SRT-106

1. Read the following test and do the activities that follow.

The modern folktale “The City Man and the Fisherman” is about opposite viewpoints on work and life situation. The successful businessman from the city tells the simple fisherman that he should work harder to prepare for retiring to a life of leisure. The life the city man describes, however, is one of more and more work. The fisherman answers that he doesn’t need to work hard for a happy future because he is already happy with his life. He is satisfied with his job, and he has enough leisure to enjoy a comfortable life. The lesson of this folktale is that people who are only concerned with work and earning money can lose sight of real life satisfaction.

 It’s true that people who build their lives around work may lose the chance to enjoy some of its pleasures. But it’s also true that happiness means different things to different people .Some people get great pleasure from work. For others, their whole lives outside of work give them the most pleasure. Perhaps the real message is that each person must find his or her own balance of work and leisure.

Another point is important as well. The city man believes that the fisherman needs his advice. But the fisherman is perfectly happy with his life as it is. He doesn’t need the city man’s advice about happiness. All in all, however, this modern folktale makes its central point fairly clear; job success and hard work don’t always lead to happiness.

 Answer the following questions in a sentence or two. 5X1=5

                              i.What is the folktale all about?

                            ii.Why should one work harder in his youth?

                          iii.How is life different in the city than the country?

                           iv.What makes people lose the charm of real life contentment?

In what ways is happiness a relative term?

 Find words from the above passage that are similar in meaning to the following. 6X.1= 6

Quite               thoughts          legend             time off           engaged           joys          

3. State whether or not the following statements are true. 4X1=4

                                     i.Working harder absolutely ensures a happy future.

                                   ii.City life is more hectic than country life.

                                 iii.Country people needn’t work harder to be happy.

                                 iv.Job success and toil determine the happiness in one’s life.

The End: Short Reading Test.