Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

Handling Problems Correctly 1 Jenny was feeling depressed. Her results in the trial examinations were dismal. Keng San was feeling wretched as he wondered if he could do well enough to get into university. Rose was downhearted as none of her children had called her on Mothers Day. Norita could hardly control her tears for the doctors had discovered a lump on her neck. She feared the worst. Rabins job was at stake as his company was facing financial problems. How was he going to provide for his family if he lost his job? All of them faced problems - problems that threatened to overcome them. Everyone, at some time or other, faces problems. 10 Problems are a part of life and managing problems is, in fact, managing life itself. To seek to escape is foolish as the problems will still be there when you return. However, knowing how to manage these problems is really the secret of maintaining a happy life. Firstly, accept the fact that as long as there is life, there will be problems. Yes, that means only the dead have no problems. Break down your problems. If you have a big project that is difficult to handle, divide it into smaller sections of work. Start with a small section and then move on. Once you have started, you will feel good and going on further will no longer seem a problem. Then things will fall into place easily and the job will no longer seem so overwhelming. Keep your perspective. Sometimes things do go wrong. 24 Also some people may never accept our opinions. If that happens, we have to learn to accept it. After all, if we have good health and can keep a cheerful smile, we can learn to forget such setbacks and get on with life. Once I attended a very grand wedding where everything went beautifully until the three-tiered wedding cake suddenly came crashing down. It seemed such a disaster then but the bride and groom are able to look back with a laugh at that memory. It was bad but it certainly was not the end of the world. A correct perspective always helps. Have a sense of humour. This will lighten the pressure 35 even when you are faced with the worst kind of problems. It helps not to take yourself too seriously. Learn to laugh off mistakes in some situations. You can never get into trouble for laughing at yourself. Learning from mistakes is the next most important tip always prepare thoroughly for whatever you are going to do. If it is a job interview, find out all you can about the job and the

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company. Whatever it is - prepare! That alone will give you sufficient confidence to lead you to success. Remember: never give up. Resilient people take the hard 45 knocks of life and turn them into opportunities. Wasnt it Thomas Edison who, when asked why he kept trying to make a new type of battery after failing so often, replied Failure? I have no failures. And now I know 5000 reasons why it wont work. And what about Abraham Lincoln who, after so many failures that would have crushed any other ordinary man, bounced back and became the President of America? Did I mention that you should sleep well, eat well and exercise as often as possible? If you do not look after yourself, how on earth are you going to tackle the problems facing you? You owe it to yourself to be in top form. If you feel good, you will perform better. Dont say you dont have time to look after yourself. If you dont, no one else will.You must make time for yourself. Do not forget to continue doing things you really enjoy. 60 It is a pity to rush through life, not enjoying the many wonderful things around you. Do not forget to stop and smell the roses. The next time you feel depressed or downhearted, take a deep breath, tackle the problem and get on with life. Remember everyone has problems.

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Answer all the questions. You are advised to answer them in the order set. From paragraph 1, 26. (a) Which word has the same meaning as the word disappointed? [1 mark] (b) What would happen to Rabin if the company closed down? [1 mark] From paragraph 2, 27. (a) What was the common characteristic that Jenny, Keng San, Rose and Rabin shared? [1 mark] (b) Why is it foolish to try to escape from problems? [1 mark] 28. (a) From paragraph 3, what does managing life well mean, according to the writer? [1 mark] (b) From paragraph 4, what should we do with a big problem? [1 mark]

29. (a) From paragraph 8, what should we do before we start on something important? [1 mark] (b) From paragraph 9, what do resilient people do with problems? [1 mark] 30. From paragraph 7, we are advised to have a sense of humour. Describe an incident in your life that illustrates the importance of this point.

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