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This section provides NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 5: What is a Good Book?, to help students understand John Ruskin’s views on lasting literature, effective reading, and the importance of accuracy in language through concise textbook-based answers for exam success. You can also download the free PDF for quick revision.
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NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 5: What is a Good Book?
Here are the NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 5: What is a Good Book?, crafted to enhance comprehension of the essay’s themes, arguments, and narrative style for effective revision.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. What, according to Ruskin, are the limitations of the good book of the hour?
Ruskin distinguishes good books of the hour (like travel accounts, witty discussions, and current history stories) from true books by emphasising their transient value. These books serve mainly for immediate pleasure or useful information and are comparable to letters or newspapers. They are not intended for permanence, merely communicating the author’s thoughts to a wide audience rather than preserving wisdom for future generations. Ruskin cautions that allowing such books to take the place of truly lasting works is a mistake, as they lack depth and permanence.
2. What are the criteria that Ruskin feels that readers should fulfil to make themselves fit for the company of the Dead?
Ruskin describes the authors of great books as an aristocracy of companionship open to all by merit and effort. To enter this company, readers must love and respect these wise authors and earnestly desire to learn from them. Ambition or social status is useless; readers must rise to the author’s level of thought through diligence, humility, and genuine interest in understanding, not simply seeking validation of one’s own ideas. Only those willing to work and truly engage with the minds of great writers can enjoy their company.
3. Why does Ruskin feel that reading the work of a good author is a painstaking task?
Ruskin compares reading a good book to mining for gold: it is difficult and requires effort, patience, and mental ‘tools’. Understanding an author’s meaning involves breaking down the text letter by letter, syllable by syllable, and reflecting deeply. The most valuable insights are hidden and must be earned through hard work. Wise men do not reveal their wisdom easily or all at once, but offer it as a reward for genuine effort. Thus, truly comprehending a good author is more rewarding but demands greater commitment and thoughtfulness.
4. What is the emphasis placed by Ruskin on accuracy?
Ruskin insists that accuracy in reading, knowing the true meaning and pronunciation of every word and syllable, is fundamental to real education. He asserts that a person may know many languages or have read many books, but unless each word is understood completely and correctly, the reader remains uneducated. Mistakes in meaning are more significant than errors in pronunciation, and accurate understanding elevates the reader’s intellect and distinguishes true scholarship.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
1. Ruskin’s insistence on looking intensely at words, and assuring oneself of meaning, syllable by syllable, nay, letter by letter.
Ruskin’s approach highlights the importance of meticulous reading. By examining each word, syllable, and letter for meaning, readers cultivate depth and precision in understanding literature. This intensity transforms superficial reading into a meaningful and educational experience, fostering habits of close attention that unlock the full richness of good books.
2. Choice of diction is very crucial to the communication of meaning.
Ruskin underscores that selecting precise words is essential to conveying the intended meaning effectively. While many words may appear similar, each carries unique connotations and nuances that shape understanding. Careful choice of diction ensures clarity, accuracy, and richness in communication, both for authors and readers.
APPRECIATION
1. The text is an excerpt from Sesame and Lilies which consists of two essays, primarily written for delivery as public lectures in 1864. Identify the features that fit the speech mode. Notice the sentence patterns.
Features fitting the speech mode include the use of direct address, rhetorical questions, and conversational sentences meant to engage listeners. The sentence patterns tend to be complex and sometimes repetitive for emphasis. The essay also employs anecdotes and analogies (like mining gold) to aid understanding, reflecting the oral nature and persuasive intent of a public lecture.
2. The lecture was delivered in 1864. What are the shifts in style and diction that make the language different from the way it is used today?
Ruskin’s style from 1864 uses long, elaborate sentences, formal vocabulary, and a moralistic tone, unlike today’s preference for brevity and simpler diction. Expressions such as nay, fain, canaille, and structures stressing inversion and repetition are more common in the text, while modern writing often favours straightforward syntax and less ornamental language.
Also Read: NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 1 A Photograph (Free PDF)
Download NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 5: What is a Good Book?
You can download the free PDF of NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 5: What is a Good Book? for effective revision.
Download more NCERT Solutions of Class 11 English ‘Woven Words’ here!
| Essay 1: My Watch |
| Essay 2: My Three Passions |
| Essay 3: Patterns of Creativity |
| Essay 4: Tribal Verse |
| Essay 6: The Story |
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