THE HAPPY PRINCE -OSCAR WILDE

Q. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress? What does the swallow do in the seamstress’ house?

Ans. The prince wanted the swallow to pick out the ruby from his sword-hilt and take it to the poor seamstress because he saw that the poor woman’s son was seriously sick. He was crying on his bed. The boy was asking for oranges. But the woman could not afford. Therefore, the Happy Prince sent a ruby for her. The swallow put the ruby on a table and fanned the boy’s forehead with its wings.

Q. For whom does the Prince send the sapphires and why?

Ans. The prince sends one sapphire for a playwright and the other to a poor match girl.

The Happy Prince saw a young playwright leaning over a desk covered with papers. His hair was brown ,crisp and his lips were red. He was trying to finish a play for the theatre. Cold, abscence of  firewood and hunger had made him faint. So, he could not finish the play.

The Happy Prince also noticed a poor match girl weeping after she accidentally threw her matches into a drain. She was afraid that her parents would beat her.

The Happy Prince helped both the playwright and the poor girl by sending them the sapphires.

Q. What does the swallow see when it flies over the city? 

Ans. When the swallow flies over the city, it sees the rich enjoying in their houses while the beggers begging at their gates. The swallow even sees two little-wretched boys lying in each other’s arms to keep themselves warm. In this way, the swallow sees the stark contrast between prosperity and poverty.

Q. Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt?

Ans. The Happy Prince had become totally blind. The swallow was impressed with his charity and kindness. He had sacrificed everything for the good cause of helping the poor and downtrodden in their needs.

The unusual traits of the Happy Prince had a deep impact on the heart of swallow. The swallow loved the prince now much that he could not leave him in that state. He decided not to go to Egypt. He remained there till his last breath.

Q.Why is the statue of the Prince described as looking like a beggar and being no longer useful? 

Ans. The statue of the prince had lost all that had made it great and resplendent. It had lost all it gold, sapphires and the ruby. It looked worn out like a beggar.

Q.What proclamation (order)does the mayor make about the death of the birds?

Ans. The proclamation made by the Mayor was that no birds should be allowed to die in the city

Q.What impression do you gather of his personality form this?

Ans. From the Mayor’s remarks, we gather that he was an irrational and censorious person. Instead of thinking about the disappearance of the prince assets . Instead of thinking, what has made the statue so shabby and how has the bird died, he makes proclamations without any rationale. He just looks at the external appearance of things instead of thinking about the essence of things.

Q. What were the two precious things the angel brought to God? In what way were they precious?

The two most precious things mentioned in the story are the leaden heart of the happy prince and the dead swallow. The happy prince had sacrificed these to serve the suffering humanity. The swallow fulfilled the wishes of the happy prince. He sacrificed his self-interest in going to Egypt. He carried gold and jewels to the suffering people. He remained with the prince in the bad weather also. He died at the prince’s feet. So, the angel was right when it took the leaden heart of the prince and the dead swallow to Heaven.

Q. What happened to the prince ’s heart? What feelings does the end of the story arouse in you? 

Ans. The prince’s heart broke into two halves when the bird fell dead at its feet. When the leaden heart was put into the furnace, it does not melt. So, it was thrown away. Therefore, the dead bird and the leaden heart met even after death. The end the story arouses in us deep sympathy for the two. The angels considered the leaden heart the most precious thing in the city. They took it to heaven.

Q.What is the conclusion of ‘The Happy Prince?

The story concludes that mortal life is meant to decay and death and good deeds make one immortal. Goodness is everlasting and ever- rewarding. The Happy Prince He gave his eyes, gold and jewellery to the needy. His heart was divided into two halves when the swallow died at his feet. The Happy Prince’s statue was not useful anymore. It was dull and useless. The heart of the statue did not melt in a furnace as goodness could never be destroyed. 

At the end both the happy prince and the swallow were rewarded for their good deeds by God. They found a permanent place in heaven. The swallow will sing forever in the garden of paradise and the happy prince will live in the city of gold. Thus the story teaches us to live a meaningful life by helping those who are in need.

Q. The story presents a shocking contrast between external appearance and the essence of things. How?

Yes the story presents a shocking contrast between external appearance and the essence of things This is a strange world. Nothing succeeds like success here. So long we are powerful and strong we are respected and obeyed. In this dazzling world of wealth and riches, human feelings have no relevance. The statue of the Happy Prince was installed at the highest column in the most important square of the city. It was gilded all over with fine gold. His eyes had two bright sapphires and a large red ruby glowed on his sword hilt. He was a symbol of power, beauty and grandeur. The moment he lost his gold, sapphires and the grand ruby, he became very ordinary, ugly and useless. He was to be pulled down and melted in a furnace. The Mayor and the Town Counsellors were cruel and selfish.

Q. What is the moral lesson of “The Happy Prince”?

Ans. The moral lesson of “The Happy Prince” is that the worst aspects of modern society can be overcome by righteousness .Righteousness always plays an important role in bringing prosperity. The case might be of a person, a family, a country or a nation. Of course, wealth and power can provide luxury and comfort. But mental satisfaction and spiritual peace cannot be brought. Every spiritual and religious leader recommend that people take the right path and avoid the way of vice. It is possible to take care of the old, weak and downtrodden sections of society when you are virtuous. When we go the right way, the nation rises to great heights. Righteousness blesses a man with great satisfaction and happiness. In the story, the Happy Prince reached the highest level with his fellow swallows through righteousness.

CHAPTER-PACKING JEROME K. JEROME

Question 8: Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag?

Answer: After packing the bag Jerome realized that he packed his tobacco pouch inside, so he had to reopen it once again.

Question 9: What did George and Harris offer to pack and why?

Answer: George and Harris offered to pack the bag which would contain edible items. They also wanted to show off their packing skills.

Question 10: Do you find this story funny? What are the humorous elements in it?

Answer: This is a really funny story but at the same time it can be related to many people’s real life. To start with the language itself is humorous while depicting as mundane an activity as packing. Discovery of toothbrush inside a boot is funny. George stepping on butter is funny incident. The list can go on and on, like Harris sitting on butter, packing of jam over tomato, packing of heavier thing over lighter things. The disturbance by the dog brings its own amount of fun in the story. Even in the end their argument about exact wakeup time is also full of humour

THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR

Q1. How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony attached to his room? Look back at his detailed description of it. What makes it a convincing story?
Ans. When Ausable says that he had complained to the hotel management earlier as well about someone entering the room from the balcony that was below his room, Max started thinking that had he known there was a balcony, it would have been much easier for him to get to Ausable’s room. Ausable then tells Max that he wanted extra protection for the papers that were supposed to come in that day and that he had informed the police who were knocking on the door, checking on him. This made Max very nervous and he thought that he would wait for the police to go on the balcony. Without realizing, he jumped out of the window and did not realize that there was no balcony. So the way Ausable thinks calmly and quickly makes the story a lot more convincing.



Q2. How is Ausable different from other secret agents?
Ans. Ausable is different from other secret agents because he was very fat, lived in a room on the top floor of a gloomy French hotel and could only speak French passibly although he had been living in Paris for over 20 years. His voice still had an American touch to it . He used to receive messages via telephone instead of dark eyed beauties getting him his messages. So he was very different from the way other secret agents are.



Q3. Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?
Ans. Fowler is a young writer who comes to meet Ausable. He is bored sitting with Ausable in a music hall as he had thought that the country’s secret agent would be thrilling and exciting but nothing of that sort happened. After some time when they were coming back to Ausable’s room, Fowler saw a man holding a gun standing in the room. So that is when he feels that the life of a secret agent can be exciting.



Q4. How has Max got in?
Ans. Max had got in with a masterkey or passkey.



Q5. How does Ausable say he got in?
Ans. Ausable says that he thought that Max had got in through the balcony. He said that it was a nuisance as it was not even his own balcony and that it was the second time somebody had got in using that same balcony.

Question 1.
Why had Fowler wanted to meet Ausable?
Answer:
Fowler was a writer and he had wanted to meet Ausable, a renowned secret agent. Fowler wanted to know how Ausable tackled dangerous situations. He was disappointed when he saw Ausable, as he didn’t look like what Fowler thought a secret agent should look like.

Question 2.
Describe Fowler’s reaction after entering Ausable’s hotel room. [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Initially Ausable got a shock to see Max in his room. But he remained calm. Max also had a pistol with him, so Ausable didn’t try anything fishy. He just kept his cool and fooled Max by using his brain to invent stories.

Why did Max’s face turn black with anger? What did he want Ausable to do? [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
Max’s face turned black with anger because he felt that his plan of extracting the important document from Ausable was in danger of failing due to the knocking on the door, which Ausable identified as the police. He wanted Ausable to send the police away.

Question 5.
Why did Ausable frame the story of the balcony? [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
Ausable framed the story of the balcony to counter the use of the pistol by the rival secret agent Max to threaten him. The rival would have been able to get the important report about the new missiles if Ausable had not concocted this story.

Question 6.
How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony attached to his room?
Answer:
Ausable creates a detailed description of how his office was part of a bigger apartment and how the next door room had a direct connection with the balcony. His statement that somebody else had also broken into his office through that balcony made it a convincing story.

Question 7.
Who actually had knocked at the door of Ausable’s room? Why did he come there? [CBSE 2010]
Answer:
The waiter in the hotel where Ausable stayed knocked at the door of Ausable’s room. He had brought the drinks which Ausable had ordered when he arrived in the hotel with Fowler.



Why did Max’s face turn black with anger? What did he want Ausable to do? [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
Max’s face turned black with anger because he felt that his plan of extracting the important document from Ausable was in danger of failing due to the knocking on the door, which Ausable identified as the police. He wanted Ausable to send the police away.

Question 5.
Why did Ausable frame the story of the balcony? [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
Ausable framed the story of the balcony to counter the use of the pistol by the rival secret agent Max to threaten him. The rival would have been able to get the important report about the new missiles if Ausable had not concocted this story.

Question 6.
How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony attached to his room?
Answer:
Ausable creates a detailed description of how his office was part of a bigger apartment and how the next door room had a direct connection with the balcony. His statement that somebody else had also broken into his office through that balcony made it a convincing story.

Question 7.
Who actually had knocked at the door of Ausable’s room? Why did he come there? [CBSE 2010]
Answer:
The waiter in the hotel where Ausable stayed knocked at the door of Ausable’s room. He had brought the drinks which Ausable had ordered when he arrived in the hotel with Fowler.


A calm mind can help you tackle direst stress. Explain.
Answer:
Certainly, a calm mind can help us to tackle direst stress. If Ausable had panicked and done something fishy, then Max probably would have killed him. But Ausable kept his cool. Apart from this story, there can he some real life examples also. We are always told to focus when we are appearing for exams or not to panic in a difficult situation because such things hamper our thinking ability. We are not able to take proper decisions at this time. If we keep our mind cool and focus, then only can ,we find ways to get out of crunch situations.

THE THIEF'S STORY

Question 1: What are Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an education? Do they change over time? What makes him return to Anil?

Answer: Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an education change over time. When he started living with Anil he wanted to be literate so that he could become a more cunning cheat. Later on there is a change in his heart. He wants to earn respect in life. Probably he is influenced by the calm in Anil’s life. Although, both of them depend on irregular sources of income, but Anil seems to be more satisfied. Hari Singh develops a desire to be part of the civilized society.

Question 2: Why does not Anil hand the thief over to the police? Do you think most people would have done so? In what ways is Anil different from such employers?

Answer: The wetness of notes must have given the idea of Hari Singh’s act to Anil. But Anil is pleased with the fact that Hari returned whatever he had stolen. This must have given him a hope for Hari Singh’s desire to change. That is why he did not hand over Hari to police. People like Anil are hard to find. Most people would have reacted in predictable ways by thrashing Hari Singh and calling police. Anil is different because he wants his servant to become literate. He wants his servant to lead a respectable life in future.

Question 3: Do you think people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction, or are there such people in real life?

Answer: Both Anil and Hari Singh are rare in society. Especially the changed Hari Singh after he decides to go back to Anil is difficult to find.

Question 4: Do you think it a significant detail in the story that Anil is a struggling writer? Does this explain his behaviour in any way?

Answer: Hari Singh’s observation about Anil getting irregular income and Anil’s statement about his sale of a book to a publisher indicates that he is a struggling writer. He lives life according to the flow of money he gets at a given time. When he gets the money he enjoys eating out with his friends. When he is having less money then he even doesn’t accept paying salary to Hari Singh.

Question 5: Have you met anyone like Hari Singh? Can you think and imagine the circumstances that can turn a fifteen-year-old boy into a thief?

Answer: I have met several people who help needy people and help them specially in becoming literate. Fifteenth year is a very dangerous phase of life as it is teenage. A deep scar on mind or a deep sense of greed can make criminal out of ordinary boys and girls. There is a chance of Hari Singh getting a sound rebuke from his parents for asking some costly thing. Or there is equal chance of Hari Singh spoiling his consumption pattern beyond his means.

Question 6: Where is the story set? Which language or languages are spoken in these places? Do you think the characters in the story spoke to each other in English?

Answer: The story is set in Uttar Pradesh somewhere near Lucknow. The town is having an important railway station as express trains have stoppage over there. The presence of sweet shop indicates towards presence of a decent market. The description of hotels near railway station indicates that it is an important centre where people come from far off places for business related activities.

IN THE KINGDOM OF FOOLS

Question and Answers
1. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools?

A. When the guru and his disciple reach the kingdom of fools, they find the following two strange things-

a) All the people sleep during the day and work during the night time. They have trained the cattle and all the other animals also to do the same as they fear punishment at the hands of the king.

b) Everything in the kingdom of fools-  a bag of rice or a bunch of bananas  costs one duddu. The guru is astonished and his disciple is excited to realise that food is so cheap in the kingdom.



2. Why does the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Is it a good idea?

A. The disciple loves food. He gets excited to see such cheap food available in the kingdom of fools. As he wants to relish more and more food, he stays back in the kingdom of fools. His decision was not a good one as he got into trouble. Although he was innocent, the king's men took him for execution as they needed a fat person who could be killed easily by the stake.



3. Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.
A. The names of the people who were tried in the king's court are as follows-

a) The rich merchant who was the owner of the house was tried because the wall that collapsed onto the thief belonged to him. Later, on he was again tried and held guilty on behalf of his dead father who had ordered the goldsmith to deliver the ornaments in a haste due to which the goldsmith could not deliver the dancing girl’s ornaments in time.

b) The bricklayer who had built the weak wall was also tried for constructing the wall that collapsed and killed the thief.

c) The dancing girl was tried for distracting the bricklayer. As she walked in the lane again and again, the jingling sound of her anklets distracted the bricklayer because of which he constructed a weak wall.

d) The goldsmith was tried because it was due to him that the dancing girl had to walk up and down the lane again and again.

e) The rich merchant’s dead father was tried because  he had ordered the goldsmith to deliver his ornaments first as there was a wedding with his family. Due to his order the goldsmith was unable to make the dancing girl’s ornaments in time.



4. Who is the real culprit according to the king? Why does he escape punishment?
A.  According to the king, the real culprit was the merchant’s dead father. As he  was dead, he could not be punished and in place of him, his son who had inherited all his property would be punished. 
The merchant escapes the punishment as the minister feels that he is too thin to be killed by the stake.


5. What are the Guru’s words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember them?
A. The Guru had told his disciple that the place was a kingdom of fools and they was unsafe for them. He had asked his disciple to leave the place at once. The disciple is reminded of his Guru’s words of wisdom when he lands into trouble. When the king's men take him for execution, he prays to his Guru and asks him to save his life.


6. How does the guru manage to save his disciple’s life?
A.  The guru is a wise and intelligent man. He traps the foolish king in his talks. He says that as he is the Guru, he is senior to his disciple and so, he should be killed first. The king gets confused to see the Guru’s eagerness to die.  He asks him the reason for it. On being promise that he would be killed first, the Guru says that as the stake is a new one, it has not killed any criminal. He adds that the person who would be killed by the state first would be reborn as the king of the kingdom. The second person who would be killed by the stake would be reborn as the Minister of the kingdom.  The king considers the Guru to be genuine and so, tells his minister that they should not lose their kingdom in the next birth. In this way, the king decides to save his kingdom and get himself and his minister killed by the stake in place of the guru and his disciple. Hence, the Guru saves his disciple’s life.

Inexorable - Arunima Choudhury

Born in a middle class family of UP Arunima Choudhury initially desired to join the CSIF . In 2011 job opportunity directed her to join  Delhi regiment. Circumstances got changed while traveling to Delhi via Paadmavaat express. Suddenly few goons boarded d same compartment and stripped her necklace in front of other travellers.Misfortune eventuated when she was brutally thrown out of d train to collide with a forthcoming train  Tormented in pain she fell on the death's door at the tracks.Entire night she endured extreme pain but screams of agony couldn't allure any help. Next morning she was rescued and admitted for treatment but her leg had to be amputed.The incident was purported as a suicide attempt and rumors spread like wild fire. Her Indomitable spirit aspired to accomplish mounteneering skills ,to which many people made sarcastic remarks.Bachendri pal as a mentor guided her to overcome all adversities with consistent tedious practice skills. The zeal to prove every person making a negative comment that a woman can't achieve epitome of success after physical deformatives became her immediate ambition. Finally on 21st May, 2013 she unfurled our trio color at d zenith of Everest.She screamed with joy that instead of having a prosthetic leg among every common people  she holds a record which symbolizes triumph of adamant will  . An empowered women can contribute to nation building by joining any sector.  
Resolution in life can be achieved if we stop complaining life and strive for our goal happily with whatever we have. 

THE STRUGGLES OF OUR LIFE

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it.

She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.

Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter.

The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners.

He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to her, he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft.

He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter.

“When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

Moral of the story: 

In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is how you choose to react to it and what you make out of it. Life is all about leaning, adopting and converting all the struggles that we experience into something positive.

The sound of music

1. Why was Evelyn Glennie going to face a bigger challenge at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London?
   Evelyn Glennie was full of passion for music but performing at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London was a challenge for her for two reasons: in the first place she was deaf and in the second, she was brought up on a Scottish farm. It is a challenge for a deaf village girl to compete with other singers who have perfect hearing.
2. What do you know about Evelyn’s gradual loss of hearing?
   When Evelyn was eight years old, she was waiting to play the piano at a function. Her mother Isabel Glennie noticed that Evelyn had not heard the organizers call out her name loudly and clearly.
3. How did Evelyn lose her hearing?
   Evelyn’s hearing impairment happened as a result of gradual nerve damage.
4. What did Evelyn’s school advise her parents for her future?
   The headmistress advised that she should be fitted with hearing aids and sent to a school for the deaf.

THE ADVENTURES OF TOTO

1. How does Toto come to grandfather’s private zoo?

A. The writer’s grandfather liked to collect animals and had made a zoo at home. One day, he saw a red - coloured monkey tied to a trough with a tonga driver. He liked the monkey and wanted to add it to his collection. He bought Toto from the tonga driver for a sum of five rupees.

2. “Toto was a pretty monkey.” In what sense is Toto pretty?

A. The writer says that Toto was pretty. He had bright, shining eyes which were full of mischief. His teeth were like pearls. He had a long tail which was like a third hand for him. The writer’s grandfather felt that a tail added to the beauty of an animal. So, Toto was thought to be a pretty animal.

3. Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how? Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?

A. Grandfather took Toto along with himself to Saharanpur because as he was mischievous, it was not safe to leave him alone at home. A bag made of strong canvas material was arranged. Some straw was placed in it. Toto was placed inside the bag and the bag was sealed with the zipper. 
The ticket collector did not accept grandfather’s claim that Toto was not a dog. He called it a dog and charged a ticket fee for it because only dogs were allowed to travel on trains. If Toto had to travel by train, then, he would have to be termed a dog.

4. How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learnt to do this? How does Toto almost boil himself alive?

A. Toto would check the temperature of the water by inserting his hand in it. Then he would step into the tub, one foot at a time. Finally, he would sit in it, with his face out. Then he would rub soap on his body. When the water became cold, he would jump out and run to the stove in the kitchen to dry himself. 
He had learnt this way of bathing from the writer. 
On day, Toto jumped into a kettle of water kept on the stove for boiling as he found it warm enough for a bath. As the water grew hotter, he thought of ascending but the cold weather made him go back into the kettle. Toto kept on doing this for a while till he was spotted by the grandmother. She pulled him out of the kettle in time or else he would have boiled himself that day.

5. Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?

A. The author says that Toto was not the kind of pet that they could keep for long because he was extremely mischievous. He destroyed many things - he tore the wallpapers, clothes and curtains. He broke dishes too. The family could not afford all this and so, decided to get rid of Toto.

Good Communication Skills - Key to Any Success

Good communication skills are key to success in life, work and relationships. Without effective communication, a message can turn into error, misunderstanding, frustration, or even disaster by being misinterpreted or poorly delivered.

Communication is the process by which we exchange information between individuals or groups of people. It is a process where we try as clearly and accurately as we can, to convey our thoughts, intentions and objectives.

Communication is successful only when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information.

In today's highly informational and technological environment it has become increasingly important to have good communication skills.

While many individuals still continue to struggle, the inability to communicate effectively will hold them back not only in their careers, but in social and personal relationships.  

steps for acquiring good communication skills:

1. Know what you want to say and why. Understand clearly the purpose and intent of your message. Know to whom you are communicating and why. Consider any barriers you may encounter such as cultural differences or situational circumstances (gender, age, or economic biases). Ask yourself what outcome you want to achieve and the impression you want to leave.

2. How will you say it? We're all aware by now, that it's not always what you say, but how you say it that counts. Begin by making eye contact. You inspire trust and confidence when you look a person in the eyes when you speak. Second, be aware of your body language since it can say as much, or more, than your words.

By standing with arms easily at your side you tell others that you are approachable and open to hearing what they have to say. If instead, your arms are crossed and shoulders hunched, it suggests disinterest or unwillingness to communicate.

Good posture and an approachable stance help make even difficult communication flow more smoothly. Make sure you speak in a cooperative, non-adversarial tone. Be nonjudgmental.

3 Listen. Communication is a two way street. After you've said what you have to say, stop, listen, and look for feedback and clues of comprehension. While the person is responding avoid any impulses to cut them off or listen only for the end of the sentence so that you can blurt out more ideas or thoughts that come to your mind.

Respectfully give them your full attention. When they are finished, to ensure that your message has been clearly and correctly understood, ask open questions and encourage discussion. Fine-tune your message if necessary.

4. Reach understanding, agreement or consensus. Once you have had the opportunity to discuss your message and the feedback to it, re-visit the purpose of the interchange. Have you reached common ground, solved a problem, or clarified your position? If the purpose was to teach or instruct, have you accomplished your goal? To communicate well is to understand and be understood.

Make sure that your message has been received as intended and that any questions or concerns have been alleviated. You can even agree to disagree.

There are no guarantees that your communication efforts will be meet with total compliance and agreement. As long as you understand each other, are cordial and respectful, you can still have a successful exchange.

More Tips for Developing Good Communication Skills

• To obtain a better command of the English language (or any other language), expand your vocabulary by reading and writing more. Look up words you're not familiar with. The better you are able to express yourself, the better your ability to communicate.


• Practice your listening skills. Be considerate of other speakers by waiting until they are done before stating your views. Process what has being said before responding.


• Learn to understand and appreciate opposing points of view by being open-minded and making an effort to see things from another's perspective. It will in turn, gain you more cooperation and understanding.


• Avoid trying to communicate when in an emotional state. You lose objectivity and may say something inappropriate or regrettable. Take time to think your position through before speaking.


• Join an organization such as Toastmasters that encourages you to develop a variety of communication skills as well as allowing you the opportunity to meet new and interesting people.

When you take the time to acquire and hone good communication skills you open yourself up to better relationships, more career opportunities, and increased self-confidence.

Moreover, you reach higher levels of mutual understanding and cooperation while successfully attaining your goals.

All new skills take time to refine, however, with effort and practice you can develop good, even exceptional, communication skills. 

Examination System

Examination are a necessary evil. It is quite understandable that whenever we put in hard work to make successful and venture, we wait for some time to see or guess the results that might’s have been achieved or might possibly be achieved. It is in this context that examinations become unavoidable. Though methods and yardsticks employed may differ and that even widely.

A student studies the whole year and then needs to be examined. It is even in the interest of the students himself or herself to know where he or she stands and how far his or her efforts have borne fruit.

However, the examination system as we have today becomes a farce in essence. It is because of many reasons and factors. The most distressing among these factors is the menace of copying. The students who may be dullards but can manage to indulge in large-scale copying get high marks, whereas the really meritorious students who    have worked hard get low marks.

Even otherwise , the prevalent examination system encourages cramming. Those who have a good memory or can indulge. In cramming, steal a march over others who cannot do this. Then, it is extremely painful to all lovers  of transparency that sometimes even the question papers are sold in the market a day or so before an examination.

Some efforts have been made to bring reforms in the examination such as the introduction of gradation system, the setting of a number of different question papers. Objective questions , etc. but much still remains to be desired and done.

THE HIGH COST OF VANITY IN 21st CENTURY

A well-known principle of social psychology, social comparison theoryproposes that we are constantly evaluating ourselves in relation to other people. In downward social comparison, you make yourself feel better by viewing yourself as more fortunate than others. The converse process also applies. In upward social comparison, you feel far worse about yourself if you see (or believe) that someone is outdoing you. Downward social comparison is a great coping process because it allows you to view a bad situation by looking at others who are worse off than you (poorer, less attractive, more stressed) and concluding that things aren’t really so bad. Upward social comparison can cause you to berate yourself unnecessarily because you feel that you’re being outdone by your friends, relatives, co-workers, or perhaps your Facebook friends.People 

Workman and Lee believed that social comparison is involved in the processes that lead us to empty our wallets for consumer goods that carry with them recognizable, expensive, labels. From sunglasses to sneakers, little symbols signify their price and, for many of us, our value as human beings. The smart shopper knows how to find these status symbols at bargain prices. The very savviest may still prefer to shell out the full amounts in order to be the first among their social circle to be wearing the latest models. However, as you'll see shortly, people often dress to impress themselves, propping their self-concept up by feeding their need to look attractive and successful.

Your desire to have recognizable brand names, or “brand sensitivity,” means that brand names are important to you in the process of making purchasing decisions. You may be highly brand sensitive, however, without knowing it. Through unconscious conditioning, you’ve come to associate certain brands with certain attributes, a factor that plays heavily into celebrity marketing.  When movie stars show up in ads for a particular cosmetic, line of clothing, or even underwear, you’ll be drawn toward those products because you form positive associations with the brand and the person. 

Not everyone is equally tempted by Ralph Lauren or Prada seals of approval, no matter who is modeling them. According to Workman and Lee, it should only be the most vain among us who are the most likely to stroll the fashion boutiques. There are 2 basic categories of vanity: physical appearance and the achievement of success. Fashion models and athletes are vain in the sense of wanting to be attractive.  People who purchase expensive products are vain in the sense of wanting to look successful. There are two subtypes within each type of vanity: being preoccupied with appearance or success vs. seeing yourself as more attractive or successful than you are.  

The kind of social comparison process that Workman and Lee believed to be important in consumer decisions involves the thoughts and feelings you have about how much more attractive or successful you are than others. People high in private self-consciousness tend to be self-reflective and introspective. If you’re high in private self-consciousness, for example, you would agree with the statement “I think about myself a lot.”

Workman and Lee reason that both vanity and private self-consciousness involve egocentrism, or the tendency to regard yourself as the center of the universe. If you’re always thinking about your own thoughts and feelings, it’s natural that you’ll develop a preoccupation with yourself and, hence, an excessive concern with your appearance and accomplishments.

Vanity is considered to stem from pride, which is one of the 7 deadly sins. People don’t like to admit that they’re vain. In fact, the vainest among us are probably the least likely to admit it. The fact that the participants in the Workman and Lee study owned up to their own self-preoccupation is impressive, supporting the widespread tendency of advertisers to use brand-name manipulation in the market place.  

If your vanity takes the form of being preoccupied with achievement, you’ll constantly seek expensive labels to prove your own worth and success. If it's your physical appearance you focus on, you’ll be lured by fancy clothes because you think they'll make you look better. The physically vain woman won’t want to pull out a drug-store lipstick in front of others to retouch her makeup; she’ll prefer to reach for the shiny gold department store variety costing 3 or 4 times as much. The color may be exactly the same, but it’s the glamour of the tube that matters most to her.

Oddly enough, many of the high-end goods that we wear can’t be seen by anyone else. No one knows whether you’re wearing Hanes or Calvin Klein’s under those designer jeans.  It probably doesn’t matter to too many people, including your romantic partners, whether the sheets on your bed come from Target or from Bloomingdale’s. Therefore, when we shell out the extra cash for what goes under our clothes, or over our mattresses, we may be succumbing to the pull that vanity has over our sensibilities.

Extrapolating somewhat from the Workman and Lee study, it’s possible to understand vanity as a variant of the unhealthy form of narcissism.  In vulnerable narcissism, people are constantly seeking ways to feel more important, attractive, and successful as a means of compensating for their inner feelings of weakness and inferiority.  Equating designer goods with personal value feeds into the worst kind of narcissistic vulnerability.

The take-home message is that it’s worth taking stock of your own motivations before you make your next sizeable purchase of a brand-name item. Who are you trying to please? Do you feel that you need to look better than other people, and that’s why you need that validation of your worth? Is it part of a larger pattern in which you think you’re better-looking than everyone else and “deserve” to treat yourself? It’s possible that the high-priced item is of better quality, and that your investment will prove worth the financial sacrifice. However, by understanding your own motivations, your budget and your self-image can both benefit.