A tiny Sanctuary
Word Meaning
Forbidden-
prohibited ਵਰਜਿਤ
Mystified
– puzzled ਰਹੱਸਮਈ
Trashy
– worthless ਕੂੜਾ-ਕਰਕਟ
Muff
- fur glove
Mildew-
a destructive growth in plants ਫ਼ਫ਼ੂੰਦੀ
Revered
– looked upon as sacred ਸਤਿਕਾਰਯੋਗ
Esteemed-
held in great respect, admired
Clumsy-
difficult to handle or use
Oyster-
a shell in the sea-bed by opening which pearls can be taken out
Blistered-
full of swelling ਛਾਲੇ
Dolmens-
prehistoric structure of large flat stones laid horizontally on upright stones
Mona
Lisa- a famous painting by
Leonardo
da Vinci of a woman with an enigmatic smile
Mass-
a solemn ceremony performed in the church by Roman Catholics
Word Meaning
1.
Admired regard with respect or warm approval ਸਤਿਕਾਰ ਜਾਂ ਨਿੱਘੀ ਪ੍ਰਵਾਨਗੀ ਦੇ
ਨਾਲ
2.
Conspiringly make secret plans jointly ਸਾਂਝੇ
ਤੌਰ ਤੇ ਗੁਪਤ ਯੋਜਨਾਵਾਂ ਬਣਾਉਣਾ
3.
Stability the state of being stable ਸਥਿਰ ਹੋਣ ਦੀ ਸਥਿਤੀ
4.
Monuments a building, structure, or site that is of historical importance or
interest ਸਮਾਰਕ
5.
Hastily with excessive speed, hurriedly ਜਲਦਬਾਜ਼ੀ
6.
Exclusively as the only source, unique ਅਨੌਖਾ
7.
Feminine having qualities associated with women, especially delicacy and
prettiness ਔਰਤਾਂ
ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਜੁੜੇ ਗੁਣ ਹੋਣਾ, ਖ਼ਾਸਕਰ ਕੋਮਲਤਾ ਅਤੇਸੁੰ
ਦਰਤਾ
8.
Shrugging raise (one's shoulders) slightly and momentarily to express doubt,
ignorance, or indifference.
9.
Officiating act as an official in charge of something. ਕਿਸੇ ਸੰਸਥਾ ਦੇ
ਇੰਚਾਰਜ
10.
Civilizations the process by which a society or place reaches an advanced stage
of social and cultural development and organization. ਉਹ
ਪ੍ਰਕਿਰਿਆ ਜਿਸ ਦੁਆਰਾ ਸਮਾਜ ਜਾਂ ਸਥਾਨ ਸਮਾਜਿਕ ਅਤੇ
ਸਭਿਆਚਾਰਕ ਵਿਕਾਸ
ਅਤੇ ਸੰਗਠਨ ਦੇ
ਇੱਕ ਉੱਨਤ
ਪੜਾਅ 'ਤੇ
ਪਹੁੰਚਦਾ ਹੈ
Short Question Answer
Q1. - ‘I began my life....among books’.
How does began reflect the author’s passion for books?
A1.
- The word ‘began’ tells us that the writer‘s childhood was spent among books.
He had a great love for them. He admired the books even before he could read
them.
Q2.-Read sentence 6 and say why his
grandfather had forbidden his books to be dusted frequently?
A2.
- His grandfather had forbidden (prohibited) his books to be dusted frequently
lest (to avoid the risk) the order in which they were arranged in the library
shelves should get spoiled.
Q3.- ‘....Our family prosperity depend
on them.’ What are the various things that usually make a family prosperous? What
is the child’s attitude towards books?
A3.
- The various things that usually make a family prosperous are - money, health,
education, a good house, and recreation. The child’s attitude is that the
prosperity of their family depended on books.
Q4.- Why did books give Sartre a feeling
of emotional stability?
A4.-
Books gave him a feeling of emotional stability because he had been among them
all the time . He regarded the study as a small sacred place. Books were like
old monuments for him. He spent all his life among them. They were his
permanent companions. He hoped to spend his future calmly by reading them. So his
love for books gave him an emotional stability.
Q5. - (a) Books are described as
‘cultural objects’. Why?
(b)
Pick out the word which has been contrasted with ‘clumsy’. Could you think of
another word in its place?
A5.
- (a) Books are ‘cultural objects’ because they record a nation’s culture. They
tell us about the growth of civilizations of the world. They also tell us the
progress of art, literature and development of human knowledge and thought.
(b)
The word contrasted with ‘clumsy’ is commonly. The other word for ‘commonly’ is
ordinarily.
Q6.- The child’s grandfather handled
books as ‘an officiating priest’. What should be the difference in meaning if
‘officiating’ were dropped ?
A6.-
‘Officiating priest’ means the man who performs priestly duties . He may not be
an actual priest. The study room of the child’s grandfather was a little holy place.
His grandfather handled the books in a way as he was an officiating priest. If
the word ‘officiating’ were dropped, it would mean that he was a priest by profession.
Q7.- Oysters, a kind of shellfish, are
prized open and usually eaten uncooked. Books are compared to oysters.
(a) Is the comparison justified? Give
reasons.
(b) What do ‘dank’, ‘blistered’,
‘mildewed’ suggested about the age of the books?
A7.
- (a) The comparison is justified because the book opens with a jerk (ਝਟਕਾ)
and shows its contents which are compared to the internal organs of an Oyster.
(b)
The words ‘dank’, ‘blistered’ and ‘mildewed’ suggest that the books are very
old.
Q8.- (a) Which books are described as
‘trash’?
(b) Find two examples to prove that the
child’s grandmother loved her books.
A8.
- (a) The books borrowed by child’s grandmother from the lending-library and lying
in her room are described as ‘trash’.
(b)
(i) The child’s grandmother put the books borrowed from library in her muff And
covered them very carefully. (ii) She studied them voluptuously (shapely) with
a smile on her lips. She often called her daughter to show a line or two of
particular interest.
Q9. - (a) ‘a delicately voluptuous
smile’- A smile indicates pleasure. What kind of pleasure did his grandmother anticipate?
(b) ‘a holy silence’- What did Sartre
think of ? Why has the word ‘holy’ been used to describe his silence?
(c) ‘a conspiratorial look’- Sartre’s
grandmother and mother shared a secret ?
A9.
- (a) His grandmother anticipated sensuous pleasure.
(b)
Sartre thought of mass, death or sleep. The word ‘holy’ has been used to
describe his silence. It mean perfect silence and seriousness about them.
(c)
The secret they shared was about something exclusively feminine (associated
with women) and of inferior cult.
Q10.- (a) Do we usually read between
the lines to understand a novel?
(b) What does this exchange highlight-
humour, satire or irony?
List
the various things with which the child compares the books of his (a)
grandfather and (b) grandmother.
A10.-
(a) Sometimes we have to read between the lines to understand. Sometimes it is
crystal clear. (b) It highlights humour and satire.
The child compares the books with the following things:-
(a) Grandfather’s books; raised
stones; ancient monuments of cultural objects; Oysters (ਸੀਪ).
(b)
Grandmother’s books; over-elegant works; trashy works; intruders (ਘੁਸਪੈਠੀਏ); part inferior cult (belief).
OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. - Where did the author’s
grandmother go every Friday?
A1.
- The author’s grandmother went to lending library to borrow books on every
Friday.
Q2. - How was the author’s attitude to
the books of his grandfather?
A2.
- Respectful.
Q3.- What are the trashy works?
A3.
- Worthless books.
Q4. - What did the grandmother cover?
A4.-
Books.
Q5. - Name the well-known painting by
Leonardo da Vinci with an enigmatic smile?
A5.
- Mona Lisa.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jean-Paul
Sartre, born in Paris in 1905. Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher,
playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and
literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in the 20th-century French
philosophy and Marxism. He died in Paris in April, 1980 . He declined the Nobel
Prize in Literature in Oct., 1964 He told the press he rejected the Nobel Prize
for fear that it would limit the impact of his writing.
SUMMARY- A Tiny
Sanctuary - Jean-Paul-Sartre
‘A
Tiny Sanctuary’ is written by Jean-Paul-Sartre. He says that he began his life
among books. He hopes to end it among books. His grandfather was fond of books.
There were boo k s i n h is grandfather’s study. The study room was dusted once
a year. He had a great love for them. He admired the books even before he could
read them. They were arranged upright on the library shelves. He thought that
the prosperity of their family depended upon books. The place was to him like a
tiny sanctuary. He played about noisily in it. He touched the books
respectfully.
Books
gave him a feeling of emotional stability because he had been among them all
the time. He regarded the study as a small sacred place. To him these were like
ancient monuments. Books are cultural objects because they record a nation’s
culture. They tell us about the growth of civilizations of the world. They also
tell us the progress of art, literature and development of human knowledge and
thought. The study room of his grandfather was a little holy place.
His
grandfather handled the books in a way as he was an officiating priest. He would
get up absent-mindedly cross the room hastily, pick out a volume and run
through it. The author got close to his grandfather. He liked to see these
books which opened like Oysters. His grandmother borrowed books from a public
library two at a time. These books had bright covers. But these were worthless
books. On Friday, grandmother went to return the old books And borrow the new
ones.
She
covered these books very carefully. She chose one, sat in her armchair by the
window. She put on her spectacles and begin reading it with a smile on her lips.
The author’s mother became silent. She asked him to keep quiet. Louise, his
grandmother would often laugh, call her daughter and point at a line. Then the
two would look at each other conspiringly. The author’s grandfather considered
these books as part of exclusively feminine, inferior cult.
On
Sunday he went to his grandmother’s room. He sat silently in front of her. She
would snatch her book away from him. She would cry out angrily that he would
lose her page. His finger would rap the book suddenly and he would say that he
did not understand. The writer’s grandmother told him to read between the
lines. In the end he would fling (throw) the book down on the table and walk
out shrugging (dismiss something as unimportant) his shoulders.
Vocabulary
There are four situations. Match the
Phrases with these situations: - a menacing silence; a holy silence; an amused
smile; an enigmatic smile
1.
There is a beautiful temple with no one in it or near it. Only the marble
statue of god enveloped in incense smoke can be seen....
- a holy
silence
2.
At dusk- in a dense forest-no cries of birds or animals can be heard- the lonely
traveler is conscious of the presence of a wild animal behind the bushes...
- a menacing silence
3.
A novelist is being interviewed. She says, ’No comments’ to a question put by a
journalist and smiles. The smile does not indicate her thought or feelings.
– an enigmatic smile
4.
The students played pranks and the professor did not mind. He gave a smile.
– an amused smile
