Gujarat Board GSEB Solutions Class 11 English Second Language Unit 2 Read 3 The Secret of the Machines Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.
GSEB Std 11 English Textbook Solutions Unit 2 Read 3 The Secret of the Machines (2nd Language)
GSEB Class 11 English The Secret of the Machines Text Book Questions and Answers
Comprehension
1. Form four groups and discuss the following points and prepare a list. Then a reporter from each group will share the list with the class:
- List the machines around you and say how they make your life easier.
- Have you ever felt crippled in the absence of any machine or gadget? Talk about one such experience.
- List some incidents where mishandling of machines has created disasters.
- Can machines replace human beings ? Why ? [ Note: These activities are to be done by the students.]
2. Give another title to the poem.
Other titles to the poem are :
- Children of Human Brain
- Handle us Carefully OR Machines are Machines
3. Write the stanza number against the theme of each stanza:
- Origin ( 1 )
- Treatment they need ( 2 )
- How they serve ( 3 )
- No emotions, no regrets ( 4 )
4. Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each:
Question 1.
What is the law of machines?
Answer:
Machines work for us day and night. But they do not understand what is the truth and what is a lie. They do not have feelings. They cannot love, pity or forgive. If we make a mistake in handling them, we are .sure to die. This is the law by which they live.
Question 2.
Why do the machines consider themselves transitory?
Answer:
Machines will keep on working till you keep on fulfilling their requirements. In addition to that they wear out after a certain period of time. After all they are products (children) of human brain. Their life is not so long or permanent, thus machines consider themselves transitory.
Question 3.
What can machines do?
Answer:
Machines are all powerful on the earth. They can pull and haul and push. lift and drive. They can print. plough, weave, heat and give light. They can run, race and swim and fly and dive. They can see, hear, count, read and write. Thus, they can do everything that man wants them to do.
Question 4.
How do machines serve us?
Answer:
Machines serve us round the clock. They do almost every Job for human beings. They keep on working until their humble requirements are fulfilled.
Question 5.
How do machines differ from human beings?
Answer:
Machines are inanimate things. They have their own law to live by. They cannot understand a lie. They do not have feelings. They cannot love, pity or forgive. If you make a mistake in handling them, you are sure to die.
Additional Questions
Read the stanzas and answer the questions:
(1) We were taken from the ore-bed and the mine,
We were melted in the furnace and the pit-
We were cast and wrought and hammered to design,
We were cut and filed and tooled and gauged to fit.
Questions :
(1) Where do machines take birth from ?
(2) What are the processes of giving shape to machines ?
(3) The rhyme scheme in the stanza is
Answer:
(1) Machines take birth from the ore-bed and the mine.
(2) Before machines take their final shape, they are melted in the furnace. Then they are cast, wrought and hammered. For final shape, they are cut, filed, tooled and gauged to fit.
(3) ab ab
(2) Though our smoke may hide the Heavens from your eyes,
It will vanish and the stars will shine again,
Because, for all our power and weight and size,
We are nothing more than children of your brain!
Questions:
(1) why do machines say that stars will shine again ?
(2) What strength do machines boast of ?
(3) What do machines humbly confess ?
Answer:
(1) Machines are optimistic. Although they say they have no pity and love, they hope that the mechanical age will not destroy the earth and its people. They are hopeful that the ruinous damage caused by them will one day be repaired and the sky will once again be serene and full of life.
(2) Machines boast of their power and weight and size.
(3) Machines humbly confess that they aren’t perfect after all and nature always wins over them. They honestly admit that they aren’t miraculous creations, but they are nothing more than creations of the human brain.
5. Given below is the gist of some lines in the poem. Read the poem carefully and find the matching lines:”
(1) Be careful when you work with machines.
But remember, please, the Law by which we live.
(2) We don’t need to take a lot of effort to run and maintain machines.
Some water, coal and oil is all we ask,
And a thousandth of an inch to give us play:
And now, if you will set us to our task,
We will serve you four and twenty hours a day !
(3) After all, we are man-made objects.
We are nothing more than children of your brain!
(4) We can do multiple jobs very easily.
We can pull and haul and push and lift and drive,
We can print and plough and weave and heat and light.
We can run and race and swim and fly and dive.
We can see and hear and count and read and write!
6. Find the most appropriate option:
Question 1.
(1) This poem is about …
(A) importance of machines in the age of industry
(B) human emotions
(C) our dependence on machines
(D) inventions of different machines
Answer:
(C) our dependence on machines
Question 2.
Machines consider themselves …
(A) Kings
(B) equal to human beings
(C) superior to human beings
(D) inferior to human beings
Answer:
(D) inferior to human beings
Question 3.
Machines warn ………….
(A) overuse
(B) mishandling
(C) slavery
(D) sensitivity
Answer:
(B) mishandling
1. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate words:
(1) Autofab is the technology to ……. your own computer design into ……. objects. (concrete. strengthen. fabricate, demolish)
(2) ……. of the properties of a matter is now ……. with autofab machines. (instruction. possible. difficult. manipulation)
(3) The ……. of the old objects will ……. be into a new form as a part of a new object with the help of automated fabrication. (conerted, matter, theme, polished)
(4) Autofab will be a great help to because it will Increase (recycling, creativity. population, environment)
(5) Autofab technology may ……. the way of ……. human body. (close down. immortalizing. immoralizing, open up))
Answer:
(1) fabricate, concrete
(2) manipulation. possIble
(3) matter, converted
(4) environment.recycling
(5) open up, immortalizing
2. Fill in the blanks with the proper forms of the words:
(1) The autofab …………. (technique) will …………. (thorough) change the world.
(2) With the …………. (arrive) and spread of autofab, the huge factories will …………. (appear).
(3) Pranav has made an …………. (ordinary) …………. (achieve).
(4) At a …………. (youth) age Pranav Mistry has earned a lot of …………. (famous) with a President’s award.
(5) …………. (extend) of …………. (inhuman) life span will be much easier with autofab technologies.
Answer:
(1) technolo’. thoroughly
(2) arrival.disappear
(3) extraordinary, achievement
(4 ) young. fame
(5) Extension. human
3. Frame sentences using all the words. You may change the forms of the words If needed. Work In pairs.
Example: Pranav — make — father – achievement
Answer:
Pranav made his father proud because of his achievements.
OR
Pranav’s achievements made his father proud.
OR
You can make your father proud with your achievements as Pranav did. etc.
(1) old stuff – reform – new objects – help – autofab
Answer:
Autofab helps to reform old stuff into new objects.
(2) autofab – qualitative – durable – machines
Answer:
With ‘autofab’, qualitative and durable machines can be made.
(3) redesign – human body – painlessly – possible
Answer:
With ‘autofab’, it would be possible to redesign human body painlessly.
(4) decentralization – factory – village craft
Answer:
Village craft will encourage decentralization of factories.
(5) TeleTouch – distant – things
Answer:
TeleTouch helps us to operate distant things without touching them.
(6) machines – properly – dangerous – otherwise
Answer:
Machines should be handled properly otherwise they may turn dangerous.
4. Match A – B and frame a sentence using both of those words:
| Part A | Part B | Sentence |
| capable | for | ‘Ren-Baseras’ are built for the night stay of homeless people. |
| put | in | They put in their best efforts to make the project successful. |
| lead | at | My friend is very good at crafts. |
| good | to | Where does this road lead to ? |
| built | by | I was greatly touched by her emotional words. |
| touched | of | Viraj is capable of redesigning machines. |
Function
1. Study the table and frame sentences comparing the income of these people:
| Name | Mr Desai | Mrs Roy | Mr Soni | Ms Rani | Mr Basu | Mrs Kapoor |
| Income | 18,00,000 | 14,700 | 18,00,000 | 1,90,000 | 1,46,900 | 18,00,000 |
e.g.,
1. Mr Desai is as rich as Mrs Kapoor.
2. Mr Desai is richer than Mrs Roy.
Answer:
(1) Mr Desai, Mr Soni and Mrs Kapoor are equally rich.
(2) Mrs Roy has the lowest income among all.
(3) Ms Rani has more income than Mr Basu.
(4) Mrs Roy earns less than any other person mentioned in the table.
(5) Mr Desai Is one of the persons with the highest income.
(6) Mrs Kapoor has higher income than most other persons mentioned in the table.
(7) Ms Rani is richer than Mr Basu.
(8) Mr Basu is not so rich as Mr Soni.
(9) Mrs Kapoor is as rich as Mr Desai.
(10) Mrs Roy is not so financially strong as Mr Desai and Mrs Kapoor.
2. Read the survey and frame sentences as given below:
Winners And Why They Made It
| Category | Best City | Emerging City | Parameters |
| Overall | Chennai | Vadodara | quality of classrooms, expenditure on education, crime rate, economic growth and investment generation |
| Housing and Transport | Thiruvananthapuram | Rajkot | quality of public transport and percentage of slum population |
| Environment | Shimla | Madurai | level of Suspended Particulate Matter and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter |
| Lowest Crime and Safety | Gandhinagar | Surat | lowest percentage of violent crimes and crimes against women |
| Public Services | Shimla | Vadodara | percentage of LPG usage, frequency of power cuts, sewage and water supply system |
e.g., Chennai is the best city in overall category.
No other city is as good as Chennai in overall category.
Chennai is better than any other city in overall category.
Answer:
(1)
• Vadodara is emerging as the best city in overall category.
• No other city is emerging as/so good as Vadodara city in overall category.
• Vadodara is emerging as better than any other city in overall category.
(2)
• Thiruvananthapuram is the best city in housing and transport category.
• No other city is as /so good as Thiruvananthapuram in housing and transport category.
• Thiruvananthapuram is better than any other city in housing and transport category.
(3)
• Shimla is the best city in environment category.
• No other city in environment category is so good as Shimla.
• Shimla is better than any other city in environment category.
(4)
• Gandhinagar is the best city in lowest crime and safety category.
• No other city is as /so good as Gandhinagar in lowest crime and safety category.
• Gandhinagar is better than any other city in lowest crime and safety category.
(5)
• Shimla is also the best in public services category.
• No other city is as /so good as Shimla in public services category.
• Shimla is better than any other city in public services category.
(6)
• Madurai is emerging as the best city in environment category.
• No other city is emerging as /so good as Madurai in environment category.
• Madurai is emerging as better than any other city in environment category.
3. Study the picture and read the sentences:
Let’s compare A with other students:
A is the fattest boy in the class.
A is fatter than any other boy in the class.
No other boy in the class is as fat as A.
If we compare B in the same way, it is not true: B is the tallest boy in the class.
B is taller than any other boy in the class.
No other boy in the class is as tall as B.
So, B can be compared this way:
B is one of the tallest boys in the class.
B is taller than most other boys in the class.
Very few boys in the class are as tall as B.
4. Now frame sentences for the information:
(1) There are a few fast bowlers in your school. Rarnesh is one of them.
(2) There are a few long rivers in India. The Narmada is one of them.
(3) There are a few countries with high population in the world. India is one of them.
(4) There are a few tall trees in the world. Coconut tree is one of them.
(5) Many girls in your class run fast. Maitri is one of them.
e.g., Ramesh is one of the fastest bowlers in our school.
Very few bowlers in our school are as fast as Ramesh.
Ramesh is faster than most other bowlers in our school.
Answer:
(1)
- Ramesh is one of the fastest bowlers in our school.
- Rarnesh is faster than most other bowlers in our school.
- Very few bowlers in our school are as fast as Ramesh.
(2)
- The Narmada is one of the longest rivers in India.
- The Narmada is longer than most other rivers in India.
- Very few rivers in india are as long as the Narmada.
(3)
- India is one of the countries with the highest population in the world.
- India has higher population than most other countries in the world.
- Very few countries in the world have so / as high population as India has.
(4)
- The coconut tree is one of the tallest trees in the world.
- The coconut tree is taller than most other trees in the world.
- Very few trees in the world are as tall as the coconut tree.
(5)
- Maitri is one of the fastest runners in our class.
- Maitri is faster than most of the runners in our class.
- Very few runners in our class are as fast as Maitri.
5. Here are some real facts of life:
(1) If you work hard, you will get better result.
(2) If I dig more, I will get more water.
(3) If she walks fast, she will reach earlier.
These things can be said in this way too :
(1) The harder you work, the better result you will get.
(2) The more I dig, the more water I will get.
(3) The faster she walks, the earlier she will reach.
6. Complete the sentences:
(1) The more ……… it is …….. I like it. (adventurous / much
(2) …….. I see it, …….. I like it. (much/much)
(3) The older we grow, we become. (old / wise)
(4) ……..you climb it gets, (high / cold)
(5) …….. they go, …….. it is. (soon/good)
Answer:
(1) The more adventurous it is, the more I like it.
(2) The more I see it, the more I like it.
(3) The older we grow, the wiser we become.
(4) The higher you climb, the colder it gets.
(5) The sooner they go, the better it is.
Writing
1. Your friend is coming to your hometown for the first time. He is at the Bus station. He calls you for the direction to your house. You live in Shreeji Apt. Guide him to your home.
Friend: Hello! Krishna, I am at the bus station of your city. How can I reach your home ?
You: Welcome. It’s at walking distance. You come out of the bus station from gate No. 2. Just take left turn and you will be on Gandhi Road. Go straight left for about hundred metres and there are crossroads.
There is a college building there. Turn right from there and now you’re on Sardar road. Go straight once more and there will be another crossroads but you will have to turn nowhere. At the corner there is a hospital. You just go along and you will reach a flyover bridge.
Cross the flyover bridge and immediately turn right and you’ll be on Nehru road. Go straight once more till the dead end of Nehru road and to the right you’ll find our Shreeji Apartments. You’ve reached my place !
2. How to make a paper bag ?
Material: card paper, scissors, glue, cotton strings
Steps : 1. Take a piece of card paper. (24 x 38 cm)
Steps : 2. Fold the bottom edge up to 5 cm.
Steps : 3. Fold the sides of the card paper.
Steps : 4. Join them.
Steps : 5. Fold the side creases inward.
Steps : 6. Fold and glue the bottom.
Steps : 7. Attach cotton string as a handle.
Steps : 8. Decorate the bag.
Now, write about your experience of making this paper bag in about 10-15 sentences. Narrate it to the class.
Example :
Start this way… Last week we did a creative and exciting activity. First of all, I took a piece of card paper of 24 x 38 cm. Then I folded the bottom edge of that paper up to 5 cm. I also folded the sides of the card paper. I joined all the folds. Then I folded the side creases inward. After doing that – I folded and glued the bottom. I attached cotton strings at the top to be used as handle. Then I decorated the bag sticking beads and coloured stones on it. It looked very beautiful.
3. Read the following details of Sam Pitroda and write a paragraph about him
born on 4-5-1942 in Odisha – childhood in ? Gujarat – schooling in Vallabh Vidyanagar, M. S. University Baroda – career : telecom engineer-joined Wescom Switching Company at Chicago – in India, worked as inventor entrepreneur advisor – his contribution in telecom revolution in India, his other contribution – award : Padma Bhushan
Answer:
Sam Pitroda
Sam Pitroda is the personality who brought revolution in Telecommunication in India. He was born on May 4, 1942 in Titagarh, Odisha. Since his parents were from Gujarat and were greatly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy, Sam and his brother were sent to Gujarat to imbibe Gandhian philosophy.
He completed his schooling from Vallabh Vidyanagar and his Master’s degree in Physics and Electronic from M. S. University in Vadodara. After taking his Masters, he went to the United States and obtained Masters in Electrical Engineering in Chicago.
He started his career as a telecom engineer by joining Wescom Switching Company at Chicago. After many years Pitroda visited India and could not make a phone to his wife. So he returned to India and spent nearly a decade with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as leader of an effort to build an Indian Information Industry.
Pitroda launched the Centre for the Development of Telematics (C-DoT), and served as Advisor to the Prime Minister on Technology Missions related to water, literacy, immunization, oil-seeds, telecom and dairy.
He is also the founding chairman of India’s Telecom Commission. He has also served as the chairman of the National Knowledge Commission (2005 – 2009) and C-SAM. He also founded the National Innovation Council (2010).
He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Science and Engineering by the Government of India In 2009.
Activity
1. Autofab technology will be a boon for waste management. Form groups and discuss how it will be best used to benefit common people. You may discuss how it can be beneficial in reducing poverty, increasing employment, reducing pollution, etc. Discuss if it could also have adverse effects.
2. ‘Plastic milk jugs and last night’s punctured car tube could be molecularly rearranged to get a new table lamp.’ Now, make a list of your things that you want to get recycled through Autofab technology. Also, add what you would want to make out of them. Share it in class.
3. Work in groups and try to design any one of these with improved or new functions and facilities a cellphone, a laptop, a lock, a pen, a bicycle, a school bench.
4. We in India are very good at reuse. Make a list of things that your family reused or recycled in last one year.
5. Find the poem by Ardeshar Faramji Khabardar and recite it in the class.
[Note: To be done by students.]
The Secret of the Machines Summary in Gujarati
યંત્રોનું રહસ્ય’ શીર્ષક ધરાવતું આ કાવ્ય એક પ્રકારે યંત્રોની સંક્ષિપ્ત “આત્મકથા’ સ્વરૂપ છે. આ કાવ્યમાં કવિએ યંત્રોના જન્મથી માંડી માનવોની ભિન્ન ભિન્ન જરૂરિયાતો સંતોષવા તેમની વિવિધતા; યંત્રોની પોતાની જરૂરિયાતો, માનવો માટે સતત કામ કરતા રહેવાની તેમની પ્રતિબદ્ધતા વગેરે વ્યક્ત થયાં છે.
લેખકે યંત્રોનાં વિવિધ કાર્યો (કાર્યશેલી) પણ યથોચિત સંક્ષેપમાં રજૂ કર્યા છે. આ સૌની ઉપર લેખકે યંત્રો પાસે કબૂલાત કરાવી છે કે, “અમે લાગણીવિહીન છીએ. અમારો પોતાનો કાયદો (નિયમ) પણ છે; જો અમારી સાથે કામ પાડવામાં જરા પણ ભૂલચૂક કરશો, તો અમે કોઈ કાળે તમને માફ નહિ કરીએ.”
અંતે યંત્રોએ એ પણ કબૂલ્યું છે કે અમે પૃથ્વી પર સર્વશક્તિમાન હોવા છતાં છેવટે તો માનવમગજનાં બાળકો (પેદાશ) છીએ. આમ, કવિશ્રીએ પૂર્ણ કુશળતાથી આ કાવ્યાત્મક રચનામાં યંત્રોનો લાઘવયુક્ત પૂર્ણ પરિચય કરાવ્યો છે.
Glossary (શબ્દાર્થ)
ભાષાંતર
(ધરતીના પેટાળમાં પડેલી) ધાતુમિશ્રિત માટી અને ખાણમાંથી અમને મેળવવામાં આવ્યાં. અમને ભઠ્ઠીમાં અને ખાડામાં પિગાળવામાં આવ્યાં. અમારું નિર્માણ કરવા માટે અમને બીબામાં ઢાળવામાં આવ્યાં, અમારું ઘડતર કરાયું અને અમને હથોડા વડે ટીપવામાં આવ્યાં, સાનુકૂળ બનાવવા માટે અમને કાપવામાં આવ્યાં, ઘસીને ધારદાર
અને ચકચકતાં બનાવવામાં આવ્યાં, અમારા પર ઓજારકામ કરવામાં આવ્યું અને અમારા વિવિધ અંગોને જોડવામાં આવ્યાં. થોડા પ્રમાણમાં પાણી, કોલસો અને તેલ એટલું જ અમે માગીએ છીએ અને અમને કાર્યવંત થવા માટે જોઈએ ઇંચના હજારમા ભાગ જેટલી મોકળાશ.
(અમારી આટલી જરૂરિયાત પૂરી પાડીને) હવે તમે અમને કામે લગાડી દો એટલે અમે દિવસના ચોવીસે કલાક તમારી તહેનાતમાં રહીશું. અમે ખેંચીએ, ઘસડીએ, કેલીએ, વળી ઊઠાવીએ અને ચલાવી પણ શકીએ). અમે છાપીએ અને ખેડીએ, વળી વણીએ તેમજ ઉષ્મા અને પ્રકાશ પણ આપી શકીએ).
અમે દોડીએ અને હરીફાઈ કરીએ, વળી તરીએ, ઊડીએ અને ડૂબકી પણ મારી (શકીએ) અમે જોઈએ તેમજ સાંભળીએ, વળી ગણીએ, વાંચીએ અને લખી પણ શકીએ) પણ જેના થકી અમારું અસ્તિત્વ ટકેલું છે એ કાનૂન કૃપા કરીને યાદ રાખજો.
અમે અનિષ્ટને સમજી શકીએ એવી રીતે અમારું નિર્માણ નથી કરાયું. અમે પ્રેમ કે અનુકંપા નથી દાખવી શકતાં નથી, અમે ક્ષમા બક્ષી શકતાં (અથત, સમજવા માટે દિમાગ કે સંવેદનશીલ હૃદય અમે ધરાવતાં નથી).
અમારી જોડે વહેવાર કરતી વેળા તમે સહેજ પણ ગફલત કરશો તો તમે મુઆ જાણજો !
અમારો ધુમાડો સ્વર્ગને તમારી દષ્ટિથી અગોચર કરી શકે છે, (પરંતુ) એ ધુમાડો ગાયબ થઈ જશે અને સ્વર્ગના તારા ફરી ચમકી ઊઠશે, કારણ કે, અમે ગમે તેટલાં શક્તિ, વજન અને કદ ધરાવતાં હોઈએ (છતાંય) તમારાં ભેજાંનાં સંતાનોથી વિશેષ અમારી કોઈ જ હેસિયત નથી! – Rudyard Kipling