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Unit 6: Comprehension from Unseen Passages

fine spirit hounded to death by savage criticism; because, whatever his biographers may aver, that Notes
furious attack of Gifford and Terry undoubtedly expedited his death. But no doubt there are hundreds
who suffer keenly from hostile and unscrupulous criticism, and who have to bear that suffering in
silence, because it is a cardinal principle in literature that the most unwise thing in the world for an
author is to take public notice of criticism in the way of defending himself. Silence is the only safeguard,
as it is the only dignified protest against insult and offence.
Choose the correct option:
1. Why is the literary life mostly an unhappy one?
(i) because a genius suffers the penalty of genius, and a talented person has so many cares and
worries
(ii) because it is mostly a lonely life
(iii) because it does not pay much materialistically
(iv) because it is difficult to get a reading public
2. What are the ambitions of a young author?
(ii) to be acknowledged as a new light in literature
(ii) to be able to reveal himself
(iii) to gain a public ear
(iv) to get his compositions published
3. Are editors and publishers sympathetic to young authors?
(i) they are (ii) they are not
(iii) they are anxious about placing only the best literature before the public
(iv) they are mere brokers who conduct their business on the hardest lines of a Profit and Loss
account.
4. What are the ordeals awaiting the young author from the critics?
(i) the critics harass him (ii) he has to run the ‘gauntlet’ of the critics
(iii) he has to save his scalp, as the critics throw stones at him
(iv) the critics are sympathetic towards him
5. What attitude should an author adopt in the face of bitter criticism?
(i) he should defend himself
(ii) he should regard critics formidable and change his way of writing
(iii) he should suffer silently
(iv) he should take criticism as not more than the bye-play of clowns in a circus and go his way
unheeding.
6. Why does a true artist suffer?
(i) he suffers because of the pangs of composition
(ii) he suffers because of his inability to express himself.
(iii) he suffers because of the difficulty in gaining the public ear
(iv) all the above
7. What happens to the sensitive authors when they are attacked by critics?
(i) they remain indifferent (ii) they commit suicide
(iii) they abandon the writing profession (iv) none of the above
8. The attack of Gifford and Terry
(i) forced Keats to give up writing (ii) expedited the death of Keats.
(iii) brought Keats to limelight (iv) none of the above

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