be true; for years after that charming story had gone into circulation, his niece, who was
also his housekeeper, confirmed the truth of that incident in the garden of the old house at Wookthrope in
Lincolnshire. But it tells us too little about the man whose mind was one of the most remarkable in the
history of human thought; whose discoveries marked the end of one epoch in the history of mankind and
the beginning of another, whose genius in mathematics laid the foundation for the scientific discoveries of
the age of mechanical triumphs which followed and, the strangest of all, who lost interest in all this, if
indeed, he ever had any.
Questions
1) Who was Isaac Newton?
2) Which incident helped Newton discover the law of gravity?
3) How did Newton’s law of gravity help the scientific world?
4) What does “that charming story” mean?
5) Which country did Newton live in?
Passage 10
Of what use is habit? In the first place habits makes for economy, both of time and energy. The
habitual act is performed quickly because of the habit. Since the action does not call for attention or at least
any high degree of attention, it frees mental energy for other work, and at the same time itself involves little
or no fatigue. In the second place the habitual action is performed with greater accuracy and, as a rule, with
greater efficiency than is the same action before it has become automatic. Because of these advantages it is
important that many of our everyday actions should become automatic. The disadvantage of habits arises
from the fact that it fixes a certain mode of thinking and acting and more an individual becomes a creature
of habit, the less efficiently will he be able to adjust himself to new conditions to act in new situations.
Questions
1) How does a habit make for economy?
2) What is the relationship between habit and attention?
3) Why is habitual accurate more accurate?
4) What are the disadvantages of habits?
5) Suggest a suitable title to the passage
Passage 11
Some people think that the aim of education is merely to give knowledge. These people who want
students to read books and do nothing else. Other thinks that knowledge alone is not enough; only that
which enables a man to earn his living can be called education. Still others believe that education should
aim solely at making good citizens and good patriots. As a matter of fact, education should aim at all these
three things put together. It should give men knowledge, make them self-sufficient and enable them to
serve others. Education should not produce citizens who while they love their own freedom take away the
freedom of others. It should produce men who love their country but do not want to harm other countries.
Questions
1) Where does knowledge come from, according to some?
2) How many opinions are given in the passage about education?
3) What according to the passage is the purpose of education?
4) What according to the writer a good citizen should not do?
5) Suggest a suitable to the passage.
Passage 12
The third great defect of our civilisation is that it does not know what to do with its knowledge.
Science has given us powers fit for the gods, yet we use them like small children. For example, we do not
know how to manage our machine. Machines were made to be man’s servant; yet he has grown so
dependent on them that they are in a fair way to become his masters. Already most men spend most of their
lives looking after and waiting upon machines. And the machines are very stern masters. They must be fed
with coal, and given petrol to drink, and oil to wash with, and they must be kept at the right temperature.
And if they do not get their meals when they expect them, they grow sulky and refuse to work, or burst
with rage, and blow up, and spread ruin and destruction all round them. So we have to wait upon them very
attentively and do all that we can do to keep them in a good temper. Already we find it difficult either to
work or play without the machines, and a time may come when they will rule us altogether, just as we rule
the animals.
And this brings me to the point at which I asked, “What we do with all the time which the
machines have saved for us, and the new energy they have given us?” On the whole, it must be admitted,
we do very little. For the most part we use our time and energy to make more and better machines; but
more and better machines will only gave us still more time and still more energy, and what are we to do
with them? The answer, I think, is that we should try to become sheer civilised. For the machines
themselves, and the power which the machines have given us, are not civilisation but the aids to
civilisation. But you will remember that we agreed at the begin that being civilised meant making and
linking beautiful things, thinking freely, and living rightly and maintaining justice equally between man
and man. Man has a better chance today to do these things than he ever had before; he has more time, more
energy, less to fear and less to fight against. If he will give his time and energy which his machines have
won for him to making more beautiful things, to finding out more and more about the universe, to
removing the causes of quarrels between nations, to discovering how to prevent, then I think our
civilisation would undoubtedly be the greater, as it would be the most lasting that there has ever been.
Questions
1) Instead of making machines our servants the author says they have become our masters. In what
sense has this come about?
2) The use of machine has brought us more leisure and more energy. But the author says that this has
been a curse rather than a blessing. Explain why?
3) What exactly is the meaning of “civilisation?” Do you agree with the author’s view?
4) “Making more beautiful things” stands for what? Make a list of the beautiful things that you
would like to make and how you would make them.
5) Mention some plans you may have to prevent poverty in the world. Who would receive your most
particular attention, and why?
6) The author uses phrases like, “fed with coal”; “given petrol to drink”; “oil to wash”; “kept at the
right temperature” What machines would require these needs?
Passage 13
Much of the time of a savage is taken up in providing for his safety. He tries to defend himself
against those he is able to fight; he seeks hiding places from those who are too strong for him. The remedy
for this miserable state of things is to be found in a settled government. To guard against foreign enemies
and bands of robbers, government provides soldiers. There are police to apprehend criminals, judges to try
them, and prisons for their confinement. Were there no government, every man would require to carry arms
for his defence or to pay other man to defend him. If defrauded or injured, there would be no judges to
decide the case. Neither would there be any roads, or post offices, or any other public services.
 To pay for soldiers, police, judges and other officers, there must be taxes. If a person tried to
defend himself it would cost him far more, and, after all, the protection would be very insufficient.
Questions
1) What is the problem of a savage?
2) Why is a settled government necessary?
3) What would happen if there were no government?
4) What is the purpose of taxes?
5) Pick out the words in the passages which nearly mean:
(i) Arrest (ii) the state of being shut up in a small space (iii) deceived
Passage 14
Whether the subject should be taught in English in our educational institutions or through urdu is
the most controversial issue of the present day. There are quite a few points to be considered in this
connection. Those who oppose the introduction of English as a medium of instruction think that the
students do not properly understand the subjects taught in English. When they are not able to comprehend a
point properly, they are evidently unable to express it in accurately. When they are compelled to write the
answers in English they feel pained. Hence they develop a sort of inferiority complex. This thing mars the
growth of intellectual power and as a result their personality remains undeveloped. Thus, they prove a
complete failure in their lives, but that is not a sensible way of thinking. As a matter of fact, it is not simply
the medium of instruction that counts in the educational affairs. There are some other factors as well to be
taken into consideration of mind, etc. Moreover, our mother tongue is still in a stage of infancy. It is
impossible for it to supersede English at this stage.
Questions
1) What do the people who oppose English as a medium of instructions hold the opinion?
2) Why can’t we change over to our mother tongue at this stage?
3) What is your personal opinion in this context?
4) What kind of steps should be taken before we can switch over to Urdue?
5) Suggest a suitable title for the passage.
Passage 15
Tropical countries are found near the Equator, between the Tropical of Cancer in the North and the
Tropic of Capricorn in the in the South. Nigeria, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the West Indies are all tropical
counties, they are all in the tropics.
Tropical countries used to be very unhealthy places to live in. People from Europe did not like
working in them at all. They often caught Malaria from mosquitoes or sleeping sickness from Tsetse flies.
But doctors and scientists have now controlled these diseases, and these countries are no longer unhealthy
to live in. As a result many tropical countries have developed quite fast in recent years.
Questions
1) Where do we find the tropical countries on the globe?
2) What was the condition in the tropical countries in the past?
3) Why didn’t the Europeans like to live and work in tropical countries?
4) What causes sleeping sickness?
5) Which sentence in the passage tells us that many of the tropical countries are not dangerous to live
in?
Passage 16
The tyrannical regimes of several dictators like Stalin, Mussalini and Hitler form a very important
part of our world history. Why don’t we learn from this? Why don’t we stop the continuing debate between
the supremacy of despotism over democracy or vice versa?
Democracy has attracted support since the time of ancient Greece, because it represents an ideal of
justice as well as a form of government. The ideal and the practice of democracy are inseparably linked
because rulers subjected to voter approval are more likely to treat the voters justly.
Many of us may say that the ideal of justice and equality is easier said than done. I admit that our
own country reflects this but a country like ours which has ineffective democracy still has a choice. We still
have the right to choose in elections. All we need is the ability to face up to our rights and demands our
rights fearlessly. In my opinion, we lack this fearlessness. In short, we lack true patriotism.
Our Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) also encouraged the concept of democracy and all of the
four caliphs following him based on the system of their government and administration on this form of
government.
 But what about a country in which the ruling party is a despot? What if he turns out to be a fascist,
then what choice are the citizens of the country let with? If the natural rights of life, liberty and property are
not guaranteed, the people have a right to overthrow the government.
(a) What was the Greek idea of democracy?
(b) Why do we have ineffective democracy in Pakistan?
(c) What was the practice of the Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) and the four caliphs in this
connection?
(d) How does the passage indicate that we lack patriotism?
(e) Suggest a title for Democracy
Passage 17
The Great Wall of China is said to be the one structure built by man on earth which would be
visible to observers on the moon. It covers a distance of 1,500 miles as the crow flies. From the Liotung
Peninsula westward to the last fortress in Central Asia, it crosses the northern provinces of China. But its
actual course, twisting and turning, sweeping across deep valleys, covers over 2,000 miles.
In the eastern section its height varies from 15 to 13 feet, and its width from about 25 feet at the
bottom to 15 feet at the top, where there is a pathway wide enough for six horsemen to ride side by side
protected by parapets. When the wall was first built it had about 25,000 towers, each 40 feet square and 40
feet high projecting from it every few hundred yards with holes from which the defenders could shoot at
attackers.
The great Emperor Shih Huang Ti joined three earlier frontier walls to form a Great Wall which
was to act as a boundary between China and the north, and keep out the feared nomads of the Mongolian
steppes. The wall was designed to strengthen the nation’s defences; it was not then, as it later became in
Ming times, a substitute for a strong army and State.
Questions
1) In what way is the Great Wall of China unique?
2) What is the actual distance that the Great Wall of China covers?
3) How wide is the Wall?
4) How was the Great Wall formed?
5) What was the Great wall originally intended for?
6) What did the Wall become in Ming times?
Passage 18
The artist co-operates with God in making increasingly larger numbers of people see the beauty of
the world which these people could never see for themselves. The world is, of course, God’s artistic
masterpiece; but it is the artist who lends people eyes to see it with. Browning’s Fra Lippo has the last
word on the subject:
For, don’t you mark, we’re made so that we love
First when we see them painted things we have passed
Perhaps a hundred times nor cared to see?
In this sense, Oscar Wilde’s paradox is perfectly true: that Nature imitates Art; for the majority of men see
in Nature what Art has taught them to see in Nature. The fogs of London, said Wilde, were the invention of
Whistler. To love beauty therefore becomes to the artist, as an artist, his first duty. To love beauty, that is,
to see it for himself first, and then to communicate it to others; for love implies at once vision and
reproduction. It must be the first article in an artist’s creed, as an artist, that beauty is the best in interpreter
of God to man; that; when he has got hold of beauty, he has got hold of the surest key to the knowledge of
God. Keats has said that Beauty is Truth. Now, this is not true. But to us here, Beauty is, as Plato said, the
splendour of Truth. The artist, as an artist, must be content with the splendour and, through this splendour
strive to convey the truth. He has no business with truth as such as the philosopher, for instance, has. He
has no concern with conduct as such, as the moralist, for instance has. It is not his function to exhort men to
good works, or to prove things; but merely to exhibit them. Plato thought a picture, for instance, was just of
an object – a copy of the idea. It was Aristotle, Plato’s pupil, who pointed out that, though a picture was in
one sense certainly a copy and therefore something less than the object, in another sense it was something
more than the object. It was, briefly, the idea of the object made visible to the eye. Art, therefore, does not
consist merely in line and colour, sound and image; but primarily in ideas. Beauty may not be useful.
Beauty may not improve our minds. But beauty must please. Indeed, such is the inherent delightfulness of
beauty that, by its magic touch, not only the ugly becomes pleasurable, but even sorrow becomes a joy.
That is the explanation of the pleasure we feel in tragedy. What would shock us in actual life gives us
pleasure in a tragedy. For tragedy makes experience significant; and by making it significant, it makes it
beautiful; and by making it beautiful, it makes it pleasant. And yet, it does not aim at pleasing; it only aims
at exhibiting. Pleasure is not its aim; it is its effect. – Armando Menezes
Questions
1. What does the artist do for most of us?
2. Why does the artist “lend” his eyes to people?
3. Explain: “Nature imitates Art.”
4. What is the artist’s first duty? Why?
5. What is the surest key to the knowledge of God? Why?
6. What is the artist’s real function?
7. In what does Art primarily consist?
8. When does sorrow become a joy?
Passage 19
The rapid rise and no less rapid fall of Spain’s empire makes it difficult for us to visualise the
position she held in Europe. Spain set the cultural and social standards of the time, and the golden age of
Spanish art and literature, from 1580 to 1680 coincides with the heyday of this world domination, the court
of Madrid Patronised painter; architects, poets and travellers. Palaces and monasteries built partly. From the
subscriptions of subjects and partly from the wealth of Americans, spring up over the Castilion countryside
exhibiting the Italian ideas of their builders. Noblemen and their ideas of their builders. Noblemen and their
ideas of their builders. Noblemen and their ideas had their portraits pointed by velazquez, who had quested
the formalist El Greco. Spain set the fashion in matters of taste and whilst the lower middle classes
continued their wanted habits of thought and activity, fashionable. European society hoped the manners of
Spanish aristocracy.
Questions
(a) Can you account for the rapid rise of Spin from 1550-1680?
(b) How did the court of Madrid patronise poets and painters, etc. where from money came?
(c) What were the activities of Spanish aristocracy during this period?
(d) Explain the words given below:
i) Heyday ii) monasteries iii) ousted iv) aped
(e) Suggest a suitable title for the above passage.
Passage 20
Great books do not spring from something accidental in the great men who wrote them. They are
effluence of their very core, the expression of the life itself of the authors. And literature cannot be said to
have served its true purpose. Until it has been translated into the actual life of him who reads. It does not
succeed until it becomes the vehicle of the vital. Progress is the gradual result of the unending battle
between human reason and human instinct, in which the former slowly but surely wins. The most powerful
engine in this battle is literature. It is the vast reservoir of true ideas and high emotions and life is
constituted of ideas and emotions. In a world deprived of literature, the intellectual and emotional activity
of all but a few exceptionally gifted men would quickly sink and retract to a narrow circle. The broad, the
noble, the generous would tend to disappear for want of accessible storage. And life would be
correspondingly degraded, because the fallacious idea and the pretty emotion would never feel the upward
pull of the ideas and emotions of genius. Only by conceiving a society without literature can it be clearly
realised that the function of literature is to raise the plain towards the top level of the peaks. Literature
exists so that where one man has lived finely, ten thousand may afterwards live finely. It is a means of life,
it concerns the living essence.
Questions
1) What, according to the author, is the source of a great book?
2) When does literature serve its true purpose?
3) What is progress according to the author?
4) What is the most important function of literature?
5) Why should reason win over instinct?
6) ‘Literature is a means of life”. Explain this idea in two sentences.
Passage 21
And first let us take Shakespeare. Note broadly at the outset, Shakespeare has no heroes; he has
only heroines. There is not entirely heroic figure in all his plays, except the slight sketch of Henry the fifth,
exaggerated for the purpose of the stage; and the still slighter Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
In his laboured and perfect plays, you have no hero. Othello would have been one, if his simplicity had not
been so great as to leave him the prey of every base practice around him; but he is the only example even
approximating to the heroic type. Coriolanus, Caesar, Antony, stand in flawed strength, and fall by their
vanities; Hamlet is indolent, and drowsily speculative, Romeo an impatient boy. The Merchant of Venice
languidly submissive to adverse fortune; Kent, in King Lear, is entirely noble at heart, but too rough and
unpolished to be of true use at the critical time and he sinks into the office of a servant only. Orlando, no
less noble, is yet the despairing toy of chance, followed, comforted saved by Rosalind; whereas there is
hardly a play that has not a perfect woman in it, steadfast in grave hope and errorless of purpose; Cordelia,
Deslemona, Isabella, HermioneImogen, Queen Katherine. Perdita, Sylria, Viola, Rosalind, Helena, and last
and perhaps the loveliest, Virgilia, are all faultless, conceived in the highest heroic type of humanity.
Questions
1) According to the passage Shakespeare delineates
a. only heroes
b. no heroines
c. heroines with some flaw or the other
d. none of the above
2) Who is the only heroic figure among Shakespeare heroes?
3) What weakness does Hamlet suffer from?
4) How is the Merchant of Venice portrayed?
5) Why does the author say that Kent in King Lear cannot be classed as a hero?
6) Who is a toy of chance? How?
7) How has Shakespeare conceived his heroine?
Passage 22
Poetry is a form of literature. Literature has three main forms; namely, prose, poetry and drama. It
is difficult to define poetry. Each critic gives his own definition of poetry. For instance, Matthew Arnold
defines poetry by saying that, “poetry is a criticism of life bound by the laws of poetic truth and poetic
beauty”, but this definition begs the question because he employs the terms Poetic beauty and Poetic truth
without defining what poetry is. The definition at any rate makes one point clear about poetry as Arnold
conceived of it. According to him, poetry is a criticism of life. That means a poet must interpret life to his
readers. Arnold says, “The grand power of poetry is its interpretative power; by which I mean, not a power
of drawing out in black and white an explanation of the mystery of the universe but the powers of so
dealing with things as to awaken in us a wonderfully full, new and intimate sense of them and of relations
with them. When this sense is awakened in us, as to objects without us, we feel ourselves to be in contact
with the essential nature of those objects, to be no longer bewildered and oppressed by them, but to have
their secret and to be in harmony with them, and this feeling calms and satisfies us as no other can”. That is
why, the famous remark that, “Poetry is a criticism of life” is an epigrammatic summing up of all that he
contends for as a writer both of life and letters. It implies that poetry is more than a mere matter of outward
realities, more than expression of a facile moral or intellectual attitude.
Questions
1) What should a poet do according to Arnold?
2) What is the main function of poetry?
3) What are the three forms of literature?
4) How is poetry a criticism of life?
5) Why is Arnold’s definition of poetry incomplete?
6) Which point does Arnold’s definition make clear?
7) What does the phrase drawing out in black and white mean?
Passage 23
The problem of price hike is a worldwide phenomenon. Prices of all articles have increased in all
countries. The purchasing power of money has declined and has been steadily declining. People are finding
it hard to make both ends meet. The rich do not mind the rise in prices because they have money to buy
anything at any price. The problem is acute only in the case of the people of lower economic levels. Their
income has not increased in proportion to the increasing price. Before the Second World War in the year
1938-39, etc. one rupee could buy ten seers of fine rice. Today for the same quantity of rice, we have to pay
about fifty rupees and if this is taken as a scale, the price rise has gone up by fifty times. On 1939, the price
of gold was about thirty or forty rupees per sovereign but today it is more than three thousand four hundred
rupees; and the scale of rise in the price of gold also is the same. Has our income increased on the same
scale? It has not, and hence people feel price-rise acutely since their meagre income is inadequate to buy
their basic necessities. A large majority of people are facing these problems. In villages, life is more
miserable. In every village, only a few families have enough and to spare while the others, a majority of
them, let alone leading a hand to mouth existence, are steeped in absolute poverty. Inch by inch, they keep
sinking into a morass of despair, misery and anguish.
Questions
1) To what extent have the prices gone up during the last fifty years?
2) Price-rise is –
a. peculiar to Pakistan
b. common to all developing countries
c. common to all countries in the world
3) when prices rise the value of money
a. rises
b. remains constant
c. falls
d. non of the above
4) Why are the poor people of the lower economic level hit hard when price rise?
5) Why don’t the rich find price rise hard on their finances?
6) Why is life more miserable in villages when price rise?
7) What is meant by ‘hand to mouth existence?
Passage 24
An intellectual is one who is enlightened; and being enlightened person, he has to give light to
others who are in need of it. In every society we find intellectuals such as philosophers, scientists, scholars,
writers and critics; and they, as enlightened men, have a great responsibility towards society. In a society,
all cannot be intellectuals. If a time comes when all are intellectuals it would be a blessed time indeed; but
at present, at any rate, all are not intellectuals and those who are intellectuals have the great responsibility
of building others on to the right path. If today we have our civilisation and culture, if we have orders and
security in life, and if our life is better than that of our primitive ancestors, it is because the intellectuals,
from time to time, have been guiding humanity on the path of felicity and amity. The intellectual should
come out of his ivory tower and try to elevate others to his level. This is the theme of Tennyson’s famous
poem, “The Palace of Art”. The intellectual has the duty of seeing the truth and teaching it to others. The
contemplation of the eternal laws of the universe beings about a tranquil exaltation of the mind. The
perception of the truth is almost the same as perception of beauty and the duty of an intellectual is to see
this truth or beauty and to reveal it to others.
Questions
1) Who are intellectuals according to the passage?
2) What does the passage say about equality of human being in the field of intelligence?
3) What would be a blessed time according to the passage?
4) Who has brought about order and security in life?
5) What is the “Palace of Art”?
6) Who wrote it?
7) What is the theme of the ‘Palace of Art”?
8) What are the responsibilities of the intellectuals?
Passage 25
Nowadays life in cities has become dangerous for various reasons. First of all, it is dangerous to
walk about in cities because always various kinds of vehicle keep moving at terrific speeds. The smoke
released by them poisons the atmosphere; and consequently it is dangerous to breathe in this polluted air.
The food that we get in cities is also lacking in purity. Nowadays, everything is grown with chemical
fertilisers which may cause danger to the consumers of fruits, vegetables and other things grown thus. We
do not get anything that is absolutely pure. The water also is sometimes contaminated. Hence, it is better to
get out of cities at least for some days every month; and to eat food which is not contaminated; and to
breathe in fresh air which conduces to excellent health.
Questions
1) Why has city-life become dangerous these days?
2) Who causes air pollution in cities?
3) What makes the food in cities impure?
 4) What is meant by the word contaminated?
5) What does the passage suggest to city dwellers?
6) What are the advantages of going out of cities?
7) Why is it dangerous to walk about the cities these days?
Paraphrasing
A paraphrase is a translation of a given passage into another form of words. The given passage is
generally of such a character that the paraphrase requires to be written in simpler and clearer language. A
paraphrase must not be confused with a précis. In both exercises the object is to reproduce the sense of a set
of passage; but a précis involves condensation, whereas a paraphrase follows the original, sentence by
sentence, without omitting any of the thought.
Paraphrasing as a Test
Paraphrase used regularly to be set in examination in English language as a test of candidates’
power to understand ideas and express them clearly and accurately in their own words; and it still finds a
place in the papers of some examining bodies, although the exercises have become less formal in character.
In examinations in English Literature candidates must be able to paraphrase passages taken from the
prescribed books in order to show their grasp of the author’s ideas.
Paraphrasing as Practice in Expression
Apart altogether from its usefulness as a test, paraphrasing is extremely valuable as an exercise in
composition. Continual practice in reproducing the thoughts of other people in a different form of words
helps to give the writer both facility in composition and precision in the choice of words. Students are
therefore strongly advised to make full use of this form of exercise as part of their training in expression.
Examples of formal paraphrasing and directions regarding method are given below. While
exercises of this kind should be worked from time to time, much good practice may be obtained by
reproducing in your own words the sense of shorter passage such as the following:
a) A proverb e.g.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Paraphrase –
A little trouble taken early will save a great deal of trouble later on.
Proverbs are very frequently couched in figurative language. The metaphor or simile should not
appear in the paraphrase.
b) A pithy saying or witty remark e.g.
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. –
Bacon
Paraphrase –
Some books deserve only to be lightly skimmed; other may be read through rapidly at a sitting; a
few require close study so that the author’s ideas may be thoroughly understood and assimilated.

c) A sentence or two of “officialese”, which is frequently encountered in Press reports and

official documents.
d) A statement couched in legal or technical terms, or an extract from official regulations (which
are often worded in a way that makes them difficult to follow).
Sir Ernest Gowers, in “Plain Words”, quotes the following passage from a leaflet of Income Tax
instructions:
A deduction of tax may be claimed in respect of any person whom the individual maintains at his
own expense, and who is (i) a relative of his, or of his wife, and incapacitated by old age or
infirmity from maintaining himself or herself, or (ii) his or his wife’s widowed mother, whether
incapacitated or not, or (iii) his daughter who is resident with him and upon whose services he is
compelled to depend by reason of old age or infirmity.
In a later edition of the leaflet this sentence was paraphrased, made more easily intelligible, thus:
If you maintain a relative of yourself or your wife who is unable to work because of old age or
infirmity, you can claim an allowance of ………You can claim this allowance if you maintain your
windowed mother, or your wife’s widowed mother, whether she is unable to work or not. If you maintain a
daughter who lives with you because you or your wife is infirm, you can claim an allowance of ………
Exercise of the kind suggested above will be found at the end of this chapter.
Paraphrasing Verse
Passages set for paraphrasing are frequently in verse. Poetic style is generally quite different from
prose style. In poetry we find a vocabulary, an order of words and clauses, and a use of figures of speech
(especially simile and metaphor) that would be out of place in prose. Hence the changes to be made by the
writer of a paraphrase are in the direction of simplicity and normality of expression. Here are two examples
of passages of verse followed by prose rendering of them.
Examples:
Westminster Bridge, 1802
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky:
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep!
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! The very houses seem asleep’
And all that mighty heart is lying still! - Wordsworth
Paraphrase
Nothing on earth is fairer than this, and he who could pass on unmoved by such a majestic sight
must lack all the finer spiritual qualities. London appears most beautiful in the bright morning light. Ships,
and buildings of all kinds stretching out towards the fields, stand silent against the sky, and all gleam
brightly in the smokeless air. Not even wild hill and valley bathed in early morning sunlight present a more
splendid picture than this. Never have I seen or felt so deep a calm. The river flows peacefully on,
undisturbed by any craft. Even the houses seem asleep, and all that great human society is at rest.
Points to be Observed in Paraphrasing Verse
» For all words or phrases that are archaic or uncommon substitute words or phrases in common
use.
» Where necessary, rearrange the parts of sentence so as to secure the normal prose-order.
» When the original contains long sentences, break them up into shorter ones. The punctuation of
the paraphrase will, of course, be quite different from that of the original.
» It is generally desirable to remove highly figurative language, and to replace it by simple
common expressions. It is sometimes sufficient to expand metaphors into similes.
» Do not be afraid of expanding, if necessary. The language of poetry is generally more terse than
that of prose, and hence the poet’s idea often cannot be stated in any other form without the use of more
words.
» It is not necessary to find a synonym for every word in the original. Sometimes the original word
is the only one possible.
» Do not alter the person of the original.
The Method to be Followed in Paraphrasing
(a) Read the passage two or three times to gain a clear idea of the general meaning.
(b) Make notes of words or phrases that are of the distinctly poetical character and will need to be
changed.
(c) Following the original sentence by sentence, make a rough draft of your paraphrase.
(d) Compare this draft with the original. Satisfy yourself that you have adequately restated the
meaning. Make any alterations necessary.
(e) Most important. Without reference to the original, read through your paraphrase and make
sure that it is written in good, everyday English, and that it would be perfectly readable and
comprehensible to anybody.
 Specimen
LINES ON SEEING A LOCK OF MILTON’S HAIR
Chief of organic number!
Old Scholar of the Sphere!
Thy spirit never slumbers,
But rolls about our ears,
For ever, and for ever!
O, what a mad endeavour
Worketh he,
Who to thy sacred and ennobled hearse
Would offer a burnt sacrifice of verse
And melody,
How heavenward thou soundest
Live Temple of sweet noise.
And Discord unconfoudest,
Giving Delight new joys,
And Pleasure nobler pinions!
O’where are thy dominions?
Lend thine ear
To a young Delian oath, – aye, by the soul,
By all that from thy mortal lips did roll,
And by the kernel of thine earthly love,
Beauty, in things on earth and things above,
I swear!
When every childish fashion
Has vanished from my rhyme,
Will I, grey-gone in passion
Hymming and Harmony
Of thee, and of thy works, and of thy life;
But vain is now the burning and the strife;
Pangs are in vain, until I grow high-rife;
With old phislophy,
And mad with glimpses of futurity!
For many years my offerings must be hush’d;
When I do speak, I’ll think upon this hour,
Because I feel my forehead hot and flushed
Even as the simplest vassal of thy power, –
A lock of thy bright hair, –
Sudden it came,
And I was startled when I caught thy name
Coupled so unaware;
Yet, at the moment, temperate was my blood,
I thought I had beheld it from the flood.
Paraphrase
Milton is the mighty-mouthed inventor of harmonies. He is the god-gifted voice of England. He is
the chief composer of harmonious verse. He is the scholar of the Spheres probably because the scene of
Milton’s great epic is laid partly in heaven and hell, that is, above or below our earth. Milton had adapted
Ptolmaic conception of universe for is epic, Paradise Lost. The poetic spirit of Milton always rings in our
ears. It never sleeps. It is immortal. It would be audacious on the part of any one who should try to write
about the exalted character of Milton’s genius.
Keats in his invocation to Milton says that he (Milton) raises his song to heaven. Urania, the epic
Muse had led Milton, an earthly gust, to the heaven of heavens. He is a living shelter of sweet music. He
blends discords into harmony. By the magic of his poetry he makes things happy, more joyous, and gives
wings to pleasures. By the help of imagination he makes his verse a thing of pleasures. The poet asks where
Milton lives now after death.
 Keats requests Milton to listen to him because he is going to make a solemn declaration. By all
that Milton wrote,, by the love he had for the earth, and for beauty, both material and heavenly, Keats
pledges that he shall write about the great poet’s life and his poetry. But Keats will write about the poetry
and melody of Milton when childish fashion (immaturity) vanishes from his poetry, and the impetuosity of
youth has worn itself out. But at present there is no sense in burning the mid-night oil, in taking pains for
writing about Milton, his work and his life. When Keats becomes mature in thought and expression, and
when he is filled and inspired by the exalted ideas of philosophy, he shall write a harmonious hymn in
honour of Milton’s life and his sublime poetry. He will not write till he becomes a seer and has prophetic
visions of future.
For many years Keats will remain silent. He shall not write till he grows mature. But whenever the
poet shall begin writing about Milton, he shall remember this occasion when he saw a lock of his hair. At
present the poet is hot and flushed with emotions at seeing even the trifle like the lock that is Milton’s. He
saw the lock all of a sudden and was simply stunned to know that an object like a lock seemingly
commonplace was linked with Milton. However, at this moment Keats was cool and temperate. He felt as if
he had seen the lock from the earliest time. Here there seems to be a contradiction. Only six lines before he
has told that his head was hot and flushed.
When I have fears that I may cease to be
When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain.
Before high-piled books, in charact’ry
Hold like rich garners the full-ripened grain
When I behold, upon the night’s starred face
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance
And when I feel, fair creatures of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love! O then, on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and Fame to nothingness to do sink
The poet is haunted by a fear of imminent death and develops a sense of despair because he that he
would not be able to give expression to the teeming plethora of thoughts and feelings in is mind in a large
number of books which will be a storehouse of his experiences. He would no longer have the joy of looking
at the sky full of twinkling stars. It is painful for him to think that at the sky full of twinkling stars. It is
painful for him to think that he would no longer live to ruminate over the ceaseless beauties of Nature.
Death will separate him from his beloved. He feels orphaned and lonely. Life appears to him to be an
illusion. Love and fame appear to him to be totally meaningless.
Thus I entered, and thus I go!
In triumphs, people have dropped down dead,
Paid by the world, what dot thou owe
Me?’ – God might question; now instead,
‘Tis God shall repay; I am safer so.
Paraphrase
The poet says that the ways of the world are strange. A year ago, the people welcomed the
Patriot warmly. During the course of the year, his fame turned into defame. His patriotic deeds became
political crimes and offences. A year has passed and the same day has arrived. The Patriot is going to the
scaffold to be executed. He is going to die the death of a traitor. The Patriot says that in such in such
victories as have brought him honour people often collapse. As he is fortunate enough to escape such a
death, he thinks that the hanging is a blessing in disguise. Since the people have mis-rewarded him for his
deeds, God will definitely reward him for his sacrifices. Had the people continued to honour and recognise
his sincere services, God would not have cared for him. So he is now in a better position than he would
have been otherwise. Consoling himself like this he snatches victory out of his defeat.
For the journey is done and the summit attained,
And the barriers fall
Though a battle’s to fight ere guerdon be gained.
 The reward of it all.
I was ever a fighter, so – one fight more,
The best and the last!
Paraphrase
Browning shows his optimism and courage in these lines. He is not afraid of Death. He does not
fear ‘the fog in his throat’, ‘the mist in his face’, ‘the snows’ and ‘the blasts’; nor is he afraid of the ‘power
of the night’, ‘the press of the storm’ and ‘the post of the foe’. He is prepared to face and Arch Fear in a
visible form. He feels that like a strong man he must go forward for he has almost finished his journey of
has life and reached its final stage. The difficulties, the turmoils and tumults of those whose life have come
to an end and he has entered the line and the lists of battle against Death, their mightiest foe. He has now to
prove his worth and mettle and has to win the crowning reward of his long venturesome life. he was ever a
fighter; his life had been a life of struggle always and so he would fight the last and the best battle without
any fear or hesitation. He would not budge an inch from the battlefield. He would defy Death openly and
would give a battle cry against him.
Oh there is blessing in this gentle breeze,
A visitant that while it fans my cheek
Doth seem half conscious of the joy it brings
From the green fields, and from yon azure sky.
What are its mission, the soft breeze can come
To none more grateful than to me: escaped
From the vast city, ere I long had pined
A discontented sojourner: Now free,
Free as a bird to settle where I will.
What dwelling shall receive me? In what valley 10
Shall be my harbour? Underneath what grove
Shall I take up my home? And what clear stream
Shall with its murmur lull me into rest?
The earth is all before me. With a heart
Joyous, nor scared at its own liberty,
I look about; and should the chosen guide
Be nothing better than a wandering cloud.
Paraphrase
This mild breeze is a gift from heaven to me. It is a holy visitor from heaven, which, while it
caresses my cheek, seems to be aware of the Joy that it brings for me from the blue sky and the green
fields. Whatever may be its purpose, this mild breeze cannot be more cheering to anybody else than to me,
for I have just come out of that great city of London where I lived for a long time in an unhappy state. Now
I am free and can settle down wherever I like. Now which spot will be my abode? In which valley should I
find shelter? Under which grove should I set up my home? Which clear stream will soothe me into rest and
sleep with its murmuring sound? The whole earth is wide open before me. With a heart full of joy I can
look around myself and am not afraid of the newly acquired freedom. I can now not miss my way, even if I
choose to follow a sailing cloud as my guide.
All is not lost; the unconquerable will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to submit or yield:
And what is else not to be overcome?
That glory never shall his wrath or might
Extort from me. To bow and sue for grace
With suppliant knee, and deify his power,
Who, from the terror of this arm, so late
Doubted his empire, – that were low indeed;
That were an ignominy and shame beneath
This downfall; since by fate the strength of gods
And this empyreal substance cannot fail,
Since through experience of this great event,
 In arms not worse,
Paraphrase
We have not lost our unshakeable determination. We still burn with persistent desire to take
revenge and nourish undying hate; we still possess unyielding courage and what else is not to be wrested
from us and beaten down – our imperishable essence. His vengeance or His power cannot rob me of the
glory of my personal identity. It would be base indeed to submit to Him and pray for His forgiveness on
bended knees and worship his power, for lately His throne was shaken by the strength of my arm. It would
indeed be a disgrace and humiliation worse than our defeat, since it is decreed by fate that our strength and
ethereal essence cannot perish. Since our late experience shows that we are not inferior in physical strength.
O Attic shape! Fair attitude! With brede
Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty”, – that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know
The poet addresses the Grecian urn embroidered all over with pictures of men and women, of
forest trees trodden weeds, and says that it baffles and perplexes the human mind as does eternity itself. It is
as mysterious and unknowable as eternity. When the present generation has died out, the urn will live in the
midst of the future generations and try to lessen their suffering by its friendly message. It will tell them that
Beauty and Truth are identical, and an understanding of this principle alone is sufficient for man during his
earthly existence.
Our birth is but a sleep and forgetting:
The soul that arises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting.
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!
Paraphrase
When we are born into this life we lose consciousness of a previous state which is then forgotten
or dimly remembered. Just as a star, in its endless career through the heavens, sets in one horizon and then
reappears in another, so in its infinite course through eternity the soul, which is the star of our life, when it
comes to this world to dwell in the human form, sets in another horizon that of heaven, where it dwelt
before taking birth into this world. It comes from heaven not completely forgetful of its previous state. Nor
does it come altogether divested of the divine glory that it possessed in its heavenly home before coming to
this world. The soul carries with it glorious reminiscences of its former life even as the morning star is
surrounded by rosy clouds. Our soul comes from God and, therefore, we are enveloped by celestial
influences and light in our infancy.
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The sea that bears its bosom to the moon,
The winds that will be howling at all hours;
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for every thing, we are out of tune;
They move us not. – Great God! I’d rather be
A pagan suckled in a creed outworn,
So might I standing on this pleasant lea,
 Have glimpses that might make me less forlorn;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
Paraphrase
We are so pre-occupied with material things and our energies are so consumed in the pursuit of
wealth and worldly enjoyment that we are out of tune with Nature which does not attract us at all. The finer
susceptibilities of our nature are deadened by the selfish calculating life that we lead. For now nothing good
and beautiful in Nature moves us. Neither the loveliness of this ocean smiling under the moon, nor the wild
roaring winds, quiet now and gathered up like the petals of sleeping flowers, stir our hearts. Such beautiful
sights and sounds of Nature leave us cold and unmoved, because there is now no feeling of kinship between
Man and Nature.
Great God. I would rather be a pagan than live the dead life of modern materialism. For, as a
pagan, standing on this beautiful meadow I might have beautiful sights of Nature which would make me
less lonely and unhappy. I might see perhaps the sea-god Protecus rising from the waves, or hear old Tirton
blowing a trumpet call on his special born.
To a friend about your favourite game
Gulberg III Industrial Area,
Lahore.
18th of January, 1996
Dear Kamran,
Thanks for your letter, in which you praise as the finest game in the world. I don’t want to dispute
that; but it does not happen to be my favourite game.
Of all the outdoor games I like tennis best. Football and hockey do not suit me, and cricket does
not always give me sufficient play, for a chance ball may take the bales of the wickets and you are out for
the day. But tennis ha in it nothing of the violence of hockey and football, of the chance that meets you so
often in cricket, of the effeminacy and childishness of badminton; it gives you plenty of exercise; it
develops quickness of eye and limb; and it calls your brain, your thinking power, into action.
Chess is the indoor game I like most. I take no interest in card games, because they don’t call forth
much intelligence and judgement and draughts after chess is of course like water after wine. Bridge is a
selfish game. Some say that the game is very slow. It may seem slow to the outsider, but how can he enjoy
it? He only sees two persons sitting silent and making a move every few minutes. But from the player’s
point of view, it is the most absorbing, most exciting, most rapid and most exacting of all the indoor games.
You forget everything – food, drink, sleep; your heart is wholly set upon the pieces that are before you.
Chess is the king of all the indoor games. It sharpens your intelligence and develops your faculty of
judgement; a single wrong move may lose you the match. You think hard before you move. It is, therefore,
a training for practical life where only the man who thinks long before taking a step in any direction
succeeds.
Perhaps my brief description may make you like the game of chess.
Yours sincerely,
Salim
To a friend, asking him to join an excursion
23 Shalimar Link Road,
January 14, 2001
My dear Daniyal
My father is taking me to the river this evening, and he wants me to ask some of my friends to
join. Will you be able to come? I shall be so glad if you can. I think we shall muster a party of nine or ten.
It promises to be a delightful evening and I hope we shall have a jolly time. Shall I wait for you at five in
the evening?
With kind regards.
I remain very
Sincerely yours
Khuram Khan
Reply, regretting inability to join.
232 G. T. Road Daroghawala,
Lahore.
13th of May, 2000
My dear Rahim,
 Thanks for your kind note, but I am sorry to write that I cannot join you this evening. The fact is I
must sweat for my examination.
Wishing you to pleasant evening, I remain
Yours ever
Mubarak Ali
A letter to your father requesting to send money
12, Nizamabad,
Lahore.
December 3, 2000
My dear father,
I am well here by the grace of Allah and your blessings. I hope mummy, Munni and you are well.
I am study hard for coming examination. I am hoping to get a rank.
The students of our class are going on excursion to a number of historical places that have never
seen. I would like to join the group if you have no objection. Four of our teachers including the Principal
are accompanying the party. It is a three-days trip and they charge Rs. 1500 for the trip. I have to pay the
examination fee before 31st of this month. It is Rs. 400 – I need another Rs. 100 for my expenses on the
trip. The date of excursion is not fixed and it is going to be in the third week of January 1994.
If you have no objection on my joining to the trip, kindly send me Rs. 2000 so as to reach me by
30 December. As I have already told you the last date for paying the examination fee is 31st December.
My love to Mummy and Munni
Yours affectionately,
Latif Khalid
A letter to your younger brother advising him to take part in sports and games.
32 McLeod Road,
Lahore.
2 February, 1999
My dear Hassaan,
Congratulations! I felt extremely happy to read from mummy’s letter that you stood first in your
first terminal examination scoring 97% overall. It is a splendid achievement. Mummy is all praise for you
because you get up of 5 a.m. and read till 11 p.m. not even devoting some time for recreations.
That is well done dear brother but I need to tell you that education aims at helping one to have a
sound mind in a sound body. Real education should cater for head, hand and the heart. Ultimately, when
the body fails to respond to the calls of the head and heart, man cannot get the best out of his education. A
little recreation for the mind and exercise for the body are absolutely essential. May I suggest to you that
you should devote at least an hour a day in giving some kind of exercise to your body by taking part in
sports and games or taking walks in the fresh air of the morning studies. You will be fresh to do your
studies after an hour on the playground.
Don’t mistake me for writing this. I am only sharing my experience with you. I want you to come
up well in life.
Wishing you all the best,
Yours loving brother,
Usman Iqbal
A letter of introduction for a friend to another friend who lives in a different part of the
country, saying why you think each will enjoy knowing other.
12, Farooq Abad,
Lahore.
February 2, 1999
My dear Khalid,
You have often heard me speak of my friend, Akbar, who is an advocate here. He is an old friend
of mine, and a man for whom I have great admiration. Well, he is going to Karachi for a few days and will
probably stay there for about two months. And as I want you to serve as an introduction, I am sure you will
do your convenience he may need. I know you will like him immensely, as he is a man of jolly
temperament and lively disposition. You will soon find in him your best friend and counsellor.
Akbar, like you, has a great passion for English literature. He has composed many verse in
English. Above all, he plays chess; and you are a chess enthusiast. He is also fond of going to pictures like
you so you should get on well together, I hope you are having happy time, and are keeping fit.
 Pay my respects to aunt and uncle
Wishing you the best
Yours sincerely,
Naeem
Write a letter to your sister, suggesting some interesting books for her to read.
13-D G. O. R III,
Lahore.
November 3, 1999
My dear Iffat,
I am glad to learn that you are developing a taste for reading and are utilising, your time in the
study of books. Ruskin called good books, “King’s Treasuries”: treasuries not of gold and silver and
precious stones but of knowledge and wisdom. They preserve the great thoughts, the beautiful
imaginations, and the wise counsels of the master minds of all ages.
I want you to read books of adventure, and I hope that books like Haji Baba of Isphan and
Robinson Crusoe shall fire your imagination and inspire you with a love of adventure. Haji Babu is a
wonderfully accurate character, is a typical Persian adventure. He is a clever rascal and up to all kinds of
tricks: and yet he has his good points. His reckless courage and dare-devilry compel us to like him in spite
of his knavery. He assume various disguises, and very successfully. The son of a poor barber of Isphan, he
is in turn the servant of a merchant, a pipe-stick seller, the secretary of a pious Mullah, a police officer, a
physician, a beggar, a barber, a criminal fleeing from justice, a prince, and finally secretary of the Persian
Ambassador at Constantinople. He has many hair-breadth escapes and amusing adventures in which you
will be interested.
Robinson Crusoe is also of no less interest. As one reads the story of the English sailor who after
shipwreck was stranded on a desert island, where he lived all alone careful account of the doings and
adventures of a real man. Defoe managed this, not by any brilliant writing (for his style is very simple and
straightforward), but by his detailed and minute description of Crusoe’s difficulties and the ingenious ways
in which he overcame them. Although the story is imaginary, there is nothing impossible in it, and nothing
that could not have happened in the given circumstances. If you want to read short stories, you can take up
Galsworthy’s Caravan, Tagore’s Short Stories, and Stevenson’s New Arabian Nights for the present. You
may also profit by Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare.
Remember me to mother and give her my best respects.
Yours affectionately,
Ijaz Aslam
Write a short letter to an old friend, telling him what profession you wish to adopt in life,
and asking his honest advice on the choice of your profession.
387= F-II M. M. A. Johar Town,
Lahore.
March 11, 2000
Dear Anwar,
Thank you very much for your long letter. It did me good to hear from you again after such a long
silence. I am glad you are getting on well at college and I hope you will get through your examination with
credit.
You have asked me to let you know what profession I intend to follow. It is a question which
puzzles my brain and baffles my understanding. I am a prey to all sorts of fears and, again, am buoyed up
by all sorts of hopes, but to tell you frankly, I am still at sea. I don’t know which road to take. Various
professions have struck my fancy but their respective advantages and disadvantages have ruled all of them
out. Sometimes I want to become a lawyer, but the profession is so overcrowded that I cannot think of
swelling that route. Lawyers are as plentiful now as ‘blackberries’. There is absolutely no scope in law for a
beginner. Most of the lawyers hardly earn enough to make both ends meet. Moreover, the competition is so
keen and the struggle is so hard that only those who can live upon ancestral property for at least four or five
years can hope to succeed in profession. Nor can one fail to find doctors in every nook and corner of the
town. Every day I meet doctors who, too, do not tell cheerful tale. Moreover, I have a dislike for this
profession, as it mars one’s tastes and makes one see only the grim side of human life. I cannot settle down
as a business man, for the monotonous and exacting life led by a business man is soul-killing and
devitalising. Variety is the spice of life and I wish to adopt only that profession which will bring me the
greatest amount of happiness. I want to drink ‘the cup of life to the lees’. I want to be a professor who is
always surrounded by students with beaming countenances and cheerful looks. In their midst I can hope to
find real peace and happiness. But I do not want to be too certain about this in advance. May I ask you to be
kind enough to favour me at the earliest with your advice? As your brother is himself a Professor, you
should be able to offer me almost first-hand information.
Yours sincerely,
Nadeem Aslam
Write a letter to your friend about an interesting article you have recently read in a
newspaper.
10 Lawrence Road,
Lahore.
January 13, 1998
My dear Nadeem,
I was extremely glad to hear from you, and hope you will continue writing to me in the same way
in future. I am getting on well at college, spending a fair amount of my time in reading magazines and
newspapers.
I like them very much, so much that I would sooner part with any other occupation than with
them.
Recently, I read a very interesting article in last month’s “Reader’s Digest”. The author tells us
something of superstitions prevalent in modern life. Even in the age of scientific inventions and
discoveries, old belief and superstitions linger in people’s minds. They believe in magic cures, and the
persecution of the “wise women” is still prevalent. Many a village doctor knows that his science will be
rejected in favour of the quaint remedies of the local “wise women”. But it is not always the ignorant who
hold these fantastic beliefs; even educated persons are a prey to them. Some years ago a young woman,
herself a University graduate, came to a country doctor and asked him what he could do for her father’s
cows; she assured him they were bewitched.
The writer says that “wise women” suggest curious remedies for various diseases. In parts of
“Wild Wales” it is still the practice to slit the cartilages of children’s ears to cure mental backwardness. In
certain Cheshire villages the local witches claim to know a certain cure for toothache. The ache will pass
into the frog and leave the patient.
Many Northamptonshire villagers still believe that a cure for a cough is assured placing a hair of
the patient’s head between two slices of buttered bread, to be eaten by a dog that will take the cough with
the first bite.
The writer further says that even trials for witchcraft are prevalent. Not long ago a strange case
occurred in a tiny Austrian village, where a devastating drought was attributed by the “wise men” of the
community to the wrath of God for the sins of the village. The next day the four chief sinners of the village
were taken forcibly from their beds and killed. In France, a poor old priest was done to death brutally
because it was said that he cast spells. How strange and yet how interesting these stories are.
Nadeem you could read the article for yourself. If your curiosity is roused, you can ask me for the
magazine to send you.
Sincerely yours,
Waheed Raza
Write a letter, asking a friend for a loan of money.
17, Usman Block,
Garden Town, Lahore.
December 21, 1999
My dear Waqar,
I am extremely sorry to worry you, old follow, on such a subject, but a series operation on my
wife has exhausted my small reserve fund and I can’t see my way clear at the moment. I have got to meet
the heavy bills of doctors and nurses, and I do not know where to turn for the money.
Altogether I want about Rs. 30000 to clear off these bills. So if you could possibly help me by
giving me a loan of this amount for three or four months it would see me safely round the corner and
relieve my mind a great strain. Have tired my brother Munir, but with his large family, he has no margin
and cannot help me just now, when it is so essential for Iram’s recovery that she should be sent off to
Islamabad for a change of climate.
Don’t hesitate to say “No” if you really cannot do it – I am sure you will if you can.
I remain
 Ever sincerely yours,
Ahmed
Write a letter in reply to the previous one.
38, Fatimah Jinnah Road,
Lahore.
June 3, 2000
My dear Bashir,
What rough luck! I’m extremely sorry for you and your plucky wife, especially as I cannot just
now help you in the way you suggest. I am, however, sending you a cheque for Rs. 2000, all I can do for
you at the moment. I hope it will clear you off your most pressing difficulties and give you time to try some
other friend. Drop me a line if you fail elsewhere, and I will, if possible, let you have another 10000 when I
get my salary at the end of the next month.
Don’t feel obliged to pay it in three or four months, but give your wife every possible chance to
regain her health – ten months hence will do quite well for me.
My kind regards to both of you.
Your sincere friend,
Iqbal Saeed
A letter of sympathy to a hospitalised friend.
53 Lake Road,
Lahore.
January 13, 1996
Dear friend,
Word of your illness just reached me, and I want to wish you a quick return to health,
Your many friends will be sorry to learn that you will be in the hospital for a few weeks. I am sure
it helps to know that you have a large group of well-wishers.
When you return home I'll be over to see you. In the meantime, please ask Mrs. Jacobs what I can
do for her here. I'll be glad to help in any way possible.
I hope the next few weeks will pass quickly and you'll be home again soon.
Your loving friend,
Rahim Ayaz
A letter of condolence to a friend on the death of his business friend
Jahanzeb Block,
Allamah Iqbal Town,
Lahore.
August 19, 2000
Dear friend,
It is difficult to tell you how deeply I feel about Mr. Qadir's untimely death.
What started many years ago as a business relationship between Javed and me quickly became a
warm friendship. It was a privilege to have known him so well, and I will never forget his thoughtfulness
and kindness.
With great personal sorrow, I ask to share your loss and to extend my heartfelt sympathy.
Your sincere friend,
Rehan Amjad
A letter of sympathy and offer to help in a case of illness
35 Punch Road,
Choburji, Lahore.
July 13, 2000
Dear Aftab,
We are all very sorry to hear about your brother’s illness, and we do hope that you will soon have
some better news to report.
You must be dreadfully worried, but perhaps you will be able to gain some slight consolation from
the knowledge that many of your friends are feeling for you.
Is there any way in which we can be of some slight assistance? When illness is in the house, one is
often hard-put to be able to manage; but if there is any thing we can do, please do not hesitate to let us
know.
 Would you ask your two little youngsters to come here for a few days? They are so young and
noisy, and must be taking up a great deal of your time, I may assure you that they would be quite happy
with Munni and Tahira.
With very sympathy,
I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Amin Irfan
To a friend on the Death of his mother.
14, Bank Square,
Model Town,
Lahore.
September 23, 2000
Dear friend,
I know how deeply you must feel the death of your dear mother – the loneliness and regret, and
the sense of irreparable loss. It comes to all in time, but its poignancy is none the less on that account.
Don’t think me cruel if I say that death is not all sadness. Your mother’s life was spent. It was a
long useful, pious life, full of fragrant memories, and her time for rest had come. She now enjoys her well-
earned rest. For those who are left behind there is the bitterness of parting, the loneliness, and the loss. I
know her death is a shock to all of you; I know how deeply you loved and honoured her. I feel it also as a
personal loss to myself, for your mother always looked upon me as her own son and never failed to bestow
upon me her bet affection and sympathy.
My love for your mother will last as long as my memory of her. During the many years we lived
together, I shared her smiles, her flowers, her recipes, and most of all her pleasing personality.
No one who knew her will ever forget her. I want to share my sympathy with you.
Your sincere friend,
Shaukat Ali
A letter of sympathy to a friend who failed in the Intermediate examination by one mark.
Sanda Road,
Lahore.
April 2, 1998
Dear friend,
I am shocked to read your letter. Failure is no doubt sad, but doubly so in such circumstances. It is
needless to write that I fully sympathise with you in misfortune.
I think the University people are extremely callous and inconsiderate in that they allow cases of
such obvious injustice to be overlooked. Imagine a boy falling by one mark! As if the examiner could ever
be perfectly sure that a candidate should not get this one mark! You must start an agitation in the
newspapers to wake up these desiccated old mummies.
However, I am sure you are too sober-minded and sensible to waste time over what is now past
remedy. I know that you are certain to do very well next year if only you apply yourself whole-heartedly to
your studies without brooding over the past.
Ever yours
Shan Ali
Write a letter to the Traffic Manager, Pakistan Railways, Lahore about the loss of two boxes
while traveling by train from Lahore to Rawalpindi giving full particulars.
Johar Town,
Lahore.
April 22, 1999
To
The Traffic Manager,
Pakistan Railways
Lahore.
Dear Sir,
In the 11th of April, 1999, I was traveling by the train from Lahore to Rawalpindi. I was in a first
class compartment No. 145432g along with three gentlemen, of whom one was a European. I had with me
two boxes containing a few silk suits and some jewelry. I placed them on the upper berth near the door. At
Gujranwala Station I found the boxes in their place. When the train left Gujranwala, I being extremely
tired, went to sleep. At Gujrat, I wake up, and found the boxes missing. None of my fellow passengers
could give me any clue. I think the boxes were removed somewhere between Gujrat and Rawalpindi. It is
just possible that the coolies might have taken them away mistaking them to be some other man’s. I request
that inquiries must kindly be made at the intermediate stations between Gujrat and Rawalpindi. I have
already sent telegrams to the stationmasters of these stations, and I think that they must be making
inquiries.
The boxes were made of steel and were painted black. They were locked, the number of the brass
being 1939 and 1940. On the lid of each were inscribed the initials of my name. They weighed about 36
kilograms. If do not recover the boxes I shall suffer a loss of about 10,000.
I am willing to give a reward of Rs. 500 to any one who restores to me the missing boxes or gives
a clue which may lead to their recovery.
I trust you will kindly give the matter your immediate attention. Awaiting an early reply, and
thanking in anticipation.
I remain,
Sir,
Yours faithfully,
Rehman Khan
Write a letter to a health officer, concerning some nuisance in your neighbourhood.
14, College Road,
Cantt, Lahore.
September 17, 1999
To
The Health Officer,
The Municipal Committee
Kasur.
Dear Sir,
I beg to bring the following facts to your notice for immediate inquiry and prompt action in the
interest of the health ratepayers of this neighbourhood.
No dustbin has been supplied by the Municipality in the lane that passes behind the Post Office.
The lane is thicklypopulated and for want of dustbin, all the refuse from the neighbouring, houses is
dumped by the roadside. Not only this; the women throw all sorts of purities things through the windows of
their houses to matter, the stink issuing from it, to say nothing about the manner in which the locality. It is
impossible to pass through the streets without a feeling of nausea. Of much more consequences is the fact
that it has affected the health of the people; so much so that several people have left the houses in this lane
because they remained chronically ill. If the present state of affair continues, it will be no wonder if a
terrible epidemic breaks out.
I should, therefore, request the favour of your kindly supplying a dustbin and issuing such
instruction to Jamadars as will make the dumpling of rubbish on the roadside impossible.
Yours faithfully,
Asad
Write a letter to your landlord asking him to put the house in which you reside in a proper
state of repairs, especially the roof, and have the whole house whitewashed and painted.
20 Nicholson Road,
Lahore.
August 20, 1999
Dear Sir,
I should be much obliged if you will kindly send your man round at once to see the roof of my
house which is leaking badly. There have been heavy rains during the last week, and the roof, which has
not been repaired for the last three years, proved so leaky as to allow the water to percolate through. This
has damaged the ceiling so much that there is a danger of its falling in. The house has a dilapidated look
about it. The floor of the drawing room is not made of bricks and so it gives out a foul smell. It should be
cemented. Mud and water have tricked down the sides of the walls and made the rooms very unsightly. The
rooms and the veranda in particular, and the whole house should be whitewashed, and the doors and
windows should be painted green. Some the skylights do not open properly. There is absolutely darkness in
the two big rooms, so ventilators and skylights should be provided for proper air and light to come in.
Broken glass panes should also be replaced. Moreover, the plaster is falling from the walls of the kitchen;
the chimney in the kitchen does not let out all smoke from the hearth. The bathrooms need repairs. I,
therefore, request you to instruct your men to put the whole house in thorough repair as soon as possible.
Your faithfully,
Karim Khan Lodhi
Write a letter from an employee asking for an increased salary.
27, Green Mansions,
Lahore.
March 7, 2000
Dear Sir,
I am writing to ask if you could consider the question of increasing my present salary. Five years
ago when I joined your firm as an office clerk, you promised to give a favourable consideration to the
question if I gave you satisfaction with my work.
During the last five years I have worked to your entire satisfaction. But I have not been given any
increment so far, although you will agree that many responsibilities have been added to my work during
this period.
I am very happy in the office and like my work, but with a growing family at home and ever
increasing expenditure, in consequence, if find it difficult to balance my budget.
A little addition to my salary would make all the difference.
Yours faithfully,
Akhtar Ali
Write a letter to the Manager, Pakistan Railway, complaining that furniture delivered has
been damaged in transit and claiming complaints.
15 Macleod Road,
Lahore.
November 8, 2000
To
The Manager,
Pakistan Railways
Lahore.
Dear Sir,
Five days ago I went to the station to take delivery of the furniture. When I inspected it, I found
the dressing table broken and its long looking glass completely smashed. Also three chairs had their legs
broken and a polished drawing room table was very badly scratched. The railway coolies who handled the
furniture roughly when loading it into the railway van evidently caused this damage. Green & Company,
that they delivered the goods in perfectly sound condition to the Booking Clerk. The goods were booked at
railway risk, so the railways is responsible for the damage, which I estimate at Rs. 12000.
I shall be obliged if you will pass my claim for damage, and remit to me as clearly as possible the
sum I claim. I enclose herewith a copy of the invoice from Messrs. Green & Company Ltd. as a proof of
the value of the furniture damaged.
Yours faithfully,
Fahad Munir
Write a letter to the newspapers on the evils of street begging.
To
The Editor,
The Pakistan Times,
Lahore.
Dear Sir,
I should be much obliged if you allow me a little space in the columns of your esteemed paper to
enable me to bring home to your readers the evils of street-begging which is becoming a greater and greater
nuisance every day to the shopkeepers and passers-by on our main streets.
Begging in the streets is such a long established custom in Pakistan, and the giving of alms has so
much religious sanction behind it, that to raise a cry of protest against it seems like a cry in the wilderness.
Any one who dares to criticise this custom and point out its evils runs the risk of being dubbed a mean and
selfish fellow who cares only for his ownself and not for the wretched lot of the helpless and the down-
trodden. People always extol the virtue of charity. They say that ‘it is twice blessed.’ ‘I blesseth him that
gives and him that takes.” “Surely!” people cry, “the poor should be pitied, the afflicted and the needy
should be helped in their distress by the rich!”
But the question is – First: Are all the beggars in our streets really poor and deserving of help?
And, secondly, can unthoughtful and indiscriminate alms-giving be the best way of helping the really poor?
The answer to both these questions, as experience tells us is “No”.
No one can deny that Pakistani streets are infested with able-bodied beggars who are capable of
earning their living. A large number of Faqirs or professional beggars in Pakistan, quite healthy and strong
are living idle lives because they feel that they can live easily on the charity of those who have to sweat for
their living. The number of these able-bodied beggars is increasing day by day. They are a heavy burden on
the hard earned income of those who to foil and moil for a livelihood.
Again, indiscriminate charity encourages idleness and hypocrisy. To give a few paisa to a beggar
may ease the conscience of the giver, but it does not solve the problem of poverty. If we give alms to all
without finding out really deserving cases, we are only making matter worse. Indiscriminate charity is
discouraged by our religion. Discriminate alms-giving is good, but indiscriminate charity does more harm
than good.
Asif Ali
22 Abbot Road,
Lahore.
Write a letter to a newspaper appealing for the victims of a flood.
To
The Editor,
The Dawn,
Karachi.
Respected Sir,
I have just returned from the scene of the recent floods, and must ask you to allow me to avail
myself of the wide circulation of your paper to appeal to the public for help to relive the poor sufferers.
No doubt your readers have already been informed of the sad facts by the reports that have
recently appeared in your columns, but no one but an eye-witness can describe the terrible distress which
these disastrous floods have caused in the western districts of the State, notably in Gujrat and Jehlum.
These floods have been unprecedented in the recent history of the Punjab. Hundreds of village area have
been destroyed and vast stores of fodder and food-grains have been swept away; and, in consequence,
thousands of villagers are destitute and starving. They have lost all their property, and most of them have
nothing on their homeless wretches in the open sky, exposed to the inclemency of the weather; and many
are because of leak of shelter, food and clothing. The devastation has been so wide-spread that only the
fullest co-operation between the Government and the people can adequately relieve the distress caused in
the affected areas. Te villages will have to be supplied with seeds, farm-implements and bullocks before
they can start work again and earn their daily bread.
I, therefore, suggest sir, that you should start a relief fund and invite the readers to subscribe
liberally for the patriotic and humanitarian object. I shall be glad to head the list with Rs. 10,000.
Yours truly,
Imran Ashraf
Write a letter to a newspaper, commenting on reckless driving.
To
The Editor,
The Nation,
Lahore.
Respected Sir,
I shall be obliged if you will allow me to enter a protest in your columns against the reckless
driving of motorcars in the streets of our town. The high speed at which people often drive motorcars along
the public roads is a great nuisance. It is a positive danger to little children who play about on the roads, to
old men who cannot cross the road quickly, to women who with the loads on their heads run the risk of
being overrun and to bullock-carts, horse-drawn vehicles and cyclists. In writing this, I am sure I am
voicing the feeling of the public.
Accidents are almost of daily occurrence; mainly it is the result of reckless driving round the sharp
corners. Drivers often escape punishment because after knocking some unwary traveller down they speed
up, so that neither their numbers nor their names can be noted down. Only yesterday, I saw with my own
eyes a poor beggar was run over by a car and no trace of the driver could be found as the car had vanished
in an instant before the people were even aware that an accident had taken place. Again, even if the
offenders are caught, prosecuted, and convicted, the punishment imposed upon them is so light that it does
not at all discourage the evil.
It is true there are police regulations which fix speed limits and impose penalties for reckless
driving, but unless these are rigorously enforced, they can have little or no effect. The best course would be
to raise the penalty for exceeding the speed limit so that no one who has once incurred it may dare to repeat
the offence. Then and then only will the present nuisance be mitigated.
The roads and streets are maintained at public expense and are meant for the use of general public.
The poor pedestrians have as much a right to use of the roads as the rich people who own motorcars. The
latter have no right to monopolise these public roads by their reckless driving and to make it impossible for
others to use them in comfort and safety.
I hope the authorities will adopt proper measures to discourage this dangerous practice of reckless
driving.
I remain yours,
Truly,
“Indignant”
Write a letter to a newspaper, drawing attention to bad sanitary condition of the city streets.
To
The Editor,
The News,
Lahore.
Dear Sir,
I shall be obliged if you will allow me a little space in your esteemed paper to draw the attention
of the public to the bad sanitary condition of our city streets. We have a corporation and I believe we have
half a dozen Health Officers; but that gentleman, living as they do in the civil station, are little aware of the
miseries of the poor inhabitants whose unhappy lot it is to live in those unhealthy streets which come to be
looked down upon as “slums”. No steps have yet been taken by the corporation authorities to improve the
sanitation of that unhealthy spot where more than ten thousand people live in a veritable hell as it were. Let
the Mayor himself once take a walk through these streets, and I feel sure that the awful sights and smells
that would greet him there, would convince him of the immediate necessity of taking such steps as would
improve the sanitation of that part of the city.
First, I suggest that the streets should be provided with drains and where there are open drains,
they should be covered with wooden planks and regularly cleaned and flushed with water. Secondly, about
fifteen or twenty dustbins should be supplied so that people may be deterred from throwing all their filth
and rubbish into the streets which are at present almost choked with piles of putrefying offal and dirt – the
breeding place of diseases germs. Lastly, most of the dark and dingy houses in which the rays of the sun
hardly penetrate even on the sunniest days should be pulled down and new houses built at the
Municipality’s expense.
I hope my suggestions will be taken up and acted on, before we have an outbreak of an epidemic.
Yours truly,
Azeem Akbar
Write an application to the Registrar of the Punjab University for the post of a clerk said to
have fallen vacant in his office.
To
The Registrar,
The Punjab University,
Lahore.
Sir,
Being given to understand that a post of a junior clerk has fallen vacant in your office and that the
salary of the post is Rs. 3500 per month. I beg to offer myself as candidate for this post.
As regards my qualification, I beg to state that I passed my Intermediate examination in 1987 in
the First Division. I was immediately offered and accepted a post as a clerk in the Government High School
where I have been working ever since. I have good practice in type-writing, my latest record being 50
words per minute. I also possess sufficient experience of drafting and official correspondence.
 I am desirous of leaving my present job simply because it does not offer me such good prospects
as I would wish to have. My relations with my officers are cordial and my work has been highly
appreciated by him as well as evident from the copies of testimonials I enclose herewith.
If I am given a chance to serve, I may assure you that I shall do my best to give you satisfaction.
Hoping for a favourable reply.
Yours faithfully,
Khalid Mehmood Baig
Reply to an advertisement for a Junior Clerk.
[Advertisement]
“Wanted a young man with knowledge of English and Urdu for a Railway office. State
qualifications, age, experience, if any and minimum pay acceptable. Apply to the Manager, Railway Co-
operative Stores, Lahore. [Advertisement in “The Nation” of July 10, 1999]
[Reply]
To
The Manager,
Railway Co-operation Stores,
Lahore.
Respected Sir,
In response to your advertisement in “The Nation” of the 10 July, 1999 for the post of a clerk with
a knowledge of English and Urdue for a Railway office, I beg respectfully to offer my services.
I am twenty years of age and passed the B. A. examination of the Punjab University in June, 1998.
I passed the High School Examination with a course in type-writing and book-keeping. I have been
working since October 1963 in the office of the Lahore Board, and have given my present employers entire
satisfaction with my work and behaviour. The minimum salary which will induce me to leave the present
post is Rs. 2500 per month.
Trusting that my application will receive favourable consideration at your hands.
Yours faithfully,
Ghazanfar Ali
Write a letter, asking your principal to give you a written character certificate.
20 – Hospital Road,
Sargodha.
July 25, 1998
To
The Principal,
Government College,
Lahore.
Sir,
I beg to be allowed to recall myself to your memory and to request you to be so kind as to provide
me with a certificate of ability and character, as I have to produce one for the post I am about to seek.
I was in your college during the years 1993-1997 and left after graduating. I passed my F. Sc.
Examination from your college, securing a First Class, with 305 marks to my credit and at the same time
standing first in the University. If you inquire from my professors they will be able to give you favourable
impressions about me. I played in the cricket eleven and was a college perfect during the last two years of
my stay. I was also the Secretary of the Young Speakers Union, the Junior Vice-president of the
Shakespeare Society, and the Assistant Editor of the Miscenllany.’
With apologies for troubling you, and thanking you in anticipation
I remain, sir
Your obediently,
Rehan Nadeem
Write a letter to the Police Station, giving full particulars of a lost dog or bicycle or purse,
offering a reward for recovery.
793, Raza Block,
Rahim Town, Lahore.
December 14, 1999
To
The Police Inspector,
 Shalimar Link Road Mughalpura,
Lahore.
Dear Sir,
Last evening, I lost my bicycle, while I was witnessing a cinema show at the Anguri. I reached the
place at 5:00 p.m. and went in after buying a ticket at about half past five. I was sending my bicycle with
one of my friends who was going back to the hostel, when the Manager told me that there was no need of
troubling my friend as the locked bicycle were quite safe in the cycle shed. Consequently, I was persuaded
to keep my bicycle along with other bicycles in the shed where one of his servants kept a careful watch.
When I came out at about 6:00 p.m. I found my bicycle missing. I inquired from several persons, but
nobody could give me clue.
I believe that some one dressed like me might have walked away with my bicycle. Mine is a
Sohrab bicycle 28992A. It has been in my possession since 1998. A printed card bearing my name and
address is fixed to the tool bag. My name is also inscribed on the inside of the Brooke’s saddle fixed to the
bicycle. All these particulars will enable you. I hope, to make inquiries and trace the lost bicycle. I shall be
glad to offer a reward of Rs. 100 to any one who can restore me the bicycle, or give me a clue which may
ultimately load to its recovery.
Yours faithfully,
Adnan Waheed
A farewell address to a member of your college on his leaving to become Principal of another
college.
To
Rehan Ashraf Esq. M. A. Ph. D Litt.
Government College,
Lahore.
Sir,
We, the students of the Fourth Year class, beg leave to approach you on the eve of your departure
from our midst with this humble token of love ad gratitude which we always felt for you.
During the time we sat at your feet, you treated us with the utmost kindness, and imparted
instruction to us in the most pleasing way. It was a pleasure to attend your lectures which were full of
sound knowledge, deep learning and high scholarship. The apt flow of your words, your charming
eloquence and your patient and perspicuous way of explaining difficulties could not but impress even the
most listless. Not only have you made us love and appreciate literature, you have also instilled into our
hearts great moral principles and moulded our characters on right lines. Your life itself was a great moral
lesson to us. It was a life of simplicity, hard work and devotion to duty. Your influence was not confined to
the classroom only where you were a friend, philosopher, and guide to us, but was equally felt in the
playground also, where your genial disposition and true sportsmanlike spirit left an indelible impression
upon our minds. We are sorry to part from you sir, you were so good and kind, so noble and sympathetic,
and so humble and earned, but as you are going to a place where you will have a wider scope for the
exercise of your rich talents, we bid sphere, and pray that the Almighty may bless you with a glorious,
successful and prosperous career.
We beg to remain,
Sir,
Your most obedient pupils,
Students of the Fourth Years
Government College
The old boys of your college have taken no interest in the old Boys association which has
been dead for some years. The principal has appointed you its Secretary and asked you to draw a
letter that may be sent to all the Old Boys with a view to reviving the Association asking them to take
an interest in it.
F.C. College,
Lahore.
18 September, 2000
Dear Brother,
You perhaps know that the Old Boy’s association of our college which was started in 1989, has
been dead for all practical purpose for the last six or seven years. You can well realise what a loss it has
been to the institution. The popularity and prestige of an institution depend greatly upon its Old Boys.
Association which serves as a connection link between the college and its old alumni. The Old Boys
Association, again, serves to keep up the relations between the teachers and the old students. It will be a
pleasant thing for all of us to meet one another, once or twice in a year and to revive the memories of the
happy days passed together.
The principal purpose is to revive the Old Boys’ Association and hold its meeting at least once a
year. He has appointed me its Secretary and asked me to write to all the old boys to remind them of their
duty to their alma mater. I need not tell you that the Principal, being himself an old student of college, is
very enthusiastic about it and proposes to fix the college Reunion Day – as he calls it sometime in the last
week of March when it will be possible for many of us to meet. He has given me every assurance of help
and encouragement and has contributed Rs. 10000 from his own pocket to the Old Boys’ Association Fund.
To meet the day-to-day expenses of the Association a nominal subscription of Re. 1 per annum is
proposed.
I hope you will be kind enough to extend your full co-operation and support to the Association and
send the subscription at your earliest convenience.
Thanking you,
I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Saeed Riaz
Write a letter to your friend, describing a visit to a Hill Station.
61 – The Lower Mall,
Lahore.
May 20, 1999
My dear friend,
I have at last escaped from the heat of the plains. I am now enjoying my stay in the hills and
breathing the fresh, invigorating mountain breezes. Our college broken up on May 14, and, as I had not
been enjoying good health for sometime, my father thought that a stay in the hills for two months would do
me good. So you find me here with my father. Truly, I feel much better here than at Lahore.
In the evening we reached Murree. What a pleasing view met our eyes! Imagine a large lake of
still, clear water, beautifully coloured by the last rays of the setting sun and surrounded by green hills.
There are many hotels here. We were lucky enough to get rooms in a grand hotel close to a
beautiful lake. But soon we shifted to a house high up on the side of the hill. For in the daytime it is hot in
Murree itself whereas up on the hill it is always cool and bracing. I am fond of walking and riding. I visited
many places worth seeing and enjoyed climbs to various places.
I am having a jolly good time. There are so many pretty sights to see, so many places to visit, so
many things to enjoy that I feel passing too swiftly.
Yours loving friend,
Aftab Akbar
Write a letter to your friend about a real or imaginary flight in an aeroplane.
6, Temple Road,
Lahore.
24th October, 1999
My dear friend,
You have fallen asked me to give you an account of my flight in an aeroplane. Here it is at last.
My brother and I went to the aerodrome at about seven o’ clock in the morning and were told that
we would be able to fly in the plane that left for Karachi at 7 a.m. There was the huge Tiger Moth plane
waiting and two smaller machines to go with it as escort. There were about fifty people ready to go. We too
took our seats.
I felt very nervous, for I had never been in an aeroplane before. I was afraid that the aeroplane
might strike against the trees or rocks and might come to grief; or that I might fall to the ground while
flying in the plane and be dashed to pieces. But as soon as we started, all such fears vanished. The signal
was given, the propellers began to whirl and the plane began to hop slowly over the ground. It went faster
and faster bumping along, till suddenly it was smoothly floating in the air. Looking down, I saw the ground
dropping away beneath us. I felt as if we were rising and the ground was falling away from us.
We rose higher and higher, till we seemed to be in the clouds. The mountain and valleys below
looked small and far away. What a difference between travelling by train and that by aeroplane! We were
now hundreds of feet above the clouds. We flew across one range of mountains after another. We saw the
trees on the hillside and they looked mere patches of green. Now and again I could make out clusters of
tiny huts; these indeed were villages. The rivers, as we flew over them, appeared like so many silver
threads winding through the valleys and plains. It was a wonderful experience and I shall never forget it.
After four hours’ flying we were in sight of Karachi, with its crowded streets and big buildings.
We were now flying over the suburbs of the beautiful seaports. After hovering over the city for a few
minutes we made an easy landing. O what a relief it was to be safe on land again! I wish you could have
been with us and enjoyed an altogether new experience.
Your loving friend,
Naeem
Write a short letter to the District Magistrate of your town complaining about a picture-
house or a theatre near your house.
14, Garden Town,
Lahore.
April 4, 1979
To
The District Magistrate,
Lahore.
Sir,
Yesterday I went to the Pakistan Talkies to see the film known as “Desire”. When the show was
over, there were feelings of stern anger boiling in my heart over what I consider to be the most depraved,
immoral, and vulgar exhibition of a city life. The Manager had purposely shown a film in which sex-appeal
predominated. In the film were shown three young girls below twenty whom two swaggering young men
paid court. After many happy scenes of illicit love, the two young men were shown to have eloped with the
girls.
It was all the more socking when at the end of the film we were entertained with a dance
conducted by half-naked chorus-girls, who indulged in all sorts of enticing movements and gestures to
bewitch the young.
You can imagine what a harmful and pernicious effect such a vulgar film is bound to have on the
immature and impressionable minds of our young boys and girls who daily visit the picture-house in such
large numbers. It will engender in them a love for illicit romance and amorous adventure. It will tempt
them to eulogise elopements and seductions and idolise the runaway couples who break away all the
shackles of modern conventions. And this is not the first time that the Pakistan Talkies at Taxali Gate is
showing such a vulgar film. During the last six months, no less than half a dozen such films have been
exhibited, for the unscrupulous Manager can make heaps of money by catering for the lower tastes of the
“four anna” public.
I hope you will take immediate steps to bar the exhibitions of such vulgar films.
Yours faithfully,
Zeshan Javed
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family needs - your needs for trust arrangements, perhaps, or the sale of a family business, or exercising
some stock options.
At Deloitte, Haskins & Sells, we think income tax and estate planning is a very personal matter.
When we say we don't stop at the bottom line in serving clients, we include thousands of
businessmen and professionals among them.
They're individuals who look to us for planning for the years to come - just as much as for our
help in filing this year's return.
 Of course, not everybody requires our kind of help. But if you do, perhaps we should talk.
The sooner, the better.

Acknowledgment of Gift
Dear [[Recipient]]:
I know this is a busy season for you, but I wanted to ask if the parcel I mailed you on the 12th of last month
has arrived. If it hasn't, I'll have the Post Office put a tracer on it.
The parcel is a leather portfolio case, and is a thank-you gift for the time you took from your busy schedule
to show Harry Longworth some of the interesting parts of Denver. Both Harry and I appreciate your kind
hospitality.
Claim Service Evaluation
Dear [[Recipient]]:
You recently contacted our claims office by phone. We are striving to provide our customers with timely
and clearly explained replies.
To help us evaluate and improve our service, would you please take a moment to complete the enclosed,
postpaid card and return it to us.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Graduation 2
Dear [[Recipient]]:
We just heard that Patricia graduated from the University of California at Berkley with honors. You must
be extremely proud of her accomplishments, and I am happy right along with you.
Please give Patricia our best wishes for continued success as she enters law school. ( . . . pursues her
career.)