Read and understand.

Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage.

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How many of us do really write a letter to our friends or loved ones? A
few of us still do, but most of us are contented with just a postcard or short
note with the message, The scene is beautiful wish you were here!
Well, writing letters is a dead art, and if it is not already dead, it is dying
when we think about it. We hardly spend much time writing personal
letters these days, and even if we do, its often one which rarely exceeds
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two pages. A five-page letter is, by any standard, an excessively long
letter.
Most of us nowadays prefer using the telephone to keep in touch with
our friends. Easy and convenient, it is not much of a hassle.
Conversations over the phone are interactive and instantaneous. We
know at once how the person at the other end of the line is reacting to
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what we have to say. Besides, the message is conveyed there and then,
instead of having to wait for a reply through the post. The telephone has
saved us the anguish of a long wait for a much-awaited reply.
Perhaps another reason for the demise of the written letter is the
notion that we are far too busy nowadays to sit down and pen a few pages.
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We simply dont have the time, so we say. With the phone, it is just a
touch-button away. Here, we can get bonded while still on the move; in
trains, buses and even while driving! This is the age of the mobile phone
one of the greatest innovations of this century!
But this is not always the case. In the 19 th century, personal letters
were far from trivial interpersonal notes exchanged between people.
Published letters of well-known writers like Jane Austen show this. They
depicted very vividly life as she saw it. They were replete with exquisite
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detailed portraits of people she knew, events that transpired in and
around her and even authentic snatches of conversation. The pastoral
countryside and the fox hunts she described are as alive today as they
were more than a century ago. Thanks to these personal , intimate letters,
we are given a glimpse of what life and living was about in rural England in
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the past.
The same may be said of the recently published collection of letters of
Emily Dickinson, the American poet. Dickinson was a recluseliving the
19th century Massachusetts in the United States, who rarely, if ever,
interacted with many people. Yet her letters to her few acquaintances
provided insight into a sensitive and penetrating mind, coping with
loneliness and sorrow. The poetic quality of her letters shouldnt be
missed.
Their letters were used as a vehicle to convey their thoughts, images,
impressions and the life they experienced. Looking at their letters, we are
filled with awe of their extraordinary quality. Their letters stand in sharp
contrast to the hastily scribbled postcards we periodically send out to
friends while on holiday. Our cryptic notes do not exude vividness and
charm and are perhaps a poignant reminder that the personal letter, as
a forum of artistic expression, is indeed dead or dying.

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1
5

2
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2
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3
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3
5

Words and their meanings

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2
3
4
5

1.

annoying situation
immediate
end or death
small and unimportant
full of

6 happened
7 a person who lives alone
and
avoids other people
8 with a meaning that is
not
easily understood

9 causing a particular
sharp
feeling

(a) Why does the writer say that letter writing is a dead art?

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(b) Why is a five-page letter considered excessively long?
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2.
From paragraph 2, the telephone is preferred to letters to keep us in touch
with our friends
and loved ones. Why is it so? Give two reasons.
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3.
(a) What do you understand when you say that conversations over the
phone are interactive?
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(b) What is the main reason given by most of us for not writing?
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4.
What is the difference between letter writing now and that in the 19 th
century?
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5.

(a) What do the letters of Emily Dickinson tell about her?

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(b) Who is Emily Dickinson?
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Read the passage and write a summary of :
the reasons why letter writing is no longer popular
letter writing in the 19th century
Credit will be given for use of own words but care must be taken not to change
the original meaning.
Your summary must :

be in continuous writing (not note form)

use material from line 7-37
not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below

Begin your summary as follows:

Letter writing is now considered a dying art because most ...

Task

the reasons why

letter writing is no
longer popular

Points
1. Letter writing is now considered a dying
art because most of us prefer the
telephone.
2. The telephone is less of a hassle to use
3. Conversations through the telephone
are interactive and instantaneous.
4. We are spared the anguish of a long
wait for a much-awaited reply.
5. The notion that we are too busy.
6. With the greatest innovation of this
century, we can get bonded while still on
the move.

Word
Count

letter writing in the

19th century

1. In the 19th century, personal letters

were far from trivial.
2. Published letters of Jane Austen depict
life very vividly as she saw it.
3. Thanks to these letters we are given a
glimpse of what live and living was about in
rural England then.
4. The same may be said of Emily
Dickinsons letters.
5 Although Dickinson was a recluse, her
letters provided insight into a sensitive and
penetrating mind, coping with loneliness
and sorrow.
6. Their letters were used as a vehicle to
convey their thoughts, images, impressions
and the life they experienced.

Write your summary here:

Letter writing is now considered a dying art because most of us prefer to
use the telephone. The telephone is less of a hassle to use as conversations
through the telephone are interactive and instantaneous and we are spared the
anguish of a long wait for a much-awaited reply. Besides, the demise of the
written letter is due to the notion that we just dont have time to write.
Furthermore, with the phone being so easy to use, many of us can have our
bonding time wherever and whenever.(89 words so far)
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