Question Paper for Adrija

Saving Time
The value and use of time is often spoken about but seldom practiced. All over Europe
sundials have inscriptions which warn us not to waste time. Perhaps this has been done in the
hope that frequent reminders will ensure that time is neither squandered nor spent in idle
pursuits. These trite epigraphs also serve to bring home the message that it is necessary to
employ time well, for once lost, it cannot be recovered.

Time is precious. The sensible and wise are never idle. They live their life in accordance with
the universal maxim, ‘idleness is the mother of vice’.

Mr. Lowndes, the famous secretary of the treasury under William III (1650 – 1702), Anne
and George I, said , “Take care of the pence, for the pounds will take care of themselves.”
Similarly, if the minutes are taken care of, the hours will take care of themselves. Actively
utilizing every half hour or quarter of an hour will eventually add up to years of hard work.
Doing something that gives pleasure is time well spent. If the activity chosen adds knowledge
or unburdens the mind it enhances our thinking power. Working methodically saves
invaluable time. Putting away books, papers and pencils after using them makes it easier to
find them when they are needed again. Much time would be lost in searching for these
articles if they had been put aside carelessly.

Developing a method which is one’s own is far better than copying another’s. Every
individual has his own needs and requirements; therefore his personal method will suit him
the best.

Six to seven hours of sleep a day is considered quite enough for adults. Any extra time spent
in bed will only give rise to laziness. Laziness steals time from those who do not guard
against it. Doing nothing does not make one happy, neither does it give one a sense of having
achieved something worthwhile. Hours spent doing nothing gives no pleasure. To pursue
pleasure it would be better to find an activity that contributes towards a sense of well-being
and happiness. It then necessarily follows that inactivity of laziness is not a pleasurable
occupation.

Learning to sift between frivolity and greatness is equally important. To spend time on
unimportant matters is to waste it. A frivolous mind will pay attention to the clothes a person
is wearing rather than to the character of the person. It will choose a book because of its
cover rather than its contents. A good book read at leisure can give infinite pleasure and help
to pass time most usefully.

In short, time spent judiciously and carefully will teach the true value of time and then every
moment of time can be enjoyed fruitfully.

A. Answer these question.

1. Write to reasons why European sundials have inscriptions on them.
2. “Take care of the pence, for the pounds will take care of themselves.” What
does this statement mean?
3. How can we utilize our spare time?
4. How does carelessness contribute towards loss of time?
 Question Paper for Adrija
5. Which is the best way to pursue pleasure?
6. What kind of a person choses a book because it has an attractive cover?
B. Fill in the blanks with the words from the box.
Frivolity inscriptions leisure judiciously squandered
maxim
1. Surjit ___________ his father’s hard-earned money on useless pleasures.
2. Marooned on an island, the sailors resolved to use their store of food
___________.
3. Time spent in ___________ is time wasted.
4. My grandfather gardens in his ___________ time.
5. Rocks which bear ___________ from Ashoka’s time can be found all over India.
6. ‘Early to bed and early to rise’ is a good ___________ to follow.