SUMMARY WRITING – USING UNSEEN PASSAGES
Q. Write a summary of the given unseen passages:
A)
November 4, 1851.
Dear Brother John Honston,
When I came into Charleston day before yesterday, I
learnt that you were anxious to sell the land where
you live and move to Missouri. I have been thinking
of this ever since and cannot but say such an idea is
quite foolish. What can you do in Missouri better
than here? Is the land any richer? Can you, there,
any more than here, raise corn and wheat without
work? Will anybody there, any more than here, do
your work for you? If you intend to go to work, there
is no better place than right where you are; if you do
not intend to work, you cannot get along anywhere.
Crawling about from place to place can do you no
good. You have raised no crop this year. What you
really want is to sell the land, get the money and
spend it. Part with the land you have and – my life
upon it—never after will you own a spot big enough
to bury you. Half of what you will get for the land,
you will spend in moving to Missouri. And the other
half you will eat, drink, wear out and no foot of land
will be brought. Now I feel it my duty to have no
hand in such a piece of foolery. Now do not
misunderstand this letter. I do not write it in any
unkindness. I write it in order, if possible, to get you
to face the truth which truth is, you are poor and
needy because you have idled away your time. Your
thousand excuses for not getting along better are all
nonsense. They deceive nobody but yourself. To go
to work is the only cure for your case.
Affectionately,
Your brother,
Abraham Lincoln.
B) In the early days of farming, people did not
understand how plants obtained essential nutrients.
It so happened that wood ash, fish remains and
slaughterhouse waste were thrown on vacant land
just to get rid of them. Then, people started to
notice that the grass, bushes and shrubs on this
vacant land began to grow very well. They reasoned
that if their farmland were similarly treated, the
growth of their crops would also improve. People
gradually began to realize that the nutrients
required by plants came from the soil and that the
amount of nutrients could be increased by the
application of such organic remains to the soil. Thus
started the manuring process in farming.
The practice of manuring has been practised as early
since the seventeenth century. However, the
importance of manuring was not properly
understood until scientists began to study the
nutritional needs of plants and gave birth to
SUMMARY WRITING – USING UNSEEN PASSAGES
Q. Write a summary of the given unseen passages:
A)
November 4, 1851.
Dear Brother John Honston,
When I came into Charleston day before yesterday, I
learnt that you were anxious to sell the land where
you live and move to Missouri. I have been thinking
of this ever since and cannot but say such an idea is
quite foolish. What can you do in Missouri better
than here? Is the land any richer? Can you, there,
any more than here, raise corn and wheat without
work? Will anybody there, any more than here, do
your work for you? If you intend to go to work, there
is no better place than right where you are; if you do
not intend to work, you cannot get along anywhere.
Crawling about from place to place can do you no
good. You have raised no crop this year. What you
really want is to sell the land, get the money and
spend it. Part with the land you have and – my life
upon it—never after will you own a spot big enough
to bury you. Half of what you will get for the land,
you will spend in moving to Missouri. And the other
half you will eat, drink, wear out and no foot of land
will be brought. Now I feel it my duty to have no
hand in such a piece of foolery. Now do not
misunderstand this letter. I do not write it in any
unkindness. I write it in order, if possible, to get you
to face the truth which truth is, you are poor and
needy because you have idled away your time. Your
thousand excuses for not getting along better are all
nonsense. They deceive nobody but yourself. To go
to work is the only cure for your case.
Affectionately,
Your brother,
Abraham Lincoln.
B) In the early days of farming, people did not
understand how plants obtained essential nutrients.
It so happened that wood ash, fish remains and
slaughterhouse waste were thrown on vacant land
just to get rid of them. Then, people started to
notice that the grass, bushes and shrubs on this
vacant land began to grow very well. They reasoned
that if their farmland were similarly treated, the
growth of their crops would also improve. People
gradually began to realize that the nutrients
required by plants came from the soil and that the
amount of nutrients could be increased by the
application of such organic remains to the soil. Thus
started the manuring process in farming.
The practice of manuring has been practised as early
since the seventeenth century. However, the
importance of manuring was not properly
understood until scientists began to study the
nutritional needs of plants and gave birth to
fertilizers. Thus, gradually, the use of fertilizers
became accepted by farmers. There are many types
of manure and fertilizer currently being used.
Manure is a substance derived from animals and
plants. The most important advantage of using
manure is the fact that they not only supply a wide
range of plant nutrients, but also improve the
structure of the soil. It cements together the soil
particles to form soil crumbs. The crumb structure is
a desirable condition of
cultivated soil. The addition of manure to soil will
increase the inorganic and humus content which
helps to prevent soil erosion and loss of plant
nutrients when it rains. The common manure used in
farming consists of farmyard manure,
compost, blood meal, bone meal and fish meal.
Unlike manure, fertilizers are inorganic substances
which do not improve the structure of the soil. They
only supply extra amounts of nutrients to the
growing plants when applied to the soil. The
commercial fertilizers commonly used today can be
classified into three major categories; namely,
nitrogen (N), phosphate and potash fertilizers.
Besides knowing the type of fertilizer to use, a
farmer also needs to know when to apply the
fertilizer and how to apply it. The fertilizer should be
applied at the time when the plants need a
particular nutrient most. The time and method of
application will determine how profitably the
fertilizers have been used in farming. Fertilizers
which have not been properly applied cannot be
absorbed in large quantities by plant roots. These
fertilizers may be washed away by rain or they may
kill the plants. This would mean a definite financial
loss for the farmer.
C) "We could've beat him down, you know," the
burly Canadian said from his dark corner from the
far side of the room, his sudden voice in the whirring
silence rattled like stones thrown on a metal roof.
"We could've beat that manager down on the room
rental. It's costing us six bucks for the day. We
could've beat him down to four. It's not a ton of
money, but it's customary here in India. You’ve got
to be aggressive and barter for everything."
He was right about the procedure, of course. And
bargaining is the economical thing to do. Most of the
time, it's the shrewd and amiable way to conduct
your affairs in India.
But he was wrong, too. The hotel manager, Anand,
and I, became thick friends, in the years that
followed. The fact that I trusted him on sight and
didn't haggle, on that first day. The fact that I didn't
try to cut on his earning, that I worked on an instinct
to respect him and endeavoured to like him. That I
was uninfluenced by the foreign bias of operation in
India, endeared me to him. He told me so, more
than once. It was mutual knowledge that six of our
fertilizers. Thus, gradually, the use of fertilizers
became accepted by farmers. There are many types
of manure and fertilizer currently being used.
Manure is a substance derived from animals and
plants. The most important advantage of using
manure is the fact that they not only supply a wide
range of plant nutrients, but also improve the
structure of the soil. It cements together the soil
particles to form soil crumbs. The crumb structure is
a desirable condition of
cultivated soil. The addition of manure to soil will
increase the inorganic and humus content which
helps to prevent soil erosion and loss of plant
nutrients when it rains. The common manure used in
farming consists of farmyard manure,
compost, blood meal, bone meal and fish meal.
Unlike manure, fertilizers are inorganic substances
which do not improve the structure of the soil. They
only supply extra amounts of nutrients to the
growing plants when applied to the soil. The
commercial fertilizers commonly used today can be
classified into three major categories; namely,
nitrogen (N), phosphate and potash fertilizers.
Besides knowing the type of fertilizer to use, a
farmer also needs to know when to apply the
fertilizer and how to apply it. The fertilizer should be
applied at the time when the plants need a
particular nutrient most. The time and method of
application will determine how profitably the
fertilizers have been used in farming. Fertilizers
which have not been properly applied cannot be
absorbed in large quantities by plant roots. These
fertilizers may be washed away by rain or they may
kill the plants. This would mean a definite financial
loss for the farmer.
C) "We could've beat him down, you know," the
burly Canadian said from his dark corner from the
far side of the room, his sudden voice in the whirring
silence rattled like stones thrown on a metal roof.
"We could've beat that manager down on the room
rental. It's costing us six bucks for the day. We
could've beat him down to four. It's not a ton of
money, but it's customary here in India. You’ve got
to be aggressive and barter for everything."
He was right about the procedure, of course. And
bargaining is the economical thing to do. Most of the
time, it's the shrewd and amiable way to conduct
your affairs in India.
But he was wrong, too. The hotel manager, Anand,
and I, became thick friends, in the years that
followed. The fact that I trusted him on sight and
didn't haggle, on that first day. The fact that I didn't
try to cut on his earning, that I worked on an instinct
to respect him and endeavoured to like him. That I
was uninfluenced by the foreign bias of operation in
India, endeared me to him. He told me so, more
than once. It was mutual knowledge that six of our
dollars wasn't an extravagant price for three foreign
men to pay. The owners of the hotel took four
dollars per day per room. The dollar or two above
that minimum was the meagre daily wage for Anand
and his staff of three room boys.
The simple and astonishing truth about India and
Indian people is that when you go there, interact
and operate with them, your heart always guides
you more wisely than your head. There's nowhere
else in the world where that's quite so true.
dollars wasn't an extravagant price for three foreign
men to pay. The owners of the hotel took four
dollars per day per room. The dollar or two above
that minimum was the meagre daily wage for Anand
and his staff of three room boys.
The simple and astonishing truth about India and
Indian people is that when you go there, interact
and operate with them, your heart always guides
you more wisely than your head. There's nowhere
else in the world where that's quite so true.